United Airlines(GLASGOW) -- Two United Airlines pilots were arrested in Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday morning before they were set to fly to Newark International Airport, according to police.

"Police Scotland can confirm that two men, aged 35 and 45 years, have been arrested and are presently detained in police custody in connection with alleged offences under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003 (Section 93)," said a statement from Glasgow police.

There were 141 passengers on board the 9 a.m. flight who were rebooked to a 7:15 p.m. flight with a new crew later in the evening.

United Airlines said the pilots had been removed from service and their flying duties. United also said it is cooperating with Scottish investigators and would conduct an independent investigation.

Police said the two men were expected to appear in court outside Glasgow on Monday.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
MOORHEAD, Minn.  Like a lot of people, Will and Kristi Sauvageau had never heard of U-47700. They had no idea that its a synthetic opioid eight times more powerful than morphine. They werent aware that its made in foreign labs and sold over the internet.

And they didnt know their 26-year-old son, Adam, was mixed up with it. Only after he was found dead at his north Moorhead home did they learn about U-47700.

This is a scary drug, said Lt. Brad Penas of the Moorhead Police Department. This is not a drug thats necessarily new to the United States, but its maybe new to our area.

Penas said Adam Sauvageau died from an apparent drug overdose earlier this month. Based on evidence gathered, investigators suspect that U-47700 played a role in his death, but they wont know for sure until they receive autopsy results, the lieutenant said.

Police are trying to figure out where the U-47700 in this case originated, and they want to determine whos selling this powdery drug that can be injected, snorted or taken orally.

I would guess the products coming from overseas. I would suspect China, Penas said. Typically, this kind of drug is mail order.

Other law enforcement agencies in the Fargo-Moorhead area say they have not come across U-47700, but they have encountered other synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl and its analog, furanyl fentanyl.

That stupid stuff

Born in Perham, Minn., Sauvageau lived in Glyndon, Minn., before moving to Moorhead when he was about 5 years old. His parents, who are divorced, described him as a smart kid with a sense of humor and a bunch of friends.

He liked his catfishing, liked his motorcycles, his mom said. He just had a problem with that stupid stuff.

Sauvageau attended Moorhead public schools, and his parents believe he got hooked on drugs while in high school after he began hanging out with a different crowd. His dad assumes Adam started out using prescription drugs, but what led up to his opioid use isnt clear.

Sometime after graduating from Moorhead High School, Sauvageau received outpatient treatment at Prairie St. Johns Hospital in Fargo and later in Brainerd.

I thought he was clean for a while, and he was doing really good, his father said. Temptation must have got to him.

His parents said they occasionally tried talking to him about his addiction, but it was a difficult subject to broach. He said he just suffered all the time, basically. Hed be happy on the outside, but (on) the inside, he just couldnt beat it, his father said.

His mother lamented the shortage of local treatment options for people with opioid addictions. She said she would sometimes ask her son about getting help, and he would try to reassure her.

Im taking care of it, Mom, he would say. Im taking care of it.

To bury their child

Opioids like heroin and fentanyl have taken a toll on the Fargo-Moorhead region this year, resulting in scores of hospitalizations and about a dozen fatal overdoses. Sauvageaus death is the first that appears connected to U-47700.

The drug, which sells for about $40 a gram online, has been linked to at least 50 deaths nationwide, The Associated Press reported in June. Its one of a variety of potent synthetic opioids that have popped up around the country. An extreme example is carfentanil, a drug sold commercially as a sedative for elephants.

Because new versions of these drugs are quickly produced and distributed, state and federal officials have scrambled to regulate them.

The Drug Enforcement Administration is in the process of evaluating U-47700, but in the meantime, its taken emergency action to outlaw the drug nationwide, said Kenneth Solek, assistant special agent in charge of the Minneapolis-St. Paul district office.

Sauvageau was a cook at the Brickhouse Tavern in Moorhead, and he had been living with his father. On the afternoon of Aug. 12, his dad came home to find a message on the answering machine that said his son had not shown up for work.

So I went downstairs to wake him up about 2 oclock, his father said. He was already dead.

A little over two months before, Sauvageau had suffered his first drug overdose, presumably from opioid use, his mom said. Afterward, she told him, A parent is not supposed to bury their child.

Sauvageaus response was nonchalant. He just kind of, like, shrugged it off, she said. He was using too much again.

This weekend, Sauvageaus family plans to spread his ashes along the banks of the Red River in Gooseberry Mound Park where he spent hours upon hours catfishing.

He had his best times there, I think, his dad said.
DEVILS LAKE -- The excess rain this year is one ingredient needed for spring flooding, and as residents wonder if Devils Lake could begin to swallow up land, National Weather Service meteorologists say its too early to tell if the Red River will cause significant damage.

Grand Forks had about 3.21 inches of rain in August as of Thursday. Thats about 18 inches for the year, or about 4 inches of precipitation above average counts, according to the weather service. July was the seventh-wettest month on record with 5.3 inches.

To the west, more than 19 inches has fallen in Devils Lake as of Tuesday, according to Jeff Frith, manager for the Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resource Board. July saw 6.65 inches, the second-wettest July since 1993, which had 10.25 inches. About 4.3 inches has fallen in August as of Tuesday.

Near Starkweather, a Ramsey County city of 117 residents located about 25 miles north of Devils Lake, weather tracker Mike Connor has reported more than 23 inches, with 8.12 inches falling in July, the most that has fallen in that month since 1993. About 5.2 inches has fallen there in August as of Tuesday.

The excess rain has saturated the soil, especially in the northern Red River Valley, and as a whole, North Dakota is wetter than normal, National Weather Service meteorologist Jennifer Ritterling said. If it doesnt dry up, the ground could freeze and leave no room for the snowpack to melt except outward.

That could mean flooding for some communities around Devils Lake. The massive body of water has remained steady at about 1,450 feet for most of the year, give or take a few inches.

The rain is concerning because it is filling up the coulees near Devils Lake and causing significant inflow, Frith said. Usually flows wrap up toward the end of July, but some coulees have been running full blast the last few weeks.

Its not unusual considering the amount of rain the Devils Lake Basin has seen, Frith said.

We have been seeing a dramatic increase in the flows in the coulees, certainly more than what we had this spring when the coulees thawed out in the spring, Frith said. We had virtually zero flow at that time due to our drier conditions.

Heavy flow in the spring could be preceded by a wet fall, which is concerning because it could increase the elevation of Devils Lake, he said. The lakes record elevation was set June 27, 2011, when it reached 1,454.4 feet, resulting in the flooding of cropland, roads, homesteads and even small communities. The lake reached near-record levels in June 2013 when the elevation topped out at 1,426.97 feet.

Every foot the lake goes up or down puts about 10,000 acres of land at risk, Frith said.

If we go into freeze-up with saturated soils the way they are now, the basin storage capacity up in the northern part of the basin flow, we could see a significant amount of runoff next spring and be right back where we were three or four years ago, he said. It just sets the stage for nowhere for the snowmelt to go.

Too soon to tell

Knowing if the region, specifically the Red River Valley, will see significant flooding is like predicting the winner of the 2017 Super Bowl, Ritterling said. There are so many variables that are unknown that it is too early to tell.

There are a lot of factors that go into spring flooding, she said.

She referred to an article written by Grand Forks meteorologist Allen Voelker. Anatomy of the Red River Spring Flood describes the key factors in predicting flooding for cities along the river: the freeze and melt cycle, the amount of early spring rain and late spring storms that will deplete or add to snowpack, the depth of snowpack and how much water it contains, frost depth, river ice conditions and soil moisture content.

Out of all of those, we partially know one of them, she said of soil moisture content. There is no way to tell at this point.

Its likely there are two to three months left until the ground freezes, and its possible the region could begin to dry off by then. Temperatures for the three-month outlook are expected to be above average, though precipitation also could be above average, according to the weather services Climate Prediction Center. Most of North Dakota and all of Minnesota should avoid drought through November.

There is still a bit of fall to go through, she said.

Surprise from the lake

The Old Farmers Almanac, which recently released its 225th issue, predicted a colder winter than normal for the Grand Forks area and North Dakota in general, but below-normal snowfall for eastern North Dakota, while the west should receive more snow.

Ritterling warned people not to put too much stock into the publication. Though it boasts an accuracy of 80 percent, its winter prediction last year was about 55.6 percent accurate.

There are actually people who have looked into verifying The Old Farmers Almanac against what really happened, and the results arent very good, she said.

Devils Lake should be safe, Frith said, adding agricultural land and surrounding communities could see flooding. It would take a monumental event to surpass the record elevation, which is about 4 feet away.

This lake has surprised and has made a lot of fools of prognosticators over the past, he said. I wouldnt rule anything out.

With a few months to go, he said a few weeks of no rain couldnt hurt Devils Lake and surrounding cities.

Certainly, Mother Nature can stop at any time, he said.

Flood predictions from the weather service are expected in January. When asked if people should be worried, Ritterling had some friendly advice.

The fall is usually pretty nice, she said. Go out and enjoy our last few months of being able to do stuff outside.
The convoy which was returning from Cape Coast where the Vice President was the guest of honour for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Regional campaign launch.

According to reports, a saloon car rammed into one of the convoy vehicles, causing it to summersault a number of times.

READ MORE:Speedy recovery Veep visits injured journalists

The Vice president was on his way to Dominase for the 20th anniversary celebration of Nana Kweku Ewusia.

Backgroung

Ghanas Vice President's convoy has been involved in an accident in the Central region resulting in the injury of some journalists.

The accident happened on Saturday at Gomoa Adams, near Nsakyire junction on the Winneba  Cape Coast highway.

A saloon car is said to have crashed into one of the black SUVs in the vice-presidents convoy, causing it to somersault several times.

The vice president, Amissah-Arthur escaped death but some journalists, including Nutor Bibini Nutor of GTV and Bernard Allotey of Radio Gold are said to have sustained some injuries.

The affected vehicle is believed to be the emergency car for the vice-president and is understood to contain the guns and ammunition of his security detail.
"Soon after we paid the money, three policemen in uniform, and two others in civilian clothes, jumped on us beat my friend took the gold from us and put us in cells for one day,"

Ringleader of the syndicate has reportedly been let lose.

Yazid and his business partner say they are frustrated even though the PIPS Bureau have taken up the matter.
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The suspect identified as, Ibrahim Kasali, was arrested alongside 21 other suspects, who are alleged to have been involved in stealing within the area.

The raid which took place between 4:30a.m. and 6:35 am on Friday August 26, 2016, had the operatives going through Mosafejo, Bolade, Oshodi Oke, and Oshodi Under Bridge, arresting the hoodlums awaiting unsuspecting passers-by and passengers.

Popularly known as Ibrahim Babangida of Oshodi, he was reportedly arrested during the operation as he was being chased by passengers of a bus he had just raided.

Kasali is reportedly feared by his colleagues due to his ruthlessness, and thus carving a niche for himself. Other suspects arrested prior to this raid are said to have given him out as their leader, adding that he goes round collecting stolen items to sell, sharing the proceeds amongst them. During his confession, Kasali disclosed that he has been imprisoned four times.

Upon the completion of the preliminary screening carried out by the operatives, four of the 22 arrested suspects were released after providing satisfactory information on their identity.

Some of the suspects include Bello Fatai, Oladimeji Ajisafe, Hassan Adeyemi, Jubril Olamilekan and Babalola Ahmed. Others were Junior Vincent, Rilwan Oyinsola, Sadiq Taofeek, Kazeem Taiwo, Mutiu Rasheed, Ayodele Adeeko and Sola Omonije amongst others.

Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Superintendent of Police, SP Dolapo Badmus, encouraged the people of Lagos on vigilance, adding that maximum security is being put in place around the state.
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46-year-old Abiola Wahab and Toyin Abiola, are undergoing interrogation following allegations of using their three-year-old son as a pawn in their game of fraud.

The couple are alleged to have used their son as collateral to defraud a long list of victims from whom they took loans or bought goods on credit.

Speaking with Sunday Sun, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Illiyasu disclosed that the husband and wife allegedly defrauded large-scale goods distributors.

Opening up on the couple's mode of operations, Mr. Ahmed said that Wahab and Toyin would visit a distributor, collect goods worth millions of Naira, pay some money before disappearing into thin air, leaving behind a pile of debts. He added that they have duped a number of victims in Oyo, Lagos, Osun and Ogun states.

They are reported to have continually switched the plate number on their vehicle which they usually drove to different business locations, making them hard to trace.

The Commander of SARS, Supol Uba Adams, disclosed that the pair had been arrested at a home they had built in Ikirun, Osun State.

Speaking with Sunday Sun at the SARS headquarters, Toyin revealed that she had been engaged in rice distribution before getting involved in the fraudulent acts.

I was into distribution of rice in Ikiru, Osun state. In 2008, somebody duped me of N1 million after I had supplied rice. My clients were pestering me for their money. The case was transferred to State CID Oshogbo and I was arraigned in court. The magistrate ordered that I be remanded at Ilesha prison and adjourned the case. I was nine months pregnant at the time. I delivered my second child in prison. The day that the magistrate granted me bail was also the day I gave birth. I spent only five days in the prison, and that was why I named my baby, Aishat Abiola. The court ordered that we pay off the money within one month, but I could not afford to pay. So I jumped bail.

"We have duped a lot of people. We would collect assorted drinks and promise to pay but we would not go back again. When we go to visit a prospective victim, I would wear a hijab to disguise myself and seem like a pious Muslim woman. I would pay an amount with a promise to pay the balance after selling the goods. But I never went back.
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The deceased identified as Julio Macias Gonzalez is reported to have suffered convulsions during dinner with his family at their home in Mexico City, after spending the evening with his girlfriend.

Although the paramedics were called to the scene, they had been unable to save the 17-year-old.

The assumption that the pressure used in forming the love bite also known as hickey, caused a blood clot that travelled to the victim's brain, causing him to suffer a stroke.

The girlfriend of the deceased, aged 24, has reportedly disappeared following the sad incident, while Julio's parents blame her for his death.

As rare an occurrence as this is, it is hardly the first time this has happened. In 2011, a 44-year-old woman was left partially paralysed after suffering a stroke from similar circumstances.
Though we do not have any child yet, we have not let it bother us, because we believe God's time is the best. My family tried severally to get me another wife, but I refused.

Back to my course in the United States, where I met my wife's cousin who was living in Atlanta. She flew to Chicago where I was, to get the stuff my wife sent to her and we got talking, so I asked her of her boyfriend because I knew they were having issues.

She was a heavy drinker. When she started telling me what she went through in the relationship, she burst into tears and as I was consoling her, she placed her lips on mine, I felt the warmth of her body close to mine and the rest was history.

Honestly, I felt bad about it and I apologised, and we agreed to keep it from my wife, who we both love dearly. The next thing was for her to call me some weeks later that she missed her period and that she was pregnant for me.

I told her to abort it but she refused. She stopped calling me and changed all her numbers.

Last week, I got a mail from her telling me she was sick and needed to see me and my wife.

My wife could not make the journey to the US because of her bank job, since I was on my annual leave, I travelled to Atlanta to see her in the hospital.

She had cancer and she was dying. She then gave me the greatest shocker of my life, as she introduced a 2 year old boy to me as my son. I did not believe her, but she suggested we do a paternity test, since I was in the hospital.

Behold, when the result came out, I almost fainted. The boy is my son. I told her to give me time to get myself, but she told me that child services might take the boy if she dies.

I told her I heard, and asked her to give me time to think it through, and I left for my hotel, only to be woken up in the middle of the night by a call from the hospital that my wife's cousin was not fine and that she wanted me to come over.

I rushed down there and she handed the boy-my son to me with some documents and gave up the ghost. I have since returned to Nigeria with the boy who my wife thinks is her cousin's son, but I can't tell her anything.

I don't want to hurt her feelings. Should I tell her, how should I go about it?

She will be devastated. Please help me what do I do.

We still don't have any kids yet.

Let us help this man with our advise. Please post your comments below

If you want to share any personal marriage issue with us, kindly send an email to: chika.ebuzor@ringier.ng
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Adverts for this weekend's third edition of 'Miss Bim-Bim', carrying an image of two fully clothed women with exaggeratedly large behinds, provoked an outcry on social media.

"Our role is to do everything to avoid damaging the image of women," said Minister Laure Zongo in a statement, adding that social media criticism had persuaded her to act.

The male organiser of the event, Hamado Doambahe, said it aimed to promote a more positive body image for African women and encourage fashion designers to use African costumes.

Contests like Miss Bim-Bim have been held in other West African countries.

Women's rights groups have mixed views about the tendency in many African cultures to celebrate women with larger bodies than are typically admired elsewhere.

While they welcome the shift away from the unnaturally thin female shapes promoted by the global fashion industry, they deplore the emphasis on men judging women's body shapes.
Hong Kong's tax authorities this week threatened to ground South African Airlines if the struggling airliner did not provide financial statements by Sept. 6.

SAA has failed to submit financial statements for the past two years, with results for 2015/16 held back by Treasury's refusal to grant the loss-making carrier 5 billion rand ($356 million) in additional guarantees.

If SAA does not file an earnings report it cannot get government guarantees and ensure payment for services in airports, including Hong Kong.

In a statement late on Friday, the airline said it was able to and continued to pay its debts as and when they become due and payable.

Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who is leading a turnaround strategy that includes a new board, asked parliament last month to push back the release of SAA's 2015 earnings report to September as his department considers whether to grant the company the money it needs to stay afloat.

Marred by controversy and financial mismanagement, the airline has been surviving on state guarantees of around 14.4 billion rand and has been singled out amongst other state companies by ratings agencies as a major risk to the country's investment grade status.

The DA said this week's abrupt resignation of the carrier's audit head Yakhe Kwinana, a pending 250 million rand loan repayment, and an impasse between SAA Chairwoman Dudu Myeni and the finance minister were pushing the state firm to an almost certain collapse.

"Even worse is that SAA's 14.4 billion rand in government guarantees has been completely depleted, leaving it without any options," DA Member of Parliament Alf Lees said in a statement.

"If a further bailout from government is to be avoided SAA must immediately be placed under business rescue," Lees, the deputy shadow finance minister, said, referring to a process to grant temporary protection from creditors.

SAA said it was in talks with authorities to ensure it complies with regulations.

"It is highly unlikely that there will be service interruptions in September and/or October anywhere on our route network, including Hong Kong, due to the grounding of our aircraft," the airline said.

The Treasury under Gordhan and President Jacob Zuma have disagreed about government spending, including at loss-making state companies like SAA, analysts say.

Widely respected Nhlanhla Nene was axed as finance minister in December just weeks after he vetoed a plan by Myeni to amend a cost-saving deal with the French manufacturer Airbus.

On Thursday, the presidency defended plans to give Zuma supervision over state-owned firms after Gordhan's allies said this would limit the finance minister's control.
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Authorities captured a 39-year-old fugitive and convicted killer early Saturday near Cumberland Square in Bettendorf.

The Iowa Department of Corrections declared John Fredrick Mohr an escapee on Friday when he failed to return as scheduled from his job to the state work facility at 605 N. Main St., Davenport.

Mohr was apprehended around 1 a.m. Saturday outside a Wendy's restaurant near the intersection of Spruce Hills Drive and Middle Road, Bettendorf Police Chief Phil Redington said. Mohr was in custody at the Scott County Jail by 2:58 a.m.

Mohr was convicted in 1997 in Clinton County in the death of his then-girlfriend's 13-month-old son in 1995. Experts at his trial testified that the boy, Justin Witt, had suffered from shaken baby syndrome.

Mohr, formerly of Clinton, was ordered to work release following parole revocation on April 18, 2016.

The revocation came after Mohr, who was living in Davenport, was convicted of drunken driving in Rock Island County, said Waylyn McCulloh, district director of the Iowa Department of Corrections.

McCulloh said Friday that if Mohr was apprehended in any jurisdiction in the country, he would be subject to extradition.

Mohr faces an escape charge, which is a serious misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail. He also faces being ordered to return to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence under the second-degree murder conviction.

Although sentenced to up to 50 years, Mohr was ordered to serve roughly half of that time under previous state code. The requirement has since changed so that those convicted of forcible felonies in Iowa are ordered to serve at least 70 percent of their sentences. The newer requirement does not pertain to Mohr, who was charged in 1995, before the mandatory minimum guidelines took effect.
DES MOINES  Hillary Clinton will use the upcoming presidential debates to put some distance between herself and Donald Trump, former primary opponent-turned campaign surrogate Martin OMalley said Sunday.

Delivering the keynote address at the second annual Progress Iowa Corn Feed on Sunday at the Simon Estes Amphitheater here, OMalley, the former Democratic governor of Maryland who ran for president through the Iowa caucuses, said Clintons debate experience will help her build an advantage over Trump in Iowa, where multiple polls have shown a very close race.

My sense is that the (presidential) race is fairly close here (in Iowa), and these next 72 days are going to be pretty determinative, OMalley told reporters at the Corn Feed. Ive been in many debates with Hillary Clinton, and I can tell you, unfortunately for my own prospects, she doesnt usually make mistakes in debates.

Shes a very able debater, and shes going to be able finally, in a 1-on-1 sort of context, to lay out a much better vision for our country, economically, politically, (and) Americas role in the world. And I think shell start opening up some distance.

The first presidential debate is less than a month away: Sept. 28 in Hempstead, New York. The other debates are Oct. 9 in St. Louis and Oct. 19 in Las Vegas.

Clinton has enjoyed strong, steady leads in polling in many of the states that have been closely contested in recent elections, including Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

But the race in Iowa, another recent perennial toss-up, has remained close in the polls.

OMalley was asked Sunday why he thinks Clinton has been able to pull away from Trump in other perennial battleground states but not Iowa.

Im not exactly sure, but its my sense that people in Iowa like to make up their minds toward the end of the process, not at the beginning of it, OMalley said. Theyre very savvy. The caucuses make Iowa voters very savvy. That means that Iowa people like to see the race play out before they make up their minds.

When more Iowans start tuning into the presidential race, OMalley said he thinks those voters will be drawn to Clinton.

When Hillary Clinton speaks to wages, to the issues like affordable college that matter around peoples kitchen table, I believe that shes going to start pulling away here in Iowa, OMalley said. And thats what Im going to do everything in my power to help her do.

During his remarks, OMalley unleashed criticisms of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as well as Trump.

Its time to put this racist bully (Trump) in his place and a tough woman in hers: the White House, OMalley said.

Iowas lone Democrat in Congress, U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, and the partys 2016 Congressional candidates and statehouse leaders also spoke at the Corn Feed, as did Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILYs List, a national group that works to get Democratic women elected to office.

Schriock said she is excited to have a chance to help elect the first woman president in the nations history, noting her 96-year-old grandmother who lives in Mason City was born just before women in the U.S. had the right to vote.

My grandmother is going to see that moment, Schriock said. And as proud as she was to see us make history in 2008 (by electing Barack Obama, the first black president), we are ready to do it again this year.
DES MOINES  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump peppered Iowa Sen. Joni Ernsts Roast & Ride fundraiser Saturday with some political red meat, pledging to aid family farmers, veterans, minorities and give voice to Americans who arent being heard by President Barack Obama or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Clad in a white cap, black jacket and white shirt, Trump brought about 1,800 supporters to their feet repeatedly by slamming Clintons very bad judgment, her email and pay-for-play scandals, and her immigration and other policy positions while offering his candidacy as a chance to open a brand new beautiful chapter in American history.

Together, we are going to win this state in November and we are going to win the White House for the American people, Trump said during his 47-minute speech.

The White House will become the peoples house. We will tackle and fix the problems that have gone unsolved for years: failing schools, crumbling infrastructure, broken borders, bloated bureaucracy, wasteful spending, and a government that just doesnt work.

This is a campaign about big ideas designed to help everyday people. These are the people who work hard, but who dont have a voice, Trump added. This year, the GOP is offering the voters a chance to break up the corrupt establishment and to create a New American Future. This chance will never come again.

By contrast, Trump said Clinton believes she is entitled to be president, thinks shes above the law, has the backing of big bank and Wall Street special interests and is unfit to serve in the Oval Office.

Speaking at a packed Iowa State Fair livestock pavilion, Trump joined Ernst for a Republican cattle call that included U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann, the states three GOP congressmen  Rod Blum, Steve King and David Young  and 2nd District congressional challenger Chris Peters.

The New York billionaire held himself out as a champion for Iowa family farmers, promising to end the EPA intrusion into their homes and businesses, protect the Renewable Fuel Standard, eliminate job-killing regulations and provide them tax relief.

Trump claimed Clinton wants to shut down family farms through radical regulation and taxation that will mean higher rates with a double whammy through inheritance taxes."

My economic agenda can be summed up in three words: jobs, jobs, jobs, he said.

Trump also indicated he will take a get-tough stance on immigration, beginning by removing criminal illegal immigrants on the first day of his presidency. These international gangs and cartels will be a thing of the past. Their reign of terror will be over, he said, while contending Clinton would expand executive amnesty and trigger a constitutional crisis.

So the choice couldnt be more clear. A vote for Trump is a vote to have a nation of laws, the candidate told the crowd. A vote for Clinton is a vote for dangerous open borders where anybody can just walk in and do whatever they want.

Iowa Democratic Party chairwoman Andy McGuire said Trump does not offer solutions that matter to working families in Iowa because he is more interested in grabbing headlines than formulating plans that better their lives.

"We heard more of the same from Donald Trump at the Roast and Ride event today, said Monica Biddix, communications director for the Iowa Democratic Party. He offered lots of bombastic hyperbole without comprehensive plans or solutions. He talked about kicking people out of the country instead of bringing working families out of poverty. Donald Trump is a showman who lacks the experience, demeanor and temperament to keep us safe and lead our country in the right direction."

Ernst, who invited Trump to keynote her second annual pork roast and motorcycle ride with about 400 other leather-clad bikers, said the afternoon of speeches topped off a fantastic event that raised money for the Soldiers Strong nonprofit effort to help injured veterans regain the ability to walk.

What a beautiful day  not too hot; not too sunny, just right, Ernst told reporters after the 42-mile motorcycle trek. It was really a gorgeous ride.

Ernst said she wanted to day to focus on issues that are important to Iowans rather than the name-calling that has flared during the 2016 presidential race. Hillary Clinton has given us so much to talk about, really with the email scandal and really bad policies overseas, Ernst noted. She has a record of failure. Lets talk about that record of failure. We can focus on issues, not name-calling.

During her remarks to the pavilion crowd, Ernst pressed national security concerns as a former Iowa National Guard officer and combat veteran that Obama consistently is leading from behind in combatting the spread of terrorist threats and feared similar failures would continue if Clinton is elected.

We need candidates up and down the ballot who will keep us safe, she said.

Kathy Cassidy of Villisca, whose husband, Bruce, was one of Saturdays riders, said her family made the trek to Des Moines to be a part of an effort that will benefit Americas veterans and to support Trump. Im all about the food, she added.

Were always up for a ride and a great cause, noted Wes Renken, a Johnston motorcyclist who had Ernst autograph the back of his shirt before participating with her in his second ride. The shirt eventually will go in my special closet where he keeps his Harley-Davidson gear, he noted.

Jay Naeve of Gilmore City said he came to Des Moines to be part of the event and to support Trump, who he backed in last Februarys Iowa caucuses as soon as he said build the wall and bring back jobs. Thats what we need. Naeve called Trump the complete opposite of Hillary Clinton.

Joe McKenna of Des Moines was part of the Big Barn Harley-Davidson hog group that helped organize the ride and acted as a road captain during the ride that also occurred under the watchful eye of the Iowa State Patrol. He said the ride is a party atmosphere with the best part seeing everybody enjoying themselves.
In the late 1880s and early 1900s, an artist could make a living in the Quad-Cities by creating large murals on commission for churches, businesses and wealthy individuals.

Swedish immigrant Frank Lundahl (1858-1932) was one of those painters.

Anyone who has ever gazed at the dome in Davenport's Capitol Theatre, or seen the altar painting at First Lutheran Church, Moline, has seen his work.

More of his work remain with his descendants, some of whom still live in this area.

Some has been lost  ceiling paintings in the Joseph Huntoon home in Moline played a role in the vigorous community debate surrounding the home's demolition in the mid-1980s. This is a loss that led to the formation of Moline Preservation Society, according society president Diann Moore.

And some pieces  73, to be exact  are in the art collection of Augustana College, called the Teaching Museum of Art, donated by Lundahl's family.

One that should never be in storage  that should be out for the public to see all the time  is called "The Blacksmith."

It's 6 feet high and 9 feet wide, a larger-than-life depiction of a bearded blacksmith, his left hand poised above his head, a glowing piece of metal in his right.

Claire Kovacs, director of the Augustana museum, believes the painting is intended as a representation of John Deere at the moment he conceived the idea of the self-scouring steel plow. It's not meant to be a portrait so much as an allegory, or story.

Lundahl family history holds that Lundahl painted the work around 1900 on "speculation," hoping that someone, specifically Deere & Co., would buy it. But the company passed, and the painting that Lundahl considered his masterpiece stayed with him.

The canvas was rolled up and stored in a garage until the 1990s when the family donated it and 72 others to Augustana.

Kovacs has started a new program in which she hopes to sign agreements with community partners such as cities, businesses or nonprofit organizations to display some of Lundahl's work in safe places so the public can see it.

I hope "The Blacksmith" gets a good spot. Not only is it an powerful work of art, but it references an invention that broke the prairie (for better or worse) and led to the formation of our largest employer, one with global reach.

Want to know more?

While "The Blacksmith" is over-sized, most of the Lundahl paintings in the Augustana collection are smaller-scale works that he painted for his own enjoyment, depicting Quad-City scenes.

As such, they are a documentation of our heritage. Pictures include horses and horse-drawn carriages, automobiles, riverboats, farm scenes and rock outcroppings.

More about Lundahl and his paintings  and an opportunity to see "The Blacksmith"  will be offered at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, when Kovacs will give a presentation at Augustana.

Her talk is the monthly program of the Moline Preservation Society, which normally meets in Moline. But because the blacksmith painting is at Augustana, the meeting is being moved to Room 12 of Bergendoff Hall, 3701 7th Ave., Rock Island. The building is on the west side of Centennial Hall; you can park east of Centennial.

Lundahl studied art at what is now the Art Institute of Chicago. He created murals that no longer exist for the Second Congregational Church and downtown Public Library, both Moline; and the Illinois Theater, Fraternal Order of Eagles Building and Harms Hotel, all in Rock Island.

As for Kovacs' credentials, she has a doctorate from the University of Iowa and master's and bachelor's degrees from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, all in art history.

Augustana holds 4,200 objects in its art collection, including an extensive group of Native American pottery and paintings and prints by Swedish American artist Berger Sandzen.
Davenport City Council is getting it right. Now, it's up to the citizenry to show up and help direct the future of Davenport's riverfront.

Last week, City Council members verbally struck down Mayor Frank Klipsch's proposal that would have seen private organizations head redevelopment efforts of the former Rhythm City Casino site on River Drive. The process should be transparent, open and fully accessible to the public, council members rightly argued. Vetting should be left to the council, they correctly determined.

The city, after all, controls the land surrounding the privately owned barge at the center of the redevelopment discussions. It also determines docking rights. There's no denying the public interest in a development that could shape Davenport's downtown for generations. Even private groups, including the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce, worried about the fallout that would follow selecting a development outside of public view.

The council didn't lay out a specific process for would-be developers. It simply determined that one should exist and directed city staff to draft the guidelines. What's clear is that developers will be asked for proposals. Public hearings will be held.

The council stepped up and, for the most part, did its job. If only it weighed in on whether it actually supports development at or on the former barge, which would have provided clarity for interested developers. Such a policy statement should be considered in the weeks to come.

RiverVision, a city guidance revised in 2014, will sit squarely at the center of the debate to come. Many of those closest to RiverVision's 2004 writing and later revision already are fracturing into camps, particularly about the barge, now owned by Scott County Casino, which owns Rhythm City Casino. RiverVision was premised on the barge's removal.

But, Klipsch says, the facts on the ground may have changed. Scott County Casino hasn't found a buyer and might be interested in gifting it to a riverfront developer.

The key here is to recognize what RiverVision is not  it's not a zoning document. It's not even an official set of planning rules. It's planning guidance, written in ink, not stone.

Document literalists are citing the plan's focus on a private venue a few hundred yards from where the barge sits. They're unwelcoming to discussions that deviate from the plan. And, in the process, they're erecting barriers that are likely to spook developers mulling a bid.

Closed minds could, essentially, make for a less robust bidding process. Maybe the results are something directly in-line with RiverVision as drafted. Maybe it's something close. And, just maybe, there are yet-to-be considered preferable options running through the head of some site planner or architect. Klipsch's desire to pass the redevelopment onto the private sector might be wholly upside-down. But that doesn't mean his vision for incorporating the barge is without merit.

Davenport City Council looks to have gotten it right this past week. It asserted its authority and, correctly, placed control over the future of Davenport's riverfront back where it belongs. The move basically assures robust public input, debate and the protection of public access.

Davenport City Council flexed its muscle and set about providing structure to a haphazard process. Now it's up to the public to show up and take advantage.
NATION

Scientists complete dome project

Six scientists have completed a yearlong Mars simulation in Hawaii, where they lived in a dome in near isolation.

For the past year, the group has lived in the dome on a Mauna Loa mountain and could go outside only while wearing spacesuits.

On Sunday, the simulation ended, and the scientists emerged.

Kim Binsted, principal investigator for the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, says the researchers are looking forward to getting in the ocean and eating fresh produce and other foods that weren't available in the dome.

NASA funded the study run through the University of Hawaii. Binsted says the simulation was the second-longest of its kind after a mission that lasted 520 days in Russia.

Flood relief bus crashes; 2 die

Louisiana State Police say an out-of-control bus carrying flood recovery volunteers hit a fire truck and firefighters who had responded to an earlier wreck, killing two people and injuring dozens.

Trooper Melissa Matey told local news outlets that the bus driver did not have a commercial license and was not authorized to drive a bus.

Matey says those killed Sunday morning include a local fire chief. She says Chief Spencer Chauvin was among three firefighters thrown off the raised section of Interstate 10 near LaPlace and into water below.

WORLD

Merkel rejects Muslim migrant ban

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday slammed those countries in Europe who say they won't take in Muslim refugees, a position that several eastern European governments have taken in response to the influx of migrants from the Islamic world.

Merkel said she was hopeful that European Union members would reach an agreement on outstanding questions arising from the migrant crisis, one of which is how to fairly distribute asylum-seekers among all the bloc's 28 member states.

She told German public broadcaster ARD that "everybody has to do their bit" and didn't rule out the possibility of letting some countries take in fewer migrants if they contribute more financially instead.

Turkey-backed rebels make gains in Syria

Rebels backed by Turkey made major gains Sunday in northern Syria, expelling Kurdish-led forces from towns and villages as part of a determined campaign by Ankara to push the militants east of the Euphrates River.

At least 35 civilians were killed, according to activists. The dramatic escalation of Turkey's involvement in the Syrian civil war last week aimed to help the Syrian rebels drive the Islamic State group out of the border town of Jarablus. But it also is aimed at U.S.-allied Kurdish forces that have gained control in recent months of most of the territory along the Turkey-Syria border.

The fighting pits Turkey, a NATO ally, against a U.S.-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling IS militants in Syria in the 5-year-old civil war. It leaves Washington in the tough spot of having to choose between its two of its allied forces, and is likely to divert resources from the fight against IS.

A Turkish soldier was killed by a Kurdish rocket attack late Saturday, the first such fatality in Turkey's ground offensive dubbed Euphrates Shield that began Aug. 24.

Speaking at a rally in the border town of Gaziantep, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his military is committed to fighting terrorism in Syria and Iraq.

Turkey, he said, also is determined to "uproot" the Syrian Kurdish group, calling it a terrorist organization. But he didn't specify a goal for the fight against the Kurdish forces.

Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the militants of the Islamic State group, but the airstrikes that began Saturday marked the first time it has targeted Kurdish-led forces in Syria.
SAN FRANCISCO | Uber may be gaining riders. It may be on the cutting edge of developing self-driving car technology. And it may soon be the centerpiece of a revival of downtown Oakland when its new offices and an anticipated 3,000 employees come to the East Bay in 2017.

But it's also a money-loser.

That's according to details given by Gautam Gupta, Uber's finance head, who in a recent conference call with Uber investors, said the company lost at least $1.27 billion during the first half of this year.

In a report Thursday, Bloomberg cited "people familiar with the matter" as saying Gupta gave the money-losing score last Friday, as part of an update that the privately held company gives to its investors and shareholders every three months.

According to those sources, Uber lost around $520 million before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization during the first quarter of the year, and the losses ballooned to more than another $750 million in the second quarter. The second-quarter losses were said to include $100 million from Uber's operations in the United States.

The first-half losses suggest Uber is potentially on a pace to surpass the more than $2 billion the company is said to have lost in 2015. Altogether, Uber has reportedly lost a minimum of $4 billion in its seven years of existence.

Gupta reportedly told Uber investors that the biggest source of the company's losses is subsidies its pays for its drivers.

Uber didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported losses.

On the bright side for Uber were big quarter-over-quarter gains in bookings and revenue during the first half of the year. Uber said bookings went up from $3.8 billion in the first quarter to more than $5 billion between April, May and June. Revenue also climbed from $960 million in the first quarter to $1.1 billion in the second quarter, a gain of about 18 percent.

And it's possible that Uber could see losses slow down through the rest of the year. The company recently pulled out of the ride-hailing market in China, in exchange for a 17.5 percent stake in and a $1 billion investment from Chinese ride-sharing leader Didi Chuxing. The lack of having to spend and lose money building up Uber's presence in China is expected to have a positive impact on Uber's balance sheet going forward.

Uber's investors include investment banks such as Goldman Sachs and Fidelity Investments, and venture capital firms like Menlo Ventures and Benchmark Capital. Uber has also taken in a $200 million investment from Luxembourg-based LetterOne, an investment firm headed up by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman, and in June received $3.5 billion from the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
With blue skies and high cumulus clouds, Steve Rathbun knew he had the perfect weather conditions for his glider plane to soar all the way from Utah to South Dakota  without an engine.

I got one last climb, and I knew I was going to make it from about 70 to 80 miles out, Rathbun said of his history-making flight on July 9, that relied on natural wind currents to propel him through the air at an altitude of 15,000 to 17,500 feet above sea level.

Rathbun, 58, broke two Utah records in his 1978 Rolladen-Schneider LS3 fiberglass glider plane. One record was for a 494.3-mile Declared Goal flight from Cedar Valley Airport located outside of Salt Lake City to Hot Springs. A declared goal means the destination was predetermined and stated in a declaration prior to launching. The second record was for a Free Distance flight.

It takes a nice long day, Rathbun said of the journey.

It began around 11:30 a.m. with a single engine Cessna towing his glider into the air until he reached 7,000 feet above sea level. Once he reached his desired minimal height, he released the rope from the tow plane, soaring and ascending like an eagle over the mountains and beautiful scenery of the plains. He made it to Hot Springs eight hours and 18 minutes later, traveling at an average speed of 62 mph.

The best time of the year to do these kinds of flights, with thermos, is in the summertime right around the solstice when the days are the longest and before the summer monsoons set in when the moisture starts coming up from the South, from the Gulf. After that happens, its usually too stormy, Rathbun said.

Rathbun, a civil engineer and graduate of the South Dakota School of Mines, took up the sport of soaring in 1980 when he began hang gliding. He then decided he was ready to fly a non-motorized sailplane, so in 2008, he obtained his private pilots license, which is required to operate a glider.

Ed Jenson, manager of the Hot Springs Airport where Rathbun landed, said he sees glider planes but its not common for them to travel some 500 miles.

The reason its so unusual in a glider is it has no motor," Jenson said. "From what he told me he started out and got up to 12,000-plus feet ... It took him a while to get out of the Salt Lake City area to gain altitude to get above the mountains coming this way."

Love for flying at a young age

Rathbuns mother, Janet Rathbun, of Rapid City, recalls how her sons love for flying developed at a young age.

This child would sit in our basement as a 4 year old and fly cardboard boxes, Janet Rathbun laughs. His dad was in the International Guard flying air defense missions, and so when he had a manual that was outdated, he would cut out the dials from the pictures and paste them inside the cardboard box cockpit. Steve has done that for a long time."

Though Janet said she is proud of her sons recent accomplishments and adds that his father Grove, who died in March, also would have been proud, shes thankful she didnt know beforehand that he was planning to attempt this journey.

Im glad that he didnt tell me he was doing this, Janet said. He called at about a quarter of nine and said, Im here.

"I said, Youre where? He said, Well, I have made it to Hot Springs."

Diana Barwald, Steve Rathbuns wife, said shes proud of her husband.

I think this is the third year (he's tried to do it), and the conditions just havent been right ... ," she said. "When he first told me about it, I thought, Hes never going to be able to go this far. Sure enough he did.

Diana said she worries a little when Steve is gliding, but she knows hes doing what he likes. You know there have been accidents, but he was so jazzed and he loves flying so much that I was certainly very happy for him when he did finally did it.
South Dakotans who opposed the renaming of Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak might be surprised to learn that they may have more in common with the peaks new namesake, Nicholas Black Elk, than they do with the peaks former namesake, William S. Harney.

Black Elk was a South Dakotan, unlike Harney, who was a Tennessean by birth and later resided in Missouri when he wasnt deployed with the Army.

Black Elk was also a devout Catholic for much of his later life, unlike Harney, who was not known to be spiritual or religious.

And Black Elk made a documented trek to the top of the peak that now bears his name, unlike Harney, who apparently never did so.

Thus, any South Dakotan who adheres to a faith tradition and has hiked to the top of the states tallest mountain should be able to identify, at least in some small way, with the man for whom that mountain is now named.

And yet many South Dakotans  based on social media posts, article comments and letters to the editor  continue to support maintaining the Harney name.

For them, the connection with Harney runs deep, down to their roots. Harney, after all, was a white man who helped open the Great Plains to white settlement, and Black Elk was among the last generation of Native Americans to resist that advance.

During the past two years, in a flip of the historical script, Native Americans were the ones on the offensive against Harney. While advocating for the renaming of the peak, they described William S. Harney as a ruthless killer, primarily because of his leadership of an 1855 attack that resulted in the deaths of Sioux women and children.

Those and other details of Harneys life, both positive and negative, emerged while his legacy underwent the equivalent of a public trial by state and national geographic naming boards. The verdict was delivered Aug. 11 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, which decided to approve the name change to Black Elk Peak.

As the case was made to remove Harneys name from the mountain, comparatively little was said about Black Elk, or why his name should be the one to replace Harneys. Many South Dakotans therefore know little, if anything, about the man whose name now graces their 7,242-foot summit.

One of Black Elks most thorough and scholarly biographers, Michael F. Steltenkamp, said South Dakotans would do well to get to know Black Elk's story.

I can't help but think that once people learned about Black Elk's life, they'd take pride in having their fellow South Dakotan's name on the peak, Steltenkamp wrote in email correspondence with the Journal.

Black Elk indeed led a remarkable life in which he experienced the transition from nomadic life on the Plains to confinement on a reservation. He witnessed the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the aftermath of the Wounded Knee Massacre, and traveled abroad with Buffalo Bills Wild West Show. He came to be revered within his tribe and around the world as a unifying spiritual leader who melded Native American and Christian practices.

At Little Bighorn

According to Steltenkamps 2009 book, Nicholas Black Elk: Medicine Man, Missionary, Mystic, Black Elk (Hehaka Sapa in Lakota) was born in the 1860s in what would become Wyoming.

Black Elk entered a turbulent world stricken by the violence of Red Clouds War, which was named for the Oglala Lakota leader who defended a broad swath of the Northern Plains against the U.S. Army. The war ended with the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, which promised a broad area of land to the Lakota, including the Black Hills.

In roughly 1874, when Black Elk was between 8 and 10 years old, he became gravely ill. He later described a long and richly detailed vision or dream that he experienced during his illness. In the vision, he was transported to the top of what whites were already calling Harney Peak in honor of Harney, a leading Indian fighter of the era. Black Elk reportedly emerged from the illness and vision a more mature, contemplative boy with a sharpened focus on his spiritual life.

The same year that Black Elk reported experiencing his vision, George Armstrong Custer led an Army expedition that found gold in the Black Hills. Conflict ensued as white prospectors clamored to stake claims and the Sioux tribes defended the area promised to them in the 1868 treaty.

In 1876, when Custer attacked a large Native American encampment along the Little Bighorn River in present-day Montana, a young Black Elk, perhaps 10 years old, was there.

Some of his memories of that day were grisly. After the fighting ended, Black Elk and other boys ran onto the battlefield, where he scalped and fatally shot a wounded soldier and took another scalp from a dead soldier.

Other memories reflected the sense of humor for which Black Elk would eventually become known. He recalled seeing pieces of paper blowing across the plains, only to realize much later that it was money.

With self-deprecating humor, Steltenkamp wrote in his 2009 book, Black Elk later regretted not collecting the strange pieces of paper that seemed to float in every direction.

One of the lead combatants in the battle was Black Elks second cousin, Crazy Horse. Later, Black Elk was camped with his family at Fort Robinson, Neb., when Crazy Horse was killed there in a tussle with a soldier and a Native American scout in 1877.

The ensuing years saw the Sioux being pushed onto smaller reservations, and Black Elk fled with his family to Canada but eventually returned to Montana and then to Dakota Territory, where he settled on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

It was during that period when Black Elk became a medicine man adept in the use of rituals and plants to heal and comfort the sick.

The Wild West Show

In 1886, Black Elk, then about 20 years old, signed up to work for Buffalo Bill Codys Wild West Show.

Black Elk traveled by train to New York, seeing cities and sights that must have been unimaginable to a young man born into a nomadic Plains Indian culture. With more than 100 other Native Americans, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean on a steamship bound for England.

Black Elk performed with the show there but apparently got lost and subsequently joined a smaller but similar traveling show, which took him through a number of European countries.

He returned to Pine Ridge in 1889, where he participated in the ghost dance movement that swept up many of his Oglala Lakota brethren. Some practitioners believed the dance would bring a savior to the Native American people, and some believed their ghost dance shirts would protect them from harm.

Instead, what soon happened was the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. The federal government had banned ghost dancing, and troops rounded up a renegade band of ghost dancers who left their reservation. Under circumstances that are still debated, shooting broke out at the band's encampment near Wounded Knee Creek on the Pine Ridge Reservation, resulting in the deaths of 25 soldiers and more than 150 Lakota men, women and children.

Black Elk came to the bloody scene after the fighting and gave aid to the survivors. He participated in subsequent skirmishes with soldiers and reported receiving a bullet wound.

After Wounded Knee, Black Elk settled into life on the Pine Ridge Reservation. He married in 1892 and started a family, but by 1901 he had suffered the death of a child and his wife.

Black Elk sought refuge among Catholic missionary priests, and his acceptance of a formal role in the church would change the course of his life.

Spiritual leader

Black Elk took the name Nicholas William Black Elk when he was baptized into the Catholic faith in 1904. He thereafter began work as a catechist, instructing other Native Americans in the Catholic faith, helping care for a chapel and assisting with church services. He also remarried during that period.

During the ensuing decades, Black Elk reportedly inspired 400 people to be baptized as Catholics. He melded his new Christian beliefs and practices with his traditional spiritual practices, and although his role in the Catholic church has been a controversial topic of debate for some who view Black Elk in more traditional terms, some scholars and members of Black Elks family say he was serious in his devotion to the church.

A fervent catechist until the end, Black Elk harbored no misgivings about his religious universe being fully Catholic and fully Lakota, Steltenkamp wrote in Nicholas Black Elk.

As he aged, Black Elk became increasingly known as a source of spiritual wisdom. He had assumed the role of a revered grandfather by the time the white author and poet John Neihardt, of Nebraska, came to speak with Black Elk in 1931.

Neihardt was curious about traditional Native American spirituality, and he engaged in long conversations with Black Elk. The Lakota holy man spoke in his native tongue, and his son Ben translated for Neihardt and for Neihardts daughter, Enid, who took notes. At the end of their visits, the group took Black Elk to the top of Harney Peak.

Neihardt parlayed the conversations into a book, Black Elk Speaks, with the story of Black Elks boyhood vision as its centerpiece. The book published in 1932 and was reprinted in 1961, when it found an eager audience amid the counter-cultural spiritual seekers of the 1960s and '70s. More than 900,000 copies of the book have now been sold, according to the University of Nebraska Press.

In Black Elks final years, he became known to many tourists and Rapid City residents through his participation in the Duhamel familys Sioux Indian Pageant at Sitting Bull Crystal Caverns. He died in 1950.

Today, the stories Black Elk told about the many historical events he witnessed and about his knowledge of traditional Native American ways are the basis of numerous scholarly articles and books.

One of Black Elks descendants, his great-great grandson Myron Pourier, assisted Lakota elder Basil Brave Heart in the formal request to change the name of Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak. Pourier said in a recent Journal interview that he hopes state and local officials will install signage along the trails leading to Black Elk Peak that relate some details of the late holy mans life.

And Pourier also hopes the people who have spoken out against the peaks name change will come to equate the new name with the unity that Black Elk espoused in his later years.

When you read the book Black Elk Speaks, it talks about the hoop of many hoops, Pourier said. Each of those hoops are representing our walks of life and who we are as a society, to bring us together as one nation and one big hoop regardless of the color of your skin, your background, your ethnicity, male, female, whatever you believe in, to come together through cultural diversity and understanding for all walks of life.
Jan Baldwin wasnt sure she wanted her 92-year-old husband Paul to be one of the first patients in South Dakota to receive a newly approved type of heart pacemaker.

But now that Paul is at home in Rapid City recovering nicely, they are singing high praises for the new device, and their cardiologist at Rapid City Regional Hospital who performed the procedure.

Officials from Regional did not return calls for comment on the procedure or new device, but did confirm the procedure was performed there last week.

Doctors had told the couple that Paul would be the first patient in South Dakota to receive the Medtronic Micra, which is noted for its longer lifespan, easier insertion and greater efficiency than older-style pacemakers.

About 2,400 of the devices have been implanted in Europe in the last three years, and about 1,000 are in use in the U.S. after the device was approved by the American Food and Drug Administration in April.

"They said he was going to be the first in South Dakota, Jan said. I said I wasnt too sure about that.

Paul echoed his wifes concern. We had some apprehension, he said.

Both Paul and Jan already used pacemakers, which are small, battery-powered device placed in the chest or abdomen to help control arrhythmia, an irregular heart beat, by emitting low-energy electrical pulses to help the heart beat at a normal rate and rhythm.

The most commonly used pacemakers are connected to the heart muscles by long fine wires, or leads, and powered by tiny lithium batteries expected to last 7-8 years.

Paul had been admitted to Regional two years ago when one of his pacemaker leads had come loose. He had also undergone open-heart surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in 2014 to replace an aortic heart valve.

Mayo surgeons had deemed him healthy enough at age 90 to undergo major heart surgery, and that made him a good candidate for the new, longer-lasting pacemaker.

They say they only let the healthiest ones have open heart surgery, Jan said. That gave me the confidence that he could make it through this.

They also knew the risks that come with any surgical procedure.

When you go under the knife at any time at our age, you recognize there may be problems, Paul said.

Pauls surgery took place last Tuesday. He remained in Rapid City Regional Hospital overnight, returning home about noon on Wednesday.

Jan said the Micra pacemaker is about the size of small bullet, with four tiny wires which are embedded directly into the right ventricle of the heart.

The device boasts increased battery life, between 10 and 12 years, and also offers a less-invasive procedure to implant it. Doctors make a small incision near the groin and guide the device into place through a catheter inserted in a vein.

It was completely painless, Paul said.

The only remaining discomfort, he said, was from the small incision near his groin and from another in his chest to remove the old pacemaker.

The Baldwins say the prognosis is good for Paul, who retired in 1984 from a career as a high school and college business teacher in Long Beach, Calif.

Paul, originally from Iowa, served just short of 30 years in the U.S. Navy, serving as a supply officer on a destroyer during the latter years of World War II and also as a reservist.

Jan is from Lead and was also a kindergarten teacher in Long Beach. They married in 1975 and moved to the Spearfish area after making regular summer visits to the Hills for 20 years.

They moved to Rapid City and settled in Westhills Village, an assisted living and retirement community, in 2012.

I made him fall in love with the Black Hills, Jan said.

She didnt have to twist my arm at all, Paul replied.

Jan said they wanted to tell their story to help other patients facing a similar surgery feel more at ease.

I just wondered if this wouldnt help people feel encouraged, especially with his age and knowing its going to last 10 years, she said.

Regional initially didnt respond to requests for comments for this story and Baldwins cardiologist, Dr. Kelly Airey, who was working away from Rapid City late this week, was not available for an interview.

According to her Regional Heart Doctors biography, Airey completed her medical degree at the University of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. She completed her residency in internal medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

She finished her fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at University of Nebraska Medical Center and her fellowship in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City.

Paul and Jan had high praise for Airey and are ready to resume their active retirement lifestyle, which includes regularly volunteering to deliver packages and trays to other Westhills Village residents.

Both are also avid newspaper readers. Paul keeps up with the stock market and also enjoys regular poker nights with friends, while Jan organizes a bridge club.

Both still drive and enjoy attending Memorial Park community band concerts and Black Hills Playhouse productions in Custer State Park.

Even at age 92, Paul said he looking forward to getting the most out of his new pacemakers 10-12 year battery life.

If it gets me to 104, Ill be happy, he said.
PARAMARIBO, Suriname | Soldiers from South Dakota and Suriname joined forces to help a school in a northeastern South American country earlier this month.

Members of the South Dakota National Guard and of Suriname's Armed Forces partnered Aug. 8-16 to renovate the O.S. 1 Santo Dorp School in Wanica, Suriname, according to a release from the South Dakota National Guard.

The renovation project was part of the Suriname and South Dakota State Partnership Program. Lt. Col. Johnny Antonius, Suriname Ministry of Defense head of strategic planning and education, said Suriname's armed forces engage in humanitarian projects, and are starting to take on more responsibility about the country's national development.

"In this respect, collaboration with the South Dakota National Guard on this particular project is of utmost importance. This form of collaboration is a win-win situation on many levels," Antonius said in the release.

According to the Guard, the project began in March when South Dakota National Guard and Suriname soldiers specializing in construction visited 14 public schools. They were accompanied by representatives from the Suriname Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Education; the Ministry of Education chose the Santo Dorp School, which serves approximately 850 students from the local area.

Funding for the project was provided by U.S. Southern Command and all materials and supplies were purchased in Suriname.

Eight soldiers from the Guard's 155th Engineer Company and 211th Engineer Company worked with about a dozen Suriname Defense Force engineers on the renovation. The work consisted of tiling, door construction and installation, painting, electrical and lighting installation, sink and toilet installation, waterline plumbing, septic tank venting, drainage installation and installing a boundary fence, according to the release.

Warrant Officer Brandon Voss, who was the project officer in charge of the Guard team, said the work provided "a ton" of training for all the soldiers in a variety of ways.

"We not only had to deal with language barriers, we had to overcome different building techniques and building material," Voss said in the release. "Working with the SDF helped us practice communication and compromising skills. It was a great opportunity in planning, organizing and working with the SDF and the Suriname people."

Antonius echoed those statements, calling the partnership a perfect example of "team work."

According to the Guard, the school renovations will create a better learning and teaching environment. Santo Dorp's principal, Sharmila Darsan, said the school is like a new environment, and she is grateful to all who worked on the project.

"A pleasant learning environment is always good for the children," Darsan said in the release. "It helps with better attitudes, higher grades and it motivates."

Darsan said the fence and gates also makes the children feel safe and will keep strangers from wandering into the school yard.

Since 2006, soldiers from South Dakota and Suriname have conducted more than 100 subject matter exchanges through the program.

Suriname and the South Dakota National Guard conduct about 10 subject matter expert exchanges a year. The topics include military-related subjects like field leadership and NCO development, logistics operations, military police procedures, medical and communications training and women serving in the military.

The renovation project at Santo Dorp is just one of several construction projects that the partner nations have completed at schools and clinics throughout Suriname in the past 10 years. Leaders in the program say the partnership has flourished during the past decade, becoming a model for mutual security cooperation.

"The partnership between the Republic of Suriname and South Dakota has proven to be an example for all State Partnership Programs that the United States conducts with countries around the world," Antonius said. "I am convinced that both Suriname and South Dakota will do their utmost to maintain this kind of partnership and bring it to an even higher level."
PIERRE | To summarize the truths of Sean Burke, Americas political parties are bad, the TV news networks are profiteers, the federal debt gets worse by the year and the people who represent us in Congress are spineless.

Burke is crisscrossing the nation in a bus wrapped in his Reset Our Gov logo. He grew up at Pierre, a member of a locally significant family, and last lived in South Dakota during high school. He left for the University of San Diego and now lives near Seattle.

Hes urging people to vote and disrupt. He wants voters to throw out Congress.

That includes South Dakotas Sen. John Thune, Sen. Mike Rounds and Rep. Kristi Noem. In the mind of Sean Burke, they must reform or be gone.

Fair enough. But Burke formed a nonprofit so that his Reset Our Gov campaign doesnt have to pay taxes.

And for most of his adult life he has been part of the Scientology organization that the federal government finally agreed is a church and therefore exists tax-free.

So maybe its no wonder he doesnt say how Congress should resolve federal debt. Raise taxes? Cut spending?

He came back to Pierre last weekend and held a public event Monday evening. Fifty or so people attended at the View 34 restaurant that his brother, the banker Charles Burke III, created and runs.

C3, as hes known, introduced Sean to the gathering. C3 is the opposite of a disrupter. He helps build stronger economies in the communities that BankWest serves. He donates untold amounts to local causes. View 34 fulfilled his dream to be a restaurateur.

Most of the people who sat through the 90-minute presentation Monday night were from Pierres current and past Republican establishment. They heard nothing novel in the financial anarchy Sean Burke foresees.

His message resonates at gas stations where he stops the bus to fuel and the Walmart parking lots where he stays in the bus overnight. He doesnt reveal his answer, but hes spending a year of travel, helped by a public relations firm, promoting fear and calling for disruption.

The Burke heritage began in South Dakota with a congressman, Charles Henry Burke, who served a total of six terms in the U.S. House spread across two periods (1899-1907 and 1909-1915). He died in 1944 and is buried at Pierre.

The other day I happened to pick up again "The Republic of Conscience," a book published in 2015 by Gary Hart, a former candidate for president and a former U.S. senator.

In many ways, the facts and attitudes described by Gary Hart and Sean Burke arent far apart. But Hart finishes on a note of hope, writing: What a great opportunity the new generation of Americans has to restore our republican heritage and ideals. There can be no greater challenge and no greater opportunity.

The questions Sean Burke prompts are good: What do we want to give up in government services and for what should we pay more in taxes?

The answer of neither doesnt work. Never has. Neither does disruption without a path forward.
The latest bunch of Clinton-era State Department emails released last week provides a host of instances in which donations to the Clinton Foundation netted the donors access to the secretary herself on an expedited basis.

It was a shocking system even by Clinton standards.

The latest group of previously undisclosed emails released by Judicial Watch, which obtained them under a court order, showed that Clinton's top aide, Huma Abedin, served as a facilitator between the foundation and State.

The documents included 20 Hillary Clinton email exchanges not among the 55,000 pages turned over to State  yes, likely among those "wedding plans" deleted from her personal server.

Many of the exchanges document how Clinton Foundation executive Doug Band had only to shoot a quick email to Abedin about, say, how much trouble Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain ($32 million donor to the Clinton Global Initiative plus at least $50,000 from the Kingdom to the foundation) was having getting in to see "hrc." Well, would?tomorrow be soon enough?

And then there's the exchange about Slimfast tycoon S. Daniel Abraham (donor of between $5 million and $10 million to the foundation) who just wanted 15 minutes of the secretary's time. No problem, even if her plane had to be kept waiting.

St. Louis political power broker Joyce Aboussie (between $100,000 and $250,000 to the foundation) wanted to bring by an executive from Peabody Energy. "Working on it," Abedin responded.

The newly released emails also show that the effort to put Rajiv Fernando ($1 million foundation donor) on the sensitive International Security Advisory Board, despite an utter lack of experience, dated back to June 2009. Appointed in 2011, he was later forced to resign.

Bill Clinton's pledge to ban foreign and corporate donations to the foundation should Hillary be elected leaves way too much wiggle room for precisely the kind of access buying that ran rampant during Mrs. Clinton's State Department years. Nothing short of closing up shop will do.
The Salvelinus confluentus Curiosity Society will converge of the East Fork of the Bitterroot this week.

Youre forgiven if you never heard of a such a group.

After all, there arent that many people in the world with a raging curiosity about bull trout.

For three days, starting Tuesday, about 80 of those who do will set up camp at the East Fork Guard Station.

Over that time, theyll share stories and the latest research on the native trout species. The biologists will also don wetsuits, pull on electrofishing backpacks, or pick up filters capable of capturing fish DNA, before spending a day gathering data about bull trout populations in the upper East Fork of the Bitterroot.

The society has been meeting since 1989.

At the end of each one of those meetings, someone volunteers to organize the next years event, said Clearwater National Forest fisheries biologist Dan Kenney.

Kenney was the person who raised his hand last year.

He couldnt find the right spot for the gathering in Idaho. So he reached out to folks at the Forest Services Northern Regional office. They suggested that the East Fork would be a good spot.

The focus on Tuesday and Thursday will be on sharing research.

Wednesday, the biologists will head to the field We always try to do one field day, Kenney said. That allows the local biologists to take advantage of having a bunch of experienced people together to get work done that they otherwise would not have the logistics or money to accomplish.

On this field day, biologists will sample five tributaries for bull trout using backpack electrofishing equipment. Another five or six teams will snorkel in the main stem of the East Fork of the Bitterroot, hoping for a close-up view of some bull trout.

Another 10 teams of biologists will focus on collecting environmental DNA.

This is something new for us, Kenney said. All animals have DNA that is being shed all the time. The teams will go out and collect five liters of water, which will be run through a filter that collects that DNA.

The filters are then sent to a laboratory in Missoula where researchers can determine if there is bull trout or westslope cutthroat DNA in the samples.

Its relatively new technology, Kenney said. It should be interesting to see what we learn.
CPN-UML Vice-Chairman Bhim Rawal speaks at the Parliament meeting on Sunday, August 28, 2016. Photo: RSS

Kathmandu, Nepal: The main opposition party, CPN-UML, has sought clarification about the government decision to send two Deputy Prime Ministers as special envoys of the Prime Minister to neighboring countries India and China.

Seeking special time to put forth his views at the Parliament meeting on Sunday UML Vice-Chairman and former Deputy Prime Minister Bhim Rawal also sought clarifications from the government over a letter that was claimed to have sent by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

The government decision to send two deputies Prime Minister in two neighboring countries was not only against principles of United Nations and other diplomatic values but also the countrys declared foreign principle policy, panchasheel principles.

What was the logic behind government decision to send two deputy Prime Ministers in the neighboring countries even with the commitment letter to amend the constitution, it should be made clear, Rawal said.
Kathmandu, Nepal: At least nine people killed and six injured in a jeep accident at Ratanmare, Hansapur of Arghakhanchi district on Sunday afternoon.

According to the Arghakhanchi District Police Office, six people were injured in the accident. The injured patients are rushed to hospital for treatment. It is said that three persons have reported critical.

The ill- fated jeep with registration number Ga1Ja 4878 that was heading to Baandikot of Pyuthan from Sandhikharka, the district headquarters of Arghakhanchi, met with the accident when it veered off the road and fell about 500 meters down on the a rivulet.

It is said that the accident took place at around 3:05 pm.
Dilip Simeons Blog

Oh what a tangled web we weave

when first we practice to deceive

 Sir Walter Scott

The Supreme Court recently took up a PIL challenging a statement made by Rahul Gandhi alleging that the RSS killed Mahatma Gandhi. (Rahul Gandhi was then reported to have amended his statement, and the RSS demanded an apology. A comment sent to me by a friend indicates that Rahul Gandhi did not amend his statement although the media tried to present it as such. It appears that he had said "RSS people" killed Gandhi and he stuck to that statement throughout. It seems the SC assumed that he had held the RSS collectively responsible. They asked him to apologise. When the Court record showed the original statement to be different, the SC backtracked. By then the media had taken off with its sensationalism).

With due respect, I think the Court erred in admitting this PIL. Was it a cognisable offence for Mr Modi in 2014 to have held the Congress responsible for the partitionof India? Historical debates are not matters for courts to decide. Nor is the so-called Sangh Parivar facing a criminal trial. The trial is taking place in the minds of the people of India - and the world. We will never have forensic evidence of such crimes. Hitler never left a paper trail for the Holocaust but is there any doubt as to his responsibility for it? These matters must be left to public debate. Some may prefer to make sweeping accusations; but thoughtful persons need to reflect on the likelihood of these accusations. We can weigh the circumstantial evidence, and come to our own conclusions, but historical debates cannot be adjudicated in court.

Let us begin with the latest interventions to the debate on what the SC calls collective denunciation. The BJP has asked whether the Congress Vice President would accept the allegation that the grand old party was involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. aIf Rahul Gandhias logic is taken to a logical conclusion, then can we say that the Congress is responsible for the massacre of Sikhs in this country? In 1984, we are aware that Congress leaders were involved in massacre of Sikhs. But if we say that the Congress was responsible and it was a part of the Congressa conspiracy, will Rahul Gandhi accept this?a said BJP leader Sudesh Verma. (See: RSS distributed sweets...Congress)

It is typical of Indian ideologues to reduce all serious matters to a partisan dimension. All of us are not camp-followers of a party. The short answer to this question is yes, the Congress was indeed responsible for the 1984 carnage. Not only by virtue of the principle of command responsibility, but by virtue of the involvement of top leaders, and acts of omission and dereliction of duty. If there is any room for doubt as regards the question of conspiracy or deliberate policy, this can and should be debated; and there are many pieces of evidence that indicate that the national political leadership allowed the carnage to take place.

Is it a secret that the BJP itself has harped on about Congress responsibility ever since 1984?

See: The Broken Middle - on the 30th anniversary of 1984

Howsoever we understand the creeping criminalisation of the Indian political system, would it not be sheer idiocy to assume that that the decisions that result in massacres and assassinations are recorded in forensic evidence prior to their being carried out? Is it not a well-known fact that whereas lesser functionaries may get caught (and they often do their work with the assurance of being protected) - the criminals at higher levels are rarely even indicted, let alone punished? And is it not true that in the aftermath both of the violence in 1984 and 2002, (not to mention a host of other incidents) the criminal justice system was grievously compromised in matters of the registration of FIRs, the recording of evidence and the decision to prosecute persons holding executive authority in the state?

See: When a tree shook Delhi; and The Fiction of fact-finding

Manoj Mitta: 1984 to 2002 Riots - THIRTY YEARS OF IMPUNITY

On the matter of the PIL, here are some of the Supreme Courts reported observations: aTo say Godse killed Gandhi is one thing but to say RSS killed Gandhi is differentayou have gone way ahead in making the statementayou cannot make collective denunciation,a said the bencha (it) said freedom of speech is not crippled by upholding the validity of the criminal defamation law, but it had to be ensured that there is not anarchy. aWe have upheld the defamation law. The purpose of the law is to obey law so that there is harmony rather than anarchyayour freedom is not crippled or cut. Everyday a writer, a politician will say something and you must have great magnitude to swallow. The purpose of the law is not to turn people into litigants. Purpose of law is that people obey law. Peace and harmony should prevail rather than chaos,a the bench said.

The bench also asked (RGs lawyer) Raval to show how Rahulas statement served any public good and how it was not a matter of trial since his act was immune under the law on criminal defamation. aHistory is the greatest enemy of privacy. Over the years, attempts have been made to enter the lives of historically eminent personalities to give a new dimensionacriticism of government is one thing and criticism of a historical figure is another thing. Your statement has to meet the test of public good,a said the bench.

Some of these observations are unexceptionable. But are these standards symmetrically applied? Collective denunciation is exemplified by epithets such as Babar ki aulaad and references to Muslims as haraamzade. Defamation is also involved in the frequently aired allegation that Nehru was responsible for the death of S.P. Mukherjee. During the 2014 electoral campaign, Narendra Modi attacked the Congress for the sin of partitioning India. Was this not collective denunciation?

The RSS is now taking umbrage at being accused of Gandhis assassination. Why so?

aa aaa aa aaaaa - aa aaaa aYa aaa aa aaaaaaa aaa aa a a aaa aaa aaaaa aa aa-aa aaa aaaa aa aa aaaaa aa

Is our memory so short that we have forgotten how its votaries were speaking just 2 years ago? In 2014, many members of the Hindutva family (some in the BJP/ RSS) in sheer joy at the BJPs electoral victory let the cat out of the bag by deifying Godse. In fact its Kerala mouthpiece carried an article wishing that Godse had killed Nehru. Here are some of their statements:

Sakshi Maharaj reveals the BJPs long standing tie to Nathuram Godse

Godse should have killed Nehru, says Kesari edit

Hindu Mahasabha head speaks to FP: Godse was a martyr and patriot

Hindu Mahasabha to build Godses temple

Site identified in Lucknow for Godse temple: Hindu outfit ...

Hindu Mahasabha performs Bhumi pujan for Godse temple ...

Nathuram Godse Temple

Read more about the deification of Godse here The Abolition of truth - aaa a aa aaa aa

And when it comes to objectionable utterances, are there not innumerable statements by persons associated with the "parivar (and others) that do not meet the test of public good? A recent article cites some historians on this matter, their view being that the RSS did not kill Gandhi but created an ideology against him. The certitude with which they make this claim is in my view, unhistorical. The article also cites the RSS efforts to cleanse itself of this long-standing accusation. The Sangh Parivar has never been sure of what public stance to take on Mahatma Gandhi. Amongst their own flock, they are vitriolic, but in deference to the global admiration of the man, they want to claim him - if even as a symbol for the Swachh Bharat campaign.

As for their attitude towards historical truth, here are details regarding the Parivars attempt to censor Gandhis collected works under the the first NDA government (1998): Brazen attempt to revise Gandhis Collected Works. Hundreds of deletions and changes were noticed by scholars and Gandhians in India and around the world, who viewed them as an insult to scholarship, and demanded an end to attempts to play with historical documents. Read the history of the controversy. Tridip Suhrud, director of Sabarmati Ashram, wrote a detailed analysis of this shameless behaviour in EPW in November 2004. It was only after the defeat of the NDA that the fraudulently revised edition was withdrawn, in 2005.

Historians are not judges in a court of law. Nor is the so-called Sangh Parivar on trial, save in the minds of the people of India - and the world, for that matter, because Gandhi remains a popular figure the world over. (A BBC poll in 2000 put Gandhi at the most popular man in the millenium - not once but twice, and that too before Leonardo da Vinci and Jesus Christ). Its a battle of the spirit that is unfolding. The courts are not the proper place for these issues. They should be left to public debate, as should the historical assessment of say, the partition of Palestine; Irish republicanism, the Stalinist era; or the policies of Mao Zedong.

Criminal deeds are not planned nor minuted in formal meetings - the very idea of committing a crime entails (most of the time) a desire to get away with it. Since the RSS is not under trial, and we have no way of either punishing the organisation (if it were to be found guilty) nor compensating it for the bad press they have received (if it was not), we are left with historical judgement, that is all. Such judgements can serve only the purpose of sharpening public awareness. People are free to debate, criticise and reject them. It all depends on memory, available evidence and methods of reasoning.

It will never be settled in court.

As for the evidence available, here is an extract from a CID source report dated 27 Dec 1947 of a secret meeting of RSS members in Delhi on December 8, 1947, addressed by Guruji Golwalkar. Golwalkar is quoted by him as saying: "The Sangh will not rest until it had finished Pakistan. If anyone stood in our way we will have to finish him too, whether it was Nehru government or any other government. The Sangh could not be won over. They should carry on their work. Referring to Muslims he said that no power on earth could keep them in Hindusthan. They shall have to quit this country. Mahatma Gandhi wanted to keep the Muslims in India so that the Congress (may) profit by their votes at the time of election. But, by that time, no a single muslim will be left in India. If they were made to stay here, the responsibility would be Governmentas, and the Hindu community would not be responsible. Mahatma Gandhi could not mislead them any longer. We have the means whereby such men can be immediately silenced, but it is our tradition not to be inimical to Hindus. If we are compelled, we will have to resort to that course also." (See Bharat Bhushan - RSS chief Golwalkar threatened to kill Gandhi - 1947 CID report)

Three weeks after this sinister meeting, there took place the January 20 Gandhi murder attempt.

And ten days after that, Gandhi was dead.

The RSS is fond of citing Patel in contraposition to Nehru. Now whereas in his February 27, 1948 letter to Nehru (vol 6 of Selected Correspondence, edited by Durga Das) Patel exonerated the RSS, he also held that "it was a fanatical wing of the Hindu Mahasabha directly under Savarkar that hatched the conspiracy and saw it through" (p 56). If Patel was correct in his assessment of the RSS, will they concede that he was correct in his belief in the guilt of their hero V D Savarkar? Or do they wish to have their cake and eat it too? (Incidentally, Justice Jeevan Lal Kapurs opinion, expressed in the findings of the Commission of Inquiry, was this: "All these facts taken together were destructive of any theory other than the conspiracy to murder by Savarkar and his group"). In the same letter, reflecting on the problem of identifying RSS members, Patel wrote "in the case of secret organisation like the RSS which has no records of membership, no registers etc., securing of authentic information whether a person is an active member or not is a very difficult task.." (p 57)

The fluctuating positions of the Sangh on the Mahatma appear to be tactical. The impression left by their utterances is always (to me at any rate), that of persons who cannot distinguish cunning and cleverness from truthfulness and wisdom. They never seem to understand that Akhand Hindustan and Hindu Rashtra are incompatible ideals, that the achievement of the one automatically rules out the attainment of the other. Gandhi knew this instinctively. Speaking about those who combined communal hatred with slogans of Akhand Hindustan, he remarked: aThere is nothing in common between me and those who want me to oppose Pakistan except that we are both opposed to the division of the country. There is a fundamental difference between their opposition and mine. How can love and enmity go together?a

Of course we cannot prove beyond all reasonable doubt that the RSS ordered the murder. Neither can anyone prove with certainty that it did not. And thats the plain truth. We will never have forensic evidence of these crimes, we simply have to weigh the circumstantial evidence. The fact that Godse had left the RSS is not evidence (and Gopal Godse had other things to say on this); because organisational formalities mean nothing to ideologically committed cadre - aside from plausible deniability. Could it not also be the case that their perverted sense of patriotism and as loyal sanghis they did their best to save the leaders? I repeat, the courts are not the proper place for these issues. The first step towards historical and political reconciliation is the acknowledgement of wrongdoing. That goes for all shades of the political spectrum. The word-play taking place today is nothing but a labyrinth of deceit.

I am reminded of an insight of the German philosopher Karl Jaspers: "Truth - the word has an incomparable magic. It seems to promise what really matters to us. The violation of truth poisons everything gained by the violation." The longer Indians choose to play with the truth about the murder of Mahatma Gandhi, the longer will communal hatred continue to poison the political system.
The Daily Star - August 28, 2016

In view of the unprecedented deadly extremist violence affecting the body politic, concerned citizens might be wondering how a significant number of otherwise suave and liberal educated young men could have been motivated to commit such ghoulish actions. From media reports, ordinary people have some basic understanding of the motivating factors. However, a fuller picture will hopefully emerge after the investigators of the incident have completed their job to understand the factors within and possibly beyond. Therefore, we will have to wait for an adequate counter-narrative to effectively tackle the extremist scourge.

Undoubtedly, there is a quarter that wants to project our polity as one that is predisposed to becoming a wellspring of violence, unless it is somehow suitably moulded and rounded-up to accommodate and live with modernity. This quarter would like others to believe that the so-called religiously motivated extremist groups are trying to redefine the concept of anation statea .

In specific terms, do we see a supposedly political quarter which calls itself the aDefender of Faith but acts almost always to consolidate its own strategic and corporate interest? Are not there credible fears to believe that violent groups have been created, extremist leaders allowed to be promoted and young minds trained and instigated to stem dissent and persecute the vulnerable groups at opportune time?

Are we witnessing the growth of a pernicious sub-culture of extremism wherein violence against other fellow beings is justified as religious cause? Are there subtle efforts to infect key organs of the state with radicalism? Is it not time to effectively counter the influence of the extremist school of thought in our parlance, whereas Islam as a religion had a more benign and accommodative character in practice?

To the curious observer, it might be interesting to note that over the years, in Bangladesh, particularly since 1975, a quarter has quietly usurped considerable space from the State by creating an extensive network of schools, madrasas, medical facilities, ambulance fleet and social welfare organisations. This has reportedly created enormous political and social capital for the said quarter which can, if desired, manipulate political gains.

The question is, have such quarters created a parallel narrative of hope and strength in times of crisis, and thereby expand its political capital? Does such a narrative stand to gain in a climate of despondency resulting from political conflict?

The reasonable fear in our situation, as elsewhere, is whether religion has not only been utilised as an ideology but also as an insurrectionary strategy that can draw people of varying political convictions.

The so-called Islamist terrorist groups have been found to organise themselves around the rhetoric of a radical interpretation of Islam and seek to impose religion in the politics of Bangladesh. Such terrorism, in terms of growth, benefits from the unhealthy competition to retain or gain power at any cost.

Upon scrutiny, one would find that a large number of the countrys imams belong to the Deoband school that promotes an uncompromising, puritanical and exclusive fundamentalism. It is relevant to note that the Deoband Madrasa, founded in 1866, denounced music and dancing and distanced itself from much that was progressive in Indian society; it shunned the British Law Courts and retained jihad as a central pillar of faith. The focus of this Jihad was aon the promotion of Islamic revival and identity through the principle of the immutability of Shariah, the oneness of God and the overarching, guiding authority of the Ulemah.a

The imams, apparently, have good reason to suspect the motives of western establishments and their influence on our ruling class. Amongst other happenings, the loss of Palestine has become a potent symbol of the humiliation of the Muslim world at the hands of the western powers, which seemed to feel no qualms about the dispossession and permanent exile of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. The European occupation has often left a legacy of bitter conflict as in India, or deliberate effort to control the economy after the independence as in the Suez Canal crisis.

An important issue is whether the authorities have been able to agree as to the contents of a historically credible and religiously correct counter-narrative to confront the extremists. Should we not project Islam as being just as rational as any western system? We should be able to demonstrate that Islam was and is the most rational and advanced of all the confessional faiths; that strict monotheism of Islam had liberated humanity from mythology. Our narrative could also emphasise that the empirical spirit that had given birth to modernity had in fact originated in Islam.

We need to project that Muslims have a vital mission to witness the divine dimension of life, not the retiring from the world to engage in contemplation or indulging in suicide-bombing, but by an activism that implements the social ideals of Shariah. We also need to realise that politics had never been a secondary issue for Muslims.

The counter-narrative needs to recognise that politics had been the theatre of religious quest of Muslims. Salvation for them does not mean redemption from sin, but the creation of a just society in which the individual could more easily make that existential surrender of his or her whole being that would bring them fulfillment. The polity for the Muslims was, therefore, an aspiration that required a jihad, a struggle that could find no simple outcome.

The counter-terrorism strategys narrative should be able to effectively dispel the misgivings about fundamentalism that gives the impression of it being a violent form of Islamic religiosity. It needs to be stressed that fundamentalism is a global fact and has surfaced in every major faith in response to the problems of modernity. In fact, of the three monolithic religions, Islam was the last to develop a fundamentalist strain, when modern culture began to take root in late 1960s and 1970s.

Our youth need to know that no ruler in Islamic history has been able to command the sole spiritual and political power over all Muslims and it does not guarantee the survival of any Muslim ruler. Indeed, the current announcement of the Caliphate has been met with derision everywhere except in jihadi circles. In fact, no Caliphate in Islamic history has succeeded in uniting all Muslims or created a political entity for the Islamic Ummah as a whole.

Our young men and women also need to understand that the misguided western policy of toppling non-Sunni regimes in Middle-East has dragged the region into a quagmire of instability. Consequently, the two largely secular countries like Iraq and Syria have been driven to the brink of disintegration, thereby encouraging the so-called Islamic extremism and sectarian violence. The reality is that the new caliphate may be able to win a few localised battles but cannot win large wars and its spiritual impact will be negligible. Our young folks have to appreciate that the likely scenario may be one of Sunnis and Shias continually slaughtering each other and keeping Muslims busy in internecine warfare, thereby unwittingly implementing the sinister game plan of western powers.

We have to understand that if we have a relatively mature institutional base then the extremist movement would neither be represented in the mainstream politics nor would it be able to carry out terrorist activities in various localities. We would not be subjected to hate politics along sectarian lines with its attendant human cost.

The writer is a columnist of The Daily Star.
The Times of India / TNN - Aug 26, 2016

Venkat Dhulipala is Associate Professor of South Asian and Global history at University of North Carolina Wilmington. His first book, Creating a New Medina: State Power, Islam, and the Quest for Pakistan in Late Colonial North India, published last year, has created a stir in academic circles. He spoke with Aarti Tikoo Singh about how popular mobilization for the achievement of Pakistan took place and why its history is important to understand the present.

There is an opinion among some historians that Muslim Leagues demand of Pakistan was only a bargaining chip to secure Muslim minority rights and had the Congress accommodated Jinnah or accepted the Cabinet Mission plan, Partition could have been avoided. Do you agree?

What the people who really look very nostalgically at this missed moment in our history seem to completely forget or willfully ignore is the communal rhetoric behind the mobilization, which so poisoned the atmosphere. For all you know, if Mr. Jinnah had reneged on the Pakistan demand, you could have had another leader emerge, who could have upped the ante and Jinnah could have been swept aside. You cant ride the tiger and then dismount it after a point in time.

I dont think Mr Jinnahs acceptance of the cabinet mission plan in any way refutes or disproves the central arguments of my book because I have been primarily interested in looking at how the idea of Pakistan was articulated, discussed and debated, fought over in the public sphere and how popular mobilization took place in the successful achievement of that goal.

The assumption thus far has been that Pakistan is never quite defined or elaborated upon carefully or clearly. And I have shown with copious amounts of evidence that that is not true. When a leadership builds a platform for itself, rallies masses of people behind it, it does so on the basis of a programme with which it goes to the people. Its not just empty sloganeering. They have to tell the people that this is what we stand for and the people support the leadership on that very basis. And it is this enormous public support that gives the leadership its credibility so that they can go and sit in these high chambers and parley with their interlocutors or opponents.

What importance do you give to Iqbal and lesser known figures from the Pakistan movement as far as the whole idea of Pakistan is concerned?

You know the Muslim League, including Mr. Jinnah, when asked about this, said that the author of the idea of Pakistan was Iqbal. Historians can claim that in his letter to Edward Thompson (the father of the famous historian E.P Thompson), Iqbal had written that he did not want a separate state. But all Muslim leaders from Mr. Jinnah downwards, did see Iqbal as the intellectual father of the idea of Pakistan. Now, the important thing to do is to look at what the Muslim League did with this idea from 1937 onwards, because an idea may be out there in the open and it may stay there without anything happening. What you do with it, the human agency that goes into giving life to it, how people mobilize on its basis- that is important.

In general, I have tried to stay away from the cliched figures; Iqbal, Azad, Jinnah, to focus on lesser known figures who were really important in the process of popular mobilization. And if Mr. Jinnah features in my work, it is the public Jinnah. Up till now the focus has been on the private Jinnah negotiating in secret meetings in London, Shimla, and Delhi. This Jinnah has also been shown to be famously cosmopolitan- someone who wore western suits, liked his alcohol, reportedly ate ham sandwiches, wasnt bearded, hadnt done the Hajj. Given this very modern lifestyle, he has therefore been consecrated as a secular figure leading a secular nationalist movement for the creation of Pakistan as a liberal democratic state, much like Kemals Turkey. I have refuted this idea because this is not the public Jinnah- the self-styled sole spokesman of the Indian Muslims who appears in public from 1937 onward. The Jinnah I bring to the fore wears sherwanis, achkans, karakuli caps in public, uses explicit Islamic rhetoric and talks about Pakistan as an Islamic State, says that the Muslim Leagues flag was given to them by the Prophet, promises that the Shariat will be the source of laws in Pakistan. I also show how this explicit Islamic rhetoric is also used by his associates, people like Liaquat Ali Khan, Raja of Mahmudabad and Khaliquzzaman.

The other thing that historians of Partition have largely ignored is the fact that an influential section of the Ulama and the Muslim leadership were collaborating with each other. There was a relationship between them, which did not happen just on the eve of partition. It was a more long standing relationship and I trace it, at least, to the time of the by-election of 1937 to Muslim seats in UP legislature in which the legendary Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanawi sided with the Muslim League. His fatwas declaring that Muslims cannot join the Congress as it was haram, asking Muslims to join the ML, and also asking Muslim voters to vote for the Muslim League candidates- these fatwas were put up in bold letters in banners in various constituencies.

His disciple, Maulana Shabbir Ahmed Usmani provided the main theological reasons for the creation of Pakistan during the 1945-46 elections in which he talked about Pakistan as the new Medina. This was going to be only the second time in the history of Islam after the Prophets Medina that an Islamic state would come into existence. Pakistan and Medina are used interchangeably. The rhetoric thus was that the Prophet created the first Pakistan in the Arabian Peninsula and that the Muslim League was going to create the second Pakistan in the Indian subcontinent. Or that he created the first Medina and the Muslim League was going to create a second Medina. And that this was going to become the nucleus for Islams revival and rise as a global power in the twentieth century after it has gone down with the Christian West becoming ascendant. In other words, Pakistan was going to be the leader of the 20th century Islamic world, a worthy successor to the Ottomans who had dropped the baton of leadership of the Islamic world at the end of World War I, become the nucleus for the re-establishment of its political unity.

Daesh claims to be an Islamic State. Would you say that Pakistan was the primordial form of the IS?

The movement for the creation of Pakistan was not a secular nationalist movement but the first movement in the modern world for the creation of an Islamic State. The ISIS in its efforts to establish an Islamic State in parts of Iraq and Syria is trying to do the same. It is therefore in some sense quite analogous, even though the ISIS is in many ways very different- in its use of spectacular violence, the use of women as sex slaves, its very literalist interpretation of Islam.

Of late there has been a lot of communal rhetoric against Muslims in India. Has history vindicated Jinnah and his Two-Nation Theory?

No, I dont think the level of polarization or indeed the vileness of rhetoric is in any way matched today by what was happening then. The two-nation theory was based on the idea that Hindus and Muslims are completely distinct peoples with different religions, ideals, heroes, ways of life, social norms and customs, we share no past or future, and we cannot live with each other in peace. I think today even in the worst of times, the worst partisans in India will not make such claims. Even the worst partisans will claim that they are secular, will pay at least lip service to Indias diversity, its constitution, and would still say that India is a pluralistic country. I dont think we can say that the current times are analogous to what happened in the 30s and 40s.

Would you say that the Partition affects our current politics?

We live with its effects on a day to day basis. Communalism, its rhetoric, reason and violence, the use of concepts of majority and minority, the state of the Indo-Pak relationship, Kashmir- all these are the effects of the Partition.

Dont you think India is heading towards a very dangerous period of communal polarization, given the kind of rhetoric and violence targeting minorities?

This is a very diverse country, which is held together in a very fine balance. It is a very intricate tapestry and should be valued and strengthened and not undermined. I think rhetoric of an extreme kind from anywhere in pursuit of any cause or community, is dangerous. I truly believe in Gandhijis continuous emphasis on the means-ends relationship. Gandhiji believed that you can achieve noble ends only through noble means. Hence Indias freedom had to be won only through non-violent means. You cannot hope to reach freedom or some glorious utopia on a path littered with the bodies of people. So, I find any violent rhetoric, in the name of caste, religion, region, language, or community identity or in pursuit of any utopias or ideals such as revolution, social justice etc deeply disturbing.
Mainstream, VOL LIV No 36, New Delhi, August 27, 2016

The British have the reputation of leaving their colonies in a mess when they have to withdraw by force or otherwise. One method they have adopted is to partition the country they have ruled. They did this in Ireland, Palestine-Israel and, of course, India.

This is mid-August 2016 and I recall the conversation I had with Lord Radcliffe who drew the line to divide India into two countries, India and Pakistan. Lord Mountbatten, the last Viceroy, picked him up from the British Bar and had him flown to India to divide the subcontinent into two countries.

Radcliffe had never set his foot inside India before, nor did he know much about the country. Radcliffe told me that when Mountbatten spelt out what he wanted, he warned him that it was a difficult job which he could not undertake. Mountbatten offered him Rs 40,000, which was a lot of money at that time. But what ultimately tempted himaas he said to meawas the responsibility which had been thrown on his shoulders to create two new countries.

For a well-known London lawyer, the thought of becoming an international statesman over-night was too attractive a proposition to reject. Radcliffe asked for district maps, but none was available. All that he was given was the ordinary map which hung on the wall of all government offices and educational institutions.

Radcliffe made calculations on that and drew a tentative line on the map itself. He told me that on this premise the line he drew gave Lahore to India. Then he realised that by doing so, he would deprive Pakistan of any important city. So, taking this into consideration, he transferred Lahore to Pakistan. To this day the people of the then East Punjab have never forgiven him for the loss of their prize.

Radcliffe never collected his Rs 40,000 fee that the Viceroy had promised because he felt that the blood of 10 million people who lost their lives in the migration rested on his conscience. Nor did he visit India after Partition. He died in London and Indian newspapers only picked up the story of his death from The Times, London.

Here was a person who constituted two countries but never got any recognition. He was ultimately denied the status of an international statesman. Many years later Qaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, was angrily asked by his naval aide, who had lost his parents in the migration: aWas Pakistan a good thing to have?a The old man kept quiet for a while and replied: aI donat know young man, only posterity will tell.a

Probably, it is too early to pronounce any judgment, but one thing is clear that the Qaid-e-Azam drew the line dividing the two countries on the basis of religion. This is ironic considering that Jinnah was a man who did not care what he ate or drank. Even though he made Urdu the official language of Pakistan, he himself spoke a few words in Urdu only haltingly.

When events were developing in a way where there was no option except Partition, Mahatma Gandhi suggested to Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel that they should offer the prime ministership of a United India to Jinnah. Both were horrified because each, for many years, had their eyes on the top job. This indicates that even though they had gone through the fire of the independence struggle, they were not above the greed of office.

In fact, the Partition formula was accepted by Nehru and Patel, not Mahatma Gandhi. When Mountbatten was ready with the Partition formula, he invited Mahatma Gandhi first. Gandhi did not want to hear the word aPartitiona and walked out of the room when Mountbatten mentioned it. But Patel and Nehru accepted the Partition because they argued with themselves that they were not left with many years of life and if they wanted to build the country, they should accept what Mountbatten offered.

The much-demonised Jinnah was not happy with what he called a amoth-eatena Pakistan because the Pakistan of his dream was one that would at least stretch from Peshawar to Delhi. But he was left with no choice. This was all that the British offered. He was inevitably so bitter that when Mountbatten suggested at the instance of British Prime Minister Clement Attlee that he would accept some linkage between the two newly independent states, Jinnah replied: aI do not trust them (Indians).a Nor did Jinnah accept the suggestion to have Mountbatter as the common Governor-General.

Some people to this day say Jinnah would have made a good Prime Minister and this way India could have stayed united. Till then nobody knew that he had malignant cancer. It is suspected that the British knew and only had to wait for some time for him to quit the scene. Since Pakistan was a one-person show, probably the idea of the country would have died with him. Jinnahas hidden illness was not the reason why Nehru predicted that Pakistan would not last long. His calculation and that of the other top Congress leaders was that Pakistan was simply not economically viable.

Never did Nehru and any other Congress leader know how Winston Churchill had promised Jinnah that he personally would see to it that Jinnah would succeed and Pakistan would come into creation. Churchill had a pathological hatred for Hindus and he said he could not understand this polyglot religion. Compared to that Islam was so simple and easy to understand. At the back of his mind were also strategic considerations. Pakistan was geographically so placed that it gave an opening to the oil-rich Islamic world on the one hand and the vast Soviet Union on the other. To have a grateful client state like Pakistan was an irresistible attraction.

When I met Radcliffe in London many years later, he was living in a flat in the highly desirable location of Bond Street. Therefore, it was natural for me to expect some retainers around him. I was surprised when he opened the door himself and put the kettle on the boil to make a cup of tea. He was very reluctant to talk about Partition and his responsibility. But he had to reply to questions when I was face-to-face with him. Regret was written all over his face and he seemed like a person who felt that the killings during Partition were still on his conscience.

The author is a veteran journalist renowned not only in this country but also in our neighbouring states of Pakistan and Bangladesh where his columns are widely read. His website is www.kuldipnayar.com
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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.

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Amidst of Apple vs. FBI debacle and successful attempt of a breach at NSA headquarters by a hacker group, a new torch has flamed internationally by France and Germany calling for a European Decryption Law.

Months after the FBI-Apple encryption case standoff in the U.S. and NSA headquarters breach by hackers has started a global debate on encryption between governments and pro-security supporters.

On Tuesday, a joint press conference Franco-German initiative on internal security in Europe in Paris was held by Germanys Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere and Frances Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, they called on the European Commission to think for possible new legislative act to force operators offering products or telecommunications services to decrypt messages or to remove illegal content for government investigators.

A directive, if issued by the European Commission, is a kind of EU decryption law that must pass through the interpretation stage of European Unions member states to become a national law at European level. Meanwhile, at the international level, they also called for the signing and ratification of the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime.

These propositions by the two ministers were issued based on the incidents of terrorist attacks happened in their countries, and the attackers were said to be using the highly encrypted communications apps.

That being said, there is already a directive in practice for national security pointed out by Commission spokesperson Natasha Bertaud. In an email statement to the Fortune she said,

The current data protection directive (which also applies to the so-called over-the-top service providers) allows member states to restrict the scope of certain data protection rights where necessary and proportionate to, for instance, safeguard national security, and the prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of criminal offences, she further added that The new general data protection regulation (which will apply as from 25 May 2018) maintains these restrictions.

In an opinion based statement on encryption, the German minister talked about good practices and innovative ideas to tackle encryption. Whereas, his fellow French minister stepped the press conference up by specifically naming the Telegram app and criticizing it.

Whatsapp and Telegram took their stance by stating that they cannot decrypt the data because of the encryption mechanism where only users have the access to their conversations. Even though a data protection directive is in practice, the explicit agenda upon access to encryption may be to have control over such apps internationally and EU-wide.

Giving her opinion on the matter of encryption, in a French editorial Le Monde, Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, President of the National Commission on Informatics and Liberties, Frances data protection authority.

It is through encryption that we can make a bank transfer safely. It is through encryption that we can store our health data in a shared medical file (DMP) online. It is also thanks to this tool that investigations on Panama Papers  were possible. For companies, encryption is now the best protection against economic espionage, she wrote.

Earlier this year in the U.S., over the debate in FBI-Apple encryption suit we saw telecommunication providers backing up Apple and the anti-encryption hardliners such as Senator Lindsey Graham, switching sides in favor of Apple after realizing the technical reality of the case.

I was all with you until I actually started getting briefed by the people in the intel community, Graham told Attorney General Loretta Lynch during Senate Judiciary Committee hearings. I will say that Im a person thats been moved by the arguments about the precedent we set and the damage we might be doing to our own national security.

The strong of the anti-backdoor and pro-encryption opinion came from European Commission Vice-President, Andrus Ansip who supported Apples decision for refusing to unblock the iPhone of the terrorist.

Identification systems are based on encryption. I am strongly against having any kind of backdoor to these systems.

In Estonia, for example, we have an e-voting system. If people trust an e-banking system, they can also trust an e-voting system. This trust is based on a strong single digital identity guaranteed by the government, which is based on encryption. The question is who will trust this e-voting system if there are some back doors and someone has the keys to manipulate the results. The same goes for the e-banking system.

European Parliament resolution on September 2015 on human rights and technology turns out to be in favor of strong encryption.

As the debate is heating up, the next step could be the revision of e-privacy directive of European Union. Refreshing the memory of may 2016, the EU executive body set out new e-privacy proposal, that would significantly change the telecommunication regulation, to create a level playing field between traditional and online telecommunications services like Skype and Whatsapp.

According to the Financial Times quoted documents, the European Commission will further proceed the e-privacy revision and bring Microsofts Skype and Facebooks WhatsApp to same regulatory fold as traditional telecommunication operators and may explicitly ask for decryption orders. That would affect Google, Netflix, Amazon and Apple as well in the EU.

There are also some news of possible opinion that French and German governments are running into elections next year, and are using this tactics to strong arm them. The press release has started a global tug of war but there is no easy answer to whats come next.

About the Author

Rebecca James is Chief Editor at Most Secure VPN. She has worked with diversified online businesses to help grow and voice their presence on Social Media. She is passionate about online security and privacy, blogging and living life in outskirts. You can reach Rebecca on Twitter (@rebecca_jeames) or directly at mostsecurevpn.com

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs  Decryption law, law)

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This well-established Blog is worth visiting on a regular basis for a wealth of information of interest to Armenian nationals and to the Armenian Diaspora world-wide. Although it has a particular role in promoting international recognition of the Genocide, the Blog encompasses much more and includes many articles of general appeal to all those concerned with Armenian affairs. Much of the content is difficult or impossible to find elsewhere and the long list of links provided gives easy access to a plethora of material on social, political, religious, educational and cultural matters, and many news items from around the world.






Though he has no hope of winning California in November, Donald Trump is nonetheless visiting the Bay Area this week in search of campaign cash, and will be attending private events Monday in Napa Valley and on the Peninsula in undisclosed locations.

We heard about the Napa event last week, and reportedly attendees will be paying upwards of $5,000 apiece to shake the Donald's hand.

It's unclear if that is a lunch or a dinner, but the Chronicle has it that Trump will also be appearing somewhere south of San Francisco, at an undisclosed place in an undisclosed Peninsula city, sometime on Monday. That event is billed as "a $25,000-per-person joint fundraiser on the Peninsula for his campaign and the Republican National Committee."

Trump will also be heading to a $2,700-per-person lunch event in Tulare County on Tuesday.

Trump won't be making any public appearances on this trip, because as mentioned, there wouldn't be any point  and those haven't gone so well for him here. Anyway, here's hoping he takes a minute to discuss the horrors of body shaming at one of these events.

Related: Condoleezza Rice Has Been Notably Silent About Trump
125 YEARS AGO

CORN PALACE NEWS: Chief Stanley says the fakers and gamblers who frequented the street corners during last years Corn Palace festivities are returning to Sioux City. He says they will not be permitted to operate as extensively this year, as it is the intention to prohibit all games of chance.

GROCERY AD: Boston Grocery store, 1113 Fourth St.: 23 pounds of granulated sugar, $1. Pound package of Arbuckles coffee, 23 cents. White cotton clothes line 60 feet long, 15 cents. Big line of fine fresh fruit at lowest prices in the city. Pay cash and you will save yourself big money.

COMMUNITY NEWS: A full-blown concert saloon is the latest addition to Pearl street attractions. Jay Morris and Joe Grady returned from Dakota with a wagon load of prairie fowl. A half dozen vagrants were fined $15 each.

100 YEARS AGO

SAFE RANSACKED: Robbers who cracked the safe at the Commercial club over the weekend procured a small amount of cash, some personal papers and jewelry belonging to Miss Esther Nelson, stenographer. She placed her jewelry there for safe-keeping while she went to McCook Lake. The $400 worth of stolen gems included three diamond rings, a necklace with a diamond pendant and a watch studded with diamonds.

BAD BOULEVARD: As a result of the protests concerning the condition of the Floyd river road, the street department placed 15 teams and 10 men there to make the necessary fill. A number of Danger signs have been posted where the turns are dangerous.

OLDEST, FATTEST: LE MARS, Iowa  About 600 people attended the Plymouth county old settlers reunion at Cleveland park Thursday. George Harrison, 90 of Hinton, took the prize as the oldest resident there. Mrs. L.O. Brouillette took the prize for being the heaviest woman. She weighs 332 pounds.

50 YEARS AGO

PLANT OPENS: The $3 million Wincharger Corp. plant in the Tri-View Industrial District will begin limited production operations Monday -- three months ahead of schedule. Wincharger will manufacture radio receivers and electronic components for a wide range of Zenith Radio Corp. products. It is a subsidiary of Zenith.

MISSING STAMPS: OKOBOJI, Iowa  A safe cracking at the U.S. Post Office overnight Wednesday netted thieves $1,300 in stamps, $200 in cash and an undetermined number of commemorative stamps. The safe was peeled by a professional, according to the Dickinson County Sheriffs Office.

BAND WINS: Rubber Band, a Sioux City combo, took first place in a three-hour Battle of the Bands, a River-Cade-sponsored contest Friday night. It won the right to cut a record. Members are Dan Harrison, combo leader and lead guitar; Rich Archer, organ; Dave Doohen, vocal; Jerry Percy, bass, and Danny Cain, drums.

25 YEARS AGO

GAMBLING RAID: The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Sioux City authorities seized 32 illegal gambling machines following a one-year investigation. The machines were out in the open at the 11 bars where they were found. Eventually, each machine, valued at $2,000 apiece, will be destroyed.

EDUCATION NEWS: Robert Dunker, a member of Western Iowa Techs first graduating class, will become only the second president in the community college's 25-year history, succeeding Dr. Robert Kiser. Linda Madison, principal at Washington grade school in Sioux City, has been appointed to the new position of assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction.

ART CENTER OPENS: OKOBOJI, Iowa  The $1.17 million Lakes Art Center, which encountered construction delays over the summer, will open its doors to the public Saturday. Speakers will include Bud Pearson, whose $300,000 challenge grant, provided the spark instrumental in the centers development. It is located off U.S. Highway 71, north of the Okoboji Summer Theatre.

These items were published in The Journal Aug. 28-Sept. 3, 1891, 1916, 1966 and 1991.
VERMILLION, S.D. | The University of South Dakota has been awarded a $504,911 major research instrumentation grant from the National Science Foundation. Along with an earlier $200,000 grant through the South Dakota Board of Regents, the new grant will cover the cost of replacing the current supercomputer on campus.

The National Science Foundation has recently identified supercomputing systems as necessary research instruments, alongside equipment like DNA sequencers and electron microscopes. The new supercomputer will be named after Nobel Laureate and USD alumnus E.O. Lawrence.

Supercomputers allow scientists to do simulations of events that are expensive or infeasible to produce in the laboratory, said Doug Jennewein, USD research computing manager. They also allow scientists to run computations that are too complicated or time consuming to run on a laptop or laboratory PC.

Jennewein and Cheryl Tiahrt, USD deputy chief information officer and director of information technology services, designed the Lawrence Supercomputer after consulting with USD scientists and computer architects from industry. The new system will provide thousands of processing units, specially optimized software and more than 1,000 times the memory of a traditional laptop.

The new supercomputer will improve USDs research environment and competitiveness, Jennewein said. This means improved chances for research grants which can translate into more student research assistants.

The new system will provide thousands of processing units, specially optimized software and more than 1,000 times the memory of a traditional laptop.
Derrick Sleezer farms in Northwest Iowa. John Weber farms in Northeast Iowa. And while the two pork producers may be on opposite sides of the state, they share one thing in common  for about half of the year, the two Iowans served as presidents of the nations two largest hog organizations.

Sleezer, who farms near Cherokee, recently completed his term as president of the National Pork Board. Weber began his term in March as president of the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC). He farms near Dysart.

Both men spent several years on the boards for the two organizations and saw first-hand the commitment necessary to take on the presidency.

As I worked through years on the board, I felt the president needed to be someone who had the confidence to step up and tackle those challenges, Sleezer says. I thought it was something I wanted to do, and I felt fortunate that the board believed I could do that.

Weber, who previously served as president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, began serving on the NPPC board in 2011.

Im a relatively small producer compared to many on our board, since we are contract growers, he says. But the board didnt look at that. I received a lot of encouragement from them to become an officer and then eventually to serve as president. ...

I enjoy it so much that I actually look forward to meetings.

While the two organizations serve hog producers, they have different responsibilities. NPPC is involved in areas such as trade, policy and regulations. The pork board uses checkoff dollars to promote pork and help fund research, among other things.

Weber and Sleezer say there are several issues that top the list of concerns for producers.

We are tackling the antibiotic issue and are willing to lead the discussion on it, Sleezer says. We are committed to the research that is being done regarding antibiotics. Its important that our industry have a voice at the table.

Antibiotics are something we are concerned about, and we are working with FDA to develop rules that are workable for pork producers, Weber adds. We have always supported the idea that medically important antibiotics should not be used as growth promotants.

With the Veterinary Feed Directive coming at the end of the year, producers are going to have to do things perhaps differently than they have done in the past.

NPPCs priority, he says, has been passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free-trade agreement. The pact has been approved by representatives of the countries involved, but TPP has yet to move through Congress, despite President Obamas support.

We put a lot of time and dollars into TPP over the last three or four years, and we are fortunate to get the results that we did, Weber says. We know that growth in our industry is totally dependent upon trade.

Politics have proven to be the tallest hurdle, he says.

We fell into an extremely difficult political arena with TPP, Weber says. I think if everyone settles down after the election, I feel good that we will be able to get this finished. Its just too important to our industry.

Sleezer says a great deal of headway has been made when it comes to disease research. He says the industry has done a great job of preparing for the next disease that comes along.

Large pork supplies have also been a concern lately, as more and more hogs head to market. Sleezer says new packing plants scheduled to come on line next year will help producers find a place to sell their pigs.

Were in a period of expansion, and were working hard to keep pushing this quality product we have, he says.

Sleezer adds the hiring of Bill Even as pork board CEO was a highlight of his year as president.

Were very fortunate to have been able to hire Bill, he says.

Both Weber and Sleezer say they could not serve the pork industry as they have without the support of not only their boards, but their families.

My wife, Kathy, grew up in the pork business, so its important to her, and she has been so supportive, Weber says. Our oldest son, Brian, manages the farm corporation, and we have excellent employees.

I think me being gone so much has actually helped in the farm transition, because Brian has had to make some decisions on his own and that might not have been the case if I was here more. Its really been a blessing for our family.

Sleezer adds serving on the pork board has helped him see all sides of the industry.

You get to go to some additional meetings, and you see how the other areas of the industry work, he says. You see the dynamics involved, and you see people wanting to share our story and provide this great product. Its been an amazing experience.
iStock/Thinkstock(LAPLACE, La.) -- Two people are dead and 41 injured after a charter bus crashed into a pickup truck Sunday morning shortly after the truck sped on a slick roadway into a guardrail near LaPlace, Louisiana, according to Louisiana State Police.

Louisiana State Police said they were on the scene with the St. John Baptist Fire Department investigating the pickup truck's minor injury accident when the bus crashed into three firemen standing near the scene.

The three firemen, including LaPlace Volunteer Fire District Chief Spencer Chauvin who was later declared deceased, were thrown over the edge of the guardrail, according to police. One fireman is in critical but stable condition and another suffered moderate injuries, police said.

A backseat passenger of a Toyota Camry also involved in the crash was declared deceased at the scene, according to Louisiana State Police, and the driver and front passenger were transported to local hospitals.

Louisiana State Police said the bus driver, Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, did not have a driver's license and was not licensed to drive a commercial vehicle. A public information officer said he was from Honduras and in the U.S. illegally.

About 30 to 40 passengers were on board the bus, according to police, who were "daily hires" to do construction and help rebuild after the severe flooding that has hit Louisiana. Police said they believe the workers were in the U.S. illegally and all were taken to local area hospitals with minor to moderate injuries.

The Motor Carrier section of Louisiana is investigating the bus crash.

Copyright  2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
CLINTON TRUMP ART.jpg

Good Sunday Morning, Everyone.

Your favorite Sunday rundown of who's up and who's down in Pennsylvania and national politics returns after a summer-long hiatus. We were interrupted by convention travel, vacations and general ennui. But with Labor Day nearly upon us and the fall campaign about to begin in earnest, there'll be plenty to score. So let's get started.

DOWN ARROW END John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty: The powerful boss of Philly's Electricians' Union goes down this week on news of an ever-tightening federal investigation. Thanks to the release of a warrant related to raid earlier this summer, we now know the feds are "are seeking evidence that union funds were embezzled and that contractors were intimidated by 'use of economic fear.' The warrant also cites possible extortion by an unnamed public official," The Philadelphia Inquirer reported last week. We also know that the warrant was used to gather information about a veteran agent of the state Attorney General's Office and the communications he had with Philly City Councilman Bobby Henon, who's also an official at Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, which Dougherty runs. As we noted last week, the Electricians' union has been a power-player in city and state politics for years. John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty, whose brother is state Supreme Court Justice Kevin Dougherty, is among the most influential Democratic labor leaders in the state.

EQUAL BEGIN

EQUAL END U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey: Last week held a mixed bag of news for the Pennsylvania Republican, who's locked in a tight re-election race with Democratic challenger Katie McGinty. Toomey started the week on an up note, picking up the endorsement of a gun-control PAC run by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona. McGinty parried later in the week, picking up the endorsement of the in-state, gun-control group CeaseFirePa. Toomey got good news later in the week with the announcement that One Nation, a conservative super-PAC, had dumped $1.1 million worth of ads into his race. It couldn't have come at a better time, since the national AFL-CIO has spent the best part of the month hammering Toomey in a multi-million dollar TV campaign of its own. Toomey ended the week on a down note, with the Rothenberg/Gonzales Political Report moving his race to "toss-up" status. Toomey's seat, as you no doubt know, is one five Democrats are gunning for as they try to retake the Senate. The last batch of polls showed McGinty, a former Wolf administration official and 2014 gubernatorial candidate, in the margin.

DOWN ARROW END Donald Trump: The Republican presidential nominee earns a down arrow this week for managing to change his position on immigration twice last week. In an interview with Fox News last week, Trump appeared to backtrack on his long-stated position that he intended to deport all 11 million people who have entered the country illegally. In a town hall with host Sean Hannity, Trump said "There certainly can be a softening," in his position "because we're not looking to hurt people." Trump even polled the audience on whether the nation should deport a law-abiding undocumented immigrant who'd been in the country for 20 years. In a follow-up interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, Trump appeared to pivot, ruling out a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. But the GOP nominee declined to clarify whether he would still deport all 11 million people in the country illegally. The mixed message has Trump walking a fine line with his base, which embraced his hardline stance, and among Hispanics and moderate voters who have been put off by his hardline rhetoric on the issue.

DOWN ARROW END Hillary Clinton: The Democratic nominee had to enjoy Trump's ongoing tango on the immigration issue, but Clinton had issues of her own to contend with last week. Citing a new round of emails during her time as Secretary of State, both The Associated Press and ABC News provided new insight on how donors to the Clinton Foundation received access and favors at the State Department. "In one December 2010 email chain with Clinton's closest aide Huma Abedin, then-top Clinton Foundation official Doug Band offers names for a State Department lunch with Chinese President Hu Jintao scheduled for January 2011," ABC News reported late last week. Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have tried to dismiss the email news as part of an ongoing campaign against them by the conservative activist group Judicial Watch. But Clinton continues to be dogged by trust issues and the latest round of email releases have not done her any favors.

DOWN ARROW BEGIN

DOWN ARROW END President Barack Obama:Yes, America's 44th president has been riding high in the polls as he finishes out his final six months of so in office. And, yes, the story of his first date with First Lady Michelle Obama was the date movie of the week last week. But the last couple of weeks have been pretty awful for one Obama's signature legislative achievements: The Affordable Care Act. Citing rising costs and falling profits, healthcare companies have been moving out of the Obamacare exchanges. That's left , counties faced with fewer and fewer options for coverage, and even the regulator in charge of Tennessee's exchanges saying the system is "very near collapse," Business Insider reported last week. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said some kind of legislative fix is needed. Some are even talking about bringing back the divisive "public option" as a potential fix. Whatever happens, one thing is clear: Obama will have to expend some political capital and elbow grease before he leaves office if he wants to ensure that this part of his legacy survives.

DOWN ARROW END Everyone at Mylan Labs: The maker of the life-saving epiPen allergy medication jacked up prices by 500 percent, gouging consumers, even as its CEO got a raise, its stock price skyrocketed and it took advantage of the tax laws to flee corporate taxes in the United States. The PR exercise that resulted in a $300 savings card last week tried to tamp down the controversy. But if there were ever an example of bad corporate citizenship, this one was surely it.

And that's the week. Enjoy your Sunday. We'll see you all back here on Monday.
GLASGOW, Scotland | Two members of Northwestern College's faculty gave presentations at the Association for Scottish Literature conference at the University of Glasgow in Scotland last month.

Dr. Mike Kugler, professor of history, read his essay, "A Post-Religious Incarnation in Warner's 'Morvern Callar,'" which discussed religious imagery in Alan Warner's 1996 novel.

Dr. Sam Martin, assistant professor of English, presented his essay, "Ian Rankin and the Anarchic Drive in Crime Fiction and Christianity."

The conference's theme was literature and religion in Scotland, with participants encouraged to examine ways in which religions and religious impulses have influenced, and been influenced by, the literature of Scotland.
DETROIT  Hot cars are a danger to children, particularly in a sweltering summer like this one. There are some devices on the market  built into cars as well as child seats  that can help prevent kids from being left behind.

So far this year, 27 children in the U.S. have died after they were left in hot vehicles, according to Kids and Cars, a Kansas City-based advocacy group. That includes the death last month of a 2-year-old in Dallas left behind in a hot car while his family was in church. The total this year has already surpassed the total for all of 2015.

Of the 755 children who died in hot cars since 1990, a majority  55 percent  were unknowingly left behind. In 28 percent of cases, kids climbed into the cars on their own.

Even a brief period in a hot car can be deadly. Within 10 minutes, a car's temperature can rise 20 degrees, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Even if it's 60 degrees outside, the temperature inside a car can reach 110. Children can die when their body temperature reaches 107 degrees.

Kids and Cars says the government should require automakers to install back seat reminder systems. But NHTSA says it's still researching the best ways to prevent deaths. In the meantime, the agency is sponsoring public information campaigns.

There are ways to help prevent hot car deaths. Among them:

In-car systems

General Motors Co. has installed an industry-first rear seat reminder system on the 2017 GMC Acadia, a midsize SUV that starts at $29,070. The system, which is a standard feature, monitors the Acadia's rear doors. If either one is opened and closed within 10 minutes before the vehicle is started, or if they are opened and closed while the vehicle is running, the Acadia sounds five chimes and displays a visual reminder to check the back seat when the vehicle is turned off. GM plans to add the system to additional vehicles throughout its lineup in 2017 and beyond.

For now, GM is the only automaker offering a factory-installed reminder system, but there are several aftermarket systems available. Rear View Safety Inc. makes a $100 system that monitors the rear doors and activates if they are opened before a trip. The car sounds a moderate alarm when the vehicle is turned off, and the driver can deactivate the alarm by pressing a button in the rear of the car. If the system isn't deactivated within 40 seconds, the car horn will sound. The system must be professionally installed; the company says installation adds about $100 to the cost.

Child seat systems

Evenflo's SensorSafe Embrace DLX infant seat is the only car seat with a built-in system that alerts the driver if a child has been left behind. It connects the seat's chest clip to the car's data port, so the car will emit a chime if it turns off and the chest clip hasn't been unhooked. It will also alert the driver if the chest clip comes unhooked during driving. The seat works for infants up to 35 pounds and in cars from the 2008 model year or later. The seat costs $149 at Wal-Mart.

There are also aftermarket child seat systems. Baby Alert International makes an electronic chest clip that replaces the clip installed on a seat. The clip connects to a key fob. If the caregiver moves 15 or more feet from the car seat without unlatching it, the fob sounds an alarm. That system costs $45 on Baby Alert International's web site.

The iRemind Car Seat Alarm uses a sensor pad placed on the child's car seat. Caregivers install a smartphone app that alerts them if they move 15 feet from the car and the sensor still feels the child's weight. The sensor costs $100 on Amazon.com.

There are caveats. NHTSA warns that anything added to a car seat after it's purchased could compromise safety. And smartphone-based systems may not work if the caregiver doesn't have service in a particular location.

Other tips

Drivers should get in the habit of checking the back seat before locking their vehicles. One reminder is to keep a large stuffed animal in the child's seat. When the child is riding in the seat, move the stuffed animal to the front.

To prevent kids from climbing into cars, always keep them locked when they're parked and keep keys out of reach. If a child goes missing, a car is one of the first places you should look.
CHEROKEE, Iowa | More than a year after two of Iowa's four mental health institutes shut down, the institute in Cherokee is operating similarly to how it had been in recent years.

Apprehension had run through Cherokee in 2009, when state officials explored closing one or more of the state's four mental health institutes. The loss of the Northwest Iowa campus would have delivered a $24 million hit to the local economy. So the facility, which has treated patients for 114 years, has now survived two possible cuts in seven years.

The state in July 2015 shuttered mental health institutes in Mount Pleasant and Clarinda. The closures, however, have not resulted in more patients being treated in Cherokee or the other remaining institute in Independence.

Cherokee still has 36 beds -- 24 for adults and 12 for children -- and remains full most days, Mental Health Institute Superintendent Cory Turner said.

"Typically, we are an entity that is full all the time," said Turner, who began leading the institute last summer.

In 2015, 552 people were served with an average length of stay for adults at 34 days and nine days for children. That compares to 539 in 2014, with the stay slightly shorter for adults compared to the year before.

The number of Cherokee MHI employees also has remained constant, Turner said.

"The closures at the other MHIs haven't really affected us, from a patient perspective or from even a staffing perspective. We haven't lost positions or funding, that hasn't been an issue for us. And from a patient perspective, we are seeing the same amount of patients, as far as an admission rate," Turner said.

The high mark for Cherokee institute employment came in the 1970s, with 475 workers; the highest number of patients served was in 1949, with about 1,300.

Following a plan by Gov. Terry Branstad to move to community-based mental health care services and away from larger institutions, the closures at Mount Pleasant and Clarinda were made because of difficulty in recruiting clinical staff, a declining number of people served and high costs to serve them.

Iowa Department of Human Services spokeswoman Amy McCoy said private providers can provide some services at one-fourth the cost of what's delivered by the state institutes.

"The numbers in the mental health institutes have continued to go down, as more people are served in the community. The private hospitals are able to offer the same types of services that the MHIs offer," McCoy said.

Once the Clarinda and Mount Pleasant facilities closed, three patients were transferred to Cherokee. McCoy said the two remaining institutes are providing good service and Cherokee hasn't been swamped with more clients.

Cherokee stayed off the state chopping block by having national accreditation, meeting rigorous standards in providing modern care and operating the state's only facility for CUSO, or civil commitment unit for sex offenders. With that move, Cherokee had survived a possible axing that worried some locals officials, since the MHI is a vital cog in the community of 5,253 people. There are nearly 170 employees at the sprawling campus on the west end of the Cherokee County seat, making it the fourth-largest employer in the county.

The Cherokee facility takes children and adults who are in need of acute psychiatric services. They have to meet at least two criteria to be admitted, among them indicating suicidal intentions, the desire to harm themselves or others, a need to have psychotropic medications monitored and a need for 24-hour professional observation.

McCoy and Turner said a key point is that regardless of what is happening elsewhere on how services are delivered, once people are in Cherokee they receive top care. Workers make sure people are getting the right medications, ways to address certain behaviors such as anger management and help with skills building to work successfully back in the world.

"Recovery is possible," McCoy said. "They can live successfully out in the community.

Treatment methods for mental illness have advanced over the years, and the practice of major restraint and seclusion in private rooms is nearly nonexistent.

McCoy and Turner said there are no plans for the state to close the Cherokee institute.

"If we are providing that good level of care, we don't have anything to worry about, maybe that is the best way to put it. The support from the community is just astonishing... It is a big employer for the community, and I think (people) understand the need for the level of service here on the western half of the state," Turner said.

The first patients arrived in 1902 at the late-19th-century Renaissance Revival stone buildings covering 800 acres in Cherokee. More than 1,000 people came by railroad from the other institutes for treatment.

At one point, those who received services helped provide labor to grow vegetables and crops. The institute evolved away from the work-camp concept and, as services changed, some buildings have closed and the active grounds now cover about 200 acres. Beyond the mental health institute, the state also runs the Youth Emergency Services (YES) facility for youth detention on the Cherokee grounds.

Cherokee City Administrator Sam Kooiker said all the services are important to Cherokee. Kooiker noted the town came together about 1900 at the time the possibility of an institute was pitched, helping it come to fruition.

Kooiker said area legislators, more recently, have defended the necessity of keeping the facility in Cherokee.

"Over nearly 115 years, MHI has been one of the cornerstones of our community...They are a stable employer and they are important to our community," he said.
SIOUX CITY | Desiree Warren, who currently resides in Kansas City, Missouri, comes from a long line of sentimental collectors.

Her family's predilection for gathering objects is exactly how she got the idea to start her business, Eighty Acres Art. Warren's art will have a booth at Sioux City Art Splash for the third year in a row.

With Eighty Acres, Warren utilizes 100 percent salvaged materials -- everything from tin cans, to scraps of vinyl and old Superman comics. It's hard not to be a collector with a family like hers.

Warren grew up on a farm (guess on how many acres?) filled with wonderful, weird materials, artifacts and neverending loose ends.

The items were mostly left behind by her late grandfather, Bill Bourgeouis, a French immigrant, who is described affectionately by Warren as a pack rat -- a feature that Warren, too, possesses.

"Im trying to focus that family trait that I do have into an art-based production," said Warren. "Because theres definitely a lot to work with, and Im happy to use it. I learn more and more about my kin every time I go looking through the sheds and the barn."

Bourgeouis bought the land in the 1960s, eventually turning it over to Warren's mother and father in 1978. During his time on the farm, Bourgeouis added on a number of structures in which he meticulously stored his beloved trinkets. He did, however, have a method to his madness.

"If it's neatly organized, it's not hoarding, right?" Warren said with a laugh.

Warren creates collages, paintings and various functional pieces, such as wall and desk clocks. She puts together uniquely clever creations using materials that other people might be quick to dismiss as junk.

The weirdest thing Warren has ever found? Her grandfather had eccentric older sisters, who shared the family predilection for collecting knickknacks, which inevitably ended up at the family farm.

"One was under the (guise) of good health -- but they were sunbathing magazines from the 40s," said Warren. "They were nudie magazines, and with whatever their form of Photoshop was at the time, they (were) blurred out."

The thing that most interests Warren about the salvaging aspect of her work is the enigma behind each trinket.

"Just the inherent history in it, I think," said Warren. "And kind of the mystery as well, because youre like 'Grandpa, why did you keep all of these specific things?"

Warren doesn't always see merit in an item right away, but she tries not to disregard anything too quickly.

Her grandfather worked at Safeway for 25 years or so, and also was a farmer. One of her finds was about a dozen potato or produce bags from the 1970s. Her first instinct was to discard them as trash. "And then I looked at them again," she said.

She ended up photocopying the logo off the potato sacks and using them in a clock.

While Warren speculates whether it was laziness, sentimentality or some other factor that caused her relatives to hold onto things, she realizes she'll probably never know. Instead, it's best just to work with what you've got.

"I was like, 'I dont wanna work in an office,'" said Warren, a graduate of Kansas University. "Its fun cleaning it out, organizing and discovering things. You have to look at everything because theres diamonds in the rough, for sure."
CORRECTIONVILLE, Iowa | When U.S. Highway 20 traffic began flowing onto a county blacktop this spring, Ben and Bonnie Flathers were concerned that detouring that traffic onto the twisting two-lane road would lead to an increase in motor vehicle accidents.

They, like law enforcement authorities, have been pleasantly surprised.

"We haven't had any problem with it. We expected to see a lot of accidents on it and there haven't been that we know of," said Bonnie Flathers.

The Flathers home sits just west of the intersection of Lee Avenue and Woodbury County Road D22, where U.S. 20 traffic has been diverted since March 14 while construction workers continue to widen the highway from two lanes to four.

Before the detour went into effect, many worried that the hilly, curvy detour route would not be safe enough to accommodate the approximately 4,000 vehicles, many of them large trucks, that travel daily on the stretch of U.S. 20 between Moville and Correctionville.

"We expected because of the traffic volume to see more incidents in that area," Iowa State Patrol Trooper John Farley said.

Troopers have investigated just one serious traffic accident on the detour route. Records from the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office show that deputies have filed reports on two property-damage accidents and one minor personal-injury accident.

"I think overall, it's gone very well. People are slowing down," said Maj. Greg Stallman, who oversees the sheriff's patrol division.

The detour is in place while workers finish new westbound lanes from Correctionville to Moville, just a portion of the work being done on the Iowa Department of Transportation's $286 million project to widen the remaining 40 miles of U.S. 20 to four lanes between Moville and Early.

A year before the detour went into effect, the IDOT widened and resurfaced the approximately six miles of D22, also known as Old Highway 22, from Lee Avenue to Iowa Highway 31, where the detour then turns north to Correctionville before hooking back into U.S. 20.

"We expected that the detour would function. We didn't foresee any major problem with accidents," said Dakin Schultz, IDOT District 3 traffic planner. "I think it's going as we had hoped."

Schultz said geography has helped control accidents. The road's hills and curves prevent passing along most of the route. Traffic, especially trucks, also must slow from the posted speed of 55 mph to navigate the curves safely.

Farley and Stallman both said officers who patrol the detour report that most motorists are driving responsibly and patiently when stuck behind slower traffic.

"People just realize it's a detour and it's something they just have to live with," Farley said.

Ben Flathers said he's driven the detour several times and thinks some people drive too fast on the curves. Otherwise, he's had no complaints.

"There's really no problem with it as far as I'm concerned," he said, though he wonders what will happen during the upcoming harvest when slow-moving farm equipment and grain trucks become more common on the detour.

"Those farmers have to get in their fields along there," he said.

The detour likely will be in place through much of harvest. Schultz said U.S. 20 should be reopened by late fall.

The entire widening project, which also is underway in Ida and Sac counties, is scheduled to be finished by the end of 2018.
America's oldest millennials  nearing 20 when airplanes slammed into the World Trade Center  can remember the economic prosperity of the 1990s, and when a different Clinton ran for president. The younger end of the generation  now nearing 20  can't recall a time without terrorism or economic worry.

Now millennials have edged out baby boomers as the largest living generation in U.S. history, and more than 75 million have come of age. With less than three months to Election Day, the values of young Americans are an unpredictable grab bag. What they share is a palpable sense of disillusionment.

As part of its Divided America series, The Associated Press interviewed seven millennial voters in five states where the generation could have an outsized influence this fall. They are a mosaic, from a black Nevada teen voting for the first time to a Florida-born son of Latino immigrants to a white Christian couple in Ohio.

These voters illustrate how millennials are challenging pollsters' expectations.

"Millennials have been described as apathetic, but they're absolutely not," said Diana Downard, a 26-year-old voting for Hillary Clinton. "Millennials have a very nuanced understanding of the political world."

Just 5 percent of young adults say that America is "greater than it has ever been," according to a recent GenForward poll. The first-of-its kind survey of young people between the ages of 18 and 30 was conducted by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago with the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Briana Lawrence, a 21-year-old videographer and eyelash artist from the South, wants America to return to what it was. A recent North Carolina Central University graduate, she's voting for Clinton. She was just 7 on Sept. 11 and the aftermath of the attacks is the only time she remembers the nation feeling united.

"My biggest hope for this country is for us to come back together as a community," she said.

That's hard when people like her begin adulthood thousands of dollars in debt. Economic issues are huge with this group, since many are saddled with student loans and struggle to find jobs.

Only 8 percent of millennials feel their household's financial situation is "very good," according to GenForward's poll.

Brien Tillett, who recently graduated from a Las Vegas high school, is 18. He was only 10 when the recession hit. His single mother was hospitalized for months after a car accident and, with no safety net, the family struggled.

National debt is his top concern. As a black man, he's turned off by some of Donald Trump's remarks, but likes the Republican's aggressive economic stance. He also considered voting for Clinton, but is angry about her use of a private email server while Secretary of State. Unsure at first, he recently decided on Clinton.

Anibal David Cabrera wouldn't think of voting outside his party.

The son of a Honduran mother and Dominican father, he graduated from college in 2008. He was a finance major, but the economic collapse dried up jobs. Now 31 and living in Tampa, Florida, he finally found an accounting position at a small firm. He feels he's entering the prime of his life a few steps behind, through no fault of his own.

He's backing Trump and prays the candidate keeps promises and boosts the economy. "That is something my generation has kind of never seen," he said.

Shared pain doesn't lead to shared views.

Millennials' disdain for traditional party affiliation means that half describe themselves as independents, according to a 2014 Pew Research report  a near-record level of political disaffiliation. They tend to be liberal on social questions such as gay marriage, abortion and marijuana legalization. Yet they skew slightly conservative on fiscal policy and are more in line with other generations on gun control and foreign affairs.

Trip Nistico, a recent Colorado law school graduate, is a gun rights advocate who visits shooting ranges  but also supports in same-sex marriage. He backed President Barack Obama in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012. The 26-year-old is voting for Trump this year.

Still, Trump remains unpopular among millennials and nearly two-thirds of Americans between the ages of 18 and 30 believe the Republican nominee is racist, according to GenForward's poll. Views of Hillary Clinton also were unfavorable, though not to the same extent.

Bill and Kristi Clay, parents of two young boys and devout Christians from rural Ohio, have struggled to pick a candidate who matches their values.

Kristi Clay opposes same-sex marriage and abortion and names those as her top issues. Yet the 32-year-old school librarian reluctantly leans toward Clinton, because she feels Trump is materialistic and prefers the Democratic views on immigration and poverty.

Though she and her 33-year-old husband are feeling "pessimistic" about this election, both say they will vote anyway.

Whether their millennial brethren do the same is unknown. Some are disenchanted that progressive Bernie Sanders, who ran against Clinton in the Democratic primary, is out of the race.

The millennial vote rose steadily beginning in 2002 and peaked in 2008. In 2012, however, just 45 percent of millennials cast ballots and participation has leveled off or dropped since, said John Della Volpe, director of polling at Harvard University's Institute of Politics.

"They have a somewhat different perspective in terms of politics," he said. "It hasn't really worked. They haven't been part of a movement that's been effective."
SIOUX CITY | Many people in Iowas jails  as many as a third  do not belong there, state law enforcement officials say.

Too many people are jailed when what they really need is mental health care.

The scenario has become all too common: A person with a mental illness does not get needed treatment or declines to take prescribed medication, then behaves in a way that gets law enforcement involved.

The states mental health care system is plagued, law enforcement officials and mental health advocates agree, by a lack of access because of a shortage of beds and a lack of available mental health professionals. Iowa also lacks a unified mental health care model that involves hospitals, law enforcement and the community.

Law enforcement officials say people with mental health issues wind up in jail because often it is the easiest solution, but those officials say that is not what is best for the patient who becomes an inmate.

A lot of people in our custody are in for non-compliance, (not) taking their medication. They didnt do what the court ordered them to, the court has no place to put them, so they put them in our jail, Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew said. Dont you find that disturbing that someone ends up in our jail just because somebody didnt take their meds?

Its just not the place for them. So were all sitting here not knowing where to place them, and (jail) is just not where they belong.

In Scott County, the percentage of the individuals in jail have a diagnosed mental health issue is 38 percent, according to Sheriff Dennis Conard. Like many of his colleagues in law enforcement across the state, Conard thinks that number would drop dramatically  perhaps by as much as half  if a better system of mental health care were in place in Iowa.

The entire system seems to be broken, Conard said, especially in our area. And the jail is the location that the police departments have at their disposal to take care of the issues that theyre dealing with on a daily basis on the outside.

Theyre running into people who are under treatment, but for some reason, they make the decision that theyre not going to take their medicines anymore or they have a crisis of some sort.  And theres no place else for them but jail.

Not enough beds

Iowa has the fewest state psychiatric hospital beds per capita in the nation  two beds for every 100,000 residents, according to a 2016 report from the Virginia-based Treatment Advocacy Center.

There are roughly 730 staffed psychiatric inpatient hospital beds in Iowa, according to state data. The number fluctuates daily by a bed or two.

Thats not enough, law enforcement officials and mental health care advocates say, especially because not all beds are open to all mental health patients. Some, for example, are designated for specific age groups.

There is a shortage of beds for certain populations. I dont know if theres overall a shortage, but there definitely is a shortage for certain kinds of people, said Peggy Huppert, executive director of Iowas state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI.

Gov. Terry Branstads administration in 2015 shuttered state-run mental health institutions in Mount Pleasant and Clarinda. Branstad said the move was made to better serve patients in community-based treatment and to save money for the state.

In early 2015, just before the closures, there were just more than 730 psychiatric beds, according to the state.

A state Department of Human Services spokeswoman said there still are roughly 730 beds in Iowa. She said the number of beds did not change drastically because, in the final years, Clarinda and Mount Pleasant housed only a handful of psychiatric beds each.

Two state-run mental health institutions remain operational, in Cherokee and Independence. Cherokee, in Northwest Iowa, has 36 beds, and Independence, in eastern Iowa, has 62 beds,

Advocates and law enforcement officials say they agree that many individuals with mental health care needs are better served in community-based treatment, but not all. They say some people have mental health care needs that are too intense for such treatment.

I had one person from one of the MCOs (the managed care organizations that are operating Iowas Medicaid program) tell me it doesnt matter how much I offer to pay a provider, theyre not going to take these people (with intense mental health care needs), Huppert said. So there is a role for state beds, and it should be for the patients that nobody else wants. The state should take those people.

While the state data shows dozens of open beds  a new bed-tracking system showed more than 80 in early June  law enforcement officials and advocates insist the shortage is real, and they insist the mental health institution closures exacerbated the problem.

Difficult to place

They say some individuals are difficult to place and sometimes beds are open but geographically far from the patient, which then requires someone, often law enforcement, to make an hours-long round trip to transport the person.

I dont know the governors reason (for closing the mental health institutes)  but its killing a county like Woodbury, Drew said. And I know other counties have the same problem.

Branstad spokesman Ben Hammes rejected the suggestion the closures shifted the burden of providing mental health care from the state to local government and agencies.

State officials pointed to the open beds and said hospitals are not admitting some mental health patients. They also noted a shortage of psychiatrists, an issue Branstad has attempted to address by introducing a program that would encourage psychiatric medical students to stay and work in Iowa after graduation.

There are still two state institutions that are able to admit patients, Hammes said in an emailed response to questions. We recognize the difficult job that mental health care advocates sometimes experience. However, we are focused on providing a modernized level of care for mental health patients in their local communities whenever possible.

Hammes said, since returning to office in 2011, Branstad has approved more than $310 million in mental health care funding and signed into law the statewide redesign of the states mental health care delivery system from county- to region-based. Hammes also said 150,000 Iowans have access to mental health coverage through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, a state and federal partnership health care plan.

The closures freed more than $8 million in the state budget. State records show the state appropriated $1.4 million for Mount Pleasant and $6.8 million for Clarinda in fiscal year 2015; that funding has since been eliminated from the state budget.

Jails as mental health institutions

When beds and other treatment options are not available, jails often bear the burden.

They cant get access to proper treatment, so theyre self-medicating with drugs or alcohol. Its often the addiction that gets them into trouble or the behaviors coming out of that that lands them in the criminal justice system, Huppert said. In Iowa, police and sheriffs  are the mental health treatment providers of last resort.

Law enforcement officials say not only is that an inefficient use of their resources, it often is difficult to provide adequate assistance to someone with mental health care needs.

Once all the beds are full, whats the next best thing? Well, take them to jail. And thats not providing the services they truly need, Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt said. Sometimes, I feel like were really reactive.  If we get them the help beforehand and have it be long-term care instead of just short-term care, then we might avoid these situations.

Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson sees the same issue.

Way too often, they end up in the criminal justice system because thats the path of least resistance. Thats the easiest option, Thompson said. Jailing them while theyre mentally ill, while convenient  it in no way, shape or form benefits them. It is a limitation of the system.

No funding coming

Although many advocates agree most mental health patients are better served in community-based settings, those same advocates say the problem is local governments and agencies received no additional help to make the transition.

Thats all fine, but there wasnt a subsequent shift of dollars into community health centers to help them manage those acute clients, said Chris Hoffman, executive director of Pathways Behavioral Services in Waterloo.

Advocates lament what they describe as insufficient state funding for mental health care resources, and groups that are trying to address the intersection of mental health care and law enforcement are doing so without expecting any new money coming their way.

We have to fund it ourselves, John Miller, a Black Hawk County supervisor, said. "We have to figure it out on our own, because were paying, one way or the other."

Working together

In Black Hawk County, individuals from county government, law enforcement, hospitals, mental health care advocacy and others have formed a group that meets once a month to discuss these issues.

Thompson marveled at how much he has had to learn about handling people with mental health care needs since he became sheriff in 2009.

I didnt realize when I took office eight years ago how dramatic an issue this was. I ramped up my education very quickly, and thats unfortunate that we are under-recognizing this particular facet of the issue, Thompson said. But in this last eight years, what Ive found is my vision for what the mental health funnel ought to look like, where it starts with day programming, routine interaction with a counselor, all the way down to those people who need permanent placement, a housing system, 24-hour monitoring, down to people who really arent suitable for placement in community care (but) need something more structured, more detailed to their particular affliction.

We all recognize that the convergence of mental health and criminal justice needs to be addressed.
Genres : Documentary, Religion

Plot Synopsis

Bishop Robert Barron is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He is also the host of CATHOLICISM, a groundbreaking, award-winning documentary about the Catholic Faith. Bishop Barron is a #1 Amazon bestselling author and has published numerous books, essays, and articles on theology and the spiritual life. He has also appeared on several media outlets including NBC, PBS, FOX News, CNN, and EWTN. Bishop Barron's website, WordOnFire.org, reaches millions of people each year. His regular YouTube videos have been viewed over 15 million times. He is one of the most-followed Catholics in the world of social media. Bishop Barron's pioneering work in evangelizing through the new media led Francis Cardinal George to describe him as one of the Church's best messengers. He has keynoted many conferences and events all over the world, including the 2015 World Meeting of Families which marked Pope Francis' historic visit to the United States.
In a 2013 survey from the National Small Business Association, it was discovered that 70% of small business owners say that keeping up with new technology is very important to the success of their business. But technology is a significant financial investment, even for established small businesses, and the number of options can be overwhelming.

In fact, according to another survey by Brother International, 63% of small business owners often feel overwhelmed when trying to decide which new technologies to adopt. Said John Wandishin, Vice President of Marketing at Brother International:

Our survey shows that while small business owners understand the value of new technologies, they struggle with choosing the right products, as well as the right time to adopt them to have the greatest impact on their business.

In order to help you navigate whats what in the new technological landscape, weve put together the following tips to assist you in choosing technology to benefit your company.

Choosing Technology to Grow Your Business

Set Up a Budget

The cost of technology can be a significant burden for small companies. In the aforementioned NSBA survey, 44% of small business owners listed the cost of technology upgrades as their greatest technology-related challenge. For this reason, owners need to work within a pre-established budget that aligns with their companys current financial situation and future goals. Working within a budget will help you avoid purchasing additional technological perks and add-ons your company doesnt need.

Your budget should consider two key things:

The cost of the technology.

The cost of implementation.

Research your technology solutions and do your homework thoroughly beforehand to curb unexpected costs. Fixing problems and maintaining technology are two major challenges small business owners face (37% and 36%, respectively), so choosing high-quality technological solutions on the outset will save time and money down the road.

Understand Your Companys Needs

One of the best ways to make the right technology choice and stay on budget is to figure out your companys specific needs. As a small business owner, you want to adopt technologies that will work within your existing business and yield a concrete return on investment.

You should first identify which business processes you want to change. Do you want to make your data more secure? Or automate certain processes? Whatever your company needs, you should fully understand how a specific technology will meet them before you ever make the purchase. Additionally, there should be analytics in place to measure the technologys ongoing effect on the companys bottom line.

As Wandishin explains:

Its important to remember that technology simply cannot make up for poor processes.

Look for Integration and Security

It is also important to make sure your new technology can be integrated with your existing systems. The majority of new devices have to be connected wirelessly, so you need to ensure that you have a reliable wireless infrastructure in place. Additionally, some technologies arent compatible with each other, so be sure to check your existing systems before making new purchases.

You also need to determine that your new technologies are completely secure. Small businesses often have fewer protections in place than larger companies, which makes them more vulnerable to hackers. And with the recent Heartbleed security issues, it is absolutely essential to make sure all certificates are certified, spam is blocked and all possible security measures are implemented. It is unsurprising that 42% of small business owners cited security issues as their biggest technological problem.

When asked what technologies are necessary for their business, small business owners cited the following as most essential:

Smartphones and tablets (41%)

Social technologies (21%)

Cloud services (15%)

All of these technologies, if not secured properly, could absolutely lead to the theft of sensitive information. Make sure your wireless router is encrypted and that any devices on your wireless network are secured with anti-virus software. Educate your employees on which applications are safe to download on work-related devices.

Technology-related investments are the top priority for small business owners in 2014. By setting a budget, making a plan, and considering integration and security, you can be sure to choose the right technology for your company.
HUNTINGTOWN, Md.

(Aug. 28, 2016)President Obama has named Elizabeth Megonigal, chemistry teacher at Huntingtown High School, as a recipient of the prestigious Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Megonigal was among 213 honorees who represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity schools. The educators will receive their awards at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on September 8.Megonigal has been an educator for fourteen years, twelve of which have been devoted to teaching chemistry at Huntingtown High. According to school officials, her lessons include innovative uses of technology, as well as open-ended questioning and cooperative learning. Through these techniques, she gains insight into her students' understanding of complex concepts and can adjust her teaching accordingly. She values the varied skills that all of her students bring to her classroom, and she fosters enthusiasm by encouraging participation in science events outside of the classroom. Megonigal strives to create a positive learning environment where all students can thrive and become life-long learners."Receiving the Presidential Award is the most joyous moment in my teaching career," said Megonigal. "The award is validation that our youth are excited by science when it is taught in a nurturing, challenging environment, laced with hands-on activities and humor. This award challenges me to continue my professional development, to fearlessly accept new challenges, to actively look for leadership opportunities and to grow new collaborations with my colleagues."The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is awarded to outstanding K-12 science and mathematics teachers from across the country. The winners are selected by a panel of distinguished scientists, mathematicians and educators following an initial selection process at the state level.Winners of this Presidential honor receive a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation to be used at their discretion. They are invited to Washington, D.C., for an awards ceremony, educational and celebratory events, and also visits with members of the President's administration.
The Board of Education of Calvert County and the Calvert Education Association reached a tentative four-year negotiated agreement for school years 2016-2017 through 2019-2020.The collaborative effort between the parties resulted in an agreement that includes step increases, step restoration, and a cost of living adjustment.Additional items in the tentative agreement include a teacher planning time committee, workshop pay, the employee wellness program, healthcare, and enhanced placement on the salary scale for new hires with verifiable teaching experience.Implementation of the negotiated agreement is predicated on sufficient annual funding from the Calvert County fiscal authorities.Ratification of the tentative agreement is pending.At the meeting on August 11, the Board of Education of Calvert County Public Schools appointed Marcie Hough as principal of Calvert Country School.Dr. Daniel Curry, Superintendent, said, "We are very fortunate to have someone with Ms. Hough's credentials take over the leadership of this unique school."Ms. Hough comes to Calvert from St. Mary's County Public Schools, where she served as a Supervisor of Special Education for nine years. Prior to that, she was the principal at White Oak Secondary Center for four years, as well as an assistant principal and inclusion facilitator, resource teacher, Learning Adjustment Program teacher and community-based teacher. Ms. Hough received her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania and her Master's Degree from Western Maryland College.The Board of Education of Calvert County Public Schools recognized Employees of the Month at the August 11 meeting.The Employees of the Month for August are: Steve Lucas, Principal of Calvert High; Bryan Sammons, Vice Principal of Mill Creek Middle; Joe Sutton, Supervisor of Secondary Mathematics; and Jessica Valadie, Supervisor of Fine Arts.School system employees are recognized monthly at Board of Education meetings in accordance with Policy #6620. During the school year, the Board recognizes one support staff member and one professional staff member from designated schools, with each school scheduled for recognition one time per year. Central office support staff and teacher specialists are recognized in June. School and central office administrators are recognized in August.At the meeting on August 11, 2016, the Board of Education of Calvert County Public Schools appointed members of the Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) for the 2016-2017 school year.The CAC provides a means for taking an active role in public education. The committee reports directly to the Board of Education and serves in an advisory capacity. It conducts studies in areas of concern to the Board, provides community insight into pending policies and Board decisions, and discusses a variety of issues affecting school system operations. The membership selection and work of the committee is done in accordance with Policy #1210 and the corresponding procedures.The appointees, who must be legal residents of Calvert County, submitted written applications expressing their interest in joining the committee.The Citizen Advisory Committee members for 2016-2017 are: Diana Bowen Inez Claggett Maricarol Blanco Cloak Nicole S. Cooksey Joseph Cormier Mariann Crisman Edward Davenport Jack Fringer Wanda Hassler Judy Hooker Elissa Kauffman Culver Ladd Miguel Mercado, Jr. Angela Novak Jasmine Novotny Derek Sabedra Richard Sanchez George L. Sisson III Shannon Stander Elaine A. Reilly Terese D. Wells William Wiggins Rev. Jennifer Wilder John A. Williamson, Jr.
Thomas Luginbill knows what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. He spearheaded the founding of a campus organization when he was an undergraduate, helped start a family-run contracting business and co-created a start-up technology venture while studying for an MBA. This self-described "serial entrepreneur" has been named as director of the College of Southern Maryland's newly formed Entrepreneur and Innovation Institute (EII).

LA PLATA, Md.

(Aug. 28, 2016)Thomas Luginbill knows what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur. He spearheaded the founding of a campus organization when he was an undergraduate, helped start a family-run contracting business and co-created a start-up technology venture while studying for an MBA. This self-described "serial entrepreneur" has been named as director of the College of Southern Maryland's newly formed Entrepreneur and Innovation Institute (EII).CSM, recognizing the need to nurture the region's entrepreneurs and innovators, has created the EII to complement the array of business programs already offered at the college through the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the network of CSM institutes designed to help the college build relationships with local businesses and organizations."CSM believes that by encouraging entrepreneurship in the region, we can spark real change, by helping to create and grow business and spur the economy. The college has always recognized the importance of formal education, but we also believe in reaching far beyond the classroom to a broader Southern Maryland community. The Entrepreneur and Innovation Institute will allow the college to continue to expand this mission," said CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried. "Thomas Luginbill is the perfect person to lead the institute as he combines a wealth of experience with an infectious enthusiasm to help others.""I am both excited and grateful to be joining CSM as it kicks off this new institute," said Luginbill, who will also be a member of the college's business faculty. "The college recognizes the importance of entrepreneurship and innovation and what they can mean for the Southern Maryland economy. We hope to create an environment to help students interested in starting and growing businesses and to provide direct support and resources to businesses and innovators in the area. The institute's goal is to bring together talented, passionate and motivated people to promote new and innovative business ventures and promote all forms of entrepreneurship and innovation."EII recognizes the role and contributions that entrepreneurs play in the growth of the economy; the Small Business Administration estimates that 64 percent of new private-sector jobs are created by small businesses, and start-up companies create as many as 20 percent of all new jobs.Luginbill believes h is background in strategic planning and innovation and his experience starting businesses will be invaluable to the fledgling institute.While completing his undergraduate degree in finance at the University of Delaware, Luginbill said he saw an opportunity to create "something that would live well beyond his time at the university." As a result, he founded a Sigma Pi chapter at UD. Forming the fraternity was "like a boot-camp" in building and running a business, he said.After graduating from UD in 2009, he helped launch Solair Systems, a family-run and Maryland-based contracting firm that specializes in green energy.By then he had given up his dream of a career in finance and instead headed to the University of Maryland to study for his MBA at the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business.While at UMD, he learned about a campus pilot program called iCorps that matched business students with inventors to identify viable products that could be sold commercially. He teamed up with an inventor, a Naval Research Laboratory scientist who was developing anti-decontaminating materials made from chitosan, a biopolymer made with treated recycled crab shells. He said he gathered his energy, his resources and his community relationships and launched Grey Matter, a technology firm that specializes in smart fabrics. Luginbill applied everything he was learning in his MBA courses to develop a business plan. His business background and the lab innovation made for the perfect project, he said.Through the pilot program, he was paired with mentors and a group that funded start-ups. With $75,000 in federal grants, he secured workspace and went on to license two patents for the personal protective equipment. It took several years of commitment, he said, to get the business started. Today, the company continues to work on the technology with the U.S. Navy."As a business owner, I have a deep appreciation for the hard work, perseverance and the importance of networking in the community, factors that were needed to get Grey Matter off the ground," Luginbill said.The EII will provide many activities and resources to CSM students and the community that will promote that entrepreneurial spirit and innovation. EII will work with its SBDC partners, state and local government, and the private sector to bring business expertise together in one place. The institute wants to offer facilities and provide a central, unifying location where all partners can come together. The EII will partner with existing entrepreneurial organizations to provide and promote a networking link for the region.The institute also hopes to do this through individual and group mentoring programs, conferences, showcases and roundtable discussions. The college has launched a Small Business Entrepreneurship Certificate and Letter of Recognition. This new program will involve 20 credit hours of college work.The institute plans to form advisory councils to develop opportunities for mentoring, to hold quarterly roundtable discussions at each campus to support the unique needs of each of the counties, and offer a hands-on entrepreneurship and innovation experience summer program for middle and high school students.A speaker series will bring successful entrepreneurs from around the state and region to speak to students and the community, and a hands-on summer program, Youth Entrepreneur Academy, for middle and high school students, Luginbill said."The Entrepreneur and Innovation Institute will be another example of the value CSM provides to our Southern Maryland region as a community resource," Gottfried said. "CSM supports the community in a multitude of ways, and this institute will be a valuable resource to support our regional workforce development for business, industry and our military."The institute was created with a donation from Michael and Liz Chiaramonte and the Chiaramonte Family Foundation. Other supporters of the institute include the local chambers of commerce, Southern Maryland Innovation & Technology, Energetics Technology Center, SBDC, Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland and Maryland Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO).The EII has been built for sustainability, so an endowment fund has been established. The institute is also looking for partners, mentors, advisers, donors and advocates.Those interested are invited to join CSM for the SBDC's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Summit on Sept. 8 . To register for the Sept. 8 summit, visit www.eventbrite.com/e/2016-entrepreeurship-innovation-summit-tickets-26956022188 or call 301-934-7583.For more information on the institute, visit www.csmd.edu/community/institutes/eii/
LA PLATA, Md.

(Aug. 28, 2016)What can be done to get more young women to consider careers in the engineering field? Shadei Jones has come up with one idea. For starters, she believes there needs to be more programs available to middle and high school students to make them aware of and familiarize them with the occupations that are available in the field.Jones, the College of Southern Maryland's pre-engineering coordinator, for a second year brought together some very bright and motivated young women to introduce them to a wide range of engineering disciplines. "Engineer Like a Girl," a week-long day camp at CSM's Leonardtown Campus, aimed to show the girls who attended the types of jobs what engineers do and to observe some engineers at work. The camp's activities also were designed to stomp out negative stereotypes commonly associated with women's aptitude to pursue careers in fields related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)."Women have the talent and the ability. It's time to send a message that science and math aren't just for boys," Jones said.One of the girls attending the camp agreed."It is important for our society to have women engineers because this field is currently lacking women's intelligence, creativity and values in solving today's problems," said Elizabeth Trossbach, who is entering the ninth grade at St. Mary's Ryken High School. "By encouraging more women toward engineering careers, our country will become much stronger by doubling the number of technical people working to make a better world."Women make up close to 20 percent of the engineers nationwide. According to the National Science Foundation, only 7.9 percent of mechanical engineers are women and 10.7 percent of electrical or computer hardware engineers are women."Those low statistics are exactly why we have this program and why our program is so important," said Jones, who has a degree in manufacturing engineering. "There is a shortage of female engineers so hopefully this will help get some exposure to young ladies so they will consider engineering as a career choice."The nine girls who attended this year's camp participated in workshops and hands-on activities such as making a robotic arm and building a cellphone detector. Each camper also kept a journal and shared their thoughts at the end of each day's activities. The camp attendees heard from civil engineer Jacqueline Bowman; Jehnae Linkins, a biomedical engineering doctorate candidate at the University of Delaware; motivational speaker Antoinette Jackson of Heart of Appreciation; and Patuxent River Naval Air Station engineer Bobbie Diedrich.Jehnell Linkins, a CSM career and academic adviser, talked about planning for college and engineering careers and majors.Dr. David John Barrett, director of engineering education and research partnerships at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), talked to the girls about the Southern Maryland Pathways Program in Engineering, a partnership between CSM, the University of Maryland (UMD) A. James Clark School of Engineering, the U.S. Navy and the Southern Maryland Higher Education Center. Upon completing the engineering curriculum at CSM, students may transfer with junior status to earn a mechanical engineering degree at UMD. Students also have the opportunity to do an internship with NAWCAD, a division of the Naval Air Systems Command at Pax River, with a possible employment opportunity after they successfully graduate and complete all of the Pathway program requirements.A day-long visit to Pax River NAS was included in the camp's program. Jones said the field trip to the naval base was one of the highlights of the camp because the girls got to observe the engineers at work. "They got to do some hands-on projects and see some really cool things," she said.But best of all, they saw Diedrich, a former CSM student who had gone through the Pathways program, conduct a demonstration in one of the engineering labs on base, Jones said."The camp is so rewarding, especially seeing the girls get interested and excited about the projects, to see the 'light go on,'" Jones said. "They enjoy being around other girls who are interested in the same things they are. Sometimes in school they might be one of two or three girls in their classes or Advanced Placement courses. I like giving these young ladies the opportunity to do something during the summer with other students who are like them."Jamie DeWaters will be a junior at Patuxent High School. She said the reason she attended the engineering camp was because she wanted to be around people her age who share her love for math and engineering."I also think the camp will expand my knowledge of various STEM careers and help me figure out what I want to do. ... Math is just fun to me. It's something I enjoy, and I'm pretty good at it, too," DeWaters said.The camp allows the girls to experience what they like to do. "They are good at math, or they're good at building, or they like working with computers. It's engineering, it's not a dirty word," Jones said. "It's really about the exposure they get to what the engineering field is all about."Ma'Lani Wilson, who will be a senior at Thomas Stone High School, said she wanted to attend the camp because she enjoys math and science. She said she has been thinking about majoring in computer science for a while."And then I have been hearing a lot about engineering. I think it's a field that I would enjoy and want to learn more about it," Wilson said. "There are a number of reasons why it's important to have women engineers. One reason is women's thoughts are needed to be included in decision making and not just men. Another reason is that it seems that men are the majority in this field, and women need to join to make a difference."The camp, which the students attend at no charge, is sponsored by the CSM Foundation and Southern Maryland Chain Chapter, The Links, Inc. To view photographs from the camp, visit csmphoto.zenfolio.com/16engineergirls To learn more about the Southern Maryland Pathways Program in Engineering, visit stem.csmd.edu/events_internship.html . For more information regarding admission or transfer in the Pathways program, contact Jones at 301-934-7747 or sjones3@csmd.edu.
Intended as a discussion group, the blog has evolved to be more of a reading list of current issues affecting our county, its government and people. All reasonable comments and submissions welcomed. Email us at: bill.pysson@gmail.com REMEMBER: To view our sister blog for education issues: www.district100watchdog.blogspot.com
Darrell Lee Adams. Booking photos.

HOLLYWOOD, Md.

Owings resident Darrell Lee Adams was given 25 years of incarceration after being indicted for stabbing his 58-year-old mother Faye Adams while on probation.He was sentenced to 25 years with 10 years suspended for the first-degree assault. Circuit Court Judge Mark Chandlee also gave Adams the full 10 years of backup time for violating his probation.Adams had 10 years of backup time for robbing a BB&T bank in Dunkirk in the March of 2010. He robbed $712 from a bank teller, according to the police. The now 39-year-old was on probation for the robbery and lived with his 77-year-old maternal grandmother Doris Jones on Solomons Island Rd. in Owings.In the evening of May 17, 2015, the police responded to a call from Adams' family requesting assistance to control him. When the police arrived, Adams were "argumentative and difficult to deal with" while his parents, Faye and Glenwood Adams, his grandmother Jones and his uncle Dean Jones were trying to mediate him, according to the charging document. At the time, Adams seemed to pose "no threat to himself or other family members," and the police left.About an hour and a half later, Adams' grandmother Jones called 911 and reported that he had stabbed his mother with a knife and was fighting with other family members. The police arrived to find Faye Adams bleeding from her abdomen and arms while Adams' father and uncle were on top of him holding him down, the charging document said. They had taken the three-inch-long folding knife away from Adams, but he kept fighting them.Police investigator said Faye Adams had five to seven lacerations and had "lost a significant amount of blood." She was transported to Prince George's County Hospital. Adams was handcuffed and relocated outside of the residency, and he appeared "belligerent, talkative, argumentative and unapologetic," the investigator wrote in the charging document.According to family statements, after the police left, the family continued to try to calm Adams down so he could keep staying with his grandmother. Adams became infuriated when his mother said he needed to keep taking his medication and suggested he check himself into a hospital for treatment. Adams pulled the knife out of his sock or pant pocket and used it to threaten each family member gathered at the dinning room. He flashed and waved the knife "in a menacing manner" and charged at each family member.The charging document said most of his anger was directed towards his mother, and he kept lunging into her. His father and uncle even threw chairs at him in hopes to prevent him from stabbing his mother. Eventually he grabbed her; they both fell to the floor near the bathroom and he repeatedly stabbed her in the torso until his father and uncle subdued him and got the knife out of his hand. While fighting to get free, he bit his uncle on the arm.Adams was treated for his hand wounds at the Calvert Memorial Hospital before being transported to Calvert County Detention Center. The police said that Faye Adams' injuries were serious but not life-threatening. When Faye Adams was interviewed by the investigator at the hospital, "she had bandages on her stomach/abdomen, left arm and right breast." She said she believed that "he would have probably killed her" if her husband and brother had not been there when Adams attacked her.Adams was indicted on several counts of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and possessing a dangerous weapon with intent to injure.
HOLLYWOOD, Md.

A woman accused of surreptitiously stealing tens of thousands of dollars from her employer last year is set to go to trial on Wed., August 31, on a single theft charge.Emma Clark, 29, who holds addresses in both Lexington Park and Lusby in Calvert County, has been charged with using automated teller machine (ATM) transactions to steal money from the owners of Cook's Liquor and convenience store in Park Hall over a period of about six months from July to December of 2015.According to charging documents filed against Clark by Det. David Alexander of the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office, Clark was found out by her own employers at the store when they noticed large discrepancies in the business' cash flow.The owners, Wayne and David Cook, undertook their own audit and narrowed down the missing money to the activities allegedly perpetrated by Clark, according to charging documents.When they confronted her, court papers stated, she immediately acknowledged what she had done and vowed to repay the money.The owners even had Clark sign a prepared statement admitting to the theft scheme, stating that she devised "a method of zeroing out the cash in the machine by making a false entry and then taking the cash," court papers stated.Clark would "then put new money into the machine and a produce a transaction statement validating the deposit, thereby disguising my theft," court papers said of the statement she signed for her employers.The entire amount of money Clark is alleged to have stolen is $53,040, court papers stated and Clark apparently removed the money in large monthly installments.Court papers stated Clark stole $6,720 starting last July, $5,480 in August, $3,960 in September, $16,060 in October, $14,300 in November and $6,520 in December.Clark is being represented by the Office of the Public Defender.
LA PLATA, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.

(Aug. 28, 2016)The Charles County Sheriff's Office released the following incident and arrest reports.DISORDERLY CONDUCT: On August 12 at approximately 12:50 a.m., officers responded to the 3200 block of Huntington Circle in Waldorf for reports of disorderly conduct. Upon arrival, officers heard four gunshots coming from the area of Heathcote Road. Officers responded to the area where the shots were coming from and spoke with several subjects. One subject, who was acting disorderly, fled on foot and was located hiding behind a shed nearby., was placed under arrest and found to be in possession of ammunition. K9 units responded and attempted a search for a weapon, which was met with negative results. Officers located two vehicles in the area which had been hit by gunfire, and evidence was recovered from the scene. Stevenson was charged with disorderly conduct. M/Cpl. C. Cusmano, Officer J. Dewberry, and Sgt. D. Belfield investigated.FIRST DEGREE BURGLARY: On August 9 at 9:30 p.m., officers responded to the 15000 block of Spikerush Court in Waldorf for the report of a burglary. The initial report was made by a realtor who had arrived at the residence, which had just been put on the market, for a showing. There were people in the house when the realtor arrived. The homeowner and police were contacted. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the suspect,, who stated that she had purchased the home two months prior and that her paperwork showing ownership was in storage. The owner of the home, per Maryland tax records, arrived to the residence and stated that the home had just been placed on the market and it had not yet been sold. She had just begun the process of moving out and still had personal items in the home. There was damage to the garage door and to the hardwood floor inside the house, and there was evidence that items in the home had been used or tampered with. Ezell was arrested and charged with first and fourth degree burglary, theft, and destruction of property. Cpl. C. Long investigated.THEFT FROM MOTOR VEHICLE: On August 14 at approximately 7:05 a.m., officers responded to the 6200 block of Deerwood Court in Waldorf for the report of theft from a motor vehicle. Upon arrival, a witness gave a suspect description and reported that the suspect was walking from vehicle to vehicle, pulling on the door handles. A person who matched the suspect description was located nearby on Wolverine Place. The suspect admitted to stealing several items from several vehicles in the area to include cash, a cell phone, a wallet, credit cards, and other various items., was arrested and charged with several counts of theft. Pfc. D. Butler investigated.THEFT OF WHEELS: On August 18 at approximately 9 a.m., an officer was conducting a patrol check in the area of Oakside Lane in Indian Head when a citizen flagged him down. The victim advised that sometime between the hours of 6 p.m. on August 17 and the morning of August 18, the aluminum wheels were stolen from her 2015 Chevrolet Malibu and the vehicle was left sitting on bricks. Officer D. Spence is investigating.BURGLARY: Sometime between the hours of 1 p.m. on August 14 and 9 a.m. on August 16, unknown suspect(s) gained entry to a church located in the 10000 block of Charles Street in La Plata. Once inside, the suspect(s) stole a keyboard and flat screen television. Pfc. J. Alpert is investigating.THEFT OF WHEELS: Sometime during the overnight hours between August 11 and August 12, unknown suspect(s) stole aluminum wheels from a 2005 Chevrolet Suburban which was parked in a driveway in the 2800 block of Portobello Court in Waldorf. The vehicle was left sitting on bricks. Cpl. R. Gilroy is investigating.
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md.

(Aug. 28, 2016)Melinda Ruppert, LCPC, Bereavement Coordinator for Calvert Hospice, recently completed 30 hours of classroom education in Helping Children and Adolescents Cope with Grief by the internationally recognized Center for Loss and Life Transition in Fort Collins, Colorado. This course is one of five required to earn the Death and Grief Studies Certificate.The course was taught by Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D., a noted author, educator, and grief counselor. The Center for Loss and Life Transition was founded in 1983 by Dr. Wolfelt and is a private organization dedicated to furthering our understanding of grief.Ruppert offers a wide variety of grief support to those in Calvert County who are grieving the loss of someone close. Programs include: individual grief counseling, drop-in support groups, children's support groups and camps, holiday grief support groups, and more.For more information about all of Calvert Hospice's grief programs and services, call 410-535-0892, email mruppert@calverthospice.org, or visit www.calverthospice.org
MD 231 (Benedict Bridge) to Be Closed for 30-Minute Periods Overnight Aug. 29, 30



SHA Encourages Drivers to Avoid Travel Between Midnight and 5 a.m.



Monday and Tuesday nights, August 29 and 30, the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration (SHA) will temporarily close the MD 231 (Prince Frederick Road/Hallowing Point Road) "Benedict Bridge" over the Patuxent River for 30-minute periods. Crews will intermittently close the bridge to vehicles between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m., holding traffic on both the Calvert County and Charles County sides.



The closures are necessary for SHA's contractor to drive piles under the swing span, which requires the structure to be in the open position. All work is weather permitting. SHA advises travelers to plan ahead to avoid crossing overnight or to allow extra time for the 30-minute intermittent closures.



The new piles are for a fender system to protect the bridge supports from collisions with marine traffic. Construction of the new steel and timber fender system began in late April. The new system, which includes heavy wooden timbers, is prepared off-site and installed from barges. SHA is adding navigational lights under the bridge to enhance visibility for marine traffic's safe passage. SHA awarded the $3.5 million project to Corman Marine Construction, Inc. of Annapolis Junction, MD.



Restoration Project on MD 980 B in Southern Anne Arundel County



Four Week Road Closure with Detours in Place



The Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration (SHA) will restore pavement on the Southern Maryland Boulevard (MD 4) service road, MD 980 B, in southern Anne Arundel County. A large number of trucks travel on this section of road which provides access to the Bristol ridesharing facility at the MD 258 (Bay Front Road)/ Wrighton Road intersection. M.T. Laney Company, Inc. of Eldersburg, Md. is the contractor for the $636,000 project.



Beginning in mid-September, SHA will construct a stronger, more durable pavement by combining ground, recycled asphalt with cement and applying the new mixture onto the road surface. A 14-inch layer of new roadway will consist of ten inches of recycled asphalt and a four inch layer of new asphalt. Additionally the contractor will install new pavement markings and signs, clean and trim drainage ditches, and clean the existing structures and underground pipes.



To keep disruption to traffic to a minimum, SHA will close the service road for approximately one month. The local detour includes directing traffic to use MD 4:



 Drivers needing to travel southbound will use MD 258 east and then MD 4 south.



 Drivers needing to travel northbound will use MD 258 east then left MD 4 north.



SHA will work in partnership with the Maryland Transit Administration to redirect the Commuter Bus Route 830 and 840 service at the Bristol Park and Ride lot during construction.



Area commuters may use the Wayson's Corner Park and Ride lot, located on the eastern side of MD 4. Additionally, cyclists who normally use the western service road can use Pindell and Upper Pindell Road as detours.
Photo (left to right): Marcia Keeth, Department of Economic Development; Darrell Brown, Department of Economic Development; Commissioner President Peter F. Murphy, Charles County Government; Commissioner Ken Robinson (District 1), Charles County Government; Hadi Boustani, CHUTES International; Secretary Michael Gill, Maryland Department of Commerce; Roy McGrath, Governor's Office; and Billie Stachura, Charles County Chamber of Commerce.

WALDORF, Md.

(Aug. 28, 2016)On Thursday, Aug. 25, CHUTES International, a leading chutes manufacturer and distributor, opened its newly expanded Charles County facility. Located at 33 Industrial Park Drive in Waldorf, the new facility allows additional space for a second manufacturing line and minimizes products being outsourced. Through a partnership with the Department of Economic Development and the Maryland Department of Commerce, CHUTES secured funding for the new facility. The facility added 15 new Charles County jobs, and the company expects to continue expanding in coming years."CHUTES' decision to expand in Charles County is a testament to the cooperation between the county and the State to provide businesses with resources they need to grow and thrive," said Peter F. Murphy, president of the Charles County Board of Commissioners."Economic development is a team sport," said Michael Gill, Maryland Secretary of Commerce. "We're on the right path. Being here today with Hadi [President of CHUTES International] and his team makes me feel really good about it.""Now we are nicely settled into our 45,000-square-foot facility," said Hadi Boustani, president of CHUTES International. "Due, in no small part, to the help and generosity of the State and the county, and thanks to a lot of hard work done by a lot of people who felt CHUTES belonged in Charles County, Maryland."CHUTES International sells, rents, repairs, and maintains chutes. Since 1989, we've grown our high quality product line to include external steel chutes, plastic chutes, internal linen chutes and trash chutes, compactors, and containers. We also offer a variety of maintenance and repair services including chute washings, chute repair, compactor repair, compactor preventive maintenance, and emergency compactor and chute repair services.Recently hailed as being home to one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live," Charles County is a growing business hub that is well positioned for investment, growth, and development. Strategically located in the Washington DC metro area, the county is a prime location for businesses that are looking to locate or relocate, offering companies access to a large, talented workforce; affordable, flexible, and attractive real estate options; strategic access via a multi-modal transportation network; and excellent education options. For more information: www.MeetCharlesCounty.com
Thefts, Frauds, and Hoaxes: Museum Studies Week at St. Mary's College of Maryland



Each year, the Museum Studies Program at St. Mary's College of Maryland sponsors Museum Studies Week, an event that showcases the work museums are doing to preserve and interpret the nation's natural and cultural heritage. The theme for this year's Museum Studies Week, Tuesday-Thursday, Sept. 20-22, is "Thefts, Frauds, and Hoaxes," with two well-known and highly regarded speakers, including the founder of the FBI's National Art Crime Team. In addition, Randy Larsen, professor of chemistry at St. Mary's College, will use some of the sophisticated new equipment in the newly-opened Anne Arundel Hall to identify possible "fakes" in the St. Mary's College art collection.



James Southerland, professor of history at Brenau University, will tell the story of the mysterious Dare Stones on Tuesday, Sept. 20, at 4:10 p.m. in Cole Cinema, Campus Center. In 1937, in the woods of North Carolina, a man recovered a stone purported to be the grave marker of Virginia Dare and her father. The stone, dated 1591, was carved with information about what happened to the "Lost Colony" at Roanoke. When forty more "Dare" stones came to light, however, the stones were all declared to be hoaxes. Now, scientists and historians aren't so sureat least about the first stone discovered.



The following evening, on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 4:45 p.m. in W203, Anne Arundel Hall, Professor Larsen will test objects from the College's art collection using sophisticated instruments in the College's brand new, fully-equipped Museum Studies Lab. Larsen will focus his testing on objects in the collection thought to be fakes. He will also test copper found at an Indian town in Chaptico to determine if it is Great Lakes copper or European copper. Don't miss this opportunity to see the new lab and its amazing equipment. NOTE: Because seating is limited in the Museum Studies Lab, reservations are required: jking@smcm.edu.



On Thursday, Sept. 22, at 4:10 p.m. in Cole Cinema, Campus Center, Robert K. Wittman, a retired special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and author of "Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures," will describe some of the most shocking international heists in history and the forensics used to solve these crimes. Wittman has gone undercover to rescue works by Rockwell, Rembrandt, Picasso, and Monet. His daring risks have helped to make sure the world's treasures remain where they belong.



All presentations are free and open to the public. For more information about these talks, Museum Studies Week, or the Museum Studies Program at St. Mary's College, contact Julia King at jking@smcm.edu.



Claiming Space: Nonconformist Exhibition in 1970's Leningrad at Boyden Gallery, Aug. 23-Sept. 24, curated by St. Mary's College Alumna



Opening Reception and Curator's Talk, Sept. 1, 4:30-6 p.m.



Composed of 41 works and 23 artists from the "Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union," Claiming Space: Nonconformist Exhibition in 1970's Leningrad examines how nonconformist artists reshaped exhibition possibilities in the dangerous socio-political landscape of Soviet Leningrad. The exhibition, curated by St. Mary's College of Maryland alumna Rebecca Archer '16, Riverdale Park, MD, will be on display Aug. 23-Sept. 24 at the Boyden Gallery. An opening reception and Curator's Talk will take place at the gallery on Sept. 1 from 4:30 to 6 p.m.



After the establishment of the Soviet Union in 1932 and the forced dissolution of avant-garde artist circles in favor of state-sanctioned Socialist Realism, modern artists throughout the USSR were forced underground. In the 1970s Leningrad nonconformist artists subverted artistic censorship by hosting apartment exhibitions throughout the city, despite KGB harassment and threats. However, their ultimate goal was to connect with a broader audience through public exhibition. This exhibition explores the trajectory of 1970's Leningrad nonconformism through exhibition practice, honoring their struggles and triumphs in the name of artistic freedom.



Rebecca Archer, curator of Claiming Space, is a recent graduate from St. Mary's College of Maryland, majoring in history and art history. This exhibition is the final product of her St. Mary's Project, a year-long undergraduate research project. She will be participating in the Advanced Program Internship at the Smithsonian American Art Museum for the next academic year.



The "Norton and Nancy Dodge Collection of Nonconformist Art from the Soviet Union" is comprised of over 25,000 works by more than 2,000 artists from the Soviet Union who expressed themselves freely, in defiance of the repressive policies of the Soviet government.



The collection serves as a testament to the courage of all those who would challenge authority in pursuit of artistic freedom. The collection is also valuable for having preserved and presented the works of many talented artists whose contributions to art history may otherwise have been lost.



Since 1991, the collection has been on permanent display and in rotating exhibitions at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ. St. Mary's College of Maryland has hosted numerous exhibitions over the years that were organized and supported by Norton Dodge during his time as a trustee and professor of economics at the College. It is gratifying that this tradition is being continued with Claiming Space: Nonconformist Exhibition in 1970's Leningrad.



The mission of Boyden Gallery of St. Mary's College of Maryland is to serve as an educational and cultural resource for students, faculty and staff of the College and the broader Southern Maryland community.



Boyden Gallery and the Fine Art Collection are guided by the conviction that engagement with visual art, media and culture is a key component of a liberal arts education. The Gallery promotes visual literacy, object-based learning and the understanding of visual art in its historic and cultural context through exhibitions, educational programs, interdisciplinary exploration, and community engagement.
Jupiter and Io NASA

NASAs Juno mission successfully executed its first of 36 orbital flybys of Jupiter today. The time of closest approach with the gas-giant world was 6:44 a.m. PDT (9:44 a.m. EDT, 13:44 UTC) when Juno passed about 2,600 miles (4,200 kilometers) above Jupiters swirling clouds.



At the time, Juno was traveling at 130,000 mph (208,000 kilometers per hour) with respect to the planet. This flyby was the closest Juno will get to Jupiter during its prime mission.

Early post-flyby telemetry indicates that everything worked as planned and Juno is firing on all cylinders, said Rick Nybakken, Juno project manager at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

There are 35 more close flybys of Jupiter planned during Junos mission (scheduled to end in February 2018). The August 27 flyby was the first time Juno had its entire suite of science instruments activated and looking at the giant planet as the spacecraft zoomed past.

We are getting some intriguing early data returns as we speak, said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. It will take days for all the science data collected during the flyby to be downlinked and even more to begin to comprehend what Juno and Jupiter are trying to tell us.

While results from the spacecrafts suite of instruments will be released down the road, a handful of images from Junos visible light imager  JunoCam  are expected to be released the next couple of weeks. Those images will include the highest-resolution views of the Jovian atmosphere and the first glimpse of Jupiters north and south poles.

We are in an orbit nobody has ever been in before, and these images give us a whole new perspective on this gas-giant world, said Bolton.

The Juno spacecraft launched on Aug. 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016. JPL manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASAs New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for NASAs Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA.

More information on the Juno mission is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/juno
Thu, 27.10.22 - 11:04

The temperatures will fall in the Murcia Region but the weekend still promises to be warm and sunny Autumn has ye...
Living Gospel Equality Now: Loving in the Heart of God: Association of Roman Catholic Women Priests
Marrakech (Morocco), August 27, 2016 (SPS) Saharawi political prisoner and activist of human rights, Abdelmula Al Hafed, on Friday began a 48-hour hunger strike to protest against inhuman treatment at Moroccan prison of Oudaya, Marrakech.

The Moroccan prison authorities had denied repeatedly the Saharawi activist of human rights medical treatment and basic necessities, which worsened his condition.

The Sahrawi political prisoner and human rights activist was transferred to the prison of Oudaya in Marrakech last April 17, with seventeen other Saharawi university students because of their political activities in support of the Saharawi peoples right to self-determination and independence. (SPS)

062/090/TRA






MOSCOW (Sputnik)On Tuesday, the Nigerian Armed Forces reported that they had wounded Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau in an air attack, also killing several other senior commanders of the group.

"The person known in Nigeria as their leader, we understand was edged out and the Nigerian members of Boko Haram started turning themselves to the Nigerian military. We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he was wounded," Buhari said, as quoted by the Daily Nigeria News newspaper.

He added that the country's government had information about the conflict in the leadership of the group.
Facts be damned, Robby Mook argued that "the hand of the Kremlin is in the election," a sentiment that was developed further in a fashion that has earned Clinton the nickname "tinfoil Hillary" in the past day.

Speaking in Reno, Nevada, Hillary Clinton called Russia and President Vladimir Putin the grand godfather of this global brand of extreme nationalism that includes Donald Trump, Nigel Farage and outlets like Breitbart that have been labeled with a poorly defined term "alt-Right."

Michael Tracey (@mtracey) August 27, 2016

"Farage has appeared regularly on Russian propaganda programs," said Hillary again presumably referring to RT which is not government controlled and has received yet another nomination for an Emmy for their reporting. "Now hes standing on the same stage as the Republican nominee."

By labelling Putin, RT and Sputnik as not only "Russian propaganda outlets" but as the "grand godfather" of the "alt-Right" movement Secretary Clinton looks to label media outlets as not only treasonous but also racist. Alt-Right, a term that simply means news read by non-establishment conservatives, has become laced in recent days with the insinuation of bigotry and racism  positions no doubt held by a small percentage of that particular cohort.

Michael Tracey (@mtracey) August 25, 2016

The idea that either Sputnik or RT cater to, never mind aiding the "grand godfather" of, alt-Right audiences is laughable by anybody who has read coverage of the Green Partys Jill Stein, Bernie Sanders, or the UK Labour Partys Jeremy Corbyn on either Sputnik or RT or the plethora of articles and pieces that point unfavorably to Trumps support from various White Supremacist groups.

In the words of Vice reporter Michael Tracey following the attacks lobbed by Clintons campaign manager on ABC News, "Its difficult to convey the extremism and derangement of these comments today from Hillary Clintons campaign manager Robby Mook."
Compared to that type of reporting, our mere blasting of Donald Trump receiving endorsements from various white supremacist groups, saying controversial things, or the coming divestment in his candidacy by the RNC may appear to be somewhat fawning coverage since we are also covering Hillarys assault on opposition media deeming what opinions do or do not have a "right to exist" in addition to scandals associated with the WikiLeaks dump, the private email server, or the Clinton Foundation and may seem untoward to a journalistic establishment that decided to take the year off from covering news.

The New York Times also claims in their story that Sputnik is part of the "Kremlin propaganda machine" that is "spreading false stories," but then it attacks our reporting for relying heavily on articles abridged from other sources. How, precisely, can both of these things be true at the same time? It is factually impossible  it has to be one or the other.

Finally, the article cites the Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist as saying that both RT and Sputnik "depict the West as grim, divided, brutal, decadent, overrun with violent immigrants and unstable." Was this before or after our coverage of the plight of Syrian refugees and the consequences of the Turkish-EU refugee deal that leaves displaced people without protections  thats a far step from vilifying immigrants as a violent and unsympathetic population.

Maybe Hultqvist is referring to our coverage of pro-immigration rallies or inspiring social movements against police brutality. And if not that, maybe he is referring to RT being the first outlet to allow Jill Stein to speak to the American public of her vision that can literally be defined as "peace and love" or progressive Bernie Sanders who spoke with RTs Ed Schultz.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A high-speed passenger ferry with 289 passengers and 10 staff on board has collided with a fishing boat near Hong Kongs Lantau Island, local media reported Sunday.

The collision with the 50-feet long vehicle occurred at about midnight, causing all the people to become stranded for two hours to allow inspections of the ferry, the South China Morning Post newspaper said.

According to media reports, only one passenger was injured in the incident, which occurred amid a massive rainstorm in the area.


BALI (Indonesia) (Sputnik)Earlier in the day, the suspect unsuccessfully tried to stab a priest and to attack the church in the northern Sumatran city of Medan.

"We have seized a backpack from the perpetrator. The perpetrator is alive and injured and there are no casualties in this incident," Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar said, as quoted by the Jakarta Globe.

He added that following the incident, police found a drawing that looked like a Daesh flag.
Russias online newspaper Lenta.ru noted that three indicators, ramp-up of investments, increase in the number of drilling sites and increase in production, demonstrate that the shale industry in the US is not knocked out" but is still functioning and is expected to further grow even under current unfavorable conditions.

However some experts questioned by the newspaper think that the success of the US shale business is not as big as is being portrayed.

The chief analyst of the Moscow-based Promsvyazbank, a privately owned Russian bank, Ekaterina Krylova noted that there is only a number of companies who are getting ready to boost the production.

The overall tendency is that there are not many of them and the shale oil productions is actually going down.

Out of all shale oil deposits the production is going up only at The Permian Basin, she told the website, citing the US Energy Information Administration.

The analyst noted that while the production there grew by six per cent according to July data, the US Energy Information Administrations estimates suggest that it will slow down to three per cent in September and will further decrease by year end.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  No more than 300,000 refugees will come to Germany this year, Frank-Jurgen Weise, head of the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, said Sunday.

"We can guarantee optimal operation with up to 300 000 refugees. If more people come, [we] will come under pressure But I think even a little less than 300 000 people will come this year," Weise told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper in an interview.

He added that less than one million refugees had come to the country last year, 70 percent of whom were capable of working.
With this in mind, no wonder that news about the data leak (or theft) may have serious effect on French manufacturer. The leaked data contained a "sensitive" information, which reportedly includes such crucial parameters as diving times, torpedo ranges, and above all noise profiles while operating underwater.

According to Emmanuel Gaudez, a spokesman for DCNS, the issue is "investigated by the proper French national authorities for defense security," who "will determine the exact nature of the leaked documents, the potential damages to DCNS customers, as well as the responsibilities for this leakage."

Minister of Defense of India, Manohar Parrikar, has played down the issue, by saying that it is "no big worry" and that the data did not contain any weapon specifications. He doubted that India will refrain from further cooperation with DCNS, but he did say, however, that "an incident should be punished with whatever the contractual punishment is there."

The French government also seeks to play down the data leak, by saying that the documents in question have been stolen back in 2011, by a fired employee.

"The documents were not classified and at this stage appeared to only focus on the operational elements of the submarines", the source said.
The US embassy responded by promising to make adjustments to its style of communicating via social media. Press-attache Leslie Goodman said that the embassy wants the information about the US to reach the widest possible audience in Latvia and therefore will continue using Russian, but more carefully.

In July, The Latvian state Language Center fined the mayor of Latvian capital Riga, Nils Usakovs, for using Russian language in social media accounts belonging to the Riga city council, although the majority of Riga's residents speak Russian. Usakovs said that the language center acted illegally and that he plans to appeal the fine.

The mayor also posted a simple skulls cartoon on his Facebook page "dedicated to the State Language Center", implying that Latvian officials might still be at an earlier stage of evolution.

Usakovs was one of the first to notice the US embassy's habitual writing in Russian and advised its employees to "brace themselves" via Facebook.
News / Africa

by Staff reporter

Government has been forced to reduce duty and surtax on some products imported from South Africa in response to concerns raised by that country over the restriction of imports under Statutory Instrument (SI) 64 of 2016.Early this month, South Africa gave Zimbabwe two weeks to remove duty and surtax on 112 products after Zimbabwe had restricted the importation of 43 products under SI 64.Sources told Standardbusiness last week that after Industry and Commerce minister Mike Bimha took the matter to Cabinet, a few concessions would be made.The source said: "government will be falling back on trading protocols from the World Trade Organisation to avoid some of the stipulations in the Sadc Trade Protocol of 1996. South Africa also has restrictions of its own on what Zimbabwe can export to that country."Industry and Commerce deputy minister Chiratidzo Mabuwa last week said the government's response to the request to reduce duty on the 112 products would be revealed at the Sadc regional meeting.An extraordinary committee of ministers' meeting was held last week on August 24."If the SI 64 of 2016 affected, for example the informal traders, it is government's duty to come up with alternative means such as looking at (what could be done about) other products that are still permissible to bring in," Mabuwa said."For example, we have the importation of palm oil, olive oil, fridge-free margarine, washing powder, so we can let it go now but as long as firms for these products are established here, we have to create a market for them. We go and do our due diligence, look at what is involved, go into the industries where economists do their work, come up with what the national demand is, and what it is that we can do and how can we produce it."SI 64 of 2006 came after a number of imports regulations  SI 6 of 2014, SI 126 of 2014, SI 18 of 2016, SI 19 of 2016 and SI 20 of 2016  which were introduced to support local industries.Some of the 43 restricted imports include coffee creamers (Cremora), camphor creams, white petroleum jellies and body creams."In 2016 we issued Statutory Instrument's number 18, 19 and 20 looking specifically at issues but it is just that SI 64 is the fattest because it has 43 items that have been grouped together. If you look at it, we did not issue anything in 2015 which means we had a lot of representations from industry and we came up with these 43 items and it is not going to be the last one. We might come up with more depending on the representations," Mabuwa said.Buy Zimbabwe chief executive officer Munyaradzi Hwengwere said South Africa had in the past introduced the preferential trade arrangements on Zimbabwe's textiles. He said South Africa imposed a 65% duty on textile products, a move which suffocated textile companies in Bulawayo.Deputy Agriculture minister Paddy Zhanda said companies complaining about the effects of import restrictions should be "ignored".He said trading was not really free and was actually a "war" suggesting that Zimbabwe deals with the costs of the potential effects. However, Mabuwa disagreed saying there was need to honour trading agreements.Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce president Davison Norupiri said although some companies had been affected, others had seen increases well above 30% capacity utilisation and increased productivity."We have got companies that have registered growth in terms of capacity utilisation [and] employment [creation] which is something we cherish as a chamber. The government also whet the appetite of those who want to invest in our country. We have also witnessed massive expansion on most of the oil companies in this country," Norupiri said.Zimbabwe is South Africa's fifth biggest export market in Africa. In 2015, Zimbabwe imported goods and services worth $1,8 billion from South Africa, according to statistics from South Africa's Department of Trade and Industry.South African firms like trading with Zimbabwe due to the strong currency the country uses at a time when the South African rand has been volatile.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Saturday, the 33-year old Damian Rubiales Carrasco told security officers that there was a bomb in his backpack, causing the evacuation of more than 200 people from the airport.

According to the Estonian Postimees newspaper, Carrasco was sentenced by the Harju county court the same day, after five police patrols have not found anything suspicious at the scene.

The Spaniard, who was facing up to five years of imprisonment under Estonian legislation, stated in his defense that his threat was only a joke.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)The armed police force protecting UK NPPs has seen an increase in funding, while other forces have faced significant reduce of spending, the Independent newspaper reported.

The newspaper added that governmental spending on protection of the nuclear facilities had almost tripled since 2005 reaching and had risen by 55 percent since 2010.

According to the media outlet, almost three quarters of the allocated sums have been spent on staffing.
"We want to see how well member states are prepared to deal with a crisis situation on Europe's borders," Leggeri explained.

The proposal comes amid a recent rise in the number of migrants arriving in Europe across the Mediterranean Sea. Earlier this month, Frontex reported that in July, the number of migrants arriving in Italy increased to almost 25,300, up 12 percent when compared to the same month of 2015.

The increase brought the total number of migrants detected in the Central Mediterranean in the first seven months of 2016 to nearly 95,000.

That figure is in line with the number of people who arrived in the region in the first seven months of 2015. In total, more than one million refugees and migrants reached Europe across the Mediterranean and Aegean in 2015, mainly arriving in Greece and Italy.

This year, the number of migrants arriving in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially the Greek eastern islands in the Aegean, has decreased dramatically thanks to the agreement the EU signed with Turkey earlier this year, and Macedonia's application of stricter border controls.

Since the EU-Turkey deal went into effect in March, only 8,500 migrants have been detected in the Eastern Mediterranean region, compared to nearly 151,000 in the first three months of 2016.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Swiss Defense Minister Guy Parmelin said on Sunday that the existing terror menace in the country had grown.

On Wednesday, Parmelin presented a government report concerning security situation in the country. In comparison with the previous report prepared in 2010, this year the report paid more attention to terrorism and migration.

"When we speak about terrorism it is clear that the threat of attacks has increased for sure," Parmelin said, as quoted by the Swiss Blick newspaper.
Jorg Flaming, the head of the Doll and Toy Museum in the German town of Lichtenstein told local media that a few weeks ago two US marines entered his museum searching for Liechtensteins capital Vaduz, according to German online newspaper Deutsche Wirtschafts Nachrichten.

It turned out, the two officers were travelling around Europe after training at Ramstein air base in Germany but misspelled the name of Liechtenstein principality were they were heading and ended up in the German town of Lichtenstein in the federal state of Saxony, some 600 km north-east from Vaduz.
MADRID (Sputnik)  Spanish center-right People's Party (PP) and the centrist party Citizens (C's) agreed on Sunday to support PP leader and acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in the Spanish parliament's vote to appoint his candidacy for the post of prime minister, local media reported.

In June, PP won the most seats in the parliamentary election, with Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) finishing second. None of the political forces have an absolute majority and thus cannot form a government on their own. Following the elections, Rajoy initiated negotiations to form a government, as he stands against holding a new round of parliamentary elections in Spain, but the talks have yielded little results. The leftists have been particularly opposed to Rajoy's prime minister candidacy.

According to the 24 Horas TV channel, the PP-C's agreement provides for 150 reforms in the field of economy, employment, taxes and measures to combat corruption. C's leader Albert Rivera named the reforms package "the most important in the last 50 years," according to the broadcaster.
WEIMAR (Sputnik)  Brexit is the European Union's mistake and the bloc should draw conclusions from it, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said on Sunday.

Earlier in the day, the so-called Weimar Triangle, comprising Poland, Germany and France, started a forum, timed to the format's 25th anniversary. The sides are expected to address the issues of mutual interests, as well as global acute issues.

"The fact that the EU second-largest economy and the fifth-largest economy in the world has decided in favor of Brexit is the EU mistake, and the EU should draw conclusions from it," Waszczykowski told a press conference in Germany's Ettersburg Palace.
"We will never accept questioning essential principles for our agriculture, our culture and for the reciprocity of access to public markets," Mr. Hollande said in May. "At this stage France says, No"

The deal has fallen under increased pressure in the wake of Britains historic vote to exit the European Union changing the dimensions and calculations of the trade pact while creating concern among US leaders that a TTIP deal without British involvement would actually diminish US-UK economic ties.

President Obama warned that a vote for Brexit would mean that the UK would have to wait at the "back of the queue" for trade deals with the United States and that Brits would lose out on the possibility of TTIP. These comments were interpreted by British pundits as a thinly veiled threat and the idea that Brexit would free the people from the unpopular trade deal became a major rallying cry for the Leave campaign which jumped nearly 5 points in polling following the comments.

The Remain campaign, by contrast, warned British voters that the UK could end up with "TTIP on steroids" if it does leave the European Union and opts to arrange in a direct pact with the US.
BERLIN (Sputnik)  German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday refused to reveal her decision regarding potential run for the fourth chancellor's term.

"I will make a statement on the issue of candidacy for chancellorship at the right time," Merkel told the ARD television broadcaster.

The next German federal elections are expected to be held between August 27 and October 22, 2017. Merkel, first appointed as chancellor in November 2005, is currently serving her third term in office.
PARIS (Sputnik)  The law banning the Muslim full-body burkini swimsuits would contradict the French Constitution and provoke tensions in the society, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said Sunday.

"This law would be unconstitutional, ineffective and would cause hostility and tensions I believe in the power of dialogue rather than in dangerous strategy of separation," Cazeneuve told La Croix magazine in an interview.

According to the minister, the French authorities and Muslims should move together toward gender equality, inviolability of republican principles and tolerance.
News / National

by Staff reporter

LONDON - A Zimbabwean doctor who was given the farm of a family of white farmers forced off their land earlier this year has had his UK surgery shut down after inspectors found a healthcare assistant posing as a doctor.Sylvester Nyatsuro resigned on Wednesday, the day before an inspection report on his Nottingham surgery the Willows Medical Centre was published.The report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) listed a number of failures at the "chaotic surgery", where a healthcare assistant posed as a doctor.Although not a qualified medical professional, the healthcare assistant, who was employed in March this year, took part in nearly 900 clinical procedures, including diagnoses, assessments of wounds and infections, and diabetes reviews.Organisation at the practice was described as "chaotic" and employees said there was a culture of fear and blame with staff being reprimanded or shouted at by management.The report also found there was not enough staff to keep patients safe.Seventy patients have now been recalled as a precautionary measure following the CQC's findings.The CQC report branded the surgery, in Carlton, Notts., as "inadequate" overall with its level of care rated as "requires improvement".It was also given individual ratings of "inadequate" for its safety, management, effectiveness and responsiveness.The practice, which was closed in June this year, is expected to remain closed while NHS England works with the local clinical commissioning group to decide its future.Janet Williamson, deputy chief inspector of general practice and dentistry at the CQC, said a "considerable" number of concerns were uncovered after the inspection in June.She added: "The practice had knowingly employed a healthcare assistant to undertake medical examinations which were outside the scope of the role and for which the individual was not registered or regulated.There were protests at the Willows Medical Centre earlier this year after Nyatsuro was accused of seizing land from Zimbabwean tobacco farmers.Phillip Rankin and his wife Anita were evicted from the 1 million farm by a gang of 20 men armed with AK47 guns in February.The valuable 2 000-acre property was seized and given to Zimbabwean-born Nyatsuro who lives 12 000 km away in Nottingham.The wealthy GP, who moved to Britain in 2000 and owns a clinic specialising in weight loss techniques, is believed to be close to President Robert Mugabe's wife Grace.He has always denied knowledge of the violence used to enforce his claim to the Rankin's farm, and says he was allocated the property by the State in accordance with normal legal procedure and that no political influence was brought to bear on the decision.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Rice, canned meat and tea were distributed among two areas in the Syrian Latakia province as part of a two-ton humanitarian aid delivered to low-income families, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Low-income families of the Darius and Heriada (Latakia province) inhabited area have received 1 ton (each) of humanitarian cargos with rice, sugar, tea, canned meat and fish," the ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website on Saturday.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups.
Complicating the strategy for US-led forces in the fight against Daesh, Turkey has also suggested that they may soon provide Russian aerospace forces access to NATOs Incirlik Air Base, an American built facility where the United States currently stores 50 to 90 tactical B-61 nuclear weapons.

The Syrian civil war which has blended in recent years with the fight against Daesh militants now has a number of conflicting key players making it hard to keep track of who is actually fighting who.

The US presently backs Kurdish forces, who their NATO ally Turkey has placed in its cross hairs, and the so-called "moderate" rebels who have aligned themselves with former al-Qaeda affiliate al Nusra Front who the United States and Russia continue to engage in bombing campaigns against.

Meanwhile, Russia has sought to support the Assad regime seeing stability of the government as a necessary predicate in order to prevent Syria from descending into a failed state status controlled by jihadi terrorists while also engaging in conflict against al-Nusra militants who are embedded with US backed rebels under the umbrella of the Army of Conquest.
President Assad should remain at power in Syria, at least during the transition period, Gunter Meyer, the Director of the Center for Research on the Arab World at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, said in an interview with German public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.

The current president is able to unite the country and keep it under control, the expert said.

His removal will create a huge power vacuum which would instantly be filled by jihadist groups. They would foul up the county and it will remain a failed state for decades, without any prospects of peace settlement, Meyer explained.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Turkish Air Force conducted on Sunday a series of airstrikes against positions of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Syria, killing two dozen fighters, local media reported.

The airstrikes claimed the lives of 25 fighters, according to CNN Turk.

Media reported that the airstrikes were conducted near the northern Syrian border town of Jarabulus and destroyed five militants' buildings.


DAMASCUS (Sputnik)On Wednesday, Ankara announced that Turkish forces, backed by US-led coalition aircraft, had begun a military operation dubbed Euphrates Shield to clear Jarabulus of militants from the Islamic State jihadist group (outlawed in Russia).

"Armed groups supported by Turkey have established control over the villages of Balaban, Amarna and Dabas, south of Jarabulus," the source said.

The source added that Syrian opposition fighters supported by Ankara were fighting in the vicinity of the Bir Qusa village, with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the number of casualties already surpassing 40 people.
Turkey wants to protect itself from its own Kurdish population, and from being obliged to treat those Kurds with basic dignity, Henry Kamens, expert on Central Asia and Caucasus, writes in his article for the New Eastern Outlook website.

It has now been maneuvered into a position where the best way it can achieve this is by helping create a new Kurdish state, as the US has long desired, on terms as favorable to both Turkey and the US as possible, he further says.

The US strategy, the author suggests, is to let the Turks occupy territory in Syria which would otherwise have fallen to the US-backed Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), which have until now been the spear point in securing the Turkish-Syrian border areas still under the control of the Islamic State (Daesh).
He said that on top of all that, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is fighting the so-called "parallel state" inside Turkey which is associated with the name of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen , who is accused of being behind the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey. Last but not least is the influx of refugees in Turkey, which can certainly be perceived as another harsh consequence of the Syrian war, according to Tarasov.

He said that breaking this multi-front deadlock will only be possible if Ankara enters peace negotiations with the PKK, reaches a consensus with Damascus and gets US support  something that will finally enable Turkey to focus on its arch-foe, Daesh.

In this vein, further bolstering relations with Russia and Iran will be of paramount importance to Turkey's international clout, Tarasov said, adding that it is Ankara, not Damascus, that currently remains "in the center of a large Syrian game."

The Turkish military began its so-called Euphrates Shield operation in Syria on Wednesday, sending in dozens of tanks and hundreds of troops.

The operation is officially aimed at pushing Daesh terrorists out of Jarablus and preventing Kurdish forces from extending their territory in northern Syria. Many international experts, however, noted that the Turkish operation in Jarablus is aimed first of all against Kurds, and only then  against Islamist radicals.

Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces troops were greeted with enthusiasm two weeks ago when Daesh-held Manbij was finally liberated: the city is strategically located between Syrian territory held by the terrorist organization and the Turkish border.

It must be remembered that Turkey had issued an angry warning to Kurdish troops late last year not to attempt to enter Daesh territory west of the Euphrates River. Despite the incriminating undertones of this demand, the Turkish government's actions could be explained by an attempt to prevent Kurdish forces from gaining complete control of the part of Syria located directly south of Turkey.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  Ankara will continue its Euphrates Shield military operation in northern Syria until the threat posed by the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) militants operating in the area is eliminated, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday.

"We will fight against the Islamic State terrorist group in Syria's Jarabulus, Iraq's Bashiqa and, if it is necessary, in other places. We are equally resolute regarding PYD. Our operation in northern Syria will continue until we eradicate the roots of this separatist terrorist organization," Erdogan said at a rally in Gaziantep in the southeast of Turkey.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Yemeni Houthi rebels have declared their readiness to resume peace talks with the government if all the hostilities in the country are terminated, local media reported on Sunday.

According to the Saba news agency, the Supreme Political Council formed by the Houthis last month, expressed willingness to support any peace initiative if the Yemeni government and its allies stop all the military operations against the rebels.

In August, the UN-brokered talks in Kuwait ended with the government and Houthi rebels failing to come to an agreement. As the talks broke down, the hostilities intensified in Yemen.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Over 1,800 people have been evacuated from the besieged Damascus suburb of Darayya over the past 48 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.

"Within the last 2 days, over 1,800 people have been evacuated from the Darayya inhabited area (Damascus province)  those are civilians, militants who laid down their arms and members of their families," the ministry said in a daily bulletin posted on its website.

According to the ministry, they have been transported by buses to the city of Idlib and to the temporary housing area in the Keisua settlement, located in Damascus province.
News / National

by Thobekile Zhou

SCORES of Zanu PF youths have flooded Harare's central business district this Sunday morning singing and threatening to beat people wearing red clothing.Red is generally associated with opposition MDC-T.According to reports, the youths intend to 'clean up' the CBD following Friday bloody riots.Zanu PF top apologists, Jonathan Moyo took to twitter saying "You know they are gathering to clean up Harare City left dirty by violent demonstrators & looters!"Moyo was responding to journalist Haru Mutasa who posted saying " #Zimbabwe Zanu PF youth preparing to gather in #harare today (Sunday). Not sure how this day is going to go".According to SABC Zimbabwe correspondent Shingayi Nyoka, she said Zanu PF's Saviour Kasukuwere has assured that Zanu PF "youths' post protest clean up campaign 'will not interfere or go near MDC HQ'.On his part, Kasukuwere said "ZANU(PF) today will carry out a clean up campaign in the COH . Let's keep Harare clean."@ZimPeopleFirst Any citizen is free to join and help restore our city . We are doing so because it's our duty and #notoviolence ".Many twitter users questioned whether Zanu PF member have any police clearance.
The concept behind the single lethal application is to find a way for the US Navy to deny an enemy access to a section of the sea without risking American sailors, but the exception raises the possibility of additional lethal autonomous weapons without people in the loop  particularly if the United States' competitor peers and adversaries continue to develop such weaponry.

As it remains, there may not actually be an impending global domination of killer robots with the first uses of autonomous weapons seen to be in niche roles in order to protect the humans who deployed the weapon, but with the technology only entering this fearsome new frontier and with countries becoming increasingly wary of the political consequence of placing troops in harms way, it is hard not to wonder when the exception will become the rule.
Speaking at a Defense Ministry meeting on Tuesday, Shoigu confirmed that "there are plans to form a coastal defense division in 2018 on the Chukotka operational direction." The minister added that this decision was actually made in July 2015, and is part of a plan to establish a unified system of coastal defense stretching from the Arctic in the north to the Primorye Territory in the south.

The system, according to Shoigu, is intended "to ensure control of the closed sea zones of the Kuril Islands and the Bering Strait, cover the routes of Pacific Fleet forces' deployment in the Far Eastern and Northern sea zones, and increase the combat viability of naval strategic nuclear forces" operating in the area. In other words, the new division will help ensure the defense of Russia's sparsely populated eastern coast.

Commenting on the defense minister's announcement in an analysis for the independent online newspaper Svobodnaya Pressa, defense analyst Sergei Ishchenko pointed out that so far, no other details have been provided on this future military force. "However, it's obvious that this is not just ordinary news, not least because what we're talking about is the creation of a serious military force just a stone's throw away from the United States: only the Bering Strait will separate the Russian coastal defense division from Alaska. At its narrowest point, that's only 86 km away. Therefore, it's worth taking a closer look at this announcement."
However, according to Frolov, the chances of Ukrainian engineers actually bringing such a system to life are "doubtful" at best.

As for the Korshun cruise missile, which analysts have previously said "outwardly looks very similar to the long-range Soviet-era air-based Kh-55," Frolov noted that while Ukraine technically has the capability to produce elements of cruise missiles using manufacturing and design capacities left over from the Soviet period, it's unlikely that Kiev's benefactors in Washington will allow the country to build modern cruise missiles.

"The US will do everything possible to prevent Ukraine from producing cruise missiles, as they know that such systems specifically those with a range of 280 km or more, will be produced exclusively for export, ending up, for example, in Iran, which would be very interested in cruise systems at knockdown prices. Even under the previous Ukrainian government, when the country was not facing such a tense situation domestically, Washington attempted to block Ukrainian moves, sometimes unsuccessfully, as in the case [in the mid-2000s] when Kiev supplied China and Iran with Kh-55s using forged documents that named Russia as the missiles' destination."

As far as the vehicle chassis carrying the missile system is concerned, Frolov suggested that judging by reports, Ukrainian engineers may use MAN trucks purchased through Belarus, a Belarusian option (such as MAZ), or even Chinese and Korean trucks.

"But all of this is theoretical; it's very difficult to imagine that the Ukrainian defense ministry is in a position to create a rocket for a tactical ballistic missile system, since it barely managed creating a guided missile for the Smerch multiple launch rocket system, and even here it's not clear whether this is a new system or a Soviet-era one."
The JASSM is explained on Lockheed Martins website as a "long-range, conventional, air-to-ground, precision standoff missile" used by the United States and allied forces. The weapon is designed to destroy high-value, well-defended, fixed and relocatable targets.

The weapon is unique because of its standoff range which the weapons developer says "keeps aircrews well out of danger from hostile air defense systems" allowing US forces to inflict maximum damage against enemy targets without compromising personnel security.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian pilots will carry out an observation flight this week over the territory of Poland, Sergei Ryzhkov, head of the Russian Defense Ministry's Nuclear Risk Reduction Center, said Monday.

"As part of the international Open Skies Treaty, the Russian inspection team plans to carry out an observation flight on the Russian An-30B over the territory of the Republic of Poland. An observation flight will be carried out in the period from August 29 to September 2, 2016 from the Open Skies airfield Warsaw with a maximum range of up to 1,400 kilometers (870 miles)," Ryzhkov said.

Under the same treaty, the Danish mission will conduct an observation flight over Russia on the Ukrainian observation aircraft AN-30B from the Kubinka airport during this period.
I mean, a dead man cant leak stuff, Beckel said of Assange. "The guys a traitor, a treasonist, and and he has broken every law in the United States. The guy ought to be  and Im not for the death penalty  so, if Im not for the death penalty, theres only one way to do it, illegally shoot the son of a b----."

As Jake Sullivan points out in his chilling opinion piece titled "Why Im Worried Americas Next President Will Kill Assange," the sentiment expressed by Beckel far from being an exaggerated response of anger has recently become part of the mainstream political discourse in the United States.

The author points to a new narrative, budding primarily from the Hillary campaign but expressed by think tanks and defense analysts throughout the country that "Russia Weaponized WikiLeaks to Disrupt the US Election" and various derivative forms of the conspiracy theory that Julian Assange is an anti-Hillary agent of Putin.

Assange for himself explained that he would gladly post damaging material on Donald Trump, but with the caveat that "we would have a hard time publishing something worse than what comes out of his mouth every second day."
Kurtov pointed out that simply going back and reading the Minsk peace deal's 13 points confirms that neither Moscow nor the self-declared Donbass republics are responsible for violating the agreement. "These violations don't exist because Minsk provides a coherent chain of actions [which must be fulfilled in order]. And this chain was broken  in the sense that it's points were not carried out, not by the Donetsk or Lugansk republics, but by Kiev authorities. Therefore, even formally, there are simply no grounds for blaming Russia."

In reality, the expert said, Western countries' sanctions policy against Russia has never been about things like the alleged violation of human rights or failure to live up to some agreement. After all, Russian President Boris Yeltsin's decision to fire into the Russian parliament in 1993 was, "from the perspective of refined Western democracy, a clear violation, for which sanctions could have followed, but they didn't. This indicates that some other issues are at stake."

"In my opinion, these circumstances are obvious: Russia has begun to consistently pursue an independent policy." Throughout the 1990s, Kurtov recalled, Russia held a pro-American line in international relations, and eagerly listened to Western advisors' advice on reforming the economy, which virtually collapsed as a result. The country's armed forces were degraded, the latest weapons systems systematically destroyed, and Moscow withdrew from the areas around the world traditionally considered part of its sphere of influence.

"Now, when we have begun consistently and firmly asserting our national interests, and have even come to serve as a kind of 'guide' to other countries wishing to do the same, the main blow [from the West] has been directed against us. Sanctions serve as one form of this kind of pressure. And so an excuse was invented  and more precisely, not invented but artificially constructed. After all, the coup in Kiev took place with the direct involvement of the West."
The modernization of Russia's missile approach warning system is in full swing, military expert Mikhail Hodaryonok says, citing, in particular, state tests of the advanced A-235 Nudol anti-ballistic missile system and the deployment of the warning system's radio electronic components.

The Russian Defense Ministry plans to replace all of Russia's remaining Soviet-era early warning radar stations with state-of-the-art Voronezh radar arrays to track possible ballistic missile launches, according to Hodoryonok.

He quoted Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin as saying that Russia has made "very significant progress" on some issues related to the country's missile defense.


MOSCOW (Sputnik)Russia has repositioned its airborne troops and marines to ranges located in Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory in the country's south as part of the ongoing snap combat readiness inspections, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Sunday.

"Within the framework of a snap combat readiness inspection, units of an air assault brigade of the Airborne Forces and a marine brigade of the Caspian Flotilla have been relocated to ranges in Crimea and in the Krasnodar Territory," the statement said.

The statement added that airborne brigades had been relocated from the Volgograd Region to the range of Opuk located on the Crimean Peninsula, while the marines had been relocated to the Rayevsky range.
Snap combat readiness inspections are running across Russia's Southern, Western and Central military districts, as well as the Northern Fleet, Aerospace Forces and Airborne Troops on August 25-31 on order of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The inspection includes, among other things, military exercises of Russian fleets in Black and Caspian Seas, relocation of airborne troops and marines and maneuvers of S-300 and S-400 air defense systems.

Russian Envoy to NATO said that this large-scale snap inspection does not pose threat to anyone and is being conducted in line with the country's international obligations.

"It [the inspection] can not threaten [anyone] by any means. I will stress that NATO is familiar with this practice. For our country, with its size, it is one of the most optimal ways to ensure the battle readiness of the army," Grushko said.
News / National

by Moyo Roy

A man believed to be Zimbabwean has posted photos of himself burning the national flag ( #ThisFlag ). The flag was stabbed to the ground with a knife.The photos were posted on Facebook on Saturday (yesterday).They were posted under the caption: "Fellow Citizens, someone has started this already. Please warn your closest & dearest because there's going to be terror on the streets very soon. Prayer warriors? Unleash the holy spirit's protection over our nation.  #Zvatotanga
Russias A-10 Warthog: Why the Su-25 Frogfoot Is a flying tank https://t.co/LYdgYsn6mW pic.twitter.com/U7IBTRtwZU  SOFREP (@SOFREP) August 27, 2016

Flying low meant invincibility against NATO's deadly long-range SAMs, but not against antiaircraft machineguns. To make sure the plane is protected, the Sukhoi design bureau developed a so-called titanium "tub" that housed both pilot and avionics. Armored plates with a thickness of ten to twenty-five millimeters literally wrapped around the cabin.

No surprise SU-25 has become popular for having survived in most extreme situations on the battlefield. Back in the 90s the aircraft even received its own American computer game.

The closest equivalent to SU-25 is the American tank busting A-10 Thunderbolt II, which is heavier and slower but has longer range and loiter time. But while US Air Force is set to retire the battle-plane six years from now, the SU-25 continues undergoing necessary upgrades allowing it to stay effective.
Wehner is one of the creators of the prototype "octobot," and co-author of a paper published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. He said that the movement of traditional robots is more rigid, like a crab , while a robot which has fluid movement like an octopus has a more delicate, gentle touch which is better suited to working with living organisms.

"Ideally down the road we could go into all kinds of places, like inside the human body, into wrecks, or handle all kinds of delicate or dangerous situations," Wehner said.

"One of our goals is to get friendly, softer robots into a human-populated area. Right now you mostly see robots in things like auto-assembly where humans aren't allowed to go where the robots are. We'd like to see this become an avenue for future interaction."

Meet the octobot, the first self-contained robot made exclusively of soft, flexible parts https://t.co/EzPlgo78nQhttps://t.co/1p6r2eeQ8Q  Nature News&Comment (@NatureNews) 24  2016 .

The 3D-printed robot doesn't use electric power. Instead, it is powered by hydrogen peroxide, a common chemical compound which is found in toothpaste and hair dye.
"We tested our system on a common smartphone and if you look at the cost it is incredibly low. You can use the system on any kind of computer or smartphone because it's just video. You're not rendering anything, it's not the approximation of reality, it's the reality as it was on the day it was taken," he said.

Asked about what prompted him to start developing the new robotic system, Chowdhury referred to a series of high-profile files which can only be resolved when judges are provided with more information about a crime scene.

All you need to do to put the system into operation is to push a button, he said, adding that in a couple of months the new system is due to be tested in the presence of police, one of the primary clients to acquire the system, which he said is also of interest to filmmakers.

The system, which Chowdhury earlier said was inspired by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, will take 360 videos and photos that can be played on any computer or smartphone with an appropriate app.

It doesn't require powerful devices, and it could capture the most accurate snapshot of the crime scene from every angle.

The system can be controlled via a Bluetooth remote, a smartphone or a tablet computer.
Aslandogan added that in the event of extradition, a person should not be accused of other crimes and he should be brought to a fair trial in Turkey. He recalled that the final decision on this issue is made by the head of the US State Department.

"It is clear that if Gulen is extradited, he cannot expect a fair trial. Sending him to Turkey right now is tantamount to sentencing him to death," Aslandogan said.

Touching upon the Gulen movement, he said that it should be seen as an organization focusing on integration-related ideas.

"The Gulen movement is closely connected with the present-day world. In Gulen's study I saw that Islam speaks of democracy, rationalization and gender equality. It integrates modern-day symbols with Islamic traditions. The Gulen movement simply tells people that the spirit of Islam does not contradict modernization," he added.

Addressing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's crackdown on Gulen's supporters in Turkey, Aslandogan described the situation in the country as a "humanitarian catastrophe" and as a "witch hunt".

Aslandogan was asked about the future of President Erdogan and his political regime. He replied that "it is difficult to say how much real support there is for Erdogan, given that 99 percent of the mass media are under his control, which is also the case with the results of public opinion polls."

"As for the opposition, it remains very weak and poses no threat to Erdogan," Aslandogan said, expressing serious concerns about "the future of Turkey."

Earlier, former Assistant US Attorney Nick Akerman told Sputnik that Washington cannot violate the country's Constitution by detaining and extraditing Gulen without probable cause simply to appease Turkey.

The US Department of Justice, Akerman added, must provide clear documentation that shows there is good reason to believe Gulen is guilty of a crime before shipping him overseas at Ankaras behest.


BEIJING (Sputnik)A cargo train left Guangzhou to travel some 7,150 miles to reach the logistics center in the Vorsino industrial park located near Kaluga in two weeks, the Xinhua news agency reported.

The new route is the latest one launched to boost trade relations with the countries situated along the Silk Road trade corridor, the media outlet added.

According to the news service, the route between Guangzhou and Vorsino will save 30 days if to compare with shipping and some 80 percent of cost if to compare with air transportation.
Ankara's police ruling comes after police forces in Canada and Scotland announced last week that Muslim women serving as police officers will now officially be able to wear a hijab, a headscarf which covers the head and neck, as part of their uniform.

"The commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) recently approved this addition to the uniform," a spokesman for Canada's Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale confirmed last week.

"This is intended to reflect the diversity in our communities better and encourage more Muslim women to consider the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a career option," he explained.

The hijab is now an optional part of Police Scotland uniform. More at https://t.co/IeOAJGsORZ #PolScotRecruit 1/2  Police Scotland (@policescotland) 23  2016 .

"Officers and staff have always had the option to wear religious headwear," Police Scotland announced on Tuesday.

"Today's announcement formally ratifies the Police Scotland hijab and will encourage women from Muslim communities, who may previously not have seen policing as a career option, to reconsider."

The decision by Scottish police comes more than a decade after London's Metropolitan Police approved the hijab as part of its uniform, as part of a drive to increase recruitment from ethnic minorities.

While the authorities in Canada and Scotland have given official approval for Islamic dress, some European countries are debating bans on burkas and niqabs, which are full-face veils, and burkinis, a swimsuit which covers the whole body.

The burkini was invented by Australian-Lebanese designer Aheda Zanetti, who told Australia's New.au.com last week that she has shipped 700,000 burkinis worldwide.
Since March 2015, a Saudi-led coalition of mostly Persian Gulf countries has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request, prompting Houthi rebels to retaliate when conducting attacks on Saudi border areas.

At least 6,500 people have been killed and more than 30,000 others injured in the Yemen conflict in the past year, FRI reported.

Aymeric Elluin, an arms and international law expert from Amnesty International, said in turn that the organization has been trying to attract the international community's attention to the events in Yemen for several months. It adds that the coalition should be brought to the International Criminal Court and charged with the crimes it committed in this Arab country.

According to him, the coalition often targets hospitals, schools, and mosques, using weapons purchased from France. For example, the United Arab Emirates use dozens of the French-made Leclerc tanks.

The information was confirmed by Stephane Mayer, head of the defense company Nexter Systems, who said that the French tanks had astonished the military throughout the entire region.

1st Egyptian mono-place RAfale out of factory @Dassault_OnAir delivery of 3 fighter jets expected in early 2017 pic.twitter.com/IAjWxXjM4t  Hammer Head (@KitadicaCool) 3  2016 .

Meanwhile, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited Kuwait earlier this month to sign a contract for the sale of 30 French helicopters worth more than one billion euros. In 2015, Qatar clinched a 6.3-billion-euro deal with Paris to buy 24 Rafale fighter jets.

Aymeric Elluin, for his part, recalled that the Sherpa armored personnel carriers, were used in 2013 to disperse peaceful demonstrators.

"Public opinion in France is not particularly responsive to these issues, because the authorities are doing a lot of PR. Every time the French President visits a foreign country he says he signed a major contract that will help create more jobs in France. In the defense sector, the MPs have long ceased to urge the President to report," Ellyuin said.


TOKYO (Sputnik)Foreign and defense ministers of c and the United States intend to hold a meeting in October to discuss countermeasures against the North Korean nuclear threat, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said Sunday.

"We will also cooperate with the UN Security Council and our allies to let North Korea know the pains and costs involving nuclear and missile development will only grow if it sticks to the development," the minister said as quoted by the Yonhap news agency adding that the sides would also discuss "specific" measures to prevent Pyongyang from continuation of nuclear buildup.

On August 24, media reported that Pyongyang had launched a ballistic missile from a submarine in the Sea of Japan. The missile reportedly flew about 300 miles toward Japan, allegedly falling in Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone.
WEIMAR (Sputnik)  The foreign ministers of France, Germany and Poland support resumption of negotiations on Syrian settlement in Geneva and consider introduction of humanitarian pauses in Aleppo a precondition for the start of the talks, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Sunday.

"We said at this meeting that we would like to resume talks on Syria in Geneva in the framework of UN Security Council resolution, but there is a prerequisite  a ceasefire and humanitarian access. We are concerned about the situation in Aleppo. All measures aimed at alleviating the suffering of civilians should be supported," he said at a joint press conference with his German and Polish counterparts.

Aleppo has been under siege by militant groups, including Jaish al-Islam, Ahrar ash-Sham and Jabhat Fatah al Sham, formerly known as Nusra Front, classified as terrorist organization in Russia. The city has seen intense fighting over the past few months, with the Syrian army and local militia forces managing to encircle large groups of militants in the eastern districts of the city.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russia's Krasnye Barrikady Shipyard is ready to build offshore drilling rigs for Iranian oil exploration projects in the Caspian Sea, the company's CEO Aleksandr Ilichev said Sunday.

According to Ilichev cited by the Iranian IRNA news agency, the Russian shipyard could carry out feasibility study for the project. The company has extensive expertise in the area accumulated after implementation of similar projects in other Caspian states, he added.

On Saturday, the company made a deal with Iran's Tasdid Offshore Development Company worth $1 billion to build offshore drilling rigs to be used in the oil and gas exploration project in the Persian Gulf.
News / National

by Byo24News

A fence is being erected around Rotten Row Magistrate Court complex in Harare reportedly to contain number of people within the premises.Social media feed show poles already being erected.There were no poles on Friday.The court complex have been the busiest judiciary offices countrywide due to protests sweeping through Harare.On Saturday, more than 60 arrested protesters were brought to court under heavy police guard.Scores of people also descended at the court to follow proceeding.About two months ago, close to 5000 people also camped at the court for Pastor Evan Mawarire's court appearance.
CAIRO (Sputnik)  According to Sada El Balad news portal, the Russian delegation, consisting of four persons, spent two hours inspecting the plane and then had a meeting with the Egyptian side.

Two experts from Germany and Ayman Muqaddam, the head of the Egypt-led investigation committee into the crash, joined the inspection of the debris, that had been transported to the Cairo airport territory, according to the media outlet.

On October 31, 2015, the Russian A321 plane crashed in the Sinai desert while flying from the resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg. All 224 people on board died in what has become the largest civil aviation disaster in Russian history.
Until last week, most racing fans in Quebec never heard of a two-year-old pacing colt by the name of Makasi. Now hes the talk of the province and rightly so.

After becoming the fastest two-year-old pacing colt in the history of the Hippodrome 3R, Makasi returns to 3R on Sunday to compete in the fourth and final preliminary round of the Future Stars Series.

Once Sundays final round is complete, the top eight point earners in the series will return on Sunday, September 4 in the $55,000 finals for each division by gait and gender. Also that day will be the four $65,000 finals of the Breeders Cup Series for three-year-old pacers and trotters.

Makasi, who was winless in the first two starts of his young career, really wowed them at 3R last Sunday. Trained by Helene Fillion for Hudson, Que. owner/breeder Tony Infilise of Hudson Standardbred Stable Inc., Makasi was being driven by none other than Yannick Gingras, who was at 3R for the Prix DEte Day.

Gingras sent the son of Shanghai Phil after the early lead, clearing to the front at the opening quarter mile and then they never looked back, opening up by the top of the stretch, and with a :28.2 final quarter mile, winning in a romp by seven open lengths in 1:55.2. That clocking was more than one full second off of the previous track record.

Infilise, no stranger in harness racing as the owner of top pacers including the great three-year-old, Sunshine Beach and Makasis sire, Shanghai Phil, may have another champion in Makasi.

I purchased her dam, Hazel [by The Panderosa] for $25,000 in Lexington, said Infilise, the former president of the Quebec Jockey Club. She raced in the Grand Circuit at age two in the Shes A Great Lady, Champlain Stake, Robert Stewart, Bluegrass, getting cheques but no wins other than some Quebec stakes. She did make over $100,000 with a record of 1:53.1.

Hazel has thrown some very talented foals, Infilise added, but some had either bad luck or specific issues, but they did have speed and were great gaited. I thought that Shanghai Phil crossed well with Western Hanover line mares so I bred her back and got Makasi.

Mark Steacy trained him down early, Infilise explained, and he looked decent, but it was only when he qualified that we saw something special in the way he just wanted to go and he came home in that race in :26.2 without any urging in his first and only qualifier.

I expected [Makasi] to do well [at 3R] based on what he showed in his two Gold [Ontario Sires Stakes] appearances at Mohawk, Infilise said, but didnt expect a track record last Sunday, but nevertheless I was very proud as the breeder and owner."

And where did the name Makasi come from?

I actually named him after a sailboat belonging to a good friend, Infilise said. It is Swahili meaning tough, hard, strong, resilient.

Now Makasi will be put to the test in the eighth race on Sunday against nine rivals and starts from post five for driver Stephane Brosseau, who has never driven the colt before.

His competition will hope to keep up this time as Wildriverbumblebee (post nine) put in a valiant effort last week for driver Louis-Philippe Roy, coming first-over and gaining within a half-length on the leader at the three-quarters before fading. Other hopefuls in the race are Yogi Bayama (post eight), who won last week at 3R in 1:59.1, C L Sportaction (post three) and Mach Deja Vu (post six).

I would prefer him to race from off the pace this week, Infilise explained, as he is still very green and we don't want to instill bad habits. The field is both larger and tougher, but that shouldn't be a problem for driver Stephane Brosseau. Our objective is to give him a chance to win and qualify for the final on September 4th. I'm very pleased to have bred and own him. He looks like his sire and is about the same size as Shanghai Phil at age two.

The pacing fillies will battle in two divisions on Sunday.

The fourth race, first division is headed by Chaleurs Melodie from post six for trainer Carl Duguay and driver Daniel Dube. The Omar Khayam daughter posted her maiden victory last week at 3R in capturing her division of the Future Stars Series, wiring the field in 2:00.

She takes on Vee Breeze (post five), Shanghai Lady (post four) and HP Celina Shadow (post seven).

The sixth race, second division features the second track record holder this season in Yaris Bayama from post two for trainer/driver Yves Filion. This daughter of Sportswriter has been sensational this season with three wins in just five lifetime starts for the Bayama Farms of Saint-Andre-DArgenteuil, Que., who bred and own her. Not only did Yaris Bayama take the lead after the opening quarter mile and wired the field, she won with ease by two and one-half lengths in 1:56.4, making her the fastest two-year-old pacing filly in 3R history. Prior to that she won a $105,000 Ontario Sires Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack in a lifetime-best 1:52.4, that combined with last weeks track record mile, makes her the overwhelming favourite on Sunday.

Her rivals include Queen Elsa (post five), who was second last week to Yaris Bayama for owner and breeder Daniel Dube, and Kinnderuntouchable (post one), who was third in that race.

Post time is 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. For a free race program and live video feed of the race program, visit quebecjockeyclub.com.

To view Sunday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Sunday Entries - Hippodrome 3R.

(With files from QJC)
The finals are now set for the Metro Pace and Shes A Great Lady after a wild elimination night Saturday (August 27) at Mohawk Racetrack.

A total of three $40,000 Metro Pace and two $35,000 Shes A Great Lady eliminations were contested with some major longshots putting an interesting spin on the action.

The Metro Pace eliminations for pacing colts and geldings started with a bang, as Windsong Napoleon pulled off a 54-1 gate-to-wire upset.

A son of Art Major, Windsong Napoleon was blasted to the front by driver Phil Hudon to post an opening quarter of :27.1. The Carl Jamieson trainee marched the field by the half in :56 and the three-quarter pole in 1:24.3.

In the stretch, Windsong Napoleon drifted out a lane and was confronted by Calvin K, who shot up the rail after sitting the two-hole. The rookie pacing colts went toe-to-toe, but Windsong Napoleon had no quit in him and fought off Calvin K to win by a neck in 1:51.3.

I got good fractions and everything worked out, said Hudon post-race. He kicked in down the lane, I thought [Calvin K] was getting up the inside and he dug back in.

Classic Pro finished third, while Pointomygranson was fourth.

Owned by Jamieson, Thomas Kyron and Doug Good, Windsong Napoleon now has three wins in eight starts. The Art Major colt was coming into the Metro elimination off a disappointing seventh in the Nassagaweya, but Hudon explained the reason for the poor effort.

Last week, I definitely shut his air off by letting [Calvin K] go and tonight they put a choke plate on him. I didnt rev him up as much early and he was a lot calmer.

Windsong Napoleon now has $63,004 earned heading into next weeks final. A $2 win ticket on the Art Major colt returned $110.40.

The second elimination saw another fantastic stretch duel, but this time it was the favourites battling it out. Jimmy Takter trainee Ocean Colony defeated Ideal Wheel by a head in a national seasons best 1:50.1.

Driven by Yannick Gingras, Ocean Colony left from post two and quickly grabbed command. Following an opening quarter of :27, Ideal Wheel made his way to the front after being parked around the first turn.

The tempo was hot, as Ideal Wheel posted middle-half fractions of :54.4 and 1:22.4.

In the stretch, Ocean Colony was angled to the outside by Gingras and battled stride for stride with a gritty Ideal Wheel, but ultimately got by for the impressive victory. Bobcat Bound finished third, while fourth went to Darlings Dragon.

Saturdays Metro elimination was the first time Ocean Colony had a different driver other than Brett Miller.

I was really impressed, said Gingras. Brett told me nothing but good things about him. He said they brought him along slowly and he was really good at Tioga last week and Jimmy told me the same thing.

A $110,000 purchase at last years Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, Ocean Colony is owned by Christina Takter, John Fielding, Hatfield Stables, Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld and Sam Goldband. The son of Somebeachsomewhere now has two wins in five starts and $38,079 earned.

Ocean Colony paid $6.60 to win.

The final elimination was a throw down with Beyond Delight scoring a 20-1 upset victory.

Bettors Dream fired out from post eight to post an opening quarter of :26.4. Some Attitude, who was parked around the first turn, was pushed to the front by David Miller and cleared just before reaching the half in :55.1.

Blood Line, the 8-5 favourite, was angled out from third by Gingras to come first up around the far turn. The publics choice cleared to the front and led by two lengths at the three-quarter pole in 1:22.3. Meanwhile, Sylvain Filion was able to get Beyond Delight off the rail on the far turn and sat fifth turning for home.

In the stretch, Beyond Delight began pacing up a storm when fed open racetrack. The Tony OSullivan trainee powered by Blood Line to defeat him by three lengths in 1:51.

The top two finishers were clear at the wire, but the same could not be said for a trio of horses seeking third. Southwind General shot up the rail to grab third just ahead of Bettors Dream and R J P. However, a pair of inquires were posted involving the three horses.

Southwind General was disqualified from third and placed last for going inside three pylons in the stretch. The judges also looked at contact between Bettors Dream and R J P at the wire, but ruled there was no interference. Therefore, Bettors Dream was vaulted up to third and qualified for the final.

The lengthy review may have stolen some thunder from Beyond Delight, who picked the perfect time to break his maiden. Following the race, OSullivan discussed the recent development of Beyond Delight into a Grand Circuit contender.

He was okay training down and then we kind of thought he would be a racehorse, but in the last three weeks he has just blossomed, said OSullivan. We sent him down to Tioga a couple weeks ago and he raced really well, took a shot at the Nassagaweya based on that and he actually got locked in last week and was very good.

We kind of had a little bit of confidence coming in, but racing against these type of colts that are more accomplished, if he races good and makes the final its great, but to race the way he did is really satisfying.

Beyond Delight was a $50,000 purchase at last years Harrisburg Yearling Sale and is owned by Jeffrey & Michael Snyder and Four Friends Racing Stable LLC. The son of Bettors Delight now has $40,068 earned through eight starts.

The OSullivan trainee paid $43.30 to win.

Similar to the Metro Pace, the Shes A Great Lady eliminations started off with a major upset.

Candlelight Dinner was the talk of the town heading into the Great Lady eliminations, but an off night from the pacing filly allowed Thats The Ticket to strike for a 58-1 upset.

Driven by Sylvain Filion, Thats The Ticket got away fifth and sat in that spot along the rail until just before the three-quarter pole. Candlelight Dinner got away third, but made a quick brush to the lead after an opening quarter of :28.1.

The 1-9 favourite led the field to the half in :56.2 and then paced a big :27.1 third-quarter to lead the field to the top of the lane. In the stretch, Candlelight Dinner surrendered the lead to Happy Hannah, who enjoyed a two-hole trip.

Happy Hannah appeared to have a victory in her sights, but Thats The Ticket burst onto the scene late and surged by on the far outside to win by half a length in 1:52.

World Apart finished third, while Blameitonthenight was fourth. Candlelight Dinner faded back to finish fifth, but did qualify for the final.

Thats The Ticket, who was a $60,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchased, is trained by Chris Ryder for owners Craig Henderson, Robert Mondillo and Lawrence Minowitz.

The daughter of Roll With Joe was winless in five starts coming into the Shes A Great Lady elimination. Last week, Thats The Ticket was fifth in a division of the Eternal Camnation, but paced home in :26.3. Despite that closing effort, Ryder wasnt satisfied in his filly heading into Saturdays contest.

She paced home in :26 I know, but shes been having trouble getting around the last turn, said Ryder. Even tonight, Sylvain said she wasnt perfect, but obviously better.

Being New York bred we went to the half-mile tracks and she couldnt get around the turns at all and then at Vernon she paced in [1]:52...so thats why we came here.

Thats The Ticket now has $44,579 earned. A $2 win ticket on the Ryder trainee returned $119.

The second elimination didnt have nearly the same fireworks, as even-money favourite Idyllic Beach prevailed in 1:51.1.

The Jimmy Takter-trained filly was unhurried at the start by driver Gingras and found an early seat in sixth. Several fillies clashed near the front in the early going, while Gingras was able to pick up the cover of first over challenger Agent Q heading into the far turn.

Agent Q became the new leader on the turn and reached the three-quarter pole in 1:23.4. In the stretch, Idyllic Beach came off cover and hooked up with Agent Q for a battle, ultimately getting up to win by three-quarters of a length.

Awash and Everyones Watching finished third and fourth, respectively. The final spot to the Shes A Great Lady final was secured by Obvious Blue Chip.

A daughter of Somebeachsomewhere, Idyllic Beach entered Saturdays elimination with three wins in four starts.

Just every start she is getting stronger and stronger, said Gingras. Early on we were a little bit worried about her getting a little too hot, but now shes two fingers and drives real nice.

Idyllic Beach is the first foal out of 2010 Shes A Great Lady champion Idyllic.

A $100,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale purchase, Idyllic Beach is owned by Christina Takter, John Fielding, Brixton Medical Inc. and Marvin Katz. She now has $102,762 in earnings through five starts.

Idyllic Beach paid $4.10 to win.

Following Saturdays eliminations, the finals of the $661,000 Metro Pace and $427,000 Shes A Great Lady were drawn. The fourth-place finisher to draw into the Metro final was Darlings Dragon. The $616,000 Canadian Pacing Derby was also drawn on Saturday evening. The fields for next weeks finals are listed below.

The action-packed elimination night started off with Jonathan Drury celebrating a career milestone. The 27-year-old reinsman earned his 1,000th driving win in the opener as he guided the Carmen Auciello-trained trotter Cash For Gold ($4) to a 1:53.1 half-length victory over White Becomes Her.

Drury later started the quest towards his next milestone winning the 11th race finale with the Richard Moreau-trained pacer Poisonous ($12.80) and putting his own seasonal earnings over the $2 million mark for the second straight year.

$661,000 Metro Pace

1. Beyond Delight

2. Darlings Dragon

3. Windsong Napoleon

4. Ocean Colony

5. Calvin K

6. Bobcat Bound

7. Classic Pro

8. Ideal Wheel

9. Blood Line

10. Bettors Dream

AE: Pointomygranson

$427,000 Shes A Great Lady

1. Candlelight Dinner

2. Thats The Ticket

3. World Apart

4. Idyllic Beach

5. Everyones Watching

6. Agent Q

7. Awash

8. Obvious Blue Chip

9. Blameitonthenight

10. Happy Hannah

AE: Fade

$616,000 Canadian Pacing Derby

1. Wiggle It Jiggleit

2. Nickle Bag

3. State Treasurer

4. Shamballa

5. Rockin In Heaven

6. Nirvana Seelster

7. All Bets Off

8. Always B Miki

9. Dealt A Winner

10. Evenin Of Pleasure

To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Mohawk Racetrack.

(With files from WEG)
Solar Sister ($9.50) stole the show in the final 150 yards of Sunday (August 28) afternoon's stakes-laden card at Tioga Downs, dueling down prohibitive favourite Lady Shadow for a 1:49.4 triumph in the $200,000 Artiscape distaff pace.

Favourites were upended in the Empire Breeders Classics as well, as No Clouds Bluechip ($7.00) and Fresh Cut ($36.00) both took top honours in their respective events for New York-sired three-year-old pacers. On the undercard, trainer/driver Ake Svanstedt swept a trio of W. N. Reynolds Memorial events for two-year-old trotters.

Tasked with a second-row start in a field of 10, Solar Sister sat just of a contested pace in the initial stages of the Artiscape, working into fifth early as Lady Shadow (Yannick Gingras) pushed clear of Table Talk (Andy Miller) after a :26.2 first quarter. On approach to the clubhouse turn, Doug McNair angled Solar Sister first-over, only offering mild progress into a :54 half-mile. The four-year-old Mach Three mare did her best work up the far side, working to within a length of Lady Shadow through a :27.2 third quarter and subsequently dueling with the 1-1/8-mile world record holder. The two drew off from a fading Table Talk, and Solar Sister dueled to the fore in mid-stretch. Solar Sister's 1:49.4 mile time gives her a share of the track record for four-year-old pacing mares that was established by Anndrovette five years ago.

Lady Shadow would have to settle for runner-up honors as the 2-5 favourite, while Devil Child (David Miller) sustained a massive three-wide bid off the far turn to capture third.

Gregg McNair trains the homebred Solar Sister for Ontarians David Willmot and Clay Horner.

Favourites were upended in both Empire Breeders Classic events as well, with No Clouds Bluechip and Fresh Cut both prevailing off cozy stalking trips.

In the $239,225 Filly Classic, Brett Miller pushed No Clouds Bluechip into play with just over a quarter-mile to go, overtaking a fading Angels Rockn Pink (Mark MacDonald) before engaging Wishy Washy Girl (Jim Morrill Jr.) on approach to the far turn. The Roll With Joe filly edged clear authoritatively, sprinting off by four and three-quarter lengths en route to a 1:50.1 triumph as the second favourite. Wine Snob (John Campbell) posted belated uncovered gains to take second at 59-1, while even-money favourite Penpal (Pat Lachance) could only overcome stale early cover enough to save third down the grandstand side.

John Berger trains No Clouds Bluechip for owners Richard Carney, Farrell Carney, and Barbara Berger.

The development of the $240,475 Classic for colts and geldings came as no surprise, but the outcome stunned. Marcus Miller pushed forward early with Fresh Cut and ultimately established a cozy pocket trip with a circuit to go after yielding to 1-4 favourite American Passport (Scott Zeron) at the winning post. While the shape of the race held true to expected form, Fresh Cut's strong turn of foot from the pocket in the final eighth of a mile proved plenty to reel in American Passport and also stave off a late bid from 41-1 runner-up Stolen Glimpse (Yannick Gingras) for a 1:51.1 victory. American Passport ultimately faded to third after he was gathered in.

Erv Miller trains Fresh Cut, a son of American Ideal, for the Bay Pond Racing Stable.

Svanstedt Sweeps Reynolds

Already renowned for his mastery in the kingdom of trotting, Svanstedt revealed why that contention possesses such veracity as he conditioned and steered New Jersey Viking (Muscle Hill-Hall Of Wishes), Ice Attraction (Muscle Hill-The Ice Queen) and Evelyn (Muscle Hill-Viva Las Lindy) to victory in their respective splits. While both New Jersey Viking ($2.90) and Ice Attractions journeys ($3.10) to the wire in their contests, which are relegated solely to two-year-old colts and fillies, were quite straightforward, Evelyns ($5.20) provided a much more extensive amount of drama.

Commencing his mile from post position eight, New Jersey Viking went right to the fore and was never threatened as he cruised around the Nichols oval. Owned by Knuttson Trotting and Little E LLC, the colt collected his second career triumph from five trips to the post. Two of his previous engagements were fourth-place finishes in the Peter Haughton Memorial and New Jersey Sire Stakes final.

New Jersey Viking tripped the timer in 1:55.1, which was a new lifetime mark, and increased his bankroll to more than $69,268.

Southwind Moody (Yannick Gingras) and Bills Man (Corey Callahan) were second and third, respectively.

While not quite as dominant as her male counterpart, Ice Attraction demonstrated why she merits respect. The publics selection was content to sit in the pocket while Overdraft Volo (Andy Miller) cut the mile, until Svanstedt pulled his charge on the far turn. There was never a doubt who would be appearing in the winners enclosure as the filly always had her rival measured.

Owned by her trainer, Douglas Sipple, Mal and Janet Burroughs and Little E LLC, Ice Attraction strode across the finish line in 1:56, a new lifetime best, and scored her second career win to improve her resume to 6-2-1-1. Her earnings now stand at $35,300.

Overdraft Volo and Caviart Wonder (Matt Kakaley) came home second and third, respectively.

Although Evelyns trip around the track was not without its impediments, the filly persevered after being shuffled back to fourth from second. Once pulled three-wide at the three-quarter pole, Evelyn passed her dueling colleagues Southwind Avanti (Marcus Johansson) and Treviso (Charlie Norris) to break her maiden in her sixth attempt.

The filly, owned by Svanstedt, Little E LLC, Borge Nasstrom and JT45, equalled the track standard for her age, sex and gait with a final clocking of 1:55.2. Her record now stands at 6-1-1-1 and she has earned $47,310. Despite not winning prior to today, Evelyn had displayed talent with a sixth in the James Doherty Memorial and a second in the New Jersey Sire Stakes final.

Southwind Avanti outlasted Treviso for second.

Live harness racing returns to Tioga Downs on Monday (August 29) evening, with the first of nine races scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

(with files from Tioga)
New Zealand will host the first drone delivery service trial in the world. From left: Flirtey chief executive Matt Sweeny, Dominos Group chief executive and managing director Don Meij and Transport Minister Simon Bridges. Photos: Dominos NZ

It follows in the wake of new aviation rules which came into force in August 2015 to regulate and enable the use of UAVs  more commonly known as drones  for recreational and commercial purposes in New Zealand.

During the initial phase of the trial, drones will operate at a speed of 30km/h and at a radius of 1.5 kilometres from select stores. Over time, the aim is to increase the radius incrementally up to 10km from stores.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has welcomed this weeks announcement, saying New Zealand is the perfect country to host the trial because of its forward-thinking aviation regulations which encourages innovation, while protecting safety.

As Transport Minister I have been actively promoting New Zealand as a test bed for new transport technology trials. Our enabling laws and regulation means we have the ideal environment to trial all forms of technology, he says.

The announcement of this trial confirms that New Zealands framework for UAVs is world-class. In addition, the Government has reviewed the laws for driverless vehicles and small passenger service operators, to ensure New Zealand stays at the forefront of transport innovation.

Simon also believes the trial is a valuable opportunity for the Civil Aviation Authority, which is making sure appropriate safety precautions are taken.

The Government is also continuing to work with Dominos on the possibility of testing a driverless pizza delivery unit on land, adds Simon.

Dominos Group chief executive and managing director Don Meij says the trial flights are set to commence later this year following the beginning of daylight savings in New Zealand.

What drones allow us to do is to extend that delivery area by removing barriers such as traffic and access, as well as offering a much faster, safer delivery option, says Don.

This means we can deliver further afield than we currently do to our rural customers while reaching our urban customers in a much more efficient time.

While Flirtey chief executive Matt Sweeny says launching the first commercial drone delivery service in the world is a landmark achievement and heralds a new frontier of on-demand delivery for customers across New Zealand and around the globe.

We are getting closer to the time where you can push a button on your smartphone and have Dominos delivered by drone to your home.
CA Rohit Gupta

India Cyprus DTAA proposed Amendment in line with Mauritius Tax Treaty

India Cyprus Tax Treaty to be revised with Source based taxation of Capital Gains; Retrospective removal of Cyprus from Blacklisting notification;

The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved the revised double taxation avoidance agreement (DTAA) with Cyprus which will help close gaps and enable Indian authorities to tax capital gains in the country for investments originating in the Mediterranean island nation.

The new agreement, which will replace the 1994 treaty, will enable Indian authorities to tax capital gains on investments routed through Cyprus; it will also lead to the removal of the Mediterranean island nation from an Indian government blacklist on which it was placed for not providing financial information sought by India.

The revised version will give India right to tax on capital gains arising from Indian shares, taxation of profits of permanent establishment on source basis, taxation of royalty, fees from technically services and more importantly, smooth flow of exchange of information for varied purposes.

The move follows the recent amendment of DTAA with Mauritius. As in case of Mauritius, the treaty with Cyprus had provided for residence-based taxation of capital gains.

The proposed DTAA provides for source based taxation of capital gains on transfer of shares, instead of residence based taxation as provided in the existing DTAA.

In 2015-16, Cyprus ranked eighth in terms of foreign direct investment into India at $3.3 billion. The existing treaty provides for capital gains tax exemption and a low withholding tax rate of 10% on interest payments made to entities based in Cyprus.

At present, any payment to a Cypriot entity attracts a withholding tax of 30%. No deduction in respect of any other expenditure or allowance arising from a transaction with a person in Cyprus, or a payment made to a financial institution, is allowed unless the assessee provides the required documents.

If an assessee enters into a transaction with an entity in Cyprus, it is treated as an associate enterprise and the deal as an international transaction attracting transfer pricing regulations.

Excessive taxes paid by way of higher withholding taxes from 1 November 2013 being the date from when Cyprus was notified as a non-cooperative jurisdiction could possibly be claimed as refunds given if the withdrawal of the notification is with retrospective effect. Further, the deemed application of the transfer pricing provisions and cumbersome documentation requirements have been done away with which were required to be maintained on certain transactions with Cyprus entities vide the section 94A notification,

It needs to be seen how the Indian government will provide for refund for those transactions and also provide for revision of withholding tax returnIf the assessment of Indian entities who have transacted with Cyprus entity in past has entailed an addition in their income under transfer pricing, then how will the CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) provide for revision of return/assessment order to nullify the effect of Cyprus notification retrospectively? In substance, nullifying the effect of Cyprus notification seems to be difficult

The proposed DTAA also enables source based taxation of capital gains from transfer of shares of any company the property of which consists directly or indirectly principally of immovable property situated in a contracting state.

India has been given the right to tax capital gains on investments routed through Cyprus prospectively from 1 April 2017. All existing investments, including those made up to 31 March 2017, have been sought to be grandfathered like the Mauritius Treaty,

However, Mauritius treaty additionally provides for 50% capital gains tax exemption for two years from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2019, subject to fulfilment of limitation of benefit conditions. This appears to be absent in the revised Cyprus treaty Indian tax authorities will be able to levy capital gains tax on sale of shares by firms based in Cyprus after April 1, 2017, as there is a grand fathering provision in the agreement.

The agreement provides clarification about taxation of dividends in India that are subjected to dividend distribution tax, and clarifies that provisions on assistance in collection of taxes shall not be construed to impose any obligation that is at variance with the laws, practices or public policy of a contracting state.

A grandfathering clause provides for an old rule to apply to existing cases and a new rule to future ones.

Besides capital gains taxation of share transactions in India, the proposed treaty also permits taxation of capital gains from transfer of shares of any company that has immovable property in the country. The treaty also expands the scope of the permanent establishments to allow for source-based taxation of business income.

It also provides for a revised provision for exchange of information that would enable the use of information exchanged for other purposes, with the permission of the competent authority of the country providing the information.

the provisions in the earlier treaty for residence-based taxation were leading to distortion of financial and real investment flows by artificial diversion of various investments from their actual countries of origin, for avoiding tax. As in the case of Mauritius, this amendment will deter such activities. Negotiations with Singapore are also under way for similar changes

India had put Cyprus on a blacklist for failing to share information on tax evasion. With the revision of the treaty, India is expected to remove Cyprus from that list, which will provide relief to investors from that country who had seen increase in compliance costs

Tax authorities now need to revise a similar treaty with Netherlands to ensure that all gaps are closed and companies pay tax at least in one jurisdiction. In the case of the Netherlands, if an asset is sold to a foreign buyer, the tax treaty allows for capital gains tax exemption.

(Author can be reached at [email protected] / 9873832979 for any queries )
Longview resident Julia Bishop is a veteran when it comes to disaster relief.

Bishop, 64, travels to disasters as a Red Cross volunteer three or four times a year. She will spend the next week working 12- to 15-hour shifts, every day, assisting flood victims in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

According to Red Cross official Brad Kieserman, the catastrophic flood devastating Louisiana is now the worst natural disaster to strike the United States since Hurricane Sandy four years ago.

Piles of garbage, damaged furniture and other belongings were left lining the streets after a prolonged rainfall overwhelmed the state. More than 20 inches of rain fell in less than three days. FEMA declared a major disaster in Louisiana on Aug. 14, the second time in just a few months that it had done so.

If you drive down the streets, everybodys life is laying out there in the road, Bishop said.

Tens of thousands of homes have been damaged. More than 100,000 individuals and households have asked for FEMA assistance, and Bishop said the economic hardship is apparent. Small business owners often close their stores permanently from such disasters, unable to recuperate from such a financial loss.

As a shelter manager in Baton Rouge, Bishop assists in organizing shelters needs and preparing supplies. Bishop said there are 15 shelters that hold anywhere from less than 100 people to as many as 1,300. Five of those shelters are for the staff, she said. Over 2,000 Red Cross volunteers are currently stationed in Louisiana.

Bishop is the only remaining Red Cross volunteer in Cowlitz County after its Longview office closed. She said many of them retired, others moved away or moved on.

But Bishop has the disaster bug, she said, and while she works at Janus Youth in Portland, she said the organization allows her to fuel her passion for disaster relief on the side. She has assisted in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in the Northeast, tornadoes in the Midwest, wildfires in California, and several disasters in Texas.

For Bishop, it all started back in 2005 with her first trip (with 100 church volunteers from Longview) to Louisiana to assist with reliefs after Hurricane Katrina that August. Seeing how thankful the people were for the help, she said, made her realize that trip wouldnt be her last.

When you can do what you can to help people in their worst time, it changes their lives, she said.

She is also inspired by peoples survival stories. Sometimes, she said, it hits close to home. In 2011 a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, a town that reminded Bishop of her own hometown.

It looked like a bomb went off there, Bishop said. She drew parallels between the Midwestern area to Longview, as if it had hit the Highlands, took out hospitals, fire departments and schools, and wiped out every business on Ocean Beach Highway.

There was a lot of death there, that was hard, she said. It seemed too much like Longview.

Bishop said in the process of being exposed to such tragedies, she also developed bonds and it makes her grateful for her own life. She has friends all over the country that she still keeps in touch with.

It makes me very appreciative of everything I have, she said.
Budgeted expenses for the 2016-17 school year are up over last year at the Longview School District. But Superintendent Dan Zorn says theres a good reason for the budget bump.

The district added eight new counseling positions at the elementary and middle school levels this year to address a variety of social and mental health needs. Three counseling positions have been added at the middle school level; thats one additional position at each school to augment the one counselor already on staff. Five climate and culture positions have also been added at the five elementary schools with the highest poverty levels: Mint Valley, Northlake, Kessler, St. Helens, and Olympic.

As the only counselor at Monticello Middle School for the past three years, Michelle Opgrande said she wasnt able to be as preventative with student issues and needs as she would have liked.

Were just basically going to be able to do so much more, Opgrande said. Were hoping to get into classrooms more.

Dave Rodman, a former counselor at Monticello, will return to his position alongside Opgrande, who has been a counselor at the school for seven years.

The primary purpose of the climate and culture specialists, according to Zorn, is to work with kids with challenging behaviors and make sure they are reading to learn.

Zorn said it was clear that the middle and elementary school levels needed the extra staff based on both anecdotal evidence as well as student achievement levels like test scores and graduation rates.

Despite incremental improvement in state testing proficiency levels, local students are still testing well below the Washington state average. And though graduation rates have been on the rise since 2010  88 percent of R.A. Long High students graduated in 2015, while 87 percent of Mark Morris students graduated the same year  theres always room for improvement, Zorn said.

Having the additional counselors on board may seem familiar at Longviews middle schools, which had two counselors on staff in the past. Having two counselors at each school once again should help disburse the workload and allow them to be more proactive and provide more support for instructors.

Just having both of them is a great asset for us and whats going on in our building, said Monticello principal Scott Merzoian. We have over 500 students and there are a lot of issues that we deal with, and were going to be well adapted to handle those.

With a large student body, being the only counselor on hand can be overwhelming. Opgrandes duties includes student class scheduling, addressing college and career readiness, and providing social and emotional support for students.

While counselors from Columbia Wellness have been placed in some of the Longview schools to provide extra support (the service is provided through insurance), its nothing like what the school district is able to provide.

We have a wide variety of issues that arise just from the different background of our students Merzoian said. They just need somebody to talk to and feel comfortable with.

Opgrande hopes she and the other counselors can focus on enrolling more students in the College Bound program, which promises annual college tuition and a small book allowance to students whose families are unable to pay for college. Students can sign up for the program in the seventh and eighth grades. The program is open to students whos are in foster care, their families receive food/TANF benefits, or their families qualify as low-income under the program standards. Last year, almost 100 eighth graders signed up for the program. Signing up in the seventh and eight grades is critical, Opgrande says, because student cant sign up for it later when they move on to high school.

I do think it makes a difference, Opgrande said. I see so many students that say Whats the point of going to high school? I cant afford college anyway.

Instead, the College Bound program gives counselors at the high school something to work with and helps them assist students with setting goals.

Hopefully well be able to go a bit more in depth and do some more work getting kids prepared for high school and college, Opgrande said. Im just really happy and excited for this year. Im looking forward to be able to do more and serve the kids and the community.

The climate and culture positions at the elementary schools will address immediate challenges along with providing support for children getting ready to move on to middle school.

For those asking Why add the positions now? Northlake Elementary Principal Carla Sosanya says it is pointless to compare the schools to the past in an attempt to answer that question.

A long time ago the poverty was not as high, Sosanya said. So I think its a really good thing by the board and by the superintendent to try to help the principal and help teachers improve instruction in the classroom now.

As the principal of Northlake for the past four years, Sosanya has spent much of her time addressing behavioral and disciplinary issues.

Now, I can be in the classrooms more, so I can focus more on instruction, Sosanya said.

A lot of challenges happen on the playground, said Sosanya, so that will be a focus to make sure that kids are happy and fully engaged.

Assuring the success of Northlake students this year will be Tim Dickson, a former third/fourth grade teacher at the school.

Hes really dedicated and totally kid-focused, Sosanya said. I think that like at any school the biggest different is the interaction between the teacher and the student in the classroom. The rest of us are just support to make that happen.

Dickinson started preparing for the job at the end of the past school year, which included going through Right Response training and receiving certification required by the district. The training instructs teachers on how to deescalate disruptive behaviors and how to respond after interruptions.

The angle is to always improve the life of our kids and help families any way that we can, Dickinson said. Rather than treating any new problems, Dickinson believes that he will be able to improve systems already in place. I think its just about additional layers of support for staff and students so everyone can be successful. Its about sharing the workload.
To appreciate whats at stake for the world in this years U.S. presidential election, its useful to visit a place such as Australia that has been one of our most faithful allies  and that appears to be mortified at whats happening in American politics.

Australians are polite, in their own rowdy way. And they know they have to live with whoever is elected president. So people here rarely criticize Donald Trump head-on.

But polls tell the story: A June survey by the Lowy Institute, a think tank here, found that 11 percent supported Trump, compared with 77 percent for Hillary Clinton. The percentage supporting Trumps foreign policy was even smaller. And most amazing, in a country that has backed every U.S. military action for a century, 59 percent of Australians say their country shouldnt join in U.S. military action if Trump is elected.

Australians, like most American allies, depend on a strong, confident United States to lead a global system thats stable and also supple enough to accommodate new players such as China. They fear a United States that leaves allies to fend for themselves against Russian and Chinese bullying.

So what do Australians think when they hear Trump say, as he did in an Aug. 8 speech, Americanism, not globalism, will be our new credo? They worry that he means just what he says. Trumps America would be a more selfish nation; it would look out more for itself and less for others. This inward focus may make sense to Americans who are unhappy with globalization, but its a scary prospect for an Australia that has to bet its future, quite literally, on the United States staying power in Asia.

We need confident, competent, outward-looking U.S. leadership. Our region depends on that, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told me in an interview. While she was careful not to express a political preference, her meaning seemed obvious.

Trumps fulmination about trade deals is a particularly worrying example of his intention to abandon long-standing U.S. policies. He blasts the Trans-Pacific Partnership, for example, ignoring the fact that the greatest beneficiary of the TPPs demise would be China. Beijing is waiting with its own alternative structure for global trade and economics to replace the U.S.-led system that has prevailed since 1945.

Trumps supporters may imagine that the United States will start winning again, post-TPP, but I have yet to meet a global business leader who doesnt think that the demise of the trade deal would be a huge victory for China that would undermine U.S. power in Asia for years. And yes, folks, the TPPs demise would also hurt American workers by reducing U.S. access to the worlds fastest-growing markets.

Clintons capitulation to misguided critics of the TPP has been sad to watch. Maybe she really believes that its possible to reopen negotiations and get a better deal, but if so, shes nearly alone. More likely, shes willing for U.S. economic power and prestige to take a hit, if it will help her get elected. The only adult American in the room on this issue has been President Obama, who is campaigning hard to get the TPP passed before he leaves office.

The TPP is not just an economic necessity; its a strategic necessity, argues Bishop. If the TPP fails, it will be seen as a failure of U.S. political will. A failure will also leave a vacuum, which will be filled by other countries, including China. Its absolutely vital to have a win on this.

What will allies do if the United States votes to embrace Trumps version of Americanism, not globalism? They will make adjustments; they will hedge their bets; they will hope that the fever breaks in four years; they will try to protect their own interests in a world where U.S. power has become less reliable.

Australia is a good example of a country that stands by its friends, even when they make mistakes. The leadership here stuck with the United States through Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Some business leaders want cozier relations with China, but the public view is steadfast. Why would we seek to hasten the drawing-down of an old ally? asked Michael Fullilove, executive director of the Lowy Institute, in a recent book.

Great powers sometimes crack under strain. Australia watched as the seemingly unshakable power of the British Empire became brittle and weary and turned inward. Global leadership isnt a perpetual motion machine. It requires effort and occasional sacrifice. This year is a character test for the United States, and you need only travel abroad to understand how intently the world is watching.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Acting President Phelekezela Mphoko and Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa have condemned violence and looting that occurred in Harare last week and called on protestors to respect other people's rights and property.Speaking in separate interviews, the two leaders said the protests demonstrate political immaturity and abuse of the constitution which provides for peaceful demonstrations."What happened in Harare was not a political demonstration but a group of thugs who wanted to loot people's shops and a shameless ploy to impoverish informal traders whose wares were also looted," Mphoko said while in Bulawayo.He added that Zimbabwe is a democratic nation that allows people to express themselves in a peaceful manner but will not allow the same political parties to impoverish people who are fending for their families as well as the destruction of public property.Speaking to the ZBC News on the sidelines of a Methodist Church district convention for women in Gweru where he had gone to witness his wife, Auxillia Mnangagwa receive confirmation into the church's Ruwadzano group, Vice President Mnangagwa said although the new constitution allows people to demonstrate, the same constitution does not allow people to trample on other people's rights."Protestors must refrain from violence, looting and destruction of property. Zimbabweans should not be associated with demonstrations and violence," he said.He said the country can only move forward if people learn to listen and respect each other's divergent views.Many people have condemned the recent violence, looting and destruction of property in Harare by MDC-T members working in cahoots with other opposition parties.The protests left a trail of destruction in Harare and a police and ZBC vehicles were burnt, while Choppies Supermarket was one of the shops looted.The two leaders called on all Zimbabweans to respect property and life and not to allow themselves to be used by political elements who prey on people's emotions.
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Blog Archive
Verdict on Mir Quasem`s review plea Aug 30

The Supreme Court will deliver its verdict on August 30 on the petition of condemned war criminal Mir Quasem Ali seeking a review of its earlier judgement that upheld his death penalty for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971. A five-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, fixed the date after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and defence on Sunday. On August 24, the bench adjourned the hearing on the petition till today (August 28) after it started that day. Earlier in the day, the apex court rejected a time petition filed by the Jamaat leader. The bench was scheduled to hear the petition on July 25 but it deferred the hearing until August 24 upon a petition filed by the defence seeking its adjournment for two months. On June 20, Chamber Judge of the Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique fixed July 25 for hearing the plea following a petition filed by the state. On June 19, Barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, son of Mir Quasem, filed a 68-page review petition with the Appellate Division seeking acquittal of the war criminal. The SC released the full text of its verdict upholding the death penalty awarded by the International Crimes Tribunal-2 to Mir Quasem Ali for the crimes he committed against humanity during the Liberation War on June 6. On March 8, the Appellate Division upheld the death penalty for Mir Quasem Ali for his war crimes. The International Crimes Tribunal-2 sentenced Mir Quasem Ali, Al-Badr chief in the port city of Chittagong in 1971, to death on November 2, 2014. On November 30, 2014, he filed an appeal before the Supreme Court challenging the death penalty. Top Jamaat-e-Islami financier Quasem, now 64, was president of the Chittagong town unit of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat, till November 6, 1971. He was then made general secretary of the East Pakistan Chhatra Sangha. -- Dhaka, Aug 28 (UNB)
University teachers urged to refrain from active politics



Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader urged the university teachers to refrain from all kind of active politics for ensuring quality education.

He said the teachers' politics hampers the academic activities of the university and added 'I will request the university teachers to shun active politics. But they could support ideology of any political party'.

Obaidul Quader said this on Sunday while addressing a discussion meeting as the chief guest marking the National Mourning Day at Zahir Raihan auditorium on Jahangirnagar University (JU) campus here organized by Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) JU unit.

The minister said Bangladesh is now faced with major crisis of extremism, underscoring the need for making collective efforts to root out extremism as well as drug abuse from the country.

Quader said Bangabandhu has occupied the position of hero in the history and added 'there is nothing to establish Bangabandhu anew as he has already been established'.

Describing Bangabandhu is a role model for all he said 'We have to nurture Bangabandhu's ideology for building Sonar Bangla'.

Referring to the ongoing development spree of the present government Qader said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is 'a model of development'.

He asked the BCL activists to work for the interests of general students to earn their love and respect.

Addressing the function as special guest, Central President of BCL Saifur Rahman Sohag urged the JU Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr. Farzana Islam to open a department in the university to be named 'Philosophy of Bangabandhu Department'.

Presided over by JU BCL President Mahmudur Rahman Jony, JU VC Dr. Farzana Islam, former BCL central president AKM Enamul Haque Shamim and Central Secretary of BCL SM Jakir Hossain addressed the function, among others. Secretary of JU BCL Rajib Ahmed Rasel conducted the programme.


President leaves for London for medical checkup



President Abdul Hamid on Sunday left here for London for medical checkup.

A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the President took off from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 10.30am.

Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq and high civil and military officers saw him off at the airport.

Abdul Hamid will undergo medical checkup at Moorfield Eye Hospital and Bupa Cromwell Hospital.

He is expected to return home on September 4.
Disha was so excited these days





Bollywood actress Disha Patani is certainly very excited with her back to back projects in the film industry. She is all set to make her Bollywood debut with 'M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story' and then she will star in International flick 'Kung Fu Yoga' alongside Jackie Chan. At latest, we heard that, she is currently in China for the dubbing of her first International project.

Disha Patani, who starred in musical song 'Befikra' with Tiger Shroff, is currently having a good time in China. Now, she is dubbing for her role in the upcoming movie 'Kung Fu Yoga', which is slated to release in the early 2017. In the film, Disha will be doing some high-octane action sequence alongside the Chinese superstar Jackie Chan. We also heard that, Jackie Chan is very impressed with the Indian beauty and there are chances that she will bag some more International projects after 'Kung Fu Yoga'. The film also stars Amyra Dastur, Aarif Rahman, and Sonu Sood in the titular roles.

Disha Patani also playing an important role in 'M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story', where she is essaying the character of Dhoni's ex-girlfriend Priyanka Jha. Directed by Neeraj Pandey, the film will hit the theatres on September 30.
Vessel workers strike postpone, loading unloading activities resume

An aerial view of river Karnaphuli where hundreds of lighter vessels remained stranded during 5 days strike of the Ghat Sramik in Chittagong.

The loading unloading of the consignments from lighter vessels resumes in all 16 river berths in Karnaphuli river after passing of 5 days in Chittagong from yesterday.

Following the suspension of strike of the lighter workers from Saturday midnight , the workers resume to their respective duties in all river berths from early yesterday. Mentionable that ghat labourers enforced indefinite strike to press home their 7 point demands including increase of wages from tuesdaylast. The strike was postponed following the tripartite meeting of owners, workers, and govt officials at Labour directorate office in Dhaka on Saturday , the five day long strike was postponed from midnight.

Director of Labour Directorate Joint secretary SM Ashrafuzaman told that after assurance of the owners to incrase the wages of the ghat labourers, the strike was withdrawn.

General secretary of Bangladesh Lighter sramik Union Nabi Alam told that the workers agreed on enhanced wage of Tk.9600.

He said there are 16 berths(river ghats) from Sadarghat to Banglabazar on north bank of river Karnaphuli and the workers resumes in duty and engaged in unloading of cargo from the lighter vessels from early morning. Executive Director of Water Transport cell - a controlling body of the private owned lighter vessel Mahbub Rashid Khan told the media that strike withdrawn and after meeting with the labour leaders , the lighter vessels sailed for outer berth for loading cargo from mother vessels at outer berth of the ctg port.

Port sources said 18 bulk cargo vessels, 3 foodgrain vessels,7 fertilizer laden vessels, 24 clinker vessels, 3 sugar, 2 salt vessels were waiting in outer berths and due to strike these vessels remained stranded till Saturday.

Besides, nine container vessels are also waiting in outer, sources said. Following the withdrawal of strike, the importers, exporters, traders, industrial entrepreneurs expressed graduate, sources added.


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News / National

by Staff reporter

President Robert Mugabe who is attending the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, has held bilateral talks with his Kenyan counterpart President Uhuru Kenyatta.Despite a very tight schedule as head of state of the host country, President Kenyatta held bilateral talks with President Mugabe on the sidelines of the TICAD summit.The closed door meeting lasted close to 40 minutes and Foreign Affairs Minister, Simbarashe Mumbengegwi who attended the talks said the two leaders had a very warm and very friendly exchange of views over a very wide range of issues that cover regional, continental and global matters.Mumbengegwi said both leaders did appreciate the change of focus on the part of Japan that instead of simply looking at aid in the traditional terms, Japan is now looking at the whole question of industrialisation and value addition.In terms of global issues, the two leaders discussed the United Nations reform and the leaders were very clear that Africa's position remains firm as spelt out in the Ezwulini Consensus.Mumbengegwi said both leaders indicated their firm commitment to the common African position.President Kenyatta also briefed President Mugabe on the threat caused by terrorists in Kenya and the East African region and the measures being taken to end the threat.Political relations between Harare and Nairobi are very good but the two leaders agreed that more should be done to improve economic relations.
One arrested with Yaba pills

CU Correspondent :



The Detective Branch (DB) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police on Saturdayy arrested one person with 720 pieces of Yaba tablets from Sadarghat area of Chittagong city.

The arrestee, Ali Hossain, 44, hails from Noyabazar of Teknaf.

Tipped-off, a team of DB arrested Ali in front of a hotel in the area, said Humayun Kabir, inspector (investigation) of DB, adding that a case was filed.
CCC Mayor A J M Nasir Uddin and Mesbahuddin, DC, Chittagong attending a land-related meeting at Circuit House Auditorium on Saturday.
Shrimp appears means of new livelihood to recoup AILA disaster

BSS, Khulna :Cultivation of tiger shrimp virtually appeared as means of new livelihood in remote Koyra upazila of Khulna for farmers as the devastating 2009 AILA cyclone visibly made for good the area unsuitable for green agriculture.Farmers said they waited for years expecting the land to regain fertility for crops overcoming wraths of increased salinity caused by the cyclone seven years ago but eventually were forced to adopt cultivation of tiger shrimp, better known as Bagda Chingri, grown better in saline water."We can't even regain the cost of seedbeds of rice like amon and boro because of the permanent salinity (caused by AILA)," said farmer Harun-ur-Rashid, a resident of the area who used to cultivate crops.He said the situation prompted him to cultivate shrimp on 5 acres of land last year which appeared as a good initiative in terms of financial returns."One can easily earn Tk 2 lakh by cultivating Bagda Chingri on every one acre of land every year," he said.On May 25, 2009 night, the AILA hit a vast part of southwestern Khulna with Koira and Gabura of Satkhira being the worst affected areas. It claimed around 200 human lives, leveled thousands of homesteads, killed huge number of cattle and exposed landmass to inundation in saline waters for nearly three years.Hundreds of people were forced to desert their homes for years for joblessness as the cyclone made the land unsuitable for crop cultivation.Under a massive government-led rehabilitation campaign the people returned and rebuilt their homes in the subsequent years but their livelihood remained to be at stake because of the unusual salinity in the region."I have been cultivating tiger shrimp on saline lands for the last four years and getting satisfactory profits . . . last year I earned Tk 5 lakh from shrimp cultivation and I am expecting more dividend this year," said 60-year-old Abdur Rahim, another resident in the neighbourhood.Shrimp farmers collect fry from natural water bodies like rivers and canals in the neighbourhood.Deputy Director of Khulna Fisheries Department Ranajit Kumar Paul said farmers nw took interest in bagda shrimp at Koyra as "it grows in huge volume in saline-prone land".He said the scenario prompted the fisheries department to provide them training for shrimp cultivation.Senior Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute Salaine Water Center Dr M Latiful Islam said favorable environment, quality shrimp fry, close observation and high protein feed for shrimp could ensure higher production.Khulna district fisheries officer Shamim Haider said 5,894 hectares of land were now brought under tiger shrimp cultivation in Koyra while previously the shrimp was cultivated in less than 3,000 hectares.Official statistics indicated tiger shrimp has great export potentials.Environmentalists, however, expressed their reservations against widespread shrimp cultivation converting arable lands into shrimp enclosures."If the entire area is dedicated for shrimp that will seal the scopes for the land to regain fertility . . . it will not be good for ecosystem," Babul Hawladar, the Khulna region coordinator of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) told BSS.
British PM to trigger EU pull-out 'without parliament vote

Theresa May wants to trigger Britain\'s withdrawal from the European Union without a vote in parliament.

Prime Minister Theresa May wants to trigger Britain's withdrawal from the European Union without a vote in parliament, a report said Saturday.A source in her Downing Street office said the Daily Telegraph report was speculation but added that May was "committed to delivering on the verdict the public gave" in the June referendum, when 52 percent voted for Britain to leave the EU.May's government already faces a legal challenge to prevent it beginning the process of leaving the EU without an act of parliament.Lawyers from the Mishcon de Reya law firm are poised to challenge the government in the English High Court, arguing that May cannot trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty-the legal process for leaving the bloc-without a parliamentary debate and vote authorising her to do so.Most members of parliament's lower House of Commons, including May, campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU.Once Article 50 is triggered, it would start a two-year countdown to Britain's exit from the European Union.May has said it will not be triggered this year, the government needing time to shape Britain's exit objectives first.Meanwhile Gus O'Donnell, the former head of the civil service, said Brexit was not inevitable and Britain could still remain a part of a changed EU."It very much depends what happens to public opinion and whether the EU changes" before Britain is ready to leave, he told The Times newspaper."It might be that the broader, more loosely aligned group, is something that the UK is happy being a member of."He told BBC radio that elections in France and Germany next year meant "it is not even clear which leaders our prime minister will be negotiating with, so I don't think there's any great rush to do it".Bookmakers believe there is a one in eight chance of a second Brexit referendum before the end of 2020.The prime minister is due to host minsters at her country residence this week, demanding "action plans" from each department about how they can make the most of Brexit, according to the Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph.Ministers will "discuss the next steps in the negotiations," a government source told the Telegraph, before the prime minister heads to China for a meeting of G20 world leaders.
Turkish bombardment kills 35 civilians in Syria

Turkish soldiers drive a tank to Syria from the border city of Karkamis in the Gaziantep region on Saturday.

AFP, Beirut :Turkish shelling and air strikes killed at least 35 civilians in Syria on Sunday, the fifth day of an incursion against Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish militia, a monitor said."At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 others wounded by Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on Sunday morning at Jeb el-Kussa," a village south of Jarabulus, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.The Britain-based group said four local fighters were also killed in the bombardment.It also reported another 15 civilians killed and 25 wounded, many seriously, in Turkish air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, also south of Jarabulus.The deaths come after Turkey on Saturday suffered its first fatality since launching operation "Euphrates Shield" in Syria, blaming Kurdish militia in a fight for control of the border region.The Observatory said the bombardment targeted an area south of the former Islamic State group stronghold of Jarabulus, which Turkish-led forces captured on the first day of the incursion.Jeb el-Kussa is located 14 kilometres (almost nine miles) south of Jarabulus and is controlled by fighters from the area backed by Kurdish forces.On Saturday, clashes erupted for the first time between Turkish forces backed by tanks, and pro-Kurdish fighters in the town of Al-Amarneh, also south of Jarabulus.Turkey considers the main armed force of Syria's Kurds, the YPG, to be a branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is deems a "terrorist" organisation.Its military intervention has further complicated a conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people and displaced more than half the country's population since March 2011.Meanwhile, Turkey said the military suffered its first fatality in an unprecedented four day campaign inside Syria, blaming Kurdish militia in an increasingly combustible contest for control in the border region.The Turkish army on Wednesday launched the two-pronged cross border offensive against Islamic State (IS) jihadists but also Syrian Kurdish militia detested by Ankara, sending in dozens of tanks and hundreds of troops.Tensions between Ankara and the Kurdish militia flared Saturday, with clashes taking place eight kilometres (five miles) south of the town of Jarabulus, the border town recaptured from IS this week by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, a monitoring group and Kurdish sources said.Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency later said one Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded in a rocket attack by Kurdish militia on two tanks taking part in the offensive.The dead soldier-who has not been identified-was the first confirmed Turkish fatality of Turkey's unprecedented operation in northern Syria which has so far proceeded with lightning pace.The toll was confirmed by a Turkish official, without giving further details.The rocket fire came from members of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Anadolu said. Turkey considers the PYD and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia to be terror organisations.Anadolu said that the Turkish army responded to the rocket attack by shelling PYD targets in Syria, without giving further details.The self-proclaimed Kurdish authorities in northern Syria said in a statement that the local fighters backed by Kurdish forces "destroyed two tanks and killed its crews" near the village of Al-Amarneh.In a separate incident Saturday, Kurdish militants fired four rockets at the airport in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, without causing casualties, the Dogan news agency said.
The Thai people raised their voice loudly

Busaya Mathelin :

On Sunday 7 August, almost 30 million Thais, or 60% of the 50 million eligible to vote, turned up at the ballot box to write another chapter in Thailand's democratic history. They were participating in the national constitutional referendum, which was a culmination of months long effort to move beyond the political chaos over the past ten years and return to democratic rule. Of those who exercised their rights, over 16 million voters - 61.35% - voted to accept the draft Charter, while 10.5 million - 38.65% - voted against it.

By any measure, the referendum was a success: polling went off peacefully, and there were no reports of any irregularities. The leaders of Thailand's main political parties, notably Mr Abhisit Vejjajiva and Ms Yingluck Shinawatra, while disagreeing with the draft constitution, immediately made public statements accepting the results.

Yet the doom and gloom on the future of Thai democracy as reported in sections of the Western press was remarkable. Many chose to focus on the restrictions to campaigning and freedom of expression prior to the polling, while other critics predict that the referendum will not heal the political divisions of the last ten years, but will serve to exacerbate it. Yet, this almost ignores the fact that nearly 30 million responsible Thai adults made the conscious and deliberate decision to exercise their voting rights. The hard copies of the draft constitution were widely distributed to the general public, while the digital copy was freely available to those interested.

But most importantly, the Thai media were not censored, and critical opinions in good faith - including by major political leaders - both for and against the draft Charter were freely expressed in the press and social media. While there were restrictions to campaigning to ensure public order, it was certainly not a case of 'serious limitations' to fundamental freedoms during the constitutional referendum process. At the end of the day, the Thai people have made their choice and it should be respected.

Moving on: towards the general election of 2017

Dr Surin Pitsuwan - our distinguished former Foreign Minister and ASEAN Secretary General - is one of many who saw the referendum results as a reflection of the strong desire of the Thai people to pursue the healing process and move on towards general elections. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha has rightly called for reconciliation from all sides of Thailand's political divide and full acceptance of the results. He reconfirmed the timeline for implementing the Roadmap which will lead to general elections in late 2017 under the new constitution. What will take place in the meantime will be several steps relating to legislative procedure to promulgate the new charter and draft necessary organic laws. The Constitution Drafting Committee has reiterated that views and suggestions of all stakeholders, including of political parties, will be considered during the drafting of the organic laws. All of the necessary procedures are expected to be completed by mid-2017. Then the Election Commission will need up to 150 days to organise the general elections.

So as Thailand moves on, we can reflect on what we can do to make our democracy sustainable. During the many ups and downs of our recent history, one constant has been our aspiration for democracy and good governance. Our foremost tragedy is that electoral system has always been plagued by 'money politics' with its attendant corruption, which served no one except the elected politicians themselves. Even worse, the 'winner takes all' mentality and the ensuing cycle of political turmoil since the mid - 2000s saw free speech used to incite hatred, social division, and political violence, with tragic loss of lives. Not surprisingly, the military intervention in May 2014 was met with relief by many Thais who saw the need for some calm in order to chart a new path away from the cycle of political dysfunction.

Here in Europe, the concept that with freedom comes great responsibility is very well understood. Generations of Europeans have suffered greatly in order to build the equality and freedom which the current generation today take for granted. The Thai people share the same aspirations as the Europeans, but with our different histories, there will be certainly occasions where the Thai nation knows it needs to take a step back in order to move forward. Many Thais will agree that the current draft Constitution is not a perfect document; and that its acceptance is certainly not an 'endorsement of authoritarianism'. But this charter is what we have chosen to try to get rid of money politics and make our democracy sustainable, given the past disappointment with electoral politics.

We certainly are aware that no constitution is a perfect document; but rather, it is up to those who wield its power to either use it for the common good or for their own vested interests. Also, elections are one thing, good governance is another; unfortunately, sometimes the former does not always lead to the latter. The Thai people, being pragmatic by nature, certainly want good and clean governance through electoral democratic politics. It is now up to the current and future generation of Thais to understand its past mistakes and learn to exercise its freedom in a free society, to respect divergent political views and the necessity of compromise, and to reject the dictatorship of the majority. Most of all, it has to learn to the patience to let democratic will takes its course.

All 65 million Thais now look forward to free and fair democratic elections in 2017. The least that we hope for from our European friends, whose civilisation has contributed so much to the world, is to be understanding of divergent and unique paths to democracy. As Thailand starts to write a new chapter of its democratic history, we certainly hope that our friends in Europe will give some thought on how to adopt a pragmatic approach in Thai - EU relations in order to move forward and strengthen our very important relationship for the mutual benefit of our peoples.



(Busaya Mathelin is Ambassador of Thailand to Belgium and Luxembourg. She is Head of Mission of Thailand to the European Union).
Environmental law must be equally applicable to all

MEDIA report on Saturday said out of the 14 factories run by Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), 10 have no pollution control equipment in place, seven have no effluent treatment plants (ETP) and five have no environment clearance certificate. They are violating the basic environmental law. If one makes a search about factories run by other state-owned corporation, the number of violators appears to be huge and the reality is yet precarious in and around the areas such factories are running.

We are appalled by the government neglect to this vital public health issues arising out of air and water pollution from smoke and discharge of waste from mills and factories to water bodies. They are cause of skin and respiratory diseases and serious ailments such as cancer. Infants are worst victims. But surprisingly the Health Ministry is almost indifferent to this threat to public health while the Ministry of Environment is not equally serious to enforce environmental protection law to state-owned plants.

Statistics by Department of Environment (DoE) suggest it fined no less than 300 mills and factories last year, mostly private factories to the tune of Tk30 crore for polluting environment. But state-run factories were mostly ignored while they were destroying the biodiversity. Disclosure said only the Karnaphuli Paper Mills (KPM) at Kaptai discharge 7600 cubic meters of untreated toxic effluent into the river every day. It creates thick black foams that float in the river water. It spreads strong smell of chemicals harming public health and destroying fish and other plants. Water temperature is high and oxygen concentration is low in the area and such situation is prevailing at all places where paper mills or fertilizer plants are operating.

The DoE fined KPM around Tk 1.84 crore last year for failing to comply with Environmental Law. But what is surprising is that the Ministry of Environment exempted the fine and there is no doubt such act will not be helpful to secure compliance by other state-owned factories. What is at point is that why the same law should be discriminated and differently applied to private and public establishments.

We must say that the government claim of phenomenal development must be visible beyond tall talks and as far as environmental pollution is concerned there is no development at all. Brick kilns outside the city are destroying environment regularly and there are allegations that Environment Inspectors are facilitating it instead of protecting the environment. Factories are discharging waste at many places in the industrial belt raising question as to why DoE officials are failing to stop it. We must also say everyone must be treated equally -- be it a government-owned factory or private-owned one.
Vessel workers call off strike as salary hike assured

Staff Reporter :

The indefinite strike in the country's river routes was called off by the river vessel workers on Saturday night after getting assurance that their demands, including salary enhancement, will be met.

The decision was taken in a tripartite meeting among the government officials, the vessel owners and the workers in the conference room of the Department of Labour in the city, said Shah Alam, President of Bangladesh Water Transport Workers' Federation. Director of the Department of Labour SM Ashrafuzzaman, presided at the meeting. The workers throughout the country went on an indefinite strike from Monday night to press home their four-point demands, including fixing of minimum salary for Tk10,000, payment of compensation to the workers in case of any accident, checking robbery on the river routes and the increasing of the navigability of the rivers.

In the past, meeting between the government officials and the water vessel owners was held three times, but those failed to deliver any solution to end the deadlock.

The workers wanted to enhance their minimum salary from Tk 5,700 to Tk 10,000, but the vessel owners agreed to Tk 8,000.

Official sources said the five days strike's adverse impact on the country's economy cannot be ignored as all sorts of cargo and passenger vessels stopped cruising in the southern districts, including Chandpur, Barisal and Bagerhat. Tens of thousands of passengers suffered also. Besides, goods unloading at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port remained suspended also during the strike period.
Tamim's two other aides identified

Staff Reporter :

All the three militants, including Tamim Chowdhury, who were killed in a joint forces special raid in Narayanganj on Saturday, died from bullet injuries in their heads, said Dr Sohel Mahmud, Assistant Professor of Forensic Department of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH).

Splinter injury marks were also found on the body of Tamim as well as on the bodies of two other militants, he told reporters after conducting postmortems on their bodies at DMCH on Sunday afternoon.

The bodies are now kept at the DMCH morgue, he said.

Police have primarily identified the two other militants who were killed along with Gulshan cafe attack suspect Tamim Chowdhury in Narayanganj raid, said Monirul Islam, chief of Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit.

They were Kazi Fazle Rabbi of Jessore and Tausif Hossain, a resident of city's Dhanmondi, the police official said while addressing a press conference at DMP media centre on Sunday afternoon.

He said: "We found a National identity card in Rabbi's pocket that helped us in identifying him.

"Jessore police had made an anti-militancy poster that contained the pictures and names of some militants from the district. His name is also in the poster," he claimed.

He said four of the nine killed militants at Kalyanpur and Tamim in Narayanganj, were the top leaders of neo-Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (neo-JMB).

He also said, "We think the other militant is Nibras Islam's friend Tausif Hossain but we are not cent percent sure."

"Nibras Islam and Rohan Imtiaz -- two attackers of the Gulshan cafe -- and Tawsif Hossain, a close friend of Nibras, went to Malaysia for higher studies at Monash University. All the three simply went vanished after returning home," the police official said.

Kazi Habibullah, a retired principal of a school in Jessore, identified his son Kazi Fazle Rabbi on Sunday morning.

He said: "I know my son was killed on Saturday. But why not the government is catching those who made my son militant?" Regarding Rabbi's body, he said: "I will obviously receive my son's body." Junnun Sikder, a student of a top private university, Nazibullah Ansari, a marine engineer, and Mohammad Basharuzzaman, a private jobholder, also went to Malaysia and remain traceless.

Nibras Islam, one of the militants who reportedly played leadership role during the hostage crisis at Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1, also went to Monash University after Turkish Hope School in Dhaka.

Monirul Islam said they have also identified eight more militants excluding masterminds Zia, Tamim and Marzan of Gulshan and Sholakia terror attacks.

According to him, Marzan, fluent in English and Arabic languages, used to brainwash new members on behalf of Tanim.

Officer-in-Charge of Narayanganj Police Station Md Asaduzzaman filed a case under Anti Terrorism Act accusing dead militants Tamim, Rabbi and Tausif and several other unidentified persons, said Faruk Hossain, Additional Police Super of the District Special Branch.

The landlord Nuruddin Dewan was shown arrested for not providing the police with the tenants' information, he said.
BCL attacks students, 20 injured

JnU Correspondent :The leaders and the activists of the Jagannath University (JnU) unit of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) attacked the peaceful procession brought out by the Progressive Student Alliances on Sunday at 10.30am oin the campus and left about 20 students injured, 10 of them seriously, including two female students and a journalist. Monirul Islam, a spokesman of the agitating students, said, "JnU unit of the BCL men led by its President FM Shariful Islam and its General Secretary SM Sirajul Islam attacked us and pummeled black and blue when we congregated in front of the university main entrance.""They (BCL men) attacked us calling to wage the movement under their leadership", Monirul said.According to eyewitnesses, several thousand students thronged in front of the university liberation war sculpture and marched towards the university main gate at about 10.00am. But when they reached that gate, the BCL men intercepted and beat them mercilessly. The seriously injured have been identified as Masum Billal Akando, a campus correspondent of an online news portal, Ruhiya Sultana of Bangla Department, Ruhul Amin of Economics Department, Prosenjeet of Mathematics Department, Golam Rabbi of Accounting Information Department, Chaitali Akhter and Animesh Roy of Law Department, the university unit Samajtantrik Chhatra Front President Mujahid Anik, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front (Marxist) President Mehrab Azad, and Bangladesh Chhatra Union President Al Amin. They were treated at local hospitals. Bina Khatun, a protestor, said, "We will continue our demonstration for dormitory despite BCL's hindrance." Meanwhile, an all out strike was observed on the campus on Sunday, classes and examinations were boycotted demanding construction of residential halls in the abandoned land of the Central Jail in Old Dhaka. A solidarity rally with intellectuals, teachers and students was also held in front of the central Shaheed Minar. In the meantime, the JnU Journalist Association (JnUJA) decided to boycott all BCLnews in protest against a brutal attack on a journalist. The decision was taken in an emergency meeting yesterday around 1pm at the JnUJA office.The assault on a journalist was heinous, JnU Proctor Dr Noor Mohammad said, "We will take stern academic action against the guilty ones after receipt of a written complaint in this regard."Rebuffing the allegation, JnU unit BCL General Secretary Sirajul Islam said, "The university units of the left-wing students organizations rather attacked us with the collaboration of Jamat-Shibir men when we formed a human chain near the university Shaheed Minar for construction of halls."About assaulting a journalist, the secretary said that it was nothing but misunderstanding between us. BCL central President Sayfur Rahman Shohag told The New Nation, "We shall keep an eye on the incident and will take punitive action organizationally through fair investigation. In the afternoon, the Progressive Student Alliances, including Samajtantrik Chhatra Front and the Bangladesh Chhatra Union, university units, brought out a procession in the city's Shahbag area in protest against the attack on the agitating students of JnU.Meanwhile, JnU Teachers Association (JnUTA) expressed their solidarity with the movement and at the same time advised the students to attend the classes along with peaceful movement. JnUTA President Professor Dr Kazi Saifuddin said, "We will meet the PM and submit our demands, including students residential halls, in the form of memorandum."Since August 1, the JnU students have been demonstrating for allotment of lands on the abandoned premises of Central Jail in Old Dhaka for residential halls named after Bangabandhu and four National Leaders.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The United Nations has called on the Zimbabwean government to respect people's rights, saying the international organisation was "closely monitoring the country's situation".This comes as Zimbabwe's political and economic crisis is deepening, with people taking to the streets demanding President Robert Mugabe's immediate resignation.Police have unsuccessfully tried to quash the protests by brutally attacking protestors.Responding to journalists during a briefing at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday, the organisation's secretary-general Ban Ki Moon's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric expressed concern over police brutality in Zimbabwe."We're obviously watching the situation in Zimbabwe very closely. We urge the authorities, the government of Zimbabwe, to ensure that people's right to peaceful protest and assembly be fully respected," he said."Steph, the Zimbabwe police today (Friday) put down violently a court-sanctioned protest calling for electoral reforms. Part of those petitions are that the UN observe elections in 2018. What are your thoughts on how the police reacted to that, to this protest?" a journalist had asked Dujarric.Western embassies, among them the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union, Canada and Australia have condemned the police's heavy-handed and violent approach in dealing with protestors.Opposition parties, activists as well as citizens have also petitioned the UN secretary-general and called on the African Union and Sadc to intervene in the escalating Zimbabwean crisis.One of the activists pushing to the UN, Fransica Mandeya, told our sister paper the Daily News recently that she was doing everything possible to get the Zimbabwean story on the international spotlight and at the forthcoming general assembly in September."Our move is to garner support from the international media and to use all avenues on social media to ensure that Ban Ki Moon is personally aware of the petition and pressure keeps mounting," she said.There are calls for Sadc to put Zimbabwe on the agenda at the Swaziland summit next week.The Elders  who include former UN secretary-general Koffi Annan, Desmond Tutu and Graca Machel - have written to Sadc calling on the regional block to intervene in the Zimbabwean crisis and facilitate a smooth transition of power, as the "Mugabe must go" chorus gets louder.
Verdict on Mir Quasem's plea tomorrow

Staff Reporter : The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court (SC) fixed Tuesday to deliver the verdict of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Mir Quasem Ali seeking review of its earlier verdict that upheld his death penalty for crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971. A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha fixed the date after conclusion of the arguments placed by both the prosecution and the defence of the review appeal. Khandker Mahbub Hossain, Chief Defence Counsel of Mir Quasem Ali said, "The prosecution could not prove that Mir Quasem Ali himself was involved with the murder of Freedom Fighter Jasim at Dalim Hotel in Chittagong. As it was not proved that he was the prime offender, the capital punishment could be reduced." "Mir Quasem Ali is a social worker. He did many beneficiary activities for the society. He is a well known personality in the country as well as in the world," said Khandker Mahbub. Chief Justice expressed his disappointment with the efficiency of the prosecutor and urged the government to appoint apt prosecutors for the very sensitive cases as the verdicts would be discussed at home and abroad. Attorney General Mabubey Alam represented the State. "Mir Quasem Ali was all in all at the Dalim Hotel. Whatever happened there, it was his direction. The defence cannot deny that. We hope that the earlier verdict will be upheld," he said to the reporters. The former Al-Badr commander was found guilty by the International Crimes Tribunal-2 (ICT-2) and the death penalty was awarded on November 2, 2014. The court found him guilty in 10 charges out of 14. The SC released the full text of its verdict upholding the death penalty awarded by the ICT-2.He filed an appeal with the SC challenging the verdict on November 30, 2014. Barrister Mir Ahmed Bin Quasem, son of Mir Quasem Ali, filed a 68-page review petition with the Appellate Division seeking acquittal on June 19 this year. The apex court held a hearing on the review and fixed August 30 to deliver the review verdict. Once the review petition is resolved and the death sentence is upheld, Mir Quasem Ali will have the opportunity to seek a presidential clemency. If rejected, the government will order the jail authority to execute the verdict. Mir Quasem was the third important functionary after Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami and Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid. Both Nizami and Mujahid were executed for their crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War in 1971. Police arrested him from his 'Naya Diganta' newspaper officer hours after the tribunal issued arrest warrant on June 17, 2012. Top Jamaat-e-Islami financier was the President of the Chittagong town unit of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of Jamaat-e-Islam till November 6, 1971. He was then made general secretary of the East Pakistan Chhatra Sangha.
Habitual defaulters

Banks rescheduled Tk 26,308 cr bad loans last year

Habitual defaulters with no intention to pay back have reportedly been able to reschedule a big amount of their bad loans last year under a 'special policy' offered by the central bank.

Banks have altogether rescheduled Tk 26,308 crore in bad loans in 2015 taking advantage of the special loan rescheduled policy, official sources said.

The central bank offered the policy under the pressure of a powerful quarter comprising big borrowers and business tycoons, leaving the corresponding banks with nothing to recover their outstanding loans piled up over the years.

"Banks have apparently failed to recover money from the 'Habitual defaulters' as they are influential in political circles and bureaucracy, and have the money power to fight long legal battles," Dr Salehuddin Ahmed, a former Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor, told The New Nation yesterday.

Terming the BB's special loan rescheduled policy as a 'pervasive incentive' for the 'Habitual defaulters,' Dr Salehuddin Ahmed said BB should not provide such a facility when the banking sector is sinking due to large loan scandals and growing default culture.

He observed that the commercial banks, especially state-owned ones, are finding it hard to recover bad loans from the influential borrowers due mainly to management inefficiency and corruption.

"Recovery of the bank's money will require coordinated action among the central bank, other sector regulators and the government. The BB, as the banking regulator, should take the initiative," suggested Dr Salehuddin Ahmed.

The former BB Governor also mentioned that the banks are now grappling with huge defaulted loans and the situation is particularly grim at the public commercial banks.

"The main cause of the rising defaults at public banks is that the loans were given through anomalies and political influence. Besides, the loans were never monitored and actions taken against the defaulters to realise the outstanding loans," he added.

According to the latest BB data, banks have altogether reported Tk 63,365 crore defaults amount which is 10.06 per cent of their total outstanding loans.

"Habitual defaulters always escape from pay off bank money using their political influence and money power. Sometimes policies of the central bank also help them to do such bad practices," Dr Ibrahim Khaled, a former BB deputy governor, told The New Nation yesterday.

He said, "Our recent experience suggested that banks always try to facilitate big borrowers and corporate groups by allowing multiple rescheduling for a longer period. They later turned into habitual or willfull defaulters taking advantage of the facility".

They should not be allowed to do such unethical practices because it is depriving the honest borrowers as well as eroding financial health of the financial institutions. They should be brought under the book to ensure discipline in the banking sector, said Dr Ibrahim Khaled.

"It's high time that the government, the judiciary and the BB to come out with a plan of action on how to deal with habitual defaulters. On top of this, a strong political will of the government is necessary to come out from the growing default culture, recovery of money from the defaulters and ensure stability of the banking sector," he suggested.


Kerry may place new proposal on militancy

Dhaka considers Tamim chapter a big success in curbing terrorism

Sagar Biswas :US Secretary of State John Forbes Kerry arrives in Dhaka today [Monday] in a brief visit to discuss important bilateral and regional issues, especially the militancy problem, in the perspective of current global situation.It will be his first official visit to Bangladesh after sworn in as Secretary of State in 2013. He will leave for New Delhi the same day.Earlier on May, 2012, the then Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, now U.S. President Candidate, had visited Bangladesh. Foreign Office sources said a special aircraft carrying Kerry and members of his entourage from Geneva will land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 9:25am. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali will receive Kerry at the VVIP terminal of the airport. He will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter's office at noon to discuss development, militancy, security and human rights. At the same time, the Bangladesh-US cooperation on international issues will also get priority in the talks.Meanwhile, the visit of Kerry is getting high importance against the backdrop of rising militancy in Bangladesh and other south Asian countries. Especially, the killings of militant kingpin Bangladesh origin Canadian national Tamim Chowdhury and his two accomplices in Naraynaganj on Saturday, just 48 hours before Kerry's visit, will be added as a plus point from Bangladesh side during talks with the US counterpart, diplomatic sources said.The Bangladesh government is also considering it as a great success in curbing militancy. The high-ups of the government have appreciated the police department for the success. The Canadian government has also been informed about the killing of Tamim, and keeping close touch with Dhaka for more information, said a statement issued by Global Affairs Canada. "I think there will be new proposals from John Kerry on behalf of the US government to tackle militancy and terrorism," US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat said on Sunday.She, however, did not elaborate the matter. "This visit [of Kerry] will open a door for cooperation," Bernicat said.Diplomatic sources said, the US government at present is laying emphasis on close-relations with other countries, particularly on militancy issue. In line with the policy, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal visited Bangladesh after July 1 Gulshan terror attack to see the condition. As per programme, the democrat politician Kerry, who assumed office as 68th Secretary of State, will hold bilateral talks with Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at the State Guesthouse Padma at 1.15 pm.The Bangladesh Foreign Minister will host a lunch in honour of his US counterpart following the bilateral talks. Besides, he will also meet with professional groups, civil society members and media personalities to exchange views. He is scheduled to visit Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at 11:30am to pay homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. According to website of the US Embassy in Dhaka, Kerry will visit K-TEX, a garment factory at Shewrapara in the city's Mirpur at 3:00pm and Edward Kennedy Centre [EMK] at MIDAS Centre in Dhanmondi at 4:00 pm. He will also visit the residence of US Ambassador in Dhaka and Chancery Complex of US Embassy in Dhaka at 5.05 pm.The US Secretary of State will leave for New Delhi at 6.40pm the same day.A State Department release said Kerry will be in New Delhi on August 29-31 to co-chair the regular US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Kerry and US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker will meet with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as well as other officials from both sides.
People must be empowered to know who is killing whom

It is a welcome development that the governments of the United States of America and India are keen to be actively engaged in our problem concerning terrorism.The influence of India alone proved not enough to put things right notwithstanding the fact that its relationship with present government is the closest ever. It should not be unknown to India that the present crisis is part of a bigger crisis. The true motive behind terrorism remains shrouded.We do not fight terrorism to make life unsafe for others. The best solution is to trust and empower the people to do their best to own their country for overcoming the crisis. As against aggressive policing to fight terrorism the people have to be assured greater access to information to know who is killing whom.The US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit is considered significant depending on the nature of cooperation that can be established between the two countries. One thing should be clear during his short visit that knowing the truth is not easy. There are too many elements to misguide the government. It is also not clear as to who does what.While fighting terrorism we do not want to see the people denied of the rule of law under the protection of human rights. To live without protection of life and liberty in the midst of gross human rights violations does not make fighting terrorism worth the effort. Life has no value to terrorists, but we cannot say the same thing about ourselves. We value life. The issues of liberty and security under the rule of law has to be an important consideration. We have to remind all that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.There is no one-sided answer to the circumstances contributing to the current trend of terrorist kind of attacks. Terrorism for what, is deceptively unclear.After the attack in a Gulshan Cafe House in the capital with the killing of all the 6 involved university students it became clear that the cause of terrorism is complicated. Another set of young students, numbering 9, were killed as terrorists at Kallyanpur near Dhaka. Last Saturday three suspected terrorists including one whom the police sources described as mastermind was killed in Narayanganj.The bureaucracy dominated internal politics of the country relying on aggressive policing has added to the conspiratorially nature of terrorism. Contradictions about the explanations of who is how involved in terrorism are abound. The anger of younger generation as main victims of aggressive police power cannot be ruled out. The young ones as terrorist suspects have either been killed, detained or found missing. Certainly, this is a terrible situation for many parents. If open trials were taking place the general public would have known what is what and how best to meet the insanity of terrorism.Our belief is that terrorism of our country is not that grave as it looks from outside because our people are peace-loving and democratic. Our people are also religiously tolerant. There is an easy solution but solution must be sought openly and without delay.In our view the decision of the government to seek international cooperation is the right decision because even home-grown terrorism may not be all internal. Besides, we do not want our terrorism, perceived or real, to be exploited as international terrorism.The question most pertinent and needs to be considered seriously is: if lawlessness and heavy-handed use of police power are not at the root of home-grown terrorism.The Supreme Court in a recent judgement issued directions not to arrest anybody without court's warrant or in plain clothes. It also restricted the power of police remand. But that is going mostly unnoticed.But the police seem also under heavy pressure resulting in arrests without warrant go on, disappearances are frequent and hundreds of detainees suffer imprisonment without trial and without bail for months and years together. All in the name of suspicion for terrorism.Nevertheless, it is not doubted that however hard the police may be trying to fight terrorism they cannot alone be successful. The political leadership and popular support have to join together.Extra-judicial killing denies protection of life and negation of the justice system. The killing of an alleged terrorist is no proof that he was the true terrorist in the eye of law. That is why even those killed in crossfire there has to be court proceedings to prove that wrong persons have not been killed for wrong or presumed allegation. The police also know that truth about one's guilt needs to be established in a court of law. The public faith in police is to be fostered by making them accountable under the rule of law for every loss of life.Our national identity as a moderate Muslim democratic people is under threat. Our Liberation War for democracy is being given a different name. Now democracy itself is facing crisis in Bangladesh and efforts are afoot to prepare the country for authoritarianism of socialist kind. Such an attempt was made once before though failed tragically.The people cannot be helpless spectators when their children are suspected as terrorists and killed. The government needs people's support and cooperation to fight terrorism.Our Constitution guarantees that nobody's life can be taken without due process of law. The people must be assured of life free from fear.The best way to empower the people is to ensure freedom of the press and the government to be open and bound by democratic accountability.
The Undead Archives

I have finally salvaged my pre-Blogger TDR archives and added them into Blogger. They are almost totally in the form of one giant post for each month. And the formatting strayed from the originals. Sorry. But historians everywhere can rejoice that this treasure trove of my thoughts is restored to the world.
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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine 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
News / National

by Staff reporter

President Robert Mugabe has been slammed over his decision to fly to Kenya amid deadly protests that have rocked the country.Mugabe left for Nairobi on Friday to attend the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad).Prior to his departure, there were running battles between police and protestors  who were participating in the National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera) mega demonstration demanding that Mugabe and his government fix the ailing economy and effect electoral reforms before the 2018 elections.Nera is a grouping of 13 opposition parties.People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Tendai Biti said 92-year-old Mugabe was "divorced from reality" and probably the only president in the world who would have the audacity to leave the country under the present circumstances."Zimbabweans live in their own world different to Mugabe's which only exists in his mind. He doesn't quite comprehend the fact that Zimbabweans are protesting because they are angry," Biti told the Daily News on Sunday yesterday."Those in the medical fraternity will tell you that the condition is called reality distorted field. It is a condition in which one is divorced from the reality around him and Mugabe is now in that condition where he does not even understand the seriousness of the protesters and that Zimbabweans are angry hence there is a need to subject him to medical examination," the former Finance minister said.Joice Mujuru-led Zimbabwe People First (ZPF) spokesperson, Jealous Mawarire, described Mugabe as a selfish leader."We have observed in the past two years or so that Mugabe uses foreign travel as some form of escapism . . . meant to give him a break from the harsh realities emanating from his evidently failed administration," he said.He added that Mugabe's penchant for foreign travel at a time his presence is most needed in the country has led to conclusions that "the trips are now part of the looting routes that the regime has devised for its president and his acolytes"."Why is it that at a time civil servants' salaries are erratically paid, the only consistently funded government expenditure relates to the president's foreign travel, even when the travels have absolutely no benefit to our bilateral relations with the visited States or investment opportunities derived from the same?"Before leaving the country, Mugabe insisted that his government had not done anything wrong, heaping the blame for the country's economic situation at the door step of Western countries instead."Even if our economy is not doing well, do you have to go in the streets and even burn some of those very little shops that people are depending on? Burn their cars in the streets, burn their shops, do you have to do that? To gain what? To gain power?" Mugabe asked rhetorically during a press briefing before his departure.Political analyst Maxwell Saungweme said Mugabe and his Zanu PF party seemingly contemptuous attitude towards the grievances of Zimbabweans was because "the regime is in denial"."Change is here and the earlier they smell the coffee the better. Otherwise they will go the way many such regimes have gone," he said.
News / Press Release

by Israel Dube

Sad news reaching MLO is that On Saturday morning 27 August 2016 heavily armed members of Zimbabwe Republic Police Law and Order section and Zimbabwe s Central Intelligence Organisations descended at number 18 Fourth Avenue Woodville Bulawayo, the home of Cde Paul Siwela for the umpteenth time.The gun totting bunch arrived at Cde Siwela's home around 10:00 Yesterday morning driving a green Land Rover, Defender, without registration numbers and found his daughter who was home at the time.They demanded to know where Cde Paul Siwela was and when she explained that he never came back since he left in 2013, they got angry and became more hostile in their interrogation. They started to falsely accuse the family of not reporting Cde Paul Siwela's presence at his mother's funeral and leaking their previous raids of the house to the media.After threatening and ordering that their raids must be kept secret they proceeded to ransack the house without a search warrant.MLO Supreme Council is greatly disturbed by these incessant unannounced and illegal visits that violate Cde Siwela family peace more so during their time of mourning the loss of Cde Siwela' s mother.Surprisingly they were asking Cde Siwela's family why they did not report his presence during the funeral yet they were there through out the funeral wake and burial.Can the Zimbabwe authorities tell us which law in their country says that if an individual is accused of treason, his children or family must suffer the consequences and why it only applies to Cde Paul Siwela and Matebeles?The apartheid system of Zimbabwe breaks its own laws to punish or even kill innocent Matebeles .In 2008 MDC T President, Morgan Tsvangirai, fearing for his life, found refuge at the Dutch Embassy and Botswana. His house was not raided and his family not harassed.Joyce Mujuru was accused of plotting to assassinate President Robert Mugabe using hired hitman and witch doctors from Nigeria. Besides the government of Zimbabwe having evidence that Nicholus Goche went as far as South Africa and Israel looking for experienced assassins to bring down President Mugabe , both Joyce Mujuru and Nicholus Goche were not charged let alone questioned and their families were not touched.War vets leaders, Victor Matemandanda and Douglas Mahiya were accused of writing a treasonous communique but they were given a lenient charge of undermining the authority of the president. And again no one touched their families.Morgan Tsvangirai and Joyce Mujuru are walking free and continue to lead violent ant- government mobs that are burning police vehicles, looting and burning shops. We wonder what was going to happen if Cde Paul Siwela was the one leading those violent mobs!Why is the government of Zimbabwe after Cde Paul Siwela's life and tormenting his family even at funerals? One thing clear is that, the government of Zimbabwe treats Shonas differently from Matebeles.MLO Supreme Council demands that the humiliation, persecution and harassment of Cde Paul Siwela, his family and Matebeles at large must stop here and now. We wonder if it is still application of law or declaration of war. If it is indeed, declaration of war the government of Zimbabwe must inform us so that we prepare ourselves for the battle.We wish to inform and advise the government of Zimbabwe that MLO Supreme Council and entire membership stands shoulder to shoulder with cde Paul Siwela in his demands for the restoration of Matebeleland Statehood and that this demand must be effected by 2018 without fail.Izenzo kungemazwi!Israel DubeMLO Secretary for Information and Public Affairs
A place to exercise ideas before writing about them with greater discipline.
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.
Businesses, organizations and local government officials are invited to attend a free workshop to learn critical information about reducing the risks their organizations face when disaster strikes.

Disaster Risk Reduction is Everybodys Business! is the title of the workshop to be from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. Sept. 21 at the Carbondale Civic Center.

Workshop participants will learn how to limit disaster losses and speed recovery efforts, and will walk away with tools to aid in this effort. The keynote speaker for the workshop will be Mark Keim, CEO of DisasterDoc, and a world-renowned expert on disaster risk reduction. Keim is a Southern Illinois native and survivor of the 1982 Marion tornado, who went on to become an emergency room physician and then a high level advisor with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

The workshop will also feature a session on business continuity planning, as well as a panel of local business representatives who will share their experience on bouncing back from fires, floods, and other disasters.

The workshop is sponsored by the Jackson County Health Department, with funding provided by a MRC Challenge award from the National Association of County & City Health Officials, and the Shawnee Preparedness and Response Coalition.

For details, visit drr.eventbrite.com or contact Terry Fulk at Jackson County Health Department at 618-684-3143, ext. 136.

 The Southern
Shop Southern Illinois, a cooperative effort of 17 local chambers of commerce, placed second in the third annual national Chamber Innovation Award Competition, a program which celebrates and shares inventive ideas from chambers across the nation.

Shop Southern Illinois featured a website where area residents could learn some of the reasons why it is important for Southern Illinoisans to shop locally and where they could take an online pledge to do most of their own holiday shopping in the region. By making the pledge, participants were entered in weekly drawings to win prizes which were donated by businesses.
Numerous residents told HUD they didnt want to move. Dont do this. Its wrong, man, one resident told them. You dont know what were going through because you're not from here, said another, noting he has lived in Cairo since the 1950s and doesnt intend to live elsewhere. Stop moving our people out of town. Build something new here.
The University Museum has 70,000 objects now and donors are still adding more. Since Southern Illinois Normal University opened its door in 1874, the University Museum has been collecting from near and far, from distinguished faculty, alumni and area residents. Its collections range from a 300 million year old fossil to a 2016 art glass work by an SIU student; from a birch bark canoe to a one-horse open sleigh; and from a Moog Synthesizer to a tintype of Abraham Lincoln.

The University Museums many artifacts help tell the story of the world around us, past and present, for the entire region. Sometimes surprising, the museums holdings run the gamut from a Sioux buffalo robe to a World Trade Center artifact; from a medieval manuscript to World War II shell casings; and from Brent Kingtons blacksmithing legacy to Andy Warhols prints.

Where else can you find objects from artists like Renoir, Dali and Monet, as well as a cheetah skin from Africa? From a yam mask to the death mask of Dylan Thomas? Or from a Southern Illinois Civil War drum to an Indian sitar?

The University Museum has for 142 years shared exciting objects and exhibits with the Southern Illinois region. Its educational programming has reached into all corners of Southern Illinois, particularly its 30-year history of presenting the Arts Education Festival that has grown to a two day event and reaches 3,000 Southern Illinois elementary students. The museum has not only taken its art and artifacts into schools, but it has presented the work of many school students. In the spring semester of 2017, the University Museum will feature the work of art teacher Jeremy Crawford and that of his students at Cobden High School. Last year, the museum presented the students of Zeigler-Royalton High School.

With the State of Illinois bicentennial coming up in 2018, the University Museum is working on a new Southern Illinois Gallery. There is always something new to see at the University Museum. I hope to see you there. Remember, it is free and open to all. The regular hours are Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is located in the north end of Faner Hall at Door 12. For additional information, please call 618-4535388 or check out their website: www.museum.siu.edu.
Opinion / Columnist

EACH time Noah Mbira whose Chimurenga name was Chemist Ncube sat down to continue his shocking narration during the liberation struggle, he would first demand to be given time to pay respects to the country's spirit mediums and his fellow comrades. "Please bear with me I am dealing with things beyond me. I want to thank Mbuya Nehanda, Sekuru Chaminuka, Sekuru Kaguvi and all spirit mediums of this country. If it wasn't for them I wouldn't be here today. Mudzimu nditungamirei nditaure this story, nditaure the truth and nothing but the truth." The narration below will make you understand why Chemist had to ask the spirit mediums to guide him during this interview.During our last interview with Chemist, he had narrated his three torturous years at the war front and we ended the interview after he had been taken to the rear in Zambia after being injured during a battle with the Rhodesian forces. Chemist is one of the few remaining comrades who were accused of being part of the notorious Badza-Nhari rebellion which was accused of trying to topple the Zanu leadership in Zambia in 1974. In this no-holds barred interview with our team comprising Munyaradzi Huni and Tendai Manzvazvike, Chemist does not mince his words and makes no apology as he narrates how he was ill-treated at the rear by Gava (Zvinavashe) and how he survived a shoot-out at Tongogara's house.He narrates how together with Badza and others they were lured into a trap and were later captured at Kaswende adding "so we were captured at Kaswende and takatambwa bhora kuita kunge usisiri munhu." Read on SM: Thank you Chemist for your time. Now let's continue your story during the liberation struggle. After being injured at the war front, you were taken to the rear in Zambia. Tell us what the situation was like at the rear.Chemist: What I saw at the rear was something very different from my experiences at the war front. December 1974, the time of detente. During this time some political detainees in Salisbury had already been released. At the war front, the Rhodesian forces were intensifying the war. Before this, when I was about to leave the war front, I remember the Smith regime had made an appeal to the Frelimo commander at Mukumbura to have dialogue or talks with the Zanla freedom fighters. With the advice of Josiah Tungamirai I was then ordered to go to the rear because I had been injured and I went back to the rear with my assistant Gaddafi. I was taken to Tete for treatment. Later on I was taken to Lusaka and to be honest with you I wasn't really treated well. There was no urgency at all to treat me.Whilst in Lusaka, at Number 93, I didn't know what was happening at the rear when Cdes Badza, Nhari and quite a number of commanders including Cephas arrived at the house. They came on a truck and said to me 'as you are aware, the armament situation at the war front is bad, so we need to meet the High Command and upraise them on the situation face to face.' They said they had written reports about the situation but nothing had happened.As you recall, I told you my situation in relation to my operations where I said at some stage there was really need for better armament. We were using light weapons and the enemy was well-prepared for the war and by this time reconnaissance was no longer an issue because we were now living with the Rhodesian forces and it was now atangirwa, atangirwa. In some cases we would be five kilometres apart or even less.I spoke about the Magunje attack. It was hardly three kilometres away. The Rhodesians came with strong airpower and we lost quite a number of comrades. So all these were developments at the forefront touched every fighter that we shouldn't be losing life like this. There was a clear need for us to improve our ammunition, strategy and tactics but still using guerrilla warfare because it was the backbone of the operation. But we had to give more support to all the groups at the front. I mean materiel support and reinforcements.So this was the theme and basis of this meeting that Badza and Nhari were calling for. When these comrades told me this, I had no qualms with the meeting.SM: You had fully recovered by now?Chemist: No, not even. Nobody had really taken good care of me. I had stayed for almost a week at Number 93 with no proper reception, yet I was not well. So the comrades called for this meeting and they said they wanted to meet Tongo. The following day, they met Tongo at some place, called Chainama in Lusaka. This meeting with Tongo was attended by Cdes Badza, Nhari and Ceasar. The rest of us including Cephas were not in that meeting.SM: You were at this venue but outside?Chemist: Yes, we were outside. The meeting itself was held outside some bar and we were outside the venue itself.SM: You were outside, but were you aware of the agenda?Chemist: All I knew was that they wanted to discuss the situation at the war front. I didn't care about my injuries because to me this was an important meeting. Whatever they spoke about, it was agreed that Tongo was going to China and on his return a further meeting was to be arranged. After this meeting we went to Chifombo and a few days later, I think a week or so we came back to Lusaka. We went to Number 93 and when we got there, I was asked to get into Mataure's car. It was a Renault 404 type. I got into this car with my gun and sat in front. Badza was seated at the back. The rest of the team including Nhari were in another truck. The story was that we were going to meet Tongo again. We drove to Tongo's house around 10pm.SM: So Tongo had already gone to China?Chemist: Yes, according to reports. So on approaching Tongo's house and I didn't know this was his house because I knew him staying at Number 93. So on approaching his house, someone from outside the house fired a gun at us. We later discovered it was the Zambian police. I quickly slipped out of Mataure's car. As a fighter I had to quickly come out of it, but we never returned fire. When I got out followed by Badza, we escaped but the rest were under siege. I didn't know Lusaka that much except at Number 93 so I had to follow Badza who knew the Zambian situation well. Remember I told you Badza was my provincial commander at the war front. He was one of those courageous people. He would come all the way to Madziva which I had opened in May 1973. He came in August so I knew him very well, but I was wondering, why the shooting? The following morning, we went to some hiding place with the intention to meet Rex Nhongo as Badza had told me. I think this was somewhere in Mumbwa. That evening, came a suggestion from Badza who said 'cant we write to the chairman, Chitepo about our situation.SM: Let's pose a bit Chemist. You had gone to the war front and you had risen to become a provincial commander. Now comrade, you tell us as these comrades were taking you around you didn't suspect anything and didn't ask anything?Chemist: I was the provincial security officer. These comrades could have been scared to tell me the truth. I later learnt that the time I left Chifombo for Lusaka, this team had already abducted Ndangana, Chimurenga and Gava. They took them across Zambezi to Teresera base in Mozambique. Josiah Tungamirai was also taken I think. Even when we went into hiding, Badza expressed ignorance of what was happening even though he suggested to me that the situation was deteriorating, leading him to suggest that we had to write a letter to chairman Chitepo.SM: Was anybody injured during the shoot-out at Tongo's house?Chemist: I don't know what happened there. I can only explain how we came out of that situation.SM: You saying nothing, nothing was explained to you comrade?Chemist: No.SM: As a trained and experienced soldier, didn't you see that there was something wrong? The Zambian police couldn't just start shooting at you.Chemist: Yes, you see there is something that has gone totally wrong. As a soldier, you don't just act haphazardly. You have to weigh the situation. You have to understand what is happening. After the shooting, it was now a different story. Things had really gone wrong but I had no clue what exactly was going on. I didn't have anyone to ask for information. From training in Kongwa in 1972, straight to Chifombo, all the three years at the war front I had never came back to the rear. My appointments came through my superiors, my provincial commanders and one of them was Badza. There was also Nhari and Chimedza. When Badza suggested that we write to the chairman, though I had suspicion that something wrong was happening, I agreed with the idea. I thought by doing so we would quickly have dialogue because the shooting at Tongo's house spelt out that there was something wrong.SM: Comrade, help us understand this and sorry for going over and over the same issue. Shots are fired at you and you think of escaping without asking what was going on? Yes, Badza and Nhari were senior to you but Tongo was more senior to all of them. You still failed to find someone to ask?Chemist: As I told you, I am now put in the front position of the car. Being the security person, what I suspect is that I was being used as a decoy. I was a decoy that whenever Tongo saw me, he would easily embrace me.SM: What do you think could have happened if the Zambian police had not fired at you at Tongo's house?Chemist: As I said earlier on, the first meeting that happened between them, I was not in. By this time, Tongo knew of the activities of this group because like I said they had already captured Ndangana, Chimurenga and others in Lusaka. But I was not aware of all this. After that meeting, I think they both knew what was happening. Remember I told you that at some point, Gava didn't give me a good reception.SM: You see comrade, that was another red flag. Because of this someone would think, you joined this group because first you knew the desperate situation at the front as you told us, you were not given proper treatment and Gava didn't give you a good reception. So now was retaliation time?Chemist: No, not even. As I told you, when they approached me, there were other injured comrades, like Tamai. My story is that I was taken as a decoy. They didn't see me as part and parcel of their plan. Whatever I met thereafter, I met it as a soldier and I had to analyse the situation. I think when the shooting occurred, it was too late for me to do otherwise. I was already in the thick of things.SM: Did you feel trapped?Chemist: Yes, I felt trapped but there was no way back. Looking from Tongo's High Command position, the position must have been that all the commanders from the war front were out there to oust them. To oust the leadership. So when we went to this hiding place, which was very close to the Zanu farm, Badza knew exactly what was happening. He decided that we write that letter to the chairman. And yes, we did that. We wrote to the chairman and I was asked to deliver that letter to the Zanu Lusaka Town office.SM: What did you write in that letter?Chemist: It was just an appeal that can the chairman sit down with the High Command and the commanders from the front to find a solution to the problems at the war front. It was a straight forward letter, despite the fact that Badza knew what had happened. He never revealed to me a thing. Even the abduction of these other comrades. So I delivered the letter and on delivery, I was sent with another old man, he was known to Badza.SM: So the two of you are crafting this letter and still you know nothing about what's exactly going on?Chemist: Yes. Badza stuck to the story that 'you know how bad the situation is at the war front'. This was no time to ask many questions. I had no other solutions, except to see the realisation of this meeting. It was quite a difficult situation. Remember I told you that by this time the High Command was thinking that every commander from the front was part of this move to oust them. I have no remorse about the decisions I made because I was already in the thick of things. My experience taught me to always exhaust a situation until you find a way out. So the High Command knew what had happened, especially the capture of those comrades. Actually, I was later to discover that the first meeting happened when already these comrades, Ndangana, Chimurenga, Tungamirai and Gava had already been abducted. So even when they went for this first meeting at Chainama, Tongo knew what had happened.Like I told you I was not in that meeting but they told me that they had agreed to meet again. When we were going for that second meeting, that is when the shoot-out happened. As we went, I was seated in front with Mataure and I didn't suspect anything. He was my senior and commissar of the party. So really it was a dicey situation for me.SM: Ok, let's continue with the story. You delivered this letter at the Zanu town office in Lusaka, then what?Chemist: When I got to the town office, I went in and informed the people who were there that I had a letter to deliver to the chairman. I told the girls who were manning the office that I wanted to speak to the chairman. I was given a phone and a number to call. I dialled the number and somebody from the other end answered the phone. The person told me that the chairman was in a meeting. I told this person who never identified himself about the letter and he told me to leave the letter at the office. On my way out, I tried to open the door and it was now locked. I asked the girls what had happened. I was very suspicious because clearly I was now trapped.SM: You still had your gun?Chemist: Yes, I had my pistol. I asked who was outside the door and I was told it was Chigohwe. He was in charge of security in the High Command. The girls told me to use the back door and I used the back door. I came out and saw Chigohwe leaning against the front door. I just walked away but I knew I was in trouble. Chigohwe was taken by surprise. He tried to follow me but I took to my heels.SM: Comrade, you have been sent with a letter and as you deliver the letter you discover that you have been trapped in this office. You use the back door to sneak out. Earlier on, you said you didn't have anywhere or anyone to ask what was going on. Now here was an opportunity for you to understand what was going on but still you leave this office without seeking to understand what was going on. Why? This gives the impression that indeed you were part of the Badza-Nhari group.Chemist: You actually could be right looking at it now. But like I told you, after the shooting, the situation had changed. Of course the letter was appealing for dialogue, but now I was locked inside the office. Like any military man, being captured was out of the question. I knew this was no longer a friendly atmosphere. I knew this was now confrontation. When I saw Chigohwe standing outside, I knew he was a ruthless person and I wasn't going to wait for him to capture me. Like I said, after the shoot-out at Tongo's house, I was already deeply involved.SM: Did you know what you were deeply involved in?Chemist: In military terms, once you face a shooting, things have changed. Its time for survival. I had been used as a decoy and I could have been shot seated in the front of the car. Now after escaping, like I told you I had been driven to the town office by a certain old man who was known by Badza. I had left him waiting for me at some service station.SM: Why did you leave him at the service station?Chemist: That was my gate away car. I knew anything could happen to me.SM: Uumm, Chemist, I don't get this at all. You have written a letter calling for dialogue and you knew nothing about the Badza-Nhari rebellion, so why the gate away car? You wanted to get away from who?Chemist: It looks so simple talking about it now. People have fired at you. Do you really know the composition?SM: Well, I don't know the composition but that's not the reason why you now have to gate away from anything and everyone.Chemist: In military terms, once someone fires at you, it suggests a different scenario altogether. You now have to be cautious with everyone. I told you that the moment I sat in front of the car as a decoy, anything could have happened to me. Remember I am here to explain this because I survived this shoot-out. I could have died. We can have a lot of assumptions today but I had to do the best I could at the time.SM: Fair and fine, but leaving the gate-away car at the service station gives the impression you now knew what was going on.Chemist: No. I said I went to the town office and was received. When I was trying to come out of the office, I found the door locked. Now having been at Tongo's house, shots are fired at you, I think I was behaving the way a soldier should under the circumstances. Let's go through this story you will eventually understand me better.SM: Ok, you can continue.Chemist: So I got into this car at the service station and Chigohwe kept coming. As we were trying to drove off, he was actually very close. I got out of the car and ran away. Chigohwe stopped this oldman who was driving the car. He started asking him where I had gone to. He looked around but couldn't see me. I had dashed just opposite the service station. The way Chigohwe was hunting for me, I knew I was in serious danger. No matter how innocent I was, I took a decision that I would not surrender.Chigohwe later walked back to the office, I got into the car and the oldman drove me to the hiding place. I got there and told Badza what had happened. He said ok. After a while he said let's go to the shops. We were supposed to meet Rex Nhongo. Around 3pm we went to one of the bars at the nearby shops. Nobody came. We returned to our hiding place.The following morning, around 9am we returned to the same bar hoping to meet Nhongo.SM: Comrade, you were now staying at this hideout, you were a veteran of the struggle  why didn't you ask what all this was all about?Chemist: Ndakanga ndatonyura kare by this time. I know it sounds queer, but when you are a military man, especially a security man you don't jeopardise your life unnecessarily. Shots were fired at us and I could have died. This was now a struggle within a struggle. We can make assumptions here and so on but I am not apologising for my actions. I was a military man in a situation. I had to do the best I could.I told you Gava had not received me well when I got to Chifombo despite the fact that I was injured. I stayed for days without receiving medical treatment and this pained me a lot. Clearly I wasn't welcome at the rear.So I am not going to apologize that I found myself in this situation.SM: You are not apologising because you were in it unknowingly or you are not apologising because you just won't apologize?Chemist: I am not apologising because I didn't know the situation. But I need to emphasise the point that the need to meet the high command was there because of the situation at the war front. I was at the rear because I had been injured. I should have been at the war front and I wouldn't have faced this situation. I had been at the war front for three years and I had executed so many battles and had produced lots of results at the front, including recruitment and the establishment of Zanu and Zanla in Mt Darwin. That shouldn't be taken away from me. It wasn't a joke to be at the war front.After I got injured, I got to Chifombo and I am sent to Chipata for medication but didn't receive proper treatment. I told you I fainted with pain. Later I asked to be taken to a better hospital and there is no urgency to get me treated. Gava ignored me and it took Cephas to assist me. Earlier on, Cephas had said I should persuade Gava to transfer me to Lusaka, but was I supposed to persuade him?SM: Clearly, this is a situation that made you very, very angry. What would you say if someone say because of this anger you decided to join the Badza-Nhari rebellion?Chemist: These comrades were not trying to help me. They were talking about the situation at the front. Up to now I am hundred percent and absolutely sure that there was the need to meet the High Command over the situation at the war front. Whoever was at the rear had to respond to the demands at the war front.SM: Let me take you back a bit comrade. When Cdes Badza and others came to where you were in Lusaka, you said your injuries had not yet healed. Now how come instead of taking you to hospital, these comrades thought of taking you to their meetings?Chemist: When they asked me to join them, the thinking was that after the meeting I would go back to Number 93 and receive treatment. But then the biggest misnomer is that I had stayed at Number 93 for days without receiving any treatment. Why was it supposed to be Badza and his team who were supposed to take me to hospital? There were people who had that responsibility in Lusaka. Why were they not doing their job?SM: We wouldn't know. Now let's go back to the day you were trying to meet Nhongo?Chemist: We waited for him at the bar and he didn't come. We went to this hiding place and came back the next morning. We found Nhongo with some comrades at the bar. We sent someone to go and call Nhongo. He came out of the bar but just as we were about to meet, he produced his pistol. We dashed for cover and disappeared. We went to Lusaka and went to I think its called George township where Felix Santana and George were staying. Badza, Santana and George had a meeting. That evening we were taken to Madekurozva's home. Other comrades later joined us. There was Dumbujena and Mutambanengwe.At Madekurozva's house arrangements were made for us to go to Chifombo. The news was out now that a group of Zanla commanders had been arrested by the Zambian government. When we went to Chifombo, we knew that some comrades had been arrested. Cdes Nhari, Cephas, Ceaser and many field commanders had been arrested by the Zambian police after the shooting at Tongo's house.So we went to Chifombo. There we found Cuthbert Chimedza, Ndanga and another we called Shebba Gava, not Fox. We sat down with them and agreed that there should be dialogue with the High Command despite these developments. It was agreed that we were to use Frelimo as mediators. Cdes Badza, Chimedza, Ndanga and Shebba went to meet with Frelimo at Kaswende. The comrades returned saying Frelimo had promised to get back to us soon after conveying the message to the High Command.We then went to Kaswende all of us for the second meeting. We waited a few days. Then one day, around midday, we ate our meals and were told that Tongo and other members of the High Command were coming. After our meals, we were actually dozing, we found ourselves surrounded. Anyway, so we were captured at Kaswende and takatambwa bhora kuita kunge usisiri munhu.(Next week, Chemist will narrate how the gang leaders of the Nhari-Badza rebellion were dealt with after being captured. It's stuff not for the faint-hearted. He will tell narrate how in movie-style he cheated death as he escaped from Chigohwe.
Opinion / Columnist

Last Friday, we got to know that this National Election Reform Agenda (NERA) is all about looting, violence, robbery and arson. What else can we expect from the likes of Joice Mujuru, Morgan Tsvangirai, Welshmen Ncube, Cosmas Muponda, Gilbert Dzikiti, Denford Musiyarira, Marcellina Chikasha, Barbara Nyagomo, Maxwell Shumba, Farai Mbira, Joseph Busha, and Jacob Ngarivhume; who try to pass off their robbery tactics as political coalition and activism?Joice Mujuru: Burning herself out of powerThe ZimPF leader still seems to be haunted by the fire that consumed her husband.The fire that she is causing to burn vehicles and public transport termini in downtown Harare is reminiscent of her anger as a failed politician.All well-meaning citizens should be wary of the evil intentions of this woman who wants to burn herself into power.She is not going to be scared by mere teargas, she requires something stronger  maybe incarceration for her own sake. She is on a warpath and will stop at nothing.Cosmas Muponda: The lost sign-writerFreedom Front president Cosmas Muponda is not a politician by his own admission. I wonder what he is doing dinning with the devil instead of concentrating on sign-writing, which he obtained a diploma for.He should quickly apply to the city council for a community service tender to replace road signage ripped down by hoodlums who are part of the Nera insurgency.Perhaps that way he may escape becoming a guest in one of our fine prisons in the near future.Morgan Tsvangirai: The restless cancer patientWe really feel sorry for the cancer patient, should he not be going for chemotherapy instead of leading ruffians to violent demonstrations?What will happen to him and the other patients when the mobsters decide to destroy health facilities?While he previously called on his misfits to violently remove President Mugabe from power, it seems like the violence is going to consume him before it can make any impact on the constitutionally elected Government.These Nera demonstrations are a clear case of this ailing man leading a pack of wolves for his own demise.Arresting him would be cruelty to the already despaired.Tsvangirai will realise sooner rather than later that he is constructing his own demise by participating in these violent demonstrations.Denford Musiyarira: The tired horseThe leader of the defunct Zanu Ndonga needs to follow the footsteps of Wilson Khumbula, the previous leader of Ndonga, who joined Zanu PF.It is unfortunate that Musiyarira has been swayed by Nera such that even the parliamentary seat that has been traditionally won by Ndonga in Chipinge is now a pipe-dream.After criticising Khumbula for joining Zanu PF, Musiyarira has shown his double standards by joining Tsvangirai and Mujuru in perpetrating violent demonstrations.This will further alienate the electorate from his already waning party. His few supporters should arrest him for betrayal.Marcellina Chikasha: An unaccountable accountantThe ADP accountant has embarrassed the profession by teaming up with the unintelligent Nera leaders.As an accountant, Chikasha should know that numbers do not lie, even when it comes to political supporters.As a technocrat, she is fully aware of the cause and effect of looting and arson to the country's economy and therefore her moral blameworthiness in participating in the NERA violent demonstrations is very high.As an accountant, she must be accountable for her actions and do the time.Barbara Nyagomo: Confused victim of intellectual robberyI do not know if that will be too presumptuous for me to say that Barbara Nyagomo may be an unwilling partner in the Nera coalition since she has previously made sensational claims that the People First Slogan being used by Mujuru's ZimPF belongs to her party, the PDZ.She still has some beef with Mujuru for using the motto People First.She is Mujuru's victim of intellectual robbery and is still in shock. Yet she finds herself together with ZimPF under the umbrella of Nera, adding to her own confusion and that of her few supporters.She feels cheated.However, I wonder how she found herself on this wrong side of the fence.Nevertheless, it would be prudent for her to share the same cell with Joice so that they can iron out their differences.Gilbert Dzikiti  Bitter young manThe former student's representative council president of the Harare Polytechnic formed his own party  Dare  because he had a bone to chew with Tsvangirai, whom he accused of not paving way for new leaders.He has previously rubbished Morgan's "big tent" approach but on Friday he was part and parcel of the nuisance caused by Nera.He is just a confused fellow who should bear the brunt of his political greed in cells.Maxwell Shumba: lndicating right, turning leftIf you remember Arthur Mutambara then you will know what Maxwell Shumba is all about.Shumba is a former MDC-T USA chairman and had a stint as chief political strategist for Tsvangirai.Today, his hands are joined in violent demonstrations with the very people he once despised.He had thrown his manifesto of forming the next Government through an electoral process out of the window and has ganged up with the other imbeciles in Nera to violently demonstrate against a constitutionally elected Government.He should be jailed for knowing what is right but doing what is wrong.Welshman Ncube: Scheming hypocriteThis MDC chap should receive the medal for being one of the greatest hypocrites of all time.Surely, Welshman and Morgan on the same table, it is unthinkable.No one ever imagined that the love for power would corrupt Welshman such that he would dine with his arch enemy to violently protest against the Government.Something is just not right here and Tsvangirai must watch out.In fact, Welshman should be kept out of jail in order to keep Morgan in check.Farai Mbira: Riding on a dead horseZunde's Farai Mbira has demonstrated that he has his own agenda by joining Nera.That explains why he has been abusing his position in Zunde to unilaterally make executive decisions without consulting the rest of the Zunde team.Zimbabwe has seen too much of that style of leadership amongst the opposition parties and the Government can only trust Mbira if he is behind bars.Joseph Busha: Violent modul on a rampageIt is not easy to deduce where Joseph Busha of the FreeZim Congress Party (FCP) derived his violent inclinations from.Busha should see the inside of a prison cell for being part of Nera.He should realise that he should have lived his life as a mogul in South Africa than try to take power violently.Jacob Ngarivhume: Abusing the word of GodIn a disturbing case of apostasy, Jacob Ngarivhume, a Christian and member of Prayer Network Zimbabwe who is also president of a political party called Transform Zimbabwe, sat with the devils at the Nera dinner table.Their aim was to cause alarm and despondency in our peaceful country and for that reason, he must join other dubious cleric in the comfort of our prisons.Dubulaizitha!
NORTH CHARLESTON  Conservators with Clemson University have been tasked with bringing back to life yet another gun from an historic warship. Scientists with the Warren Lasch Conservation Center recently received the century-old, six-inch, 30-caliber gun from the U.S. Navy battleship Maine. The gun, which weighs more than 16 tons, arrived in North Charleston from Richmond, Virginia.

According to Liisa Nasanen, a conservator at the center, the plan is to treat the gun using the same protocol they have developed and successfully applied during an ongoing high-profile agreement with the National Parks Service.

Since 2013, the team has treated numerous cannons and architectural elements at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor and Fort Moultrie on Sullivans Island using a super-heated, pressurized water system called ThermaTech, developed by Restorative Techniques Ltd. in the United Kingdom. The process gently and controllably eases off old failing and corroded layers. It also applies water-based corrosion inhibitors to stabilize any active corrosion.

Because of these successes, along with the highly publicized work on the Civil War submarine the H.L. Hunley, the Clemson lab appears to have become the go-to conservator for this type of specialized work, a large contributor to why the facility was selected for the USS Maine conservation work.

It is an honor to conserve something like this because its kind of like bringing an object to life for the next generation, said Stephanie Crette, the director of the Warren Lasch Conservation Center. I think being given this opportunity speaks to the work weve done on other similar projects.

The USS Maine was commissioned in 1888. While docked in Havana, Cuba, in 1898 a mine ripped through the hull of the ship and caused it to sink, killing 266 men. Media at the time speculated that the Spanish government was the culprit, in no small part leading the United States to declare war on Spain on April 21, 1898, starting the Spanish-American War.

The timing of the arrival is serendipitous for the university as it begins to collaborate with the Cuban government to work with local educators, planners, architects and archaeologists to study and launch a pilot project in the Valle de los Ingenios.

The USS Maine gun is on loan to the conservation center for six months, after which it will be returned to the Navy to be placed on permanent display in an indoor exhibition space.
ST. MATTHEWS -- Boeing Aerospace officials invited students at Calhoun County High School to "Soar to Success" with them during a visit on Aug. 18.

Frank R. Hatten, the Boeing Education Relations specialist, extolled the advantages of a career with the company, which operates an assembly site in North Charleston.

Boeing Aerospace is the largest and oldest aerospace company in the world, recently celebrating its 100th year in business, he said.

We want to be here in South Carolina. We are desperate for South Carolinians to work for Boeing," Hatten said.

The corporation's income for 2015 was $96 billion, and it currently has more than 20,000 suppliers worldwide, he noted. Both Boeing and its suppliers need employees, Hatten said.

The entire Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner is being built at the North Charleston site.

Boeing emphasizes diversity in its workforce," Hatten said, adding the corporation currently has over 7,000 employees.

Those desiring to work for Boeing must be properly prepared, which initially requires a high school diploma or an equivalent GED, the ability to read and to understand and function with at least a 10th grade level of math, he said.

After the visit to CCHS, an open meeting was held at John Ford Community Center, with Boeing executives, community leaders and local educators attending.

Boeing Director of National Strategy Mark Elam provided information about the company's newest aircraft, the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner, noting the aircraft is a composite structure instead of aluminum, which makes it lighter and more durable and corrosion resistant.

Elam said there are three versions of the 787, the -8, which carries 242 passengers; the -9, which carries 280 passengers and the -10, with 323 passengers.

To date, he said 1,030 of the new planes have been ordered by 60 customers.

We expect to sell over 3,000 planes over the next 10 years, Elam said.

For additional employment information, he said Boeing can be contacted at www@boeing.com/careers.

Elam also reminded the students that there will be many more jobs available through Boeing's suppliers.
Every child deserves to be loved, no matter what background they come from, no matter how smart they might be, educator Amy Thompson says. I try to base my teaching on that.

Thompson, whos in her 12th year teaching second grade at Edisto Primary School, was recently named Orangeburg Consolidated School District Four Teacher of the Year.

It was extremely exciting, she said. I was very surprised, but also very humbled.

Thompson was first selected by her peers as Primary School Teacher of the Year for Edisto. She went on to win the district honor after a panel of judges reviewed an essay she wrote and interviewed her.

The judges considered the philosophy that lies behind her teaching when they made their decision, Thompson said.

I always try to remember that every child can learn, she said. It may not be the same way another child can learn, but every child can learn.

The greatest thing about her job is putting a footprint in a childs life, Thompson said. Theres nothing more rewarding than being able to look at a child and see the success they may have in the future and know I had some part of that.

She also feels honored to work for District 4, where shes spent most of her life, first as a student and now as a teacher, Thompson said.

It does my heart good every day to give something back, she said.

But Thompson says the job has its challenges, such as not knowing what bad things have happened to her children outside of school and not being able to control the hurtful situations they experience before they ever get there.

When asked how she helps students who are emotionally wounded, Thompson responded, I love them.

She strives to say at least one positive or praiseworthy thing to every child, every day, she said. That might be the only positive comment he hears that day.

Thompson says she cant imagine doing anything other than being an educator.

Of course, there are days where I put my hands on my head kind of frustrated, but I could never imagine doing anything else -- not with the rewards I receive, she said.

And when she has a difficult day or is discouraged, theres always something to lift her up, Thompson said.

Most of the time, its the children themselves, she said. Its a moment when a child shows me that theyve learned something. It can be something as simple as a child being able to use his or her tablet correctly.

At other times, the encouragement comes from her colleagues, Thompson said.

I can talk to them and confide in them, and they say something to kind of pick you up by your bootstraps and keep you going," she said.

She said she realizes the challenges come for a reason.

Sometimes overwhelming obstacles help me grow as a teacher, Thompson said.

Shes been teaching long enough that several of her classes have gone on to college, and thats a reward in itself, she said.

Its so good to see the growth theyve made and where theyre going in life, Thompson said.

Thompson said some day she might like to move from teaching into administration.

She said she was actually offered a different position this summer but decided it wasnt the right time.

Right now, Im enjoying being in the classroom so much and enjoying the children. Eventually, I think God may call me into an administrative role, she said. I feel like once I have that experience in the classroom, when I do have the opportunity to move into an administrative role, that I will have the respect of my colleagues because Ive been there.

Thompson says she was inspired to become an educator because of several of her teachers at Edisto High School, especially math teacher Zeni Bozard.

She passed away during my sophomore year, she said. That was when I knew I wanted to be a teacher. She made such an impact on my life.

Thompson said one of Bozards favorite quotes has really stuck with her and shes followed it throughout her career.

She said the quote is: "Working together is essential for success. Even freckles would make a nice tan if we would just get together.

Thompson is in the running to become S.C. Teacher of the Year, which will be announced the spring of 2017.
Before 1974, the Republican Party in South Carolina was politically insignificant other than the legendary Strom Thurmond. When James Edwards was elected governor that year, there was still no real reason to believe major change was at hand.

The turmoil in the Democratic gubernatorial race that led to Edwards victory had not affected the party at the grassroots level. The Legislature was firmly in the hands of Democrats.

Democrat Dick Riley followed Edwards for eight years before Carroll Campbell in 1986 again gave South Carolina a Republican governor. The shift from Democratic Party dominance that predated the Civil War was at hand. In the 1990s, the GOP took control of the Legislature through the ballot box and by Democrats jumping ship to join the GOP. Only one Democrat, who served a single term, has been elected governor since Campbell.

Today, Democrats hold no statewide offices, have only one representative in the nine-member congressional delegation, and are a decided minority in the Legislature. The partys base is African-Americans voters who have given it a stronghold in The T&D Region in an otherwise red state.

But that could be changing, at least according to Democratic leadership anxious to take advantage of what is happening on the national scene with a Republican Party divided over its presidential nominee Donald Trump.

No Democrat has carried South Carolina in a presidential election since Georgian Jimmy Carter in 1976, and until the turmoil of this election year, no one believed 2016 would be any different.

But two recent polls have Democrats seeing things differently. Public Policy Polling in a survey paid for by Democrats found that Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton is within two points of Trump in South Carolina. And a survey released this past week by the Feldman Group has things even closer, with Trump and Clinton even at 39 percent.

Before dismissing the results as a Trump-related aberration, its not hard to see why Orangeburg native and Democratic Party Chairman Jaime Harrison is claiming the results also bode well for Democratic prospects in South Carolina in future elections. He cites Clintons nine-point lead among voters under age 45.

Beyond that, Harrison and other Democrats, including Charlestonian and newspaper columnist Phil Noble, leader of the Riley-inspired group that has been devoted to moderating Democratic positions, are pointing to other results.

As Noble states, consider the following verbatim analysis of the internal data: for the PPP poll:

 84 percent of voters in the state support background checks on all gun purchases, to only 10 percent who are opposed to them.

 81 percent of voters in the state support barring those on the Terror Watch List from buying guns, to only 10 percent opposed.

 77 percent of voters in the state support increasing the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour to only 13 percent who think the current level is acceptable.

 78 percent of voters in the state support allowing student loans to be refinanced at lower rates.

 53 percent support legislation protecting LGBT South Carolinians from discrimination in the workplace, housing and public accommodations.

And the Feldman results found a solid majority of South Carolinians under age 45 support candidates who favor:

 A law requiring equal pay for equal work (82 percent).

 Universal gun background checks and no-fly-no-buy (81 percent).

 Increasing state education funding (81 percent).

 Reducing college loan costs (79 percent).

 Raising the minimum wage (69 percent).

 Tax cuts for the middle class and tax increases for the wealthy (67 percent).

Harrison states: "These results leave no doubt: South Carolina is becoming a legitimate battleground state, following in the footsteps of our Southeastern neighbors Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. With a dedicated effort, not only can Hillary Clinton carry South Carolina this fall, but Democrats will be able to compete and win up and down the ballot for decades to come. The present is bright, and the future is even brighter."

Harrison is paid to be optimistic about Democratic prospects and he is being overly so. Clinton is unlikely to win the state and Democrats are a long way from any kind of parity in holding political offices in the Palmetto State.

But he has reason for optimism.

Citing in-migration to the state, moderation among a changing electorate and nationalization of the state through a shared experience with people of other states, Noble stops short of predicting a Clinton win but says trends point to Democrats becoming increasingly competitive in the state.

And he is right about that being a good thing, stating: When we have been a one-party state, whether with the Democrats in the past or the Republicans today, it has not been good for our state. Its only when we have real competition between the parties, ideas and policies that our state has progressed.
A number of students in Orangeburg Consolidated School District 5 leave school Friday afternoon and do not get their next meal until they return for breakfast on Monday morning.

Poverty is not always something you see  (but) every morning, poverty gets on the school bus and everyday poverty sits in classrooms, OCSD5 Public Relations Director Bill Clark said.

According to data from Feeding America, a nationwide network of food banks and the nations leading domestic hunger-relief charity, 24.2 percent of the children in Orangeburg County struggle to get enough to eat.

When children return to school on Monday and they have not eaten anything over the weekend  they are not prepared to learn in the classroom, Clark said, adding that it can lead to attendance and health problems.

Seven years ago at Mellichamp Elementary, a group of community volunteers led by Heather Bernardo began collecting food to send home with students through a program known as Into the Mouths of Babes to ensure they had adequate food over the weekend.

In March 2016, the program expanded to a district-wide effort known as The Filling Station."

Clark said The Filling Station is 100 percent supported by volunteers and donations.

On the first Friday of the program's existence, The Filling Station received donations sufficient to feed 53 children over the weekend.

By the last week of the school year, The Filling Station was feeding more than 600 children on weekends.

We are very conscious of wanting to distribute  in a discrete way, Clark said. In homes where we know there are multiple children, we put extra in their bag.

The students are sent home with items that can be put together in individual serving sizes.

Popular items include single servings of fruit in light syrup, whole grain cereal/granola bars, individual cereal boxes and canned food with protein like spaghetti and meatballs or ravioli.

Clark said the meals are microwavable and easy to serve.

We supplement that with other materials that come in, he said. We make good advantage of everything.

Into the Mouths of Babes and The Filling Station have combined their efforts and are jointly serving approximately 750 children.

We have almost 7,000 students in the district, Clark said. There are hundreds more students that we could be serving if we had the resources to do it.

Based on the current enrollment in Orangeburg Consolidated School District Five, approximately 1,645 students do not regularly have access to adequate nutrition and meals.

Clark said there is still a need for more volunteers.

Any individuals or organizations desiring to donate food, volunteer their time, or make monetary donations are encouraged to contact Cindy Clark, OCSD5 coordinator of Homeless Services, at 533-7969 or by email at cindy.clark@ocsd5.net.
A blog for students in my introductory classes in government, and any interested passersby. You'll find news items and random stories that illustrate any of the topics we cover in class. Special attention will be paid to the constitutional issues associated with contemporary issues and disputes. Feel free to send me stories you find important. Please note that due to spam, I'm limiting the ability of people to comment on these pages. My apologies.
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2 Men Charged In Fatal Shooting Of Nykea Aldridge, Dwyane Wade's Cousin

By Rachel Cromidas in News on Aug 28, 2016 4:07PM



Darwin Sorrells Jr. and Derren Sorrells, CPD handout.

The Chicago Police Department has charged two men in the fatal shooting of Nykea Aldridge, the department announced Sunday.

Aldridge, the 32-year-old cousin of Chicago Bulls star player Dwyane Wade, had been pushing her baby in a stroller in the 6300 block of South Calumet Avenue Friday afternoon when she was fatally shot by a bullet fired at a man who walked by her.

Brothers Darwin Sorrells Jr., 26, of the 7500 block of South Wentworth Avenue, and Derren Sorrells, 22, of the 6000 block of South Indiana Avenue, were each charged with first degree murder and attempted first degree murder. Dawin Sorrells Jr. was also charged with one misdemeanor count of criminal trespassing, according to a statement released by CPD Sunday morning.

Police department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted that Derren Sorrells is a "documented member of the Gangster Disciples and currently on parole. Darwin Sorells is also on parole on gun charges, Guglielmi said, after being sentenced to six years in January of 2013 and let out of prison early. Police told the Sun-Times the men were involved in some kind of altercation with a third man that didn't involve Aldridge, who happened to be walking by with her baby.

There is a Sunday afternoon vigil planned for Aldridge at 1 p.m. at the Willie Mae Morris Empowerment Center, according to ABC7.

Aldridge's shooting has caught national attention. Dwyane Wade Tweeted about it Friday night, and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump used the news as an excuse to discuss how he would attract voters.


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Sichuan Airlines has announced that it is scheduled to launch its first air route to the United States on Oct. 17 to meet increasing passenger flow.

Planes will depart Chengdu for Hangzhou and then continue to Los Angeles on Mondays and Thursdays, the airline said. Return flights are scheduled for Tuesdays and Fridays.

The trip from Chengdu to Los Angeles takes 17 and a half hours, including a two-hour stop in Hangzhou. The return trip takes about 19 and a half hours.

Los Angeles, a major U.S. tourist destination, attracted a record high of 779,000 Chinese visitors in 2015, up 13 percent year on year.
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The EU-China Friendship Group in the European Parliament visited Tibet from Wednesday to Friday at the invitation of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.

The group visited Norbulingka, Tibet Museum, the Potala Palace, the Jokhang Temple, Barkhor Street, Tibetan Thangka Art Academy and Tibet University.

Nirj Deva, chairman of the group, said that during the visit, they saw the efforts the regional government has made to protect the local culture, art and history.

He added that he would tell the European countries what he saw in Tibet.
By Trend

Armenian armed forces have 15 times violated the ceasefire on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops over the past 24 hours, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry reported on August 28.

Armenian armed forces, stationed in the village of Barekamavan of Armenias Noyemberyan district and in the village of Vazashen of Ijevan district opened fire at Azerbaijani positions located in the villages of Qaymaqli, Kemerli of the Gazakh district.

The Armenian armed forces stationed on nameless heights of Armenias Krasnoselsk district opened fire at the Azerbaijani positions located on nameless heights of the Gadabay district.

Positions of the Azerbaijani army also underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near the Qarakhanbeyli and Ashagi Seyidahmadli villages of the Fizuli district, as well as from positions located on nameless heights in Goranboy 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.
By Trend

It would have been a pity for the world if lets say Mercedes Benzs market was limited to Germany due to lack of proper promotion. The pity exists, however, for some other product that is as much cherished worldwide.

The Persian rug is well-known across the world for its quality, beauty, and character. Yet, the market it enjoys is far from what experts and businessmen in the rug and carpet market believe it deserves.

August 27 was the last day of the 25th Iran Handmade Carpet Exhibition in Tehran. Trend took the chance to ask some of the exhibitors about their concerns. Almost unanimously they cited the lack of unified, powerful, and targeted promotion as the biggest hurdle against the export of the Persian carpet.

Iranian customers buy 20 million square meters of carpet each year. Considering the fact that the world population is 100 times greater than Irans, through good promotion a great potential will be activated. If lets say only five percent of the world population is encouraged to finally buy the Persian rug, the consumption will jump by 10 million square meters a year, Hushang Fakher, owner of Sarab Baft, a handmade Persian rug company, said.

Karimi, head of the Association for Carpet Producers and Exporters of Iran said correct promotion is needed, adding, It is a governments job, not a tradesmans. We expect our embassies and trade attaches to do better.

In the first half of 2016, Irans nonoil exports to the United States grew by degrees to reach $39 million. Surprisingly, the Persian rug had the greatest share in the exported value.

The Persian rug is still the worlds number one in terms of quality. However, in terms of marketing it has lost to Pakistan, China, and India. The Persian carpet dates back 2,500 years, while those of the other countries date back only about 100 years, said Qias Ale-Rasoul, who has been exporting carpets for 60 years.

Carpet counts for 20 percent of Irans nonoil export value. This is while gas condensates, now exported at about 400,000 barrels per day, are also put in the nonoil basket by the Iranian government. That indicates how great the 20 percent of the Persian rug is.

According to Director of the National Iranian Carpet Center Hamid Kargar, despite the shortcomings, the Persian rug still counts for 30 percent of the worlds carpet trade.

Last Iranian fiscal year (which ended March 19), Irans direct handmade rug export to the US, one of its greatest traditional markets, stood at $27 million.

Carpet has a unique potential for job creation as well, with many job titles in dying, weaving, selling, research, etc. In Iran, about one million people are working in the weaving section alone, 700 thousand of whom work fulltime.
By Trend

Iran plans to finalize the deal with France's Airbus over airplane purchase after August.

"A delegation from Airbus would arrive to Tehran by the end of August to finalize the deal, sealed during President Hassan Rouhani's trip to Paris in January," said Iran's transport minister Abbas Akhoundi, Mehr reported.

According to an existing memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Iran and Airbus signed in January, Tehran is expected to acquire 118 civil aircraft from Airbus worth $25 billion.

Akhoundi said that Iran hopes to start importing aircraft from France by the end of 2016.

Iranian official added that "we were waiting for getting permission from the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and positive news came up."

He didn't elaborate on the "positive news", but the deal will depend on Airbus getting the US export licenses, because more than 10 percent of the parts for the planes are made in the US.

Iran has also signed a MoU with Boeing and both are waiting for OFAC's allowance to finalize the deal.
By Trend





Two power plants planned to be built by Russia in the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr have been funded, according to Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrooz Kamalvandi.

In the coming weeks we will try to hold the final talks and then soon after announce a date for starting the construction of the power plants, he said, ISNA news agency reported August 28.

On the advantages of the first Iranian nuclear power plant that was built in the same location and commissioned in 2011, Kamalvandi said the power plant has helped Iran save on 27 million barrels of oil, prevent the formation of 15.7 million tons of pollutants, and yielded 17 million kilowatt hour of electricity.

On Irans heavy water sale, the official said currently European countries are the biggest customers of the product, adding that talks to sell heavy water to Russia are also almost final.

Russia has already built a power plant in Bushehr. The agreement for Bushehr nuclear power plant was finalized in 1995, but the project was delayed several times due to a number of technical and financial issues.

Bushehr- Iran's only nuclear power plant, which was inaugurated in September of 2013, has a capacity of producing 1,000 megawatts of electricity.
Rasmala, an independent investment management group, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of 72 warehouses in Dubai covering nearly 600,000 sq ft (BUA) for approximately Dh300 million ($81.65 million) in partnership with Ajman Bank and other leading Gulf investors.



Located in Dubai Investments Park, a mixed-use industrial, commercial and residential complex, the site benefits from close proximity to Jebel Ali Free Zone, a major regional sea port and business hub in the emirate.



The acquisition of the warehouses is through a sale and leaseback arrangement for the next seven years, the company said.



These properties are sub-let to a diverse group of 31 high quality tenants operating in sectors such as F&B, retail and manufacturing. The transaction was financed through a combination of equity and Sharia compliant financing facility, with Ajman Bank participating as a strategic seed investor and sole financier.



Mohamed Amiri, chief executive officer of Ajman Bank, said: We remain at the forefront of

supporting innovative Sharia compliant investment solutions for regional investors through our

strategic tie-up with Rasmala. This transaction also shows our commitment to the UAE economy

which continues to demonstrate robust growth and remains attractive for investors.



Zak Hydari, group chief executive officer of Rasmala, said: This warehouse acquisition

demonstrates our commitment to the UAE market and builds on our close partnership with Ajman

Bank. We plan to invest an additional Dh1 billion ($272 million) in real estate transactions over the next 12 months. - TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Arabian construction firm Abdullah Abdul Mohsin Al-Khodari and Sons said on Sunday that it had renewed an existing SR132 million ($35.2 million) Islamic credit facility with Samba Financial Group.



The facility will provide bonding commitments as well as capital and working capital requirements for projects and general business, it said in a statement. Credit limits for projects covered by the facility will range from 36 to 60 months.



In a separate statement, the company said it had won a SR69 million contract from the kingdom's Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture for the maintenance of water networks.



The financial impact of the project is expected to start in the third quarter, it added. - Reuters
The management of Taqdeer Award, which recognises excellence in labour welfare practices in Dubai, UAE, has started its visits to top construction companies to enhance awareness about the award.

During the first phase of these initiatives, the Taqdeer team made onsite visits to the participating companies, including Al Nawras Construction, Vision Construction, Dutco Construction Co and BK Gulf, interacted with the workers, and also distributed Taqdeer Award stickers and brochures, to be displayed in premises of the companies, on buses and also gave T-shirts and caps for labourers in these companies.

The Taqdeer Award was launched last year under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.

It is the worlds first points-based award programme for recognising excellence in labour welfare practices and seeks to promote international best practices in labour welfare among construction companies alongwith enhancing relationship between companies and workers and also recognising excellence among workers.

Major General Obaid Muhair Bin Suroor, chairman of Taqdeer Award and deputy director general of the GDRFA in Dubai, said: We would like to thank the construction companies in Dubai for their overwhelming response to participating in Taqdeer Award. This reflects their keenness to be a part of the award, which is inspired and guided by the vision of our wise leadership, shows their commitment to deliver the best and set the highest international standards when it comes to adopting labour welfare measures.

It also shows that the companies acknowledge the valuable contribution of labourers in the progress of the construction sector in Dubai. The initiatives started by the Award management are aimed at boosting relationship between employers and employees, generating massive awareness about workers rights and welfare measures across sectors in the Dubai and we will continue with similar initiatives in the future as well, he said.

In its first cycle 2016, the award is focusing on construction sector companies and the will be expanded in its future cycles to include both the free zones and manufacturing companies.

There are around 282 companies in this sector in Dubai, providing jobs for more than 500,000 workers. The award will target those companies employing more than 100 workers.

Meanwhile, the Taqdeer Award certified assessors, who include managerial level experts from different nationalities, have started the evaluation process for construction companies in Dubai that have applied to participate in the award.

Winners of five- and four-star ratings will receive a certificate, enjoy priority in government projects, and will be honoured at an award ceremony.

These top ratings will give companies a competitive advantage in bidding for international contracts, the statement said.  TradeArabia News Service


Singapore authorities have confirmed 41 cases of locally-transmitted Zika virus, which in Brazil has been linked to a rare birth defect, and said more cases were expected to be identified.



Those infected include 36 foreign construction workers employed at a site near Aljunied in the southeast of the island, the health ministry and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement on Sunday.



On Saturday, authorities had confirmed Singapore's first case of a local transmission of the virus, to a 47-year-old Malaysian woman, also from the Aljunied area.



"MOH (the ministry of health) cannot rule out further community transmission in Singapore since some of those tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore," the statement said. "We expect to identify more positive cases."



The authorities said they have tested 124 people, primarily construction workers. Seventy-eight tested negative and five cases were pending. Thirty-four patients have fully recovered. It was not immediately clear where the foreign workers were from, but Singapore hosts a large contingent of workers from the Asian sub-continent.



"All the cases are residents or workers in the Aljunied Crescent/Sims Drive area. They are not known to have travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, and are thus likely to have been infected in Singapore. This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place," the statement said.



Dozens of NEA staff cleaned drains and sprayed insecticide in the mainly residential area early on Sunday, and volunteers and contractors handed out leaflets and insect repellent. The NEA workers had accessed more than 1,800 premises of a total of 6,000 in the area to check for mosquito breeding.



Local residents welcomed the clean-up.



"I'm very scared of mosquitoes because they always seem to bite me, they never bite my husband," Janice, 31, who gave only her first name, told Reuters. "This concerns me because maybe in a couple of years I want to have another (child)."



Zika was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked to more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly in Brazil.



REGIONAL RISK



The Singapore government said there were "ongoing local transmission" cases in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Other countries in the region to have detected the Zika virus since 2013 include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives and the Philippines, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).



Malaysia said on Sunday it stepped up surveillance at main transit points with Singapore.



Health director-general Noor Hisham Abdullah said leaflets on Zika prevention were being handed out and paramedics were at entry points to handle visitors with potential symptoms.



As of this month, Malaysia said it has screened more than 2 million visitors at air, sea and land entrances, and found no Zika infections.



In Thailand, where close to 100 cases of Zika have been recorded across 10 provinces this year, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) was screening all athletes returning from the Olympic Games in Brazil, but was not otherwise changing its prevention measures.



"Every country in this region has Zika transmission cases," said Prasert Thongcharoen, an adviser to the DDC. "Thailand has, however, managed to contain the problem through early detection."



Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman Armanatha Nasir said the country was "following developments". Oskar Pribadi, a health ministry official, said there have been no recent Zika cases.



Vietnam has to date reported three cases of locally-transmitted Zika infection.



The current strain of Zika that is sweeping through Latin America and the Caribbean originated in Asia, where people could have built up greater immunity.



US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems.



The WHO has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults. - Reuters
German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd expects to reap a third of targeted annual synergies of $400 million from its planned merger with Arab rival UASC next year, and realise them fully from 2019, its CEO said on Friday.



The company, which swung into the red in the first half of this year as tumbling freight rates hurt its business, signed a binding agreement with United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) in July to form the world's fifth largest shipping company by the end of 2016.



The merger will give it greater scale as it seeks to weather a downturn in global shipping.



"We plan to realise the full synergies from 2019 and in that way to lower our costs permanently," chief executive Rolf Habben Jansen told a shareholders meeting on Friday, held to decide whether to approve a related capital increase.



Hapag-Lloyd will still face merger costs next year. It estimates total merger costs at around 150 million ($167.9 million) and has said they will be booked in its 2016 and 2017 balance sheets.



Some of the controlling shareholders have committed to backstop a cash capital increase of $400 million planned through a rights issue within six months of the deal closing.



The company hopes this will be achieved by the end of this year, depending on approval from around a dozen or so cartel authorities.



Habben Jansen also affirmed significantly lower earnings before interest and taxes for 2016. Freight rates fell 20 per cent in the first six months of this year and the CEO has said they will take between 18 and 24 months to stabilise.



UASC shareholders backed the merger, which will create a group with an estimated value of 7 to 8 billion euros, in June with a relative valuation of the two businesses at 72 per cent for Hapag-Lloyd's shareholders and 28 per cent for UASC's shareholders.



Through the deal, Hapag-Lloyd gains access to bigger ships on the important Asia to Europe trade route. UASC for its part gets wider access to trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific loops, where Hapag-Lloyd is strong.



Hapag-Lloyd merged with Chile's Compania Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) in 2014, helping it to return to profit last year.



Hapag-Lloyd shares were marginally higher at 16.50 euros at 1000 GMT. - Reuters
Iraq's foreign ministry has asked Saudi Arabia to replace its ambassador in Baghdad, Thamer Al-Sabhan, Iraqi state TV said on Sunday.



Iraqi Shi'ite politicians have made persistent requests that Al-Sabhan be expelled in reaction to comments he has made about Iran's involvement in Iraq and claims that Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias were exacerbating tensions with Sunnis.



The Iraqi foreign ministry on Monday denied media reports of plot to kill Al-Sabhan, the first Saudi ambassador appointed after reopening the Saudi embassy in the Iraqi capital in December.



Reacting to the reported request, Al-Sabhan told Al Arabiyah television that the kingdom's policies on Iraq would not change, and Saudi ties with Iraqi politicians were amicable.



"Frankly I tried to fulfill my duties ... Saudi Arabia's policies in Iraq will not change," Al-Sabhan told the Saudi-owned station. "We have a very amicable relationship with Iraqi politicians that the media does not capture."



"This is not personal issue. What I said to media and to all Iraqi politicians in the past is that they are limited because they are under pressure from various sides and from other armies and political advisors." - Reuters
Mazda Motor Corp will recall 190,000 of its CX-7 sport utility vehicles from model years 2007 to 2012 in the US because of an issue that may cause a loss of steering control, US safety regulators said on Friday.



"In the affected vehicles, water may enter the front suspension ball joint fittings," the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a statement on its website.



"If the water is contaminated with salt, such as from driving on snowy roads that have been treated, the ball joint may corrode and separate from the lower control arm, resulting in a loss of steering control."



Mazda told regulators it will work to fix CX-7s in cold-weather US states first.



In July 2015, Mazda recalled about 193,000 of its larger CX-9 SUVs from model years 2007 to 2014, for a similar issue.



Mazda said it has gotten no reports of injuries or crashes in the CX-7 SUVs.



Mazda did not immediately respond to an inquiry on whether any vehicles outside of the US market will be recalled.  Reuters


Ride-hailing services Uber and Careem have suspended services in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi since Saturday and did not know when they could resume operations, they said on Sunday.



"This is a temporary suspension and we will let you know of any further updates," an Uber spokesman in Dubai said via email. He did not respond to a question on the reason for the suspension.



Christian Eid, vice-president of marketing and communications for Careem, a Dubai-based company, said many of its drivers were being stopped by authorities in Abu Dhabi, apparently over licensing issues, and as a result had become nervous and were staying off the roads. This had forced Careem to halt services there, he said.



The Abu Dhabi government's Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars, which manages the taxi and transport sector, did not respond to queries. The centre oversees about seven taxi operators and 18 limousine operators, some of which are partly government owned.



Uber and Careem said they had not suspended operations in neighbouring Dubai, the commercial and tourist hub of the UAE.



Uber, which launched services in Abu Dhabi in 2013, said last year the Middle East and North Africa contained some of its fastest-growing markets and that it planned to invest $250 million to expand in the region. - Reuters
Travellers have booked fewer hotel rooms in downtown Miami, and leisure airfares to the greater Miami area have inched down in the weeks since the Zika virus was detected there, data reviewed by Reuters shows.



Hotels sold 2.9 per cent fewer rooms in Miami's central business district and northern neighborhoods during the first three weeks of August than they did a year earlier in the same period, according to hotel data and analytics firm STR.



That area includes the Wynwood arts district where on July 29 Florida officials said they confirmed cases of people who contracted the virus, marking the first transmissions by mosquitoes in the continental US.



The decline in hotel bookings may be an early indication of the virus's effect on Miami's robust tourism industry, which had an economic impact of $24.4 billion in 2015, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor Bureau.



The drop in the number of hotel room sales for the downtown and north Miami areas is a departure from largely uninterrupted growth in bookings there at least since 2010. From January 2016 through July, hotel stays by paying travelers were up 1.2 per cent from a year ago, according to STR data.



But for the latest week ended August 20, the number of hotel rooms sold was down 4.2 per cent, compared to a year earlier.



Jan Freitag, senior vice president of lodging insights at STR, said the decline was not due to abnormally strong numbers the year before, and could reflect the impact of Zika virus concerns.



"We don't know enough yet," Freitag told Reuters, saying he would like to see up to two months of data, and monitor traffic to Miami from Europe and Brazil, both major sources of visitors to South Florida.



"Zika is not only a serious threat to public health. It has the potential to be an equally serious threat to a community's economy," said travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, adding that worries about the virus likely contributed to the decline in Miami.



AIRFARES DOWN



The Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause a severe birth defect known as microcephaly. In Brazil, more than 1,800 cases of the condition have been linked to Zika.



Earlier this week, officials reported new Zika infections in Wynwood, and also one case hundreds of miles away in Pinellas County, on the Gulf Coast.



The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that pregnant women who are worried about exposure to Zika might consider avoiding all of Miami-Dade County. On Friday, the US Food and Drug Administration recommended universal testing of donated blood for the virus in the United States and its territories.



Miami tourism officials said hotel managers have not alerted them to bookings weakness related to the Zika virus.



It was too early to tell from the data that Zika had an impact on travel or bookings, tourism officials said.



"These numbers don't turn this quickly," said William Talbert, chief executive of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.



In a sign that airlines are trying to stimulate demand to and from Miami, airfares have gotten cheaper from a year ago, according to an analysis of the top US domestic routes by Harrell Associates that was reviewed by Reuters.



Leisure fares on Miami routes were down 9 per cent in late July from the prior year, while those to Fort Lauderdale were down 14 per cent, the Harrell Associates data shows. Fares were sampled July 18 and July 25.



Since the first Zika cases were announced, the decline in leisure fares to and from Miami had widened to 16 per cent, while fares for nearby Fort Lauderdale had dropped an average of 18 per cent from a year earlier, the analysis found. That data is based on samples of airfares taken August 15 and 22.



Nationwide, the high-restriction leisure fares are down 3 per cent in mid-August from the prior year, the analysis by Harrell Associates found.



American Airlines Group, the largest carrier in Miami, declined to comment on individual markets or whether the virus would impact its business. Its rival in the area, JetBlue Airways, did not immediately comment.



Airlines have been struggling for months to curb the decline of ticket prices amid growing competition in popular markets.



While Miami Beach has continued to see hotel demand rise through August, that rate has appeared to slow: from 6.4 per cent higher in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2015, to only 2.6 per cent higher this month, the STR data showed. The same trend holds true for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, according to the data.



Miami Beach has about 2.5 times the number of hotels as downtown and north Miami, STR said. - Reuters
BIGHORN RIVER  Prehistoric-looking creatures swimming in the rivers of Eastern Montana were thrust into the limelight by budding Rocky Mountain College researchers this summer.

Theyre actually really cool, said Andrhea Massey, 20, as she held a large hissing snapping turtle firmly by its shell. They look like dinosaurs. The spikes on their tails are really impressive. Look at their claws.

Massey and fellow student Gabriel Aponte, 22, were leading the dirty work of weighing, measuring and tagging snapping and spiny soft-shelled turtles on the Bighorn River recently, the end of their summer field study of the little-appreciated turtle species. Their baited live trapping also included work on portions of the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, the Yellowstone River from Billings downstream, Pryor and Razor creeks.

Tag, youre it

The work is the second year of a study by the Yellowstone River Research Center at Rocky Mountain College, which has been assisted by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Last years work included the Musselshell River.

Through the study Kayhan Ostovar, an associate professor of biology and environmental science at Rocky who has guided the work, is hoping to learn several things. One is a comparison of the difference in the accumulation of toxins in the turtles blood  things like arsenic, mercury and lead  between the rivers. Are turtles in the industrialized Yellowstone River exposed to more harmful chemicals than turtles in more rural rivers like the Musselshell or Clarks Fork?

By tagging and with eventual recapture, the study could also provide a ballpark figure on the number of turtles in the rivers and streams. This summer the group tagged more than 300 soft-shelled and 25 snapping turtles.

The tagging can also show how far the turtles travel. Previous studies have shown the amphibians arent big migrators, especially the soft-shelled turtles that dont move across land. Tag monitoring could also show connectivity between the river populations, which can have an effect on their sustainability. Are the animals moving around irrigation dams, or are they fairly isolated by such manmade structures? Isolation can lead to a lack of genetic diversity and a resulting susceptibility to diseases.

The researchers can also examine the difference between turtles in the relatively free-flowing Yellowstone River compared to the dammed and regulated flows of the Bighorn River.

Low profile

For the most part, Montanas river turtles live in obscurity.

This is about as far north and west as both species live, Ostovar said. Both are species of concern in Montana that are vulnerable to overharvest.

In the south, where the species are more common, turtles are often caught to eat. Ostovar said while visiting San Franciscos Chinatown he saw turtles for sale at $13 a pound. In Montana, however, its rare to hear of someone dining on turtle or purposely setting out to catch them.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks conducted a five-year study beginning in 2004 that ruled out the turtles presence in some waters, like the Missouri River below Fort Peck Dam and the Yellowstone River from Sidney downstream to its confluence with the Missouri. The study found the farthest that a tagged soft-shelled turtle moved was 10 miles. Montana State University student Brian Tornabene conducted a study on soft-shelled turtles in the upper Missouri River Breaks between 2010-13 for his masters thesis and helped out on the Yellowstone research, as well.

Massey and Aponte are lucky that they get to conduct field work on the creatures as undergraduates, something thats uncommon in many colleges and part of what attracted them to the Billings school from their homes in faraway Texas and Venezuela, respectively.

Were helping to train that next generation of conservationists, Ostovar said.

Cold-blooded

Despite such attention, the turtles still live largely in anonymity with their presence only detected when they are seen sunning themselves on a log or when one latches on to the occasional anglers catfish bait. Yet they are amazing cold-blooded creatures.

Spiny soft-shelled turtles spend most of their time in faster-moving water where they dine on small fish, mussels and crayfish. Their shell, called a carapace, is smooth on the top with small spines at the front edge. Its estimated that they may live up to 50 years. Each turtle is colored differently for camouflage. The most distinctive feature may be the turtles conical snout that gives it a comical appearance.

Snapping turtles appear armored for battle with hard shells, a hooked upper jaw, long claws and rough protrusions on their legs. Snappers prefer slower water and are known to walk across land. Although soft-shelled turtles will gather to breed and hibernate, snapping turtles are more solitary.

Both species have high juvenile mortality. They also both smell like a putrid combination of old moss and pond water. When threatened they hiss and can extend their necks and bite remarkably fast. Just ask Aponte. He now has a scar on one finger from a turtle bite.

They look really aggressive, but they are just scared, Massey said.

Despite the attack, Aponte said working with the amphibians has given him a greater appreciation for the species.

They are so unusual compared to other animals, he said. I really like amphibians and reptiles because they are so underrepresented.
SHERIDAN  Classrooms dont look like they used to. Baby boomers who enter an elementary school class today would likely feel like they have entered the world of the Jetsons.

Local school districts, though, are determined to ensure students today have the skills needed for the jobs of tomorrow.

Sheridan County School District 1 has been working on many projects within technology, starting with what makes it possible. Officials in the district updated every schools networking system to wireless access points within most classrooms. They have also purchased additional bandwidth to double the internet speed for all K-12 classrooms.

In terms of the technology students use this year, all ninth-grade students will be making the switch from iPads and tablets to a new Google Chromebook, while grades six through eight will have one-to-one iPads.

Students in grades 10-12 will have iPads in Big Horn and InFocus tablets at Tongue River.

The new elementary school in Tongue River will also drastically change how technology can be used. Each classroom will be equipped with a touch screen TV, MacBook Air laptops for each teacher and surround sound audio system.

Technology changes based on the age of students and we try to pick the technology that best fits the students learning, said Jesse Hinkhouse, the SCSD1 technology director and integration specialist. High school students needed a keyboard for applications and real world experiences so we moved from the iPad to a Chromebook. Technology cannot be just a stand-alone subject but rather embed it into each content area.

We do teach technology classes, but our goal within these classes is to give students the skills to move further within other academic areas, Hinkhouse added.

Sara McGinnis, SCSD1 curriculum director, also noted that the district is looking at more online resources for teachers and students as opposed to traditional textbooks.

Online textbooks are easier for students to access from home when doing homework, McGinnis said. Online textbooks are also more cost effective. When new editions of a resource are released, we dont have to buy a new classroom set of textbooks. Instead, most online resources update to the new edition with little to no additional cost.

Sheridan County School District 2 has also upped its game for the coming school year. Mitch Craft, assistant superintendent for curriculum and assessment, said the district has also improved its technological infrastructure.

The district is entering its third year with one-to-one technology in grades kindergarten through eight.

Like SCSD1, students have access to iPads or Chromebooks. They use them to interact with educational apps, type homework assignments and even read texts.

In high school, the technology available to students depends on the class students take. For example, English and social studies classes primarily used Chromebooks, while drafting and yearbook classes utilize Apple laptops or desktops.

Those in business classes primarily use PC laptops and other desktop computers.

So whats new this year?

Whats new isnt so much about the hardware, but what were doing with it, Craft said.

While elementary students have used iPads and Chromebooks to access educational apps in the past, this year theyll use apps to learn computer coding.

We know this will be an essential skill down the road, Craft said, adding that SCSD2 students will learn the tasks in a game-based environment.

As the students move on to higher grade levels within the district, more and more coding will be included in classes. For example, at Sheridan Junior High School, one class will allow students to build their own app and another will teach kids additional computer coding.

Craft noted that some of the new technology-focused learning opportunities have been made possible through a grant from Whitney Benefits.

Its not just the public schools taking on technology. Holy Name Catholic School recently received a $25,000 grant from Wyoming Catholic Ministries Foundation.

Students in grades three and above will receive Chromebooks, while the younger grades will get tablets. Theyll be able to check out the devices and bring them home in the evenings and on weekends.

By ensuring students have their own computers, Holy Name principal Mary Drake said, all grades would be able to do more of their projects digitally. That will mean more PowerPoint presentations, typed  not handwritten  essays and even short videos or newscasts.

Our world is changing and so our school needs to change, too, Drake said in a May interview with The Press.

The principal stressed that preparing students to be competitive on the global stage requires that students get their hands on technology more often in the classroom.
SALT LAKE CITY  A man is accused of opening fire on a group of hunters with a high-powered rifle in central Utah.

Utah County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Spencer Cannon said 32-year-old Jentry Joyner was booked Friday on charges of aggravated assault and drug use.

According to Cannon, the incident unfolded Thursday night in Diamond Fork Canyon.

He says the archery deer hunters were hunting on public property when Joyner got into a fight with them and started shooting.

No one was injured.

Cannon says deputies later determined that Joyner was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Deputies say the hunters responded correctly by leaving the area and calling 911.

It was not immediately clear Saturday if Joyner had an attorney.
Wyomings financial situation calls for experienced leadership in the upcoming legislative session. It would be ideal if the lawmakers who are confronting the budget crisis head-on were knowledgeable, pragmatic and familiar with the process.

But thats not entirely the situation in which the state finds itself. Three of the top four House leadership positions will be open this year: House Speaker Kermit Brown of Laramie is retiring. Majority Floor Leader Rosie Berger of Big Horn, who had planned to run for the speaker position, was unseated in a primary challenge. Speaker Pro Tempore Tim Stubson vacated his seat to pursue an ultimately unsuccessful campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. The single remaining member of Republican leadership is Majority Whip Hans Hunt of Newcastle.

That loss of leadership is significant. Those positions carry an enormous amount of responsibility  these are the leaders who assign bills to committees for debates, decide which measures will be discussed, limit distractions and ensure proceedings move along as quickly as possible to make the most of the limited time available. In the upcoming legislative session, those last two elements will be as important as it has ever been. Lawmakers have a lot of important work to do on the states budget and other pressing issues, and theres no time for frivolous measures or unproductive squabbling.

The sudden turnover, however, doesnt have to be a bad thing, if other legislators are willing to step into the void. It means more junior lawmakers have a chance to demonstrate their abilities in both leadership and statesmanship. That opportunity is a valuable one, because impressions left in the wake of this critical session will be lasting. In the span of just a few weeks, lawmakers will address our states deteriorating economic situation as well as unrelated measures, since this a general session, not a budget-specific one.

Thats where lawmakers perspective and ability to focus will be most valuable. There is so much to do that they will have to prioritize very carefully. Theyll have to prepare to make tough choices as expediently and carefully as possible, whether those decisions are on budget cuts, Medicaid expansion, school funding or another topic. That ability is best acquired through experience  but we believe the state will elect passionate and dedicated lawmakers who will put in the work to ensure they are as prepared as possible to guide Wyoming through its budget crisis.
Editor:

So-called "fossil" fuels (coal, oil, natural gas) provide cheap, plentiful and reliable energy, have helped to lift billions of people out of poverty, provided fertilizers to increase the food supply, and contribute to over half of the products in our homes, offices and elsewhere. They are the primary energy source for over 80 percent of the worlds population. These fuels are found in abundance in Wyoming and Montana.

On the other hand -- wind, solar, geothermal and a few others provide perhaps 5 percent of our energy needs. They owe their existence to the truckloads of cash (your cash) shoveled out of D.C. to support them. So, as I read the recent article (Proposed Wyoming wind tax increase draws local opposition), I thought, who did not see this coming.

Albany County Commissioner Tim Chestnut is quoted: While [wind] is expensive right now, it is the future. Yes, and Kathleen Hartnett White (the director of the Armstrong Center for Energy and the Environment at the TX Public Policy Foundation) can show you the future. Germany, with heavily subsidized wind and solar projects, has electricity rates triple that of the U.S., and electricity is now deemed a luxury good by a million households. They are now burning wood. Germany is deemed to be in an energy regression.

In addition to the extremely high cost of installation, there is the noise of the blades, the visual impact, unreliability and their notorious ability to act as avian Cuisinarts. It is highly likely that the motor on the windmill/turbine will burn out before it ever turns a profit. And what backs up these unreliable wind projects? Reliable coal-fired plants using cheap and abundant coal. The only way the wind energy scam can continue is through the use of never-ending subsidies, increasing rates and taxes from you. Think of that big windmill as Obamacare for your HVAC.
CHEYENNE  ACT scores earned by graduating classes statewide seem to be stagnant or are declining, based on scores from 2014 to 2016.

The Wyoming Department of Education recently released the average ACT scores earned by the statewide graduating class of 2016.

ACT scores have been fairly flat over the past few years, said Kari Eakins, the communications director for the Department of Education.

The department also released the scores earned by the previous two classes. All three graduating classes earned similar scores.

The statewide average composite score in 2016 is 20.0, which is 1 percent lower than in 2015. The class of 2015 earned a 20.2. And that score wasnt much different from the 20.1 the class of 2014 earned.

The statewide average scores for English and reading both declined about 1 percent from 2015.

The class of 2016 earned a 19.2 in English and a 20.4 in reading. By comparison, the class of 2015 earned a 19.4 and a 20.6, respectively.

The average math score decreased by about 1.5 percent from 2015 to 2016, declining from a 19.9 to a 19.6.

Only the average science score earned by the class of 2016 is not lower than in 2015. But rather than increasing, its exactly the same. Both graduating classes earned a 20.4 in the subject.

A perfect score on the ACT is a 36.

The graduates all took the ACT as juniors in 2015, but the scores released Wednesday are slightly different from the scores the students received in 2015.

Most students in Wyoming typically take the ACT once as a junior, but if theyre unhappy with their score, or if they just want another shot to see if they can do better, then, on their own, they can retake the ACT, Eakins said.

These scores are reflective of the most recent time that a student in the graduating class of 2016 took the ACT.

The data released on Wednesday also show what percentage of the graduates met the ACT college readiness benchmarks in each subject. In 2016, fewer graduates met the benchmarks than in 2015  and very few students met all the benchmarks.

Just 20 percent of the class of 2016 met the benchmarks in all four subject areas. In 2015, 22 percent met all four benchmarks.

English is apparently Wyomings best subject, with 58 percent of the students meeting the college readiness benchmark. Thats still less than the 60 percent that met the benchmark in 2015.

The lowest percentage of students met the benchmark in science  just 31 percent.

Its just very clear that thats an area where Wyoming could do much better, Eakins said.

She added, This is another reason why were very excited that were potentially very close to the finish line with the (new statewide K-12) science standards. Because what we do see in that data is that students that take the (science, technology, engineering and math) core curriculum, they score higher on the ACT.

Eakins said the state Department of Education also hopes focusing on third-grade reading proficiency will improve test scores in all areas as students improve their reading skills.

She also said, One part of our strategic plan is increasing participation in the Hathaway success curriculum because its college readiness, and thats what the ACT tests. Even if students dont end up taking advantage of the Hathaway Scholarship, we think its valuable for them to try to go through that success curriculum.

The data compare Wyoming to the 17 other states that require all high school juniors to take the ACT. Wyoming falls in the low middle, with 10 states scoring higher and seven scoring lower.

Minnesota achieved the highest average composite score with a 21.1, and Nevada scored the lowest with a 17.7.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow said in a news release, Just as we see and celebrate Wyoming students growth on the ACT and other statewide assessments, our placement among states reminds us that we arent there yet.

She added, At this time, its important to remember that this is one important measure among many, and is an opportunity for schools across our state to make adjustments that help ensure that more students are successful on the ACT.
Rebels backed by Turkey made major gains Sunday in northern Syria, expelling Kurdish-led forces from towns and villages as part of a determined campaign by Ankara to push the militants east of the Euphrates River.

At least 35 civilians were killed, according to activists. The dramatic escalation of Turkeys involvement in the Syrian civil war last week aimed to help the Syrian rebels drive the Islamic State group out of the border town of Jarablus. But it also is aimed at U.S.-allied Kurdish forces that have gained control in recent months of most of the territory along the Turkey-Syria border.

The fighting pits Turkey, a NATO ally, against a U.S.-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling IS militants in Syria in the 5-year-old civil war. It leaves Washington in the tough spot of having to choose between two of its allied forces, and is likely to divert resources from the fight against IS.

A Turkish soldier was killed by a Kurdish rocket attack late Saturday, the first such fatality in Turkeys ground offensive dubbed Euphrates Shield that began Aug. 24.

Speaking at a rally in the town of Gaziantep, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his military is committed to fighting terrorism in Syria and Iraq.

Turkey, he said, also is determined to uproot the Syrian Kurdish group, calling it a terrorist organization. But he didnt specify a goal for the fight against the Kurdish forces.

Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the militants of the Islamic State group, but the airstrikes that began Saturday marked the first time it has targeted Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

We will support all work to clean Syria and Iraq of Daesh, Erdogan told the rally, using an Arabic acronym for the IS group. Thats why we are in Jarablus, thats why we are in Bashiqa (in Iraq). If necessary, we will not shy away from taking responsibility in the same way in other areas.

Turkey has troops stationed in Bashiqa in northern Iraq, and it was not clear if his reference to Jarablus means he intends to base his troops there.

Erdogan then turned his focus to the main Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, known as the PYD.

We are as determined about the PYD, the separatist terror organizations Syrian wing, he said. Ankara views the PYD and the militia affiliated with it as an extension of the Kurdish insurgency that is raging in southeastern Turkey.
Did you know?

Edmund Optics was spun off from Edmund Scientific, which was founded in 1942 selling surplus military lenses and became a leading supplier of telescope and scientific components to hobbyists.

Edmund Optics was established as a second business in the 1970s and was left as a standalone business when Edmund Scientific was acquired by Science Kit and Boreal Laboratories in 2000.

Tucson lured Edmund Optics in 1998, when local industry leaders including Bob Breault and economic-development officials convinced the company that the area's optics cluster and the UA optics school made it a better location than Silicon Valley, which was also in the running.
This is the latest in a monthly series about whats going on at the Pima County Public Library.

It was a little more than 10 years ago I found myself living in Tucson  newly arrived from Minneapolis  and not knowing a soul. Having just completed a masters in library science, I was looking for a change of scenery and fresh inspiration.

I felt drawn to the desert and mountains and thought Tucson could be an interesting place to call home. So, here I was, living on Ninth Street near the famed Buffet Bar and walking most days downtown to the Joel D. Valdez Main Library to get out of the house.

A book lover and avid library user my whole life, one of the first things I did was to get a library card so I could use the internet and check out books to keep myself occupied while I was searching for a job.

It was then that I first discovered the librarys rotating art gallery. I was captivated. Ive been painting in oils since I was 15 and I absolutely love looking at all kinds of art. It moves me and always provides new ideas for mood, subject matter, and color schemes in my own work.

Little did I know, those first visits to the library were just the beginning. I had no idea that I would eventually become the librarian coordinating the art and exhibit spaces  a job that has offered me amazing opportunities to meet and talk to Tucsons many local artists and the incredible people devoted to arts education in our community.

Have you ever wondered how artists get selected to show their work in the library gallery? Every odd year, we host a Call to Artists, welcoming Pima County residents and employees to send in submissions. A jury of art experts and library staff meet to examine and discuss the work, including the artists statements.

Generally, about 24 artists out of 60 to 70 entries are selected to install a month-long solo exhibition over the course of the following two years. From the digital mixed media works of Gary Bjorkland to the sacred feminine fine art and illustrations of Mahala Lewis, the featured works always offer something for everyone.

Plus, weve got other spaces throughout the first floor (towers in the cafe area and three-dimensional cases in the lobby) where we showcase even more art. We often host exhibits from art guilds and nonprofits like Arts for All, the Tucson Art Quilters, Southern Arizona Clay Artists, Global Arts, Old Pueblo Knitters, Paperworks, and the Decorative Painters and Tucson Embroiders Guilds.

Artwork from Pima Countys Living River of Words youth poetry and art contest is a yearly favorite and we often show pieces from the Drawing Studio and the Sonoran Desert Model Builders as well. It never ceases to amaze me how dedicated the library is to offering community organizations an opportunity to share information about what they do and how others can get involved. Its just one of the reasons Im proud of the work I do.

For more than 20 years, our annual High School Art Invitational show has been the most beloved by library staff and visitors alike. Every spring, we ask visual art and photography teachers to submit five pieces of student work for display throughout the month of March. Theres always a wide range of media and styles filling the gallery and its amazing to see such talent in Tucsons youth.

Perhaps you saw our Big Read exhibit last year? During Literacy Connects Big Read, we partnered with the Tucson Pima Arts Council to host a joint exhibit of 150-plus pieces of visual art inspired by the intriguing writing of Edgar Allan Poe.

We held an opening reception for artists, and their family and friends. It was so wonderful to connect faces with names and artwork, while also talking about the role of literary inspiration. It was a fun and engaging way to wrap up seven months of Poe programming throughout Pima County.

Maybe youve seen me hanging around the art space at the Main Library, or maybe youve seen me up on the third floor, where I also spend my time as a reference librarian. Research is another passion of mine, so when I joined the library I couldnt believe my good fortune of landing a position that allowed me to build and hone these skills every day.

After 10 years, I still enjoy helping people find the exact information they need. I especially love working on the in-depth reference questions we receive, the ones that involve digging through old books and newspaper clippings. I like the challenge of inquiries that require strategic search strings and a creative use of resources.

Do you have a question? Stop by and ask us in person, call Infoline (791-4010), or shoot us an email through the Contact Us link on our website (library.pima.gov).

For me, the Library is a wonderful place to find inspiration from all sorts of media and to connect with the resources that help us fuel our own creative pursuits. When I think back to my first days in Tucson, Im most thankful for those early trips to the library, which helped me gain my footing in a new town and eventually become the librarian that I am today.
When I found out I was pregnant, I had a clear vision of the little boy I would be raising. I saw a toddler with a big curly afro and light brown skin. We thought that with a black mother and a white father, hed look something like Heidi Klum and Seals kids. When they placed the screaming little baby on my chest he was purple, but a few hours later, he was as white as his dad. All Heidi, no Seal.

I figured that as the days passed hed get darker. Boy was I wrong. I posted a picture of him on Instagram and a friend commented, Hes so white! Sure, I was a little disappointed that he looked so little like me, but he was my son, half black and half white, and I didnt care that the latter showed more strongly than the former.

I quickly learned, though, that the wider world didnt always respond the same way. I braced myself for comments every time we went out in public. People were constantly surprised to learn he was mine. I took him out with my white best friend (my sons godmother) in the afternoons, and everyone directed their questions about him to her. Shed just point to me. Their faces went from confidence to extreme confusion as they tried to figure out how he could have come out of me. I smiled brightly as they recovered and continued fawning over my cute baby.

While I am lucky that most remarks were about how cute he is, I did get some interesting ones. Once, an older black woman (based on her accent, she was from the Caribbean) told me that I was lucky to have a white baby. I was gobsmacked. Why was I lucky? Were white people going to accept me more if I had a white baby? Did that make me special? Then I was annoyed. What made her think that her comment was okay to say out loud? Another time, an older woman went on a tirade about me and my son in another language. Her son apologized profusely, and I shrugged it off, but it hurt.

When black people look at us, I watch them try to figure out our relationship. They seldom make eye contact with me, but I know theyre looking. When my son calls me Mommy I see the realization in their eyes. Often they become cloudy with questions and judgment, but they never say a word. I know what some of them are thinking, especially the women. They consider me a traitor. But my sons whiteness does not quantify my blackness. Having a child with a white man doesnt make me or my son any less black.

As if I could forget that we are black. Shortly before my sons first birthday, a video went viral. In it, Eric Garner, a black man, was savagely placed in a chokehold and subsequently suffocated by a white police officer. The incident happened a few blocks away from where we live. A few weeks later, a young black man named Michael Brown was killed in Missouri. During the news coverage, I learned that the killing occurred in Ferguson, the town where my boyfriend had lived since he was a kid and where his parents had just moved from.

After the tensions died down in Ferguson, we went for a visit so my son could meet his grandparents. In Missouri, I was painfully aware of my blackness and felt a constant need to be on the defense. When my boyfriends parents and I took my son out, I looked like the odd man out, especially in the suburbs. My boyfriends dad drove us through Ferguson to show me all of the damage that had been done by the protests. He made a few uncomfortable off-color remarks that I tried to laugh off. As we drove, I felt an odd sense of solidarity but also heartbreak. Its one thing to see it on television, but seeing it in person made it so real.

An incident in 2015 solidified things for me. We had just gotten off the bus in my neighborhood and were halfway across the crosswalk, my son in his stroller, when I saw a police car approaching. The lights werent flashing and there was no siren, so I continued to cross. But the car continued to slowly pull into the crosswalk. It finally stopped mere inches from the stroller. I turned to the car to look the officers in the eyes and noticed both were female. I was shocked that two women would have no problem nearly running over another woman pushing a stroller. When I posted the incident on Facebook, I had friends try to defend the cops. But this is the same police precinct that had murdered Eric Garner in broad daylight, so I saw the truth.

My son doesnt realize yet that he and I dont look alike. To him, Im just Mommy. But I have to prepare him for the world that he will inhabit. Even though he doesnt look black, he is black. In our house, Black Lives Matter is more than just a hashtag; it is our reality. Since having a child, I have become more outspoken about the issues black people face. I want to show my son that being black is something to celebrate, even if its a side of him that many cant see. Philando Castile could have been his uncle; Tamir Rice could have been his cousin; Sandra Bland, his aunt. His blackness is just as much a part of him as his whiteness.

I constantly wonder what the next few years will have in store as my son approaches school age. Will his intelligence and ability be doubted as a result of him having a black woman as his primary caregiver? Will teachers and administrators assume, like many people before them, that Im just his nanny? Will kids or their families treat him differently if they saw him and then saw me? I was often embraced by my white peers and their families because I wasnt your stereotypical black woman. But you only know that when you talk to me. If you look at me, you dont know that I have a college degree, but you do know that I have brown skin. On the flip side, I know that hell experience other privileges as a white male. I dont see such privilege as a bad thing if youre aware that the privilege doesnt exist for everyone. The color of his skin could keep him alive in a bad situation, but what happens when he tells someone hes mixed?

I want him to accept both sides of himself equally and be proud of them. If doors were to open to him because of his whiteness, I would push him through wholeheartedly  because I know that he would bring the other side of his heritage with him into the conversation. I have faith that my son will use his unique position to change the world. And what mom doesnt want that?
WHAT: A large two-sheet poster advertising the play La Dame aux Camelias brought $11,875 early this month at Swann Galleries in New York and measures, when assembled, 81-inches high by almost 30-inches wide.

MORE: A combination of famous names makes the poster iconic. The play by Alexandre Dumas was a favorite role for Sarah Bernhardt.

Paris-based Czech artist Alphonse Mucha designed this version for an 1896 revival starring the actress.

Paris printer F. Champenois, a firm celebrated for Art Nouveau lithography, completes the constellation. The poster is considered a masterpiece of lithography and art nouveau design.

SMART COLLECTORS KNOW: Large antique theater, advertising and (later) movie posters were printed in two or three sheets that were assembled when pasted onto marquees or surfaces.

HOT TIP: The heyday of collectible advertising posters was the 1880s through the turn of the century, and they have been highly collectible since the beginning.

BOTTOM LINE: Prices on original posters in good condition have outpaced most investments. Originally slapped onto outdoor surfaces, small numbers survive intact.
Dear Amy: I have been dating my boyfriend "William" for 2.5 years. We are both divorced with children. William's ex-wife had a horrible two-year affair that hurt him deeply. Knowing this, I have always tried to assure him that he is the only man in my life and I make sure to go above and beyond to reassure him that I am thinking about him whenever we are apart.

However, in the past six months, William has become extremely jealous of my very dear gay friend of many years "Kevin" (who also happens to be an important client of mine).

It started out with snide comments and then recently escalated to him accusing me of having an "inappropriate intimate relationship" with Kevin. He says Kevin is a bad influence, he is inappropriate and most recently, he feels like I am having an emotional affair.

I have made it very clear that we are just friends, exactly like all of my female friends but William refuses to accept this.

William has gone so far as to create secret social media accounts to monitor my daily activity. He also monitors Kevin's. It became somewhat of an obsession. He has been checking several times a day and screen captures anything he deems inappropriate with ANY of my friends, but is focused specifically on Kevin.

This volatile situation had been building over the past six months. We have been arguing a lot without my full understanding as to what was going on behind the scenes. I have been unjustly accused of many completely fabricated scenarios.

Apparently I spent too long in the ladies room at a restaurant several months ago, and now I'm being accused of conspiring with Kevin to get together without William knowing.

One Friday night I fell asleep and didn't text William to say goodnight. This caused a week-long argument. William would not take my calls, cancelled our plans for the weekend and refused to believe that I didn't sneak away to New York to see my friend.

I also have a female friend who William has decided is "undermining" our relationship and frowns on me seeing her as well.

This man is wonderful in so many ways, but I can't seem to fix my relationship and keep my friends in the process!

 Heartsick in PA

Dear Heartsick: I'm not a therapist. But I can see a pattern building. Even if you are not telling me an objective version of this story, it seems like a bad situation for you.

Anyone who sets up secret accounts to monitor you and also friends of yours is not someone who respects your right to have relationships and friendships with other people. I don't believe you should try to "fix" this relationship.

And I hope you don't expose your children to this craziness.

Dear Amy: One of my bachelor friends has run into a problem that has me stumped. He is into online dating and seems to run into the same situation with many of his dates.

They meet up for drinks or dinner, and he is happy and prepared to foot the bill. Though by date six or seven, after dinners, plays, movies, etc., none of these women have ever offered to split the check or pay for one thing.

I personally find that appalling, but we can't think of a tactful way to handle this.

Suggestions?

 Stumped

Dear Stumped: One way around this is to plan low-cost outings, such as walks, hikes, or museum visits. Your friend might be initiating all of these dates, which would make the woman more likely to assume he is treating.

But this is also the ideal situation to test a couple's ability to communicate. By the sixth or seventh date, your friend should be brave enough to say, "I notice you seem to expect me to always pick up the check. Are you willing to share the costs when we do something together?

Dear Amy: "Protective" was wondering how to exclude her aunt's racist boyfriend from this year's Thanksgiving dinner.

I liked your recommendation, but perhaps something more blunt is called for: "Your boyfriend is a jerk. We're all tired of him and don't want to share our holiday with him. He needs to stay home."

 Blunt

Dear Blunt: Excluding this family member's romantic partner will likely lead to the aunt's exclusion, too. If family members are willing to deal with this drama, then yes, they could definitely choose the more blunt statement.
Tucson photographer Jade Beall faced down a lifetime of body image issues four years ago, though she didnt know it at the time.

She took a nude portrait of herself five weeks postpartum  and about 50 pounds heavier than shed ever been  holding her new baby.

Then she posted it online. No filters. No Photoshop.

It was a way for Beall, a 37-year-old Tucson native, to expand her portfolio with images that showed body diversity, but it ended up being the catalyst for something much more.

The blonde, blue-eyed photographer and dancer had always struggled with her body image. Having a baby multiplied them. As a new mother, she was sleep deprived and had cellulite on her body.

When I first looked at those photos I wanted to pass out. They were so hard for me to look at, but now I look at them and I just see such a beautiful woman thats a new mother, Beall said. I was unable to truly face my decades of self-loathing until I took that self-portrait and didnt Photoshop it.  Previously I always Photoshopped any photo of myself.  All the wrinkles and dark circles were gone. But, now I dont and its so freeing because Im OK with the way I look. I can be honest with this is who I am.

Putting herself out there  on social media sites and her own website  opened the floodgates for women who wanted to be seen and feel good in their own skin.

When I did that, I received hundreds of emails from women giving them permission to look at themselves and I realized there was this huge need and desire for truthful body positivity, especially for mothers, in such an often exhausting, vulnerable, confusing time in a culture that only celebrates the bounce-back mother, and everyone else is a failure, Beall said.

I didnt know it was such a huge, huge need to be celebrated in that moment of post-giving-birth and not feeling like a failure.

Now, shes on a mission

Beall says she is unapologetically breaking the rules by showing that all people are beautiful exactly how they are. And that all people have the right to feel beautiful, no matter their body type.

Facebook has banned her several times because users have reported photos  usually of breast-feeding mothers  as offensive. But, she says that isnt going to stop her.

Im celebrating people weve been told not to celebrate, Beall said. Im saying a woman is beautiful just the way she is. She doesnt need to aspire to be somebody else.  It upsets people, but Im never gonna stop. Im gonna keep pushing it.

Bealls photographs feature women, new mothers (often in the nude, with their babies), grandmothers and breast-feeding mothers. She does not Photoshop the stretch marks, belly rolls or wrinkles.

Were taught at a very young age that we should look like anybody but ourselves. And we celebrate one body type, one age and if we dont fit into that its a constant struggle and competition, which puts women at odds with each other and divides sisterhood, Beall said. It makes a lot of us suffer until were like in our 80s and were finally like Im just gonna accept this before I die. Im gonna love myself for a little bit. 

Beall has recently added the elderly in her repertoire  both couples and singles.

One photo features a couple in their 70s, embracing in the nude. They met in their 50s and have been together for 20 years.

Its beautiful and inspiring to people my age, in their late 30s, to see that as an example of beauty, Beall said. Like, what if we thought that wrinkles were a sign of a true queenly matriarch beauty and a little girl is like one day Ill have wrinkles that show Ive lived a privileged long life? But, instead were told we should be ashamed and fix them and change them and be someone were not. Its exhausting.

Some struggle with the concept that smart can be considered beautiful and they ask Beall, what if youre just a strong, powerful, intelligent woman? Isnt that enough?

Bealls answer: If youre a strong, powerful, intelligent woman, theres absolutely no way youre gonna be anything but beautiful. I dont understand why it has to be one way or the other. To me, its a whole package deal.

In the studio

When people arrive at Bealls studio in the living room of her home, they are immediately surrounded by her photos covering the walls.

Beall spends time chatting with each client to make them feel comfortable before they get undressed  if they do  and take their place on the large rolled out paper that serves as a background in her photos.

When people get on my backdrop they want to feel special. Our culture is so good at trying to make us feel like were not special and worthy of feeling good in your skin, whether youre differently abled or whatever shape or whatever age you are, Beall says. When theres only one body type celebrated it puts us in competition. Its just evil. Id way rather live a life of sisterhood and feeling good about myself and seeing the beauty in the women around me.

When Stacy Gray arrived at her photo shoot with Beall, she was a newly divorced woman, learning how to be a strong single mother to her two children.

She was also Bealls first photo shoot after posting her own self-portrait.

I was so grateful to have brought forth these beautiful children, but now that they were no longer laying in my lap and I was standing alone facing myself as an individual, I began to hear the train of societys judgments on my body and it was coming fast and with a mission to destroy my self-love, Gray said.

The experience was a coming to and a waking up out of surviving into thriving for Gray and her children.

Our faith in our little family was sealed that day, under those bright lights, Gray said.

Many women show up nervous and take a little warming up before they feel comfortable, Beall said.

That wasnt the case for Gray.

I wasnt nervous, just ready to be witnessed, Gray said. I was hungry and aching to be seen.  So I undressed, picked up my children and began to unfold the layers of shame from my body and laid it down in front of that sacred lens.

Once she saw the photos she said she nearly threw up bracing herself for negative comments online. She thought for sure shed see at least one saying she was disgusting.

Guess what. No one ever said that, Gray said. In fact, they said thank you. When people said negative things about me, I grew stronger and more transparent. I was truly nude and there was nothing left to apologize for. This is just me.

One of Grays photos is now on a billboard as part of a body positivity campaign in London, Germany and Africa.

Gray said the photos left a lasting impression on her children that their journey through her into the world matters and encourages others.

Lupita Chavez first heard of Bealls photography when a mutual friend sent her a message about it, saying she thought shed be perfect for Bealls Beautiful Body Project.

Jades story really clicked with me, but maybe differently, Chavez recalled. I was truly this confident woman who never actually felt beautiful. My confidence was based on my brains, skills, friends and accomplishments. In a weird way, my changing body from childbirth didnt effect me the way it did others. Motherhood changed me.

Chavez called her daughter, Cheyenne Baum, that night to get her opinion. Her daughter was excited and told her mom she thought she should do it. So, Chavez wrote Beall that night and told her story.

The shoot was amazing and inspiring for Chavez. She was excited to be doing something that would terrify others and was having fun at the same time.

Ive never liked getting my photo taken, Chavez said. Jade welcomed me in with so much love and warmth. In addition to weight issues, I have psoriasis. She saw my skin as art.  For the first time, I felt genuinely beautiful and truly comfortable in my own skin. Thats such a gift. Ill be forever grateful.

When she first saw the images Beall posted, Chavez was blown away.

Heres the deal as I see it: Our daily visual impression of ourselves is usually in a mirror. So, first, were not smiling or laughing or even just interested or animated the way we are in the presence of others. Second, were usually putting on makeup or doing our hair, which means, were looking at ourselves with the express purpose of finding flaws to fix, Chavez said. So, the experience of seeing myself in photographs taken by someone whos entire being is set on bringing out your beauty not just for others to see, but for you to see? I wish everyone could experience that.

The effect of seeing themselves

Beall edits each shoot down to about 200 photos, so clients can see a progression of the shoot.

Typically women leave feeling wonderful after the shoot, Beall said. Theyre like, Yes I did it. Im beautiful and strong. Then they get the photos and theyre like, Oh  OK. Because theyre not used to seeing themselves naked, only in a mirror.

Women usually look at their photos again a week later and like about five of them. A month later its 10 to 15 and a few months later, they like a whole bunch of them, Beall said.

My body? Well, I still see it for what it is. Im a big girl. Hell, Im fat, Chavez said. But I knew that. What I didnt know was that my whole face changes when I laugh. My eyes light up. When Im at peace my face is soft, welcoming. I saw beauty.

Its learning to see yourself with different eyes. Im not Photoshopping you. I am lighting you to show your best essence, but Im not hiding the things weve been taught to hide, Beall said. Im gonna showcase them.

Word has gotten out

Through Facebook and Instagram, Bealls work has gained popularity around the world.

Instagram recently featured one of Bealls photographs of a breast-feeding mother for World Breastfeeding Week and it got major attention  more than a million likes.

She started photographing breast-feeding when she was working on her book, The Bodies of Mothers, which showcases unretouched photos of mothers. It wasnt what she set out to do but so many of the moms had their breast-feeding babies in the studio, she started photographing them together.

Its helping normalize it and helping women understand it better and to not feel alone, Beall said. Women see my photos and write me the most beautiful emails so it helps them realize what theyre doing is OK and others are doing it.

Earlier this year Beall went to London to photograph new mothers for a documentary called The Tenth Month  which is about the first month of motherhood  after being discovered by an advertising company there who saw her work on Facebook.

She will travel to Switzerland to help scientists who want to understand motherhood and body positivity.

And each month Beall goes to different cities to speak at MommyCon, a holistic baby conference.

She also started an international movement The Beautiful Body Project, in which female photographers, videographers and journalists in seven countries have come together to photograph women and tell their stories. Its mission is to create awareness of the issues women face about birth, aging, cancer, eating disorders, breast-feeding, C-sections, miscarriage, loss, domestic violence, sexual abuse and more.

worthy of being called beautiful

On a self-funded trip, Beall went to Greece to photograph Syrian refugees. While on that trip, she also photographed women in Israel and Turkey.

During her travels, she has noticed one commonality among women across cultures is the desire to love themselves.

The deep desire for self-love, like, unwavering self-love and to want to feel worthy of being called beautiful, Beall said. 99.9 percent of the women I photograph would not say they are beautiful and thats true in every country Ive photographed.

She receives hundreds of calls and emails from women who want to be photographed and from women around the world who want to thank her for the work she does. They also follow her on Facebook, where her photo page has nearly 150,000 likes, and on Instagram, where she has close to 68,000 followers.
Texas authorities arrest Pima suspect

A Pima County man has been has been arrested in Amarillo, Texas, charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and is awaiting extradition to Tucson.

According to a news release from the Pima County Sheriffs Department, on Aug. 24, detectives with the Sex Crimes Unit went to serve a search warrant at the residence of Brian Foley, 48, in the 3000 block of West Country Hill Drive.

Based on information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Foley was reported to have child pornography on a computer at the residence. While executing the search warrant, detectives learned Foley may have left town, the release says.

Based on evidence found at his house, a felony warrant was issued for his arrest. Foley was arrested Aug. 27 in Amarillo.

Playground dedicated to IS victim Mue





ller

PRESCOTT  The hometown of an Arizona woman who was captured and killed by Islamic State militants now has a playground in her memory.

The family of Kayla Mueller led the grand opening of Kaylas Hands Playground in a Prescott park Saturday.

The Kiwanis Club of Prescott and a foundation in Muellers name oversaw efforts to raise money for the play area.

A humanitarian aid worker, the 26-year-old was taken hostage in August 2013 after leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria.

Small traces of meth

found in classrooms

PHOENIX  Traces of methamphetamine have been found at a suburban Phoenix high school.

Air and surface testing detected a trace amount of the drug in three classrooms at Mountain Pointe High School in Ahwatukee, KPHO-TV reported.

The testing was done between Aug. 17 and Aug. 19 after an apartment occupied by a former security guard had an unknown odor.

Principal Bruce Kipper said the amount found was less than 100 nanograms.

A toxicologist said the amount is not enough to cause any effects.

The classrooms will be closed until they are professionally cleaned and retested.

Staff and wire reports
PHOENIX  The Arizona Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that its proponents admitted is designed to help elect Republicans by keeping Libertarians from siphoning away votes.

In a unanimous ruling, the justices acknowledged the new law increased the number of signatures a Libertarian is required to get to run for statewide office by a factor of 25. By contrast, the 2015 statute had little effect on Republican and Democrat candidates.

But Chief Justice Scott Bales said the increased burden is legally irrelevant. He said the Republican-controlled Legislature was entitled to decide that all candidates from all parties have to show the same level of support to qualify for a place on the ballot.

Fridays ruling comes in a case involving Libertarian Frank Tamburri. It dashes his bid to challenge Republican John McCain in November for the U.S. Senate.

But it may not be the last word on the validity of the law.

The Arizona Libertarian Party has a separate lawsuit pending in federal court challenging the same signature requirements. Oliver Hall, the attorney in that case, wants a judge to rule that the 2015 law imposes unconstitutionally severe and unequal burdens on the Libertarians alone.

On paper, the law treats all parties the same: They need the signatures of one-fourth of 1 percent of eligible voters. Thats down from one-half of 1 percent.

But lawmakers added a twist by redefining who are eligible voters who can sign the petition.

The original law included only members of that persons party. Now the percentage is calculated based on not just party registration but also anyone registered as a political independent.

With the decrease in the percentage requirement by half, thats no real change for Democrats or Republicans.

But the situation is different for Libertarians: While under the old law they needed just 133 signatures for a statewide candidate to qualify for the ballot; the new law raises that to 3,034. And there are similar increases in congressional and legislative races.

The record shows there was a political motive behind the change. During the debate over the 2015 measure, Sen. Steve Yarbrough, R-Chandler, conceded as much.

What we have is that people who have historically been third-party candidates (have) been able to get on the ballot with an incredibly small number of signatures, he complained.

Rep. J.D. Mesnard, R-Chandler, who sponsored HB 2608, said it was designed to stop the kind of games that can be played to siphon votes.

My mom in CD 9 (in Tucson and southeast Arizona) was getting mail from the Democratic Party backing the Libertarian candidate, he said. Mesnard said allowing a minor party candidate to qualify for equal ballot status with Republicans and Democrats without getting the same number of signatures makes a mockery of the system and also opens it up for manipulation.

He contends thats already happened.

When the issue was first debated, Mesnard said that one or two of the 2012 congressional races did not go in the direction I would have liked to have seen them go. More to the point, Mesnard contended that the results would have been different had the higher signature requirement been in place and, presumably, Libertarian candidates would not have been on the ballot.

In CD 1, which runs from Flagstaff and the Navajo Nation to the edge of Tucson, Republican Jonathan Paton fell short in his bid to oust incumbent Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick.

Paton garnered 113,594 votes against 122,774 for Kirkpatrick. But Libertarian Kim Allen picked up 15,227 votes  votes Mesnard contended likely would have gone to Paton.

Similarly, in the newly created CD 9, which encompasses parts of Phoenix and Tempe, Democrat Kyrsten Sinema bested Republican Vernon Parker by 10,251 votes, with Libertarian Powell Gammill tallying 16,620.

And to drive the point home to his GOP colleagues who were voting on the measure, he pointed out that the new requirements also cover legislative races. Mesnard told them that if they didnt support the change, they could be personally affected in their next race.

I cant believe we wouldnt see the benefit of this, Mesnard told fellow Republicans.

None of the political debate was discussed by Bales in the opinion he wrote for the court. Instead he focused purely on the numerical change.

HB 2608, like any restriction on a candidates ballot access, imposes some burden on Tamburris political opportunities, the chief justice wrote. And it might even limit the field.

But Bales said that a reasonably diligent minor party candidate could still gain access to the ballot, saying that getting signatures from one-quarter of 1 percent of all eligible voters  Libertarians and independents  is not an unreasonable burden. He said the Legislature has a legitimate interest in ensuring candidates who appear on the general election ballot have some significant modicum of support.
PHOENIX  A flood of money from solar interests is overwhelming the spending in the race for the Arizona Corporation Commission.

Save Our AZ Solar reported Friday that it has spent $667,082 to help incumbent Republican Bob Burns survive a five-way race for three available slots. That figure reflects spending through Aug. 18, with the possibility additional dollars may show up on post-primary reports.

By contrast, Al Melvin and Rick Gray, running with public funding, each got $102,711 from the Citizens Clean Elections Commission for their primary race. Each had to gather 1,700 donations of $5 to qualify.

They each also have about another $20,000 they were entitled to raise privately.

Gray, a current state representative, and Melvin, a former state senator, are running together as a ticket along with Andy Tobin. He was appointed earlier this year by Gov. Doug Ducey to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Susan Bitter Smith.

Tobin, however, opted not to seek public funding, instead relying on private donations. But his campaign finance report shows he has only $49,380 in contributions.

Former judge Boyd Dunn, also running with private dollars, reported contributions of $90,450.

Burns, an incumbent seeking a second four-year term, also has opted to run the race with individual donations. So far they total more than $55,000.

But the real wind beneath his campaign is the money spent by Save Our AZ Solar.

It is financed by SolarCity, which has been in a running dispute with Arizona Public Service and other electric utilities over their plans to change how much they charge customers who generate their own power with rooftop solar units. Those changes include limiting what utilities have to pay those customers who generate excess power as well as imposing a demand charge, which links a ratepayers bill to the homes peak demand rather than the amount of energy used.

Solar groups contend such changes would kill the demand for rooftop solar units.

By law, any spending by Save Our AZ Solar cannot be coordinated with Burns.

Burns has gained favor among solar advocates at least in part because of his efforts to force APS to disclose how much it spent in the 2014 race.

Corporations are precluded from giving directly to candidates. And an APS spokesman has refused to confirm or deny that the utility is the source of some of the $3.2 million spent that year by two outside groups to elect Republicans Tom Forese and Doug Little.

Those outside groups are required to disclose their spending. But they contend they are social welfare organizations, which need not make public the source of their funds.

One of the three survivors of Tuesdays GOP primary is assured a seat on the commission. Thats because only two Democrats are running for the three available seats: Bill Mundell who served previously on the commission, albeit when he was a Republican, and former representative Tom Chabin.

Both are publicly financed and got the same $102,711 as Gray and Melvin.
Individual donations continue to dominate fundraising in the race for John McCains Senate seat, and outside groups are pouring millions into advertising.

Seeking his sixth term in the Senate, McCain raised $571,228 between the beginning of July and Aug. 10, according to Federal Election Commission records. His Republican rival, former state Sen. Kelly Ward, raised less than half of that  $254,210.

A third GOP rival, Alexander Meluskey, recently dropped out of the race after conceding he could not defeat McCain.

Ward and McCain have raised millions in the run-up to this weeks primary, but outside groups including Kellipac and Courageous Conservatives PAC supporting Ward have spent $845,363. Other groups, like the Courageous Conservatives PAC opposing McCain, have spent an additional $575,519 to run negative ads.

Arizona Grassroots Action PAC and the USA Business Freedom PAC are running ads supporting McCain, spending $137,232, according to campaign finance data.

McCain had slightly more than $5 million in his campaign war chest as of mid-August, while Ward had $137,303 cash on hand.

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, a Democrat, has raised slightly more than $1 million in donations, primarily from individuals. Her campaign war chest had nearly $2.3 million at the end of reporting period.

CD1 GOP race competitive

Republican candidates vying for the open seat in Congressional District 1 seat have again raised nearly $285,650 in the six-week primary period.

Campaign in the massive district, which runs from Northern and Eastern Arizona to northern Pima County, has seen seven candidates spend over $1 million in the weeks leading up to the primary.

Two candidates, former state legislator Carlyle Begay and Arizona House Speaker David Gowan, have since dropped out  making for a five-person race.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu led the latest filing period by Republicans with $109,030 in contributions and had $116,499 in his campaign coffers.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Wendy Rogers raised $62,458 in contributions; rancher Gary Kiehne raised $31,712; former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett raised $27,710; and businessman Shawn Redd raised $14,500 with a loan to his campaign.

Before dropping out, Gowan raised $40,180.

Outside groups have spent $228,880 in race, with most of the funds supporting Rogers.

The Defend Rural Arizona PAC spent $169,232 on radio ads and mailers, according to campaign finance reports.

Former state Rep. Tom OHalleran, a Democrat, raised $63,536 in the last fundraising period, but had $471,821 in his campaign coffers.

Democrats in CD2 overshadowed

Republican Congresswoman Martha McSally continues to bring in more campaign donations than her two would-be Democratic rivals combined, raising $467,862 in the last six weeks.

McSally, who is not being challenged in the Republican primary, is also outspending both of the Democrats combined and still has more than $2 million in the bank, filings with the Federal Election Commission show.

The amount is still relatively small, since one estimate suggests a total of $20 million was spent in Congressional District 2 during the last election cycle two years ago.

On the Democratic side, physician Matt Heinz raised $94,473 between the beginning of July and mid-August, while former state Rep. Victoria Steele raised $32,227 during the period.

Grijalva unopposed

With no formal challengers, Rep. Raul Grijalvas campaign has raised $41,414 in his bid for another term in Congress.

He had $138,579 still in his campaign war chest, according to campaign finance reports.
David Walker longs for what was  family camping trips, SpongeBob SquarePants and the life his son had before the voices began.

He lives in a reality where there are snipers on rooftops, peoples heads are being lit on fire, of being stabbed and feeling the pain but no injury, Walker said. Life for him has literally been like living a nightmare since his early teens.

Walkers own nightmare includes images of his child dying alone in some garbage-strewn underpass. Hes haunted by the possibility that his 22-year-old son will unwittingly hurt himself or someone else.

Unlike many who successfully manage their mental-health diagnoses, Walkers son resists or refuses help for the paranoia and auditory hallucinations common to schizophrenia.

The problem is compounded, Walker said, by the mental-health systems growing tendency to encourage people to manage their own treatment  without enough supervision given to those unwilling or incapable of doing so. Walker, who tries to advocate for his son, said he keeps repeating the same requests and wonders sometimes if his son is remembered from one visit to the next.

Were stuck in this position of not having anything to do, said Walker, an ecotoxicologist at the University of Arizona. You cant kidnap somebody, and I totally get that. At the same time, if its in societys and that persons best interest to require treatment, why is it so difficult?

The hamster wheel

During the last few years, two things have helped Walkers son. The first was being stabilized during a three-month stay at a facility in Washington state, where he landed after being imprisoned in Canada for illegal entry. Walker said his son, then 20, came back to Tucson determined to work and, for the first time, held a job for a few months.

The second followed, some months later, when his son started to regress and was court-ordered to follow a treatment plan that included injections of anti-psychotic medication. Walker said his son  who declined an interview request and is not being named to protect his privacy  stuck with that plan for a few months before deciding he didnt need the shots.

If your world is driven by conspiracy and fear, Walker said, of course youre not going to like injections.

Over the last couple of years, if he hasnt wandered off to another state, the young man has cycled endlessly around what Walker calls the hamster wheel: He acts out, gets picked up by law enforcement and is evaluated before being released.

Then a new cycle begins.

Hes been kicked out and then caught within an hour doing the very same thing he was doing in the first place, he said.

Walker said his son has been taken in for psychiatric help at Banner-University Medical Center South or the countys Crisis Response Center eight times this year, either after a run-in with law enforcement or by a concerned family member.

Employees with the Pima County Sheriffs Department have grown familiar with the family.

Its an extremely sad situation and very frustrating for the father, said sheriffs detective Maria Stengel, who works in her agencys mental-health unit. We all agree with the dad that something more needs to be done.

The young mans infractions in recent years include pushing a shopping cart down the shoulder of Interstate 10, harassing and chasing a security guard, and pointing his fingers like guns to pretend hes shooting passing motorists.

There have been a couple of domestic violence calls, including one in which he warned his father about what the voices were telling him to do. Walker said that while all the auditory hallucinations and imagined atrocities have seemed so real to his son, hes never hurt anyone.

I cant deny hes displayed frightening behavior at times, but hes always pulled back or walked away, Walker said. Ive never been really afraid, but I know when I need to back off.

Court-ordered treatment

As one of the few exceptions to a persons constitutional right to refuse health care, a judge can force someone to receive mental health treatment. That only happens, however, if the person is found to be a danger to himself or herself, a danger to others or is gravely or persistently disabled.

While many people are able to manage their illnesses without court supervision, a small percentage need more oversight, either through hospitalization or as an outpatient, said Deputy County Attorney Paula Perrera, who heads the health-law unit at the County Attorneys Office.

Even then, its far from easy.

Frankly, we dont have a lot of resources out in the community that provide the wrap-around and intensity of services for those individuals who struggle to stay in treatment, she said. Theres not a lot of placements and programming for them.

The number of people brought in to hospitals or the Crisis Response Center because they might need a court-ordered mental health evaluation has not changed much in recent years, averaging just about 2,000 annually. However, the number of people actually receiving those evaluations has dropped from a high of 43 percent between Jan. 1, 2013, and Aug. 1, 2013, to 34 percent last year, and then to 28 percent during the same period this year.

As a result, the number of people who go on to be court-ordered to receive treatment has also dropped, from 356 during those seven months in 2013 to 205 this year, county data show.

Part of the reason for that decrease is likely due to more patients being taken first to the Crisis Response Center. About 65 percent are released after they have been stabilized, usually to community treatment, detox or an outpatient provider. The rest are voluntarily or involuntarily hospitalized for a court-ordered evaluation.

Before, there were too many people locked up and treatment was too coercive, said Dr. Margie Balfour, chief clinical officer at the Crisis Response Center. For the vast majority of people, the move toward self-determination is a good thing, but there are always outliers.

Whats needed isnt there

David Walker and Judy V. Kowalick have never met, but they have some important things in common.

Like Walker, Kowalick knows what its like trying to help a family member whose sense of reality is disturbed by paranoia and hallucinations. Her son is troubled by the same things.

And as coordinator of Tucsons Family-to-Family program for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, she said she often hears from others with the same plight.

There are a lot of family members who ask how to get their loved one court-ordered or into a hospitalized setting so they can be stabilized, she said. Family members cant figure out why they cant be kept in the hospital longer. But its not set up that way now and so what some people need is not available to them.

Kowalicks son, who is 36 and diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, has been in the Arizona State Hospital for the last 10 years. He needs 24-hour supervision, she said, and still thinks people are tampering with his medication and want him dead.

He still has severe delusions that people are out to harm him, she said. When he stops taking his medication, he can get really aggressive.

While Kowalick is not advocating commitment to a hospital for anyone else, she said limiting that option should mean more resources in the community, including more supervised living facilities.

We need better options, she said, and we need more of them.

Walker cant understand why his son doesnt fall under the category of chronically disabled since he has repeatedly cycled through the mental health system.

They dont care about his history, what they care about is how he presents today, Walker said, explaining his son presents well when he needs to. Then, while were walking out the door, hell start talking about peoples heads being lit on fire.

The young mans caseworker and a psychiatrist who recently worked with him did not respond to interview requests.

Karl Sachs, a Tucson psychologist who got to know the family when Walkers son was a teenager, said he fears cases like this are a potential tragedy waiting to happen.

Walkers son, he said, shares a profile of criteria seen in many if not most recent mass killings: young adult male, paranoid ideation, substance abuse and a history of violence including repeated involvement with law enforcement.

Lucifer, rooftop snipers

Walker said his son wont use a computer or cellphone now, fearing someone  particularly the government  could control him that way. But a couple of years back, he kept a blog. Its filled with musings on his own immortality, references to heaven and hell and some violent imagery about blood-soaked floors and people conspiring to harm him or kill him.

In one post he reflected on meeting Jesus at the Juvenile Court Center  a wonderful experience that left him with deep feelings of peace, until Lucifer took over and started using his body.

He wrote that he was afraid of nothing because of his own divine powers, and had walked in traffic to prove it. He said he knew half of Tucson was trying to kill him, including people on rooftops pointing sniper rifles at him.

He wrote about a former girlfriend he believed was trying to kill him  and so, he reasoned, if he killed her first, it would be justified.

In late spring of this year, Walker said his son was doing a bit better. After a brief stay at Sonora Behavioral Health, he was living in housing provided by CODAC and appeared to be taking his medication. But by mid-July, like so many times before, hed stopped taking his medications.

No one could force him because the treatment was not court-ordered.

A short time later, he was gone. Hes called his father a few times from New Mexico but says he isnt ready to return home. Theyve been here before, with calls from Colorado, Oregon, Canada and Washington D.C., where the young man went in search of some time with President Obama.

Hes been hospitalized and jailed in several states, his father said. Hes also been assaulted. He arrives home needing food and a bath.

It is only by sheer luck, Walker said, that hes lived long enough to get to this point.
Complaints about mosquitoes are growing in the wake of a saturated summer in Pima County.

You almost can predict after a monsoon rain that, in three to seven days, youre going to get a lot of complaints, said David Ludwig, who directs the countys vector-control program.

Mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk  just the times Arizonans choose for outdoor activities, such as walking dogs at the Pima Animal Care Center. Many volunteers cover themselves head-to-toe these days and use the insect repellent available at check-in.

Ludwig is uncertain whether the increased complaints reflect larger numbers of mosquitoes than normally appear at this time of year.

His group at the Pima County Health Department is trapping more mosquitoes, but it is also putting out more traps than ever before, with increased focus on the tiny Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that can carry yellow fever, dengue, Chikungunya and this years most feared virus, Zika.

Ludwig said publicity about Zika, which has caused birth defects and neurological illnesses in South America and elsewhere, is prompting the increased calls.

People are concerned and they are calling in because of the heightened awareness, he said.

There is no evidence of Zika transmission in the state, but the Arizona Department of Health Services has confirmed 26 cases in residents who had traveled to areas with Zika outbreaks.

Public health officials get involved in all those cases, said Jessica Rigler, chief of the departments bureau of epidemiology and disease control. The goal is to keep people from getting bitten by a mosquito capable of transmitting the disease to someone else.

Aedes aegypti, the principal vector for Zika, has been reported in all of the states southern counties and as far north as Yavapai County.

Its impossible to say whether populations of any particular mosquito species are on the rise, Rigler said. Aedes aeqypti was not a target for trapping until recent years, when dengue and Chikungunya outbreaks occurred in Mexico.

Officials continue to hope that Zika, like those viruses, will not spread in Arizona.

In terms of risk, I still kind of match it up to where we are with dengue, said Heidi Brown, who does research on the viability of the mosquito and the virus.

Brown, a University of Arizona assistant professor of public health, said some combination of our semi-arid climate and protective environment kept dengue at bay during outbreaks just south of the border in Mexico.

The experience in Florida, where the virus is being transmitted locally in small clusters, is something were watching and trying to figure out whats going on and where its next to pop up, Brown said.

Rigler, too, does not expect outbreaks here, but said: Were not going to breathe easy for the next couple of months, at least.

Ludwig said most of the mosquitoes  20,000 of the 22,000 trapped in Pima County this year  are varieties of floodwater mosquitoes, which are not known to carry viruses.

But the traps have caught more than 1,000 Aedes aegypti and more than 700 Culex mosquitoes, which can carry West Nile virus.

West Nile has killed an average of 6.5 people annually in Arizona over the past decade. Two deaths in Maricopa County this year have been connected to the virus.

Most people who contract West Nile have no symptoms, but it can induce fever and result in meningitis and encephalitis. Most of the people who die from it are elderly.

So, even if Zika does not become a concern in Arizona, there is reason to take precautions against being bitten by mosquitoes.

Health officials recommend that you cover up, especially at dawn and dusk, and apply mosquito repellent.

You can protect yourself and others by making sure your home and yard are not breeding mosquitoes. Empty and cover anything containing water. Change water in birdbaths and dog bowls regularly, and wipe them to remove eggs.

Detailed information is available online from the Pima County Health Department and the Arizona Department of Health Services.
MADISON  There are no shortage of explanations for why Wisconsin routinely shows up at the bottom of the Kauffman Foundations business startup rankings, the latest of which pegged the state 25th among the nations 25 largest states.

Those reasons include demographics (an aging workforce and low immigration rates); a capital-intense business core (manufacturing and agriculture) that is hard to crack for most entrepreneurs; a below-average share of adults with higher education degrees; and nagging social and economic problems in Milwaukee, the states largest city.

The OK but arguments are also pretty well known: Wisconsin companies survive longer than the U.S. average once launched. Also, theres no crisis for most workers. The states unemployment rate is well under the national average. Its usually easier to keep the job you have than make one for yourself.

Those root causes havent changed much in decades and more probing isnt necessary. Whats needed is a plan to do something about it.

Here is a summary of ideas drawn from policy reports by the Wisconsin Technology Council, which routinely examines the states tech-based economy and high-growth entrepreneurism with an eye toward advising policymakers.

Rethink non-compete employment agreements. Most entrepreneurs have prior industry experience they can leverage to create or join a new company. Employee non-compete agreements disrupt entrepreneurship by erecting barriers to the free movement of talent.

California has never enforced non-compete clauses in contracts and its often cited as a reason why the Silicon Valley is as vibrant as it is today. A bill that died in a past session of the Wisconsin Legislature would have actually toughened the states non-compete law, a step in the wrong direction.

Reduce fence-me-in occupational licensing. Nearly one-third of American workers are required to have a government-issued license to do their jobs and Wisconsin is no exception. Occupational licenses can act as a barrier to entrepreneurs.

Its time to revisit licenses that hamper competition and small business creation. Consumers can often be protected just as well by certification and registration standards that dont fence out new entrants to the marketplace.

Re-invest in higher education. Study after study concludes that entrepreneurial rates are higher around university and college campuses, not only for faculty and staff engaged in research but for students. Wisconsin is no exception to the rule.

Those same campuses produce the talent so desperately needed in Wisconsins workforce, which is flattening out in sheer numbers. Theres room for more efficiency in higher education, but its also an asset that cannot be allowed to wither away.

Accelerate broadband deployment. This is the most important factor in turning around the loss of rural population and jobs, given the importance of broadband to commerce, culture, public safety, health, education, tourism and more.

The demographic hollowing out of Wisconsins North Woods and parts of rural Wisconsin will continue unless broadband coverage is improved, most likely by wireless technologies.

Double-down on the states commitment to attracting angel and venture capital. In 2005, the states investment tax credit law took effect and it prompted a steady increase in deals that continues to this day. About $18.3 million in credits were paid in 2015, a total that reflects private equity investment of at least four times that amount in companies that earn Qualified New Business Venture status from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.

That law (commonly called the Act 255 tax credits) has worked and even become a national model. Wisconsins high-growth startup rate would be even worse without it. Its time for some strategic follow-ups.

Major provisions of the law havent changed in 11 years. Theres a lifetime cap on investments in any one company that makes it harder for emerging companies from surging ahead and creating more wealth, value and jobs. The amount of the tax credit (25 percent) hasnt changed for investors in the youngest startups. Theres headroom to improve both because the overall cap on state credits is $30 million per year, well above last years record.

The creation of the $25-million Badger Fund of Funds was a significant step, and that state-leveraged fund is rolling out its privately backed regional funds as envisioned by Gov. Scott Walker and the Legislature. Those regional funds should soon bring much-needed seed capital to parts of the state often bypassed by investors.

Seed capital alone may not cut it. A far bolder move would be creation of a state-leveraged fund of $100 million or more (again, matched by private dollars) to follow on dollars invested in the most successful seed companies.

These are five strategies; there are others. A starting point is needed, however, and the coming elections and legislative cycle will provide that forum.
As we near the Nov. 8 elections, we are being bombarded with messaging in traditional and social media proclaiming abortion is among our most pressing issues. We are being told that if we believe in a womans right to choose and in womens health, then we must vote a certain way. Abortion has been a hot social and political topic for more than 20 years.
A Tucson nonprofit that provides behavioral-health care and substance-abuse treatment will close its doors this week due to mounting financial pressures, the companys CEO said.

Pasadera Behavioral Health Network will transfer all of its services  and many of its employees  to Mesa-based Community Bridges Inc., and other providers. Patients shouldnt see any interruption in their services, said Chuck Burbank, Pasaderas CEO.

Its a situation were trying to make the best of, he said. Im very proud of the fact that weve had a very successful transition of our services.

Pasaderas closure was the result of various fiscal challenges, including a legal battle with the city of South Tucson and reductions in reimbursements from insurer Cenpatico Integrated Care, Burbank said.

Cenpatico administers Medicaid funding for Southern Arizonas public behavioral-health-care system, contracting with providers like Pasadera and Community Bridges. Since its contract period began in October, Cenpatico has brought in nearly $6.4 million in net profit, its March 31 financial statement says.

Cenpatico is a for-profit subsidiary of publicly traded Centene Corp., based in St. Louis. Centene is the nations largest Medicaid managed-care organization after its $6 billion acquisition of insurer Health Net, according to Forbes.

Cenpatico decided last year to stop funding Pasaderas crisis center on Dodge Boulevard, which made up one-fifth of the nonprofits business, Burbank said. Pasadera tried unsuccessfully to reinvent it as an outpatient center but couldnt generate enough business. Most outpatient clients were transferred to Yuma-based Community Health Associates, another provider that contracts heavily with Cenpatico.

Then, earlier this year, Cenpatico asked Community Bridges to bring its crisis response services into Pima County, which would have cut into even more of Pasaderas business, Burbank said.

Cenpatico spokeswoman Maribel Barrios-Quezada said in an email that Cenpatico believes in the concept of voice and choice for our members.

Accordingly, Cenpatico IC is pleased to build upon partnerships with existing providers, as well as continually introducing new providers into our network, she wrote.

She didnt specifically address questions about the reasons for Pasaderas closure.

SOUTH TUCSON DISPUTE

Pasadera, which served 10,000 to 15,000 clients per year, was already experiencing financial problems related to a legal dispute with the city of South Tucson over a drug treatment center it intended to open.

Pasadera attorneys argued that, before the agency purchased and renovated the property at 2700 S. Eighth Ave., city leaders OKd the agencys plan to offer residential services there. The reversal left Pasadera stretched thin, unable to fully use its facility or close its other residential facilities.

Pasadera would have needed an extraordinary turnaround to survive in the competitive landscape under Cenpatico, said Bob Mohelnitzky, a Pasadera board member.

I compared it to jumping off a cliff with the idea that youll build an airplane on the way down, he said. We didnt get the plane built.

Some Cenpatico policies made even tougher for Pasadera, said Clarke Romans, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, in Southern Arizona.

Unlike how the system worked under Pima Countys previous regional behavioral-health agency, Cenpatico does not allow its contracted agencies to subcontract with other providers for services  would-be subcontractors must contract directly with Cenpatico, Romans said. That means other Tucson agencies couldnt direct client flow to Pasadera to help it compete with new providers here, he said.

Romans said that, during monthly meetings with providers, Cenpatico officials have told agency leaders, Were not responsible for your businesss viability. Heres the criteria  meet it or not.

But Cenpatico has sway over whether providers survive or struggle, he said. For example, NurseWise  which, like Cenpatico, is a subsidiary of Centene  now handles the regions 24-hour mental-health crisis phone line, which directs patients to services, Romans said.

If theyre able to direct business away from you, its a little bit of a disingenuous comment, he said. They hold all the cards because they hold all the contracts.

MOUNTING PRESSURES

Pasadera wasnt always able to meet production quotas set by Cenpatico, resulting in the loss of a months reimbursements this winter.

Cenpatico gives providers monthly upfront block payments based on how much agencies expect to bill for their services. Cenpatico CEO Terry Stevens said in February that agencies that didnt bill for at least 75 percent of their monthly allocation wouldnt get their block payment for a month.

This summer, Cenpatico retroactively cut Pasaderas contract by one-third during widespread contract reductions, based on whether agencies were meeting billing expectations. The Star reported on those cuts in June.

Burbank said Community Health Associates and Community Bridges were eager to hire Pasadera staffers who are losing their jobs. Of Pasaderas 300 employees, about 90 percent have found work with one of the two agencies, he said.

Pasadera was created in 2013 by the merger of two longtime behavioral-health care nonprofits: Southern Arizona Mental Health Corp., or SAMHC, and Compass Behavioral Health Care.

Compass, previously known as Gateway, was truly one of the founding organizations of the local behavioral-health system, said Tom Donovan, CEO of Cope Community Services, which also contracts with Cenpatico. Seeing this fine organization go out of business is sad and a tremendous loss to the community.

AMBITIOUS GOALS

In October, Cenpatico took over the $612 million contract with the states Medicaid program, AHCCCS, to administer behavioral-health care coverage for low-income Southern Arizonans. Under a new integrated care model, patients with serious mental illness also get their physical-health care covered by Cenpatico, one of three regional behavioral-health authorities  or RBHAs  that contract with the state.

Cenpatico has handled contracts for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System since 2005. Since its arrival in the eight-county Southern Arizona region, behavioral-health providers have struggled to meet the insurers financial standards and stringent reporting requirements. Cenpatico replaced the Tucson-based nonprofit Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, which had been Pima Countys regional behavioral-health agency for 20 years.

Romans, of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Southern Arizona, said at first he was inspired by Cenpaticos ambitious goals to improve health for people with mental illness. But he now worries those goals arent realistic with so many providers struggling.

With all the slicing and dicing, Im not seeing exactly how these goals are going to be achieved, he said.

PROVIDERS HURTING

At least two other behavioral-health agencies in Arizona dramatically reduced services after Cenpatico entered their market, including The Excel Group in Yuma and Benson-based Southeastern Arizona Behavioral Health Services, known as SEABHS.

After Cenpatico won the Southeastern Arizona RHRA contract in 2010, SEABHS went from receiving $35 million from former RBHA Community Partnership of Southern Arizona to about $7.9 million from Cenpatico, its 990 tax reports show.

Cenpatico brought in providers from other parts of the state who cut into SEABHS market share, a move that coincided with state reductions in behavioral-health funding, the Star reported in a 2011 story. The agency had other problems as well: The Stars 2011 story noted questionable financial practices such as purchasing expensive cars for some officials and a $150,000 personal loan to the then-CEO.

Between 2010 and 2011, SEABHS workforce dropped by 60 percent, from 435 to 170. The agency did not respond to requests for comment or for its current employment level.

The Excel Group held the RBHA contract for Yuma and La Paz counties until 2005, when Cenpatico took it over and Excel became one of its subcontracted providers. Excel relied on Cenpatico for 75 percent of its funding  about $14 million annually  when in 2009, Cenpatico opted not to renew the agencys contract, the Yuma Sun reported.

At the time, the agency employed 500 people and served about 3,000 patients. Soon after, Excel cut its workforce and stopped providing behavioral-health care, instead focusing on employment services and housing for people with mental illness.

Sen. Dave Bradley, D-Tucson, said hes heard concerns about Cenpatico from a number of mid-level staff at Tucson behavioral-health agencies.

Pasaderas closure has sent some fear through the system, said Bradley, who has worked in behavioral health for 20 years. He plans to bring up his constituents concerns during a planned September meeting between state legislators and Cenpatico officials. Cenpatico extended the invitation to meet, he said.

Cenpatico will soon be renegotiating its one-year contracts with its providers. Last year, providers had to decide whether to sign the contracts before they got any details on reimbursement rates, Romans said. Most providers had little choice but to sign if they wanted to maintain the bulk of their business, he said.

Its either take a gamble, or youre out, he said. Cenpatico has the financial power and business relationships to pretty much replace anybody here. Cenpatico is perfectly capable of putting much bigger entities out of business, by just not contracting with them.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP)  Paleontologists digging at the bottom of a strange cave in northern Wyoming say they have uncovered a trove of animal bones from the last ice age this summer and have enough funding to head back at the same underground site next year to continue their search.

Scientists digging in July and led by Des Moines University anatomy professor Julie Meachen excavated wolf, bison, lion, cheetah and wolverine bones from Natural Trap Cave.

"We started finding really whole, complete specimens, which is a little different from what we've been finding in the past," Meachen said in an interview this week. "The quality of the specimens is really good this year."

The only way into or out of Natural Trap Cave on the arid western slope of the Bighorn Mountains is a 15-foot-wide hole in the ground. The hole is right at the top of a bell-shaped cavern eight stories deep.

The paleontologists and their research assistants have to rappel down into the cave and bring lighting equipment to illuminate it. They use buckets hooked to ropes to lift specimens out.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management reopened the cave to Meachen and colleagues in 2014 for the first excavations in more than 30 years. National Geographic paid for the first season, the National Science Foundation the last two and Meachen said there's enough money from the NSF to dig again next summer.

Three consecutive seasons of fieldwork have boosted knowledge about the animals that roamed northern Wyoming in the late Pleistocene, the era of ice ages that ended almost 12,000 years ago, Meachen said.

For millennia, all animals that fell into the cave were doomed. Now there's a locked grate over the opening and only people taking part in scientific research are allowed inside.

Meachen is especially interested in the wolves that fell into the cave. From measuring their jawbones, she theorizes they were Beringian wolves, an extinct type that ranged between Alaska and Wyoming when massive ice sheets covered much of northern North America.

Cool cave temperatures and high humidity have helped preserve genetic material. She hopes DNA analysis will provide new insights into Beringian wolves.

"Maybe we will know whether the Beringian wolf, at least at Natural Trap, is a different species or if it's a subspecies of the living gray wolf," she said.

Scientists plan to create a three-dimensional map of the remains found. They suspect a cone-shaped pile of snow used to linger year-round beneath the cave's entrance.

The map could show how thawing of the snow pile spread animal bones around the cave's floor.

"There may have been different amounts of snow on the sediment at different times of year," Meachen said. "It would have melted and thawed, melted and thawed. And I think that action probably would have broken up the skeletons and sort of scattered them around."

Enough NSF funding remains to go back next year, though for a shorter season than the recent three-week expeditions, Meachen said.

"We've made that money stretch," she said.
Q: I need help fighting a case with Residence Inn by Marriott Phoenix, where I recently stayed. When I checked out, I saw a $250 charge on my credit card in addition to the $89 for the room.

No one ever said anything about the charge. I called the front desk and was told it was a smoking charge. But I dont smoke.

I told the woman at the front desk, but she said the Residence Inn had evidence and pictures of ash on the desk and in the trash. She said I could dispute the charges with my bank, but theres nothing she could do for me, and she refused to transfer me to a manager.

I left a message for the manager, but never received a call back. I feel like Residence Inn is trying to make some extra money from me. Can you help? Samantha Armstrong, Glendale

A: If you dont smoke, you shouldnt have to pay a cleaning fee. But hotels dont necessarily see it that way. As far as theyre concerned, if anyone lit up in the room, and they see evidence of it, then the person who is responsible for the bill should pay the $250 fee. And that would have been you.

Is that fair? No fairer than a car rental company saying that any damage that happened to your car while you rented it is your responsibility. But its not a perfect comparison. After all, a hotel is a more controlled environment. If you were the sole guest in the room for one night, and you dont smoke, then maybe someone else smoked in your room.

Dont laugh. I remember bumping into a housekeeper at a hotel as I checked out. She was puffing away on a cigarette. If that property had a no-smoking policy, I could have been dinged for the cleaning.

I reviewed the correspondence between you and the hotel. In an email sent to you, the general manager correctly notes that it has a strict non-smoking policy. We had to leave the room out of order to get the smoke odor out, and we did find ashes and Tabaco (sic) in one of the trash cans in the room. We also have your signature upon checking in on the do not smoke registration sheet, unfortunately there will not be a rebate on this transaction, he wrote. But I didnt see any photos of the alleged evidence.

I happen to agree with Marriotts non-smoking policy. Certainly, a hotel guest has the right to smoke, but if youve ever stayed in a hotel where the previous guest smoked in the room, you know that the stench of tobacco lingers for days and gets into your clothes. I would pay extra to breathe clean air, a fact Marriott probably knows.

I also agree that the $250 is fair. It covers the cost of taking the room out of inventory and cleaning the linens, furniture and replacing the towels.

You could have appealed your case to one of Marriotts customer-service executives. I list their names, numbers and email addresses on my consumer-advocacy website: elliott.org/company-contacts/marriott

Its true that Marriott gets more than its fair share of cleaning-fee complaints, but not enough for me to think it is using these fees to generate revenue in any systematic way. Its simply too risky. Still, I thought Marriott might want to review your case one more time.
Help India!

By V.M. Khaleelur Rahman for TwoCircles.net,

Chennai: The Organisation of Muslim Educational Institutions and Associations of Tamil Nadu (OMEIAT) organized a symposium on Samacheer Kalvi (equitable standard education) on 11th October at Oriental Research Institute Jubilee Auditorium, University of Madras Annexe in Chennai. Speakers demanded promotion of Urdu Language as examination subject in Tamil Nadu as there lakhs of people in the state whose mother language is Urdu.

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Dr. S. Muthukumaran, Chairman, Samacheer Kalvi Committee, Mr. Christudoss and Mr. Khaja Mohideen, members of the samacheer kalvi who were invited specially to the symposium addressed the gathering comprised of members of the Managements, educationists, teachers, presspersons etc. Dr. Sathikh, General Secretary, OMEIAT presided over the program.







Mr. P.K. Shabbir Ahmed, B.E., who is one of the founders of the Omeiat and an active member of this organization since its establishment in 1974 explained the samacheer kalvi scheme and its implications. He said that the schemes the Tamil Nadu government wants to implement after making some changes in the samacheer kalvi recommendations submitted to it are highly disturbing to the linguistic minorities. He said quoting the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. M.K. Stalin that 50% of the inhabitants of Chennai have Telugu as their mother tongue and they are also spread all over Tamil Nadu. He further said that according to the census of 1991, Urdu speaking people are more than ten lakhs in the state and schools offering Urdu as medium of instruction or at least as the first language are about 350. Besides these there are also people speaking Malayalam, Kannada and other languages in Tamil Nadu. As these linguistic minorities particularly Urdu speaking people want to retain their language, literature and cultural heritage, their children should be given an opportunity to learn both their mother tongue (Urdu or any other language) and the regional language Tamil as is the case in Andhra and Karnataka.

As the Tamil learning Act 2006 provides for teaching of only Tamil and English as regular exam subjects and has a vague provision for the minority languages as optional languages without examinations it will not be useful. He suggested that the government should make special provision in the two languages formula to accommodate the special interests of the linguistic minorities. The expert committee has tried to address this requirement by recommending that S.S.L.C. exam will have six papers one of which will be either a minority language or advanced Tamil or advanced English or an oriental language like Arabic or Sanskrit. This recommendation is most welcome since it simultaneously satisfies the lovers of Tamil, English, minority languages or oriental languages. This also protects the existing systems of the oriental schools. He wanted Dr. Muthukumaran to throw light on this vital subject in detail.

The Chairman of the samacheer kalvi explained the purpose of the scheme and said that it will provide the same type of education to all children in all schools without any discrimination and create equality among the people. He was also of the opinion that mother tongue is important for everyone and nobody can snatch this right. He appreciated the views expressed by Mr. Shabbir Ahmed and wanted the Omeiat to address their grievances to the government for its consideration and doing the needful.

Mr. Christudoss and Mr. Khaja Mohideen also spoke in detail. There was also question and answer session. Some members of the Management and faculty raised some questions and placed their arguments for changes in the scheme. The three special dignitaries replied to them and said that  there is no threat to the linguistic minorities here and they can appeal to the government if they have any grievances.

The symposium was well attended by people from Chennai and other districts and finally the following resolutions were passed:

Resolved to welcome the steps being taken by the government of Tamil Nadu to bring about equitable standard school education towards improvement of academic standards. In view of the universally accepted educational principle that primary education should be in the mother tongue, it is resolved to request the government of Tamil Nadu to continue effectively without any break at any stage even in future the present provision to offer school education through mother tongue, Tamil as well as minority languages like Urdu, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, etc. in the true spirit of equity, not uniformity.

In view of the fact that offering education through minority languages is not possible unless those languages are also taught as regular subjects with examinations, it is resolved to request the government to restore the teaching of minority languages as was the case before the enactment of the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act 2006.

Further resolved to request the government to enable linguistic minority children to learn their mother tongue from standard I and also start learning Tamil at some higher stage as recommended by the samacheer kalvi kuzu through suitable amendments to the Tamil Nadu Tamil Learning Act 2006.

In as much as the 27 oriental Arabic and Sanskrit high schools which are already categorized as special school are functioning smoothly, it is resolved to request the government not to disturb this stream of schools. However without disturbing their focus on the oriental languages any other academic improvement if necessary can be carried out.

Resolved to request the government of Tamil Nadu to implement the recommendations of the samacheer kalvi kuzu regarding the S.S.L.C. exam pattern which is as follows:

Paper 1  Tamil

Paper 2  English

Pape 3  Mother tongue for linguistic minorities or any of the oriental languages (Sanskrit, Arabic) or Advanced Tamil or Advanced English.

Paper 4  Mathematics

Paper 5  Science

Paper 6  social studies

With 100 marks each totaling 600 in all schools other than Oriental schools.

In view of the fact that as many as 350 schools offer Urdu education in the state, it is resolved to request the government to involve representatives of these managements before bringing about changes affecting Urdu education. Further resolved to request the government to similarly involve managements of hundreds of other schools which offer other minority languages like Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada etc.

Resolved to welcome the statement of minister for school education that matriculation schools and Anglo Indian schools will not be affected by the samacheer kalvi. Further resolved to request the government to similarly exempt oriental schools from samacheer kalvi scheme.

The Omeiat websites are : www.omeiat.com and www.oittn.com

[Photo: im.in.com/connect]
On July 27, Rijiju said in the Lok Sabha that the BJPs ideology on the uniform civil code should be taken as the country's ideology on the same. Basil Islam | TwoCircles.net NEW DELHI  Union Minister Kiren Rijijus recent remarks on implementing the uniform civil code have re-ignited the debate on the viability of a uniform civil code and its possible...
Help India!

By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net

Doda:The J&K Police on Saturday evening arrested a prominent advocate, social activist and human rights defender, Babar-ul-Islam Nehru from Saah Mohallah of Doda district in Chenab valley and booked him under the draconian Public Safety Act (PSA).

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Earlier this month, the Chenab valley, especially the districts of Doda and Kishtwar had called for shutdown against brute use of force in Kashmir leading to killings. Peaceful protest marches were taken in both the district, but later led to communal tensions occurred in Doda district after local Hindu population objected to the pro freedom and anti India slogans. The marches in Doda district were spearheaded by Babar ul Islam.

On Saturday night, Babar was arrested and taken to Central jail. The police have filed three FIRs against him.

The PSA was promulgated by Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah in 1978 against timber smugglers. However, it was later used against political opponents and finally against people taking part in pro-freedom activities in J&K. The law allows arresting and jailing a person without trial for two years on mere suspicion that he/she may disrupt law and order in the state or may act in a manner prejudicial to the security of the state.

Babar is also the founder of Ababeel, an NGO actively participating in social initiatives. In 2014 floods, Babar and his group mobilised resources from Chenab valley to help the flood-affected people in Kashmir. His organisation has also worked on health and education sector in the erstwhile districts.

In his capacity as a lawyer, Babar was called the voice of voiceless in Doda district. To ensue justice, he used to fight cases of poor people for free.

Importantly, in the month of May when Babar along with parents of toddlers protested and entered the office of the Deputy Commissioner against the non-availability of child specialist in District Hospital Doda, the Police registered an FIR against him. Later, he was released on bail.

Many social and political organisations have condemned his arrest on the basis of political rivalry and growing image as a youth icon in the entire Chenab valley region.

President of Bar Association Doda Advocate Syed Asim Hashmi, Senior Advocate and eminent writer Imtiaz Mir and human rights activist Haji Abdul Qayoom Zargar and Doda Development Front patron Khawaja M A Kichloo have strongly condemned the arrest of Babar.

Arresting youths and lodging them in Jails wont be any solution to problem but it will invoke more people. The government should stop putting youths behind jails, who are active for social causes, Haq Nawaz Nehru a member of a human rights organisation from Doda told TwoCircles.net.

Importantly, The Indian Express had reported that the Jammu and Kashmir Government has decided to invoke the stringent Public Safety Act to book 169 persons who it accuses of being organisers and provocateurs playing a leading role in the current unrest in Kashmir.

These 169 are among the estimated 1,000 people who have been identified as key players in the ongoing protests and clashes with security forces.
home World Euthanasia 'tourists' increasing in Belgium, say doctors

There is an increasing number of euthanasia tourists traveling to Brussels, Belgium for elective medical killings. Patients, including children, from different parts of the world flock to the city's accident and emergency rooms to receive lethal injection which is free for those with a European Union health insurance card.

According to the International Business Times, a total of 2,023 people were euthanized in Belgium in 2015. Seven out of 15 cases involved French nationals, according to Olivier Vermylen, an emergency doctor at Brugmann University Hospital. The situation is similar at the Jules Bordet Institute in Brussels where 40 out of 130 cases are French people.

The cost is one of the primary reasons why people choose to be euthanized in Belgium. Euthanasia in Belgium is free for holders of a European Union's health insurance card. After the procedure, the bill is sent to French healthcare providers. In contrast, euthanasia in Switzerland costs a4,000.

Although Belgium is predominantly Catholic, it has the most liberal euthanasia law in the world and there is an overwhelming support for the right to die. Euthanasia is not limited to terminally ill patients. Chronically depressed patients are also allowed to be euthanized. The practice is overseen by the Euthanasia Control and Evaluation Commission.

Euthanasia was legalized in Belgium in 2002. The law was extended to include children in 2013. Doctors are required to file a report to the commission every time they perform euthanasia. The commission reviews the report and doctors could be charged with homicide if the conditions set by the law are not met.

In Britain, Professor Raphael Cohen-Almagor from the University of Hull is arguing for legalization of euthanasia as a solution to "death-tourism." He told the Daily Mail that this phenomenon occurs because sick people do not have access to a law that will help them pass away peacefully at their own homes.

"There is an increasing realization that the time has come for change. It is time to consider legislating physician-assisted suicide in Britain and in other parts of the liberal world," he said.
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The UK culture minister Matt Hancock has imposed a temporary export ban on Queen Victoria's multi-million pound wedding coronet to prevent the iconic piece from being sold overseas.

The sapphire and diamond coronet was designed by Prince Albert

The 11.5-cm diamond and sapphire coronet is among the most significant jewels from Queen Victoria's era. The jewelsymbolising one of the most famous love stories in the UKfeatures 11 sapphires set in gold, and several diamonds set in silver. The coronet was designed by Queen Victoria's beloved husband Prince Albert for their wedding in 1840.

This piece of jewellery cost just 415 at that time. Prince Albert also gifted the Queen a sapphire and diamond brooch a day before their wedding. Both the brooch and the coronet featured in a famous official portrait of Queen Victoria, created by Franz Xaver Winterhalter in 1842.

Temporary export ban on coronet

Following Albert's death in 1861, the Queen wore the coronet in 1866 at the state opening of the British Parliament. In 1922, when Princess Mary was married to Viscount Lascelles, the coronet was gifted to the newly-wed couple by Queen Mary and King George V. After some years, the jewel found its way to a dealer in London. Recently, an overseas buyer made a 5 million offer to buy the piece and also applied for an export licence.

Following his application, the Reviewing Committee on Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) recommended imposition of a temporary export ban on coronet because of its huge significance and its close connection the history and national life of the UK.

Finding an alternate UK buyer

To stop the sale of this iconic piece of jewellery to a foreign buyer, it is highly essential now that an alternate UK buyer is found who is willing to pay 5 million plus 1 million VAT for the coronet and is also committed to keep the jewel in the country.

The ban expires in December this year, although it can be extended further until June 27 next year, provided a British buyer appears with serious intent to raise the funds and save the coronet for the nation.
If you visited the Patoro Cigars booth at the 2015 IPCPR Trade Show, you saw a cigar called Patoro Brasil  a Brazilian wrapped cigar. At the time that particular cigar was a European offering and not available in the U.S. market. At the 2016 Trade Show, the Patoro Brasil made a return, but this time it was being offered to U.S. retailers.

As the name indicates, Patoro Brasil features a Brazilian Cubra wrapper over Dominican binder and filler. The cigar is offered in three sizes and is packaged in 20 count boxes.

Patoro Cigars was founded by Patrick Martin. Last year, Dr. Pablo Schneider, the grandson of Dr. Ernst Schenider (best known for his involvement with Oettingers acquisition of Davidoff) joined the company to help with the U.S. venture. The company produces its cigars in the Dominican Republic at the De Los Reyes factory and the brand is distributed in the U.S. by CLE Cigar Company.

At a glance, here is a look at the Patoro Brasil:

Blend Profile

Wrapper: Brazilian Cubra

Binder: Dominican

Filler: Dominican

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (De Los Reyes)

Vitolas Available

Gordito 10.2 cm x 58 (~4 x 58)

Belicoso: 15.2 cm x 50 (~5 x 50)

Gordo: 13.9cm x 58 (~5 1/2 x 58)

Photo Credit: Cigar Coop
Bonnie Liltzwill be released from an Illinoisprison despite being sentenced to four years after murdering her disabled daughterCourtney Liltz. Her justification was that her daughter had severe cerebral palsy and because her cancer was returning, she had to kill her. The courts and the media gave her mercy that they'd never give to a killer of an able-bodied person.

Bonnie Liltz is not the first

Let's not beat around the bush.Bonnie Liltzmurdered her daughter, end of discussion. However, she was given a lot of mercy in our so-called liberal media.

They portrayed her as an innocent waif who was merely overwhelmed. They barely mentioned Courtney Liltz or told us anything about her. To be fair, that's better than what disabled victims usually get in these cases. Typically, especially in the case of autism, they're treated like rabid animals who deserved to die.

According to theAutistic Self Advocacy NetworkandNot Dead Yetthis is common. First, a person murders a disabled person. Then the media gives them sympathy, often ignoring if not outright smearing the victim. The killer tells a sob story. The prosecutor is sympathetic to the point that the defense attorney really doesn't need to show up at all. And, assuming there's a trial, the jury is so tainted by stories about how hard they had it, and how terrible the disabled person was, that people likeBonnie Liltz get mercy that a killer of an able-bodied person would never get.

This is the kind of thing that leads to massacres in nursing homes.

Imagine if Bonnie Liltz were a rapist

Now just imagine ifBonnie Liltz raped someone and tried to pass off this victim blaming nonsense in court the way she, and others like her, try to pass off the "oh I was so overwhelmed" nonsense. It wouldn't fly because we have things calledrape shield laws.

They ban defense attorneys from tainting the jury by blaming the victim.

That's exactly what the "overwhelmed guardian defense" does. It diminishes and often smears the victim the way questions like "what was she wearing?" do to rape victims. Every time an attorney or media outlet repeats the "overwhelmed guardian defense" they do to disabled murder victims likeCourtney Liltz, the same thing attorneys did to rape victims before we hadrape shield laws.

In the analysis ofrape shield laws, lies the answer in what to do to protect people likeCourtney Liltzand make sure their murderers are brought to justice. We need Disability shield laws. We need laws that ban people from trying to play the "overwhelmed" card the way we banned "look what she's wearing" or other forms of reputation evidence that are currently being used to smear disabled murder victims likeCourtney Liltz.

I'm not unsympathetic to caregivers

I know that everyone will shout that we should put ourselves in the caregiver's shoes but nobody seems to want to put themselves in the shoes of the defenseless victim who was murdered by the person they counted on. Courtney Liltz probably knew that her mother was about to poison her to death but could do nothing at all to stop it.

Nobody wants to go in her shoes.

I get that people likeBonnie Liltzoften lack things they need. Although it is worth noting that in many cases, the killers are upper-crust people who aren't lacking for resources. Either way, it isnotan excuse for murder. Disabled people are not hostages in a negotiation.

It's time to protect the disabled and fulfill the promise of equal protection. It's time for a disability shield law.
China's top 500 firms report first revenue decline in 15 yrs Updated: 2016-08-29 07:07 (Xinhua)

A pedestrian walks past a signboard of State Grid Corporation of China in Nanjing city, East China's Jiangsu province, 3 August 2015.[Photo/IC]

CHANGSHA - China's top 500 enterprises reported their first annual decline in combined revenues in 15 years with a 0.07-percent drop last year.

Among the top 500 firms, 155 reported declines in revenues in 2015, 61 more than a year ago, with many of them representing the overcapacity-plagued coal, steel, oil and chemicals industries.

Meanwhile, 72 firms reported losses, 15 more than a year ago.

China Enterprise Confederation and China Enterprise Directors Association unveiled the 2016 edition of the Top 500 Chinese Enterprises list Saturday. The list is based on revenues from 2015.

The State Grid grabbed the top spot with 2.07 trillion yuan ($310 billion) in revenue, with oil giants China National Petroleum Corp and Sinopec ranking second and third.

Haitong Securities, GF Securities and China Galaxy Securities entered the list for the first time as a bull stock market boosted their revenues.

Revenues of the top 500 totaled 59.46 trillion yuan ($8.9 trillion) last year.

The service sector contributed 40.5 percent of the revenues, outperforming the manufacturing sector, at 39.2 percent, for the first time.

Of the 500 firms, 157 are from the service sector, six more than a year ago, and 261 are manufacturers, five less than a year ago.

The 500 companies invested 1.48 percent of their revenues in research and development (R&D) on average, with leading search engine Baidu and telecom equipment supplier Huawei spending 15.9 percent and 15.1 percent on R&D respectively.

Cui Dianguo, chairman of train maker CRRC Corp, said large companies should speed up overseas expansion to create a global value chain.
I was rushing to catch my train in Union Station in Washington last Wednesday evening when I tripped over an uneven piece of pavement on the platform and hurt my ankle, only slightly. Exiting New York's Penn Station a few hours later on 7th Avenue, I saw the exact same thing happen to a woman, only she looked much worse off than me and had to lean on her husband to walk.

A Chinese friend who visited the United States for the first time last week was shocked to see the poor road conditions in Manhattan. The potholes in New York City certainly outnumber those in Shanghai or Beijing, she said. She could not understand why New York City had done nothing or so little given that the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly will be held in September, with the arrival of more than 100 world leaders.

In China, it would have been a total facelift like people saw ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2010 Shanghai World Expo and the 2016 G20 summit in Hangzhou.

New York City, often ranked top among world cities, unfortunately also ranks 6th among the 10 American cities with the worst pothole problems.

Other cities that made into the top 10 include Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Milwaukee, Bridgeport (Connecticut), Tucson, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco and Los Angeles, with LA being the worst.

A report released in January by TRIP, a Washington-based national transportation research group, rated 51 percent of the roads in New York City Metro area in poor condition, 31 percent mediocre and only 5 percent and 13 percent in fair and good condition, respectively.

Statewide, 38 percent of the major, locally and state-maintained urban roads and highways have pavement rated in poor condition; another 42 percent in mediocre or fair condition and the remaining 21 percent in good condition.

TRIP estimates that additional vehicle operating costs (VOC) borne by New York State motorists as a result of poor road conditions is $6.3 billion annually. For New York City Metro area that VOC per motorist is $791 because of rough road conditions.

The report also finds that a total of 5,775 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in New York from 2010 through 2014, an average of 1,155 fatalities per year. Three factors are cited for the accidents  driver behavior, vehicle characteristics and roadway features. It estimated that roadway features are likely a contributing factor in approximately one-third of fatal traffic crashes.

The same report also finds that bridge conditions in New York State and New York City are not good and funding is inadequate. Poor road and bridge conditions also cause congestion and huge losses to local economic growth.

The report warns that it is critical that roads are fixed before they require major repairs, because reconstructing roads costs approximately four times the price of resurfacing them.

"As roads and highways continue to age, they will reach a point of deterioration where routine paving and maintenance will not be adequate to keep pavement surfaces in good condition and costly reconstruction of the roadway and its underlying surfaces will become necessary," it says.

Nationwide, potholes cost American drivers $6.4 billion each year, according to another report. The American Society of Civil Engineers says that fixing crumbling infrastructure would cost taxpayers $2.7 trillion. The same group gave a D+ to the overall US infrastructure conditions back in 2013 in a study conducted once every four years.

The situation is so dire that US presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have both pledged to spend more on infrastructure to cater to the public grievances.

Clinton has proposed $275 billion in new infrastructure spending over the next five years while Trump vowed to more than double that figure. He has called for $1 trillion in spending on new roads, bridges, broadband and other infrastructural facilities.

Clearly no one knows if these politicians are just paying lip service to this issue. Back in 2015, talk show host John Oliver dissected the sorry state of US infrastructure and politicians' troubling words and deeds on his program Last Week Tonight.

Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com.
China Southern Airlines to operate Nepal-China daily flights from Sept 1 Updated: 2016-08-28 11:56 (Xinhua)

China Southern Airlines on Friday formally announced to operate daily flights from Nepal to the northern neighbor China from Sept 1.

Organizing a special program in the Nepalese capital, the company announced that it will have a daily flight between Guangzhou and Kathmandu from Sept. 1 whereas will have two flights per day from October.

The Chinese company announced that it is increasing the flight frequency considering the growing Chinese tourists in Nepal and upcoming festivals in the Himalayan nation.

Dhiraj Shrestha, deputy sales manager at China Southern Airlines office in Nepal told Xinhua "Currently, we are operating three flights between Guangzhou and Kathmandu a week through A319 aircraft. Now, we are extending the number of flights because of increment in passenger frequency and major festivals."

September-October is the peak tourism season in Nepal which is generally claimed as having 30 percent of total tourists' arrival of a year whereas at next, it is the time for major festivals like Dashain and Tihar when thousands of migrant workers and other Nepalese living abroad return home.

Earlier, almost all the foreign carriers including China Southern Airlines were forced to suspend their flight frequency after last year's devastating earthquake and subsequent aviation fuel shortage in Nepal.

Since the Chinese carrier is planning to double the flight frequency, an increased flight is expected to contribute to raise the number of Chinese tourists which has remarkably decreased by 26 percent in the first six month of 2016, according to tourism statistics.

China is the second largest source market of tourism for the Himalayan nation and the decision of increasing flight is received with due significance by the travel agents.

"The Chinese carriers have boosted the Nepalese tourism market. I am hopeful that the daily flights will help in reviving our quake-hit business", Prem Sapkota, a Travel Agent shared with Xinhua after receiving "Appreciation Award" form the company.

On the occasion, the company awarded best travel agents based in Kathmandu with the letter of appreciation. According to the company that has served over 110 million passengers worldwide till 2015, it has 90 travel agents within Nepal.

Currently, there are four Chinese airlines operating direct flights from Nepal to mainland China. Tourist arrivals to Nepal jumped 12.77 percent in the first six months of 2016, showing signs that the tourism industry is gradually returning back to normal after facing severe disasters last year.
Recently, I had an opportunity to take a trip to Cuba. My purpose of going to Cuba was a combination of fact-finding and education. The signs are pointing toward the U.S. Embargo against Cuba ending. With that, this could lead to the Cuban cigar market being opened in the United States (although under current FDA regulations, this may never happen). Therefore, the time seemed right to explore this country that was much of an unknown to myself  and to learn about the Cuban Cigar Industry. While we have discussed Cuban Cigars on Stogie Geeks, we havent covered much on Cuban Cigars on Cigar Coop.

For this feature story, it is a very different piece than has ever been published in the six plus years Cigar Coop has been in existence. The topic of this piece does not primarily deal with cigars. In my personal quest to better understand the Cuban cigar business, I felt the first step was to understand the dynamics of Cuban culture.

This is not a trip report, but rather a series of twelve observations I had in Havana from my minds eye. It is the first of a two part series. The second installment, which will publish some time in September 2016 will have more of a cigar-centric theme.

The observations are listed in alphabetical order:

1. Automobiles  and the Island Lost in Time

When you arrive in Cuba one of the most noticeable things are the amount of antique classic American cares that are present  particularly in the city of Havana. Most of these American Cars are going to be 1962 or earlier. The reason is because following the implementation of the U.S. Trade Embargo against Cuba, it was quite difficult to obtain an American vehicle post 1962. I found these classic cars represent a microcosm of a city and country locked in time.

These cars are a source of pride to many of the Cuban people who drive them. They are kept in immaculate condition. The engines are often rebuilt using foreign engines and engine parts  and they mechanically ride very well.

Functionally, these are often serve as taxis. There are also some convertibles  although these are typically used for higher-end taxis.

It is worth noting there are modern automobiles and many modern tour buses present. However, these are obviously not imported from the U.S.

2. Big Brother Watching You?

Cuba still very much is a Communist county and very much a totalitarian state. This weighed a lot on my mind when I first arrived in Havana and I wondered how much the Big Brother presence would be present. Overall, in addition to feeling relatively safe (Section Section 11 of this article for safety in Havana), I also felt Cuba and in particular Havana was a welcoming place to U.S. citizens. However, there a few reminders of the type of country I was visiting.

Upon my arrival at the condo where I stayed, all of the attendees in my group were required to show our individual passports and visas. This is done because the lodging proprietor is required to report guests passport and visa numbers to the government (The lodging proprietors are required to give 10 percent of what they take in to the Cuban government). This registration process happened early in my trip, so I wondered how much Big Brother would be a presence as the trip went on. However, after this it was less about Big Brother and more about the propaganda.

Then there was Fidel Castros 90th birthday  which he celebrated the day before we arrived in Cuba. Many establishments such as the state owned restaurants were sure to remind people of the occasion. Throughout my travel in Havana, there were plenty of billboards also promoting the good of the state. Che Guevaras portrait is present on many T-shirts and other souvenir items.

As I toured Cuba, I found the tour guides we encountered to not play a political angle one way or another. The Cuban Revolution is still a part of the current history of Cuba. In describing these events as well as Cuba today, the tour guides were respectful to their government, but at the same time, they did not play the propaganda angle either.

3. The Commercial Machine is Not There Yet

The charm of Havana is that it is not a city where you will see a McDonalds or Starbucks at any corner. In fact, I didnt see any of these two franchise giants. There are not a lot of big brands I saw in Havana or in Cuba. I did see some Coca Cola, and in one place I did find Pepsi. With Cuba starting to open up for Americans, this country will be a prime target to expand commercial business to, thus I would expect franchises and big brands to eventually surface in Cuba.

The Malecon is was perhaps the most interesting example of the commercial machine not present. The Malecon is the famous esplanade that stretches along the north shore of Havana featuring the famous sea wall. Some of the great architecture of Old Habana and Centro Habana is a part of the fabric of this street While there is some small to medium business that has been popping up on this road, it doesnt have the big retail chain commercial storefronts. As I traveled along this road, I couldnt help but wonder in ten years if this stretch would eventually be filled with the McDonalds, Starbucks, and other retail fronts that we have become accustomed to.

While there wasnt a lot of Coke or Pepsi, there was a prominent brand called Ciego Montero. This brand has the hold on the bottled water and soft drink market in Cuba. There is a an ironic twist with this brand. The bottled water comes from the Cienfuegos region in South Cuba. Ironically, this brand is a that is owned by Nestle, so the island isnt totally immune from large business.





4. The Eastern European Influence

One thing that is very visible  particularly along parts of the Malecon and in Revolution Square is the influence of Eastern European Soviet-bloc style architecture. This is seen in the design of several buildings and open lot parks. These structures come from the 1960s and 1970s, when the Soviet influence was stronger in Cuba. These buildings are easily identifiable and they stand out because they lack the charm of the classic Cuban architecture.

5. Havana Nightlife

Many cities lay claim to having a nightlife, but Havana is one of those cities where it truly lives up to its reputation. I found this to be a true 24 /7 city. There are numerous bars and clubs in Havana  and many dont even ramp up in activity until midnight. Ive even heard of some bars staying open until 6 or 7am in the morning.

There is another component to the nightlife which was less obvious. Without luxury items such as television, many of the residents will gather outside at night. These gathering places include the front of apartment buildings or plazas. In particular, one of the gathering place that got my attention was the Malecon. This place seemed to take on a subculture of its own. I saw many instances on the Malecon where radios or live music were playing added to the folklore of this area.

6. Impacts of a Potential End to the Cuban Embargo Unknown to Many in Havana

As we pointed out in our feature story Understanding the Impact of FDA Regulations on Post-Embargo Cuban Cigars, if the Cuban Embargo is lifted tomorrow, as things stand (at press time), not a single Cuban cigar can be sold in the U.S. market. This is because any new product introduced into the U.S. market now must go through he costly U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process. Since Cuban Cigars have were not present in the U.S. market on February 15, 2007, they are subject to regulation by the FDA and must be approved.

The people in Cuba and in particular, the cigar shops in Cuba are quite aware the U.S. Embargo has not been lifted. What they werent aware of are the impacts the new regulations could have on the cigar industry  namely introducing Cuban cigars to the United States once the Embargo is lifted. As I discussed this with those who work in the La Casa del Habano shops (the state run premium cigar shops), it was clear that it was a surprise to them that our government would not allow these cigars to be sold in the U.S..

7. The Internet or Lack Of Internet

Wifi access is extremely limited. Private Wifi is pretty much non-existent. It was only in 2015 where the Cuban government opened up about 35 Wifi spots around the country. It also isnt free, but also quite costly. To gain access there are one hour Wifi access cards for 2 to 3 CUC (which loosely translates to 2 to 3 U.S. Dollars  see the Money section below). The internet in Cuba is also very much subject to censorship.

The card contains a unique id and password that you will enter on a splash screen once you connect to the internet. Almost like a lottery ticket, the password is concealed behind a opaque strip that is scratched off to reveal the code.

Despite the lack of internet, I did see many Cuban people with cell-phones  and in particular Apple iPhones. The iPhone was one area where I didnt see Cuba caught in the time warp. Now as far as using your own cell phone in Cuba as a visitor, you will need to get a SIM card. We have some details here on how to do this and what it will cost.

8. Money

Here is one thing you wont see in most countries. Cuba actually has two currencies  CUC (Cuban Convertible Peso  shown below) and CUP (Cuban Peso  not shown). Cuban workers are paid in CUP, while the CUC is used for tourism and luxury items. In 1993, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Fidel Castro made the decision to legalize the American Dollar. Meanwhile workers continued to be paid in CUP. By 2004, the American Dollar was removed from circulation and replaced by the CUC. There are plans to eventually re-unify the currency system. Meanwhile on my visit to many places, it was not unusual to see pricing in both CUC and CUP  particularly in cigar stores.

The good news is that it is pretty much a 1:1 rate in terms of converting U.S. Dollars to CUC. The bad news is with the U.S. Dollar out of circulation, it pretty much means you cannot use it in Cuba. There still is a ten percent surcharge to convert U.S. Dollars to CUC (although Cuba has discussed eliminating this surcharge). In the case of gratuities, I did find some people would take the U.S currency.

This is a cash country. In most cases, your credit card will not work. While there are some banks that will allow you to use a credit card here, it is worth noting I saw several places throughout Havana resist or refuse to accept a credit card.

Plan for how much case you are going to bring. If you are used to have $300.00 spending money, bring some extra. You will need the for tips or extra spending money for those cigars and rum (but remember, in the U.S. you are only allowed to bring back $400.00 in goods and you are only allowed a maximum of $100.00 of cigars and alcohol combined).

9. Mr. Trump

As much as I felt isolated when it came to media and happenings in the world, there was one celebrity that still was very much known  2016 Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump.

The one person I saw protesting in Havana was someone shouting Anti Donald Trump! Anti Donald Trump!. Not one police person tried to stop him. What was clear was that this reflected the mood of many people I talked to in Cuba. Most were very concerned about Mr. Trumps position on the Latin American community as well as fears of what his perceived position on ending the U.S. embargo. (President Obama is particularly well-liked for his efforts to end the embargo).

10. A Poor But Safe City

There are some reports which say the poverty level of Cuba is one of the lowest in developing world countries. However, make no bones about it, this is a poor country and in particular Havana is a city where most people dont live in luxury. In the nine countries I have traveled to, this one seemed to have the most poverty  and in particular Havana was the poorest metropolitan area I have visited.

On the other hand, despite the poverty, I found crime to be quite low. In fact within my first hour of being in Havana, I found it to be a relatively safe country  and really didnt have an uneasy feeling walking around the city.

11. Smoker Friendly  For Now

The good news is I found Havana to be a smoker friendly place. While there were some places that did restrict smoking, in general I found it easy to find a bar or restaurant to smoke in. In fact, when it came to lighting up a cigar, this wasnt an issue as it is in the less smoker friendly places in the U.S.

I did find it interesting many places in Havana had sigs up indicating smoking is permitted.

Much like I wondered it the Malecon would become spoiled as Cuba begins to open up, I also wondered if the U.S. influence would bring more anti-smoking contingents and businesses putting pressure to prohibit smoking. In general, my feeling was to enjoy the relative freedom of being up to light up while it lasts.

12. Stray Dogs

One thing I wasnt familiar with is that Havana Cuba has a major problem in terms of homeless stray dogs.

As I walked the streets of Havana, it soon became clear that the city has a problem in terms of stray dogs. Many dogs seemed to find adopted homes with street vendors. They could be found sleeping in high traffic areas like steps or on the sidewalks near buildings. There were a couple of instances I even saw dogs mating right on crowded city streets.

One thing that was interesting is I saw a couple of these dogs wearing ID tags wandering around the street. I didnt photo it because at the time I didnt realize the significance. It turns out that these dogs were sort of adopted by state institutions. They live on the streets, but still receive some care from the workers at the state institutions. More details can be found in this article in the UK publication, the Daily Mail.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Nick Syris and Gary Laden of the Smooth Draws Radio Show who are now providing guided tours to Cuba. I personally recommend these guys as they provided an outstanding tour with a nice cigar focus.

Smooth Draws Radio also has a special series of free recorded podcasts called Nicks Notebook that provide a cigar enthusiasts an excellent information guide for visiting Cuba.

Photo Credits: Cigar Coop, except where noted.
EDF CEO says China not a security threat, Hinkley Point should proceed Updated: 2016-08-28 20:23 By Chris Peterson in London(chinadaily.com.cn)

China does not pose a security threat and the planned UK nuclear power plant project at Hinkley Point, in which China has a 33 percent stake, should go ahead as soon as possible, Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive officer of EDF said.

State-controlled EDF is the main contractor for the planned reactor in the southwest county of Somerset, with China's CGN providing an estimated 6 billion pounds of the 18 billion pound project. Writing in today's Sunday Telegraph Rivaz said: "We know and trust our Chinese partners. The control systems at Hinkley Point C will be isolated from main systems and the Internet."

British Prime Minister Theresa May announced she was delaying approval of the project shortly after she took office in July, and would announce a decision in September.

May's supporters have said she is merely being cautious, and in any event is sticking to the original timetable agreed with France. Critics have warned that Chinese involvement in the project poses a security risk but experts have dismissed the claims, pointing out that Chinese involvement at this stage is only from an investment point of view.

Under the deal, struck by the then Chancellor George Osborne in David Cameron's administration, Chinese technology would be used to build another plant at Bradwell, in eastern England.

Britain's existing nuclear power stations are in need of replacement, and Hinkley Point will provide power for 7 million households.

China is eager to gain British approval of its reactors, which would give it access to other international markets, given that British safety criteria are amongst the strictest in the world.

Hinkley Point will have a lasting impact on our industrial capacity, and will create thousands of jobs and hundreds of apprenticeships.

"Billions of pounds will be invested in the economy of southwest England. Across Britain, dozens of companies and our own workforce are ready to deliver on this project," de Rivaz wrote.

To contact the reporter : chris@mail.chinadailyuk.com
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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN  Viet Nam and Brunei issued a joint statement on occasion of the State visit of Vietnamese President Tran ai Quang to Brunei from August 26-28.

The following is the full text of the Joint Statement:

1. At the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Muizzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, His Excellency Tran ai Quang, President of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam made a State visit to Brunei Darussalam on 26 - 28 August 2016. This was the third State visit to Brunei Darussalam by a head of State of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.

2. During the visit, both leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as on regional and international issues of common interest in a warm and cordial atmosphere.

3. Both leaders expressed pleasure on the good progress in strengthening bilateral co-operation since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 29 February 1992; recognised the significance of the Presidents visit in reaffirming the close friendship enjoyed between the two countries and people; and reiterated the spirit of the Joint Statement in 2012.

4. Both leaders looked forward to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2017 with activities to deepen mutual understanding and people-to-people linkages.

5. His Majesty congratulated the Vietnamese people on their achievements through the Socio-Economic Development Plans as envisioned in the oi Moi policy. His Majesty expressed confidence that under His Excellencys leadership, Viet Nam will achieve its target to become an industrialised country by 2020.

6. His Excellency also commended the efforts undertaken by His Majestys Government in implementing various strategic plans towards achieving the goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035, which aims to make Brunei Darussalam widely recognised for the achievements of its educated and highly skilled people, high quality of life, and a dynamic and sustainable economy.

7. Both leaders welcomed the increased interactions at all levels and agreed to strengthen the existing bilateral consultative mechanisms. In this regard, both leaders agreed to the early convening of the Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) to further deepen and expand co-operation between both countries.

8. Both leaders acknowledged the common aspirations of pursuing economic diversification and recognised the role of the private sectors in enhancing competitiveness and encouraged continued mutual sharing of best practices to identify potential areas of co-operation.

9. Both leaders underscored the importance in further enhancing bilateral co-operation in trade and investment, particularly in energy, agriculture and fisheries, education, labour, air services, people-to-people exchanges and defence. Both sides also looked forward to explore co-operation in the areas of transnational crimes, extradition and transfer of sentenced persons.

10. Both leaders also reiterated their commitment to deepen economic relations between Brunei Darussalam and Viet Nam with the objective of reaching a bilateral trade target of US$500 million by the year 2025 and facilitate greater business and investment opportunities between the two countries. Hence, both sides welcomed the signing of the MOU on Economic and Trade Co-operation between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Brunei Darussalam in supporting efforts to achieve the bilateral trade target. Both sides are confident that the MOU would also further the objectives of the Trade Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam and the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, signed on 12 November 2001.

11. Both leaders noted the importance of promoting energy co-operation and expressed satisfaction with the energy co-operation between Brunei National Petroleum Company Sendirian Berhad (PetroleumBRUNEI) and Viet Nam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and welcomed the recent completion of the Maharaja Lela South platform.

12. Both leaders noted the progress made in implementing the MOU on Co-operation in Agriculture and Fisheries signed in May 2013. His Majesty expressed appreciation for the exchanges of expertise on rice production as well as other crops, and agreed to consider extension of the exchanges. Both leaders agreed to enhance economic and development co-operation in fisheries sector, and the importance of fostering exchanges and mutual understanding between the two countries.

13. Both leaders welcomed co-operation in labour and looked forward to negotiations on the MOU on Labour Co-operation.

14. Both leaders recognised the important role of people-to-people exchanges and welcomed the signings of the MOU on Education Co-operation in April 2014 and the MOU between Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam and FPT University, Socialist Republic of Viet Nam in July 2013. Brunei Darussalam expressed appreciation for Viet Nams continued participation in the Brunei - US English Language Enrichment Programme for ASEAN.

15. Both leaders highly appreciate connectivity between the two countries and welcomed the resumption of direct flights between Bandar Seri Begawan and HCM City in October 2014 especially in further promoting closer ties between the peoples of Brunei Darussalam and Viet Nam. Both sides also looked forward to the signing of the Agreement on Maritime Transport.

16. Both leaders welcomed the signing of the MOU on Cultural Co-operation and expressed hope that this will positively contribute to deeper understanding and appreciation of both countries heritage and culture.

17. Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress made in defence under the MOU between Royal Brunei Navy and Viet Nam Peoples Navy on Bilateral Co-operation signed in December 2013. His Majesty expressed appreciation on Viet Nams continued support of Brunei International Tattoo, and Brunei International Shooting Skill-at-Arms Meet (BISAM). On the regional level, His Majesty expressed appreciation on Viet Nams participation in the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism Exercise on 2 - 12 May 2016 in Bandar Seri Begawan and Singapore. Both sides agreed to strengthen co-operation between their armed forces, particularly of the Navy and training for the respective military personnel.

18. His Excellency acknowledged Brunei Darussalams role as an active player in regional affairs and expressed appreciation for His Majestys long-standing leadership and valuable contributions to ASEAN.

19. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to upholding peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, including advancing ASEAN community building efforts through the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. To these ends, both sides emphasised the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes in the region.

20. Both leaders agreed to implement fully and effectively the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and work closely together towards the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC). Both sides also reaffirmed the importance of ASEANs central role in the regional security architecture.

21. Both sides reiterated their commitment to continue enhancing consultations on areas of common interest in other regional and international fora such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), United Nations (UN) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).

22. Both leaders welcomed the strengthening of economic ties in the region, particularly through the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) on 4 February 2016 and looked forward to the ratification of the TPP by all Parties.

23. His Majesty expressed Brunei Darussalams full support for Viet Nams Chairmanship of APEC in 2017 and wished the Government and people the very best in their preparations.

24. His Excellency expressed appreciation for the warm welcome and kind hospitality accorded to him and his delegation and looked forward to welcoming His Majesty and members of the Royal Family to visit Viet Nam in the near future. - VNS
The first-ever Human Library project has just opened in Ha Nois Labour and Society College.

During the two days it ran, the living library attracted more than 500 readers and received encouraging feedback.

Instead of displaying books, the library gathered people, who could tell their own stories to the audience.

The project was first kicked off in Denmark in 2000. It has spread to more than 70 countries all over the world.

In July 2016, Le Anh Thu, a Vietnamese student who is a second-year student at Oberlin College in Ohio in the United States, asked for copyright permission to bring the project to Viet Nam.

I wanted to implement the project in Viet Nam as I really want to erase all prejudice and discrimination concerning sensitive issues like drugs, homosexuality, transgender and domestic violence, Thu said, Through that we can help to enhance peoples awareness on the right to freedom, equality and sympathy in life.

Thu said that after careful selection and interviews, the organisers decided to choose 20 human books.

Books at this library are not fiction, they are real experiences, real pains, real feelings, Thu said.

Living books

Linh Nguyen, a representative of bi-genders at the library said, Each person was born with both genders, it depends on him/her whether they grow up to be more male or female.

I am a victim of a society in which children are taught to avoid speaking out and rarely speak up when being sexually abused. We were not taught about sex, noted Nhu Huong Tra, who spoke in the role of sexual abuse book.

She continued to give the example of an old man touching a little girls body, and how she would react in some way. Yet people around would say, What a girl! What is the matter if someone touches you?

Real stories: The living library attracted more than 500 readers and received encouraging feedback. Courtesy Photo of Human Library Vietnam

And the message that Tra shared at the library was: Act to change Vietnamese peoples awareness so that they teach their children sensitive things.

A man transgendered into a woman called La Lam, who is of the Thai ethnic group, said she dreamed of being a girl since she was small.

She was happy to be transgendered and get her new name.

When I was at school, I used to be poked and people behaved badly with me both at home and at school, she recalled. I wrote a story on my life and my mum burnt it.

She desired to capture her life on film and entered the College of Theatre and Cinematography. She has now fallen in love with a man.

I would like to contribute to a channel for the LGBT circle, she said.

Real efforts

Mentioning the selection process, Thu compared it to a delicate approach.

The more intricate their stories are, the more people want to hide themselves, she recalled. At first I talked to them, slowly made them trust me enough for them to pour their hearts out to me. Then I persuaded them to appear at our library to tell their stories to the public so that more people would know, sympathise and act more properly.

We are sad to learn that if the living books themselves were equipped with better knowledge, if the people surrounding them were more open, there would not be so many sad stories to share here, Thu said.

Thu gave an example of a sex worker, who was forced to marry when she was only 15 years old.

The couple did not get on well together. Her husband treated her badly, even beat her up. Totally frustrated, she left home and was cheated and sold off to someone in China to work as a sex slave. When she returned to Viet Nam, she continued to work as a sex worker.

Both the woman and me agreed that if her parents had not forced her into marriage so early, if she was better educated, her life would not have been so frustrating, Thu said.

I persuaded her to tell her story at the library so that no young woman would be trapped in tragedies such as hers, she said.

Thu said she called for volunteer aides to work as organising members mostly through Facebook.

This is a non-profit project, organising member Pham Huy Anh, said. It is difficult for us to arrange people to work at the library to tell their stories because they are real people with different jobs.

The library has gathered hundreds of such examples for dozens of book titles.

The library will travel to HCM City and a Nang before moving out to other localities in the country.  VNS
Twenty-six-year-old Ton Nu Tuong Vy is the founder of Spread Out Academic Club and Friends English Center (FEC). Originally from Cam RanhKhanh Hoa Province, she has participated in the World Innovation Summit for Education in Qatar, the UNAOC-EF Summer School in the US and other conferences in more than ten countries.

Inner Sanctum: Why is education so important to you? When did you realise that you needed to make a difference?

I suffered immensely in high school. I was distressed by the perfectionism demanded by the system, and there was neither inspiration nor instruction to solve my difficulties in natural science subjects. We were expected to excel at all subjects. Finding no relief for my struggle, I became a rebel: I wopposed everything - the uniform, the curriculum and the traditional learning methods. In such a suffocating and stressful environment, there was no space for personal development. I kept pondering: is there no other way to educate students? I refused to be a parrot that spat back someone elses ideas. What I wanted was an education that advocated the freedom of thoughts, not one where sameness is rewarded.

In my darkest period, I attempted suicide four times. In the end, my own adversity became my motivation to make a difference in the education system in Viet Nam. I would like no one to suffer the way I did.

Inner Sanctum: Tell us about Spread Out Academic Club?

Spread Out Academic Club was founded in early 2014 and is devoted to academic freedom. We are a group that encourages the pursuit of personal interests through self-study, mentorship and other diverse forms of study. We have seminars, presentations, talk shows, film screenings, field trips and book translations.

At the core of it all, we are really asking: whats wrong with the way were teaching? How can Vietnamese youths nurture their lifelong learning process?

Our objective is to allow individuals to maximise their curiosity in any topic and to have the courage to push themselves further  be it through research or other forms of exploration. Additionally, we hope to collaborate with other academic groups in Viet Nam. In greater numbers, I believe our impact will multiply.

Inner Sanctum: The Friends English Center (FEC) is an organisation you founded to help young adults learn English. How does your programme stand out from others?

At the FEC, where we have developed international communication and personal development programmes, I apply some methods I have acquired from overseas training on peace-building and education. For example, I designed a personal development curriculum based on The Four Cs framework for 21st century skills: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical thinking. English is also a tool for us to learn the culture of dialogue by Socratic methods.

Although it is primarily an English learning community, we pose even the most fundamental questions, such as: What is thinking? What are the different types of thinking? What does it mean to think critically? Critical thinking may be a common practice for students studying abroad, but it is severely under-practised in Viet Nam.

In my view, teaching is not only about linguistics. My strengths lie in my experience of multiculturalism, religion and peace-building. For me, teaching English is creating a bridge for my students to develop their own attitudes in life. Given the overwhelming feedback from my students during the past two months, I am confident that I am heading in the right direction.

Inner Sanctum: Amidst all that you have going on  how do you find the time to read?

I do not think that I read a lot. I read just enough for my needs. (laughs)

Inner Sanctum: What is your biggest project at the moment?

Im writing a memoir called Beyond the Boundaries, which is scheduled to come out in September. Its an opportunity for me to share my personal experiences of my travels to 13 countries across the world. Its my own story of the most defining moments of adversity, dilemma and realization so far.

Inner Sanctum: What motivates you?

Firstly, I am fortunate to have been nurtured by a family that understands the value of education. When I was still in high school, three of my siblings had already become successful teachers. Without the motivation and support of my family, I would have never gotten where I am today; the value they placed on knowledge played a big role in shaping who I am today.

I have two values that I live by. The first is to approach things with the highest standard of our competence. Certainly, no one can be perfect, but that is the goal. At the very least, we should try harder.

I try to integrate this principle in teaching. My students are instructed to pay more attention to the right pronunciation and other aspects that may not have been properly emphasized when they studied English at school. Instead of lecturing, we contemplate together: What can we learn about our lives from studying a new language?

The second value is to step out of the comfort zone: to expose oneself to new environments, and to actively engage people with diverse characteristics, experiences and perspectives. I believe that respecting our differences should not be confused with compromising our dissimilarities. Dealing with differences will lead us to a multi-dimensional habit of empathy. This is more important in an era of globalisation. Keeping this in mind allows me to lead a humble and respectful life.

One of my favourite ways to learn is to travel as a backpacker. When you are travelling alone to a new place, you experience a foreign kind of insecurity that you may not experience if you were with others. At the end of the day, the greatest opportunities for self-discovery often appear when we are pushing beyond our boundaries. VNS
Fresh imported fish, meat, and local organic vegetables are plastered across the extensive menu at Akaari, an attractively decorated Japanese restaurant in Thanh Xuan District of Ha Noi. Ha Nguyen reports.

Located in the new urban area of Trung Hoa Nhan Chinh, Akaari 2 looks grandiose and so attractive that one could not pass it without a glance.

When we reached the restaurant last week, a young girl in a flowered kimono greeted us with a bow, Japanese style, and led us into a dining room which was enough for some 20 people, and was decorated with Japanese paintings and a row of tables in the middle of the room and chairs along the two sides of the tables.

I felt very comfortable in such surroundings.

On the table were already several dishes comprising edamamed beans (VN42 or US$2) and baked almonds.

These dishes are very good for vegetarians such as me. They are meaty and delicious, a friend next to me said. But I like baked almond because its taste is sweet and fatty. I intended to order more, but the server brought us a sashimi set, including salmon, tuna, octopus and bream (VN780,000).

They were all fresh and imported from Japan and Norway, except the tuna which was from Viet Nam seas.

Visual delight: Fresh, tasty food is arranged with delicate style.

The restaurant manager Bui Thi Linh Nham told me that Viet Nams tuna is not only fresh but also of high quality.

We receive very good feedback from our guests about the tuna, she said.

We have had sashimi at other restaurants, but could sense the difference here. The salmon, tuna, octopus and bream were all very good, but the tuna was particularly tasty.

It looked very appetising because it was freshly prepared with colourful ingredients and beautifully presented with fresh turnip, perilla, salted ginger and basil.

I took the first tuna piece, dipping it in a small bowl of mustard soy sauce, and realised that Nham was right. The tuna was so fresh and sweet that I took another piece, although my nose was almost burning from the mustard.

A friend sitting next to me said that the dish was so attractive and tasty that he gave up his habit of not eating such food because he was afraid of upset tummy.

Presentation: It looked very appetising because it was freshly prepared with colourful ingredients and beautifully presented with fresh turnip, perilla, salted ginger and basil.

While we were enjoying the dish, the server brought us a big plate of seaweed salad, salmon caviar, spinach and cabbage as well as aromatic herbs, which were light and refreshing, and went well with Japanese sauce (VN180,000).

I liked the salad very much because the seaweed was crispy and the caviar had a nutty flavour.

I had never tasted such an appetizer before so I thought I could eat it all, but Nham came up and reminded us that several dishes were still to come, such as grilled cod imported from Norway (VN160,000 or over $7), a premium beef dish (VN600,000 or $27), and a cup of hot steamed egg whites.

The server then brought the grilled cod with Japanese sauce to us. On seeing the white lean fish piece, I thought it would be as dry as several other fish, but after trying it I immediately liked its taste.

We were discussing whether we should order the dish more when the server came up offering us grilled beef (VN640,000 or $29). I asked her if it was Kobe beef, and she replied that it was the best quality Japanese beef.

I had once enjoyed Kobe beef at a restaurant in Thailand and recognised Akaari beef, which is soft, tasty and quite similar to Kobe beef.

Enjoying the beef with Japanese sake wine was so excellent that I drank a lot. The sakes taste is something like Vietnamese fermented sticky rice. I thought I would not get drunk off such sake but my friend was trying to prevent me, You should stop drinking otherwise you wont get home.

Nham said the beef was imported from Japan every day to ensure its freshness.

Many of our customers return to our restaurant to enjoy the beef among other things, she said.

We were all feeling full by then, and Nham invited us to try a cup of hot steamed egg whites mixed with Japanese mushrooms, onions, ginger and other ingredients (VN128,000 or $6).

I thought I could not eat anymore but its fragrance urged me on and encouraged me to try it. The soup was soft while the mushrooms had their own flavour which made us eat them all.

We were all pleased with the Akaari dining experience, and particularly the fresh, tasty and delicious food, in such a quiet oasis in the restaurant, despite the very hot weather outside. VNS

Add: 1st floor, building 17T7, Trung Hoa Nhan Chinh New Urban Area, Thanh Xuan District, Ha Noi.

Tel: 04-66830022/0971753322

Hours: from 9am to 10pm

Comment: Good food at reasonable prices, starting from VN42,000 (US$2), friendly and fast service, which includes takeaway and delivery.
of truck and bus radial (TBR) tyres to India has grown over 40 per cent compared to imports during the June quarter last year. This is at a time when the overall growth in the truck replacement industry during the quarter was in the high single digits.
An Indian carrying vehicles and foodstuff among other things reportedly sank today off the coast of Oman due to overloading but all the 11 crew members were rescued.

The ship, heading to Yemen's Al Mukalla port after it was loaded in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, sunk off the coast of Jalan Bani Bu Ali province, according to the Oman News Agency.



All 11 crew members were rescued by Omani fishermen and Royal Oman Police.

The vessel was carrying 69 vehicles, foodstuff, tyres and engine oils.

The vessel sank due to damages caused by overloading, Gulf News reported.
Unequal Budget funding for the Yes vote wont give Australians equal say If you seek to ensure not all Australians get an equal say in the debate about an enshrined voice, then dont be surprised when millions of them cry foul about the integrity of the result.

Geelong to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony 00:27 Geelong has been announced as the host city for the 2026 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.

Australia abstains from vote at the UN on a treaty banning nuclear weapons 00:29 Australia has abstained from a vote at the United Nations on a treaty banning nuclear weapons.
DYSART  Derrick Sleezer farms in Northwest Iowa. John Weber farms in Northeast Iowa. And while the two pork producers may be on opposite sides of the state, they share one thing in common  for about half of the year, they served as presidents of the nations two largest hog organizations.

Sleezer, who farms near Cherokee, recently completed his term as president of the National Pork Board. Weber began his term in March as president of the National Pork Producers Council. He farms near Dysart.

Both men spent several years on the boards for the two organizations and saw first-hand the commitment necessary to take on the presidency.

As I worked through years on the board, I felt the president needed to be someone who had the confidence to step up and tackle those challenges, Sleezer said. I thought it was something I wanted to do, and I felt fortunate that the board believed I could do that.

Weber, who previously served as president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association, began serving on the NPPC board in 2011.

Im a relatively small producer compared to many on our board, since we are contract growers, he said. But the board didnt look at that. I received a lot of encouragement from them to become an officer and then eventually to serve as president. ...

I enjoy it so much that I actually look forward to meetings.

While the two organizations serve hog producers, they have different responsibilities. NPPC is involved in areas such as trade, policy and regulations. The pork board uses checkoff dollars to promote pork and help fund research, among other things.

Weber and Sleezer said there are several issues that top the list of concerns for producers.

We are tackling the antibiotic issue and are willing to lead the discussion on it, Sleezer said. We are committed to the research that is being done regarding antibiotics. Its important that our industry have a voice at the table.

NPPCs priority, he saids, has been passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership free-trade agreement. The pact has been approved by representatives of the countries involved, but TPP has yet to move through Congress, despite President Obamas support.

We put a lot of time and dollars into TPP over the last three or four years, and we are fortunate to get the results that we did, Weber said. We know that growth in our industry is totally dependent upon trade.

Politics have proven to be the tallest hurdle, he said.

We fell into an extremely difficult political arena with TPP, Weber said. I think if everyone settles down after the election, I feel good that we will be able to get this finished. Its just too important to our industry.

Sleezer said a great deal of headway has been made when it comes to disease research. He says the industry has done a great job of preparing for the next disease that comes along.

Large pork supplies have also been a concern lately, as more and more hogs head to market. Sleezer said new packing plants scheduled to come on line next year will help producers find a place to sell their pigs.

Were in a period of expansion, and were working hard to keep pushing this quality product we have, he said.

Sleezer added the hiring of Bill Even as pork board CEO was a highlight of his year as president.

Were very fortunate to have been able to hire Bill, he said.
CEDAR FALLS  A centerpiece meeting and special event venue isnt going away. In fact, its owners are doubling down to promote it.

LeaAnn Saul, who with her husband, Greg, own the Pipac Centre on the Lake at 1521 Technology Parkway off Hudson Road, said they plan a $500,000 interior renovation of the center, the most extensive makeover since the facility was built and opened in 2004.

The Sauls and their daughter, Josie Petersen, center director of sales, plan to continue promoting the facility for weddings and special events even after local restaurateur Darin Beck ceases operations there at years end

Meanwhile, the 44,000-square-foot building, overlooking South Prairie Lake in the Cedar Falls Industrial Park, is still for sale; it was first listed in 2014. But the Sauls intend to operate it as a going concern and would ensure any prospective buyer do the same. LeaAnn Saul a couple of potential buyers they said are in discussions with propose to do just that.

Saul said they do not intend to let the facility sit empty and dormant.

We are going to keep it for sale, Saul said. But weve had so many inquiries and people wanting to use the space that we need to keep it going, following Becks departure at years end. To leave it dark doesnt make sense.

In March, Becks Barmuda Cos., which has operated Park Place Event Centre & Ferraris Ristorante at the Pipac building since 2005, decided to close both operations in the Pipac Center operating only during contracted events through the end of the year.

Saul and Peterson said they will take over those operations in 2017 and begin remodeling as soon as possible in the unused portions of the building, starting with the restaurant.

Were going to redo this and were going to do lawn weddings out there, Saul said, on the patio and grassy area outside the restaurant, with the restaurant area available for receptions.

Weddings are becoming a little smaller, more intimate, Saul said. We figure this will be a beautiful spot. You have a built-in dance floor. You can do your ceremony out on the lawn and then come in for your dinner or dance.

Were going to give it a new twist and do different things, Petersen said.

Were not going to do the food or cooking, Saul said. But they will operate bar service, and the restaurant areas full kitchen will be available to licensed caterers for a fee. Typically caterers will do their cooking in their kitchens and set up here. But for a fee we will let a caterer use the kitchen, especially for the larger events.

Well do all the setups and basics for the events, Saul said, and will make arrangements for box-lunch arrangements and refreshments for corporate meetings. Theyve already received booking for events as far out as year from now.

We already have 10 weddings booked , which is awesome, and we have a couple corporate events booked already, Saul said. The last one is September of 2017. And we have inquiries for Christmas parties for next December, of 2017. They called Barmuda and Barmuda turned them over to us.

The building has developed a reputation and a following. Some of them, theyve been to events here. And some of those brides always wanted to get married here. I had a couple moms call me and say, Oh my daughter is so upset We let them know and theyre all booking.

We have a couple of people interested in buying the building, Saul said. Were just not to terms yet. But I cant wait. With people planning events, you cant wait. And the people who have shown interest in (buying) this would run it as an events center anyway.

Booking will be secured regardless of ownership. Whoever would buy it, that would be part of our negotiation, Saul said.

Petersen said there are many areas to explore.

Of course, weddings, she said. Wed love to do social events. Retirement parties are good, anniversary parties. Someone brought up to us even just private wine parties. Were really excited about the small intimate (restaurant) space. I feel we can do a lot of different things with that. Well kind of explore what people are interested in, what they feel is missing for a need in the area.

Saul and Petersen suggested it could be used for company workplace parties events on Fridays or Saturdays, when employers would have a hard time booking an event at conventional restaurant or establishment already busy with walk-in business.

The various improvements include recarpeting and painting, among other work. Sound improvements have already been added.

The venue has hosted events such as a function for Yo-Yo Ma prior to the cellists performance at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, Magical Mix Kids fundraisers and the wedding reception for Taylor and Danielle Morris, the quad-amputee Cedar Falls sailor wounded in Afghanistan and his wife.

We want to keep it full, Saul said. Its a beautiful place, its right off the interstate, actually, along the Hudson Road/University of Northern Iowa exit off U.S. Highway 20. Were pricing it so its affordable.The building derives its name from the Sauls namesake insurance brokerage business, an acronym for Professional Insurance Planners and Consultants, current located on the buildings lower level.

Reservations for the Pipac Centre may be made or other information obtained by calling 268-7299.
GRACE MARGHERIO and ABBY RIPPE have joined Iowa State University Extension and Outreach serving Black Hawk County. Margherio is as an associate extension educator for the Kids in the Kitchen program.She earned a masters of public health and bachelor of science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Rippe is a volunteer coordinator. She has experience organizing volunteers and creating quality experiences for the Blueridge Orchard, Denver Diplomats. She earned a masters of linguistics and two bachelor degrees from the University of Iowa.

SARAH KIELLY joins the staff of the Buchanan County ISU Extension and Outreach, Independence, as the local foods coordinator. Originally from Baxter, Kielly is a graduate of Wartburg College with degrees in biology, environmental science, and peace and justice studies, and a minor in leadership.

SCOTT FIGDORE, professor of science at Upper Iowa University, has been named the Robert L. Fox Endowed Chair of Science. The longtime UIU faculty member has served in various capacities as faculty vice-chairman and chairman, Science and Mathematics Division chairman, Academic Programs Committee/Curriculum Committee chairman, chairman of the Strategic Planning Task Force on Academic Excellence, and an AQIP Steering Committee member. Figdore has been assuming the duties of the UIU Herbarium Curator. He served as the inaugural dean of the School of Science and Mathematics, recently retiring from that position to return to full-time teaching duties.

JASON HASSMAN has joined Sernett Wealth Management, affiliated with Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. in Cedar Falls, as a lead adviser. He previously worked for ITM TwentyFirst and Insurance Trust Monitor. Hassman, a Central College graduate, has spent the past seven years in the financial services industry.

MIKE THOLE of Levi Architecture of Cedar Falls has received licensure as a registered architect in the state of Iowa. Thole has a bachelors of technology management from the University of Northern Iowa and a masters of architecture from Iowa State University. He has been with Levi Architecture for nine years.

GAYLA DAVIS, ARNP, has joined the Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Iowa Covenant Clinic in Oelwein and Fairbank. Davis, of Oelwein, received her master of science in nursing in 2014 and bachelor of science in mursing in 2005 from Clarkson College in Omaha, Neb. She worked at the Nebraska Medical Centers solid organ transplant unit in Omaha from 2006 to 2014.

CHRIS HURLEY and TINA SIVOLA have joined Dupaco Community Credit Union. Hurley is a mortgage/consumer lending consultant at the Mullan Avenue location in Waterloo, and Sivola was hired as a member solutions consultant at the Cedar Heights Drive location in Cedar Falls.

HEATHER ANDERSEN, LISW, has joined Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-Iowas Covenant Clinic Psychiatry on Orchard Drive in Cedar Falls. Andersen, of Cedar Falls, is a social worker who specializes in mental health. She has bachelor of arts degrees in social work and psychology, and a masters in social work from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls. Since 2004, she has worked at Hawkeye Valley Area Agency on Aging in Waterloo, the Senior Behavioral Health Unit at Sartori Memorial Hospital and the Mental Health Unit at Covenant Medical Center as she worked toward her independent license of social work, which she attained in May.

New Upper Iowa University faculty members include: BLAIR SEIM of Cedar Rapids is assistant professor of accounting application at the Fayette campus. A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Seim earned a bachelors and masters degree in accounting. He also received an associate of arts degree in elementary education at Marshalltown Community College. Seim, who became a certified accountant in 2006, most recently served as senior tax accountant at Transamerica in Cedar Rapids. SARAHMARIE HARDY of Waterloo is assistant professor of education at the UIU-Waterloo Center. While earning her bachelors degree in elementary education, Hardy graduated summa cum laude at Upper Iowa. She later earned a masters in educational leadership at Clarke University. In addition to eight years of teaching experience at the elementary and middle school levels of education, Hardy has served as an adjunct professor and teacher education coordinator at UIU.
CEDAR RAPIDS  Sen. Charles Grassley will complete his annual 99-county tour of Iowa with a stop in Anamosa on Thursday.

He will have a town-hall meeting from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Jones County Courthouse.

The six-term Republican has held meetings in each of Iowas 99 counties at least once a year since being elected to the Senate in 1980. According to Grassley, the hallmark of his meetings are the open-topic question-and-answer sessions where he invites and responds to questions and comments on any subject.

Representative government is a two-way street, he often says at his town meetings. You cant have representative government without dialogue between elected officials and the people we represent.

However, groups opposing his re-election have criticized Grassley for a lack of access despite his visits to all 99 counties every year. Since 2011, Grassley held just three public town hall meetings in Iowas 10 most populated counties and none in eight of the 10 most populated counties, including Linn and Johnson counties, according to Progress Iowa, a left-leaning advocacy group supporting Grassleys opponent, Democrat Patty Judge.

Many of his nonpublic meetings are with employees in a private businesses setting. For example, Friday Grassley visited a Hy-Vee distribution center in Chariton where he had a question-and-answer session with employees.

He often meets with civic clubs, like an Aug. 19 question-and-answer session with about 75 Daybreak Rotarians in Cedar Rapids.

Grassley maintains the cross-section of Iowans he meets helps me keep in touch and take the common sense of Iowans from all perspectives to work in the nations capital.
DAVENPORT  More Iowa women are on the ballot for federal and state legislative seats this year than ever before, according to a group thats trying to convince more women to run.

The group, 50-50 in 2020, says 65 women are on the ballot. Twenty-seven of the candidates are incumbents and 38 are not, the group said.

Jean Lloyd-Jones, a former state senator from Iowa City and a co-founder of the group, called it another step on the path to equity for women in Iowa government.

The last election cycle marked a milestone in Iowa politics, with Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican, elected to the U.S. Senate, the first time Iowa had sent a woman to Congress.

This year, with Hillary Clinton running for president, the group also is heralding the idea women are running at every level of the state ballot.

Officials with the organization think Clinton may be inspiring other women to run this year. But this years record-breaking turnout for women also is partly being driven by a handful of central Iowa women who are on the ballot challenging incumbents, said Mary Ellen Miller, the executive director for 50-50 in 2020.

The previous high for women being on the Iowa ballot was in 2012, Miller said.

The 50-50 in 2020 group, whose goal is to have as many Iowa women as men holding state and federal legislative seats in four years, made the announcement of a new state record in conjunction with the federally designated Womens Equality Day, which was observed on Friday.

Still, the group says, more progress is needed. Fewer than a quarter of the states legislative seats are held by women, Miller says. And, until 2014, Iowa was notable for being one of only a small number of states never to have sent a woman to Congress.

Maggie Tinsman, a former state senator from Bettendorf and a founder of the group, said she thinks its efforts are helping, as is the sight of other women running, including for president.

Im very excited to see more and more women running, she said.

The 50-50 in 2020 group, which was founded in 2010, has a number of programs to further its goal, such as holding a training academies for women running for office. It says its the only bipartisan, issue-neutral group in the country working to elect women.
WATERLOO  Waterloos Taylor Mast had a blast at last years Cedar Valley Pridefest, joining the festivities shortly after coming out to friends and family as gay. But 2016s event had surpassed last years revelry by mid-afternoon.

It wasnt the new musical acts or new activities. It was the now-familiar faces.

Just the people and the faces and seeing friends that I havent met since last years Pride, Mast said, explaining why this year exceeded last years event.

Mast, 16, is one of what organizers hoped would be 4,000 people attending the fifth annual Cedar Valley Pridefest Saturday in downtown Waterloo.

The event is a celebration of the spectrum of diversity that exists in the Cedar Valley, particularly within the LGBTQ community. But its also an important event for its attendees.

Mast, who was wearing a rainbow of colors from his red hair to his purple shoes and sporting a rainbow flag, said it is important to him and others to show who they are just enjoying ourselves and being ourselves with people we might not know but are comfortable around.

Jordan Belz, 17, of Washburn, said its an important event to give people who are part of the LGBTQ community like herself a chance to get away from the outside world.

Were all here; were all weird; were all something, Belz said, noting there also were straight people at the event. Were all just happy.

Both Belz and Mast said Pridefest is a place they feel accepted, but they also see a lot of acceptance from their friends, family and the community.

Mast described his experience of coming out as people being very unimpressed, because so many had anticipated his sexuality. But also he said he was totally accepted.

Members of Waterloo West High Schools Gay-Straight Alliance, which had a booth at Pridefest, described a similar sense of acceptance within their school and broadly in the community.

I think a lot of the times the things that I hear that make me uncomfortable are maybe just people not fully understanding like what and how saying something could offend someone. They dont get it, but then once you point it out, theyre really quick to apologize, said Myah Lee, co-president of the student group.

Briana Black, a member of the alliance, noted Iowa is accepting, but she has seen less acceptance elsewhere, particularly in parts of Florida, where she has family. Black got her first glimpse of LGBTQ shaming in Iowa on Saturday when a couple of protesters greeted attendees outside the gates of Pridefest.

The two protesters were not the only reminder pride festivals are important to its attendees.

The event took a break from the celebratory activities in the middle of the afternoon to hold a brief vigil for the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., which had a largely LGBTQ clientele.

Andrew Bouska of Cedar Falls, who knew one of the victims, offered his thoughts, but also a performance of Imagine after a long moment of silence. The solemn ceremony couldnt quite quiet the jovial spirit of the festival, but it was the most muted it would be between noon and midnight, when Sissys Sircus closed out the 2016 event.
For the first time in months, there was a chill in the breeze this weekend. I could feel my neck swelling, at least in a figurative sense.

Buck fever was setting in. Big-game season is around the corner. Yet, the data says, I might be a dinosaur at 34.

Hunting licenses in Iowa have plunged 20 percent in the past decade. In 2015, 152,025 licenses were purchased, says data from Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Thats down from 189,972 in 2005. The wane in interest has resulted in revenue from licenses and fees dropping from $8.9 million to $8.4 million, and that includes price increases and a full-scale overhaul of the states licensing system. In 2013, the state combined such things as the resident hunting license and habitat fee for public land, which historically had been separate charges.

Meanwhile, nonresident hunters just arent showing up. More than 45,000 out-of-state hunters came to Iowa in 2005. Fewer than 13,000 purchased licenses this past year, a trend that ramped up after the state boosted those fees by more than $100 in 2009 for big game. A white-tail tag, all told, costs a non-Iowan a cool $500 now. State officials have surmised that dipping pheasant populations are a major contributor. But, nationally, just 13.7 million licenses were sold last year, down from more than 40 million in the mid-1970s, the New York Times reported.

The increasing fees arent the cause. Nor are local dips in popular prey species. No, huntings free-fall is affixed to cultural forces, ones that could gut the very programs that created and funded the American conservation network.

Guns are highly political these days. I have close friends, life-long city dwellers, who, point blank, have told me Theres no such thing as a responsible gun owner. Every day, a new crop of young people leave rural America for city life, a century-long trend. Toppling gender barriers are probably also related. Just last year, my hunting association amended its Edwardian bylaws to allow female membership. Hunting camps have long been boys clubs. And jetting for a week or two isnt so easy in a world where men are expected to be just as involved with children as women. Just 11 percent of hunters are women, says U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Three states  Wisconsin, Colorado and New York  now consider pink a viable alternative to blaze orange in a futile, some call demeaning, attempt to lure women into the woods.

The decline of hunting is a result of a philosophical shift and no number of pink vests will fix it.

For centuries, Aristotles Great Chain of Being dominated existential pursuits. Humanity was ruler of the planet. All other organisms fell somewhere on an arbitrary hierarchy. Aristotle, for example, really admired elephants. Major religions adopted Aristotles thinking, many clinging to it to this day. Charles Darwin, however, smashed it in the mid-19th century. And, after 150 years, the Darwinian maxim that all life, from fungus to dog, has equal value is taking hold.

Just recently, a 12-year-old Utah girl, Aryanna Gourdin, was shouted down on social media after posing with a giraffe and zebra she had legally killed while on safari. She was despicable, proclaimed angry commenters on sites such as the Washington Post. Ending a life, they said, was disgusting.

Some of the furious hoard, no doubt, then went out and grabbed a burger for lunch. Its rage reserved for a fat and happy society.

You can easily argue that hunting is the very essence of humanity. It propelled some of the earliest tools. It continued as a primary means of subsistence long after agriculture took hold. Just two generations ago, my ancestors were supplementing their crops with protein harvested from the land.

Yet, a tired longing for the good ol days isnt the real issue. Hunters were the first conservationists. They created the national parks. They pushed back against an industrial lust for expansion at all costs. And, to this day, they fund conservation programs through license purchases.

Hunters arent blood-thirsty killers. History shows, they are the group most interested in preserving nature. And thats whats at risk as hunting heads toward extinction.
WHITTEN -- Authorities in Hardin County on Saturday continued their search for a missing man.

Hardin County authorities said Ian Aiken, no age available, left his house in Whitten around noon Tuesday.

On Saturday, officials said they did an extensive search in and around the Whitten area. The Hardin County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Whitten Fire Department, Union Fire Department, Union Ambulance, Beaman Fire Department, Conrad Fire Department, Grundy County Sheriff's Office, Hardin County Emergency Squad, the Iowa State Patrol Air Unit and several Whitten citizen volunteers.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts should call the Hardin County Sheriff's Office at (641) 939-8189) or local authorities.
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Monday UPDATE: The Seward County Sheriff's Office released the following press release:

On August 28 at approximately 0900 hours, Seward County communications received a call regarding a stolen vehicle from Fossil Fuels outside of Milford. The caller stated the stolen vehicle was a Blue Ford Expedition bearing 16 County license plates. Deputy Lintz observed the blue expedition on Interstate 80 at, approximately mile marker 366. The suspect vehicle then exited at the 366, and turned south on 462nd Rd.

At the time, Deputy Lintz was able to confirm the license plate number and verified it was indeed the vehicle reported as stolen. Deputy Lintz activated his lights to initiate a traffic stop. The suspects did not pull over and led Deputy Lintz on a short, low speed pursuit. A Nebraska State Trooper then arrived on scene and was involved in the pursuit as well. The pursuit continued on for approximately 2 miles, until the suspect vehicle entered a cornfield on the west side of 462nd Road, just north of pioneers. After entering the cornfield, the suspects fled the vehicle on foot and evaded law enforcement.

Due to the lack of information about the suspects at the time, law enforcement officers did not proceed on foot after the suspects into the corn field. Nebraska State Patrol called for their air and canine assets. A short time later, Sergeant Vance spotted two of the suspects and was able to place them into custody. Once the two suspects were questioned, our office discovered that there were actually two additional suspects. The suspects were still believed to be in the same cornfield. Deputies remained in the area searching for the two remaining suspects.

At approximately 1826 hours, Deputy Minzel spotted the two suspects walking down a driveway next to the cornfield at which point they fled back into the same cornfield. After Deputy Minzel spotted the two suspects, Nebraska State Patrol and the Seward County Sheriffs Office were able to set up a perimeter and surround the section. At approximately 2100 hours the final two suspects were finally taken into custody by the Nebraska State Patrol. One adult male suspect identified as Damon Hauglie, 18 of Starbuck, MN. was lodged in the Seward County Jail. Three juvenile subjects, two females ages 15 and 16 and one 17 year old male were all lodged at the Madison County Juvenile Detention.

The suspects had earlier fled from a drug treatment center in Minnesota where they had stolen a vehicle that was abandoned near-by. The suspects stolen vehicle then broke down in Waverly, NE where they stole a second vehicle. Once on Interstate 80, they stole the third and final vehicle from Fossil Fuels in Milford, NE. All four suspects are being charged with unauthorized use of a propelled vehicle and operate a motor vehicle to avoid arrest. It is unknown at this time if any other agencies will file charges.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SUNDAY 11pm UPDATE: The Seward County Sheriff's office plans to release more information about the pursuit and arrests of four suspects. The Seward County Sheriff's Office said four people were in custody late Sunday night in connection to a stolen car and pursuit.

10/11 talked to Jim Woolsey, who lives near Cordova in Seward County. He called 911 late Sunday afternoon when two of the suspects actually showed up in his yard along 462nd and Pioneers, north of Cordova.

"Funny things happen in different ways. The next thing I seen these two people walking on the road when I was getting ready to do chores. They wanted to know the closest town," said Woolsey.

Woolsey just couldn't believe what happened. "Very, very exciting. Just need to wind down a little bit,"said Woolsey.

Not long after Woolsey saw the suspects, the suspects were seen by the Seward County Sherrif's Office.

"I told them to stop where they were at or I'd release my canine.

Both of them stopped and I had them lay down on the ground and I handcuffed them,"said Sgt. Mike Vance of the Seward County Sheriff's Dept.

Sunday evening, the Seward County Sheriff's Office posted on it's Facebook page the suspects wanted in a pursuit and stolen car were no longer on the run. On their page they said:

"The last two suspects have been apprehended. All four suspects are in custody. We will have more detailed information regarding today's events in the morning. Thank you all for sharing our post and getting the word out. A big thank you to all of the agencies that helped keep Seward County safe!"

_____________________________________________________

6:15pm UPDATE: The Seward County Sheriff's Office told 10/11 on scene, two suspects wanted in connection to a stolen car and pursuit Sunday are now in custody.

The 15-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man, were seen walking near a cornfield near 462nd and Pioneers Road in Seward County. A deputy on scene, told 10/11 the duo escaped from a drug treatment center in Richfield, Minnesota.

The deputy on scene said the two who were caught, told investigators there were two others who were with them. The sheriff's office posted on it's Facebook page:

"Our deputies have learned that there were actually 4 subjects in the vehicle, 2 males and 2 females. We are now searching for 1 Native American female and 1 Native American male. Their last known location was 462nd Pioneers Rd. Again, if you see anyone suspicious please do not hesitate to call! The two suspects have recently been seen in the area. Nebraska State Patrol is back at the scene assisting in the search."

______________________________________________________

UPDATE: The Seward County Sheriff's Office gave a description to 10/11 of the two women deputies are looking for.

On the office's Facebook page they wrote: "The two suspects have been described as a Caucasian female 5'0" tall with freckles and red hair. The second female was described as an African American female 5'5" tall with long black hair and wearing a red shirt. They are still suspected to be in the area."

The sheriff's office said the women ditched the stolen vehicle and ran into a cornfield near 462nd Road, about a half mile to 3/4 of a mile north of Pioneers Road.

The Nebraska State Patrol aircraft that was helping with the search, had to leave to refuel. It's unclear if it will return to assist in the search.

Seward County said this is still an active search and investigation.

______________________________________________________________________

Several area law enforcement agencies are in pursuit of two women suspected of stealing a vehicle in the Milford area.

The Seward County Sheriff's Office has limited information to release at this time but said they have details available on their Facebook page.

According to the page, the two women left the suspected stolen vehicle on foot in the area of 462nd Road and Pioneers.

The York County Sheriff's Office, Nebraska State Patrol, NSP aircraft and K9 units are searching for the suspects.

York County also posted a warning on their Facebook page Sunday morning telling people in the southeast portion of York County to take keys out of their vehicles and lock their doors. They said the foot pursuit for these two women was three miles south of the Utica exit.
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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.
By Claire Bernish

Baltimore Police didnt bother to inform the public (or anyone, for that matter) when they implemented a privately-funded mass surveillance program in January using a wide-angle camera-equipped plane flying above the city  which instantly uploaded and stored everything it recorded, just in case they needed it later.

As Bloombergs Monte Reel reports, a small Cessna plane equipped with a sophisticated array of cameras capable of capturing an area of roughly 30 square miles, funded by an a private donor and provided by Dayton, Ohio-based Persistent Surveillance Systems, sometimes circled above the city for up to 10 hours per day recording and storing everything without anyone being privy to its presence.

Since January, Reel noted, the Baltimore Police Department has been using this covert Big Brothers eye-in-the-sky to investigate all sorts of crimes, from property thefts to shootings.

Gone, apparently, are the days when the governments surveillance state drew ire for attempting to ferret out potential terrorists  residents of Baltimore have been guinea pigs for an altogether more insidious spy dragnet. Persistent Surveillance Systems technology automatically stores all the footage on massive hard drives, making it available to law enforcement long afterward  but the idea police could access this information to solve a simple property crime is no less than alarming.

Particularly considering the companys founder has an intense military background.

Ross McNutt, Bloomberg reports, is an Air Force Academy graduate, physicist, and MIT-trained astronautical engineer who in 2004 founded the Air Forces Center for Rapid Product Development. The Pentagon asked him if he could develop something to figure out who was planting the roadside bombs that were killing and maiming American soldiers in Iraq. In 2006 he gave the military Angel Fire, a wide-area, live-feed surveillance system that could cast an unblinking eye on an entire city.

Though the technology had imperfections  even determining the gender of a person on the ground was impossible  its TiVo-like capabilities more than made up for any shortcomings. A person of interest could be followed by rewinding footage after, say, an IED exploded roadside, to track their movements  even if the cameras werent focused directly on the explosion at the moment it occurred. If the cameras were in the air at the time, anything that happened was fully trackable both back and forward in time. McNutts pitch for his technology concisely summarized, Imagine Google Earth with TiVo capability.

Angel Fire truly evolved at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico after 2007, when upgrades allowed for all-weather and nighttime capabilities and then was used as the basis for another system, called Blue Devil, which coupled wide-area cameras with narrow-focus zoom lenses in the same package.

Over time, after McNutt retired from the military, he worked to further improve the camera array and attended security conferences in hopes of garnering clients. After a brief but effective test run over the skies of Ciudad Juarez, Los Angeles became the first U.S. city to employ Persistent Surveillance system  and just as covertly as what has been taking place in Baltimore for the last eight months.

In 2012, the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department decided to conduct a trial of the system, launching surveillance over the Compton neighborhood for a total of nine days to determine if a contract would be desirable. Although the department ultimately decided against a long-term contract  citing quality in recorded footage as a detractor  the brief experiment had sharp repercussions when citizens learned about the covert project a full year afterward.

Protesters demanded a citizen privacy protection policy from community leaders against such overarching intrusions by police, but as Bloomberg notes, none of those leaders  including the mayor  had been informed the about surveillance system flying overhead.

There is nothing worse than believing you are being observed by a third party unnecessarily, Compton Mayor Aja Brown told the Los Angeles Times.

McNutt next attempted to a contract with his own city, Dayton, after vastly improving both the cameras resolutions, as well as the archive storage capacity and image processing capabilities. While Dayton police and city council jumped at the opportunity, controversy exploded during public hearings.

At the hearings, recalled Joel Pruce, who teaches human rights studies at the University of Dayton, nobody spoke in favor of it except for the people working for the city.

The black community, in particular, said, Weve seen this type of thing before. This will target us and you didnt even come to us beforehand to see how wed feel about it.

Dayton promptly scrapped their plans for Persistent Surveillance system after those hearings.

After the public radio show, Radiolab, aired a segment discussing Persistent Surveillance, Texas philanthropists Laura and John Arnold  John is a former Enron trader  contacted McNutt with the proposition to fund several months of his service if he could locate a willing city.

Since McNutt had met the Baltimore police lieutenant in charge of the citys ground-based surveillance camera system at security trade shows  and because the atmosphere in the city had just exploded following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody  the decision was easy.

In January, McNutt began operating in a spare office above a parking garage, with the only identifying sign of Persistent Surveillance presence a piece of paper taped to the door, reading, Community Support Program.

Baltimore has already dealt with an excoriating report from the Justice Department on the citys policing practices and a recently-filed lawsuit with the FCC over law enforcement use of another invasive technology, Stingray, which mimics cell towers for tracking purposes.

McNutt believes in the legitimacy of the services Persistent Surveillance can provide, and insists the technology isnt as invasive as it might sound since individual identifying details, among other aspects, arent discernible, and because the every keystroke and action taken by analysts  like video footage  are logged and archived.

Still, this sort of surveillance  vague though it may be  undoubtedly represents yet another incremental incursion into peoples private lives. And we all know where that slippery slope leads.

Claire Bernish writes for TheFreeThoughtProject.com, where this article first appeared.
Pakistans Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani has approached the White House, the State Department, important Congress leaders and significant think-tanks and opinion makers in the United States to support Pakistans bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).



Jilani assured the American leadership that Pakistan shares international concerns against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, Radio Pakistan reports.

He said Pakistans inclusion in the NSG would be the right decision to enhance international security, and added that it would not only go a long way in strengthening the international non-proliferation regime, but also help Islamabad enhance its capabilities in harnessing peaceful uses of nuclear technology in the fields of health, agriculture and power generation.

Last week, Pakistans Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi also pitched for Islamabads NSG membership at the UN Security Council.India and Pakistan are the two non-NPT states aspiring for the membership of the 48-member international nuclear trade body.

Many countries, including China, had opposed Indias bid to join the NSG at its last meeting citing that the later has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is the basic criteria to enter NSG.
[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ubramanian Swamy, the then Janata Party president and now BJPs active member, knocked the courts door raising questions over acquisition of a company that published the now-defunct National Herald newspaper to which Congress gave a loan of over Rs. 90 crores. Swamy alleged that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi had floated a company called Young Indian, which acquired Associated Journals, founded by late Jawaharlal Nehru, which published the National Herald and Quami Awaz. Swamy claimed it was illegal for Congress, a political party, to give loans for commercial purposes. Young Indian wrote off the loans due to Congress for a mere Rs. 50 lakhs and by a board resolution, the Associate Journals is sold by transfer of shares to Young Indian, which is not a newspaper or journal producing company. Swamy also sought summoning documents from the Congress party reflecting the loans given to AJL and documents of the party in the year in which the loan was written off.

The case went on for years and now Delhi court issued notices to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others on a fresh application by Swamy seeking summoning of certain documents in the National Herald case of cheating and misappropriation. In the application filed before Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen, Swamy has sought summoning of documents relating to a loan given to AJL by the Congress, saying that the papers were necessary for the purpose of the trial of the case. The documents sought to be summoned from the AJL, among others, are related to authorisation by its members to borrow money in excess of its paid-up capital and its free reserve, relevant extracts from its books of account of the loan period and the documents by which the loan was later converted into shares in the books of the company.

Further, he sought summoning of the documents filed by the AJL with Registrar of Companies, papers from the Income Tax Department relating to I-T returns filed by the company and some papers from the Department of Telecommunications. Swamy had informed the court, which had earlier this year allowed his plea to summon certain documents related to the case, that he would file a fresh application, following the setting aside of the orders of the Metropolitan Magistrate by the Delhi High Court. Anyway, Gandhis are boldly facing the court and its proceedings.

Motilal Nehru and Jawaharlal Nehru gave their life, profession and properties for the benefit of this country and their so called descendants are only interested in self-aggrand-izement. Further disruption in Parliament seems likely as the senior Congress leadership decided to stick to its aggressive stance against the ruling BJP for the upcoming week. Sonia Gandhi felt that the party wasnt getting a fair space in media to explain its viewpoint on the National Herald controversy.

Associated Journals Private Limited (AJL), a public limited company with immovable assets, formally closed printing and publication of newspapers like The National Herald, etc, in April 2008. At the time, it owed the Congress an accumulated debt of Rs. 90 crore the party had loaned it on interest free basis from time to time. This debt is considered as an asset to the Congress. The Congress declares that AJL has negative worth. It assigned the Rs. 90 crore debts owed to it by AJL to a charitable private company called Young Indian Private Company, which has a share capital of just Rs. 5 lakh. Accused Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi own 38 per cent shares each of the Young Indian. The private charitable company pays the Congress a sum of Rs. 50 lakh as consideration for transferring the Rs. 90 crore debts to it. In December 2010, a large chunk of share equity in AJL goes to Young Indian in lieu of the Rs. 90 crore. The shareholding of the original 761 shareholders is reduced to 1 per cent.AJL eventually ends up becoming a wholly owned company of Young Indian, which did it by buying the Rs. 90 crore debt from the Congress for a mere Rs. 50 lakh. Young Indian acquires complete control of AJL which has real estate assets of at least Rs. 2,000 crore in prime areas of New Delhi, Lucknow, Bhopal, Mumbai, Indore, Patna, Panchkula and other places. The conservative real estate worth of AJL is calculated at Rs. 5,000 crore. Having possession of the vast real estate, the Young Indian declares that it will not engage in publishing a newspaper, including The National Herald, as it is against its declared objective.

Sonia is one of the richest women in the world with huge capacity through the business organization called the Congress Party. The disruption of parliament under false pretenses through manipulation is one example why India should remain under their thumbs. Lets see, where this case takes twists and turns.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
Auto drivers should improve their service and embrace technology instead of going on recurring strikes says commuters.

Mumbaikars are likely to face severe hardships due to the auto strike called by Bhagavan Mahasangh and Swabhiman Taxi and Rickshaw Sanghatanas on Monday for protesting against the state governments failure to regulate the functioning of cab operators like Ola and Tab cab. They already are fed up with the recurring strikes called by auto driver unions and said that kaali peelis should first change their mindset instead of pointing fingers at cab operators. Often auto drivers refuse fares and dont ply on short distances. They overcharge customers and behave rudely with them. Sometimes they dont return the change and argue with customers for shortfall of change. Some of them rig meters and hence customers are forced to pay exorbitant fares. Many drivers misbehave with women passengers hence they are worried to board autos during night.

On the other hand, cab operators like Ola and Uber are known for providing better services to commuters. Instead of waiting for boarding an auto or taxi today a customer can simply book a cab through app and also pay the tariff online which has made travel hassle free. The drivers of these cabs are known for behaving politely with customers. Some of them are well educated and have intelligent conversation with passengers. Many of them have installed GPS which has made it easier for traffic authorities to track the vehicle. There is also a proposal to install panic button inside the vehicles for enhancing safety of women passengers travelling alone at night. There has been a good response to cab services which are slowly becoming a threat for kaali peeli and auto drivers.

Yogesh Pawar, a sales executive working with a MNC said, Yesterday morning, I requested an auto rickshaw driver to take me to Seven Bungalows. As usual, he refused, and just stood there. Then I asked another auto driver who too denied and vanished away. I approached a third auto driver who didnt even bother to stop his vehicle. Still, clinging on to dear hope, I requested one more empty autohe just went off even without bothering to say No.

Then I turned towards the first auto guy, who was standing there watching my futile efforts nonchalantly. I showed him my Uber app, and booked a cab within 30 seconds, though with a nominal surge. Then I spoke to him that he should remember the past 10 minutes that he saw, when the auto unions go on strike this Monday. I tried to board four autos and then booked an Uber at surge tariffs, he added.

Ritu Singh, a customer services executive employed with a BPO firm at Andheri said, The business that the autos lose is not due to Uber/Ola. Cab operators are earning quick bucks due to the indifferent attitude of auto drivers towards passengers.

Sumesh Seth, a business man from Malad said, Auto drivers must remember  A Mumbaikar has enough money, but no time. So he will board an Uber immediately if you idiots waste his time.

Ajay Khandewal, an accountant working with a private firm said, Begging every morning for auto drivers to perform their duties is not a Mumbaikars idea of starting his day. Unions wont get you your passengers back. Commitment will. And yes.strikes will just drive the customers further away from you.

Supreet Shah a TY B Com student from Kandivali said, Auto strike is awesome. It makes my Mumbai beautiful.

The state government has prepared the City Taxi Scheme 2015 for regulating app-based taxis, but is yet to bring it into effect. If passed, the scheme will limit their numbers and put an end to their lucrative surge pricing policy.
The unlikely path to spiritual discovery of a girl from Sri Lanka.

As a young girl in Sri Lanka, Lakshmi would stare at the thousands of idols in her local Buddhist temple and feel a sense of emptiness. I looked at all these idols and I thought this doesnt make sense, she recalls. They cant even talk. I didnt feel any connection. Im offering incense, flowers and food and asking for wisdom, and theyre not reciprocating.

After a decades-long spiritual journey spanning multiple continents, Lakshmi feels she has found a meaningful relationship with God through Judaism. Now working as a mortgage broker in Toronto, Canada, Lakshmi is undergoing an Orthodox Jewish conversion at Aish HaTorahs Village Shul.

By the time she was a teenager, Lakshmi had strong suspicions that God did not exist. When she approached her parents with concerns, she was told not to worry about God because all the gods were in the temple. She was afflicted by a conviction that there must be something more than this", but felt that the religion of her childhood offered no answers. The unsettling theological questions persisted -- "there has to be someone who started the ball rolling -- but she pushed them to the back of her mind, neither an avowed atheist nor a practising Buddhist.

I looked at all these idols and I thought this doesnt make sense.

Lakshmis parents sent her to a private Catholic school. In order to instill in her faith, her friends gave her a Bible. Lakshmi read it for the fun of it, starting at the beginningthe Old Testament. She was intrigued. I want to know who this is, she recalls, speaking of the God of Israel.

Lakshmi began exploring faith through practicerecalling the pledge of the Israelites in the desert first to do, and then to hear. I started praying like a child, saying, God, are you real? Show me some signs that youre real. Theres a verse in Isaiah, 55:6, she says, reciting fluently from memory, Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near. This resonated with me.

Lakshmi with her sisters

Even though her journey began in a Catholic school, Lakshmi chose not to embrace Catholicism. When Christians came knocking at the door, we would send them away. My family didnt accept Christianity. In Sri Lanka, Christianity is looked at as western religion, not eastern, she says, explaining that Christianity was always viewed as expressly alien in a way that Judaism never was.Judaism, she says, is viewed as a religion of the East, originating in the Land of Israel. Although Christianity was also born in the Land of Israel, Lakshmi maintains that it found its full expression through Rome. Her family is accepting of her decision to convert to Judaism, she says warmly.

For Lakshmi, Judaism made instinctive sense. Reading the Ten Commandments, she had the strange sensation that she already knew this. Citing the Book of Kings, in which the Prophet Elijah calls on God to prove himself at Mount Carmel, she says God has proven himself to her every day. She now plans to visit Israel next year, for the first time; if she gets married, she says she would consider leaving Toronto and making Aliyah.

This seamless connection with the God of the Torah came alongside a sense of revulsion towards the idolatry involved in the Buddhism her community practised in Sri Lanka. This brand of Theravada Buddhism was a syncretic one, incorporating the gods of the Hindu cannonunlike the Mahayana Buddhism common in China, Japan and Korea. The Buddha is the centrepiece of a temple that also includes a Hindu Kovil, with its panoply of gods. First you go to the temple, you worship the statue of Buddha, then you go to the site where all these gods are, and you go to every different god. One god has wisdom, one god has health, one god has money, one god offers children. All these little idols, Lakshmi recalls with disbelief.

In Buddhist theology, the Buddha is not a godhe is a spiritual leader. But in practice, Lakshmi felt, Buddha is effectively deified and worshiped as an idol. Buddha never said to worship him. He was a teacher. But when he died, people made him into an idol. In the temple, you offer flowers, you offer fruits and incense, and you meditate facing the statue of the Buddha. You dont focus on him, but hes the reference point. Youre looking at him. Hes the center of everything. Theres a huge statue. I felt it was idol worship.

Lakshmi with her family

Lakshmi is not the first to tread the tightrope between Judaism and Buddhism. Roger Kamenetzs 1994 bestseller The Jew in the Lotus brought widespread attention to the Jews who make the opposite spiritual journey, adopting forms of Buddhism. Lakshmi sighs. You dont need to move to Buddhism to find spirituality, she says with a tinge of disappointment. Its in your own backyard. She suspects that these so-called JUBUs dont have a clear understanding of God, so feel compelled to search elsewhere.

You cannot serve two kings. God is one.

She also suspects that Jews might be attracted to Buddhism because of its more easy-going way of life. Perhaps they feel they cant abide by all the rules, and Buddhism is more relaxed, she speculates. Youre not accountable to anybody, nobody is watching you  but in Judaism, Gods eyes are always on you.

Are there nevertheless deep affinities between Judaism and Buddhism? Buddhism offers a lot of wisdom, and Judaism is all about wisdom, Lakshmi says cautiously, stressing that since she is still on the path to conversion, she does not feel qualified to speak with authority on the content of Judaism. But she is not interested in inhabiting both worlds. As Joshua said, Choose whom you will serve, she insists, drawing on this bottomless reservoir of Biblical quotes she has committed to memory.

You cannot serve two kings. God is one.
August 28, 2016

It is no secret that the Aug. 24 Turkish military incursion into Jarablus, which sits less than 30 kilometers (roughly 19 miles) from the Turkish-Syrian border, was secondarily about the Islamic State (IS) and primarily about checking the advances of the People's Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in northern Syria, as Cengiz Candar recounts this week.

Metin Gurcan, citing sources in Ankara, reports that IS had been withdrawing from Jarablus for two weeks. The YPG had been preparing to move north to capture Jarablus, but Ankara pre-empted the move through [Operation] Euphrates Shield. Ankara's action is further confirmation that the true target of the operation is not IS, but to block YPGs domination of northern Syria.

The Obama administration has so far managed to prevent a major escalation over the Turkish-Kurdish fault line in Syria, which is no small achievement. The YPG is the backbone of the Syrian Defense Forces (SDF), the most effective armed group battling IS. The Syrian Kurdish group has, however, in recent weeks sought to press its gains, including in Hasakah, where Russian mediation walked back a confrontation between Syrian government and YPG forces, as well as in Manbij and Jarablus, where the SDF has staked out territory west of the Euphrates, which has alarmed Ankara.

Syrias Kurds are picking a poor time to test the limits of their partnership with the United States. Conspiracy theories have circulated in Turkey of alleged US complicity in the failed military coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month. US-Turkey relations, already under strain, therefore required some diplomatic triage. During an Aug. 25 visit to Ankara, US Vice President Joe Biden fully backed the Turkish operation in Jarablus, stressed that the US supports a united Syria with no separate entity on the Turkish border and laid out a US red line that should have cheered his Turkish hosts when he said, "We have made it absolutely clear to the elements that were part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the YPG that participated, that they must move back across the river. They cannot, will not, and under no circumstance get American support if they do not keep that commitment, period."

Biden could not have been more clear on the limits of US support for its Syrian Kurdish partners. The question is whether that will be enough for Erdogan. In his remarks alongside Biden, the Turkish president again lumped the PYD and the YPG, as well as the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), with IS and Jabhat al-Nusra  all of these organizations are terrorists. The United States considers the PYD and the YPG as partners in the battle against IS, not terrorists, and draws a distinction between the PYD and the PKK.

The balance of forces in Jarablus may further complicate the next US steps in northern Syria, especially given the role of US special forces in the region. Gurcan reports that the heavy presence of armored and engineering forces along the border could be a sign of Ankaras intention to set up a permanent base at Jarablus modeled after the Bashiqa base near Mosul in Iraq. Candar adds that the Turkish military coordinated Operation Euphrates Shield with about 1,500 Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters, who have a miserable record of holding territory. Many of the FSA forces are composed of Salafists, and Gurcan adds that their numbers are expected to reach 5,000-strong as they are joined by perhaps a dozen armed groups such as Ahrar al-Sham. Ahrar al-Sham is allied with the Syrian Conquest Front, the rebranded Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaedas affiliate in Syria. The SDF and the YPG, unlike the FSA, have so far avoided alliances with the Syrian Conquest Front and other Salafi groups.

Ankaras overriding objective of preventing an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria has sparked some signs of a rethink in Turkeys approach to Assad, as Amberin Zaman reports. Erdogan is unlikely to end his support for Syrian armed groups, which provide leverage against both Damascus and the YPG. Zaman writes, It is more likely that Ankara will wait for the outcome of the US presidential elections and gauge the new administrations Syria policy before making any drastic changes to its own.

Ankara is not waiting for the US elections in order to reset its relationship with Tehran, including finding some common ground on Syria. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Ankara on Aug. 12, a continuing sign of solidarity and goodwill after the failed coup. One week later, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu was in Tehran. Ali Hashem reports, The shared interest in preventing the emergence of a Kurdish state puts Iran and Turkey on the same page when it comes to exerting all possible efforts to keep Syria united and under centralized rule. In other words, Iran and Turkey may be on the path to once again being able to reach compromises. In this vein, another Iranian official who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity said that in addition to the public high-level meetings that have taken place or are slated to take place between Iranian and Turkish political officials, there are military and security meetings ongoing behind the scenes.

For the United States, the cinder in the eye, for now, in resetting ties with Turkey is the possible extradition of Fethullah Gulen. Mustafa Akyol writes that Erdogan considers the coup attempt as Turkeys 9/11. The Turkish president is keeping score on who is with us or against us, as US President George W. Bush declared after al-Qaedas attack on the United States in September 2001.

It is difficult to imagine, in the present climate, Turkey accepting a no in its request to extradite Gulen to Turkey, despite the detailed explanation provided by Biden of the constitutional and legal niceties of the US extradition process. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim cleverly foreshadowed the bumpy road ahead when he said, standing next to Biden, that while the Erdogan government considers the US denunciation of the coup the final statement on the subject, I am sure that the healthy and sound functioning of the processes with regard to the extradition of the head of the terrorist organization will also, in a short amount of time, return or rectify the people's perception back to their normal, positive situation.
August 25, 2016

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip  University lecturer Sami Abu Shammala, from Gaza City, has launched Gaza's first website where customers can purchase meals online from restaurants. The website, No Call Food, the first of its kind in the Gaza Strip, began operation in mid-July, connecting customers to various restaurants from the comfort of their homes.

Abu Shammala, who holds a doctorate in financial management from Malaysia's University of Science and works for the University College of Applied Sciences in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that he encountered the concept in the various countries he visited throughout his academic life like Malaysia, Turkey and Egypt.

He added, Before the website was created, customers would call restaurants directly and order the meals they want. Then, they would call a delivery service company to bring the meal from the restaurant to their houses. But this process does not allow the client the opportunity to explore what he wants to buy before paying. It also forces him to make several calls to have the meal delivered to his house. The website gives the customer the opportunity to explore ingredients, prices, different foods, duration of preparation  to have the meal delivered quickly.

When a customer signs into the website for the first time, he creates an account to identify him and his address, free of charge. Then, he can access different options and choose the restaurant and meal he wants from several food and dessert menus.

Abu Shammala added, In addition to Oriental food, seafood, vegetarian and other meals, there are Western dishes like beef Stroganoff and breaded escalope, whose ingredients are unfamiliar to the customer. He might hesitate to buy them [over the phone], but the website offers a chance to browse through the ingredients. Restaurants have felt the difference the website has made, as these dishes have become more popular and in demand.

He went on, Any customer can subscribe to the website, but it targets middle-class customers mainly who care about the price of the meal before buying it. The website allows them to pick what they want in line with their purchasing power.

Abu Shammala noted that he had a group of programmers create the website and signed contracts with delivery companies like Yamama Logistics to deliver the food.

He and his team at first found it difficult to convince restaurants to subscribe to the website because it was a new idea. He said, Restaurant owners were concerned about the efficiency of the website. Nevertheless, around a month of work later, 60 restaurants in Gaza made signed contracts with No Call Food to post their meals on it. The customers orders through the website during this short period reached around 420. The website is still gaining momentum.

Abu Shammala noted that most restaurants that are subscribed on the website manage the deliveries electronically. But for some, website employees call and place the customers orders over the phone.

Mahmoud Murtaja, a freelance photographer in Gaza, is a frequent customer of the website. He said that the service solves problems for him while working.

He told Al-Monitor, Most of the time, I spend long hours outside home to work. I order food from restaurants and the trouble of going to the restaurant, waiting while the food is prepared, then picking it up and returning to work is tiring and requires me to stop my work for a while. Therefore, No Call Food is practical for me.

When asked about the way the website makes profit, Abu Shammala said, I would like to say that the online meal prices are the same as the prices at the restaurant. Only the delivery service fee is added, and it is five to seven shekels [$1.30-$1.70] within Gaza City. The website does not make any profit from the customer, only from the restaurant, as they reach an agreement  when the order is complete.

He added, We are thinking of increasing our revenue later by setting a yearly subscription fee for restaurants.

Fawzi Abu Sido, who owns the Abu Sido restaurant and butchery in Gaza City, told Al-Monitor, We subscribed to the website around two weeks ago and noticed a 20% increase in the restaurants orders. This is a good start.

He said, We have always faced a delivery problem. Sometimes, the customer tasks a person with delivering the restaurants order to his house, and this person might face technical problems like not knowing the exact address of the customer. As a result, the food delivery gets delayed and food reaches the customer cold. We get complaints about cold meals. But the website handles this responsibility now as it is taking care of the delivery service.

Right now, customers outside Gaza City cannot order food online because of the lack of an adequate delivery service outside the city. Abu Shammala said, however, We will soon overcome this problem. We are exploring alternatives to give citizens outside Gaza City the chance to subscribe to the website and have their orders delivered.

Abu Shammala noted that the website has created job opportunities for 20 university graduates, both men and women, including the programmers, marketing staff that visits restaurants to promote the website, photographers to take pictures of the food and post them online and social media specialists to increase the visibility of the website. The team created a Facebook page to introduce the service and answer queries.

No Call Food has also created job opportunities at subscribing restaurants, as owners are required to have an employee focused solely on following up on orders made through the site.

Abu Shammala is currently seeking to expand the websites reach to customers via a smartphone app. He also wants to expand the websites geographic scope to include all cities and provinces of the Gaza Strip and move on into the West Bank and to other Arab cities in Israel.
August 25, 2016

In todays Middle East, diplomacy has been replaced by propaganda. The region is witnessing mutual Arab-Israeli delegitimization campaigns. In the Rio Olympic Games, when an Egyptian judoka competed and lost to an Israeli (Aug. 12), he refused to shake hands and was later chastised by the Egyptian media and on social networks for losing to an Israeli. This stems from the view that Israel is an illegitimate entity; a view that most Egyptians have not divorced even after the 1979 peace treaty. In parallel, there is the Palestinian-sponsored boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls upon Western public opinion to boycott Israel and Israeli goods. This movement has active branches in many European countries.

In Israel, there is an informal delegitimization campaign of Palestinians guided by the Benjamin Netanyahu government. Meetings with Palestinian leaders are characterized as treason. Palestinian legitimate national aspirations are defined as an existential threat to Israel. International public relations campaigns waged by the Israeli Foreign Ministry define the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a rejectionist, violent entity.

Instead of engaging each other around the negotiation table, both sides are active in a continuous effort to delegitimize the other side, both within their own societies and internationally. A senior PLO official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that the Arab delegitimization campaigns of Israel are justified. Israel cant expect to get away with brutal occupation policies and enjoy international or regional popularity, he said. The Palestinian aim in these campaigns is to galvanize Western public opinion for Palestinian statehood, 50 years after the beginning of the occupation. The official told Al-Monitor that many prominent European politicians, academics and businesspeople have joined the BDS movement.

That being said, it is clear the main purpose of these campaigns is to gain popularity within Palestinian public opinion as well as public opinion in the Arab world.

A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Israel is not against the Palestinian people, but rather against the PAs leadership, which in his opinion incites its people to violence, educates its children to hatred and refuses to negotiate. We are running worldwide public relations campaigns to depict the Palestinian leadership as hostile toward Israel, encouraging terror and rejecting Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people, he said.

The aim, according to the official, is to place the blame about the lack of a peace process on the Palestinians. According to him, this has some important appeal in the United States, while Europeans mostly buy into the narrative that the stalemate is due to the settlement policy of the Israeli government. On Aug. 17, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman held a press briefing condemning Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for the lack of negotiations and promising to reach out to other segments in Palestinian civil society, behind the back of the PA.

Both sides are active on the propaganda battleground, rather than engaging in diplomacy and negotiations. This mutual demonization is a function of a long and bitter conflict and expresses the lack of any hope on either side to resolve the conflict peacefully.

Israeli policymakers have always been obsessed with Israeli public diplomacy (hasbara in Hebrew), as they assume that there is globally a historic antagonism toward the Jewish people. A state, however, is not measured by its public diplomacy, but rather by its values and policies. Israels maturity will be tested by its willingness to recognize that the resolution of the conflict is its onus and that blaming the Palestinians will not resolve the issues of occupation or security.

As to the Palestinians, the vilification of Israel will not bring them an inch closer to statehood. They do have justified grievances, yet the historic rejection of Israels legitimacy has been part of the Palestinian tragedy.

Both Israel and the PA should stop their propaganda campaign against each other. On both sides, this is self-defeating  the leaders are, with their own hands and words, creating public opinions that will make it impossible to advance the compromises necessary for a peaceful settlement. The responsibility, though, lies more on Israel, as it is the stronger side. It is a state, and it is the occupier. Mutual magnanimity, dignity and understanding would serve the interests of both sides much better.
August 26, 2016

Eleven years have passed since the Palestinians headed to the polling stations, and it seems today that the eagerness for the local council elections slated for Oct. 8 pushed numerous civilian enthusiasts to launch early electoral campaigns.

These elections are different from the last elections in 2006, as social media is now used for early campaigning and is mirroring the state of polarization between Hamas and Fatah.

This appears clearly through the posts of social media users close to Hamas via media campaigns under hashtags allocated to support the movement  #Ready and #Before&After, as well as #GazaMoreBeautiful.

These hashtags were also used by Fatah supporters and anti-Hamas activists to express their own opinions.

While Hamas supporters post beautiful photos of Gaza and statistics on the number of schools and road projects that were completed during the reign of Hamas, their opponents use the same hashtags to talk about the deteriorating situation in the Gaza Strip, such as the spread of unemployment and poverty and the destruction that took place under Hamas.

Perhaps this social media campaign is just a test of the most efficient means of campaigning and its impact on people  a prelude for adopting the social media campaign as the official electoral campaign scheduled to begin Sept. 24.

Yet the early campaign has stirred angry reactions among social media users as photos spread showing citizens carrying banners bearing the Arabic hashtag Before&After with a series of comments: Our children were taught how to dance, but now they are learning how to use weapons and Our mosques have become more beautiful and filled with believers, as well as We no longer have discotheques, pubs and amusement centers like before.

Community activist Bisan Shehadeh told Al-Monitor, This campaign is backfiring. The banners give the impression that the society [in Gaza] was ethically corrupt and Hamas led it to the right religious path, although the society in Gaza is a historically conservative society. Shehadeh stressed that the campaign insults the intelligence of the citizens of the Gaza Strip.

Hani Habib, a political writer for Al-Ayyam newspaper, told Al-Monitor, The content of this kind of campaign launched by Hamas is good publicity for Fatah. Fatah supporters strongly replied to the photos posted by Hamas supporters and started comparing how Gaza was under Fatah and how it became under Hamas.

About the anger stirred by the #Before&After campaign, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasim said his movement has nothing to do with the early electoral campaign that is currently taking place, explaining that these hashtags were launched by groups of young enthusiasts.

Qasim told Al-Monitor, This campaign cannot be considered an electoral campaign for Hamas, because the movement is committed to the Charter of Honor signed by the Palestinian factions with the Central Election Commission and that states that all factions shall abide by the time limit set by the law for the electoral campaigns. In case we decided to support a list of candidates, our campaign would be professional and would focus on the services that are specific to the municipality. These are not political elections.

Yet Hamas-affiliated media outlets, such as Shehab News Agency, al-Resalah.net and Felesteen Online, openly supported these campaigns and hashtags; they even featured some of their posts on their own social media accounts. The campaigns big banners that spread in the streets raise questions about the capabilities and influence of the youth groups behind these campaigns.

On another note, Habib and Shehadeh both pointed to the intensified electoral advertisement in favor of Hamas during sermons in mosques heard loudly on the streets, especially on Fridays, about the corruption of Fatah's rule and the positive achievements of Hamas rule.

Habib told Al-Monitor, In 2006, Hamas was unable to gain the support of mosques like today, since it did not control mosques as it does now, and this is why it is now launching a religious advertisement campaign through mosques, while trying to focus on its military accomplishment and reconstruction achievements on social media.

Qasim said, Not every word or statement by a fan of Hamas can be deemed a position or a behavior by the movement itself. We decided not to use these religious platforms in our electoral campaign. We were committed to this in the 2006 legislative elections, and the [electoral] supervisory authorities can attest to that."

However, a report issued by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights in February 2006 tracked dozens of violations by Hamas and Fatah of Article 64 of the Elections Law No. 9 of 2005, which provides for abstaining from organizing electoral festivals and holding electoral meetings in mosques and churches.

The report stated that preachers at the mosques explicitly called to vote for Hamas Change and Reform list and its candidates in the constituencies during the electoral campaign in 2006. It also noted that Hamas organized a march to support the Change and Reform list, starting from two mosques in Gaza City, during which participants carried electoral banners and slogans. The report listed the names of the mosques and the types of violations.

On the efficacy of the electoral campaign, Habib said, I do not believe that the electoral campaign has any advantage or effect. Voters have already made up their minds. Those affiliated with Fatah will vote for Fatah, while those affiliated with Hamas will vote for Hamas.

A source close to Hamas told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Hamas would not appoint an electoral campaign manager, because it will not run in the elections under its own name but rather by supporting lists of specific candidates.

Hamas will choose and support lists that are the most capable of serving our people, away from political considerations, and will be campaigning for these lists, Qasim said.

In the 2006 elections, Hamas worked on the ground, made direct contacts with the voters and provided great social services, which was reflected in the polls.

Yet things are different now. Hamas has been governing the Gaza strip for more than 10 years in light of an ongoing siege, lack of freedoms, repeated wars and a deteriorating economy to the point that the World Bank stated in a press release in May 2015, Gaza economy on the verge of collapse.

Eleven years after the latest elections and amid the deep polarization between Hamas and Fatah, will these electoral campaigns prove to be efficient and push voters to vote for Hamas again?
August 26, 2016

On Aug. 20, news broke that an outdoor wedding celebration was attacked in Gaziantep, in southeast Turkey, on the Syrian border.

The attack left at least 57 dead and dozens wounded. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan informed the press that the Islamic State (IS) was suspected in the attack and that the suicide bomber was a child aged 12-14 years old. Erdogan added that authorities were not sure whether the child had blown himself up or the bomb was activated remotely.

A day later, however, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim retracted this piece of information, claiming that the government was not able to identify the bomber, and that therefore he could neither confirm nor deny that the perpetrator was a minor.

In almost all other suicide bombing incidents, Turkish authorities have been able to confirm and publicize the identity of the bomber within the first couple of days. However, this time, after several days, we still do not have the name or names of who was responsible. Initially, local people told the press that in this small neighborhood everyone knows each other. They said two men and a child entered into a little market and bought a bottle of water for the boy. Two days later, it was reported that a woman in a veil and a man made a boy push a bomb-loaded baby carriage into the wedding crowd.

The situation gets more complicated as we try to understand the setting. First, it was a prelude for a wedding, called the henna night. This is similar to a bridal shower, where mostly women and children attend. Hence, the majority of the victims were kids and women. The festivities were also being held on the street, which is traditional and more economic in suburban neighborhoods. It is thought that IS targeted this henna night because of the majority of Kurdish women and children at the celebration. These are the most vulnerable sections of the society, commonly targeted by IS in other parts of the region as well. IS did not claim the attack, but that has been pretty much the norm for their operations in Turkey.

The Turkish public started to question the horrifying possibility that children were now carrying out missions to terrorize people. The possible shock for this new face of terrorism, however, wore off quickly. How Turkey got so used to the idea of child suicide bombers can be explained on both the regional and domestic levels.

The Turkish public was distraught but not shaken by the child suicide bomber news, mainly because in the last decade it has become the new normal for the region. Anyone and everyone can be used, even a corpse, said a lieutenant general from the Turkish Armed Forces, who asked to remain anonymous. The general added, We have become calloused to the news from Boko Haram, al-Qaeda, IS and others. Turkey experienced a female as a suicide bomber and knows about child IS recruits along with those of the PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party]. So the regional aspect generated a sort of a shield for Turks against the strong shock effect.

Next are domestic factors that are indeed stronger than regional ones. Turkey has been experiencing a prolonged session of hyped-up nationalism and glorification of martyrdom. Given that Turkey has been at war with the PKK for the last four decades and with IS in the last year, one can expect this to be normal. However, the glorification of martyrdom has been encouraged and stimulated for a decade beyond the reasons of combating terrorism. This hype is particularly affecting youths.

Indeed, Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) have always enjoyed the rhetorical statement We have embarked upon this journey with our shrouds, trying to signal to the public that they are willing to die for their cause. As patriotic as it may sound, when these words are paired with images of men wrapped in white cloth at AKP rallies, it could have a terrifying impact on minors.

A family health official, who works for an AKP municipality in Istanbul, told Al-Monitor, We witness children between the ages of 4 and 14 frequently in two categories: Either they are acting extremely bold and aggressive in ways that could physically hurt themselves and those around them, or they are on the other side of the spectrum with a sincere phobia, what we call death anxiety. One child complained, for example, 'I wake up suffocating.' Later, we found that he was scared his parents would kill him so that he could become a martyr.

The depth of the childrens fears and anxiety can be better understood after seeing the intense indoctrination of Turkish youths through the publications of the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet). For example, in one Diyanet publication in April, there were three separate controversial cartoons.

In the first one, a preteen boy asks his father, Would you like to be a martyr, Daddy? His father replies, How blessed it is to be a martyr. Who would not want that, who would not want to reach heaven? In the next one, a young girl salutes like a soldier and says, I wish I could be a martyr. Her brother replies, Girls cannot join the army, but the mother intervenes and says, If you want it so much, my dear daughter, God will grant you that wish. In the last one, a young boy and his father appear at a graveyard decorated with Turkish flags. The young boy says, They must have suffered so much before falling martyrs, right, Dad? The father replies, Son, martyrs dont suffer in the way that you envision. Alongside each of these drawings there is a quote from the Prophet Muhammad.

Turkish State Television (TRT) has also been doing its part. In November 2015, TRT aired a documentary claiming to document the Syrian civil war. In an effort to portray Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as the evil against Islam responsible for all the atrocities, the producers interviewed several Syrian refugees. One of them was a young girl who had lost her father in the war. The interviewer asked her, What would you do if you had to fight? She replied, I would blow myself up at a checkpoint. Turkish opposition parties made this section of the program the focus of a parliamentary inquiry in March, and after the Gaziantep bombing, the young girls image appeared on social media with harsh criticism about utilizing taxpayer money to advocate self-sacrifice.

It is quite ironic that in a country where Pokemon was banned due to its harmful effects on children, there are now thousands of imam hatip schools where children are indoctrinated to walk to their deaths without fear. There are several videos of school plays or other activities from these schools where kids sing and march declaring they wish to be martyrs.

After the attempted coup, nothing could abate the martyrdom zeal in Turkey. At every possible instance, Erdogan and his men told people that they wish to be martyrs and that they are even jealous of those who reached this status, adding that every inch of Turkish soil should be washed with the blood of the martyrs. Watching all this passionate rhetoric combined with a formal education system focusing on self-sacrifice, one cannot help but be fearful of its possible consequences for Turkeys future.
August 26, 2016

Is the race for the White House already over?

Republican Donald Trump has been consistently trailing Hillary Clinton in the polls for weeks. The latest RCP polling average has him trailing her by 6 points, 47.7% to 41.7%  well beyond the margin of error.

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The dismal numbers in key battleground states have some pundits once again urging the brash billionaire to drop out. Trump himself has said cheating would be to blame if he were to lose in November, suggesting thats exactly what he thinks will happen.

History, however, suggests nothing is over with a little more than 70 days left before the election.

In September 1936, Democrat Franklin Roosevelt was leading Alfred Landon by roughly 4 percentage points. Two months later, Roosevelt won by 24 points.

At the same point in the race 12 years later, Democrat Harry Truman was losing to Thomas Dewey by 11 percentage points. Truman won the election two months later by 5 percentage points and triumphantly held up a copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune with the erroneous banner headline Dewey Defeats Truman.

In September 1968, Republican Richard Nixon led by as much as 15 percentage points. But in the end, he beat Hubert Humphrey by just 1 percentage point.

Eight years later, in 1976, Democrat Jimmy Carter nearly lost to Gerald Ford, despite having been ahead by more than 10 percentage points. Four years after that, the reverse trend occurred: Republican Ronald Reagan won by 10 points, although the two had been tied in September.

And the 1988 election saw an even bigger swing. While Democrat Michael Dukakis had been leading George H.W. Bush by 17 points in July, he was down to just a 7-point lead in August and eventually went on to lose by the same margin, winning only 10 states and the District of Columbia.

Comparisons between eras is of course imperfect, especially as polling improves over time. Still, past campaigns can shine some light on the current state of the race, which remains in flux partly because of both candidates historically dismal lack of popularity with voters.

Clintons favorable rating is a mixed bag, with 43% of voters favorable and 53% unfavorable. Trump does even worse: 61% of voters dont like him, with just over 34% of voters saying they do.

With both candidates determined to ensure that voters dont warm up to their rival, whats already one of the nastiest and most negative races in history is only going to get worse.

This week, Trump sought to win over black voters  or, more accurately, potential white supporters upset over his past tone  with a speech blaming Democrats for the ills that continue to plague too many African-American communities in 2016 America. During a rally in Wisconsin, Trump asked African-Americans to give him a chance.

You live in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58% of your youth is unemployed, Trump said. What the hell do you have to lose? In Ohio, he said that foreign war zones are safer than living in some of our inner cities. He said he hoped for a day when minorities are able to walk down the street without getting shot.

Several black leaders immediately ripped Trump for how he described their communities. Clinton followed up with a new television ad showing self-identified white supremacists boasting of their support for Trump.

In a speech in Reno on Thursday, Clinton did everything but call Trump a racist outright. She accused him of promoting racist lie after racist lie, pushing conspiracy theories with racist undertones and heartening racists across the country by submitting to an emerging racist ideology known as the alt-right.

He is taking hate groups mainstream, Clinton told supporters, and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party. The Trump campaign responded by accusing Clinton of making false allegations of racism out of desperation.

Even as Democrats use Trumps words to hang him, Republicans are gleefully turning the knife in Clintons own self-inflicted political wounds. This week saw more bad news on the fishy personal email server front, with a judge ordering the release of yet more emails.

Separately, the conservative organization Judicial Watch published 725 pages of new emails showing donors to the Clinton Foundation seeking  and in some cases, receiving  special access to Clinton when she was secretary of state. While Clinton denies wrongdoing, an investigation by the Associated Press showed that at least 85 of the 154 nongovernment donors who got access to Clinton during her time as secretary of state donated to the Clinton Foundation, fueling accusations of a pay-to-play scheme.

"It is impossible to figure out where the Clinton Foundation ends and the State Department begins," Trump said Aug. 23 at a rally in Austin, Texas. "The specific crimes committed to carry out that enterprise are too numerous to cover in this speech."

The outcome of the 2016 campaign may still be in doubt. Its tone, sadly, is already set in stone.
SOLON, Ohio -- A woman who witnessed a man fatally shoot a woman early Saturday after a car crash said the woman had her hands up when the man opened fire with a rifle.

"I can't get her screams out of my head," the woman said.

The woman, who asked not to be named because of the nature of what she witnessed, said she heard loud screeches and the crash about 7:20 a.m. Saturday at the intersection of Richmond and Solon roads.

She said she saw a man get out of his Jeep with a rifle. The woman got out of her Ford Taurus and put her hands in the air, she said.

9-1-1 call

The man opened fire, shooting her in the road. Solon police said the woman was found in the street and later died from the gunshot wounds at an area hospital.

The man was arrested shortly after police arrived.

The woman who witnessed the shooting said she was too traumatized and couldn't elaborate on what else she saw. She gave a written statement to police.

Another witness, Jamirra Brabson, who lives with her husband and 6-year-old daughter near where the shooting happened, said she heard four gunshots, then the woman scream.

She said she heard three more rounds of at least three gunshots.

"Then it was just silence," Brabson said.

Solon Police Lt. Bruce Felton said officers arrested a 29-year-old North Ridgeville man they believe fatally shot the woman. A 911 caller described the man firing several shots after the crash. The caller said the man paced up and down the road with the rifle in his hands.

Twinsburg woman identified as driver killed by gunman after car crash in Solon

Police said the gun was a 5.56-millimeter rifle. Felton said they are still trying to determine a motive for the shooting. He said investigators so far believe the two never met before. He said they are investigating road rage as one possible factor in the crash.

Felton said the woman was driving northbound on Richmond Road and the man was driving eastbound on Solon Road. The vehicles collided in the intersection and the impact of the crash sent the woman's car a few feet eastbound on Solon Road.

The man's SUV flipped several times and ended up on its roof about 50 feet east of the woman's car.

The woman's back windshield was shattered with what Felton said could be a bullet.

The North Ridgeville man was not immediately publicly identified by police. Felton said police have not yet formally charged the man in the shooting.

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting Solon police with analyzing the crime scene. More than 22 pieces of evidence, including bullet casings, were marked in the intersection.

The intersection and at least one home near the shooting were blocked with police tape as police and state agents conducted the investigation.

Brabson said she moved to the Solon neighborhood nine years ago because of its quiet nature. She said residents regularly jog and ride their bikes near the busy intersection where the shooting happened.

She said she was shocked and saddened by the shooting.

"It's always quiet here. You're at peace when you come home," Brabson said. "I'm glad they arrested him. That gives us so much comfort that someone's that mentally insane is arrested. It's shocking that he could do something like this in broad daylight."
sanderspromo.jpg

This is a smartphone photograph taken and released by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety in Durant, Miss., Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, of Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, who has been charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the killing of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, both nurse practitioners who were found dead in their Durant house Thursday.

(Warren Strain/Mississippi Department of Public Safety Hand Out, via AP)

DURANT, Miss. -- The man arrested in the killing of two nuns in Mississippi has confessed to authorities, a sheriff said Saturday.



Holmes County Sheriff Willie March said that he had been briefed by police from the town where the killing occurred and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officials who took part in the interrogation of Rodney Earl Sanders.

Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, was charged with capital murder in the deaths of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said late Friday. Both women were 68.

Sanders confessed in the interrogation to the killings but gave no reason for the crimes, March said.



Police work and tips from the community led police to Sanders, the sheriff said.



He said the investigation is ongoing.



Durant police could not be reached for comment. A spokesman for Department of Public Safety which includes Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said the organization would neither confirm nor deny that Sanders confessed.

People who knew the nuns, known for their generosity and commitment to improving health care for the poor, have been grappling with why anyone would want to kill them.



Dr. Elias Abboud, the physician who oversees the clinic in Lexington where the nuns worked, said Saturday that Sanders was not a patient there.



Sanders was also not known to the small congregation where Held and Merrill led Bible study for years.



The Rev. Greg Plata, sacramental minister at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington, said Saturday that he does not think people at the church knew Sanders.



The women's bodies were discovered Thursday after they failed to show up for work in Lexington, about 10 miles from where they lived.



"Sanders was developed as a person of interest early on in the investigation," Lt. Colonel Jimmy Jordan said in the statement.



Authorities said Sanders was being held in an undisclosed detention center pending a court appearance. They have not given any details on why they think Sanders killed the women or whether he knew them.



Strain said Saturday he does not know whether Sanders has an attorney. Authorities do not anticipate making any other arrests. Strain said "investigators believe Sanders acted alone."



Merrill's nephew, David Merrill, speaking by telephone from Stoneham, Massachusetts, said Saturday the family was "thankful" Sanders is off the streets.



"Nobody else is threatened by this individual. So there's some relief there," he said.



But the family still has to deal with the loss.

Merrill said he agrees with the idea of forgiveness and that is something his aunt would want for whoever killed her but it's not that easy.

"I'm not as strong as my aunt. I don't know if I'm capable of completely forgiving. I can have sympathy," he said.

Merrill said he would not support the death penalty if Sanders were to be convicted but that decision will ultimately be made by the people in Mississippi. The capital murder charge leaves open the possibility Sanders would face the death penalty but that determination would be made by prosecutors later.

The order Held belonged to -- School Sisters of St. Francis -- thanked law enforcement officers working on the case.

Their U.S. Province Leadership Team offered its "deepest appreciation" to investigators and to "the hundreds of people and organizations who offered their prayers and words of support in the wake of the sisters' deaths."

Meanwhile, in the poverty-stricken Mississippi county where the two nuns were slain, forgiveness for their killer is hard to find, even if forgiveness is what the victims would have wanted.

"She doesn't deserve to die like this, doing God's work," said Joe Morgan Jr., a 58-year-old former factory worker who has diabetes and was a patient of Merrill's. "There's something wrong with the world."

Both women worked at the clinic, where they gave flu shots, dispensed insulin and provided other medical care for children and adults who couldn't afford it.



Their stolen car was found abandoned a mile from their home, and there were signs of a break-in, but police haven't disclosed a motive.



Authorities have not said how the women were killed, but the Rev. Plata said police told him they were stabbed.



Plata said both nuns' religious communities have asked that people pray for the killer or killers. Asked about people's struggles to forgive, the priest said: "Forgiveness is at the heart of being a Christian. Look at Jesus on the cross: 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.'"



The clinic and the nuns' home in Durant are in Holmes County, population 18,000. With 44 percent of its residents living in poverty, Holmes is the seventh-poorest county in America, according to the Census Bureau.



The nuns' death leaves a gaping hole in what was already a strapped health care system.



The clinic provided about 25 percent of all medical care in the county, Abboud said.



Merrill's sister Rosemarie, speaking by telephone from her Stoneham, Massachusetts, home, said her sister had been in Mississippi helping the poor since 1981.



Held -- impressionable and idealistic -- was committed to ending racism and poverty, according to an interview she did earlier with her order's magazine.



"The invitation to come to Mississippi provided me with the setting in which I hoped to make a difference with my life. I came here because of a dream and a cause but I stayed her because of the people," she said.



A former nun who knew Held said she had always been interested in working with the "poorest of the poor."



Darlene Nicgorski said Saturday that she had recruited Held to come to Holly Springs, Mississippi, to work as a social worker in a program there that ran schools and offered day care to help young mothers finish school.



Nicgorski said the sisters' deaths just don't make sense. She said they would have given the suspect anything he needed.



The Kentucky-based order where Merrill belonged said Saturday the order is establishing a memorial fund to continue her work -- ministering to the poor. The fund will be established through the order's website at http://bit.ly/2bIAee8.



Merrill and Held lived and worked together for years and were close friends, said David Merrill.



"The word 'sister' has many meanings, and they fulfilled all of them," he said.
A bombing in Aleppo, Syria, killed 16 people on Saturday, CNN reported.

Two barrel bombs were dropped by a helicopter during a funeral wake yesterday in the Bab al-Nayrab neighborhood- the same area where 15 people were killed in a bombing on Thursday, the station reported.

The wake was for some of the children killed in Thursday's attack.

Barrel bombs are oil drums filled with explosives and shrapnel that are dropped by an aircraft.

The Aleppo Media Center reported that 24 people were killed in yesterday's attack and 30 more were hurt.

Bab al-Nayrab is a rebel-controlled area.

An Aleppo Media Center worked said he was filming in the neighborhood when he heard a warning about the helicopter flying overhead.

He took shelter before hearing two explosions.
Two people were killed and more than 40 injured when a bus crashed into vehicles on the side of Interstate 10 in Louisiana, ABC News reported.

The charter bus driver, Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, is in America illegally from Honduras, the station said.

The passengers on the bus were brought in to do daily work and rebuilding after the devastating floods in Louisiana.

A fire truck and two vehicles were on the shoulder of I-10 because of an earlier accident involving a pick-up truck. There were three firefighters standing near those vehicles.

According to ABC, the bus was traveling down the interstate when it hit the three firefighters and vehicles. One of the firefighters, District Fire Chief Spencer Chauvin, was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The other two were injured.

The driver and front passenger of a Toyota Camry that was hit by the bus were also taken to hospitals, but the backseat passenger was pronounced dead at the scene.

A total of 41 were injured. Passengers on the charter bus had minor to moderate injuries.
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Contending UN chiefs are quizzed in improved selection process with more transparency, but old challenges persist.

United Nations, New York  It was a classic moment of awkward United Nations theatre.

Five applicants for the job of UN secretary-general were asked, in a live Al Jazeera television debate, whether they would apologise to Haiti after UN peacekeepers introduced a strain of cholera that has claimed thousands of lives there.

One of them, Christiana Figueres, a Costa Rican climate change expert, raised her right arm aloft, winning rapturous applause from the audience. The others glanced around. Two remained still, two half-lifted their hands, uneasily.

It was a tough question. Many scientists have blamed the blue helmets for bringing the killer bug to Haiti in 2010, but UN officials have been loath to admit any wrongdoing or stump up billions of dollars to compensate bereaved families.

The cautious nominees likely wanted to appeal to the crowd, which was sympathetic to Haitis plight, but more importantly, to the powerful UN members that would have to foot that bill and ultimately decide who gets the job.





Ten years ago, asking that question would not have been possible.

But selecting the secretary-general is a changed process in 2016. A push by many smaller UN members has made it more competitive and transparent, despite resistance from the US, Russia and other titans that are used to calling the shots.

For the first time, the UN published the names and CVs off all 12 candidates who threw their hats in. They have been grilled in public UN hearings, by Al Jazeeras moderators and at private events in New York, London and elsewhere.

For Bill Pace, a UN reformer, these acts of transparency will pay off, making it more difficult for the permanent P5 UN Security Council members  Russia, China, Britain, France and the US  to select a compliant candidate who would not push for core reforms.

Its the most transparent, effective process for identifying and vetting secretary-general candidates in 70 years of UN history, Pace, director of the 1 for 7 Billion campaign for a better UN chief, told Al Jazeera.

While the early stage was more transparent, the race has now shifted to an arcane Security Council phase of straw polls in which diplomats of 15 countries vote secretly to encourage, discourage or offer no opinion on the contenders.

INTERACTIVE: The UN Debate

Supportive votes and discouragements

For James Bays, the Al Jazeera moderator who posed the tricky Haiti question in last months debate, early hopes of all 193 UN members having a say in who gets the top job are fading fast as selection takes place behind closed doors.

Instead of the UN declaring the straw poll results, journalists must call up diplomats to learn the outcome, Bays said. Its somewhat farcical that in this atmosphere of transparency, the Security Council cant at least announce the results of the straw polls, he added.

Earlier this month, in the second such poll, Antonio Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister and UN refugee tsar, extended his lead with 11 votes of support and only two naysayers  a markedly better score than any of his rivals.

Vuk Jeremic, a former Serbian foreign minister who calls for a more robust roll for UN peacekeepers, surprised many by coming second. Argentinas foreign minister and a tested UN insider, Susana Malcorra, rose up the rankings to place third.

Figueres may have erred by raising her hand to the Haiti question. She only got five supportive votes and eight discouragements. Helen Clark, New Zealands former prime minister and a UN development chief, once a favourite, polled badly as well.

Croatian politician Vesna Pusic has already pulled out. Others will likely follow suit after the third round on August 29.





Much could change in later ballots when P5 heavyweights can deploy their vetoes to effectively nix a candidate. The straw poll results are leaked to reporters, but it is unclear whether a P5 state has voted against Guterres or other aspirants.

Guterres can show pizazz in front of a press pack and has fans. Erol Kekic, a migration expert at Church World Service, a charity, told Al Jazeera that his experience leading global refugee efforts would add a lot of capacity to the top UN office.

Others are sceptical. According to Jean Krasno, a Yale University scholar, Guterres shouldve been out waving the flag, giving us early warning when the refugee crisis erupted in 2012. Instead, he kept shtum and didnt do his job, she told Al Jazeera.

Is the UN ready for a woman?

Guterres hails from an old boys club that has awarded the UN pulpit to eight men but no women, added Krasno. That must change, and such female hopefuls as Malcorra, Figueres and Irina Bokova, a Bulgarian who runs the UNs culture agency, are first rate.

The current UN chief, Ban Ki-moon, agrees. It is high time now for a woman, he said this month.

Others say it is time for an Eastern European to have the privilege. Miodrag Vlahovic, Montenegros former foreign minister, has called for regional players to get behind a single candidate so that they are not overlooked again.

The pack is likely to slim in September, and the council is expected to select one name in October or November, who will then be rubber-stamped by the full UN membership under a process outlined in the UN Charter.

They will replace the current UN secretary-general, Ban, on January 1, 2017  once the South Korean diplomat ends his second, five-year term, which critics lament as among the least-inspiring in the world bodys history.

OPINION: New UN secretary-general must commit to accountability

Ban has helped tackle poverty and climate change but is often criticised for showing weak leadership on Syrias brutal civil war and for being too beholden to Washington, Moscow and Beijing at the expense of other capitals.

One cant imagine a candidate like Ban making it through the current, more transparent, selection process because of his inability to communicate effectively in English or French, said Pace, referring to Bans often-awkward public appearances.

Critics say that years of rudderless leadership is making the world body irrelevant. Today, the UN can look far removed from the idealistic 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with an overstretched staff shouldering an endless host of global issues while facing budgetary constraints.

READ MORE: Ban Ki-moon  My replacement should be a woman

Mogens Lykketoft, the president of the UN General Assembly, said the next person to sit on the 38th floor of UN headquarters must be equipped to lead on climate change, global terrorism, poverty, Syrias war and other crises.

The pooling of authority at the UN should be stronger, and for that reason, you need a strong personality, Lykketoft told Al Jazeera. A political, diplomatic, high-skilled, person who can actually bring a strong added value in the process of bringing major powers together.

There are other signs that the UN is adapting to criticism.

On August 18, a month after Al Jazeeras debate, the UN followed Figueres lead and said it may have been complicit in bringing cholera to Haiti. Bans spokesman described a moral responsibility to provide material assistance to the ravaged Caribbean nation.

Follow James Reinl on Twitter: @jamesreinl
Much like the burkini ban, French colonialism saw a moral duty to educate and liberate populations across North Africa.

Rachel Shabi is a journalist and author of Not the Enemy: Israel's Jews from Arab Lands.

When Aheda Zanetti invented the burkini, it was about fitness and fun, she says. This was in Australia in 2004, and the idea was to find a way for Muslim girls and women to participate in and enjoy the countrys beachy, sporty lifestyle.

This was the sunny, hopeful origin of a garment now banned in 15 French coastal resorts  a ban that was enforced in Nice last week by four armed male police officers compelling a conservatively dressed Muslim woman on a beach to remove layers of clothing.

As her daughters cried and bystanders cheered, the 34-year-old woman was fined for not wearing an outfit respecting good morals and secularism.

Mainstreaming far-right

This militant enforcement of good morals sparked widespread condemnation and Frances highest court has since suspended the ban  although some mayors have already said they intend to ignore this decision.

The French Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls defended the ban, enforced in over a dozen coastal cities, describing a battle of cultures and denouncing the swimwear as symbolising the enslavement of women.

Meanwhile, former President Nicolas Sarkozy launched his new presidential election campaign days ago by calling for a full burkini ban, warning that minorities and migrants were threatening to destroy French identity.

And so we have a European country that prides itself on being liberal-minded now focusing its politics, across the spectrum, on telling women what to wear. Which, by the way, is what happens when you pander to the far-right, as French politicians are doing  mainstreaming outright racism instead of holding a line against it.

Wave of terrorist attacks

Of course, none of this is happening in a vacuum: France has been shaken by a devastating wave of deadly terrorist atrocities.

The country is collectively mourning 86 people horribly killed when a truck was deliberately driven into Nices Promenade des Anglais on July 14.

Later that month, an 86-year-old priest was stabbed to death in an attack claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

Rather than being about an equality-driven, French Republic commitment to secularism, the burkini ban seems to derive more from ideas percolated around French colonialism in North Africa - where so many of its Muslim citizens have roots. by

France suffered its worst terrorist attack in November last year when more than 100 people were killed in a series of coordinated shootings and suicide bombings, including 90 killed during a siege of the Bataclan concert hall. In January that same year, 12 people were murdered in an attack on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

Burkini-banning officials have cited security concerns, viewing the beachwear as part of the violent assault on France from Islamist extremism.

The ban is also on a continuum of measures taken in the name of laicite  the French-style secularity underpinning the countrys political and cultural identity: The full Islamic veil, for instance, was banned in 2011.

Built-in assumption of superiority

When people are still reeling from horrifying acts of violence, when extremist recruiters are on the prowl and when community cohesion is so strained, it is more important than ever to examine the motives behind such bans.

French history  the necessity of keeping the Catholic Church out of politics  is typically cited as the context for its commitment to laicite, but is this what actually informs the current debate?

OPINION: Far-right feasts on Frances unchecked Islamophobia

Listening to Nices deputy mayor Rudy Salles talk about the issue on BBC radio last week  and his words echo those of other French politicians  its hard to believe this is the case. Describing the burkini as a provocation from Islamists, he claimed to be fighting for the freedom of women, while wanting to help people to be integrated [into] this society.

But the problem with this approach, of forcing citizens to choose between identities  are you French or Muslim?  isnt just that it suggests an intolerance of difference, or represents a false binary.

Its that such demands carry a built-in assumption of superiority: You would only dictate such terms if you thought that the obvious, sensible preference would be for French values over a communitarian Muslim identity.

Colonial stigma

Rather than being about an equality-driven, French Republic commitment to secularism, the burkini ban seems to derive more from ideas percolated around French colonialism in North Africa  where so many of its Muslim citizens have roots.

The hijab, at that time, was derided, seen as a symbol of Islamic oppression and a part of what made North African countries so inferior.

OPINION: Hello and welcome to the hijabi Olympics

That was the logic that underpinned and justified French colonisation of the region  but more than that: The hijab was as much a fixation then as it has become now. In Algeria, for example, the unveiling of women was a way of showing how France was liberating its female subjects from the repressive tyrannies of Islam  and so, keeping the veil on, in mirror image, in some cases became a symbol of resisting colonial rule.

This mission civilisatrice saw a moral duty in colonisation: A self-elevating sense of responsibility to educate and liberate populations across North Africa.

And there are unmistakable echoes of this sentiment in the words of some French politicians and feminists, who see veiled Muslim women as, by definition, oppressed and in need of saving.

Its also there in the irony of wanting these apparently oppressed Muslim women to be visible, to have a voice  but not actually giving the same women a voice or any agency in this debate.

France is not unique in its reluctance to absorb the realities of its past; nations with older legacies of empire, settlement and occupation are still struggling to do so.

But this may account for what, from the outside at least, looks like a clear case of bad wiring: A failure to acknowledge that colonialism, not secularism, is driving so much of this debate over womens clothing today.

And its also in part the reason that the secular justification for and enforcement of the burkini ban comes over as fundamentalist in a way that arguments premised purely on a commitment to religion-blind equality could not.

Equality and freedom, after all, are not rights that you impose upon people against their will.

Rachel Shabi is a journalist and author of Not the Enemy: Israels Jews from Arab Lands.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The candidates should not hesitate to commit to modelling the accountability the UN expects from its member states.

Lauren Carasik is the Director of the International Human Rights Clinic at Western New England University School of Law.

Recent accountability crises in United Nations peacekeeping missions have revealed a culture of impunity, sullying the organisations reputation and undermining its raison detre.

In this climate, the incoming secretary-general, set to take office in January 2017, will face significant challenges to upholding the UNs mission of promoting human rights and the rule of law.

To ensure that accountability is a core component of the new leaders agenda, a coalition of 37 non-governmental organisations launched a campaign urging the current candidates for the secretary-general position to take an accountability pledge, committing to implement stronger UN accountability mechanisms if selected.

The pledge is focused on high-profile instances where the UN peacekeeping has failed: Sexual exploitation and abuse and the ongoing cholera epidemic in Haiti.

By failing to accept full responsibility for Haitis cholera epidemic and for sexual crimes committed by its own uniformed and non-uniformed peacekeepers, the UN has squandered its moral authority, Paula Donovan, codirector of AIDS-Free World and its Code Blue Campaign, said. The next secretary-general must prove to the world, through her actions, that the UN is more concerned about protecting civilians than its own reputation.

The UNs major failures

The UN has an official policy of zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse of civilians by UN peacekeepers and staff, but it has not lived up to that standard, failing to prevent, investigate and punish perpetrators and bring relief to victims.

Sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers is not new: It has been reported since the 1990s in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, East Timor, Haiti, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan.

The UNs failure of accountability was most recently highlighted by sexual abuse perpetrated by peacekeepers in the Central African Republic.

In December 2015, a UN-appointed independent panel report found that when peacekeepers exploit the vulnerability of the people they have been sent to protect, it is a fundamental betrayal of trust. When the international community fails to care for the victims or to hold the perpetrators to account, that betrayal is compounded. (PDF)

At a time of global turmoil, the UN will continue to face daunting challenges to fulfilling its noble mission. To be effective, the UN must demonstrate its commitment to upholding the rule of law and reaffirming the importance of legal and moral accountability. by

In Haiti, a cholera epidemic has killed at least 10,000 people since 2010 and continues to ravage the impoverished country. Despite overwhelming evidence of the UNs culpability in bringing cholera to Haiti, none of the victims have received any compensation for their losses since the organisation has refused to consider claims, nor has there been any effective programme to eradicate the disease.

After exhaustive efforts to seek a remedy within the UN, who tersely responded that victims claims were not receivable, advocates filed suit in federal court in New York and are awaiting an appellate decision on whether the case can proceed to trial.

Since the UN refused to make an appearance in the case, the United States Department of Justice argued on its behalf that the international organisation is immune from suit, a result that would leave victims without any remedy.

Dodging responsibility

The UN claims it can escape all accountability for its actions under the 1946 Convention on Privileges and Immunities.

Plaintiffs argued that the 1946 convention only confers immunity when the UN has abided by the treatys other provisions, including the implementation of a mechanism to manage and resolve complaints from victims, which it has failed to do.

INTERACTIVE: The UN debate

As Beatrice Lindstrom, co-counsel for the victims from the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti argues, Immunity does not mean impunity. It would be far better for the UN to do the right thing on its own accord than to be forced to do so through litigation.

Meanwhile, as the UN continues to dodge responsibility, Haitians continue to fall sick and die, further destabilising already desperately poor and vulnerable families.

UN impunity is not limited to those cases. The UNs negligence resulted in the lead poisoning of Roma families in UN displacement camps in Kosovo.

Last month, an internal report by the Human Rights Advisory Panel reviewing the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) issued its withering assessment: Now that the Panel has concluded its mandate, putting an end to an eight-year process of issuing admissibility decisions, opinions and recommendations, the Panel is forced to proclaim this process a total failure.

OPINION: Time for Eastern Europe to shine at the United Nations

Expressing its dismay, the panel said it can only wonder what might have been possible if UNMIK had undertaken to collaborate with the panel in good faith, instead of turning this process into a human rights minstrel show.

Dianne Post, a lawyer for former camp residents, told The New York Times: It is most disheartening when the very agency that is to stand for the rule of law and bringing peace and justice to the world does not itself follow the rule of law or its own mandates on human rights. The UN has also recently come under fire for its failure to protect civilians in South Sudan.

No hesitation for commitment

As of August 5, four of the 11 candidates have weighed in. Igor Luksic of Montenegro signed the accountability pledge. Danilo Turk of Slovenia and Srgjan Kerim of Macedonia indicated their support, though they declined to sign.

The office of Christina Figueres of Costa Rica said that while she cannot sign any pledge on any topic, you have heard where she stands. Furthermore, she realises that she is positively influencing the [secretary-generals] race agenda, and she looks forward to further engagement on UN accountability issues.

At a time of global turmoil, the UN will continue to face daunting challenges to fulfilling its noble mission. To be effective, the UN must demonstrate its commitment to upholding the rule of law and reaffirming the importance of legal and moral accountability.

As he hands over the reins of power, Ban Ki-moons legacy is at stake. Its not too late for him to heed the exhortations of the organisations own watchdogs to ensure an effective remedy for victims, starting with an acknowledgement of wrongdoing (PDF).

And since the incoming leadership will set a new tone, the candidates for secretary-general should not hesitate to commit to modelling the accountability the UN expects from its member states.

Lauren Carasik is a clinical professor of law and the Director of the International Human Rights Clinic at Western New England University School of Law.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Turkish leader says pursuit of armed groups will be unrelenting as cross-border operation kills dozens in Syrias north.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that Turkey will show the same determination in fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and Syrian Kurdish fighters, on the fifth day of a cross-border operation that has already left dozens dead in northern Syria.

Speaking on Sunday in Gaziantep in southeast Turkey, where 54 people were killed in a suicide attack at a Kurdish wedding last week, Erdogan said: We cannot tolerate any terror organisation within, or close to, our borders.

Thats why we are in [Syrias] Jarablus. And, if necessary, we will not flinch from taking on similar responsibilities in other areas.

ANALYSIS: Kurds and refugees behind Turkeys Syria offensive

On Sunday, Turkey intensified its Euphrates Shield military offensive in northern Syria, with Turkish warplanes and artillery pounding areas held by pro-Kurdish forces close to Jarablus, the town taken from ISIL by Ankara-backed Syrian rebels earlier this week.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 40 civilians were killed in separate Turkish strikes near the village of al-Amarneh and in Jeb al-Kussa, outside Jarablus  the first reports of significant civilian casualties since the start of Turkeys operation on Wednesday.

The group, which monitors Syrias war, also said that at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 wounded in the bombardments south of Jarablus.

READ MORE:Turkey targets Kurdish forces south of Syrias Jarablus

But Turkey denied the reports of civilian deaths, saying that its raids had killed 25 Kurdish terrorists, according to the state-run Anadolu news agency.

In a statement, the Turkish armed forces said that the air campaign was carried out against terrorist groups which had attacked Turkish soldiers supporting a Free Syrian Army (FSA) operation in Jarablus.

On Monday, the US criticised the clashes in northern Syria, terming them unacceptable and called on all armed actors in the fighting to stand down and focus on the fight against ISIL.

Meanwhile, at the Gaziantep rally, Erdogan told thousands of flag-waving supporters that operations against terrorist organisations will continue until the end.

We will make any kind of contribution to the work to clear Daesh from Syria, he said said using an Arabic acronym for ISIL, also known as ISIS.

For the issue of the PYD [Democratic Union Party] terror group in Syria, we have just the same determination, he added, referring to the main pro-Kurdish party and its military arm in northern Syria.

Turkey has long accused the YPG of being linked to the outlawed PKK in the southeast of the country. The YPG is the military arm of the Syrian Kurdish PYD political party.

OPINION: From sporadic to systematic ISIL attacks in Turkey

Turkey has ordered the YPG, a well-trained force that has been the US-led coalitions most effective ground partner in the war against ISIL, to withdraw to the east bank of the Euphrates River, which crosses the Syria-Turkey border at Jarablus.

For president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, PKK, YPG, ISIL are just different facets of the same group, said Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Gaziantep on Turkeys border with Syria.

And he says his country will definitely use whatever it has to defeat these groups.

INTERACTIVE: Timeline of attacks in Turkey

He said the Turkish army had been shelling and launching air strikes in areas controlled by the YPG.

These are areas that Turkey has asked the YPG to pull out of. The YPG insists those areas are part of their own territory, and theres no way it will pull out. That will likely increase tension.

During his Gaziantep speech, Erdogan also said that Turkeys cross-border offensive into Syria was giving people who fled ISIL-controlled areas a chance to return to their homes, including to Jarablus.

Jarablus has been freed, said Erdogan. The original inhabitants of Jarablus are now in the process of going back.

Anyone who wants to go back to Jarablus, will be given any support they need from us.
Social media users have expressed anger after a video posted online appeared to show two Muslim women in France being told to leave a restaurant by a man, reportedly the boss, who called all Muslims terrorists.

Terrorists are Muslims, and all Muslims are terrorists. This sentence says it all, analyse it, the man said in the video released on Sunday.

The incident reportedly took place the night before at the Le Cenacle restaurant in Tremblay-en-France, an area in the suburbs of Paris.

People like you, I dont want them here, he continued, you are imposing yourself here [] get out.

The women, one of whom appeared in the video wearing a headscarf, said they would leave.

Reports in France said that the man apologised on Sunday to a group of young people and members of the local Muslim community who had gathered outside Le Cenacle to ask him to explain his comments.

The restaurateur reportedly said one of his friends had died in the attack on the Bataclan concert hall in November 2015.

In a message on Twitter, Laurence Rossignol, the French minister for families, children and womens rights, said she had ordered an investigation and called for sanctions against the intolerable behaviour of the restaurants boss.

The mans comments follow a fierce debate in recent months about Muslim integration and Frances interpretation of secular values, emerging after a string of attacks around the country.

OPINION: Burkini ban  New wave of French mission civilisatrice

Several French towns have recently taken the decision to ban a full-body swimsuit worn by some Muslim women, known as the burkini, in public, causing more uproar.

Frances highest administrative court on Friday suspended the ban in the Mediterranean town of Villeneuve-Loubet, pending a definitive ruling.

President Francois Hollande, along with other politicians, also came out last week to warn against stigmatisation of Muslims.

The footage of the incident at the restaurant has been shared widely on social media, garnering many reactions of concern for increasing Islamphobia in the country.

What happened at #Cenacle is disgusting. Now we can't eat where we want. We can't go to the beach dressed as we want. Second-class citizens.  Artetista (@Arsenalista5) August 28, 2016

One day, just one day without the feeling that apartheid is coming. Is that too much to ask? #Cenacle  Djame (@zehavoc) August 28, 2016

Now in France, you have people kicking Muslims out of restaurants. I wonder who are not respecting republican values here #Tremblay #Cenacle  Rim-Sarah Alouane (@RimSarah) August 28, 2016

Another social media user, Peter Allen, said: If you think mainstream racism is all a stunt in France, watch what happened to 2 women in Paris restaurant on Sat.

In response to the incident, the Committee against Islamophobia in France said it would bring psychological and legal assistance to both women.

What kills me in the scandalous video #Cenacle is the indifference of other clients, the committees director, Marwan Muhammed, said on Twitter.
The countrys head of migration says Germany took fewer than the previously stated 1.1 million refugees last year.

The head of Germanys Federal Office for Migration and Refugees told a German newspaper that Germany took in fewer migrants in 2015 than previously thought because some were registered twice and others had moved on to other destinations.

Well present the exact number soon but its certain that less than one million people came to Germany last year, Frank-Juergen Weise told Bild am Sonntag newspaper in comments published on Sunday.



People and Power  Germanys Refugee Crisis

In January, Germanys interior ministry said that 1.1 million asylum seekers and migrants had entered Europes biggest economy in 2015 after fleeing war and poverty in their home countries.

The ministry also said at the time that not all of those people had officially registered and that those deemed economic migrants would be deported.

Germans tend to use the word refugee to refer to both refugees and migrants who are seeking protection but do not have refugee status.

The exact number of migrant and refugee arrivals in Germany has been the topic of some dispute, with the UNs refugee agency placing the number of new asylum-seeker applicants in the country at 441,900 for 2015. Some reports, disputed by the government, hinted the the number might even be as high as 1.5 million.

In Sundays interview, Weise said he expected a maximum of 300,000 refugees to arrive in Germany this year.

Were preparing for 250,000 to 300,000 refugees this year, he said.

Germans tend to use the word refugee to refer to both refugees and migrants who are seeking protection but do not have refugee status.

Weise said that it would take a long time and a lot of money to integrate the newcomers into the labour market.

He said 70 percent of the migrants who had already arrived were fit for employment but added that the majority of them would be dependent on basic social security provision before they manage to get jobs.

He estimated that around 10 percent of the new arrivals had university degrees, while around 40 percent do not have formal vocational training but do have practical work experience, he said.

European nations continue to squabble about whether, and how, to share the newcomers between them and the issues that drove refugees to Europe in the first place  such as Syrias unrelenting war  are unresolved.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, 2,901 people have died or disappeared crossing the Mediterranean in the first six months of 2016, most along the dangerous central route to Italy  a 37 percent increase over last years first half.
Over 50 groups of farmers and aid workers seek to stop planned 500-tonne shipment that US officials term a donation.

Peanut producers in Haiti have united to block the delivery of a 500-tonne shipment of nuts from the US.

They say the shipment threatens to undermine the livelihood of thousands of people in the country.

According to the World Bank, extreme poverty in the country has fallen from 31 to 24 percent over the past decade but it remains the poorest country in the Americas and one of the poorest in the world, with a GDP per capita of $846 in 2014.

The US Department of Agriculture argues that the shipment is a donation to alleviate hunger among Haitian schoolchildren but the locals are strongly opposing the move.

Our peanuts are natural, we can use them over and over again, farmers leader Josapha Antonice Guillaume told Al Jazeera.

We dont modify our crops. We will not accept anyone or any institution that tries to destroy them. We will fight. Peanuts are part of our heritage.

More than 50 groups of farmers and aid workers, both Haitian and foreign, have issued a joint statement calling on the US to stop the shipment.

The dumping of these peanuts will create a big catastrophe, even bigger than the destruction of our rice production, said Jean Pierre Ricot, an agriculture expert.

Hundreds of thousands of families lost their livelihoods because of those policies. To face the problem, we need a fundamental battle to stop these policies.

Some international aid experts warn that the US peanut donation could eventually become another cautionary tale about humanitarian aid from a wealthy nation that undermines a flimsy economy in a poor one.
Turkeys military intervention in Syria is more about controlling Kurdish progress than combating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS), Turkish analysts say.

The Jarablus operation may be against ISIL, but its main aim is to make sure the border zone is controlled by Turkey-friendly rebels and not Kurdish forces, says Faik Demir, an expert on Turkish politics and foreign policy at Istanbuls Galatasaray University.

On Wednesday, Syrian rebels under the banner of the Free Syrian Army (FSA), backed by Turkish tanks and Special Forces, launched a military offensive titled Operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria. It saw them recapture the strategic border town of Jarablus from ISIL fighters in a matter of hours.

Turkish analysts say while the operation was unprecedented  given that it is the first time a key regional power puts boots on the ground in Syria since the Syrian crisis broke out in 2011  it was not surprising.

Turkey has been calling on the US and other members of the international coalition [fighting ISIL] in Syria to join a ground offensive to end the civil war since last February, Tarik Celenk, a retired major and the founder of Ekopolitik, a conservative think-tank that aims to create dialogue between Turks and Kurdish nationalists, told Al Jazeera.

Back then, however, the timing was not right. Turkey was having serious problems with Russia, its relationship with the US was not great and, finally, there was the coup attempt in July.

WATCH: Does Turkey Trust Washington?

According to analysts, a number of recent developments made this operation possible on top of which are Turkeys improved relations with Russia, a key player in the Syrian civil war and Kurdish forces recapture of Manbij in northern Syria. The Syrian Kurdish forces, under the banner of the Peoples Protection Units (YPG), wrested the strategic Manbij area from ISILs grasp two weeks ago.

The Jarablus operation is a great opportunity for the FSA and Turkey to prove to the West that they don't necessarily need the YPG in northern Syria. by Tarik Celenk, founder of Ekopolitik, a conservative think-tank

The YPG already controls swaths of territory along Syrias northeastern border with Turkey  from the towns of Hasakah to Afrin  while its political wing, the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), claims control over an autonomous region now called Rojava.

Turkey sees both the PYD and the YPG as extensions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a bloody campaign against the Turkish state for nearly three decades.

Ankara has said many times in the past that any attempt by the YPG to move west of the Euphrates River would be crossing a red line, Celenk told Al Jazeera.Manbij is to the west of Euphrates, and it is obvious that the YPG also had designs to seize Jarablus, which is even closer to the Turkish border, he said.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, openly said that the Jarablus operation was also targeting the YPG. Enough is enough, Erdogan had said. This now needs to be resolved.

In a televised interview later that same day, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim explained that the operation in Syria would continue until the YPG retreats to the east bank of the Euphrates.

Analysts viewed these comments as a confirmation that Turkeys presence in Syria is more about controlling Kurdish progress than combating ISIL.

It is all about security; ISIL has been shelling Gaziantep, sending suicide bombers to weddings, and the PKK, which is the same as the YPG in the governments eyes, has been killing Turkish soldiers and police officers, explained Demir.

INFOGRAPHIC: Major Kurdish factions

So far, the YPG has been the US-led coalitions most effective ally on the ground against ISIL in Syria. In northern Syria in particular, the FSA is significantly outgunned and outnumbered by Kurdish factions.

The West views the YPG as the group that is most experienced and efficient at fighting, said Demir adding that from a Western perspective, the YPG may be the only group in Syria that does not harbour religious extremists.

This is a big plus in the eyes of the US, he said. This, however, does not mean the West will never turn its back on its Kurdish allies. In the end, according to Demir, Turkey is much more valuable to the US.

This view was proven when, on Thursday, YPG forces acceded to Turkish demands by withdrawing from Manbij, following United States Vice President Joe Bidens threat to cut US support if they did not pull out.

While this was a considerable victory for Turkey, analysts believe that if Turkey wanted its Western allies to entirely cease their support for the YPG, it has to show that the FSA, with backing from Turkey, has the capability of defeating ISIL in Syria.

The Jarablus operation is a great opportunity for the FSA and Turkey to prove to the West that they dont necessarily need the YPG in northern Syria, said Celenk.

He, nonetheless, added that it was not realistic to expect the elimination of the YPG from northern Syria completely. I do not believe the FSA has the capacity to take control of northern Syria on its own, Celenk, a retired major who served in the Turkish army, said. The most optimistic scenario, for Turkey, is that the FSA will now show the world that it can hold on to Jarablus.

This, Celenk explained, might lead to a certain level of democratisation in northern Syria.

We may see a coalition of Turkish, Arab and Kurdish factions forming in the region after ISIL is completely eliminated, he said. But if the FSA loses Jarablus, nobody can stop the YPG from carving out more land for themselves in the region.





According to analysts, Turkeys short-term ambition in northern Syria is to create a safe zone that can harbour refugees and protect Turkish border towns from the spillover of the Syrian civil war.

The first country to receive and embrace those fleeing Syrias civil war, nearly five years ago, Turkey has absorbed approximately 2.7 million Syrian refugees within Turkish borders. Last March, Turkey and the European Union reached a controversial deal aimed at stopping the flow of refugees into Europe, in return for political and financial concessions for Ankara.





At the moment, the future of this refugee deal is in dire straits, and many more Syrians are expected to seek refuge in Turkey in the near future, as the devastating civil war rages on.

This is something both Turkey and Europe are dreading, Demir said. Both sides, he added, do not want an already extensive refugee crisis to grow any larger.

So Turkey may, with support from its Western allies, try to create a safe zone in northern Syria.

If Turkey succeeds in creating a safe zone  which will primarily be operated by the FSA  some of the refugees currently living in Turkey may also be relocated there, Celenk said. This will be an area where Syrians can live with some sort of security and dignity within their own countrys borders.

But such a zone would inevitably anger Damascus, which has already voiced concern over Turkeys intervention in Jarablus, as well as the YPG, and may cause Turkey to fall further into the quagmire of the Syrian war.

With or without this secure zone, Celenk expects to see the number of terror attacks in Turkey increase following the operation in northern Syria.

Groups that are unhappy with Turkey being more active in Syria will inevitably react, he said.

Other analysts hold a different view: Of course, nobody can be sure of how terror groups will choose to react, said Demir, adding that if ISIL or the PKK increase their attacks on Turkey after this operation, they will further legitimise Turkeys presence in Syria.

Both [ISIL and the PKK] would be acting against their own interests to strike at Turkey right now.
Dozens of fighters loyal to UN-backed government killed in clashes with ISIL as the final battle for Sirte begins.

Forces loyal to Libyas UN-backed government have pushed into the last areas of Sirte held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as they press a months-long offensive to retake the coastal city from the armed groups fighters.

Sundays advance saw fighters loyal to the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) enter the last areas held by Daesh in Sirte: district No 1 and district No 3, a government spokesman said, according to the AFP news agency. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for ISIL, which is also known as ISIS.

The final battle for Sirte has started, Reda Issa said, adding that about 1,000 fighters allied with the GNA were taking part in the offensive.

In a statement on its Facebook page, the citys field hospital said 34 pro-GNA fighters were killed and scores more wounded in clashes with ISIL on Sunday. An earlier statement had said the death toll was 25.

The offensive comes a little more than two weeks after soldiers captured a key neighbourhood in the heart of Sirte as part of the advance that began three months ago.

READ MORE: Libyan forces retake central Sirte district from ISIL

ISIL seized control of Sirte, the birth place of Libyas overthrown leader Muammar Gaddafi, last year and controlled about 250km of the countrys Mediterranean coastline before forces aligned to the GNA began operations against it in mid-May.

The United States has been providing military support in the effort to expel ISIL from Sirte since August 1.

As of August 24, US warplanes had carried out a total of 82 strikes, according to the United States Africa Command .

The pro-government forces fought their way into Sirte on June 9 and seized the ISIL headquarters at the Ouagadougou conference centre on August 10.

READ MORE: Libyan forces recapture ISIL headquarters in Sirte

Losing Sirte would be a major setback for ISIL, already under pressure in Syria and Iraq.

It would also be a boost for Libyas UN-backed government, which has struggled to impose its authority and faces continuing resistance from armed groups.

ISIL still controls several residential areas, though, and the government-led fighters have previously found it difficult to advance through neighbourhoods in house-to-house fighting.

The internationally backed governments forces and those of a rival authority in the east are currently engaged in a race to be the first to drive ISIL out of the city.

Libya has suffered from chaos since the 2011 overthrow of Gaddafi, with numerous revolutionary militias formed along regional and ideological lines vying for power.
Maccabee Task Force distances itself from poster drive on US campuses targeting pro-Palestine activist groups

A Jewish fund belonging to an American casino tycoon, Sheldon Adelson, has denied it financed a poster campaign targeting pro-Palestine groups across US college campuses.

Reports published earlier this week claimed that the Stop the Jew Hatred on Campus campaign, which labelled student activists as Palestinian terrorists, was funded by the Maccabee Task Force (MTF).

The activists targeted told Al Jazeera that the campaign left them shocked, scared and feeling uneasy for weeks.

At least one said he does not believe the MTF had no idea where its money would be used.

Launched by billionaire Sheldon Adelson, the MTF provides grants to organisations which want to end the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

We did not ask for, nor approve, the poster campaign that targeted student activists, and were not aware that our money had been used to support it. It should not have been, the statement said.

READ MORE: Who is Sheldon Adelson and can he sway the US election?

We have not, and will not, support public attacks on student activists who behave in a civil fashion.

An MTF spokesman later told Al Jazeera that he had been assured that the grant was not used for the campaign, but rather for speaking engagements and the production of a research report.

I felt uneasy for weeks

The MTF was created last year to grow the pro-Israel movement while combating BDS activities on campuses, the spokesman said.

We believe that the number one non-military threat to Israel and the Jewish people is the BDS movement, he said.

One high-ranking UCLA administrator told me that if I can't handle it, I should consider stopping my pro-Palestinian activism by Yacoub Kureh, a teaching assistant at UCLA named in the poster campaign

The poster campaign was launched across five college campuses in California in April, in an effort to combat the activities of pro-Palestine student groups.

The posters declared BDS a Hamas-inspired genocidal campaign that aims to destroy Israel, and listed the names of students and faculty members involved in pro-Palestine groups and activities, affiliating them with Palestinian terrorists, and accusing them of perpetrating Jew Hatred.

One of the targeted groups was Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), which comprises students, faculty, and community members working on college campuses.

Yacoub Kureh, a graduate involved in SJP at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA), was among those named on the flyers.

When the posters with my name came up this year labelling me a Jew-hater, I felt nauseous, he told Al Jazeera, adding that he was shocked and scared.

Kureh, a teaching assistant, felt uneasy for several weeks and worried for his safety.

Some of the administration at UCLA were supportive, he said. But one high-ranking UCLA administrator told me that if I cant handle it, I should consider stopping my pro-Palestinian activism.

READ MORE: BDS is a war Israel cant win

Omar Zahzah, a UCLA PhD student and SJP member, was also named.

While this was not the first anti-SJP poster campaign that Horowitzs organisation carried out, it definitely constituted an escalation in that individual students and faculty were named, Zahzah said, who called the action a form of incitement.

Zahzah has become sadly used to being targeted and blacklisted, including on Canary Mission, an online database that documents individuals and groups involved in pro-Palestine activities.

It will always be chilling, no matter how often you encounter it, he said.

READ MORE: BDS campaign winning battle for hearts and minds

In response to the MTFs denial of having financed the posters, the activist said such claims were laughable.

It seems ridiculous for the MTF to give Horowitz a grant, and then feign surprise when his organisation does the same thing it has been doing for some time now, Zahzah said.

People really ought to be shocked that Adelson and the MTF are putting millions of dollars into quashing grassroots student organising.

Follow Jinan Aldameary on Twitter: @jinanmazen
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A year after the retreat of Boko Haram fighters, music and dance are making a comeback in the Nigerian state of Borno.

Maiduguri, the largest city in the north-eastern state, was a frequent target of the armed groups attacks.

Events such as birthdays and weddings, which were once impossible due to the threat posed by Boko Haram, are now openly celebrated in the streets.

Before Boko Haram, if you come to Borno you will like it, you will love it, Zanna Hassan Boguma, a Borno state government worker, told Al Jazeera.

Borno is home of culture and tradition, he said.

Hassan Boguma said that heads of districts in the state have been instructed to return to their domains and start reviving all the cultural aspects partaking Borno and its citizens.

READ MORE: Nigeria imposes curfew in northern town Maiduguri

With the gradual return of peace, Borno residents once again have the freedom to express themselves with pomp, and in public, following years of conflict, said Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris, reporting from Borno.

During the past six years of fighting in Nigeria, an estimated 20,000 people have been killed.

For a people known for their rich culture, those were difficult times, Idris said.
Singapore expects more cases to be identified as dozens of people, mostly foreign construction workers, test positive.

Singapore has confirmed 41 cases of locally-transmitted Zika virus, mostly among foreign building workers, and says it expects more incidents to be identified.

All but seven of those infected had fully recovered, the countrys health ministry and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement on Sunday.

The seven patients remained in hospital, the statement added.

READ MORE: What is the Zika virus?

On Saturday, authorities had confirmed a 47-year-old Malaysian woman living in southeastern Singapore as the city-states first case of a local transmission of the virus  which has been linked to a rare birth defect.

The authorities said that they tested 124 people, primarily foreign workers employed on a construction site. Seventy-eight people tested negative and five cases were pending, while 34 patients had fully recovered.

Four Singaporean men had developed symptoms of the virus in the past week and were hospitalised on Saturday. It was not clear where the foreign workers were from or when their cases were detected. Singapore hosts a large contingent of workers from the Asian sub-continent.

READ MORE: Living with Zika in Brazil

None of those infected had travelled recently to Zika-affected areas. This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place, the statement said.





The ministry cannot rule out further community transmission since some of those tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore, the statement said.

We expect to identify more positive cases.

Singapore, a major regional financial centre and busy transit hub, which maintains a constant vigil against the mosquito-borne dengue virus, reported its first case of the Zika virus in May, brought in by a middle-aged man who had been to Brazil.

All medical services in Singapore had been alerted to be extra vigilant and immediately report any Zika-associated symptoms to the health ministry.

Singapore deployed around 200 NEA officers to clean drains and spray insecticide in the mainly residential area early on Sunday to counter mosquito breeding grounds, and volunteers and contractors handed out leaflets and insect repellent.

Regional cases

Singapore said there were ongoing local transmission cases in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Other countries in the region to have detected the Zika virus since 2013 include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives and the Philippines, according to the World Health Organisation.

READ MORE: US declares emergency in Puerto Rico over Zika outbreak

Malaysian authorities said on Sunday that they had stepped up surveillance at main transit points with Singapore  handing out leaflets on Zika prevention and having paramedics ready to handle visitors with potential symptoms of the virus.





In Thailand, where close to 100 cases of Zika have been recorded across 10 provinces this year, the department of disease control was screening athletes returning from the Olympic Games in Brazil, but was not otherwise changing its prevention measures.

Vietnam has reported three cases of locally-transmitted Zika infection to date.

Zika, carried by some mosquitoes, was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked in Brazil to more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly  where babies are born with small heads.

The WHO has said that there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.
Eight Paraguayan soldiers have been killed by a roadside bombing, according to the government, in an attack blamed on a Marxist armed group.

Francisco de Vargas, the interior minister, said on Saturday that a routine patrol was first attacked with a bomb, then with gunfire on a country road in the Arroyito district about 500km north of the capital Asuncion.

They placed explosives in the road where a patrol routinely passes. Because of the manner in which it was done, we believe it was an attack by the known criminal group EPP, Vargas was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying, using the Spanish acronym for the Paraguayan Peoples Army.

President Horacio Cartes condemned the attack and said the perpetrators would be held accountable for their actions.

The EPP, a small group of Marxist fighters, has been blamed by authorities for several kidnappings, murders and attacks in the remote north of the country, an area of cattle ranches, poor rural labourers, and illegal marijuana plantations.

In 2013 it carried out an attack in which five people died, its bloodiest to date.

The group is believed to hold three people captive at present: a police agent who has been held for over two years, and two Mennonites, members of a religious sect of European background who have significant dairy farming communities in Paraguay.
Turkey claims killing 25 terrorists following reports of 40 deaths in air strikes and shelling in northern Syria.

Turkey says it has killed 25 terrorists in Syria, shortly after a monitoring group reported dozens of deaths on the fifth day of a Turkish military offensive against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 20 civilians were killed and 25 wounded near al-Amarneh, while 20 people died in Jeb al-Kussa, outside Jarablus, on Sunday.

The village of al-Amarneh was captured by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels from Kurdish fighters as part of the military offensive. Jeb el-Kussa is located 14km south of Jarablus and is controlled by fighters from the area backed by Kurdish forces.

The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in Turkish bombardment of the two areas.

Citing military sources, however, Turkeys state-run Anadolu Agency said a total of 25 fighters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) were neutralised in an air operation in Syria.
Video purports to show child in Homs treated with mud for burns sustained by what activists say were incendiary weapons.

Upsetting images have been released of a badly burned child in a rebel-held area of Syria being treated with mud for wounds allegedly sustained by a weapon similar to napalm.

The footage, released by the Homs Media Centre on Sunday, purports to show the aftermath of several air strikes on Saturday night on the besieged al-Waer neighbourhood of Homs, the countrys third largest city.

After the bombing by war planes stopped, they began firing napalm, a doctor in the district said. Some of the patients were burned.

One video shows a young boy writhing in pain as a man rubs mud on to the childs head before removing his bandages and rubbing the thick sludge into his wounds.

Nedal, a Homs-based member of the Syrian Civil Defence, a volunteer rescue group that operates in rebel-held territory, said the man was forced to use mud as a cooling agent for the burns as there were no longer any medical supplies or materials in that part of the city.

Two children were killed and at least five others wounded by the napalm-like incendiary weapons, Nedal said.

Photos showed the charred remains of two children, identified as Hamzah, a four-year-old boy, and Ayah, a seven-month-old girl.





We have had two child fatalities and another five children were seriously wounded by the use of napalm, Osama Abou Zeid, the head of the Homs Media Centre, told Al Jazeera.

At least 20 adults have also been injured by napalm, Abou Zeid said.

Homs al-Waer neighbourhood has been under government siege for more than three years, with residents of the rebel-held area deprived of food and aid supplies while also being prevented from leaving due to heavy shelling and bombardment.

The local doctor said that there was a severe shortage of medical supplies available to medics with patients having to take expired medicine.

We are using polyester bandages [for burns patients] which worsen the injuries because we dont have any other options.

In separate videos seen by Al Jazeera, a doctor applies cream to the entire body of a young child, while another shows a woman being escorted to hospital after having much of her clothing burned by what activists said was an incendiary device.

Incendiary weapons have caused more deaths in Syria than chemical weapons and can cause horrific burns much like those inflicted by napalm dropped from US planes during the Vietnam War.

While there is an international agreement forbidding the use of incendiary weapons in areas with a large civilian presence, it has only been signed by 113 countries.

Syria has not signed up to the agreement, known as Protocol III of the Convention of Conventional Weapons.

Earlier this month, the New York-based Human Rights Watch accused Syrian government forces and their Russian allies of repeatedly using incendiary weapons against civilians in rebel-held parts of northern Syria.

Follow Faisal Edroos on Twitter: @FaisalEdroos
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English News More than ever developing countries to highlight G20 Summit

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 28 Aout 2016





Caption: Aug.8, 2016,the teacher of traning course for foreign business personnel, ChenDan is taking group photo with her foreign students.(Xinhua)



By Song Haoxin from Peoples Daily



A record number of developing countries are being invited to the 11th G20 Summit slated for Sept. 4-5 in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou. Such move will bring the developing worlds engagement in global governance to an unprecedented high.



Though G20 members include both developed and developing ones, the latter was not fully represented. By bringing the largest-ever presence of representatives from the developing world, China hops to cover this democratic deficit and help developing countries involve more in global governance.



Ruan Zongze, Executive Vice President of China's Institute of International Studies, told People's Daily that the developing nations will shine the upcoming summit.



The invited nations for this summit are all representative ones. The released information showed that Chadian President Idriss Deby, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, Lao President Boungnang Vorachith, Senegalese President Macky Sall and Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha are all on the name list.



Among those nations, Chad is the rotating presidency of the African Union while Senegal is the planning presidency of the New Partnership for Africa's Development. Laos is now the rotating presidency of the ASEAN while Thailand is the rotating presidency of G77. Egypt and Kazakhstan can well represent the developing countries.



These representative nations will help boost G20s communication with the African Union, ASEAN and G77 so that more voices of the developing countries will be heard. Such an arrangement also keeps abreast with the summits theme, namely "Building an innovative, invigorated, interconnected and inclusive world economy".



The meeting will also be more inclusive as developed world and developing world will sit together to plan for healthy and sustained development of world economy.



Comparing China as a bridge linking the developing and developed countries, and connecting the developing world and the G20, Ruan stressed that it is more urgent now to include the developing countries into the global economic governance.



The scholar also praised Chinas emphasis on the development. Hailing the host countrys arrangement as a wise choice, the scholar said with more participation in the summit, the developing nations can increase their involvement in G20 agendas and also set up cooperative partnership with G20 members.



The uneven development is one reason for todays lackluster world economy. But more engagement of developing countries in G20 agendas will help narrow down such unbalance as the formers development will release more demands that will further drive world economic growth. The G20 members have proved this idea with the win-win cooperation between the developing and developed world since the 2008 financial crisis.



Chinas decision to place the development at the core of global governance for the first time also meets the appeals of developing nations. By bring more voices of developing world in the summit, both developing and developed countries can have an equal-footed discussion on global economic affairs.



Such an arrangement, which keeps in line with the shift of world economic landscape, can also be seen as a kind of historic progress.



Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's FAST discovers largest atomic cloud in universe China to make greater contributions to human progress China willing to work with the international community to promote equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
The world has seen a number of women as top political leaders. Theresa May is the second female prime minister in Great Britain, after Maggie Thatcher. Angela Merkel is the long-serving chancellor of Germany. Years ago, there was Indira Gandhi of India.

Now Hillary Clinton is on the cusp of being elected U.S. president, the biggest political prize in the world. Despite America's disquiet with family dynasties in a republic, there is much to celebrate in America's willingness to elect anyone, irrespective of background, as president.

Unfortunately, Clinton is a poor choice to be a path-breaker. The image that best fits her time in politics is not breaking the glass ceiling, but engaging in crass dealing. From the emergence of the Clintons in Arkansas politics to now, everything has been about them in the worst way.

It is easy to forget that Bill Clinton's path to the White House a quarter-century ago was hindered by corrupt debris left by his and Hillary's time in Arkansas. Even the New York Times could not ignore the obvious if well-concealed bribe of the "cattle trades" orchestrated by a businessman with interests in the state.

The Whitewater development showcased another aspect of the Clinton's venality. The disappearance of Hillary Clinton's billing records at the infamous Rose law firm foreshadowed the convenient loss of emails from her time at the State Department. No American could be unaware of the couple's moral failings while voting to place them in the White House.

During Bill's presidency, Hillary's hand was ever evident, including handing the White House travel office over to friends. Even then, there were dubious overseas connections and political contributions, though who was to blame for what was never clear. The Monica Lewinsky scandal came to dominate everything, likely diverting attention from more serious, and substantive, abuses.

Now Hillary's scandals are fully hers. Her reliance on personal email while serving in one of the nation's highest positions was an obvious attempt to sanitize the public record before another presidential run (or election of a different president who might authorize an official investigation).

The tactic almost worked. Selective email releases, thousands of emails mysteriously missing  who would be the wiser? But the group Judicial Watch sued, and the FBI was called in. There is little doubt that Clinton violated security laws (the only other explanation was a monumental lapse of judgment, hardly a credential for her presidential run) despite the Obama administration's attempt to limit the damage.

Even now, we likely have seen only a few of the incriminating documents. But we've seen enough to know that Clinton was more the crass wheeler-dealer than the glass ceiling breaker.

The Associated Press published a devastating analysis last week. More than half of the people outside government with whom Clinton talked officially had given money individually or through a firm or other organization to the Clinton Foundation.

Of 154 people, 85 were donors. All told, they contributed as much as $156 million. Forty of them gave at least $100,000; 20 gave at least $1 million each. Worse, at least 16 foreign governments whose representatives met with Clinton donated as much as $170 million to the foundation.

Of course, the Clinton campaign was shocked that anyone doubted the purity of her intentions. Yet, noted AP, "the frequency of the overlaps shows the intermingling of access and donations, and fuels perceptions that giving the foundation money was a price of admission for face time with Clinton. Her calendars and emails released as recently as this week described scores of contacts she and her top aides had with foundation donors."

Some of the private people meeting Clinton had run-of-the-mill special pleading, such as help with a visa. Others hoped for U.S. assistance, such as support from Washington against their own government, which was seeking their resignation from a financial institution. We don't know what the government donors might have been asking.

Bill Clinton has announced cosmetic changes in the foundation's operations if Hillary wins. But as president, she would be in a far better position to deliver favors to the more than 6,000 past donors (who've contributed more than $2 billion) as well as any future givers. The smartest operators will donate now in order to be grandfathered under any rules changes should she end up in the Oval Office.

Smart and determined, the Clintons were capable of genuine "public service." However, they turned their time in public life into just another opportunity for personal enrichment.

So it was while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state. And so it will be if she ends up as president. She talks about breaking the glass ceiling. The rest of us should focus on her crass dealing.

Ken Blackwell is a member of the policy board of the American Civil Rights Union (ACRU). He serves on the boards of directors of both the National Rifle Association and the Club for Growth.
Before the Internet when I wanted to keep track of a story, I had to clip articles and file them, often establishing over the years how much in error the press accounts had been. Now, a few clicks and there we have what we had remembered but not saved. It will come as no surprise to regular readers of the Washington Post to learn that one of their oped writers Ruth Marcus is easily exposed as a partisan spinner in a quick check of a comparison of her treatment of Hillary Clinton and former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell.

This week, Marcus wrote an editorial critical of Donald Trumps unhinged calls for a special prosecutor to look into the Clinton Foundation. She dismissed the claims that the Foundation was a pay to play operation.

Actually, the facts so far don't come close to special prosecutor territory. The "favors done" -- the supposed quo for the Clinton Foundation quid -- appear pretty meager.

The most critical remark she can manage is to suggest that since Hillary is beset by enemies who apply a stricter standard to her, she should have been more careful.

Why, oh why, since the Clintons know their activities will be subjected to microscopic scrutiny -- since, as Clinton partisans claim, with some justification, she is pilloried for conduct for which others receive a pass -- do they continue to operate in a manner that opens them to attack by their enemies? Specifically, why -- given that the notion of another run for the presidency wasn't exactly off the table -- did Clinton (and the staff that was supposed to be looking after her interests) not erect an impenetrable wall between foundation and State? After all, it's not as if the prospect of questions about self-dealing did not occur at the time. The December 2008 agreement between the foundation and the Obama administration cites the need to "ensure that the activities of the foundation, however beneficial, do not create conflicts or the appearance of conflict."

Her selection of examples of conduct for which Hillary is being criticized is laughably one-sided.

Here are just a few of the pay for play, quid pro quo, you scratch Hillarys back and strike gold items Marcus overlooked:

1.) The Skolkovo Innovation Center

The Observer notes how she sold access to Moscow as revealed by Peter Schweizer.

Hillary encouraged and enabled American and European investment in Russia, particularly in high-tech firms. A key role was played by the Skolkovo Innovation Center, a sprawling complex in Moscows western suburbs that was established in 2009 as Russias answer to Silicon Valley. [snip] This was the consistent pattern. As Schweizer explained, Of the 28 U.S., European and Russian companies that participated in Skolkovo, 17 of them were Clinton Foundation donors or had hired former President Clinton to give speeches. How much money these Skolkovo benefactors gave to Clinton, Inc. cannot yet be determined, but Schweizer concluded that its somewhere between $6.5 million and $23.5 million, with the proviso that since the Clinton Foundation has yet to reveal all its donors, the true figure could be much higher. Then theres the matter of what Skolkovo actually is. In truth, its nothing like Silicon Valley except in outward appearance. Its a fully state-driven enterprise -- funded largely by the Kremlin and acting on its orders. [snip] These assessments by the Pentagon, the FBI and Schweizer are unclassified. In private, Western security experts are less guarded. Its an obvious Kremlin front, explained a Pentagon intelligence official about Skolkovo. In the old days, the KGB had to recruit spies to steal Western technology, now they do deals with you. The theft is the same.

2.) U.S. Arms Exports to Bahrain

Over a year before Ruth Marcus couldnt find any pay to play examples in the Clinton Foundation the International Business Times found plenty, and they are disturbing.

Clinton ran an agency that is responsible for regulating U.S. arms exports, and how those State Department exports approvals substantially increased to governments that donated to the Clinton Foundation. Federal law explicitly designates the secretary of state as responsible for the continuous supervision and general direction of sales of arms, and early in her term, the State Department called one arms deal a top priority for Clinton. The email exchange about Bahrain shows the Clinton Foundations top executive Doug Band in 2009 asking Clintons State Department aide Huma Abedin to set up a meeting between Clinton and Crown Prince Salman, who had recently been named the deputy supreme commander of Bahrains armed forces. Band referred to Salman as a good friend of ours. [snip] Salman has directed $32 million to a Clinton Foundation program, and the Kingdom of Bahrain has donated up to $100,000 more. As Bahrain money flowed into the Clinton Foundation, State Department documents showed that between 2010 and 2012 the Clinton-led State Department approved $630 million worth of direct commercial arms sales to Salmans military forces in Bahrain. That was a 187 percent increase from the period 2006 to 2008, and the increase came as Bahrain was violently suppressing uprisings.

3.) Arms Sales to Other Clinton Foundation contributors

Arms deals:

Under Clinton's leadership, the State Department approved $165 billion worth of commercial arms sales to 20 nations whose governments have given money to the Clinton Foundation [snip] The Clinton-led State Department also authorized $151 billion of separate Pentagon-brokered deals for 16 of the countries that donated to the Clinton Foundation. [snip] These extra sales were part of a broad increase in American military exports that accompanied Obamas arrival in the White House. The 143 percent increase in U.S. arms sales to Clinton Foundation donors compares to an 80 percent increase in such sales to all countries over the same time period. American defense contractors also donated to the Clinton Foundation while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state and in some cases made personal payments to Bill Clinton for speaking engagements. [snip] The State Department formally approved these arms sales even as many of the deals enhanced the military power of countries ruled by authoritarian regimes whose human rights abuses had been criticized by the department. Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar all donated to the Clinton Foundation and also gained State Department clearance to buy caches of American-made weapons even as the department singled them out for a range of alleged ills, from corruption to restrictions on civil liberties to violent crackdowns against political opponents.

4.) Sale of U.S. uranium assets to Russia and helping Abu Dhabi

Townhall reports:

When the Russian Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation wanted to buy the Canadian-based Uranium One, in which they would end up closer to controlling most of the worlds uranium supply, the Committee on Foreign Investment, of which Clinton is part of, had to approve the sale, given the national security questions involved; the company had mining states in the Western part of the United States. The Russian takeover took place between 2009-2013, in which the chairman of Uranium One, through his own family foundation, gave the Clinton charity four donations amounting to $2.35 million. At the time, these donations were not disclosed. After the Russians made their intentions known concerning assuming control of Uranium One, Bill Clinton gave a speech for $500,000 from a bank that was connected to the pending agreements -- they were selling the companys stock options. In the end, the deal was approved. In December of 2015, the Wall Street Journal reported that Bill Clinton had been given millions from two dozen companies and organizations that had matters before Mrs. Clintons State Department while she served as our top diplomat, some of his paid speeches, like his two trips to the United Arab Emirates, were arranged by the State. He collected $1 million for those appearances. In Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates wanted a facility to pre-clear travelers prior to entry into the United States. By 2011, a letter of intent was signed, and Bill Clinton gave a 20-minute talk on climate change in the country for a fee of $500,000, added the Journal. In December 2012, Bill asked for authorization to give another $500,000 speech on the importance of tourism in Abu Dhabi -- one week after the speech, the U.S. and Abu Dhabi agreed on a screening facility for Etihad Airways.

There are more examples that have been documented, but these alone show a pattern and practice, and theres no doubt that many of the emails tardily produced or erased would provide even more damning information. Indeed, we learned this week that Hillary used software called BleachBit to erase emails from her private server, a software that helps users delete files in a way to prevent recovery and hide traces of files deleted.

Im sure even as credulous an observer as Marcus would have to concede that this seems rather extreme for emails which Hillary claimed were just about yoga and wedding plans.

But Marcus delicate skirting of the facts made me curious to see how she treated the case of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, and I hope you wont be too shocked to find out she took an entirely more censorious view of matters that pale to insignificance compared to the Clintons.

McDonnell, as you may recall, was charged with and convicted of violating 18 U.S. C. Sec. 201(a)(3) committing an official act in exchange for loans or gifts. The government was unable to show that he had made any decision or taken any official action or agreed to do so on behalf of his donor. On review the Supreme Court of the United states unanimously reversed and remanded the case to the lower court to issue the proper limiting instruction to a jury should the government reinstitute the case. Lynchs Department has spent a month trying to see if they can come up with anything, and so far has not -- just this week seeking an extension to September 19 as they consider what they have.

But in contrast to closing a blind eye to Hillarys misdeeds and justifying them as merely obliging donors with face to face meetings, heres what she wrote about McDonnell:

McDonnell denounced prosecutors misguided legal theory . . . that facilitating an introduction or meeting, appearing at a reception or expressing support for a Virginia business is a serious federal crime if it involves a political donor or someone who gave a gift. If so, McDonnell continued, then nearly every elected official, from President Obama on down, would have to be charged with providing tangible benefits to donors. McDonnells lawyers were even sharper, filing court papers replete with smarmy suggestions of partisan bias. It has been a long time since the Roman Emperor Caligula imprisoned people for violating laws written in tiny lettering on a pillar Spare me. Even Caligula would have understood that the McDonnells conduct was wrong. If they needed reading glasses to understand that, it reflects their moral obtuseness, not the laws ambiguity. [snip] Theres a legitimate worry, one I share, about the criminalization of politics. The McDonnell indictment is not an example.

She went so far as to claim that McDonnell was unfit for office.

As astonishing is the governors technocratic defense: that he is complying with the letter of Virginia disclosure rules, which do not require reporting of gifts to family members. To, after the fact, impose some new requirements on an official, McDonnell told a Norfolk radio show, obviously wouldnt be fair. But gifts and entanglements like these are simply wrong, a violation of the governors duty to citizens, whatever the rules. That McDonnell doesnt get this basic point makes him unfit for office. Obviously.

Maybe Im being unkind and unfair in exposing Ms. Marcus as a partisan hypocrite. Perhaps there are two oped writers at the Washington Post who just happen to share the same name.
Americans are faced with a difficult and ugly choice in the coming election. Never in American history have there been two more unpopular candidates for president. For a year Donald Trump offended just about everyone, one way or another, but somehow managed to beat sixteen other conventionally more qualified candidates to become the Republican nominee.

What explains his victory? His rage against the tyranny of the DC establishment, left and right, that resonated with many millions of people who are fed up with the blight upon free speech that is political correctness. They are fed up with Obama's eight years of flooding the nation with illegal immigrants and refugees with questionable loyalties. They are fed up with the billions of taxpayer dollars that go to subsidize those people. They are fed up with Obama's "leadership from behind" that has put the country in grave danger - from Iran, from ISIS, from Russia, China, from home-grown terrorists, from a stagnant, over-regulated economy. A community activist does not a president make. And like Obama, Hillary is a woman who wants power in order to reorder American culture according to the theories of Cloward, Piven and Saul Alinsky that she has long embraced. Like Obama, she has no love or respect for the Constitution. If elected she will finalize its shredding.

But while Trump is an unlikely, often unpleasant, and shockingly uninformed candidate who infuriates Republicans, Hillary is, and has always been a pathological liar, a woman who got where she is by grasping for dear life onto her husband's coattails. She has no accomplishments in the political realm, no record of achievements or successes. Her attempt at overhauling healthcare during her husband's presidency failed due to her incompetence. Her years as a senator yielded nothing. Her years as Secretary of State were disastrous at every turn. The books written about her by people who know her mostly do not paint a pretty picture. She is an arrogant, invidious woman who sees herself as above the law and superior to all of us outside of her rarefied world of fabulous ill-gotten wealth and privilege. She oversaw the harassment of the women her husband abused. It was she and her sycophants who used her position at State to enrich themselves; they literally sold access to American favor for personal gain. The crimes of the Clinton Foundation are barely known, but they began by the Clintons stiffing Haiti after that devastating earthquake and using the tragedy to financially benefit themselves and their friends.

All of which brings us to today. Trump called Hillary a bigot and the media are in a dither. She is a bigot and anti-Semitic as well. African Americans, Latinos, LGBT's are just voting blocks to be pandered to and pander she does. Hillary released an ad egregiously pathetic and desperate linking Trump to the KKK! Which one of them stooped the lowest? Hillary, to be sure. Trump may be the most undisciplined, exasperating candidate ever to run for President but Hillary is the most execrable. Her schemes to operate under the radar of the government for which she worked were positively Machiavellian. The lengths to which she went to conceal her crimes are evidence of her malfeasant intent.

So voters must choose between these two massively flawed people. With Clinton we will get a doubling-down of all Obama policies: increased taxation, increased regulation of everything, especially businesses, the complete destruction of health care, continuing economic stagnation, more class stratification, increased racial discord, more crime, less law enforcement, much more illegal immigration and importation of refugees and an ideological Supreme Court that will barely even glance at the Constitution.

With Trump there is a chance of a Constitutional SCOTUS, a possibility of reduced illegal immigration, the possibility of reduced taxation, the possibility of a stimulated economy and jobs for some of the 95 millions people now out of work. A vote for Trump may crack the leftist oppression that is political correctness and revive reverence for the First Amendment. A vote for Trump may save the Second Amendment. A vote for Trump may save our Vets from killing themselves in despair over their lack of medical care. A vote for Trump may find a way to replace the utter failure that is Obamacare with something affordable, accessible and workable. A vote for Trump may turn around the sad state of our decimated cites like Detroit, Baltimore, Chicago, etc., those cities that have been run into the ground by democrat pols for decades.

If Hillary is elected, we can be certain of the path she will choose, one that will continue to inch toward totalitarianism. It will be terribly depressing because we will know what is coming. If Trump is elected, it will be a spin of the wheel but at least the possibility of a national turnaround will be there. We will be able to hope for a revived Constitutional Republic that is of, by and for the People. Which rough beast will be slouching toward the Oval Office after the election? Sadly, there is only one choice; the one with possibilities rather than dead certainties.
For the next president of the United States, it is important to take account of two pressing issues: the continuing war in Afghanistan and the political and strategic intentions of Russian president Vladimir Putin.

At a moment when there is controversy over American policy in Afghanistan, where 3,500 troops have been killed, it is useful for the president to be given a timely warning of the consequences of incursion into the graveyard of empires. A moving and sad account of the predicament of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in 1979-1988 is provided in the book The Hidden War, by the courageous Russian journalist, Artyom Borovik. Though young, he was a major figure in investigatory journalism in Russia before his untimely death in an airplane crash in March 2000  a death that may not have been accidental.

Borovik writes of a war of aggression in a rugged country, badly led, fought without a clear strategy and with self-deception of Russian leaders. He tells of the feelings and the stories of soldiers, their commanders, the deserters, the suicides, the pain and suffering and the sagging morale of the troops, the brutality to each other, the bribery, profiteering, and corruption, the use of drugs and hashish, and the postwar traumatic stress.

It was a war that, in Borovik's view, produced nothing. Few knew what they were fighting for. More than 14,500 Russians were killed, and more than a million civilians lost their lives. It was the Soviet Union at its twilight, nine years of wasted effort and resources.

Why was the war fought? Various answers have been given, some tracing it back to events of 1956, 1968, and 1978. Borovik carefully refuses to give a definitive answer, though he points out that Leonid Brezhnev was, because of his physical condition and perhaps alcoholism, incapable of making decisions.

Because of its critical appraisal of Soviet behavior, Borovik's book could not be published before glasnost (openness) challenged political power. The Writer's Union of the Soviet Union refused to admit him to membership, and the book appeared only in 1990, the year of his death.

Not coincidentally, perestroika (reformation within the Communist Party) started in 1985, the year the Afghan war reached its peak. The Soviet Union was dissolved in 1991. For the West, the concern now is whether some counterpart of it may reappear, and the present crucial factor connected to it is Vladimir Putin.

Putin's 's political agenda remains an enigma, but his personality and behavior have been well examined. A product of the infamous KGB and the secret police milieu in which he participated, Putin in his improbable ascent to power has removed all obstacles and stifled all opposition, physically and literally.

He has created a regime run by a small elite and a system in which ethnic minorities are subordinated. Inherent in it is a policy of assassinations, rigging of elections, breaking treaties, and seizure of Abkhazia and south Ossetia, Crimea, and east Ukraine.

In a merciless, and somewhat exaggerated, book, The Man without a Face, Masha Gessen has written of Putin as a gangster, a vulgar, cruel, emotionless figure who imprisoned opponents and is guilty of or involved in murder of critics, including Alexander Litvinenko in London and Anna Politkovskaya, Sergei Magnitsky, and Boris Nemtsov in Moscow. Gesse also accuses Putin of amassing personal wealth, almost a kleptomaniac, greedily involved in embezzling state funds as the godfather of a "Mafia clan" ruling the country.

Whatever the truth of these personal accusations, Putin strengthened both his own position and central power in Russia. He falsified election results in December 2011, an action that led to a large demonstration in Moscow, and he is the automatic victor of the presidential election to be held in September 2018. He has noticeably relied heavily on an inner circle, many related to the former KBG, now the FSB. In a surprising action, in August 2016 he replaced his longtime aide, his chief of staff Sergei Ivanov, a former KGB agent, with his deputy Anton Vaino. None of those aides appears to have any political clout or identity.

Putin has used Parliament to increase penalties for social media users who are critical of Russian policy in Ukraine and to control freedom of expression in the media and elsewhere, conscience, and right to privacy.

During the years of the Soviet Union, most religious schools and mosques were closed. A small number were allowed to exist under the control of state-appointed imams, and some councils in some areas adhered to sharia law. After the end of the Soviet Union, mosques reopened, but the Chechen wars of 1994-1996 and 1999-2002 with their Muslim extremists caused problems. In addition to those wars, Putin was forced to deploy troops in Daghestan against the militant Shariat Jameat, the Salafist preachers, and the Muslim extremists who had invaded from Chechnya.

The American president should take note: Putin is well aware of radical Islam. A considerable number of Muslims from that Daghestan area have gone to fight for ISIS in Syria. Putin response was swift: "we cannot let them use the experience they have gained in Syria back home."

The U.S. president will also be concerned with the real intentions of Putin. At present, they seem to be ambiguous: is he to be regarded as an Eurasianist or an Atlanticist? Are there two Putins? One is seen as the heroic patriot, the savior of Russia during the second Chechen campaign, the liberator of Ossetia and Abkhazia, and hero of Crimea. The other may be inclined to some aspects of liberalism and to compromises with the West. If not mysterious, Putin is an unpredictable ruler, pursuing if not equally both points of view. What is noticeable today is that the summit meetings in August 2016 with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian president Hassan Rohani indicate Putin's interest in creating alliances or at a minimum establishing friendships with those regimes and Eurasians.

In his policy, Putin may have been influenced by an academic, Alexander Dugin, a Russian political scientist and sociologist, prolific writer, and adherent of the Old Believers, a Christian sect, and often regarded as both a neo-Stalinist and a neo-Fascist. He seems to be close to the Kremlin and is said to be an intellectual force behind Putin's annexation activities. Dugin is an extremist; a believer in the restoration of the Russian Empire, starting with control of the former Soviet republics, Georgia, and Ukraine; and an advocate of a Turkic-Slavic alliance, especially with Iran.

Dugin has advocated Eurasianist ideology, with the accompanying view that the threats to Russia are Atlanticism, the control of the U.S., and liberal values. Whether Putin followed his advice or not, Putin did create the Eurasian Economic Community with Kazakhstan and Belarus that came in force on January 1, 2015.

Dugin was fired last year from his post as sociologist at Moscow State University. Will this mean a change in Putin's policy?
The Austrian government erupted against German Chancellor Angelea Merkel and her "open arms" policy toward migrants, saying that Austria had become Germany's "waiting room" as tens of thousands of refugees streamed across its border.

Daily Express:

Hans Peter Doskizil claims the beleaguered German chancellor's "welcoming" stance on refugees fleeing the Middle East is creating a new "attraction factor" for those hoping to relocate to Europe.

Mrs Merkel's open door policy was persuading thousands of migrants to try and cross Austria in the belief they will be welcomed in Germany, he said.

But he accused EU superpowers of burying their head in the sand and called for a "summit on deportation".

In an interview with Austria's Krone newspaper, Mr Doskozil said: "It is a mystery to me why the right lessons have not been learned from the events of 2015."

As many as 1.5 million refugees entered Germany last year, carried in on a wave of euphoria by residents holding "Refugees Welcome" banners as the they arrived in the country.

But the public mood has shifted drastically since then, after events such as the mass sex attacks in Cologne on New Year's Eve and a Syrian migrant blowing himself up at a music festival near Ansbach.

Optimism has been replaced by suspicion and anger, with regular reports of arson attacks on refugee shelters and a new wave of Neo-Nazism spreading across the nation.

Mrs Merkel, who has repeatedly addressed the crisis with the mantra "we can do it", has seen her popularity nose-dive in the polls.

The anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to make a strong showing at next months state elections, while a YouGov poll this month found 66 per cent of German's disagreed with the chancellor's boast.
Barack Obama used to introduce himself as a "community organizer." Armed with presidential power, he has undoubtedly and aggressively promoted his favored groups, but his "transformational" endeavors were aimed at his cultural and societal pet hates.

On domestic grounds, veterans become the targeted population from the git-go.

Operation PTSD kicked in, stipulating that combat makes everyone somewhat impaired to justify yanking weapons from the most deserving hands of "potentially deranged" potential dissidents.

We barely had time to say "Whiskey, Tango, Feinstein" before Barack Hood and the Merry Men started "sharing the wealth" of our homeless veterans, overturning the decisions of the court and making sure that the rich and the powerful enjoy property inherited exclusively by our shelterless and wounded heroes.

While the commander-in-chief emoted on "great diversity and racial equality," our veterans did face homelessness with "equal opportunity"  the young and the elderly eating from garbage cans, women and men exposed to hate crimes, the traumatized and disabled fined by police for sleeping in "public space." Black, white, Native American warriors united in suffering, scattered on the mean streets.

"U.N. torture experts" have constantly worried about conditions in Guantanamo. In his "Remarks on Plan to Close the Prison at Guantanamo Bay" (February 23, 2016), Obama announced that "keeping this facility open is contrary to our values." According to whose values and conforming to what international agreement on POWs human rights is it O.K. to turn American veterans into a "vulnerable population" living in settings worse than a prisoners' camp?

Questionably "honorable" VA secretary McDonald joined the veterans' Community Disorganizers Club on July 7, 2014. With the American military elite already "improved" by Obamas administration, the VA had its "purge," too  but these were whistleblowers, not the bad workers who were to suffer the most. Elegantly fired from Proctor & Gamble, the VA secretary showed a rare talent for blowing billions and simultaneously making the worst of departments even worse. Not only do the ex-soldiers enjoy lethally long waiting lists for care, but recently our elderly veterans have been offered handcuffs by the VA police because they won't stop to cherish the American flag...and because they will never abandon a homeless brother...

While the American Legion is hosting its 98th lavish National Convention, with Hillary Clinton and Robert McDonald as guests, on Wednesday, August 31, the veteran community has been struck with "yet another" unglamorous tragedy: our "yet another" 76-year-old veteran shot himself on August 21 after being denied care.

Hello, American Legion! On behalf of those who grieve, I demand that you find time during festivities for a minute not of silence, but of wrath over the ongoing veterancide and harassment. Veterans' lives matter, don't they?

In America, an "ideology "tried to "kill the Indian" and "save the child"...and yet another one attempted to "transform" the veterans' community. Well, some people will tell you what they think about it in Dine bizaad, some in Lakhotiya, and some in veteran: America still speaks Warrior.
The hack of documents from George Soross Open Society Institute nonprofits have revealed how powerful George Soros really is. Powerful enough to call the shots on US policy toward a sovereign nation. Powerful enough that a virtual news blackout made certain that only readers of conservative media would find out about the puppet masters machinations.

And now the fate of the documents hacked reveals genuine clout: Peter Hasson of the Daily Caller reports:

DCLeaks, a website that releases information on powerful political figures, has had part of its website taken offline after releasing a cache of documents on billionaire donor George Soros. The @DCLeaks Twitter account has also been suspended from Twitter for reasons unknown. The website had previously released 2,500 internal Open Society Foundation (OSF) documents in order to shed light on one of the most influential networks operating worldwide. OSF is one of Soros networks of organizations. The leaked documents had resulted in several damaging reports about the organization. OSF had previously confirmed that the documents were legitimate. Before the website went offline, an OSF spokesperson had called the leaks a symptom of an aggressive assault on civil society and human rights activists that is taking place globally in a statement released to The Daily Caller.

I appears that this was not a hack, but rather the website voluntarily taking down the documents. Which means that some sort of pressure was exerted, in all likelihood. Lawsuits? The threat of some other sort of retaliation?

Who knows?

What we do know is that Soros got his way where others have failed to do so.
The Obama administration's war on for profit colleges claimed another casualty as ITT Educational Services has been banned from accepting any new students who receive federal financial aid.

The ban is a death sentence for the college.

ABC News:

Department officials announced the action on Thursday amid a series of measures that could threaten the survival of the chain, which has been the subject of state and federal investigations focusing on its recruiting and accounting practices. Company officials did not immediately comment. Among the measures, ITT has been ordered to pay $152 million to the department within 30 days to cover student refunds and other liabilities in case the company closes. The chain, based in Indiana, is still paying another $44 million demanded by the department in June for the same reason. The education department also has prohibited ITT from awarding its executives any pay raises or bonuses, and it must develop "teach-out" plans that would help current students finish their programs at other colleges if the chain shuts down. Under the new measures, current students can continue receiving federal grants and loans. Education Secretary John King said the government is taking action to protect students and taxpayers following "troubling" findings about the company. This month, a group that accredits ITT found that the chain failed to meet several basic standards and was unlikely to comply in the future. "It simply would not be responsible or in the best interest of students to allow ITT to continue enrolling new students who rely on federal financial aid," King said during a telephone conference with reporters. If it fails to follow the government's demands, ITT could be cut off entirely from federal aid, the top source of revenue for most for-profit colleges. ITT operates vocational schools at more than 130 campuses in 38 states, often under the ITT Technical Institute name. Last year, it enrolled 45,000 students and reported $850 million in revenue. One of the biggest for-profit chains in the nation, ITT has been under increasing scrutiny from the education department following allegations of misconduct.

How much of a villian is ITT and other for profit colleges? Overselling benefits at for profit colleges is one of the main complaints against them. And over promising employment opportunities after graduation is another sticking point with the Education Department.

There is also the charge that many of these schools exist simply to milk the government of cash in the form of student loans.

But despite all this, hundreds of thousands of students have gotten opportunities for good jobs because of their education at schools like ITT. No doubt there are schools that are little better than scams. But the administration has gone to war against all for profit colleges, largely at the behest of 4 year universities who view them as stealing potential students.

College is not for everyone, and that holds true whether it's a trade school, a technical school, or a four year university. Until people like Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton accept that basic truism, we will continue pouring tens of billions of dollars into loan programs for students, saddling them with debt for decades, and setting them up for failure.

Thomas Lifson adds: There is one for-profit institution of higher learning that is totally virtuous in the eyes of the Clintons. Laureate, which claims to be the world's largest network of for profit schools, has paid $16.5 million directly to the Clinton family coffers, in addition to donations to the slush fund foundation.

Now it will face less competition from ITT Tech.
The fracas in France over suitable swimwear is nothing new. It wasn't too long ago (1919) that some twenty special deputies called "sheriffettes" were selected to monitor the swimwear of the bathers at Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York. The concern was that public morals would be corrupted by the exposure of too much flesh.

The standard Victorian bathing dress was designed for full coverage of the female form, and men and women bathed in the sea separately. Women, including Queen Victoria, were provided bathing machines, small wooden changing chambers on wheels. The cubicles were then drawn out to sea after the women changed into suitable bathing attire.

The concern was modesty  the more coverage, the more modesty. A lot of time, thought, and effort were put into opposition to the trend that eventually resulted in today's bikini, a garment that would have offended Victorian sensibilities even if it were worn as underwear. The swimwear battle was hottest during the early twentieth century, but as one decade after another passed, the bikini eventually triumphed. The near nudity permitted by the tiny attire became acceptable, mostly due to the sexual revolution fostered by secular progressivism.

It appears that in secular France, the battle over swimwear is indicative of a complete reversal of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century mores. Evidently, to be a good, upstanding female citizen of today's France, one must wear a bikini, as more modest coverage is an assault on secularist sensibilities and sexual mores. The attempt to force secular sexual mores on all women has resulted in the ridiculous sight of French policemen forcibly removing a Muslim woman's bathing attire, stripping her in public against her will.

French civil authorities used to demand that female bathers put on more clothes. Now they demand that fully covered women swimmers take their clothes off. Mon dieu!

The French have often been accused of frivolity and lack of seriousness. Of course the stereotype is sweeping, but could anything appear more quixotic and injurious to the reputation of France than the sight of policemen taking clothes off women on the beach?

The farcical play acted out on the beach exhibited a frivolity that comes from focusing on externals, not on core issues facing France and its large minority of Muslim citizens. The fact is that by concentrating on the burkini, an admittedly hideous; cumbersome; and, yes, even oppressive garment, French authorities are not dealing with the very real threat of Islamism in a serious manner.

The core issue does not involve burkinis. It centers on the doctrines of Islamism, especially the doctrine that infidels such as secularist and Christian and Jewish Frenchmen and women are infidels who should be killed.

French authorities went about the confrontation in entirely the wrong way, concentrating on externals rather than on the doctrines of Islamists behind the deaths of so many. The burkini is not the heart issue  after all, just what is the rationale behind the declaration that women must wear Western swimwear such as bikinis, which, for some at least, also make a negative announcement about the status of women? What is the point of making women reveal their bodies if their beliefs do not permit it?

It almost hurts to repeat the obvious: the belief that infidels should die and that one should act on that belief by murdering infidels  that is the real issue.

Has not France experienced enough carnage wrought by Islamists to know what the real problem is? Are the Charlie Hebdo incident, the slaughter of innocents during Bastille Day celebrations, and the beheading of Father Jacques Hamel not indicators that France's core problems concerning Muslims will not be solved by the Battle of the Burkini vs. the Bikini?

Symbolism, especially humiliating symbolism, is a hallmark of secularist progressivism. Banning certain items of clothing and forcing the donning of Western apparel is nothing new. It was Kemal Ataturk who banned the fez, which itself had been introduced a hundred or so years earlier as a modernizing reform to replace the turban. Ataturk banned the hat because it represented nationalists who wished a return to the Ottoman Empire. Ataturk himself wished to ally Turkey with the West, not attach policies to restoration of the Ottoman Empire.

Peter the Great, in his desire to secularize Russian, went on an anti-beard campaign aimed at ridding Russia of the power of the boyars. He himself decided to remove beards forcibly and, in 1698, shaved the commander in chief of the army as well as the beards of Russian noblemen.

Germane to the discussion of burkinis vs. bikinis is the fact that for the Russian Orthodox Church, the beard had religious significance. As Ursula Kampmann points out in her article "Peter the Great as his nation's barber":

All the other big wigs in politics had to live with the fact that they had committed a big sin according to the Orthodox Church. Ivan the Terrible had worded: 'Shaving the beard is a sin the blood of all martyrs will not wash away. It would mean blemishing the image of man as God had created him.' Patriarch Adrian had verbalized only recently: 'God created man beardless, only dogs and cats have beards. Shaving is not just a stupid thing to do, it is a capital sin.' Hence, all people living in close contact with the Tsar were forced to renounce their faith in favour of the so-called progress. At first, the shaving skills of the Tsar were restricted to those living closest to him. But shortly afterwards, Peter gave the order for the ordinary people to follow the example of the big wigs. The Tsar imposed a prohibition for every inhabitant of his country to wear a beard. Exceptions were made only for churchmen and peasants. Officials were sent out to supervise the ukase's implementation and to personally shave anybody refusing to obey on the spot.

Those who wished to keep their beards could do so by paying a beard tax. After paying, the bearded one was given a token he'd paid to keep his beard. Kampmann notes:

Those tokens have come down to us in several examples (fig. 2) and remind us of a time when a governing politician was still under the impression that he could control the progress of his country with the garment of his citizens.

Therein lies the core issue concerning the burkini vs. bikini debate. True conversion lies not in outward appearances, but in a renewed spirit: rend your hearts, not your garments.

Outward changes like donning a bikini as acceptance of secularist sexual mores do not create change of the heart, nor do they do anything other than distract from the core issues at hand. Banning the burkini will not forcibly convert Muslims to secular progressivism any more than Peter the Great's secularist, anti-beard reforms rid Russia of its Orthodox Christian roots. Ataturk may have prohibited the fez, but the banning of a hat did not do much to quell those who still have a ferocious belief in a return of the caliphate, as the chaos in the Middle East and Turkey itself reveals.

The real solution must begin with dealing forcefully with the violent Islamists whose slogan "Allahu akbar" has always presaged a bloodbath that makes the burkini controversy recede into nothingness.

The resistance to a cult promoting death and violence must also be accompanied by the fostering of a weltanschauung presenting a strong and reasonable alternative to zealotry demanding the death of the opposition.

Fay Voshell is a frequent contributor to American Thinker. Her thoughts have appeared in multiple online venues, including RealClearReligion, National Review, CNS, and Fox News. She may be reached at fvoshell@yahoo.com.
On August 19, 2016, Douglas Ernst, of The Washington Times, reported that William Bennett, former secretary of education and author of the Virtues books, declared that holier-than-thou so-called Republicans and conservatives should put the interests of our country above their "vanity" and "moral superiority." Bennett said: "Donald Trumpdoes not need to speak to the 'Never Trumpers,' some of my friends  or maybe former friends  who suffer from a terrible case of moral superiority and put their own vanity and taste above the interest of the country,"

There are many articles and comments here at American Thinker and other websites setting forth the reasons why we should vote for Trump to defeat Hillary. A brief summary of the reasons is that Hillary is a lying crook who will be the third term of Obama. Obamacare will be here to stay, and a Hillary Supreme Court will weaken the Second Amendment by upholding state and local laws on owning and carrying firearms. The nanny state will grow with more regulations. There will be no wall on the southern border, and illegal immigration will continue. Further, Hillary will allow immigration of Syrian and other Middle Eastern "refugees" without proper vetting, which will increase terrorist attacks in our country.

Hillary's past misdeeds are too much to recount, such as Whitewater and covering up Bill's rape of Juanita Broaddrick and other sexual misconduct. Worse are the current email scandal, where she destroyed emails relating to her work as secretary of state, and her activities on behalf of the Clinton Foundation. But the absolute worst is her failure to provide the requested security at Benghazi and then compounding it by lying that the cause was a video. She lied to help Obama win the 2012 election and to maintain her political viability. And now she runs an ad attacking Trump for saying that Mrs. Khan had nothing to say while Mr. Khan attacked Trump at the Democrat convention. Hillary has no shame and no conscience, and she will do and say anything to make money and get power.

The NeverTrumpers act, as Bennett said, from "moral superiority." They say it is only a choice of the lesser evil, and they cannot vote for evil. This is complete nonsense. There is nothing evil about Trump. You may not like some of his words and statements, but there is nothing evil about his conduct. Covering up a rape, using the office of secretary of state to make money, destroying the email evidence and lying about it, and lying to the mother of Sean Smith are evil. There is no moral equivalence between the conduct of Hillary and the words of Trump.

The NeverTrumpers do not act from "moral superiority" because there are not legitimate facts to support a claim that the choice between Hillary and Trump is a choice between two evils.

As Bennett says, if you care about the best interests and welfare of our country, then you have to vote for Trump to defeat Hillary. It is common sense based on the facts.

If the sole factor, then, is to vote for the best interest of the country, then Jeb, Kasich, Cruz, Rand Paul, and Carly Fiorina should honor their pledge to support the nominee. They should announce that regardless of words said during the primaries, they are voting for Trump, and further that they will campaign for Trump, and urge their supporters to vote for Trlump. This is especially important in Ohio, where Kasich is a popular governor and his support would help. Such an act would show that they are statesmen concerned about the country, and not their bruised egos.

As for the professional pundits like George Will and National Review, if they are so opposed to Trump, then they should be honest and tell us how a Hillary presidency would be better. They are having fun poking criticisms at Trump's statements but seem to ignore the actual deeds of Hillary.

If Trump is so bad, then explain how Hillary would be better.
During the primary reason, Mr. Trump was often attacked by the others on the stage for having contributed to Democrats over the years. We remember Senator Cruz for this:

Donald Trump has consistently financed the campaigns of some of the most liberal politicians in the country[.] ... California is perhaps one of the more egregious examples. From supporting high taxes and heavy regulation to amnesty and sanctuary cities, the top three officials in California have been a disaster for the state. A number of qualified Republican candidates ran to fix Californias problems, but Trump decided to back liberal Democrats against them.

I am not trying to fight the primary all over again. I am simply demonstrating the hypocrisy of those Democrats who have suddenly discovered that Mr. Trump is a racist.

The Clinton Foundation received at least $105,000 from Trump  money not returned!

Trump may have funded Planned Parenthood, too, although we won't know for sure until tax returns are released.

And he gave to other Democrats, as Rolling Stone wrote last spring:

An examination of Trump's donations since 1998 reveals that the bulk of Trump's political largesse has gone to politicians in places where he does business  like Florida, where he long supported disgraced politico Mark Foley; Nevada, where he's given $9,400 to Democratic Sen. Harry Reid over the years; and of course New York, where notables like Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand and Anthony Weiner have all received Trump dough.

Again, I understand Trump's logic here. He was donating to people in places where he did business. Nothing shocking about that.

My problem is that none of these Democrats has returned the money, especially now that the Clinton campaign is targeting Trump for racism, sexism, and whatever other "ism" is out there.

Someone, especially Mrs. Clinton or President Obama, should call on Democrats to return and disassociate themselves from any Trump money.

As I said, no one called him a racist when he contributed to Democrats. It proves once again that the word "racist" these days has nothing to do with race.

Calling someone a racist in our political landscape means two things:

1) He is a GOP candidate.

2) And more importantly, the Democrat using the word "racist" does not want to talk about serious issues, such as black unemployment (8.4%), Democrat leaders sending their kids to private schools or the state of the very weak U.S. economy (GDP 1.1%).

Memo to Democrats: return Trump's money, or we will continue to call hypocrisy!

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
How confusing is the fighting in the Syrian civil war? Turkey launched an offensive last week to clear Islamic State fighters from its border region. A combination of Turkish soldiers and Arab rebels fighting President Assad have largely accomplished that task.

Turkey's offensive also has another goal; battle the Kurdish militia YPG to keep them from linking up with other Kurdish units along the border which would form an autonomous Kurdish stronghold. In this fight, Turkey has enlisted the aid of rebel groups in Syria they and the US has been supplying.

But American special forces are embedded with the YPG. Turkey sees the militia as a terrorist group and it's problematic whether Turkey will be able to fight the YPG without Americans becoming unintentional casualties.

What a mess.

Wall Street Journal:

The clashes underscore the complexity of the U.S.-led international coalition campaign to reverse Islamic States territorial hold in Syria and the dangers faced in that mission. American special operations forces are embedded with the YPG and earlier this month helped them oust Islamic State from the town of Manbij, less than 20 miles from Saturdays hostilities. In general, those U.S. special operations forces have close contact with their Turkish counterparts, and they rely on Turkey for their rear supply lines, according to people familiar with the situation. The U.S. also supports the Turkish-led campaign launched last week aimed at clearing Jarablus of Islamic State positions and mop up any fighters that escaped Manbij, approximately 20 miles further south from the Turkish border. Turkish officials have said the timing of Operation Euphrates Shield was related to the fact that the YPG had broken a promise given to the Americans and Turks that the groups units would withdraw from Manbij once it was liberated from Islamic State and allow local Arab-majority inhabitants to control the area. Instead of retreating to the east side of the Euphrates River outside Manbij, YPG in recent weeks has moved to expand westward in a new land grab, according to U.S. and Turkish officials. Turkey considers the YPG to be a terrorist group and has a declared national security objective to prevent the YPG from linking up its disparate territorial holdings in Syria into a larger autonomous region. Turkey sees the YPG as an armed affiliate of its own domestic Kurdish militant group known as Kurdistan Workers Party, which has been fighting Turkish security forces for decades with the aim of achieving its own autonomous ethnic state. Turkey wants to install the friendly Arab rebels fighting in its current operation along the Manbij-Jarablus corridor as a buffer against Kurdish groups.

The mish mash of alliances in this civil war has made progress against President Assad's forces slow. Radical Islamist militias can form a temporary alliance with a more secular group like the Free Syrian Army and a few days later, the two sides are at each other's throats again.

This latest push by Turkey threatens to further split the rebels. The YPG has been one of the most reliable fighting forces in the war whether they are battling ISIS or Assad's army. Turkey's bid to weaken them is counterproductive to the effort in Syria but they see it as a necessity to ensure their own security.

If Obama remains true to form, he will order the pullout of our special forces from their positions with the YPG and allow the Kurds and Turkish military to fight it out among themselves.
bFrom the archives of Amusing Planet.

The Island Of The Dolls (Isla de las Munecas), located in the vast network of canals that lies to the south of Mexico City, near Xochimilco is one of the creepiest tourist attraction in Mexico. Here, among the branches and dead trees hang hundreds of old, mutilated dolls.

China is well known for fakery of all kinds, be it consumer electronics, clothing, pharmaceuticals, DVDs, food and everything in between. And there is particularly one type of fakery that is actually thriving in business with a market that spreads from New York to Tokyo  Art.

Dafen is a small village in the suburb of Buji, in Longgang District of Shenzhen whose sole purpose is to mass produce replicas of western art to be sold to shops, restaurants, hotels, galleries, and tasteless consumers across the world. The village boasts over 5,000 artists working in 600+ galleries who churn out over 5 million paintings each year.

Monowi is a village in Nebraska, United States, whose only remaining resident is a 77-year old woman named Elsie Eiler. Eiler lives in a mobile home a half-block from the only business left in Monowi, a dark, wood-paneled tavern, thick with smoke which Eiler runs. She also runs the town library, a tiny building jammed with 5,000 books left behind by her late husband who was a devoted reader. Elise is also the mayor of Monowi.

Ta Prohm is a temple at Angkor, Cambodia, built in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Located approximately one kilometer east of Angkor Thom and on the southern edge of the East Baray near Tonle Bati, Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found. Huge trees, reminiscent of ancient redwoods and oaks, are blended into the walls, and rocks hugging the giant roots gives the temple a surreal appearance. The photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors.

The story begins in 1879. Joseph-Ferdinand Cheval (1836 - 1924) , then 43 years old, had been working as a rural mail carrier in the southeast of France for 12 years. Because his daily routine involved walking about 20 miles (32km), mostly in solitude, he did a lot of daydreaming. One day he tripped over a small limestone rock. Astonished by its shape and form, he took the stone home. Soon he started to collect stones during his walks to deliver letters and brought them home in his pockets. Collecting stones became an addiction. When his wife became tired of mending his pockets, he changed the mode of transportation and took a basked with him, and later when the stones became bigger he took a wheelbarrow.

In Kalkar in 1972, construction was started on the SNR-300, the first fast breeder nuclear reactor in Germany. The reactor was designed to use plutonium as fuel and be cooled by sodium, and was to output 327 megawatts of energy. It was still a very new technology at the time, but the German government was determined to limit energy import and, as the uranium supply in Germany was limited, a breeder facility to use the limited resources efficiently was required.

At the corner of Rue de l'Etuve/Stoofstraat and Rue du Chene/Eikstraat in the heart of Brussels, is a famous landmark  the Manneken Pis. It is a small bronze statue of a naked little boy urinating into the fountain's basin. Although there are many similar and sculptures all around the world, thousands of tourists flock each day to take a photo of this particular one. Part of the reason why people visit this little figure so frequently is its enormous wardrobe of costumes.

The Stockholm subway system is said to be the longest art exhibition in the world - 110 kilometers in length. Traveling by subway is like traveling through an exciting story that extends from the artistic pioneers of the 1950s to the art experiments of today. Over 90 of the 100 subway stations in Stockholm have been decorated with sculptures, mosaics, paintings, installations, engravings and reliefs by over 150 artists. Its a part of a long tradition of public art for public transport.

Slauerhoffbrug also known as the 'Flying Drawbridge', is a fully automatic bascule bridge located in the city of Leeuwarden in Netherlands. The bridge uses two extending arms to actually lift a section of the road up and out of the way to let boats through underneath. The tail bridge can quickly and efficiently be raised and lowered from one pylon (instead of hinges). This quickly allows water traffic to pass while only briefly stalling road traffic. Pretty unusual design.

Unknown to many Cincinnatians, sprawling under their feet is a vast network of abandoned and derelict subway tunnels  in fact, the United States largest abandoned subway tunnel. Construction of the Cincinnati subway began sometime around 1917, however, just 11 days earlier the United States entered World War I and construction was halted. By 1925 construction slowed to a stop before even half of the proposed 16 mile line was completed. Seven miles between Cincinnati's central business district and the industrial suburb of Norwood were tunneled, bridged, or graded, but no track was laid and no subway cars were ordered. No passengers ever rode between the six stations that were built.
It was 1996 and Bob Baffert, then a relatively unknown trainer, made his first impact on the classic scene when he brought Santa Anita Derby winner Cavonnier to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby. No one knew much about this former Quarter-Horse trainer, except that he generally trained sprinters until Cavonnier came along and he had a quick, witty tongue and could entertain the media like no trainer they had ever encountered.



One morning, Baffert drove to the grandstand and watched Kentucky Derby favorite Unbridleds Song work a sharp six furlongs, reaching across the ground with those long, powerful strides. Baffert could tell right away that this big gray colt was something special. He knew he had a good horse in Cavonnier, but could only dream about having a horse the caliber of Unbridleds Song.



Driving back to his barn from the grandstand, Baffert stated emphatically, as only he could, what he would do to get a horse like Unbridleds Song.



Id swim across a river of gasoline with a torch up my (butt), he said.



Well, it has taken 20 years, but Baffert finally has swum across that river, and he did it without suffering even the slightest burn. He finally has found his Unbridleds Song; his big gray streak of lightning who could run a hole in the wind.



Unbridleds Song died three years ago, but he left Baffert and the racing world with perhaps his greatest legacy in his son Arrogate, who no doubt brought back memories for Baffert of that brilliant gray colt who was the talk of Louisville two decades ago and who Baffert longed to train.



Baffert was so enamored with Arrogate, he put him on a plane and sent him cross-country to face most of the top 3-year-olds in the country in the Travers Stakes, despite the colt being lightly raced with only four starts and never having even run in a stakes. What he did that day will go down in Saratoga and Travers lore as one of the most breathtaking performances ever witnessed at the historic track.



To add to the ironic turn of events, Arrogate was ridden in the Travers by Mike Smith, who was the regular rider for Unbridleds Song.



For Baffert, so much has happened in his life and career since 1996 hes probably never even made the connection to Unbridleds Song. But if you had heard him talk about the colt with the reverence he did and then heard him talk about the natural gifts that Arrogate possesses, you couldnt help but link father and son.



The reason Baffert was so close to Unbridleds Song was that he was stabled in the same barn with the Derby favorite and was able to observe him closely every day. He would scrutinize his every move as he walked past Bafferts end of the barn.



That is how it came about that Baffert said to me in private one morning, You know, Unbridleds Song is wearing a bar shoe.



That, of course, sent up a warning flare. The colt had demonstrated his brilliance, winning the Breeders Cup Juvenile and blowing his field away in the Florida Derby, earning a whopping 114 Beyer speed figure Following his victory in the Wood Memorial, a rumor began to circulate that Unbridleds Song had come out of the race with a bruised foot, but nothing ever came of it, and the colt went about his daily training with no problems.



After a bit of prodding, Unbridleds Songs trainer Jim Ryerson explained that colt had injured his foot in the Wood Memorial. He believed he had hit something and taken out a chunk of the bulb of his heel. His groom, Jose Perales, had discovered it while picking out the colts feet after the Wood. Unbridleds Song was given a tetanus shot, and an acrylic patch was put on to help the foot heal. Because there was some warmth in his foot, they had to drain it as well.



Ryerson added that the colt had worked two days earlier at Churchill without the bar shoe and the foot was cold as ice afterward.



Thats the way it stood until Ryerson returned to the barn one afternoon early in Derby week and checked the horses foot. He noticed tenderness in the area, so he pulled off the shoe and soaked the foot. He put the colt on antibiotics, something no trainer wants to do that close to a race, especially the Kentucky Derby.



Blacksmith, Hans Albrecht, feeling the old shoe was aggravating the heel, replaced it with a Z-bar shoe, which, with its Z-shaped extension inside the shoe, provided additional protection. It wasnt looking good for the Derby favorite.



The following morning (Tuesday), the foot seemed better and Unbridleds Song had a good gallop with his new shoe. At first, he was a little tentative with it but appeared to get used to it quickly. Ryerson did say that the colt would not breeze Wednesday, as originally planned, which was not good news. If he had to miss the breeze altogether, they would be forced to come up with an alternate plan.



That night, Ryerson called owner Ernie Paragallo and told him he was thinking of changing plans and working Unbridleds Song a half-mile Wednesday morning. He could have played it safe and galloped him again when the track turned wet following an early morning shower. But Ryerson felt it was time to find out once and for all just where they were with the colt. This was the Kentucky Derby. If Unbridleds Songs foot wasnt able to stand up to the punishment of a half-mile work over a wet track, he had no business being in the race.



Meanwhile, there was something else going on in that barn that might have changed the course of history regarding Baffert, a 2-year-old colt he had just bought that week, named Silver Charm, and owners Bob and Beverly Lewis.



Baffert had purchased the colt privately with help of the McKathan brothers after he had failed to meet his reserve at the sale. But he needed to find an owner fast. He knew that Buzz Chace, bloodstock agent and adviser for Paragallo, had bid on the colt, so he no doubt liked him. Baffert asked Chace if he would be interested in buying him for Paragallo and sending him to California, and Chace told him he would ask. Paragallo was scheduled to arrive in Louisville the following morning, and Chace told Baffert he was pretty sure hed take him.



But later that day when Baffert arrived at the barn, he learned that Unbridleds Song had suffered a setback. The following morning, as the colts foot was being soaked, Baffert went over to Chace and told him he was sorry they were having such a tough time with the horse, but he wondered whether he had spoken to Paragallo about the 2-year-old. Chace said, Forget it. Forget it. This isnt the time. Sell it to somebody else. I dont even want to bring it up.



Baffert considered his friend Mike Pegram, but Pegram had so many horses at the time, and Baffert always bought yearlings for him. He then noticed a note he had left for himself to call Bob Lewis and give him an update on his horse Criollito, who was scheduled to run in the upcoming Churchill Downs Stakes. So Baffert called Lewis and mentioned to him that he had just bought this 2-year-old and really loved him, and asked if he was interested. Lewis agreed, and paid $80,000 for the colt and $5,000 for the McKathan brothers, J.B. and Kevin.



The rest as they say is history. If it hadnt been for Unbridleds Songs foot injury, Silver Charm likely would have been sold to Ernie Paragallo instead of Lewis. And we all know the fate that awaited Paragallo years later.



It seemed as if Unbridleds Song had become an integral part of Bafferts first Derby, as the two were linked in an odd sort of way  sharing the same barn, Baffert being bowled over by his workout, spotting the bar shoe, and the foot injury that stopped the sale of Silver Charm to Unbridleds Songs owner. When the colt drew post 20 for the Derby, Baffert just shook his head and said, How can any horse in my barn have such bad karma?



But getting back to Unbridleds Songs foot injury, his status for the Derby would be determined by how he worked on the Wednesday before the race, a decision Ryerson made when he woke up that morning. He called Paragallo, who gave him the OK. He then called Mike Smith and told him to come to the track to work the horse.



There was a foreboding atmosphere knowing that the Derby favorite with a nagging foot bruise and wearing bar shoes was about to work over a wet track to determine whether or not he was going to run.



Unbridleds Song was under tack by 6 a.m., and the Z-bar shoes had been replaced with two egg-bar shoes, which are full egg-shaped shoes that cover the entire foot and provide better balance and support. While some vets believe they dont hinder a horses performance, many horsemen equate the transition to going from running shoes to combat boots. They certainly are not desirable, especially in a race like the Kentucky Derby.



Ryerson had been up most of the night worrying about the work. As Unbridleds Song made his way on to the track, Ryerson went up to the clockers stand, located midway down the backstretch, and waited nervously.



Well know in a few minutes, he said. The time wasnt important. Ryerson just wanted to see how the colt went with the egg-bars, which he no doubt would have to wear in the Derby, and how the foot stood up to the pressure.



In the clockers stand were trainers Phil Thomas and Gary Red Dog Hartlage, who had their clocks ready to time Unbridleds Songs work. Because it was still dark, all anyone could see of the work were the split seconds when the colt passed under lights situated at the poles.



Unbridleds Song broke off at the half-mile pole. It was near-impossible to catch the opening split from their vantage point in the dark, so Thomas and Hartlage just timed his final three-eighths. As they checked their splits, they couldnt believe what they saw and were convinced they had blown the time or were clocking the wrong horse.



No, thats him, Ryerson assured them. As Unbridleds Song passed the finish line, Thomas looked at his watch first and said, Good God, I got his last three-eighths in :33 4/5; that cant be right.



I got the same time, Hartlage said. Ryerson then checked with the clockers, who told him they had caught the colt in :46 flat for the half-mile, galloping out five furlongs in :59 1/5. It was a spectacular work for any horse, but for one wearing two egg-bar shoes and nursing a sore foot it was unheard of. One independent clocker caught him pulling up six furlongs in 1:11 and change, with Smith finally able to rein him in after a mile in 1:37 and change.



Everyone was buzzing about the final time of the work and the way he galloped out, but Ryerson remained apprehensive. The most important part was still to come.



The time means nothing, he said. Its all how he comes back,



Then, out of the fading darkness, a gray figure appeared bouncing along next to his lead pony Leo. He looks alrighthe looks alright! Ryerson said, his voice rising with renewed enthusiasm. When Smith gave him a big thumbs up leaving the track, it put the finishing touches on an emotion-packed morning and one of the greatest Derby works anyone had ever seen.



Unbridleds Song cooled out beautifully and veterinarian Foster Northrup said the colt came out of the work in excellent shape. Ryerson now had an idea how much the egg-bar shoes would affect the horse in the Derby. But the Derby is a far cry from a half-mile work.



Because of the injury and having to wear egg-bar shoes, Unbridleds Song was sent off as the 7-2 favorite in the Derby. Breaking from post 19, following one late scratch, he came out running and pressed the brutal early pace set by Honour and Glory and Matty G. through fractions of :22 1/5, :46 flat, and 1:10 flat. While both those top-class stakes horses stopped to a walk, finishing 17th and 18th, Unbridleds Song made a quick, spectacular move outside horses to take command and open a clear lead on the far turn. It was shaping up to be one of the great performances ever in the Derby, as he turned for home still well out in front.



But as soon as he went to change leads, you could tell there was little left. Cavonnier charged past him on the inside, but he continued to battle on, and was still only a head back at the eighth pole. Then came the late closers -- eventual winner Grindstone, and Prince of Thieves -- and Halo Sunshine, who also was close to the pace and ran huge. Between the blazing fractions, the egg bar shoes, that big early move, and running farther than he probably wanted to go, Unbridleds Song had little left, but never stopped trying. At the end, he finished fifth, beaten only 3 3/4 lengths, and a neck and a nose for third. It was one of the greatest losing efforts in Derby history.



The Derby experience had left Ryerson emotionally drained. Churchill Downs, in an unprecedented move, had set up a podium outside his barn, where the trainer would address the media daily on the latest condition of his horse.



Now, finally, it was over. All that remained from the previous weeks soap opera was the familiar podium that had become a meeting place each morning for every reporter, photographer, and TV cameraman. Curled up inside the podium, fast asleep, was Ryersons black cat, Lucky, whose conflicting color and name served as a final reminder of one of the most bizarre weeks in the history of the Kentucky Derby and one of the most courageous performances ever witnessed in the Run for the Roses.



It was a Derby that Baffert will never forget, and he admitted that a good deal of his new-found popularity was because of Unbridleds Song. It wasnt until Unbridleds Song came into our barn that I started getting some attention, Baffert recalled years later. Every morning it was a mob scene over there, and I was just getting the residuals down at my end. It was like, Hey, you guys want to talk to me? Ill tell you anything you want to know. Ive got a lot to talk about. Little by little, I got to talking and joking and wound up doing a lot of television and getting exposure.



I really got caught up in the whole Unbridleds Song deal. It was total chaos. What that horse had to go through, it proved he was a great horse. If he didnt have that foot problem, the Derby would have been a totally different story. There was no doubt he was the best horse in the race.



Unbridleds Song never was fully sound for any prolonged period of time after that. He was turned over to Nick Zito late in 1996 and the following January he drubbed the top-class sprinter Appealing Skier in the seven-furlong Olympic Handicap at Gulfstream in a sizzling 1:21 2/5. But he was injured yet again and retired to Taylor Made Farm in 1997, where he became one of the most influential stallions in the United States and abroad, siring over 100 stakes winners and numerous grade I winners.



Looking back at that Kentucky Derby, the finish was all about D. Wayne Lukas, trainer of the winner Grindstone, and Bob Baffert, who suffered a heartbreaking nose defeat. But the real story of the Derby was Unbridleds Song, who in a way upstaged the winner and runner-up in defeat.



Adding to all the ironies, a month after Unbridleds Songs death, his son, Will Take Charge, won the Travers Stakes for Lukas, and three years later, his son Arrogate won the Travers for Baffert.



By winning by a sensational 13 1/2 lengths in 1:59.36, breaking the 37-year-old stakes and track record, Arrogate brought back visions of his sire at the height of his brilliance and had anyone who remembers him contemplating what might have been had he stayed sound. Not only had Arrogate crushed the track record, set by Secretariats son General Assembly, he came within 12 one-hundredths of a second of running the fastest 1 1/4 miles by a 3-year-old in the history of New York racing, a record set by Albert the Great in the 2000 Jockey Club Gold Cup. Both Arrogate and Albert the Great trace to the legendary Dr. Fager, who many consider the fastest horse ever produced in America, through his grandson Fappiano.



It also was at Saratoga on Aug. 26, 1995 (Arrogate won the Travers on Aug. 27) that Unbridleds Song blew everyone away winning his career debut eased up by 8 1/2 lengths. So both father and son both ran lights out in their only appearance at the Spa.

Frank Herbert, author of the Dune novels, wrote: What is the son but an extension of the father.



That extension of father and son is what we saw on Saturday  a performance that Baffert actually described to a T 20 years ago on a morning at Churchill Downs after being awestruck by Unbridleds Song. Here he was now two decades later watching his son win the Traverslike he had a torch up his butt.
The ease with which developed countries appoint heads of international and multi-national organisations (sometimes in the guise of an election) is not their achievement alone; it is also the fault of developing countries who let them.

Appointing heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has traditionally been accepted as the exclusive domain of governments of European countries; similarly choosing the head of the World Bank has been regarded as the preserve of the United States (US) government. But, while these are the most blatant examples, powerful governments have used every means at their disposal to ensure that heads of every other international and multi-national organisation are persons who serve their purpose.

At the United Nations, the so-called election of the Secretary-General is entirely in the hands of the five countries with veto powers, namely the US, Britain, France, Russia and China. Developing countries have no say. Any candidate whose career has shown any sign of independence; of fidelity to principle; of commitment to a world vision, has been vetoed. The Swedish Diplomat, Dag Hammarskjold, who served as UN Secretary-General from 1953 until he was killed in a plane crash in 1961, was arguably the last truly independent Secretary-General. His personal ethos, The principles of [the Charter of the United Nations] are, by far, greater than the Organization in which they are embodied, and the aims which they are to safeguard are holier than the policies of any single nation or people, reflected his commitment to all nations and made him unpopular with those who would have had him bend his knee to their will.

Hence, in the present shenanigans to select a new Secretary-General to replace the incumbent Ban Ki-Moon, whose term expires at the end of this year, only the 5 veto powers really matter. Two straw polls have been held by the 15 member-states of the Security Council so far to reduce the number of 10 aspirants. What is not known is which of the candidates have been discouraged by one of 5 veto nations. In any event, the UN will end-up with a Secretary-General upon whom the 5 can agree  and that person, by definition, will be more a Secretary, than a General; someone content to do as little as possible to lead the reform of the organisation that it desperately needs. The rest of the world will have no real say, and there is no vigorous movement by developing countries to demand an end to this byzantine process.

But, even in multi-national organisations in which no country has a formal veto, developing countries have allowed their own interests to be expropriated by voluntarily participating in a new imperialist system in which industrialised nations procure their support, or their silence, through offers of aid or threats of sanctions. This phenomenon was particularly evident in the willing fragmentation of the single African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group into 6 regions to negotiate Economic Partnership Agreements with the European Union. Seventy-nine countries lost the strength of their unity, and they have paid a price.

The lack of resistance to the inequitable power structure in the world, more than the exercise of influence by a few, accounts for why developing countries are marginalised. The solidarity and strength of the 115 member-nations of the Non-aligned Movement (NAM) is a thing of the past, although on 20 July in a very little reported statement to the UN Security Council, it said: As we approach the process to appoint a new Secretary-General for the Organization, NAM underlines its position as elaborated in the Algiers ministerial declaration of May 2014, along with the central role of the General Assembly in the process of selecting and appointing the Secretary-General, and expresses its support for efforts aimed at reinforcing and strengthening the role of the Assembly in that regard. Having made the statement, matters ended there.

Similarly, the 79-nation ACP Group, which has potential as an economic bargaining agent for developing countries, is weakened by lack of financial support and the absence of strong political direction by the leaders who have not once had a summit meeting to try to define the place of their nations in the world.

It is as if there is a self-imposed policy among developing countries of going along to get along  a general acceptance that they are too disparate, too weak and too locked-into the consortium of industrialised countries through their international financial institutions such as the IMF and the World Bank, to fight against the injustices of what amounts to economic imperialism. And, there is no effort to change it.

Meanwhile, the developed countries march on in advancement of their interests through control and direction of the IMF and World Bank; by imposing rules on the rest of the world through their own organisations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Financial Action Task Force; and in ensuring that heads of international and multi-national organisations serve their purposes best, rather than the interests of the membership as a whole.

Incidentally, also up for selection next year is the head of the World Bank. The present US appointee, Jim Yong Kim, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2012 is seeking a new term. There will be no serious election; the US President will decide whether Kim stays or is replaced by another American. If the US President choosing the World Bank head is Donald Trump, the bank will become a very different institution less likely to serve as a link between great powers and small ones, between economics and aid work which Kim says is his ambition. In any event, the developing world will have no say and the sign over the entrance of the Bank, Our dream is a world free of poverty, may well remain a dream and not a plan.

A doctrine of an international community based on the principle that self-interest and mutual interest are interwoven continues to elude the world. And, in all this, with very few exceptions, the leaders of developing countries are not working together; not raising their voices in harmony; and not voting in unison. The industrialised nations have free reign, by default.

Responses and previous commentaries: www.sirronaldsanders.com Responses and previous commentaries:

www.sirronaldsanders.com

The writer is Antigua and Barbudas Ambassador to the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London and Massey College in the University of Toronto. The views expressed are his own.


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Douglas S. Dunbar

Douglas S. Dunbar, 64, of Carlisle, passed away on Thursday, August 25, 2016 at home. He was born on June 18, 1952 in Carlisle, and was a son of the late Samuel S. and Ethel (Hinkle) Dunbar.

Doug graduated from Boiling Springs High School in 1970 and attended Lock Haven University for three years. He was a retired self-employed carpenter and handyman in the Carlisle area for most of his life. Doug was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. Doug was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting and fishing.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 23 years, Susan L. (Bartlett) Dunbar, one brother, Robert Hinkle of Newville, three sisters and many nieces and nephews. Doug was predeceased by one brother, Ronald Hinkle.

A visitation will begin at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 followed by memorial services at 2:30 p.m. in the Ewing Brothers Funeral Home, 630 S. Hanover St, Carlisle, with Father Dave Snyder officiating. Burial will be held at a later date in the McClures Gap Church of God Cemetery, Newville. Memorial contributions in Dougs name may be made to Hospice of Central Pennsylvania 13201 Linglestown Road Harrisburg, Pa 17110. Visit www.Since1853.com to send condolences.
Downtown Carlisle literally roared with excitement on Saturday evening as about 500 Corvettes took part in the Chip Miller Memorial Corvette Parade.

The parade, sponsored by the Downtown Carlisle Association, was a highlight of the 35th annual Corvettes at Carlisle, a four-day show hosted by Carlisle Events and presented by Corvette America. More than 5,000 Corvettes had been on display at the Carlisle Fairgrounds since Thursday.

Hundreds of spectators lined Hanover Street on Saturday as the parade started from the fairgrounds gates at 6:45 p.m. and inched its way through the heart of Downtown Carlisle. The first round of cars, led by Carlisle Police, was visible from the town square by around 7:10 p.m. It took around a half-hour for all of the cars to pass.

Robbie Frumusa traveled six hours or so from his hometown of Rochester, New York, with Danielle Kindron of Buffalo to see the parade for the first time. Frumusa said he heard about the Carlisle show while at a Rochester event.

When I saw photos of the (Carlisle) show, I just couldnt believe it. I just had to go see it, Frumusa said.

Dennis and Connie Kenes of Middlesex were watching the parade with daughter Natalie Tichenor and grandsons Austin Tichenor, 3, and Jude Tichenor, 1. Austin said he hoped to sit on a Corvette like he did after last years parade. His mother said theyd have to ask someone first.

Anthony DiPuppo of Hanover was sporting a polo shirt with a Corvette logo as he watched the parade.

Ive come here every year since 1998, he said. This is the only show I go to. Ive been a fan of Corvettes since I was 2 years old.

License plates on vehicles in the parade represented New York, New Jersey, Maryland, New Hampshire, Virginia, New Hampshire, Iowa, California, Kentucky, and of course, Pennsylvania, to name a few. Canadian provinces Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba also were represented.

Some plates indicated vintage model years like 1951 and 1959. Other tags showed owners sentiments about their Vettes, such as VETLOCTY and BLUMOON2. One owner showed his political affiliation by hanging a Donald Trump T-shirt from his trunk. From atop another vehicle, a young lady wearing a tiara and a Cover Girl sash waved to the crowd.

Mike and Mary Norris drove eight hours from New Hampshire with their 2010 C6 Grand Sport for their first time in the parade. It was awesome, Mary Nolan said, with her husband adding that theyll be back for next years show for sure.

Paul and Donna Ferrucci traveled from Connecticut to be in the parade, but they didnt drive the 2017 Grand Sport that they bought only two weeks ago. That came to Carlisle on a trailer, Donna Ferucci said.

This is fun. This is a great weekend. I love the atmosphere here, noted Donna Ferucci, who said this was the couples third trip to the Carlisle show.

Terry Devault of North Carolina, who drove his 1987 Corvette convertible in the parade, also said he loved Carlisles atmosphere. Hell be back next year, he said.

When you see the all of the people here in Carlisle, you feel right at home here, Devault said.
A colleague in Music History at a major American university reports that it has become difficult to teach sonata form because sonata forms transpire over 15 minutes and more. This topic  shrinking attention-span  is obviously not irrelevant to the future of orchestras.

My most memorable TV interview took place half a dozen years ago in a Southern city of moderate size. I was producing Dvorak and America for the local orchestra, assisted by Kevin Deas. We were roused from our hotel in the wee hours of the morning and conveyed to a studio complex. We found ourselves sitting on a pair of stools in a glare of light, idly watching someone forecast the weather. Quite suddenly I was asked a question by a twenty-something-year-old wearing a frozen smile, a lot of make-up, and a headset. I began to talk about Dvorak and watched her smile fracture. Her stressed features told me that she was being instructed to halt my stream of words  but I was not letting her intervene. I was actually on the verge of saying, I know you would like me to stop talking now, but there are a few more things about Dvorak that Id like your audience to know. I had been speaking for fewer than two minutes.

Another such story: when I produce concerts I invariably ask that there be a post-concert discussion. This is often treated as a kind of concession. The frequent time-limit is thirty minutes. On one occasion, the presenter sat at a desk facing me. He had before him a series of large cards which he displayed for my benefit, one per minute: 30, 29, 28, 27 . . . The time-limit was paramount.

This fear of inducing boredom, pressing for simple thoughts and short sentences, is of course fatal to thoughtful verbal expression. But it is pervasive, and never more than today.

Imagine my surprise, several months ago, when an interviewer arrived at my apartment, sat alongside me on a couch with a small tape recorder, and invited me to speak as much as I pleased. Naturally, such a person  predisposed to actual conversation  asked penetrating questions without obvious answers. And then he turned our conversation into an hour-long radio show with interpolated musical excerpts.

The gentleman in question is David Osenberg and his award-winning radio show, on the WWFM classical network, is Cadenza.

Our conversation  which you can listen to here  pursued the question that has long preoccupied my professional life: what is the future of what used to be classical music, and what can be done to make it matter?

So David and I talked about my recent series of blogs about the fate of orchestras. I opined that fundamental change is both necessary and unlikely, at least as far as the major orchestras are concerned. I talked about better things happening in El Paso (at 15:00) and South Dakota (16:00), and at the Brevard Music Center (19:00) and DePauw University (21:30). Ultimately, I talked about the three DVDs PostClassical Ensemble has produced for Naxos, taking classic films from the 1930s and freshly recording the soundtracks. And David expressed the hope that WWFM could feature PostClassical Ensemble concerts on a regular basis, by way of exploring new ways of doing things.

Meanwhile, I continue to draw inspiration from the subversions of Ivan Fischer and his Budapest Festival Orchestra. Here is Stephen Moss, interviewing Fischer for The Guardian (Aug. 12):

What Fischer wants to avoid above all is a sense of routine. We work with intensity and in a very personal way. It is more like the way a string quartet works. I dont say to the principal cellist: Please a little softer. I would say: Come on Peter, what the hell are you doing? Its a different communication, much more personal. I immediately notice when their level of focus or concentration is not what it should be. I work much more like a theatre director would work with actors. . . .

The orchestra [Fischer] founded is his lifelong passion; he also sees it as a laboratory for orchestras of the future, offering flexibility, openness and a group of players that he encourages to develop as portfolio musicians rather than spending their lives as fixtures with the orchestra.

If you are a member of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, the great thing is that you are allowed a much more versatile musicians life, he explains. He wants individualists rather than obedient, uniform soldiers. For the future of music, it is better to develop the symphony orchestra as a more flexible organization that can embrace other musical styles. Now, we have a symphony orchestra that looks more or less like the one in Richard Strausss time. Its already 100 years old. I dont really think it will stay the same 100 years from now. The idea of a symphony orchestra must develop over time or it will become a museum.

He wants his ensemble to be able to play everything. The conventional symphony orchestra leaves baroque repertoire to the period instrument orchestras and contemporary music to the specialized groups, he says. Because we encourage the individual interests of musicians, we have a period instrument part of the orchestra, we have a chorus, we have a group playing Transylvanian folk music, another group working on jazz improvisations.

The aim is to keep both musicians and audience on their toes. He is known for his innovations: concerts where the audience chooses the pieces, which means they are played without rehearsal; encores in which the orchestra abandon their instruments and sing instead; operas where he does the staging himself . . . Every convention must be challenged.

Amen to that.

It was my privilege to know Felix Galimir, a peerless chamber musician raised in the Vienna of Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern. When he came to the United States in the 1940s, Felix was confounded to discover that there was never enough time. In Vienna, there had been plenty of time.

Another distinguished musicians of my acquaintance, Lazar Gosman, played in Yevgeny Mravinskys Leningrad Philharmonic before emigrating to the US. He was amazed that, post-concert, symphonic musicians would hop in their cars and drive home. In Leningrad, they would congregate over vodka and talk.

As I previously reported, Ivan Fischers Budapest orchestra rehearses without a clock.
A local Christian band, Book of Ruth, is going places every musician dreams of going.

They have recorded a CD in Nashville and hope to make the gospel charts once it's released. One thing Book of Ruth plans on doing is never forgetting the local churches.

The one thing Id like to say is we started singing at local churches and we will never abandon the local churches, said band member Stormy Bennett. We love singing at the local churches, thats what got us started and that is what we really enjoy doing.

Five of the six current members of Book of Ruth, Colleen Mitchell, Kelly (Elders) Littrell, Lindsay Currie, Stormy Bennett and David Solomon, met while working with the well-known local oldies cover band, GTO.

Mitchell, Littrell, Lindsay Currie and Bennett were called upon to sing at the funeral of the father of GTO founder, Dennis Gillam. It was then that they found they had a common love of old gospel music. Several weeks later, Bennett was booked to sing at Esther Methodist Church in Park Hills and his wife suggested he call the girls to come and sing with him.

That is where Book of Ruth started, although there was no official name for the group at that time. The name Book of Ruth was used when the group performed at Bismarck Methodist Church several weeks later.

After GTO took a hiatus from booking, Solomon asked if he could play bass for the group. Shortly after that, Lindsays husband, Chris Currie, asked to join the group as a percussionist. Chris was just recently replaced with veteran drummer David Goldsmith, who has worked with GTO, as well as currently working with the band Medallion.

Bennett said they were invited to sing in the showcase at the National Quartet Convention in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee a year ago in September.

We performed in the showcase and our emcee that day was a man named Les Butler, said Bennett. He has been a gospel DJ since 1978 and everybody knows him. He has a company in Nashville called Butler Music Group (BMG) and he handles the Oak Ridge Boys, the Gallatin Brothers and many more.

Bennett said Butler also searches for new gospel talent and he heard them that day at the showcase. A month or so after the appearance at the quartet convention, they were contacted by Butler who requested to meet at his office in Franklin, Tennessee.

He actually contacted us a couple of months later and asked to come to Nashville to meet with him about furthering our musical ministry, Bennett. We met with him last December and laid out a plan. He wanted us to come down to record and thats exactly what we did, we went down and recorded a couple of months ago.

Bennett said they actually recorded another CD before. They recorded a CD a couple of years ago in their own little studio that they have. He added they sold a bunch of them and it was very popular.

It was older gospel, some that I wrote and mostly older stuff that we had redone, said Bennett. People really seemed to enjoy it. This time we actually recorded in Laverne Tripps studio near Nashville in Gallatin. Laverne is actually a guy and he was one of the members of the Blue Ridge Quartet for years. They are really well known in the gospel music industry.

While meeting with Butler at Butler Music Group, they were offered the opportunity to record a new album at his studio to be distributed to several gospel radio stations across the country, with the purpose of getting a Book of Ruth song on the gospel charts.

Over the course of the last several months, Les has sent us over 70 original songs to consider for this album, said Bennett. Several of the songs sent were written by songwriters who have won Dove Awards, the gospel music equivalent of the Grammy. We spent long, agonizing hours trying to narrow the field of tremendous songs down to just 10.

Bennett said they chose the songs primarily for the message conveyed through the lyrics. Each song has a specific spiritual statement that follows their own beliefs and goals.

Included in the final 10 is a song I wrote myself, called, 'I Believe The Angels Cried,' which suggests that, even though it is not directly supported by scripture, I believe it is very possible that the angels who opened Jesus tomb were so saddened by the injuries he suffered for our salvation that they were moved to tears, said Bennett.

All of the songs for the album were picked by Book of Ruth and were selected for their message and their fit with the Book of Ruth style of country/gospel music. On May 31 and June 1 the album was recorded at the Family Room Studio in Gallatin, Tennessee.

When we finally arrived at the studio and actually began recording, I was so proud of everyone in the group for working so hard beforehand on the material, making the actual recording almost effortless, said Bennett. If you ask anyone who has ever recorded an album if you can record 10 complete songs in two days, they would probably be very skeptical. It didnt hurt that Les Butler himself supplied keyboard for the album, and the utility musician he hired for the album, who supplied guitar, fiddle and mandolin, is recognized worldwide for his tremendous talent.

Bennett said the musician's name is Jason Roller and he currently plays for Kellie Pickler and plays for Randy Owen of Alabama when Owen does his solo act. He got his first job with Dolly Parton at the age of 15. The studio engineer for the project was Butlers son, Matt Butler.

Matt, an accomplished musician himself, displayed an uncanny ability to identify and correct any problems with the recording, said Bennett. The studio itself was absolutely beautiful. There was a large area in the engineering booth designed for the comfort of the crew, with two large, overstuffed sofas and numerous side chairs. Off the engineering booth was a large fully-stocked kitchen. The kitchen was used for numerous television shows over the years.

Bennett added the studio included a huge grand piano as well as a complete drum set. Also in the building are the offices of Tripp Ministries. The studio building is directly behind Laverne Tripps modest home, modest by mansion standards, according to Bennett.

We are very thrilled and we are very humbled that this all happened, because we actually didnt go looking for any it, said Bennett. It came looking for us and we have been very thankful for whats been happening and the doors that have been opening. We are still excited to sing for our local churches, its what we like to do. That is what we have done since we got back.

Book of Ruth has had the opportunity to minister at several churches in the Parkland as well as Illinois and Arkansas.

It took several weeks to get the CD back to get a mix on it and we are just tweaking it right now, said Bennett. We are hoping to have it done and have a release party in September. Now, the plan is we will take a single off of the album and send it back to Les. He will include it with a package that goes out to 1,500 gospel radio stations throughout the country, plus a couple hundred more he can send electronically.

Bennett said the radio stations will play those and they will put them on their playlist. Of course the more they play them, the more requests they get for them, the more popular they are and the quicker they move up the gospel charts.

The idea is to try to get us a song charted on the gospel charts, said Bennett. We will do some traveling to follow up on that and perform in other places. We told him we wanted to stay in the Midwest. The finished, mastered album will be sent to us in four to six weeks and when we receive it and have CDs made from the master, we will be hosting at least one CD release event in the area, but we still have to figure all the details out.

Bennett added they will also be singing at the MAGMA Convention (Mid-America Gospel Music Association) on Nov. 11 at the Centene Center. There are several local groups who are members of the organization, including the Berry Brothers.
All the latest Ashbourne news. Ashbourne is an historic market town in Derbyshire. Situated on the southern edge of the Peak District, it is known as the 'Gateway to Dovedale' and the 'Gateway to the Peak District'. Ashbourne is famous for the annual Royal Shrovetide Football Match, which has been played since at least 1667, although its origins may date back centuries earlier. Ashbourne became a Fairtrade town in March 2005. The popular Tissington Trail, which follows the route of the former Ashbourne to Buxton railway, starts on the edge of town. Keep up to date with the latest news from the town by signing up for our newsletter.
Top 10 Tourist Attractions in Boise, Idaho

Things To Do in Boise

The capital of the state of Idaho in the United States, Boise is a culturally diverse, fascinating, and historic destination with plenty to explore and enjoy. If you are visiting this area, you will find all sorts of activities, sights and attractions that you can add to your itinerary. This includes historic buildings, nature attractions, and family oriented activities amongst other things. You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing attractions and activities during your time in Boise, Idaho. However, if you need some inspiration here are some of the top attractions to add to your Itinerary:

Affiliate links may be used in this post. I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you if you use my affiliate link.
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As someone who is originally from the UK and my wife who grew up in Germany, I can definitely say the Australian heat is noticable, particularly in Summer.Having lived in Australia for a short while now and travelled extensively, what is considered a heatwave in the UK is considered normal in Oz.Our first summer here was hard. Firstly we were in a campervan with no airconditioning, and secondly, we weren't prepared for how hot it is depending where you are.General advice is the further north you go the hotter it gets. Tasmania in summer for us was a welcome change to the 40+ heat with humidity (which was the real killer) we had in Brisbane.I also found that towns located on the Great Dividing range are somewhat cooler than lower level cities. When in Sydney, often it was nice to drive 45 minutes to Katoomba where it can sometimes be 5-10 degrees cooler.In regards to South Australia, in Adelaide, it can get hot there in Summer. Here are the stats from WeatherZoneIn summer it can easily get above 40 degrees. In our experience, it was a dry heat, so keep well hydrated.If you go towards the more mountainous and seaside areas in the south it can often be a lot cooler.And in regards to the sun and getting sunburnt. It is ridiculous how easy it is to get seriously sun burnt. Play it safe and make sure you cover yourself up and where good sunscreen.
Buying a car that can drive itself is a big decision, so research companies are investigating what consumers think of the possibility of purchasing a vehicle with this capability.Automakers are also interested in discovering what kind of client is most likely to buy a product featuring this technology , so manufacturers have their ears peeled to every relevant study on the matter.MaritzCX, a company that concentrates on customer experience software and research, has made a study to find out which brands have clients most interested in driverless cars.Their results are fascinating, but some conclusions were already evident  those that acquire vehicles able to sprinting from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in less than four seconds are not interested in letting their cars drive. Porsche and BMW customers ranked third and fourth least likely to give up control of their vehicles to a computer.However, the research has discovered that owners of Mercedes-Benz and Infiniti models that have responded to the study are very interested in buying an automobile that has fully-self-driving capabilities when it will become available.From that viewpoint, they are in luck, as both premium brands mentioned (and their parent companies) are working on systems like these.The makers of the study have concluded that owners of premium cars are more willing to accept the driver replacement tech because they believe that safety would be improved in these types of vehicles, and that the technology will operate flawlessly.We must note that regulations regarding autonomous cars will make all driverless vehicles equal, as they would have to comply with a minimum set of requirements.It is worth noting that 48 percent of respondents of the study are not interested in buying a driverless vehicle, even though 94 percent of all surveyed are aware that automakers are developing this kind of product.The situation is not different for Infiniti or Mercedes-Benz customers, but they were the most interested out of all 12,353 respondents. The research occurred from May through August.As Automotive News notes, owners of Ram pickup trucks and Jeep SUVs are least likely to buy a new vehicle that could drive itself. In spite of that conclusion, the parent company of both of these brands, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, has an ongoing partnership with Google that focuses on autonomous vehicles Maybe FCA knows better, and their customers will change their minds over time, or the self-driving cars they plan to launch will attract new clients to its products.
However, with slip angle adventures slowly, but steadily taking over the motoring realm, the German automaker has started integrating drifting into its ways.From commercial to customer performance driving tuition, Porsche has assured it doesn't miss out on the sliding craze. Even so, its go-fast machines won't go sideways with full grace unless a driver with an astounding level of skill is playing with the pedals.And we're talking about three pedals here, since the drifting episode we've brought you here for involves a Cayman GT4. Any Boxster can be tricky to drift , but when it comes to the GT4, which has borrowed the 911 GT3's suspension, the sideways stuff gets even trickier. Well, the driver drifting the GT4 in the piece of footage at the bottom of the page seems to need some extra tires to practice on.And the best argument for this is the fact that a small part of his figure eight tire-smoking adventure is indeed perfect. The rest of it, though... is not.Don't get us wrong, though, we always appreciate a man making steps towards the ideal drifting path. And those of you coming from countries that drive on the left might be tricked into believing Shmee was the one drifting his Cayman GT4 here, keep in mind that the Youtuber is British. As Boosted Boris, the... moderator of this show, would say, the GT4 probably needs to get trunk in order to lower its grip threshold. Or perhaps a custom wheel alignment could lead to an easier tail-happy adventure.Then again, it's not like we haven't shown you downright brutal drifting sessions being performed in the 911 GT3 or GT3 RS
Marcus Paine, a longtime flight instructor and airshow performer, died Saturday at an Oregon airshow. Paine was reportedly pulling out of a loop just after takeoff in his Stearman when he crashed on the runway at the Airshow of the Cascades in Madras. He was 61. The aircraft caught fire on impact but airport firefighters were on the scene quickly.

In a photo taken by the Jefferson County Sheriffs office, a broken gear leg is seen about 100 feet from the rest of the airplane. The accident happened about 2:45 p.m. Paine divided his time between Alaska and Arizona and ran Unusual Attitudes LLC specializing in upset training and stall/spin prevention. He was also the pilot for Canadian wingwalker Carol Pilon. Paine specialized in low-level demos including stall/spin performances in a Super Cub from less than 500 feet. He also flew a Super Decathlon in performances.
28 August 2016 13:51 (UTC+04:00)

The anticipated construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway next year will undoubtedly give further impetus to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), Vice President of Kazakhstan Railways Kanat Alpysbayev has told an international conference in Aktau.

"Having provided an infrastructure component of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, we must address the challenges of development of the route and increase its attractiveness in high competition with other land and sea routes," he pointed out.

The international conference on theme Transit potential of Kazakhstan. Efficient logistics in the countries of the Caspian and Black Sea regions in Aktau was attended by representatives of ministries and departments of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Railways JSC, the Eurasian Economic Commission, the railway administrations of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Iran, Lithuania, transport and logistics companies.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route runs through China, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Ukraine and goes to Europe.

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Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2016 10:30 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing additional funding for the construction of Saatli-Sarijalar-Qara Nuru-Shirinbayli-Fatalikand-Azadkand highway in Saatli district.

Under the presidential order, 8.6 million manats were allocated from the 2016 State Budget for the completion of the construction of the road, which links 19 residential areas with the total population of 51,000 people.

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28 August 2016 15:48 (UTC+04:00)

Syrian forces have established full control over Darayya, a besieged suburb of the Syrian capital of Damascus, after militants and civilians were evacuated under a deal with the government, PRESS TV reported.

The Syrian army completely controls Darayya.  There isn't a single armed man there, a military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Saturday.

The Darayya file is now closed after the evacuation of all the civilians, armed men and their families under the agreement reached on Thursday between the government and the militants, Syrian state television said.

The television broadcast footage of army vehicles combing the streets of the town, which has been under siege since November 2012.

Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the second and final convoy of militants and civilians left Darayya on Saturday.

The total number of evacuees is not yet clear.

Syrias official news agency, SANA, reported on Saturday that 4,000 civilians were to be directed to reception centers and at least 700 rebels escorted to the militant-held city of Idlib in northwest Syrian.

The arrivals were the first since the evacuation of the town just outside Damascus began on Friday under an agreement between the government and the militants.

This comes as Syrian army units have stepped up their clean-up operations against Takfiri militants both inside and around Darayya over the past few days, pounding terrorist positions and inflicting heavy losses on militant ranks.

Darayya has become one of the most heavily-bombed militant-held areas during Syria's conflict.

Since March 2011, Syria has been gripped by militancy it blames on some Western states and their regional allies.

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict.

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Before I die, Callie York read aloud, I want to go skydiving.

York is one of thousands who have etched their dreams into the temporary wall set up off Tampas Riverwalk.

The living art instillation invites visitors to share their dreams

The wall is part of a movement started by New Orleans artist Candy Chang

St. Petersburg will also be getting a 'Before I Die' wall



Before I die  is the name of the living art instillation. Tampas version joins the thousands of others in 70 countries that have sprouted up since New Orleans artist Candy Chang came up with the concept in 2011. Her first wall was painted on the side of an abandoned home, while Tampas wall is lined up against the Riverwalk, standing where the failed Trump Tower Tampa was supposed to stand. The land is now owned by Feldman Equities.

Between Brorein Bridge and the CapTrust Building, the wall sees a lot of foot traffic. Less than a day after its official unveiling, the wall is already full of Tampa residents hopes and dreams. Viewers are now writing on the sides and the back of the wall, which are also covered in the chalkboard paint.

The idea is just to inspire people to think beyond themselves, Heidi Raschke said. Shes part of the 2016 class of Leadership Tampa Bay, the organization that put up the 40-foot by 8-foot wall. The art piece is their class project.

Its very moving to see people interact with this wall and put their dreams up there, their heartfelt sentiments, Raschke added.

The wall is intended to be fluid. Raschke and others from Leadership Tampa Bay will make visits to maintain the chalk supply. Floridas frequent showers will wash away old declarations, making room for new ones.

Brain Proctor rides his bike along Riverwalk often. He said once he figured out what this wall was, he knew what he wanted to write.

I would like to buy my mom a house before I die, shared Proctor.

A nine-year-old girl wanted to stop pollution. A new dad wanted to catch a hard-to-find Pokemon. A college student wanted to change the world through dance.

Proctor said he loved reading all of the goals of his neighbors.

Whatever you feel like you wanna do before you leave this world, he said.

The Before I die wall will stay up until January 2017. It will then be moved further north to Armature Tampa, where it will be a permanent outdoor fixture, intended to keep Tampa inspired for years to come. A second Before I die wall will be unveiled in St. Petersburg on Sept. 1.
The baffling case of a convicted bank robber who is accused of killing a Scarborough mother and her two grown sons is likely to keep the homicide squad and the Crown Attorney busy for many weeks to come. Cops have charged Brett Ryan, 35, with gruesome murders committed with a crossbow. But police say they do not yet know what triggered the massacre. Ryan is remanded in custody until September 2 . Cops do not even know the connection between the alleged perpetrator and the dead. Then there is the scare at Ryans downtown condo where police found a suspicious package on the kitchen counter. Police have not yet revealed Ryans relationship with the family. He was convicted and served time for a string of robberies in 2008.

Related
Texas death chamber

Harris County was named 1 of 16 'outlier' counties in the US, where 5 or more death sentences were assessed between 2010 and 2015





A Harvard Law School study has found that racial bias, overly aggressive prosecutions and inadequate representation for poor defendants affect death penalty cases in Harris County, Texas. Juries in the county, which includes Houston, have imposed the death penalty more than any other county in the US since its reinstatement in 1976.





The Fair Punishment Project also notes that the number of death sentences handed down in Harris County has fallen to 10 since 2010, from 53 between 1998 and 2003.





Harris County was named 1 of 16 "outlier" counties in the US, where 5 or more death sentences were assessed in between 2010 and 2015. In the 8 counties examined by the study, 41% of the death sentences were given to black defendants and 69% to minorities overall. In Harris County, all defendants condemned since 2004 were from racial minority groups.





"When you look at what the death penalty actually looks like on the ground in Harris County, you see things that should disturb you," Rob Smith, one of the researchers on the project, told the Houston Chronicle.





"There's a pattern of overzealous prosecution that dates back for decades but is still present in the time period for the study, and is matched by under-zealous [defense] representation in cases."





Harris County district attorney Devon Anderson said her office was judicious in its use of the death penalty.





"When we seek death, it's because we have a solid guilt/innocence case and a very strong punishment case," she said. "The death penalty is only appropriate for the worst of the worst."





Anderson said she did not know the race of a defendant or victim whenever she and 4 top staff members met to discuss whether to seek the death penalty.





"I think it's very important that it be 'blind' in that regard," she said.





Juries across the country are proving to be increasingly reluctant to sentence defendants to death, the Harvard report said, choosing instead the option of life imprisonment without parole.





The last Harris County trial in which prosecutors sought the death penalty ended in November: 28-year-old Jonathan Sanchez was given life without parole. The last Harris County jury to assess a death sentence did so in 2014, when Harlem Lewis was sent to death row for the killings of Bellaire police officer Jimmie Norman and "good samaritan" Terry Taylor.





The Harris County district attorney's office is currently seeking the death penalty in 2 cases. Ronald Haskell, who is white, is accused of killing 2 adults and 4 children from his ex-wife's family in spring 2014. David Ray Conley, who is black, is accused of killing his ex-girlfriend, her husband and 6 children, including his son, last year.





Source: The Guardian, August 28, 2016





Study: Harris County death penalty cases plagued by bias





A Harvard Law School study reports that racial bias, over-aggressive prosecutions and poor representation for indigent defendants plagues the handling of death-penalty cases in the Southeast Texas county where Houston is situated.





The report by the school's Fair Punishment Project names Harris County as one of 16 "outlier" U.S. counties where 5 or more death sentences were assessed in 2010-15.





Harris County juries have imposed death penalties on more defendants than in any other county since the 1976 reinstatement of the death penalty. The number of death sentences has fallen from 53 in 1998 through 2003 to 10 since 2010. However, all condemned since 2004 are from minorities.





Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson told the Houston Chronicle ( http://bit.ly/2brIHX6 ) her office is judicious in its use of the death penalty.





 | Report an error, an omission; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; send a submission; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

Source: Associated Press, August 28, 2016
A part-time Beaumont ISD police officer accused of breaking a West Brook High School student's arm in March could be back at work as early as next week.

A Jefferson County grand jury cleared Stephen Rivers of any wrongdoing on Tuesday.

Rivers, who has been on unpaid leave since the March 7 incident, broke the student's arm while trying to break up an on-campus fight.

Rivers was facing a charge of official oppression, a class A misdemeanor, according to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office.

In his BISD police report from the incident, Rivers details how he heard cheering and screaming at West Brook near the bus drive. When he got to the bus area, he found a student wrestling with Officer MeLisa Moore.

In his report, Rivers said Moore had the student by the waist and was struggling with him as he was attempting to strike her in the back with his elbows.

As he approached, the student swung at Rivers and missed, allowing Rivers to grab his wrist and his upper arm, pulling his arm behind his back "in a standard empty-hand arm pin maneuver" to gain control of him, the report states.

Rivers' goes on in his report to say the two fell to the ground and the student continued to forcefully resist.

It was on the ground as the two officers tried to gain control of the student that Rivers reported hearing an audible snap and the student scream.

"I immediately knew his arm had broken," Rivers' wrote in his report. "I advised PSO Moore so that she would not struggle with him anymore and released the intensity of the hold. I maintained [student's name removed] arm behind him so as not to cause further injury."

Although the incident happened on March 7, Rivers was not placed on unpaid leave until March 18, when cellphone video footage of the altercation was posted online.

At that time, Clydell Duncan, the school district's police chief, handed the investigation over to the Texas Rangers.

Duncan said on Tuesday that he was glad Rivers "was cleared of any serious violation of the law."

Because of the grand jury's decision, Duncan said the appropriate thing to do is bring Rivers back to work.

Duncan said he will present the information to the district's administration for approval and hopes to have a decision before the end of the week, when the district's administrative offices will close for its two-week summer break.

Because Rivers is a part-time employee, Duncan said he will not be eligible to get the three months back pay for his time on leave.

ARMoore@BeaumontEnterprise.com

Twitter.com/amyrmoore
Max Whittaker/Prime/Special to The Chronicle

At the California Craft Beer Summit Sept. 8-10 in downtown Sacramento, attendees will rub shoulders with Russian River Brewing Co.s Vinnie Cilurzo, Firestone Walker Brewing Co.s David Walker and the Lost Abbeys Tomme Arthur. And no, its not an industry-only event.

The second annual edition promises interesting panel discussions, interactive displays and, most important, a tasting festival. On Friday and Saturday, the Rare Barrels Jay Goodwin will talk sour beers; Beachwood BBQ & Brewings Julian Srago will discuss coffee porters; and chefs and brewers will pair up on food- and beer-pairing demos.
Blog Hinangai

While there is much discussion in Guam about the economic benefits of increasing the islands military presence, the damages/dangers that they represent are rarely mentioned. This blog, a supplement to the Peace and Justice for Guam Petition, is meant to counter that by providing information about the US military in Guam, with the hopes of steering policy away from a dangerous unilateralist course to more sustainable notions of regional development and a strengthening international solidarity.
The Dallas County Jail discovered Thursday it had mistakenly released a man who is charged with manslaughter in the death of a physician at a Dallas hospital. Hours after the jail realized its mistake, authorities recaptured the suspect, according to The Dallas Morning News.

According to police documents, 55-year-old Tony Cason attacked Ruth Anne Mardock, MD, June 30 at Timberlawn Mental Health System in Dallas after Mr. Cason was told he would be transferred to another facility.

During the confrontation, which was caught on video, the physician's head hit the floor and she lost consciousness. Dr. Mardock was hospitalized after the attack and died July 2 from her injuries.

Mr. Cason was charged with manslaughter and was held in the Dallas County Jail until he was mistakenly released Aug. 19. That day was the deadline for prosecutors to file their case against Mr. Cason. If they didn't file the case by the deadline, he was eligible for release under jail procedures. Although the case against Mr. Cason was filed Aug. 19, he was still freed.

"It appears there may have been a human error in entering the release," Melinda Urbina, a spokeswoman for Sheriff Lupe Valdez told The Dallas Morning News.

The Dallas County Sheriff's Department is investigating the incident, according to the report.

More articles on healthcare industry lawsuits:

Mount Sinai hospitals to pay $2.9M to settle false claims case

Former CEO of West Virginia hospital sued for defamation

Calif. hospital to pay 3 former employees $1.7M in harassment suit
Artists impression of the how the new Hinkley Point C station would look if given the go-ahead (EDF/PA)

London risks losing its status as a global hub for Chinese finance if the UK Government rejects a key nuclear deal, experts have warned.

Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this month delayed approval for the China-backed Hinkley Point Site C nuclear project, prompting Beijing's ambassador to warn that Sino-British ties were at a "crucial juncture".

China is set to hold a 30% stake in the multibillion-pound project, with a final decision due in the coming weeks, but ana lysts now say a scrapped Hinkley deal could prompt retaliation and put London's relationship with Chinese business on the chopping block.

"It will set a negative tone for future Chinese investment," said Andy Liu, a senior vice president covering China at Teneo Intelligence.

For example, China could end up abandoning the proposed Shanghai-London stock connect programme, Mr Liu said.

The scheme, which has been undergoing feasibility studies by Chinese and British watchdogs, would give UK-based investors access to China-listed shares, and vice versa.

Some reports suggest the programme was set to be unveiled ahead of September's G20 summit in Hangzhou, China.

"London will also likely lose Beijing's support to compete against Frankfurt, Paris and other European cities to become an offshore RMB (renminbi) centre," Mr Liu added.

The UK capital is the largest offshore clearing centre for the Chinese currency, accounting for 6.5% of all renminbi transactions as of July 2016, according to figures released by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT).

It could affect London's share of renminbi-denominated bonds too, Mr Liu said. "At least, it will be harder for London to compete with other financial markets, such as Hong Kong or New York."

Losing its clout as a Chinese financial hub would strike pain into the heart of the capital at a time when Brexit has left observers wondering whether financial institutions will remain headquartered in the UK.

"The UK used to be an entry point, or indeed a platform, to enter Europe. Now that is definitely in danger of being changed," said Guo Yu, head of Asia research at risk analysis firm Verisk Maplecroft.

Currently, financial firms based in a European Union (EU) country are allowed to carry out business across borders without having to obtain a licence in each state as part of the bloc's so-called passporting regime.

A post-Brexit UK may benefit from new rules that allow non-EU states to qualify for the same passporting rights under "MIFID II", but will still be subject to negotiations.

London now faces what Mr Yu called a "double whammy effect".

"The scrapping of Hinkley point will reduce certainty of UK investment. Brexit will reduce UK attractiveness," he said.
A British social network backed by the Monsoon Accessorize founder Peter Simon is set to raise up to 20 million in fresh funding in November as it gears up for expansion into Europe.

Yubl, which combines a mixture of messaging, photo sharing and deals and allows users to vote on an array of topics, has seen growth rocket in the UK since launching in February.

The firm has 150,000 active monthly users and boss Gareth Evans now has his sights set on expansion into the continent and, eventually, a sale of the company to a tech giant.

He told the Press Association: "We're growing extremely quickly and feedback from users has been very positive - we're consistently ranked number four on the app store.

"An exit through a sale within the next five years to a big tech firm is our objective, that's what we're working towards."

Yubl - which is an abbreviated form of "your bubble" - makes money by allowing businesses to interact with users.

Mr Evans and co-founder Jonathan Ellis, one of the creators of popular 90s computer game Lemmings, are targeting 23 million in revenues by 2018.

"We aim to be cash neutral by 2018, no social or messaging app has monetised as early as we aim to. This will be a first," he added.

Yubl has raised 16 million to date and Monsoon man Mr Simon, one of the firm's main investors, added: "I recognised the huge potential of Yubl as a new and innovative tool for the retail business - not just as a great communication channel to reach millennials, but because of its ability to provide businesses with instant feedback and product review through its revolutionary voting tools."
The attack at the City Cemetery off the Falls Road was reported to police on Friday afternoon

The destruction of 13 Jewish graves in Belfast is shameful, a Catholic bishop has said.

Youths using hammers and blocks caused the damage, local councillors said. Headstones were knocked over and smashed. The concrete covers of some of the graves were also damaged.

The attack at the City Cemetery off the Falls Road was reported to police on Friday afternoon.

Bishop Noel Treanor said: " These shameful acts are a blemish on our society."

He said condemnation was not enough.

"What a tragedy and blemish then that the long-present, beloved and treasured Jewish families of our community should suffer yet again such actions of disrespect, violence to the memory of their beloved dead and the regrettable outworking of a latent xenophobia that stalks the minds of some."

He said people needed to discuss xenophobia.

"Only yesterday a young mother, native of another land, and now an admirable fellow citizen of this city and land, told me of how a young child of four had muttered racist and xenophobic sentiments to her child of similar age in a public playground.

"Others who have come to live and work among us have told me of incidents in supermarkets where shoppers speaking a language other than English were treated with disdain and disrespect by fellow-shoppers who are natives here.

"I do not suggest these attitudes are widespread, but we all need to be vigilant lest we succumb to, harbour or induce hatred of other races, colour or religious belief.

"Failure to address such attitudes to others is not worthy of a Christian culture and people. Racism and xenophobia are issues of our times."

The municipal cemetery where the attack took place is one of the oldest public graveyards in Belfast and it is maintained by the c ity council.

Bishop Treanor told worshippers at St Peter's Cathedral in Belfast: " As a society, as neighbourhoods and communities, we must honestly consider if we harbour attitudes that are negative to those whom we too easily classify as 'foreigner', rather than see them as sisters and brothers in Christ and in humanity.

"As a society, we need to build co-operation between our homes and schools to ensure that our children are educated in heart and attitude, in mind and action, to respect every person without exception.

"As we build here in Northern Ireland a society fit and able to accommodate the contemporary reality of the mobility of peoples, willing to cherish the multi-cultural and multi-faith mosaic that is every contemporary society generally and in its most local communities and neighbourhoods, there can be no compromise on these imperatives to build minds and hearts that are open to, respectful of and treasure diversity."
John Hume has hailed Ireland's former tanaiste (deputy prime minister) Peter Barry as a peacemaker of great courage.

The wealthy businessman and shrewd political deal maker was a key player in Anglo-Irish relations during one of the most difficult periods of the Northern Ireland Troubles in the mid-1980s. He died on Friday aged 88 and his funeral will be held in Cork tomorrow morning.

The founder of the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Nobel prize-winning peace process architect Mr Hume said he was a source of strength for all who stood against violence.

"Peter was a constant companion to the North throughout our most challenging times as we walked the treacherous path to peace.

"Implacable in his opposition to all forms of violence and injustice, he will long be remembered in this island's story as a man of great courage and courtesy."

The businessman from Cork, who built the Barry's Tea brand into a household name in Ireland, forged a successful political career spanning decades.

From a political dynasty started by his father, the former lord mayor of Cork was first elected a TD (MP) in 1969. He went on to become deputy leader of his Fine Gael party.

Until he retired from national politics in 1997 he served in a number of senior government positions including the education, transport and environment portfolios.

But it was in his role as Foreign Affairs Minister in the years leading up to the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement - credited with being a stepping stone to the Good Friday Agreement - that he is best remembered.

Mr Hume said it was not just his work on negotiating the Anglo-Irish Agreement between then Irish premier Garret FitzGerald and then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher that distinguished him but also his commitment to its faithful implementation.

The accord gave Ireland a consultative role on Northern Ireland affairs for the first time and met the fiercest of unionist protests.

Mr Hume noted: "He keenly understood that historic handshakes marked the beginning not the end of our challenges."

He said Mr Barry was hard-headed and sure-footed in his political dealings but always demonstrated a personal grace.

"He brought a real empathy to his engagement on the North alongside a critical determination to lay the groundwork for peaceful progress."

Mr Barry died peacefully in his native city on Friday morning surrounded by his family. He had four sons and two daughters, including sitting Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune.

Most of Ireland's political elite is expected to attend his funeral at 11:30am on Monday morning at St Michael's Church, Blackrock.
Police and Forensics at the scene after a stabbing in west Belfast. Photo Colm Lenaghan / Pacemaker Press

Police and Forensics at the scene as Britton's Parade remains sealed off. Photo Colm Lenaghan / Pacemaker Press

Ryan Conlon has been named locally as the young man who was stabbed at Britton's Parade, west Belfast. Facebook/Ryan Conlon

Police and Forensics at the scene after a stabbing in west Belfast. Photo Colm Lenaghan / Pacemaker Press

A man remains "critical" in hospital after being stabbed in west Belfast at the weekend.

He has been named locally as Ryan Conlon and is believed to be in his twenties.

The incident happened in the Brittons Parade area on Saturday evening at around 9pm.

A 26-year-old man has since been arrested by police in connection with the incident.

SDLP West Belfast MLA Alex Attwood said that his local community was shocked by a stabbing which occurred on Saturday night.

He added: The thoughts of everyone in this community are with the victim's friends and friends. Everybody hopes that the man, currently critically ill in hospital, makes a full recovery.

As with all such incidents, local people are deeply upset. Everyone must now be focussed on helping the police ensure that the full circumstances of this attack are investigated and appropriate action taken.

A spokesman for the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust confirmed that the victim was still in hospital and that his condition remains "critical".

Detective Sergeant Michelle Griffin has appealed for anyone who may have seen the incident to come forward with information.

Meanwhile, a 24-year-old man who was attacked by a group of men in the Shankill estate area of Belfast, has been discharged from hospital.

Police believe that a hammer may have been used by the gang as part of the attack which happened just after 11pm on Saturday night.
Police and DOE at the scene on the Malone Road in Belfast between Eglantine Avenue and Wellington Park in Belfast where a road subsidence has lead to the closure of the road in on August 28th 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye )

Police and DOE at the scene on the Malone Road in Belfast between Eglantine Avenue and Wellington Park in Belfast where a road subsidence has lead to the closure of the road in on August 28th 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye )

Police and DOE at the scene on the Malone Road in Belfast between Eglantine Avenue and Wellington Park in Belfast where a road subsidence has lead to the closure of the road in on August 28th 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye )

Police and DOE at the scene on the Malone Road in Belfast between Eglantine Avenue and Wellington Park in Belfast where a road subsidence has lead to the closure of the road in on August 28th 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye )

A view of the sinkhole in Hemel Hempstead, which is approximately 35ft wide and 20ft deep.

Several cars collapsed into a sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum in Kentucky (AP//National Corvette Museum)

A view of a large crack on a house in Magadalen's Close, Ripon, after a 25ft wide sinkhole opened up in the street

The massive sinkhole swallowed an intersection at Brooklyns Sunset Park in New York. Image: New York City Fire Department (FDNY) / Facebook

Sinkholes around the world - This massive sinkhole swallowed an intersection at Brooklyns Sunset Park in New York. Image: New York City Fire Department (FDNY) / Facebook

Sinkholes around the world - A sinkhole covers a street intersection in downtown Guatemala City

Police and DOE at the scene on the Malone Road in Belfast between Eglantine Avenue and Wellington Park in Belfast where a road subsidence has lead to the closure of the road in on August 28th 2016 ( Photo by Kevin Scott / Presseye )

Police have closed part of the Malone Road in south Belfast after a small subsidence in the road surface was discovered.

Photographs taken at the scene show a small hole in the road's tarmac surface in one of the city's most popular area.

DoE officers were at the scene to survey the damage and assess the situation.

The closure was announced around 6.30pm on Sunday evening.

Police issued an online statement to inform motorists of the closure and added: "Diversions are in place at Wellington Park and Eglantine Avenue."

The full extent of the damage is not yet known.
Police are appealing for help for anyone who witnessed a man make a suspicious approach to a young girl in Belfast city centre.

A 12-year-old girl was suspiciously approached by a man in Belfast city centre, police report.

She was lifted off her feet by the man on Saturday afternoon in the Bank Street/Royal Avenue area.

But she managed to break away from him.

The girl was not injured in the incident which happened between 5 - 5.30pm.

A 27-year-old man has since been arrested by police and remains in custody.
Seoul (CNN) North Korea test fired a submarine-based ballistic missile from its east coast on Wednesday, South Korean authorities said.

The launch took place at 5:30 a.m. local time, according to a statement from the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

North Korea's launch took place in the waters, off Sinpo, South Hamgyong Province, in the early morning, the South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

"If the North Korean regime continues to pursue its nuclear and missile capabilities and ignore severe economic difficulties of its people, it will bring about more severe sanctions and diplomatic isolation. It should also realize that it will hasten its self-destruction," the country's Foreign Ministry said.

"Our government is prepared with full readiness posture to protect our people and the safety of our country and will thoroughly respond to any North Korea's provocation."

The US Pacific Command tracked the missile over and into the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, approximately 300 miles off the coast of North Korea.

This was the first time a North Korean missile entered Japan's air defense identification zone, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

"This is a threat to Japan's security and an unforgivable reckless act that significantly damages the peace and stability of the region," Abe said Wednesday morning.

The launch comes amid the annual joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea, which kicked off on Monday.

The annual drill includes 25,000 US troops, the bulk of which are already stationed in Korea, according to a statement by US Forces Korea.

Compared to previous tests, Wednesday's missile is seen as "an improvement," according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. The United States and South Korea are closely analyzing the details.



Dr. Daniel A. Pinkston, a professor at Troy University, told CNN the fact that the rocket traveled as far as it did suggests the North Koreans are "making quite rapid progress, and probably more rapid progress than any people had predicted."

North Korea's latest military move has drawn condemnation from the South Koreans.

This as a "serious challenge against the security of the Korean peninsula" and believed to be "part of North Korea's armed protest to escalate military tension in the Korean peninsula using annual US-South Korea joint drill as an excuse," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a press statement.

A senior US State Department official told CNN the US is trying to determine whether the launch was successful.

The missile is presumed to be a KN-11, said Navy Cmdr. Dave Benham, a spokesman for US Pacific Command.

Threat of more missiles

North Korea has made threats of nuclear retaliation if the two-week drills " show the slightest sign of aggression ," a spokesman for North Korea's military was quoted as saying by the country's state media.

In response to the joint drills, North Korea on Tuesday sent a letter to the UN Security Council, complaining that the "US-led large-scale joint military exercise in collusion with the south Korean forces despite repeated warnings of the DPRK is a grave military provocation aimed to launch a preemptive nuclear attack on the DPRK and a challenge to regional peace and stability in every way."

Under Security Council resolutions, aimed partially at curbing North Korea's development of nuclear weapons, the communist country is prohibited from carrying out ballistic missile launches.

A South Korean defense official earlier this month said North Korea has launched more than 30 test missiles since Kim Jong Un, the country's leader took power in 2011.

Though North Korea has aimed to improve its nuclear and missile capabilities, it has yet to pair the two successfully.

The US Strategic Command said one of the missiles exploded after launch. The other flew about 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) over North Korea and into the Sea of Japan, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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Statement from Jihadists: Our target is Manbij

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The leader of one of the jihadist groups that took part in Turkeys offensive over Jarabulus has stated that their target is Manbij.

According to the reports of Reuters, Ahmed Osman, the leader of the jihadist group Sultan Murad, has claimed that they are to seize control over the city of Manbij within the next few days.

Demand of Turkey and USA for YPG to move to the east of Euphrates

Since the early hours of the Operation Euphrates Shield, both Turkey and USA had made frequent requests with regards to the withdrawal of Syrian Democratic Forces to the east of the Euphrates River. While PYD and SDF had initially rejected the demands, the militia forces of YPG in the area have then withdrawn.

First reports on civilian deaths

As Turkey continues its offensive in the region, first significant reports of civilian causalities have begun to spread. While Turkey and FSA forces have announced that the city of Jarabulus has been completely taken over from ISIL forces as early as within the first few days of the operation, their offensive is now mostly directed towards the region of Manbij.

Independent has also shared footage of the site in the south of Jarabulus that was hit earlier today (August 28) in Turkish air strikes and artillery attacks.

Source: http://www.birgun.net/haber- detay/cihatcilardan-aciklama- hedefimiz-menbic-125940.html

http://www.birgun.net/haber- detay/afp-turkiye-nin-hava- saldirisi-40-sivili-oldurdu- 125931.html
Czech Interior Minister: Czech Republic will not accept any refugees in 2016

28. 8. 2016

cas cteni < 1 minuta





According to the EU-Turkey agreement, the Czech Republic was expected to accept eighty (!) Syrians directly from refugee camps in Turkey. They were supposed to arrive by the end of October. However, "the Czech Republic will not accept any of these refugees before the end of 2016," said the Czech social democratic Interior Minister Milan Chovanec on television on Sunday, adding, "We are carrying in-depth security checks on these individuals and these checks will not have been completed by the end of 2016. Hence we are unable to accept anyone this year."

"We want to know whom we are allowing into the country," said Chovanec adding that some of the refugees may be a strong security risk.

The Czech Social Democratic party is going into the regional elections, which will take place in the autumn in the Czech Republic, with a strong security message. It aims to fortify the southern border of the Czech Republic against "foreign intruders" and demands the creation of a joint European army.

Source in Czech HERE

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Love Happens At Fourth Sight, Not First Love And Romance oi-Staff

Love at first sight is a myth -- and lovers need to meet at least four times before Cupid's arrow strikes their hearts, said a study.

The findings showed that people often find themselves drawn to individuals after multiple encounters, even when there was no initial attraction.

"Cupid's arrow is often slow to strike. It may be attributable to the gradual change in attractiveness from repetition," Ravi Thiruchselvam, Psychologist at Hamilton College in New York, was quoted as saying by dailystar.co.uk on Sunday.

For the study, the team gave snaps of people's faces to a group of young men and women.

The researchers then wired the participants brains to monitors as the group ranked the attractiveness of people in the pictures.

The subjects were then shown the snaps for a second time, and rated those they found attractive much more highly.

The attraction was even stronger on the third occasion and strongest of all on the fourth.

The fourth attempt showed extra activity around the excitement and pleasure centres of the brain of the participants.

Inputs From IANS

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Story first published: Sunday, August 28, 2016, 12:02 [IST]
The 25th Infantry Division, which in its early years earned the nickname Tropic Lightning, marks its 75th anniversary this autumn. The men and women stationed thereand, indeed, all US soldiers in the Asia-Pacific regionhave been working to secure regional stability for much of the last century. Since US President Barack Obamas strategic rebalance to Asia, they have been doing even more.

Today, the US Army has a lot on its plate outside the region. It is at the forefront of the US-led coalitions campaign against the so-called Islamic State, as well as efforts to support the people of Afghanistan.



Yet we also continue to play a critical role in maintaining peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region. Though security in the Pacific is often associated with the efforts of the US Air Force and Navy, the Army is assuming an increasingly important role in strengthening regional partnerships. At a time when 6 of the worlds 10 largest armies are located in the Pacific theater of operations, and 22 of the regions 27 countries have army officers as their defense chiefs, the need to invest in the US Armys mission in the region is clear.

A key component of that mission is the Pacific Pathways program, which involves joining multinational partners to conduct a series of military exercises intended to increase Army readiness through additional training and strengthened partner-force relationships. Engaging with US soldiers participating in Pacific Pathways exercises in Hawaii, Malaysia and Alaska, I saw firsthand how these efforts advance regional security.

In Hawaii, American and Singaporean soldiers participated in their 36th year of joint exercises. From the newest privates to the most experienced generals, US soldiers have developed strong ties with their counterparts and deep pride in their shared security mission. In this sense, these soldiers are also serving as important ambassadors in the region.

The US Armys partnership with Malaysia is more recent. But during an annual joint exercise, I witnessed our forces improving familiarity and interoperability, and noted growing satisfaction with the strengthening of ties. In the event of, say, a natural disaster in the Pacific, the bonds that the United States and Malaysia have fostered could help save thousands of lives during a combined crisis response.

We know that we must continue working to sustain and strengthen our engagement in the Pacific, even as US soldiers continue to carry out diverse and demanding missions in other parts of the world. One way we can help to meet this need is through the use of rotational brigades.

At Camp Casey in South Korea, I had lunch with soldiers from the 1st Cavalry Division, who had trained for nine months at Fort Hood, Texas, before embarking on a nine-month rotation to the peninsula. Over the course of the deployment, the readiness of these forces actually increases, because of the quality and rigor of the training they undertake with partners from the Republic of Koreas Army.

Another way the US Army is maintaining flexibility, resiliency and depth in the Asia-Pacific region is by placing prepositioned stocksstrategic stockpiles of critical combat equipmenton allies territory. In Japan, for example, the US Army stores more than 100 watercraft that can be used to deliver supplies quickly in the event of a natural disaster or other contingency.

Beyond storing the equipment, we train with our partners to use it, and we develop our logistical capabilities to distribute it effectively. In effect, the US Army provides rapid response capabilities to the US Joint Force (the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines acting in tandem) and our allies and partners.

The US Army is also pursuing tactical innovation in the Pacific. While our budget for modernization is below that of the other US armed services, we must continue to develop capabilities rapidly and equip our people with the latest technology. That is why, for example, soldiers have been learning to fight in formation with robots in Hawaii, and we have engaged in bilateral training with unmanned aerial systems in Malaysia.

A final element of our involvement in the Asia-Pacific region is the effort to improve our capabilities in difficult tactical environments. We engage in exercises in Alaska that develop our capabilities in extreme climatescapabilities that will help us to ensure that the Arctic does not become a contested region. And, through our training in Hawaii and Malaysia, we have strengthened our capacity to fight in a jungle environment.

The US Army has a broad array of missions and responsibilities. From Hawaii through Guam, to Northeast Asia and the Alaskan frontier, it is pursuing a crucial one: providing a foundation for security in a dynamic regionand for Americas future there. Project Syndicate

Eric K. Fanning is US secretary of the Army.
Hillary is even ahead in many Red states because Trump is such a bad candidate. Predictions of an electoral landslide are starting to appear. I got to tell you, you tin foil hat wearing fools would be the type of people who, when observing a tsunami heading to shore, would stop to weed your gardens before fleeing to higher ground. BLAH HA HA HA HA HA
Isn't it fascinating that the fringe is suddenly supportive of the "LIBERAL" press? HECK YEAH! The press is entitled to a press conference. The press WANTS and should GET a press conference. AND the argument (other than WE want it so WE shoudl get it) is they want to (and this is a quote from one journalist) " we get the best sense we can about how that person thinks on his or her feet, how they deal with unwanted or adversarial questions. Those two traits are big parts of doing the job of president in the modern world."

Well, SHOOT YEAH! Because no one knows WHO Hillary is or what she thinks or how she deals with ADVERSARIAL questions. That is the most cockamamie thing I've ever heard! The press has followed Clinton for 40 years. They have every video clip, every reply to every question ever posed to a candidate. They have watched her in senate committee inquisitions and have had a bird's eye view of her most personal family dramas.

Each candidate gets to run their campaign THEIR way and if Hillary doesn't want press conferences, then she should tell the press to FRICK OFF.
Let Me Tell You is a new bespoke podcast series from



Hosts Daniel McConnell and Paul Hosford take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments in recent Irish political history from the unique perspective of one of the key players involved.


The mother of British backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung said her daughter's ashes will be scattered around the world so she "can visit places" she will now never discover.

Rosie Ayliffe also discussed coming to terms with her loss, after her 21-year-old daughter was stabbed to death in Australia on Tuesday, allegedly by 29-year-old Frenchman Smail Ayad, police said.

Writing in a daily blog for The Independent, Ms Ayliffe, from Wirksworth in Derbyshire, described plans for her daughter's cremation as she prepares to head for Australia to collect the ashes.

A photo supplied by Amy Browne of her with Mia Ayliffe-chung (right), who has been named locally as the 21-year-old British woman who has died after being stabbed at a backpackers' hostel in Australia.

Ms Ayliffe said: "I know some of her friends are struggling with that (the decision to cremate her 'sooner rather than later'), because they wanted her body brought home and a cremation or burial here in the Wirksworth area, but she has friends all over the place.

"Hence the plan to create a place of remembrance here, but also to give various people vials of Mia's ashes to scatter in places dear to her or to them. That way she can visit places she hasn't visited yet. Canada, New Zealand, Singapore."

She added: "I've been told by the family liaison police that I'm at the beginning of a journey and that I'll experience many emotions. For the past few days the emotions have been at bay, to the extent that I was starting to question yesterday whether I was grieving at all.

"At the moment the only way I can really cope with our loss is to think Mia's time had come and what happened in that hostel on Tuesday was her fate. It was always going to happen like that."

Mia Ayliffe-Chung

She said of the alleged killer: "Smail Ayad ... is not an Islamic fundamentalist, he has never set foot in a mosque."

Meanwhile, the family of a Briton injured in the stabbing have said they are "immensely proud" of him after he tried to save Ms Ayliffe-Chung's life.

Tom Jackson, 30, received critical injuries when he tried to help his compatriot.

His father Les Jackson issued a statement also praising the work of medical staff at Townsville Hospital in Queensland, where his son is being treated.

He said: "There are many and varied reasons why we are, and always will be, immensely proud of Tom.

"His actions in response to this horrific attack only add to that sense of pride.

"As a family we have been comforted by the help and support offered by our friends and family at home and in Australia who have been wonderful."

Queensland Hostel

Ayad has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

He did not appear in court on Friday but was remanded in custody and his case has been adjourned until October 28.

Police are investigating reports that the Frenchman had an unrequited romantic interest or an "obsession" with Miss Ayliffe-Chung.
It sounds like a darker, sicker secret than it actually is, but I had best confess it bluntly; I am pretty sure I would have dated Joseph Stalin if I had met him when I was in high school. I am not talking about the older Stalin, the merciless, moustachioed tyrant who slaughtered millions of his people without cause. I am talking about the younger Stalin, the one with thick, foppish hair and intense black eyes. If you don't believe me, Google him. Young Stalin was hot.

After I discovered this late one night while researching a book, I couldn't stop thinking that every girl should be shown this photo, of the youthful Joseph, who was a romantic poet and revolutionary, before becoming a brute and a tyrant. Who was clearly not a keeper: as a husband, he drank heavily, argued frequently, and flirted with other women. He addressed his second wife Nadezhda Alliluyeva in public as "hey, you!" and arrested her friends after they told her he was butchering people. At age 31, Nadezhda shot herself after a humiliating public fight with him at a dinner party during which he flicked cigarettes at her.

I would talk to these teenage girls about the evolution in Stalin's behaviour, and about charm, and how it can fool you. About the difference between passionate intensity and love. We could discuss how to recognise signs of aggression, manipulation, abuse or control in even the most nascent relationship  and what not to tolerate and when to walk away.

I was reminded of my teen Stalin lecture this week when I saw the footage of former Auburn deputy mayor Salim Mehajer verbally abusing his estranged wife, Aysha. He was spitting into his phone's camera in rage. He accused her of having "f---ed 12 guys" and said he wanted her to die and that she had to call him back or he would seek revenge. "If you don't call me in five minutes, I'm going to rape your mum, your mum and your f---ing dad," he said. "Call me now."
Mixed messages coming from the state LNP conference this past weekend illustrate the argument within the LNP over preferencing Pauline Hanson's One Nation in the next state poll. Do they go for the simple statewide tactic of 'If you vote One Nation, put us second', or do they opt for a more subtle seat by seat strategy?

The problem for the LNP is that, despite preferencing One Nation in the bush, the LNP may still lose seats in the bush to One Nation. Moreover, preferencing One Nation in the city, the LNP may lose the urban Liberal seats like Indooroopilly, Mt Ommaney, Mansfield, Everton and Clayfield. Urban progressives could be expected to run a vociferous anti-One Nation campaign.

Pauline Hanson. Credit:Tertius Pickard

One cannot imagine Scott Emerson strolling through the shopping strip on Hawken Drive in St Lucia with how to vote cards preferencing One Nation. Rahul and Sangeeta Singh who run the local newsagency, are not going to preference Pauline. The Thai folk who run the Bangkok Delights restaurant, the Indian folk who run Curry Connection, the Turkish bloke who runs the popular student takeaway, none of them are going to vote for One Nation.

Ian Walker, even with a 0.5 per cent margin in Mansfield, is not going to curry favour with One Nation.
The impact of the lockout laws on Kings Cross has been greatly exaggerated, according to a report by an anti-alcohol lobby group whose findings have been hotly disputed by the law's opponents.

A new report by the Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, an anti-alcohol lobby group, argues a range of restrictions brought in by the O'Farrell government in 2014, has had less impact on Kings Cross than is often claimed.

Artist Scott Marsh paints a mural of NSW Premier, Mike Baird holding a kebab and glass of wine. Initiatives by the Baird government, such as a recent roundtable to develop policies for improving the city's night life, have been welcomed by businesses. Credit:Cole Bennetts

Crowds of up to 10,000 came out to protest against the laws earlier this year. Some estimates claimed that live music performances in Kings Cross had fallen by nearly 40 per cent.

But the group says estimates that foot traffic in the area had fallen by up to 90 per cent were exaggerated.
And I heard them both....When they said it..in real time with no other knucklehead reading something else into it.....8/17 Limbaugh commented on a news article where the Obama Administration was offering financing to Lesbian to get into farming...That right there would make me say "Why are they getting preferences??"....A week later the moonbats are running around with their hair on fire because Limbaugh had the temerity to comment on something that is none of his business....How dare he!! On the 25th he rebutted the attacks against him and that was in the video that was a montage of the rebuttal. It was put together to justify the original slander of Limbaugh..



Where Obama's remarks were extremely insulting to those people who struggled and sacrificed to build their business.....But very few people noticed it and it just went right over the heads of the low information voters.. They were more worried about Romney's folders with women in them...
Queensland will become the first state in Australia to ban outlaw bikies from wearing insignia in public under the Labor government's changes to anti-gang legislation.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Sunday revealed some of the proposed reforms to the Liberal National Party's (LNP) Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment (VLAD) Act that will be introduced into the state's hung parliament on September 13.

Existing provisions within liquor legislation which ban the wearing of club colours, insignia, logos or acronyms within licensed venues will be extended to cover any public area.

"My message is very clear - you will not be able to intimidate members of the Queensland public because if you do, your colours will be confiscated and you will face possible jail time," Ms Palaszczuk said.
Queensland's taxi industry does not believe new language tests should be applied retrospectively to drivers, despite a lack of English being used as a criminal defence in a Brisbane court yesterday.

Ravinder Singh Kang, 39, pleaded guilty to causing bodily harm to a 19-year-old woman who fell out of his taxi as he drove along West Avenue, Wynnum, on April 5 last year.

Kang, an Indian national, had asked the woman and her two friends to pay upfront but they refused and when they got to Wynnum, one felt sick and asked him to stop the cab.

As she was sick, one of her friends hopped out to assist, leaving the 19-year-old in the cab.

When the 19-year-old undid her seatbelt, Kang drove off, ignoring a red light. He stopped and held her arm, then drove forward again.
Tom Jackson's "courageous" rush to try to save his fellow British backpacker from an alleged stabbing attack at a north Queensland backpacker hostel is but one reason for the immense pride his family feels in him, his Dad says.

In a statement released from his bedside vigil at The Townsville Hospital on Sunday, Les Jackson broke his silence after travelling halfway across the world to be with his 30-year-old son.

Les Jackson, father of Thomas Jackson, who was critically injured in the alleged backpacker hostel stabbing attack in Home Hill, south of the Queensland city of Townsville, arrives at Townsville airport on August 25, 2016. Credit:Jorge Branco

"There are many and varied reasons why we are, and always will be, immensely proud of Tom," he said.

"His actions in response to this horrific attack only add to that sense of pride."
Is your boss watching you? Online profiling blurs lines of public, private life

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The mother of British backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung, who was killed in Townsville, says her daughter's ashes will be scattered around the world so she "can visit places" she will now never discover.

Rosie Ayliffe is coming to terms with her loss, after her 21-year-old daughter was stabbed to death in Australia on Tuesday, allegedly by 29-year-old Frenchman Smail Ayad.

Writing in a daily blog for The Independent, Ms Ayliffe, from Wirksworth in Derbyshire, described plans for her daughter's cremation as she prepares to head for Australia to collect the ashes.

"I know some of her friends are struggling with that (the decision to cremate her 'sooner rather than later'), because they wanted her body brought home and a cremation or burial here in the Wirksworth area, but she has friends all over the place.
Seven teenagers, aged from 14 and 17, have been charged after a burglary and high-speed police chase through the Brisbane CBD on Sunday morning.

It will be alleged about 12.45am an 80-year-old woman was asleep in her Coombell Street home in Jindalee when she awoke to someone searching her room.

Police have charged seven teenagers following a burglary and chase through the Brisbane CBD on Sunday morning.

The suspects then fled the home and the woman contacted police.

Police said a hatchback was seen from the Polari helicopter speeding away from the street and it allegedly failed to stop for police at the Centenary Highway on ramp from Sinnamon Road.
The parlous state of the federal budget could cost Victoria its coveted AAA credit rating.

Top ratings agency Standard & Poors has warned there is a one-in-three chance the state's rating could be downgraded  potentially raising the interest bill on public borrowing needed to pay for big road and rail projects.

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison issued a dire warning on federal finances last week. Credit:Bloomberg

In a report to investors issued last week, S&P said Victoria's economic and financial health remained "very strong", with "exceptional liquidity" and moderate debt.

But the glowing assessment could be irrelevant if the Commonwealth fails to rein in its spending and bring debt down.
Police are on the hunt for two thieves who allegedly went on a spending spree with a stolen credit card in Frankston last month.

A woman lost her card in a shopping centre on Beach Street about 6.45pm on July 29, Chloe Booker reports.

It was used multiple times a short time later to buy alcohol and groceries in Frankston and Carrum Downs.

Investigators have released images of a man and a woman, believed to be aged in their 30s, who they believe may be able to assist with their enquiries.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.
Multiple shots were fired into a suburban home in Melbourne's north on Sunday.

Police spokeswoman Kendra Jackson said a number of shots were fired into a Lalor house about 4.20am.

Police are investigating the circumstances behind a shooting in Lalor on Sunday.

"There were occupants inside at the time but no one was injured," she said.
Two stations on Melbourne's busiest railway line are closing for a month, while another two on the Frankston line will reopen after lengthy works, as the city's level crossing removal program continues.

On Sunday, Public Transport Minister Jacinta Allan went to Clayton South to remind travellers in Melbourne's south-east that Murrumbeena and Carnegie railway stations would close on Sunday night for four weeks.

The closures are part of the controversial sky rail project  the removal of nine level crossings by elevating the railway line between Caulfield and Dandenong. Construction begins this week.

The $1.6 billion project will incorporate the removal of nine of Melbourne's most congested level crossings and the rebuilding of five railway stations by 2018  just in time for the next state election.
Kipper said: Potential.



My is following:



1.My country to follow

2.Science my believe

3.English Soccer league

4.Johnson / Trump

5.Food

6.Tobacco

7.Alcoholic

8.Syria war

9.Musicians Click to expand...

Very good list. Also my list. Trump can fix his ultimate role.But Trump aren't my favorite even he is better than Hillary.And snuff and tobacco then alcoholic then food very import.Syria wars is big thing when America go in there next year.80,000 / 60,000 / 40,000 USAF soldiers next year.Metallica, Soil and Queen my absolute best in music. Yihaa.
The family of a New Zealand man who has been missing in Perth for almost a week say the 23-year-old may be on a "spiritual journey".

Police are continuing their search until last light on Sunday for Michael Junior Huria, who also goes by the surname Sullivan.

Ellenbrook man Michael Huria has been missing since Monday.

Water Police divers searched several bodies of water while police and SES scoured bushland areas as part of their search.

The Ellenbrook man has not been in touch with family or friends since leaving his home in the northeastern suburb some time after 4am on Monday.
Singapore health authorities have warned the Zika virus, which has been linked to a rare birth defect, is spreading in the affluent city-state.

The Ministry of Health on Sunday confirmed 41 cases of locally-transmitted Zika, including 36 foreign construction workers.

Authorities said they had identified "other areas of concern" outside the Aljunied Crescent and Simms Drive areas on the island's south east where the 41 cases were confirmed.

On Saturday, authorities confirmed the first local transmission of the virus to a 47 year-old Malaysian woman, also from the Aljunied Crescent area.
Phillies complete comeback with 10th inning HR to win Game 1 of World Series

Philadelphias catcher hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the 10th after his team had rallied out of an early 5-0 deficit.
LEBANON  Firefighters responded to a grass fire late Saturday afternoon that scorched three acres on Mount Hope Drive.

According to a Lebanon Fire District news release, personnel responded to the blaze at about 4:40 p.m. Upon arriving, they were met by a south wind sending the 4-foot flames through the cut grass to the northeast.

Pushing against the wind, a backing fire backed into piles of wooden pallets and blackberry bushes on the south flank only a few feet from a shop. Firefighters focused on the building and quickly knocked down the flames.

On the north side, winds continued pushing the flame front toward Mount Hope Drive. With the assistance of the Oregon Department of Forestry and a water tender from the Tangent Fire District, firefighters were able to stop it from reaching the road and the other side.

Nine apparatus responded with 17 personnel. Firefighters were assisted on scene by the ODF, Tangent Fire District and the Linn County Sheriff's Office.

Crews spent more than three hours on scene, mostly putting out hot spots. A small outbuilding was destroyed; damages are estimated to be less than $1,000.

The fire is believed to have been caused by a rekindle of a backyard burn from earlier in the week. Backyard burning is banned due to extreme fire conditions.
After a years gap, Nusli Wadia-led has got a new chief executive officer (CEO) for its real estate company, Bombay Realty. It has appointed Bharat Dhuppar, CEO of Sheth Creators, a Mumbai-based real estate company, to head Bombay Realty. Dhuppar has also worked as chief marketing officer at Omkar Realtors, a Mumbai-based developer.
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Vijay Shekhar Sharma-led mobile wallet major is in advanced talks to raise $300 million in fresh funds.

According to multiple sources, other than existing investors such as Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba and SAIF Partners, the new round of fundraising will see participation from Singapores Temasek Holdings, Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek and Wall Street major Goldman Sachs.

When contacted, refused to comment on the matter.

Sources said the deal with all these investors would likely close within the next 10 days. The One97 Communications-owned mobile wallet, which has a current valuation of $2.9 billion, could jump to $5 billion after the deal is sealed.

FACT SHEET OF PAYTM

Fact Sheet (India's largest mobile payment and commerce platform) Paytm Wallet Users 130 mn

Monthly transactions 90 mn

Transactions per day 3 mn

GMV (Current) $4.5 bn

GMV projected by financial year end $10 bn

Marketplace Merchants 0.13 mn

Paytm, which recently hived off its e-commerce and payments bank businesses into separate companies, would use these fresh funds to bolster the two businesses.

In the initial phase, a lot of capital would be required to make its payments bank project. The fund infusion would help its expansion, said a sector insider.

The hiving off of the marketplace also helps it become a top contender to merge with Alibaba, when it enters India later this year. In a recent interview, Sharma had said Amazon and Alibaba would be the top e-commerce players in India in a year.

Sources said the company was hoping for a merger with Alibaba. However, the Chinese firm is reportedly looking at other options, too.

Paytm has so far raised $675 million.

Sharma currently holds a 21.33 per cent stake in One97, while SAIF Partners holds 30.81 per cent share. Jack Ma-led Alibaba and Alipay collectively hold 40 per cent in the company.

After the completion of the deal, it could possibly be the largest funding round this year. In February, Snapdeal had raised $200 million from Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and Singapore-based investment entity Brother Fortune Apparel. Japans SoftBank recently pumped $61 million into OYO Rooms. In March this year, BigBasket raised $150 million in a round of funding led by the Abraaj Group.

At present, Paytm has a monthly gross merchandise value of $300 million and a user base of 130 million.
Industries shareholders can expect a breakout message from Chairman Mukesh Ambani at the annual general meeting this Wednesday. Ambani, sources in the company said, would lay out a detailed road map on commercialisation of two of its key projects worth $50 billion (about Rs 3.3 lakh crore).
Last November when major Amazon opened its first brick and mortar bookstore in Seattle, the company called it a physical extension of its portal. Tech pundits believe it marked the beginning of an omnichannel expansion to bring the offline and the virtual world together, giving the company unlimited footprint.
India will aim to get armed technology from the United States during Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's visit to the United States.

Parrikar, who left for Washington on Sunday, will meet with his American counterpart Ashton Carter on Monday. This will be the sixth meeting between the two defence ministers.

In the past, the US has shied away from offering its armed predator to India, which have been used in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

However, after India formally applied for membership to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 2015, and with the active support of France and the United States officially became a member on June 27, 2016, the possibility of New Delhi being able to convince Washington to part or share this drone technology, appears to be bright.

It is being speculated that the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) is likely to be signed between the two countries during Parrikar's visit. The agreement was announced during Carter's visit in April this year. The United States is also likely to push its case for the manufacture of American fighter jet planed in India under the 'Make in India' initiative.

Parrikar may also bring up India's concerns over Pakistan's inaction against militant groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) as also the instability being created on the Indian side of Kashmir by Islamabad. The situation in Afghanistan and the threats posed by both the Taliban and ISIS may also be flagged.

This week's meetings in Washington appear to be a precursor to the seventh India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which will be attended by Secretary of State John Kerry and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker. This is Kerry's fourth visit to India as secretary. Representatives of 12 American agencies will also be in attendance.

Apart from meeting Carter, Parrikar will be paying a visit to 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon, the Cyber Command, Andrews Air Force Base and the Langley Air Force Base over the next two days.

He would also hold interactions with the US business industry associations in a bid to convince them to consider investing in India's defence sector.

On August 31, he will be visiting the Boeing facility in Philadelphia.
Defence Minister on Sunday left for a tour of the US, where he will be meeting Defence Secretary Ashton Carter on Monday, officials said.

The two sides are expected to discuss the logistics sharing agreement during the visit, sources said, even as there was no official word on possibility of the deal being sealed.

This is Parrikar's second visit to the US in eight months.

During Carter's visit to India in April this year, India and the US had announced they will be signing a Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement.

Parrikar will, during his tour, visit the 9/11 memorial at Pentagon, the US Cyber Command, Andrews Air Force Base, and Langley Air Force base and interact with US business industry associates during the first two days of his visit.

On Wednesday, he will be visiting the Boeing facility in Philadelphia, sources said. The minister will return for Delhi on Thursday.
Around 34,606 criminals have been sentenced in last one year in Uttar Pradesh, DGP (Prosecution) Surya Pratap Singh said here on Sunday.

"The number of people who have been sentenced in last one year is more than one lakh. Leaving out the shorter sentences, this number stands at 34,606," he said.

6,244 people have been sentenced for more than 10 years in jail of which 33 for committing serious crimes, he added.

In Ghaziabad during this period, he said, 736 criminals were sentenced for less than 10 years and 162 for over 10 years.

Singh also hailed the role of witnesses in expediting the trial process.

"The witnesses also play an important role in expediting the trial process. In a case in Hapur, the trial process took mere 13 days, which is exemplary," said Singh.




A man pledged his newborn child with a money-lender for failing to repay a loan of Rs 20,000 in Tonk district of Rajasthan, officials said on Sunday.

The money-lender took the infant to the Child Welfare Committee which directed a children's home to take care of it.

President of the Child Welfare Committee Maya Subalka told PTI that one Kalu Ram had taken a loan of Rs 20,000 from money-lender Balu Ram.

On April 11, Kalu Ram and his wife came to Balu Ram saying they were unable to repay his loan and pledged their newborn with him.

Balu Ram produced the infant before the bench of the Child Welfare Committee on the same day and narrated the entire incident.

The bench named the infant 'Bardaan' and sent him to the children's home.

Subalka said the Child Welfare Committee has directed the SP as well as the local police to trace the parents of the child, who is now around six-month-old, but they have not met with any success.

The next hearing in the matter is on September 3.
Yoga Guru has said he plans to start a world class university in India in the next five years to educate around one lakh students in different streams, mentioning that 1,500 acre of land has already been acquired for it.

The standard of education would be at par with ivy leagues, said during his address on 'Yoga and Inner Peace' at a sold out event in Houston on August 23.

He said that he has planned to build a world class university in India near New Delhi like the University of Houston.

The cost of the project would be around Rs 25,000 crore, he added.

This university will be as reputed as the ancient higher-learning institutions of Nalanda and Takshila, so that students from all around the world would opt for India for higher education.

said he has also requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of Human Resource Development to start a Vedic education board at the state and level to revive and promote the Indian 'gurukul' tradition of education.

He said that the proposed university will focus on three major areas  health, business and education.

He stated that he plans to donate 100 per cent of the profit from the sale of herbal and food products of his Patanjali Ayurved for charitable causes and at least 80 per cent will go towards education.
Ahead of the CIL workers' proposed nation-wide stir on Friday, Power Minister said healthy conversations are the way forward and the government is always open to discussions.

The trade unions are slated to go on a nation-wide stir on September 2 to press for their various demands. "We believe as a government that healthy conversations and discussions are the way forward," Goyal said in a interview to PTI.

Asserting that it is in the interest of everybody to talk, the minister said "we are always open to discussing issues".

The minister added that strikes will not offer any benefit to the employees, workmen or the nation.

The strike comes at a time when the country is eyeing an ambitious target of 1.5 billion tonnes of coal production by 2020. Of this, CIL, which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic output, is looking at one billion tonnes.

Recently, Coal India (CIL) told the bourses: "We have received a communication for notice... For strike on September 2." It added that efforts are being made for conciliation.

PwC's Kameswara Rao said that "given the lean demand and high coal stocks at plants and mines, the strike will have limited direct impact".

He further said the dynamics are changing with low global coal prices and the rising share of renewable energy, and coal companies and its stakeholders should be prepared for competitive and commercial pressure.

One of the trade unions had earlier said the 12-point charter of demands jointly formulated by all central trade unions was already submitted to the government.

The demands include urgent measures for containing price rise through universalisation of public distribution system, banning speculative trade in the commodity market and doing away with disinvestment in central or state public sector undertakings, among others.

With the state-owned behemoth having around 42 million tonnes (mt) of coal at its pithead and power plants in possession of comfortable fossil fuel stock, the proposed one-day strike on September 2 is likely to have a limited direct impact, a CIL official had earlier said.

In September last year, a majority of about 4 lakh coal workers across the country had gone on strike, which hit production in a big way.

Nearly 5 lakh bank union workers and officers are set to join the strike called by unions on September 2 to protest against what they call "anti-people policies of the Modi government and labour reforms".
Indias first integrated textiles city is likely to come up in . The central government has already initiated the process of identifying land, technology and expertise for the same.
Canara, HSBC Oriental Bank of Commerce Life Insurance expects to grow at 30 per cent this fiscal on the back of increased usage of the digital channel and addition of customers from tier II and III cities.

"In 2015-16, we grew by 35 per cent, while the industry grew by about 15 per cent. As our model is bancassurance, we are favourably placed and this is what is leading to this kind of growth," Anuj Mathur, CEO Canara HSBC OBC Life Insurance told PTI.

"We are focusing on getting into tier 2 and 3 cities. We are focusing big time on digital, that is where the next phase of growth is going to come from. In April-June (2016-17) lean period, we grew by 25 per cent. So we are actually on track and are now moving to the high season," Mathur said.

Going forward, insurers will come up with more digital products and also online segment is growing very fast.

"Currently, there are 220 million smartphone users. It is to go up to 770 million by 2020. This increase is happening in tier 3 & 4 centres. Technology is going to play a very important role as people will be able to buy products easily and insurers could serve customers better," Mathur said.

There is now increased awareness towards insurance and people want to have a protection cover, he said.

"Government has played a very important and positive role in creating awareness through Pradhan Mantri Bima Yojana. Insurance awareness has gone up, need for protection is now being felt and that is where growth is coming from," he added.

On a conservative approach, company has however trimmed medium term growth target to 15-20 per cent in 2-3 years.

"We don't want to take targets which are too aggressive. It is always better to be conservative. This year's 25-30 per cent...But thereafter it has to be lowered as base is going to be higher," he said.

Welcoming Irdai guidelines on e-insurance, Mathur said it will bring down operations cost significantly and remove paper work, but issues will be to create a central data depository.

"It will take some time for people to be part of that kind of depository. But once it is there then it will be very convenient," he said.

Issuing polices through e-commerce will help in cutting down the turnaround time, policies could be issued overnight and data will be quick to access.

He hoped e-insurance could be in place by December. So far this year, the company has launched four products and has lined up four more by the end of this fiscal. Early next month, it will launch a children's policy.

The company will also add another 400 people to its workforce by December, taking the total head-count to 18,000.

Promoted by Canara Bank (51 per cent), OBC (23 per cent) and HSBC Insurance (Asia Pacific) Holdings (26 per cent), the private sector insurer has been registering a consistent growth from last four years.

It registered a net profit of Rs 126 crore in 2015-16. In the quarter ended June, net profit grew to Rs 43 crore against Rs 35 crore a year ago.
Efforts are on to make women of the villages self-reliant: Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare .

Centre Working Expeditiously to Provide Agriculture Loans to Farmers According to their Needs and in a Timely Manner: Shri Radha Mohan Singh .

Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shri Radha Mohan Singh today addressed the 96th Annual Conference of Kota Co-operative Societies Ltd. 108 R, in Kota, Rajasthan. Speaking on the occasion Shri Radha Mohan Singh highlighted the following points. .

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Central Government has made concerted efforts to strengthen Co-operative Societies. .

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At the local level, through cooperative societies, employment opportunities are being created for farmers & youth. .

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Efforts are on to make women of the villages self-reliant. .

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Union Minister said that the Central Government is working expeditiously to provide agriculture loans to farmers according to their needs and in a timely manner. .

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Shri Singh said that NABARD is making groups of farmers and agriculture producers to provide them cheap agricultural loans from banks. Till January 2016 across the country 14.43 lakh joint liability groups were formed and by March 2016, NABARD has set up approximately 2424 producer groups. The Minister said that from April 2005 to March 2014, Rs. 6775 crore were spent. Whereas, the new Government has, from April 2014 until December 2015, extended Rs.7084 crore as financial assistance to joint liability groups. .

.

Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare said there is imbalance in the availability of credit to the agriculture sector and amongst small and big farmers. Shri Singh acknowledged that credit availability per capita in the region is much lower than in other regions. The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) survey, 46 percent of farming households are burdened by debt and the loans are from different institutions. .

.

The Minister informed that the Central Government has taken concrete steps to strengthen cooperatives so that they are economically viable and active participation of their members, to make them dynamic democratic organizations. Shri Singh said that by doing so, cooperative societies will be able to withstand the competitive global economy. The Minister said for the development of the rural economy and to increase employment opportunities in the agricultural, cooperatives have an important role to play. .

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On the occasion, Shri Singh said farmers through cooperatives and youth employment at the local level being added, as well as through self-help groups of village women work towards self-sufficiency is happening. The Central and State Governments are working together in this direction rapidly. Shri Radha Mohan Singh informed that many cooperatives get NCDC funding so that they can create employment for the needy. .

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The Minister appealed to the people involved in the cooperative movement in the building and the strengthening of the cooperative farmers, to protect the interests of vulnerable groups and to come forward and give them active support. Employees Cooperative Society Ltd. Shri Radha Mohan Singh appreciated Kota Co-operative Societies Ltd. works and praised its achievements and hoped that "one for all, all for one" spirit will continue to be guiding philosophy for them. .

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AK
Foreign entrepreneurs building new companies in the United States could soon gain a new option that would grant them temporary entry for up to five years, under a rule proposed on Friday by the Department of Homeland Security.
Confident of greater bilateral trade and enhanced cooperation at global economic platforms, the US on Sunday said it is ready to increase engagement with India to find new common ground at and asserted that the future looks "bright" for this global trade body.

The comments assume significance as during the WTO's Nairobi Ministerial conference, differences had surfaced between developing countries including India and developed economies including the US on issues related to the Doha Round, public stockholding for food security purposes and new issues being pushed by the rich nations.

"In our view, the future looks bright for the and we remain ready to increase our engagement with India to find new common ground after years of impasse in the Doha round," Jeff Zients, Director of the National Economic Council, told PTI in an interview.

He also said that the proposed Bilateral Investment Treaty between India and the US needs to be of "sufficiently high standard" and discussions would continue to achieve this outcome.

Zients, who will be in India this week for the second US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, further said: "We are already working with India and other members to find new ways forward to take up pending Doha Round issues and to ensure that the WTO's agenda remains relevant, particularly with respect to issues such as the digital and interests of small and medium enterprises.

"The last two WTO Ministerial Conferences in Bali and Nairobi were significant successes, including outcomes on the Trade Facilitation Agreement, agricultural export subsidies, and public stockholding for food security purposes."

He added: "We recently built on these successes at the G-20 Trade Ministers Meeting in Shanghai where we made commitments on lowering the costs of trade, coordinating efforts to reinforce trade and investment, and supporting sound agriculture policies."

Zients also serves as Assistant to the US President for Economic Policy. Previously, he was appointed by the President to a newly created position of United States Chief Performance Officer. Prior to joining the Administration, Zients spent 20 years in the private sector as a CEO, management consultant and entrepreneur.

During his India visit, he would co-chair the second US-India CEO Forum alongside the US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker.
prices crashed during 2015 and made lows of $26 a barrel for the WTI crude and $29 a barrel for Brent crude, mainly due to the glut in supply. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) meeting changed the oil markets, both dramatically and structurally. It began with Saudi Arabia relinquishing its supply management role and leaving the market to rebalance itself through prices. I have always believed the main reason for the sharp fall in prices was because it hovered between $90 and $110 for too long during 2012-2014, even as US production was moving up sharply.
Expressing disapproval of Prime Minister Nawa Sharif's move to appoint 22 parliamentarians as special envoys to highlight the unrest in Kashmir globally, Press Club of India (PCI) president and senior journalist Rahul Jalali on Sunday said whether it is 22 or 222, it hardly matters as the fact remains that Pakistan is exporting terrorists into the Kashmir Valley.

"Pakistan has been doing that ever since they failed to capture Kashmir in 1947. It will continue doing that.whether it be 22 or 222, it does not really matter. This rhetoric has been going on, but the fact of the matter is that Pakistan is sending terrorists to Kashmir to create the mayhem," Jalali told ANI.

Jalali's broadside against Pakistan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came as the latter announced the nomination of 22 parliamentarians as special envoys who will be highlighting the unrest in Kashmir globally.

"I have decided to send these parliamentarians for fighting the Kashmir cause in different parts of the world. These special envoys have the strength of the people of Pakistan, prayers from the Kashmiri people across the Line of Control, mandate of the Parliament and support from the government", the Dunya News quoted Prime Minister Sharif, as saying.

Earlier, Pakistan had raised the Kashmir issue in the United Nations after violence broke out in the valley over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani by the security forces.

Then, Pakistan's Permanent Resident to the UN Maleeha Lodi had called Wani's elimination as "extra-judicial" and described him as a "Kashmiri leader".

Since then, Pakistan has been using its diplomatic platforms to apprise other nations about the unrest.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian Army neutralised a hard-core Karbi Peoples Liberation Tiger (KPLT) terrorist and apprehended another in an operation in East Karbi Anglong district in Assam.

The terrorist was taken out in an operation yesterday on Saturday afternoon.

The killed terrorist has been identified as the Defence Secretary of KPLT and the apprehended terrorist is the self styled Commander in Chief of KPLT.

The series of successful operations against in East Karbi Anglong district has dealt a severe blow to the terrorist outfit.

Recently on 24th August, one KPLT terrorist was neutralised in a joint operation by Army and Police.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Balochistan Assembly has adopted an unanimous resolution in which it has criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the issue of alleged human rights violations in the province during his recent Independence Day speech.

Tabled by Pakistan Mulsim League-Nawaz lawmaker Muhammad Khan Lehri and supported by all political parties, the resolution was signed by Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri and other legislators, reports the Dawn.

Lehri was quoted by the Dawn, as saying that the "Indian Prime Minister has violated the sovereignty of Pakistan and United Nations charter in this regard."

It may be recalled that during his third Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Modi had thanked the Baloch people for their support after a number of separatist leaders published videos praising him for acknowledging their cause for freedom previously.

He also used his address to the nation from the ramparts of the 17th-century Red Fort in Old Delhi on August 15, to lash out at supporters of terrorism, without directly naming Pakistan as the perpetrator of this menace from its soil.

Modi's reference to Balochistan in such a prominent speech was unusual and has ratcheted up tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said the legal fraternity, especially students of law, must be in the vanguard of the battle for the rights and welfare of our people.

"Universities like NLSIU must take the lead in meeting contemporary challenges and ensuring that our civilizational values of love for motherland, performance of duty, compassion for all, tolerance, pluralism, respect for women, honesty in life, self-restraint in conduct, responsibility in action and discipline are fully entrenched in young minds," President Mukherjee said while addressing the 24th Annual Convocation of Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore.

The President called upon the students to read, learn and formulate views on issues.

He said a democracy cannot be healthy without informed participation.

"It is not enough to merely vote periodically. It requires effective implementation," he said.

He called upon the students to be the change that they seek through participation in all matters relating to governance and the state.

He said engage with our beautiful, complex, often difficult and sometimes noisy democracy. Help strengthen and refine legal and political institutions.

He asked them to pass on what they have learned and help others understand their rights as well as responsibilities.

"Help the nation create better citizens who are able to access all the opportunities that our country and society offer," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
New Delhi[India], Aug. 28 (ANI): Actress Tapsee Pannu, who is all set with her upcoming Amitabh Bachchan-starrer flick 'PINK,' recently revealed about how the Shehenshah helped her during the shoot-days.

"He helped me by doing his job perfectly. For an actor, it is a blessing if your co-actors do their job brilliantly. Being from a non-acting background, I am an actor who feeds off other actor's energy, which is why, whenever I shared the screen with Amitabh sir, I felt I did my job well," the actress, who is sharing the screen with Big-B for the first time, told ANI.

The 29-year-old actress, while sharing her first reaction when Shoojit Sircar revealed that she would be acting alongside Senior Bachchan, said, "I could not believe my ears."

On being asked who broke the ice between the two, the 'Baby' star said, "He is usually the first one to break the ice but I am a very outspoken person, so I could not wait to talk to him either."

"When we went to his house for a reading session, he asked everyone very courteously about what they want to speak, but none answered to him. While everyone was quiet, I was the first one to speak to him," she continued.

The 'Chashme Baddoor' actress further said that the film, which speaks about women empowerment, does not highlight 'rape' or Delhi as a 'rape capital'.

"The film is not about rape or Delhi. But Delhi was a perfect place for the story as it was in news since long for being an unsafe place for girls," she concluded.

Directed by national award winning director Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, 'PINK' also stars Kirti Kulhari, Andrea Tariang and Angad Bedi.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Baloch separatist leader Brahamdagh Khan Bugti has said that he is ready to have a political dialogue with the Pakistan government, but insisted that these discussions need to be focused on Baloch demands.

Participating in a National Press Club (NPC) event via Skype from Geneva to mark the tenth death anniversary of his grandfather Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti here, Brahamdagh was quoted by the Dawn, as saying, "We are political people, we will talk. We are prepared for dialogue on the rights of the Baloch people."

He said he wanted assurances that any government in Pakistan should guarantee the sanctity of the formula worked out for the protection of Baloch rights.

"Why ask us? Why don't you ask the Pakistani government, the army if they want to talk? If you are afraid of asking them, then admit that you are afraid," he told a Pakistani journalist who urged him to engage with Islamabad.

"The two problems - Kashmir and Balochistan - are different with different historical backgrounds," he emphasized.

The heavy Indian and Pakistani presence at the event betrayed the growing tension between the two neighbours over this question. Some Indians criticized the United States State Department for saying that Washington believed in Pakistan's territorial integrity and did "not support the demand for Balochistan's independence".

Pakistanis shouted back, saying that they would never allow the break-up of their country.

Bugti also demanded the suspension of American military assistance to Pakistan, adding that he hoped unlike the Obama administration, the next U.S. administration would be more receptive to Baloch demands and suspend its assistance to Pakistan.

He claimed that the larger Pakistani society had already alienated the Baloch people by ignoring their plight.

Former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani said that as a Pakistani he wanted Balochistan to remain in Pakistan, but if the government also had this objective, it should redress the grievances of the Baloch people.

British scholar Peter Tatchell said international aid agencies and human rights groups should be given access to Balochistan.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rewari Inspector General Police, South Range, Mamta Singh on Sunday said four men were arrested in connection with the murder of a couple and gang-rape of their two relatives, a woman and a minor girl, in Dingerheri village of Mewat district in Haryana.

Singh said, "Four people have been arrested in Mewat gang-rape, murder and robbery case from nearby localities."

The accused have been identified by police as Rahul, Sandeep, Amarjeet and Karamjeet.

Further revelations will be made after conducting interrogation of the accused, Singh added.

The incident was perpetrated by a gang of five unidentified men during a robbery, and came to light when one of the family members managed to escape from the house and alerted their relatives in the farms nearby.

Later, one of the two gang-rape victims lodged an FIR at the Tauru police station, stating she was sleeping along with her three cousins inside the house, while her uncle and other family members were sleeping outside when she heard loud screams around midnight.

Suddenly, five men barged into the house, tied up the family members and beat them up with iron rods, and raped the complainant and her minor cousin, she alleged.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has blasted groups and individuals opposing the Rampal coal power plant for spreading "negative, baseless, fictitious and misleading information" and questioned the motive of BNP chief Khaleda Zia for supporting the protests.

At a press conference yesterday at Ganabhaban, Hasina reiterated that the 1,320MW plant would not cause any harm to the Sundarbans mangrove forest.

She alleged that the protesters were creating panic among the people by portraying the project as destructive, reports the Dhaka Tribune.

Hasina, who unveiled the foundation plaque of the project on October 5, 2013, smelt conspiracy in BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's expressing solidarity with the anti-Rampal movement.

The government maintains that they would use high-end technology at the plant to mitigate environmental hazards and that the process would be monitored by the regulator, Department of Environment.

From an agitation programme at the Central Shaheed Minar on August 20, the National Committee announced to observe Dhaka March on November 24 if the government does not cancel the project by this time, and a grand rally in Dhaka on November 26.

Labelling the protesters as "anti-development vested quarters," Hasina said that the plant's location was about 14km away from the outer boundary of the Sundarbans and that the government would plant around 5 lakh trees in the surrounding area of the plant.

Meanwhile, leaders of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports has termed Hasina's speech defending the Rampal coal power plant unfortunate and said it was influenced by the contractor's advertising campaign

In reaction to Hasina's questioning the sources of funds for the movement, the committee said that they were opposing the project based on scientific data and evidence, and that the people joined them spontaneously.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bhumata Brigade activist Trupti Desai said on Sunday that she hoped no one would object to her offering prayers at the Haji Ali Dargah.

"Last time, when we had gone to the Haji Ali Dargah, we prayed for the verdict of the high court to be on our side. We have won there. We have got the blessings of Haji Ali Baba like we had got the blessings of God Shani. We will offer the holy 'chadar' there and take blessings," Desai told ANI.

She said they would request the trustees not to go to the Supreme Court in connection with the matter.

"It is 21st century, you should allow women to go to the inner sanctum. After six weeks, we will again go there. No one should object, as we won't hamper the law and order situation. Just like we offered prayers to Shani Dev, we will peacefully go to the Haji Ali Dargah and take blessings," she added.

The Bombay High Court had on Friday lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah.

The Haji Ali Dargah Trust imposed the ban in 2012 citing religious traditions. Authorities then defended the ban, saying that the entry of women in close proximity to the tomb of a male saint would be seen as a grievous sin in Islam.

The trust had claimed that separate arrangements have been made for women to walk up to a certain point from where they can offer prayers.

The ban is contrary to Articles 14, 15, 19 and 25 of the Constitution of India.

Earlier this year, women managed to break the gender bias and gained full access to the Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A four-member delegation from various IITs in India is on a visit to Nepal from August 27 to August 29, 2016 to interact with students of Class-XI and XII from various schools, and with final and pre-final year under graduate engineering students, to share notes about entrance exams, admission procedures for international students, life at various IITs and future prospects.

The IIT professors will have interactions with prospective students at the Institute of Engineering College, Pulchowk; Kathmandu University, Dulikhel; Rai School, Modern Indian School, DAV School, and KV School in Kathmandu on August 28 and August 29 respectively.

The Embassy of India's B.P. Koirala India-Nepal Foundation also held a special talk programme for the visiting IIT professors on August 27, 2016 at the Nepal-Bharat Maitri Library, Kathmandu which was attended by many interested students and their parents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Reiterating the government's stand on the Kashmir issue, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday reached out to all political parties to speak in one voice to bring peace in the valley.

"The Prime Minister has correctly said that he is pained when any youth, children or army man gets killed. Those who are instigating the kids, have to answer them one day. There is a clear message that our government wants peace in Kashmir and wants to bring the people there on the path of development. It wants to fail the conspiracy which is being hatched by Pakistan," BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain told ANI.

"The whole nation is united for peace in Kashmir. Everyone should speak in one voice to bring solution to the Kashmir issue," he added.

Expressing regret and remorse over the loss of lives in the Kashmir Valley, Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today said that any life lost in the state, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is India's loss, adding that those instigating young, innocent children will have to answer to them someday.

Addressing the nation during his address in the 23rd edition of his 'Mann ki Baat' programme, Prime Minister Modi said, "Any life lost in Kashmir, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is our own loss. Those who are trying to disrupt peace in Kashmir by instigating innocent young children, they will have to reply to these young children."

The Prime Minister also said that all political parties need to put forward their views on the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley in one voice.

"'Ekta' (unity) and 'Mamata' (affection) was the crux of all interactions I had recently on Kashmir situation," he said.

Prime Minister Modi had convened an-all party meet on August 12 to discuss the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He told attendees that Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir is also part of Jammu and Kashmir. The prime minister added that "there cannot be any compromise on security, but we have to win the confidence of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Like every Indian, I have been deeply hurt by the recent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. It is very sad to see that children are not able to study, apple produce is not able to reach the mandis, shopkeepers are not getting their daily income and government offices are not able to work for the service of the people. The poor are the worst affected by this situation," he had said.

The situation has become so grave that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had to spend two-days in Srinagar last week meeting with a cross-section of Kashmiri society and the state leadership to look for a way out of the present impasse caused by the protests over the elimination of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani last month.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also met Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi on Saturday and presented a three-point action plan, which includes having a substantive dialogue with separatists and Pakistan, to end the current unrest in the state.

Addressing the media here after her meeting with Prime Minister Modi at his 7,RCR official residence, Mufti asserted that he was extremely concerned about the situation and that he had expressed his desire to stop the bloodshed in the valley and also ensured that the state will emerge from the crisis.

Normal life in the Kashmir Valley remains paralysed as a curfew and a shutdown continued for the 51th consecutive day on Sunday. All educational institutions, shops, public transport and other businesses are closed since July 9.

The death toll in the valley has reached 67, as another youth succumbed to his injuries in clashes that broke out between security forces and the locals in Pulwama district on Friday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Expressing regret and remorse over the loss of lives in the Kashmir Valley, Prime Minister on Sunday said that any life lost in the state, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is India's loss, adding that those instigating young, innocent children will have to answer to them someday.

Addressing the nation during his address in the 23rd edition of his 'Mann ki Baat' programme, Prime Minister Modi said, "Any life lost in Kashmir, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is our own loss. Those who are trying to disrupt peace in Kashmir by instigating innocent young children, they will have to reply to these young children."

The Prime Minister also said that all political parties need to put forward their views on the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley in one voice.

"'Ekta' (unity) and 'Mamata' (affection) was the crux of all interactions I had recently on Kashmir situation," he said.

Prime Minister Modi had convened an-all party meet on August 12 to discuss the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He told attendees that Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir is also part of Jammu and Kashmir. The prime minister added that "there cannot be any compromise on security, but we have to win the confidence of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.

"Like every Indian, I have been deeply hurt by the recent incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. It is very sad to see that children are not able to study, apple produce is not able to reach the mandis, shopkeepers are not getting their daily income and government offices are not able to work for the service of the people. The poor are the worst affected by this situation," he had said.

The situation has become so grave that Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had to spend two-days in Srinagar last week meeting with a cross-section of Kashmiri society and the state leadership to look for a way out of the present impasse caused by the protests over the elimination of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani last month.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also met Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi on Saturday and presented a three-point action plan, which includes having a substantive dialogue with separatists and Pakistan, to end the current unrest in the state.

Addressing the media here after her meeting with Prime Minister Modi at his 7,RCR official residence, Mufti asserted that he was extremely concerned about the situation and that he had expressed his desire to stop the bloodshed in the valley and also ensured that the state will emerge from the crisis.

Normal life in the Kashmir Valley remains paralysed as a curfew and a shutdown continued for the 51th consecutive day on Sunday. All educational institutions, shops, public transport and other businesses are closed since July 9.

The death toll in the valley has reached 67, as another youth succumbed to his injuries in clashes that broke out between security forces and the locals in Pulwama district on Friday.
Kriti Sanon recently gushed over Sushant Singh Rajput's upcoming biopic 'M.S. Dhoni,' not just because she is a huge fan of India's limited-overs captain, but also because her 'Raabta' co-star has worked really hard for the movie.

"I am very excited. It is looking really good. The trailer is looking fabulous and Sushant has done a great job. Yes, I can't pick out details and mannerism that he has totally picked up for the film but I have lot of friends who are Dhoni fans. I know he worked really hard and the film is looking very nice. MS dhoni is someone, whose story I would love to watch," she said here during the fourth day of Lakme Fashion Week, where she walked the ramp for designer Ritu Kumar.

Directed by Neeraj Pandey, 'M.S. Dhoni - The Untold Story' is releasing on September 30.

On the other hand, Sushant and Kriti's upcoming flick 'Raabta' is all set to hit the theatres early next year.

On a related note, post break up with longtime girlfriend Ankita Lokhande, the 'Kai Po Che' actor was linked with the 'Dilwale' actress time and again. Although both the stars have denied the rumours every time.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Continuing to berate the Centre for being unable to contain the soaring unrest in Kashmir Valley, the Congress on Sunday asserted that the lack of coherence of any policy in the government was actually worsening the situation in the state, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using words like 'insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and jamuriyat' without even knowing their actual meaning.

Commenting on the Prime Minister's reference to the Kashmir unrest in his Mann ki Baat address today, Congress leader Manish Tewari told ANI that the former has been swinging from talking of a dialogue to actually saying that the separatists are of no consequence at all.

"If the Prime Minister believes that only 5 percent of people are creating trouble in Kashmir Valley, then it begs a question as to why the state government and all the resources at the command of the Central government, including the paramilitary forces are not able to get a handle on the situation. He has to understand that the reality in Kashmir is that there are forces that may not be a party of the electoral process, but do have some substantive presence in the ground," he said.

Asserting that an outreach programme does not help since no leaders outside the electoral mainstream are involved in talks, Tewari further said that all aspects needed to be taken into consideration to forge a concrete and lasting solution.

"The Prime Minister unfortunately uses terms that he himself does not understand. Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat and Jamuriyat. The Prime Minister or the Home Minister have not been able to flesh out what these words even mean," he said.

Emphasising that the government needs to get its act together over the Kashmir unrest, the Congress leader stated that all the crucial leaders in the Centre and the Chief Minister were speaking in different voices, adding that, "last Sunday the Finance Minister said that there is no problem in Kashmir and that development is the only issue. Yesterday the JK Chief Minister, who is an ally of the BJP, says that there should be an institutional mechanism to talk to the separatists."

Accusing the Prime Minister of continuously changing his stance on the matter, he added that there is a complete lack of coherence of any policy in the government which is impacting the situation and making it from bad to worse.

Tewari further said that in the last 50 days, despite Home Minister Rajnath Singh having gone to the violence-hit state twice and Prime Minister Modi delivering 'homilies', the state remains grim and dismal.

Earlier today, expressing regret and remorse over the loss of lives in the Kashmir Valley, Prime Minister Modi said that any life lost in the state, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is India's loss, adding that those instigating young, innocent children will have to answer to them someday.

Addressing the nation during his address in the 23rd edition of his 'Mann ki Baat' programme, Prime Minister Modi said, "Any life lost in Kashmir, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is our own loss. Those who are trying to disrupt peace in Kashmir by instigating innocent young children, they will have to reply to these young children."

Prime Minister Modi had convened an-all party meet on August 12 to discuss the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He told attendees that Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir is also part of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Prime Minister added that "there cannot be any compromise on security, but we have to win the confidence of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti also met Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi on Saturday and presented a three-point action plan, which includes having a substantive dialogue with separatists and Pakistan, to end the current unrest in the state.

Addressing the media here after her meeting with Prime Minister Modi at his 7,RCR official residence, Mufti asserted that he was extremely concerned about the situation and that he had expressed his desire to stop the bloodshed in the valley and also ensured that the state will emerge from the crisis.

Normal life in the Kashmir Valley remains paralysed as a curfew and a shutdown continued for the 51th consecutive day on Sunday. All educational institutions, shops, public transport and other businesses are closed since July 9.

The death toll in the valley has reached 67, as another youth succumbed to his injuries in clashes that broke out between security forces and the locals in Pulwama district on Friday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Criticising the functioning of the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress Party has said the meeting between Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday has "raised more questions than answers".

Citing the present unrest in the Kashmir Valley, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told ANI that there was hope that Mehbooba Mufti and Prime Minister Modi will take some fruitful steps.

"Curfew has been imposed in Kashmir for 50th day today. A police officer was killed in the morning. More than 70 people have been killed and more than 6,000 people are injured. The law and order situation is a complete failure there," he added.

Asserting that the whole nation wants peace in Kashmir, Surjewala said the meeting raised more questions than answers.

"Mehbooba Muftiji agreed that the PDP-BJP Government did not work according to the agenda of alliance. Why didn't Modiji and Mehboobaji do it? If they would have worked on the agenda of the alliance, then the situation would not have been like this. But, she didn't give an answer to this," he added.

"Mehbooba Muftiji appealed to Pakistan to understand the situation of Kashmir. Pardon me, but Pakistan is responsible for giving birth to the present situation in Kashmir. The Modi government is saying that they won't talk on the Kashmir issue, but Mehboobaji is appealing to Pakistan. What is the truth? The nation wants to know," Surjewala asked.

He further stated that the situation in Kashmir is getting worse day by day with the opposite statements of the PDP and the BJP.

"The Prime Minister should give a clarification on it. She (Mehbooba Mufti) said although she is the chief of the elected government, the PDP-BJP Government is unsuccessful in holding a dialogue, and if a dialogue takes place, it will be done from Delhi. Then please tell us what the role of the elected government is?" he asked.

Quoting Mehbooba as saying that if the Prime Minister wants, there won't be any bloodshed in Kashmir, the Congress spokesperson requested Prime Minister Modi to stop the bloodshed in the valley.

Escalating his criticism on the state government, Surjewala said the present situation in Kashmir won't recover by blaming the previous UPA regime.

"You can't blame the UPA of 2008 for what has been taking place from 2014 to 2016. Stop blaming. The wounds need to be healed. Jammu and Kashmir should be brought back to normalcy. Leave politics and allegation and counter allegation. The whole nation wants the PDP-BJP government to heal the wounds," he added.

Mehbooba yesterday asserted that if Pakistan is really concerned about the situation in the valley, it will help fix the crisis, rather fanning the flames.

Addressing the media here after her meeting with Prime Minister Modi at his 7 RCR official residence, Mufti asserted that he was extremely concerned about the situation and that he had expressed his desire to stop the bloodshed in the valley and also ensured that the state will emerge from the crisis.

Lauding Prime Minister Modi's approach towards Pakistan, Mufti stated that he had not only invited Nawaz Sharif for his oath taking ceremony in May 2014, but had also gone to Lahore to wish Prime Minister Sharif on his birthday last December, but thereafter, the Pathankot incident happened and ties between the two nations went downhill.

Appealing to Pakistan, she added that if they have any sympathy for the people of Kashmir, then they will stop provoking the youth into attacking security forces by saying that it will solve the unrest in the valley.

Invoking former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Mufti stated that during his regime, talks with Pakistan and the Hurriyat were a common affair, because of which, the situation in Kashmir was somewhat neutralised.

Appearing to be visibly moved when talking about the rising death toll in the valley, which mostly comprises of youths and minors, Mufti said the very kids who had supported her during her electoral campaign days, were now being used against her.

Defending the curfew which has now entered its 50th day, she said the purpose of imposing restrictions was to save the lives of locals and children.

She further asserted that the separatists must come forward and help the state government in figuring out a solution to the Kashmir unrest.

Talking about the all party delegation which is to head to Kashmir to discuss the unrest, she said that developments on the meeting will begin in almost a week's time.

Meanwhile, the situation in the valley continued to be grim as a police constable was shot dead by terrorists in Pulwama district on Saturday.

Normal life in the Kashmir Valley remains paralysed as a curfew and a shutdown continued for the 50th consecutive day on Saturday following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani last month.

All educational institutions, shops, public transport and other businesses are closed since July 9.

Earlier, the authorities arrested several top separatist leaders and extended curfew to large parts of the valley to foil a separatists' march in Srinagar.

The death toll in the valley reached 67 on Friday, as another youth succumbed to his injuries in clashes that broke out between security forces and the locals in Pulwama district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Sunday trained it guns on Samajwadi Party chief and accused him of polarising votes and killing people for fulfilling his political aims.

Dubbing Mulayam an opportunist, BSP leader Sudhindra Bhadoria said that Mulayam Singh has got people of various religions killed for ensuring victory in a politically-crucial state.

"Mulayam Singh's grip is loosening on people of Uttar Pradesh. He keeps on politicizing ways to come in to power. Sometimes he gets Muslims killed, sometimes Hindus. In Muzaffarnagar he got Muslims killed, in Dadri too. His revolves around opportunism," said Bhadoria.

"This statement of his shows that to siphon votes he can do anything. To polarise votes he can do anything, he can kill as many people required fulfill his lust for power. This is a very shameful statement coming from Mulayam Singh, this statement should be condemned. The nation will never forgive him," he added.

Justifying his firing order to the Uttar Pradesh police that claimed the lives of 16 kar sevaks in Ayodhya on October 30, 1990, former chief minister Mulayam yesterday said had even 30 people been killed for the country's unity and integrity, it would not have bothered him.

The firing on the sevaks took place when the Ram temple movement, spearheaded by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), was at its peak.

On the VHP's call, a lakh of kar sevaks from across the country had assembled in Ayodhya for the construction of a temple at the disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri mosque site.

Speaking at a book launch function held in Lucknow, the SP supremo, while defending his action, said "We had to fire. When I tried to justify my action, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members called me the murderer of humanity. If we had not fired at them, imagine what the Muslim population would have thought. Then, how would I justify my position as chief minster."

He also said that wherever he went after the Ayodhya incident, he was always attacked by stones and some of them even fired at them. He added that he went to the Lok Sabha to justify his action, but to no avail.

The firing had earned the then UP chief minister the nickname of 'Mullah Mulayam'.

In January this year, Yadav said the decision to order firing on 'kar sevaks' in Ayodhya was "painful" and added that he had had no other option.

"I would not have re-considered my decision, if more lives would have gone to save the religious place," he said, when he was questioned in the Parliament by the then leader of opposition Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Mulayam added he resigned afterwards owing moral responsibility for that action.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani has approached the White House, the State Department, important Congress leaders and significant think-tanks and opinion makers in the United States to support Pakistan's bid for membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Jilani assured the American leadership that Pakistan shares international concerns against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery, Radio Pakistan reports.

He said Pakistan's inclusion in the NSG would be the right decision to enhance international security, and added that it would not only go a long way in strengthening the international non-proliferation regime, but also help Islamabad enhance its capabilities in harnessing peaceful uses of nuclear technology in the fields of health, agriculture and power generation.

Last week, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Maleeha Lodhi also pitched for Islamabad's NSG membership at the UN Security Council.

India and Pakistan are the two non-NPT states aspiring for the membership of the 48-member international nuclear trade body.

Many countries, including China, had opposed India's bid to join the NSG at its last meeting citing that the later has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which is the basic criteria to enter NSG.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hackers tampered with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena's official website 'www.president.gov.lk' on two consecutive days.

The first attack occurred on Thursday evening, when hackers hijacked the site and posted a message in Sinhala, reports the Lanka Page.

The message, which was posted under the name "The Sri Lankan Youth," made several demands to the government, including a call to reconsider the decision to hold the GCE A/Level examination in April instead of August.

It also called on the government to be more mindful about the security of Sri Lankan websites. Failure to do so could result in the country having to face a cyber war, the message further warned.

The other demands were to stop the "irresponsible conduct" of the Prime Minister and to be more attentive to the problems faced by university students.

While the website came back online a few hours later, the subsequent attack on Friday resulted in officials having to take down the site for a much longer period.

The crime is being probed by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) detectives specializing in cybercrime after an official complaint was lodged.

The President's Media Director, Dharmasiri Bandara Ekanayake said a decision was made to temporarily take down the website after it was hacked a second time on Friday evening.

Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), the country's state machinery that deals with cybercrims is also looking into the hacking and said it is collecting relevant information that would determine how vulnerable the site was to cyber attacks.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The opposition Communist Party of Nepal (UML) on Sunday questioned the logic behind the government decision to send two deputy prime ministers as special envoys of the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to India and China.

UML vice-vhairman and former Deputy Prime Minister Bhim Rawal said at the Parliament meeting that there was no ground for the act as per the principles of United Nations and other diplomatic values including the panchasheel principles, reports the Himalayan Times.

He was of the opinion that governments send special envoys to other nations whenever there is some emergency like war or famine.

Meanwhile, Rawal also sought clarifications from the government over a reported letter sent by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

Earlier, it was reported that DPM Bimalendra Nidhi during his recent meeting to India had handed over Dahal's letter to Modi, in which the Nepal PM had expressed its commitment for constitutional amendment to address concerns of agitating Madhesi parties.

While Deputy Prime Minister Nidhi had visited India as Prime Minister Dahal's emissary, the government had sent another Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara to China, to what it said improve bilateral ties with the neighbours and let them know the new government's priorities.

Responding to Rawal's concern, Nidhi said the letter sent by Dahal to Modi did not have anything secret, but it was just to inform that he had been sent as a special envoy to share thoughts about plans and programmes of the new government and ensure top-level bilateral visits under the changed political context.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Stating that she is disturbed by the events that have been transpiring in the state, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said the Kashmir issue can be resolved only by adopting former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's ideas.

"Pakistani Prime Ministers tried their best, went to the United Nations (U.N.) and America, but despite their efforts they had to come back to bilateral talks under the ambit of the Simla Agreement and the Lahore Declaration. There will come a time when Pakistan will have to reply in friendly manner to India," she added.

Recalling her visit to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi to meet 14-year-old Kashmiri girl Insha, who lost her eyes to pellet guns, Mehbooba said, "After seeing her, I wondered if it was my fault. Where did I and my govt go wrong? Even three months have not been passed since I became Chief Minister and an encounter took place, which created a vicious environment that made a little girl, who aspired to become a doctor, its victim."

Addressing a Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana function here, she said, "I went to AIIMS to meet Insha. When I saw her, my heart filled with pity. She is beautiful. Her head was wrapped with bandage. When she saw me, she started crying. When I asked her whether she was unhappy with me, she did not answer. Then her mother started crying. Later, I inquired about her health, and assured her family of all assistance."

The visit made her to reckon with the present unrest that had gripped the valley in a cycle of violence, said Mehbooba, while questioning the motives of the protesters, who were misguided by "vested interest" demanding 'aazadi'.

"When violence takes place, people die and whatever azadi is left with you vanishes", she added.

"I don't know why people call it azadi. The present situation has left children with blindness and made them handicapped. We should ask their parents whether they are ready to pay the price for that azadi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal has been granted 55 million dollars by the Bank as loan to upgrade some of its roads and bridges.

The loan has been offered under the Nepal government's Road Sector Development Programme (RSDP) and will also be used for addressing post-earthquake reconstruction needs, reports the Kathmandu Post.

The additional financing is a Bank top up and has been ongoing since 2008.

What started out as a project for ten beneficiary districts and two million people, has now been expanded to cover 25 more.

Takuya Kamata, Bank Country Manager for Nepal said that the primary focus is to develop connectivity in the poorest of the poor and with remotest regions of the country. He said that the RSDP has been the cornerstone of the bank's support for Nepal's strategic roads network for nearly a decade.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 60 Taliban militants have been killed by Afghan security forces after six days of fierce fighting in Afghanistan's Sar-e Pol province, authorities said on Sunday.

"The security forces, as a result of operations which lasted for six days, have liberated five villages with a population of more than 10,000 residents from Taliban clutches in Sancharak district," Xinhua news agency quoted provincial Governor Mohammad Zahir Wahdat as saying.

He also said that 11 security personnel were killed and 19 sustained injuries.

During the operation, an essential road linking Sancharak to Darzab district was reopened and the Taliban, after six months of having control over the road, were dislodged from the area, Wahdat said.
Nine people were killed and six others injured in a traffic accident in Arghakhanchi district of western Nepal on Sunday, police said.

A jeep skidded off the mountain road at Hansapur area of the district and plunged into a local river, killing nine people on the spot, police officer Kulchandra Pokharel told local media.

The over-loaded passenger jeep was en route to Bandikot area of Pyuthan district from Sandhikharka, the headquarters of Arghakhanchi district, when it slipped off the highway, witnesses told local media.

The accident was the third deadly one in the Himalayan nation in three weeks. On August 26, 22 people were killed and 17 others injured in a bus accident in Chitwan district of central Nepal.

The poor condition of hilly roads and ill-maintained vehicles are said to be the reasons behind frequent road mishaps in Nepal.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government on Sunday questioned the former Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in its ongoing probe into the alleged Rs 400 crore .

"We have questioned Sheila Dikshit today (Sunday) at her residence in here (Delhi)," ACB chief M K Meena told IANS.

The ACB's action came in the wake of complaints filed against the former Chief Minister by the Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra.

While Dikshit, who is now the Congress's chief ministerial candidate in Uttar Pradesh, denied that she was questioned by the ACB sleuths on the alleged scam but given a questionnaire, and Mishra attacked the ACB for not interrogating her properly but just giving her questions to answer. Meena declined to provide details about the questioning.

"She has been questioned and right now, the probe is going on in the case so I can't share further details," he said.

Meena also refused to reveal if the ACB has asked Dikshit to appear before the investigating agency in the coming days.

Addressing reporters at her residence, Dikshit said, "ACB questionnaire has 18 questions. And it will take time to answer them."

Asked if the ACB has given a specific time for replying to those questions, she said, "ACB hasn't set a time limit for me to reply to the questionnaire. There are a lot of details that I don't remember and there were number of officers and agencies which jointly took the decisions to buy the water tankers, many of which are still operational till date."

Meanwhile, Mishra alleged that the agency team went at the Congress leader's residence to have a cup of tea while no interrogation and no cross questioning was done.

"I am the complainant in this case and I was called for questioning by the ACB. The ACB questioned me for over four hours. But when the ACB team reaches Dikshit's house, they don't interrogate her and just submit a set of questionnaire for answer," he said.

"Did the team visit Dikshit's place to have some tea," he asked.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader also demanded the arrest of the Congress leader in the alleged scam.

A complaint was also filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vijender Gupta with the ACB against the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for causing delay and not cancelling the contract for water tankers in June this year.

While Mishra had filed a complaint with Lt Governor Najeeb Jung and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi against Dikshit in the scam, Kejriwal's name was included, on the complaint of Gupta.

Jung had cleared a probe against Dikshit in the alleged on June 16.

The AAP government had in June 2015 set up a five-member fact-finding committee to probe the alleged irregularities in hiring 385 stainless steel water tankers by the Delhi Jal Board in 2012 during Dikshit's rule.




Tuesday is primary day in Florida and-- thanks to ActBlue-- it isn't too late to help progressive champions like Alan Grayson and Tim Canova overcome steep odds and beat the corrupt establishment candidates they're battling. Both Grayson and Canova are in the midst of intense Get Out the Vote efforts right now-- as are Blue America's other candidates in the state-- and any contributions made this weekend will go right into those efforts. Just tap on the handy Florida thermometer at the bottom on this post.





Meanwhile a pro-Wasserman Schultz SuperPAC-- the so-called Patriot Majority-- funded by a crooked hedge-fund criminal and by the Big Sugar interests poisoning Florida's environment, is flooding the district with an endless stream of anti-Canova smears-- $635,793 reported spent so far-- including mailings like this:





Wasserman Schultz garbage clogging up everyone's mail box





About 10% of the voters in the Broward/Miami-Dade district are African Americans and both the community newspapers have endorsed Canova against an absentee congresswoman who never acknowledges their community even exists except during election season.

Leslie Wimes, founder and president of the Democratic African American Women's Caucus, said the newspapers' endorsements prove not all eligible voters in the district are Wasserman Schultz's condo commandos. And she shouldn't count on victory Aug. 30.



"It's unfortunate that Debbie Wasserman Schultz and others like her feel that, rather than actually engaging with the black community, all she has to do is present other black people to secure our votes.



"We need representatives who are going to be accessible and present all the time, not just at election time," Wimes said. "That is not Debbie Wasserman Schultz. I'm glad the Westside Gazette and the Miami Times recognize that. I hope the voters will as well and vote for Tim Canova."

This is what the influential Miami Times said when then endorsed Canova:
Raising concerns over the environment, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged people to avoid using Ganesha idols made of Plaster of Paris (POP) during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

Modi suggested that instead of POP idols, which after immersion cause damage to the aquatic life and environment, people should use eco-friendly idols made of clay.

"Festival is the time of self evaluation and they need to change with time. Environment is damaged due to immersion of POP idols. Lets go back to old traditions and adopt idols made of pond clay," Modi said in his "Mann ki Baat" radio address.

He said the same should be applied for Durga idols.

"Ganesh Chaturthi is around the corner but there is some time for Durga Puja. We shall start preparing ourselves from now," Modi said.

Excessive damage is caused to the environment due to immersion of idols made of POP and chemicals.

Ganesh Chaturthi will be observed on September 5.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As Britian Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to head to China for the upcoming G20, she will first hold a critical cabinet meeting with her top ministers at Chequers -- the country retreat home for British Prime Ministers, a media report said.

May intends to reinforce her clear Brexit stance following Britain's June 23 referendum decision that the country will leave the European Union (EU), Xinhua news agency reported.

Her determination to see through what the British public decided, was likely to dismay supporters of the Remain camp who were still seeking ways of overturning Britain's retreat from Europe.

May wants to make sure before she departs for Hangzhou that world leaders gathering in Hangzhou were in no doubt about her proclamation that Brexit means Brexit.

The Mail on Sunday described May's Chequers' meeting on Wednesday as a "back to school" cabinet meeting during which she was expected to order feuding Brexit Ministers to end any turf wars.

It will be May's first meeting at her country retreat since she became Prime Minister, with the Mail saying it will mark a sharp escalation in May's efforts to assure restless Eurosceptics in her Conservative party that she was on track to deliver an early exit from the EU "and will not fob them off with Brexit-lite".

She would also encourage the three-quarters of cabinet members who campaigned to stay in the EU to identify Brexit opportunities in their own government departments.

May's trip to China will see her meeting the US President Obama, with commentators saying she was likely to use the opportunity to gauge the appetite for mutually beneficial Britain-US trade relationships in the future.

Former Labour premier Tony Blair and a number of serving politicians say Members of Parliament could use a parliamentary vote to stop Brexit.

A Downing Street source said: "The Prime Minister has been absolutely clear that the British public have voted and now she will get on with delivering Brexit."

Around 480 of the 650 MPs in the House of Commons campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU at the last election. The upper chamber, the House of Lords, was also to be said overwhelmingly in favour of Britain staying in the EU.

In a speech on the leadership campaign trail a few days ago Labour's Smith said: "Under my leadership we will vote in Parliament to block any attempt to invoke Article 50 until Theresa May commits to a second referendum or a general election on whatever the EU exit deal emerges at the end of the process."
West Bengal CID sleuths on Sunday detained one person as they took over the probe into the fire that left two dead and seven injured at a state-run medical college in Murshidabad district.

A CID team, led by its Deputy Inspector General B.L. Meena visited the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in Baharampur and spoke to the doctors, nursing and other staff, patients and eye-witnesses.

Hours after Saturday's tragedy, the government ordered the CID to look into the possibility of sabotage.

"We have to see how it happened, whether there was any sabotage. We have come to see things first hand. We will review all the findings," said Meena.

A forensic team also visited the hospital and collected samples.

Meanwhile, an employee of the Baharampur municipality has been detained for questioning by the sleuths. Said to be a Congress worker, the detained person was associated with the patient welfare wing of the hospital.

On the other hand, the chairperson of the West Bengal Medical Services Corporation, Chandrima Bhattacharya, who reached the hospital on Saturday night, termed the incident as a "conspiracy to malign" the state government.

"(Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee is doing very good work. A lot of things are being done in the health sector. So to malign her, there was a conspiracy. The fire is the result of this," she claimed.

Bhattacharya said it was untrue to say that the hospital did not have a fire fighting mechanism.

"But somebody seems to have conspired to make it inoperative. This is our preliminary assessment. Now the CID will look into this aspect."

On Saturday, State Director of Health Services B.R. Satpathy had said the fire began from an air conditioning machine in the VIP cabin of the male medical ward on the first floor. The room is kept ready for dealing with any medical emergency during visits by high-profile figures like the President.

While two women - an attendant and a patient's relative - died in the stampede triggered by the fire, horrific video footage of an ailing newborn sustaining serious injuries on being thrown away by a relative in a desperate bid to save the baby's life went viral.

Unofficial reports have claimed that a child was also killed during the stampede. But the government has maintained the death was not connected to the fire.

The Congress has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.

"When there was a fire at a private hospital five years back, the directors were arrested. So why haven't the hospital officials been taken behind bars?

"Why has the CID been entrusted with the probe? Respected chief minister, if you have the guts, accept our challenge, and ask for a CBI inquiry," said former state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Children sit in front of their inundated home in Gopalganj in Bihar.

The overall flood situation in on Sunday showed signs of improvement with river Ganga and its tributaries receding and relief operations continuing, officials said.

The district magistrates were directed, however, to be fully alert and remain prepared to face any worsening of the situation in the coming days, they said.

"Flood waters are receding in Ganga and its tributaries and the situation is improving," Principal Secretary of State Disaster Management Department Vyasji said.

He said 3.4 million people in 2037 villages in 12 districts of have been hit by the floods. Nearly half a million people have been evacuated, including 2.66 lakh who have found shelter in relief camps set up by the government.

According to the government, the floods have so far claimed 55 lives in the state.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday conducted an aerial survey of flood-hit Bhagalpur district and reviewed the situation with officials. He will review flood situation in Purnea district and Katihar district on Monday.

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad and his younger son Tejaswi Prasad Yadav, who is Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister, conducted an aerial survey of Bhojpur and Buxar districts on Sunday.

Lalu Prasad said the central government has done little to help Bihar in dealing with the disaster.

The people in Bihar have in the past few days held demonstrations against the government's poor response to the disaster.

Such protests have been held in Bhagalpur, Saran, Bhojpur, Samastipur, Khagaria, Munger and Patna districts.

Hungry and homeless, the flood victims have also expressed anger over not being provided fodder for their cattle.
At least four persons were injured on Sunday when a man carrying bombs attacked a priest in a church in Indonesia's Sumatra island.

"The bombs in his bag failed to detonate but the man took out a knife and attacked the priest," Xinhua news agency quoted a witness as saying.

The incident took place in Santa Yosep church in Medan, the provincial capital of North Sumatra.

The attack injured the priest, the bomber and two persons who tried to stop the attacker. The bomber and two other militants were detained by the police but another two escaped.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
expects up to 300,000 migrants to arrive in the country by the end of this year, according to a top immigration official.

Frank-Juergen Weise, head of Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, told state-run Bild daily that the authorities would struggle if more people came, BBC reported on Sunday.

Weise said would try to get as many of them on the job market as possible.

But "the migrants' integration in German society would take a long time and cost a lot", he added.

According to the German Interior Ministry, more than 390,000 people applied for asylum in the first six months of 2016, BBC reported.

However, a recent poll showed just over half of Germans thought Chancellor Angela Merkel's migrant policy was bad. Support for anti-immigrant groups has risen.

On Saturday, members of a far-right movement scaled Berlin's Brandenburg Gate and unfurled a banner to protest against what they called the "Islamisation" of Germany, BBC added.
Implicated in a corruption scandal, the wealthy Indian Gupta family on Saturday announced its intention to sell all of its shareholding in South Africa by the end of the year.

"We are already in discussions with several international prospective buyers and will soon be in a position to make further announcements," Xinhua quoted the family as saying.

"We believe that this decision is in the best interests of our business, the country and our colleagues," said a statement by the family.

With huge business interests in South Africa and close ties with President Jacob Zuma, the Gupta family has been accused of "state capture" by influencing Zuma in the appointment of cabinet ministers. The family, however, denied the accusation.

Following the scandal that rocked South Africa, the family decided to step down from all executive and non-executive positions in all their South African business in April 2016.

Ever since, the local management team has grown the Gupta's businesses from strength to strength, with turnover and profits showing good growth and more jobs created, said the statement.

"As a family, we now believe that the time is right for us to exit our shareholding of the South African businesses which we believe will benefit our existing employees and lead to further growth in the businesses," it said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi Police's Special Cell on Sunday said they had busted an interstate gang of illegal arms dealers and arrested a gang member, from whom 20 pistols were seized.

The accused has been identified as Ajay Bharadwaj, a resident of Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh, police said.

"Bharadwaj was arrested from Vinod Nagar area of east Delhi," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) P.S. Kushwah told IANS.

"Secret information was received that he was coming with the consignment of illegal arms to Delhi," the officer said. The weapons were meant to be supplied to their contacts, police said.

He has brought these arms from Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, police said. Bharadwaj was wanted by both the Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Polices since long, police said, adding that he was being questioned to unearth the entire conspiracy.

--IANS

akk-aks/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
on Saturday observed a day of national mourning for the people who died when a powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the mountainous central regions claiming the lives of 291 persons.

The death toll in the worst-hit town Amatrice was 230, while the number of victims in Accumoli and Arquato del Tronto were 11 and 50 respectively, Xinhua reported.

Authorities have released the names of 181 victims. The youngest was five months old, the oldest 93.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi attended state funerals for victims from Arquata, one of the worst-hit towns along with Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto that were also hard-hit.

The 6.2-magnitude quake hit in the early hours of Wednesday, 100km (65 miles) north-east of Rome.

Most victims of the earthquake were Italians, but several foreigners were among those killed, including three Britons.

A state of emergency was declared on Friday in affected areas and 50 million euros (about $55 million) in funds pledged for rebuilding, the BBC reported.

Many bodies were brought to a makeshift morgue in an aircraft hangar in the city of Rieti, where authorities and relatives are identifying them.

The first funeral for one of the earthquake victims was held on Friday, for the son of a state official who died in Amatrice.

At least 388 people have been treated in hospital for their injuries while more than 2,000 people were rendered homeless, the BBC noted.

The Italian government had been criticised for failing to prevent deaths after the 2009 earthquake in nearby L'Aquila killed 300 people.

In addition to emergency funds, Renzi cancelled taxes for residents and announced a new initiative, "Italian Homes", to tackle criticism over shoddy construction.

But he also said it was "absurd" to think that could build completely quake-proof buildings.
The chief executive of the French power giant EDF has called on British Prime Minister Theresa May to give a go-ahead to the proposed nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point.

Vincent de Rivaz on Saturday pointed to the risks caused by some critics "losing sight of the bigger picture by overlooking the positive impact and importance of this investment for Britain", Xinhua news agency reported.

One month ago, May ordered a review of the 18 billion British pound ($23.6 billion) Hinkley Point C project, which will be built and mainly funded by the EDF. China also agreed to take a third of the investment.

De Rivaz said the project brings the benefits of a 30-year partnership between the EDF and its nuclear construction partner in China, a country with the largest civil nuclear programme in the world.

"We know and trust our Chinese partners. Beyond that, British independent nuclear regulator has only granted Hinkley Point a nuclear site license after being satisfied that security has been properly addressed," the EDF chief said.

According to De Rivaz, all staff of nuclear projects are rigorously vetted. As is standard practice, the control systems at Hinkley Point C will be isolated from IT systems and the internet, he said.

"The cost of Hinkley Point C's electricity is frequently compared with today's depressed wholesale prices. The correct comparison is with future prices. Hinkley Point C is competitive with all other future energy options, even including fossil fuels like gas when the cost of carbon is taken into account," he added.

De Rivaz said that neither battery storage nor small modular reactors are viable or competitive as compared with the nuclear technology applied the Hinkley project which will alone supply seven per cent of Britain's electricity demand.

Hinkley Point will benefit the British economy by creating thousands of jobs and hundreds of apprenticeships and billions of pounds will be invested into the economy of England, said the EDF chief.

"Across Britain, dozens of companies and our own workforce are ready to deliver this project. Their motivation remains high and they are looking forward to getting on with the job," he said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Fred Upton's Committee will never allow Medicare to negotiate fair prices with drug manufacturers



all the blame. As we pointed out Thursday (in that same link as the one just above), House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), a persistent pawn of Big Pharma, took legalistic bribes from Mylan and helped shepherd their greed-driven agenda though Congress in return. Joe Manchin's daughter, the Mylan CEO with a pronounced and lifelong penchant for cheating in her personal and business life-- who caused a scandal by bribing a university official to lie and say she got a degree when she didn't-- gets all the blame for the EpiPen scandal. She profited the most from it but she doesn't deservethe blame. As we pointed out Thursday (in that same link as the one just above), House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), a persistent pawn of Big Pharma, took legalistic bribes from Mylan and helped shepherd their greed-driven agenda though Congress in return.





Paul Clements, the progressive Democrat challenging Upton for the southwest Michigan congressional seat, talked to us when we were researching Upton's connivance with Mylan in the EpiPen scandal:

"What does a 10% cost increase mean to you? For many seniors a 10% increase in the cost of medication can mean the difference between this medicine or that one, between taking the whole pill, or half. Or it can mean the difference between food and medicine. Right now our laws put corporate profit above seniors' needs. A new independent analysis published yesterday says the cost of hundreds of medications in the Medicare Part D program rose by 10% since 2014. Even more, the cost of simply enrolling in Part D rose 13% over last year alone. We need to let the government negotiate drug prices. In Congress I will be a leading proponent for it, and Congressman Upton has led efforts banning such negotiations. That's why I'm running, because simple, practical changes to our laws can make life changing differences to millions of Americans."

Although, as chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, he's supposed to be protecting the public from Big Pharma predators, Big Pharma has been Upton's second-biggest source of campaign funds since 1989-- $1,332,156. So far, this cycle alone Upton has taken the 4th biggest amount of anyone in Congress in legalistic bribes from drug manufacturers:









some prescription drugs. We are taking a hard look at the specifics behind this and have pressed Mylan for concrete answers. [emphasis was Clements', not Upton's.) While you read Paul Clements' more pointed retort, please consider contributing to his grassroots campaign by tapping the thermometer on the right: Yesterday, Paul Clements was connecting the dots for Michiganders about the Mylan and EpiPen revelations and Fred Upton's legalistic corruption. "Upton," he wrote, "responded to the controversy this week, pointing to a 2013 law Congress passed to ensure schools have access to the medicine, and saying 'We have been concerned about rising costs patients are facing forprescription drugs. We are taking a hard look at the specifics behind this and have pressed Mylan for concrete answers. [emphasis was Clements', not Upton's.) While you read Paul Clements' more pointed retort, please consider contributing to his grassroots campaign by tapping the thermometer on the right:

Unfortunately, Congressman Uptons response does not address the underlying cause of the controversy-- monopolistic practices by the pharmaceutical industry. As head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Upton has played a leading role in blocking a number of measures that could drastically reduce the price of many pharmaceuticals, including negotiating Medicare Part D drug costs, which one study said could save between $15-16 billion annually , and reimporting prescriptions from Canada. Upton voted against those measures in 2007 and 2003 respectively. Bills to do both have been introduced to his committee, while no action has been taken in this Congress. Combined, all of these measures, in addition to a much needed increase in pharmaceutical oversight of price gouging, will reduce pharmaceutical costs to consumers.



..."While making EpiPens more available to schools is important to protecting children, we need to do more to protect everyone. Congressman Upton needs to face facts. Drug company greed is forcing seniors to choose between splitting pills and eating. Its forcing working mothers to choose between EpiPens to save their own life or putting lunch money in their childs backpacks. Congress needs to act to make prescription drugs available at a reasonable cost and end the price gouging we have seen repeatedly in recent months. I dont trust Congressman Upton, who has taken over $1.2 million in campaign funds from pharmaceutical companies, to do that. Fred Uptons committee has jurisdiction over this issue, why is he only 'looking at' this now? Its not a new issue."

California voters aren't waiting for the authorities to throw crooked congressmen-- from both parties-- like Upton in prison for taking bribes from Big Pharma. California health care and consumer advocates are championing a ballot initiative, the Drug Price Relief Act (Prop 61) in November which would prevent any state agencies from paying more for a prescription drug than the price paid by the Department of Veterans Affairs, which, unlike Medicare, is permitted to negotiate with the drug manufacturers (and pays around 40% less). This initiative is being backed by Bernie Sanders and the president of the California Nurses Association, Deborah Burger, said that "Nurses see the patients who are forced to make a choice: 'Do I get treatment or do I leave something behind for my family for after I die?' We see the patients with high blood pressure come to the emergency room with heart attacks because they did not fill their prescriptions. We see diabetics go blind or lose limbs because they chose to pay their rent instead of paying for their medicine. It is immoral for people in this country to go without the medicine they need." Big Pharma is spending big bucks to defeat the measure, so far around $70 million.
Film: "Mechanic: Resurrection"; Director: Dennis Gansel; Cast: Jason Statham, Jessica Elba, Michelle Yeoh and Tommy Lee Jones; Rating: *

For all those who believe everything imported is consumer-friendly, here is an eye-opener. "Mechanic: Resurrection" is so irremediably awful that it makes this week's Bollywood release "A Flying Jatt" look like a classic in comparison.

Sloppily written, jerkily edited and spasmodically imaged, this is what one Indian politician in another context described as 'a visit to hell'. In one penultimate sequence of purported thrills, we see the arch-villain tied up in chains and beaten to a pulp, with no scope for escape. This is exactly how we feel watching the extended exploits of the assassin Arthur Bishop, played by Jason Statham.

Now, Statham is cinematic phenomenon worthy of rigorous research. Not one of his facial nerves twitches even when his character is under extreme emotional pressure. Given Statham's aversion to emotional expression, his co-star Jessica Alba comes through as a distressed version of Meryl Streep.

When we first meet Alba, she is being beaten black and blue by her boyfriend on a Thai island (where I'd like to take a vacation, provided the Mechanic team is not shooting the third part of the fran(tic)chise). Statham falls in love with Alba, and blows up her bully boyfriend in a boat that one hopes was insured.

We can only guess at Statham's feelings for Alba since his face gives nothing "I repeat, NOTHING" away.

Soon, Statham and Alba are kissing and tearing at each other's clothes, generating as much passion in the process, as a dentist for his cavity-drill. Statham is clearly not comfortable playing the loverboy.

Just what he is comfortable doing, we will never know (not even in the third or fourth part of this grand bland brand). Stunts are Statham's forte. In the opening action, he is seen negotiating with a female outlaw about a triple assassination.

Statham/Bishop clearly doesn't know how to respect the woman. Instead of saying a polite, "Thanks, but no thanks" (as we should all say to this fatuous franchise), he shoves the coffee table at an open-air restaurant between the lady's legs, and takes off in a cable car like James Bond.

Ouch.

While Statham channels the dormant Bond within himself, Alba seeks the Mother Teresa in herself and tells us about her shelter for children in Cambodia, now threatened by the arch-villlain Craine (Sam Hazaldene). "If anything happens to my children I won't be able to bear it," she sobs in a short skirt.

A thought: did Michelle Yeoh and Jessica Alba exchange roles?

Of course, Bishop and Craine have a history .

Craine orders Bishop to go through triple murders (yup, the same offer turned down so rudely by Bishop at the movie's prelude) if he wants Alba's shelter-home to be safe. One by one, Bishop goes through elaborate murder plans. When he comes to the third assassination, Bishop spares the victim. Probably because he is Tommy Lee Jones. And no one kills the ageless Mr Jones. Not even god.

Who, by the way, is nowhere to be found in this godforsaken helluva film.

This is the second film in the Mechanic series. If there's a third in the pipeline, let there be apocalypse first.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Late pop icon Michael Jackson felt pressurised to perform additional 50 shows for his 'This Is It' concert, his physician has revealed.

According to Jackson's physician Conrad Murray, there was growing concern around the late "Thriller" hitmaker's ability to give one perfect performance for his 2009 comeback residency show of 50 gigs, which was heightened when he was asked to do another 50 shows to total 100 concerts and led him to overdose on medicine, reports bangshowbiz.com.

Murray was sentenced to four years in jail -- although he served only two -- for the involuntary manslaughter of the King of Pop after administering a fatal dose of anesthetic Propofol in June 2009.

"I don't think he had stage fright, but there was a lot of concern for him whether he had the ability to perform like he did to do 50 shows. They weren't just asking for 50, there was another request for an additional fifty, so a total of a 100," he said.

"I told him to not consider it... what I suggested was a better way just to pacify the moment because having the volition alone for this 50 was a monumental task for Michael and he tried every possible way to get away from it.

"He was trying to find anything that could give him a very reasonable method to exit," he added.

--IANS

ks/rb/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
They have witnessed their crop wither away in drought in the last four decades, but now the villagers of Saurashtra region in Gujarat are hoping to get water for cultivation from an ambitious irrigation project launched by Narendra Modi when he was Chief Minister of Gujarat in September 2012.

Prime Minister Modi is to launch the first phase of the Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Project on August 30 in Rajkot at Aji III dam. The first phase will help around 105 villages -- covering about 47,943 hectare of land of Saurashtra region - get water.

Thanks to the scheme, farmers who earlier used to grow crops only during the Rabi season - sown in winter and harvested in spring - will now be able to grow crops during the Kharif season - the monsoon season.

The SAUNI project, a mega irrigation pipeline network to collect the surplus water of Narmada river from the Sardar Sarovar dam, is aimed to irrigate12 lakh hectares of the arid Saurashtra region when fully completed.

Gopal Bhai Patel, 52, a resident of Bagthala village in Morbi district of Saurashtra, told the visiting IANS correspondent: "We have faced drought for decades, and this SAUNI project pipeline is a boon for us."

Gopal Bhai Patel has about 40 bighas of land which has seen drought almost every year.

The farmers of the region mainly produce groundnut, cotton and wheat. The low rainfall has led to heavy losses in farming.

"Due to the drought-like situation, our per bigha of land produced only eight quintals of cotton, while in good rains the yield goes up to 22 quintals per bigha," Gopal Bhai Patel said.

"We are hopeful the SAUNI project will fulfill our requirement of irrigation water," he added.

Due to drought, most of the farmers in nearby areas have taken up work in tile-making or diamond-polishing factories.

"After the successive droughts in the last four to five years, we were forced to opt for another profession," Hashmukh Bhai Patel told IANS.

Superintending Engineer of the Rajkot Irrigational Project Circle, H.U. Kalyani told IANS, "We have completed Phase One in record time of two years."

"Through this project, the excess water of the Narmada which earlier would drain into the Arabian Sea, will now be diverted to the Saurashtra region wherever there is requirement of water," Kalyani said.

"With completion of 57-km pipeline of the first phase about 6,474 million cubic feet of water would be shared with farmers of the region," Kalyani said.

The project is divided in four trunk Lines - Line I, II, III and IV - to take water to 115 dams spread across all 11 districts of the Saurashtra region and provide water to over 900 villages.

Explaining the project, a senior official told IANS that the network of canals in Saurashtra region would be connected to the 115 dams through pipelines and it will also release water to over 87 rivers.

The official said that Phase Two and Phase Three would be completed by December 2019.

A.D. Kanani Superintending Engineer of the Salinity Ingress Prevention Circle told IANS: "Once the Phase one of all the four lines get operational, it would benefit about 163 villages of Saurashtra region."

"The tender for phase two of Line I has also been floated and its work would be completed by the end of 2017," the officer added.

(Anand Singh can be contacted at anand.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday praised a village pradhan from Karnataka for building a toilet in the house of a girl who staged a protest demanding a toilet.

Modi appreciated Mohammad Shafi from Koppal district for building the toilet in 16-year-old Mallamma's house.

Mallamma began her protest demanding the construction of a toilet in her house but her poor parents could not meet the demand.

When Shafi heard about it, he arranged Rs 18,000 for its construction, Modi said.

Modi also praised the 1.25 lakh students of 1,700 schools in Chhattisgarh's Kabirdham district for writing to their parents requesting a toilet in their house instead of spending money on birthdays.

--IANS

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Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw on Sunday visited the Taj Mahal on the second leg of his four-day trip to India.

"A place we have wanted to visit. At last our wishes have come true. Indeed a testimony to India's quality of art and greatness," the President wrote in the visitor's book.

The President stayed at the Taj for around an hour, according to Munazzar Ali, caretaker of the 17th century memorial.

"We thank you so much for the time and effort which has gone into making this visit a success. It really deserves to be one of the wonders of the world," he added in his message.

U Htin Kyaw arrived in Agra earlier in the day after visiting Bodh Gaya in Bihar on Saturday where he offered prayers at the Mahabodhi temple.

The Myanmarese President is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday.

He is accompanied by his wife and a 31-member Myanmarese delegation, comprising five ministers, government officials and family members.

This is the first presidential visit from Myanmar after Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy assumed power in March.

--IANS

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(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 fact-finding team formed by the Nepal government has recommended lifting of the ban on sending workers to war-torn Afghanistan by ensuring that they get adequate security, it was reported on Sunday.

"I have received the report of the fact-finding mission recently and I have submitted it to newly-appointed Minister Surya Man Gurung," Xinhua news agency quoted Bishnu Prasad Lamsal, Secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Employment, as saying.

"Once the Minister studies the report, further action will be decided."

As many as 12 Nepali and two Indian nationals working as security guards in the Canadian embassy in Kabul were killed in a Taliban attack on June 20.

Abha Shrestha, Joint Secretary in the ministry, who was part of the Nepali fact-finding mission, said the recommendation for the lifting of the ban on sending workers to Afghanistan was made as per the wish of Nepalis working in the war-torn country.

"During our visit, we interacted with over 2,000 Nepali people working in different camps in Afghanistan," she said. "More than 99 per cent of them suggested lifting of the ban."

Besides recommending lifting of the ban, the team has also suggested ensuring that Nepali workers work only inside the Green Zone in Kabul where the United Nations bodies and other diplomatic agencies are present.

Over the last decade, about 8,800 Nepali have gone to Afghanistan after taking permit from the government authorities, according to the ministry.

--IANS

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The oil tanker association in Jammu and on Sunday announced it was again suspending fuel supplies to the Valley.

Anan Sharma, president of the All Jammu and Oil Tankers Association, told reporters here that oil tankers and their drivers had been attacked in the Valley despite assurances from the state government.

"Our drivers, attendants and vehicles have been attacked in the Valley even after we resumed supplies following assurances from the government.

"We have decided today not to operate our tankers to the Valley unless the government ensures that our drivers, cleaners and vehicles are safe.

"Supplies to the Jammu region will, however, continue uninterrupted."

Oil tanker owners and drivers associations had suspended supplies to the Valley last week also, but after assurances about security by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, these supplies had been restored after remaining suspended for two days.

--IANS

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One person was killed as a mob demanding restoration of power supply fought a pitched battle with police in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Sunday.

Thirteen others, including nine policemen, were injured in the clashes, police said.

The trouble erupted after villagers of Jhikra - agitated over lack of electricity for the past few days - put up a road block on National Highway 34 on Sunday morning.

Police tried to persuade the locals to lift the blockade, but to no avail. Then police resorted to a cane charge to disperse the mob, but was attacked with stones and bombs. The mob also damaged two police vehicles, 15 buses and a car.

"So we had to finally fire in the air to protect public property and life," said a senior police officer.

One body was found some distance away from the spot under Farakka police station.

Sixteen persons have been arrested.

All the injured are admitted in local hospitals.

In Kolkata, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma said stern action was being initiated against all those who attacked the police and damaged public property.

--IANS

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Leaked documents on the Scopene submarine include details of the capabilities of the SM39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the submarine, The Australian has said in its latest report.

Cameron Stewart, the journalist who broke the story of leak of French company DCNS's documents, also said in the latest report that the firm is threatening legal action against the newspaper to prevent further publication of information.

The report comes a day after Stewart tweeted he will publish the documents with weapon information.

"India's Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, who has ordered an investigation of the leak, has tried to allay fears of the damage, saying the leak was most likely 'not a big worry' because the data did not contain weapons system details. However, the leaked secret data seen by The Australian includes details of the capabilities of the SM39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the Scorpene," said his story in The Australian.

"The data includes the number of targets the missile is capable of processing, its launch details and how many targets could be downloaded before firing," the report said.

The Scorpenes, with six torpedo launching tubes, are to be armed with SM-39 Exocet missiles, a sea-skimming, solid fueled, anti-ship missile with an operational range up to 180 km and terminal active radar homing.

The report also said the DCNS is threatening the newspaper of legal action.

"The French shipbuilder at the centre of a global submarine data leak scandal is threatening legal action today to prevent further publication of the information contained in 22,400 secret documents obtained by The Australian."

The report said lawyers for DCNS have told The Australian the company will seek an injunction in the Supreme Court of New South Wales on Monday to prevent further publication of documents.

It added that DCNS is also seeking a court order to force the newspaper to hand over the documents and remove them from its website.

"The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation," The Australian quotes an affidavit by DCNS's lawyer Justine Munsie as saying.

Around 22,400 pages of data was leaked from DCNS, which contains critical information of India's Scorpene submarines. The Indian Navy has however maintained that the information is not alarming, as the real signature of the under trial first boat, as well as others, is yet to be finalised.

Parrikar, on Friday had said the leaked documents do not contain information on the weapons systems.
Fresh demand from the Philippines expected to boost Vietnam's rice exports

Vietnam is likely to win a deal to supply 250,000 tons of rice to the Philippines.

Vietnam is planning to bid for a 250,000 ton rice contract to the Philippines, said the Vietnam Food Association.

Vietnamese rice exporters are likely to submit offers at more competetive prices ranging from $360 to $365 per ton than their Thai rivals.

Experts said Vietnam looks set to win the contract for delivery of 250,000 tons, mostly 25 percent broken rice, to the Philippines.

There is no specific information on when the shipments are due to arrive.

The Philippiness National Food Authority (NFA) plans to import 1 million tons of the staple grain in 2017 to fill stockpiles.

The NFA, which ensures the country's food security, said it is also looking to buy up to 750,000 tons of well-milled long-grain white rice through government-to-government deals to build up stocks.

Countries with existing supply agreements with the Philippines such as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia are qualified to submit offers.

Vietnamese rice exporters said the fresh demand from the Philippines could boost export prices, which have been under pressure from weak market demand since the second half of this year.

Over the January-August period, Vietnams rice exports fell 16.6 percent on-year to 3.37 million tons, according to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Thin demand and rising supplies have also driven down Vietnams export prices.

Vietnam's rice exports in the same period were down nearly 13.1 percent from a year ago at $1.51 billion, according to the ministry.

China remains Vietnams biggest customer for the staple grain, accounting for 36 percent of Vietnam's exports over the first eight months of the year.

However, China's purchases of Vietnamese rice were down about 21.6 percent from a year ago in July at 1.04 million tons.

The Philippines, one of the worlds biggest rice buyers, imports about 1 million tons or more of the staple grain each year to bolster stockpiles that can be severely depleted by adverse weather conditions and natural calamities.

The Philippines is hit by 20 typhoons on average each year, mostly during the second half of the year.

Related news:

>Vietnamese rice struggles to find buyers

>Rice exports to EU: making the most of zero tariff

>Flood crisis threatens to kill Vietnams rice bowl
Seven more Russian para-athletes propose to write to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) asking to be allowed to participate in the upcoming Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the athletes' lawyer Artem Patsev has said.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Tuesday rejected the Russian Paralympic Committee's (RPC) appeal against the ban on its participation in the September 7-18 Rio Paralympics, reports Sputnik.

"Seven people are now preparing the documents, and they will send letters to the International Paralympic Committee," Patsev told R-Sport on Saturday.

He added that 23 Russian paralympic athletes had already sent such letters to the IPC that, in turn, promised to respond early next week.

Last month, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) urged IPC to suspend Russia from the Paralympic Games following a report of its independent commission.

The report said Russia had run a state-controlled doping programme. Earlier in August, the IPC imposed a blanket ban on the Russian paralympic team.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Teachers favour middle-class students in various ways, perhaps unconsciously, a study says.

Are teachers simply biased against less privileged students? Or do structural factors also contribute to their unequal responses?

Jessica Calarco, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Indiana University in the US, examined these possibilities by using data from a longitudinal, ethnographic study of teachers, students and parents in a socio-economically diverse, public elementary school.

"Overall, I found that teachers often inadvertently translated students' class-based behaviour into unequal opportunities in school," she said.

"More specifically, I found that teachers privileged middle-class students by setting middle-class expectations, such as by expecting students to voice their needs and pro-actively seek help," Calarco said.

The teachers tend to grant requests of middle-class students even when they did not want to approve it, the study said.

Calarco said those inequalities may have resulted, in parts, from teachers' subconscious biases.

More often, however, it seemed that teachers' unequal responses to students resulted from forces outside their control, including time constraints and pressure from parents.

She also discussed the implications of these findings for research on non-cognitive skills, teacher bias and cultural capital as well as for efforts to alleviate inequalities in school.

The findings were presented at the 111th annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Seattle.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As his Tamil film "Thani Oruvan" completed one year of its release on Sunday, filmmaker Mohan Raja thanked everybody for making the film a huge success.

He says it's been the best year of his life.

"Thanks to each and everyone out there for gifting the best year of my life till now," Raja wrote on his Twitter page.

"Thani Oruvan", about the battle of wits between a suave, conniving entrepreneur and an IPS officer, featured Jayam Ravi and Arvind Swamy in the lead.

Raja also thanked his brother (Jayam Ravi) for being part of the film.

"Thani Oruvan" was one of the biggest blockbusters of last year. It's currently being remade in Telugu as "Dhruva" with Ram Charan.

The project will also be remade in Bengali with Prosenjit Chatterjee and Jeet.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Talks between the EU and the US on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) have essentially failed, German Vice Chancellor and Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said.

"In my opinion the negotiations with the US have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it," the Minister told ZDF broadcaster, according to a written transcript of the interview.

"They have failed because we Europeans did not want to subject ourselves to American demands," he informed.

He noted that throughout 14 rounds of talks, the two sides have not been able to find common ground on a single chapter of the deal being discussed. Among the stumbling blocks is a US objection to opening public tenders to European companies. "For me, that goes against free trade," Gabriel previously commented regarding the issue.

Washington has been insisting that the free trade deal be signed before the end of 2016, but it has encountered strong opposition from a number of European nations, not only Germany. Critics claim that the is dangerous as it could place the interest of corporations above those of the nations they operate in, and undermine European standards for labour and environmental protections.

Gabriel compared the with the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, a free-trade treaty that the EU and Canada have been negotiating, which he said was fairer on the parties involved.

The European public has also been unhappy with the as the contents of the deal are secret. However, recent leaks suggest that it will affect food safety laws, environmental legislation, banking regulations and open the EU for GM crops.

Opponents of the deal have been staging protests in a number of European cities. The most recent one took place in Berlin last weekend, with activists calling for a nationwide demonstration on September 17.
Kurdish fighters said they had confronted an attack by the Turkey-backed rebels in northern Syria on Saturday, marking the first clash between the groups, following Ankara's military intervention in northern Syria last Wednesday.

The Military Council of Jarablus, a part of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the encounter occurred in the village of Amarneh south of the city of Jarablus, which has recently been captured by the Turkey-backed Free Syria Army (FSA), Xinhua reported.

The SDF said they destroyed three Turkish tanks, a claim that proven right by many Turkish media outlets.

Stopping the SDF advance was the main target of the Turkish military campaign in northern Syria.

On Wednesday, a group of the FSA accompanied by Turkish tanks and special forces crossed the borders from Turkey into Syria, capturing Jarablus from the Islamic State (IS) group.

The operation cut the road before the Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the allied SDF could take that city, as it was the Kurdish groups' next target, following a series of successful operations against the IS in northern Syria near the Turkish borders.

Meanwhile, the Nour Addien Zinki group, part of the FSA, said it had succeeded with the help of other factions of the FSA of capturing Amarneh after clashing with the SDF.

On Saturday, Turkey sent more tanks to back up the FSA in the battles against the Kurdish-led groups.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Turkish President Recep Erdogan pledged on Sunday to fight all terrorist groups including the Islamic State (IS), the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) with its Syrian offshoots.

The Turkish army's operation in Syria was aimed at giving people, who fled the IS-controlled areas, a chance to return home, Erdogan told a rally of his supporters in the Turkey's Gaziantep province, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said the government "had enough" of recent mortar attacks targeting the Karkamis district of the border province of Kilis, which ultimately provoked the launch of the Euphrates Shield operation.

Last week, the Turkish army launched a cross-border operation with the help of the US-led coalition forces to drive out the IS terrorists from its border following the Gaziantep suicide attack that killed at least 55 persons and series of mortar attacks targeting the Karkamis district.

"People's demand for the reintroduction of death penalty should be debated in Parliament, I will sign it if it comes to me," Erdogan added.

Meanwhile, Turkish forces killed 10 PKK militants in the Turkeys' Hakkari province, the local media reported.
A Southwest Airlines flight from New Orleans to Orlando was forced to make an emergency landing when one of the engines failed, the US airline said.

The plane, Southwest Flight 3472, on Saturday diverted to Pensacola when the crew declared an emergency, CNN quoted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as saying.

The airlines which is also the world's largest low-cost carrier, described the engine trouble as a mechanical issue.

A woman who was on the plane on Saturday with her husband and three children told CNN that the engine was right outside her window.

"It was just a big explosion. There was some smoke and then nothing," she said, addinf "I saw parts flapping in the wind."

The plane started shaking and breathing masks were deployed as the airliner descended.

None of the 99 passengers or five crew members was hurt, CNN reported citing Southwest Airlines as saying.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched a probe.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A total of around 800,000 devotees from all faiths are expected to pray at the basilica Our Lady of Health in the Tamil Nadu coastal town of Velankanni during a 11-day festival starting on Monday.

The event starts on Monday with the hoisting of the church flag and will end on September 8, an official said on Sunday.

"Around seven-eight lakh devotees from different faiths are expected to visit Velankanni church during the festival. On certain days the number of people will go up to 300,000," Fr E.J. Thomas, Director, Shrine Media, told IANS over phone from Velankanni.

He said people from other southern states and also Maharashtra, Odisha and other states would visit Velankanni.

It is widely believed that one is cured of sickness if one prays sincerely. The church is also called as 'Sacred Arockia Madha Church'. The church attracts people of all faiths.

The shrine dates to the 16th century when the first appartion happened in the town and is also known as the Lourdes of the East. The church building was given the status of basilica in 1962 by Pope John XXIII.

According to the legend, Mother Mary with her infant appeared before a milk selling Hindu boy and asked for milk for her son.

The boy gave the milk and apologized to his customer for being late for delivery and also giving lesser quantity than usual.

But he was surprised and shocked to see his container full of milk. He narrated the incident to the customer and went back to the spot where he saw the lady with her son.

Then onwards the tank where the apparition happened was known as 'Matha Kulam' or Our Lady's Tank.

The second legend is that Our Lady appeared before a lame boy selling buttermilk. She had buttermilk and asked the boy to give a message to a wealthy Catholic man in Nagapattinam about her appearance.

The lame boy ran to the man to give the message. He was cured of his handicap.

When the wealthy man and the boy came back to the spot, Our Lady reappeared. The wealthy man put up a thatched church at the site of the second appearance.

The third legend is that when the Mother rescured Portuguese sailors from a storm that damaged their ship.

The locals took the sailors to the thatched church and they decided to built a permanent church as a tribute.

These legends were beautifully captured in a Tamil movie "Annai Velankanni" in 1971.

Thomas said the movie really popularised the church and more people started visiting Velankanni.

A police official in Velankanni told IANS that security and other arrangements have been made to handle the devotees who congregate in large numbers.

"There is open space around the church and crowd management will not be an issue," the police official added.

According to Thomas, special mass will be held in Tamil, English, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Konkani.

During the festival, the church car will be pulled by the devotees.

He said this was the first festival after the renovation of the main shrine.

The state-owned transport corporation and Indian Railways have announced special services to handle the additional passenger load to Velankanni from different places.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro named Chief General Jesus Gonzalez as the country's new ambassador to Iran while announcing the beginning of a new dynamic era in Caracas-Tehran bilateral relations.

Maduro made these announcements at a Caracas meeting on Saturday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Efe news reported.

"We are advancing in our bilateral cooperation as well as in matters of mutual interest for economic development ... we are going to create a new dynamism in Venezuela-Iran relations," said the Venezuelan leader, who later announced the creation of a special commission to follow up on their bilateral deals.

Central bank authorities of the two countries also signed an agreement on financial matters and issued a joint declaration to "strengthen links," the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in a tweet, without revealing details.

Caracas foreign affairs chief Delcy Rodriguez said the meeting was attended by a ministerial delegation and added that the two countries are working to "continue strengthening" strategic alliances.

In June 2015, Venezuela and Iran inked six deals on scientific, technological, economic and health cooperation.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra, who recently toured the US for Dream Team dance tour, is more than overwhelmed by the positive feedback he received. He says it was a memorable experience.

His performance and dance moves made waves in the six cities -- Houston, Oakland, Orlando, Hoffman Estates, Inglewood and Newark -- he performed in along with others like Alia Bhatt, Parineeti Chopra and Varun Dhawan. The tour was held earlier this month.

His performances with Katrina Kaif and Alia made his fans slay and groove to the hit dance numbers "Kaala chashma" and "Kar gayi chull".

Sidharth said in a statement: "It was a wonderful experience performing for the audience. The energy level rose with each city. The love I have received has been a memorable experience. My interactions with them have been tremendous. I feel extremely fortunate to receive so much affection from the fans."

The actor will next be seen showcasing his chemistry with Katrina in "Baar Baar Dekho", to be released on September 9.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russian pork will be sizzling on Vietnamese plates next year.

Rusagro Group, one of the largest agricultural enterprises in Russia, plans to export pork to Vietnam in 2017 as part of its business expansion strategy in the Southeast Asian market.

Vietnam has issued a license to allow Russian pork imports to the country, and we are applying for an export license. Shipments are expected to start next year, said Maxin Basov, general director of Rusagro, without mentioning a specific volume.

Rusagro Group is among the five largest pork producers in Russia, and is also involved in the sugar, oil and fat industries. In 2015, Rusagro sold 195,200 tons of pork and accounted for six percent of its domestic meat market, according to an annual report.

Rusagro was founded in 1995 to act as an intermediary between Ukrainian sugar producers and Russian confectionary companies.

Vietnam will have more pork supplies from Russia in 2017. Photo from doisongphapluot.com

Russias largest meat processor ABH Miratorg has also been licensed to supply poultry, pork and beef to Vietnam, according to the Vietnam Enterprise newspaper.

With a population of about 90 million people, Vietnam holds great opportunities for us to export a variety of chilled and refrigerated meat products, especially pork and offal, to a market with high consumption demand, said Viktor Linnik, Miratorgs chairman.

The chairman added: Thanks to our governments' efforts and private enterprises, Russian agricultural products will have a new market. Miratorg believes it will establish a firm position in the Vietnamese market due to our high quality products.

Related news

> HCMC to oversee high tech-guaranteed pork with CCTV

> As China pork prices sizzle, Vietnam warns over illegal pig exports

> Quarter of Saigon meat samples tainted with antibiotic residue: govt
Pitching for the government's 'Give It Up' campaign to voluntarily surrender cooking gas subsidy, the Prime Minister on Sunday cited the case of an octogenarian retired woman teacher who has donated Rs 50,000 for the programme to replace the smoke-emitting "chulhas" (stoves) on which poor women have to cook food.

"An 84-year-old retired lady teacher, who has given up her LPG subsidy, wrote to me praising the programme to supply cooking gas to poor women to give them relief from 'chulha' smoke, and has sent a donation of Rs 50,000 for the programme," Modi said in his monthly Mann Ki Baat radio address.

"Try and imagine the generosity of this pensioner lady, who is donating Rs 50,000 to help poor women be free from the scourge of smoke-filled stoves," he said.

"It is not a question of the amount she has donated, but the goodwill and blessings of crores of women that reinforces my optimism in India's future," he added.
The Indian Navy's fleet of 13 submarines, already far smaller than the 24-26 needed for tackling a two-front threat from China and Pakistan, now has another dark cloud over it after potentially vital secrets relating to the six Scorpene submarines that are set to join the fleet over the next three years were leaked. The navy, apparently keen to ensure the smooth induction of the Scorpene fleet, is playing down Australian newspaper reports that a disgruntled employee from French shipyard, DCNS, which is the "original equipment manufacturer" of the Scorpene, stole 22,400 pages of documentation that reveal the vessel's technical specifications, capabilities and vulnerabilities. While Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has said the "worst case scenario" would be determined and catered for, his ministry and the navy seem to have decided, after reviewing only a tiny percentage of the documents leaked, that the damage can be contained. This optimism is in sharp contrast with the concerns of the French officials, who have remarked on the potential seriousness of the leak.
The Life Insurance Corporation of India has persuaded the Supreme Court to reduce by half its financial burden for absorbing temporary workers. About 25 years ago, the Central Government Industrial Tribunal -cum-Labour Courts had directed LIC to regularise temporary workers with full pending wages. Its appeal before the Supreme Court was dismissed last year, and it was ordered to pay the dues. LIC has now moved a review petition. The court refused to change the judgment but was merciful towards LIC, which said implementation of the order would impose a "heavy financial burden", entailing an expense of Rs 7,087 crore and Rs 728 crore annually. LIC's source of funds is public and the government does not contribute to it, it is not sitting on huge surplus, attorney general argued. Moved by the pleas, the court wrote: "Ordinarily, financial hardship would not be a sufficient ground to warrant our interference...but in this case, keeping in view the fact that LIC is a statutory corporation operating in the interest of the public at large, on the limited point of payment of full back wages to the temporary workers who are entitled for regularisation, we may reconsider it." The court had allowed LIC to pay only half the pending wages within two months.
Want to check whether your friend or colleague wants to return the money you had loaned him? Send an SMS to his bank with a request for payment. The SMS will be forwarded to the friend or colleague and if he approves, the bank will pay.
"The statistics on childlessness in India don't tell the whole story. In fact, they don't even tell part of the story. They don't tell you of the awkward silences when, perfectly pleasantly, other women ask you how many children you have and you say baldly: 'None'. Sometimes, consolations are offered of a bracing nature, the emotional equivalent of a thwack on the back: To kya hua! Koi nahin hota apna (Never mind/Ultimately, no bonds remain). An act of kindness towards an abused puppy or a bird with a broken wing is put down to overcompensation because of your infirmity of being unable to bear children. At the other end of the spectrum, everyone is eager to become your child: From the super-ambitious young man trying to sell you an insurance policy to the 20-something gym instructor. And, when you see a labourer sitting by the wayside with her baby in her lap, whistling silently through her teeth as she carefully separates and combs the few strands of hair on his head, the pain of loss is almost physical," says Archana M, the female half of a Double Income No Kids (DINKS) couple who is now settled in Dubai.
Kannada actor-turned-politician Divya Spandana, better known by her stage name of Ramya (given during the shoot of her debut movie, Abhi, in 2003), is the latest to be threatened with sedition.
One person was injured in an explosion at an apartment following a gas leak in China's Hebei Province, local officials said.

The injured has been admitted to a hospital and is in no life-threatening condition.

The explosion took place at an apartment on the 29th floor of a 30-story residential building in Nankai District, smashing windows and triggering a fire, they said.

Witnesses saw thick smoke and flames following a loud bang. The 27th and 28th floors were also damaged.

The fire, which was put out was triggered by gas leak, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 100 Afghan students were arrested for illegally staying at a seminary in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan.

Security forces raided the seminary in Quetta and found that 100 students from Afghanistan were illegally studying and staying there, an official said.

The students have been booked under the foreigners act as they did not have the required documents to stay in Quetta or study at the seminary which was sealed, he said.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti said authorities were taking steps to identify the illegal aliens in the wake of the suicide bomb attack at a civil hospital in Quetta in which nearly 70 people, mostly lawyers, were killed earlier this month.

The government has in the past warned seminaries to get themselves registered and enroll students only after proper documentation.

Illegal Afghan nationals cross over to Pakistan regularly through the Chaman border post which was closed last week after Afghan protesters celebrating their national day pelted stones at the friendship gate checkpost and burnt a Pakistani flag.

Yesterday, security forces arrested six terrorists from Noshki area in Balochistan province.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Haryana government today disbursed compensation to 42 victims of anti-Sikh riots of 1984.

"Based on the recommendations of the Justice T P Garg Commission, the state government had sanctioned an amount of Rs 12.07 crore for the victims of Gurgaon and Pataudi area, out of which cheques of compensation were distributed to 42 victims today," Haryana government said in a release.

National Minorities Commission Chairman Naseem Ahmed distributed the cheques at a programme held in Gurgaon.

Former Secretary of Union Urban Development Ministry L M Mehta, Deputy Commissioner T L Satyaprakash and Commissioner of Police Sandeep Khirwar were also present.

Deputy Commissioner said that compensation to about 150 victims of Gurgaon and Pataudi area was cleared by the Commission, based on which the state government has sanctioned the amount.

Rest of the victims belonging to the area would be handed over the cheques soon, he said.

Haryana government is the first in the country to disburse compensation to victims of anti-Sikh Riots of 1984, the release claimed.

The Tribunal also disposed of two more claims arising



out of the same accident in which it also awarded compensation to the claimants.

In one case, the Tribunal awarded a compensation of Rs 4,55,800 to Prakash Dandekar for the death of his wife Tai in the accident. She was 22 and worked as a labourer earning Rs 3300 per month, the Tribunal was told.

The Tribunal also awarded a compensation of Rs 4.50 lakh to the parents of Bhoye (24) who was driving the two wheeler. He worked as a driver and earned Rs 3300 per month, it was informed.

The claim for his death was lodged by Kisan Bhoye, 54 and Anandi Bhoye, 50 father and mother respectively.
Police today seized 2,270 bottles of India Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) from two vehicles near a railway crossing falling under Kochaikot Police Station in Bihar's Gopalganj district.

Police said 2,270 bottles containing 965 litre of IMFL, manufactured in Haryana, and the two vehicles carrying those have been seized. However, the drivers managed to escape.

The Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar had first banned manufacture, trade, sale and consumption of country-made liquor from April 1, but later imposed a blanket ban on all types of liquor in the state.

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Traders were using tourist visas to pick up the juicy crop.

Authorities in Vietnam's south central province of Binh Thuan have fined Chinese nationals for illegally purchasing locally-grown dragon fruit to ship back to their homeland.

Police in Binh Thuan identified 28 Chinese people who had entered Vietnam on tourist visas to trade dragon fruit.

Chinese dealers buy Vietnamese dragon fruit in large quantities to ship back to their homeland. Photo from VnExpress

The Peoples Committee has issued fines worth VND235 million (nearly $11,000) for trading in Vietnam without permission an confiscated 12 tons of dragon fruit.

Police officials also shortened the stay period in Vietnam of the ones being fined for first time and proposed Vietnam Immigration Department (the Ministry of Public Security) to ban the entry to Vietnam against repeaters for certain period of time.

Many major wholesalers that trade dragon fruit are located in the districts of Ham Thuan Nam and Ham Thuan Bac. They are owned and operated by Vietnamese residents, but backed by Chinese nationals behind the scenes.

Binh Thuan is home to Vietnams biggest dragon fruit plantation with over 22,000 hectares.

Related news

> Vietnamese dragon fruit finds their way onto Big C Thailand's shelves

> Vietnamese dragon fruit to enter Australian market

> Farmers opt for red dragon fruit in hope of doubling profit from China
Amid raging conflicts in various parts of the world, global politico-religious leaders and thinkers will gather in the South Korean capital of Seoul next month to debate solutions to such pressing problems.

The discussions will be part of the '2nd Annual Commemoration of the World Alliance of Religions' Peace (WARP) Summit' to be hosted by the Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light, a Seoul-based non-profit organisation working for world peace.

The meetings that will be held from September 17 to 19 will cover important topics such as the role of the legal system to resolve religious conflicts and the current role of the International Court of Justice of the United Nations in resolving armed conflicts.

The meetings will consist of 'Advocacy Forum for the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War', 'Media Forum for Advocacy of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War', 'The 4th HWPL International Law Peace Committee Meeting', 'International Religious Leaders Conference' and Conference for the Implementation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War, 2016, IWPG Network Forum.

Organisers say around 1,000 public figures from 120 countries around the world are expected to take part in this event, including the former President of Croatia Ivo Josipovic, Sri Lanka's Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, President of the Spanish Society for International Human Rights Law Carlos Villan Duran.

"During the event, participants will partake in various meetings for the implementation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW). On September 18, there will be an outdoor event at the Seoul Olympic Stadium. This event will mark its beginning with a parade, bringing in participants from all walks of life around the world," a statement from the organisers said.

The parade will be followed by a card section performance by 12,000 members of the International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) with a theme of world peace and cessation of war.

At the 2014 WARP Summit, HWPL signed on the Agreement to Propose the Enactment of International Law for the Cessation of Wars and World Peace. In September of 2015, HWPL launched the HWPL International Law Peace Committee, which consists of international law scholars, professors and chief justices.

In March of 2016, HWPL proclaimed the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War, along with international law experts from various countries.

Following the Declaration, the 'Legislate Peace' Campaign -- a global advocacy movement aimed at establishing international law consistent with the DPCW -- has been conducted worldwide. Since its beginning in March, 535,493 people from 167 different countries have signed their support for the DPCW.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thirty two fishermen were rescued in Kerala today in two separate incidents after their boats capsized off two coastal villages in the state.

In the first instance, 15 fishermen who had put out to sea from Puthenthoppu village near Thiruvanthapuram were rescued after their country craft capsized about 20 km off the hamlet.

Fishermen in other boats and coastal police helped rescue them, police said.

Four fishermen suffered minor injuries and were given first aid at a hospital in the capital city.

In the second incident, 17 fishermen from Thrissur district had a miraculous escape when their fibreglass boat capsized off Kochi coast at around 9.30 AM.

The boat capsized when fishermen lost balance as they were pulling the nets with a heavy catch, police said.

The fishermen then jumped into the sea and held on to a 'trailor boat' attached to their vessel.

Marine Enforcement and Kochi coastal police rushed to the area, about four nautical miles away from Njarackal and rescued them after receiving an alert from fishermen in another boat, police said.

They were later taken to a government hospital and discharged after a mandatory check up.

The vessel and the net could not be recovered, police said.

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At least four persons were injured today when an overpass connecting two buildings collapsed in China's northern Chaoyang district.

The corridor outside a Red Star Macalline furniture mall collapsed and injured four persons, officials said.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital where their condition was stated to be stable.

Residents told state-run Xinhua agency that taxi drivers and vendors often rest in the shade of the corridor.

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Turkish shelling and air strikes killed at least 40 Syrians today, a monitor said, in the first significant civilian casualties in Turkey's intensifying campaign in northern Syria.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu agency said the army had killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" in air strikes as part of its unprecedented operation inside Syria.

The bombardments came after Ankara suffered its first military fatality since it launched the two-pronged offensive against the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurdish militia inside Syria on Wednesday.

At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded in Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on the village of Jeb el-Kussa early today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Another 20 were killed and 25 wounded, many seriously, in Turkish air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, it said.

The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in Turkish bombardment of the two areas.

A spokesman for the local Kurdish administration said 75 people had been killed in both villages.

The Britain-based Observatory said the bombardment targeted an area south of the former IS border stronghold of Jarabulus, which Turkish-led forces captured on the first day of the incursion.

Fighting has since intensified south of the town, where clashes erupted between Turkish troops and forces belonging to the Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) party, which Ankara considers a terrorist group linked with Kurdish militants in Turkey.

US-backed Kurdish forces have also been fighting IS in Syria but Turkey fiercely opposes any move by Kurds to expand into territory lost by the jihadists.

The latest fighting is likely to raise deep concerns for Turkey's NATO ally the United States, which supports the Kurdish militia -- known as the People's Protection Units (YPG) -- as an effective fighting force against IS.

The Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded yesterday in a rocket attack by Kurdish militia on two tanks taking part in an offensive against the pro-Kurdish forces south of Jarabulus.

Turkish media named the dead soldier as Ercan Celik, 28, and said a funeral for him would be held in Gaziantep.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was due to visit the city to express condolences for last weekend's suicide bombing there at a Kurdish wedding that left 54 dead.

Turkey's NTV television reported that Turkish artillery had struck YPG targets throughout the night and that Turkish warplanes had carried out new bombing sorties this morning.

Turkish forces carried out their first air strikes on pro-Kurdish positions yesterday as part of what Ankara is calling "Operation Euphrates Shield".

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AAP MLA Alka Lamba today said her party will emerge as an alternative to ruling BJP in Gujarat.

"Corruption, atrocities on the Dalits and the Patidar community will be the main issues for the 2017 Assembly polls in Gujarat," the legislator from Chadni Chowk in Delhi told reporters here.

"The party will emerge as an alternative to BJP after the Congress failed to emerge as an alternative to the ruling party in the past 18 years," she claimed.

"AAP will expose the Gujarat model of development and educate people of the state on the model of development in Delhi," Lamba added.

Chinam Gandhi, who was suspended from Congress, today joined AAP in Lamba's presence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
For the seventh consecutive month in July, Activa, flagship scooter from Honda, has not only topped the sales chart among all two-wheelers but has also contributed to 38 per cent of the incremental sale in the industry.

The achievement has made the Japanese major to revise upwards its scooter sales target to over 24 per cent this year.

The Activa for the first time ended the 15-year reign of Splendor from the Hero MotorCorp stable in March 2014 and also for five months in 2015.

But since January this year, it has not looked back with July recording the widest sales margin over the Splendor with a lead of 58,413 units, according to the Siam data.

July also marked the highest-ever sales for Activa at 2,56,173 units since its launch in 2001.

It can be noted that in March 2014, the Activa for the first time ended the reign of the Splendor by selling 14,150 units more at 1,77,928 units than the Hero brand.

In that year, it also held the lead in July and September. Similarly, in 2015, it led the Splendor in five months.

In January this year, the Activa took a lead of 10,778 units over the Splendor, which almost doubled to 20,714 in February, but declined to 10,717 in March.

It further came down to 9,697 in April but zoomed by 30,307 units in May and by 22,077 in June. July saw a lead of 58,413 units over the Splendor.

When contacted Honda Motorcycles & Scooter India senior vice president for Sales and Marketing, YS Guleria, attributed the rising industry leadership of the Activa to the brand salience as well as the reduction in the back orders following the commissioning of the 0.6-million second line at its Gujarat plant in June.

"We are happy that the Activa continues to cheer us with ever-increasing monthly volumes and leading the industry volume chart. July saw the maximum lead over the Splendor with the Activa leading by 58,413 units," Guleria told PTI over phone from Delhi.

"We should also note that the Activa contributed as much as 38 per cent of the incremental sales of 1,62,703 units in the industry in July," he added.
Saving significant fuel costs and time, will soon start flying over the Pacific Ocean region for its lucrative direct services to San Francisco from here with aviation regulator DGCA approving the new route.

The regulatory nod comes as a boost for the carrier, which would be doubling the frequency of its Delhi-San Francisco direct flights to six per week from November.

would also be the first Indian carrier to operate on the Pacific region route where weather conditions and speed of winds would help the airline in reducing fuel burn and the overall journey time.

Officials said the route would be a "win-win situation" for the carrier as well as passengers as it would save crores of rupees worth of fuel costs and also reduce the flying time by up to three hours.

Approving the request from for services through the new route, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a detailed operational circular.

Some years ago, Jet Airways used to have Mumbai-Shanghai- San Francisco connection service which was stopped.

A senior DGCA official said using the new route would help in saving a lot of fuel as well as time.

In the new route, Air India would fly eastwards to reach San Francisco by crossing the vast Pacific Ocean.

Even though the route would be almost 1,400 km more compared to the current trajectory where the flight flies over the Atlantic, there would be significant saving on fuel and journey time due to powerful tailwinds.

"The Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, used on the Delhi-San Francisco route by Air India will get only strong tailwinds on its eastward journey and cut flying time by up to three hours," a senior pilot said.

According to the pilot, the plane, on an average, burns 9,600 litres fuel for each hour of flying.

"Reducing the flying time to SFO from an hour in summer to three hours in winter (due to high tailwinds then) will mean huge fuel saving. So it will be a win-win for fliers and the airline as passengers will reach San Francisco faster while the airline will burn less fuel," he said.

Explaining how the aircraft would fly faster, the pilot said earth rotates from west to east and winds also flow in that direction.

So, flying west means facing strong headwinds (that decreases an aircraft's actual ground speed and more fuel is spent), while flying east means getting strong tailwinds which raises the speed and lessens fuel consumption, he added.
Allcargo Logistics will invest up to Rs 170 crore this fiscal to purchase land for a logistics park on the outskirts of Delhi and a container freight station (CFS) in Kolkata, a top official said.

Having already announced a target to almost triple its revenue to USD 2 billion by 2020, the company, which primarily serves the exim trade now, is looking to enter the domestic space with businesses like express delivery, its Chairman Shashikiran Shetty told PTI.

He also hinted that the company will depend on acquisitions for the domestic play.

"We will be investing Rs 170 crore this fiscal year, which will include Rs 100 crore for the land at Jhajjar in Haryana on the Delhi border for the logistics park, Rs 40 crore for a CFS in Kolkata and Rs 30 crore for the projects and equipment business," he said.

Shetty said total investment for the Jhajjar land buy is over Rs 200 crore but it will be spread over two years.

The city-based company is more bullish on the domestic business, where it is present only in coastal shipping segment, due to economic revival and tax reforms under GST.

It is eyeing the highly competitive express delivery space, to begin with.

"We would like to examine express delivery service. There are people who tried to build it, made mistakes and have not been successful," he said, adding, Allcargo is also open for acquisitions in this capital-intensive segment.

Shetty said the domestic business will play a "substantially important" part in realising its target of USD 2 billion (around Rs 13,430 crore) revenue by 2020 from Rs 5,800 crore in 2015-16.

"Domestic business is something that we always wanted to be in for a long time, but the economy was not supporting. Now, the economy is changing with many reforms," he said.

The company would like to build a multi-modal domestic business that will include last mile and first mile connectivity which comes through the express delivery space and coastal shipping.

It is also exploring opportunities to enter the inland waterways vertical which the government is very keen to promote, to reduce logistics costs, he said, elaborating that some preliminary discussions have already taken place to operate in the recently started waterway on the Ganges.

Allcargo, which made its last acquisition two years ago, had a cash balance of Rs 250 crore and debt of equal amount as of June.

"But we have enough cash for an acquisition," he said.

The company's land bank, spread across the country, is valued at Rs 200 crore.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BJP president Amit Shah will address a public meeting in Warangal district of Telangana on September 17 as part of 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' being celebrated by the party's state unit.

"During the separate statehood movement, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, had said 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' will be celebrated in a grand manner on the lines of it being celebrated in some districts of Karnataka and Maharashtra," BJP state chief K Laxman said.

"But due to pressure of MIM, this (TRS) government is not coming forward to celebrate it," he alleged, adding, "Hence, BJP has decided to celebrate 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' on September 17 in nook and corner of the state."



"Our national president Amit Shah has expressed his willingness to address a public meeting being organised in Warangal to educate and motivate people to celebrate our Liberation Day," Laxman said, at an event.

Telangana BJP has been demanding to hold the official celebration of 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' on September 17.

The Hyderabad state, which was under the Nizam's rule, merged with the Indian Union on September 17, 1948 following a "police action".

"Previous governments and even the present TRS government have ignored (to organise the liberation day)," the state BJP chief said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Hyderabad on August 7, had called upon the BJP functionaries to take up the 'Tiranga Yatra' on motorbikes from August 15 to September 17 across the state.

Speaking at the event, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala said, "The younger generation should know the struggle and sacrifices made by our freedom fighters. Our responsibility now is to make the country great".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Arunachal Pradesh unit of BJP president Tapir Gao along with party office bearers called on Minister Suresh Prabhu at New Delhi and discussed issues related to connectivity to Pasighat township.

During the meeting on Friday, Gao appealed to the minister to expedite the process of expansion of lines to Pasighat town from Murkong Selek railway station in Assam, which is just 35 kilometres away, a party communique said here on Sunday.

He urged the minister to settle the compensation for land acquisition at par with the rate being given by the Railways in other parts of the country.

He explained that the land that are proposed to be acquired are cultivating land which are still producing food grain for the farmer's families and so a fair compensation should be given by the Railways.

The BJP chief further pointed out that Railway connectivity to Pasighat would greatly boost the economy of Siang and Dibang Valley in central Arunachal Pradesh.

"Besides, improving the flow of tourist into these regions, Railway connectivity will also greatly enhance the trade and commerce particularly of horticulture and agriculture produces.

As hinterland of Pasighat town is one of the most vibrant horticulture belts of Arunachal Pradesh, coming of Railway can greatly facilitate export of various horticulture produces like ginger, orange, pine apple, large cardamom, aromatic oils, edible oil, exotic fruits, flowers etc. from Pasighat to rest of the country and the world," he added.
Catches may still contain poisonous chemicals.

Vietnamese food safety authorities have warned against eating seafood caught off the coast of the four central provinces affected by the environmental disaster caused by the Vietnam unit of Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group.

The Vietnamese government announced on June 30 that the Taiwan-owned steel firm Formosa was responsible for discharging toxic chemicals into the ocean, killing marine life and poisoning fish in four central provinces.

Nearly three months after the announcement, Minister of the Environment Tran Hong Ha said last week that its now safe to swim in the affected provinces and that fish farming could resume in most areas.

However, the big question that remains unanswered is whether it is safe to eat fish caught within 20 nautical miles (37 kilometers) off the coast of the four provinces.

Thorough research and strict supervision by the Ministry of Health are needed to make sure it is safe to eat fish caught off the central coast, Nguyen Thanh Phong, the director of the ministry's Food Safety Department, has said.

He added that the Health Ministry, supported by a team of experts and scientists, is set to make its final conclusion by early September.

We need time to make a full assessment which requires enough statistical samples and a larger sample size. We cant rush this, Phong said, adding that he hoped the results will confirm the governments announcement last week that chemicals, including cyanide, have been diluted.

As the Prime Minister has said, the number one concern is the peoples wellbeing. Thats why we have to wait for a more detailed report before we can answer whether it is now safe to eat the seafood, Phong continued.

The senior food safety official strongly warned the public to refrain from eating fish in the affected areas until the pollution has been cleaned up.

Even though the government may have managed to mitigate the consequences by bringing down the concentration of harmful chemicals in the sea water to acceptable levels, that doesnt mean it is already safe to eat fish, Phong said.

He explained that harmful chemicals in the sea water may have fallen, but residue can still be found in the seafood.

At a conference last week, Mai Trong Nhuan, who led a team of Vietnamese and foreign scientists to study the consequences of the toxic disaster, said that marine life, including sea water and sea-bed sediment, is generally within safety standards for aquaculture farming, fishing and tourism activities.

He also told the conference that the toxic chemicals the steel factory dumped into the sea, including cyanide, phenols and iron hydroxide, have shown signs of waning.

The marine ecosystem, coral reefs, sea grass and other marine resources which were seriously damaged in terms of scale and species has begun to recover.

However, since then the media has reported chemical residue still present in fish caught offshore.

The steel plant, owned by the Formosa Plastics Group, took responsibility for the disaster in June and pledged to pay $500 million to clean up the pollution and compensate those affected.

The mass fish deaths have ravaged local fisheries, disrupted peoples lives and hit tourism in the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien  Hue.

The government said in a report in July that the disaster had harmed the livelihoods of more than 200,000 people, including 41,000 fishermen.

An estimated 115 tons of fish washed up ashore along more than 200 kilometers of the central coast in April, the report said.

Formosa Plastics $10.6 billion steel complex in Ha Tinh province includes a steel plant, a power plant and a deep sea port.

Related news:

> Formosa's toxic disaster: are fish safe to eat now in central Vietnam?

> Taiwanese fish killer to complete $500-mln compensation package this month
Moved by reports of a man carrying his wife's body on his shoulder for burial in Odisha, the Bahrain government has reportedly offered to extend financial help to the grieving family.

The Indian embassy in Bahrain is, however, yet to receive an official confirmation from the office of Bahrain Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa about the amount.

"The (Bahraini) prime minister responded to media reports on the episode and has made an offer for humanitarian assistance. He has decided to make a contribution but we have not yet received any official confirmation regarding the amount of money or when it will be made," sources in the Indian embassy in Bahrain said.

They said that should such a contribution be made, it will be channelled through the Bahraini embassy in Delhi.

A report in Gulf Daily News earlier said that the premier was upset by the news and he felt "he had to do something to help".

The report did not mention the sum the Bahraini premier plans to contribute.

On August 24, in Odisha's backward Kalahandi district, was forced to carry his wife's body on his shoulder for 10 kilometres due to alleged lack of an ambulance.

Majhi's 42-year-old wife died of tuberculosis a day before at the district hospital at Bhawanipatna.
Bangladesh police said today they were hunting more extremist leaders after shooting dead the suspected mastermind of a deadly cafe attack, on the eve of US Secretary of State John Kerry's first visit.

Security forces stormed a militant hideout outside Dhaka on Saturday, killing three suspected Islamists including the Bangladesh-born Canadian accused of organising last month's attack that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners.

Authorities say that after returning from Canada in 2013, Tamim Chowdhury led a faction of the banned militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), blamed for a series of recent attacks on religious minorities.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the July 1 seige of the upmarket Dhaka cafe in which gunmen held hostage mainly Western diners including one American, before killing them.

But police say the homegrown JMB, which has pledged allegiance to the IS group, was behind the raid. They deny the presence of international jihadist groups.

"We're hopeful we can now capture and eliminate other extremists including Zia," assistant inspector general of police, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, told AFP.

Police suspect Zia, a former army major whose full name is Syed Ziaul Haque, heads another local extremist group called Ansar al Islam, blamed for the machete murders of a dozen secular writers and two gay activists.

Kerry is set to arrive in Bangladesh tomorrow on his first official visit to try to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism and other issues.

He will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and hold talks with his counterpart Mahmood Ali "on a broad range of issues including democracy, development, security and human rights", a senior State Department official said.

Kerry will then head to India to co-chair the regular US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bangladesh police hailed yesterday's raid as a major blow to extremists in the Muslim-majority country, which has been reeling from the recent killings.

The cafe attack has prompted foreigners, including potential investors, to leave Bangladesh -- sparking worries for its garment industry, the world's second largest after China.

A series of police raids on suspected militant hideouts have killed at least 24 extremists since the cafe attack.

Police have announced a reward of USD 25,000 for information leading to the arrest of Zia, who was sacked from the army in 2011 for an aborted coup bid against Hasina.

Experts welcomed yesterday's police raid but said the country, with its history of political instability, faces a long fight against Islamist extremism.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Stating that the Centre will provide all kind of help to Bihar to deal with the flood situation, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today asked the state government to submit a memorandum at the earliest on the damages caused by floods in the state.

"Bihar government should get the survey done and send its memorandum at the earliest to the Centre on damages caused by floods in the state... Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said the government will act immediately after getting the memorandum in this regard," Prasad told reporters here.

The memorandum should have details of crops and houses damaged, list of flood-affected persons and damages caused to bridges, culverts and roads due to the floods, he said.

The Union Law and Justice Minister was talking to reporters after visiting flood affected areas and relief camps in Patna and was accompanied by party MLC Sanjay Mayukh, MLAs Nitin Navin and Sanjeev Chaurasia during the visit.

Stating that the Centre gives Rs 479 crore every year to Bihar for disaster related work, Prasad said the first instalment of Rs 262 crore has already been released in June, while the remaining amount, which is due in December, would be released soon if the Bihar government makes a formal request.

The Prime Minister, who has already expressed profound grief over the loss of lives in the floods, is quick and active vis-a-vis taking action in times of disasters. He has acted swiftly when there was floods in Jammu and Kashmir and earthquake in Nepal, the Union Minister said, adding "Government of India took proactive role in rescuing people in Bihar floods.

On the help given by Centre to Bihar during the current



spate of floods, Prasad said 22 teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) comprising 1,000 personnel including 767 rescuers were working with 71 boats and have so far evacuated 26,720 people.

He said that Centre has given 20,000 metric tonnes of foodgrains to Bihar to deal with flood situation.

After visiting flood-affected areas and relief camps, Prasad admitted that food was being served to people living in camps but those stuck in villages are not getting grains and are forced to have flattened rice and jaggery.

People said there was no fodder to feed the cattle both in animal camps and in the villages, he said.

Prasad said the people of Sukulpur, Nathachak, Raibagh, Kasara, Nizampur villages of Punadih panchayats of Patna Sadar complained that they have not got anything.

"I am quite surprised to see if people living in villages located barely 10-12 km away from Patna are not getting relief material, then what will be the situation at other places. I strongly condemn this," the Minister said.
Accusing the governments of "ignoring" the interests of poors and farmers, PCC President Sachin Pilot on Sunday said that the meeting of the party's chief ministers, deputy chief ministers and its president was just for political gains having "no concern with welfare of poors".

Pilot, also attacked the Vasundhara Raje government for allegedly stopping the pension of nearly ten lakh poors and said that corruption is rampant in the BJP-ruled Rajasthan.

"The meeting has no connection with the welfare of poors and farmers, this is just for political gain. The government is just trying to give a message in states ahead of assembly elections but the truth is that the government is least concerned for the welfare of poors and farmers," he said.

government at the Centre has "cut" budget of social welfare, hitting various schemes of pension and scholarships, he was quoted as saying in a statement.

During his inaugural address at the one-day meeting on Saturday, President Amit Shah had exhorted the party's chief ministers to make their states an effective instrument for execution of the Centre's "pro-poor" and "good governance" agenda.
Hitting back, BJP today said BSP supremo Mayawati was depressed after "able and honest" leaders of her party were deserting her and joining the saffron outfit, which had prompted her to make "irritating" remarks.

BJP's counter attack came after Mayawati claimed in Azamgarh that the Modi government could start a war with Pakistan to divert people's attention from its "failures" ahead of the UP Assembly polls. She also said BJP was accepting leaders rejected by her party.

"The trioka of Congress, SP and BSP has been rattled by the rising popularity of BJP. BSP supremo Mayawati has made certain irritating remarks out of this depression.

"One after another able and honest BSP leaders are deserting her sinking ship to join BJP. That is why she is making graceless comments against them," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said in a statement.

He also referred to her close aide Naseemuddin Siddiqui's controversial remarks aimed at the wife and daughter of expelled BJP leader Dayashankar Singh and Mayawati's defence of him to accuse her of shedding crocodile tears for women's empowerment.

While there was "little development" in UP when she was the chief minister, the Modi government has "done a lot", including opening fertiliser factory and AIIMS, besides distributing LPG connections to poor households, for the state, Sharma claimed.

With Mayawati working "overtime" to consolidate her Dalit votebank, he alleged that her professed commitment to the community was a sham as 1,074 Dalits were killed during her tenure and 30,000 cases of atrocities against Dalits were registered.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 21-year-old Bolivian woman has been arrested by Nepalese police from a hotel here on the basis of information provided by Indian police for her alleged involvement in an international cocaine smuggling racket.

Teodovich Gonzales Paole was arrested from a hotel of Thamel on Friday, according to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of Nepal Police.

She was arrested on the basis of information given by Indian Police. An Indian woman, Rose Kashung, 41, was arrested in possession of 3.12 kg cocaine from Nepal-India border point in Sunauli of Rupandehi district.

During the interrogation, she had told India's Narcotics Control Bureau that she received the contraband from an unidentified person living at the hotel in Kathmandu.

She was arrested on August 16 and had told police that she had returned from Kathmandu.

The Indian officials had written to the NCB here, requesting cooperation to search the suspect. The NCB then had swung into the action.

Police said, the Bolivian woman had arrived Nepal from Brazil via Ethiopia and India



Earlier, on August 9 and 10, police had arrested two foreign women- a Thai and a Bolivian - from Kathmandu oncharge of cocaine smuggling to and from Kathmandu.

Police had claimed they were drug muleshired by international drug smuggling rackets.

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A British man died in a French hospital early today after falling ill while swimming across the Channel from Dover in southern England, police said.

The man, in his forties, arrived in the northern port city of Calais shortly before midnight (2200 GMT), brought in by a safety boat that was travelling alongside him, a police spokesman said.

His heart had stopped and he was in a state of cardio-respiratory arrest when the emergency services took him to hospital.

Despite attempts to revive him, the man died shortly before 3:00 am.

In July 2013, a British woman in her 30s died in a Boulogne hospital after trying to swim the Channel to raise money for charity.

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Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered a detailed investigation against Italy's Esaote after finding that the imaging diagnostic systems maker imposed unfair business practices.

Esaote is a leading maker of medical diagnostic systems, including dedicated standing/tilting Machine Magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI) machine.

The complaint was filed by a diagnostic centre based in the national capital against Esaote and Esaote Asia Pacific Diagnostic Pvt Ltd.

It was alleged that the two entities did not supply dedicated tilting MRI machines along with the PTC to the complainant as per the agreed terms of purchase order and also not providing after sales services as per the contract terms.

To check whether prima facie there has been any violation of competition norms in the matter, the regulator considered 'dedicated tilting MRI machines in India' as the relevant market.

CCI said the conduct of the two entities "emanating from their dominant position in the relevant market, prima facie, amounts to imposition of unfair terms and conditions" on the complainant.

According to the regulator's order dated August 23, it is observed that even after receiving money for after sales services, the entities have not provided the same.

Stating that there is "prima facie" evidence of abuse of dominant position which is violation of competition norms, the regulator has ordered a probe by its Director General (DG).

DG is the investigation arm of the fair trade regulator.

Esaote Asia Pacific Diagnostic is a subsidiary of Esaote.

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Actor Swastika Mukherjee thinks the censor board acts "foolishly" as they initially suggested to chop off her character from a Bengali film with bold scenes.

"My character Bibi in 'Saheb Bibi Golaam' is embedded with other characters and is crucial in their lives. It even plays an important role in the end. By killing my character they (Censor Board) would have killed the film. If it is not foolishness by some CBFC members, then what it is!" Swastika, told PTI here.

The Board's attitude, the actor of Bollywood film 'Detective Byomkesh Bakshy' feels is "prudish and conservative."



"This stems from the taboo that women can't speak about sex and sexual desires or fantasies the way my character talks about. If these people consider a character as unduly bold for talking on such issues let them change their mindset.

"Why should the audience and film makers suffer? Saheb Biwi Golaam is an intelligent, commercial entertainer," she said.

Reminded about the board raising objections to her roles in two films by "Moinak Bhowmik" three years ago, Swastika, who portrayed the seductive Anguri Devi in Detective Byomkesh Bakshi, said, "May be these people in the board think I am setting a bad example in society."



Director Pratim D Gupta said the censorship body had wanted to chop off entire scenes involving Swastika on the logic it would have "degrading influence" but he was determined to fight the issue till the end.

The stand-off resulted in the film's release getting delayed by several months.

"There is no frontal nudity anywhere in my film and we took care in taking every shot imaginatively. If Swastika's character as a housewife in escort service made them squeamish, it is their prudishness," Pratim, who had directed 'Paanch Adhyay' starring Dia Mirza, said.

"But we were aghast at the recommendations and stood our ground even if it meant the film's release was getting postponed by months and we prevailed," he said.

Swastika, who is now shuttling between Mumbai and Kolkata, said she was serious about working in Bollywood but roles should appeal her.

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Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, serving a 10-year jail term in the teachers recruitment scam, has been admitted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital following an infection.

The 81-year-old INLD chief was admitted to the hospital yesterday and was today shifted to trauma ICU section, authorities at the RML Hospital said and added that his condition is now "stable".

He was brought in here yesterday and later shifted to ICU. His TLC (Total Leukocyte Count) has increased a lot which indicated some sort of infection, the authorities said.

Further reports are awaited after which senior doctors would decide as to how long he would need to stay at the hospital, they said.

He is lodged in Tihar Jail and sources said he was referred to RML Hospital from the central jail dispensary.

On January 22, 2013, a special CBI court had convicted and sentenced Chautala and his son Ajay along with seven others to 10-year jail term each for illegally recruiting 3,206 junior teachers in 2000.

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ELKO -- Ready, set, relay! Returning for its second year, the Indian Relay Race will be at the Elko County Fair Friday, Saturday and Sunday with more races.

If we didnt have the support of the community, this event wouldnt be able to improve yearly, said Dallas Smales, thanking the businesses, including Barrick Gold Corp., and individuals who have supported the event.

Smales told the Free Press last years success and amount of spectators aided in the relay races being brought back.

The event will begin with the Chief Race Friday, the Ladies Race on Saturday, and the Legends Race and Calcutta rounds off the event Sunday. The latter two are new to the lineup.

The Legends Race is for those 40 and over, with racers including James Tone of Idaho.

Della Jackson, of Fort Hall, Idaho, and the winner of the 2015 Ladies Race, will ride this year as well.

A focal point in presenting these horse races is for the enjoyment of others and to showcase to the community the Shoshone culture and traditional ways.

In keeping with tradition but adding a twist, Aries Rattling Leaf will perform the National Anthem in Shoshone. The announcer of the 2016 races is Warren Spang from Fort Washakie, Wyoming.

These horse races are a long-standing Native American tradition dating back hundreds of years. It originated when Chief Washakie of the Shoshone nation wanted to send messages to other to other tribes, according to council members at Fort Washakie.

Teams of seven compete against one another. There is a rider, a mugger, two holders and three horses. The race begins with one rider on one horse. The pair races around the track and the rider then switches and repeats. This routine is done with all three horses and without the use of saddles.

The teams will more than likely come onto the track mounted. Last year, they had a standing start, said Smales.

The races are set up much like what is done in Fort Hall, she said.

The Fort Hall Indian Relay Association will have its next races from Sept. 4 - 10 at the Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot, according to the Shoshone-Bannock website.

This year teams are coming from different states, including Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Washington. The teams in the 2015 races were all from Idaho.

Twelve teams is the cap the Indian Relay Race is hoping for by its Aug. 25 deadline.

The Indian, Chief and Ladies races are $300 to enter and the Legends Race is $100. Cumulatively the purses are $12,500: the Indian Relay has an added purse of $10,000, the Chief and Ladies races have purses of $1,000 each, and the Legends Race is at $500.

Purse amounts depend on donations. It could increase, said Smales.

For lodging and race information, contact Brandon Reynolds at 397-1882, Smales at 934-6322 or Alice Tybo at 340-3876.

The Gold Country Inn & Casino and the Red Lion Hotel & Casino are offering accommodations at reduced rates for racers.
China today launcheda cargo train service from Guangzhou city to Russiato boost trade as part of its multi-billion dollar project to revive ancient silk routes.

A cargo train left south China's Guangzhou City today for Vorsino, Kaluzhskaya Oblast, in Russia.

It is the latest freight train route China has launched to boost trade ties along the ancient Silk Road, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The train will travel 11,500 km over 14 days before reaching its destination.

Its cargo includes garments, shoes, hats, cloth, lamps and lanterns, electrical appliances, and electronics.

Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, has traditionally depended more on maritime freight services.

The new cargo train service saves 30 days compared with shipping services, and it costs just a fifth of the price for air transportation.

Kaluzhskaya Oblast has set up a major logistics centre in the Vorsino industrial park to handle 150,000 to 350,000 containers a year.

Currently, 26 cities in China offer China-Europe or China-Asia freight train services.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has launched the Silk Road, officially called One Belt One Road projects, in 2013 to revive trade and commerce.

He has also set up USD 40 billion Silk Road fund to execute the projects.

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Chinese scholars are "deeply disturbed" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent reference to Balochistan, a senior expert today said as he warned of joint steps by China and Pakistan if an "Indian factor" disrupts the USD 46 billion CPEC, with the region as its hub.

"My personal view is that if India is adamant and if Indian factor is found by China or Pakistan in disrupting the process of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), if that becomes a reality, it will really become a disturbance to China-India relations, India-Pakistan relations," South Asia expert Hu Shisheng said.

"If that happens China and Pakistan could have no other way but take united steps. I want to say that the Pakistan factor could surge again to become the most disturbing factor in China-India relations, even more than the Tibet, border and trade imbalance issues," he told PTI here.

Hu, director of state-run think-tank Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations affiliated to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said such a scenario could be very disappointing to all the scholars relating to India-China relations.

"All the three countries could be badly derailed from their current facts of economic and social development. It could be very bad," he said.

Expressing concern over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to the human rights situation in Balochistan in his Independence Day address, he said Chinese scholars were "deeply disturbed by the reference".

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has so far has not commented on Modi's references to Balochistan, which is the hub of CPEC connecting China's Xinjiang province with Pakistan.

"I think the two countries (China and Pakistan) will do whatsoever to enhance the security and smooth construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. But what kind of forms I have no idea.

"I am just wondering whether military involvement could be one of the choice but in my personal view, it is very unlikely," he said in response to a question on the nature of China's involvement and maintained that the views are his personal made in the interest of India-China relations.

He also said China is unlikely to change its policy in South Asia.

Besides a host of energy-related projects, the CPEC consists of rail, road and pipelines to ferry oil and gas from Balochistan port Gwadar to Kashghar in Xinjiang through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

Welcoming the formation of the special mechanism for talks during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's recent visit to India to resolve differences, Hu said the two sides can hold wide-ranging talks on CPEC, NSG and India's bid to ban Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar in the UN.

He also said that CPEC is "for the regional stability".

"This is also China's purpose to carry forward with this giant project jointly with Pakistan. If CPEC is completed not only China and Pakistan but also Afghanistan, India and Iran can benefit a lot.

"It is quite open. In future, some Indian regional development initiatives can use the physical development of CPEC like India's connectivity to the Central and West Asia, Gulf region, India's projects in Chabahar port in Iran," he said.

He claimed the CPEC will not disturb the sovereignty claim of Pakistan and India in the Kashmir issue.

"It is quite clearly written in the 1963 border treaty of Pakistan and China. One of the clause clearly stated that if Pakistan and India finally reach agreement on Kashmir issue then the treaty would be accordingly amended.

"The CPEC construction is conducive to regional stability including China's Xinjiang. China dare not give up the management and frontier regional development just for being sensitive to the Indian concerns over Kashmir issue. China has its own national concerns, especially stability of Xinjiang," he said.

"If Indian concern is too much, China is also one part of the Kashmir issue. If the accession (area by Pakistan to China) is regarded by India as one part of the problem then let the three of us sit down to talk. Whatever happened in the past, it has not become so serious then let us talk about it.

"Do not let it stand in the way of our respective socio economic development and do not allow it to come in the way of China-India cooperation," he said.

Asked about India's concerns over terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Hu said Islamabad should address India's concerns for its own development.

He also said there are differences between Pakistan's civil and military over crucial issues.

"Some times they don't agree with each other on some sensitive issues. My concern is that if India become more hawkish, hostile, it could only create more troubles for Pakistan," he said.

Hu also said there is difference between CPEC and South China Sea dispute where China objects to India taking up oil drilling projects in Vietnam.

China stands for joint development of the South China Sea region but other countries which have claims in the region opposed such a concept, he said.

He added that China is concerned over close India-US relations.

"In the past Chinese scholars are not so much concerned about India-US ties. We strongly believed that India's strategic independence can be trusted and can be maintained.

"In recent years, Indian strategic independence is facing some challenges because of security issues. The cooperation has been going really far more forward in the past one year," he said.
China is moving its new largest carrier rocket, which will be used for lunar and Mars probes,to its launch base in southern Hainan from northern China's Tianjin Port.

Long March-5 rocket, carried by two special rocket- carrying ships Yuanwang-21 and Yuanwang-22, will arrive at Qinglan Port in Wenchang, Hainan Province early next month.

As the country's strongest carrier rocket, the Long March-5 has a payload capacity of 25 tonnes in low Earth orbit and 14 tonnes in geostationary orbit.

The rocket is planned to carry the Chang'e-5 lunar probe in 2017 and will be used to launch China's space station modules and Mars probes.

"The Long March-5 represents a landmark in the country's carrier rocket upgrading and has expanded the diameter of liquid-fuel rockets to 5 meters from 3.35 meters, and will improve space entering capabilities by 2.5 times," Wu Yanhua, vice head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.

Instead of highly toxic propellants, the rocket uses liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and lox kerosene as fuel, making it more environmentally friendly.

Its engines can produce a thrust of more than 1,000 tonnes when taking off. It has taken researchers 16 years to develop the rocket after nearly 7,000 tests.

It was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, state-run Xinhua agency reported.

The new rocket was getting ready as China worked out a busy calendar for space missions including recurring testing of its space station currently under construction and plans to launch a probe and a rover in 2020.

Completed in 2014, the Wenchang launch site is the fourth of its kind in China. Being the closest site to the equator, Wenchang boasts considerable latitudinal advantages.

Satellites launched nearer the equator have a longer service life as they have a shorter journey to make it into geostationary orbit and save fuel accordingly.

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The controversy over liquor vends in Delhi intensified today with Prashant Bhushan-led Swaraj Abhiyan giving the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government time till September 11 to close one such shop near the Nawada metro station in Uttam Nagar here.

The ultimatum by the organisation was given at a public hearing held by it at Uttam Nagar, the Assembly constituency of AAP MLA Naresh Balyan, against the liquor shop near the metro station.

According to the organisation, also led by former AAP leader Yogendra Yadav, people of the area, especially women, expressed deep discontent against the MLA because of the liquor vend.

The vend has become a nuisance for commuters, especially women, and the school situated nearby, it said in a statement.

Swaraj Abhiyan held the 'Jan Sunwai' today as part of its public hearings being conducted against various liquor vending shops across Delhi, where the vends have been opened without the consent of local residents.

It has condemned the presence of the Uttam Nagar liquor shop within less than fifty metres of a school.

"A school teacher reported that a complaint had been lodged earlier against the liquor shop owing to difficulties being faced by the students and teachers of the school but no action has ever be taken for it," it said.

A woman resident of the area said during the public hearing that it had become difficult to use gate no 3 of the metro station as it was next to the liquor shop as the people there engaged in eve-teasing and misbehaviour, the statement said.

"No liquor shops will be allowed to be opened without permission of women and local residents and Delhi will not be turned into a liquor market," rebel AAP MLA from Timarpur, Pankaj Pushkar, who was present at the public hearing was quoted as saying in the statement.

The earlier two public hearings were held at Kasturba Nagar and Karawal Nagar as part of Swaraj Abhiyan's campaign against the liquor policy of Delhi government, which has opened 399 new shops.

Yadav said the next Jan Sunvai will be held on September 4 near Jain Mandir in Model Town here.

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Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition struck a rebel convoy near a taxi stand in central Yemen, killing seven civilians and nine insurgents, officials said today.

The air strikes hit three vehicles belonging to the Huthi rebels late yesterday near the Mafraq Sharab junction outside the southwestern city of Taez, a military official said.

Medical sources said hospitals in Taez received the bodies of seven civilians, while military sources said nine rebels were killed and 14 people were wounded.

The raid came during sporadic clashes in the city between the Iran-backed rebels and forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who are supported by a Saudi-led coalition.

The Arab coalition launched a military campaign against the Huthis and their allies in March 2015, after the Shiite rebels closed in on Hadi in his southern refuge in Aden forcing him into exile.

The coalition has stepped up its air raids since three months of peace talks in Kuwait collapsed earlier this month.

More than 6,600 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since March 2015 and more than 80 percent of the population has been left in need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.

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Colombia readied for a rendezvous with history at midnight today when the guns fall silent in a 52-year-old war between the state and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the South American country's largest leftist rebel group.

"The end of the conflict has arrived!" President Juan Manuel Santos exulted on his Twitter account Friday after signing a decree to halt military operations against the FARC, as the rebel group is known.

The measure goes into effect at midnight (0500 GMT), five days after the conclusion of peace negotiations that have been underway in Havana since November 2012.

Throughout that period the war continued, with the government refusing a truce for fear that any let-up in the military pressure would enable the FARC to rebuild a force currently officially estimated at 7,500 fighters.

Nevertheless, as the negotiations deepened, the FARC declared a unilateral ceasefire in July 2015, and the government responded by suspending air attacks on the rebels.

The cease-fire that goes into effect at midnight will be the first in which both sides commit to a definitive end to the fighting.

Peace "begins to be a reality," FARC leader Rodrigo Londono, better known by the nom de guerre Timoleon Jimenez or "Timochenko," wrote on his Twitter account.

Colombian media reported that the rebel chief will issue cease-fire orders to his troops Sunday from Havana.

"The cease-fire is really one more seal on the end of the conflict. It is the test of fire," said Carlos Alfonso Velazquez, an expert on security at the University of La Sabana. In his view, the end of Latin America's oldest conflict has been "practically a fact for the past year."



The last clash between Colombian security forces and FARC rebels was on July 8, according to Cerac, a research group that monitors violence by Colombia's armed groups.

"The FARC prepared for D-Day," read the headline on its latest report on the conflict.

Santos and Timochenko will sign the final peace agreement sometime between September 20 and 26, Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said yesterday.

Villegas did not say who would attend or where it will be held, but Santos has said the signing could take place at UN headquarters in New York, or in Havana or Bogota.

The cease-fire and definitive end of hostilities will be followed by a six-month demobilization process in which guerrilla fighters gather at collection points and give up their weapons under UN supervision.

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The Struggle and Solidarity Committee for Justice for deceased Dalit research scholar will hold its meeting at Gandhi Bhavan here on Monday after Telangana police denied them permission to stage a 'maha dharna' at Indira Park.

Demanding arrest of those responsible for the death of Rohith, the University of Hyderabad (UoH) research scholar who allegedly committed suicide on the university campus in January, the committee had earlier planned to stage a demonstration at Indira Park.

However, Telangana police denied them permission for the event, the committee said on Sunday.

"The committee has shifted the venue for tomorrow's meeting to Gandhi Bhavan," it said.

Dalit icon BR Ambedkar's grandson Prakash, Rohith's mother Radhika Vemula and activist Teesta Setalvad are scheduled to address the meeting.

It maybe recalled that UoH Vice Chancellor Podile Appa Rao and others were booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abatement of Rohith's suicide. The committee has been demanding their arrest.

"The attitude of Telangana police in delaying the arrest as well as denying permission to the committee shows that they are siding with the killers of Rohith," the committee claimed in a release.

Rohith's death on January 17 had sparked massive nationwide protests, resulting in a fierce slug fest with a string of political parties and Dalit organisations siding with the students and accusing the BJP government and the university administration of being "anti-Dalit".

UoH has been witnessing sporadic protests since Rohith's death with students demanding removal of Appa Rao from the post of VC.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress workers on Sunday clashed over alleged disruption of 'Tiranga Yatra' in Varachha locality near Surat, Gujarat, police said.

Both BJP and Congress have lodged cross first information reports (FIRs) against each other following the incident.

In its FIR, the BJP alleged that Congress workers stopped the yatra, led by BJP MLAs Kishore Kanani and Ajay Choksi, by showing black flags when the procession was passing Varachha area here.

However, Congress claimed that Kanani, Choksi and others attacked its party workers with the baton of police personnel present there.

Kanani and Choksi represent Varachha Road and Surat (North) constituencies, respectively, in the Legislative Assembly.

"When the yatra, with around 100-odd participants, led by Kanani, was passing by the office of Congress corporator Dinesh Kachhadiya in Varachha locality, around 50 Congress supporters allegedly stopped them and soon they started attacking each other," a police spokesperson said.

In his FIR, Kachhadiya alleged that Kanani, Choksi and BJP corporators attacked Congress workers, including two women corporators, when Congress workers approached them with a list of problems faced by local residents.

"Kanani, Choksi and others attacked us with the baton of police personnel present there. They also held the hands of our women corporators Harshaben and Dakshaben and pushed them violently. A BJP corporator even used a tiranga stick to beat us," Kachhadiya alleged in his FIR.

However, Kanani alleged that Kachhadiya, along with some corporators and supporters of Congress, stopped the yatra by showing black flags, and started fighting.

Kanani claimed he was hurt in head and hand.

Cross FIRs were lodged under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 507 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

Police said they were investigating the matter though no arrests have been made so far.
Alleging bungling in government recruitment, the Congress demanded that the Manohar Lal Khattar dispensation present a white paper on employment in the Haryana government and PSUs.

"The Manohar Lal Khattar government should immediately present a white paper on the state of employment in government, PSUs and private sector with a time bound framework for filling up all vacant posts," Congress spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala told media here.

"Bungling is going on in police recruitment in Haryana," he said.

The recuritment of 5,000 constables of Haryana police has remained disorderly and grossly unorganised, he said.

"There were several complaints regarding faulty electronic devices used for recording the race during police recruitment and biometric instruments not recording thumb impression correctly," he said.

"A myopic government failed to take note of the prevailing extreme heat and humidity conditions between June 18 and July 23 for conducting races," he said.

During the process of recruitment, several candidates, who completed the 5,000 metres race in 20 minutes, were declared ineligible, while those who took 24 minutes were declared eligible, he alleged.

"Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, while speaking at a function to honour wrestler Sakshi Malik in Bahadurgarh has declared that many candidates in Haryana police recruitment have broken the Olympic records," he said.

Either Khattar is telling a lie or the Staff Selection Commission is attempting to mislead everyone, he alleged.

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Congress and JD(U) today sought to pick holes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's radio address, asking why the government has not been able to lift curfew in Kashmir yet if only 5 per cent of the people are involved in creating trouble.

"If PM believes that only 5 per cent of people are creating trouble then why central and state governments are not able to contain it? Why curfew for 51 days?" Congress leader Manish Tewari asked on Twitter.

He also asked Modi to hear "Mann ki Baat of Kashmiri people rather than one way monologue."



Speaking on the unrest in the Valley in his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', Modi said, "From the interactions I had with all parties on Kashmir, one thing emerged from those, which can be put in simple words as 'Ekta' and 'Mamata'. These two things were the basic mantra."



"Why normal life paralysed? Why internet services disrupted? PM must hear Mann Ki Baat of Kashmiri people rather than one way monologue!" Tewari said.

On the Kashmir issue, Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the people of the country want lasting peace in Kashmir but the statement of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti does not prove so.

"The people in India want lasting peace in Kashmir. That peace will come from healing, re-initiating development process. That peace will come from bringing back those who have gone away from national mainstream," Surjewala said.

"The peace will come with engagement with every section. If Modiji is doing it, I do not think so. Is Mehbooba Mufti wanting to do so, her statement does not prove so," he said.

Janata Dal (United) leader K C Tyagi said, "Every political party supports PM, if any initiative is taken. He tried to normalise the relationship with Pakistan. Tell me the name of one political party that opposed him. He has not done anything...To ensure peace in Kashmir.

Taking a swipe at the Prime Minister, Tewari said the



difficulty is "when you do not diagnose a problem properly or able to find a prescription".

"If the PM and Chief Minister of Kashmir believe that only 5 per cent of the the people are creating a problem, then it raises a question as to why the state government and the central government have been able to surmount the issue?" he asked.

"Why there has been curfew for 51 days? Why is it that the life is paralysed in Kashmir Valley? Why so many people have died and many more have been injured due to pellet guns? Why is that internet services have been scrapped by the state government?" he asked.

Tewari said the Prime Minister and Home Minister Rajnath Singh do not understand the meaning of 'Insaniyat, Jamhuriayt and Kashmiriyat'.

"So, therefore, the PM must realise the gravity of the problem that there are forces in Jammu and Kashmir who may be outside the electoral mainstream but they require an outreach if you need to bring the situation under control. PM and his Home Minister talk about 'Insaniyat, Jamhuriyat and Kashmiriyat', (nut) do not know what these words mean," he said.

So the Prime Minister needs to first diagnose the problem because in every statement you see contradiction and u-turns, Tewari added.
CARSON CITY  Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt will visit several rural communities on his AG for a Day northern Nevada tour, including Elko on Sept. 8.

Laxalt will be at Great Basin College at 9 a.m., in the Greenhaw Technical Arts building.

Although his office represents the interests of all Nevadans every day, the AG for a Day tour provides an additional opportunity for Laxalt and his staff to hear the concerns of residents in each county and to be directly responsive to them. The idea for bringing the office to different locations originated in November of 1968 when Nevada Gov. Paul Laxalt created his Capital for a Day tour to identify and address issues of concern.

In keeping with this tradition, Laxalt will be accompanied by members of his staff representing major divisions within the Office of the Nevada Attorney General on his AG for a Day tour. Collectively, they will present on topics affecting local residents such as open government, trends in consumer fraud, domestic violence, guardianships and elder abuse, taxation and local government finance, and military legal services.

Following the presentations, Laxalt and his staff will listen to the concerns of residents and answer any questions.

I strongly believe that the closer the government is to the people, the more effectively we can meet their needs, said Laxalt. That is why this AG for a Day tour is dedicated to bringing the Office of the Attorney General directly to the people of Nevada.

Beginning in Fallon on Sept. 6, the tour will include Eureka, Ely, Wells, Elko, Battle Mountain, Winnemucca, Lovelock, Minden and Yerington.
Beleaguered Gupta family, one of South Africa's wealthiest and most influential with ties to President Jacob Zuma, has announced to relinquish all their business interests in the country by the end of this year.

The brothers Ajay, Atul and Anil, who arrived from India at the advent of democracy under Nelson Mandela in the 1990's, had established a huge information technology company, Sahara Computers, before branching into a wide range of businesses as diverse as mining and media, including The New Age daily newspaper and the television channel ANN7, both in partnership with Indian media houses.

"Since our decision to step down from all executive and non-executive positions in all our South African business in April 2016, the local management team has grown our businesses from strength to strength, with turnover and profits showing good growth and more jobs created," a statement issued yesterday by Gupta family spokesman Gary Naidoo said.

In recent years, the Gupta family has been the subject of many controversies, most of them linked to their allegedly close relationship with President Zuma and other top African National Congress leaders, but no charges had been brought against them.

Several top government officials made public statements about allegedly being offered ministerial positions by the Guptas, while others claimed that the family had knowledge of such appointments even before they were made public.

Concerns were also expressed about companies owned by the Gupta's employing close relatives of Zuma, with one of his young sons being a major partner in several companies owned by the family.

Earlier this year, all major South African banks and multinational auditing company KPMG refused to do any business with Gupta-owned companies, despite interventions by top government officials because of the possible effect on thousands of employees who would not receive salaries.

The family moved to Dubai a few months ago, with the brothers stepping down from all positions at their various companies.

"As a family, we now believe that the time is right for us to exit our shareholding of the South African businesses which we believe will benefit our existing employees and lead to further growth in the businesses.

"As such, we have announced our intention to sell all of our shareholding in South Africa by the end of the year. We are already in discussions with several international prospective buyers and will soon be in a position to make further announcements," the statement added.

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A Congress Corporator has stoked a controversy by reportedly blaming dressing style of women from the north-east for the crimes taking place against them in the metropolis.

As his comments drew condemnation on social media and invited admonition from his party, the Corporator, Brian Miranda, claimed his remark was misunderstood and clarified he did not intend to hurt anybody's sentiments.

The Corporator from suburban Kalina reportedly said on Friday it was because of the way north-eastern women dress that crimes were taking place in the city, especially the area he represents in the civic body.

Miranda made the comment following the alleged molestation of a 19-year-old Manipuri girl in suburban Santacruz last week.

"Such crimes take place because some Manipuri girls do not dress properly," Miranda had reportedly said.

However, after drawing flak on social media and being reprimanded by city Congress unit, Miranda today clarified he had no intention to hurt anyone's sentiments.

"I never intended to say so and my comment was misunderstood. Irrespective of whether from any part of the country, they must respect the Hindustani culture and this would serve the utmost interest of our country. I have immense respect for all castes, creed and races," the Corporator said.

Miranda said senior Congress leaders in Mumbai advised him to refrain from making such comments and added he would pay heed to their counsel.

Meanwhile, a senior officer at Vakola police station, which has jurisdiction in the area where the molestation incident took place, said, "We have taken all measures to control crime.

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The Safdarjung Airport in the national capital would soon be safeguarded by an armed security cover provided by a central paramilitaryforce in view of potential threats to the facility used primarily for flying VVIP helicopter sorties.

Official sources said a full-fledged security audit of the air facility located in the high-profile location of central Delhi has been ordered after central security agencies recommended the same and after a preliminary report was prepared about possible threats and vulnerabilities to it.

The over 200-acre airport is presently provided security by troops of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) drawn from North East states and they largely look after access-control duties through official entry/exit gates.

The facility is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and apart from conducting regular administrative operations, the airport also houses the hangar for the Mi-17 series of choppers of the Border Security Force and is used to fly VVIPs using these or by the helicopters of the Indian Air Force.

Sources said post the security audit, the task to fully secure the facility could be handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is the mandated agency to guard major civilian airports in the country.

Facing threat of terror attacks, the Home Ministry had recently ordered security audit of nearly 100 civil airports and decided to bring all such facilities under the CISF cover gradually.

There are three facilities in the national capital which are used for flying operations including the civilian Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) guarded by the CISF and the Palam technical area used for flying jets for VVIPs and it is guarded by the IAF.

Only the Safdarjung Airport, which has a runway but is only used for rotor-wing chopper operations, does not have a dedicated security mechanism.

Sources said central security agencies have pointed to the vulnerability of the airport as it has a open road-facing runway and its vast periphery is dotted by thick vegetation and buildings.

It is also essential to keep the airport safe as the President, Prime Minister and other dignitaries take flight from here occasionally, and at times of emergencies, some secret sorties for special operations are also undertaken from here, they said.

The security audit, the sources said, will chalk out a



plan to create an integrated security setup for the Safdarjung Airport by erecting watch towers at vantage locations, deploying mobile patrols of armed security personnel, access-control by deploying X-ray machines and other frisking gadgets.

The airport also has a communication and surveillance set-up but has no surveillance radars due to its limited operations.

During a recent meeting of the security establishment, it was decided that 98 civil airports in the country and smaller but important airports like Safdarjung will be be brought under the security cover of the CISF, the specialised force for airport security.

Out of the total 98 functional airports in the country, 59 are under CISF cover, leaving out 39.

Among 98 airports, 26 airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, are considered hyper-sensitive.

Of these hyper-sensitive airports, 18 are under CISF cover while six like Srinagar and Imphal, are being guarded by CRPF, the state police or by other paramilitary forces.

Under the sensitive category, there are 56 airports out of which only 37 have CISF cover and amongst 16 other airports, only four have CISF security.
Activist Trupti Desai today visited Haji Ali Dargah and appealed to the trustees of the shrine not to move the Supreme Court against the High Court ruling lifting ban on women's entry in its core area.

She also vowed to fight for women's right to pray at Kerala's Sabarimala temple.

Desai, who successfully led high-profile campaigns to secure entry of women in the inner sanctum of two prominent temples of Maharashtra, visited the iconic dargah, but kept away from the shrine's core area.

The visit by chief of Bhumata Brigade, a social group, came two days after the Bombay HC, in a landmark ruling, lifted ban on women's entry in the sanctum sanctorum of the Dargah, an Indo-Islamic architectural structure on an islet housing the tomb of saint Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.

The HC, however, stayed its order for six weeks to allow the Haji Ali Dargah Trust to move the SC against the ruling.

"Last time, when we came at Haji Ali Dargah, we prayed for a court verdict on our favour. Since our prayer has been answered, we came here to seek the blessings of Haji Ali Baba and offered him a 'chadar'," an elated Desai told reporters outside the shrine.

Thanking the people, including Muslims, for their support, Desai requested the Dargah's trust not to challenge the HC judgment, but exuded confidence the apex court would rule in women's favour even if such a step was taken.

"I request the trustees with folded hands to follow the High Court verdict and not go to the Supreme Court as this was in favour of the all the women in the country."



"If the trustees prefer to knock on the Supreme Court's doors, then nothing is going to change because the apex court, too, would uphold the constitutional right of women (to enter places of worship)," the activist maintained.

In April, Desai had unsuccessfully tried to enter the shrine's core area, where entry of women was banned by the trust in 2012 citing religious traditions. "Today I went only up to the permissible limit of the Dargah, as I did not want to flout the Court's ruling in any case," Desai said.

The Bhumata Brigade founder insisted she had no intention to hurt religious sentiments of any community and was only trying to ensure women's entry into all shrines.

Asked about her next campaign, Desai said, "I think in the backdrop of the High Court's verdict, the trustees of the Sabarimala temple ought to open their doors for women. And if they don't, I would launch a similar agitation."



Earlier this year, the Brigade had managed to win their fight for women's right to pray at the famous Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district and Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik district.

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Reports of layoffs in and IT sector notwithstanding, HR experts believe these pink slips are due to a mix of non-performance and margin pressure and the overall outlook is not that bleak, with medium and high skilled jobs likely to see continued growth.

Layoffs are becoming pretty common these days as there were recent reports of job loss in Flipkart, Askme, Ola and Infosys, among others. But experts feel that layoffs help survive and trim costs.

They added that employees need to upgrade their skills on a regular basis.

"Layoffs are largely triggered by three developments - redundancies, termination of projects and automation of L1 roles," said Rituparna Chakraborty, TeamLease Services Co-founder and Senior Vice-President.

She predicted that there will be immediate job cuts of people with redundant skills and underperformers.

For L1 (level 1) roles, more non-engineers are likely to be hired or some of the activities could be automated, she said, adding that it will trigger need for constant skill upgrades.

The IT and start-up industry is in a state of flux, driven by two factors  margin pressures and adaptation of emerging automation and artificial intelligence tools. Hence, constant upgradation of skills is key to success of an employee under this new reality.

"Multiple analyst reports indicate that medium and high skilled jobs are expected to continue to grow at a fast clip in the industry, providing cheer to employees who continue to upgrade their skills," said Nishith Upadhyaya, SHRM India Head - Advisory and Knowledge.

With salary costs getting close to 70 per cent of the project costs, thin margins result in more scrutiny of non-billable resources, according to Vinu Nair, Managing Partner, Antal International Network, India.

The overall job market outlook though appears bullish, the analysts said.

"The demand for laterals with 5-12 years of experience is on the rise and the key for people in this experience range would be to remain hands-on. Director-level roles will remain a notch below recent years, mainly because net new projects are lower," Nair said.

The business potential for Indian IT and ITeS is huge, but they need to work consistently on innovation service quality and cost to attract the rest of the world to continue to invest in India for their offshore/non-customer interface job centres in India, suggested GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel.

TeamLease's Chakraborty further said low-skilled jobs are not aspirational for any economy or country in the long run. As a region prospers through increase in per capita income, low-level jobs are either taken over by people from lesser prosperous regions or get automated.
The days of ice cream dripping down your hand may soon be over, thanks to two 14-year olds in the US who have developed Drip Drop - an edible wafer saucer that fits around a cone.

Sam Nassif and Oliver Greenwald created the Drip Drop which is an edible "ring" made out of waffle cone ingredients that protects ice cream drips from getting on people's hands and clothes.

"About one million trees could be saved each year if the current number of napkins used in ice cream shops is replaced by Drip Drops," according to the Drip Drop website.

Drip Drop comes in two flavours - chocolate and original. Ice cream shops can put any kind of topping on drip drops, such as sprinkles, chocolate chips, or coconut shavings, Nassif and Greenwald wrote on the website.

"One day we were walking past an ice cream shop in our Denver neighborhood and we saw these two little kids with drippy hands and messy clothes from their ice cream cones. We then noticed how their mom used a handful of napkins to try to clean them up," they said.

It was then, when the boys who were 10 years old at that time came up with the idea of Drip Drop.

Currently the Drip Drop is not available for sale but Nassif and Greenwald are looking to license the design to ice cream cone manufacturers or ice cream shops.

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Egyptian authorities today released a renowned human rights lawyer arrested after protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision to hand over two islands to Saudi Arabia.

Malek Adly had been held in pre-trial detention since being arrested by plainclothes police on May 5.

His defence team confirmed his release.

"The case has not been referred to trial yet," Tarek Khater, one of Adly's lawyers, told AFP.

Adly had supported protests in April against the decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, which provoked outrage in Egypt and accusations that Sisi "sold" them in return for Saudi investments.

Police arrested dozens of activists ahead of an April 25 protest, after more than 1,000 people had chanted for "the fall of the regime" in an earlier demonstration in Cairo.

The police dispersed the April 25 protest before raiding the Journalists' Syndicate to arrest two reporters who are part of the same case as Adly.

The three were accused of "attempting to topple the ruling system" and "spreading false news", a prosecution official had said.

An Egyptian administrative court ruled in June that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, strategically situated at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, must remain under Egyptian sovereignty.

But the government has appealed the decision.

Sisi has defended the move, saying the islands were Saudi to begin with and were leased to Egypt in the 1950s.

The former army chief come to power after toppling his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013, unleashing a crackdown on his supporters that killed hundreds of protesters and imprisoned thousands.

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Egypt's government said today it will ask parliament to approve a draft law that would increase jail terms for those who perform female circumcision.

Female circumcision, or female genital mutilation (FGM), was banned in Egypt in 2008.

But the practice involving the partial or full removal of the external sex organs, ostensibly to control women's sexuality, remains widespread, especially in rural areas.

In Egypt, the procedure is practised by both Muslims and Christians.

Under the current law, those who practise FGM can be sentenced to jail terms of between three months and two years.

But the bill which the government hopes parliament will endorse would see those convicted of female circumcision jailed for between five and seven years, a statement from the prime minister's office said.

The government also proposes that those convicted be given jail terms with hard labour if the procedure leads to the death or permanent physical disability of the women being circumcised.

FGM can cause lifelong pain, including extreme discomfort during sexual intercourse, serious complications during childbirth and psychological trauma.

Activists say the campaign to end the practice may have suffered a setback with the 2011 overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak, whose regime imposed the ban.

Some Islamists argued that the ban was a legacy of his autocratic rule which should not be enforced.

The government bill also calls for anyone who forces a female to undertake the procedure to be jailed for between one and three years.

In May, an Egyptian teenager who had undergone FGM died of complications.

Her mother, the doctor who carried out the procedure and two other people have been accused of "involuntary manslaughter" and are to face trial.

In January 2015, a doctor was sentenced to two years in jail for involuntary manslaughter and three months for practising female genital mutilation, after a 14-year-old girl died during an operation he performed. He served only the three-month sentence.

FGM is also practised in a number of other African countries as well as in parts of the Middle East, and is usually carried out by women.

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The courts should use latest technology in their work as it helps in providing speedy, transparent and impartial delivery of justice, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said today.

Fadnavis was speaking at a function held here to mark the 35th anniversary of the Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court.

"Infrastructure is needed in every field and if it is accompanied by the latest technology, the efficiency is multiplied several folds," the Chief Minister said.

According to Fadnavis, the National Law University would be established in Aurangabad.

Chief Justice of Bombay High Court Manjula Chellur and Justice V K Tahilramani among others were present on the occasion.

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"Narcos" actor Wagner Moura says he was overcome with emotion as he filmed his final scenes as Pablo Escobar in the same location of the real-life drug lord's actual shooting.

The Brazilian star portrays the notorious Colombian kingpin in the hit Netflix series, which chronicles Escobar's rise and fall, and the upcoming second season features his fatal shootout with police on a rooftop in Medellin in 1993.

Reports had previously suggested producers had been refused permission to recreate the infamous scenes at the same property, but it appears they found a way around the issue and were able to film at the death location after all.

Wagner says he was already feeling emotional before filming began on the pivotal scenes, and the cast and crew were even more moved by the historical significance of the shoot's location, reported NME magazine.

"It was very emotional because we actually shot (the death scene) at the same place where the real Pablo was killed, the same building," he said.

"Everybody involved in Narcos in the last two years knew that was the end of that character. So it was a very emotional moment for all of us."



"Narcos" returns to Netflix on September 2.

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Gold worth at least Rs 25 crore seized from smugglers has mysteriously disappeared from customs vaults at Indira Gandhi International Airport here, prompting the authorities to order a CBI probe.

A huge haul of over 80 kg gold, both in form of bullion and jewellery, has gone missing in the last over four years from the customs warehouse. In all the cases, it was replaced with non-precious yellow-coloured metal, official sources said.

The seized gold was valued at Rs 25 crore as per current market rates, they said.

The cases of disappearance of gold had earlier been reported to Delhi Police. As the pilferage continued, the decided to recommend a CBI probe following approval of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, official sources said.

The CBI has been asked to register a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) into the matter and find out as to how the gold was replaced with the non-precious metal inside the heavily guarded vault, they said. The cases of missing gold related to period between 2012 and June this year.

The vigilance wing of the is also looking into the suspected role of customs officials, they said.

Earlier, replying to an RTI query filed by PTI, the Delhi customs had said over 23 kg of gold worth more than Rs six crore had gone missing from its warehouse.

In June last year, the customs officials had lodged an FIR in connection with disappearance of 11 kg of gold worth Rs 2.92 crore from its vault. The gold was seized in five incidents from passengers at the international airport.

Another case was registered in 2014 to probe similar instances of theft.

Similar cases were also reported to the Delhi Police on January 16, 20, April 30 and December 23, 2014 in which gold worth lakhs of rupees was replaced by a yellow metal.

An FIR was registered in June this year by Delhi Police on the complaint of customs officials who said two gold chains and bangles, together weighing 298 gm, valued at about Rs 8.83 lakh, were replaced with yellow coloured non-precious metal.

The incident came to light when packets containing 1.27 kg gold, including the stolen gold chains and bangles, duly sealed at the instance of a court, were opened by the customs officials before a departmental committee as part of inventorisation proceedings.
A fire broke out near an operation theatre of RML Hospital in the wee hours of August 25, destroying surgical instruments, police said but hospital authorities denied the incident.

The fire department denied any knowledge about any fire having broken out at the hospital.

"A minor fire was reported from the hospital on August 25 around 1.30 AM. The fire broke out near the operation theatre and surgical equipment and laparoscopy machines were damaged.

"Four fire-tenders were present at the spot. The cause of the fire is suspected to be short-circuit. But no casualties were reported," a senior police officer said.

Atul Garg,Chief Fire Officer of Delhi Fire Service said, "We didn't receive any fire call from RML Hospital."



Additional Medical Superintendent of RMLV K Tiwari, when contacted, denied any such incident at had taken place.

"As per my knowledge there has not been any fire incident," he said.

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Worried over the health conditions of their spouses languishing in Pakistan jails, the wives of three Indian fishermen have requested to be granted visa to visit their husbands.

The three women - Gangaben, wife of Bhagwan Solanki from Tad village in Gir Somnath district; Amritaben, wife of Amritlal Vaishya from Wanakbara of Union Territory of Diu, and Vanitaben, wife of Dipakbhai Bamania from Kotda village in Gir Somnath - have written a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his help in getting them visa on humanitarian grounds to go to Pakistan.

In the letter signed by the three women, they have pleaded with the PM to take up the issue with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and request him to grant visas to them so that they can visit their husbands and enquire about their health.

The women alleged in the letter that the Pakistani authorities were not providing proper medical treatment to their spouses because of which their health condition was deteriorating in the jails where they are lodged.

In the past three years, nearly four fishermen had died in Pakistani jails due to alleged negligence by the authorities.

"So, we are worried about the health condition of our husbands," the women said in the letter.

Gangaben mentioned in the letter that her husband Bhagvanbhai Solanki was severely ill for more than a year which she learnt from other fishermen released from Pakistani jail in March this year.

She alleged that the Pakistani authorities had not communicated to her about her husband's deteriorating health which makes it obvious that they were hiding something.

Besides, the two other women alleged they had been dispatching medicines in registered covers to their ailing husbands which were never delivered to them.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Fishermen Association's senior vice president Veljibhai Masani told PTI that 70 women, including the three who have written the letter, met him in Magrol town of Gir Somnath today, requesting him to take up their issue with the Prime Minister.

The women also requested Masani to facilitate their meeting with the PM when he comes to Jamnagar on August 30.

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Five persons were today arrested for allegedly slaughtering three cows in Ambarnath in Thane district, police said.

The prime accused, along with his four accomplices, allegedly slaughtered three cows in the vicinity of his residence in the wee hours today, Police Inspector Balkrishna Wagh of Ambernath Police Station told PTI.

The police have been able to identify all the five accused.

A case under section 429 (mischief by killing or maiming cattle) of the IPC and section 38(4) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 was registered, the officer said, adding investigations are underway.

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The UN today urged African nations to close a gender gap that is costing an estimated USD 95 billion a year in lost economic potential.

"Where there are high levels of gender inequality, societies are missing out," UN Development Fund (UNDP) director Helen Clark told AFP.

"They are not harnessing the full potential of women, and that costs economically, at the family level, community level and the national level."



Citing agriculture as an example, Clark said that in many African nations, women are banned from owning or inheriting land, making it hard for them to borrow money.

"They then don't have the finance to buy the best seeds, the best fertilisers. So women, despite working very, very hard, end up producing less, being less productive," she said in Nairobi, where she was attending the Tokyo International Conference on African Development.

The UNDP said in a statement that male-female inequality in sub-Saharan Africa costs the continent some USD 95 billion each year in lost economic potential.

In 2014, the cost was higher, at USD 105 billion, it said.

"Gender equality is a good thing in its own right, and it's the right thing to do, but often it's not until you start talking about economics that people think my goodness, it has implications if we don't do something about this," said Clark, former New Zealand prime minister and a candidate for UN Secretary General.

Clark meanwhile noted the progress made in some nations, including in Rwanda, where 65 per cent of elected MPs are female.

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With a large number of vacancies in government jobs meant for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) remaining unfilled for want of candidates, the government is mulling relaxing the 'creamy layer' criterion by raising the income ceiling to Rs 8 lakh annually.

27 per cent of seats in government jobs and educational institutions are reserved for OBCs provided the annual income of the family is up to Rs 6 lakh. Those who earn above that are referred to as the 'creamy layer' and are not eligible for reservation. Raising the ceiling would result in a larger pool of candidates eligible for government jobs and seats in educational institutions.

The Social Justice Ministry is working on a proposal to raise the annual income ceiling of OBCs to Rs 8 lakh, according to official sources.

A Cabinet note is likely to be moved in this regard soon, they said.

When contacted Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) Member Ashok Saini told PTI that the panel had recommended more than doubling the income ceiling to Rs 15 lakh.

"Even two decades after reservation (was introduced), out of 27 per allocated quota, it has been seen that only 12-15 per get utilised. According to our analysis, the major reason behind this is the ceiling on annual income," Saini said.

According to Mandal Commission report, in 1980 OBCs constituted 52 per cent of India's population. The panel's report was based on the 1931 census. The Sample Survey Organisation had in 2006 pegged the OBC population at 41 per cent.
Amid Prime Minister Narendra Modi's overtures to people of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, the government is all set to announce a Rs 2,000 crore package for displaced people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir living in the country.

The Home Ministry is expected to place the details of the package before the Union Cabinet for approval soon, a senior official said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has already identified 36,348 families for distribution of the package under which each family will get around Rs 5.5 lakh.

"We hope that within a month, the package will get approval from the Union Cabinet and the funds could be distributed among the beneficiaries," the official said.

The refugees from West Pakistan, mostly from PoK, got settled in different areas of Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts. However, they are not permanent residents of the state in terms of Jammu and Kashmir Constitution.

Some of the families were displaced during partition in 1947, and others during the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.

The displaced people can cast their votes in Lok Sabha polls but not in the elections to Jammu and Kashmir assembly.

Jammu and Kashmir Sharanarthi Action Committee (JKSAC), an organisation representing the displaced people of the PoK has been maintaining that the package should not be seen as final settlement as Rs 9,200 crore was required to settle all of them.

The Modi government had in January 2015 approved certain concessions for the refugees from West Pakistan settled in Jammu and Kashmir after considering the problems being faced by them.

The concessions include special recruitment drives for induction into paramilitary forces, equal employment opportunities in the state, admission for the children of refugees in Kendriya Vidyalayas, among others.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had for the first time talked about the plight of people of PoK, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan at an all-party meeting convened to discuss the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir on August 12.

Three days later, while addressing the nation on Independence Day, he again referred to the three regions under the control of Pakistan.

In its latest diplomatic gambit, the government has said that PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan are part of Jammu and Kashmir. There have been reports that government is planning to invite the diaspora from PoK, Gilgit-Baltistan for the next Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas to be held in Bengaluru.

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Eyebrows were raised when Shiv Sena leader and state minister Arjun Khotkar, accused of corruption by Aam Aadmi Party, today praised NCP chief Sharad Pawar publicly.

"Pawar is a 'janata neta' (people's politician). He is always concerned about farmers and the common people. His concern and feelings toward farmers are beyond politics," Khotkar said at a function with Pawar in attendance.

AAP national spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon had recently alleged a scam to the tune of Rs 525 crore in Jalna Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) under the chairmanship of MoS Khotkar.

Rejecting the charge, the minister had urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to conduct an inquiry against him and also submitted a letter asking for a detailed probe into the matter.

Pawar was in city to inaugurate a cancer hospital.

In his address, the former Union minister said Indian doctors are best in treating cancer even as he appealed to people to quit tobacco.

"After diagnosed with mouth cancer, I went to New York for treatment where I was told that India has good oncologists," Pawar said.

He said cancer patients need a strong will power to fight the deadly disease.

District guardian minister Babanrao Lonikar and Khotkar, who hails from Jalna district, were chief guests at the function.

On the occasion, Lonikar termed Pawar as the Sachin Tendulkar of politics.

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The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued notices to the state government and its power development corporation seeking their response to a PIL which claimed poor quality solar power plants installed at some health care centres were endangering the lives of infants.

The PIL filed by social activist Sushil Levi claimed that Madhya Pradesh Urja Vikas Nigam (MPUVN)--the nodal agency under the state government to implement new and renewable energy related initiatives--reduced the battery power bank capacity of the solar power plants installed at seven primary health and community health centres in Vidisha district.

He has cited media reports to claim that poor power backup and low battery power of the solar plants had resulted in death of newborns in these institutions.

The High Court recently issued notices and the matter is likely to be heard early next month.

Levi has also sought action against officials of the MPUVN for allegedly reducing the battery power.

"It is a very serious matter. Most of the primary health care centres in Madhya Pradesh do not have proper power back up and it is endangering the lives of infants. The state government should constitute an enquiry into it," he said.

The petition was filed in the High Court as repeated representations to the MPUVN seeking a probe in the matter did not elicit any response, said Levi.

There are over 1,100 primary health centres and nearly 340 community health centres in the state.

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In a tragic incident in the US, a selfless mother died while saving her two-year-old son from drowning after he fell into a lake as she held the child above water long enough for him to be rescued.

Chelsey Russell, a 33-year-old woman from Lakewood, Colorado, drowned in Hall's Crossing area of Lake Powell, Utah, according to the San Juan County Sheriff's Office.

Russell was on a houseboat last week with others when her 2-year-old son went overboard, and she jumped into the water to help him. Neither of the two were wearing life jackets.

Police stated that a "significant distance" developed between the pair and the boat before the vessel could be brought to a stop.

A family member untied a smaller boat from the houseboat and made it to the mother and child before they went completely under the water. Russell was able to hold her son above water long enough for him to be rescued.

"The conscious child was rescued from atop the mother's chest however; the mother was unconscious when pulled from the water," a statement was quoted as saying by myfox8.

CPR was attempted after Russell was pulled from the water, and she was taken to Crossing Marina, where she was pronounced dead after efforts to revive her failed.

The child was flown to Flagstaff Medical Center in stable condition and for a precautionary medical evaluation.

Meri Sias, Acting Chief Ranger at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, said in the statement that the tragic death is a reminder to wear proper safety gear.

"A common denominator in more than 120 fatalities at Lake Powell in the last decades is that victims were not wearing life jackets," she stated.

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Former Gujarat IPS D G Vanzara today said India could get rid of terrorism if terrorists including those from Pakistan are dealt with sternly.

He said the terrorists had their human rights and were getting all types of facilities in Indian jails.

"If the behaviour with the Pakistani and other terrorists in Indian jails is hardened, the terrorism in India could end. But they also have their human rights and they get all the possible facilities in the jails," he said.

Vanzara, who was in Johdpur to see Asaram Bapu in jail, termed the incarceration of the self-styled 'godman' as "unjustified and harsh."



Vanzara, who could not meet Asaram as only one person can meet a prisoner in a week, condemned the denial and termed it a conspiracy.

"I have been an IPS officer. I know the jail manual. I also have been a prisoner. I know everything about the rules. Jail superintendent has authority to allow any family member or a disciple, if the prisoner was his guru. I condemn this behaviour of the jail administration," he said.

Vanzara alleged that Asaram had "fallen victim" to "anti-Hindu and anti-national powers," without naming any person or party.

"There has been a conspiracy in this country since independence to harm Hindu religion. And implication of Asaram in this case was a part of this conspiracy," he alleged.

Vanzara said that he had trust in judiciary but not in the quasi-system which has been functioning behind the legal system by "manipulating" it to tarnish Hindu religion and the nation.

"Law is a mask. Asaram has been a victim of this quasi-system which has been working by manipulating the legal system under the mask of the law to destroy the nation since last 70 years," Vanzara said.

"I want to be among the people and would take the case of Asaram among the people to tell them the facts about this case," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 49-year-old Indian businessman was today robbed of cash by two motorcycle-borne women in Thailand's beach resort town of Pattaya.

Two knife-wielding women on a motorcycle robbed me of 7,000 baht, 2,000 rupees and USD 200 and some documents before speeding away when me and my friend were walking in Soi 9 off Pattaya Beach road, Hussain Qureshi, a leather businessman, told police.

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An Israeli national has been arrested for illegally entering the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in an apparent bid to see off his wife to Tashkent.

The incident was reported at 10:30 AM yesterday when the Israeli man, identified as A Halbani, gained entry into the terminal area after furnishing a ticket at the entry gate to travel to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. But he had cancelled the ticket earlier.

CISF personnel later found that the man was not proceeding for boarding but trying to find an exit from the terminal area in a suspicious manner and apprehended him.

He told them, sources said, that he first booked an e-ticket for yesterday to travel to Tashkent but cancelled it and re-booked his ticket for September 12.

"He used the copy of the e-ticket dated August 27 to gain entry into terminal area as he wanted to see off his wife who was travelling to Tashkent.

He was handed over to the Delhi Police which booked him under sections 447 (criminal trespass) and 417 (cheating) of the IPC," they said.

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Israel's Supreme Court today ruled that a national charged with selling US defence equipment to Iran can be extradited to the United States, the justice ministry said.

It said in a statement that Arye Eliyahu "Eli" Cohen should be rendered to US authorities "in order to stand trial for the commission of federal offences of trading military spare parts with Iran".

"According to the charge sheet on which the extradition request is based, during the years 2000-2004 Cohen exported military spare parts from the United States to his place of residence in Israel," the Hebrew-language statement said.

It said that he and three accomplices in the United States shipped parts for Hawk missiles, fighter aircraft and armoured troop carriers from the US to Israel, using false declarations as to the materials and their final destination.

A transcript of today's court hearing said that the charges alleged that between 2012-2013 Cohen "on two occasions re-exported from Israel to Iran, via Greece, US-made military spare parts used by fighter planes".

The charges were filed in the Federal District Court of Connecticut in 2013, and the United States made an extradition request the following year.

The Jerusalem District Court granted the request but Cohen then appealed to the Supreme Court.

"The act for which extradition is requested constitutes a criminal offence under the laws of both" Israel and the United States, the court said in today's ruling.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused arch-foe Iran of "preparing another Holocaust" and seeking to acquire nuclear arms with which to attack the Jewish state.

He is implacably opposed to last year's nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, which saw the lifting of international economic sanctions in return for Tehran ensuring that its nuclear programme remains purely for civilian use.

An arms embargo on the Islamic republic remains in force.

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Italian authorities are vowing to investigate whether negligence or fraud in adhering to building codes played a role in the high death toll in last week's earthquake in Italy.

They also called for efforts to ensure organized crime doesn't infiltrate lucrative construction contracts to eventually rebuild much of the picturesque towns leveled in the disaster.

Meanwhile, rescue workers pressed on with the task of recovering bodies from the rubble, with hopes of finding anymore survivors virtually vanished four days after the powerful quake.

Over the past two days, they found six more bodies in the rubble of Hotel Roma in Amatrice, the medieval hill town in mountainous central Italy that bore the brunt of destruction and loss of life in the powerful quake.

They recovered three and by late today were still working to retrieve others that were hard to reach. It wasn't clear if those six were included in the overall 290 death toll given by authorities.

The quake that struck before dawn Wednesday also injured nearly 400 people as it flattened three medieval towns near the rugged Apennines. Prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva, based in the nearby provincial capital of Rieti, said the high human death toll "cannot only be considered the work of fate."



"The fault lines tragically did their work and this is called destiny, but if the buildings had been built like in Japan they would not have collapsed," Saieva said in comments carried by Italian media.

Investigations are focusing on a number of structures, including an elementary school in Amatrice that crumbled despite being renovated in 2012 to resist earthquakes at a cost of 700,000 euros (USD 785,000).

With schoolchildren's summer vacations in their final weeks, the school wasn't yet in use. Many were shocked that it didn't withstand the 6.2 magnitude quake.

After an entire first-grade class and a teacher were killed in a 2002 quake in the southern town of San Giuliano di Puglia, Italian officials had pledged citizens that safety of schools, hospitals and other critical public buildings would be guaranteed.

Questions also surround a bell tower in Accumoli that collapsed, killing a family of four sleeping in a neighboring house, including a baby of 8 months and a 7-year-old boy.

That bell tower also had been recently restored with special funds allocated after Italy's last major earthquake, which struck nearby L'Aquila in 2009.

Italy's national anti-Mafia prosecutor, Franco Roberti, also vowed to work to prevent organized crime from infiltrating public works projects which will be eventually begun to rebuild the earthquake zone.

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The election process of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students' union has been set in motion with the appointment of chief election commissioner, a woman for the first time, along with constitution of a poll body.

"In a meeting convened by the JNUSU, Ishita Mana, a first year PhD student of the School of Social Sciences (SSS) was unanimously appointed as the chief election commissioner (CEC)," former CEC for JNU polls, Dileep Maurya said.

This is a first time that a woman CEC has been elected.

The election body, comprising the CEC along with members from various schools of JNU, will soon meet to decide the dates of the election, which may be held in September.

The name of the CEC is proposed by the JNUSU and has to be unanimously accepted by the election body, members of which are selected in the general body meetings (GBM) of various schools in the varsity.

JNUSU is the representative body of the students in the varsity. The polls have been keenly contested over decades.

Last year, CPI's student wing All India Students Federation (AISF) had opened its account in the JNUSU polls winning the president's post, while ABVP has bagged one of four central panel slots after a gap of 14 years.

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Actress Kangana Ranaut has gone to the US where she is preparing for her role in forthcoming film "Simran".

In Hansal Mehta's directorial venture "Simran", Kangana will play a Gujarati NRI named Praful Patel.

"She (Kangana) is doing her recce and workshop session with Hansal Mental and team for 'Simran'. She is in Atlanta right now meeting hotel staff to get the nuances correct," sources said.

The "Queen" actress had left for the US on August 24 and she will back in Mumbai on September 1.

"Simran" is the story of a girl, her ambitions and how she gets addicted to the world of crime.

According to sources, the shooting for the film is expected to commence from September end.

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Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has visited the Arunachal Bhawan at Navi Mumbai after attending the 'Songs and Dances of Northeast' festival in the Western metropolis.

Accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, MLA Bamang Felix, Chief Secretary Shakuntala D Gamlin, Khandu met officers posted there yesterday and interacted with students and visitors staying there.

He took details of problems faced by the authorities of the Bhawan which is frequented mostly by cancer patients from the state for treatment in Mumbai and students studying across Maharashtra.

To set the administration right, Khandu directed the Office of the Resident Commissioner, New Delhi to take over the charge of Arunachal Bhawan, Mumbai and appointed Deputy Resident Commissioner, Delhi, K N Damo as in-charge, a CMO release informed here today.

On Khandu's direction, the government has opened a Head of Account specifically for the Mumbai Arunachal Bhawan.

This would streamline financial transaction of the Bhawan administration and equip its office with financial independence.

Funds have been placed so that essential needs such as electricity and water bills are paid on time, he said.

Khandu also assured the officials that a system is being put in place for long term solution to all major and minor issues confronting the functioning of the Bhawan.

Taking note of difficulties faced by cancer patients, the chief minister also mooted a mechanism for to and fro transportation of patients between Arunachal Bhawan and major hospitals in Mumbai, the release added.

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A hardcore Karbi People's Liberation Tiger (KPLT) militant was killed and another apprehended by security forces in Assam's East Karbi Anglong district, a defence spokesman said here today.

Acting on specific intelligence input, an operation was launched by a joint team of the Army and the Police since yesterday in Bheleu Ghat area of the district and later came in contact with the militants who opened fire in a bid to escape.

An encounter followed in which the outfit's self styled defence secretary Chingengri Kronjang was killed and the self styled Commander In Chief Moses Terang apprehended when he attempted to escape.

Two pistols along with ten live rounds of ammunition, and fired cases were recovered from their possession.

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Amid nationwide outrage over a tribal man carrying his wife's body on shoulder for 10 km in Kalahandi, the opposition today sharpened attack on the Odisha government as Congress launched a 'Padyatra' and a BJP fact-finding team visited the district.

Slamming the BJD government for negligence in providing a hearse for transporting Dana Majhi's wife Amang Dei's body from the district headquarter hospital at Bhawanipatna to his village on Wednesday, Congress and BJP leaders made a beeline to the district and alleged collapse of health services.

Dubbing the Naveen Patnaik government as "anti-tribal", Congress workers took out a 'Padyatra' from Melghar, Dana Majhi's village, to Bhawanipatna.

The 60-km rally, led by senior leader and former Union minister Bhakta Charan Das, is scheduled to reach Bhawanipatna tomorrow after a non-stop march. Congress activists have also planned to gherao the District Collector's office tomorrow, party leaders said.

The rally was launched a day after a six-member fact-finding team of the party visited Majhi's village. They met Majhi and his 12-year-old daughter, besides other villagers.

Terming the incident as "inhuman", Das who hails from Kalahandi, said, "It has exposed the anti-tribal attitude of the BJD government."



Not happy with the probe conducted into the incident, Congress leaders demanded a high-level inquiry into the whole episode and compensation of Rs 10 lakh for Majhi's family.

An eight-member BJP fact-finding team headed by MLA Rabi Nayak visited also Melghara village and spoke to Majhi.

A detailed report will be prepared and submitted to the state BJP president, the party's state vice president Sameer Mohanty said.

Hitting out at the state government, BJP leader and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the incident has tarnished the image of Odisha.

Claiming that there was no coordination among the Chief Minister, the health minister and administration, he said while the Chief Minister and the health minister promised stringent action against the guilty, district officials seem to be trying to shield the culprits.

Terming various welfare schemes in the state as mere announcements to "mislead" people, Pradhan alleged though the 'Mahaprayan' scheme to provide hearse to take bodies from government hospitals to deceased's home had been announced, Majhi had to walk with his wife's body on shoulder as he failed to get a vehicle.

Kalahandi MP Arka Keshari Deo also met Dana Majhi and said he would meet the President and the Prime Minister to seek special attention for the development of Kalahandi and Nuapada districts.
A man from Mumbai was awarded life sentence by a local court while his wife got 10 months imprisonment for the murder of his 70-year-old foster mother.

Additional Public Prosecutor Buleshwar Hinge told the district court that Vinit alias Mahesh Mestri (38) and his wife Maya killed his foster mother Indira Remje (70), a resident of Andheri in Mumbai, on September 21, 2014.

They then packed the body in a trunk, tied it with a rope and sealed it. The trunk was dumped at Mira Road in Thane where a police party on patrol duty found it, he said.

Hinge alleged that the accused smothered the old woman to death.

They later attempted to sell her ornaments to a local jeweller, who bought all jewels but one which had grey hair entangled in it.

Later, the woman's two biological sons filed a missing complaint about their mother with MIDC Police at Andheri and also started their own hunt for her.

They then came to know that Vinit, who was jobless and a drunkard, had bought several household items all of a sudden.

This made them suspicious and they went to local jewellers from whom they came to know that the accused couple had mortgaged their mother's jewellery at a shop, while another jeweller had turned the couple away as human hair was entangled in a piece of jewellery.

The two brothers later also found out that the accused had come to their house and the neighbours had seen them bringing a trunk.

In all, 19 witnesses, including the woman's two biological sons, jewellers from the area and a few neighbours, were examined by the prosecution.

The court relied on deposition of the woman's neighbours who informed that they had seen the accused enter her house.

Vinit's wife pleaded ignorance, saying she was under the impression that he had got money from a job to buy all the household stuff and that she had just accompanied him to the jewellery shop.

However, Hinge urged the court to award maximum punishment to the accused so that it gives a strong message to the society.

Subsequently, Thane District Judge Mridula Bhatia convicted the couple on Friday for the offence and awarded life sentence to Vinit and 10 months imprisonment to his wife.

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Weeks after his failed bid to smuggle green tortoises, a man today made a second attempt to bring those from Malaysia but customs officials at the airport here foiled his attempt and sent back the live cargo.

Abdul Nissar of Ramanathapuram, who arrived here last night by a Malaysian Airlines flight, was found carrying around 4,000 'vasthu' tortoises, which are tiny, airport officials said.

Since import of tortoises is banned, immigration officials sent back the tortoises by a flight this morning, they said.

On August 2, Nissar had been detained and released after he landed here from Malaysia with 3,000 live tortoises.

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Gurgaon-based mobile payments network aims to become profitable by April 2018, as it pivots its business strategy to increase presence in the offline space, a senior company official said.

"We expect to become profitable by 2018 and continue to expand financial offerings to help meet this goal," co-founder Upasana Taku told PTI.

"Currently, 25 per cent of our business comes from offline businesses, while 75 per cent is online. In the next few years, we aim to reverse this, with 75 per cent of our business coming from offline," she added.

In this respect, the company has been diversifying into services like micro-lending, mobile payments in brick-and-mortar stores, and most recently, bus ticket booking.

It expects to capture the lead position in the bus tickets booking space by the year-end, Taku said.

" is offering partial payment for ticket reservation and cash pick up for bus tickets booking. We are doing 4,000 bookings a day and target 25,000 daily bus bookings by December 2016," she added.

The payment network is also partnering several non-banking finance (NBFCs) to offer micro-loans to users, as well as other offerings like mutual funds.

Further, it plans to collate users' transaction history and draw credit profiles, as it expects to grow user base from 32 million presently to 150 million in two years.

The payments company is looking to onboard 5 lakh offline merchants in the next two years from 1 lakh currently, Taku said.

So far, it has tied up with offline merchants like Big Bazaar, Domino's Pizza, PVR, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Van Heusen and Allen Solly, among others.

Its online merchants include IRCTC, Uber, Meru, Oyo, Zomato, Myntra, ShopClues, MakeMyTrip and Cleartrip.

Last week, MobiKwik secured funding from South Africa's Net1, which announced that it will infuse $40 million (nearly Rs 268 crore) into the company.

In May this year, MobiKwik had raised about Rs 330 crore in funding, led by Japanese payments firm Gateway, Taiwanese chip maker MediaTek and existing investors.

Prior to this, it raised close to $30 million (about Rs 195 crore).

MobiKwik counts Sequoia Capital, Tree Line Asia, American Express, Cisco Investments, GMO Payment Gateway and MediaTek among its investors.
Noted city-based jeweller Mukesh Mehta has been appointed president of India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA).

Mehta, who has been associated with IBJA for a long time, replaced Mohit Kamboj, who resigned from the post in the Annual General Meeting held last week, the organisation of bullion dealers and jewellers said a statement here today.

Mehta, Director of Mark Bangles Pvt Ltd, has been a member of the IBJA Board since the last four years. He was appointed President yesterday.

IBJA is a 97-year-old apex organisation representing bullion dealers and jewellers.

Kamboj said: "Mehtaji has served on various committees of IBJA in the last four years. We strongly believe IBJA will scale new heights under his able leadership."



IBJA Secretary Surendra Mehta said: "Mukesh Mehta enjoyed the support of not only Mohit Kamboj but also the other Board of Directors.

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Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will meet her UK counterpart Liam Fox on Monday to discuss ways to strengthen trade and economic ties between the two countries post Brexit.

The meeting assumes significance as India and the UK are exploring the possibility of a free trade agreement following the Britain's decision to exit from the European Union (EU).

Both the ministers will discuss all the trade related issues, an official said.

Immediately after the Britain's decision, the then Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skill Sajid Javid had met Sitharaman last month.

India is already negotiating a comprehensive free trade agreement with the EU, and after the Brexit, it will have to rework its strategy of negotiations.

Sitharaman had said with the UK moving out of the EU, the free trade agreement talks with the EU are going to be a fresh exercise.

The bilateral trade between India and the UK stood at $14 billion in 2015-16 as against $14.33 billion in 2014-15.

India received $23.1 billion foreign direct investment from Britain between April 2000 to March 2016.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said on Sunday that leader Abubakar Shekau is "wounded", in his first comments on military claims that the jihadi leader was injured in an attack.

Nigeria's armed forces said on Tuesday that Shekau had been wounded in an air strike on Boko Haram's forest stronghold, but released no further statement or evidence confirming his condition.

"We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he was wounded," Buhari said in a statement from Nairobi, where he is attending a development conference.

"Indeed their top hierarchy and lower cadre have a problem," Buhari said. "They are not holding any territory and they have split to small groups attacking soft targets."



Buhari said that Shekau had been "edged out" of the group, adding credence to claims that Islamic State (IS)-appointed Abu Musab al-Barnawi was now in charge of the insurgency.

Signs of a power struggle in the top echelons of the jihadi group appeared earlier this month when Shekau released a video denying he had been ousted.

Barnawi is believed to be the 22-year-old son of founder Mohammed Yusuf and was announced as the group's leader in August by IS.

Buhari made his remarks from Nairobi this weekend where he is attending the Tokyo Conference on African Development, a summit designed to boost ties between Africa and Japan.

The president also said he "is prepared to talk to bona fide leaders of Boko Haram" to negotiate the release of 218 Chibok girls captured by the militants in 2014.

has ravaged northeast Nigeria in its quest to create a fundamentalist Islamic state, killing over 20,000 people and displacing 2.6 million from their homes.

Turning to another major security concern in Nigeria, Buhari threatened militants sabotaging oil infrastructure in the southern swamplands of the Niger delta.

"We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us," Buhari said.

The country's petroleum minister has said that as a result of the ongoing attacks Nigeria's oil output has dropped 23 per cent from last year to 1.5 million barrels per day, according to Bloomberg News.

Groups including the Niger Delta Avengers are demanding a greater share of oil revenues, political autonomy, and infrastructure development in the southern riverlands where despite massive oil wealth people still struggle to access basic health care and education.
No Dengue related deaths were reported from any districts of West Bengal in the last 24 hours and the toll stood at 23.

The health department has been "validating" reports of new Dengue cases and no figure on the number of people infected by the vector-borne disease was issued, West Bengal Director of Health Services Biswaranjan Satpathy told PTI.

Till August 25, 5,639 people were infected by Dengue in West Bengal since January, Satpathy had said.

Most of the Dengue cases have been reported from districts like Howrah, Hooghly's Sreerampore municipal area, North 24 Parganas' South Dum Dum and South 24 Parganas, while a few isolated cases were reported from Darjeeling, Coochbehar and North Dinajpur districts.

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The government has no "strategic interest" in holding a minority 29.54 per cent stake in Hindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL), according to Mines Minister .

"My approach is that we have no role in it and I don't see any role for us to keep that minor stake," Goyal told PTI.

In 2002, the government sold 26 per cent stake in HZL for Rs 445 crore to billionaire Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta.

The firm also acquired 20 per cent stake from the public. In 2003, it again acquired additional 18.92 per cent in exercise of call option clause in shareholders' agreement between the government and the firm.

Now, the government owns 29.54 per cent share in HZL.

The Minister said: "HZL is majority-owned by the private sector. Once majority ownership has been given out, there is no strategic interest of the government to be in that company."

He further said that "we have seen the progress of these companies, which were disinvested and most of them have flourished, once they were given majority stake. So I think there is no real reason for the government to continue to hold a minority stake."

The Minister's view has come as a shot in the arm for Agarwal, who has been trying for quite sometime to acquire the residual stake in HZL.

In March this year, Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta Resources, had told PTI that stake sale of the government's remaining share in HZL and aluminium maker Balco can fetch it Rs 25,000 crore.

On the Supreme Court's order related to HZL, Goyal, who also holds the charge of Ministry of Power, Coal and Renewable Energy, said: "Whatever is the necessary legal and other requirements, we will fulfill them. Of course, the final decision will be of the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM)."

The Supreme Court order in February this year questioned the government's move towards showing "hurry" in selling its share in HZL, which deals with "strategic minerals".

The apex court also restrained the government from going ahead with any further disinvestment of its stake in the firm.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's office does not maintain records of his visits abroad, the CMO has said in response to an RTI query.

"According to the Chief Minister's residential office, no coordination of his foreign trips is done," the Officer on Special Duty in the CMO P C Sakya said in response to the RTI query filed by transparency activist Ajay Dubey, without giving any details.

Dubey had sought details of the Chief Minister's visit to China in June this year through a Right To Information application. The query was filed with the General Administration Department of the state government which transferred it to the Chief Minister's Office.

"The CM's office has declined to share details of his foreign tours. As per the central government's directive, all public authorities should suo motu disclose such details on their websites as part of a mandatory obligation under RTI Act. But the state government is yet to act on it," Dubey said.

He demanded that such details be put in public domain immediately.

Chouhan is on a five-day tour of the US beginning today. He will meet potential investors in the US and apprise them of "favourable" investment climate in the state, according to an MP government press release.

(REOPENS DES10)



Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh's former chief minister Digvijay Singh said BJP does not believe in transparency and wondered how can the state government not be aware of such details.

"BJP doesn't believe in transparency. Can a Govt be unaware of CMs foreign visits?" the Congress general secretary said in a tweet.
One person was killed and at least 13 others, including nine policemen, were injured in a clash after a mob blocked National Highway 34 in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, demanding restoration of electricity line to a village.

After talks failed, police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the mob and then fired in the air at Jhikri under Farakka police station area, as the villagers pelted stones.

"To safeguard public property and after being attacked by bombs, we had to fire in the air. After the crowd dispersed, we found a body 200 metre from the spot. It had multiple injuries," Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Anuj Sharma said in Kolkata.

"Prima facie something happened when the crowd was retreating. An enquiry is on," he said.

Twenty-one people were arrested. Nine policemen, including the inspector-in-charge of Farakka Police Station, were injured in the clash, Sharma said, adding police found bomb remnants and two live bombs from the spot.

Besides the policemen, least four villagers were injured in the clash. All of them were admitted to a hospital, police said.

Two police vehicles, 15 buses and a car of a local government official were also damaged in the clash.

The deceased has been identified as Jamal Sheikh (32) of Balida Pukur village bordering Jhikra village where the locals were demanding restoration of electricity line.

There was no electricity in Jhikra for the last few days and the agitated people started demonstration on NH-34 at around 9.30 AM.

Sheikh was passing by the area where people blocked the highway which linked the southern and northern parts of the state, District Superintendent of Police Mukesh said, adding the cause of death could be ascertained after post-mortem.

"Strict action will be taken against those who attacked the policemen and damaged public property," Sharma said.

The blockade, which continued for around four hours, have put traffic out of gear. The situation is now under control, officials said.

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Knee surgeons from different parts of the country attending the 'Arthroplasty Arthroscopy Summit 2016,' here today discussed the need for documenting Indian knee sizes and methods to 'Make In India' for knee implants.

Knee surgeons, who attended the summit hosted by Apollo Hospitals, highlighted the problem that is frequently plaguing knee replacement surgeries in India.

"Most of the knee implants used for surgery are imported and are based on the sizes of American and European patients. These implants are a misfit for Indian patients and don't facilitate their regular activities and the cost of these imported implants are very high," a release said.

A team of doctors deliberated on the problems and have embarked on a one year project for size standardisation and identifying methods for producing high quality affordable implants, as part of the 'Make in India' initiative, it said.

Over the next 12 months, the team aims to screen more than 1.5 lakh patients in a multi-centre trial throughout the country both radiologically and anthropologically to arrive at the ideal Indian size requirements. The data would be fed into a special software in collaboration with DRDO and IIT for further research, it said.

Dr Mithin Aachi said, "Indian knee morphology is totally different from European or American, they never sit down or squat, while we do, therefore our knees are flat and need customised implants of different sizes to fit different patients"



"Our study will indicate if knee sizes of north Indians is different from south Indians and such other variations," Aachi added.

Based on the research a new high quality but affordable knee would be developed which would help the patients suffering from this disease, he said.

Dr L Prakash said, "we are already in the process of perfecting the prototype and are confident that the standardised knee will be available in a year after the research ends after appropriate certification."



"Currently 95 per cent of the country's needs are met by imported implants from US, Germany, England, Turkey, Brazil and even China," Prakash said.

"Indians have high rate of knee arthritis, almost six times of those in UK and eight times of those in US, while the number of knee replacements done here is not even 1 per cent of what is done in UK," he claimed.

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Pakistan's Balochistan Province Assembly has adopted a resolution condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks on Balochistan and asked the federal government to take up the issue at international fora.

The resolution was moved by ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Muhammad Khan Lehri yesterday.

The resolution was supported by all political parties in the Assembly.

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri along with other legislators also signed the resolution.

"The Indian Prime Minister's statement about Balochistan has proved that terrorism in the province was clearly sponsored by India," the resolution said.

Commenting on the resolution, Lehri said: "Indian Prime Minister has violated the sovereignty of Pakistan and United Nations charter in this regard."



The house demanded the federal government to take up the matter at the international level and "expose India's nefarious designs in Balochistan".

"Modi gave such statement to divert world's attention" from Kashmir, Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said.

National Party leader Sardar Aslam Bizenjo strongly condemned Modi's statement and asked upon all political forces to get united to foil designs of the enemies of Pakistan, Dawn newspaper reported.

"We stand united for Pakistan," he said.

Prime Minister Modi, in his Independence Day speech, had said that he was thanked by the people of Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, including Gilgit-Baltistan, for flagging their problems.

A similar resolution was adopted last week in Punjab Province.

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"The Birth of a Nation" director Nate Parker has apologised for his "selfish" reaction when rape allegations from his past resurfaced.

Parker, 36, opened up about the controversy surrounding the rape trial he faced in college in 1999 in an interview to Ebony magazine.

"When I was first met with the that this part of my past had come up, my knee-jerk reaction was selfish.

I wasn't thinking about even the potential hurt of others. I was thinking about myself," he said.

Parker's initial response to the case was considered insensitive by many and the director admitted that he is trying to learn more about the issue.

"I was acting as if I was the victim. And that's wrong. I was acting as if I was the victim because I felt like, my only thought was that I'm innocent and everyone needs to know. I didn't even think for a second about her, not even for a second."



Parker, 36, was acquitted in a 2001 trial after a classmate at Penn State accused him and his then-classmate and current collaborator Jean Celestin of sexual assault. Celestin was initially found guilty, but his conviction was later overturned on an appeal.

Parker said he regrets what he has previously done in his life and he is trying to be a better person now.

"I'm a work in progress. I'm trying to be better. I feel remorse for all the women that are survivors that felt I was being insensitive because I was. And I want to have a better understanding of how I can be more of an ally, if they'll accept me.

"There will be people who won't accept me, and that's okay. All I can do is say that I stand for justice and really learn more about this issue so I can be a better ally of this issue," he added.

"The Birth of a Nation" is based on the story of Nat Turner, played by Parker in the film, who led a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia in 1831.

It will hit the theatres on October 7.

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Two pilots were arrested in Scotland on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol as they prepared to fly a passenger plane to the US, police said today.

The two men were detained at Glasgow Airport yesterday before they were due to fly to Newark in New Jersey.

Concerns were reportedly raised over the pair ahead of the 9:00 AM (1330 IST) UA162 flight. The service, carrying 141 passengers, eventually flew with a new crew later yesterday.

"Two men aged 35 and 45 have been arrested and are presently detained in police custody in connection with alleged offences under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, Section 93," a Police Scotland spokesman said.

The section relates to "carrying out pilot function or activity while exceeding the prescribed limit of alcohol."



A United Airlines spokesman said: "The two pilots have been removed from service and their flying duties.

"We are co-operating with the authorities and will conduct our own investigation as well. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority."



The men are expected to appear at Paisley Sheriff Court on the edge of Glasgow tomorrow.

The arrests come after two Canadian pilots were charged with being drunk as they prepared to fly from Glasgow to Toronto last month.

Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were arrested on July 18 as they were due to pilot an Airbus A310 plane, which carries up to 250 passengers, for Canada's Air Transat.

Perreault, from Ontario, and Syed, from Toronto, are charged under laws covering alcohol and drug limits in aviation.

They also face charges of threatening or abusive behaviour. They have been released from custody on bail last month.

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The has said that a habeas corpus plea, relating to legality of arrest, detention or imprisonment of a person, has to be given "immediate attention" and steps should be taken to decide it forthwith.

The apex court said this while asking the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court to decide within four weeks the plea by a man, who is the working President of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha and has been "detained" for allegedly issuing a press release containing inflammatory language against the Prophet.

"In our view, a habeas corpus petition has to be given immediate attention and steps should be taken to decide it forthwith. We are sure that the High Court shall be alive to the same and dispose of the habeas corpus writ petition within four weeks hence," a bench of justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan said.

"When we say that it shall be disposed of within four weeks, it means that the matter shall be heard and the judgement shall be delivered within the said period," the bench said.

Petitioner Kamlesh Tiwari had approached the apex court seeking a direction to the authorities concerned to frame appropriate guidelines for expeditious disposal of habeas corpus petitions.

He claimed in his plea that he has been illegally detained under the Security Act (NSA) by the Uttar Pradesh Police and had filed a habeas corpus petition before the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court in the matter.

He said in his plea that there was an allegation against him that on November 30 last year, he had issued a press release on the letter head of Hindu Mahasabha against the Prophet due to which there was threat to public order and the statement was relied upon by the District Magistrate, Lucknow, for invoking provisions of NSA against him.

The petitioner claimed that it was alleged that the press release was published in an evening newspaper. He alleged in his plea that the press release was forged and fabricated and there was no circulation of the daily.

The petitioner said he was arrested in December last year and was granted bail but on December 9, 2015, the DM passed an order for detaining him under the provisions of the NSA.

He said that in March 2016, he had filed a habeas corpus plea in the High Court challenging the detention order but the petition is still pending adjudication there.

He also sought a direction to release him forthwith till the disposal of his plea pending in the High Court.

While hearing his plea, the apex court said, "We request the High Court to dispose of the writ petition within four weeks from today".

"Be it noted, we have fixed four weeks as we have been apprised that the matter is listed on August 31, 2016, and the petitioner's detention period is coming to an end on December 9, 2016," the bench said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today assured the Assam government of all central assistance to the flood-ravaged state and said that a central team would visit Assam in a week to assess the actual damage.

This was conveyed by the Prime Minister to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal who brief him about the damage caused by the floods and sought central assistance to provide relief and rehabilitation of affected people, an official statement said.

Sonowal briefed the Prime Minister on the state government's efforts towards relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction works in the aftermath of the recent wave of floods which has caused havoc.

The chief minister, who met Modi, informed him about a series of steps that the state government has taken to bail the state out of the scourge of floods and sought the Centre's help to fast-track the rehabilitation and reconstruction works.

He also outlined the immediate and long-term measures undertaken by the Assam government to mitigate the effects the flood and erosion.

He drew the attention of the Prime Minister that a report has already been submitted to the Centre, stating the real picture of the extent of damage caused the floods in terms of lives, properties and live stocks.

Modi assured the chief minister all central support and assistance to the state and said that a central team would visit Assam in a week to assess the actual damage, the statement said.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister told Sonowal that henceforth, all central and state government schemes would be synchronised and coordinated to enable the people of Assam to derive optimum benefits on a real-time basis.

Sonowal was accompanied by state Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will honour civil servants of both the Centre and states for excellence in implementing NDA government's priority programmes like 'Start Up India/Stand Up India', among others.

Five priority programmes-- Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Start Up India/ Stand Up India and e-National Agriculture Market (National e-Mandi)-- have been chosen for this purpose by the Personnel Ministry.

The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana is for extending the coverage of irrigation and improving water use efficiency for agriculture and the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana aims at rural electrification.

The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana provides crop insurance and the Start Up India/Stand Up India is for fostering entrepreneurship.

The e-National Agriculture Market is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing Agricultural Produce Market Committee mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.

Selected bureaucrats will get the Prime Minister's awards on April 21, observed as Civil Services Day, for their contribution to effective implementation of these schemes, the Ministry said.

In addition to this, the awards shall also be given to organisations of central or state governments and districts for innovations in environment conservation, disaster management, water conservation, energy, education and health, women and child centric initiatives etc, it said.

The awarded district or organisation will be given an incentive of Rs 10 lakh which would be utilised for implementation of project or bridging resource gaps in any area of public welfare.

The Centre gives away "Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration" annually to acknowledge and reward the extraordinary and innovative works done by civil servants or organisations of the central and state governments.

A two-member team of officers of central government, not below the rank of Deputy Secretary, will conduct 'on the spot study' of the implementation of priority programmes.

An expert committee chaired by Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances will consider the spot study reports and further shortlist the districts and organisations before making recommendations to the empowered committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.

The empowered committee would then make its recommendations to the Prime Minister for final selection of awardees.

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Pope Francis said today he wanted to visit some of the central Italian villages devastated in this week's earthquake, as survivors and rescue workers dug in for the long haul with winter approaching.

Francis said the Catholic Church shared the "suffering" of the victims of the quake that claimed nearly 300 lives and pledged: "As soon as possible, I hope to come and see you."



The Argentine pontiff told thousands of worshippers gathered for the Angelus prayer in Rome's Saint Peter's square he had a "spiritual closeness" to residents of the mountain villages in a remote area straddling the Umbria, Marche and Lazio regions.

Meanwhile, as hope faded of finding anyone else alive and the search for bodies nearly complete, rescue workers and survivors turned their attention to a bleak future, with winter around the corner.

"We're getting ready for winter. Given what's happened in other quakes, we're going to spend winter here," said Emidio Chiappini, from the devastated Sant'Angelo village.

The government has pledged to support immediate reconstruction and Chiappini said he hoped authorities would send pre-fabricated housing to stave off the frost that will soon descend on the mountainous region.

The Italian government has freed up around 60 million euros (USD 67 million) in immediate aid, added to which will be approximately 10 million euros in donations.

"Basically, we know we're going to be here for three or four months. That's not official, but we have got the equipment for that," said a volunteer for the civil protection agency who gave his name as Nicola.

According to Italian media, the government is poised to appoint a special commissioner to oversee the huge reconstruction operation, which is being hampered by aftershocks -- more than 1,800 since the earthquake struck on Wednesday.

With the immediate grief fading, the focus was switching to how such damage could have been wrought in an area so close (50 kilometres) to L'Aquila, which was hit by a 2009 earthquake in which more than 300 people perished.

Prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva has indicated that property owners who commissioned suspected sub-standard work could be held responsible for contributing to the quake's deadly impact.

"If the buildings had been constructed as they are in Japan they wouldn't have collapsed," he told La Repubblica daily.

"If it emerges that individuals cut corners, they will be pursued and those that have made mistakes will pay a price," the prosecutor said.

Some of the survivors in the camps of blue tents accommodating those who have lost their homes said that on top of everything else, they had to battle against boredom.

"Basically, things are OK. It's just that we are doing nothing all day here. I'm used to working nearly 18 hours a day and now, there's nothing to do," said one survivor who gave his name as Massimo.

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Suburban train passengers may soon get a Rail Card in place of monthly season tickets which they can also use for some retail therapy.

The public sector transporter is in talks with 31 banks to firm up the co-branding proposal, a senior Railway Ministry official said.

An estimated 1.1 crore passengers use local trains daily across the country.

According to the plan, there will be three types of Rail Cards - gold, silver and platinum.

While the silver card will be for monthly pass holders, gold cards will be issued to passengers opting for six-month duration pass. Platinum card is meant for year-long pass holders.

He said discussions are on with 31 banks including SBI, ICICI, HDFC and PNB for the co-branding exercise. "Banks have shown keen interest in the Rail Card project and accordingly agreements will be signed."



The Rail Card will be launched in Mumbai as a pilot project before the facility is extended to other places.

Nearly 7.5 million commuters use suburban train service in Mumbai every day and is called the city's lifeline. Suburban train service is a key mode of transport in Kolkata and Chennai as well.

Indian Railway has already launched a mobile application for paperless unreserved tickets for suburban system.

Offering Rail Card replacing monthly pass is a step further towards providing more facilities to passengers, he said.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to lead the all-party delegation which will visit Jammu and Kashmir on September 3 even as the state continues to be on edge.

As unrest in the Kashmir Valley continued for the 51st consecutive day today, the Home Minister reviewed the situation with top BJP and government functionaries.

Singh went into a huddle with BJP President Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh and discussed with them the modalities of the all-party delegation's visit.

Sources said the meeting discussed possible individuals and groups with whom the delegation may interact.

The government has sounded out different political parties to convey the names of their representatives who will be part of the delegation.

When asked about what transpired at the meeting, Jitendra Singh refused to elaborate, only telling reporters that "Rajnath Singh is a senior leader and we have come for 'Margdarshan' (guidance)".

The meeting came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the Kashmir situation in his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on All India Radio and a day after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met him.

The Kashmir Valley has been gripped by unrest ever since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.

The Prime Minister said in his 'Mann Ki Baat' address that any life lost in Kashmir, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is the country's loss.

"'Ekta' (unity) and 'Mamata' (affection) was the crux of all interactions I had recently on Kashmir situation," he said.

Modi said those pushing the youth towards stone pelting in Kashmir will some day have to answer them.

He also said that all political parties spoke in one voice on Kashmir, sending out a strong message to the world as well as the separatists.

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As Jammu and continues to be on edge, the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday reviewed the situation in the state with the top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and government functionaries.

Home Minister went into a huddle with the BJP President Amit Shah, the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh and discussed with them the prevailing situation in the Valley.

The meeting discussed about the visit of the all-party delegation to and possible dates, sources said.

The all-party delegation is likely to visit the state in the first week of September, sources said.

When asked about what transpired at the meeting, Jitendra Singh refused to elaborate, only telling reporters that Rajnath Singh is a senior leader and we have come for 'Margdarshan' (guidance).

The meeting came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the Kashmir situation in his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on All India Radio and a day after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met him.

Unrest continued in the Kashmir Valley for the 51st consecutive day on Sunday ever since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.

The Prime Minister said in his 'Mann Ki Baat' address that any life lost in Kashmir, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is country's own loss.

"'Ekta' (unity) and 'Mamata' (affection) was the crux of all interactions I had recently on Kashmir situation," he said.

Modi said those pushing the youth towards stone pelting in Kashmir will some day have to answer them.

He also said that all political parties spoke in one voice on Kashmir, sending out a strong message to the world as well as separatists.
World peace can be achieved by working in four areas - right to happiness, removing social and economic inequality, need to focus on 'dialogue and compassion' and reducing stock of arms and nuclear weapons worldwide, experts said.

They were speaking at a symposium was organised by renowned Buddhist body Soka Gakkai International's (SGI) Indian affiliate, Bharat Soka Gakkai (BSG), in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) yesterday.

The focus of the symposium was on a recent 2016 peace proposal sent by Soka Gakkai International President Daisaku Ikeda to the United Nations, which highlighted several areas that require prompt and coordinated action by governments and civil society.

Focusing on the peace proposal, chairperson Bharat Soka Gakkai Vishesh Gupta, said, "It compels us to think of four main aspects: whether we are able to touch the life of one person and empower it, the importance of one-on-one dialogue, acknowledging the inherent dignity and potential of all people and finally, believing in the power and passion of youth."



Founder of Teach for India, Shaheen Mistri, addressing the gathering said, "The peace proposal has several points that I could connect with. For instance, everyone has the right to be happy. I think it is important to touch the life of each person."



Chief economist to Aditya Birla Group, Ajit Ranade, stressed the need to remove inequality in search of peace.

He said, "Peace comes from justice and justice comes from the idea of fairness, we all need to be treated fairly. In India we are politically equal but social and economic inequality exists and we need to remove this contradiction."



On the occasion, Prakash Shah, India's former Permanent Representative to the United Nations talked about the need to reduce the stock of arms and nuclear weapons the world over to bring peace and happiness among people while



TISS professor KM Parivelan said, "The principle that we need to reach out to everyone and not leave anyone behind is very important. We need to truly respect and believe in the inherent dignity of all life."



SGI is a global network of 12 million people across 192 countries.

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A plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court accusing the AAP government and MCDs of not acting vigilantly and responsibly to control dengue, a mosquito-borne tropical disease.

The PIL was filed by an advocate in the wake of dengue deaths and cases in the national capital.

The plea, which is likely to be taken up for hearing next week, alleged that despite 320 cases of dengue reported this year, the authorities concerned have not been "rising up and taking measures to prevent the disease or mosquito breeding".

"Delhi this year has been facing the worst dengue crisis in five years, as all the three civic bodies, particularly the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi government have failed to discharge their statutory duties, though it is their responsibility to take preventive measures to control this disease," the plea filed by advocate Shahid Ali said.

The plea has not only sought direction to the Delhi government and statutory bodies to control the menace but also to initiate proper inquiry as to whether the government and statutory bodies could have controlled the menace and could have prevented the breeding of dengue mosquitoes.

The plea has also asked whether the Delhi government has released sufficient money to statutory bodies to take effective measures to tackle the menace and why sprinkling of medicines and fogging has not been done in unauthorized areas.

The petitioner said the disease claimed its first victim on July 21 when a girl from Jafrabad in northeast Delhi died at Lok Nayak Jay Prakash (LNJP) Hospital.

"Okhla MLA Amannatullah Khan's sister-in-law died of dengue on August 12 at Apollo Hospital. A total of 91 cases were reported in July, six cases were recorded in May, while June witnessed 15. Thirty-four fresh cases were reported till August 20 since the last count and the total number of cases so far in the city is more than 320.

"Despite so many deaths, civic bodies have not been rising up and taking measures to prevent disease or breeding of mosquitoes and even safai karamcharis are rarely spotted in the areas like...Because nearly 80 per cent of these areas are unauthorised," the plea alleged.

The petition alleged that the intentions of civic bodies



and of responsible officials/employees are malafide and contrary to statute and principles of natural justice and violative of the fundamental rights of citizens of India and the directive principles given in the Constitution.

Earlier, a similar plea was filed, in which a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal has reserved its verdict.

The MCDs should be directed to urgently undertake special fumigation and sanitation drives and anti-mosquito breeding operations in their respective areas, the new PIL has said.
Gabon's President Ali Bongo and his only serious rival have both claimed victory in this weekend's presidential election, and accused each other of cheating.

Barely had the last ballots been cast Saturday evening before the incumbent's spokesman declared: "Bongo will win... we are already on our way to a second mandate."



Bongo, 57, has been in power since a disputed election held in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who had ruled the oil-rich Central African country for 41 years.

Today, the campaign manager of Bongo's rival Jean Ping told reporters that the former head of the African Union Commission had won 60 per cent of votes counted so far, just under half of the total, against 38 per cent for the president.

He also accused Bongo of "trying to push his way through," with the backing of the army.

"That's totally crazy," countered Bongo's spokesman. "It's tight, but we are ahead."



Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya has insisted that only results from the election commission cleared by his ministry had any validity.

Before polling began Boubeya said everything was "in place to guarantee a transparent and impartial election".

The results of the poll, which is decided by simple majority, should be declared at around 1600 GMT on Tuesday, Boubeya said in a later statement.

"More than ever we appeal for calm and recall that it is illegal to declare results before the relevant authorities do," added the minister.

Observers from the African Union and European Union have said that aside from some delays, the poll itself, in which some 628,000 people were eligible to vote, passed off without serious incident.

But the acrimony that had marked the campaign period continued into the weekend with each of the main rivals accusing the other of mischief.

"We have observed massive fraud, in particular in areas where opposition representatives arrived in polling stations first," said Bongo's spokesman.

As he cast his own ballot Saturday morning, Ping told reporters, "We know the other side is trying to cheat. It is up to you to be vigilant."



His team had said that a Friday court ruling would allow soldiers, who tend to support Bongo, a former defence minister, to "vote several times in several polling centres".

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The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea which questioned the custody of the golden throne and the golden howdah that is housed in the Mysuru Palace and are used during Dusshera by the royal family.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur asked the petitioner P V Nanjaraja Urs to approach the Karnataka High Court where the Mysore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1998, is under challenge.

The bench also comprising justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud asked the petitioner to withdraw the petition and granted liberty to him to approach the High Court.

The court ordered the plea to be dismissed as withdrawn.

The petition filed through advocate Vishnu Shanker Jain had questioned the honorarium or the royalty paid to Pramoda Devi Wadiyar, wife of then prince of Mysore late Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wadiyar, by the state government every year during Dusshera.

The government pays royalty requesting the royal family to give the throne and the howdah for Dusshera celebrations.

Urs in his petition contended that the Mysore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act 1998 was in force and the government has taken possession and custody of the Mysuru Palace in 1978, but was still paying royalty.

The Department of Kannada and Culture has paid the scion of Mysuru royal family Rs 20 lakh in 2012, Rs 25 lakh in 2013 and Rs 30 lakh each in 2014 and 2015.The bench dismissed the petition.

"The State Government/respondents are giving royalty every year during 'Dasara' festival to the 6th respondent for Golden Throne (Rathnasimhasana) and Golden Howda (Ambari) is very much illegal, arbitrary, unjustified, against to the principles of natural justice and against the 26th amendment to the Constitution," it said.

The plea had said that the payment of royalty is illegal as the privy purse and the special status which was granted to the royal families has been withdrawn by the Union of India vide 26th Amendment Act, 1971.

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Seeking to curb the menace of stray dogs in the national capital, South Delhi Municipal Corporation is all set to operationalise four new sterilisation centres by next month end and has begun work on building another such large-scale facility in Dwarka.

The new centres, located at Bijwasan, Nangli, Masoodpur and Mundala, are equipped with one operation unit each, and officials said, these would significantly boost the civic body's capacity to sterilise stray dogs.

"Our current average capacity is 70-80 dogs per day which translates into about 2,500 dogs per month. Once these four centres get operationlised, the capacity would increase to 4,500," Director of Veterinary Services of SDMC, R B S Tyagi, told PTI.

The civic body currently has nine sterilisation centres out of which four in Lajpat Nagar, Tughlaqabad, Tilangpur Kotla and Ghazipur are owned and managed by the SDMC, while the rest are commissioned to NGOs. But sterilisation at all the nine facilities are being done by the NGOs, he said.

Tyagi said, besides the four new centres, SDMC has begun work on construction of a huge sterilisation facility at Sector 29 in Dwarka.

"The Dwarka centre, spread over two acres, would have four units. So, that would mean twelve operating tables and its sterilisation capacity would be 4,000-5,000 dogs per month. Also, though NGOs only would be carrying out the sterilisation, SDMC's deputy directors would sit at these units to monitor the facilities," he said.

Meanwhile, SDMC today started its dog census which would also allow it to measure the progress of the sterilisation programme.

SDMC has commissioned NGO Humane Society International- India for it and a trial was held for the canine count exercise yesterday to train the volunteers.

HSI-India said it will compile and analyse the data over a period of eight weeks and a report will be submitted to the SDMC by the end of October.

The last count of street dogs was done in 2009 for the then unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) which had pegged their population at around 5.62 lakh.

After its trifurcation into North, South and East Corporations (NDMC, SDMC and EDMC) in 2012, none of three civic bodies had taken up the exercise.

The census assumes significance as several cases of dog bites and attacks by stray animals have been reported in areas under all the three corporations.

Last August, a seven-year-old boy in Jamia Nagar in south Delhi had died after being attacked by a pack of stray dogs, prompting the Delhi High Court to seek a report from the SDMC on measures taken by it to curb dog menace in its area.

For the exercise, HSI's senior manager for monitoring,



evaluation and impact assessment, Amit Chaudhari will be joined by a highly experienced dog census consultant, Lex Hiby from the UK, the NGO said.

"They will be assisted by a team of eight volunteers who will be conducting the census from 5 to 9 AM every day. The volunteers will conduct the census in teams of two wherein one volunteer will ride a motorbike and the one on pillion will use a specially-designed mobile app to record the data," a senior official of the NGO said.

"The volunteers will collect data on pre-decided routes that have been created using the boundary details submitted by the SDMC. The app uses Google Maps, which creates a track on the mobile phone and the data collected would then be fed on a daily basis to a software for summary analysis," she added.

The census would give us an estimated figure and not the exact one, the official said.

Chaudhari says, "Through this survey, we will know the total number of free-roaming dogs in the SDMC areas. We will also know the number of dogs sterilised or unsterilised (male and female), lactating females and puppies."



Tyagi also said 10 new dog vans have been procured at a cost of Rs 55 lakh. We would also be acquiring 20 vans for Dwarka, he said.

Sharing statistics, he said, 2,174 dogs have been sterilised in April and 2,132 in May in south Delhi.

Dog bite is a major worry for residents in this area and the SDMC said the new centres would further allow them to curb this menace.

From April 2012 to March 2015, SDMC has sterilised 47,140 street dogs which is nearly thrice the corresponding numbers for North and East Corporations, Tyagi said.

The number of sterilised dogs for NDMC from April 2012 to June 2015 stands at 19,128 while the figure for EDMC stands at 19,206 from April 2012 to May 2015.

North Delhi Municipal Corporation has one sterilisation centre at Peeragarhi, which has one unit and 25 kennels.

"We are planning to come up with two more centres at Sector 27 in Rohini and Lucknow Road, Timarpur. Both facilities are under construction and likely to be ready by this year end," North Delhi Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar said.

East Delhi Municipal Corporation does not have any sterilisation centre of its own and has commissioned NGOs to carry out the work.

"Our target is of sterlising 1,000 dogs per month. So far we do not have any such facility of our own so we have hired a couple of NGOs for the job," East Delhi Mayor Satya Sharma said.
To make domestic capital more attractive, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has lined up wide-ranging relaxations to its norms for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Infrastructure Investment Trusts (InvITs) and an easier set of listing rules for startups.

Several attempts are being made to garner due attention from business houses in the country but all the efforts failed leading to reconsidering the proposal to give further relaxations.

The will consider these regulations in its board meeting next month, according to sources.

A consultation process is already underway for making the InvITs, REITs regulations and to review the framework for Institutional Trading Platform for startups.

had notified the REIT and InvIT regulations in 2014, allowing setting up and listing of such trusts, which are very popular in some advanced .

However, no single trust has been set up as yet as investors wanted further measures, including tax breaks, to make these instruments more attractive.

While the government provided for certain tax benefits in the Budget this year, the Sebi has now decided to further relax the rules.

Sebi's board is expected to consider an easier set of norms on REITs and InvITs. It may allow the REITs and InvITs to have up to five sponsors, as against the current norm for maximum three.

Under the proposal for REITs, Sebi would allow up to 20 per cent investment by such trusts in under-construction projects, up from a maximum of 10 per cent allowed currently.

Besides, relaxations would be made to provisions relating to compliance of minimum public holding norms, as also for investments by the associate entities of the trustees.

Sebi also proposed to rationalise the requirements under the Related Party Transactions, under which approval of 60 per cent unitholders is needed apart from related parties.

Further, approval is required of 75 per cent unitholders, apart from related parties, for passing special resolutions such as change in investment manager, investment strategy and delisting of units.

Under the proposal for InvITs, Sebi may allow such trusts to invest in two-level special purpose vehicle (SPV).

The regulator plans to remove the restriction on the SPV to invest in other SPVs, thus allowing InvIT to invest in a holding company which subsequently holds stake in SPVs.

Currently, InvIT holds a controlling stake in SPVs that do not invest in other SPVs.
Two minors, a brother and his sister, died of snake bite in their sleep in Bihar's Darbhanga district late last night, police said today.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Dilnawaz Ahmad said that the deceased has been identified as Anand Pandit (12) and Kiran Kumari (10), children of Mohan Pandit of Kumar Toli village.

Both of them were rushed to Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), Darbhanaga where they died this morning.

On the request of the family, the bodies have been handed over to them (family) without conducting post-mortem of the children, Ahmad said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Special trains will be used for ferrying farmers for the Global Rajasthan Agritech Meet (GRAM) scheduled to be held here in November, a senior government official said today.

A decision to this effect was taken at the GRAM Orientation Workshop held here recently.

The department is in touch with the respective divisional railway managers of the railway divisions, Principal Secretary, Agriculture, Neelkamal Darbari said.

"The department is also endeavouring to bring at least 20 per cent women farmers out of the total number of farmers who will be attending the event. There will be special buses for women. Necessary arrangements will be made to ensure that their visit to GRAM is comfortable," a release quoting her said.

The event will also have activities like cattle's beauty pageant competition, 'Kisan Goshti'sessions wherein farmers can clear their doubts regarding agriculture and allied sectors.

The meet is scheduled to be held from November 9 to 11 jointly bythe state government and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

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Urging law students to study the Constitution well, President on Sunday asked them to be the change that they seek through participation in all matters relating to governance and the state.

"I urge all of you students of law to study our Constitution well. Understand our political system, its institutions and processes as established by the Constitution and law. Analyse the choices that were made to build the country into what it is today," he said.

Mukherjee was speaking at the 24th annual convocation of Law School of India University (NLSIU) here.

"Be the change that you seek through participation in all matters relating to governance and the state. Choose to engage with our beautiful, complex, often difficult and sometimes noisy democracy - help strengthen and refine our legal and political institutions," he said at the convocation, which was not open for the media.

According to the President's speech copy,he urged the law students to help the nation create better citizens who are able to access all opportunities offered by it and society.

He said they should recognise that intelligent choices have to be made to enable the country reach its maximum potential.

Asking them to participate in making these choices and not just be bystanders, he said they must help policy makers make the right policies and be willing to read, learn and formulate views on issues.

"A democracy cannot be healthy without informed participation. It is not enough to merely vote periodically.It requires effective implementations," he added.

The function was attended by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, Karnataka Chief Minister Vajubhai Vala, and Chief Minister Siddaramaih, among others.

Mukherjee reminded the students that India has one of the finest Constitutions in the world and its driving principle is a compact between state and citizen, a powerful public-private partnership nourished by justice, liberty and equality.

He also said the Constitution represented a "second liberation" from the stranglehold of traditional inequality in gender, caste, community along with other fetters that had chained us for too long.

NLSIU came into existence in 1986.

The President referred to the special status enjoyed by lawyers in the country and said they have a duty to fight injustice wherever it exists.

Asking students to be brave, he said "If you are asked to pay a bribe, have the courage to refuse.If you are asked to support violence, corruption or oppression, have the courage to say no. If you fear reprisal, remember that breaking an unjust system is about making difficult choices.
Urging law students to study the Constitution well, President Pranab Mukherjee today asked them to be the change that they seek through participation in all matters relating to governance and the state.

Addressing the 24th Annual Convocation of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) here, the President urged the students to study the Constitution well, understand democratic institution and process under it and analyse the choices that were made to build the country what it is today.

The Constituent Assembly which drafted the Constitution represented the Indian population.

India has one of the finest constitutions in the world the driving principle of which is a compact between state and citizen, a powerful public-private partnership nurtured by justice, liberty and equality.

Mukherjee said the Constitution represented a second liberation, this time from the stranglehold of traditional inequality in gender, caste, community along with other fetters that had chained the country of too long.

"Therefore, when on the November 29, 1949 in the Constituent Assembly of India, the members adopted solemnly and it is not a few hundred members of the Constituent Assembly but it is the people of India after 190 years of colonial rule for the first time adopted a legislation. Adopted and gave it to themselves.

"Therefore, the author of the Constitution is not any individual nor a group of individuals not merely the Constituent Assembly members but the people of India who have solemnly affirmed India into a sovereign democratic republic and to give it to themselves equality, liberty and justice," he said.

During the convocation, the President also gave 45 medals to 20 meritorious students and expressed happiness that most of the medals have been won by girl students passing out from the university.

Terming the students as the brightest young minds of our country, he asked them to help policy makers to make the right policies. The President said a democracy cannot be healthy without informed participation.

"It is just not merely an exercise to give vote, to choose rulers through periodical elections. It is much more. It requires...Your participation in all matters affecting the state. You cannot remain a bystander and expect others to do it for you," he said.

Mukherjee said the students must analyse how the



electorate behaved on crucial junctures.

"Before General Elections, 2014, in my address to the nation on the eve of the Republic Day on 25th January, I asked Indian electorate you are given an opportunity. It is for you 400 million voters... You have to chose the government which will not be the victim of opportunist, capricious, unprincipled coalition. Country has suffered enough, it requires political stability," he said.

Mukherjee said it is amazing that the response from all over the country was such that after 30 years, a single party majority emerged in 2014.

"I am not going into the merit or demerit of the government. But it's a fact that the people chose from their own experiences. They said we have to exercise our right to set wrongs into right and they did," he said.

The President said it was not the first time as many a times Indian voters have shown their political maturity by exercising their sovereign right of choosing their political rulers and proved many a doubting Thomas wrong.
Struggling to familiarise students, especially those in rural areas, with European and American themes, teachers in Rajasthan's Bundi district have welcomed the change in syllabi by the state government saying children can now easily connect with the Indian settings.

Teachers also said the contents were now "far more comprehensive and convincing" notwithstanding Congress allegations of saffornisation of school textbooks in Rajasthan.

"Earlier, the textbooks on English and Social Science carried chapters on European, American and African countries. They were mostly written by English authors and writers," said Suman Sharma, senior English teacher at a government girl's senior secondary school here.

She added books, now, carry chapters mostly written by Indian scholars, and the themes and content were of the country's background.

Anshul Meena, an English teacher in the same school, said, "English characters, themes and content of the textbooks were hardly identifiable, reflective and pronounceable by government school students, especially by rural ones."



Now after the changes, the syllabi are far more comprehensive and convincing. It really reflects the Indian culture and heritage in true sense, Meena said.

Echoing her English counterparts, Mamta Bairwa, a senior government Social Science teacher, said, "Earlier the subject syllabus of Class IX had five books with totally unknown and unfamiliar background. Now the syllabus has been made more comprehensive and familiar with chapters of Indian theme, background and characters in a single book."



Shobha Kanwar, a teacher at Barundan village school here, said the syllabi last year was very complex, hard and with unfamiliar themes from foreign background but now Environment, Social Science books have content of Indian background and the students can identify with it.

"Now the syllabus content is related to India's rich culture and heritage. Teachers as well as students enjoy it while teaching and learning in the class," she said.

The government school mathematic teachers have also welcomed the incorporation of Vedic Ganeet (Vedic Maths) in the syllabus.

"Vedic Ganeet gives a deep insight into learning current mathematical equations and helps develop IQ for the same," Anita Kumari, a government Mathematics teacher, said.

The Vedic Ganeet did exist in school syllabus in 2004 and 2005 but was later dropped from the syllabus, said Kumari.

Rajasthan's BJP government has faced sharp criticism from Congress leaders including PCC chief Sachin Pilot and former chief minister Ashok Gehlot for changes in the syllabi.

However, Education Minister Vasudev Devnani had refuted the allegations saying they (Congress) are only politicizing the issue and only the content by Indian scholars and noted authors reflecting the rich culture and heritage of the country has been incorporated in the school books syllabus.

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There is a need to educate youth in Kashmir against those working with vested interest to harm the country's unity, Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said, observing that those instigating the youth for so called 'Jihaad'have kept their own childrenin safe havens.

He also said that those who have lost their lives in the current turmoil in Kashmir valley belong to the poorest of the poor sections.

"And those who provoked these poor people to come forward and lay downtheirlives in the name of so called 'Jihaad' have ensured that their own children and family are lodged in safe havens," Singh, who represents Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur constituency in Lok Sabha, told PTI here.

The Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office questioned those provoking youthto take up violent paths in Jammu and Kashmir in the name of 'jannat' and asked why they don't offer their own children the opportunity to go to 'jannat' or paradise?



He said there should be no compromise in countering terrorism and the Centre is committed to take action against those inciting violence.

"But at the same time every step should be taken to ensure safety of innocent people especially youth and children. There is a need for educating youththat they should not get instigated ormisled by some people working with vested interest to harm the country's unity," said the Minister.

He had hoped that the situation in Kashmir Valley will soon be normal.

Singh said there is absolute coordination between the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government to resolve the situation in parts of the state.

He also attacked Pakistan for provoking turmoil in the Valley.

"The common man in the streets of Srinagar does not approve of violence but there are a handful of people sponsored by Pakistan who are provoking youthand creating trouble in Kashmir Valley," Singh said.

As many as 68 people, including two police personnel, have been killed and several thousands injured in the continuing unrent in the Kashmir valley since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter.

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Tourism has, in partnership with Kochi Corporation and tourism industry stakeholders, formulated a joint action plan for clean-up and re-invigoration of the Fort Kochi, a major tourist spot in the state.

A comprehensive remedial system is expected to be operational in a month's time.

The department and tourism trade entities will provide support to the corporation's lead role in executing the roadmap which calls for the iconic heritage destination to be cleaned and made waste-free before the upcoming tourist season, a Tourism release said in Kochi on Sunday.

The ambitious initiative was proposed at a meeting held on Saturday at Kochi Corporation.

Mayor Soumini Jain and Tourism Director U V Jose took part in the meeting which saw participation from a host of concerned bodies.

Mayor said several tonnes of discarded coconut shells and styrofoam waste are being collected from the coastal areas and beach shores.

"It is tough to transport this waste to the junkyard and then segregate it. We are mooting a permanent solution in which it will be collected and processed in the area itself without posing any environmental hazards," she said and added that home-stay operators and hoteliers in the area were conducting weekly clean-up drives.

"Though such laudable clean-up efforts must continue, there has to be systematic, concerted attempts at regular intervals," the Mayor said .

Fort Kochi Heritage Conservation Society has engaged 21 workers in the area for the purpose.

"We can employ more workers and provide a lorry exclusively for waste removal," said Jain.

Noting that gaps in funding, equipment and labour requirements would be addressed, Jose said the mayor and the members of the standing committee on health had identified waste management as a major hurdle at the spot.

The tourism department will supplement the corporation's frontline efforts with funds, besides providing manpower and equipment to resolve the issue, he added.

Calling for sustained collective action to alleviate the problem, he said, "This matter and other related concerns at the Fort Kochi will be sorted out well before November 1 when the new tourist season officially kicks off."
Donald Trump is committed to a "fair and humane" approach to securing America's borders, but details of his evolving immigration policy will be revealed at a later time, his presidential campaign team said today.

The Republican presidential candidate's hardline stance on repatriating the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US has been a central tenet of Trump's White House campaign - and a hugely popular selling point to his most ardent supporters.

To keep illegal migrants out, Trump has promised to build a wall on America's southern border - to be paid for, he has declared at rally after campaign rally, by Mexico.

One year ago, he issued an immigration reform plan calling for an end to automatic citizenship for those born in the US, a right which some say is abused by undocumented migrants seeking American birthright for their children.

This past week, however, the Republican presidential candidate - once uncompromising in his vow to use a deportation force to repatriate illegal migrants - seemed a little less resolute.

He even suggested in one interview that there could be a "softening" of his position on how to handle undocumented migrants - a sign of vacillation met with dismay by some Trump acolytes.

"There certainly can be a 'softening,' because we're not looking to hurt people," Trump told Fox town hall last Tuesday.

Now, in the latest apparent turnaround, his surrogates insisted today that Trump remains as committed as ever to maintaining the integrity of America's borders.

"We're going to secure the border. We're going to build a wall, have a physical barrier, enforce the laws of this country," the billionaire businessman's White House running mate Mike Pence told CNN.

"We will have a mechanism for dealing with people in this country that - you heard the word 'humanely.' It will be fair and tough, but there will be no path to legalization and citizenship unless people leave the country," said Pence, the governor of Indiana, adding that some specifics will be provided soon at a later time.

"You're going to hear in more detail in the next two weeks that lays out all the policies," Pence said.

"Donald Trump will articulate what we do with the people who are here."



Trump's new campaign director, Kellyanne Conway, said there has been little real change in the central tenet's of Trump's immigration platform.

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Tropical Storm Madeline picked up speed as it headed towards Hawaii today, while Hurricane Lester tore west from the Mexican mainland across the Pacific, US monitors reported.

The center of Lester, a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour, was located 865 miles west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported.

The hurricane was moving towards the west and away from the Mexican mainland at a speed of nearly 14 miles per hour, the Miami-based NHC said.

Lester's hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 25 miles from the center, and tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 105 miles.

Despite its strength and size there was no coastal warning because the hurricane's direction.

While the NHC said that Lester was likely to weaken in the next days, Tropical Storm Madeline is expected to strengthen and become a hurricane by tomorrow, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Madeline's center was located about 985 miles east- southeast of Hilo, Hawaii, the Honolulu, Hawaii-based CPHC said.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour, and was moving towards the northwest at eight miles per hour.

While there are currently no coastal watches or warnings in effect, "interests in the Hawaiian Islands should monitor the progress of Madeline," the CPHC said.

On its current forecast trajectory the center of Madeline will reach the Hawaii archipelago late Wednesday, though the storm's outer bands will likely hit the islands earlier.

The CPHC cautioned however that "it is too early to determine what impacts Madeline could have on the Hawaiian Islands late in the forecast period".

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed today to devote equal energy to combatting Islamic State jihadists and Syrian Kurdish fighters, on the fifth day of a major offensive that has left dozens dead.

"We will make any kind of contribution to the work to clear Daesh (IS) from Syria," Erdogan told a rally in the southern city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.

"For the issue of the PYD (Democratic Union Party) terror group in Syria, we have just the same determination," he added, referring to the main pro-Kurdish party in northern Syria and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia.

Today, Turkish forces ramped up their offensive, with Turkish warplanes and artillery pounding areas held by pro-Kurdish forces close to a town liberated from IS this week.

Ankara said its raids had killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" and that the army was doing everything it could to avoid civilian casualties.

But the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 40 civilians were killed in strikes on two areas - the first report of significant civilian casualties since the start of operation "Euphrates Shield."



The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in the bombardments south of Jarabulus, the town taken from IS by Turkish-backed Arab rebels on the first day of Turkey's incursion Wednesday.

Addressing thousands of flag-waving supporters in Gaziantep, Erdogan said he was "ready and determined to clear our region of terror groups".

"We will absolutely not allow any terror activity on or near our borders."



Gaziantep is the city where a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a wedding party last weekend, killing 55 people.

Turkey blamed the attack on the Islamic State group. Erdogan reaffirmed a previous statement that the bomber was a child aged just 14.

Days later Ankara launched the two-pronged Syria operation with the stated aim of clearing the border area of both IS and the Kurdish fighters.

Turkey sees the US-backed PYD and YPG - which have links to Kurdish rebels in southeast Turkey - as terror groups and wants to keep them from taking control of the border on the Syrian side.

The US supports the Syrian Kurdish fighters as an effective adversary of IS in the area.

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Two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in fresh clashes between government forces and pro-Russian rebels in the country's war-torn east, the military said today.

"Over the past 24 hours, as a result of fighting, we lost two of our servicemen while another four soldiers were wounded," Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists.

He did not specify the exact location where the soldiers had perished along the 30-kilometre-wide buffer zone separating the two sides' forces.

Lysenko again accused insurgents of violating peace agreements by shelling government-held areas with heavy weaponry including mortars and cannons.

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia escalated this month after the Kremlin accused Kiev of plotting armed incursions into Russian-annexed Crimea.

Kiev said last week that pro-Russian insurgents had killed three of its soldiers in the worst violence seen in the separatist east for a year. It accused rebels of launching more than 500 mortar and 300 artillery shells at government positions.

Western powers have warned against any escalation of the 28-month conflict that has claimed more than 9,500 lives since it erupted in April 2014.

Kiev and the West have accused Russia of supporting rebels and deploying troops across the border, both claims that Moscow denies.

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AAP supporter and music composer came under sharp criticism from several quarters including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his sarcastic tweet on Jain monk Tarun Sagar's address to the Haryana Assembly, following which he announced quitting "all active political work/affiliation".

Here's the monk addressing the Haryana assembly. Sure that's inoffensive to all. I apologise if I hurt anyone. pic.twitter.com/0dYsEflQx5  (@VishalDadlani) August 27, 2016

Kejriwal disapproved Dadlani's remark saying that "Tarun Sagarji Maharaj is a very revered saint, not just for Jains but everyone and those showing disrespect is unfortunate and should stop", while Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain sought "kshama" from him on behalf of his music composer "friend".

Dadlani, however, maintained that he was against the use of religion in governance.

The Haryana government had invited the Jain monk, who appeared in nude, to deliver a lecture 'Kadve Vachan' in the Assembly on Friday.

After a barrage of criticism, Dadlani tendered an apology for his tweet and also deleted it.

"It feels bad that I hurt my Jain friends & my friends @ArvindKejriwal & @SatyendarJain. I hereby quit all active political work/affiliation. I apologise again, to the Jain Community, & all others offended. But I beg you all not to support religion in governance, for India's sake," Dadlani tweeted.

"I made a mistake by offending the peaceful Jain community, and I felt the only way to truly apologise, was to renounce my ego. I made a mistake, & I'm genuinely sorry. That's all," he said.

The music composer said no one, not even Kejriwal, has asked him to quit the party.

"A lot is being said against AAP because I chose to quit. Neither Arvind, nor anyone else, asked me to quit. I make my own decisions. I just want to say, AAP is a family. Please keep faith in AK (Kejriwal) & the party! Never forget how hard AK & AAP have fought for all of us.

"AAP volunteers, stay strong & fight twice as hard. With you all, in spirit," Dadlani said in a series of tweets.

"I met Shri Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj last year. Our family regularly listens to his discourses on TV. We deeply respect him and his thoughts Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj is a very revered saint, not just for Jains but everyone. Those showing disrespect is unfortunate and should stop (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted.

"I apologise for hurting feelings of Jain community by my friend @VishalDadlani. I seek kshama from Muni Shri Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj (sic)," Jain tweeted.

Dadlani is a staunch supporter of Kejriwal in the film industry and had campaigned for the party in Delhi Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

He had composed the 'Paanch Saal Kejriwal' song, which became popular during the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls.
Bangladesh's Supreme Court today wrapped up the hearing on Jamaat-e-Islami's top leader Mir Quasem Ali's petition seeking a review of his death sentence for war crimes during the country's independence war against Pakistan in 1971 and will announce its verdict on Tuesday.

"The decision (final verdict) will be pronounced on August 30," a court official quoted Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha as saying after hearing lawyers of the state and the accused sides.

64-year-old Ali, also a media doyen, filed the review petition after the apex court published its full verdict and the International Crimes Tribunal issued the death warrant against him on June 6.

He owns several business houses ad media outlets including now suspended TV channel and is a central executive council member of Jamaat-e-Islami which was opposed to Bangladesh's 1971 independence.

He was convicted of running a militia torture cell, Al Badr, that carried out killings of several people. Three million people were said to have been massacred in the war by the Pakistani army and their local collaborators.

Four people, including three Jamaat leaders and one BNP stalwart have been hanged so far since the war crimes trial process began six years ago while two others died in prison of old age.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
on Sunday sought to know if BJP-ruled states would allot the maximum share of funds on education, health and employment generation in their budgets, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed on the need for a "Garib Kalyan" agenda by focusing on these areas.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia asked the Prime Minister to abstain from "creating obstacles" for the Delhi government and told him to "land on the ground for few days".

His reaction on Twitter came after Modi yesterday asked BJP chief ministers to work in "mission mode" to make their states a model for execution of his government's schemes, mostly aimed at benefiting the poor, with the party forming a committee to finalise a "garib kalyan agenda".

"Even Modiji has admitted that governance means ensuring education, health and employment. If padhai-likhai-dabai (sic) is not another rhetoric then will BJP-ruled states spend the maximum share of budgets in education and health?

"Will mohalla clinics and polyclinics come up in BJP-ruled states too? Will people get free treatment? I hope the PM does not create obstacles on issues related to education, health and employment in the capital," Sisodia said in a series of tweets.

Sisodia, who holds the Education portfolio as well, also asked whether government schools will be made better than private schools in BJP-ruled states.

"Will there be a leash on private schools there?," he questioned.
Director Rohit Shetty has expressed a desire to bring on screen real life actor couple Ajay Devgn and Kajol in a comedy family drama film.

Ajay and Kajol have both worked with Rohit and share a strong camaraderie with him. Rohit and Ajay have delivered hits like franchise "Golmal" and "Shingham", while Kajol has worked in "Dilwale".

When asked if he plans to cast the A-list couple, Rhoit says, "As of now, I don't have a nice subject to make a film with Ajay and Kajol. I think it should be a family comedy. It will be fun to see them. But whenever they do a film together they should play husband and wife."



Rohit and Ajay's friendship dates back in the '90s when the former was an assistant director in Ajay's debut film "Phool Aur Kaante".

The 42-year-old director said he has plans to make the third instalment of hit action entertainer "Singham".

"We will make 'Singham 3' for sure but there is no script ready at present. It is a big franchise. We will definitely make the third part," he added.

Rohit is all praise for Ajay's upcoming film "Shivaay".

"It's simply amazing. It looks great packed with some mind blowing action sequences," he said.

Rohit is known for 'desi' action stunts including blowing up cars, but he says he would love to attempt Hollywood style action.

"Time has come now for us to make Hollywood style action films. We have that kind of special effects and budget also. I would love to make something like that. We need to get right kind of subject for that," he added.

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Gold worth at least Rs 25 crore seized from smugglers has mysteriously disappeared from customs vaults at Indira Gandhi International Airport here, prompting the authorities to order a CBI probe.

A huge haul of over 80 kg gold, both in form of bullion and jewellery, has gone missing in the last over four years from the customs warehouse. In all the cases, it was replaced with non-precious yellow-coloured metal, official sources said.

The seized gold was valued at Rs 25 crore as per current market rates, they said.

The cases of disappearance of gold had earlier been reported to Delhi Police. As the pilferage continued, the Finance Ministry decided to recommend a CBI probe following approval of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the sources said.

The CBI has been asked to register a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) into the matter and find out as to how the gold was replaced with the non-precious metal inside the heavily guarded vault, they said. The cases of missing gold related to period between 2012 and June this year.

The vigilance wing of the Finance Ministry is also looking into the suspected role of customs officials, the sources said.

Earlier, replying to an RTI query filed by PTI, the Delhi customs had said over 23 kg of gold worth more than Rs six crore had gone missing from its warehouse.

In June last year, the customs officials had lodged an FIR in connection with disappearance of 11 kg of gold worth Rs 2.92 crore from its vault. The gold was seized in five incidents from passengers at the international airport.

Another case was registered in 2014 to probe similar instances of theft.

Similar cases were also reported to the Delhi Police on January 16, 20, April 30 and December 23, 2014 in which gold worth lakhs of rupees was replaced by a yellow metal.

An FIR was registered in June this year by Delhi Police on the complaint of customs officials who said two gold chains and bangles, together weighing 298 gm, valued at about Rs 8.83 lakh, were replaced with yellow coloured non-precious metal.

The incident came to light when packets containing 1.27 kg gold, including the stolen gold chains and bangles, duly sealed at the instance of a court, were opened by the customs officials before a departmental committee as part of inventorisation proceedings.
Saving significant fuel costs and time, Air India will soon start flying over the Pacific Ocean region for its lucrative direct services to San Francisco from here with aviation regulator DGCA approving the new route.

The regulatory nod comes as a boost for the national carrier, which would be doubling the frequency of its Delhi-San Francisco direct flights to six per week from November.

Air India would also be the first Indian carrier to operate on the Pacific region route where weather conditions and speed of winds would help the airline in reducing fuel burn and the overall journey time.

Officials said the route would be a "win-win situation" for the carrier as well as passengers as it would save crores of rupees worth of fuel costs and also reduce the flying time by up to three hours.

Approving the request from Air India for services through the new route, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a detailed operational circular.

Some years ago, Jet Airways used to have Mumbai-Shanghai- San Francisco connection service which was stopped.

A senior DGCA official said using the new route would help in saving a lot of fuel as well as time.

In the new route, Air India would fly eastwards to reach San Francisco by crossing the vast Pacific Ocean.

Even though the route would be almost 1,400 km more compared to the current trajectory where the flight flies over the Atlantic, there would be significant saving on fuel and journey time due to powerful tailwinds.

"The Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, used on the Delhi-San Francisco route by Air India will get only strong tailwinds on its eastward journey and cut flying time by up to three hours," a senior pilot said.

According to the pilot, the plane, on an average, burns 9,600 litres fuel for each hour of flying.

"Reducing the flying time to SFO from an hour in summer to three hours in winter (due to high tailwinds then) will mean huge fuel saving. So it will be a win-win for fliers and the airline as passengers will reach San Francisco faster while the airline will burn less fuel," he said.

Explaining how the aircraft would fly faster, the pilot said earth rotates from west to east and winds also flow in that direction.

So, flying west means facing strong headwinds (that decreases an aircraft's actual ground speed and more fuel is spent), while flying east means getting strong tailwinds which raises the speed and lessens fuel consumption, he added.

"While taking the western route to San Francisco, we usually face headwinds of 24 kmph. If our aircraft is doing 800 kmph, its actual ground speed is 776 kmph. Taking the (eastern) Pacific route to San Francisco will mean getting tailwinds of 138 kmph which will make the aircraft have an actual ground speed of 938 kmph," the pilot said.

In summer, flying time to SFO over Pacific will be 16 hours an hour less than the Atlantic route. And in winter, the difference will be as high as up to three hours between the two routes, said the official.

DGCA's latest operational circular, issued this month, would be for operations in the North Pacific area where there are fixed tracks NOPAC (North Pacific) and flexible tracking PACOTS (Pacific Organised Track System) along with UPR (User Preferred Routes) in defined areas.

"North Pacific region has airspace managed by Canada, Japan, Russia and the United States. The Pacific region is also characterised by vast oceanic areas with sparse land areas and consequently few enroute alternate aerodromes for flight planned across this," it said.

Among others, DGCA said all Pacific operations training courses should get approved by its FSD, DGCA before use as well as prior to the syllabus getting incorporated in the Operators Manual.

Besides, recurrent training would be required annually.
On June 25, Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia and Xi Jinping of China met in Beijing, immediately after spending two days together in Tashkent at a summit meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). The two countries industrial cooperation is dominated by the energy sector, where the several dozen agreements that were signed in Beijing confirmed that in bilateral economic and trade relations China is the agenda-maker and Russia is the agenda-taker. This relationship is now extending itself to the geoeconomic competition between the two in Central Asia and East Central Eurasia generally, as well as into Greater South Asia at a slower pace.

BACKGROUND: In 2001, the Shanghai-5 grouping institutionalized as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Still more important for bilateral relations, in July that year China and Russia signed the first Treaty on Good-Neighborly Relations, Friendship, and Cooperation in 50 years. In October 2004, Gazprom and CNPC signed a strategic partnership agreement that was extended in March 2006 during Putins visit to Hu Jintao in Beijing. The two countries first joint military exercises, in August 2005, grew in March 2013 into arms-sales agreements whereby China contracted to buy fighter jets and submarines from Russia.

The prospects for energy cooperation on Siberian gas development finally materialized when, in May 2014, Russia and China signed a deal allowing China to buy gas worth US$ 400 billion over a 30-year period. China would supply Russia with investment capital, industrial equipment, and manpower not just in the energy sector but in a whole range of metals and mining industries. The broader significance of these agreements was to confirm Russias transformation going forward as a raw-materials supplier to a wealthier and more technologically advanced China. In 2015 Russia became Chinas second most significant oil supplier after Saudi Arabia. China accounts for 11 percent of Russias total foreign export market.

The joint communique of the June 2016 meeting marked a common intention to treat strategic stability as a category not referring exclusively to the nuclear balance, but presumably including conventional weapons and other aspects of security generally considered (this conception might apply, for example, to the South China Sea). Nevertheless, no Chinese official has echoed Putins call for transforming the bilateral strategic partnership into a comprehensive alliance. In the three years since Xi became president, Putin and Xi have met over a dozen times in various different forums and the June meeting was Putins fourth visit to Beijing since 2013. This time, the media attention on both sides downplayed the actual signature of documents and instead emphasized the deals under discussion. This press coverage likely indicates embarrassment that past summits for ceremonial document-signing have tended to promise much more than they later delivered. The signed agreements have often been nothing but agreements to agree during subsequent discussions.

IMPLICATIONS: The agreements signed in Beijing foresee the purchase, by Chinese firms, of stakes in a number of Russian projects, as well as an oil supply contract and some joint ventures in the petrochemical sector. The several dozen deals are reported to be worth around US$ 50 billion if they are all implemented. The most significant implication of the Putin-Xi meeting and documents signed there is their confirmation of the important slowdown in Sino-Russian energy cooperation while also signifying that both sides see this cooperation as strategic and therefore still to be pursued as conditions permit. At the same time, of course, each side guards its own interests closely.

A barometer of the relative power between the two countries, in their overall geoeconomic competition and cooperation, is the high-profile natural gas pipeline from Eastern Siberia to China, now called the Power of Siberia project. This pipeline, still under construction, is behind schedule and unlikely to enter into service before 2020. Quantities of gas to be shipped through it will not only start later than planned but also be smaller than planned. There is also an unresolved disagreement over whether Russia will allow Chinese contractors to do the work on Russian territory. The Altai gas pipeline project from Western Siberia to China, now called Power of Siberia Two, is in deep suspended animation. Any delays only play to Chinas advantage, as it can now source natural gas by pipe from Central Asia and as liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Australia and Qatar. China, in addition to finding itself in a buyers market, also controls the financing for its Russian projects.

The stagnant industrial cooperation and trivial financial integration among the members of Putins project for a Eurasian Union cannot support any significant political superstructure. Nor can Russia be the driving force for the materialization of this integration project, because it lacks the means, while no other member has an interest in amplifying the multilateral network of relations, which finds itself reduced to a collection of unintegrated bilateral ventures.

By contrast, the Chinese One Belt, One Road (OBOR) program is slowly becoming a force for international industrial cooperation, to which Russia can only acquiesce. For example, Russia is looking forward to Chinese participation in construction of a bullet train from Moscow to Kazan, prospectively to be extended eventually to Beijing. Another example of this pattern of Beijing taking the lead, is the success of the Chinese-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), after Russia posed obstacles to the creation of an SCO Development Bank.

Russia lacks the financial and economic incentives that China can offer. In Central Asia, Russias energy cooperation with Turkmenistan is now largely nonexistent. Its role in the energy sector of Kazakhstan will likely continue to diminish as a proportion of the whole, even if it remains constant or even grows slightly in absolute terms, as bilateral cooperation in the Caspian offshore and the Karachaganak gas field continues. Uzbekistan is still relatively ensconced in the Russian energy sphere and most of the countrys gas exports go to Russia. However, Uzbekistan has welcomed South Korea and Malaysia among others into its energy sector, and also cooperated with China on Uzbekistans segment of the Turkmenistan-China pipeline.

CONCLUSIONS: All of this means that Chinas geoeconomic and geopolitical influence in Greater Central Asia and East Central Eurasia will only become more strongly anchored over the long term. Russia will nevertheless remain the principal military-strategic power in the region, thanks partly to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), to which China does not belong. There is some military cooperation between Kazakhstan and China, but Russia remains Kazakhstans principal source of arms.

The project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will progressively alter the geoeconomic terrain by bringing South and Southwest Asia closer to Central Asia, and through there to China. Indias competitive project for cooperation with Iran (e.g. Chabahar port) continues apace, seeking to increase Indias geoeconomic penetration also of Central Asia, but its relative success remains to be seen. In all of these developments, Russia is and will be absent.

AUTHORS BIO: Robert M. Cutler (@robertmcutler) ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) is a senior researcher at the Institute of European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Carleton University, Canada.

Image Attribution: en.kremlin.ru, accessed on August 24, 2016
Contributed photo Lopez Judo Academy hosted a grand opening of a state of the art facility Aug. 20.

SHARE Munoz Boldt

Judo academy hosts grand opening

Lopez Judo Academy hosted a grand opening of a state-of-the-art Judo facility Aug. 20, officials said.

The academy is located at 112 Tarlton St. Information: 361-813-4506.

Title company adds Staples location

Security Title officials announced the opening of its fourth location. The newest one is in Copperfield Shopping Center at 5702 S. Staples Ste. E-7.

Kevin Boldt is the escrow officer and Yvonne Munoz is his escrow assistant. Information: 361-442-2521.

Burger restaurant now open near mall

The Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce hosted the grand opening of Grub Burger on Aug. 24.

The restaurant first opened in College Station in 2012 and has expanded since, making Corpus Christi the 18th location, officials said.

Grub Burger is at 4902 S. Staples St., A-1 (across from La Palmera mall at the corner of Staples and McArdle).

KIII-TV earns top local ratings

The July Nielsen ratings period, which ended July 27, showed KIII-TV's telecasts are the most watched local newscasts in South Texas, officials said.

Through the weeks of the official ratings period, KIII-TV's 3News saw success in all local news programming: 3News First Edition (Monday through Friday, 57 a.m. including Saturday and Sunday 6-7 a.m.), 3News at 5 p.m. (Monday through Friday, 5-5:30 p.m.), 3News at 6 p.m. (Monday through Saturday, 6-6:30 p.m.), 3News at 5:30 p.m. (Sunday 5:30-6 p.m.) and 3News at 10 p.m. (Monday through Sunday, 10-10:30 p.m.). The station is owned by Tegna Inc.

Compiled by Natalia Contreras
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WEDNESDAY

Orientation set for small businesses

A small business orientation is from 4-6 p.m. at the Center for Economic Development, 3209 S. Staples St., CED 146. The seminar will provide new business owners information to start a business. Topics include small business loans and financing requirements, business plan, licensing, contracting and permit information and resources. Free. Information: www.seminarscc.com.

THURSDAY

Debt refinancing program seminar

Learn about 504 debt refinancing loan program at this free seminar from 1-2 p.m. at the Del Mar College Center for Economic Development, 3209 S. Staples St. CED 140. Training will focus on requirements needed for the program and allowed eligible business expenses. Information and registration: www.seminarscc.com

FRIDAY

Business financial aid seminar offered

The SBA will offer a seminar on financial assistance to start or expand a business from 1:30-3 p.m. at the SBA office, 2820 S. Padre Island Drive, Suite 108. Loan programs, loan eligibility and information about technical assistance from SCORE will be available. Information on government contracting and business consulting services will be provided. Information: 361-879-0017, ext. 301 or elizabeth.soliz@sba.gov.

Seminar aids small business owners

The SBA's 8(a) Business Development Program is designed to help disadvantaged small businesses secure contracts throughout the federal government. Information on how to get 8(a) certified will be provided from 9-10:30 a.m. at the SBA office, 2820 S. Padre Island Drive, Suite 108. Services by the Procurement Technical Assistance Center will be explained. Information: 361-879-0017, ext. 301 or elizabeth.soliz@sba.gov.

LATER

Society of CPAs meeting

The Corpus Christi Chapter of the Texas Society of CPAs will host a meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Solomon Ortiz International Center. Cost: $35/before Sept. 2. $40/after Sept. 2 and at the door. Information: 800/428-0272, ext. 279

Compiled by Natalia Contreras
GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES A sign marks the end of Corpus Christi city limits. The go-ahead for a wind turbine farm south of the city, if base defenders fears pan out, might be the opening for the Navy to say adios.

You don't mess around with the Navy.

That's been the guiding principle for Corpus Christi elected officials since Naval Air Station Corpus Christi opened in 1941.

The base has just meant too much to the local economy in terms of payrolls, local contracts and employment to ever give Navy decision-makers any reason to consider moving.

But the go-ahead for a wind turbine farm south of the city, if base defenders fears pan out, might be the opening for the Navy to say adios.

Or the wind turbine farm could have no impact on air activities as the Federal Aviation Administration determined and as wind farm developers and landowners argue.

For most of the city's modern economic history, any threat, or even perceived threat, to the Navy base would be quickly removed by the powers in charge. That's how big a key, especially in tough economic times, the base was.

Maybe it's a sign of how diversified the city's economy has become that the wind farm project has gotten as far as it has. The Eagle Ford bounty, the new industry arriving, the growth of the university, maybe the Navy base just seems like another cog in the economic wheel.

That's a cog worth $5.3 billion to the Texas economy. That's the value that Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar put on the Navy base, its chief tenant, Corpus Christi Army Depot, and Naval Air Station Kingsville.

The Corpus Christi City Council tried to strangle the wind farm in its crib.

The city passed a resolution in 2014 opposing the wind farm and then later annexed 16 square miles of Chapman Ranch south of the city. That move was aimed to squelch the wind farm, which would be located on the property, or to control it by virtue of the city's regulation powers.

The city might have over time annexed land south of Oso Creek, now the city's natural boundary to the south, since the city's growth is in that direction. But the threat of the wind farm accelerated the move.

That has put the city in the awkward situation of having 16 square miles of rural land for which it had no plans for services.

But the move did cause Apex Clean Energy, the developers, to change their project from 175 turbines on 31-square miles to 86 turbines on about 27 square miles, none of them on the annexed land.

Neither the downsizing nor the findings of the FAA has lessened the fears of those who are skittish about the wind farm.

Speaking of talk on the council to deannex the land, Council woman Colleen McIntyre said, "That could put us at risk for a base closure and potentially the loss of thousands of jobs."

Maybe those fears persist because this area has lost bases before. Naval Air Station Chase Field in Beeville and Naval Station Ingleside no longer exist, despite the best efforts by local officials to save them.

This past week, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz visited the base and conferred with Mayor Nelda Martinez about the issue of the wind farm. Cruz has sponsored an amendment that would require government review of the impact of energy projects, including wind farms on military installations.

NAS Corpus Christi has many tenants: the Army repair depot, federal agencies, the Coast Guard, as well as Navy air training wings. But by one measure the most important office, though not the largest, on the base is that of the Chief of Naval Air Training. That post is manned by Rear Adm. Dell "Snapper" Bull.

The admiral has asked Navy researchers to look into the effects of wind turbines on naval flight training. The report is due in October. Martinez has said the report is crucial to the council's stance.

But this week a majority of the City Council seemed ready to abandon its opposition even before the Navy's report.

In a 5-4 vote, the council pulled out of its proposed capital projects a water line and wastewater line that would have gone in the annexed area.

More wind farms seem sure to come. But if the Navy report is negative on wind farms, local officials will find themselves in a quandary  with this caveat. The FAA has no bases to close down. The Navy does.

If the wind farm develops, local landowners will use their land as they wish, the wind turbine industry widens its footprint and more clean energy gets produced.

But do you put military bases that are valued at $5 billion at risk for the sake of a wind farm?

Nick Jimenez has worked as a reporter, city editor and editorial page editor for more than 40 years in Corpus Christi. He is currently the editorial page editor emeritus for the Caller-Times. His commentary column appears on Wednesdays and Sundays.
Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Aransas Pass resident Rozlin Gomez, dressed as Raven from Teen Titans Go, takes a photograph with Michael Brearton, dressed as Rorschach from The Watchman, during the South Texas Toy and Comic Show on Saturday, Aug., 27, 2016, at the Emerald Beach Hotel. It was the first time for the event, but was well-received by vendors and the public, organizers said.

SHARE Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Clint Marzec (left), dressed as a Tusken Raider, holds Abel Sanchez prisoner during the South Texas Toy and Comic Show on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, at the Emerald Beach Hotel. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Jennie Matos (from left), dressed as the Corpus Christi Black Widow, takes a photo with Mason Vasquez, 3, and Joey Matos, dressed as the Padre Island Captain America, during the South Texas Toy and Comic Show on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, at the Emerald Beach Hotel. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Joey Kurre (left) and Raymond Pena talk about comic books during the South Texas Toy and Comic Show on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, at the Emerald Beach Hotel. Rachel Denny Clow/Caller-Times Brothers Zachary Valdez, 9 (left), and Dominick Valdez, 7, shop during the South Texas Toy and Comic Show on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, at the Emerald Beach Hotel.

By Rachel Denny Clow of the Caller-Times

Approaching a Tusken Raider, Abel Sanchez held his arms above his head signaling defeat while his face contorted in fear.

The character was one of a few Star Wars character impersonators who traveled from San Antonio to join the local 501st Legion as they appeared Saturday at the South Texas Toy and Comic Show.

The first-time event held at the Emerald Beach Hotel had a line of customers when doors opened at 9 a.m., organizer Kimberly Perry said.

She and other organizers decided to hold the shopping event after vending in events outside of Corpus Christi.

"We wanted to give Corpus Christi residents a fun and affordable opportunity to see what it's like at shows outside of the city," Perry said. "This way it's a chance for vendors around the area to sell in a market they might not normally sell."

In addition to getting to see impersonators dressed in character and to take pictures with them, eventgoers had an opportunity to buy items they wouldn't be able to buy in local stores, she said.

Artists offering custom pieces and collectibles were on hand at the event.

"We've had a phenomenal response," Perry said. "Vendors, shoppers and the hotel are already wondering when we are going to do it again. We may do another in November."

Twitter: @CallerClow
Caller-Times file photo Radio station KLUX 89.5HD will host is annual two-day Pledge Fest fundraiser starting Monday.

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By Esther Hackleman, Esther.M.Hackleman@caller.com

Radio station KLUX 89.5HD will host its annual two-day Pledge Fest fundraiser starting Monday.

The local noncommercial station, which promotes the values of the Catholic Church on its airways, has set a goal of raising $16,000, according to a news release. The fundraiser will take phone pledges and feature radio personalities and guests making on-air appeals for support for the listener-supported station.

The station is celebrating 31 years of broadcasting this year, and the fundraiser will help fund the station's operating funds and digital broadcasting.

This year, the station received an outstanding media award from the Emergency Managers Association of Texas for its strong commitment to local emergency management and the city of Corpus Christi Local Emergency Planning Committees. It also won the National Gabriel Awards' Station of the Year honor.

For more information on the station and its fundraiser, visit klux.org.

Twitter: @Caller_Esther
SHARE Mikal Watts Sandra Watts GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES State District Judge Sandra Watts looks at photos of her family Tuesday at the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi. Her two sons, Mikal and David Watts, were acquitted of dozens of charges in a federal trial related to claims from the BP oil spill. GABE HERNANDEZ/CALLER-TIMES State District Judge Sandra Watts looks at photos of her family Tuesday at the Nueces County Courthouse in Corpus Christi.

By Krista M. Torralva of the Caller-Times

It's been almost a year since attorney Mikal Watts told his mother and sister in a Jalisco's Taqueria parking lot in Corpus Christi that he and his brother would be tried in federal court on fraud charges.

"OK Mom," Sandra Watts recalled her son, a San Antonio-based civil lawyer, said after they'd had breakfast and walked to their cars. "I came down here so I could tell you in person David and I were indicted."

It was the moment the sky opened up and dumped rain on the Watts family, said Sandra Watts, a state district judge in Corpus Christi. But the family says they got into gear for the fight to prove the brothers' innocence.

Last week, at the end of the highly publicized trial in Mississippi, the words "not guilty" were read 66 times  one for each charge  clearing each brother. The family that had a strict "no tears in the courtroom" rule, finally relieved emotions that had built since Secret Service agents raided Mikal Watts' offices in 2013.

A cloud

Mikal Watts, his brother David Watts, and paralegal, Wynter Lee, were accused of falsifying documents to BP after the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. U.S. prosecutors said Mikal and David Watts' employees created a list of 40,000 fraudulent names to recover damages BP had promised to people affected. The prosecutors in closing arguments asserted that the Watts brothers knew what was going on and did nothing to stop it because of the multimillion dollar payoff at the end.

Each were acquitted but two people Mikal Watts hired to find clients, Gregory Warren of Louisiana and Thi Houng "Kristy" Le of Alabama were convicted. Watts, a litigator in mass torts against BP, resigned from the steering committee after the Secret Service raided his office. BP settled that case.

After that, it was like a cloud was over the Watts family. Mikal Watts, his parents, three siblings and their families often got together for family gatherings and holidays. They didn't talk about the case. But they knew a development could be handed down at any time.

Years went on after the raid and the families did their best to get back into their normal routines. As the statute of limitations neared, they hoped it would dissolve. Then, with the statute of limitations looming, the indictments came.

"The hardest conversation I had to have was after we got indicted I had to go to my own brother and say, 'They're indicting you to get to me but I am not going to plea. I will get you the best defense that money can buy. I will make certain you're found innocent as well,'" Mikal Watts said.

David Watts' wife took a second job in the six months leading up to the trial just in case the trial went south, his sister Katy Watts Adams said. But the hardest part of the ordeal, she said, was seeing her brothers' children, who are between the ages of 17 and 24, while their fathers were being tried both in court and in the court of public opinion.

"Watching those children watch the backs of their fathers was heartbreaking," Adams said. "I'm extremely angry that my two brothers, their wives, their children, their entire family, their lifetime of hard work had to be flipped upside down."

Lessons learned

As a longtime civil lawyer, Mikal Watts was in different territory representing himself in a criminal case. Before that, his only defense experience was fighting a traffic ticket years earlier. The case was dismissed because the police officer didn't show at the court hearing.

He said he quickly discovered that federal rules heavily tip in favor of the prosecution.

"I've learned that when the United States government prosecutes you, it's not a fair fight," he said.

The lead U.S. attorney on the case, Jerry Rushing, did not return calls from the Caller-Times seeking comment.

Mikal Watts said he wasn't given grand jury testimony and transcripts of witness testimony or lists of witnesses prosecutors intended to call until days before the trial. Reports from witness interviews weren't recorded, he said.

He recognizes he is better off than many others charged in federal court. He had the money to hire a top-notch criminal defense lawyer for his brother and the country's best experts to testify in their defense. He had the resources to set up a war room that operated nearly around the clock. He realizes most people in the federal court system aren't so fortunate.

"I fear our federal prisons are full of people who, threatened with a life sentence like I was, plead to a crime to which they are not guilty," he said.

Through it all Mikal Watts said he always had faith the system would prove his innocence and kept a positive outlook. Even while the jurors deliberated his fate, he posted photos of himself on Facebook smiling at a famous southern eatery.

"When in Gulfport, MS, you just have to eat at Ms. Audrey's for legit Southern cuisine," Mikal Watts wrote in one post.

But as he stood to face the jurors for their verdict, finally fear and doubt crept in.

"Mr. Watts, stand and face your jury," a federal judge told Mikal Watts.

His brother stood alongside him.

"David was not going to let him stand alone," Sandra Watts said.

If the jury convicted him of even one of the 66 counts, Mikal Watts faced prison.

"At that point and time all the calmness left my body," he said.

Mikal Watts believes he now has a duty to advocate for criminal justice reform. On Monday, he said he's meeting with Congressman Lloyd Doggett, D-San Antonio, to discuss reform efforts. He also anticipates traveling to Washington, D.C., to advocate for reforms.

Likewise, Sandra Watts is considering how she will aid. The veteran judge, who has spent 13 years on the bench in Nueces County, is mulling whether she'll seek another term for the 117th District Court. It would be her last  Texas mandates judges retire at age 75. Watts, 69, would be allowed to finish another term and retire at 76. She'd like to be an advocate for reforming the criminal justice system to educate and rehabilitate domestic violence offenders. But she may also help her son with pushing for federal court reform.

"There has to be something good to come out of this," she said.

Twitter: @CallerKMT
When is hurricane season? Here's what you need to know in South Texas
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If only pride in everything being bigger in Texas applied to voter turnout. Instead, its political leaders persist in trying to be the Rhode Island of voter participation. Gov. Greg Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton keep looking for creative ways to defend the discredited, turnout-suppressing voter ID law.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the friendliest court at its level that Abbott and Paxton could hope to find, ruled the ID law to be too discriminatory to remain in effect as is for the presidential election. The Fifth Circuit's hard-right tilt is the only plausible explanation for why it didn't find the discrimination to have been intentional. The cover story for why Texas felt the need for picture IDs  to prevent vote fraud  should have been enough proof of discriminatory intent because it is an indefensible crock of subterfuge. No one commits vote fraud by showing up in person to vote fraudulently  at least, no one that anyone can find.

The majority-Republican Legislature put a lot of effort into making it difficult and expensive for low-income registered voters who don't drive  and who tend not to vote Republican  to obtain an ID that the state would accept. For example, the Legislature decided not to accept student or workplace IDs or expired driver's licenses. Seriously, when does the person pictured on an expired license stop being the person pictured on the license? The Legislature ignored the obvious solution  putting photos on voter registration cards. The only discernible drawback to that solution is its lack of imposition on the card holder.

The Fifth Circuit referred the question of discriminatory intent back to District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos in Corpus Christi, along with instructions to implement a nondiscriminatory plan for the election. The plan ordered by Ramos allows voters who don't have picture IDs to vote if they can show a voter registration card, birth certificate, government check stub, current utility bill or bank statement, or an expired driver's license less than four years past expiration.

Paxton's latest strategy was to threaten an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and seek to put off a hearing on discriminatory intent until summer. He has not filed the appeal or disclosed when he intends to do so. His premise was that the Legislature needed an opportunity to redo the ID law and the appeals process needed the time to play out.

Ramos was having none of it. Last week she decided to schedule a hearing for January. Good for her and for justice and democracy. This discriminatory law has been in effect since 2011. That's five years of damage that can't be undone. The best that can be done is to stop the damage it can do to the elections that lie ahead.

Earlier this month when Paxton's office announced its intent to appeal to the Supreme Court, a spokesman for Paxton said the reason for appealing was "to protect the integrity of voting in the state of Texas." It was never about that. It always has been about retaining power through suppression. If Texas leaders want to salvage a shred of integrity and decency, they should end this fight now. Unfortunately, that's about as likely as finding someone trying to vote fraudulently in person.
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Nueces County's in trouble. Far too many of our mothers, daughters, sisters and wives are being stabbed, strangled, shot in the street, burned to death, and dumped in ditches. We're better than this.

The call to action issued at the Coastal Bend Coordinated Community Response Coalition meeting held July 7 by Frances Wilson, President and CEO of the Women's Shelter of South Texas, was not lost on me. She's right: Too often when we talk about domestic violence, we merely wax poetic about what we want to do and neglect to actually do anything meaningful. Here are some of the meaningful steps my office will take to fight this epidemic:

1. Make Domestic Violence a PRIORITY, not merely a platform point.

Assistant district attorneys in my office will be instructed to prioritize domestic violence and sexual assault cases (at both the misdemeanor and felony levels) as the most pressing to be worked up and developed (along with major crimes). Because of the nature of domestic violence cases, it is imperative that victims and their families are safe and secure NOW, not later.

It will also be a priority of my office to seek jail or prison time in every domestic violence case. It must be made crystal clear that if you assault, threaten, or otherwise harm your partner, spouse, lover, child, family member, or any other person, you go to jail or prison. Period.

We will work with the county's municipal police departments, the county attorney, and sheriff's office to ensure these cases are filed quickly; that victims need not wait several days to get help; and that it does not take 12 days to get a protective order. Two senior assistant district attorneys will be on call during the weekends to ensure a report is timely drafted and victims immediately contacted and secured. My office will also collaborate with these agencies to ensure officers are continuously following up on the cases where an arrest is not immediately made by creating a tracking system following cases even before they're filed. We will also conduct training to ensure officers' investigative methods and ability to determine lethality are sound and effective.

Finally, we will work with the probation department to ensure probationers on probation for domestic violence offenses are supervised effectively  immediately filing violation reports upon receipt of evidence they are not meeting their conditions  and pushing for revocation and prison or jail time when they are found to have violated those conditions.

2. Create a Domestic Violence Task Force

As soon as I take office, I will call on the elected officials and leaders of the local law enforcement agencies, the local judges, and leaders of religious and civic groups in Nueces County to form an interagency task force to address this scourge in our community. This task force will address methods of ensuring:

Victims are safe and supported from the beginning until the case is closed.

Offenders are effectively monitored and swiftly dealt with if abusing or contacting the victim.

Investigations are thorough and effective for enforcement and conviction.

My office will research grants and other means by which task force activities can be funded so money cannot be used as an excuse for ineffective enforcement. We will also keep better metrics on the number of cases filed, tried, dismissed, and otherwise disposed of to ensure we are effective.

3. Crime Victim's Assistance Fund, Victim's Assistance Coordinators, and Community Outreach

Assistant district attorneys and victim's assistance coordinators will help victims find safe and secure shelter, medical treatment, and receive funds from the Crime Victim's Assistance Fund, a state fund devoting to helping make whole victims of crime.

My office will work with the Women's Shelter and Children's Advocacy Center to visit schools and educate the next generation about domestic violence and why it is wrong.

The days of our mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives being stabbed, strangled, shot in the street, burned to death, and dumped in ditches can and will go on no longer. We MUST do better and NOW.
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Domestic violence is rampant in Corpus Christi and poses a severe threat to the viability of our families and community. During the past year, the Corpus Christi Caller-Times has published a series of articles, "Behind Broken Doors," which has highlighted the depth and severity of domestic violence in our beloved city and county.

To reduce this violence, a multifaceted approach that incorporates the efforts of a broad spectrum of leaders representing our community, not just the criminal justice system, must be utilized. Religious institutions, educational facilities, helping agencies, and concerned citizens must join in a united effort to do whatever is necessary, to include domestic violence prevention, to end this plague of violence.

There isn't a magical solution. Single-based approaches have proved to be inadequate. Approaches that are only directed at prosecuting the criminal (that is what an ABUSER is) do not sufficiently address the complexities inherent in domestic violence. Putting every abuser in jail does not solve the problem. It merely takes the abuser off the streets temporarily. Moreover, the propensity for the abuser to repeat acts of violence is appalling.

The best hope for a solution begins with carefully and thoroughly examining what research tells us about the perpetrators of domestic violence. We've got to know what and whom we are dealing with in this epidemic. Dysfunctional families, absent fathers, illegal drug use, alcohol abuse, and the reduced adherence to traditional person values and morality also play a part in this cycle of violence.

If "we" are going to modify the abuser's future conduct, "we" must alter those negative factors that serve to fuel the violence.

We must evaluate the individual abuser to determine what type of punishment will be the most effective in this particular case. For example, if the abuser has a substance abuse problem he/she should be ordered to participate and successfully complete a substance abuse treatment program. If the abuser has a mental health issue he/she must actively participate in treatment program(s). Any abuser who does not seriously address a mental health or illegal drug use issue must be immediately and severely sanctioned, to include spending time in jail. The same approach should be used if the abuser cannot find or keep a job. He/she should be ordered to participate in a job training program. Nueces County is replete with these types of programs.

The mandate for the District Attorney's Office is to serve and protect the citizens of Nueces County. This cannot be accomplished without holding criminals accountable for their conduct. Each criminal case of domestic violence will be evaluated by an experienced prosecutor. Each person accused of domestic violence will also be evaluated taking into account their criminal history, the way in which the victim was injured, the type of injuries sustained by the victim, the frequency and severity of the violent acts, and other factors. This evaluation will help determine how the abuser is handled by the criminal justice system. The criminal case must be filed timely and the abuser must be placed on pretrial conditions of bond that will help ensure the safety of the victim and contribute to the rehabilitation of the abuser. Any violation of these pretrial conditions by the abuser must be swiftly and harshly addressed.

Victims of domestic violence must not be re-victimized by the criminal justice system. Long delays in case investigation, case intake at the district attorney's office, and court appearances contribute to the feelings of hopelessness often felt by victims of domestic violence. These victims must be helped with emergency housing, job placement services, financial assistance, and other social services as determined by their level of need. Also, I want to have protective orders issued by a judge as soon as possible. If an abuser does an act that violates the protective order, the police will make an arrest.

I want to expedite the criminal investigation, the criminal case intake, and the court appearances of all those accused of domestic violence. The combination of aggressive prosecution, proactive treatment and prevention programs, and compassionate victim assistance will help to reduce the acts of domestic violence in our great city and county.
Wednesday, August 24, 2016 at 12:46PM

By Sonya Davidson

When I think of Arthritis I immediately think about those who are either older or have given their joints a life of prolonged and repetitive use. But then on occasion I've found my joints clenching and stiff when I'm at the computer. I began searching for information on the discomfort was just happening to me?

According to the Arthritis Society of Canada, there are over 4.6 million Canadian adults (or one in six Canadians aged 15 years and older) who report having moderate to minor arthritis and there are more than 100 related conditions. The most common symptoms include joint pain and swelling and can interfere with one's ability to manage daily activities. It is the most common chronic condition reported by women and the third most common by men and the level of discomfort varies.

Recently Toronto Blue Jays Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar discussed his challenges of joint pains in his daily life and reminded us that Arthritis can strike us regardless of age and occupation. He chatted with media as the spokesperson for Aleve and the new "Aleve Relievers" initiative to raise awareness and funds for The Arthritis Society of Canada. From August 23 to September 29, 2016, every time a Toronto Blue Jays Relief Pitcher strike-out a player during a home game, Aleve will make a $1200 donation to the non-profit foundation as well as donating $2500 for a game-ending strike-out.

Alomar was asked about what he's done to help his joints stay healthy. "When I played, I have my own routine doing a lot of exercise and stretching that has helped me to avoid a lot of injuries." said Alomar. "I run a Super Camp with kids here in Canada and in Puerto Rico as well as my own foundation to give kids some opportunities and yes, running around with my little one keeps me busy." But now 48 years of age, he's finding times where he experiences occasional joint pains.

Alomar also discussed some of his injuries during his career. He broke his hand once mentioned his worse was the time he injured his shoulder that required surgery and lots of rehabilitation. "Sometimes you can't avoid injury but you do the best you can in your job." said Alomar. "But I learned from the years that stretching helps alot and taking something like Aleve can help you through those aches and pains."

As mentioned, Arthritis can strike anyone. Taking a look at your daily routine and making some mindful adjustments can help those of us who are glued to our computers. If you're sitting at a desk for the better part of the day...

1. Position computer keyboard with good posture habits at your desk or workstation.

2. Stretch fingers, wrists, shoulders, back shoulder blades even spine, hips, knees and feet often for your joints.

3. Make sure your feet rest flat on the floor when sitting at your desk.

4. Adjust the height of your computer monitor. The screen should sit below eye level.

5. Ensure you have proper lumbar support on your lower back.

6. Set your smart watch or other devices to remind you to get up and move at least once an hour.

How do you know if you're suffering from Arthritis? Visit arthritis.ca to see the symptoms.
"We're in a country with low levels of [antibiotic] resistance, but we need to keep it that way. I think in fact we need to halve the amount of antibiotic use in Australia if we're going to avoid major resistance in the future," Professor Collignon said.
"Universities have previously refused to conduct such a survey, indicating either that they didn't believe sexual assault was an issue on their campus or they didn't want to damage their reputation," she said.
"Why is that so critical? Because under the current system in every jurisdiction in Australia it's the complaint that culminates in the audit. By the time the complaint crystallises, the damage has been done. If you had a complaint-based auditing system for lawyers to disincentivise the recalcitrants from plundering client trust accounts you'd only find out the money was gone when the money was gone," Mr Lovegrove said.
"People do the bad or undesirable jobs, they work their way up to get a university degree but find once they have it their only option is to go back to the beginning  the same sort of jobs," he said. "There's no progress."
A plea on Facebook says: "Can someone please remove the dead kangaroos on the highway between Calwell roundabout and Williamsdale. There is one part that has about 10 dead 'roos within 50 metres of each other. Not only is it sad and unsightly, but extremely dangerous when trying to avoid overtaking traffic as they are a hazard. They have been there for a few months now. Thank you."
Melinda McFadden and her two boys have each been using the NDIS since October and together have first-year plans worth more than $160,000. But for the last three weeks one of her sons has dropped off the system without explanation and inconsistencies in account balances have made it extremely difficult to work out how much is available to spend. Many dozens of hours have been spent lodging manual forms and seeking advice from the insurance agency, and she intends to stop self-managing the NDIS plans as a result.
"No one knows for sure because they haven't had any requirement to be visible before but if we wanted to estimate of the total number of dogs, it is probably two to four times that."
Dr Andrew Hughes, lecturer in marketing at the Australian National University's Research School of Management, criticised the continued use of Depp in the campaign, saying: "It looks cheap. It looks like they don't care about the market. With this advertisement Dior are essentially saying 'I'm out of touch'. We live in the age of social media where recall is only one click away so even people who aren't aware of the claims would be able to find out what they are."
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.
F22 Eurofighter? Arent those two entirely different fighter jets? Yes, they are, but as any BMW enthusiast worth his or her roundel will tell you, the designation F22 doesnt belong to the Raptor jet alone: its also what Munich calls the 2 Series coupe, upon which the venerable M2 is based.

This particular example, however, has been enhanced significantly by HGK Motorsport.



The Latvian racing tuner has completely transformed the little Bimmer for drifting, stripping it down to its bare chassis and rebuilding it from the ground up. It packs a General Motors LS V8 crate engine prepd by Mast Motorsports to the tune of 820 horsepower, mated to a Samsonas five-speed sequential transmission and Winters differential.

The list of competition components goes on from there to include a 40-liter FIA fuel cell, Wilwood brakes, a fully adjustable suspension, front and rear crash bars, full roll cage the works, all enveloped in custom Kevlar bodywork that makes it look as mean as any military aircraft.

Its been built to Formula Drift specifications, and has just been delivered to MK Racing in Qatar  but you can check it out in this heart-pumping video courtesy of Robyworks.com.

VIDEO
Three Mitsubishi L200s and two Shogun (aka Pajero)SUVs will be put through their paces on unforgiving terrain, from the Arctic Tundra to Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, UK, following Bewicks swans migratory route across 11 different countries.



The five vehicles have been delivered to the team behind the innovative expedition, complete with modifications carried out at the Mitsubishi Specialist Vehicles Operations Center in Cirencester, where they have been fitted with additional power sources for charging equipment, a 240-volt converter, off-road tires and roof racks.

Flying alongside the swans, via paramotor, will be Sacha Dench, Head of Content at Wildfowl & Wetland Trusts (WWT).

Flight of the Swans is a major logistical challenge, but Im so looking forward to it, said Dench. Up in the air in my paramotor, I cross some pretty inaccessible terrain, so Im glad to know I have the support of Mitsubishi and my support team can reach me if Im grounded unexpectedly. Our Mitsubishis have to be versatile. One minute they could be a media hub, broadcasting live to the internet via satellite. The next, well pull out awnings and turn our camp into a reception venue to share food with local villagers.

The expedition, which will start in September and last around 10 weeks, has many high profile names backing it up, including Sir David Attenborough and Sir Ranulph Fiennes.

PHOTO GALLERY
Photo: Wayne Moore - Castanet File Photo

Marketed properly, the KVR Trail could be a boon for communities situated along the trail.

That, according to Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the Thompson Okanagan Tourist Association.

Mandziuk has spent the past several weeks getting local government feedback on a tourism strategy for the KVR Trail.

"We want to make sure communities along the corridor, fully endorse the concept of working on a number of initiatives identified within the strategy, to make it an international, market-ready tourist attraction for the region," said Mandziuk.

The KVR Trail stretches from Castlegar to Hope. The Myra Canyon Trestles are its crown jewel.

He said a regional tourism strategy, completed in 2012, identified the rail trails of the region as a tremendous opportunity to attract new visitation to the region.

The plan includes everything from a sophisticated online presence to ways of developing, and attracting new investment.

"New bed and breakfasts may occur along the trail. It might be businesses who rent biking or hiking equipment. It could be companies that carry your bags for you along the trail.

"That's what we are looking for. We will be working to attract new investment, identify the gaps and improve the marketing of that trail."

He said there are world-renowned trails in other parts of the world where communities and businesses exist only because a trail exists.

"There are communities along the trail that are struggling economically. This trail could provide a new avenue of economic prosperity. That's basically the focus," said Mandziuk.

Right now, he said only the hard core international hiker would be able to find information on the KVR Trail online.

He added 10 businesses who garner revenues from the trail have taken part in a pilot project, the Remarkable Experiences Program, with excellent results.

The trail is also part of the Trans Canada Trail, which will officially open July 1 of next year.

It's a rare situation, said Mandziuk, when you have a market-ready asset on the ground. Where you don't have to spend millions and millions to get it rolling.

The plan, said Mandziuk, has an end date of 2022. While it's too early to tell, he said some budget items in the plan have a price tag of $500,000 to $1 million.
Photo: Getty Images

Overview for all signs

Discussing matters in person is productive on various levels.

The right words have the desired effect. Those with an ax to grind should put it aside for now.

There is always more than one path for resolution or restructuring. Job-related connections can develop into relationships that are more personal if the desire is there. Gifts may be given where it is deemed appropriate.

Mercury turns retrograde this week for a three-week period. Back things up where needed. Do repairs and rethink plans.

Drive carefully and avoid signing anything binding as it will likely change or be cancelled. The new moon is Thursday.

Some are moving by choice or not. Focus to overcome confusion.

ARIES: Settle a contest of wills. It comes down to who is best for the job or position. Someone has to go.

TAURUS: Matters relating to the past will need further resolution. Look for evidence of facts to back it up.

GEMINI: Mate or partnership matters may need a third party to resolve them. Outcome affects the future.

CANCER: Serious talks affect job or what you will be expected to do. Make sure the wording is clarified.

LEO: Keep your feet on the ground with financial matters. There is some illusion attached to taking risks.

VIRGO: How you handle things will have an effect on what others will say or do. Follow what you know.

LIBRA: The pressure is on behind the scenes. Putting heads together can produce worthwhile results.

SCORPIO: Power brokers are on your side, but wish to remain anonymous for now. It's advantageous.

SAGITTARIUS: Take the reins or a prominent position you can handle. Finances or possessions affected.

CAPRICORN: Keep some opinions to yourself until you can manoeuvre from a point of strength. Persist.

AQUARIUS: Involvement with the past or serious matters involve others funds or assets. Stay the course.

PISCES: Make a choice between personal or business responsibility. It works with careful management.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.
Photo: Nicholas Johansen

Two marine rescue boats scoured the waters below the William R. Bennett Bridge Saturday afternoon, after receiving reports of a person who jumped off the bridge and didn't resurface.

The call came in just after 1 p.m., and the boats, along with onshore RCMP officers, quickly began searching the area.

A single lane was briefly closed on the bridge as emergency responders looked on from above.

After talking with beach-goers at nearby Mushroom Beach, officers learned a person matching the description of the jumper had swam to shore earlier.

The RCMP called off the search at about 1:40 p.m.
Photo: Nicholas Johansen

The Father Pandosy Mission was abuzz with people of all generations Saturday, during the Okanagan Historical Society's old fashioned family social.

The event, which included old fashioned clothes washing, spinning and weaving, museum displays, face painting and antique fire trucks and tractors, was held to bring awareness to the Mission site.

This is an event designed to get young families out to the Mission site, said Bob Hayes, director of the Okanagan Historical Society. Just to introduce them to the site, what's here, what it's all about, that it's a great place to visit, for a picnic and a fun day.

The site is home to three original buildings that were built in the 1860s when Father Pandosy settled in the Okanagan.

They were the first white settlers to settle in the Central Okanagan at this location, Hayes said. It was the starting point of settlement in the area.

Other buildings have been moved to the site from other areas.

It's become sort of a place to save heritage buildings, Hayes said.

The site is open to the public year round for, and hosts family gatherings and weddings.

Hayes hopes events like Saturday's will show families in the area the value of the historical grounds.

We want people to know that history's alive, Hayes said. We want people to come out here, celebrate our history and discover what there is out here.
Photo: CTV Vancouver

Surrey RCMP is currently on scene at a residence in the 14200 block of Melrose Drive of Surrey for a report of a barricaded male.

On Saturday, at approximately 10:40 a.m., the RCMP responded to a report of an assault and that the suspect male has barricaded himself inside the residence.

Upon arrival, officers located a 27-year-old man who refused to come out of his residence to speak with the police.

Police say they are currently negotiating with the man to surrender.

The investigation is still in its early stages, but initial indications are that this incident involves parties known to each other.

No other information about this investigation will be released at this time .

Traffic in the area will be closed for the next few hours while investigators obtain authorization to gain entry to the residence.

.
Photo: Aaron Preston

UPDATE: 8:45 p.m.

There are still six firefighters on scene at the Antler Beach fire, according to fire information officer Rachel Witt.

They will likely work late into the night.

Air tankers were able to complete their objective of putting retardant around the fire, and nothing is threatened in the area, she said.

UPDATE: 6:03 p.m.

According to fire information officer Kelsey Winter, they are currently responding to a fire south of Peachland.

It is spot sized at this time and exhibiting mild fire behaviour. It is also in the forest and no structures are immediately threatened.

The B.C. Wildfire Service has one helicopter and four firefighters currently assigned to this incident.

ORIGINAL

Castanet is receiving several reports of a fire now burning south of Peachland.

We will bring you more details as they become available.
Photo: Contributed

UPDATE: 8:37 p.m.

According to fire information officer Rachel Witt, there are currently 18 firefighters on scene at the Wolfe Creek fire, burning east of Princeton.

It is estimated to be 1.5 hectares in size and is a smouldering ground fire with minimum open flame.

Nothing is threatened in the area, but Highway 3 is still closed, she said.

ORIGINAL: 6 p.m.

Highway 3 is currently closed at Princeton for eastbound traffic and 30 kilometres east of Princeton at Sterling Creek Bridge for westbound traffic because of a forest fire, according to DriveBC.

People are advised to consider using an alternate route. The estimated time of opening is not available at this time.

Fire information officer Kelsey Winter said the fire is burning in the Wolfe Creek area.

It is currently 1.5 hectares in size and there are 18 firefighters assigned to the incident.

Castanet will provide more details as they become available.
Photo: Google Street View

Kamloops RCMP are investigating a suspicious death at a local motel.

About 11:30 a.m. Saturday, police were alerted to the discovery of a body at the Super 8 Motel on Hugh Allan Drive.

The RCMP Serious Crime Unit and B.C. Coroners Service are currently investigating.

The case is in the preliminary stages, and police are not releasing any further details at this time, Staff Sgt. Edward Preto said in a press release.
Crews from Vernon Fire Rescue and the Ministry of Forests were battling a wildfire just north of the Predator Ridge resort, near Vernon, Saturday afternoon and were expected to be there overnight.

The fire is seven to nine hectares in size, according to Tanya Laing Gahr, City of Vernon spokesperson.

Eleven air tankers dropped fire retardant around the blaze before departing as dusk fell, she said. Helicopters and skimmers dropped water on the fire.

The perimeter is said to be mostly contained.

There have been no evacuations but some homes are on evacuation alert.
Photo: energyeastpipeline.com

Five things to watch this week in Canadian business:

Energy East: The National Energy Board resumes hearings into the proposed Energy East Pipeline on Monday in Montreal, where the project has stirred much outcry. Among the harshest critics of the pipeline is Mayor Denis Coderre, the first person scheduled to speak before the regulatory panel.

Little Trouble in Big China? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads to Beijing beginning Tuesday for a week-long visit to China, where concerns are rising that a dispute over canola could overshadow efforts to build economic ties. The Chinese government has given Canada until Thursday to cut the level of foreign material  such as other plants and weed seeds  found in canola exports to China. Canada's canola industry says the squabble poses a threat to producers here.

Retail earnings: A smattering of retail industry earnings come out this week. Alimentation Couche-Tard, vying to become the largest convenience store operator in Canada and the U.S., reports Tuesday. Lululemon and Dollarama are out with their results Thursday.

Big Banks: The last of Canada's big banks will release their third-quarter results next week, with Scotiabank reporting Tuesday and National Bank the following day. Profits are up for the banks that have reported so far, despite worries over bad loans to companies in the oilpatch. But one sector becoming of increasing concern? Real estate.

GDP: Statistics Canada releases GDP figures for the second quarter on Wednesday. All expectations are it will contain bad news, as the three-month period from April to June encompasses the wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alta., which forced the suspension of several oilsands operations. In May, the economy registered an economic contraction of 0.6 per cent  its worst one-month showing since the recession seven years ago.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Free trade talks between the European Union and the United States have failed, Germany's economy minister said Sunday, citing a lack of progress on any of the major sections of the long-running negotiations.

Both Washington and Brussels have pushed for a deal by the end of the year, despite strong misgivings among some EU member states over the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP.

Sigmar Gabriel, who is also Germany's Vice Chancellor, compared the TTIP negotiations unfavourably with a free trade deal forged between the 28-nation EU and Canada, which he said was fairer for both sides.

"In my opinion, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it," Gabriel said during a question-and-answer session with citizens in Berlin.

He noted that in 14 rounds of talks, the two sides haven't agreed on a single common item out of 27 chapters being discussed.

Gabriel accused Washington of being "angry" about the deal that the EU struck with Canada, known as CETA, because it contains elements the U.S. doesn't want to see in the TTIP.

"We mustn't submit to the American proposals," said Gabriel, who is also the head of Germany's centre-left Social Democratic Party.

Gabriel's ministry isn't directly involved in the negotiations with Washington because trade agreements are negotiated at the EU level. But such a damning verdict from a leading official in Europe's biggest economy is likely to make further talks between the EU executive and the Obama administration harder.

Gabriel's comments contrast with those of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said last month that TTIP was "absolutely in Europe's interest."

Popular opposition to a free trade agreement with the United States is strong in Germany. Campaigners have called for nationwide protests against the talks on Sept. 17  about year before Germany's next general election.
Photo: Omer Vautour

UPDATE 3:44 P.M.

The cause of the Kokanee Road fire has been determined.

Vernon deputy fire chief Lawrie Skolrood said the fire was caused by a downed power line.

It was a line coming loose off a power pole. It appears to have come down in the wind and it appears to have ignited one of the trees, said Skolrood. It was a power line out in the middle of nowhere.

Fire information officer Rachel Witt said the fire is 95 per cent contained and is in the mop up stage.

Witt said 20 more forestry firefighters arrived on scene this afternoon.

VFR Chief Keith Green said the wildfire crews are being assisted by eight Vernon firefighters.

"The fire is all contained and now we are just walking through putting out hotspots," said Green.

UPDATE: 10:30 a.m

The City of Vernon reports that the Kokanee Road fire near Predator Ridge is fully contained.

Emergency personnel have now rescinded the evacuation alert for approximately 45 residences in the area.

There are still some existing hot spots and noticeable smoke in the area, and firefighters will continue to monitor the area, writes the city.

ORIGINAL: 7:45 a.m.

Provincial firefighters remain on the scene alongside the Vernon Fire Department Sunday as they work to mop-up the wildfire near Predator Ridge.

The province has named this fire the Kokanee Road Fire and will continue to work on it throughout the day.

Fire information officer Rachel Witt says the blaze is almost entirely contained and is holding at about six hectares in size.

There was very minimal growth overnight, says Witt. The fire is currently showing Rank 1 fire behaviour, with very minimal smoke.

Witt says three provincial firefighters remain on site this morning. That small crew will be replaced by a larger crew of 20 provincial firefighters later today, to continue to mop-up the blaze.

Crews will be working on mop-up operations, including danger-tree falling and applying water on hot spots, says Witt.

Crews overnight were able to continue working on the fire perimeter and establish quite a bit of containment.

An exact containment number is still be calculated.

Witt says weather conditions were favourable for crews fighting this blaze, as well as those fighting the Antler Beach and Wolfe Creek fires.

They are all in mop-up, crews are on site at all of them, says Witt. With this weather we are seeing right now, it is definitely helpful with decreasing fire behaviour.

Vernon got some precipitation overnight and Witt says other areas have remained cooler with minimal wind.

It does take quite a bit of precipitation to put out a wildfire, but it is definitely helpful, says Witt. That with cooler temperatures in all three areas. And, as of this morning, wind has been pretty calm.

The evacuation alert for nearby residents will remain in place until further notice

Send all your fire photos, video and tips to [email protected]
Photo: Twitter - @128oldschool

UPDATE: 4:35 P.M.

The BC Wildfire Service said the Wolfe Creek fire east of Princeton is still at 75 per cent containment as of late Sunday afternoon.

However, fire information officer Rachel Witt said cooler temperatures and calmer winds than on Saturday have helped crews with fire suppression.

ORIGINAL: 8:26 A.M.

The Wolfe Creek fire east of Princeton is 75 per cent contained this morning and has been more accurately mapped at about five hectares in size.

Fire information officer Rachel Witt says crews worked late last to put a guard around the entire perimeter of the blaze.

This morning there are 14 firefighters on site, says Witt. Today they are working on mop-up.

Highway 3 has reopened through the area.

DriveBC warns motorists there is limited visibility in the area due to smoke.

Witt says weather conditions were favourable for crews fighting this blaze, as well as those fighting the Antler Beach and Predator Ridge fires.

They are all in mop-up, crews are on site at all of them, says Witt. With this weather we are seeing right now, it is definitely helpful with decreasing fire behaviour.

Vernon got some precipitation overnight and Witt says other areas have remained cooler with minimal wind.

It does take quite a bit of precipitation to put out a wildfire, but it is definitely helpful, says Witt. That with cooler temperatures in all three areas. And, as of this morning, wind has been pretty calm.

Send all your fire photos, video and tips to [email protected]
Michael Wilson is back in Bradley County, and was escorted into the Correctional Facility around 8:15 p.m. Wilsons first appearance in court will be on Monday, at 9 a.m. in the Bradley County General Sessions Courtroom at the Judicial Complex at 2290 Blythe Ave.

Wilson was arrested last week, after endangered Bradley County child Skyla Wilson was found safe in Colorado with him, her non-custodial father.

At approximately 9:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, a multi-agency traffic stop on I-70 by the Grand Junction, Co., Police Department, Palisade Co., Police Department, and Mesa County Sheriffs Office led to the recovery of the child.

Authorities said, "Skyla Wilson is safe and appears to be unharmed, while Michael Wilson has been taken into custody in order to be extradited back to Bradley County."

Wilson has an outstanding warrant for custodial interference in which investigators will seek to amend the charge to aggravated kidnapping.

The Grand Junction Colorado Police Department is the investigative agency and has been working closely with Bradley County investigators, it was stated.
Nykea Aldridge's mother, Diann Aldridge, right, comforts two of Nykea's four children, Summer, 12, and Shavae, 8, from left, during a vigil on Aug. 28, 2016, at New Creation Church in Chicago. (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune)

Nykea Aldridge was a "real fashionista," whose favorite color was purple and who loved creating elaborate hair styles, according to her family.

The 32-year-old was a talented writer. She was extremely close with her extended family, bickering with and annoying her nieces and nephew more like a sister than an aunt.

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Dozens of relatives and friends gathered Sunday afternoon to mourn Aldridge, who was shot to death in the Parkway Gardens neighborhood two days earlier. As they sobbed and struggled to cope with the trauma, two brothers appeared in Cook County bond court across town, charged with murder in killing Aldridge, a cousin of Chicago Bulls guard Dwyane Wade.

"This is my baby girl," Aldridge's mother, Diann, said through sobs, holding a photo of her daughter. "Her life is gone too soon. Too soon she was taken away from us. We're just thankful to God that she was here on this earth as long as she was to bring joy to our hearts. She was an awesome, little quiet storm of a daughter."

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Nykea Aldridge, 32, cousin of Chicago Bulls star Dwyane Wade, was shot and killed on Aug. 26, 2016, as she was pushing her baby in a stroller on the South Side. (Family photo)

Derren Sorrells, 22, and Darwin Sorrells Jr., 26, were charged Sunday with first-degree murder and attempted murder. Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered both held without bail, saying they were a danger to society.

Aldridge was pushing a baby stroller in the 6300 block of South Calumet Avenue at 3:30 p.m. Friday when she was shot. The mother of four, who had been in the area to register her children at the nearby Dulles School of Excellence, was pronounced dead at Stroger Hospital. Aldridge's baby and a man she was walking with weren't hurt in the shooting.

Aldridge's infant girl, Da'Kota, was born Aug. 1, relatives said.

Authorities said the brothers were targeting a man who had driven a group of women from a suburb to Chicago's Parkway Gardens neighborhood.

"These offenders believed the driver may have been armed with a weapon," Chicago police Cmdr. Brendan Deenihan said at a press conference announcing the charges. "At this point, when the (driver) goes back and forth between where he dropped the girls off, the residence and his car. When he comes out to his vehicle, now there's two offenders armed with handguns chasing him down, attempting to kill him, and they miss him and they kill (Aldridge)."

Aldridge was struck four times, including twice in her head, prosecutors said in court.

Nykea Aldridge's mother, Diann Aldridge, speaks about her daughter during a vigil in Nykea's honor on Aug. 28, 2016, at New Creation Church in Chicago. (Michael Tercha/Chicago Tribune) (Michael Tercha / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Moments before the shooting, video surveillance shows Darwin Sorrells with a gun in his waistband and Derren following close behind with a silver handgun in his right hand, according to Assistant State's Attorney Katherine Schoon.

About 2 hours after the shooting, Darwin Sorrells was arrested in the 6400 block of South Martin Luther King Drive, Schoon said.

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The 25-year-old driver identified Darwin Sorrells as the suspect who fired shots at him. However, in a videotaped statement, Darwin Sorrells implicates his brother as the shooter, Schoon said.

Derren Sorrells, who was arrested at his apartment early Saturday morning, admitted to firing multiple shots at the driver in his statement to police.

Darwin, who has one child, has worked full-time at a warehouse for the past six months, according to a public defender. Derren, a father of two, finished 11th grade at Roseland High School. Both are scheduled to return to court on Monday.

Both Sorrells brothers are convicted felons who were on parole at the time of the shooting  prime examples of the judicial system's inability to stop habitual offenders, Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said at a Sunday news conference.

"This tragedy isn't just noteworthy because Ms. Aldridge has a famous family member," Johnson said. Rather, it shows that the cycle of arrests, convictions and parole isn't changing the behavior of those who repeatedly commit crimes, he said.

"Clearly, they don't think we're serious. Clearly, they don't think there's a consequence to their actions. And to be quite honest, we're showing them that there's not. If we're not going to keep you in jail because you choose to use a gun  then what are we doing?"

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Chicago police say two brothers were charged with first-degree murder in the fatal police shooting of Nykea Aldridge. (Tony Briscoe / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

Darwin Sorrells, of the 7500 block of South Wentworth Avenue, served three years in state prison for 2013 convictions of receiving, possessing or selling a stolen vehicle and for unlawful use or possession of a firearm by a felon, according to Illinois Department of Corrections records. He was paroled in early February.

He was convicted in 2011 of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He was sentenced to five years on that charge. He also has felony convictions from 2007 for aggravated battery in a public place and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.

Derren Sorrells, of the 6000 block of South Indiana Avenue, served four years in state prison for 2012 convictions of possession of a stolen vehicle and violating the terms of his electronic monitoring. He was paroled Aug. 12, according to the IDOC website. He also is a documented member of the Gangster Disciples, according to Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.

When asked about the difference in solving Aldridge's killing within days compared with the overwhelming majority of homicides that don't end in arrests, Johnson pointed to the community as being more cooperative because of to the high-profile nature of the case.

"You know why we captured them right away? Because the community helped us with it," Johnson said. "Police officers very rarely witness crime, especially murder or aggravated battery with a firearm.  We take every death in Chicago seriously, but we need the community's help to bring these cases to a successful resolution."

Wade has only commented publicly about the tragedy through his Twitter account, posting on Saturday: "RIP Nykea Aldridge... #EnoughIsEnough" as well as "The city of Chicago is hurting. We need more help & more hands on deck."

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Darwin Sorrells Jr., 26, left, and Derren Sorrells, 22, were charged in the killing of Nykea Aldridge, a cousin of Chicago Bull Dwyane Wade. (Chicago Police Department)

Outside New Creation Church, where Aldridge's aunt and Wade's mother, Jolinda Wade, is the pastor, several mourners wore black T-shirts with the #EnoughIsEnough hashtag printed in white. Many held family photos of Aldridge, some with her wearing her familiar purple, others of her cradling her smiling children.

One niece said Aldridge was in the delivery room when the niece had a baby. Another niece, Raven Roberts, said Aldridge was the first person she told when she found out she was pregnant, and the two mothers planned to go together to have family photos taken with their kids.

Relatives established a trust fund for Aldridge's children: Summer, 12, Sincere, 10, Shavae, 8, and Da'Kota, 4 weeks.

"It's just hard for me right now because we were supposed to grow old together," said Nykea's sister, also named Diann Aldridge.

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Her nephew, Victor Pounds, chuckled as he recalled that Aldridge tended to follow his family whenever they moved from place to place.

"That's my best friend," Pounds said. "That's my twin. We even went and got the same tattoo together."

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Jolinda Wade recalled that relatives always gathered close to Christmastime for a family celebration, and Aldridge would be the first to show up. It was at one of these family get-togethers, she said, that Aldridge read some of her writings and shared with them her ambitions of writing a book.

"Nykea is a very, very special young lady," she said. "We're going to hold on to the memories."

dhrhodes@chicagotribune.com

tbriscoe@chicagotribune.com

meltagouri@chicagotribune.com
Chicago police officers work the scene of a shooting in the 5800 block of South Maplewood Avenue in the Gage Park neighborhood on Aug. 28, 2016. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)

Four people were shot to death and at least 17 others have been wounded in city shootings since about 10 a.m. Sunday, according to police.

Most recently, around 12:30 a.m. Monday, a 35-year-old woman was fatally shot during a domestic incident in the Roseland neighborhood on the South Side, police said. The woman, identified as Otha M. Mooney, was shot in the head at her home in the 100 block of West 112th Place, according to police and the Cook County medical examiner's office. She was pronounced dead at 12:55 a.m.

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Officers responded to the area after getting a call of a person shot and found the woman unresponsive on the scene. A 43-year-old man was taken into custody as a result of the shooting. A weapon was recovered, and charges are pending, police said.

Three people were shot, one fatally, in the 6200 block of South Kenneth Avenue about 7:05 p.m. A 21-year-old taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in critical condition was pronounced dead after midnight, and a 24-year-old man and 17-year-old boy each walked into Mount Sinai Hospital with leg wounds.

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The man killed was identified as Roberto Rodriguez, Jr., who lived on the block where he was killed, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. He was pronounced dead at 1:10 a.m. Monday at Christ Medical Center after suffering multiple gunshot wounds, the office determined following an autopsy.

Earlier, on Sunday afternoon, a 20-year-old man was killed in the 5400 block of West Jackson Boulevard in the Austin neighborhood. He was shot about 4:20 p.m. and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said. Police initially said he was 17. Authorities identified the man as Terrence Murphy, of the block where he was shot.

A 45-year-old man was shot to death in the Prairie District neighborhood Sunday morning. Police said witnesses heard an argument before gunfire at about 10 a.m., and police found the man in an alley in the 1800 block of South Michigan Avenue with a gunshot wound to his head.

The shooting took place in an alley between two low-rise apartment buildings on 18th Street, between Michigan and Indiana avenues. Police cruisers and yellow police tape roped off the scene, and red tape was strung around a smaller area about halfway down the alley.

Residents who said they lived in the surrounding buildings congregated across the street on the hot, humid morning sharing what little information they could glean from the police.

One man, who declined to give his name but said he lives in a building adjacent to the alley, said new security cameras were installed facing the alley about six months ago. He said there had been some break-ins of garages facing the alley, which were caught on video, but the old cameras did not have high enough resolution to help police conclusively identify the offenders.

The man also said the building's security company was preparing to help police review the surveillance video with the hope that the shooting also was captured.

Another neighbor, who was out walking her dog, stopped by to find out what was going on. When her friends described who they thought the victim was, she gasped, put her hands over her mouth and choked up in sobs.

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"I think I know who it is," she said. "This is too close to home, you guys."

In nonfatal shootings:

About 1:45 a.m. Monday, a 19-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the South Austin neighborhood on the West Side, police said. The man was outside in the 5200 block of West Washington Boulevard when an attacker in black clothing walked up to him and fired shots, hitting him in the right leg and in the right hand, police said. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

About 12:15 a.m., a 29-year-old woman was wounded in a shooting in the Washington Park neighborhood on the South Side, police said. The woman was sitting on the porch of a home in the 200 block of East 60th Street when someone fired gunshots. She was grazed in the right ankle and refused medical attention at the scene, police said.

About 11:25 p.m. Sunday, a 22-year-old man was grazed in the face during a shooting in the South Chicago neighborhood, police said. The man was in the 8900 block of South Houston Avenue when the shooting happened. He refused to be taken to a hospital for treatment, and no other information was available about the incident, police said.

About 10:40 p.m., a 28-year-old man and a 35-year-old man were wounded in a shooting in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, police said. The two men were standing on a residence porch in the 5500 block of South Throop Street when someone fired shots, striking them, police said. The older man was hit in the buttocks, and the younger man was shot in the back and in the left leg. Both were taken to Stroger Hospital, where their conditions were stabilized, police said. Police said both men were being uncooperative.

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About 9:40 p.m., a 34-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the West Rogers Park neighborhood on the Far North Side, police said. The man was parking his car in the 2500 block of West Glenlake Avenue when an unknown attacker walked up and fired shots at his vehicle. He was shot in the right arm, and he managed to get to Swedish Covenant Hospital by himself. His condition was stabilized, police said.

About 9 p.m., an 18-year-old woman and a 17-year-old girl were wounded in a shooting in the Lawndale neighborhood on the West Side, police said. The two were walking on the sidewalk in the 1000 block of South Independence Boulevard when an unknown attacker emerged from an alley and fired shots. Both the woman and the girl were hit in the left side. Both were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital. The girl was listed in critical condition, and the woman's condition was stabilized, police said.

About 9 p.m., a 50-year-old man was wounded in a shooting in the Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, police said. The man was driving north in the 5600 block of South Emerald Avenue when he passed a group of people on the west side of the street. Someone in the group pulled out a gun and fired shots, hitting him in the chest and head. He was taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, said Officer Veejay Zala, a Chicago police spokesman.

About 8:20 p.m., an 18-year-old man was wounded in drive-by shooting in the South Shore neighborhood on the South Side, Zala said. The man was standing on the sidewalk near 67th Street and East End Avenue when a gray or silver sedan drove by and someone inside it fired shots. The man was shot in the left leg and left arm. He was he was taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, Zala said.

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A 26-year-old man was shot in the 5100 block of South Wolcott Avenue in the Back of the Yards neighborhood about 6:50 p.m. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in stable condition with a torso wound, police said.

Two teens were shot in the 700 block of West 123rd Street about 5:15 p.m. A 16-year-old was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn in stable condition with a wound to his left shoulder and a 17-year-old was shot in the left side of his body and taken to MetroSouth Medical Center, where his condition was stabilized. The teens were on a sidewalk when someone fired toward them from a blue sedan, police said.

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A man was shot in the 5600 block of South Campbell Avenue in the Gage Park neighborhood about 3:15 p.m. Police on patrol heard gunfire and responded. Residents pointed out the shooter, who fled when police tried to stop him. At least one officer fired at the suspect during the chase, though he was not hit. The man who had been shot was taken Mount Sinai Hospital. Two officers suffered minor injuries, police said.

In another shooting Sunday, a 30-year-old man was wounded in the abdomen in the 10100 block of South State Street in the Roseland neighborhood about 12:15 p.m. He was trying to drive himself to a hospital when he crashed into a car carrying two adults and two children. The man who had been shot was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in serious condition, authorities said.

Fire Department officials said a 1-month-old boy was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in serious-to-critical condition as a result of the crash, along with a 24-year-old woman in fair-to-serious condition. A 45-year-old woman and a girl, who was 5 or 6 years old, were taken to Roseland Community Hospital in fair-to-serious condition.

dhrhodes@chicagotribune.com

pnickeas@chicagotribune.com
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio  Authorities say a man took his own life at an eastern Ohio courthouse moments after he was sentenced to 13 years in prison.



Jefferson County prosecutor Jane Hanlin says 42-year-old Jason Binkiewicz was being led out of the courtroom by a deputy Friday when he got away and threw himself over the building's third floor banister. He was then pronounced dead.



Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla says the deputy grabbed the handcuffed man's clothing as he jumped, but could have gone over, too, if he held on.



Binkiewicz was sentenced on attempted murder and felony assault charges after he was found guilty in July of shooting a man in the face.



Abdalla says the attorney general's office and Steubenville police will investigate Binkiewicz's death.



A message seeking comment was left Saturday with an attorney for Binkiewicz.

Associated Press
The world economy has undergone major changes since the international financial crisis in 2008 with changes in the position of developing economies being crucial in this  China's in particular. However, these shifts have not been adequately reflected in corresponding changes in global economic governance. This latter problem reflects in an interrelated way defects in the structure of international economic bodies and in the strategies they have pursued. This article analyses the interrelation of both processes.

Trends in the world economy

Starting with the world economy's structure, Table 1 shows longer term changes in world GDP and trade and those since the international financial crisis. The years chosen to demonstrate the key trends are:

 1989  year of formulation of the "Washington Consensus," the dominant development strategy promoted by the IMF and the World Bank

 1993 - as statistics only becomes available for some countries from that year

 2007 - the last year before the international financial crisis

 2015 - the latest available data.

Table 1 shows that after 1989/1993 a sharp increase in the weight of developing countries in the world economy took place with this accelerating after 2007.

 Developing countries share in world GDP, measured at current exchange rates, rose from 15% in 1993 to 35% in 2015.

 Measured in purchasing power parities (PPPs), developing countries share in world GDP rose from 36% to 53%.

 Developing economies share of world trade rose from 18% to 31%.

China's relative position increased strongly both globally and among developing countries.

 China's share of world GDP at market exchange rates rose from 2% in 1989 to 15% in 2015, while in PPPs it rose from 4% to 17%. China's share of world trade rose from 1% to 11%.

 As a percentage of developing economies, by 2015 China's share of GDP at current exchange rates was 42%, in PPPs it was 33%, and in trade it was 35%. Table 1 World GDP and Trade 1989 1993 2007 2015 GDP at current exchange rates - % of world total Advanced Economies 84% 84% 75% 64% Developing Economies 16% 15% 25% 35% China 2% 2% 6% 15% China as % Developing Economies 11% 11% 25% 42% GDP at purchasing power parities (PPPs) - % of world total Advanced Economies 63% 63% 55% 47% Developing Economies 36% 36% 44% 53% China 4% 5% 12% 17% China as % Developing Economies 11% 14% 26% 33% % of world trade in goods and services at current $ exchange rates Advanced Economies 83% 83% 75% 69% Developing Economies 17% 18% 25% 31% China 1% 1% 6% 11% China as % Developing Economies 6% 8% 26% 35% Source: Calculated from World Bank World Development Indicators

China's development model

Considering the economic policies which global development demonstrates are the most successful, there is no doubt that China's "socialist development model" was far more successful than the "Washington Consensus" promoted by the IMF and the World Bank.

Table 2 summarises this by showing not only China's annual average rate of per capita GDP growth but the three economies most influenced by its development approach  Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

From 1993-2015, when all four countries can be analysed, China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos ranked respectively 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th in world per capita GDP growth  peripheral cases of countries with populations of less than 5 million or dominated by oil production are not included. From 1989 to 2015 China, Vietnam and Laos ranked respectively 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the world for countries in per capita GDP growth. From 1978 onwards, China ranked 1st among all economies in terms of economic growth.

The contrast between China's economic development model and capitalist alternatives were equally overwhelming in terms of poverty eradication. From 1981, China lifted 728 million people out of World Bank defined poverty. Another socialist country, Vietnam, lifted over 30 million from poverty by the same criteria. The whole of the rest of the world lifted only slightly over 120 million people out of poverty.

In summary 83% of the reduction of the number of those living in poverty in the world was in China, 85% was in socialist countries, and only 15% of the reduction in the number of those living in poverty was in capitalist countries.

Table 2

Per Capita GDP Growth at Inflation Adjusted Prices 1978-2015 1989-2015 1993-2015 Annual average % growth rate China 8.6% 8.8% 8.8% Cambodia n.a. n.a. 5.5% Vietnam n.a. 5.4% 5.4% Laos PDR n.a. 4.8% 5.2% Average all countries1 1.6% 1.8% 2.3% Median all countries1 1.5% 1.6% 2.0% Rank China 1 1 1 Cambodia n.a. n.a. 2 Vietnam n.a. 2 3 Laos PDR n.a. 3 4 Total countries with data1 70 85 94 1. Non-oil dominated economies with populations of more than 5 million in 2015 with data for the period Source: Calculated from World Bank World Development Indicators

Problems in global governance

If the facts show that China's economic development strategy far outperformed the "Washington Consensus," why did a failed economic model continue to be promoted by the IMF and the World Bank? A significant part of the answer lies in problems in the structure of some global economic governance institutions- which no longer corresponds to the shifts in the world economy which have been analysed.

This can be seen clearly in Table 3, which compares percentages of world GDP with voting shares in the IMF and the World Bank's most important lending institution  the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). Three groups of economies are analysed  the US, non-US G7 members, and the most important developing economies -- the BRICS nations. The key features are the following:

 The crucial fact about the US 16.6% IMF voting share is that key decisions require an 85% majority, so the US is the sole country with a veto in the IMF  the US is equally the only country with veto rights concerning the World Bank's structure.

 Non-US G7 members are over represented in voting powers compared to their share of world GDP. At current exchange rates they have 24.9% voting rights in the IMF compared to a 21.9% GDP share, and they are extremely over represented compared to their 15.6% share of world GDP measured in PPPs.

 The BRICS countries, the most important developing economies, are greatly under represented  their share in world GDP at current exchange rates is 22.3%, and in PPPs 30.8%, but their IMF voting share is only 14.2%. This is particularly due to the under representation of China  which is 14.8% of world GDP at current exchange rates, and 17.2% in PPPs, but has only 6.1% of IMF voting rights.

Not only is under representation of key developing countries, particularly China, in world governance bodies unreasonable but it undoubtedly helps maintain in place failed development advice such as the "Washington Consensus."

Table 3

% of World GDP and % of Voting Rights in World Bank International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and IMF % World GDP Voting Rights PPPs Current exchange rates IBRD IMF US 15.8% 24.4% 16.6% 16.6% Non-US G7 members 15.6% 22.0% 24.2% 24.9% Japan 4.2% 5.6% 7.2% 6.2% Germany 3.4% 4.6% 4.2% 5.3% France 2.3% 3.3% 3.9% 4.1% UK 2.4% 3.9% 3.9% 4.1% Italy 1.9% 2.5% 2.5% 3.0% Canada 1.4% 2.1% 2.5% 2.2% Total G7 31.4% 46.4% 40.8% 41.5% BRICS 30.8% 22.3% 13.6% 14.2% Brazil 2.8% 2.4% 1.8% 2.2% Russia 3.2% 1.8% 2.9% 2.6% India 7.0% 2.8% 3.0% 2.6% China 17.2% 14.8% 5.1% 6.1% South Africa 0.6% 0.4% 0.8% 0.6% Sources: Voting rights for IBRD - World Bank, voting rights for IMF IMF, % shares of world GDP calculated from World Bank World Development Indicators

G20's key role

Given that changes in the IMF and the World Bank will take a prolonged period, a major way of moving closer to global economic governance arrangements better corresponding to the real structure of the world economy would be to enhance the G20's role.

Going back to 1989, the G7 at that time was not a formal decision making body but the countries within it played a key role in the world economy accounting for over two thirds (67.4%) of world GDP at current exchange rates. Therefore, the de facto coordination of G7 policies could play a major role in world economic policy making. But by 2015, the G7's weight in world GDP had declined to less than half - 46.4%. In PPPs, the decline was from 47.1% in 1990 to 31.8% in 2015.

In contrast to the declining role of the G7, the G20 economies are now decisive  accounting for over 85% of world GDP at current exchange rates and almost 80% in PPPs. Coordinated action between the G20 countries can therefore play a major role in world economic policy.

Strengthening the G20's role is therefore a key step towards enhanced global economic policy coordination and governance in the new structure of the world economy.

John Ross is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/johnross.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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At least 16 people, all Kyrgyz nationals, were killed and four others injured in a warehouse fire in northeastern Moscow, local media reported Saturday.

At least 16 people, all Kyrgyz nationals, were killed and four others injured in a warehouse fire in northeastern Moscow. [Photo/Xinhua]

The injured have been hospitalized, while 12 people were rescued, the RIA Novosti news agency said, citing an unnamed source.

Preliminary information indicated that the fire was caused by the defect of a light fixture in one of the warehouse sections, and the victims might have lost their way in the heavy smoke when the fire took place, the Interfax news agency quoted local officials as saying.

The fire has been put out, and Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation.
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Senegalese President Macky Sall has said he will push for funding of African economies, equity and fight against tax evasion during the G20 Summit that will be held between Sept. 4 to 5 in Hangzhou, China.

The president who will attend the 11th G20 Summit in his capacity as the chairman of the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), made the remarks during an interview he gave to Chinese media in Dakar.

"There should be more investments than aid for African countries," Sall said.

"Three years ago, I appealed for measures that would help to bring growth to Africa. Africa needs more investments and partnerships," the Senegalese president said.

We must ensure that the partnerships between Africa and other G20 countries are built on mutual interest and in a manner that will allow Africans, African businesses and African governments to access long term financial resources that should be less expensive to allow for development, Sall noted.

"Everyone wins, because Chinese enterprises can work just like other international firms. Africa will achieve development and it will also invest in itself. The funding will enable our economies to recover from the delays witnessed in the priority sectors such as infrastructure and energy," he said.

The second issue that the NEPAD chairman will be raising during the summit of 20 largest economies in the world will be equity and the fight against tax evasion in Africa.

"Africa is a continent which, often, has unfortunately been exploited. Multinationals that operate in capitalistic sectors have always benefited from legislations that totally exonerate them from paying taxes. And yet today, to fund development on the continent, we first need to count on internally mobilized resources," Sall said.

We should therefore change international taxation regime so that wealth created in a country can generate revenue for those countries that have the natural resources, the Senegalese president recommended.

"We can reverse the trend and Africa will not need to ask for aid, because the generated tax resources will positively fund development on the continent," he affirmed.

Sall further expressed hope that the G20 "will help the international community and especially Africa" to be able to achieve growth based on new technologies and investments.

In this regard, he hailed the Forum on China Africa Cooperation, whose last summit was held in Johannesburg where China promised to give Africa financial support of 60 billion U.S. dollars over the next three years.

The 11th edition of the G20 Summit will be held under the theme "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy."
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Sudan and South Sudan on Saturday decided to resume talks on demarcation of their joint border in this September, Sudanese Media Center reported.

"Activities of the joint security committees between Khartoum and Juba concerning the border demarcation process will resume in September in Khartoum," South Sudan's Ambassador in Khartoum Mayan Dot was quoted as saying.

The border demarcation meetings between the two countries were scheduled to resume last June, but they had been delayed several times due to the security conditions in South Sudan.

The South Sudanese ambassador said the two sides have agreed on the timetable set to begin the implementation of the nine joint cooperation agreements between the two countries.

"The joint committees will hold similar meetings in Juba during the coming period to determine the tasks of the committee and implement their assigned commitments," Dot said.

He said South Sudan government has embarked on adopting practical and serious steps to withdraw the army forces for a distance of 10 km inside its territories in coordination with the UN.

In September 2012, Sudan and South Sudan signed a cooperation deal, including nine agreements on outstanding issues between the two countries, in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa under the patronage of the African Union.

The deal included a package of understandings related to security, citizens status, border and economic issues and others related to oil and trade.

However, the signed agreements did not tackle the issues of Abyei and border demarcation.

The border issue constitutes one of the biggest barriers hampering the settlement of differences between Sudan and South Sudan, which involves disputes over five border areas, including Abyei, Dabatal-Fakhar, Jabel Al-Migainis, Samaha and Kafia Kanji.
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Kurdish fighters said they had confronted an attack by the Turkey-backed rebels in northern Syria on Saturday, marking the first clash between the groups, following Ankara's military intervention in northern Syria last Wednesday.

Smoke rises from damaged police headquarters after a suicide truck bombing killed eleven Turkish police officers and injured 78 people on August 26, 2016 in Cizre, southeastern Turkey, in an attack blamed on Kurdish militants, state media said. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Military Council of Jarablus, a part of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the encounter occurred in the village of Amarneh south of the city of Jarablus, which has recently been captured by the Turkey-backed Free Syria Army (FSA).

The SDF said they destroyed three Turkish tanks, a claim that proven right by many Turkish media outlets.

Stopping the SDF advance was the main target of the Turkish military campaign in northern Syria.

On Wednesday, a group of the FSA accompanied by Turkish tanks and special forces crossed the borders from Turkey into Syria, capturing Jarablus from the Islamic State (IS) group.

The operation cut the road before the Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the allied SDF could take that city, as it was the Kurdish groups' next target, following a series of successful operations against the IS in northern Syria near the Turkish borders.

Meanwhile, the Nour Addien Zinki group, part of the FSA, said it had succeeded with the help of other factions of the FSA of capturing Amarneh after clashing with the SDF.

The Turkey-backed campaign came as part of Ankara's double-purpose operation, which aims at clearing the city from the IS and let Syrian rebels fill in the void before the Kurdish fighters could capture the city.

Some observers believed fighting the IS was not the priority of Turkey, saying that Ankara fears the advance of Kurdish forces in northern Syria toward Jarablus.

Turkey, which has more than 20 million Kurds in its southern region, has long opposed any expansion of Kurdish influence near its border, fearing the threat to its territorial integrity.

On Saturday, Turkey sent more tanks to back up the FSA in the battles against the Kurdish-led groups.
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The UN Security Council "strongly condemned" the launching of a submarine-launched ballistic missile by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Aug. 23, saying that the launch is "in grave violation of" the Pyongyang's international obligations under relevant Security Council resolutions.

In a statement issued late Friday, the 15-nation UN body also strongly condemned the ballistic missile launches conducted by the DPRK on Aug. 2 and July 18, and the launching of a submarine-launched ballistic missile by the DPRK on July 9.

"These launches are in grave violation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's international obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013) and 2270 (2016)," the statement said.

The launch came after South Korea and the United States began their annual military drills on Monday.

The Security Council has adopted five resolutions -- resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013) and 2270 (2016) -- to curb the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs. The latest one adopted in March imposes the most severe sanctions yet on the country, including an export ban and asset freeze.

"The members of the Security Council deplore all Democratic People's Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including these launches, noting that such activities contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs," said the statement.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea shall refrain from further actions, including nuclear tests, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in North-East Asia at large, expressed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation and welcomed efforts by Council members, as well as other States to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council stress the importance of working to reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond," the statement said.

On Wednesday, the United Nations urged the DPRK to "take steps necessary to de-escalate the situation and return to dialogue on denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.

In a related development, China strongly opposes the planned deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THADD) anti-missile system in South Korea, saying it would worsen tension on the Korean peninsula and threaten regional security.
 Flash

One Turkish soldier was killed and three others wounded after a rocket fired from the People's Protection Units (YPG) forces hit a Turkish tank in northern Syria, the state-run Anadolu news agency said Saturday.

It was the first fatality the Turkish army suffered in its recent military campaign inside Syria.

Meanwhile, Turkish warplanes hit and destroyed a YPG ammunition depot in Syria's Jarablus, military sources told CNN Turk.

The Turkish military, which has entered the Syrian town of Jarablus as part of the "Euphrates Shield" operation to help Syrian rebels sweep the Islamic State (IS) militants off the border, hit late on Thursday the Syrian Kurdish militants by artillery fires.

The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, has been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria.

Ankara has frequently voiced its concern over the YPG's activity along the Turkish border and has been rigid in its stance in not allowing the Democratic Union Party (PYD) militant group to found any kind of de facto Kurdish state in northern Syria.

The Turkish government claims the PYD and its military wing YPG enjoy close connections with the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), including militant and ammunition support through underground tunnels.
China is promoting priority areas and guiding principles designed for structural reform of G20 members, according to Finance Minister Lou Jiwei.

This is vital for achieving the goal of raising the G20's GDP by at least 2 percent by 2018, the minister said.

Lou said G20 finance ministers and central bank governors are also pushing forward organizational reform of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. They have reached a consensus on global cooperation.

"Global economic growth continues to be slow, and policymakers have realized that short-term stimulus does not work well and that structural reform can play an important role," Lou said.

Speaking in Beijing on Friday, he said deepening structural reform can improve productivity and potential growth, driving medium- and long-term growth of the global economy.

"We have confirmed nine priority areas and 48 guiding principles for G20 structural reforms through this year's finance meetings, which will be important for achieving the G20 GDP goal set in Brisbane."

G20 leaders set the goal of lifting GDP by at least 2 percent by 2018 in the Australian city two years ago.

China took over the G20 presidency on Dec 1.

Lou said G20 finance ministers and central bank governors are also perfecting global economic governance to enhance economic vitality such as by pushing forward organizational reform of the IMF and the World Bank.

"Although there are some voices going against the tide of globalization, G20 finance ministers and central bank governors have reached a consensus on global cooperation," Lou said.

He said they have promised they will use all policy tools  monetary, fiscal and structural  individually and collectively to respond to risks, boost confidence and strengthen economic growth.

They also reaffirmed that they will refrain from competitive devaluations, resist all forms of protectionism, consult closely on exchange markets, and prepare well for potential risks caused by Brexit, the refugee problem and terrorism, Lou said.

Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People's Bank of China, said last month that the G20 should remain committed to building an open, strong and resilient financial system.

Lou said China's economy is still the "driver" and "anchor" of the global economy.

"In 2015, China contributed roughly 30 percent to global economic growth, and the contribution rate is expected to remain at a relatively high level this year," he said.

The G20 Leaders Summit will be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on Sept 4 and 5.
Images of the serial killer in Baiyin, Gansu province. [Photo/IC]

Police in Northwest China's Gansu province announce that they have arrested a serial killer who is alleged to have raped and killed 11 women and girls more than 14 years ago.

The 52-year-old suspect, surnamed Gao, has admitted his crimes between 1988 and 2002 in the city of Baiyin in Gansu and the city of Baotou in the neighboring Inner Mongolia.

Police say the suspect also used to cut off body parts of the victims.

Sources with the police say the youngest victim was only 8 years old when she was killed.


NANNING - Ten people were killed when a passenger bus overturned on a highway Sunday morning in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

The accident occurred at around 10 am. Another 32 people were injured, five of whom were seriously wounded, according to police in Nanning, capital of Guangxi.

The bus driver was among those killed.

The injured people have been hospitalized and rescue work is still under way. An investigation panel has been set up to find the cause of the accident.
Xi hails establishment of company, saying it will further modernize industry, military

President Xi Jinping called on Sunday for acceleration of the research, development and manufacturing of aircraft engines and gas turbines to help China to build a strong aviation industry.

His words came after the Aero Engine Corp of China was established in Beijing. Previously, all of the country's aircraft engines were developed and made by Aviation Industry Corp of China.

Setting up the new company is a strategic move that will improve the aviation industry and boost the modernization of the Chinese military, Xi said in a written instruction that was read at the company's establishment ceremony in Beijing on Sunday morning.

Premier Li Keqiang said in his written instruction that engineers at the company should learn from other nations' experience and focus on key technologies for aircraft engines.

Headquartered in Beijing, the AECC has been set up with investment from the State Council, the Beijing municipal government, Aviation Industry Corp of China and Commercial Aircraft Corp of China. It has a registered capital of 50 billion yuan ($7.5 billion) and 96,000 employees, including six academics from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering, according to the company.

Cao Jianguo, 53, former general manager of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, is the AECC chairman. The company's general manager is Li Fangyong, also 53, former deputy general manager at Aviation Industry Corp of China.

Despite China having made tremendous achievements in science, technology and manufacturing industries, aircraft engines remain one of the few fields in which the country still lags largely behind top players, especially the United States.

Because advanced aircraft engines such as the afterburning turbofan, which propels the world's best combat planes including the US' Lockheed Martin F-22 and Russia's Sukhoi Su-35, are so sophisticated, only the five members of the United Nations Security Council are able to develop and produce them.

According to military sources, most of the People's Liberation Army Air Force's best aircraft, such as the J-10 fighter jet and Y-20 transport plane, rely heavily on engines imported from Russia, while the new-generation J-20 stealth fighter jet also used Russian-made engines for its test flight.

In the Made in China 2025 blueprint published by the central government last year, aircraft engines were listed as one of the 10 crucial manufacturing sectors that are of great importance to the nation and would be strongly supported by the government.

Thanks to efforts made by Chinese researchers in the past 10 years, a number of domestically developed engines such as the WS-10 "Taihang" turbofan have been introduced and installed on some J-10 and J-11 fighter jets, observers said.

They added that a certain period of time will be needed to see whether they are reliable and powerful enough to replace the imported ones.

Yin Zeyong, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and head of AECC's science and technology commission, said the company's founding indicates that China is determined to mobilize all resources needed to research and develop key aircraft engine technologies.

Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine, said, "The establishment of an aircraft engine firm will strengthen China's capability in the aviation field and improve efficiency in research and development."

More participation from the private sector should be encouraged in the aircraft engine industry to bolster competition, he added.
Cui Yuying (L, front), deputy director of China's State Council Information Office, talks with a Chinese folk artist during China Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Aug 26, 2016. A series of "Feel China in Kazakhstan" cultural activities kicked off on Friday in the Kazakh capital of Astana and its largest city of Almaty.[Photo/Xinhua]

A series of "Feel China in Kazakhstan" cultural activities kicked off on Friday in the Kazakh capital of Astana and its largest city of Almaty.

Cui Yuying, deputy director of China's State Council Information Office, said at the opening ceremony of the event that Kazakhstan and other countries along the silk road economic belt responded positively after Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the initiative of jointly building the "Silk Road Economic Belt" during his visit here in 2013.

Cui said that with the joint efforts of Chinese President Xi Jinping and President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt initiative connected more closely with Kazakhstan's new economic policy the Bright Road.
Visitors pose for photos during the opening ceremony of China Pavilion at the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Aug. 26, 2016. A series of "Feel China in Kazakhstan" cultural activities kicked off on Friday in the Kazakh capital of Astana and its largest city of Almaty.[Photo/Xinhua]

"I am glad that we can read books here not only in Chinese, but also in Russian and Kazakh languages," said Elizaveta, a primary school teacher in Almaty, as a China Pavilion opened here on Friday in the National Library of Kazakhstan.

The 270-square-meter China Pavilion, an important part of the four-day "Feel China" project in Kazakhstan, was divided into three zones: Chinese traditional culture experience zone; reading zone and smart life experience zone.

In the traditional culture experience zone, visitors could see and learn Chinese traditional cultures, such as musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, abacus, and the magic Tangram, or seven-piece puzzle.

Besides, a three-meter-long Chinese dragon made of a kind of environmentally friendly paper exhibited the Chinese 3D painting carving technique.
Teachers are at a class of the community-based, in-service training in Kenya. [Photo/Chinadaily.com.cn]

Nairobi, Kenya -- Public college is too expensive for 60 percent of teachers in slums, which is why 120 schools are trying community-based training that reduces 75 percent of the cost.

A total of 120 member schools of Complementary Schools Association of Kenya are providing a pilot ECDE Training to teachers from August 22 to 26 to test the cost-effectiveness of community-based, in-service training.

"This is a very important initiative and I am truly thrilled that the city and county of Nairobi has embraced this initiative at the very highest levels," said Koki Muli Grignon, the Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative, Mission of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations.

"Some of our teachers have served up to 15 years with no training and the government urges all informal school teachers to be certified within three years, but no one can afford college training," said Charles Ouma, National Chairman of the Association.

Since more than half of the children in slums are attending low-cost private schools, professional training for teachers will greatly improve their learning outcomes, said Huang Chaoyi, one of the members of the Care for All Kids Foundation from China, the sponsor of the program.

"I send my teachers to community training because the cost is 300 shillings instead of 1,200 per day, while its passing rate in national exam is over 90 percent," said Buluma, a retired government teacher and school manager in Kibera, Kenya.


File photo shows Bolivia's President Evo Morales speaks during a news conference at the presidential palace in La Paz, Bolivia, Aug 26, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

LA PAZ - Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Saturday his government had defeated a "coup d'etat" by protesting miners.

"Once more, the national government has defeated a coup d'etat," and the minors' protests showed a "clear intent" to destabilize the government, Morales said at a press conference in the city of Cochabamba.

Many miners were coerced into protests by union leaders, the president claimed, adding an investigation was underway into the protests and violence.

The miners had blocked a highway in violent protests for more union rights and more mining concessions from the government. Two miners were killed and over 10 police officers were injured in a series of clashes, local media reported.

On Thursday, the whole country was shocked when Bolivian Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes was kidnapped and killed by protesters after he was sent to hold talks with miners.

On Friday, miners decided to dismantle the blockades and end protests after Illanes's death, over which dozens of miners were arrested.
China does not pose a security threat and the planned UK nuclear power plant project at Hinkley Point, in which China has a 33 percent stake, should go ahead as soon as possible, Vincent de Rivaz, chief executive officer of EDF said.

State-controlled EDF is the main contractor for the planned reactor in the southwest county of Somerset, with China's CGN providing an estimated 6 billion pounds of the 18 billion pound project. Writing in today's Sunday Telegraph Rivaz said: "We know and trust our Chinese partners. The control systems at Hinkley Point C will be isolated from main systems and the Internet."

British Prime Minister Theresa May announced she was delaying approval of the project shortly after she took office in July, and would announce a decision in September.

May's supporters have said she is merely being cautious, and in any event is sticking to the original timetable agreed with France. Critics have warned that Chinese involvement in the project poses a security risk but experts have dismissed the claims, pointing out that Chinese involvement at this stage is only from an investment point of view.

Under the deal, struck by the then Chancellor George Osborne in David Cameron's administration, Chinese technology would be used to build another plant at Bradwell, in eastern England.

Britain's existing nuclear power stations are in need of replacement, and Hinkley Point will provide power for 7 million households.

China is eager to gain British approval of its reactors, which would give it access to other international markets, given that British safety criteria are amongst the strictest in the world.

Hinkley Point will have a lasting impact on our industrial capacity, and will create thousands of jobs and hundreds of apprenticeships.

"Billions of pounds will be invested in the economy of southwest England. Across Britain, dozens of companies and our own workforce are ready to deliver on this project," de Rivaz wrote.

To contact the reporter : chris@mail.chinadailyuk.com
(Photo : Getty Images.) Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to visit China next week.

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Impending restrictions on Canada's canola exports is likely to dominate talks during Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to China next week.



Ottawa says it wants to settle the canola issue, but China has accused Canada of being inflexible and has threatened to look to other countries for importing canola.



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Trudeau is scheduled to visit China from August 30 to September 6, where he is also scheduled to attend the G20 Summit next week at Hangzhou.



Earlier this year, China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine (AQSIQ) announced that it would enforce stricter quality inspections for canola shipments from Canada starting from September 1. AQSIQ had earlier fixed April 1 as the deadline but later postponed it.



With final deadline barely one week away, Trudeau is facing immense pressure from Canada's local canola industry to seek respite from China. Earlier this month, officials from the Canadian government arrived in Beijing to take up the issue with Chinese officials.



The impasse over the canola issue revolves around the dockage level, which denotes the concentration of plants and weeds in canola deliveries from Canada. China fears that current dockage level can spread blackleg diseases in Chinese crops.



China is a huge market for Canada's canola industry. Canada currently exports nearly four million tonnes of canola seeds to China every year. This is approximately 40 percent of Canada's annual canola seed exports.



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TagsCanola, Canada, Canadian canola exports, China and Canada, Justin Trudeau, Canada Prime Minister
(Photo : Getty Images) The Vatican is hopeful of improving its ties with China.

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The Vatican said on Saturday that it is hopeful of improving ties with China after decades of mistrust and tension, following Beijing's decision to sever diplomatic ties with the Holy See in 1951.



Reuters reported that Pope Francis and his secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, are upbeat about restoring diplomatic ties with Beijing.



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"There is much hope and expectation that there will be new developments and a new season in relations between the Holy Sea and China," Parolin said in a speech in Italy. "[This] will benefit not just Catholics in the land of Confucius, but the whole country, which boasts one of the greatest civilizations on the planet."



The restoration of diplomatic ties would benefit both the Vatican and China. For Vatican, good ties with China would offer the prospect of improving the plight of the Christian community in mainland China. For China, improving ties with the Holy See would help to soften the international community's stance on China's human right issues.



Taiwan Remains Alert Amid Fresh Thaw Between China and Vatican



The Vatican's latest overtures towards China comes barely a few days before Taiwan's Vice President Chen Chien-jen is scheduled to embark on a week-long visit to the Holy City. Chen is visiting Vatican to attend a host of religious functions.



Taiwan is reportedly apprehensive about the recent closeness between the Holy See and China. The Vatican is the only Western country that does not have official ties with China, while it is one of the 22 countries and the only European countries that officially recognizes Taiwan.



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TagsVatican, Vatican and China, Vatican and Taiwan, Holy See, china
(Photo : US Navy) USS Texas, a Virginia-class attack submarine, at drydock during her construction. She now patrols Asia.

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The U.S. Navy will send the first of its new and better armed Virginia-class attack submarines being built or soon to be built to patrol Asia and the Pacific Ocean in recognition of the growing threat posed by China and its land- and sea-based ballistic missile force.



The Navy's submarine pivot to Asia comes at a time when the Navy faces a shortage of attack submarines (SSNs) in the 2020s. The Navy claims it can head-off an impending and dangerous shortfall in the numbers of its operational attack submarines by doubling the annual production of its potent Virginia-class (SSN-774) subs.



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Doubling will mean increasing to two subs from one the number of subs rolling-off the shipyards of General Dynamics Electric Boat and Newport News Shipbuilding, the boat's builders, every year.



The Navy's decision to pivot its attack sub fleet to Asia is vital given China's growing ability to hit the United States with nuclear missiles. The Navy enjoys a huge technological advantage in submarine warfare over the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), an edge it intends to maintain in the coming decades.



"With the right missile China now has the maritime capability to strike directly at the homeland ... they are now the second nation that possesses the ability to do that. There is not just one country able to do that but two, underscoring the important of strategic deterrence," said Rear Admiral Charles Richard, Director of Undersea Warfare at the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations.



Adm. Richards has been nominated for promotion to the rank of Vice Admiral and for assignment as Deputy Commander, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska.



Navy commanders are appealing to Congress to help them fast track the building of more Virginia-Class submarines that will join the United States Pacific Fleet based in Hawaii.



Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr., Commander, United States Pacific Command, told Congress earlier this year he would like to see more submarines in his area of operations.



"The Pacific is the principle space where submarines are the most important warfighting capability we have. As far as Virginia-Class submarines, it is the best thing we have," said Adm. Harris to Congress.



"As I mentioned before, we have a shortage in submarines. My submarine requirement is not met in PACOM (Pacific Command)."



The Navy is also turning its Virginia-class SSNs into very heavily armed underwater weapons systems with more than enough missile tube firepower to invalidate China's A2/AD strategy in the Asia.



Called "Virginia Payload Modules," (VPMs) the new missile tubes will increase each Virginia's load of UGM-109 Tomahawk sub-sonic cruise missiles to 40 from 12 by adding 28 more missile tubes. The VPMs will more than triple the offensive strike capability of the Virginia-class SSNs. Each module consists of four 87-inch vertical payload tubes.



The new missile tubes now being built and assembled will equip the 10 Block V subs, the next generation to the Block IV now in service. The U.S. Navy has 12 active Virginia boats out of 48 that will be built until 2043. Five boats are building.



Increasing its undersea strike capability is vital to the Navy's plans to degrade China's A2/AD strategy aimed at keeping U.S. surface warships as far away from the Chinese mainland as possible using ASBMs such as the DF-21D.



China's A2/AD strategy, however, is ineffective against submerged submarines launching cruise missiles.



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TagsU.S. Navy, Virginia-class attack submarines, Asia, china, People's Liberation Army Navy, Rear Admiral Charles Richard, Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr.
(Photo : Getty Images) Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Barack Obama are slated to meet at the upcoming G20 summit next month.

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China and the United States would be attending the upcoming G20 summit next month in the city of Hangzhou despite a clash in their foreign policies -- the US deployment of anti-missile system in Seoul and China's increasing assertiveness in its claims to the disputed waters of the South China Sea.



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As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepares to host the annual summit, political observers said on Saturday that these foreign policy issues have to be addressed quickly by the two nations to avert a possible military confrontation in the Korean peninsula and the disputed South China Sea.



Despite the ruling of an international arbitration court last month rejecting China's claims to almost the entirety of the resource-rich waters of the South China Sea, Beijing continues to reclaim land and construct military facilities such as air strips and reinforced hangars on disputed islands and reefs in the international waterway.



500-page ruling



In a 500-page unanimous ruling by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration on July 12, the court said Beijing violated international law and the Philippines' sovereign and economic rights to explore resources in its exclusive economic zone.



The court's verdict was handed down in a territorial case filed by the Philippines against China in 2013.



Observers have said the ruling could "inspire" other claimant-countries to file lawsuits against Beijing if it continues to deny them access to the resource-rich strategic waterway.



Most militarized area



With competing claims from China, Brunei, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, the South China Sea has been dubbed by the international community as 'one of the most militarized areas on the planet.'



The disputed waterway sits on a huge deposit of natural resources such as gas and oil and where $5 trillion worth of ship-borne trade passes through yearly.



Beijing has said the PCA's ruling would not affect its rights to the territory. The latest satellite images released by a US think tank last week showed that China is constructing of reinforced hangars on several reclaimed islands in the Spratly. The hangars are reportedly capable of accommodating several military aircraft, including fighter jets.



Reinforced hangars



"China is building hangar space for 24 fighter jets and three to four larger military planes at each of its three largest artificial islands," Gregory Poling, director of Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, (ATMI) said.



The US Navy currently dominates the region being the world's largest naval superpower, but analysts have said this is going to change following Beijing's resolve to expand its naval capabilities.



China is hosting this year's G20 summit in the city of Hangzhou and has announced that the South China Sea issue would not be discussed at the global forum.



Chinese authorities said only "economic issues" would be on the agenda during the summit, which will be held from September 2-4.



The summit will bring together leaders of the world's major economies to discuss global, regional, and bilateral issues concerning the organization.



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TagsG20 summit, Hangzhou, South China Sea, foreign policies, United States, china
(Photo : Vietnam People's navy) HQ-011 Dinh Tien Hoang, a Gepard-class frigate, alongside the Kilo-class submarine 182-Hanoi.

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India is poised to leverage Vietnam's upcoming purchase of its BrahMos supersonic cruise missile -- the fastest in the world -- into a strategic advantage that will make it a major player in the maritime crisis pitting China against practically all of Asia.



American sources say Vietnam might soon announce its approval of a deal to purchase an undetermined number of anti-ship BrahMos missile systems to be mounted on warships of the Vietnam People's Navy (VPN). China is strongly opposed to the deal.



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Vietnam has had its eye on BrahMos for the past five years but was constantly rebuffed in its efforts to acquire the missile by the government of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that was wary of offending China.



Singh's successor, Narendra Modi, however, has made the strategic decision standing up to China is in India's best interests and approved the sale of BrahMos last June. Vietnam's communist government has apparently approved the purchase and now only has to reveal it to the public.



Experts said the ship-based BrahMos missile system will arm the VPN's two Russian-made Gepard 3.9-class frigates, its most modern. Two more Gepards are under construction while two more are planned. The Gepards are currently armed with Russian-made Kh-35 Uran-E anti-ship missiles. BrahMos might also be mounted on some of the VPN's 11 corvettes.



The VPN's main weapon against the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), however, are its five Improved Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines made in Russia.



Analysts surmise India might cultivate an alliance with Vietnam to counterbalance China, which is increasingly encroaching on the Indian Ocean. Closer military ties between Vietnam and India might not be opposed by Russia, the main military supplier of both nations.



These ties, however, might complicate or derail Moscow's growing military partnership with China. Whichever outcome will favor India, which is also contending with increasing Chinese assertiveness along the disputed Line of Actual Control, the 4,000 kilometer-long border dividing both countries on the Asian mainland.



India is also angered at China's military assistance to arch-rival Pakistan and was alarmed when Chinese submarines docked at Sri Lanka just off the coast of India.



BrahMos was developed by BrahMos Aerospace, a joint venture between Russia's NPO Mashinostroeyenia and India's Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO)



BrahMos is based on the Russian P-800 Oniks cruise missile. The name BrahMos is derived from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia.



India has also been strengthening its military ties with Vietnam. It's supplying Vietnam with offshore patrol boats under a $100 million credit line, its largest overseas military aid package yet.



By pushing international sales of the sought after BrahMos, India is effectively thumbing its nose at China, which warned India the sale of the missiles to China's enemies is "destabilizing."



Modi has ordered BrahMos Aerospace, which produces the missiles, to speed-up sales to a list of five countries topped by Vietnam. The others countries in the list are Indonesia, South Africa, Chile and Brazil. Indonesia is also involved in the squabble over the South China Sea.



"Policymakers in Delhi were long constrained by the belief that advanced defense cooperation with Washington or Hanoi could provoke aggressive and undesirable responses from Beijing," said Jeff Smith, Director of Asian Security Programs at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington.



"Prime Minister Modi and his team of advisers have essentially turned that thinking on its head, concluding that stronger defense relationships with the U.S., Japan, and Vietnam actually put India on stronger footing in its dealings with China."



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home US Franklin Graham: Target should drop transgender bathroom policy rather than spend $20M to build unisex bathrooms

Evangelical leader Franklin Graham said retail giant Target would do better by dropping its transgender bathroom policy than to spend millions just to add unisex bathrooms.

Graham took to Facebook on Wednesday to share his thoughts on the latest announcement made by Target's Chief Financial Officer Cathy Smith that the company decided to spend $20 million to install in its store chain nationwide private bathrooms that can be locked by November and then by March just after the holiday season.

The president and CEO of Billy Graham Evangelistic Association clearly pointed out that he doesn't think Target's doing a wise business move.

"Their refusal to drop their transgender bathroom policy is going to cost the companyaand the shareholdersabig bucks!" wrote Graham.

He argued that Target would instead benefit greatly business-wise "by not adopting their dangerous policy in the first place!"

In April, the American company formally announced its inclusive bathroom policy that allowed employees in and customers to use the bathrooms and changing facilities according to their gender identification regardless of their biological sex.

Conservative group American Family Association (AFA) responded after a couple of days from the announcement by launching a boycott Target campaign that garnered 1.4 million signatures as of Aug. 22.

Though the retail giant initially refused to acknowledge that the boycott contributed to drops in revenues and customer traffic, Target's latest move reflected the fact that its bathroom policy miffed some of its customers.

"It's clear that some of our guests like and some dislike our inclusive bathroom policy," Smith told reporters.

She also said, "We are not satisfied with our second quarter traffic and sales performance."

AFA President Tim Wildmon wrote a letter to Target's CEO Brian Cornell on Monday to emphasize that though they consider unisex bathrooms as "fine," their main concern surrounds the fact that the store's policy grants easy access to "voyeurs and sexual predators."

"Our request has always been that Target maintain the gender-specific bathrooms as well a if the company is interested in guaranteeing the safety and privacy of women and girls who patronize the retailer's stores," wrote Wildmon.
home US Megachurch Pastor A.R. Bernard on racism and how those in power use it to divide Americans

Megachurch Pastor A.R. Bernard clarified what racism truly means and how those in power use it as a tool to divide the American people and preserve status quo.

The 63-year-old pastor of Christian Cultural Center Megachurch in Brooklyn, New York appeared onstage at the Barclays Center with another megachurch leader, Pastor Carl Lentz, who led the Hillsong NYC conference and asked the former the distinction between racist and racism.

"Racist is a person who has a feeling of superiority above other people by virtue of that person's race," said Pastor Bernard.

"Racism," he added, "is the intentional violence, oppression, marginalization, disenfranchisement against a segment of the society based on race. So if your theology gives you a sense of superiority over other people, then that theology is racist."

He then clarified that a racist engages in racism when the person commits acts to intentionally sideline a particular people on the basis of their race.

The issue of racism in America reverted to the surface with the spate of killings of African-American civilians by white police officers. The Black Lives Matter movement supporting African-Americans as well as the Blue Lives Matter movement, which supports white cops, and the widely criticized All Lives Matter movement reflect the ongoing racial tensions in the U.S.

Pastor Bernard also said he believes that the white people do enjoy certain privileges and that the powerful elite uses racism as a tool to maintain the status quo.

"Racism is a tool of the power elite to reinforce classism," he said. "And it's really classism that divides us.

For this, he asserted that America needs a revolution, particularly "interim movements in order to shake up that status quo" and urged Christians to join in by participating in the political process.

He argued that Christians don't need to wait for something drastic to personally happen in their lives before they take part in the action.

In this way, Pastor Bernard resonated the challenge made by Pastor Jamal Bryant, a megachurch pastor and the founder of Baltimore's Empowerment Temple AME Church, on the American Church.

Pastor Bryant, an advocate for the Black Lives Matter movement, criticized the Church for its obvious absence in the civil rights movement.
home Faith Slain Mississippi nuns had spent lives helping the poor and sick

The two Catholic nuns found dead in their home in rural Mississippi on Thursday spent their lives serving the sick and the poorest.

Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, both 68, were found dead Thursday morning when they failed to report to work at Lexington Medical Clinic where they served as nurse practitioners for years. Official reports reveal stab wounds, signs of a break-in, and that the authorities later found the victims' missing car abandoned.

Those who personally knew and worked with the nuns talked about the huge loss of their sudden deaths.

"They were two of the sweetest, most gentle women you can imagine. Their vocation was helping the poor," Rev. Greg Plata, head of the 35-member St. Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington attended by the sisters, told The Clarion-Ledger.

The small congregation cancelled their weekly Bible studies and meal this Thursday night.

"They would do anything for anybody. Folks in Holmes County don't realize the impact it will have without them being here," CBS News quoted lay leader Sam Sample as saying.

Lisa Dew, the manager at Lexington Medical Clinic, said the nuns were instrumental in acquiring medicines for the patients as well as cultivating care and relationships.

"I think their absence is going to be felt for a long, long time," said Dew. "Holmes County, it's one of the poorest in the state. There's a lot of people here who depended on them for their care and their medicines. It's going to be rough."

The nuns' co-worker Dr. Elias Abboud said that the rural county relied on at least 25 percent medical aid from the clinic.

"I think the community is going to be different after this. You need somebody with that passion to love the people and work in the underserved area," said Abboud.

Held belonged to the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee for 49 years while Merrill worked with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth in Kentucky for 30 years.

The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth featured the vocation of the two nuns in a 2010 article for their publication The Journey.

"We simple do what we can wherever God places us," Merrill told the publication.
home World Islamic mob burns down house of fellow Muslim, kill 8, because he helped Christian student

A kindhearted Muslim man volunteered to help a Christian student who was mobbed for alleged blasphemy in Zamfara State, Nigeria. Radical Muslims ran amok and set the man's home on fire, killing eight people.

The anger of the Muslims led to a riot in the Abdu Gusau Polytechnic in Talata-Mafara, Zamfara State, a local church leader said to International Christian Concern (ICC). The radical mob of Muslim students destroyed Christian campus offices, after which they proceeded to wreak havoc in the town proper.

"When I heard this from my pastor and one of my members, I immediately called some security officials because the radicals went on rampage in town," said Rev. John Danbinta, Anglican Bishop of Zamfara, in an interview with ICC.

He relayed that the mob then burned down the home of the Muslim who volunteered to take the assaulted Christian to the hospital. The eight victims ravaged by the fire were all Muslims, Danbinta said.

The Muslim man, identified only as Tajudeen, and his wife were reportedly not among the victims.

Bishop Danbinta continued his account and said, "They went to ECWA Church, Living Church, and Anglican Church. They vandalized the Anglican Church pastorium, destroying electronics and other property. Things would have been worse but for the intervention of security agencies."

The chain of events started on Aug. 21, when a discussion between a Christian student and a Muslim student turned into a heated argument.

A violent mob of Muslim students assaulted the Christian and nearly beat him to death. Witnesses heard the mob accusing him of insulting the prophet Muhammad and saying that he deserved to die because of blasphemy.

Northern Nigeria has a long history of radical Muslims attacking Christians for alleged blasphemy. In a series of tweets, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his anguish over the violence and promised that justice will be served.
home World Rescued Chibok schoolgirl: 'God rescued me, He will also rescue them'

More than 200 Chibok schoolgirls were kidnapped by an Islamist militant group in 2014. The news drew massive criticism and started the global campaign #BringBackOurGirls. Two years later, one of the handful of girls who has made it back has testified that she believes God will save her schoolmates just as He saved her.

Amina Ali, 21, was the first Chibok schoolgirl to go home last May after a brutal terrorist kidnapping by Boko Haram. She was found together with her four-month-old baby in Borno state near Damboa by a vigilante group working with soldiers in the area.

Despite having safely returned home, Ali confessed that her classmates were still on her mind. The Islamist group recently published a video showing a dozen Chibok girls, and a masked man announcing that some of the girls were killed in air strikes.

"I think about them a lot a I would tell them to be hopeful and prayerful," Ali said in an exclusive interview with Reuters.

She added that the militants did not frighten her because her faith in God was much stronger than her fear, "I am not scared of Boko Haram a they are not my God." She said she was strengthened by her experience and was confident that God will also rescue her classmates.

Ali shared that many of them starved and only had raw maize to eat. Some of the captives died in captivity while others suffered leg injuries. She also had classmates who turned deaf because they were kept too close to the explosion areas in the Sambisa forest.

While in captivity, Ali was married to a suspected Boko Haram militant named Mohammed Hayatu. He reportedly told a witness that he had also been kidnapped by the terrorist group.

In an interview with CNN, Ali disclosed, "I'm not comfortable with the way I'm being kept from him." Updated reports said that she escaped together with her husband and were found with their daughter in the outskirts of the Sambisa forest.

Hayatu was detained in a military site and is undergoing interrogation headed by Nigeria's intelligence agency.

Ali said she did not know where her husband is and wants to be reunited with him. "I want you to know that I'm still thinking about you, and just because we are separated doesn't mean I have forgotten about you," she added.

Ali is currently staying in a secluded house and going through a "restoration process" under the Nigerian government in Abuja capital. Reports said that she is eager to go home.
Christian shot by Muslim hater saved others before he died

Following the footsteps of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our salvation, the 37-year-old Arab Christian man killed by a supposed Muslim hater reportedly saved the lives of at least two people, including his mother, before he was shot dead.

Haifa Jabara, the mother of slain Christian Khalid Jabara, shared how her son even managed to call her up after being shot to warn her to stay away from their house. The suspect, a 61-year-old white man named Stanley Vernon Majors, attacked Jabara right in front of their house in Oklahoma.

"He called me and said, 'Mom, stay where you are  this guy we learned has a gun. Please stay away!'" Haifa Jabara said, as quoted by Fox News.

"He saved my life. Because if I came, definitely he would shoot me because he tried to kill me," she added, recalling an incident in September last year when Majors allegedly attempted to run her over with a car.

The victim's mother also narrated how she heard over the phone a portion of the altercation when the gunman was already threatening her son.

"I heard, 'I told you it's coming!' Like, I'm going to shoot you," she recalled.

Majors had harassed the Jabara family in the past before fatally shooting Khalid. Members of the Orthodox Christian family have been earlier called offensive names by the gunman such as "dirty Arabs," "filthy Lebanese," "Aye-rabs" and "Mooslems" despite the fact that they are not Muslims.

Khalid's first cousin, Tania Jabara, was also among those saved by the Arab Christian before he succumbed to the gunshot wounds inflicted on him by Majors. She recalled how Khalid asked her to flee and protect her life instead of risking being the next target of the gunman.

"He told her, 'Go away, go away! He has a gun! He has a gun!'" Tania said. "And he was already shot and then Majors was hiding behind Khalid and he came like this (motioning to show a gun being pointed at the woman)."
Man in horrific crash sees vision of God in 'glowing chariot' flying through the air, lifting and saving him

Michael Fogarty was already clinically dead when rescuers came to pry him loose from his car after a horrific road accident in Cumberland, Rhode Island, U.S.A.

A head-on collision with another vehicle cracked his skull, punctured his frontal lobe, blinded his eye and detached his spine from his skull among many other terrible injuries he suffered.

But Fogarty is able to relate all the details that happened that fateful night because he is alive to tell all about the tragedy and his remarkable encounter with God who, he says, took him in His "glowing chariot" into safety, according to God Reports.

"I was dead at the scene, so they didn't worry about me losing blood or hurting me," he recounts. "They cut off the back door and my seat to get to me because I was so pinned."

Although his heart stopped beating, paramedics were able to revive Fogarty at the scene, stabilise him, and transport him to the hospital.

Fogarty went into a coma upon arriving at the hospital. It was during this timetwo-and-a-half days in coma, according to the doctorsthat Fogarty had an amazing encounter with God that changed his life.

"I saw an old fashioned chariot being pulled by horses. It was so bright you couldn't tell what was pulling it. It was glowing from the inside of the cart," he says.

"The next thing I know everything was bright and golden and yellowish as could be. Then I was whisked away by God. I felt his comfort and warmth," he says.

Fogarty says as they were flying through the air, a voice, presumably God's, told him, "This is what you'll be leaving behind."

Then he saw the place where he works, his girlfriend's house, their friends, his parents' house and even tiny details like the three parking spots in front of the garage where they parked and the 18 inches of fresh snow in his empty parking spot.

Then he awoke from his coma and heard the doctors telling his parents that if their son survived he would probably be paralysed from the neck down, definitely from the waist down, and that he would most likely live in a vegetative state.

But Fogarty shocked everyone when "by the grace of God I walked out of that hospital" 13 days later.

His mother picked him up and drove him home. He then noticed four inches of snow in his empty parking spot.

"Mom, when did it snow?" he asked.

"It snowed the night of your accident...It snowed 18 inches the night of your accident," she answered.

Forgarty believes that small detail, which he saw in his vision, was God's confirmation that his encounter with Him was real.
Mars Hill racketeering case against Mark Driscoll and former elder dismissed

Former Mars Hill pastor Mark Driscoll, and his former executive elder Sutton Turner, have had a civil racketeering case against them dismissed.

A judge on Thursday ruled that the suit was dismissed without prejudice. Both Driscoll and Turner had denied the charges.

Driscoll, who now leads Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona, told the Christian Post: "I am grateful to God for the dismissal of these false and malicious allegations.

"I remain steadfast and committed to preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am forever humbled and thankful for the prayers and tremendous support of family, friends, and fellow pastors."

In a blog post, Turner said: "To many, it would appear that the final chapter of Mars Hill's history is now closed, and for the most part they would be correct. However, I am still learning and healing from the experience, and I hope to help others do the same."

He added: These past two years have been extremely challenging for my family and me, and the harsh and even defaming statements in the lawsuit were quite painful. Through it all, we have clung to God's promises and we know that what man meant for evil God meant for good (Gen. 50:20)! I remain committed to seek reconciliation, and I plan to meet people on my next trip to Seattle (Luke 17:3-4, Matthew 5:23-24, 18:15, 6:14-15, Mark 11:25). I will not respond to the Plaintiff legally with a counter-suit (1 Cor. 6:1-6). I will not act like a victim of the culture, which I was not (Romans 8:28). I will continue to not be silent (Col. 3:12-17) but listen to Jesus and continue to help others where opportunities arise."

The case against Driscoll and Turner was brought by Brian and Connie Jacobsen and Ryan and Arica Kildea, former Mars Hill members, who said they should be reimbursed the $92,000 they donated to the church and receive triple the amount in damages.

The suit alleged that Driscoll and Turner were guilty of racketeering in how they conducted the church's affairs.

Following the judge's decision on Thursday, Brian Jacobson told RNS: "The plaintiffs will be considering our options for moving forward with this lawsuit.

"We are ready to refile, if someone stepped up and offered to fund it. We will also be considering class action and contingent fee possibilities."
Pastor Robert Jeffress slams Joe Biden's terrorism statements as 'absolutely ridiculous'

Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Dallas Church does not see eye to eye with United States Vice President Joe Biden when it comes to terrorism.

Biden recently told The Atlantic, "Terrorism is a real threat, but it's not an existential threat to the existence of the democratic country of the United States of America. Terrorism can cause real problems. It can undermine confidence. It can kill relatively large numbers of people. But terrorism is not an existential threat."

In response to Biden's statements, Jeffress spoke with Fox Business and said the vice president's beliefs were "absolutely ridiculous."

"Whether we're talking about Turkey, Nice, San Bernardino, Orlando, or now Virginia, all of these attacks share one denominator  they were committed by radical Islamic terrorists," the pastor said.

"Not one of these terrorists, before he committed these atrocities, shouted out 'Jesus Christ is great.' It's always 'Allah is great.' For Joe Biden and our government to not acknowledge this reality is a dereliction of duty that will lead to further attacks," he warned.

Jeffress added that America is only "one or two more ISIS attacks away" from Republican nominee Donald Trump being elected as the next president of the United States. "Unless we do something, we are going to be victims of continued radical Islamic terrorism," he said.

The pastor has been very vocal about his support for Trump. Between Trump and his opponent Hillary Clinton, Jeffress said Trump is the better option because "at least he likes us."

During an interview on the radio programme Right Wing Watch, Jeffress said those who remain committed to opposing Trump are simply "weak," "namby-pamby" and too "proud" because they "can't get over the fact that their candidate didn't win" in the Republican primary.

The pastor, who has met with Trump over the past year on several occasions, has given his assurance to Christians that Trump will always be on their side. "I can tell you, if he becomes president, evangelical Christians will have a true friend in the White House," he asserted.
Tony Perkins denies saying God punishes LGBT people with disasters

Even though his Louisiana home was destroyed by flood, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins drew little sympathy from netizens who lambasted him for reportedly saying that God uses natural disasters to punish the LGBT community.

Perkins clarified later in an article written for Charisma News that the statements attributed to him were inaccurate, and that people were simply putting words in his mouth.

"What I have said, which I repeated yesterday in a sermon at Greenwell Springs Baptist Church, is that I don't know what was behind this flood or any other natural disaster. However, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I believe the Bible which makes clear that God is sovereign over the elements of nature and can and does use them for His purposes," he explained.

Perkins said God allows those same elements to test people's faith and devotion to Him. Regardless of what happens, he believes people's faith in God should be unwavering.

"We are to be on our faces before God, giving thanks in everything, and placing ourselves in total dependence on Him," he said. "We know that in walking in obedience to Him, God will never leave nor forsake those who search for Him and walk with Him."

Even as Christians cry out to God, Perkins said they must also reach out to their fellow citizens who are hurting and needing help. He stressed that it's important to do good for others because that is what God called His children to do.

"The flood has brought together this community as never before as we are learning to depend more on each other and on God. We are thankful for the volunteers and resources that are beginning to arrive from across the country which are so vital to the relief effort as we look toward rebuilding," Perkins said.

He is also grateful to Rev. Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse, which arrived at their church within 48 hours after Perkins called for assistance. "Please join us in prayer that God would use the church to minister to this community in a powerful way," he said.
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September may not be a special month for most Texans, but for millions, it marks the beginning of hunting season.

Dove, alligator, moorhen, geese, javelina, teal and squirrel will have their hunting season kick off in many counties across the state. In particular, those who love to cook dove will find themselves blessed by this year's hunting season changes.

READ MORE: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department expands its options to hunters

"Texas dove hunters can look forward to the longest season in 80 years," the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department explained on their website. "While the traditional opening dates established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service remain fixed, a new 90-day season this fall means hunters will have 20 more days of opportunity compared to previous years."

In Texas, five different species of dove can be hunted. This includes the most recognizable dove of all, the city-dwelling rock pigeon.

READ MORE: Texas hunters gear up for alligator season

Dove season begins Sept. 23 for those in Harris County. The possession limit, or the maximum number of doves that an individual hunter can kill and keep, is 45.

Check out the recipes above for the animals you can legally hunt and keep in the Houston-area.
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On his third orbit of the Earth, Ed White opened the hatch and floated out into thin air.

He remained aloft, tethered to his spacecraft by a golden umbilical cord, as the span of the United States passed, west to east, before him.

It was June 3, 1965 - a halfway point in the decade in which President John F. Kennedy promised to put a man on the moon - when White became the first American to "walk" in space. Houston-directed operations and an international audience watched the launch on satellite television and heard the spacewalk via radio.

Amid the feverish space race with the Soviet Union, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration wanted its astronauts to attempt the first extravehicular activity, known as EVA, a vital threshold in preparing for a lunar landing and exploration. The Soviet space program beat them to it by three months.

More Information BY THE NUMBERS Extravehicular activity, or EVA, has been a vital component of space exploration since Ed White left the Gemini IV capsule in June 1965. Since then, American astronauts have completed hundreds of spacewalks. Here are some key numbers and figures. 160 hours spent on the moon, all between July 1969 and December 1972. 7 of the 12 astronauts who walked on the moon are alive today and in their 80s. 166 hoursspent servicing the Hubble telescope, which has sent a million images from orbit, revealing the birth of galaxies, the age of the universe and the concept of dark energy. 193 EVAsat the International Space Station, 144 U.S. and 49 Russia. 8 hours, 56 minutes logged in longest spacewalk, by Susan Helms and Jim Voss in 2001. See More Collapse

Still, the two-man Gemini IV launch marked several historic firsts. White was first to use a handheld jet gun to maneuver in space. He and Commander James A. McDivitt were the first Americans to undertake a multiple-day mission. And most notably for Earth-bound participants in the space program, Gemini IV was the inaugural flight overseen by Houston's cutting-edge Mission Operations Control Room, which cemented the city's name in the global vernacular as the center of human spaceflight.

The Gemini IV crew knew the voyage was a huge turning point for Houston. It was so monumental that the Bayou City's geography came up during the 20-plus breathtaking minutes one astronaut was in and the other out of the capsule.

"Ed," McDivitt said as White drifted past outside the spacecraft, "I don't know exactly where we are, but it looks like we're about over Texas. As a matter of fact, you know? That area looks like Houston down below us."

Astronauts have made hundreds of spacewalks since that day, most recently involving the International Space Station. The tools and steering methods have revolved from rudimentary to precise, and the walks have become almost routine. And while spacewalks are necessary for astronauts to move from one vehicle to another, they primarily are necessary for installing and repairing equipment.

The first American spacewalk had been a long time coming.

The Soviets were already ahead in the space program by then, and Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov performed the world's first spacewalk on March 18, 1965. It was a feat motivated more by political brinksmanship than science, according to Walt Cunningham, an Apollo generation NASA astronaut who lives in Houston and has long been friends with Leonov.

Americans didn't know until years later that the mission had been perilous for Leonov, who soared outside his spaceship for 10 minutes on a 10-foot extension line. Leonov's visor fogged up and he became dangerously overheated as he tried to work his way, blindly, into the inflatable airlock.

The Soviets wanted to be first and were willing to take chances at the height of the space race to reach their goals, said Michael Neufeld, the senior curator of space history at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Completing the first spacewalk was par for the course.

By the 1960s, NASA engineers and astronauts began planning and training for a practice spacewalk. The original goal was for White to open the hatch and simply stand up in his seat, but a week after Leonov's spacewalk, a group of NASA engineers gathered in Houston to begin planning for White to venture outside the cabin, said Joe McMann, one of the engineers at the secret meeting.

The engineers rigged up a modified spacesuit with an insulated cover layer and a gold-coated visor to protect against infrared radiation. The 25-foot umbilical line contained a tube that delivered oxygen and ventilation to the spacewalker, with wires to monitor his vital signs and transmit communication between him and the pilot. He would move through space using a nitrogen gas propulsion gun that resembled handlebars. He'd have a camera to shoot what turned out to be the clearest images ever taken from space.

Edward Higgins White II was selected to make the walk.

White grew up in San Antonio, the son of a retired Air Force general. He was a star hurdler at West Point who studied aeronautical engineering and flew in the Air Force. He was selected to be an astronaut in 1962 along with Neil Armstrong.

Gemini IV was his first and only flight. He died with two others on Jan. 27, 1967, in a cockpit fire during a test for the Apollo I flight.

During the Gemini IV voyage, McDivitt, also an Air Force pilot and aeronautical engineer, was at the helm for the spacewalk and other projects.

Over three hours into the flight, White put on and pressurized his EVA suit and depressurized the cabin. Over Hawaii, he cranked open the hatch and stood in his seat. McDivitt then told him, "We just had word from Houston. We're ready to have you get out whenever you're ready."

White untangled his feet and separated from the spacecraft. Then he tested the propulsion gun in bursts, which sent him spinning at odd angles. He saluted his commander.

"It's just tremendous," White said. "Looks like we're coming up on the coast of California."

White was hovering above Florida when Houston CAPCOM - capsule communications - ordered him back to the cabin. White was reluctant, lamenting half-jokingly, "It's the saddest moment of my life." He struggled to get back into his seat, to movein his spacesuit, to yank the stiff tubing into the spacecraft and close the hatch, as night fell over the Atlantic.

The spacewalk was a success. And though the mission's attempt to rendezvous with its second-stage rocket failed, the crew completed nearly a dozen experiments during 62 orbits. The capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean four days after launch, on June 7.
Sugar Land's police department is continuing a pilot license plate recognition camera program in the north end of the city, hoping to gather additional data that shows whether the program is worth expanding.

In an update to city council on Aug. 2, Sugar Land Police Chief Doug Brinkley recommended his department continue the $1.6 million pilot program for another six months.

The Sugar Land police department had hoped the cameras would cut down on crime by preventing people from committing crimes and deterring criminals, especially those coming to Sugar Land from Houston.

Though the cameras have led to some arrests, it hasn't changed the city's rising crime rate.

Another six months should be enough time to start to see a difference, Brinkley said.

But James McLaughlin, General Counsel and Executive Director of the Texas Police Chiefs Association, said Brinkley will have his work cut out for him, as it's difficult to show with data how effective the cameras are.

Sugar Land's program placed 74 stationary license plate recognition cameras in 20 locations in the northern end of the city. The pilot area is between West Bellfort Blvd to the North and U.S. 59 to the South, and Dairy Ashford Road to the east and State 6 to the west.

The system alerts police when the cameras scan certain plates, such as ones from stolen vehicles or those of a wanted felon. The police can then dispatch an officer, if necessary.

License plate recognition systems have been especially effective for recovering stolen vehicles, McLaughlin said.

In Sugar Land's case, those stolen vehicles are often coming out of Houston.

"They're good to catch people that you got warrants on for stolen vehicles," McLaughlin said. "That way, you don't have to stop every car."

Since October of 2015, the Sugar Land police department has recovered 38 stolen vehicles.

The department has also made 38 arrests that Brinkley said only happened because of the license plate recognition system.

Most of the arrests  a total of 34  were from stolen vehicles or traffic-related events, Brinkley said.

But Sugar Land's part 1 crime rate  which are serious crimes such as aggravated assault - still increased city-wide by 13.5 percent between 2014 and 2015 city-wide. It increased slightly more, 15 percent, in the pilot area.

"What we're saying is it hasn't reduced the amount of crime," Mayor Joe Zimmerman said at a city council meeting Aug. 2. "It may have helped us solve more crimes."

The lack of convincing data concerned city council members.

"I didn't see a level  that to me shows a promising impact," At-large position 1 council member Himesh Gandhi said at the Aug. 2 meeting.

In determining whether it's worth continuing, officers should take into account the number of arrests stemming from the system, for what crime they are arrested, how well the technology is working and whether it's deterring crime, McLaughlin said.

But it's difficult to get data that can accurately show the impact, McLaughlin added.

For example, some of the drivers stolen cars heading out of Houston have drivers with tools in their cars to commit a burglary or robbery in Sugar Land, Brinkley said.

So the police department could have prevented more than a single crime with the license plate recognition system. But there's no way to know how many crimes that would have been.

"That's just a judgement call, and one that he [Brinkley] has to justify to the council and manager," McLaughlin said.

Difficulty proving success hasn't stopped enforcement agencies with the means, including the Houston Police Department and the Montgomery County Sheriff's office, from investing in license plate recognition systems, though theirs are primarily mobile cameras mounted on patrol vehicles.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has 31 cameras in place. The department has deemed the program a success because deputies act on the alerts the cameras trigger every day, said Brady Fitzgerald, the public information officer at the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office.

The Missouri City police department submitted this year a grant application to get $59,000 in funding to outfit just three cars with cameras.

It's technology Missouri City Police Chief Michael Berezin said he would have liked to have yesterday.

"If we all of a sudden got this windfall of resources, then I'd love to do exactly what Sugar Land is doing," Berezin said.

Sugar Land has budgeted $50,000 in the 2017 fiscal year budget for maintenance and operations of the cameras, though it likely won't use that whole budget, Assistant Chief Scott Schultz said.

This isn't Sugar Land's first foray into license plate recognition systems.

About 10 years ago, Sugar Land police installed mobile license plate recognition cameras in patrol cars, more similar to those still used in Montgomery County and Houston.

When the time came to replace the cameras, the police department opted to invest in a stationary system instead due to reliability and maintenance problems with their vehicular cameras, Schultz said.

Sugar Land also already has three stationary cameras outside of the pilot area, at Sweetwater Blvd and Town Center Blvd, in front of the Cheesecake Factory in First Colony Mall and at City Walk and Texas Drive. Until he comes back to council in six months, Brinkley said he'll be working to get the word out about the cameras.

He's confident he'll be able to justify their expense.

"I think, in the next six months, you'll see tremendous activity as far as the number of arrests and also the use of the system as well," Brinkley said to the Sugar Land City Council.
Sugar Land employees are looking into acquiring the nearly 100-year-old Sugar Land Auditorium, after city council hesitantly gave them the go-ahead, at a meeting Aug. 2.

Fort Bend Independent School District owns the auditorium, located adjacent to Lakeview Elementary. The district only occasionally uses it for school plays and concerts and approached Sugar Land about assuming ownership because the city has more resources to invest in cultural arts, Fort Bend ISD director of media relations Amanda Bubela said in an email.

Sugar Land has a history of involvement with the facility. It chipped in for the auditorium's restoration and has second priority on renting the space, after Fort Bend ISD.

Council members unanimously voted at the Aug. 2 meeting to permit employees to look into the details of acquiring the facility. But that vote came with concern about the cost of maintaining and improving the building, possibly taking resources away from existing cultural arts projects.

"This is all very premature with where our city's at for us to move forward," District 3 Council Member Amy Mitchell said.

Sugar Land has made a recent commitment to the cultural arts.

It hired its first cultural arts manager, Lindsay Davis, who is responsible for writing the city's first public art plan. Sugar Land is also building a festival site, adjacent to the Brazos River Park, and its new performing arts venue, the Smart Financial Centre, is scheduled to begin performances in January.

For Davis, the auditorium could fit well into the city's repertoire, offering a smaller space for local art shows and theater productions. The auditorium seats close to 400, compared to the Smart Financial Centre's 6,400.

"It's a small facility that allows for community organizations to  do something maybe on a more short-term scale, test out ideas and learn how to do performances," Davis said.

Built in 1918, the auditorium is Sugar Land's oldest public building still standing, Dennis Parmer, Executive Director of the Sugar Land Heritage Foundation, said.

It was the auditorium for the then Sugar Land School District, and is a remnant of Sugar Land's history as a company town.

It was used for school performances and community events, ranging from graduation ceremonies to church services to silent movies.

The auditorium's flat roof  which is still accessible  doubled as a dance floor for local parties.

"Any facility that is related to culture and arts is worth a look to me," Davis said. "I personally think that [because] it's a historic building, it's particularly compelling."

Now, the nonprofit Sugar Land Cultural Arts Foundation manages the auditorium's rentals.

Its primary tenant is a community theater company called Inspiration Stage, which puts on about a dozen major plays for adults and children per year, plus theater camps for kids in the summer.

On a Friday morning in August, the sound of campers performing "A Hard Knock Life" during their dress rehearsal of Annie permeated the theater and its lobby, which hosts small rotating exhibits by local artists.

In the corner hung an original Sugar Land High School banner.

Operating and maintenance costs would likely be minimal, should the city acquire the auditorium, Tim Stubenrouch, president of the Sugar Land Cultural Arts Foundation, said.

Revenue from the theater's rentals are about equal to the roughly $25,000 it costs to maintain and operate the facility each year, Stubenrouch said.

And, the Cultural Arts Foundation spent over $1.5 million to renovate the auditorium to its original architecture, including restoring its wood floors and installing replicas of the seats used nearly a hundred years ago.

Renovations were completed about four years ago.

"We believe it's close to profitability, if not close to profitable," Stubenrouch said.

But the facility lacks certain necessities that council members said they would like resolved before moving ahead with acquiring the auditorium. And they would like to do it without spending Sugar Land residents' property tax dollars.

There are no restrooms in the theater for its audience members, who instead use the facilities at neighboring Lakeview Elementary School.

Stubenrouch said the Cultural Arts Foundation has plans to install restrooms, and build a drop-off area in front of the theater, with a price tag estimated between $400,000 and $650,000.

The Cultural Arts Foundation raises about $100,000 per year, and could help fund further capital improvements to the auditorium, Stubenrouch said.

Other council member concerns included the limited parking in the lot next to the theater, and its location in a residential neighborhood.

With city council's go-ahead, Davis has spent the last month gathering more information about the logistics involved in acquiring, maintaining and operating the facility, with the goal of getting some answers to city council in the next few months.

"It really anchors that part of old Sugar Land," Davis said. "If we can remind people where it is, what it does, and how they can utilize it more, I think it can be a really great asset."
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.
AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron man is accused of selling heroin that caused 27 people to overdose in Huntington, West Virginia in a five-hour span.

Bruce Griggs, 22, was charged in U.S. District Court in the Southern District of West Virginia.

Griggs was arrested Thursday in Tallmadge, according to prosecutors.

Federal agents and Huntington police linked Griggs to the Aug. 15 overdoses by interviewing people who survived overdoses and with surveillance video that showed Griggs selling the drugs, according to a federal arrest affidavit.

Several people who survived the overdoses said Griggs went by the name Ben or Benz. Some picked his photo out of a lineup.

Police and first responders revived some of the people who overdosed with Narcan, which reverses the affects of a heroin overdose, according to the affidavit.

Griggs has one felony conviction in 2013 for possessing crack cocaine in Summit County. He was sentenced to 18 months on probation.

Two other felony cases against Griggs were rejected by a county grand jury.

To comment on this post, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
Gary Johnson

In this May 27, 2016, file photo, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson speaks at the National Libertarian Party Convention in Orlando, Fla. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted's office announced Wednesday, Aug. 24 that Libertarian Party activists, seeking to place party nominee Gary Johnson on Ohio's fall ballot, met voter signature requirements when they submitted petitions that listed Charlie Earl, a 2014 candidate for governor, as a placeholder because they began collecting signatures before Johnson's nomination. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

(John Raoux)

Bob Bridges is with the Libertarian Party of Ohio.

Guest columnist Bob Bridges is Chair of the Executive Committee of the Libertarian Party of Ohio. He is also a registered lobbyist, who has represented several pro-liberty causes before the Ohio Legislature.

The upcoming presidential election of 2016 will be unlike any in living memory. The bad news is that the Republicans and Democrats have selected the two most disliked and distrusted candidates ever. But there is a silver lining to this dark cloud. Never before have the opportunities been greater for other parties, like the Libertarian Party, to challenge the stranglehold that those legacy parties have maintained over American politics.

Libertarians believe that we are uniquely positioned to take advantage of this opportunity. The Libertarian ticket features Gary Johnson, former two-term governor of New Mexico, for president, and William Weld, former two-term governor of Massachusetts, for vice-president. Both Johnson and Weld governed as Republicans in heavily Democratic states. Both reduced the size of state government and cut taxes multiple times.

Libertarians believe that everyone should be free to do whatever he or she wishes, so long as he or she does not interfere with his or her neighbor's right to do the same. We follow the traditional Jeffersonian maxim that "That government is best which governs least." Our outlook is fiscally responsible, yet socially tolerant, blending together the hardheaded practicality of conservatives with the compassion of progressives.

The Libertarian ticket is arguably the best qualified this year. Both Johnson and Weld approach the tasks of governing with the experience of men who have run a government, something none of their opponents can match. They advance a brand of Libertarianism, which is practical and pragmatic, appealing beyond the committed Libertarian to reach many mainstream voters

But qualifications go only so far in making a candidacy viable. Partly because of the obvious quality of the Libertarian candidates and partly because of the huge negatives associated with the Democrat and Republican, Johnson and Weld are doing much better than any previous Libertarian ticket. Arguably, they are doing better than any challenger ticket since 1992.

Before he was nominated, Johnson appeared with two other contenders in a televised debate on the Fox Business Channel. Since their nomination, Johnson and Weld have made numerous major media appearances, including being featured in two town hall programs on CNN. They have received the endorsement of elected officials, and business leaders. Recently, Ronald Reagan's son speculated that if his father were alive today, he might well favor Johnson over the GOP's candidate.



Polls are showing levels of support not seen by alternative candidates since Ross Perot. One recent poll showed Johnson to be the number one choice among active duty military personnel. A recent "Investors Business Daily" poll of voters age 18 to 24 showed him in first place, five points ahead of the Democrat.

The key will be getting into the televised debates this fall. According to the rules of the Commission for Presidential Debates, Johnson needs to average 15 percent across several polls. Those numbers are now within reach. The Libertarians' biggest challenge is just getting voters to know who Gary Johnson is. We believe that if he gets the opportunity to debate the Democrat and the Republican before a national TV audience, literally anything is possible.

Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Linda Kinsey at lkinsey@cleveland.com. Essays must also include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today's topics are also welcome.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A man was arrested Sunday afternoon after a four-hour standoff with a Cleveland police SWAT team.

The 22-year-old man was arrested without incident about 1 p.m. on suspicion of aggravated burglary, police said.

The incident started about 9 a.m. Sunday at an apartment building on East 117th Street, just off St. Clair Avenue.

The man broke into a woman's apartment with a knife and tried to attack her, police said. One of the building's residents called police.

Officers tried making contact with him, but he largely ignored the officers, police said.

The SWAT team was called and dozens of officers swarmed the area. A fire truck helped block traffic on St. Clair between East 115th and East 118th. Police tape also blocked off to Sellers Avenue to the north.

Police evacuated the building and continued trying to coax the man to come out of the apartment. He never complied. After about four hours at the home, the SWAT team entered the building through a back door and arrested the man.

The man was treated by emergency medical personnel at the scene. It's unknown if he was injured during the incident.

He will be taken to the Cleveland City Jail, where he will await formal charges and his first court appearance, police said.

The woman, who police and residents said was either his girlfriend or ex-girlfriend, did not appear to be seriously injured.

She was also checked by medical personnel at the scene.

To comment on this post, please visit our crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A Cleveland man who died last week after police say his girlfriend set fire to their West Side duplex died of smoke inhalation, officials said.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner ruled Frank Salamone's Aug. 20 death a homicide.

The 46-year-old man was inside his duplex in the 8600 block of Platten Avenue when police say his girlfriend, Elizabeth Scott, 49, set fire to their home, police said.

Scott then ran outside and down to the end of the street, neighbors said.

A 27-year-old man who rented a room on Scott's side of the duplex jumped from a second-story window and screamed for everyone to get out.

He said he tried multiple times to get back into the home to save Salamone but the flames were too intense.

A family of three living on the other side of the duplex escaped unharmed. Their side of the duplex had a working smoke detector, but Salamone's side didn't, fire officials said.

Neighbors said they saw Scott and Salamone drinking heavily Friday evening.

Salamone was found dead on the first floor of the home with a cut on his forehead, police said. Two German Shepherds also died in the fire.

Scott is charged with aggravated murder. She remains jailed on $1 million bond while a Cuyahoga County grand jury decides how her case will proceed.
Disorderly conduct, Lee Street: On Aug. 18, several residents called police to report fireworks going off at 1:40 p.m. Officers responded and warned the resident. Five minutes after the officers left, fireworks resumed. Police responded again and the suspect was cited for disorderly conduct.

Crash, Island Road: On Aug. 20, a Grafton woman was injured in a crash and transported to the hospital. The other driver was arrested and charged with drunken driving.

Unauthorized use, Lorain Road: A North Carolina man staying at a motel reported an acquaintance borrowed his car on Aug. 16 to go to the store and never returned. He said he believed the suspect left the state en route to Las Vegas.

Criminal damaging, Chestnut Ridge Road: On Aug. 17, a resident reported a man broke a window. The suspect was arrested and taken to St. John Medical Center. He will be charged with criminal trespassing, criminal damaging, and disorderly conduct while intoxicated.

Drunken driving, Lear Nagle Road: On Aug. 15, officers were dispatched for a non-injury crash and determined the at-fault party appeared intoxicated. The driver was arrested and cited for drunken driving.

Theft, Cook Road: A woman from Chippewa Lake reported her purse stolen from her car on Aug. 7.

Heroin possession, Chestnut Ridge Road: On Aug. 18, police responded to a disturbance between a homeowner and his stepson. Police arrested the stepson on a charge of heroin possession and transported him to Lorain County Jail.

Child endangerment, Center Ridge Road: A Garfield Heights man was cited for child endangerment on Aug. 7 after a citizen reported a baby left alone in a car in the Giant Eagle parking lot.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Nov. 29 was already a big day on Ohio State's calendar because that's the day five-star linebacker Baron Browning of Kennedale, Texas, is set to announce his commitment.

That day just got even bigger for the Buckeyes because four-star linebacker Anthony Hines of Plano (Texas) East announced Sunday that he'll also be making his commitment public that day.

So Ohio State's two remaining linebacker prospects -- both from Texas -- are announcing their decisions on the same day. That's fun.

Rated the No. 2 inside linebacker in the 2017 recruiting class in the 247Sports composite rankings, Hines has racked up more than 90 scholarship offers during his recruitment.

The 6-foot-3, 222-pound prospect is seemingly concentrating on five programs the most: Ohio State, Auburn, Florida, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.

Ohio State hasn't yet secured an official visit from Hines, but the Buckeyes are widely expected to get one. Hines is taking his first official visit Saturday to Auburn for its huge matchup with Clemson.

With spots limited in Ohio State's 2017 recruiting class, it's doubtful that the Buckeyes would have room for both Browning and Hines. So Nov. 29 may be an exciting day for Ohio State if it lands one or the other, just don't expect both Texas stars to commit to the Buckeyes.
This week, the US Department of Agriculture announced it would buy 11 million pounds of cheese for $20 million, after 61 congressmen and senators wrote a letter to the USDA asking for emergency help.

Why the sense of urgency? Dairy prices have dropped in the past two years, suffering from too much supply and not enough demand. That combination of supply going up and demand going down led to a textbook economics problem: Prices went down, a lot. Over 1,200 American dairy farms shut down last year, out of a total around 43,000.

Enter the federal government, with a $20 million buying spree using money that comes from a program called Section 32, which was passed as part of the Agriculture Act of 1935. The USDA sets aside a portion of import duties collected from customs receipts, using that money to buy agriculture products to stabilize prices. The food then goes to needy places like food banks and pantries, the school lunch program, international aid and even prisons.

CNBC contributor Ron Insana referred to the move as "quantitative cheesing." But if you're looking for prices to change on your next order of cheese pizza, don't expect much. Prices at the retail level take a lot longer to change, compared to futures markets where volatility is the norm.

"Dairy markets are inherently volatile," said John Newton of the American Farm Bureau Federation. "There's a lot of uncertainty and very high inventory levels. Reducing inventory levels could create an emotional response in the markets."

The seeds of the current crisis were sown two years ago, when high prices encouraged domestic farms to expand production, making investments in handling bigger capacity. In addition, the European Union removed milk production limits last year. Those two factors have only flooded the market with more supply, hurting prices.



That came at the same time international demand suffered, including a slowdown in China. Separately, Russia banned imports of Western dairy products as retaliation for sanctions put on it for invading Crimea.

Domestically, it's been a better story. Here in the U.S., cheese consumption is at record highs, averaging a robust 35 pounds per person.
Commuters ride past the Patuxay tower and a sign for the 49th annual ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the Laos capital of Vientiane on July 23. Hoang Dinh Nam | AFP | Getty Images

The secretive communist government of Laos, a country with a population of less than 7 million, rarely causes a ripple on the diplomatic circuit. And yet its sleepy capital will spring to life next week when global leaders arrive for an Asian summit. Barack Obama will be among them, making the last push of his presidency to 'rebalance' Washington's foreign policy towards Asia, a strategy widely seen as a response to China's economic and military muscle-flexing across the region.

The might of Laos' giant neighbor to the north is hard to miss in Vientiane: wealthy Chinese driving SUVs overtake tuk-tuks sputtering along the roads and Chinese-backed hotels sprout from noisy construction sites in one of Asia's most low-rise cities.

But diplomats say Obama could be pushing on an open door in Laos, thanks to a change of government there in April.

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They say the country's new leaders appear ready to tilt away from Beijing and lean more closely towards another neighbor, Vietnam, whose dispute with China over the South China Sea has pushed it into a deepening alliance with the United States. "The new government is more influenced by the Vietnamese than the Chinese," said a Western diplomat in Southeast Asia." "It's never too late for a U.S. president to visit."

Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit landlocked Laos, where the United States waged a "secret war" while fighting in Vietnam, dropping an estimated two million tonnes of bombs on the country. About 30 percent of the ordnance failed to explode, leaving a dangerous and costly legacy.

Laos has strategic importance to both Vietnam and China. Vietnam has a long land border with Laos that gives it access to markets in Thailand and beyond. For China, Laos is a key gateway to Southeast Asia in its "new Silk Road" trade strategy.

Laos, which is developing a series of hydro power plants along one of the world's longest rivers, the Mekong, aims to become "the battery of Asia" by selling power to its neighbors. It is the host of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders' summit, to be held in Vientiane on September 6-8.



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It is difficult to read policy in Laos because its leaders are so uncommunicative, but Western diplomats have detected some shifts. First, deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad - who ran the steering panel for a $7 billion Chinese rail project - retired. The project is now believed to be on hold because Laos is unhappy with the terms of the deal.

Officials of Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith's new government, many of them educated in Vietnam, have visited Hanoi en masse in recent weeks, their first foreign trip.

At two of the past meetings of ASEAN, which is currently chaired by Laos, Vientiane has taken a more nuanced stance on Beijing than neighboring Cambodia, which is increasingly seen as a Chinese satellite.

"The U.S. strategic interest in Laos is to see the country be able to exert a certain degree of strategic autonomy because you don't want ... (to) have something akin to the relationship between China and Cambodia," said Phuong Nguyen of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank.

A defense official in Washington did not comment on wider strategic issues but described Laos as "an important partner."

A China foreign ministry spokesman said "we welcome any country, including those inside and outside this region, developing constructive relations, as long as these ties are really beneficial to regional peace, stability and prosperity."



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German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Vice Chancellor and Economy and Energy Minister Sigmar Gabriel look at an unidentified document prior to the weekly government cabinet meeting on May 13, 2015

Free trade talks between the European Union and the United States have failed, Germany's economy minister said Sunday, citing a lack of progress on any of the major sections of the long-running negotiations.

Both Washington and Brussels have pushed for a deal by the end of the year, despite strong misgivings among some EU member states over the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP.

Sigmar Gabriel, who is also Germany's Vice Chancellor, compared the TTIP negotiations unfavorably with a free trade deal forged between the 28-nation EU and Canada, which he said was fairer for both sides.

"In my opinion, the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it," Gabriel said during a question-and-answer session with citizens in Berlin.
As many as 1,000 protesters marched in Malaysia's capital on Saturday to protest the scandal surrounding 1MDB, the country's troubled sovereign wealth fund.

The protesters called for the arrest of "Malaysian Official 1," an unnamed official who appeared repeatedly in a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit in July in relation to a series of alleged thefts from the fund, which was set up by Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009 to invest in strategically important assets.

The civil lawsuit alleged that more than $3.5 billion was looted from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and laundered through various shell companies by officials and others connected with the wealth fund.



A number of news outlets have reported that Najib himself is "Malaysian Official 1," something he has strongly denied. The unnamed high-ranking official allegedly received a large chunk of the misappropriated 1MDB funds, according to the DOJ's lawsuit. The DOJ said it intended to seize more than $1 billion worth of assets that it said were purchased with the stolen funds.
A second deadly vehicle accident in Japan has been blamed on "Pokemon Go," Kyodo news agency has reported.

The first death was reported on Tuesday, when police said that a man playing the augmented-reality game while driving a small van had hit two pedestrians in Tokushima, killing one, a 72-year-old woman.



The second incident involving "Pokemon Go" happened in Aichi, Kyodo reported, where the victim was a Vietnamese woman in her 20s.



According to Kyodo, the woman died on Thursday, just over two weeks after being hit by a car while she was riding a bicycle. The driver told police that he was looking away from the road when he hit the woman because he was trying to charge his mobile phone battery, which was almost dead because he had been playing "Pokemon Go," the news agency reported.
The end of your work life could be the start of an entirely new lifelived abroad.

For many Americans, retiring to another country is a life change that can fit in a post-paycheck budget.

"You need to have an open mind and an appetite for adventure", author Kathleen Peddicord told CNBC's "On the Money" in a recent interview.

Peddicord, who is founder and publisher of Live and Invest Overseas, said 30 years ago, retiring abroad was considered "a fringe idea, and today it's an increasingly common, mainstream idea." In fact, Peddicord cited three retirement destinations that stand out: Portugal, Belize and Mexico.

"Portugal is a wonderful county and has so much to offer the retiree," she said. "It has great weather, beautiful beaches, and great medieval old towns."

Peddicord specifically likes the scenic beachfront region of Algarve. "It's the best of the Old World and very affordable and very welcoming of foreign retirees right now."

The other two locations are closer to home: Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and the Central American country of Belize.

"Both have been the most popular destinations for this idea for a long time because they are so nearby so accessible," the author said. She pointed out that "both Belize and Puerto Vallarta offer affordability for cost of living and real estate, if you want to buy a home of your own."

She added that both countries have "established expat communities of other retirees who are already living there, already 'living the dream.'" Peddicord said they can answer your questions and help you get established.
President Muhammadu Buhari has sounded a note of warning to warring militants to negotiate or risk being dealt with.

President Buhari in a new message, has called on militants unleashing violence on the Niger Delta to enter into dialogue with his government.

The president advised the militants to negotiate or risk being dealt with the same way the nations military dealt with members of the Boko Haram sect.

He said this would be done because he was aware of his governments responsibility to secure the country for economic activities to thrive.

The Punch reports that according to a statement on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President spoke on Saturday evening at a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development in Nairobi, Kenya.

He told the Japanese leader that with the defeat of the Boko Haram terrorists by the military, the attention of the administration is now focused on stopping the destruction of the countrys economic assets by militants in the Niger Delta region.

Despite the violence in the region, Buhari assured existing and prospective foreign investors that their investments in Nigeria will be fully secured and protected.

He outlined several steps being taken by his administration to secure the country and ease doing business in Nigeria.

The President said, We are talking to some of their (Niger Delta militants) leaders. We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us.

As a government, we know our responsibility, which is to secure the environment. It is clear to us that lenders wont fund projects in insecure environments.

We realise that we have to secure the country before we can efficiently manage it.

Buhari also told the Japanese Prime Minister that security in the Gulf of Guinea, which is greatly affected by piracy and armed robbery at sea, was a priority for the Nigerian government.

We have provided funds to our Navy to buy new platforms, train and effectively organise the personnel to protect the area. We are looking forward to support from developed nations for satellite surveillance covering the Gulf, the President said.

Recalling his audience with G7 leaders in Germany, which was attended by the Prime Minister, Buhari thanked Japan for responding positively to the requests by Nigeria for the rehabilitation of victims of Boko Haram and rebuilding of infrastructure in the North Eastern part of the country.

The President however said there was still more to do on education, health and other infrastructure to ensure quick and voluntary return of displaced persons to their native communities.

On the United Nations Security Council reform, Buhari agreed to work with Japan for the reforms, stressing that the case for a permanent seat for Africa on the Council was a moral one.

He also expressed Nigerias support for Japan in its bid for a UN resolution on the problems in East China and South China as well as the uncontrolled nuclear tests by North Korea.

The President said, The UN system is sufficient for the resolutions of all disputes and no nation should be above the United Nations.

This has to be made absolutely clear and I assure the Prime Minister that I will meet as many leaders as possible at the forthcoming UN General Assembly concerning the issues.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Abe congratulated President Buhari for courageously tackling Boko Haram terrorism.

He said Nigeria and Japan must work together to improve the investment climate in view of the many Japanese companies wishing to invest in Nigeria.

He reaffirmed Japans commitment to rapid development in Nigeria through quality delivery of ongoing projects in the country, including Jebba hydro power scheme and the Lagos railway project.
President Tran Dai Quang (L) was welcomed at Changi international airport



The visit aims to continuously implement Vietnams diplomatic policy set at the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam and deepen international relations, including the strategic partnership with Singapore.

Latter the day, President Quang had a meeting with staff of the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore and representatives from the overseas Vietnamese community. He underlined the Party and States measures to maintain macro economic stability, promote growth and accelerate administrative procedures as well as increase national competitiveness, improve climate change adaptation, and ensure social welfare.

He said the country aims to record an average GDP growth of 6.5-7 percent in 2020.

The President expressed his pleasure at the growing strategic partnership between Vietnam and Singapore.

He highlighted the two countries as dynamic economies in Asia-Pacific with two-way trade surpassing USD9 billion in 2015.

Singapore now ranks third and eighth among ASEAN and global trade partners of Vietnam , respectively. Bilateral trade has risen sharply in recent years, hitting USD16.22 billion in 2015.

Singapore has 1,643 valid investment projects with a total registered capital of over USD37.9 billion in Vietnam at present, placing it in the third position out of the 116 countries and territories investing in the latter.

The Vietnam-Singapore industrial parks (VSIP) in Vietnams Binh Duong, Bac Ninh and Quang Ngai provinces and Hai Phong city have operated effectively and considered a symbol of bilateral cooperation./.
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Ragtag furthers big-screen mission through A Community Thrives

Ragtag Film Society took home $12,000 in grant money, which will further its day-to-day and big-screen mission.
Flags of Brunei and Vietnam (Photo: internet)



The following is the full text of the Joint Statement:

1. At the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Muizzaddin Waddaulah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, His Excellency Tran Dai Quang, President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam made a State Visit to Brunei Darussalam on 26th  28th August 2016. This was the third State Visit to Brunei Darussalam by a Head of State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

2. During the visit, both Leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations as well as on regional and international issues of common interest in a warm and cordial atmosphere.

3. Both Leaders expressed pleasure on the good progress in strengthening bilateral cooperation since the establishment of diplomatic relations on February 29th, 1992; recognised the significance of the Presidents visit in reaffirming the close friendship enjoyed between the two countries and people; and reiterated the spirit of the Joint Statement in 2012.

4. Both Leaders looked forward to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2017 with activities to deepen mutual understanding and people-to-people linkages.

5. His Majesty congratulated the Vietnamese people on their achievements through the Socio-Economic Development Plans as envisioned in the Doi Moi policy. His Majesty expressed confidence that under His Excellencys leadership, Vietnam will achieve its target to become an industrialised country by 2020.

6. His Excellency also commended the efforts undertaken by His Majestys Government in implementing various strategic plans towards achieving the goals of Wawasan Brunei 2035, which aims to make Brunei Darussalam widely recognised for the achievements of its educated and highly skilled people, high quality of life, and a dynamic and sustainable economy.

7. Both Leaders welcomed the increased interactions at all levels and agreed to strengthen the existing bilateral consultative mechanisms. In this regard, both Leaders agreed to the early convening of the Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) to further deepen and expand cooperation between both countries.

8. Both Leaders acknowledged the common aspirations of pursuing economic diversification and recognised the role of the private sectors in enhancing competitiveness and encouraged continued mutual sharing of best practices to identify potential areas of cooperation.

9. Both Leaders underscored the importance in further enhancing bilateral cooperation in trade and investment, particularly in energy, agriculture and fisheries, education, labour, air services, people-to-people exchanges and defence. Both sides also looked forward to explore cooperation in the areas of transnational crimes, extradition and transfer of sentenced persons.

10. Both Leaders also reiterated their commitment to deepen economic relations between Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam with the objective of reaching a bilateral trade target of USD500 million by the year 2025 and facilitate greater business and investment opportunities between the two countries. Hence, both sides welcomed the signing of the MOU on Economic and Trade Cooperation between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Brunei Darussalam in supporting efforts to achieve the bilateral trade target. Both sides are confident that the MOU would also further the objectives of the Trade Agreement between the Government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, signed on November 12th, 2001.

11. Both Leaders noted the importance of promoting energy cooperation and expressed satisfaction with the energy cooperation between Brunei National Petroleum Company Sendirian Berhad (PetroleumBRUNEI) and Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and welcomed the recent completion of the Maharaja Lela South platform.

12. Both Leaders noted the progress made in implementing the MOU on Cooperation in Agriculture and Fisheries signed in May 2013. His Majesty expressed appreciation for the exchanges of expertise on rice production as well as other crops, and agreed to consider extension of the exchanges. Both Leaders agreed to enhance economic and development cooperation in fisheries sector, and the importance of fostering exchanges and mutual understanding between the two countries.

13. Both Leaders welcomed cooperation in labour and looked forward to negotiations on the MOU on Labour Cooperation.

14. Both Leaders recognised the important role of people-to-people exchanges and welcomed the signings of the MOU on Education Cooperation in April 2014 and the MOU between Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei Darussalam and FPT University, Socialist Republic of Vietnam in July 2013. Brunei Darussalam expressed appreciation for Vietnams continued participation in the Brunei - US English Language Enrichment Programme for ASEAN.

15. Both Leaders highly appreciate connectivity between the two countries and welcomed the resumption of direct flights between Bandar Seri Begawan and Ho Chi Minh City in October 2014 especially in further promoting closer ties between the peoples of Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam. Both sides also looked forward to the signing of the Agreement on Maritime Transport.

16. Both Leaders welcomed the signing of the MOU on Cultural Cooperation and expressed hope that this will positively contribute to deeper understanding and appreciation of both countries heritage and culture.

17. Both Leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress made in defence under the MOU between Royal Brunei Navy and Vietnam Peoples Navy on Bilateral Cooperation signed in December 2013. His Majesty expressed appreciation on Vietnams continued support of Brunei International Tattoo, and Brunei International Shooting Skill-at-Arms Meet (BISAM). On the regional level, His Majesty expressed appreciation on Vietnams participation in the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Maritime Security and Counter-Terrorism Exercise on May 2nd  12th, 2016 in Bandar Seri Begawan and Singapore. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation between their armed forces, particularly of the Navy and training for the respective military personnel.

18. His Excellency acknowledged Brunei Darussalams role as an active player in regional affairs and expressed appreciation for His Majestys long-standing leadership and valuable contributions to ASEAN.

19. Both Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to upholding peace, stability, and prosperity in the region, including advancing ASEAN community building efforts through the full and effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025. To these ends, both sides emphasised the importance of peaceful resolution of disputes in the region.

20. Both Leaders agreed to implement fully and effectively the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and work closely together towards the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct (COC). Both sides also reaffirmed the importance of ASEANs central role in the regional security architecture.

21. Both sides reiterated their commitment to continue enhancing consultations on areas of common interest in other regional and international fora such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), United Nations (UN) and World Trade Organization (WTO).

22. Both Leaders welcomed the strengthening of economic ties in the region, particularly through the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) on February 4th, 2016 and looked forward to the ratification of the TPP by all Parties.

23. His Majesty expressed Brunei Darussalams full support for Vietnams Chairmanship of APEC in 2017 and wished the Government and people the very best in their preparations.

24. His Excellency expressed appreciation for the warm welcome and kind hospitality accorded to him and his delegation and looked forward to welcoming His Majesty and members of the Royal Family to visit Vietnam in the near future./.
SHARE Rep. Scott DesJarlais, R-Tenn

By Michael Collins of The Commercial Appeal

WASHINGTON  With the election just two months away, U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais feels confident about two things: Hillary Clinton will not win the presidency and the Affordable Care Act must be repealed.

If he's wrong about Clinton, he realizes, then the 2010 health care law is probably here to stay. And that creates a dilemma for the South Pittsburg Republican, who has campaigned for the law's repeal since he was first elected to Congress six years ago.

Does he continue on a pointless quest to overturn it? Or does he try to work with Clinton to fix the parts that aren't working?

DesJarlais says he'd be willing to consider whatever plan Clinton might offer.

"I'd look at any legislation to see if it has merit," he said.

The Affordable Care Act, now six years old, has had a rough couple of weeks.

Insurance giant Aetna disclosed in mid-August that in 2017 it will pull out of the federal online exchange  HealthCare.gov  in most of the states where the exchange operates and will sell policies only in Virginia, Delaware, Iowa and Nebraska. People in markets where Aetna is leaving will have fewer choices in buying a health insurance policy.

Then, this week, Tennessee Commerce and Insurance Commissioner Julie Mix McPeak declared the federal HealthCare.gov exchange in the state "very near collapse" after signing off on large premium increases she said were necessary to keep the system in business.

Cigna was given permission to boost its rates an average of 46.3 percent. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Tennessee was granted an average 62 percent increase.

Republicans saw the insurers' actions as further proof that the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, isn't working.

"Tennesseans cannot afford 44 to 62 percent Obamacare price increases that will force them to make difficult decisions about their daily lives and their family budgets," U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Maryville, said in a statement. "They should not have to pay the price for a terrible health care law and the refusal by Democrats in Washington to see what is plainly obvious  that Obamacare is failing."

No matter which party moves into the White House in January, "we are going to have to take a good, hard look at Obamacare, which is bearing down on American families in a way that cannot be allowed to continue," Alexander said.

DesJarlais, a physician, offered the same dire prognosis.

Obamacare "needs to be repealed," he said. "It hasn't worked from the get-go. People didn't want it. It's failing just like we thought it would."

What happens next depends on whether Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, or Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, wins in November.

Clinton has said she would defend and expand the Affordable Care Act while working to bring down out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles and copayments, reduce the cost of prescription drugs and offer incentives to encourage states to expand Medicaid.

Trump says that on his first day in office, he would ask Congress to repeal Obamacare. He then would work to put in place new reforms that would let insurance companies sell policies across state lines, allow people to fully deduct their premiums from their tax returns and remove free-market barriers so drug providers could offer safe, reliable and cheaper products.

Trump's approach is more in line with what DesJarlais and other congressional Republicans have pushed for years.

Repealing Obamacare and rebuilding it from the ground up remains the ultimate goal, DesJarlais said. But if Clinton is president, it's a goal that will be unattainable for at least the next four years.

The only other option would to try to fix the existing law.

"If she doesn't repeal it, there's going to have to be major reforms to it," DesJarlais said. "It can't exist in its current form."
Photographer unknown. Photo Courtesy Jo Meadows August 1956  Memphis State football coach Ralph Hatley appears to be challenging his 1956 Tiger football squad to surpass the 1952 team's record. Standing left to right are: Pete Meadows, Andy Nelson, Dave "Nub" Strickland, Bobby Brooks, Harold Hunter, Bob Henderson, Glenn Essary and Cotton Clifford. Seated left to right: Dick Disbrow, Coach Ralph Hatley and Jerry Christopher. For the record, the 1952 Tigers won 2 and lost 7. The 1956 Tigers won 5, lost 4 with one tie. Hatley coached the Tigers from 1947 through 1957 and became the second winningest coach in Tiger football history, winning 59, losing 43 and tieing 5 for a winning percentage of .589.

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Aug. 28

25 years ago: 1991

Kim Hindrew, WMC-TV Channel 5's co-anchor for nearly three years, is leaving the station Sept. 6 with husband Mason Granger. They were married Saturday and will travel in Europe for two months. Granger, 38, is assistant general manager of WMC-TV. Janet Morris, who prefers working weekends, has agreed to co-anchor the 5 p.m. weekday news until a replacement for Ms. Hindrew, 37, is found. Joe Birch will be co-anchor at 5 and solo anchor at 10. Kym Clark will anchor weekend newscasts.

50 years ago: 1966

Washington  Five thousand unemployed workers and their families will be moved to areas where jobs are available within the next nine months in a Government test project, it was announced Saturday. The announcement said the relocation projects would involve areas across the nation and would include 300 Negro families in Mississippi, 175 unemployed workers from the coal mining Appalachia region of East Tennessee, and 100 families in Bootheel and Ozark Mountain counties of Southern Missouri. Federal employment security officials said uneducated and unskilled Negro families from Central Mississippi would be relocated on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi and Louisiana.

75 years ago: 1941

Most unusual Hollywood scene of the year is John Barrymore drinking a glass of milk. When called for the milk scene, Barrymore noted as a tippler, bowed to friends and said, "Pardon me, while I step out of character for a moment."

100 years ago: 1916

The pitched battle against demon rum in Shelby County, started Saturday afternoon by police officers, raged until 7 o'clock Sunday morning when the raiders withdrew from the field of action after capturing over 50 casks of beer and arresting 25 men.

125 years ago: 1891

Dr. J.E. Clemens will sue for damages. Who he will sue and for how much are not yet known, but he will enter suit for being imprisoned on suspicion of being J.A. Morris, who assaulted Col. R. Dudley Frayser in the Gayoso Hotel.
The giant statue of a viking overseeing Hillcrest High School in Memphis is getting a makeover under the school's new management by charter operator Green Dot Public Schools. (Photo by Laura Faith Kebede/Chalkbeat)

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By Laura Faith Kebedee, Chalkbeat Tennessee

For years, a 20-foot-tall viking dubbed Erik oversaw the front doors to Memphis Hillcrest High School. Through a hidden audio system, the iconic statue said "good morning" and "good evening" each day as students came and went.

Silenced in the late 1980s due to vandals, Erik still stands atop the school's entry. And this school year, he may regain his voice.

Officials with Green Dot Public Schools are planning to fully restore Erik as part of more than $600,000 in renovations to the 54-year-old South Memphis school. Formerly with Shelby County Schools, Hillcrest opened this month as a charter school under the state-run Achievement School District.

The California-based charter operator already has given Erik a fresh coat of paint and new supports to keep him upright. Next on the list: a new audio system to help the gigantic mascot greet students as they come and go.

Students are intrigued with the idea, while alumni are thrilled.

"We loved Erik," said Archienico Martin, a 1991 graduate who says the statue holds significance to the community.

"If they took Erik down, they would've took the school down," Martin said of Hillcrest's transition to a charter school under the state-run district.

Still, the giant viking is a little creepy to some students  with or without a voice.

"He made you intimidated and not want to go to school, which is the opposite of what you want," said senior LeKe'la Jones, adding that at least this year "he wasn't hanging from a string (by his neck). And he was painted better. The whole front of the building was painted."

Hillcrest is one of two additions this year to Green Dot's portfolio of Memphis schools under the state-run district. Last year, there was talk of a school merger with rival Whitehaven High School to block the ASD's takeover of Hillcrest, but that proposal from Shelby County Superintendent Dorsey Hopson died.

Now that Hillcrest is a charter, its operator is seeking to retain parts of the school that resonate with the community, while improving the low test scores that led to state intervention.

Erik is an example of the former, and school leaders are now looking to find the right voice, says principal Meredith Davis, who came to Hillcrest from DC Public Schools.

When Martin attended Hillcrest, the statue was voiced by then-assistant principal Sammie Hall.

Erik's makeover this year already has attracted attention in the community. Many passers-by stopped to sure Erik wasn't going anywhere when work began on the statue this summer.

Now that classes have begun, other changes to the school are also noticeable.

"It's cleaner. The teachers are nicer. Everyone is honest and considerate," Jones said. "There's more (Advanced Placement) classes, online course and extracurricular activities."

The restoration of Erik is helping to set the tone.

Hillcrest teacher Kawana Strong, who is also an alumna, told one of her classes Tuesday about her memories of the statue.

"Erik doesn't mean that much to you all; y'all really don't care," she said.

"I do!" one student responded.

"But to us, the alumni," Strong continued, "Erik is a big deal."

Chalkbeat Tennessee is a nonprofit news organization covering educational change in public schools. Read more about Tennessee education news at tn.chalkbeat.org.
Nissrine Samali, 20, wears a burkini, a modest two-piece swimsuit that functions like a burqa, on the beach in Marseille, southern France. Beneath the clash over how to dress, or undress, on the beaches of France simmers an issue that for decades has divided the nation, and grown more complex in this time of terrorism. Associated Press Files

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By Daniel Pipes, Philadelphia Inquirer

France has been seized by a silly hysteria over the burkini, prompting me to wonder when Europeans will get serious about their Islamist challenge.

For starters, what is a burkini? The word combines the names of two opposite articles of female clothing: the burqa (an Islamic tent-like, full-body covering) and the bikini. Also known as a halal swimsuit, it modestly covers all but the face, hands and feet, consisting of a top and a bottom. It resembles a wet suit with a head covering.

Aheda Zanetti of Ahiida Pty Ltd in Australia claims to have coined the portmanteau in 2003, calling it "smaller than a burka" while "two piece like a bikini." The curious and sensational cross of two radically dissimilar articles of clothing, along with the need it fit for active, pious Muslim women, the burkini (as Ahiida notes) was "the subject of an immediate rush of interest and demand."

Additionally, some women (like British cooking celebrity Nigella Lawson) wear it to avoid a tan, while pious Jews have adopted a variant garment.

In 2009, a public swimming pool in Emerainville excluded a burkini-wearing woman, on the grounds that she violated pool rules by wearing street clothes. But burkinis only erupted into a national political issue on Aug. 12 when the mayor of Cannes, a resort town on the French Riviera, banned burkinis (without legally defining what exactly they are) on the Cannes beaches because it represents Islamism.

A court then confirmed his ban and the prime minister of France, Manuel Valls, further endorsed it (on the grounds that the burkini is a religious expression that has no place on the beach) as did Francois Fillon, a likely candidate for president next year. Thus encouraged, other French municipalities followed suit, including the city of Nice, plus another nine towns in the Alpes-Maritimes Department as well as five towns in the Var Department.

This development astonishes me, someone who has argued that the burqa (and the niqab, a similar article of clothing that leaves a slit for the eyes) needs to be banned from public places on security grounds. Those formless garments not only hide the face, permitting criminals and jihadis to hide themselves, but they also permit the wearer to hide, say, an assault rifle without anyone knowing. Men as well as women use burqas as accessories to criminal and jihadi purposes. Indeed, I have collected about 150 anecdotes of bank robberies, abductions, murders, and jihadi attacks since 2002.

In contrast, the burkini poses no danger to public security. Unlike the burqa or niqab, it leaves the face uncovered. Relatively tightfitting, it leaves no place to hide weapons. Men cannot wear it as a disguise. Further, while there are legitimate arguments about the hygiene of large garments in pools (prompting some hotels in Morocco to ban the garment), this is obviously not an issue on the coastal beaches of France.

Accordingly, beach burkinis should be allowed without restriction. Cultural arguments, such as the one made by Valls, are specious and discriminatory. If a woman wishes to dress modestly on the beach, that is her business, and not the state's. It's also her prerogative to choose unflattering swimwear that waterlogs when she swims.

The Islamist threat to the West is very real, from the Rushdie rules to sex gangs, taharrush, polygyny, honor killings, partial no-go zones and beheadings. With the influx to Europe of millions of unvetted Muslim migrants, these problems will grow along with the number of Islamists. Nerves are on edge and the political scene is changing rapidly, as symbolized by half the vote for president of Austria recently going to a hardline anti-immigration politician.

Issues concerning Islam are arguably Europe's No. 1 concern, ahead even of the European Union and the financial crisis; they need to be dealt with by confronting real problems, not by focusing on symbolic irrelevances such as burkinis, halal shops and minarets. Burqas and niqabs must be banned (as the German government may soon do), freedom of speech about Islam and Muslims must be reconfirmed, Saudi and Iranian funding for religious purposes must be cut, and a single legal code must apply to all.

So, my advice: Focus on these real problems and let Muslims wear what they wish to the beach.

Daniel Pipes is president of the Middle East Forum.
Hadi Mizban/Associated Press Asal Ahmed, 4, is carried by her father at the scene of a massive suicide truck bomb attack in July in Karada, Iraq. Asal and her mother were badly burned as they shopped for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Iraq's deadliest single bombing in 13 years of war has turned the Baghdad district where it took place into the centerpiece in an increasingly bitter rivalry between the country's prime minister and Iranian-backed Shiite militias.

SHARE Mirwais Khan/Associated Press Taliban suicide bombers stand guard during a gathering of a breakaway Taliban faction, in the border area of Zabul province, southern of Kabul, Afghanistan. Benjamin Acosta, an assistant professor at Louisiana State University who studies suicide attacks, said these types of attacks are trendy among groups dominated by a culture of religious martyrdom. Farah Abdi Warsameh/Associated Press Somali soldiers inspect the wreckage of a car bomb which was detonated by a suicide bomber in July outside the UN's office in Mogadishu, Somalia, killing 13 people, including seven U.N. guards, a Somali police official said.

By Nikita Lalwani and Sam Winter-Levy, Special To The Washington Post

From October 1980 to September 2015, according to a new paper by Benjamin Acosta, an assistant professor at Louisiana State University, 123 militant groups carried out 5,305 suicide attacks, killing more than 40,000 people.

Just this year, suicide attacks have hit Afghanistan, Belgium, France, Indonesia, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Turkey, among others.

A growing body of research suggests that suicide attacks often prevent groups from achieving their political goals. So why do groups keep using the tactic? Acosta analyzed a database of more than 5,000 suicide attacks to find out.

"Organizations adopt suicide attacks to strengthen their support structures, extend their life spans, and boost or preserve status," he found.

In a recent phone interview, Acosta discussed the motivations behind suicide attacks and what accounts for their popularity.

Q: Is there an academic consensus on why militant groups carry out suicide attacks?

A: I've been working on this topic for more than a decade, and there hasn't been a strong consensus. Post 9/11, the theory that emerged, inspired by Robert Pape, at the University of Chicago, was that foreign occupation was the cause of suicide attacks. For reasons probably related to ideology, journalists and academics accepted his theory, even though it had little empirical support.

But a bunch of studies that started emerging in 2005 and 2006 started to roll back the notion that foreign occupation was the driving motivation of suicide attacks.

Q: So what is the driving motivation behind suicide attacks?

A: What's really come into focus is that Islam and other cultures of martyrdom are a major causal component of the increase in suicide terrorism. These incentives are obvious at the individual level.

But what I'm interested in is why organizations continue to conduct suicide attacks. All organizations have two main goals: outcome goals, which are goals that relate to the purpose of the organization, and survival. Suicide attacks make it harder for groups to achieve their outcome goals. But they do make groups much more likely to survive.

Q: How so?

A: Militant organizations go through different trends or fashions. Organizations must either adopt the fashion or become irrelevant. In the 1960s, the "international revolutionary" and the "urban guerrilla" were in fashion, and they preferred to rely on hijackings and hostage taking. As we've moved into the era of fundamentalist Islamist terrorism, organizations have had to adopt the fashions of fundamentalist Islam to stay relevant, and the key fashion is the suicide bomb.

If you're a smaller organization like Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, and you want to draw the support and attention of the Islamic State and other groups, you start conducting suicide attacks. A few months after Ansar Bait al-Maqdis adopted suicide attacks, they were recognized as Wilayat Sinai, a province of the Islamic State, and they received funding and fighters from the core group, improving their survival prospects.

Q: Has the Islamic State explicitly cited suicide attacks as grounds for supporting other groups?

A: Most of the time the group doesn't mention it directly. But if you go back to the beginning of the Syrian civil war, when there were dozens of jihadi groups operating independently, it was the ones that adopted the suicide attack that gained attention from older and larger groups. al-Qaida, for example, soon sponsored al-Nusra. Was this solely because al-Nusra had adopted suicide attacks? It's hard to say. But it certainly appeared to be a contributing factor.

Q: But launching suicide attacks damages a group's political prospects, right?

A: That's right. There are two main ways that militant groups achieve outcome goals: first, through coercion, and second, through brute force. Either you coerce your target into giving you what you want, or you annihilate them.

If militant organizations are fighting asymmetric conflicts, as they usually are, then the brute-force option rarely works. So then they turn to coercion. For that to work, you need to pose a credible threat to other groups  but not so much of a threat that they don't want to negotiate with you. This is a tough balancing act. Suicide attacks, because they are so inhumane, decrease your ability to win concessions at the negotiating table.

In the 1990s, for example, Palestinian terrorism finally brought the Israeli government to the table, but when the group later began launching suicide attacks, Israelis would say, "We have no negotiating partner anymore. They've proven that they're willing to kill themselves to kill us. How can we then sit down and talk to them?"

Q: So for terrorist groups, surviving is more important than achieving outcome goals?

A: Absolutely. These groups are trying to achieve really abstract, difficult, unlikely goals  establishing a caliphate, for instance. If you're pursuing these hard goals, then your ability to fight the long war becomes more important. Even successful organizations like the Islamic State, which has established a caliphate in parts of the Levant and Iraq, are playing the long game. For them, this is a hundred years' war, not something that will be concluded in the immediate future.

Sam Winter-Levy is an assistant editor at Foreign Affairs. Nikita Lalwani is the former staff editor at Foreign Affairs.
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By Jennifer Rubin

The Associated Press reported last week: "More than half the people outside the government who met with Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state gave money  either personally or through companies or groups  to the Clinton Foundation. It's an extraordinary proportion indicating her possible ethics challenges if elected president.

"At least 85 of 154 people from private interests who met or had phone conversations scheduled with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programs, according to a review of State Department calendars released so far to The Associated Press. Combined, the 85 donors contributed as much as $156 million. At least 40 donated more than $100,000 each, and 20 gave more than $1 million."

Let's get one thing out of the way up front: This is almost certainly not illegal. For that, Clinton should send bushels of roses to former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, his lawyers and their legal defense fund donors, who won a ruling from the Supreme Court that setting up a meeting is not an official act under federal bribery statutes.

Would she have had these meetings anyway? In some cases, yes. Many of the donors were longtime Clinton friends and donors, international philanthropists and prominent public figures. She also did not see every big donor. But the jumble of public and private interests and the appearance of conflicts of interest were why the whole enterprise was dodgy from the start.

This foundation scandal is in the realm in between "perfectly ethical and legal" behavior and illegal behavior. Call it sleaze or the appearance of corruption. Chalk it up to the Clinton's habitual blindness to impropriety. Never do they say, "Well I could do that, but better that I don't."

In a sense, there is nothing new here. We already knew the foundation served two purposes  one altruistic and one entirely selfish. It was a sort of super PAC, a big pot of money to which friends, favor- and publicity-seekers, do-gooders and celebrities all could donate. It, in turn, would generate lucrative speaking engagements for Bill Clinton and later Hillary Clinton, employ cronies like Sid Blumenthal and pay for lavish travel. Mostly, it would keep Hillary Clinton connected to the rich and famous for what everyone knew would be one last opportunity to win the White House.

Like the pallets of cash to Iran, the latest emails just add juicy details to an existing tale. The Clintons have always felt both entitled and persecuted. In their decades in public life, they have played fast and loose with rules and norms that inhibit others, always winding up just a smidgen short of illegality. Their sense of self-righteousness leads them to conclude that they are being "hounded" for inconsequential matters.

The lesson they learn is invariably the wrong one: We can get away with it. They rationalize that it's just the vast right-wing conspiracy at work  and the Republicans usually chip in by wildly overplaying their hand (e.g. asking her repetitive questions for 11 hours in a Benghazi hearing, demanding a special prosecutor).

I doubt this new tidbit about the foundation will change many voters' minds. Those siding with her are either true Hillary Clinton believers, Democratic die-hards and/or people convinced that Donald Trump is nuts and a danger to the republic. In short, she has already nailed down the segment of voters who prefer "corrupt" over "unhinged." So long as Trump is her opponent, she sails along.

The latest revelation won't change many voters' minds, with the exception of one category of voters. Some Republicans who planned to vote for her may either stay home or vote for third or fourth candidates, especially in states that are not all that competitive. If the disgusted Republican voters stay home, it will actually harm down-ticket Republicans, one more irony in the Clinton wars.

Yes, Clinton will "get away with it," in the sense that the foundation antics in all likelihood won't land her in jail or cost her the presidency. But it does further diminish her. It makes the public more cynical and therefore governance that much harder. That means voters are once again the losers.

Finally, it cannot be said enough: Republicans would be winning easily against this deeply flawed opponent with virtually any other candidate but Trump. The sheer stupidity of the Republican primary electorate's decision and of the reaction of party leadership, which could have blocked or dumped him, is more maddening than even Hillary Clinton's shadiness.

Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for the Washington Post.
The EU referendum experience was denounced from all sides as bad for British politics (see Jeremy Briers fluent denunciation of it on this site for an example), but it has none the less done party membership no end of good.

The Liberal Democrats have reportedly put on 15,000 new members. Labours membership is currently at 500,000 or so  though this admittedly has more to do with pro and anti-Corbyn feeling than with Brexit. And the Sunday Times claims today that nearly 50,000 people have joined the Conservative Party since Theresa May became leader, swelling the ranks of grassroots Tories by nearly 40 per cent in just six weeks.

Who are they? The paper dubs the phenomenon May mania, and says that the Conservative correspondence unit has been inundated with letters from lapsed members returning to the fold. But our columnist Andrew Kennedy, reporting the rise on this site last month, painted a more complex picture.

The West Kent campaign director described the surge as the most intense period of recruitment I have ever witnessed. He found that almost 80 per cent of those signing up in the area were brand new; that more seem to have voted Remain than Leave; that 75 per cent joined partly because I wanted to vote in the leadership election (they will have been disappointed); that 75 per cent also felt that I have always been a Conservative and wanted to help secure a future victory. 66 per cent reported that they have an interest in politics that was aroused by the EU referendum. Five per cent were former supporters of UKIP.

My best guess is that there will be a drop next year, as some of those who joined hoping to vote in the leadership election dont re-join, but to a higher base than previously. This was 149,800 when we last reported a figure, itself an apparent rise from the 134,000 the year before (when we saw the returns in detail). There had previously been speculation that the total was below 100,000, and Grant Shapps did well in helping to persuade David Cameron that membership figures should be released  thus provoking the inevitable headline report that membership had nearly halved under his leadership.

Some Associations are holding special events to welcome new members. For example, the Wycombe Association will be holding one next month for the 120 new members who have joined this year to listen to their views. There will be others elsewhere.

More will doubtless emerge in due course about the distribution. It would be bracing to believe that the influx of new members will solve the problems of which Clarke-gate was a symptom, but not all will become active, and the campaigning gain to the Party will be limited if the bulk of the gain is piling up in the so-called safe seats. We will doubtless hear more when McLoughlin decides what to do with the so-called Feldman Review.

The new Party Chairman will proclaim the rise to the rafters during Octobers annual conference. Perhaps he should hold a special welcome session for new members while hes at it.
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council "strongly condemned" the launching of a submarine-launched ballistic missile by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Aug. 23, saying that the launch is "in grave violation of" the Pyongyang's international obligations under relevant Security Council resolutions.

In a statement issued here late Friday, the 15-nation UN body also strongly condemned the ballistic missile launches conducted by the DPRK on Aug. 2 and July 18, and the launching of a submarine-launched ballistic missile by the DPRK on July 9.

"These launches are in grave violation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's international obligations under United Nations Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013) and 2270 (2016)," the statement said.

The launch came after South Korea and the United States began their annual military drills on Monday.

The Security Council has adopted five resolutions -- resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013) and 2270 (2016) -- to curb the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs. The latest one adopted in March imposes the most severe sanctions yet on the country, including an export ban and asset freeze.

"The members of the Security Council deplore all Democratic People's Republic of Korea ballistic missile activities, including these launches, noting that such activities contribute to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and increase tension," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council further regretted that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is diverting resources to the pursuit of ballistic missiles while Democratic People's Republic of Korea citizens have great unmet needs," said the statement.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea shall refrain from further actions, including nuclear tests, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in North-East Asia at large, expressed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation and welcomed efforts by Council members, as well as other States to facilitate a peaceful and comprehensive solution through dialogue," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council stress the importance of working to reduce tensions in the Korean Peninsula and beyond," the statement said.

On Wednesday, the United Nations urged the DPRK to "take steps necessary to de-escalate the situation and return to dialogue on denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula.

In a related development, China strongly opposes the planned deployment of a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THADD) anti-missile system in South Korea, saying it would worsen tension on the Korean peninsula and threaten regional security.
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India's top corporate body, Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), has said the Gross Domestic Produce (GDP) growth rates in eight of Indias top ten export markets are expected to fall in 2016, asking the Government of India for intensified policy measures for trade facilitation and promotion. In a report published in CCI Communique (August 2016) titled Global Slowdown could challenge Indias Exports, says that the outlook for Indias exports could be challenging for the current year as GDP growth rates in Indias top ten export partners are expected to decelerate.Pointing out that Indias exports contracted for 18 consecutive months till May 2016", the report suggests things are unlikely to improve. The report states, In terms of items, the export value of petroleum products, Indias top export item, came down by over $26 billion in 2015-16 as compared to the previous year.This comprised more than half of the aggregate value of decline in exports, the report points out, adding, The IMF expected oil prices to drop by close to 16% in 2016 in its July Outlook update, indicating things are unlikely to improve.The report says, Indias export performance during 2015-16 was impacted by the slowdown in global growth and trade, the drop in oil prices, and exchange rate fluctuations.As global growth following the Brexit referendum and Chinas slowdown will moderate further, proposed policy measures on the trade facilitation and trade promotion side must be intensified to alleviate the challenges faced by exporters, the report, prepared by Sharmila Kantha, principal consultant, CI I, says.Quoting International Monetary Fund's (IMF's) post-Brexit World Economic Outlook of July 2016, the report says, it reduced the forecast for world growth by 0.1 percentage point, to 3.1% for 2016, with the world trade volume of goods and services is expected to grow at a slower pace of 2.6% in advanced markets in 2016, as compared to 3.8% in 2015.In emerging economies, the report says, the volume of trade would pick up pace from 0.6% in 2015 to 2.9% in 2016.Pointing out that Indias top ten export partners  USA, UAE, Hong Kong, China, UK, Singapore, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka  account for half of its total exports in 2015-16, the report says, GDP growth rates in eight of these ten countries, barring Germany and Bangladesh, are expected to fall in 2016 as compared to 2015, according to the IMF. In 2015-16, Indian exports to all ten of its top export destinations contracted. While the contraction in exports to USA was the lowest at (-)4.8%, it was the sharpest for Saudi Arabia at (-)42.7%, largely on account of the steep fall in exports of petroleum products. Exports to China too declined by over 24%!, the report says.Making a forecast, the report says, Post-Brexit forecasts show that the US, Indias largest export destination, will grow at a marginally slower pace in 2016. As the US accounts for over 15% of Indias exports, we could target further building exports to that country.It further says, Indias second largest market, the United Arab Emirates, is forecast to deflate in 2016, and exports to that country could remain subdued due to a decline in oil prices as forecast by the IMF. As for Hong Kong exports to it depend strongly on diamonds, which experienced a sharp drop in value as well as volumes in 2015-16.The report believes, Indias exports to China comprise a large proportion of primary products and prices can be expected to remain around current levels for these, going forward. Moreover, Chinas demand for these commodities depends on its policies on stockpiling and dealing with excess capacities. GDP growth in China was 6.7% for the first half of 2016.
LANZHOU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A South African pilot was killed after his aerobatic aircraft XA42 plummeted to the ground during a flight show in northwest China's Gansu Province Saturday morning, the event organizer said.

Paul Smith died in the crash at about 10:47 a.m. at the 1st Silk Road International General Aviation Convention held at the Danxia airport in the city of Zhangye, the organizer confirmed.

A video clip provided by a spectator showed that the plane lost control while making a dive and crashed into the Gobi desert about 100 meters from the airport runway.

The crash caused no other casualties on the ground.

The U.S. aerobatic flight team that Smith worked for has canceled all flights. Other aerobatic flights went as scheduled on Saturday afternoon.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is under way.

The Danxia airport, the first general aviation airport in Gansu, opened Friday along with the three-day general aviation convention which will last till Sunday.

Zhangye, a popular tourist destination for its unique red gritstone landforms, attracted 15 million tourists and took in 8.7 billion yuan (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue last year.
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Saudi Arabia is one of the most scientifically advanced countries in the Middle East. That reputation is reflected in everything, from the vast number of universities dedicated solely to STEM to their precisely calculated racial hierarchy.

"Whenever we drove into the diplomatic quarter in Riyadh at the National Guard checkpoint," Adam recalls, "we were always treated respectfully, with plenty of 'please,' 'sir,' 'welcome' -- no problem at all. But if you're dark or look Arab, your car would get searched. The social hierarchy is: Saudis, Gulf Arabs (excluding Yemen, because they're perceived as country bumpkins and drug addict truck drivers), Americans and Europeans, other Arabs, Indonesians, Filipinos, Pakistanis, then Bangladeshis."

Saicome/Wikimedia Commons

Great. Racist and confusing.

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Why such a laser-guided approach to racism? It mostly comes down to the type of jobs foreigners do in the country. Most Westerners move there to be doctors and engineers, so they're at the top of the list and "always get waved through to the front of the line at immigration, ahead of all the other countries," according to Adam. But other nationalities tend to go for manual labor jobs, which in Saudi Arabia means you're not technically human.

"One form of racism," Adam explains, "is that it's not permissible for a woman to be in the car with a male who isn't related to her, but somehow it was acceptable to use a driver or take a cab driven by a Pakistani or a Bangladeshi. I guess it's because in this case, the driver is part of the 'furniture' and completely nonthreatening."
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MOSCOW, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The advanced S-300 and S-400 air defense systems of the Russian Southern Military District are being put on combat duty in new positions as part of an ongoing large-scale snap drill, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

Meanwhile, warships of Russia's Black Sea Fleet and Caspian Flotilla are conducting various defensive tasks at both the Black and the Caspian seas, involving a host of missile ships, anti-submarine ships, gunboats, missile boats and minesweeping ships, the ministry said in a statement.

Fighter jets, bombers and attack helicopters of the country's Aerospace Forces of the Western and Central Military Districts have also started to relocate aviation equipment to airfields in the Southern Military District for the surprise drill.

The Russian Armed Forces have started a weeklong snap military drill involving three of the country's four military districts from Thursday to check their ability to "beef up forces" and "defend Russia's interests amid growing security threats."
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Ralph Nader, 82, is a well-known political activist, author, lecturer and attorney, a celebrity of sorts who led the cause when it came to consumer protection, environmentalism and government reform issues for the past six decades.

Raised and still a resident of Winsted, the Princeton/Harvard-educated attorney from a close-knit Lebanese family is celebrating 50 years since his award-winning book, Unsafe at Any Speed, hit the best-seller list. While known for his advocacy efforts, such as his ground-breaking investigation into the Federal Trade Commission, and his work on benchmark legislation, including the Consumer Product Safety Act and the Whistleblower Protection Act, he has something new on his resume  museum producer. Naders new American Museum of Tort Law opened last year just down the hill from his home and is attracting international attention. Dubbed one of the 100 Most Influential Americans, Nader, known for his unsuccessful third-party presidential campaigns, received the Gandhi Peace Award, Promoting Enduring Peace in 2016. He was smartly dressed, despite some reports to the contrary on his fashion sense, witty, dead serious and introspective as he sat down at his museum for a talk.

Q: Did you accomplish what you set out to do when you wrote Unsafe at Any Speed?

A: Writing that book got us the first generation of safety features, seat belts, air bags and then the usuals, like collapsible steering wheels and side-impact guards. But then through the Reagan, Clinton and Bush period there was almost a whole period of inactivity when it came to safety issues. We lost a lot of time, but now in the midst of some of the outrageous recalls going on and the criminality, I think we will be back on track and there will be a new push for better review and safeguards.

Q: Since you wrote Unsafe, we have become a nation of consumerism, one that is not as meek or uneducated as generations past. Do you think that is reflected in consumer protection when it comes to manufacturers and what they produce?

A: We are much more selective. People are far more savvy about things like labels, like what is in our foods, far more nutritious savvy. Awareness of environmental pollution, contamination is far better. But in the contract area we as consumers are still so lacking and like lambs to the slaughter. Credit card contracts, hospital contracts, insurance contracts, consumers just sign on the dotted lines and dont realize what rights they are signing away, like suing rights and economic rights.

Q: What is your cause these days?

A: Right now I am looking into the shenanigans with pensions.

Q: As a veteran presidential candidate, what is your take on this years presidential campaign?

A: It is bad theater and dangerous theater  Hillary the Hawk and the Wall Street toady  and he is the same. He is so wildly, crazy unpredictable and ignorant. I dont know how the Republicans ended up there. He was always one media step ahead. He will self-destruct because he is not only not controllable, he has no self-impulse control. Think of it, a country our size and this is the best we can throw up.

Q: Would you ever run again for either national or state office?

A: Probably not, but I was elected to the Automotive Hall of Fame this year.

Q: Who should be president?

A: Thats a good question because the system produces a terrible recruitment process. It freezes out the people who may have wanted to play, but werent allowed because they didnt have the money. But then you hear about no-names like (Ted) Cruz and (Marco) Rubio who were invited to debates because they had established super PACS. As far as who should be president, I think Sen. Sherrod Brown, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, Liz Warren. I think Jerry Brown should have thrown his hat in the ring. The bottom line is unless they are celebrities, nobody wants to report on them. Elections are a big profit center for the media and big business. The irony is it escapes the press. Commercialism is the culprit.

Q: Your roots in Winsted are deep and you have made it your home. Tell us about your museum.

A: I wanted to establish a law museum. There is none in the world, and this is just down the street from my home. People go through this museum and come out transformed. This is not propaganda, but the facts. I am a museum junkie, and this museum is the first one that respects people and their intelligence. And this is a beginning. We are already working on expanding, and we want to start streaming everywhere pieces like court cases, interrogatories, settlements, depositions.

Q: What do you think the biggest danger is that this generation faces?

A: Artificial intelligence, bio- and nanotechnology, and apart from war, climate change and disease.

Q: You are 82. What does Ralph Nader do with his days these days?

A: Work. Trabajo. If you go to my website, nader.org, you will see a lot of things we are doing. A radio hour, a weekly column, I help all kinds of groups and am involved in a lot of issues. And I consider myself 28, not 82. When you get to a certain age, the motto has to be the best is yet to come.

Q: It seems you dont have a lot of respect for the media. Do you?

A: I only respect the media when it reaches its highest standards, and that still happens once in a while. NPR has become very disappointing. At the top of the hour its no different than CBS or NBC. In some cases, worse.

Q: Where does your work ethic and morals come from?

A: My parents based raising us on 17 traditions. Among them were talking about freedom and with that freedom, responsibility and civic engagement. My mother had four kids, and people were always asking her why she spent so much time on community issues, given the size of the family. If you have a bad community, you have a bad family. And she said there was no difference in working for your community or your family. They were one. My brother helped start the community college here. The first in the state and one located in the smallest town in America, except for some town in Kansas at the time. My family has been involved in other efforts, keeping the hospital open. We had very good parents.

Q: How would you like to be remembered?

A: One, my endless patience with thousands of reporters. And second, that one person can make a difference. That only citizens start things going.

MaryEllen Fillo is an award-winning journalist and adjunct professor.
CHANGSHA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's top 500 enterprises reported their first annual decline in combined revenues in 15 years with a 0.07-percent drop last year.

Among the top 500 firms, 155 reported declines in revenues in 2015, 61 more than a year ago, with many of them representing the overcapacity-plagued coal, steel, oil and chemicals industries.

Meanwhile, 72 firms reported losses, 15 more than a year ago.

China Enterprise Confederation and China Enterprise Directors Association unveiled the 2016 edition of the Top 500 Chinese Enterprises list Saturday. The list is based on revenues from 2015.

The State Grid grabbed the top spot with 2.07 trillion yuan (310 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue, with oil giants China National Petroleum Corp. and Sinopec ranking second and third.

Haitong Securities, GF Securities and China Galaxy Securities entered the list for the first time as a bull stock market boosted their revenues.

Revenues of the top 500 totaled 59.46 trillion yuan (8.9 trillion U.S. dollars) last year.

The service sector contributed 40.5 percent of the revenues, outperforming the manufacturing sector, at 39.2 percent, for the first time.

Of the 500 firms, 157 are from the service sector, six more than a year ago, and 261 are manufacturers, five less than a year ago.

The 500 companies invested 1.48 percent of their revenues in research and development (R&D) on average, with leading search engine Baidu and telecom equipment supplier Huawei spending 15.9 percent and 15.1 percent on R&D respectively.

Cui Dianguo, chairman of train maker CRRC Corp., said large companies should speed up overseas expansion to create a global value chain.
Contributed

The Connecticut Audubon Society is seeking donations to restore the habitat of a rapidly disappearing bird called the blue-winged warbler.

In a fundraising email, the society laments that the warbler was once as common in Connecticut as the Robin and the Blue Jay. Their lazy, buzz-like song was heard almost everywhere from May into July. But the blue-winged warbler lives in meadows and fields thick with shrubs and bushes  a habitat that is being destroyed by development, according to the Audubon society.
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A dozen contractors barred from contributing to state political candidates gave almost $1 million to the Democratic Governors Association, which in turn funneled $3.9 million to a PAC supporting Gov. Dannel P. Malloys 2014 re-election campaign, a Hearst Connecticut Media analysis has found.

The transfer of money  though apparently legal  effectively circumvented Connecticuts clean-election laws, which are intended to limit the influence of wealthy special interests on state government.

The largest contribution to the DGA from a company that does business with the state, $506,000, came from insurance giant Aetna. Northeast Utilities, now called Eversource, chipped in $135,000.

The reality is that the money was spent to benefit Gov. Malloy, said Paul S. Ryan, deputy executive director of the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center, in Washington D.C. Its a clear end-around important state campaign-finance law.

Other big payments from prohibited groups include contributions from Webster Bank, which gave $55,000 to the DGA; Frontier Communications, $50,000; NRG Energy, $45,350; United Illuminating Co., $25,000; and its corporate parent, UIL Holdings, $25,000.

The DGA, seeking to break free of Connecticuts restrictions on political fundraising, sued to overturn parts of the states clean-election laws in April 2014. It dropped the lawsuit two months later and then formed the super PAC Connecticut Forward specifically to support Malloy.

More Information What the federal investigation is about In 2005, Connecticut prohibited those who do business with the state from donating to state campaigns. The law, however, allows the banned contractors to give to state parties' federal accounts - for Congressional races and get-out-the-vote efforts. The investigation started after state Democrats took more than $300,000 from their federal account to support Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's 2014 re-election campaign. See More Collapse

Thats when it passed $3.9 million through to Connecticut Forward.

Malloy is now chairman of the DGA.

The Hearst analysis dovetails with a federal investigation into the financing of the 2014 campaign. Hearst recently confirmed that at least one former state party worker has testified before a grand jury and two former top-ranking state Democrats now working in Washington were questioned there by the FBI.

The 12 entities are among thousands of companies whose contracts with Connecticut state government disqualify them from contributing to candidates in state races. They gave the DGA $926,700 between Jan. 1, 2013, and June 30, 2015, the period including the run-up to the 2014 election and the months after the start of Malloys second four-year term.

The Hearst fundraising analysis tracked payments to the DGA through a detailed examination of quarterly and annual Internal Revenue Service filings required by federal law, and reports by OpenSecrets.org, the nonpartisan campaign-finance site.

In addition to the banned contractors, Connecticut pharmaceutical, investment and insurance giants gave nearly $2 million to the DGA during that same period, led by $800,000 from The Trav elers, based in Hartford.

Other top contributors that do not have state contracts were Purdue Pharma Co., of Stamford, $156,050; Ridgefield-based Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, $96,750; Cross Sound Ferry Services Inc., of New London, $65,000; United Technologies Corp., of Hartford, $90,350; and Time Warner Inc., of Stamford, $50,000.

Twenty-one banned state contractors gave the Republican Governors Association more than $5.8 million during the same period, according to OpenSecrets.org. The RGA-affiliated super PAC, Grow Connecticut, funneled $5.5 million to support Tom Foleys campaign for governor.

There has been no indication, however, that the feds are investigating any possible violations of election laws by the state GOP.

Heeding the call

Officials from most of the prohibited companies did not respond to requests for comment, but some described how the process works.

We give to folks on both sides of the aisle, said Bruce Silverstone, vice president for corporate communications at Aquarion, the regional water company. We were contacted by somebody from the DGA in Washington, and were asked for a contribut ion substantially more than $10,000. We gave $10,000.

Robert Guenther, senior vice president for Webster Bank, said its $55,000 contribution was the result of direct solicitations from the DGAs Washington headquarters.

Typically, we donate when asked, Guenther said. Obviously, we promote good policy.

Officials at some other banned contractors  Ethan Slavin at Aetna, Caroline Pretyman at Eversource Energy and David Gaier at NRG Energy  said they follow campaign finance laws and make contributions to both parties.

NRG Energy, which operates power plants in Bridgeport, Milford and other locations in the state, gave the RGA $50,000 during the 2014 election cycle, slightly more than the $45,350 it gave to the DGA.

Corporate conduit

Though legal under federal law, good government watchdogs say the flow of special-interest cash circumvents at least the spirit of Connecticuts clean-election laws.

Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut, said that despite the states 2005 clean-elections laws, passed in response to the pay-to-play scandals that sent former Gov. John G. Rowland to prison, money continues to flow around the restrictions.

With millions of dollars from well-hidden donors flowing into our elections, and federal authorities examining the fundraising operation of the Democratic State Central Committee, its time for the Connecticut Legislature to strengthen disclosure and oversight of campaign finance, Quickmire said.

Throughout the 2014 gubernatorial campaign, Malloy repeatedly said he would do whatever is legal to fund his re-election battle.

He pledged to restrict campaign spending to the $6.5 million received from the states public-financing system, but Democrats supplemented that sum with several cash streams. While Connecticut Forward spent $6 million to support Malloy, other independent groups spent about $4 million to keep the governor in office.

The 2014 race was the most expensive in state history, with outside PACs spending more than $19.3 million, The Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit investigative organization, reported.

Malloy defeated Foley by 28,019 votes.

One pot of money

The U.S. Supreme Courts controversial Citizens United decision in 2010 allowed for unlimited PAC contributions, and DGA officials point out that their fundraising work is entirely legal.

The DGA does not segregate banned contractor money from total contributions it receives, which the group typically deposits into a general fund for use across the country or into designated accounts in various states.

The DGA supports Democratic candidates for governor in states across the country, Jared Leopold, communications director for the DGA, said. To support these programs, DGA raises funds from a wide range of individuals, companies, unions and political organizations. It is DGA policy not to accept contributions that are earmarked for use in any particular state or on behalf of any particular candidate.

Accounting methods aside, the money finds its mark, said Ryan of the Campaign Legal Center.

The DGA tries to make a ridiculous point that doesnt hold water, Ryan said. The money is fungible, so the idea that they raised about a million dollars from government contractors and it wasnt part of the $4 million it spent on the campaign  in my view, for practical purposes, they spent the Connecticut contractor money in Connecticut to get this guy elected.

One of the largest contributions to the DGA came from Paul Tudor Jones, founder of the Greenwich hedge fund Tudor Investment Corp. In September 2013, Jones, who is not a prohibited contractor, gave $250,000 to the DGA, IRS filings show.

Individual contributions to state candidates participating in Connecticuts clean-election program are capped at $100. Jones, who has been generous to both Democrats and Republicans, declined to comment through a spokesman.

Michael J. Brandi, executive director of the State Elections Enforcement Commission, said its hard to ferret out the source of campaign cash if contributors want to remain anonymous.

One of the most difficult problems in campaign finance is trying to find the real contributors when it comes to corporations and other entities, because of the fact that many of them hide behind shell upon shell, Brandi said. Quite often, were trying to get to who are the actual contributors in a given situation. Luckily, in Connecticut we do have nesting-dolls provisions so that we do require independent expenditures to disclose contributors.

Brandi declined to comment directly on the DGA contributions, citing two complaints currently under review on the issue. One challenges the Malloy campaigns use of DGA funds for TV ads attacking his rival, Foley. The other claims Connecticut Forwards expenditures were not independent, because the PAC was set up by the DGA expressly to benefit Malloy.

Integrity downgrade

The Center for Public Integrity rated Connecticut as the third-best in the nation on a variety of measures including accountability and transparency, but its 2015 national State Integrity Investigation gave the state a mediocre grade of C-minus, down fr om a B in 2012, mostly because of the renewed flow of special-interest money after the 2005 reforms.

In 2013, Malloy signed legislation that doubled the limit on individual contributions to political parties, to $10,000, and, as required by the Citizens United decision, removed limits on the amount parties can give to legislative candidates.

Ryan stressed that Malloy opted into the voluntary public-financing program, then diminished it by accepting the outside support.

It certainly undercuts the purpose of the Citizens Election Program, he said recently. What kind of bang did Connecticut taxpayers get for their buck? When you have a governor whos actively trying to evade the campaign-finance law, it becomes a problem.

Much was at stake for the DGA in 2014. The organization was worried about losing governorships to a strong wave of Republican candidates, and Malloys favorability ratings were low. Other organizations gave on Malloys behalf. Eleven days before the election, the Democratic National Committee wrote a $100,000 check to the Connecticut Democrats.

Justice Department probe

Even before the election, the U.S. attorney and the FBI began investigating whether the state Democratic Party illegally spent hundreds of thousands of dollars, including prohibited contractor funds, on Malloys campaign.

It all began in October 2014, when Connecticut Republicans filed a complaint with the state election agency alleging that Democrats used money from their federal account  which is restricted to support for federal candidates and get-out-the-vote efforts  on mass mailings supporting Malloy. The Democratic State Central Committee said it was OK because the literature listed poll hours and telephone numbers voters could call for rides to the polls.

Republicans claimed money spent on the mailings included banned contractors contributions. State Democrats used the partys federal account to skirt state election law, said GOP officials.

Democrats then asked for an opinion from the Federal Election Commission, but withdrew the request the day before the opinion was to be issued. A draft of the opinion, however, shows federal officials were ready to strongly admonish Connecticut Democrats for trying to bypass state law.

Despite all that, the Democratic state committee mailed the Malloy fliers.

The resulting confrontation between the SEEC and Democrats languished in state Superior Court for months, but was finally settled two months ago, after Democrats agreed to pay a record $325,000 fine.

A Hearst Connecticut Media investigation in October 2015 bolstered the back-door allegation. It showed that $1.1 million of the $4.8 million then in the state partys federal account came from more than 460 contractors, lobbyists, lawyers and others prohibited from contributing to statewide candidates.

kdixon@ctpost.com;
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NORWALK  The Imax Theater at the Maritime Aquarium is in the cross hairs of the states upcoming replacement of the Walk Bridge over the Norwalk River.

A source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Hearst Connecticut Media the Connecticut Department of Transportation is interested in taking the Imax Theater to facilitate the bridge replacement and is in negotiations to that end.

Of all the properties being eyed for staging areas for the estimated $1 billion project, none stands closer to the bridge than the aquarium and adjacent Imax Theater. The 120-year-old railroad bridge bisects the aquarium at 10 N. Water St., separating the animal exhibits on the north side from the theater on the south side.

Last September, the state Department of Transportation released a list of 17 properties being considered for temporary easements or permanent takings to facilitate the bridge replacement. While neither the aquarium nor Imax Theater are on that list, DOT project manager John D. Hanifin said earlier this month that the department was eyeing the theater.

The IMAX piece of property is being evaluated from construction impacts and no decisions have been made on anything regarding that, Hanifin told The Hour during a public open house on the Walk Bridge program inside the lobby of the Imax Theater on Aug. 16.

DOT spokesman Judd Everhart said Friday there is no definitive plan regarding the Imax Theater property, which he reminded belongs to the city.

The Imax and the aquarium are on property owned by the city and the Department is in discussions about impacts to both of these properties during construction, Everhart said. I cannot say today when a decision will be made.

David Sigworth, Aquarium spokesman, would not speculate on the impact the bridge replacement will have on the aquarium or theater.

We cant speculate on what is going to happen, but we know the area around the aquarium is going to be affected, and so we are making a selection of responses to what the final project plan will be, Sigworth said. We definitely know that theres going to be impacts and we have to be ready for it once they start working.

The Maritime Center, as it was originally known, opened in 1988 and now draws up to 500,000 visitors annually to views its 34 exhibits featuring more than 1,200 marine animals of 259 species, according to the Aquariums website. The six-story Imax features movies such as National Parks Adventure and Born to Be Wild.

Asked if the state intends to take the theater to rebuild the Walk Bridge, Hanifin answered, I would highly doubt it, but like I said, the property is being evaluated just like all the other properties are being evaluated around the project.

Mayor Harry W. Rilling said he has been meeting regularly with DOT officials regarding possible staging areas for the bridge replacement.

I think theres still a lot of unanswered questions regarding which properties may be under consideration, which properties are no longer under consideration, said Rilling, before turning to possible staging areas. Theyve talked about Manresa (Island), theyve talked about Select Plastics, where Tony DAndrea is, theyve talked about different parking lots that are available.

DAndrea, co-owner of Select Plastics at 219 Liberty Square in East Norwalk, learned recently that the DOT no longer plans to take his property and use it for a staging area for the Walk Bridge replacement.

Rilling reminded that negotiations are continuing between the DOT and other Norwalk property owners whose properties remain on the acquisition list.

Obviously, those are confidential negotiations, Rilling said. But right now, theres been no firm decision on some of the properties.

Hanifin urged those interested in the Walk Bridge replacement to stay up to date on the project by visiting www.walkbridgect.com.

Its a good place to get the correct information about a project and stay away from the rumor mill, Hanifin said.

The city floated a $30 million bond to build the aquarium and remains the landlord. Critics of the arrangement noted that the aquarium never repaid the borrowed money. Aquarium officials and supporters note that the facility is Norwalks biggest tourist draw.

Last year, the Norwalk Common Council approved a lease extension between the city and Aquarium. Under the lease, the aquarium will pay the city an annual rent of $1 but also pick up all maintenance costs  expenses that had been paid by the city.
CHICAGO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chicago police officers killed 92 people and wounded 170 others in a six-year span from 2010 to 2015, according to the newly released data.

A Chicago police officer on average fired shots at someone every five days, data compiled by Chicago Tribune after tracking and analyzing every Chicago police shooting in the 2010-2015 show.

The data show that during the six-year time span, police officers fired at least 2,623 bullets in the 435 shootings, with 262 people shot; about four out of every five people shot by police were African-American males; about half of the officers involved in the shootings were African-American or Hispanic; and the number of shooting by police has declined from more than 107 in 2011 to 44 in 2015.

But despite the decline, Chicago still outpaces other major cities, say Los Angeles, New York, Houston and Philadelphia in terms of police-involved shooting.

The data also show a wide racial disparity in terms of who is shot: 80 percent of the 262 people shot by Chicago police were African-American; 35 or 14 percent were Hispanics; and only 14 or less than 6 percent that were shot were white.

Chicago Tribune' s analysis finds that the shootings occurred all over the city of Chicago but were more common on the South and West sides, where certain blocks have been plagued with drugs, gangs and unrelenting poverty for decades.

Few police officers that have fired shots were punished, the analysis finds, as the police union contract prevent the police department from identifying officers after a shooting unless a lawsuit has been filed.

Moreover, the Independent Police Review Authority's (IPRA) investigations of police-involved shootings usually had testimony and reports from other police officers who backed up one another's accounts, a phenomenon of "code of silence" that has been criticized for years.

Actually Chicago police are the only witnesses listed in most of the shootings, with civilian witnesses listed in just 83 of the incidents, the analysis finds.

In all but a few shootings the agency investigated in the six years, IPRA ruled police officers were justified in use of deadly force.

Chicago Tribune said it has battled for seven months and even threatened to sue under Freedom of Information Act before getting its hands on these data.
Unbeaten Berlin Brothersvalley, Penns Manor clash in Appalachian Bowl

Berlin Brothersvalley and Penns Manor square off in the Appalachian Bowl on Saturday. See how the teams stack up and what coach Doug Paul had to say.
Check it out: Fun things to do this weekend in Lake County

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Brunei and Vietnam agreed on Saturday to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC).

The pledge came as Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah held talks with visiting Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang here on Saturday, according to a joint statement issued after the talks.

They also agreed to work towards the early conclusion of a code of conduct in the South China Sea (COC).

The DOC, signed in 2002 by China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, outlines the most important principles in the management of disputes on the South China Sea, and consultations for the COC were launched by the two sides in 2013. Both are aimed to safeguard peace and stability in the region.

The Vietnamese president arrived here on Friday afternoon for a state visit to the sultanate, which will end on Sunday, at the invitation of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

According to the statement, both sides reaffirmed the importance of ASEAN's role in the regional security architecture, and expressed satisfaction with their defense cooperation.

The leaders of the two countries also agreed to further deepen bilateral economic and trade relations in the hope of two-way trade reaching 500 million U.S. dollars by the year 2025.
She's the great-granddaughter of American oil tycoon, Jean Paul Getty, granddaughter of the Duty Free billionaire Robert Miller and counts Princess Olympia of Greece as her cousin - so it's safe to say that Isabel Getty has some pretty impressive genes.

Clearly wanting to tap into the double heiresses' magic, society bible Tatler has snapped up the fledgling socialite as its latest cover star.

Posing on the glossy magazine's cover wearing a plunging silk top and a slick of red lipstick, the heiress, whose great-grandfather was worth over $2bn, proves her worth as a model.

Isabel Getty, 22, who is the great-granddaughter of American oil tycoon, Jean Paul Getty, granddaughter of the Duty Free billionaire Robert Miller and counts Princess Olympia of Greece as her cousin, has been unveiled as Tatler's cover star

The blonde has all the makings of a society belle; she grew up in a six-story townhouse in the Gossip Girl-esque Upper East Side of New York and later moved to London, where she attended the prestigious Harrodian school.

She later relocated to a boarding school in Switzerland, where she admits she was something of a rebel, before settling in swanky Knightsbridge.

As well as living a glamorous existence, Isabel is a budding musician and has studied music and business at NYU, as well launching a career under her stage name, Izzy Getty.

Much like her mother, Pia Getty, who was a society darling of the Nineties, Isabel has an active and glamorous social life.

She often spends weekends with her cousins, Olympia of Greece and Talita von Furstenberg, the granddaughter of fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, at a plush house in the Cotswolds and abroad on yachts.

The blonde, who is hailed 'the heiress' on the magazine's cover, has all the makings of a society belle; she grew up in a six-story townhouse in the Gossip Girl-esque Upper East Side of New York and later moved to London, where she attended the prestigious Harrodian school

Much like her mother, Pia Getty, who was a society darling of the Nineties, Isabel has an active and glamorous social life

She often spends weekends with her cousins, Olympia of Greece, left, and Talita von Furstenberg, right, at a plush house in the Cotswolds and abroad on yachts.

Reminiscing on her grandfather Roberts 80th at the country pile, she told the magazine: Diana Ross was there and she sang all the classics, and at one point she gave me the mic and I was, like, wow. So I just sang along.

Isabel's mother, Pia, and her sisters, Alexandra and Marie-Chantal - often referred to as 'The Miller Sisters' - all married into very wealthy families.

Pia's ex-husband is Getty Oil heir Christopher Ronald Getty, Marie-Chantal has a long history of associating with the rich and famous; before she married into the royal family, the London-born blonde - whose father was duty-free shopping co-founder Robert Warren Miller - worked for Andy Warhol.

Marie-Chantal is now married to Prince Pavlos of Greece, whilst Alexandra married Prince Alexander von Furstenburg, son of the designer Diana.

Isabel's aunt, Marie-Chantal, left, is now married to Prince Pavlos of Greece, whilst her other aunt, right, Alexandra married Prince Alexander von Furstenburg, son of the designer Diana
Crown Princess Mary of Denmark was out and about once again on Saturday as she attended a music festival just outside of Copenhagen.

The Australian-born Princess visited the Danish town of Glostrup to celebrate its 850th anniversary and was more than happy to pose for photos with local children and fans.

In one snap posted to Instagram the 44-year old is seen greeting a small blonde child named Liva at the festival.

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Princess for the people! Crown Princess Mary (above) posed for photos with children on Saturday at a festival

Big day: The festival was to celebrate the Danish town of Glostrup's 850th anniversary

Much loved: Mary attended as part of her official duties and was warmly welcomed by the crowd

Mary looked very bright and summery, in an on-trend white lace ensemble.

The detailed white lace top had sleeves that extended just past her elbows and the matching lace skirt fell just above her knee, keeping it classic and fresh.

The Princess' hair was swept up in an elegant up do and adorned with a matching white fascinator to complete the look.

Classic: The 44-year-old wore a white lace top and skirt paired with nude heels and a matching clutch

Always on trend: Mary's hair was swept into an elegant updo and adorned with a white fascinator

Welcoming: The princess took to the stage to give a short speech at the festival

She finished the look with nude heels and a matching clutch, diamond stud earrings and simple bracelets.

The Princess was presented with a red posy of flowers, which added a pop of colour as she carried it throughout the day.

Mary had been a fan of the white lace trend this summer, wearing a number of outfits that incorporated the fabric.

Still an Aussie at heart: Many children waited for her on arrival, showing just how popular she is in her adopted country

Enthralled: Mary seemed to enjoy herself watching performances from local children

Impressive: Events at the festival included gymnastics and karate performances

The event itself included gymnastic and karate displays from local children, which Mary watched with interest.

Later gave a short speech, waving to the crowd as she took to the stage to talk.
Trump's campaign chief accused of being anti-semitic by ex-wife

NEW YORK, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The new campaign chief of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been accused of being anti-semitic by his ex-wife, court documents revealed on Friday.

Mary Louise Piccard said her former partner Stephen Bannon made anti-semitic and offensive remarks when they quarreled during the process of finding a school for two daughters in Los Angeles.

According to the New York Daily News reports, Piccard wrote in a court filing in 2007 that Bannon did not want their twin daughters to enroll at the Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles because many Jewish students were attending the elite institution.

Bannon said he didn't like Jews and he didn't like the way they raise their children to be "whiney brats," Piccard said.

Bannon, the former executive chairman of Breitbart News site, was appointed by Trump as chief executive officer in a move to bolster his combative image.

Alexandra Preate, a spokeswoman for Bannon denied on Friday the accusation, saying that Bannon was proud to send his daughters to the school.
They say beauty comes with a price, but how much would you be willing to pay?

Luxury skincare brand La Mer has launched a new smoothing product for AUD $365 - the 50mL product dubbed a 'legendary formula' that can help 'heal dryness and soften away age.'

The new Moisturizing Soft Lotion launched in Australia on Sunday and claims to smooth and soothe skin when applied.

Would you spend that? A new moisturiser costs AUD $365 for 50mL of product

Brand new: The New Moisturizing Soft Lotion from luxury brand La Mer was released in Australia on Sunday

So what makes the cream so magical? It contains the brand's trademarked 'Miracle Broth' which is made from fermented kelp.

The substance was created by the company's founder, Dr Max Huber, who had burnt himself in a laboratory and tried to find a product that would help his skin afterwards.

'He hand-harvested and fermented kelp gently with simple, pure ingredients, infusing them with light and sound until they became the Miracle Broth, soul of the cream that renewed and helped restore his skin,' La Mer's website claims.

Goodbye fine lines: The product claims to fight ageing, as well as smooth and soothe the skin

From the sea: The moisturiser contains the brand's 'miracle broth' which is made from harvested kelp

According to the company, those who use the product can rub a small amount of the product between their fingertips to release the broth, before pressing it into their skin.

Labelled 'the original secret of the sea in a fluid new texture', the product is a new version of the old moisturising lotion.

However it's unclear what in the formula has been changed.

Endorsements: The La Mer products are very popular with celebrities like Cara Delevinge (above), Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Snapped up: Despite only just being released, beauty bloggers and it girl are snapping the product up

Although it's only recently been released around the world, beauty bloggers and it girls are flocking to the product and posting pictures of it on their Instagram feeds.

The brand also has a number of celebrity fans, including Cara Delevinge, Blake Lively, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
Many kids are disappointed when it's time to go back to school after summer is over.

But that's not the case for Texas fourth grader Kevin Ortega, who is becoming an online sensation after he was interviewed by Fox 7 Austin talking about his excitement to be back at his school for the year.

The boy was caught by the station while walking with his father Tano on their way into Rodriguez Elementary on Monday morning.

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All smiles: Fourth grader Kevin Ortega of Texas is gaining online fame after doing an enthusiastic interview about being back at school

Having a think: Accompanied by his dad Tano, the little boy, said that he was excited to get on with fourth grad, then fifth, then college

When asked if he was excited to be back, Kevin's answer was an emphatic 'yes'.

The little boy flashed a winning smile at the camera while dressed to impress in a smart grey polo shirt.

After being asked why he would be so excited, the little boy said: 'Im going to fourth grade, and after that Im going to fifth grade, and college... or high school I don't know!'

Kevin revealed to the interviewer that he had just changed schools, and has plans to make lots of friends.

'...or high school?' Sporting a smart polo shirt, Kevin looked to his dad to figure out what comes after fifth grade

Putting it out there: Kevin put out a message of good luck to his fellow students at the end of the interview

At his old school, he said he 'just made one friend'. 'Im hoping I can make more friends than just one,' he added.

He went on to declare his love for math, saying he wants become an inventor and knows that 'I need to learn a lot of math to do it and also a lot of science'.

On thing he was less happy about, however, was negotiating with his mom over how he would be getting to school this year.

'Also my mom thinks I'm a baby so I can't walk to school sometimes and also she thinks I need protective gear when I need to ride a bike,' Kevin said, with a tinge of frustration.

Off to begin the day: The video ended with the boy being walked up to the school by his dad

When the interviewer intimates that she was inclined to agree with Kevin's mother, he insisted: 'I know how to ride a bike already even without protective gear!'

The interview ended with Kevin giving a message of good luck to his fellow students before walking with dad Tano off towards the school.
a gap in the market for fun baby clothes, Laura launched brand

Laura Tenison MBE, 49, is the founder of maternity and baby chain, JoJo Maman Bebe. She lives in London with her two sons, Toby and Ben aged 17 and 20.

Im the youngest of a large family and had a pretty frugal mother, who was very keen that we earn our own pocket money.

Age 13, she bought me a sewing machine and I learnt to make clothes by buying from charity shops and taking the design to pieces to make patterns.

Laura Tenison MBE, 49, is the founder of maternity and baby chain, JoJo Maman Bebe

I moved to London and started a business during my A-levels, then started working for a publishing company.

My father said no when I asked him for the money to start my own menswear company so I started doing up and selling properties in rural France to raise the finance.

After three years I sold the company, which gave me 50,000 to reinvest in a menswear company. But driving to see my lawyers I had a head-on car crash.

I broke about 20 bones and spent weeks recovering in hospital. There I met a woman who was long-term sick and had two small children.

She broke 20 bones in her body in a crash - and it was in hospital that she met a woman struggling to find baby clothes for her two young kids. Realising a gap in the market for fun baby clothes, Laura launched her brand

At that point I hadnt had my children, and it never occurred to me to launch a childrens wear brand.

But lying in bed watching her try to buy clothes for them from catalogues, I realised there was a dearth of fun baby and childrens clothes via mail order.

Seeing a gap in the market, I decided to design French-style kids clothes for the UK.

It was my light-bulb moment, but I knew I had to back it up with market research, which I conducted from my wheelchair.

We were a mail-order catalogue for five years and after ten years we opened our first store in Battersea.
Housewife superstar and poster girl for multiculturalism, NADIYA HUSSAINs life has changed beyond recognition in the past year. So how is the Bake Off champion coping? She talks about family, food and falling in love with her husband after they were married

NADIYA WEARS RED SCARF, Brooks Brothers. BLUE SCARF, Aspinal of London. SHIRT, Really Wild. DRESS, Issey Miyake

Nadiya Hussain is moving house and was packing boxes into the early hours the night before we meet. I lost all sense of time. Eventually, my husband said, Arent you supposed to be up at five to go to London?

At some point in the night she wrote Blu-Tack on the notebook beside her pillow. This morning, she cant remember why  a feeling familiar to anyone running a home, with three children and a job. Life is just go, go, go, she says.

On barely three hours sleep, Nadiya is somehow still bubbling with energy. In the (almost) year since she won The Great British Bake Off, life has changed beyond all recognition.

She is about to publish her second cookbook, has made a TV documentary about her roots, baked a 90th birthday cake for the Queen, reported for The One Show, been a guest panellist on Loose Women, is writing the first of three novels and is going to be a judge on the new series of Junior Bake Off.

Stepping on to the public stage has prompted a seismic shift in her private life, too. She and her husband Abdal have moved away from their families, something unheard of in the Bengali community Nadiya comes from.

SCARF, Brooks Brothers. SHIRT, Really Wild. DRESS, Zuria Dor. JEWELLERY, Pebble London

After more than ten years of living with, then near Abdals parents in Leeds, the family moved to a rented home in Milton Keynes eight months ago and have now bought a house. They share childcare and chores (Abdal does most of the ironing).

Though she still buys her clothes at Primark and her headscarves at street markets, Nadiya, 31, the hesitant housewife whose Bake Off victory speech  Im never going to put boundaries on myself ever again  moved many to tears, has morphed into a poised and eloquent woman.

She has definitely found her feet in her dizzying new world, but the determination that shines out now was there long before she appeared on TV. What enabled her to fly was the most important decision of her life: marrying Abdal. Hes ambitious, clever. Together were fearless, she says. I couldnt have done any of this without such a supportive husband.

I wanted my children to be the best they could be. I put so much into it I didnt have time to brush my hair

Her USP is that she ties two key strands of modern Britain  celebrity culture and multiculturalism  in one neat bow. She speaks Bengali and cleaves to her headscarf, yet she loves the British traditions of cake and tea. She was the first Muslim woman many viewers got to know  albeit through the TV screen  and her charm won her a legion of fans.

She is said to have done more for interracial understanding than decades of legislation but, to her, it comes naturally. I dont think about it consciously, it is who I am, she says. There are loads of layers to me: Im a Muslim, Im Bangla, Im Britishbut most of all I am a mum and nothing matters more than that.

Nadiya with her husband Abdal at the Yorkshire Awards

Given her background, the ease with which Nadiya deals with the wider world (including a fan who followed her into the loo at a shopping centre wanting a selfie) seems extraordinary.

She is one of six children and was brought up in Luton, where she went to a school full of girls from a similar background. She had no white friends until she moved to sixth form college. At home the family spoke Bengali  I did it for GCSE. Its been no use to me since but my dad was happy  and her mother would make at least six curries a day.

Food was important. People like my parents came to this country without friends or anything familiar; cooking was their way of re-creating a piece of home, she says. I didnt experience a fish finger until I was 17 when I got a car and learned how to get to Tesco. Id rather my children had a mixture. My mum says, Why dont you just give them curry? but I want them to learn other cuisines.

If she had ambitions as a teenager, duty meant setting them aside. She applied to university and won a place to study psychology at Kings College, London, but acquiesced without resentment or argument when her parents said she could not leave home.

SCARF, Aspinal of London. COAT, J JS Lee. DRESS, Marni. SHOES (just seen), Paul Andrew. BRACELETS, Pebble London

I thought, OK, Ill get married, have kids and do something later, she says. She got a job as an administrator in a medical centre, arranging home visits for patients, and, at 19, married Abdal. Its hard to imagine the gamble involved in entering into an arranged marriage, but Nadiya accepted it without question. My parents, aunts and uncles had all had arranged marriages so it was completely normal, she says.

Her father, a restaurateur, showed her photographs of Abdal, the son of a business associate in Leeds. She rang his mobile number and for six months they talked. She asked the computer sciences graduate everything she could think of: what was his ten-year life plan and what would happen if she was unable to have children. If I like you Ill stay, and if I dont Ill leave, he replied  shes still not sure whether he was trying to make her laugh or being brutally honest.

They got engaged the first time they met in person and were married three weeks later near her fathers village in Bangladesh, with only their fathers present because they needed to keep the wedding costs down (tradition demands giving alms to the poor on marriage and the only way they could afford to do that was by marrying with no guests  not even their brothers and sisters).

Nadiya moved into Abdals family home in Leeds with seven suitcases: Its only then you think, Wow, Ive got to share a life with this person. He hadnt made any wardrobe space for me and I was absolutely gutted. Wed been married for ten days and he said, You dont need all those shoes.

Nadiya with her fellow finalists Ian (left) and Tamal

A year on from the wedding, Musa, now nine, was born, followed by their second son, Dawud, now eight. By the time Musa was three months old I was pregnant again. I was, like, Im not going anywhere, youre not going anywhere, we both want kids, lets get on with it, she says. Of course, it wasnt easy, but I went in thinking, Im going to make this work. Two years and two kids later I looked at him one day and thought, You know what? I quite like you.

Their first kiss was awkward, but they turned out to be a brilliant match. If Abdal had decided Nadiyas place was in the home, thats where she would have stayed, but it was he who recognised her potential.

He is not someone who sits at home. He moved away to study at 18 and thats not usual for us. He goes hiking, he does extreme sports. Hes ambitious and he could see ambition in me, she says. I was determined my children would be the best they could be, so they ate well, I took them out, I read them bedtime stories. I put so much into it sometimes I didnt even have time to brush my hair.

The children could read English and Arabic before they went to school. Nadiya began an Open University degree in child development but stopped when Maryam, now five, was born, as it was too much of a distraction. And all that time she was baking  a love she picked up from a teacher at school. She was content, and she started putting on weight: three-and-a-half stone on her tiny frame (she is just under 5ft).

Id say to Abdal, Am I fat? And hed say, No, youre not, youre beautiful, but I knew things werent right, she says. One day I looked at a photo of myself and I thought, I need to overhaul my life! The first thing she did was ring her mother and tell her she wasnt going to visit for three months. Her way of love is food. If you turn up at her house and dont eat she gets upset.

Together Abdal and I are fearless. I couldnt have done this without him

She bought a buggy, put Maryam in it  with food, juice, crayons  and started running ten miles a day. She must have been a sight, pounding the streets with her headscarf and baby, but she laughs at the memory.

I didnt care. When I go for something I do it in a big way. Three months later, she visited her mother three-and-a-half stone lighter. It was the first thing Id done for myself since having the kids, she says. And that was it  suddenly I felt I could do anything.

It was Abdal, famously, who persuaded her to try for Bake Off, filling out the application form so there was only the technical section for her to complete. The night she won, with the spectacular wedding cake shed dreamed of but didnt have at her own wedding  lemon drizzle draped in a sari in the British colours of red, white and blue  Bake Off pulled in a record 14.5 million viewers.

Nadiya watched the episode with her fellow finalists Tamal and Ian as they had to appear on Bake Offs sister show An Extra Slice afterwards. She then went home and watched it with her family. It was weird. I had to keep leaving the room because it was so intense, she says.

Her new book, Bake Me a Story, is inspired by her children. It is a gorgeous mix of recipes and fairy tales with a distinctly modern twist  Rapunzel locked in a tower block, Cinderella slaving away in a DIY shop (see page 32)  and all the stories include scrumptious-sounding recipes.

Her children have always loved books. Theyre massive readers. Theyll turn up in the kitchen with a book while Im cooking and say, Mum, please, just one chapter. Theyre like puppies, sitting on the floor pleading, so I have to turn everything off and read to them.

I tested all the stories on them and it was such fun. You can follow a recipe, then read while its in the oven, or read the story then cook  whatever works for you. Its such an interactive way of storytelling: I only have to make gingerbread for my daughter to want to read The Gingerbread Man. The children all love baking  and eating  her cakes.

Left: Nadiya with her husband Abdal and children (from left) Maryam, Musa and Dawud. Right: with Bake Off judge Paul Hollywood at the National Television Awards

The book has plunged Nadiya into another exhausting round of publicity: today, after arriving at the studio for make-up just before 8am (on that three hours sleep), shes not expecting to finish until after 10pm. Abdals willingness to be a new man  still highly unusual in the Bengali community  is what makes it work.

I got home late yesterday and hed built all the [new, Ikea] furniture and cleaned the kitchen. Everything was immaculate, she says. The kids were in bed  all I had to do was go upstairs and say goodnight.

NADIYA NEEDS Dream dinner party guest? David Attenborough  I could listen to him all day. Most treasured possession? Im not one of those people who keeps things because Abdal makes me throw everything away. Make-up bag essentials? Vaseline, for when Ive chewed off all my lipstick, and concealer. Secret ambition? To drive a fast car. Good read? I love Alice Sebolds The Lovely Bones  its really moving. Perfect Sunday morning? Staying in my pyjamas with a cup of tea in bed, then making pancakes just before midday. Ultimate luxury? At the moment, sleep. Whats the best advice you could give someone? Scaring yourself is a good thing. What keeps you awake? Recipes. I always have one in my head and if I dont write it down it bugs me. How many headscarves have you got? Around 150  I need two drawers to keep them in! Advertisement

But theres a cultural twist to this, too: The difference between him and some men is that he doesnt do all that because he loves me  though he does  but because hes got a duty to look after the house when Im not there. That also goes for the children: they vacuum and put the bins out. I dont pay them for chores because its their house as much as mine.

The first thing she does when she gets home is take off the headscarf. Underneath, her hair is waist-length and very curly. She could easily walk down the street without being recognised  though she never would. Bengali traditions remain important to her, even as she steers her family into modern Britain.

Her husband and father can see her hair, but the headscarf goes back on if her brothers-in-law visit. She observes Ramadan and says it is easy to fast if you put your mind to it (that determination again), even while cooking for the children and testing recipes.

This Eid (the festival at the end of Ramadan) was her quietest ever because she was so busy. She and Abdal stayed the night at his parents house, then drove down to her family for a few hours, then back to their rented home to start packing for the move. Usually Id put a trail of sweets from the childrens bedrooms to their Eid presents, but it was too chaotic. Ill make it up to them next year, she says.

She has rarely experienced racism, just a bit of shoving at the bus stop as a teenager and some negativity on Twitter at the end of Bake Off. A policeman was briefly stationed outside her house in Leeds, but when I look back, it was just a storm in a teacup.

Things are changing in the Bengali community. Two of Nadiyas sisters have been allowed to choose their own husbands rather than have arranged marriages. And if an arranged marriage breaks down, thats much more accepted than it was a decade ago.

Nadiya baking on This Morning with hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield

The move to Milton Keynes was ostensibly so Nadiya could travel to London more easily, but is also part of a wider trend of internal migration in which young couples such as Nadiya and Abdal are moving away from extended inner-city families into the suburbs.

Nadiyas family is close by  her mother and sisters help with childcare  but they are a 30-minute drive away and she obviously relishes this independence. We live on the edge of town and the childrens school is just down the road. They cycle to school  I used to have to drive them six miles  and the pace is slow. Its just what we wanted.

I didnt experience a fish finger until I was 17

The perfect way to celebrate this new, green and pleasant life would be with a traditional English wedding. Nadiya says she would still love to have a proper wedding with all their brothers and sisters.

Maryam is bubbling over with excitement at the prospect of helping to choose a wedding dress, even though at the moment her mother is too busy to set a date. But if Nadiya says its going to happen you can bet that, sooner or later, it will.

Cinderella, the party and the pumpkins

An exclusive extract from Nadiyas new book

Cinderella lived in a big house with her gran, her great-auntie, her mum, her stepdad, her two stepsisters, two parrots, the cat and the pregnant dog.

Since she was a little girl, Cinderella had known that if she wanted something, she would have to go out and get it herself. So she went to college in the mornings, worked in a DIY shop in the afternoons and had an evening job cleaning plates in a restaurant.

The rest of Cinderellas family were lazy, so when she got home there would be more work to do. When she eventually made it to bed, poor Cinders had to share it with the dog.

One night her stepsisters came in, waving their phones about. The town hall was throwing a massive party on Friday. Cinderella realised she was working an extra shift at the shop so she sent an email to her boss to ask for the time off.

The next morning, Cinderella checked her messages and her heart sank. I cannot give you the night off. I need you to prepare for the screwdriver sale were having on Saturday. Cinderella would not be going to the party.

When Friday came, Cinders watched her stepsisters put on their beautiful dresses and lipstick. Then they stepped into their pink limousine as Cinderella trudged off to the bus stop. Once Cinderella got to work she decided to distract herself from thinking about the party, so she polished every screwdriver in the shop.

The doorbell rang as someone came in. It was the bosss wife: I told my husband to give you the time off but hed already told the other staff they could go to the party, so Im here to make sure you dont miss out. Just think of me as your fairy godmother.

And she whipped out a silvery dress and a pair of jewel-encrusted shoes. Ill take over until closing time. Just make sure you are back by then as I dont know the code to set the alarm.

Everyone stared as Cinderella walked into the party in her shimmering dress. But Cinders was starving so went straight to the buffet. She reached for the last pumpkin flapjackand bashed hands with a young man who was also reaching for it.

Cinderella looked up into a pair of kind dark brown eyes. Its yours, the young man said. But only in exchange for a dance.

She didnt argue. They danced until Cinderella remembered that she had to get back to close the shop. She dashed off in such a rush she didnt say goodbye. He was really sad until he noticed shed dropped a cap with the name of a DIY shop on it.

The next afternoon, Cinderella was slumped at the counter, counting screwdrivers, thinking about dancing and the lovely young man. The bell tinkled. Then a bag of flapjacks landed on the counter.

Theyre yours, said the young man, as he gently put Cinderellas cap back on her head. But only if you promise to dance with me always.

Pumpkin and Spice Flapjacks

Makes 9 squares

100g golden syrup

100g soft light brown sugar

125g unsalted butter, softened

250g rolled porridge oats

75g pumpkin seeds

 tsp ground cinnamon

 tsp ground nutmeg

 tsp ground star anise (you will need a grinder)

 tsp ground ginger

pinch of salt

 Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas 6. Line a 20cm square baking tin with greaseproof paper.

 Combine the syrup, sugar, butter, oats, pumpkin seeds, spices and salt in a large bowl and mix until they all come together.

 Press into the tin with the back of a spoon, then bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown all over.

 Remove from the oven then turn out of the tin and leave to cool for 20 minutes.

 Cut into squares once completely cooled.

This is an edited extract from Bake Me a Story by Nadiya Hussain, to be published by Hodder Childrens Books on 8 September, price 14.99. To pre-order a copy for 10.49 (a 30 per cent discount) until 11 September, visit you-bookshop.co.uk.
Launching a scathing attack on the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati said on Sunday that the party has no options but to depend on rejected maal.

Mayawati, who was addressing a rally in SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadavs Azamgarh constituency, added: Like in Bihar, the BJP does not have any candidates (to fight) in the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections of the state.

The party is trying to cash-in on leaders who were either rejected by the BSP or were shown the exit door, she claimed.

Maya went ahead to attack the ruling SP government by saying that even the upper caste and minorities are not safe in UP.

Mayawati addressed a rally in Azamgarh, the constituency of Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav. She said the BJP had few credible candidates to contest the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections.

UP me dehshat, danga aur crime ka maahaul hai. Muslim, aur other minorities UP me surakshit nahi hain (Fear, fight and crime prevail in UP. Muslims and other minorities are not safe there),  she said.

The BJP and SP are working hand-in-glove, she said.

Only Mafias and Gundas rule the roost in UP. Only BSP can run this state, Maya said.

There is not a single day when a crime (against women) is not reported from the 80 districts of UP.

Crime was at its lowest, when we (BSP) were in power, Maya claimed.

Attacking the Modi government, she went on: "Central government has adopted a step-wordy attitude towards the Muslims and other minorities. PM narendra Modis speech on 15th August from the Red Fort was totally political. Yeh POK aur Pakistan par yudh kara ke manege (He is forcing the country into another battle with Pakistan on the POK issue).

Attacking Modi further, Maya said that the promises he made in 2014 are yet to be fulfilled.
Four men have been arrested over the horrendous double murder and gang-rape case in the National Capital Region's Dingarheri village.

A Special Investigation Team from Haryana Police claimed to have cracked the case, in which half a dozen men battered a couple to death and gang-raped two of their female relatives.

One of the sexual assault victims told police that she and her three cousins were asleep in their house, and her uncle and other family members were sleeping outside when she heard loud screams at around midnight on Wednesday.

The suspects in the gang-rape and double murder case carried out in Haryana's Dingarhedi village. Police are still hunting for others allegedly involved in the crime.

Men barged into the dwelling, then tied up the family members and hit them with iron rods and sticks.

Three of them then took turns to rape the woman, who is married, and her 16-year-old cousin.

The four arrested men were identified as Sandeep, Amarjeet, Karanjeet and Rahul. The first three are from the neighbouring Mohamadpur Ahir village, while Rahul is a native of Bihar. All the accused are aged between 20 and 25.

On Sunday, the accused were produced in a district court and were granted seven days' police remand, so officers can interrogate them further and attempt to recover the weapons allegedly involved in the murder-robbery.

Haryana Police came under heavy criticism following the brutal incident, which took place on Wednesday night in a farmhouse just a kilometre from the Maneser Palwal expressway.

The accused allegedly used the expressway to flee the crime scene.

Police said the investigations were still underway and that one or two more people could be involved in the case. A search has been launched for suspects who are on the run.
Rajesh Kunte, the Maharashtra-based RSS leader who filed a criminal defamation case against Rahul Gandhi, has ruled out any settlement with the Congress vice-president.

He filed the case after Rahul allegedly held the Hindu organisation guilty of Mahatma Gandhis assassination.

The Supreme Court is waiting for Kuntes approval to close the case, after Rahul's lawyer Kapil Sibal submitted on August 24 that he never blamed the RSS as an organisation for Gandhis killing, and had only said that a few persons associated with the RSS committed the crime.

Rahul Gandhi tweeted: I will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I said.

The case comes up for hearing again on September 1.

Now, there is no question of withdrawing the case, Kunte told Mail Today.

His tweet has made it loud and clear that he continues to hold that RSS killed Mahatma Gandhi.

Kunte said there can be a settlement only if the Congress leader apologises again and state in writing to the Supreme Court that he will not repeat the statement blaming the RSS for the assassination.

RSS leader Rajesh Kunte said "there is no question of withdrawing the case".

Or else, let him face trial, Kunte, the Karyavahk (secretary) of RSS Bhiwandi unit, said.

The Supreme Court bench appeared inclined to close the case on August 24, when it said: From Sibals submission we infer that Rahul says that he has never accused RSS as an institution behind the crime and only some people associated with the RSS, then that should do... We can close the matter.

However, Kuntes lawyer intervened and sought time to take instructions from his client. The court granted him a week.

When the news appeared in the media, Rahul tweeted: I will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I said.

This was seen as a setback to Sibals attempt to get the case settled.

Speaking to Mail Today, Kunte said he would be happy if the apex court sent back the case to the Bhiwandi Magistrate court to be heard on its merits.

From here on, I dont want the case to be closed and will be most happy if the SC sends back the matter to the magistrates court for Rahul to face trial, he said.

Rahul was apparently provoked by BJP leader and Information & Broadcasting Minister M Venkaiah Naidus statement that wisdom had prevailed.

Good, Rahul finally admitted before the SC that RSS is not accused in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, Naidu had said.
In his Mann Ki Baat address on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared deeply moved by an emotional letter from an 84-year-old retired teacher, who gave up her LPG subsidy on his Giveitup call.

Without disclosing her name, the prime minister read her letter. In it, she wrote that when a representative of the PM came to her house and handed her the letter thanking her for giving up her LPG subsidy, this letter by the Prime Minister of India [was] nothing short of Padma Shri to her.

The elderly lady wrote that you (the PM) are doing a good job as you are working towards giving poor mothers of the country freedom from smoke.

PM Modi was deeply moved by a letter written by an 84-year-old retired teacher, who gave up her LPG subsidy after his Giveitup call

As I am retired teacher and would reach 90 years of age in a few years, I am sending you a donation of Rs 50,000 that you should use in the noble cause of giving smokeless stoves to poor women of the country, she wrote.

Modi said this is not just a matter of Rs 50,000. He said that when a retired teacher who is dependent upon her pension donates Rs 50,000 to give poor mothers and sisters of this country freedom from smoke and free gas connections, then you can imagine the greatness of that mother.

The PM said: I am really blessed that such mothers and sisters are there to give me their blessings, and my confidence towards great future of my country just becomes stronger. She also didnt write a letter citing me as prime minister but simply wrote 'Modi Bhaiya'

The PM said letters like this one inspired him to do something great for his fellow Indians

"I really salute this mother and hundreds of other Indian mothers, who always do something great for the welfare of somebody else at the cost of her own hardship, the PM added.
A 28-year-old New Jersey man beat both of his parents to death at home, authorities say.

A relative found Edward Coles Jr, 58, and his wife, 55-year-old Rosemarie, dead inside their house in West Deptford on Friday, according to county prosecutors.

The relative went to the home around 11.30am after trying and failing to reach the couple by phone.

Their son Ryan is accused of fatally beating them using his hands and a chair.

Ryan Cole (left), 28, is accused of killing his parents Rosemarie (center), 55, and Edward Jr (right), 58, inside their home in West Deptford, New Jersey on Friday

He was inside the home when police arrived. Authorities took him to the hospital on Friday for an evaluation.

They then moved him to jail on Saturday. He lived with his parents, according to NJ.com.

The younger Coles now faces murder and weapons charges. His bail was set at $1 million.

Autopsies determined his parents died from blunt head trauma. Authorities have not announced a motive for the killings.

The younger Coles (left) used his hands and a chair to beat to death his parents (right), authorities say. He now faces murder and weapons charges

Authorities found the 28-year-old inside the family's home (pictured) on Friday. A relative went to check on Edward Jr and Rosemarie after trying in vain to reach them by phone

Edward Jr worked as a repair technician at Coles Music Service, the family's music store in Sewell, which he opened in 2008.

He had also played in Bonsal Blues Bands, a concert, marching and dance band group based in Woodbury, for 42 years.

'Ed loved his Bonsal Blues Family and put his heart and soul into the band as member and conductor for 42 years. It is impossible to express the loss that we are all feeling,' a message on the band's website read.

The younger Coles was 'as calm as could be' and said his parents were sick before the relative found them, a close friend of the couple told the Courier-Post.

Police often came to their home, retired officer Michael Mustac told the newspaper.

The couple's son sometimes sat on the front steps and seemed to talk to himself, Mustac added.

'He seemed a little detached, depressed,' neighbor John Ferencsik told Action News. 'We didn't really know that, just know the impression I had was he was a little bit off.'
Two people died within hours of each other after taking drugs at UK festivals yesterday.

A 17-year-old had taken drugs 'immediately' before he was rushed to hospital from Leeds Festival but he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight.

Earlier yesterday evening a 26-year-old man had collapsed and died at Creamfields, a dance festival in Warrington, Cheshire, also due to taking drugs.

A 17-year-old boy has become the second to die at a UK festival this weekend alone after taking drugs and collapsing at Leeds. General view of the festival yesterday

The death at Leeds (pictrured) was just a few hours after a 26-year-old man had collapsed and died at Creamfields, a dance festival in Warrington, Cheshire, also due to taking drugs.

Two teenagers were today arrested on suspicion of drugs offences in connection with the 17-year-old's death at Leeds, where Disclosure headlined yesterday.

The death of the boy, from Greater Manchester, has led police to issue new warnings that there is 'no safe way' to take drugs.

Leeds Festival's Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Keith Gilert said: 'We are currently investigating the death and how he obtained the substance he took.

'Two males, aged 17, have been arrested in the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of drugs offences and are currently in custody.

Two teenagers were today arrested on suspicion of drugs offences in connection with the 17-year-old's death at Leeds (pictured today), where Diclosure headlined yesterday

'At this time the indications are that the man consumed drugs immediately before he collapsed. A report will be sent to the Coroner in due course.

'I would though like to take this opportunity to remind anyone attending the festival that there is no safe way to take drugs.

'Taking any illegal drug carries a risk to health and we would always advise people against it, but I would ask that people are particularly conscious of the risks following this young man's death.

'In partnership with the organisers, Festival Republic, we will continue to take action against those who risk the lives of others by supplying drugs.

One festival-goer said she believed she saw the teenager as he was being treated by medics.

Police have issued a warning to all others at the festival (pictured) that the death proves there is no safe way to take drugs

Thousands of mud-soaked festival-goers donned umbrellas as the heavens opened today

Hayley Briggs said: 'It was right outside the guest area and the guy just looked in a very bad way. He was ashen, head-to-toe grey, totally not with it at all.

'He was being cradled by one of the first aiders before the ambulance arrived. He looked as if he was going in and out of consciousness. Poor kid, it's really sad.

It was right outside the guest area and the guy just looked in a very bad way Hayley Briggs, onlooker

'There were a load of people around him just waiting for the ambulance to arrive and when it did the first aiders went straight out and they just got cracking.'

Ms Briggs said she heard a number of people discussing drugs while she was at the festival and said one of her friends had been offered a number of different substances.

The 26-year-old, from Cornwall, was found collapsed in a campsite at the dance music event at Daresbury, near Warrington, police said.

He was discovered at around midnight on Saturday but emergency services were unable to save him.

Police have warned people at festivals to learn a lesson form the two drug deaths, urging them to remember that there is 'no safe way' to take substances

The four-day festival, which started on Thursday, includes performances from stars including Calvin Harris, Tiesto, Fatboy Slim and Pete Tong.

A Cheshire Police spokesman said: 'Formal ID is to take place and we are awaiting the results of the post mortem examination to establish the cause of death. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.'

He added: 'Officers continue to take positive action against those who risk others' lives by attempting to bring illegal drugs onto site.
BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) - As millions of Chinese watched the Rio Olympics, members of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) were following another international competition -- one with bombs and explosions.

Wang Xiaojun, a pilot with an aviation brigade of the PLA Air Force, was a member of the Chinese delegation to Russia's 2016 International Army Games, in which servicemen from 19 countries competed for the top spot in 23 events.

Flying a China-made fighter-bomber JH-7, Wang's crew took part in the Aviadarts competition, which wrapped up on Aug. 6, and was runner-up in the event.

"It was a great opportunity to prove the Chinese Air Force's strength to the world, demonstrating the fine skills of Chinese airmen and the strong performance of domestic equipment," said Wang.

In the second stage of the Aviadarts contest, all crews were required to conduct comprehensive strikes against ground targets within a time limit and defined airspace.

The Chinese crew defeated all teams from Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus in this stage, accurately hitting all simulated targets with four air-to-ground rockets and one bomb.

"When we were flying at a speed of 800 to 850 kilometers per hour and a height of 700 meters, the ground targets in sight were much smaller than the bull's eye in Olympic shooting matches," Wang said, explaining how difficult the competition was.

As soon as the Aviadarts contest concluded, the brigade began intensive exercises for visual reconnaissance, which the competition revealed to be a weak spot for Chinese pilots.

"Some of the basic skills of pilots, such as visual reconnaissance, have degenerated, as we have become a bit too dependent on advanced technology," said brigade commander Shen Yuanzhong, also a judge for this year's Aviadarts, who found Chinese pilots' performance weak compared with the Russian air force.

According to Shen, his brigade plans to conduct more exercises and drills with live ammunition and real ground targets to enhance airmen's ability in combat response, another lesson the Chinese air force took from its Russian counterparts during the competition.

In past years, the PLA Air Force has adopted a more open and confident attitude in its exchanges with foreign troops, with the aim of identifying and filling the gaps between its abilities and those of other major military powers.

The PLA Air Force has participated in the Aviadarts contest for three consecutive years. Last year, the Chinese air force also participated in other international military events, including four joint drills and the Altyn Yki-2015 international competition held in Kazakhstan alongside the United States, Russia, and other countries.
There are fears the 'no' campaign is far

Labor appears set to block Malcolm Turnbull's same-sex marriage plebiscite amid mounting fears a popular vote would set back equality in Australia.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten stopped short of pledging to scuttle the vote, but has stepped up his rhetoric against the planned February poll.

'I'm worried Malcolm Turnbull will just stuff it up,' he told the Sun-Herald.

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Labor appears set to block Malcolm Turnbull's same-sex marriage plebiscite amid mounting fears a popular vote would set back equality in Australia

Labor has not yet reached a final decision on the plebiscite, but it appeared the party was set to vote it down after closed-door discussions over the past week.

The party strongly supports gay marriage, but was worried the plebiscite would fail and make it harder for it to be legislated once it is back in government.

It insists research shows the vote would fail, especially if the vote is not compulsory and the motivated and well-resourced 'no' campaign pulls out all the stops.

There were fears Mr Turnbull would put little or no effort into supporting the 'yes' campaign because of friction in his party, giving opponents the upper hand.

There were fears Mr Turnbull would put little or no effort into supporting the 'yes' campaign because of friction in his party, giving opponents the upper hand

Mr Shorten has instead called for a free vote in Parliament, and hoped Labor's opposition to a plebiscite would pressure him to defy conservative Liberals.

'He's only doing it because he is too weak to stand up to the radicals in his own party. Why should everyone else have to pay for his weakness?' he said.

'The plebiscite is unnecessary, expensive and divisive. There's a better, faster way to make much marriage equality a reality. The Parliament should do its job and deal with a marriage equality bill, with all parties afforded a free vote.'

However, Coalition sources told the Sun-Herald Mr Turnbull was unlikely to reverse his position because of his tenuous hold on the House of Representatives after the close election.

It insists research shows the vote would fail, especially if the vote is not compulsory and the motivated and well-resourced 'no' campaign pulls out all the stops

Labor was also concerned the plebiscite would cost as much as $250 million - far more than the frequently cited $160 million - and stretch the Australian Electoral Commission too far.

The Greens have already pledged to oppose a plebiscite, meaning if Labor blocked the poll the government would need the support of minor parties in the Senate.

One Nation has signalled it's support but Nick Xenophon and others want Parliament to decide, leaving Mr Turnbull without enough votes.

The Greens have already pledged to oppose a plebiscite, meaning if Labor blocked the poll the government would need the support of minor parties in the Senate

There were widespread concerns the campaign leading up to vote could be bitter and lead to 'hate speech' against gay Australians.

Mr Shorten called it 'a taxpayer-funded platform for homophobia' at his election campaign launch in June.

Tony Abbott, who does not support same-sex marriage and came up with the plebiscite idea before he was deposed as Prime Minister, remained staunch in his support for the poll.

'Why do they think the politicians are so much wiser than the public,' he told the Sunday Telegraph.

'I cant see why Labor and the Greens wont trust the people to make this decision.'
A spacecraft has skimmed the clouds of Jupiter in a record-breaking close approach to the giant planet.

Juno activated its suite of nine instruments as it soared 2,600 miles (4180km) above Jupiter's swirling clouds tops, travelling at 130,000mph (209,200 km/h), on Saturday.

On schedule, the agency tweeted that Juno had successfully completed its closest ever fly-by to the planet, the first of 36, which are scheduled to end in February 2018.

NASA'S Juno probe made its closet approach yet to Jupiter on Saturday during the main phase of its planned mission to the gas giant (pictured)

Juno swung within about 2,600 miles of the solar system's largest planet, the closest any spacecraft has passed, traveling at 130,000 miles per hour

'We are getting some intriguing early data returns as we speak,' said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

'It will take days for all the science data collected during the flyby to be downlinked and even more to begin to comprehend what Juno and Jupiter are trying to tell us.'

Juno first swept close to Jupiter when it entered orbit around the planet early last month after a nearly five-year voyage to help study the solar system's origins.

However, all the probe's instruments were turned off not to interfere with its positioning as it entered the 53.5-day orbit.

Juno will now be probing Jupiter's many layers to measure their composition, magnetic field and other properties.

Scientists hope to learn the source of the planet's fierce winds and whether Jupiter is made entirely of gas or has a solid core.

They also expect to learn more about the planet's great red spot, a huge storm that has raged for thousands of years.

Saturday's flyby was Juno's first chance to take pictures of Jupiter's mysterious poles.

This image obtained from NASA, shows a color view from NASA's Juno spacecraft made from some of the first images taken by JunoCam after the spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter on July 5th

NASA says it will release images from the flyby late next week.

'We are in an orbit nobody has ever been in before, and these images give us a whole new perspective on this gas-giant world,' said Bolton.

Although data from the probe is expected to reach Earth in several days, results from scientists' analysis will take longer.

'This is our first opportunity and there are bound to be surprises,' Steve Levin, Juno project scientist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California said.

'We need to take our time to make sure our conclusions are correct.'

Juno is set to make 35 more close passes by Jupiter during its main mission, scheduled to end in February 2018, when the probe will self-destruct by diving into the planet's atmosphere.
Mexican gunmen have killed the nephew of a Sinaloa cartel leader in yet another bloody chapter in the drug wars that have riddled the country, authorities said.

The victim, Edgard Juvanny Parra Zambada, was one of two men riding in a car in Culiacan when they were shot by at least two assailants on Friday.

The gunmen apparently crashed into the victims' late-model Acura to stop them and fired into the car with high-caliber rifles, EFE reported.

A bystander in another vehicle was hit by gunfire but survived.

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Gunmen in Mexico killed Edgard Juvanny Parra Zambada (pictured), nephew of the leader of the notorious Sinaloa cartel, Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia

An unidentified second person (both pictured) was also shot when gunmen opened fire against Parra's Acura in the middle of a street in Culiacan

It is unclear if Parra (pictured) was connected to his uncle's nefarious business. The Sinaloa cartel has been fighting a bloody war against the cartek Jalisco Nueva Generacion

Authorities say the assailants crashed into Parra's car (pictured) and opened fire with high-caliber rifles

The state Attorney General's Office said Parra, 42, was a nephew of Sinaloa cartel leader Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia.

Another of Zambada's nephews, Vicente Zambada Reyes, was shot on Dec. 10, 2015, according to EFE.

The attack follows the kidnapping of at least one of the sons of Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman.

Zambada is believed to run the Sinaloa cartel while the imprisoned Guzman awaits extradition to the US.

Parra, the nephew of Sinaloa cartel leader Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada Garcia, (left) was killed days after the son of deposed leader Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman (right) was kidnapped

'El Mayo' has been leading the Sinaloa cartel since 'El Chapo' (pictured) was jailed. He is waiting extradition to the United States

Violence has continued as the Sinaloa cartel fights a bloody war with the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, a violent offshoot of the Sinaloa cartel that emerged in 2010.

El Chapo's son and five others were abducted from a restaurant and appeared to have been released after five days.

Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, 29, and five others were kidnapped by the Jalisco New Generation cartel at La Leche restaurant in Puerto Vallarta.

There are no details of where Salazar and others were released, but Salazar is believed to be back with his family, according to Mexican crime blog elblogdelnarco.com and news site riodoce.mx.

The son of imprisoned drug lord 'El Chapo,' Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar (right with his brother Ivan Guzman), 29, has been released along five others after a kidnapping

'El Chapo' (pictured) is awaiting extradition to the United States and was said to be worried sick as he heard, in jail, that his son had been kidnapped

No official statements were released by Mexican officials about the incident, and Salazar and the other five people are still listed as missing, the San Antonio Express News reported.

Photos from the apparent kidnapping show the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel's son from his first marriage with his hands behind his head and on his knees while a man points a gun at him.

'El Chapo' (pictured) and his Sinaloa cartel have been engaged in a bloody war with its violent offshoot, cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion

Other images show people sitting at a table inside La Leche moments before the men enter to kidnap them around 1am on Monday.

The photos appear to be taken from security camera footage from inside the restaurant.

At a news conference, Jalisco Attorney General Eduardo Almaguer confirmed that Alfredo was the son who was abducted at the eatery.

'At this moment, we have identified four of the kidnapped,' Almaguer said, 'one of them being Jesus Alfredo Guzman.

He said the identification was made through items found in the vehicles and forensic work at the scene.
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy says Britain should open an asylum centre on its territory

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy says that the infamous 'jungle' camp in Calais should be shut down and moved to Britain.

Sarkozy, who is attempting to make a political comeback, said Britain should bear the cost of dealing with the thousands of migrants at the port, many of whom hope to cross the Channel.

His speech came amid growing discontent over the migrant population in France, which has increased after a series of ISIS-inspired attacks this year.

'I'm demanding the opening of a centre in Britain to deal with asylum seekers in Britain so that Britain can do the work that concerns them,' he told a political rally on Saturday.

Sarkozy said Britain should manage the asylum process, accepting those it wants on British territory and organising charters to remove those who are rejected.

'The jungle should not be in Calais or anywhere else, because this is a republic and those with no rights to be here should return to their country,' Sarkozy said.

Migrants aiming to reach Britain have over the years gathered in camps called the 'jungle', which have rapidly grown amid economic upheaval in North Africa and the Middle East.

Thousands wait at the port to try to reach Britain illegally through the Channel Tunnel.

Migrants aiming to reach Britain have over the years gathered in camps called the 'jungle' in the French port of Calais. Stock image

Sarkozy was speaking in Touquet, where in 2003, France signed a symbolic border treaty with Britain. Under Le Touquet accord, British officials can check passports in France and vice versa.

However, that has led to the migrants trying to reach British shores congregating at Calais. Images of hundreds of people trying to leap onto trucks bound for Britain has roused anti-immigration worries on both sides of the English Channel.

That was a key issue in Britain's vote to leave the European Union, and it has become a hot-button issue ahead of France's April 2017 election.
Nate Parker, the actor-director dealing with a 17-year-old rape case casting a storm over his new film and career, opened up about the incident in a new interview.

Parker spoke about understanding his male privilege and the definition of consent in a lengthy, but candid interview on Friday with EBONY magazine.

The interview, in which he also discusses being called a rapist, followed a screening of his film Birth of a Nation at the Merge Summit in Los Angeles.

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Nate Parker (right), the actor-director of Birth of a Nation dealing with a 17-year-old rape case casting a storm over his new film and career, opened up about the incident in a new interview

Speaking on Friday, Parker said it was 'very difficult to talk about injustice and not deal with what's happening right now.'

'When I was first met with the news that this part of my past had come up, my knee-jerk reaction was selfish,' he said.

'I wasn't thinking about even the potential hurt of others. I was thinking about myself.'

In recent weeks, a 1999 rape allegation made against Parker when he was a student at Penn State University made it back into headlines.

He was charged and later acquitted, while his college roommate and Birth of a Nation collaborator Jean Celestin was initially found guilty of sexual assault.

Celestin appealed and it was later overturned when the accuser declined to testify for a retrial.

Last week, it emerged that the alleged victim committed suicide in 2012 at the age of 30.

During his interview with EBONY's Britni Danielle, Parker explained that when he was 19 he had not thought about the definition of consent.

'When I think about 1999, I think about being a 19-year-old kid, and I think about my attitude and behavior just toward women with respect objectifying them,' he said.

'I never thought about consent as a definition, especially as I do now. I think the definitions of so many things have changed.'

Parker (pictured in April) spoke about understanding his male privilege and the definition of consent in the lengthy interview with EBONY magazine

Parker went on to say that at 19, he understood that if a woman said no that meant no, but noted he felt that if she did not say anything 'and was down, it was like how far can I go?'

'If I touch her lower, and she's down and she's not stopping me, cool,' he explained.

'I'm going to kiss her or whatever. It was simply if a woman said no or pushed you away that was non-consent.'

'Let me be the first to say, I can't remember ever having a conversation about the definition of consent when I was a kid,' he continued.

'I knew that no meant no, but that's it. But, if she's down, if she's not saying no, if she's engagedand I'm not talking about, just being clear, any specific situation, I'm just talking about in general.'

Earlier this month, Parker gave two interviews that centered on the rape trial to Variety and Deadline, which came under much criticism.

He told EBONY that in those interviews he was 'speaking from a standpoint of ignorance' and 'was acting as if I was the victim, and that's wrong.'

'I called a couple of sisters that [I] know that are in the space that talk about the feminist movement and toxic masculinity, and just asked questions,' he told EBONY.

Parker (left) and Jean McGianni Celestin (right), who shares a writing credit with Parker, were accused of raping a girl after she passed out in their room in 1999

'What did I do wrong? Because I was thinking about myself. And what I realized is that I never took a moment to think about the woman.

'I didn't think about her [the accuser] then, and I didn't think about her when I was saying those statements, which was wrong and insensitive.'

Parker also noted that at the time of those interviews, he was not aware the accuser had since committed suicide.

He explained that one interview 'really just bit off the other' and that his only thought was that he was innocent and that everyone needed to know.

I'm not perfect, I'm a flawed man, but I'm willing to try to get better, I'm willing to listen

'I didn't even think for a second about her, not even for a second,' he told Ebony, adding that he was not being empathetic at the time.

Parker also said learning about the accuser's passing 'really shook' him.

The 36-year-old father of five also shared that he has talked to his daughter, who he just sent off to college, about the rape allegations.

'I said you know, I gotta look at the situation as an opportunity to grow and become more empathetic and more sensitive to issues to that are outside of my everyday, and I dont want to send you to college and say, Be careful and watch out, he told EBONY.

'I said that, for one, when youre in a relationship with someone you have to be in control of that relationship and you have to be as open as you can about everything, straight up, out the gate.'

Over the last 17 years, he said he had not thought about the rape case 'at all.'

When asked how he feels when people call him a rapist, he said: 'I'll say this - I don't want it to be about me.

Earlier this month, Parker wrote a lengthy Facebook post maintaining his innocence, while expressing sorrow for his accuser's passing and acknowledged his shortcomings

'If you're asking me about a particular event, that's one thing.

'But I can see that there are a lot of people that have been hurt, a lot of people that are survivors.'

Parker said that he needs to seek information that will make him stronger, 'that'll help me overcome my toxic masculinity, my male privilege, because that's something you never think about.'

He added that as a man there are a lot of things 'I don't have to think about. But I'm thinking about them now.'

'I'm trying to transform behaviors and ideas that have never been challenged in certain ways in my life,' he told EBONY. 'I'm not the kid that I was at 19.'

When asked how he would label the incident that led to the rape charges, he said he thinks there are more things than the law.

'I think there is having a behavior that is disrespectful to women that goes unchecked, where your manhood is defined by sexual conquests, where you trade stories with your friends and no one checks anyone,' he said.

He went on to say that he thinks most people wait too long to think about the effects 'hyper-masculinity and false definitions of what it means to be a man.'

The Birth of a Nation, which will be released on October 7, won top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival

During the interview, Parker also addressed 'homophobic' comments he made back in 2014.

At the time, Parker had said that in an effort to 'preserve the Black man,' he would never play a gay character or wear a dress.

He told EBONY he was being 'exclusionary,' 'insensitive' and 'homophobic,' and apologized, retracting those comments.

'So like I said, for the women out there that Ive hurt with my male privilege, Im sorry,' he said.

'For the men that identify with whatever they identify with, I retract my comments, and Im sorry. I hope they can forgive me for those attitudes and behaviors.'

Speaking about his desire to be a leader, Parker said the words of musical artist Maiysha Kai, who said 'healing comes from honest confrontation,' resonate with him.

'I'm going to honestly confront this,' he said. 'This is all I can do.

'I'm not perfect, I'm a flawed man, but I'm willing to try to get better, I'm willing to listen.

'I'm willing to take input from people who are living it everyday.'
An attack submarine that is sponsored by first lady Michelle Obama and will be named for her home state has been delivered to the US Navy.

Submarine builder General Dynamics Electric Boat, based in Groton, Connecticut, delivered the submarine that will become the USS Illinois to the Navy on Saturday after nearly five and a half years of construction.

The first lady, who's from Chicago, will be involved in the life of the submarine and the lives of its sailors and their families.

The submarine USS Illinois travels along the Thames River after departing General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, for initial sea trials, where the ship's performance is tested prior to delivery to the U.S. Navy (July 2016 photo)

The submarine will officially join the Navy fleet in a fall 2016 ceremony

The submarine will become the USS Illinois, SSN 786, and begin its active service at a commissioning ceremony in Groton on October 29.

US Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a 2012 statement: 'Naval tradition holds that a sponsors spirit and presence guide the ship and her crew throughout the life of the ship.

'Illinois and her crew are blessed to have such a wonderful sponsor and I am grateful Mrs. Obama accepted my invitation to serve as sponsor for this submarine.'

The First Lady said in a 2012 statement: 'Its an honor and a privilege to serve as sponsor of the USS ILLINOIS.

'I'm always inspired by the service and sacrifice of the men and women of the Navy, as well as the families who support them.

'This submarine is a tribute to the strength, courage, and determination that our Navy families exhibit every day.'

It took thousands of shipyard employees in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Virginia and submarine supply businesses nationwide to build the $2.7billion submarine, the 13th member of the Virginia class.

There were no major issues during construction, and the submarine performed 'superbly' during recent tests at sea, said an Electric Boat vice president, Kenneth Blomstedt.

First lady Michelle Obama christens the USS Illinois with a bottle of sparkling wine (October 2015 file photo)

The first lady, who's from Chicago, will be involved in the life of the submarine and the lives of its sailors and their families

Electric Boat president Jeffrey Geiger said in a August 1 statement: 'The crew and shipbuilders worked together seamlessly to take this submarine to sea and put it through its paces.

'It was a superb effort by everyone involved, and reflects the commitment of the navy and industry team to sustain the success of the Virginia-class submarine programme.

'I deeply appreciate the contributions made by the navy personnel, shipbuilders and suppliers who made it happen.'

Capt. Michael Stevens, the Navy's Virginia-class program manager, said these attack submarines are needed to replace those that were built during the Cold War and are retiring.

'Every submarine counts', he said. 'Every submarine is needed out there.'

It took thousands of shipyard employees in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Virginia and submarine supply businesses nationwide to build the $2.7billion submarine, the 13th member of the Virginia class

First lady Michelle Obama, right, and General Dynamics Electric Boat president Jeffrey S. Geiger, exit the USS Illinois after Obama christened the sub in October 2015

Electric Boat, which has been designing and building submarines since 1900, had until August 31 to transfer ownership of the future USS Illinois to the Navy, per the contract.

It's the ninth submarine in a row to be delivered to the Navy early and on budget, Stevens said.

The submarine has a redesigned bow with two large tubes to launch Tomahawk missiles, instead of 12 smaller tubes.

The larger tubes were designed so the Navy would have the flexibility to also launch future weapons and unmanned vehicles, Blomstedt said.

Cmdr. Jess Porter, the submarine's commanding officer, described the Illinois as a 'stealthy weapon' that can influence adversaries in a way that makes the US more secure.

The crew of about 130 men will take the submarine to sea for additional testing to prove its capabilities, Porter said.

Construction began in March 2011. Modules were built in Rhode Island, at Electric Boat's manufacturing facility, and in Virginia, at Newport News Shipbuilding.

The two shipyards build Virginia-class attack submarines under a teaming agreement and alternate the deliveries. The final assembly and testing took place at Electric Boat's headquarters in Groton.

Construction began in March 2011. Modules were built in Rhode Island, at Electric Boat's manufacturing facility, and in Virginia, at Newport News Shipbuilding

Obama, who has made it a priority to support military families, broke a bottle of champagne across the submarine's hull to christen it last year.

She has been invited to give the order to 'bring the ship to life' at the commissioning ceremony in October.

Inside the submarine, there's a metal plate inscribed with the first lady's initials, which each sailor will see several times a day. It's mounted where the crew eats.

The Navy has ordered 15 more Virginia-class submarines, and 10 of those are under construction. The last of the 15 is scheduled to be delivered in 2023 as the 28th member of the class.

General Dynamics said in a August 1 release: 'Virginia-class submarines displace 7,835 tons, with a hull length of 377 feet and a diameter of 34 feet.
the situation but does not have a timeline on a rescue

A humpback whale with a rope wrapped around its body is being monitored off the Central California coast.

Whale-watching tours spotted the large female tangled in the rope that is probably a crab-trap line in Morro Bay, California, The Tribune in San Luis Obispo County reported Saturday.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other groups are asking for photos and video to determine if a rescue is needed to free the whale.

A female humpback whale has been spotted tangled in a crab-trap line in Morro Bay, California

The line the humpback is tangled in is attached to an orange buoy that the whale is forced to drag with it

NOAA whale-rescue expert Pieter Folkens says the cord appears to be partially wrapped around the whale's mouth, but the agency needs more information on how the rope is positioned on her body.

'We dont have enough information on the nature of the entanglement to help out right now

'It can be a very dangerous job, especially when the line is positioned up against the animal as it is in the case, and not trailing behind,' Pieter Folkens, a whale rescue expert working with NOAA, told the Tribune.

NOAA whale-rescue expert Pieter Folkens says the cord appears to be partially wrapped around the whale's mouth

Crews might wait until the whale has tired itself out before moving in for a rescue but there is currently no timeline

Folkens added there are enough pictures to show how the cord is positioned on one side of the whale but not the other.

The humpback is a member of a group of 25 to 50 whales that are feeding in two-and-a-half miles off Morro Bay.

'We dont expect the whale to be roaming much.

'It will go where the food is and right now, its great conditions for feeding.

'But its important to warn the public that a whale in this situation might be irritated and want to breach to try to remove the line from its body,' Folkens said.

The crews might wait until the whale has tired itself out before moving in for a rescue.

Currently there are three cases of entangled whales in Monetary County and another near Alaska. The female humpback in Morro Bay (pictured) is the only one reported at this time

This could take three to six weeks but no timeline has been established for the rescue.

Photos show experts that the whale is having trouble eating and is losing weight. The rope is also causing injuries to the whale.

Entanglement cases have been high this year.

Currently there are three cases in Monetary County and another near Alaska, according to the Tribune and KSBY.com.

Folkens attributes this to an increase in whale population due to protection acts and the public's awareness of whale entanglements.
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Brothels could hold the answer to investors looking to break into Sydney's property market.

Former red-light venues could now find a new lease of life from residential developers, after the city's controversial lockout laws failed to attract licensed operators.

These properties and their seedy past could offer opportunities for buyers looking to purchase a home in the city at a much cheaper price.

'The prices of these properties are not only reliant on their current use but also on their previous uses and how it's perceived by buyers,' Chris Momitsas, director at CJM Property Group told Domain.

'When you limit your competition, the prices drop.'

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Former red-light venues could now find a new lease of life from residential developers, like for this neon pink brothel turned boarding house in Potts Point which was converted into nine studio apartments

The Potts Point brothel, formerly known as Cleopatra, was sold for $1.5 million in 2013, and now residents pay about $350 a week to rent a studio

These properties and their seedy past could offer opportunities for buyers looking to purchase a home in the city at a much cheaper price. This former Refern bordello sold for $900,000, up to 20 per cent below its market value

Mr Momitsas added that often interest in former brothels will go down once potential owners find out about the property's history.

He sold 408 Bourke Street, Surry Hills for $490,000 in 2001, which was then converted into a residential home. When the site hit the market just three years later, the selling price was nearly double at $912,500.

Another former bordello Mr Momitsas sold in Redfern went for $900,000, up to 20 per cent below its market value.

In the inner-city suburb of Erskineville, agent Adrian Abrook of LJ Hooker says an 11-bedroom, 10-bathroom former brothel on the market for $1.8 million is gaining a lot of attention.

'Much of the interest has come from buyers wanting to turn the site into a mix of retail and residential,' he told The Sunday Telegraph.

Some had even told the agent they were considering keeping the property as a functioning brothel, but Mr Abrook believes it has more value as a development site.

A neon pink brothel turned boarding house in Potts Point was converted into nine studio apartments.

The site, formerly known as Cleopatra, was sold for $1.5 million in 2013, and now residents pay about $350 a week to rent a studio.

Just down the road at 52 Kellett St, the 10-bedroom, 10-ensuite terrace brothel formally known as Antonio's Angels sold for $2 million last year and is being turned into offices.

Often interest in former brothels will go down once potential owners find out about the property's history. This former brothel known as Antonio's Angels sold for $2 million last year

The 10-bedroom, 10-ensuite terrace, 52 Kellett St site is being turned into offices after being sold last year
Sitting with her three children gathered around her, she looks any other proud mum.

Yet Charmaine Lacock also has another remarkable claim to fame.

For she routinely achieves an amazing feat by donating 18 pints of breast milk - every week.

The 38-year-old became a milk donor after the birth of her youngest daughter earlier this year.

Record breaker: Charmaine Lacock is supplying 18 pints of milk a WEEK for use by premature babies

She decided to collect the surplus her own baby did not need and give it to Scotland's only breast milk bank.

In a move that would make many women wince, she now spends up to six hours a day expressing milk using a pump.

The donations are frozen then delivered to the bank - where the milk is then distributed to babies in need.

She is so generous in her donations that the milk bank believe she deserves recognition.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the official record for donating is 16 pints a week - which Miss Lacock has already surpassed.

Now staff at the milk bank are writing to Guinness to have her recognised as a record breaker.

Last night Debbie Barnett, the Donor Milk Bank Coordinator, said: 'Charmaine is an exceptional donor. Our average donor gives us nearly 18 pints of milk in total - yet Charmaine is supplying that every week.

Charmaine Lacock is pictured with daughters Mekayla, 10, Sarah, two, and Paige, who is just three months old

'She's already a record breaker here and now we're planning to apply to the Guinness Book of Records to verify her record worldwide.'

Charmaine, who formerly worked as a care co-ordinator, lives in Glasgow's Knightswood with her 43-year-old partner Alfie Rawson, a health and safety assessor, as well as Mekayla, 10, Sarah, two, and three-month-old Paige.

When her daughter Sarah was born, Miss Lacock chose not to breastfeed directly, preferring instead to express milk to feed her.

She said: 'I didn't fancy breastfeeding but I loved all the benefits of breast milk so I started expressing and feeding her from a bottle.'

By the time Sarah stopped feeding Miss Lacock had a freezer full of milk which she was reluctantly forced to throw out.

She later read about the milk bank and was instantly interested.

And when Paige was born earlier this year she volunteered to donate.

'I contacted Debbie Barnett and she made it so easy. She came the house, did my bloods and got everything organised. Paige was a month early and was in Special Care for a couple of days and we saw those tiny, tiny babies who could fit in your hand, only managing to take 3 or 4 mls of milk at a time  I had to help.'

The Guinness Book of Records states that the record for breast milk donation is held by American Alyse Ogletree, who between 11 January 2011 to 25 March 2014 gave 2,762 pints to the Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas - averaging 16 pints a week.

Miss Lacock is currently beating that record in terms of weekly average donations - although she has only been donating for three months, so has not managed to clock up such a large overall volume.

In total, since Paige was born, Miss Lacock has donated 207 pints of breast milk.

Ms Lacock expresses breast milk for baby Paige but she has also donated an astonishing 207 pints since Paige was born

She expresses milk every four hours for at least an hour and also gets up at 2 am to express ahead of Paige waking up at 3am for her night feed, which means she expresses for at least six hours a day.

She said: 'I know that seems crazy but it would be wonderful if other women read this and think "Well, maybe I can't do six hours a day but I can do an hour!"

The milk is frozen and then uplifted by one of Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity's volunteer drivers, such as Andy McArthur, who actually worked for Cuthbertson's Dairy in Govan as a milk boy 45 years ago  and is now delivering milk back in Govan to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

I'll carry on donating for as long as I can and I'd encourage anyone else to do the same  it's a wonderful feeling to know you're helping Charmaine Lacock

Miss Lacock is quite bemused at being a record breaker but the most important thing to her is the babies and mothers she is helping.

She said: 'I'll carry on donating for as long as I can and I'd encourage anyone else to do the same  it's a wonderful feeling to know you're helping.'

Nearly 4,000 babies are born premature in Scotland every year.

Their organs and immune systems have had less time to develop making them at greater risk of infection which can be fatal in their critical early days.

Breast milk is often the only thing a very sick or premature baby can tolerate and it is rich in the vital nutrients needed to protect new-borns from infection.

Mothers with a shortened pregnancy often find that their breast milk has not yet come through and when that is unavailable, donor milk is the next best option.
USYD management interrupted the protest and security escorted them out

University students have crashed a university open day lecture protesting against the against the way sexual assaults are handled at universities.

A group of male and female students entered the Sydney University's Eastern Avenue lecture hall on Saturday during an information session.

They brought with them single sized mattresses with slogans such as 'protect students', 'welcome to the hunting grounds' and 'red tape won't cover up rape' scrawled across it in red and black permanent marker.

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University students have stormed an open day lecture at the University of Sydney protesting against sexual violence policy

The group of male and female students carried single sized mattresses with slogans such as 'university silence perpetuates violence' and 'welcome to the hunting grounds'

The event was organised by Sydney University Women's Officer Anna Hush who said 'We organised this event because we want to show parents that sexual assault and harassment are significant problems for students', in a report by News.com.au.

Among the group were victims of rape who told of their harrowing stories in front of parents and prospective students.

'I lasted three weeks in my first year of university before I was raped. Three weeks. As a first year student. And I'm still studying, but my life is completely different,' one brave female student said.

'I never expected that to happen at my university,' she said.

On one mattress the group detailed their 10 demands on how university's should handle sexual assaults

The group was interrupted by university staff and security who turned off the lights and ushered parents out of the room

The students were escorted out of the hall and continued their protest outside

The student added: 'It's evident, if we want to protect our child and also allow them to have an education at a tertiary level we need to help change the system, revolt against the universities and demand change before we ever decide to sent our brothers, our sisters, our children to university'.

A short time after university security and management interrupted the protest by turned off the lights and ushered parents out of the hall in an attempt to stop the group for reading out their demands.

The 10 demands were for how universities should improvements their policies towards sexual assault and how it should be responded to.
A rocket attack has been carried out on a civil airport in Turkish city of Diyarbakir, Dogan news agency reported.

According to preliminary reports, there were no casualties or injured in the rocket attack, passengers and staff were taken inside a terminal building for safety.

Four rockets were fired at a police checkpoint, according to media reports. The rockets landed on wasteland nearby.
The burkini ban incident was filmed by another beachgoer

Wearing hijabs and hats, these two women might have thought they could enjoy yesterday on the beach at Nice after a French court overturned the controversial burkini ban.

But it wasnt long before police appeared and ordered them to leave  just days after armed officers were pictured fining a woman wearing a burkini at the same spot.

The women  one wearing a long dress and the other a trouser suit  were preparing to enjoy a picnic with a young boy when a police launch headed towards them.

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Two hijab and hat wearing women look slightly taken a back after being told to leave this beach in Nice despite a French court overturning the controversial burkini ban

The police boat swooped on the women and a male officer spoke to them, said a witness to the drama

The police boat swooped on the women and a male officer spoke to them, said a witness to the drama. The women then put all their things away and made their way off the beach. I dont think any fine was imposed, but they were certainly told to leave.

The incident was filmed by another beachgoer, who said the women then headed to the Promenade des Anglais to make phone calls before catching a tram.

The burkini ban was introduced following the July terrorist attack in Nice when a lorry was driven into the crowds. A total of 86 people were killed and a further 307 were injured.

The ban prevented anyone from wearing clothes that were overtly religious in nature.

The police boat swooped on the women and a male officer spoke to them but it is believed they were not fined

The burkini ban was introduced following the July terrorist attack in Nice when a lorry was driven into the crowds

The women seemed taken aback by the police officer's approach

On Friday, the Council of State  Frances highest appeal court  reversed the ban, saying it was a serious and clearly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms. But the ruling was quickly dismissed by several towns and cities, including Nice, which vowed to keep the restrictions in place and to continue fining women.
Mo Farah is set to lead Team GB's Olympic heroes on a parade through Manchester and London later this month but his outcast brother Ahmed is facing deportation to Somalia.

The two brothers came to Britain as children in 1991 but they have trod very different paths and while Mo is a hero and a proud symbol of multi-cultural Britain, his younger brother is the black sheep of the family.

Ahmed, now 27, was just two when he came to Britain with his eight-year-old brother.

Mo Farah celebrates winning the Men's 5000m final at the Olympics in Rio earlier this month. His brother Ahmed said: 'Mo and I do not see each other now or speak. Of course I am incredibly proud of what he has done'

Mo was a talented athlete and highly focused. He is now based in the US, where he has a wife and four kids and has made a fortune from commercial endorsements.

After leaving school Ahmed worked in a warehouse but his life turned sour when he was jailed in 2011 for four-and-a-half years for false imprisonment after an incident involving a knife in Southall, west London.

He was released early but has been told he faces deportation as he never obtained full British citizenship.

Ahmed told the Daily Mirror: 'I wasn't a horrible person. I made a hell of a mistake and now I'm paying with my life.

'My lifestyle was bad. I was hyperactive, I used to drink, but you can't blame stuff on alcohol. I've just got to put my hands up and say that mistake happened, it's never going to happen again. Prison has made me a better person.'

Earlier this month Mo grabbed gold in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres for the second successive Games.

But Ahmed was not watching and has given up hope of seeing his estranged brother.

The boy done good: Mo Farah now lives in Portland, Oregon, and has a twin brother, Hassan, who still lives in Somalia

'Mo and I do not see each other now or speak. Of course I am incredibly proud of what he has done and I am sure he will go on to achieve even more,' he said.

Ahmed, who lives in west London with another brother Mahad, said: 'I can't go back to where Mo and I were born  it is too dangerous. I am afraid for my life. I have no roots in Somalia. People would kill me, because I'm different.'

Islamist insurgents al-Shabaab control large parts of Somalia and Ahmed fears he could fall foul of their extreme form of Sharia law.

'I'm going to stick out like a sore thumb. I'm a Muslim and I pray, and I keep faith in God, but things like my tattoos are forbidden under Sharia law,' said Ahmed.
A coronet worn by Queen Victoria and designed by her beloved husband Albert could be exported unless a UK buyer can be found.

The sapphire and diamond piece of jewellery has been sold to a buyer who wants to export it.

But the Government has imposed a temporary bar in an attempt to find a buyer to meet the 5 million asking price, plus 1 million in VAT, to keep it in the UK.

A coronet worn by Queen Victoria and designed by her beloved husband Albert could be exported unless a UK buyer can be found

The sapphire and diamond piece of jewellery has been sold to a buyer who wants to export it

The coronet is considered one of the most important jewels of Queen Victoria's long reign and was designed for her by Prince Albert in 1840, the year of their wedding.

The jewels matched the sapphire and diamond brooch that Albert had given to Victoria on the day before their wedding.

The coronet was finally made by goldsmith Joseph Kitching in 1842 at a cost of 415, using stones which came from jewellery given to Victoria by her uncle and predecessor William IV and his queen Adelaide.

Victoria is depicted wearing the coronet in a famous portrait painted that year by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.

She also wore the coronet for the state opening of parliament in 1866, the first time she had attended the ceremony since the death of Albert in 1861, possibly as a reminder of her late husband.

Victoria wore the coronet for the state opening of parliament in 1866, the first time she had attended the ceremony since the death of Albert in 1861

The item is decorated with 11 sapphires set in gold with diamonds set in silver

The coronet was given by George V and Queen Mary to Princess Mary on her marriage to Viscount Lascelles in 1922 and was later sold to a dealer in London, who subsequently sold it to the overseas buyer who has applied for an export licence.

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA).

The decision on the licence has been deferred until December 27 - with the possibility of an extension until June 27 next year if an alternative British buyer emerges with the serious intention to raise the 5 million asking price plus VAT.

RCEWA member Philippa Glanville said: 'Key to the self-image of the young Victoria, this exquisite coronet was designed by her husband Prince Albert.

The Government has imposed a temporary bar in an attempt to find a buyer to meet the 5 million asking price, plus 1 million in VAT, to keep it in the UK

The coronet is considered one of the most important jewels of Queen Victoria's long reign and was designed for her by Prince Albert in 1840, the year of their wedding

'Worn in her popular state portrait by Winterhalter of 1842, the year it was made, its combination of personal meaning and formality explains why she chose to wear it in 1866, emerging from mourning for the state opening of Parliament.

'It evokes vividly the shared romantic taste of the time, and its form has become familiar through many reproductions. Its departure would be a great loss, given its beauty, its associations and its history.'

Culture Minister Matt Hancock, who imposed the temporary export bar, said: ' Queen Victoria's coronet is stunning. It is one of the most iconic jewels from a pivotal period in our history and symbolises one of our nation's most famous love stories.

'I hope that we are able to keep the coronet in the UK and on display for the public to enjoy for years to come.'

Victoria, an ITV drama series about the life of the monarch - which featured Jenna Coleman - starts tonight at 9pm.
Valencia Davies, nine, has a one-in-a-million, potentially fatal skin disease that started out like a flu and was caused by a common medication.

The New Zealand girl is battling Stevens Johnson Syndrome, a painful skin disease affecting the skin which kills one in 10 affected by it.

It's caused by taking one of at least 200 medications including common paracetamol and penicillin and for Valencia, it developed from flu-like symptoms to a rash and blisters and sores on her face and in her mouth.

On the first day of August, her mother, Ene Mikaere picked her up from school because she didn't feel well, the Rotorua Daily Post reported.

Valencia Davies, nine, pictured with some of the horrific lesions caused by the potentially fatal Steven Johnson Syndrome which she is battling in hospital

Two days later she was given medication for a viral chest infection.

But by Friday she was so concern she took Valencia to the Rotorua Hospital emergency department.

While waiting, she received antibiotics - it was thought she had chicken pox.

Then it got worse.

She soon had lesions covering her body, dry, yellow, pus-covered lip and she was vomiting and having seizures, The Rotorua Daily Post reported.

'Her lips were starting to dry out, they started going yellow, they looked infected and swollen and there was a pussy stream in them, her eyes started going red and blood shot,' her mother said.

'It just broke my heart ... yeah I thought she was going to die. I was thinking that but I was trying not to.'

A young Valencia pictured in happier times before contracting Steven Johnson Syndrome

After being quarantined, she was transferred to another hospital for treatment with lesions over 60 per cent of her body.

She spent two weeks in the Waikato Hospital fighting the disease and despite returning to the Rotorua Hospital, isn't in the clear yet.

WHAT IS STEVEN JOHNSON SYNDROME? Rare and potentially fatal skin disease Caused by one of at least 200 medications, including paracetamol and penicillin Begins with flu-like symptoms before progressing to a painful rash over the torso, then the rest of the body Blisters form inside the body, making eating and using the toilet hard They have to be carefully managed to avoid long-term scarring Slightly more common in females Sufferers are extremely anxious and it causes considerable pain It is not contagious Affects one-two people in a million Advertisement

Valencia still requires oxygen at all times to breath, is fed through a tube and has a catheter.

She still has a chance of infection.

Heavily sedated and on antibiotics, she's being constantly watched by doctors.

It's not clear how long it will be until she has recovered.

To make matters worse, her father's job was recently made redundant and her mother has used up all of her sick leave and holidays to be with her in hospital.

The family - Valencia has four siblings - had move out of their rental home because it was being sold.

Despite the hardships the family is facing, there is some good news.

Their community has rallied around them, with Mrs Mikaere's workplace, a supermarket, providing food and the Salvation Army, support.

Her mother, who lives in Australia, flew home to help out the family.

There's also to be a fundraising day being held at Valencia's primary school to help out the family, and a Go Fund Me page has raised her family almost $10,000.
Said hickey formed a blood clot that traveled to his brain, causing a stroke

Paramedics could not save him; attributed the death to hickey on his neck

A 17-year-old boy from Mexico City died of a hickey, Mexican media reported.

Julio Macias Gonzalez had a bruise on his neck, given to him by his 24-year-old girlfriend, according to Hoy Estado De Mexico.

He was at home with his family in the Iztapalapa borough when he began having strong convulsions.

Julio's relatives caused emergency services, but paramedics could not save him. They later attributed his death to the hickey on his neck.

A 17-year-old boy from Mexico City died after a hickey on his neck turned into a blood clot, which traveled to his brain and caused a stroke, Mexican media reported (stock picture)

They said the bruise caused a blood clot to form, which then traveled to his brain, causing a stroke.

Julio's parents said they did not approve of the pair's relationship due to their age difference, Hoy Estado De Mexico wrote.

The 24-year-old woman's whereabouts were unknown.

A woman from New Zealand was left partially paralyzed after a hickey gave her a stroke in 2011.

The 44-year-old lost movement in her left arm, causing doctors to believe she had had a small stroke.

They attributed it to a hickey on the right side of her neck, which had left a bruise.

The doctors gave her anti-coagulant medication and the clot disappeared in a few days.
Fans of actress Rose Leslie (pictured) are being offered the chance to rent the real-life castle which was her childhood home, Lickleyhead Castle in Aberdeenshire

In her on-screen career, she has played a housemaid in the stately setting of Downton Abbey and stormed a fortress as a wild savage in Game of Thrones.

Now fans of Scots actress Rose Leslie are being offered the chance to rent the real-life castle which was her childhood home.

The flame-haired 29-year-old grew up in the magnificent surroundings of Lickleyhead Castle in Aberdeenshire which is now available to paying guests on rental website Airbnb.

The medieval tower - which features turrets and ancient bullet holes in the walls - is being advertised by Miss Leslie's parents and can be booked exclusively for 600 a night.

The unusual rental has also shone a light on an unexpected extra talent of the successful actress: she is great at cooking chicken.

Rose - whose full name is Rose Eleanor Arbuthnot-Leslie - lived in Lickleyhead until the age of ten. Her parents, Sebastian and Candida, offer bed-and-breakfast at the 15th century pile for 110 per room.

Guests can also book the entire place for a minimum two-night stay starting at 1200.

The couple moved back there in February this year, after running a bed and breakfast at another castle nearby.

In Game of Thrones, Rose played a savage fighter called Ygritte, known for her fiery temper and brusque manner.

Her most famous line was the withering put-down: 'You know nothing, Jon Snow'.

But in the past, she seems to have greeted her parent's guests much more graciously.

One online review of their former business reads: 'The Leslies were wonderful hosts and their daughter Rose took very good care of us.

The 29-year-old grew up in the magnificent surroundings of Lickleyhead Castle in Aberdeenshire which is now available to paying guests on rental website Airbnb. Pictured, the lounge area of the property

Rose - whose full name is Rose Eleanor Arbuthnot-Leslie - lived in Lickleyhead (pictured) until the age of ten

'Our reservation was confirmed and ready when we arrived and Rose cooked a lovely chicken dinner for us. '

Airbnb is an accommodation website popular with ordinary householders who pocket extra cash by renting out their spare rooms.

However it is also used to promote more unusual properties, often unavailable elsewhere.

Last week Mrs Arbuthnot-Leslie, known as Candy, said of her decision to use the quirky booking system: 'My children all encouraged me to do it.

'It's just keeping up with the times. It's the way things are going. It's quick and clean.

'Rose uses it in other places. She said: 'Why don't you try it?' and helped me set it up.'

Lickelyhead was built in 1499 and is the ancestral seat of the Clan Leslie.

Set in ten acres of grounds it boasts a great hall, stone staircases, and the original huge open fireplace.

Her parents, Sebastian and Candida, offer bed-and-breakfast at the 15th century pile for 110 per room. Pictured, left, in a scene in Downton Abbey

Sebastian Arbuthnot-Leslie is the chieftain of the Aberdeenshire clan Leslie and the family lived there until Rose was ten years old.

In 2013, Lickleyhead went on the market for offers over 1.35m but is no longer listed for sale. In February, Rose's parents moved to live there full-time.

They offer up to three rooms at any one time for bed and breakfast and if the entire property is booked, they vacate it entirely and go to stay elsewhere.

With its seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms, the castle is ideal for weddings or family parties.

Guests can lounge in four-poster beds, dine in the Great Hall, or stay cosy next to the original medieval hearth. There is also a traditional Aga.

Mrs Arbuthnot-Leslie said: 'We have people there at the moment. I do a minimum of two nights. We have been staying with friends and family.

'I also do bed and breakfast. You get a double en-suite room and a full Scottish breakfast.'

She added: 'The rooms are not huge and draughty - it's a very comfortable castle.'

Guests can also book the entire place for a minimum two-night stay starting at 1200. Pictured as Ygritte in Game of Thrones

The advert states: 'Lickleyhead Castle is a great venue for family gatherings, reunions and birthday celebrations.'

It further warns there must be no smoking indoors and, perhaps in deference to the couple's pet terrier Twiglet, guest are only allowed to bring one dog.

Four glowing reviews have already been posted.

One guest, from Norway, wrote: 'An absolute fairytale experience. You can feel the vibes from ancient times. '

Another couple, from London, wrote: 'Candy was very kind and the Castle is absolutely stunning.

'I cannot recommend Lickleyhead Castle more highly.'

With Rose's escalating career and relationship with her Game of Thrones co-star Kit Harrington, Lickleyhead Castle's rich history could be entering a new era.

But despite the building's links to two of the world's most famous television series, fans are not yet arriving in their droves.
The council and RNLI lifeguards responsible for Cambers Sands beach where five London friends drowned last week have both come under fire for not having more lifeguards.

Rother District Council, in Rye, East Sussex, did not introduce permanent lifeguards despite being advised by to do so by three official reports, including from RNLI.

Relatives of the five young men who drowned at Cambers Sands on Wednesday have also criticised they lack of lifeguards and admitted their loved ones might have survived if the beach had been manned.

Experts have warned that more lives will be lost on Britain's shores this year because cuts have also left coastguard services at breaking point.

Rother District Council and RNLI lifeguards have come under fire for not doing more about lifeguards at UK beaches like Cambers Sands where five people died last week

Experts have warned more lives could be at risk at beaches across the country

Relatives of the five young men who drowned at Cambers Sands on Wednesday believe they might have survived if the beach had been manned

Twitter user Rob (below) tweeted this photo of the man and child out in the sea. He called him an 'idiot' for ignoring the safety warnings



MP Gorden Marsden has also blamed local government cuts for the lack of lifeguards on beaches.

Brett Shepherd, operations manager for RNLI lifeguards told the media: 'We recommended lifeguards as one control measure, alongside education for people, and the beach patrols which Rother District Council provides.'

A spokesman from the council responded: 'In reviewing these suggestions, improvements were made to beach management and lifeguard service has been kept under constant review.'

Just yesterday coastguards had to force a father back to shore after he took his young child out in an inflatable at Camber Sands despite safety warnings.

The five young men - including two brothers - drowned on Wednesday at the beach near Rye after they were caught out by quicksand and a powerful rip tide.

Shocking: Three dead bodies were pulled from the sea off Camber Sands in East Sussex and two more bodies were found on the beach as the tide went out last night on the hottest day of the year

Victim: Kenigan Nathan, left, died on the beach along with his brother Kobi, right, the group had all known each other since they were five

Side by side: Kurushanth Srithavarajah, 26, left, another victim, takes a selfie with Nitharsan Ravi, right, on a trip to Bournemouth this year. Mr Srithavarajah was two days from his 27th birthday

Since the deaths, lifeguards have been patrolling the beach to monitor visitors over the Bank Holiday weekend.

But despite an orange windsock flying, warning beachgoers not to use inflatables, the man was spotted out in the sea.

He was there with the young child for 45 minutes before lifeguards intervened and told the man to return to shore.

Twitter user Robert Payne, who took the photograph, called the man an 'idiot'.

He told the Mirror: 'There was a young child [in the inflatable], I don't know if it was a boy or girl but I would estimate they were around five to eight years old.

'I am shocked but I didn't want to directly interfere.'

Mr Payne added: 'If the authorities had not intervened, I would have felt compelled to do something - either raise the issue directly with the man or ask the beach patrol why nothing was done.'

Grief-stricken: Nitharsan Ravi, left, could not be saved in the incident on Wednesday while friends of Inthushan Sriskantharasa, right, left messages of grief on his Facebook page after learning of his death

Siblings: Kenigan Nathan, 19, left, his brother Kobi Nathan, 22, right, could not swim, their father says, and added: 'I brought my children from Sri Lanka because it is not safe back there. I thought it would be safe in Britain'

Heartbroken: Satthiyanathan Arumukam, 51, centre left with his wife, lost his sons Kobi, left, and Kenigan, right, in the Camber Sands drowning tragedy and says that lifeguards could have saved them

Shock: Those on the beach watched on in horror as helicopters landed on the shoreline and medics performed CPR on the men, but despite their best efforts all three died

Demand: As safety concerns increased beachgoers urged the police to reveal more about their mysterious deaths

Dramatic: Camber Sands from the air. It is one of Britain's longest and flattest beaches - but people can get caught on its 'sandbars', pictured, which can get surrounded with feet of water as the tide rushes in

A RNLI spokesman said it was working with Rother District Council to provide the lifeguards and reassurance to the public.

Londoners Nitharsan Ravi, 22, Kurushanth Srithavarajah, 27, Kenigan Nathan, 19, his brother Kobi Nathan, 22, and Inthushan Sriskantharasa, 23, died together on the hottest day of the year.

Satthiyanathan Arumukam, 51, the father of brothers Kenigan and Kobi, said: 'There were no lifeguards on the beach where they died. If there had been, my sons would have at least had a fighting chance of survival.

'There were 25,000 people on Camber Sands that day and yet no one saved them. It is very, very sad but neither of my sons could swim.'

He added: 'I brought my children from Sri Lanka because it is not safe back there. I thought it would be safe in Britain'.

Last month a Brazilian national, Gustavo Silva Da Cruz, 19, died in the water off Camber Sands and two others had to be rescued after being caught by a tide and strong winds. A father and son also got seriously injured in a jellyfish attack.
Found the courage to live again after hearing baby Jax needed to be fed

Jessica, now 33, has written an essay recounting days after Justin's death

They brought him home in Panama City a day before stray bullet hit Justin

Jessica Ayers and her husband Justin welcomed their son Jax in June 2014

A woman who lost her husband just three days after the birth of their first child has told how her infant son helped her find the will to live in the darkest days of her life.

Jessica Ayers, now 33, fell in love with her husband Justin when she was only 14 years old.

He was 16 at the time and most people believed their teenage romance would fade away.

But their love grew stronger and the pair got married a year after Jessica graduated high school.

They spent a decade as a married couple before tragedy struck their Panama City, Florida home.

Jessica Ayers (left), now 33, fell in love with her husband Justin (right) when she was just 14 years old. They tied the knot a year after she graduated high school

The couple welcomed their first child, a boy named Jax (pictured left with his father and right with his mother) in June 2014. Justin was shot and killed a day after they brought him home

Jessica gave birth to their first child, a son named Jax, in June 2014. Some complications meant the family had to spend an extra day in the hospital.

But the pair brought Jax home after three days. The next day, Justin was just getting up from the sofa when a bullet hit him in the head.

Their neighbor, then-62-year-old convicted felon Charles Shisler, later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and in May 2015 was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Shisler, who also pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a felon, told police that his gun had gone off after he picked it up by the trigger, Al.com reported at the time.

Justin (pictured) died after getting hit by a stray bullet. He and Jessica were avid musicians and had written and recorded an album together

Jessica told in an essay how she saw Justin die at their home in Panama City, Florida (pictured) and how she struggled to cope in the days and months that followed

The bullet traveled more than 200 feet before it hit Justin in the head, going through a window screen, some trees and a glass door.

'Frozen and in a state of shock, all I could see in my mind was the lifeless face of the only man I ever intended to love, his lips white and his body lying on the floor in an unnatural state,' Jessica wrote in an essay published on her blog, The Singing Widow.

She and Justin were both avid musicians and had written and recorded an album together.

Jessica has referred to the day of her husband's death as 'the day the music died'.

She and her family attended Justin's funeral one week after Jax's birth, on a Saturday.

Justin (pictured) was buried a week after his son's birth. Jessica ended up alone in the bathroom the next day and felt that she had lost the will to live

The next day, Jessica found herself alone for the first time since Justin's death. She was in the bathroom to take a shower.

'I took it as my only opportunity to bask in my own misery,' she wrote.

'With the chill of the bathroom tile on my cheek being my only comfort from the pain, I decided in that moment that I was ready to completely give up. I wanted to die.'

A panicked friend banged on the bathroom door, threatening to break it down, as Jessica still hadn't come out after two hours.

Friends and relatives pleaded with her to come out. Jax needed to eat and she had been breastfeeding him.

Their neighbor Charles Shisler (pictured), then 62, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in Justin's death

When she heard her mother say they would go to the store to get formula, Jessica found the force to get up from the floor.

'Life is a series of choices, and this choice to live started with my decision to get up off the bathroom floor and feed my infant son,' she wrote.

Ten months later, Jessica found the strength to keep going again as she watched Jax grow up, beginning to walk and speak.

She decided to play music again and agreed to help out a band on a few concert dates.

It would have been easier to decline, Jessica wrote, but she didn't want to spend her life running away from the emotions music would bring her - both joy and pain.

Jessica is currently on a one-month stay in Anchorage, Alaska, where she is performing with her band Fortag.

Two-year-old Jax has come with her and, according to Jessica, has the same sense of humor as his father.

She has begun taking journalism classes and now wants to write a book to help others in similar circumstances.

'I never wanted a life that could be turned into a book or movie,' she wrote in a different blog post.
Women are more worried about getting fat than getting cancer, a survey has revealed.

Weight management topped the list of health issues at 23 per cent, with female-specific cancers a concern for just 17 per cent of the 3,236 Australian women surveyed by Jean Hailes for Women's Health.

Psychologist Mandy Deeks, deputy CEO of Jean Hailes for Women's Health, told Daily Mail Australia that weight was an 'everyday worry for many women'.

'Women can see changes to their weight in everyday scenarios, like when they're trying to do up their pants or a skirt and it feels tighter.'

Australian women are more worried about getting fat than getting cancer, according to a survey by Jean Hailes for Women's Health (stock image)

Dr Deeks added that women tend to find cancer as a health issue that's out of their control, so they don't tend to focus on it in their day to day lives.

'Women do think about cancer, especially female-specific cancers, but many think it's something that's not going to happen to them,' she said.

Following weight and cancer; mental and emotional health, menopause and chronic pain were also included in the top five health concerns Australian women had.

'The perception professionals had about health issues compared to non-professionals was really interesting,' Dr Deeks said.

'Women didn't even list fertility issues in their top five concerns, but professionals did.'

More than 200 health professionals took part in the survey and thought women worried most about mental and emotional health.

Psychologist Mandy Deeks, deputy CEO of Jean Hailes for Women's Health said weight was an 'everyday worry for many women' (stock image)

Dr Deeks added that women tend to find cancer as a health issue that's out of their control, so they don't tend to focus on it in their day to day lives (stock image)

Following weight and cancer; mental and emotional health, menopause and chronic pain were also included in the top five health concerns Australian women had (stock image)

Dr Deeks added that women were at risk from picking up false information or media advice from online outlets like 'Dr Google' or 'fitspiration' sites.

'Fitspiration' pages are often referred to as healthy, but the focus seems to be on appearance rather than health,' she said.

'I've got a 14 year old daughter and I see a lot of young women in our office and we talk a lot about the images out there that are unrealistic, especially in regards to food and women's bodies.
Jack the Ripper, aka Frederick Bailey Deeming, 'one of the most evil men in British history,' fled to Yorkshire to continue his killing spree after his Whitechapel Murders, claims a historian.

In 1892 Deeming was hanged in Melbourne, Australia, before being touted as the infamous Jack the Ripper by the international press.

Local historian Mike Covell has chronicled the killer's journey in his book Jack The Ripper  Or Something Worse?, describing the man as 'one of the darkest characters associated with the Whitechapel Murders'.

Jack the Ripper was very likely Derbyshire-born Frederick Bailey Deeming

Piecing the story together from years of research, Covell dived into archives across the UK and Australia, and into long-lost Home Office and Scotland Yard files.

He found Derbyshire's Deeming, born in 1853, had emigrated Down Under with wife wife Marie James where he was in trouble with he law for fraud, reports the Sunday Express.

They travelled back to England estranged and by 1888 the man was living alone in Whitechapel, just as The Ripper murders started.

His name came up in Scotland Yard files surrounding the killings, and a London dressmaker even appeared in court to claim Deeming was The Ripper.

Yet dismissed as a suspect, he fled London to East Yorkshire, where he presented himself as a millionaire Australian rancher called Frederick Lawson.

In the guise of another man he married 21-year-old Nellie Matheson, while still wed to Marie, in 1890.

Soon after marriage he was jailed for nine months for fraud after he fled to Montevideo in Uruguay before being extradited back to England on a charge of 'obtaining goods by false pretenses'.

In 1892 Deeming was hanged in Melbourne, Australia, before the international press touted him as the infamous killer

Shortly after his release in July 1891, Mary Jane Langley, 18, was found dead in a ditch just by the jail with her throat slit.

Shockingly Deeming then returned to his first wife, who he murdered with their four children, burying them in cement under the kitchen floor.

And he had already met wife number three, 25-year-old Emily Lydia Mather, the daughter of a widowed local shopkeeper.

Local historian Mike Covell has chronicled the killer's journey in his book Jack The Ripper  Or Something Worse?

Piecing the story together from years of research, Covell dived into archives across the UK and Australia, and into long-lost Home Office and Scotland Yard files

In November 1891 the pair traveled to Australia by steamship, and by December she was dead too.

Deeming strangled her on Christmas Day, covering her body with cement under the hearthstone of one of the bedrooms.

Yet this time the killer was caught, and police found a collection of knives, swords and axes at the home.

Scotland Yard finally took interest when the bodies of his family were found, and rushed over to Melbourne where he was hanged for murder.

Historian Mr Covell, 37, said: 'Previously Deeming was thought to be in prison at the time of the Whitechapel murders.
Charter flights between Russia and Turkey were suspended after the downing of a Russian Su-24 combat plane by the Turkish Air Force in November 2015 over Syria.

Putin signed a decree instructing the government to take steps aimed at lifting restrictions on tourist travel to Turkey as well as on charter flights after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote a letter in which he apologized for the downing of the jet and extended his condolences to the family of the pilot killed in the incident.

Following a meeting in Saint Petersburg with the Turkish leader on August 9, Putin announced Moscow's decision to resume charter flights to Turkey.
The case of a then-10-year-old boy who shot dead his neo-Nazi father at point-blank range has prompted changes to the way children are interrogated by police.

Joseph Hall, now 15, shot his father, Jeffrey, in the head as he slept on the couch in their California home about 4am on May 1, 2011.

The fatal shooting took place just hours after Jeffrey Hall hosted a meeting for the National Socialist Movement, America's largest neo-Nazi organization.

The case of then-10-year-old boy Joseph Hall (right) who shot dead his neo-Nazi father (left) at point-blank range has prompted changes to the way children are interrogated

The father did not hide his beliefs from his son, and instead would often involve the boy in it.

Joseph was taken with his father on trips to 'scout' for immigrants crossing the U.S./Mexico border.

The young boy was not only exposed to his father's extreme beliefs, but he also endured and witnessed physical abuse the rising white supremacist star doled out.

Hall, who used methamphetamines, would often beat his son if he got in his way, his step-mother told police at the time of the case.

Jeffrey Hall was shot in the head as he slept on the couch about 4am on May 1, 2011

Jeffrey Hall hosted a meeting for the National Socialist Movement, America's largest neo-Nazi organization on the night he died

Court records claim Joseph told officers as he was being driven to a station he shot his dad because of the regular beatings, and that Hall threatened to burn the family house down while everyone slept the night before his death.

Joseph, who was home schooled and had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and poor intelligence, was often neglected and lived in shocking conditions.

Child Protective Services issued 23 reports, however court documents show that most of the allegations were not proven.

In 2013, Joseph was found guilty of second-degree murder. He was jailed, and will remain behinds bars until he is 23 years old.



A law introduced to the California Senate in February this year would drastically change the legal system for young offenders.

Hall (pictured speaking at a neo-Nazi event) did not hide his beliefs from his son, and instead would often involve the boy in activities

Jeffrey Hall was a member of the National Socialist Movement, America's largest neo-Nazi organization

Those under the age of 18 would be required to speak to their legal guardian or a lawyer before waiving their Miranda rights and before they can be interrogated, the Washington Post reports.

The bill's author, state Sen. Ricardo Lara, said it is important because 'young people don't know what they are agreeing too'.

'We have to update our laws to be realistic, to be sure that children have protection before they're aggressively interrogated,' he said, according to the newspaper.

Senator Lara added the bill is a 'fair, simple and humane' way to ensure children are properly protected when they enter the criminal justice system.

The new laws may have been prompted by Joseph's case, but they cannot help him after the fact - despite experts suggesting they would have if they were in place at the time.

Joseph Hall, age 10 at the time, admitted to using his father's .357 magnum revolver to shoot him in the head at point blank range (stock image)

A new law introduced in California since Joseph's case would drastically change how police are able to interrogate children

The then-10-year-old did not understand his rights when they were read to him, according to court records, with an additional officer to the investigator having to recite each line to him.

He would go on to forfeit his rights during the initial interrogation that lasted about an hour.

The Juvenile Law Center and Human Rights Watch has all questioned whether Joseph knew his rights as they were read to him.

'Youre dealing with a 10-year-old,' Marsha Levick, co-founder of the Juvenile Law Center, told the Washington Post.
A man kept as a slave by travellers for 26 years has revealed how his captors got their kicks from making the victim fight.

Michael Hughes, 46, was rescued by police in 2014 after being forced to live in a shed and work 14 hour days.

The victim has spoken out for the first time since the trial that led to four men being imprisoned in May.

Mr Hughes said: 'Sometimes they'd make you fight, for their own sport,' according to The Sunday Times.

A man kept as a slave by travellers for 26 years has revealed how his captors got their kicks from making the victim fight. Pictured, Patrick Joseph Connors, 59, (left) his son Patrick Dean Connors, 39, (right)

Patrick Joseph Connors's nephew William Connors, 36, and son-in-law Lee Carbis, 34

He added: 'They'd just be standing and laughing saying, "Oh, look at my dosser, he's better than your dosser," and that guy would get a kicking or else get pushed back in, to have another go.'

The victim said: 'We weren't allowed to use the toilet. We had to just go in the fields.'

A gang was convicted of kidnapping Michael Hughes and another man, 'Mr K', and forcing them to perform forced or compulsory labour in May, and were jailed for a total of 27 years when they appeared at Cardiff Crown Court.

The trial was told Patrick Joseph Connors headed the violent family who forced the two homeless men to live and work in 'atrocious conditions' for up to 26 years, paying them as little as 10 a day.

Connors - along with sons Patrick Dean Connors and William Connors - made the men sleep in sheds and caravans without heating or running water.

A court heard the two victims were put to work as labourers for tarmacking and general building - and threatened with violence if they tried to escape.

A gang was convicted of kidnapping Michael Hughes and another man, 'Mr K', and forcing them to perform forced or compulsory labour in May, and were jailed for a total of 27 years when they appeared at Cardiff Crown Court (pictured)

Victim Mr Hughes was allegedly just 19 when he was taken in by the Connors gang before being made their slave - and was only freed after 26 years as a slave.

He was kept along with the other man who can only be identified as 41-year-old 'Mr K'.

The pair managed to escape the Connors' gang once each - but were quickly hunted down and beaten as punishment at the family property in Cardiff, South Wales.

Patrick Joseph Connors, Patrick Dean Connors and William Connors, all of Rumney, Cardiff, were all found guilty of forcing Michael Hughes and 'Mr K' to undergo forced labour.

Both Patrick Dean Connors and Carbis, from Trowbridge, Cardiff, were found guilty of one charge of kidnap, but Carbis was cleared of the forced labour charges.

Patrick Joseph Connors was also found guilty of eight charges of actual bodily harm and four of conspiracy to kidnap. He was jailed for 14 years.
A woman was killed inside her Texas home and four others were hospitalized after a tractor trailer carrying combustible materials exploded in front of her house.

Lucila Robles, 69, was pronounced dead on Wednesday after dental pieces found at the scene were confirmed as belonging to her, Conexion Del Rio reported.

She had initially been reported as missing following Monday's violent explosion that occurred around 2am.

Robles, who worked at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, was alone in her home located in the Texas border town of Quemado when the tractor trailer went off road, caught on fire and exploded.

Lucila Robles, 69, was killed inside her Texas home and four others were hospitalized after a tractor trailer carrying small containers of gas used to detonate airbags exploded on Monday

Robles was alone in her Quemado area home when the tractor trailer went off road, caught on fire and exploded (aftermath of the blast pictured)

Phone records show she attempted to call police but the call did not go through, according to fire officials.

At the time of the blast, the truck was hauling a flatbed trailer loaded with small containers of gas used to detonate airbags, News 4 San Antonio reported.

It had left from Del Rio and was en route to the Takata plant in Eagle Pass when the contents inside exploded while traveling along US Highway 227.

The driver of the truck, 20-year-old Mario Alberto Rodriguez, suffered injuries along with a passenger, who has not been identified.

They both managed to escape the truck before the blast.

An unidentified elderly couple traveling in a Toyota SUV also suffered injuries in the explosion.

All four victims were transported to hospital, and the condition of the drivers were not immediately known while both passengers were reportedly in critical condition.

At the time of the blast, the truck was hauling a flatbed trailer loaded with small containers of gas used to detonate airbags. Fire officials are pictured at the scene of the crash

Remains of the 18-wheeler pictured above. The driver of the truck, 20-year-old Mario Alberto Rodriguez, suffered injuries along with a passenger, who has not been identified

Canisters containing the ingredient used to detonate airbags, burnt trees and truck parts were also among the debris scattered throughout the area

The blast demolished Robles' home, damaged 10 nearby homes and hurled debris as many as two miles away from the explosion site, Conexion Del Rio reported.

It also damaged the road and cratered the ground, leaving the highway closed on and off for around 30 hours.

Canisters containing the ingredient used to detonate airbags, burnt trees and truck parts were also among the debris scattered throughout the area.

Robles' charred vehicle, one of only a few items remaining at the scene, was later removed, according to The News Gram.

Her remains were found on Tuesday and were identified the next day after her niece, who is a dentist, compared the dental pieces with Robles' dental records.

Deputies also found fragments of her bones and what appeared to be a jaw, according to the Maverick County Sheriff's Office.

The truck left from Del Rio and was en route to the Takata plant in Eagle Pass (pictured) when the contents inside exploded while traveling along US Highway 227

A fire truck is pictured at the scene. Authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the cause of the explosion, which they said was not caused by a collision

Windows on nearby homes were left shattered while residents located further from the area noted they felt their houses shake following the blast.

On Friday, Takata and the Del Rio Towing Company employees were assisting with cleanup efforts.

They were also advising residents to report the location of any canisters of the combustible airbag detonators found after the crash so they could be picked up safely.

Authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the cause of the explosion, which they said was not caused by a collision.
A man is recovering in hospital after being stabbed in a Port Melbourne apartment block overnight.

Paramedics found the 39-year-old with wounds to his upper body when they were called to the flat on Nott Street at about 2.30am on Sunday.

He was taken to The Alfred Hospital and was in a serious but stable and not life-threatening condition on Sunday afternoon.

A man is recovering in hospital after being stabbed in a Port Melbourne apartment block overnight

A police spokesman said it was yet to be determined how the man sustained his injuries. No one has been arrested.

The attack came two months after a 44-year-old man was stabbed to death on the third floor of a public housing complex on the same street in the inner-city suburb.

Hugh Brown, also 44, was charged with murder after inflicting a single stab wound to the torso of his housemate on June 17. A court was told he suffered from mental health problems.
A man has allegedly been caught in the act of filling a lubricant dispenser with hydrochloric acid at what is thought to be a gay club.

The 62-year-old was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly went to one of the rooms in the Rydalmere, north west Sydney, venue to carry out the twisted attack.

According to the ABC, the venue was the Aarows Club, which describes itself as 'Sydney's gay and bi social club' with 'three levels of adult adventure'.

A 62-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly swapping lubricant with hydrochloric acid at the north west Sydney venue (stock image)

Police said security detained the man after he set off an alarm.

The venue is located on Bridge Street, Rydalmere, in north west Sydney

It wasn't the first time the venue had been targeted, and items in the room had been alarmed to warn of tampering, according to police.

The man has been charged with administering a poison with intent to injure or cause distress or pain, entering a building with intent, malicious damage and driving while suspended.

He was granted conditional bail and is due to appear in the Parramatta Local Court on September 20.
Police are searching for two men who carjacked two cars on the Gold Coast late on Saturday night. They have named one of the suspects as Ben Goreng (pictured)

A search is under way for two men who carjacked two cars on the Gold Coast by threatening the owners at gunpoint.

The pair first targeted a 42-year-old man with the rifle at Upper Coomera late on Saturday night, firing a shot into the front door of his house and demanding his car keys.

Neither the man, nor a 40-year-old woman who also lived at the property and handed over the keys, were hurt during the ordeal.

Police said the pair crashed the stolen Kia Sportage into a light pole at Carrara about 2am on Sunday.

They then smashed their way into the nearby home of a 69-year-old woman and demanded her car keys before fleeing in a black BMW X5.

The car has not been seen since and police have urged anyone who spots its Queensland registration plate 50BOS to stay away and call authorities.

Police named one of the suspects as Ben Andrew Goreng and on Sunday afternoon released his photograph.

The second man is described as Caucasian in appearance and speaking with an Australian accent.
A heritage listed building in the Sydney CBD is set to be demolished to make way for the construction of the city's underground Metro.

The 10-storey building on 7 Elizabeth street will be knocked down in later this year and will force residents of the apartments to look for somewhere else to live.

However the building beside it, which is owned by Macquarie Bank and where they store 162 bikes and 128 staff lockers, will not be taken down according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

The heritage listed apartment building on 7 Elizabeth street will be demolished at the end of the year to make way for the construction of the underground Metro

The next door building, owned by Macquarie Bank will not be demolished as it was 'not required for the operational station design'

So far, residents of seven studio apartments in the building have been offered payouts between $375,000 and $425,000.

One of the building's residents, Andre Pang and his fiancee, bought their studio apartment last September which was a short distance from their work.

They now face being forced to move after their wedding in October.

Mr Pang said: 'We can't find anything in the city near Martin Place now... The issue is that there is nowhere else I can buy. I don't think anyone living here can afford to buy in the city now.'

Residents of No. 7 Elizabeth Street have been offered pay outs between $375,000 and $425,000

City of Sydney and the National Trust have objected to its demolition of the 1930s art deco building

A spokeswoman for Macquarie Bank said that the Elizabeth street building operates as a 'combined premises' with their building at50 Martin Place.

Records from the City of Sydney say the bank was not allowed to occupy the Martin Place building without developing a storage area for bikes and lockers at the Elizabeth Street building.

Meanwhile a spokesman for Transport NSW said: 'Property that was not required for the operational station design was not included in the acquisition program.'
The father of knife attack victim Tom Jackson, who is clinging to life in a far north Queensland hospital, has spoken of his immense pride in his son.

Tom Jackson, 30, suffered multiple wounds on Tuesday at a hostel at Home Hills, about 100km south of Townsville, while trying to protect fellow Brit Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, who was stabbed to death.

'There are many and varied reasons why we are, and always will be, immensely proud of Tom. His actions in response to this horrific attack only add to that sense of pride,' Les Jackson said in a statement released on Sunday by Townsville Hospital.

The British backpacker remains in a critical condition in hospital after being stabbed in the face, head and torso during Frenchman Smail Ayad's alleged rampage.

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Les Jackson (left), father of knife attack victim Tom Jackson (right), who is clinging to life in a far north Queensland hospital, has spoken of his immense pride in his son

Ms Ayliffe-Chung was allegedly killed in front of 30 horrified witnesses by the Frenchman, who also allegedly stabbed British man Tom Jackson, 30

Mr Jackson, who has travelled from the UK to be at his son's hospital bedside, said he'd received many offers of support and friendship by the Townsville community.

'Please don't think I am unappreciative of these kind offers if they appear to be silently ignored. They have not been but I think you will understand that our sole focus at the moment is entirely on Tom's condition,' he said.

'We are in awe of the medical and support staff at the Townsville Hospital who are providing the greatest care Tom could hope to receive and keeping me informed of his ongoing treatment every step of the way.

'Finally, and most importantly, our hearts go out to Mia and her family and friends at this dreadful time.'

Mr Jackson, 30, was stabbed 15 times in the face as he tried to save Ms Ayliffe-Chung. He is fighting for his life in Townsville Hospital

Smail Ayadis accused of stabbing Mia Ayliffe-Chung to death in an alleged rampage in which Mr Jackson was also attacked

Ms Ayliffe-Chung, Mr Jackson and Ayad were staying at the backpacker hostel in Home Hill, Queensland

Ms Ayliffe-Chung, Mr Jackson and Ayad were staying at the backpacker hostel in Home Hill, Queensland.

Lorraine Gorizia is the part owner of one of the farms backpackers from the hostel were contracted to.

She told Daily Mail Australia on Friday that Tom and another man named Dan had rushed to help Mia after Ayad locked himself in his hostel room, where it is thought the attack began.

'The boys, Dan and Tom, tried to help Mia,' she said.

She was unsure how much time passed between Ayad locking himself in his room and allegedly attacking Tom.

'When he came out Tom copped it, he looked straight at Dan and did nothing,' she said.

'He was screaming at them saying he was going to massacre all of them and calling out Allahu Akbar.

'So they locked themselves in their rooms.

'They said he was banging on the doors trying to break in.'

Lorraine Gorizia is the part owner of one of the farms backpackers from the hostel were contracted to. She said Tom and another man named Dan had rushed to help Mia

Ayad, 29, has been deemed too aggressive to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on Friday where his case was adjourned until October 28

Ayad, 29, is alleged to have dragged Ms Ayliffe-Chung from her bed onto a balcony and stabbed her.

A hostel worker was also attacked before Ayad allegedly jumped from the balcony then chased after Mr Norris' family dog, a German Shepard named Atari, before killing it.

He then allegedly went back into the hostel and attacked Mr Jackson, who was helping Ms Ayliffe-Chung.

Police have deemed Ayad too aggressive to appear in Townsville Magistrates Court on Friday where his case was adjourned until October 28.

He faces charges including murder, two counts of attempted murder, serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of assaulting police.

Ms Ayliffe-Chung and Mr Jackson were killed at Shelley's Backpackers in Home Hill, Queensland. It is a popular place for backpackers to stay doing rural work to fulfil visa requirements

Ayad (pictured) faces charges including murder, two counts of attempted murder, serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of assaulting police
A series of new emails have shed light on the relationship between Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation during the former's time as secretary of state.

Clinton aide Huma Abedin and Doug Band, a former high-ranking official with the foundation and adviser to Bill Clinton during his presidency, exchanged emails between June 2009 and March 2011.

In one of the email conversations, which were released as part of a lawsuit filed by the conservative group, Citizens United, the two spoke about passing on a message from a generous foundation supporter to the U.S. ambassador to Malta, ABC News reports.

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A series of new emails have shed light on the relationship between Hillary Clinton's top aide, Huma Abedin (left), and the Clinton Foundation during Clinton's time as Secretary of State

Band forwarded an email to Abedin from South American businessman Gerardo Werthein, which was sent ahead of the ambassador's meeting with the Admor in Malta.

The Admor is the chief rabbi of Malta, and was an associate of Werthein's at the time.

Band called Werthein a 'great supporter' and 'big friend' when asking Abedin to pass on Werthein's message about the Admor to the ambassador.

Abedin then forwarded it for the ambassador's assistant, adding: 'Just want to pass along for info. No need for action.'

Abedin and Doug Band (pictured), a former high-ranking official with the foundation and counselor to Bill Clinton during his presidency, exchanged emails between June 2009 and March 2011

Chelsea Clinton (pictured arriving in the Hamptons ahead of a fundraiser) will remain on the board of her family's foundation even if her mother is elected president

Huma Abedin attends the 2015 Glamour Women of The Year Awards dinner on November 9, 2015

The emails also included a list of names Band wanted invited to a State Department lunch with Chinese President Hu Jintao in January 2011.

The names on the list were: former UBS president of wealth management Bob McCann, Western Union CEO Hikmet Ersek, and Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin, according to ABC News.

Band later asked in an email if Rodin could be seated at a table with Vice President Joe Biden.

The Clinton Foundation's website says the Rockefeller Foundation has donated between $10 million and $25 million, Western Union contributed between $1 million and $5 million, and UBS Wealth Management USA forked out between $500,001 and $1 million.

Hillary Clinton speaks onstage during the fourth day of the Clinton Global Initiative's 10th Annual Meeting at the Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers on September 24, 2014

Hillary Clinton talks with Deputy Chief of Staff Huma Abedin as she takes an escalator to the meeting hall prior to the opening of the ASEAN Regional Forum on July 23, 2010

But the foundation brushed off the new emails, with a spokesman telling ABC News they: 'aren't related to the Clinton Foundation's work improving lives around the world.'

It comes after it was revealed Chelsea Clinton would remain on the board of her family's foundation even if her mother is elected president, a spokeswoman said Thursday.

The announcement comes as a health project connected to the foundation is exploring a number of changes to minimize potential conflicts of interest in the event of another Clinton White House, but may continue to accept foreign government and corporate funding.

A spokeswoman said the for the 36-year-old was committed to ensuring that those benefiting from the foundation's work would continue to receive 'that often life-changing help,' and as a result she 'would remain on the board to help steward the implementation of changes which do that appropriately.'

Bill Clinton announced this week the foundation will no longer accept foreign and corporate donations and he will step down from its board if Hillary is elected president

It has been said Chelsea Clinton's continued role with the foundation could create exceptions to the changes announced by former president Clinton this week

Former President Bill Clinton announced the foundation will no longer accept foreign and corporate donations and he will step down from its board and stop raising money for the organization if Hillary is elected president.

But Chelsea's continued role could create exceptions to those changes and appear to be loopholes to allow control of the foundation and its projects to remain within the Clinton family.

The ex-president told staffers that he also would step down from the board of the Clinton Health Access Initiative Inc., a global health care project affiliated with the foundation, and it would consider 'a range of options to ensure that its vital work will continue.'
A small group of people were lucky enough to have close up encounter with a pod of orcas on Sunday afternoon - from dry ground.

About 20 people gathered to see the five orcas swimming at a marina in New Zealand's largest city, Auckland.

Sharon Norman told Newshub: 'We could've touched them, that's how close they were.

About 20 people have gathered for a close encounter with a pod of orcas at a marina in Auckland, New Zealand

'It was absolutely amazing experience because the water was so still. Everyone was in raptures that was down there.'

Footage shows the orcas swimming right next to pontoons at the marina.

Ms Norman said she believed they were engaging in the unusual behaviour while looking for food.

'One of the mums caught a stingray when it was in the marina, which was really cool... It took it and dived down,' she told Newshub.

They remained in marina, which is located in the Waitemata Harbour, for about an hour before leaving.

There's estimated to be up to 200 orcas living in New Zealand waters.

They remained in marina, which is located in the Waitemata Harbour, for about an hour before leaving
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

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Armenian armed forces have 15 times violated the ceasefire on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops over the past 24 hours, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry Aug. 28.

Armenian armed forces, stationed in the village of Barekamavan of Armenias Noyemberyan district and in the village of Vazashen of Ijevan district opened fire at Azerbaijani positions located in the villages of Qaymaqli, Kemerli of the Gazakh district.

The Armenian armed forces stationed on nameless heights of Armenias Krasnoselsk district opened fire at the Azerbaijani positions located on nameless heights of the Gadabay district.

Positions of the Azerbaijani army also underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near the Qarakhanbeyli and Ashagi Seyidahmadli villages of the Fizuli district, as well as from positions located on nameless heights in Goranboy 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.
Amazon is planning to launch a brick-and-mortar bookstore in Chicago, Illinois.

The Chicago store is scheduled to launch in 2017 and 'will be in the trendy neighbourhood of Southport Corridor', the Financial Times reported this week.

Amazon is planning to launch a brick-and-mortar store in Chicago, Illinois. It's going to be at 3443 N. Southport Ave (pictured), where a restaurant called Mystic Celt once was

The Amazon Books is going have 3443 N. Southport Ave as its address, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The company has already announced plans for brick-and-mortar stores in San Diego, California and Portland, Oregon.

Amazon launched a physical bookstore in Seattle, Washington, in November 2015.

The company says on its website: 'Amazon Books in University Village, Seattle, is a physical extension of Amazon.com.

'We've applied 20 years of online bookselling experience to build a store that integrates the benefits of offline and online book shopping.

Amazon launched a physical bookstore in Seattle, Washington, in November 2015. The Seattle store is pictured in this image

'The books in our store are selected based on Amazon.com customer ratings, pre-orders, sales, popularity on Goodreads, and our curators' assessments.'

The website explains: 'To give you more information as you browse, our books are face-out, and under each one is a review card with the Amazon.com customer rating and a review.

'You can read the opinions and assessments of Amazon.com's book-loving customers to help you find great books.'

The website also says customers can try Amazon devices at the store, writing: 'Products across our Kindle, Echo, Fire TV, and Fire Tablet series are available for you to explore, and Amazon device experts will be on hand to answer questions and to show the products in action.'

'We're definitely going to open additional stores, how many we don't know yet', Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said at the company's annual shareholders meeting in May, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.

'In these early days it's all about learning, rather than trying to earn a lot of revenue.'
A model has slammed 'the prude' who complained about an advertisement showing a woman gyrating suggestively in lingerie.

Bras N Things were forced to remove a 'vulgar' advertisement featuring Simone Holtznagel from a shop front at Westfield Doncaster, in Melbourne's east after a shopper complained it looked like an amateur porn film.

Ms Holtznagel hit back against the decision and the complainants attitude on social media.

'This woman is complaining about a tasteful, beautiful advertisement which is not only show casing the gorgeous lingerie but also show casing body confidence and embracing the feminine form!'

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Bras N Things have been forced to remove a 'vulgar' advertisement of a woman gyrating suggestively in lingerie after a shopper complained it looked like an amateur porn film

Alongside a clip of the banned advertisement, Ms Holtznagel wrote that some people must have too much time on their hands.

'Honestly, it's just soooo offensive to show a confident, sexy WOMEN in her LINGERIE in the window of a (plot twist) - LINGERIE STORE!!!!,' she wrote sarcastically.

'Won't somebody please think of the children?! I mean it's just truly outrageous.'

The model continued, saying she has seen 'people wearing less on the actual street and in shopping centers these days' and that she refused to stop embracing her curves.

'I shall continue on in being fearlessly me and embracing my curves and my confidence, and I encourage all women to do the same - and if that's so wrong then I don't want to be right.'

'They were not merely modelling the underwear, they were moving suggestively, gyrating and looking lasciviously at the camera - like a very amateur porn movie,' the complaint read

The concerned shopper told the Advertising Standards Board that the video was overtly sexual, demeaning to women and 'unavoidable' for families or children visiting the centre as it was displayed on a large screen in the underwear store's shop front.

'They were not merely modelling the underwear, they were moving suggestively, gyrating and looking lasciviously at the camera - like a very amateur porn movie,' the complaint read.

'It was vulgar, unsuitable for the young and simply demeaning for any woman walking past.

Bras N Things argued the video did not breach advertising standards and noted they had received 'very little feedback' in relation to its content.

'The video content features a solo women in lingerie showcasing a range of different styles to promote the latest range of Playboy branded lingerie in-store,' Bras N Things told the Advertising Standards Board.

'We do not believe that this video is degrading or exploitative in any way. '

Bras N Things argued the video did not breach advertising standards and noted they had received 'very little feedback' in relation to its content

The clip featured on a large screen in the shop front of a Bras N Things in Melbourne

The Board said in its findings that the advertisement may have complied with regulations if it were using still images, however the video content 'draws the eye of passers-by' and appeared to focus more on the woman's body than the product it was advertising.

'The Board noted the video depicts a model moving around and considered that the model is stroking her hair and moving her body suggestively and that this amounts to a sexualised impact.

'The Board considered that as the video image contains no branding of the shop or the particular line of lingerie there is a more sexualised impact of the material as the focus is on the woman's body rather than on what she is wearing.'

The video content was replaced with stills before the decision was handed down and Bras N Things agreed not to use the footage again.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Bras N Things for comment.
Western Australian police have renewed their search for Michael Junior Huria (pictured) in the Upper Swan region, north of Perth

A New Zealand man who has been missing for over a week could be on a 'spiritual journey' after recently quitting his job as a builder, his family has said.

Western Australian police have renewed their search for Michael Junior Huria in the Upper Swan region, north of Perth.

The 23-year-old, who also goes by the surname Sullivan, was last seen leaving his Ellenbrook home, northeast of Perth, after 4am on Monday August 15.

Mr Huria's family made a public appeal for information on his whereabouts on Saturday calling his disappearance 'unusual'.

His brother Tamati Huria said he recently quit his job as a builder and was 'bit lost at the moment.'

'We don't know, but we think he might have gone out on a spiritual journey of some kind - he's quite inclined in that way,' he said.

The search is focusing in Upper Swan area where a woman told police she thought she might have struck down a pedestrian on Monday night.

Divers have also been called into search nearby lakes, according to Perth Now.

'The search for Michael will continue throughout the day and will perhaps conclude early this evening,' a WA Police spokeswoman said.
Arrests linked to the drug crystal meth have soared by 500% in just five years.

Police are concerned the class A drug is spreading across the UK after it was made famous in the hit American TV drama Breaking Bad.

Last year 100 people were arrested for possession in London alone - 82 more than in 2010, new figures revealed.

Police are concerned the class A drug is spreading across the UK after it was made famous in the hit American TV drama Breaking Bad (lead character Walter White pictured)

Arrests linked to the drug crystal meth have soared by 500% in just five years

Methamphetamine, or crystal meth as it is commonly known, is popular with partygoers and has been linked to unprotected sex and needle sharing which increases the risk of HIV, hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted infections.

Clubbers refer to the drug, which has been linked to thousands of deaths in the US and Australia, as 'ice', 'tina' and 'crystal'.

Doctors warn meth use can lead to overdoses, panic attacks, convulsions and sexual assaults.

Science teacher Walter White, played by Bryan Cranston, begins manufacturing the drug in its purest form to support his family and pay hospital bills after he is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Actor John, 42, whose surname the Daily Star did not disclose, spoke about the drug.

Science teacher-turned-chemist Walter White (pictured) begins manufacturing the drug in its purest form to support his family and pay hospital bills in Breaking Bad

WHAT IS METHAMPHETAMINE OR CRYSTAL METH AND WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF TAKING IT? Methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth was made famous in Breaking Bad Methamphetamine, a form of amphetamine sold in 'crystal' form, can be snorted, swallowed or injected by users. It is a Class A drug that is known for being extremely powerful and addictive.

The drug induces effects of euphoria, alertness and increased energy and is popular in gay nightclubs. The Terence Higgins Trust, the UK's leading sexual health charity, says about the drug: 'The comedown can leave you feeling exhausted, aggressive and paranoid, in some cases even suicidal. You can also develop stomach problems such as acid reflux or gastritis due to not eating for a long period of time. 'Depending on how you take crystal, it can also damage the lungs, nose and mouth. ' Advertisement

He said: 'I've tried it loads. 'It's much more exhilarating than other recreational drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy. Meth makes you feel like you have woken from a deep sleep all your life.'

'You don't want to sit still and suddenly want to experience all those things that give you pleasure  and they are so much more enhanced.'

There have also been a surge in attempts to smuggle the drug into the country.

Border Force patrols uncovering the drug have increased by 400% in the last few years.

The drug, which can cause side effects like increased heart rate and paranoia, was used by paedophile former rock musician Ian Watkins.
A major insurance agency has been accused of making unauthorised charges to their customers credit cards and falsifying policies.

Youi, one of Australia's fastest growing insurers, has been accused of charging thousands of customers for insurance they never signed up for, a six-month Fairfax investigation reveals.

It is alleged that the Queensland-based company charged people without their knowledge after they provided their bank details in an attempt to get an insurance quote, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Five whistleblowers with experience inside Youi's walls also spoke out about the scam, detailing the ways they were told to manipulate the system.

Youi, one of Australia's leading insurance companies, has been accused of taking money from thousands of prospective customers. It is alleged the company instructed sales staff to get the credit card details of people looking for a quote and to then charge them regardless

Speaking to Fairfax media, the whistleblowers said they were told to 'cover up' the tactics they used.

'It is the most diseased company I have ever worked for,' one told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'It's all fabrication. It's illegal to do. They don't want the sales staff to do it, but they do want you to do it, if you know what I mean.'

How did Youi's scam work? Youi is unique from other insurers as you can only get a quote over the phone, not online.

As a result, sales staff are told by management to pressure every prospective customer to give their credit card details over the phone.

Sales staff often go as far as to say no quote can be provided without the card details.

After the Youi employee has the details they would then put through a sale, even if an insurance policy hadn't been agreed on.

Some of the whistleblowers revealed to Sydney Morning Herald the phrases they used to get the card details.

'They would say they needed to get credit card details to (receive) a quote. Then they would activate the policy without telling the client,' one said.

'If I wanted a sale, what I would say is OK, that's your quote, just to hold the price, if you give me your credit card details we can put it in the system,' another admitted. Source: Sydney Morning Herald Advertisement

Others said that the company - which made $654 million in 2015 - seemingly believed the trouble would just 'go away'.

The allegations follow 15 charges filed by New Zealand's Commerce Commission in Auckland District Court against Youi NZ.

The NZ Commerce Commission say the insurer made 'false or misleading claims' during telephone sales calls with customers between July 2014 and February this year, according to Courier Mail.

It's claimed customers were told that they needed provide bank or card details in order to get a quote.

'I was having money taking out off my account from September last year until last month without my knowledge or consent for car insurance I didn't want,' one customer posted on the company's Facebook page at the beginning of August.

A Youi representative was quick to respond and rectify the situation: 'I can see we dropped the ball here and we take full responsibility for this,' they posted.

'These issues will be addressed and I'm glad to hear the matter has been rectified for you.'

Youi has vehemently denied 'that management condoned any such behaviours' in a statement to Daily Mail Australia.

'We reject the assertion that potentially thousands of people [who] have had money taken from their accounts by insurance giant Youi without authorisation or notice, the statement read.

'Youi strongly denies that information is deliberately mis-captured in order to reject claims. Contrary to the allegation, we exist to pay claims and have an excellent claims paying reputation.

'We remain committed to serving present and future customers to provide quality products and awesome service.'

Youi has become popular over recent years with television adds (pictured) showing how customers can save and the tagline 'we get you'

This disgruntled says they had $1000 taken from their account without being notified

Youi's chief executive Danie Matthee admitted to the Courier Mail his company had issued insurance policies to customers who had only asked for quotes.

However the New Zealand charges aren't the company's only concern.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is launching its own investigation into the company, the Sydney Morning Herald also reports.

The revelations led to a number of disgruntled Youi customers taking to social media to vent their anger against the company, even going as far to declare it 'all made sense now'.

'I thought it was against regulations... to take money without a policy being accepted?' one customer wrote.

According to this customer, the revelations about Youi 'all made sense'

This person was clearly confused as to how Youi, one of Australia's biggest insurance brokers, could have got away with the scam for so long

Another was equally outraged, but seemed glad no one else would be affected.

'It all makes sense now, the one time I tried to get a quote from you was a disaster,' one man said.
The West Australian Premier's son has been served with a restraining order after an alleged incident with his swimwear model ex-girlfriend.

Sam Barnett, 27, and Samantha Shvetsova, 29, started dating in April and the pair travelled to Shanghai, China earlier this month for a week-long business trip.

The couple split up on August 15 following an argument in a taxi and Mr Barnett was issued a 72-hour restraining order on his return to Perth airport, The Sunday Times reported.

But Mr Barnett's spokesperson issued a statement on Saturday saying the property developer would fight the restraining order in court.

Sam Barnett, 27, and Samantha Shvetsova, 29, (both pictured) started dating in April and the pair travelled to Shanghai, China earlier this month for a week-long business trip

The couple split up on August 15 following an argument in a taxi and Mr Barnett was issued a 72-hour restraining order on his return to Perth airport

The details of the alleged incident leading to the restraining order are unknown.

The temporary order stated Mr Barnett must stay 20 metres away from Ms Shvetsova and refrain from contacting her.

He was ordered to appear before court on August 18 but it was deferred until September 9. It is believed Ms Shvestsova is seeking to extend the restraining order.

Daily Mail Australia contacted Ms Shvestsova but she declined to comment.

Mr Barnett sent his ex-girlfriend an email after the order had expired, labelling the situation 'tacky,' according to The Sunday Times.

'Im writing this email for my own protection and to mitigate damage in the media for myself,' it said.

Mr Barnett's spokesperson issued a statement on Saturday saying the property developer would fight the restraining order in court and claimed the Miss Universe finalist was seeking '$10,000 in return for silence on the issue'

The temporary order stated Mr Barnett must stay 20 metres away from Ms Shvetsova and refrain from contacting her

Mr Barnett sent his ex-girlfriend an email after the order had expired, labelling the situation 'tacky'

Mr Barnett started dating Ms Shvetsova in April after they met through their parents

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Mr Barnett for further comment.

Mr Barnett started dating Ms Shvetsova in April after they met through their parents and said his friends did not believe the news at first.

'No one believed me, everyone knows who Samantha is and thought I wasn't being serious,' Mr Barnett told Daily Mail Australia in July.

'My best mate messaged me and said ''whatever you do don't mess this one up''.

'[Ms Shvetsova] has had a great impact on my life she is extremely focused where I tend to be all over the place.

'No one believed [we were dating], everyone knows who Samantha is and thought I wasn't being serious,' Mr Barnett told Daily Mail Australia in July

Ms Shvetsova is a model and has won titles such Australian Swimwear Model of the Year - National Winner and Miss Bikini World Australia

The couple made their public debut at the Heart Foundation Red Hot Winter Ball in Perth in April

Sam is the son of West Australian Premier Colin Barnett (pictured)

'We jog every morning and go to the gym in the afternoon.

The couple made their public debut at the Heart Foundation Red Hot Winter Ball in Perth.

'Being with Sam feels like being with an old friend,' Ms Shvetsova told Daily Mail Australia in July.

'He is an easy person to get along with and I enjoy his company.'

Ms Shvetsova is a model and has won titles such Australian Swimwear Model of the Year - National Winner and Miss Bikini World Australia.

'Being with Sam feels like being with an old friend,' Ms Shvetsova told Daily Mail Australia in July

In February, Mr Barnett pleaded guilty to wilful damage to property after damaging his ex-partner Melissa Garbin's (both pictured) computer and phone

In 2008 she was the Miss Universe Australia national finalist.

In February, Mr Barnett pleaded guilty to wilful damage to property after damaging his ex-partner's computer and phone.

He dated 21-year-old Melissa Garbin in February and the pair were holidaying on the Gold Coast when police were called to their Surfers Paradise unit.

He was fined $1500 but no conviction was recorded.

He dated Ms Garbin (pictured) in February and the pair were holidaying on the Gold Coast when police were called to their Surfers Paradise unit
A fight broke out and violent slurs were exchanged between two groups of anti-Islam protesters at a rally in Victoria.

A group of True Blue Crew members confronted the Sons of Odin at the 100-strong anti-Islam rally and barbecue at Hannah Watts Park in Melton, west of Melbourne reported Nine News.

There was a heavy police presence at the event on Sunday, where people were searched for weapons.

A fight broke out and violent slurs were exchanged between two groups of anti-Islam protesters at a rally (pictured) in Victoria on Sunday

A group of True Blue Crew members confronted the Sons of Odin at the 100-strong anti-Islam rally and barbecue at Hannah Watts Park in Melton, west of Melbourne

The leader of the Victorian branch of the UPF, Blair Cottrell, is pictured speaking to anti-Islam protesters with Australian flags at the rally

There was a heavy police presence at the event, where people were searched for weapons

The groups gathered to protest against what they say is a growing Muslim population in Melbourne's west.

Protesters who were wearing Australian flags, masks and signs, said they wanted to halt the spread of Islam in their area, and across the nation.

They called Islam a 'barbaric ideology that isnt welcome in Australia'.

United Patriots Front leader Blair Cottrell told supporters: 'Youre either Australian or a bloody enemy and you can get out.'

One member, Paul, who did not wish to give his last name, told Nine News the True Blue Crew 'represents the Australian way of life'.

Protesters later marched to the Melton City Council chanting 'whose streets, our streets'.

The groups gathered to protest against what they say is a growing Muslim population in Melbourne's west

Protesters wearing Australian flags, masks and signs, said they wanted to halt the spread of Islam in their area, and across the nation

The groups were covered in Australian paraphernalia including scarves, hats, t-shirts, Australian flags and clothes displaying the group names and their slogans

Opposition leader Bill Shorten condemned the rally and said the views of the groups were taking Australia 'down the wrong path and the wrong direction'.

'Australia's a diverse country and I don't believe in fermenting religious paranoia or hatred,' Mr Shorten told reporters on Sunday.

'That's not the way this country works together.'

Some of the anti-Islam protesters are pictured holding Australian flags and listening to speakers at the rally

The rally was organised by the True Blue Crew (pictured) a pro-Australia group

Founder and president of the Love Australia or Leave party Kim Vuga is pictured speaking to anti-Islam supporters at the rally

The 100-strong crowd held a rally and barbecue (pictured) in the west Melbourne suburb of Melton

Opposition leader Bill Shorten condemned the rally (pictured) and said the views of the groups were taking Australia 'down the wrong path and the wrong direction'

'Australia's a diverse country and I don't believe in fermenting religious paranoia or hatred,' Mr Shorten told reporters on Sunday. Pictured is a rally attendee

A fight broke out between a splinter group the Sons of Odin (pictured) and the True Blue Crew at the rally. Police were reportedly quick to defuse it

Protesters later marched to the Melton City Council chanting 'whose streets, our streets'

Protesters called Islam a 'barbaric ideology that isnt welcome in Australia'




A cafe that gave more than 40 diners salmonella poising after serving contaminated eggs is now facing a mass lawsuit from the victims.

Grocer and Grind cafe, on the Gold Coast was last week ordered by a judge to pay more than $100,000 in penalties.

The owner Taletha March pleaded guilty to two charges of selling unsafe food in the Southport Magistrates Court after causing a mass salmonella outbreak in March last year.

Grocer and Grind cafe (pictured) pleaded guilty to two charges of selling unsafe food in the Southport Magistrates Court after causing a mass salmonella outbreak

Stevie-Lee MacCallum (pictured) , 21, spent nine days in hospital after eating at the cafe and claimed it was the sickest she had ever been.

HOW YOU CAN GET SALMONELLA FROM EGGS Chickens can carry bacteria in their body and pass Salmonella on to the eggs while it is forming in the ovaries. Chickens can also pass bacteria on to the eggshell. Chickens can have Salmonella without being sick themselves. Source: safeeggs.com Advertisement

National litigation firm Shine Lawyers is now acting for 18 customers who are separately suing the cafe for damages.

'We are pursuing legal action on behalf of a large number of people who became ill after dining at the cafe,' James Hickman from Shine Lawyers confirmed.

He said the victims ages ranged from 20 to 55. Stevie-Lee MacCallum, 21, spent nine days in hospital after eating at the cafe and claimed it was the sickest she had ever been.

Forty-four people were affected, thirty tested positive for salmonella and twenty-two were hospitalised with serious symptoms including vomiting, stomach pains, fever, chills and diarrhoea, the Courier Mail reported.

The Gold Coast Hospital reportedly had to open a special wing specifically to treat Grocer and Grind's patients following the outbreak.

The cafe was issued an official warning relating to poor hygiene after it was found they had been using using a tea towel to drain moisture from the eggs used to make hollandaise sauce for the popular breakfast dish - which cost just over $20.

The Eggs Benedict served at the Grocer and Grind cafe in Queensland

The court ordered Grocer and Grind improve its food handling practices, fined the cafe $70,000, said Ms March would have to foot the $27,000 bill for a salmonella report.

Ms March's lawyer said she had spent a further $30,000 to ensure the cafe met health standards, according to the Courier Mail.

The court heard business at the cafe had suffered since news of the outbreak which resulted in a $135,000 drop in profits from last financial year.

Ms March personally visited many of the patients affected in hospital, which included her former food safety officer who is also the head chef.
Two pilots were arrested for allegedly being too drunk to fly passengers from Scotland to the US.

Concerns were raised over the pilots before the 9am United Airlines UA162 flight to Newark, New Jersey, was due to depart from Glasgow Airport on Saturday.

Police said the two men - aged 35 and 45 - were arrested and detained in police custody.

Passengers complained they were left in the dark for hours with little information from United Airlines before the plane finally took off with new crew.

The arrests come little more than a month after two Canadian pilots were charged with being drunk as they prepared to fly a passenger jet from Scotland to Toronto.

Concerns were reportedly raised over the pilots before the 9am United Airlines UA162 flight to Newark, New Jersey, was due to depart from Glasgow Airport (stock)

In the more recent incident, the flight, carrying 141 passengers, eventually took off on Saturday evening.

The men are expected to appear at Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday.

A source told the Daily Record: 'Concerns were raised and police were called.

'There was a fair police presence as it's a sensitive and highly secure part of airport.

'Staff are subject to intensive and thorough security procedures in just the same way as passengers. No chances are taken nowadays.'

The pilots were due to part of a three-man crew onboard. But it's thought the plane's captain was not involved.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'Police Scotland can confirm that two men aged 35 and 45 have been arrested and are presently detained in police custody in connection with alleged offences under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, Section 93.'

Passenger Erin Richmond tweeted United Airlines to find out what was going on

The airline replied and promised to send information about the incident via a direct message

Police said the two men - aged 35 and 45 - were arrested and detained in police custody

A spokesman for United Airlines said: 'The two pilots have been removed from service and their flying duties.

'We are cooperating with the authorities and will conduct our own investigation as well. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority.'

The section of the Act relates to carrying out pilot function or activity while exceeding the prescribed limit of alcohol.

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport added: 'We are aware of the police incident yesterday involving two pilots.'

The incident follows the appearance in court last month of two Canadian pilots charged with being drunk as they prepared to fly a passenger jet from Scotland to Toronto.

Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were arrested on July 18, before they were due to take off on the Air Transat flight from Glasgow Airport.

The men were remanded in custody when they first appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court, also charged under section 93 of the same Act.

At a second hearing at the same court they were granted bail on condition they surrender their passports.

For pilots, the limit of alcohol in the case of breath is nine microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres, according to the Act.
Taken into hospital with protruding ribs, shoulder bones, spine and hip

She weighed less than half of what she should have at only 7.5 kilos

A cruel owner starved her dog until she weighed less than half what she should have and needed to be put down.

Sara Loche, 37, from Grimsby, subjected German Shepherd cross Queenie to one of the worst cases of suffering seen by an RSPCA inspector in ten years.

She weighed only 7.5 kilos and Inspector Stuart Wainwright said: 'I have seen dogs in better conditions that were dead.'

A cruel owner starved her dog (pictured) until she weighed less than half what she should have and needed to be put down

Sara Loche, 37, from Grimsby, subjected German Shepherd cross Queenie to one of the worst cases of suffering seen by an RSPCA inspector in ten years

Loche was convicted in her absence at Grimsby Magistrates' Court for cruelty and a warrant issued for her to appear before the court to face a ban on keeping pets.

Prosecuting, Rachel Taylor said Sara Loche had caused unnecessary suffering to Queenie by neglect and failing to investigate the dog's weight loss.

Ms Taylor said: 'She knew it would have the effect of suffering.'

Sara Loche's husband, Richard, 46, had previously appeared at court for a similar offence and was given a ten year ban on keeping pets.

He also received a 12-month community order.

Inspector Wainwright described raising the alarm and bringing the tan and black cross-breed female to the vets in a collapsed state.

He told the court: 'She was terribly emaciated - the worst I have ever seen.'

Richard and Sara Loche claimed they had fed the dog two or three meals each day and they explained the dog's weight had fluctuated.

However, chief vet at The Blue Cross Animal Hospital, Susan Knox, said the dog had collapsed upon arrival and was unable to stand with a very slow heart rate.

She had protruding ribs, shoulder bones, spine and hip bones.

She weighed only 7.5 kilos and Inspector Stuart Wainwright said: 'I have seen dogs in better conditions that were dead'

Queenie's muscles were wasting and there was severe loss of fat around the dog's organs.

Ms Knox said: 'It showed signs that the dog's needs had not been met and it was a thoroughly poorly-looking dog.'

She confirmed there had been no underlying illness and that the dog was put down with the owner's consent.

Concluding the case, Deputy District Judge, Nick Hayles said the case against Sara Loche, who did not turn up at court, was proved.

He said unnecessary suffering had been caused by neglect and failure to investigate Queenie's weight loss and the owner knew the effect of that was suffering.

Judge Hayles said: 'It would have been several weeks and days to get to that state.

'The cause of the animal's suffering was failure to care.'

He said he accepted the evidence of the RSPCA inspector entirely and that Sara Loche was responsible for the care of Queenie.

When she arrived in hospital, the dog had protruding ribs, shoulder bones, spine and hip bones

He said: 'She had not noticed the dog was becoming below par.'

After the hearing, Inspector Wainwright said the RSPCA was pleased Sara Loche had been found guilty.

He said: 'We are very pleased that she has been found guilty and Mr Loche was convicted.

'We will have to wait for the sentence. It was in the worse condition I have ever seen a dog alive. I have only seen them like that when dead.
Tehran, Iran, August 28

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

The new Iranian ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan will officially take office in a few weeks.

I think it will happen after the current ambassador says his farewell which would meant the end of the current [Iranian] month [September 22], Javad Jahangirzadeh told Trend August 28.

Asked what his priorities would be during his tenancy, the incoming ambassador said he would rather explain his program when he is officially initiated.

His predecessor Mohsen Pakaeen has been in the position for four years.

Jahangirzadeh himself previously represented the Urmia constituency in the Parliament.

Azerbaijan continued to be Irans close friend during the years Tehran was under harsh international sanctions.

The two drew even closer after the sanctions were lifted. Since then, the presidents of the two countries exchanged official visits, during which numerous cooperation documents were signed.
Academics are calling on the university chief at the centre of the cheating scandal surrounding the boss of Lloyd's Banking Group to step down from the role, it has been reported.

There are fears that the furore surrounding Dr Wendy Piatt, 45, and her relationship with bank chief Antonio Horta Osorio could damage the reputation of the UK higher education sector.

She is director-general of the Russell Group of Universities and was on academic business in Singapore when they met.

The calls come a day after fresh allegations that Horta Osorio, 52, cheated on his wife on a second work trip, this time to San Francisco.

Dr Wendy Piatt, the director general & chief executive of the Russell Group of Universities, is facing calls to step down from the role

Horta-Osorio with Ana attending Ladies Day at Glorious Goodwood held at Goodwood Racecourse on August 2, 2012 in Chichester, England

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, one leading vice-chancellor told The Sunday Times that there were 'serious questions' to be answered about the first trip on which they met in Singapore.

He said that this trip was 'apparently on Russell Group business'.

'Wendy must always have been aware of the danger of reputational damage to the Russell Group and I'm sure she'll want to take that into account as she decides what to do,' he told the Times.

The Russell Group represents 24 universities across the UK including the University of Oxford, the London School of Economics and Political Science and King's College London.

Buckingham University professor Alan Smithers - whose university is independent - told the newspaper that while the private lives of individuals of their own business, it was 'disreputable behaviour' to go on trips on behalf of universities and then use them to meet a secret lover.

'It should lead to resignation to safeguard the reputation of our top universities.'

The San Francisco trip emerged only days after he expressed 'deep regret' to his 75,000 staff after being caught having an alleged affair on a business trip to Singapore.

The married father-of-three, 52, spent time in a hotel room with Dr Piatt while in Singapore for a conference in June this year.

Hand in hand: Mr Horta Osorio and wife Ana were seen publicly for the first time since the revelations at a funeral in Portugal last week

But The Sun yesterday said it had learned about a second trip Mr Horta Osorio made seven months earlier, in November last year, when he is said to have hooked up with Dr Piatt.

On this occasion he was attending a banking conference and she was visiting university contacts in California.

But the revelations come at an extremely sensitive time for the bank.

Lloyds boss Antonio Horta Osorio (pictured left) has been accused of meeting Dr Wendy Piatt (right) in San Francisco last year, seven months before the infamous trip to Singapore

Last month Mr Horta Osorio announced Lloyds was cutting 3,000 jobs and shutting 200 branches as part of an efficiency drive, but with the bank declaring profits had doubled in the first half of 2016 to 2.5billion, it was heavily criticised for blaming the job losses and closures on Brexit.

During the financial crisis, the government spent 20.5bn of taxpayers' money rescuing Lloyds, acquiring a 43 percent share in the bank. It has since sold most of those shares but taxpayers still own nine percent of Lloyds.

In his memo to staff last week he apologised for the damage the 'adverse publicity' had done to the bank's reputation.

He has faced intense media coverage and questions about what was paid for on expenses after racking up a room bill of 3,276 during his stay in June, with 550 spent in the spa.

Lloyds insisted no rules were broken and said the chief executive paid personal costs out of his own pocket.

In a statement to The Sun the company said of the San Francisco trip: 'All expenses for this business trip were appropriately claimed. We do not comment on personal issues.'
Mr McDonnell hit out at Sir Richard Branson, claiming he wanted to 'undermine our democracy'

Sir Richard Branson should be stripped of his knighthood because he wants to 'undermine our democracy', shadow chancellor John McDonnell has claimed.

The feud between Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Richard has deepened as the Labour leader's most senior ally called for the Virgin tycoon to be punished for being a 'taxi exile'.

Mr McDonnell hit out at the entrepreneur, claiming he wanted to 'undermine our democracy' after Virgin Trains released footage disputing Mr Corbyn's claims about overcrowding on one of its services.

The MP for Hayes and Harlington, who is running Mr Corbyn's campaign to be re-elected as Labour leader, demanded an overhaul of the honours system and also restated his call for former BHS boss Sir Philip Green to lose his title.

Writing in the Sunday Mirror, Mr McDonnell said Sir Richard was a 'tax exile who thinks he can try and intervene and undermine our democracy'.

The row between Sir Richard and Mr Corbyn erupted after Virgin Trains released CCTV images that appeared to show the Labour leader walking by vacant, unreserved seats before he was filmed sat on the floor complaining about crowded carriages.

The feud between Jeremy Corbyn and Sir Richard has deepened as the shadow chancellor (pictured centre) called for the Virgin tycoon to be punished for being a 'tax exile'

Billionaire Virgin founder Richard Branson waded into the row, dismissing Mr Corbyn's claims the train was 'ram packed'

Mr Corbyn was seen in a video he issued sitting on the floor of a Virgin Trains service and complaining about overcrowding

Mr McDonnell said: 'The whole purpose of the honours system is undermined when the rich and the powerful can collect their gongs without giving anything back. It's even worse when tax exiles are given honours.'

He added: 'It should be a simple choice for the mega-rich. Run off to tax exile if you want. But you leave your titles and your honours behind when you go.'

A spokesman for the shadow chancellor said: 'John believes that it should be for Parliament to ultimately decide who is or who is not stripped of their title, if enough members of the public campaign for it.

'But he would not support tax exiles or businessmen who mistreat their employees retaining their titles.'

A spokeswoman for Sir Richard said he would not be commenting at this time.

Labour MP John Woodcock, a prominent critic of the leader, mocked Mr McDonnell's call, saying: 'Dare to question Saint Jeremy's version of the truth? John McDonnell will strip you of your knighthood.'

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn and his rival Owen Smith set out measures aimed at tackling the housing crisis in the UK as the leadership battle intensified.

In 2013 Sir Richard said he had been a tax exile for seven years but said he lived on Necker Island because he loved the place and not for tax reasons.
Controversial federal senator Pauline Hanson has admitted to carrying a copy of the Koran in her handbag to help her better understand Muslim beliefs.

During an emotional interview with 60 Minutes, Hanson discussed her return to politics, whether she was in fact a xenophobe and told how she planned to bury the hatchet with former prime minister Tony Abbott.

While much of the 62-year-old's election campaign was based on banning Muslim immigration into Australia, Hanson insisted that she in fact 'doesn't hate Muslims'.

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Pauline Hanson revealed she carries a copy of the Koran in her handbag during an interview with 60 Minutes on Sunday evening

During a sometimes emotional interview, Hanson said she didn't 'hate Muslims' despite her views against Muslim immigration into Australia

'I have read sections of the Koran, yes,' Hanson told 60 Minutes.

When asked how in depth she knew the religion, she revealed she carries the Islamic holy text with her at most times.

'Yes, I want to use it (the Koran) as a reference,' Hanson said.

'I want to have a better understanding of what I'm talking about instead of just going out and saying things.'

Despite being widely criticised for her anti-Muslim views - including those that she has shared on her Facebook page since being elected - Hanson said she wasn't racist.

'I don't hate Asians, I don't hate Muslims,' she said.

Hanson was returned to federal parliament in June. Her One Nation party also won close to 600,000 votes and four seats in the senate in the election

Hanson also spoke of being invited to catch up for a coffee with former Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

The two have quite a history, with Hanson saying she 'detested' Abbott for his role in her receiving a three-year jail sentence for electoral fraud in 2003.

Hanson claims much of the prosecution case was funded by Abbott.

'Tony has already offered to have a cup of coffee with me,' Hanson said.

Hanson said she had also taken up an offer to catch up with former prime minister Tony Abbott when she returns to Canberra

'And I said, "I'd love to".'

Hanson said that while she hadn't forgiven Abbott, she had learnt not to hold a grudge during her career.

'You can't live on hate,' Hanson said.

Hanson and Abbott have had a rough relationship since she was jailed for electoral fraud in 2003. Hanson claims Abbott funded much of the prosecutions case against her

'I'm like a bloody old elephant - I don't forget. But I've got a job to do.'

The twice-divorced single mother-of-four was returned to parliament in June, almost two decades after she was elected for the first time.

Her One Nation party received close to 600,000 votes and won four senate seats in the election.
The convicted felon who killed two nuns in Mississippi has confessed to killing the women but refuses to tell police why.

Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, was charged in the deaths of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, both 68.

The women's bodies were discovered on Thursday after they failed to show up for work at a clinic in Lexington, Mississippi.

It emerged today that Sanders, who admitted to killing them in interrogation, has a criminal record and is currently on probation.

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Arrested: Rodney Earl Sanders (above), 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, was charged in the deaths of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill. He faces two capital murder charges

He served six years behind bars for armed robbery in 1986 and was convicted of a felony DUI in Attala County last February.

One of the nun's nephews recently spoke of his relief that someone was arrested in the case that has horrified Holmes County.

Merrill's nephew, David Merrill, said the family is 'thankful that he's off the streets' but the family still has to deal with the loss.

David Merrill says he agrees with the idea of forgiveness and trying to forgive the person who killed his aunt and her fellow nun.

But he says he's 'not as strong' as his aunt, and he's not sure if he's 'capable of completely forgiving.'

Sisters Paula Merrill (left) and Margaret Held (right) were found dead inside their Mississippi home on Thursday by authorities

Merrill (pictured above) worked as a nurse and helped the poor in rural Mississippi. It's unclear how Sanders knew both of the nuns

Held (pictured above) also worked as a nurse and helped the poor in rural Mississippi. Police say there were signs of a break-in at the home and their car was missing

Authorities said Sanders was being held in an undisclosed detention center pending a court appearance.

State Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain tells The Associated Press that as of Saturday, 'investigators believe Sanders acted alone.'

Meanwhile, in the poverty-stricken Mississippi county where the two nuns were slain, forgiveness for their killer is hard to find, even if forgiveness is what the victims would have wanted.

Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill were nurse practitioners who dedicated their lives to providing health care to people in the poorest county in the state.

And as authorities sought the killer, many residents wondered how they will fill the hole the women's deaths have left.

Sisters Margaret Held (right) and Paula Merrill (left) were nurse practitioners who dedicated their lives to providing health care to people in the poorest county in the state

A memorial is placed outside the crime scene tape at the home in Durant where they were found dead Thursday

Crime scene tape lines the perimeter of the home in Durant where the two nuns died

'Right now, I don't see no forgiveness on my heart,' said Joe Morgan Jr., a 58-year-old former factory worker who has diabetes and was a patient of Merrill's at the clinic where the two nuns worked.

He said Merrill would want him to forgive whoever killed the women, but he hopes the perpetrator is arrested, convicted and executed.

'She doesn't deserve to die like this, doing God's work,' Morgan said, shaking his head. 'There's something wrong with the world.'

Both women worked at the clinic, where they gave flu shots, dispensed insulin and provided other medical care for children and adults who couldn't afford it.

Their stolen car was found abandoned a mile from their home, and there were signs of a break-in, but police haven't disclosed a motive.

A Mississippi Bureau of Investigation agent takes a bag with evidence from the Durant home of two slain Catholic nuns who worked as nurses at the Lexington Medical Clinic on Thursday

Two Mississippi Bureau of Investigation agents inspect a car in the garage of the Durant home of two slain Catholic nuns who worked as nurses at the Lexington Medical Clinic on Thursday

Authorities have not said how the women were killed, but the Rev. Greg Plata of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington, where the nuns had led Bible study for years, said police told him they were stabbed.

Plata said Saturday that he does not think people at the church knew.

The state posted a reward of $20,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

The clinic where two slain nuns worked says the man accused of killing them was not a patient there.

Dr. Elias Abboud, the physician who oversees the clinic, says he called the office manager after he saw there was an arrest made to check if Sanders had been a patient at the clinic but he was not.

Durant Police Chief John Haynes (left) and assistant Police Chief James Lee reassure Lexington Medical Clinic employees Lisa Dew (right) and Viola Turner (seated) that the investigation into the nunsdeath was going to be thorough

Abboud says the community and the patients will miss them.

Plata said both nuns' religious communities have asked that people pray for the killer or killers.

Asked about people's struggles to forgive, the priest said: 'Forgiveness is at the heart of being a Christian. Look at Jesus on the cross: 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.''

On Friday, a handwritten sign on the front door of Lexington Medical Clinic said it was closed until Monday.

The clinic and the nuns' home in Durant are in Holmes County, population 18,000.

With 44 percent of its residents living in poverty, Holmes is the seventh-poorest county in America, according to the Census Bureau.

Joe Morgan Jr. (above) said 'Sister Paula was an angel.' The two women were known for their kindness and community involvement in the mostly rural Mississippi Delta towns

The slayings did more than shock people and plunge the county into mourning.

They leave a gaping hole in what was already a strapped health care system.

Abboud, who worked with the sisters for years and helped build the clinic, said it provided about 25 percent of all medical care in the county.

The two nuns cultivated relationships with drug company representatives, who often left extra free samples, according to clinic manager Lisa Dew.

'This is a poor area, and they dignified those who are poor with outreach and respect for them,' Plata said. 'They treated each person as a child of God.'

Merrill's sister Rosemarie, speaking by telephone from her Stoneham, Massachusetts, home, said her sister had been in Mississippi helping the poor since 1981 and had previously worked in Holly Springs, where she used to ride around on a moped and was instrumental in locating the source of a tuberculosis outbreak.

Margaret Held was part of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee (above, file photo)

Merrill was raised in the suburbs of Boston and came from a working-class family, her father a laborer and her mother a bookkeeper, her nephew David said.

He said his aunt had worked with Held for many years.

'We always considered Margaret just part of the family,' he said. 'The word 'sister' has many meanings, and they fulfilled all of them.'

Rosemarie Merrill said she doesn't know what will happen to the clinic now and worries about the effect on health care in Holmes County.

She said her sister and Held would often go into the clinic on Sundays after Mass or on their days off.

'It's just going to be a disaster,' she said.
It's never too late to set the record straight.

Over 150 years after the end of the Civil War, the descendants of a fallen Confederate soldier who died as a prisoner of war successfully moved to change the misidentified name that was etched into his tombstone.

According to The Columbus Dispatch, Augustus Beckmann, one of three brothers  William and Charles were the other two - who immigrated from Germany to America over a century-and-a-half ago, was wounded at the Battle of Shiloh in April 1862.

Beckmann, who fought for the South as an infantryman with an all-German unit originating from Galveston, Texas, was sent to Camp Dennison, a Union-run prison camp in Ohio.

The grave site of Augustus Beckmann is photographed on May 30, 2016, at Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery, in Columbus, Ohio on Memorial Day weekend. The name and information on the stone is incorrect

Soon afterward, he died on May 9. Beckmann was then buried under the false name of 'A. Bergman.'

Beckmann's body was then re-interred at Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery in Columbus, also under the wrong name.

This past Memorial Day, Greg Beckman, whose great-great-grandfather was one of Augustus' two brothers, noticed the error when he visited the gravesite.

That spurred Beckman to act. The high school teacher from Placentia, California, filed the paperwork requesting that the National Cemetery Administration correct the error. His request was approved.

'Poor August,' Beckman told The Columbus Dispatch. 'I don't think he was married or anything, and he was just kind of forgotten.'

In this May 30, 2016 photo, Gregory Beckman and his son, Marcus, visit the grave site of their relative Augustus Beckmann at Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery on Memorial Day weekend

Beckman said that the last time Augustus had seen one of his brothers was at Shiloh, just before he died.
These are the two United pilots who were arrested at Glasgow airport on suspicion of being too drunk to fly their transatlantic passenger jet from Scotland to the US.

Concerns over Carlos Roberto Licona and Brady Grebenc's sobriety were said to have been raised before the UA162 flight from Glasgow to Newark, New Jersey.

The flight, carrying 141 passengers, eventually took off on Saturday evening with a new crew on board.

Grebenc, 35, and Licona, 45, are both military veterans who have worked as flight instructors, and are currently reservists in the Air Force.

Arrested: Carlos Licona, 45, was one of two pilots arrested in Glasgow Airport, Scotland, Saturday on suspicion of being too drunk to pilot their flight

'Drunk': Brady Grebenc, 35, was the other pilot. The pair were arrested prior to their 9am Saturday flight from the Scottish airport

The men are being held at Goven police station and are expected to appear at Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday.

According to his LinkedIn page, Licona has spent the last 28 years working in Military Intelligence, working for the United States Air National Guard.

At the same time, the account says, he worked as a pilot, check airman and simulator instructor for Colgan Air from September 2003-January 2014. He has been working at United since then.

An Air Force spokesman confirmed that Licona is a guardsman assigned to the 111 Reconnaissance Squadron, Ellington Field, Texas, and holds the rank of senior master sergeant.

Grebenc is a native of Fort Worth, Colorado, living in Columbus, Mississippi.

His LinkedIn page says that he is an 'Instructor Pilot with 8+ years of service, United States Air Force and United States Air Force Reserve.'

Badge: This is the air force badge (censored in original image) featured on Grebence's Facebook page. The 22d squadron has been involved in the War on Terror

It also says he has 'Five years international fixed wing flying experience. Four years experience instructing primary flying skills in the Joint Primary Pilot Training Environment.'

In total, he says, he has logged '3,200+ hours of Accident and Incident-free flying in high-performance fixed-wing aircraft.'

He has been working at United since April 2015. Prior to that he had been a US Air Force T-6 instructor pilot for around five-and-a-half years, four-and-a-half of that as a reservist.

Before that, he was a KC-135 Instructor Pilot in the US Air Force for three years and eight months.

One of this Facebook photographs shows him wearing the patch of the 43rd Flying Training Squadron. A Columbus Air Force Base photograph lists his rank as captain.

Another photo on his page shows the patch of the 22d Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron, which has been deployed in combat in the War on Terror.

Frustrated: Passengers on the 9am flight Tweeted to express their frustration about the delay. The plane ended up flying at 6:45pm, almost ten hours later

A Police Scotland spokesman said: 'Police Scotland can confirm that two men aged 35 and 45 have been arrested and are presently detained in police custody in connection with alleged offences under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, Section 93.'

The section of the Act relates to carrying out pilot function or activity while exceeding the prescribed limit of alcohol.

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport added: 'We are aware of the police incident yesterday involving two pilots.'

Trainer: According to the Columbus Air Force Base, Grebenc (pictured at the base) has the rank of captain. He was in the 43rd Flying Training Squadron

The incident follows the appearance in court last month of two Canadian pilots charged with being drunk as they prepared to fly a passenger jet from Scotland to Toronto.

Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were arrested on Monday July 18 before they were due to take off on the Air Transat flight from Glasgow Airport.

The men were remanded in custody when they first appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court, also charged under section 93 of the same Act.

At a second hearing at the same court they were granted bail on condition they surrender their passports.

Section 93 of the Railway and Transport Safety Act states: 'A person commits an offence if he performs an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit, or he carries out an activity which is ancillary to an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit.'

For pilots, the limit of alcohol in the case of breath is nine micrograms of alcohol in 100 milliliters, according to the Act.

A United Airlines spokesperson refused to comment on the case, instead referring to a statement that reads: 'The two pilots have been removed from service and their flying duties.

'We are co-operating with the authorities and will conduct our own investigation as well. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority.'

An Air Force spokesperson said: 'The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) holds its Citizen Airmen to the highest standards and we support any investigation of this incident by civilian authorities.

'Any action by AFRC will be depend on the final outcome of the civilian investigation'
Esfahani has been released on bail, suggesting the charges are not serious

Iran's Foreign Ministry denied any of its negotiators had been arrested

No other details about Esfahani or the allegations have been made public

He also worked on the Iran team at The Hague in 1979, in arms disputes

Esfahani is an Iranian-Canadian who worked on 2015 nuclear negotiations

He was identified in hard-line media as Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani

Iranian state press said Sunday that a man was charged with 'infiltration'

Iran has detained an Iranian-Canadian member of its nuclear negotiation team on suspicion of 'infiltration,' the state's official news agency, IRNA, has reported.

Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani, a member of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants in Canada, was identified as the suspect by hard-line news outlets Wednesday.

'The report is correct,' judiciary spokesman Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi told IRNA Sunday. 'He was released based on bail. Yet, his charge is not proved.'

Charged: A member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team was reportedly charged on suspicion of 'infiltration' last week. Media reported him to be Canadian-Iranian Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani

'Not proved': Judiciary spokesman Gholamhosein Mohseni Ejehi (pictured) wouldn't identify the suspect by name but said a man was released on bail and his charge 'not yet proved'

Ejehi would not elaborate on the case or identify the suspect by name. However IRNA called the suspect an 'infiltrating element.'

Esfahani was reportedly both an adviser to Iran's Central bank and a contributor to last year's landmark nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.

His role in the latter job was to work on a team that aimed to lift economic sanctions under one of the the main negotiators.

After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Esfahani reportedly served as a member of the Iranian team at the Hague.

They worked on disputes between Iran and the United States over pre-revolution purchases of military equipment from the US by Iran.

On Monday Iran's Foreign Ministry denied the report and said none of the members of its nuclear negotiation team was detained.

Aware: Diana Khaddaj of Global Affairs Canada said she was aware a Canadian had been arrested. Being allowed bail suggests the charge wasn't considered serious

Global Affairs Canada, the government department that oversees diplomatic matters, is aware of a Canadian citizen being detained said spokesperson Diana Khaddaj when asked about Esfahani.

She declined to elaborate due to privacy concerns.

It remains unclear why Esfahani is under investigation, though dual nationals have been increasingly targeted by security forces since the nuclear deal and accused of a variety of security-related crimes.

However Esfahani's release on bail suggests his case is not considered serious by Iran's Iranian judiciary, which traditionally does not offer bail to suspects accused of major crimes.
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Tourist John Gleason crept through the grass, four small children close behind, inching toward a bull elk with antlers like small trees at the edge of a meadow in Yellowstone National Park.

'They're going to give me a heart attack,' said Gleason's mother-in-law, Barbara Henry, as the group came within a dozen yards of the massive animal - half the distance demanded by the park.

And then the elk was gone, forced the animal into headlong retreat up the hillside by an emboldened pack of tourists, snapping pictures.

Elk to pay: Tourist John Gleason and a group of kids get far closer to a bull elk than they should on August 3 at Yellowstone. Park officials across the US are increasingly troubled by tourists putting themselves in danger by getting too close to wildlife

Born to be wild: Tourists take photos of elk outside Yellowstone National Park's Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel on August 3. The park says people must stay at least 25 yards from the animals, but tourists routinely break those rules

Don't honk his horn: A bison blocks traffic in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park, attracting tourist cameras. The top ten national parks in America had 44million visitors between them last year - adding extra pressure on rangers

This was no one-time event: record visitor numbers at the nation's first national park have transformed its annual summer rush into a sometimes dangerous frenzy of selfie-taking tourists getting too close to elk, grizzly bears, wolves and bison.

Law enforcement records suggest such problems are on the rise at the park, offering a stark illustration of the pressures facing some of America's most treasured lands as the National Park Service marks its 100th anniversary.

From Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains to the Grand Canyon of Arizona, major parks are grappling with vandalism, theft of resources, wildlife harassment and other visitor misbehavior, according to the records.

In July alone, law enforcement rangers handled more than 11,000 incidents at the ten most visited national parks.

In Yellowstone, rangers are recording more wildlife violations, people treading on sensitive thermal areas and camping in off-limit areas.

Dippy: Canadian tourist Justis Cooper Price-Brown (pictured) and three of his friends were accused in may of dipping their hands into the waters of Grand Prismatic Springs in Yellowstone, potentially damaging its bacterial bed

Spring time: Visitors are not supposed to leave the boardwalk area (pictured, above spring) in case they damage the natural balance that gives the water its unique and beautiful colors

The rule-breaking puts visitors in harm's way and can damage resources and displace wildlife, officials said.

Often the incidents go unaddressed, such as when Gleason and the children approached the bull elk with no park personnel around. But others have come to light after photos or video went viral - such as footage of tourists being chased by a bison in June 2015.

Gleason said he was 'maybe' too close but felt comfortable in the situation, as an experienced hunter who's spent lots of time outdoors.

These transgressions add to a growing workload for rangers that includes traffic violations, searches for missing hikers and pets running off-leash.

And in parks intended to be refuges of untrammeled nature, these are not small problems.

Cliff defaced: This cliff at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon was vandalized by graffiti artist Casey Nocket, who defaced seven parks over a 26-day period in 2014, posting the results on Instagram under the name 'Creepytings'

Vandal scandal: Nocket (pictured left and right) was banned from all national parks and federally owned land - a fifth of the whole USA - in 2014 as a result of her vandalism. She claimed on one Instagram post: 'It's art, not vandalism. I am an artist'

Sad tale: A father and son put this bison calf in their car and took it to park rangers thinking it was cold in May. It had to be euthanized after it failed to re-integrate into a herd because it had imprinted on humans and vehicles

'It's more like going to a carnival. If you look at the cumulative impacts, the trends are not good,' said Susan Clark, a Yale University professor of wildlife ecology who has been conducting research in the Yellowstone area for 48 years.

'The basic question is, "What is the appropriate relationship with humans and nature?" We as a society have not been clear about what that ought to be, and so it's really, really messy and nasty.'

Yellowstone in particular has flooded the headlines in recent months, thanks to misbehaving tourists.

In May a father and son put a bison calf in the back of their car and drove it to rangers, saying they thought it was cold and needed help - it was euthanized after it failed to re-integrate into the herd, having become imprinted on cars and people.

In June a Chinese man was fined $1,000 for walking off a trail to collect water from a hot spring, believing it to have medicinal properties.

That occurred just one week after another man from Washington state died after leaving a boardwalk and falling into a near-boiling acidic spring; his body could not be retrieved as it had completely dissolved.

Other cases include a group of Canadian tourists who dipped their hands into the Great Prismatic Springs in May - potentially upsetting the bacteria that create its many-hued water - and a woman who was banned in June from all national parks after she was found to have vandalized seven parks with graffiti then shared images on Instagram.

Black-and-white bear: Problem tourists are not a new phenomenon. This archive picture shows a tourist meeting a bear cub at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park circa 1936

Cub-by hole: A group of tourists ignore the 'Play safe' sign in the background to interact with wild bears at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in this undated photo

Cave inn: These tourists in 1892 have turned a cave into a dining area. Rangers say that problems are worse now because photos of poor behavior can be shared online - inspiring imitators

The flouting of park rules stems from disbelief among visitors that they will get hurt, said Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk.

'I can't tell you how many times I have to talk to people and say, "Step back. There's a dangerous animal,' and they look at me like I have three heads,"' he said.

Washington state resident Lisa Morrow's son was among the children Gleason led toward the elk.

Despite safety advisories - and numerous examples of visitors getting gored by bison, mauled by bears and chased by elk - Morrow declared herself unafraid of the park's wildlife. She said she was eager to see a grizzly up close.

'I want to see one right there,' Morrow said, pointing to a spot just feet away. 'I'd throw it a cookie.'

Inconsistent record keeping, including a recent switch to a new criminal offenses reporting system, makes it difficult to identify trends that apply uniformly across the major parks.

But the law enforcement records reviewed for this article reveal the scope of visitor misbehavior is huge.

Yellowstone administrators and outside observers, including Clark, say the park's problems threaten the mission to lave its lands and wildlife 'unimpaired' for future generations.

Beyond incidents that lead to citations are many more that result in warnings. More than 52,000 warnings were issued in 2015, up almost 20 per cent from 2014.

Photo frenzy: Photos take pictures of sleeping elk outside the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. The creatures have been known to attack those who get too close, but many tourists mistakenly think the wildlife will not hurt them

America's top ten most-visited parks hosted almost 44million people between them last year - that's an increase of 26 per cent, or 9.1milllion from a decade earlier.

The Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Yosemite are among the parks on the list.

Yellowstone boasts the most large, dangerous carnivores among those parks, but each has its risks.

In Rocky Mountain National Park, it's elk that become more aggressive during mating season.

In Yosemite, it's towering waterfalls where visitors insist on swimming near the edge.

In the Grand Canyon, it's squirrels that have become habituated to humans and are sometimes quick to bite an outstretched hand.

Wenk said the rise in popularity of social media complicates keeping visitors safe.

'You take a picture of yourself standing ten feet in front of a bison, and all of a sudden a few hundred people see it, and it's reposted - at the same time we're telling everybody wildlife is dangerous,' he explained.

'They get incongruous messages and then it happens. They get too close, and the bison charges.'
Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh is a 49-year-old construction worker with heart ailments and four children to look after.

As if that wasn't difficult enough, he and his family were enmeshed in the destructive civil war that has left Syria in ruins and killed hundreds of thousands of their countrymen and women.

Now, they are getting a new lease on life.

The Jouriyehs are among the 10,000 refugees fleeing the smoldering Middle Eastern nation and resettling in the United States.

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Syrian refugee Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh, 49, speaks to reporters at the Amman, Jordan office of the International Organization for Migration

Forced to leave their hometown of Homs, Syria's third largest city and one which has been placed under siege for months, the Jouriyeh family made their way to Jordan.

On Monday, they will board a plane in Amman bound for the United States, as will hundreds of other Syrians who will round out the target of 10,000 refugees who will be resettled in the country.

When asked by The Associated Press about his sentiments just before beginning a new life in San Diego, Jouriyeh said he is filled with 'fear and joy, fear of the unknown and our new lives, but great joy for our children's lives and future.'

The resettlement program focuses on the most vulnerable refugees, including those who were subjected to violence or torture or are sick.

Close to 5 million Syrians have fled civil war since 2011. Most struggle to survive in tough conditions in neighboring countries, including Jordan, which hosts close to 660,000 Syrian refugees.

The intake of refugees from Syria has emerged as a hot-button issue during the US presidential campaign.

Jouriyeh (third from left), 49, is a construction worker who suffers from heart failure. He and his family are eager to start their new lives in San Diego

Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, has said that an anticipated flood of Syrian refugees admitted to the US by the Obama administration will bring with them a new wave of terror attacks unleashed by Islamist groups.

'Bad things will happen. A lot of bad things will happen. There will be attacks that you wouldn't believe, the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting said on a podcast hosted by the National Border Patrol Council.

The Jouriyehs will travel 7,600 miles to their new home in San Diego, California

'There will be attacks by the people that are right now coming into our country, because  I have no doubt in my mind,' Trump predicted.

The Obama administration has committed that by the end of September it will resettle 10,000 Syrians in the United States following a lengthy vetting process overseen by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Their oldest son, 14-year-old Mohammed, said he is eager to sign up for school in San Diego and hopes to study medicine one day

That number will likely expand in 2017 unless Trump were to move into the Oval Office.

The administration, for its part, scoffs at the notion that its policy will put the country in danger.

Obama's top diplomat in Amman said this week that her country is fulfilling a longstanding tradition in opening its doors to the world's downtrodden.

Syrian refugees are subject to even greater scrutiny,' said Alice Wells, the US ambassador to Jordan

'Refugees are the most thoroughly screened category of travelers to the United States, and Syrian refugees are subject to even greater scrutiny,' said Alice Wells, the American ambassador to Jordan.
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Eighty eight years of British retail history came to an end today as BHS disappeared from the High Street  while the department store's former boss Sir Philip Green sunned himself on his 100million super yacht.

Today the final 22 BHS stores closed across the UK, bringing the curtain down on another of the countrys best-known high street names.

Approximately 11,000 people have seen their jobs disappear as a result of the collapse, with Sir Philip shouldering much of the blame in a critical report published by MPs last month.

But while administrators have been winding up the business, the 64-year-old has been enjoying a five-week Greek island odyssey on he and his wife's new super yacht Lionheart.

Lady Green has spent two months on the yacht and was pictured hiking in Corfu this week.

It came as last-gasp shoppers gathered up the remaining bargains at stores across the country, before some who got there too late were pictured peering in, apparently still finding it hard to believe the retailer was gone.

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Waving goodbye: Eighty eight years of British retail history came to an end today as BHS disappeared from the High Street (right) while the department store's former boss Sir Philip Green sunned himself on his 100million super yacht (left)

While administrators have been winding up the business, the 64-year-old has been enjoying a five-week Greek island odyssey on he and his wife's new super yacht Lionheart (pictured)

Enjoying the sun: Lady Green has spent two months on the yacht (pictured right) and was also seen hiking in Corfu this week

Is it really gone? BHS disappeared from the high street today as its last stores closed, ending 88 years of British retail history

Difficult to take in: Last-gasp shoppers gathered up the remaining bargains at stores across the country, before some who got there too late were pictured peering in, apparently still finding it hard to believe the retailer was gone

Closed: Administrators to the department store chain have shut 22 stores, the last of more than 150 branches nationwide

End of the line: Duff & Phelps and FRP Advisory have already overseen 141 closures over recent weeks, including BHS's flagship Oxford Street store in London's West End

Rush: People shop for the last time in the BHS store in Harrow as the firm is closing 22 shops nationwide today

Empty: The shelves were bare in BHS's Harrow store which is closing its doors for the final time this afternoon

Going, going, gone! Administrators to the department store chain are set to shut 22 stores, the last of more than 150 branches nationwide (BHS's Exeter's store pictured)

Bargain: Duff & Phelps and FRP Advisory have already overseen 141 closures over recent weeks, including BHS's flagship Oxford Street store in London's West End

Duff & Phelps and FRP Advisory have already overseen 141 closures over recent weeks, including BHS's flagship Oxford Street store in London's West End.

Customers piled sale items high as they queued halfway around the store in Wood Green, North London.

Pauline Brown, 50, took the opportunity to buy school uniform, which had 80 per cent off, for her 15-year-old son.

The mother said: 'I've been coming here a long time. I'm in here every day and the staff say "oh, what you buying today?"'

'I'm very sad that it's going. It was always a very big store and people come from all around regularly.

'I was devastated when they said it was closing down.'

FINAL BHS STORES TO CLOSE The last 22 BHS stores were closing this weekend, they are: Exeter

Surrey Quays, London

St Enoch Centre, Glasgow

Metrocentre, Tyne and Wear

York

Merryhill, West Midlands

Romford

Harrow

Doncaster

Walthamstow

Uxbridge

Bexleyheath

Leicester

Norwich

Belfast

Kingston

Hanley

St James, Northampton

Swansea

Wood Green

Cribbs Causeway, Bristol

St Albans Advertisement

Grace McHenry, 56, came out of the store pleased with her large bag of bargains and thanked staff for being 'cheerful, polite and well-mannered'.

The company's collapse in April has affected 11,000 jobs, 22,000 pensions, sparked a lengthy parliamentary inquiry and left its high-profile former owners potentially facing a criminal investigation.

Retail billionaire Sir Philip Green has borne the brunt of the public fallout, having been branded the 'unacceptable face of capitalism' by furious MPs.

Sir Philip owned BHS for 15 years before selling it to serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell for 1 in 2015.

Sir Philip has come under fire for taking more than 400 million in dividends from the chain, leaving it with a 571 million pension deficit and for selling it to a man with no retail experience.

Veteran Labour MP Frank Field has asked the Serious Fraud Office to launch a formal investigation into the pair to ascertain if any criminal wrongdoing occurred during the sale of the chain and throughout their respective ownerships.

It has also emerged that Mr Field is probing Sir Philip's Arcadia retail empire, which includes Topshop.

Earlier this month Sir Philip reacted angrily to a reporter's attempts to question him over the collapse of BHS  pushing away a camera and shouting 'that's going in the f****** sea.'

The 64-year-old threatened to throw the cameraman's equipment into the water as he told a British journalist to 'go away' when pair clashed on the Greek island of Ithaca where the tycoon has been holidaying.

Everything must go! The shelves inside the Harrow BHS store were clear in this section of the shop after customers pounced for a bargain

Remaining stock: TV box sets were selling for 2 and groups of 10 DVDs for just 1 - shoppers here in Hanley hunt for discount deals

Opposition: Protesters gathered outside BHS in Harrow to demonstrate against Sir Philip and his handling of the firm

Queue: People waiting inside one of the final BHS branches in London to close - there were bargains available in a variety of different departments

Good times: Sir Philip with wife Tina back in 2002 when he announced the acquisition of 'Arcadia' which made him the largest high street store owner in Europe

State honour: Retail billionaire Sir Philip and Tina Green celebrating his knighthood in 2006 (left); and the couple arriving at a music awards night last year

Pressure: Sky News catches up with Sir Philip in Ithaca, Greece and he loses his temper after coming off his ship

Contacts: Kim Kardashian, Sir Philip and Kourtney Kardashian attend the Kardashian Kollection launch for Dorothy Perkins

Former boss: Dominic Chappell, a serial bankrupt and former racing driver, bought BHS from Sir Philip for 2015 for 1

The journalist from Sky News caught up with Sir Philip when he briefly came to shore away from his 100million superyacht.

When questioned about why he was spending time on his yacht instead of sorting the pension deficit, Sir Philip replied: 'Why don't you go away'.

He was tracked down by senior correspondent David Bowden, who was repeatedly told to 'go away' by Sir Philip as he tried to interview the billionaire businessman.

Sir Philip was then seen raising his hand to the camera, before footage of the angry exchange turns blurry.

Mr Bowden said he and the tycoon, dubbed Sir Shifty, later calmly shook hands.
By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

Iran has commenced exports of petrochemical products to Brazil, Mehr news agency reported Aug. 28.

Jamshid Mohammadi, Foreign Commercial Director at Kermanshah Petrochemical Industries Company, said that Iran has begun to ship urea consignments to the South American country.

The total volume of exported urea was 64,250 tons which was sent to Brazil in two shipments (27,500 and 36,750 tons) in recent weeks, Jamshidi said.

Irans actual production capacity is around 61 million tons per annum, but the shortage of natural gas as feedstock, old production units, and the problem of sanctions, which forced exports to drop, caused petrochemical complexes to work at lower capacities.

The Islamic Republic hopes to bring this capacity to 120 million tons by 2020 and 180 million tons by 2025.

Iran produced 46.4 million tons of petrochemical products during the last fiscal year(ended March 20), but for the current year, the figure is planned to reach 54.7 million tons.

The countrys petrochemical products export increased by 25.03 percent to $7.462 billion during the first five months of current fiscal year (March 20-Aug. 21).
ISIS are trying to join German armed forces to get military training they can use for terrorist attacks.

In light of the concerning revelation the armed forces are calling for all applicants to the military to be subject to a security check by its counter-intelligence agency.

The testing will start from July next year and the Government believes it will help the nation fight against extremists, terrorists and criminals.

ISIS are trying to join German armed forces to get military training they can use for attacks

However, such security screening would require changes in the laws governing the military.

A draft document justifying such changes, seen by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, said there are indications that Islamists are trying to get 'so-called short-term servicemen into the armed forces' for training.

Germany is on edge after a series of violent attacks in July, two of which were claimed by Islamic State, and the interior minister has already announced plans to step up security.

One of the attacks was committed by 17-year-old Afghan refugee Muhammad Riyad who went on an axe rampage on a train near the city of Wurzburg.

The ISIS fanatic injured 19 people during his assault before he was eventually gunned down by police.

The cabinet is set to approve a change to the military act next week, the newspaper said, citing security sources.

ISIS fanatic Muhammad Riyad who went on an axe rampage on a train near the city of Wurzburg

A spokesman for the Defence Ministry said the government was in the process of deciding on the law.
The twin brother of the man who murdered bride-to-be Stephanie Scott has tried to take his own life on numerous occasions since being taken into custody.

Marcus Stanford, 25, was sentenced to one-year in jail on Wednesday for his role as an accessory to the murder, after he pawned Ms Scott's engagement and graduation rings for $705.

Since he was arrested last June, Stanford has attempted suicide and completed acts of self-harm on several occasions, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Marcus Stanford (pictured middle) was this week jailed for being an accessory to the murder of Stephanie Scott, which was committed by his twin brother Vincent. It has been revealed Marcus Stanford has attempted suicide and self-harm often since being taken into custody

Stanford's identical twin brother Vincent has admitted to the murder of the school teacher from Leeton, New South Wales, and will face a sentencing hearing in October.

An assessment by forensic psychologist Dr Katie Seidler outlined that Marcus Stanford is alleged to have had a long history of drug and alcohol abuse.

He was reportedly addicted to cannabis and would smoke up to eight joints daily.

Stanford would also some cones several times a day before he was arrested.

In a report written by Dr Seidler, Stanford said he felt 'sick' once he realised the items he had received in the mail from his brother had belonged to Ms Scott.

Ms Scott from Leeton, New South Wales, was murdered last April just days before she was due to be married

Stanford sold the engagement and graduation rings belonging to Ms Scott in a pawn shop for $705

However he said he didn't tell police because he 'didn't want to feel like (he'd) backstabbed' Vincent.

'Mr Stanford acknowledged that he knew what he was doing was illegal but he claimed to have felt 'justified' at the time because he was 'helping out' his brother,' Dr Seidler reportedly wrote.

Stanford also said that in helping his brother he hadn't thought of how his actions would affect Ms Scott's family.

A report by a forensic investigator also reveled Marcus Stanford had an addiction to drugs and alcohol. He would allegedly smoke cannabis up to eight times a day

He also claimed in the report that his brother suffered from autism.

There was widespread outrage this week when it was revealed that despite just recently being sentenced, Marcus Stanford will walk free from jail on September 9 because of time already served.

He pleaded guilty to being an accessory in March and was given a more lenient sentence as a result.
Border between the US and Mexico is 2,000 miles long, spanning arid territory as well as urban center

If Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is serious about his pledge to build a wall to stop the flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico to the United States, he has his work cut out for him.

US Border Patrol agents say they are aware of a new border crossing between Texas and Mexico that enables people to cross the Rio Grande during times of low tide.

According to KRGV, when the river drops to low tide, it is six-to-10 inches lower than normal, revealing a sand bar that makes it possible for would-be illegal aliens to cross the border.

The low tide lasts for days at a time, according to the report.

The Rio Grande, which forms part of the border between the United States and Mexico, is 1,900 miles long. A man is seen here walking along the sand bar during low tide

The 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) US-Mexico border runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, crossing arid, sparsely populated territory as well as urban centers thick with inhabitants.

After initially promising to build a new barrier running the entire length of the border, Trump now says only half actually needs to be covered because the physical terrain acts as a natural barrier along the rest.

During a television appearance this week, the candidate was asked about the specifics of his planned barrier.

'I think the height could be 35 to 45 feet. That's a good height. That's a good height. Anywhere in that neighborhood. Could be higher,' he told Sean Hannity of Fox News earlier this week.

The low tide enables would-be illegal aliens to cross the border from Mexico to the United States through the Rio Grande, which runs along the boundary with Brownsville, Texas

The Republican nominee committed once again to building his proposed wall along the border with Mexico, to raucous cheers from the crowd.

'The Great Wall of Trump', as he has called it, has become a key component of his campaign.

'It's not a question of wanting [to build it]. We have no choice,' he said. 'It'll get done so quickly your head will spin.'

Trump's proposed wall height has changed several times during his campaign. In October Trump said that it could be 40-50 feet high.

US Border Patrol agents said that they are aware of the matter and are closely monitoring the area to prevent infiltrations

His cost estimations have also varied - on two separate occasions in February he put it at $8 billion and $10-12 billion.

It will be made of precast concrete, he says.

The number of immigrants illegally crossing over the Mexican border into America has risen sharply, according to newly released figures first reported this past May.

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has revealed that child migration is on par with figures from 2014.

From October 2015 to March 2016, border officials stopped 27,754 unaccompanied children, representing a 78 percent jump from 15,616 apprehended in 2015, according to The Hill.com.

GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump has made building a barrier along the US-Mexico border a central plank of his election campaign

The issue of illegal immigration from Mexico has proven to be one of the most contentious issues in contemporary American politics.

Earlier this month, the mayor of a rustic Arizona town not far from the US-Mexico border angrily announced that he wont be attending a bilateral conference of regional American and Mexican mayors because the invitation he received from the organizing body included English and Spanish translations.

Ken Taylor, the mayor of Huachuca City, rejected an invite from the US-Mexico Border Mayors Association because, in his words: I will NOT attend a function that is sent to me in Spanish/Mexican.

One nation means one language and I am insulted by the division caused by language,' Taylor wrote in an email to the BMAs executive director, former El Paso, Texas mayor John Cook.

The BMA is an organization comprised of mayors from Mexican and American frontier towns and cities that is recognized as a leading authority on border issues and will speak with a unified voice as we make recommendations to [legislatures and Congress] that will help the Mexico and the US border region grow and prosper economically.

Taylor, however, wasnt happy with the bilingual invite, according to the El Paso Times.

Cook replied to Taylor that he would no longer trouble him with correspondence from the association that sought to attract appeal from both sides of the border.

I will certainly remove you from our email list, Cook wrote to Taylor. Ours is a bi-national association with mayors from the United States and Mexico that were elected to serve border communities.

'All of our communications are intended to inform mayors from both sides of our border about our association.
A teenager who posted a terrorist attack map of Sydney on Facebook, allegedly threatened to slash multiple people in a violent and disturbing post.

The 17-year-old posted the map on June 14 and outlined four locations in the centre of the city that he planned to attack, along with two chilling messages, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

'[I will] whip out my blade and start slashing every man and woman, even a child, around me,' and 'its going to happen tomorrow morning, 10-11am AEST', he allegedly posted on Facebook.

The 17-year-old teenager (pictured) allegedly posted a terror attack map to Facebook, pinpointing four locations in the centre of Sydney

He then allegedly wrote he would take his own life 'but as long as it's over 25, 50 than Ill (sic) be happy'.

The teenager is then said to have deleted his Facebook account and reset his computer.

He was arrested a day later at home in The Oaks, a suburb west of Campbelltown in New South Wales.

Details of the messages were heard during his bail application in the NSW Court of Criminal Appeal in August.

The court heard the teenager, who is of Greek background, had been diagnosed with depression, Aspergers' Syndrome and had significant developmental disabilities.

He is alleged to have written a violent post in May, saying: 'I can get a real long sharp knife and just curt up and kill as many people that I can under a minute.'

After posting the messages about the attack in Sydney (pictured) he then allegedly deleted his Facebook account and reset his computer. He was arrested a day later at home in The Oaks, a suburb west of Campbelltown in New South Wales

Another said: 'If I were to do this it would be the most far worst bloody massacre ever to happen in Australia since the Port Arthur massacre.'

He also reportedly looked up how to make a bomb and how to carry out a terror attack without authorities knowing.

After his arrest, he reportedly told police he was never going to carry out the attacks and that he wrote the posts as some form of 'cruel joke thing'.

His legal team argued he should be granted bail because he had no criminal record or links to any terrorist group.

After his arrest, the teenager reportedly told police he never intended to carry out the attacks and that he wrote the posts as some form of 'cruel joke thing'

However, a panel of judges said there was an unacceptable risk the teenager could commit a serious offence and endanger the community.

He has been charged with one count of acting in preparation for, or planning, a terrorist act, and one count of using a telecommunications network with the intention to commit a serious offence.

He remains in jail.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie batted away the idea that Donald Trump was 'softening' on immigration, though noted that the Republican nominee would handle illegal immigrants in a 'humane way' if he won the White House.

'Listen, I think that he's been very clear on this. We're not going to have amnesty. What we're going to do is to get those who are breaking the law out of the country as quickly as possible, to make sure then that you deal with people in a humane way,' Christie said.

'I think thats what hes been saying. Hes been saying that I think for as long as Ive been listening to him of late, and thats what hes going to do,' Christie added.

Early on, Trump had anchored his campaign to his strong position on immigration, which included building a border wall with Mexico  and demanding Mexico pay for it. He had also referenced a 'deportation force,' as a mechanism that would remove the 11 million illegal immigrants from inside the United States.

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a vehement Donald Trump supporter, said his friend has been consistent on immigration

As of late, however, Trump's rhetoric on immigration hasn't been nearly as heated.

On Wednesday appearing on Sean Hannity's show, Trump suggested he was sympathetic to the plight of some people in the country illegally.

'Everybody agrees we get the bad ones out,' Trump said. 'But when I go through and I meet thousands and thousands of people on this subject, and I've had very strong people come up to me, really great, great people come up to me, and they've said, "Mr. Trump, I love you, but to take a person who's been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and their family out, it's so tough, Mr. Trump,"' the candidate acknowledged.

'I have it all the time! It's a very, very hard thing,' Trump repeated.

On Hannity's show, Trump hinted he was inclined to let some immigrants stay.

'They'll pay back taxes  they have to pay taxes,' Trump said. 'There's no amnesty, as such. There's no amnesty, but we work with them.'

The next day, during an appearance with Anderson Cooper on CNN, Trump gave more details saying that illegal immigrants would have to go back to their home countries first, and then come back and explore this option.

'No ... there is no path to legalization unless people leave the country,' Trump said. 'When they come back in, if they come back in, then they can start paying taxes, but there is no path to legalization unless they leave the country and come back.'

Christie repeated this translation of Trump's immigration plan today.

'Well, I think what he has said is that people are not going to be eligible for legalization or citizenship unless they leave the country and get back in line,' Christie explained.

Christie noted how Trump wants to prioritize getting the 'bad actors out of the country.'

'And I think that's what's really important,' Christie continued.

'And then he wants to look at this situation and deal with it in a humane way, and quite frankly, you know, I think this is the kind of thing people expect from a President of the United States, that they all approach these things thoughtfully and smartly and Im confident that thats exactly what a President Trump will do,' the New Jersey governor added.

When ABC's Martha Raddatz pointed out that using 'humane' as a way to describe Trump's policy sounded 'like a softening,' Christie wouldn't acknowledge that, instead arguing that Trump has been consistent.

'Listen, I think that the key to this, Martha, and the way to look at it, is that this is a guy who's been very consistent on no amnesty, no legalization, for folks who have been coming to the country illegally,' Christie said.

'And that's always been the underpinning of his policy with the building of the wall on the United States-Mexican border,' he continued.

'All those things have remained completely consistent,' Christie said.

And Christie wasn't alone on the Sunday shows today touting Trump's consistency.

Talking to Jake Tapper on CNN, Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, argued that Trump hadn't moved far from his original immigration position.

'Nothing has changed about Donald Trump's position on dealing with illegal immigration,' Pence said.

But Tapper didn't buy that, going back and forth with Pence for several minutes on the one sticking point  whether or not Trump will use a 'deportation force' to remove illegal immigrants from the country.

'I know the media wants to focus on that one issue,' Pence shot back. 'Donald Trump will articulate a policy about how we deal with that population.'

'I don't understand why  I don't understand why it's the fault of the media for focusing on an issue that you're crediting Donald Trump for bringing to the fore,' Tapper noted.

Pence essentially gave Tapper a stay tuned, while using the moment to hit Clinton on immigration, suggesting she 'supports open borders, amnesty and even wants to increase Syrian refugees to this country by 550 percent.'

'To be clear, you did not address the issue about whether or not there will be a deportation force removing the 11 or 12 million,' Tapper said. 'But I don't want to spend the entire interview on that one subject.'

Over on CBS' 'Face the Nation,' host John Dickerson was having a very similar conversation with Trump's new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway.

'He has also said that for those 11 million  if that is in fact the number  he wants to address that issue humanely and fairly. Those were his words. He has also said he does not want to cause harm to people,' she said.

'The question is what to do. He has said if you want to be here legally, you have to apply to be here legally. We all learned in kindergarten to stand in line and wait our turn and he is not talking about a deportation force,' she added.




EDF boss, Vincent de Rivaz, said the plant will create thousands of the jobs in the area and the Chinese partner can be trusted

The head of British energy giant, EDF, made an eleventh hour plea to the government to give the go ahead for the construction of an 18 billion nuclear energy plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph the company's chief executive, Vincent de Rivaz, argued that critics of the controversial plant are overlooking the positive impact of the proposed station and that Britain needs to add nuclear power to its mix.

In the impassioned piece Rivaz said the plant, which would be the third in Hinkley Point, could ' have a lasting impact on our industrial capacity and will create thousands of jobs and hundreds of apprenticeships.'

'Billions of pounds will be invested into the economy of south-west of England. Across Britain, dozens of companies and our own workforce are ready to deliver this project.'

'Their motivation remains high and they are looking forward to getting on with the job,' he wrote.

EDF officials approved plans for the plant in July however the British government postponed its ratification shortly after Teresa May was sworn in as the country's new Prime Minister.

However a decision is thought to be only weeks away and Rivaz listed reasons as to why the plant should get the go ahead in the article.

One of the major concerns May has is thought to be concerning the sites security and protection from hacking with the Chinese state nuclear firm set to fund a third of 'Hinkley Point C.'

Yet Rivaz argues that EDF will gain expertise and advice from the China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) who are set to invest 6 billion into the project.

A CGI of the Hinkely Point C. It would be the third plant in the area and should it get the go ahead could be ready by 2025

EDF say the plant would have a capacity of 3.2GW and could power 5.9 million homes in the UK

'We know and trust our Chinese partners. Beyond that, the UK independent nuclear regulator has only granted Hinkley Point a nuclear site licence after being satisfied that security has been properly addressed,' wrote Rivaz.

'All staff on nuclear projects are rigorously vetted, wherever they come from. As is standard practice, the control systems at Hinkley Point C will be isolated from IT systems and the internet.'

The chief executive also pointed to the successful completion of a nuclear power plant (EPR) in Taishan, China and said the world needs to combat the world's 'ageing fossil fuel plants with new low-carbon electricity.'

'Its a more complex future with interconnectors, batteries, gas, small and large nuclear, renewables, central and decentralised generation.'

'The challenge is to get the right mix. There is no single technology which offers a panacea for our future needs. We need them all, including new nuclear, he said.

Rivaz insists the plant would be safe from hacking citing a successful project completed recently in mainland China

However Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, claimed that cleaner energies such as offshore wind, solar and new grid technologies are the future.

'The evidence shows the price of offshore wind, solar and new grid technologies like storage are coming down.'

'Its pretty clear that combining these clean technologies, with some back-up gas power, can get us going low carbon and keeping the lights on more cheaply than Hinkley,' Parr added.
The ex-husband of murder suspect Sara Connor is set to arrive in Bali to visit her in jail.

Anthony 'Twig' Connor will be the third visitor the 45-year-old from Byron Bay has had since she was thrown in jail over a week ago, The Herald Sun reported.

She was named as a suspect in the murder of Bali Police officer Wayan Sudarsa.

Mr Connor, who is a bartender in Byron Bay and the father of the divorced couple's two sons, is expected to arrive in Bali on Sunday night, the publication reported.

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Ms Connor's ex-husband Anthony 'Twig' Connor (left) will be the third visitor the 45-year-old from Byron Bay (right) has had since she was thrown in jail over a week ago

Anthony 'Twig' Connor (pictured), who is a bartender in Byron Bay and the father of the divorced couple's two sons, is expected to arrive in Bali on Sunday night

The ex-husband (centre) of murder suspect Sara Connor (right) is set to arrive in Bali to visit her in jail

Police say this week they will take Sara Connor and her British boyfriend David Taylor, 34, back to Kuta beach, where the alleged murder took place, to officially reconstruct the incident.

Taylor is also a suspect in the murder. Police allege he bashed the officer with a beer bottle, binoculars and a mobile.

Ms Connor claimed she was trying to protect the officer from being beaten to death by Taylor after his bloodied body was found with 42 wounds.

But his lawyer Haposan Sihombing has offered conflicting accounts of the events that night, claiming Ms Connor played a part in the alleged murder.

He said after Ms Connor was bitten on the leg and arm by the officer she hit him.

Byron Bay mum Sara Connor (pictured), who allegedly killed a Bali police officer with her British boyfriend last week, is being kept in a squalid cell

Ms Connor (left) has claimed she was trying to protect a Bali police officer from being beaten to death by an enraged Mr Taylor (right), according to her lawyer

There are also inconsistencies in their accounts of how many witnesses there were to the incident.

The reconstruction may be held on Monday or Tuesday and will be the first time Taylor and Connor have seen each other since they were arrested on August 19, The Herald Sun reported.

The pair's charges carry a maximum of 15 years in jail.

Police officer Wayan Sudarsa (pictured) was found dead on Kuta Beach in Bali with 42 wounds to his body
Missing woman Karen Ristevski may have been abducted by a stranger, according to her husband.

Borce Ristevski has told his family he believes the Melbourne woman may have kidnapped, reported the Herald Sun.

However, Ms Ristevski's aunt Patricia Gray still believes her niece has been murdered and has rubbished the claims from family members.

She described the search for the missing mother as 'a circus' and said 'people would be thinking this is a joke, according to The Australian.

'Whoever has done this to her, that is what they have done ... She is worth more than that, the family want to find her, the family want to give her the burial she deserves. She should be out with her mum,' she said.

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Karen Ristevski (pictured) was last seen leaving her Melbourne home on June 29

Her comments come after detectives examined CCTV cameras from the Toolern Vale General Store and took footage from 60 cameras at two BP service stations at Calder Park, reported the Herald Sun.

Uber is also investigating if Ms Ristevski's husband Borce worked for the company on the day she disappeared.

Mr Ristevski told police he went for a drive just half an hour after his wife, 47, left their Avondale Heights home in Victoria, on June 29.

It is believed Mr Ristevski recieved a request from the ride-sharing company to work but it is unknown if he accepted the job, reported The Australian.

Mr Ristevski's has since hired a solicitor, Katarina Ljubicic, who said her client hasn't been asked to make any statements since the initial two when the investigation began.

'He's not been asked to make another statement and he's fully co-operated with police,' Ms Ljubicic said before refusing to comment on whether he worked for uber.

Uber also refused to comment on whether Mr Ristevski was a registered driver.

Borce Ristevski (right), who is married to Mrs Ristevski (centre), with their daughter Sarah

'While we cant make comment on any specific investigations, it is Uber's practice to work co-operatively with law-enforcement agencies and assist with inquiries as they arise,'communications manager Mike Scott said.

This comes after new details about the mysterious disappearance revealed Ms Ristevski mobile phone was detected northwest of the city only hours after she vanished.

According to the Herald Sun, Ms Ristevski's phone was 'pinged' by a mobile phone tower near Gisborne, 40 kilometres northwest of her home on June 29, the day she disappeared.

It is also believed a mobile belonging to her husband was detected on the same day at nearby Diggers Rest, which is 20 kilometres northwest of their home.

When Mr Ristevski was questioned by detectives about his whereabouts on the day of his wife's disappearance, he reportedly failed to mention taking her 2004 Mercedes Benz for a drive down the Calder Highway to assess a faulty fuel gauge.

He told police that after hitting a bump in the road the fuel problem had fixed itself and he subsequently returned home.

His phone was also reportedly switched off for two hours that day.

The revelations come after Ms Ristevski's ice-addicted stepson posted a series of disturbing and unsubstantiated messages to social media following her disappearance.

Facebook posts from Anthony Rickard reveal he had a troubled relationship with his stepmother and her husband.

Among a stream of violent and often incoherent messages Mr Rickard calls his father a 'coward', claims he watched him do drugs and that he and Mrs Ristevski, who has been missing nearly two months, had an affair.

The ice-addicted stepson of missing mother Karen Ristevski has posted a series of disturbing and unsubstantiated messages to social media since her disappearance

'Ur a low price of sh** that watched me do drugs as u allowed Karen to continue her fantasy of leaving u to run away with me [sic],' he clamied.

He called Mrs Ristevski a 'wrecker' and a 'fake' and also made several disparaging remarks about his stepmother.

On Thursday, A Current Affair broadcast a segment on Mrs Ristevski and what they described as Mr Rickard's 'ugly grab for cash'.

The show said it offered Mr Rickard a 'fictitious' $50,000 to talk on camera about his relationship with Mrs Ristevski, but claim he demanded $200,000.

Mr Rickard has told the Herald Sun he never asked for the cash.

Anthony Rickard has posted a series of disturbing and ubsubstantiated messages to social media since his stepmother's disappearance

He called Mrs Ristevski a 'wrecker' and a 'fake' and also made several disparaging remarks about his stepmother

His Facebook page is full of a stream of violent and often incoherent messages
' as frying things is 'what we do'

He added that Berry said was '

Gregg Wallace (pictured) was responding to comments that Mary Berry made about deep fat fryers

MasterChef judge Gregg Wallace has accused Great British Bake Off star Mary Berry of attacking 'our British way of life' after she said no home should have a deep fat fryer.

The Bake Off legend, 81, told Good Housekeeping magazine that she believes homes should not contain the cooking appliance.

Berry also spoke out against fizzy drinks and Wallace, 51, responded by saying that the nation was 'built on chips and spam fritters'.

He also said that deep-fat frying was 'universal' when he was younger and added that it 'brought family and friends together'.

But he confessed that 'we probably did use the fryer a little bit too much' when he was young and added that fatty food is only okay to eat in 'moderation'.

Writing in the Sun on Sunday, Wallace added: 'Just thinking about it takes me back to happy times when what we call dinner now was known as "tea" and we ate it around five o'clock.

'Dinner was what you had at school at midday.

'The smell of deep-fat frying was universal back then, wasn't it? It brought families and friends together.

'To suggest getting rid of it isn't just an assault on the deep-fat fryer but on the traditional British psyche.

Mary Berry (pictured) told Good Housekeeping that she doesn't think any household should have a deep-fat fryer

Wallace wrote that that deep-fat frying was 'universal' when he was younger and added that it 'brought family and friends together'

'I love Mary dearly but this is an attack on our British way of life.

'We fry things, that's what we do. It's like banning the wok in China or outlawing the pizza oven in Italy. It's ludicrous.'

Berry is back on screen with fellow judge Paul Hollywood in the new series of Bake Off as another group of contestants hopefuls see whether they can stand the heat of the kitchen.

She told Good Housekeeping about her desire to make children more healthy.

She said: 'Many people think children must have chips. I don't think any household should have a deep-fat fryer.
Ronald W. Vaughan, has been sentenced to five years in prison for a 2015 sexual assault

A former Oregon State University student has been sentenced to five years in prison for breaking into a home and sexually assaulting a woman while she showered.

The attack happened in March 2015 near the OSU campus in Corvallis, nearly 40 miles south of Salem, the state capital.

Ronald W. Vaughan, 22, entered the woman's home, took off his clothes and got into the shower  where he sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.

He then got dressed and left the scene.

Police identified Vaughan by a cell phone that was found at the scene.

He was also linked to a series of burglaries at OSU dorm Cauthorn Hall and a campus home on the same day of the sexual assault.

Vaughan, who was nearing graduation at OSU when he was arrested, was sentenced on charges of first-degree burglary, second-degree sexual abuse and first-degree criminal trespass, the Corvallis Gazette-Times reported.

Vaughan was also linked to a series of burglaries at OSU dorm Cauthorn Hall (pictured) and a campus home on the same day of the sexual assault

He is not eligible for early release and will require three years of supervision, the newspaper reported.

'We're really hoping this sentence is something Mr. Vaughan can learn from,' prosecutor Amie Matuskosaid, as reported by the Gazette-Times.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Iran and France will cooperate in various environmental issues including energy efficiency, Massoumeh Ebtekar, Irans vice president and head of environment protection organization said.

She made the remarks following her meeting with the visiting French Minister of Environment, Energy and Marine Affairs Segolene Royal in Tehran on Aug. 28, SHANA news agency reported.

She further said that Tehran and Paris are determined to cooperate in the fields of tackling dust particles and improving water consumption pattern and water resources management as well.

Ebtekar added that the two sides also discussed the ways for following up the mutual agreements inked during President Hassan Rouhanis visit to France last January.

During the trip 20 MOUs and cooperation documents including one on environment protection and air pollution prevention were signed between the two countries.

The MOU was the result of months of technical surveys of both sides as of many months ago aimed at improvement of the environmental conditions in regions that they have been endangered.

While commenting on the upcoming international environment exhibition which will be held in Iran in near future, Ebtekar said that preparing the ground for presence of French companies in the event also was discussed between the parties.

The French minister, heading a delegation including senior business figures from environmental and renewable energy firms specializing in water, pollution and energy efficiency, arrived in Tehran Aug. 27 for 3-day official visit.

She is due to visit Urmia Lake, in northwestern Iran, a UNESCO heritage site that has lost 90 percent of its surface water in the past two decades as a result of over-farming, dams and climate changes.
Two women wearing headscarves were thrown out of a Paris restaurant after being threatened by its self-confessed racist owner who said Terrorists are Muslims, and all Muslims are terrorists.

The disturbing scenes at Le Cenacle follow a series of incidents in which grandmothers and mothers have been thrown off public beaches in France for wearing Islamic looking clothing.

Now a criminal enquiry has been launched into Saturdays vicious attack at the restaurant in Tremblay-en-France, a north-east suburb of the French capital.

The restaurant owner in Paris can be seen ranting at the two women who turned up to eat at his restaurant wearing headscarves

The women sat down at a table and were originally offered glasses of water, before the owner appeared from the kitchen and said he did not want them there.

A video of the attack shows the man saying: Racists like me don't kill good people. Racists like me.

He adds: Madam, terrorists are Muslims and all Muslims are terrorists. Analyse my words, you'll see that they're right.

The women remain calm, and distance Frances five million plus Muslim community from attacks in which men affiliated to terrorist organisations such as ISIS have killed and maimed.

But the Cenacle owner continued: I'm living in a secular country and this is my opinion.

Eventually the owner, top right, tells the women wearing the headscarves they must leave his restaurant

After the man shouted It seems like you didn't understand. Now get out! the crying women make phone calls and leave.

Another customer sitting nearby recorded the whole conversation on his phone, and it is now the subject of widespread public debate.

Laurence Rossignol, the Womens Rights minister, said she had ordered a full enquiry by the Inter-ministerial Delegation into Racism and anti-Semitism (DILCRA.

Ms Rossignol called for sanctions against the the unacceptable behavior of this restaurant owner.

Police in nearby Villepinte meanwhile confirmed that their officers had attended the scene, and were also investigating.

Today the restaurant owner  who has not been named  said he regretted what happened, but had got caught up in the fiery debate surrounding the so-called burkini ban.

On Friday, the controversial measure which prevents women wearing Islamic looking swimsuits, or any other dress that might be considered religious, was overturned by a Paris appeal court.

It came after images of a woman stripping down and then being fined in Nice by four armed police sparked outrage around the world.

The court ruled that the burkini ban seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go, the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom.

Despite this, a number of French resorts, including Nice, are still fining women.

The new footage followa a series of incidents in which grandmothers and mothers have been thrown off public beaches in France for wearing Islamic looking clothing

More pictures taken on the citys beach on Saturday showed a police officer jumping off a boat and telling two young women and a little boy to get off the pebbles.

Far right conspiracy theorists have claimed that such incidents are being fabricated, with the help of international picture agencies, but the photographers concerned have rubbished these accusations.

Police have also insisted that they would never be drawn into cheap publicity stunts which clearly portray them in a negative light.
News of a domestic violence charge on Bannon's record was also reported this week

Breitbart's embrace of the 'alt-right' allowed Hillary Clinton to attack Trump for being racist, using Bannon as her entry point

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Donald Trump's new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway was doing a 'phenomenal job,' but seemingly distanced himself from Trump's other new hire, ex-Brietbart head Stephen Bannon.

'I don't know Steve Bannon, to tell you the truth very well,' Priebus told Chuck Todd on 'Meet the Press.'

'I'm going to get to know him,' Priebus added.

While Priebus argued that 'it's been a good two weeks for Donald Trump and it's been a bad two weeks for Hillary Clinton,' it was Bannon who was at least partially responsible for some of the less positive coverage of the Trump campaign.

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Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said he 'doesn't know' Donald Trump's controversial pick for a campaign CEO

On Thursday in Reno, Nevada, Clinton used Bannon as a way to open up a discussion about Trump 'taking hate groups mainstream' as Breitbart News Network, where Bannon was employed before jumping ship to the Trump campaign, had become more tolerant of the 'alt-right,' an ideology that knocks multiculturalism and political correctness, opting for white rights.

Donald Trump's campaign CEO Stephen Bannon (pictured) was responsible for some of the more controversial headlines this week

'The names may have changed Racists now call themselves "racialists." White supremacists now call themselves "white nationalists." The paranoid fringe now calls itself "alt-right,"' Clinton explained in her speech. 'But the hate burns just as bright,' she added.

Clinton gave her audience a 'flavor of his work,' she said of Bannon, by reading aloud some of Breitbart's headlines.

'Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy,' Clinton said reading one. 'Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism for Cancer,' she read another.

'Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movement's Human Shields,' Clinton said, mentioning the ex-congresswoman and gun control advocate who had been shot in the head.

'Just imagine  Donald Trump reading that and thinking: "this is what I need more of in my campaign,"' she said.

'Trump likes to say he only hires the "best people," but he's had to fire so many campaign managers it's like an episode of the Apprentice,' Clinton said.

Cut to Friday and more Bannon bad news came out. The New York Times and the New York Post both reported on a domestic violence charge Bannon received in 1996.

Police came to his Santa Monica, California home on New Year's Day and found his now ex-wife August Piccard upset and with marks on her kneck and wrist.

She told them that the couple had fought and he had grabbed a telephone when she had tried to call for help, throwing it across the room and smashing it.

Rival Hillary Clinton used Stephen Bannon's association with Donald Trump's campaign to hammer the Republican candidate for embracing the racist 'alt-right'

The case, however, never went anywhere when Piccard didn't show up to testify against Bannon.

'We're leaning his background and some of it's quite uncommon,' noted Todd. 'It this the proper background that Donald Trump should be hiring if he's tying to appeal to women, for instance?' the newsman asked.

Bannon's hiring also came after reports that former Fox News head Roger Ailes, who's in the midst of a sexual harassment case with women from his former network, was helping with the Trump campaign, though the campaign maintains that Ailes and Trump are merely good friends.

'Look, and I don't know how much of it is true or not and neither do you,' Priebus said, most likely referring to the domestic violence allegations.

'And so I don't speculate based on what other third parties say about people,' the chairman added. 'I tend to judge people based on what I see and what I interact with.'

Once the Priebus interview concluded and Todd had joined his political panel on set, the NBC newsman noted how striking it was that Priebus had said that he didn't know Bannon.
Angela Merkel underestimated the challenge of of integrating the record migrant influx she invited into Germany last year, her deputy has admitted.

German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said it was inconceivable that Germany could again take in a million refugees and other immigrants in a single year.

He made his comments as the backlash grows against Mrs Merkel over her open door policy, under which she said there was no limit to how many refugees and asylum seekers Germany would accept.

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Angela Merkel underestimated the challenge of of integrating the record migrant influx she invited into Germany last year, her deputy has admitted

She made her promise last summer when it was predicted the country would receive 800,000 refugees, mainly from Syria and Iraq.

But it is estimated that, in the end, at least another 200,000 came on top of this number in 2015.

Germanys Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said yesterday that it is preparing for a much lower figure this year, up to a maximum of 300,000.

The reduced number reflects growing anger around the country at some of the consequences of Mrs Merkels generosity.

A poll yesterday showed just 42 percent of Germans now want her to remain as Chancellor for a fourth term after next years elections.

German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, pictured, said it was inconceivable that Germany could again take in a million refugees and other immigrants in a single year

The poll by the Emnid Institue for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper shows a full 50 per cent do not want her to lead them beyond her current tenure.

The figures represent a major turnaround from the consistently high approval ratings she enjoyed in previous years.

But that was before rising refugee crime - including the infamous sex attacks in Cologne on New Years Eve - and asylum seekers turned terrorists attacked people on German soil.

Her deputy Mr Gabriel - who is the leader of the Social Democrats, the junior partner in her coalition government - made his comments as campaigning gets underway for regional elections before next years federal election.

Speaking about Mrs Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he told broadcaster ZDF: The Union has underestimated the challenges [of integrating refugees], and I, we, have always said that it is inconceivable to take one million people into Germany every year,

He added: There is an upper limit to a countrys integration ability.

He highlighted how Germany had 300,000 new schoolchildren and could not integrate that many pupils every year because of a shortage of teachers and buildings.

He also criticised Merkels catchphrase Wir schaffen das, meaning We can do this, which she adopted during the migrant crisis last summer and has repeatedly used since.

A backlash grows against Mrs Merkel over her open door policy, under which she said there was no limit to how many refugees and asylum seekers Germany would accept

He said repeating that phrase was not enough and the coalition needed to create the conditions for Germany to be able to cope.

Merkels migrant policy also drew criticism from Markus Soeder, a senior member of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party toher CDU.

Even with the best will in the world, we wont manage to integrate so many people from totally different cultures, he told German magazine Der Spiegel.

He said Germany needed to send several hundred thousand of refugees back in the next three years rather than bringing in their families.
Paul Hollywood is well known for his ruthless honesty in the Bake Off tent and that hard man persona seems to apply to any pest that enters the competition.

The baking judge was seen whacking a fly with a fish slice that was terrorising contestant Benjamina Ebuehi in footage aired on the spin-off show, The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice.

On the August 26 episode host Jo Brand introduced the clip by asking jokingly: 'Paul wouldn't hurt a fly, would he?'

Paul Hollywood is well known for his ruthless honesty in the Bake Off tent and that hard man persona seems to apply to any pest that enters the competition

The baking judge was seen whacking a fly with a fish slice that was terrorising contestant Benjamina Ebuehi (pictured) in footage aired on the spin-off show, The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice

The 23-year-old teaching assistant Benjamina can be seen recoiling from the buzzing menace as she prepared her bake.

Paul Hollywood, 50, quickly picks up a fish slice and brutally swats the pest away.

A thankful Ms Ebuehi then thanks the professional baker.

On social media some viewers were concerned about Hollywood putting the kitchen utensil back in the holder.

On the August 26 episode host Jo Brand introduced the clip by asking jokingly: 'Paul wouldn't hurt a fly, would he?'

The 23-year-old teaching assistant Benjamina can be seen recoiling from the buzzing menace as she prepared her bake

Paul Hollywood, 50, quickly picks up a fish slice and brutally swats the pest away. A thankful Ms Ebuehi then thanks the professional baker

Robin Chapman, from Wellingborough, said: 'Nice fishslice action - hope it didn't have remains of a fly on it when you put it back.'

Torie, from Preston, said: 'Never mind swatting the fly - he put the spatula he used to swat said fly back into the holder! Gross!'

The fly-killing saga came after another light-hearted incident when host Brand joked about Hollywood joining the Russian KGB and taking out one of the bakers.

Brand said: 'Before we go I've found more evidence that Paul has really got a lot tougher on the bakers since he joined the KGB.

'Here he's got Mary to cleverly distract everyone's attention while off camera he deals with a baker who didn't put their oven on at the right temperature.'

On social media some viewers were concerned about Hollywood putting the kitchen utensil back in the holder

Robin Chapman, from Wellingborough, said: 'Nice fishslice action - hope it didn't have remains of a fly on it when you put it back'

Torie, from Preston, said: 'Never mind swatting the fly - he put the spatula he used to swat said fly back into the holder! Gross!'

As Berry talks to camera about lemon drizzle cake a loud bang can be heard off screen.

The return of the Great British Bake Off set an audience record, as 10.4 million people tuned in for the first episode of the seventh series.

Figures show the popular BBC One baking show pulled in 47.5% of television viewers for the return of judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood and presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.

The figure is higher than for previous launch episodes, with last year's first instalment attracting 9.3 million viewers and 2014's opening show drawing an audience of 7.18 million.

At the end of the show Jane Beedle, 61, was crowned star baker. But it was goodbye to the oldest contestant Lee Banfield, 67, after he was let down by his Jaffa cakes and mirror glaze.
Ithaca College sophomore Anthony Nazaire (pictured), 19, died on the campus of Cornell after being stabbed to death

A 19-year-old Ithaca College student from Brooklyn was stabbed to death at Cornell University early Sunday morning.

Sophomore Anthony Nazaire died from stab wounds he sustained during a fight on the Ivy League campus, according to the Ithaca Voice.

It is unknown why the business administration student was involved in the fight or what it was about.

Another student was also injured and stabbed during the fight.

The unidentified student was flown to Upstate Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Cornell Sun.

He was later released.

Police were called to Olin Hall, a chemical engineering building, at 1.57am on Sunday after the fight broke out.

Nazaire and another student were involved in a fight in front of Olin Hall (pictured), a chemical engineering building, on the Cornell University campus at 1.57am on Sunday

Both schools posted statements saying the two students were stabbed during a large altercation.

Once they arrived they found the two men on the ground and began medical treatment.

The weapon was located and the area secured, however, the weapon used hasn't been specified, the New York Daily News reported.

'A homicide investigation is currently underway.

'The Ithaca Police Department is leading a team of several local law enforcement agencies who are engaged in the investigation,' the Ithaca Police Department said in a statement.

New York State Police Forensic Identification Unit is processing the crime scene and witnesses are being interviewed, IPD said.

Both Nazaire and the other student who was injured with non-life-threatening injuries attend Ithaca College (pictured)

Ithaca College President Tom Rochon said in a statement: 'I hope you will hold these students  along with their families, friends, classmates, and professors  in your thoughts and prayers at this difficult and tragic time.'
The assassination of John F Kennedy in 1963 was an inside job, according to a deathbed confession given to the veteran film director Oliver Stone.

After making his acclaimed film JFK - which was sympathetic to conspiracy theories about the murder - Stone was contacted by a man claiming to have been a former member of the presidential security team.

Dying of cancer, the man wanted to share a secret that he had until then only told his son  that 'somebody from his own team had fired on the President'.

A former presidential security team member told director Oliver Stone that one of his team assassinated JFK (pictured, moments before his death)

Stone (right, with Kevin Costner on the set of JFK) said he believed the agent because of his use of 'military jargon' and intricate detail

He gave only a code name 'Ron', in reaching out through a series of mysterious letters before the two men eventually met.

Stone said he was naturally skeptical about such a claim, as there have been so many conspiracy theories since Kennedy was killed by two rifle bullets while travelling in an open limousine through Dallas in November 1963.

Lee Harvey Oswald was accused of shooting the president from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository, only to be shot dead himself two days later by a local nightclub owner with connections to the criminal underworld.

Since then there have been question marks over whether Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots or - if he did it - who was he working for?

There have also been suggestions that at least one of the fatal shots was fired from a nearby grassy knoll.

Lee Harvey Oswald (center) was accused of shooting the president from the sixth floor of the Texas School Book Depository

There have been several conspiracy theories debating what actually happened that day - with everyone from the mafia to a mystery man on the Grassy Knoll blamed for the killing (pictured, a secret service agent jumps to the president's aid after a shot is fired)

Stone, 69, said his doubts about 'Ron' were dispelled. As a former marine in Vietnam, the film-maker was convinced by the 'military jargon' and intricate details within an account that he describes as 'plausible' and 'very authentic'.

He decided to reveal the man's confession for the first time to Matt Zoller Seitz, who is the author of a forthcoming book on Stone, the Oscarwinning screenwriter and director whose classics include Platoon, about the trauma of the Vietnam War.

Asked why Stone waited until now, Seitz says: 'I think it was because he trusted me, and also because both the father and the son have been dead for a while.

'Nobody has ever heard this story. I'm the first person.'

Stone's co-operated with the book by making himself available for interview giving Seitz free access to his extensive archive without any editorial control.

One of the most radical theories about JFK's death claims his wife Jackie (right) killed him

Stone - whose JFK biopic was sympathetic to conspiracy theories - decided to reveal the agent's confession for the first time to author Matt Zoller Seitz (pictured, John F Kennedy with his wife Jackie)

The book reproduces Stone's recollections of 'Ron'. In one passage, he says that he 'didn't have any ulterior motives': 'He came to me through a series of weird letters through post office boxes.

'Everything would go to a PO Box, and he'd locate it from offshore, from Bermuda.'

The scenario he laid out was very practical. It's the way I would do it, if [I] were going to do something like that Oliver Stone

Recalling their meeting in a hotel in Rochester, New York. Stone says: 'He said he didn't want money or recognition. He said something like, "I want you to know this is from my conscience".'

He adds: 'The scenario he laid out was very practical. It's the way I would do it, if [I] were going to do something like that.

'You kill the president, and your cover is security, and if the sniper or snipers who kill the president are hidden in with the guys who are supposed to protect him, guys who have no knowledge of this plot It makes a lot of sense.

'The scenario he laid out was very practical,' said Stone of his conversations with the agent known only as 'Ron' (pictured, Kevin Costner in JFK's biopic)

'And his memory of it was so technical, filled with military jargon, details about radio communications right after the shots.'

Seitz points out that when Stone served in Vietnam, he 'participated in what he calls coordinated kill zones where you have a rifleman stationed at different locations to catch people in a cross fire in more than one direction'.
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Burning Man kicked off on Sunday as thousands of revelers made their way into the Nevada Desert for eight days of art and alternative living.

The annual festival, which began in 1986 as a bonfire, takes place in Nevada's Black Rock Desert.

Thirty years after its first incarnation, the event is so populous with tens of thousands of people attending, the dried up lake where the event is held becomes Black Rock City.

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Preparation: An installation based on Leonardo da Vinci's Vetruvian Man is erected at the Burning Man festival and has the finishing touches applied

Almost there: Spectators gather around the da Vinci inspired work as it takes shape in the desert

Arrivals: The Burning Man festival is now attended by more than just counter-culture festival goers - billionaires are known to be enthusiasts too and the make-shift city has its own airstrip

Ancient inspiration: Final touches are put to structures resembling pyramids from Egypt on the Playa ready for Burning Man

Jumbo fete: Artists are planning on constructing a full-sized Boeing 747 in the desert to mark the annual Burning Man festival

Burning Man kicked off on Sunday as thousands of revelers made their way into the Nevada Desert for eight days of art and alternative living

Temple: A replica of an Asian-style building is being erected on the desert flats ready for the start of the huge get-together

Get around: The festival supports 250,000 people over the week and a popular way to traverse the city-sized celebration is by bike - or in this case an Aladdin-style shoe

The event is so populous with tens of thousands of people attending, the dried up lake where the event is held becomes Black Rock City

At Burning Man, participants can visit art installations and participate in camps. This year's camps include an annex for spandex aficionados and the festival's popular air-conditioned Orgy Dome

Black Rock City is 'a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance', Burning Man's website says.

On Sunday, hundreds of RVs began rolling into the Black Rock Desert, carrying thousands of revelers to Burning Man.

Pictures of unique art began leaking from the event as attendees posted pictures to Instagram.

Pictures of unique art began leaking from the event as attendees posted pictures to Instagram, including this honey bear sculpture

Women pose by a sculpture of words on the first day of the desert festival as hundreds arrive in Nevada for the Burning Man

Along with arts it appears Burning Man also has cantinas for desert revelers to grab a drink and socialize with others

For the last two weeks crews have worked tirelessly to install Burning Man in the Nevada Desert, which includes various pieces of interactive art

One image showed a giant honey bear, while another showed a red sign that said 'Virgin On The Rocks'.

At Burning Man, participants can visit art installations and participate in camps. This year's camps include an annex for spandex aficionados and the festival's popular air-conditioned Orgy Dome.

About 70,000 people attended Burning Man last year. More than 3,200 of them arrived via a temporary airport built especially for the festival, USA Today reported.

No currency is exchanged at Burning Man, with festival goers exchanging goods instead and operating as a gifting society. Money can only be used to buy ice and coffee.

About 70,000 people attended Burning Man last year. More than 3,200 of them arrived via a temporary airport built especially for the festival

In the past, Burning Man has been attended by tech moguls including CEOs Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg

Burning Man begins on Sunday but will last until September 5 as it becomes its own unique town for the eight days it exists

THE TEN PRINCIPLES OF BURNING MAN Radical Inclusion Anyone may be a part of Burning Man. We welcome and respect the stranger. No prerequisites exist for participation in our community. Gifting Burning Man is devoted to acts of gift giving. The value of a gift is unconditional. Gifting does not contemplate a return or an exchange for something of equal value. Decommodification In order to preserve the spirit of gifting, our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions, or advertising. We stand ready to protect our culture from such exploitation. We resist the substitution of consumption for participatory experience. Radical Self-reliance Burning Man encourages the individual to discover, exercise and rely on his or her inner resources. Radical Self-expression Radical self-expression arises from the unique gifts of the individual. No one other than the individual or a collaborating group can determine its content. It is offered as a gift to others. In this spirit, the giver should respect the rights and liberties of the recipient. Communal Effort Our community values creative cooperation and collaboration. We strive to produce, promote and protect social networks, public spaces, works of art, and methods of communication that support such interaction. Civic Responsibility We value civil society. Community members who organize events should assume responsibility for public welfare and endeavor to communicate civic responsibilities to participants. They must also assume responsibility for conducting events in accordance with local, state and federal laws. Leaving No Trace Our community respects the environment. We are committed to leaving no physical trace of our activities wherever we gather. We clean up after ourselves and endeavor, whenever possible, to leave such places in a better state than when we found them. Participation Our community is committed to a radically participatory ethic. We believe that transformative change, whether in the individual or in society, can occur only through the medium of deeply personal participation. We achieve being through doing. Everyone is invited to work. Everyone is invited to play. We make the world real through actions that open the heart. Immediacy Immediate experience is, in many ways, the most important touchstone of value in our culture. We seek to overcome barriers that stand between us and a recognition of our inner selves, the reality of those around us, participation in society, and contact with a natural world exceeding human powers. No idea can substitute for this experience. Source: http://burningman.org/ Advertisement

Volunteers began putting together the Black Rock City Airport about two weeks ago. The FAA keeps in touch with its managers, but doesn't have an official role in the private airport - and neither does the TSA.

In the past, Burning Man has been attended by tech moguls including CEOs Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Larry Page and Mark Zuckerberg.

This year's Burners will enjoy the premises before returning home, aiming to leave not a single trace behind them. Pictured, one of them hangs from a sculpture in the desert on Saturday

Thousands of visitors are expected to show up between August 28 and September 5. Pictured, one of them plays on an interactive boar sculpture in the Black Rock Desert on Saturday
President Obama's former campaign manager David Plouffe suggested Sunday that Hillary Clinton now had an easy walk to the White House because Donald Trump stopped trying to appeal to moderate voters.

'I mean, basically, we have a psychopath running for president,' Plouffe told 'Meet the Press' host Chuck Todd, who called him out for not having a psychology degree to make that kind of assessment.

'Do you really think, diagnosing people on air, I assume you don't have a degree in Psychology. Is that fair?' Todd said. 'I think this is what gets voters a little frustrated with this campaign.'

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President Obama's 2008 campaign manager David Plouffe said Sunday that 'basically, we have a psychopath running for president,' pointing fingers at Donald Trump

'Meet the Press' host Chuck Todd (left) immediately called out David Plouffe (right) for that assessment noting how he doesn't have a degree to give a diagnosis

Plouffe admitted, yes, he did not have a degree and thus couldn't make a proper diagnosis, but ticked off a number of traits Trump possessed that he believed made the billionaire fit the 'psychopath' mold.

'Well, you know, listen, the grandiose notion of self-worth, pathological lying, lack of empathy and remorse,' Plouffe replied.

Todd had wanted to know why Plouffe originally thought Virginia and Colorado were going to be a struggle for Clinton to win, when President Obama won both states in 2008 and in 2012.

Now she's so far ahead in Virginia and Colorado that her campaign, essentially, has pulled out.

'Well, those are two tough states,' Plouffe said. 'I think they were uniquely suited to Barack Obama.'

'And I think so when we had that conversation I think the assessment was that Donald Trump would try and do some things to appeal to the middle of the electorate, to appeal to suburban college-educated women,' Plouffe continued.

But Trump, Plouffe noted, didn't do that. Instead the Republican nominee shook up his staff and installed people who allowed Trump to just be Trump.

'I mean, he meets the clinical definition, OK?' Plouffe said backing up his 'psychopath' comment.

Todd was, in part, disturbed by this diagnosis because he spent much of today's show talking about how political rhetoric had gone off the rails  and that the public thought that literally stunk.

The 'Meet the Press' host showed footage of a focus group asked to name an odor that reminded them of this election cycle.

Top results included garbage, dead fish, rotten eggs and skunk.

Moving on from his mock diagnosis, Plouffe said that he believed Hillary Clinton was guaranteed at least 269 electoral votes because Virginia and Colorado are 'put away.'

Clinton needs 270 electoral votes to win the White House.

Todd reminded Plouffe that earlier in the week he had compared this November's results to those in 1984, when sitting President Ronald Reagan won 525 electoral votes, while his Democratic rival Walter Mondale only nabbed 13, coming from his home state of Minnesota and the District of Columbia.

'I think at the end of the day, you know, there's maybe a 20 percent chance it's close, two or three points, I think it's going to be a landslide,' Plouffe said.

'So Pennsylvania, Donald Trump has less than zero percent chance of winning Pennsylvania. She's sitting at 269. And I think states like New Hampshire, I think states like Florida, I think states like Ohio, Nevada, she's clearly got the advantage,' Plouffe said.

'So again, if you step back and say, "Has Donald Trump done anything in the last few weeks to attract swing, suburban college-educated women, improve his position with younger voters, with minority voters?" Plouffe mused.
A charter bus full of Louisiana flood volunteers slammed into a fire truck Sunday morning in a terrifying crash that left 41 people injured and two left dead.

The crash happened near Laplace when the seemingly out-of-control bus raced down the Interstate 10, striking a parked fire engine that was attending to a previous crash and knocking three firefighters over a guardrail, killing one.

The driver, Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, was in the country illegally and was not licensed to be behind the wheel, police told NY Daily News.

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Tragic: A charter bus full of Louisiana flood volunteers slammed into a fire truck Sunday morning in a terrifying crash that left 41 people injured and two left dead

The crash happened near Laplace when the seemingly out-of-control bus raced down the Interstate 10, striking a parked fire engine that was attending to a previous crash and knocking three firefighters over a guardrail, killing one

Help: A bus full of volunteers heading to flooded Baton Rouge crashed into a parked fire truck causing a massive smash (pictured) on the Interstate 10 on Sunday

Smash: The smash killed two: a fire chief and a car driver. The bus's driver, Denis Rodriguez, survived but was discovered by police to be both unlicensed and an illegal immigrant

Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, identified by police as the driver of a private rental bus involved in a multiple car accident which killed two people, is seen in a picture released by the Louisiana State Police

St John the Baptist Parish Office of Fire Services had arrived on the scene earlier Sunday to deal with a crashed truck, blocking the left-hand lane with a fire truck.

But an already difficult day turned tragic when the charter bus - which was full of volunteers hoping to help with flooding in Baton Rouge - raced down that left-hand lane and into the stationary fire truck.

It then swerved across the roadway, knocking three firefighters over a guard rail and into the waters below - one of whom died. That victim has not been named.

The bus then smashed into at least one other vehicle, killing the driver of that car.

Police identified the slain fire fighter as Spencer Chauvin, district fire chief of the St John fire services.

'It is a sad day in St John the Baptist Parish as we lost one of the bravest and most dedicated firefighters that I know,' parish president Natalie Robottom said in a statement.

'This was a horrific accident and one that is still very active. This type of loss will affect the entire department and they will have our full support as they deal with the grief of losing a comrade.'

Everyone in the chartered bus was injured.

Criminal charges are pending while police figure out who owns the bus.
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More than 700 migrants fleeing war-torn Libya have been rescued in the Mediterranean sea today.

Refugees fleeing the troubled country on small inflatable dinghies were rescued by emergency teams as they sailed toward the Italian coast, about 17 miles north of Sabratha, Libya, earlier this morning.

Members of Proactiva Open Arms NGO, a group set up to help rescue migrants at sea, helped pull them from their inflatable boats before handing them over to the Italian coastguards operating in the area.

Thousands of migrants try each year to flee Libya and make it to Italy but many drown during the crossing.

They cram into boats that are small and unsafe for the 190-mile perilous journey from Libya's shores.

A total of 4,027 migrants and refugees have perished since January trying to flee wars and poverty looking for a better life mainly in Europe, the International Organisation for Migration said last week.

Of that total, some 3,120 died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, including 120 who drowned off Libya's coastal town of Sabratha at the end of July, it said.

More than seven hundred migrants fleeing war-torn Libya were rescued in the Mediterranean sea earlier this morning

Migrant women smile on board boat as they sail across the Mediterranean sea toward the Italian coasts during the rescue

Migrants from Nigeria fleeing Libya are rescued by emergency teams from a dinghy as they sail across the Mediterranean

Migrants fleeing Libya on board a large inflatable dinghy wait to be rescued by emergency teams 17 miles north of Sabratha

An Italian Navy ship sails past a burning dinghy after evacuating the migrants sailing on it in the Mediterranean sea today

Migrants and refugees fleeing Libya on board a wooden boat are seen about 17 miles north of Sabratha just before the rescue
By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

The Switzerland-based Vitol company is interested in crude oil swap with Caspian Sea littoral states through Irans Neka oil terminal, Hamid Reza Shahdoust, director of Iran's North Oil Terminal, said.

An expert delegation from Vitol visited the oil terminal a few days ago to study the issue, Shahdoust said, Mehr news agency reported Aug. 27.

It is reported that the UK-based BP also has expressed interest to participate in Irans crude oil swap with Caspian Sea littoral states.

Shahdoust further said that the crude oil swap with Caspian states will resume within two weeks.

Works are underway to increase the Neka ports swap capacity from the current level of 120,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 2.5 million bpd, he added.

In 2010, Iran stopped oil swaps with Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

The Hague International Court of Justice fined the National Iranian Oil Company $5.5 million due to stopping the swap of oil with its international partners.

Under oil swap agreements, which started in 1997 and were in place for over 12 years, Iran received crude oil of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in the Neka port and delivered an equal volume to the clients of the same countries in Persian Gulf.

The total income received by Iran from these swap transactions from 1997 to 2009 amounted to about $880 million.
Tony Abbott is positioning himself to stage a coup against Malcolm Turnbull with plans to become the next Prime Minister, a Labor senator has claimed.

Sam Dastyari said he does not expect Malcolm Turnbull to last more than 18 months as Prime Minister, let alone a three-year parliamentary term.

The Labor senator said former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been lurking in the wings and running his own campaign, Mr Dastyari told Sky News on Sunday night.

'You don't suddenly start going around the country giving speeches on the economy as a backbencher from Warringah,' he said.

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Tony Abbott is positioning himself to stage a coup against Malcolm Turnbull with plans to become the next Prime Minister, Labor senator Sam Dastyari has claimed (Mr Abbott pictured in May)

Mr Abbott delivered a speech to a construction business forum on Friday to state what the government ought to be prioritising.

Mr Dastyari said it was premeditated.

'He's not walking around giving these speeches, building up these issues, reminding people he's around, talking about his legacy, for any reason other than this is a guy who's having another tilt at the leadership.'

When pushed by Sky panellists to confirm if he really believed Mr Abbott would challenge for the top job, Mr Dastyari said 'this isn't our first rodeo'.

'You don't suddenly start going around the country giving speeches on the economy as a backbencher from Waringah,' Mr Dastyari told Sky News on Sunday night (pictured)

Mr Dastyari said the Turnbull government would not last more than 18 months, let alone the full three-years of a parliamentary term (Mr Turnbull pictured on Saturday)

'We sat here and we had the exact same conversations about Kevin Rudd and we were saying "It can't happen, it can't happen", and it happened. Of course Tony Abbott thinks it can happen,' he said.

Mr Dastyari admitted he had 'lost a few bets on this show before', but said he would be 'really surprised' if the Turnbull government lasted more than 18 months.

He said it will also be a tough Senate to get legislation through.

Mr Turnbull successfully staged a coup against Mr Abbott in September last year, after a motion against the Prime Minister failed in February, 2015.
Backpackers staying at a hostel where one woman was fatally stabbed and another injured trying to save her barricaded themselves in their rooms during the frenzied attack.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, was killed and Tom Jackson, 30, was left fighting for his life after being stabbed in the face, head and torso during Frenchman Smail Ayad's alleged rampage in a Queensland backpacker's hostel.

This comes as it was revealed by Ms Ayliffe-Chung's mother that her daughter's ashes will travel the world so she can 'visit places' she now isn't able to.

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Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, was killed during a stabbing attack at Shelley's Backpackers in Home Hill near Townsville in far-north Queensland last week

Tom Jackson, 30, (right) pictured with his dad Les (left) who has just arrived in Australia, was injured as he tried to save Ms Ayliffe-Chung

Frenchman Smail Ayad has been charged with murder and a number of other offences

The owner of Shelley's Backpackers John Norris, said backpackers locked themselves in their rooms for over three hours during the stabbing.

'It started just after 11pm and probably went through until 2am, 2.30am,' Mr Norris told 9News.

'They were told to get into the room and lock themselves in there.'

The hostel owner also revealed that Ayad - who has been charged with murder, two counts of attempted murder, serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of assaulting police - was due to check out the morning after the attack.

'I want to say I am really sorry to Mia's and Tommy's family,' Mr Norris previously told Daily Mail Australia.

'I can't even imagine what they're going through.'

Hostel owner John Norris said guests barricaded themselves in rooms for three hours during the frenzied attack

Ms Ayliffe-Chung's mother has revealed her daughter will be cremated and her ashes scattered around the world

''That way she can visit places she hasnt visited yet' Rosie Ayliffe wrote in a blog

Hostel worker Grant Schulz was also injured in the attack.

This week Ms Ayliffe-Chung's mother wrote in a blog for The Independent that she had decided her daughter 'needed to be cremated sooner rather than later'.

'I know some of her friends are struggling with that, because they wanted her body brought home and a cremation or burial here in the Wirksworth area, but she has friends all over the place,' Rosie Ayliffe revealed.

'Hence the plan to create a place of remembrance here, but also to give various people vials of Mias ashes to scatter in places dear to her or to them.
An 86-year-old Holocaust survivor has gotten engaged to his 39-year-old Russian actor girlfriend.

Jack Garfein, a legendary film director and teacher who splits time between his Manhattan apartment and Paris, announced he proposed to Natalia Repolovsky while celebrating his birthday on July 2.

Surrounded by friends sipping champagne and eating birthday cake, the 86-year-old popped the question to his partner of more than four years.

86-year-old Holocaust survivor Jack Garfein has gotten engaged to his 39-year-old Russian actor girlfriend

'I just told her, "I can't live without you. Will you marry me?"' Garfein said, according to the New York Post.

'She said, "Of course I will. What took you so long to ask?"'

The 86-year-old added he thought his now-bride-to-be was beautiful as soon as he laid his eyes on her.

Repolovsky told the newspaper she was covetous of Garfein since the moment they met at an actors party on on April 28, 2012, and said she even got jealous when she would see him greeting other women.

Natalia Repolovsky, a 39-year-old Russian actor, agreed to marry Garfein after he proposed during a birthday party on July 2

Garfein (left) said he fell in love with Repolovsky (right) almost immediately after meeting her and describing her as 'beautiful'

'There was a lot of actors and actresses there who knew each other - a very flirtatious crowd,' Repolovsky said.

'This woman gave him a big hug and because of the height difference he ended up between her breasts. I thought, "How dare she?"'

Less than a week after their first meeting, the two met at a restaurant in Midtown Manhattan for a date.

Garfein said they forged an intimate connection almost immediately, and as they shared a cab home after dinner, he acted.

'We kissed,' Garfein said. 'I would call it an explosion.'

Garfein has been married twice before, including to actor Carroll Baker. The couple is pictured together in New York in 1960

Garfein spent time at 11 concentration camps, including Auschwitz (pictured), before he was freed on April 15, 1945

Garfein, who saw his mother, father, and sister die in German concentration camps, weighed just 48 pounds when he was freed from the Bergen-Belsen death camp on April 15, 1945.

In total, he spent time at 11 camps - including Auschwitz.

He moved to the U.S. about a year later as a 15-year-old, and went on to establish himself as one of the city's leading theatre figures.

He was one of the key players in establishing the Actors Studio - an organization in Hell's Kitchen that has worked with and trained some of the world's most famous performers.

It's current co-presidents are Ellen Burstyn, Harvey Keitel, and Al Pacino.
Utility workers were stunned when they opened a manhole cover in Washington state to discover clothing, toys, and other items that indicated that children were living in the sewer.

Meter readers first noticed on Friday that the 80-pound manhole cover in Federal Way outside of Seattle kept mysteriously opening, no matter how many times they closed it, reports KIRO7.

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A meter reader first discovered the belongings of what looked like a child - clothes, toys, food, and even a plywood bed

The belongings were 14 feet down into a sewer in Federal Way, outside of Seattle

The things were taken away and workers warned two children who said they had been in the manhole that it was dangerous and to stay out

Sewer kids: Workers noticed the 80-pound manhole cover kept being moved and called in workers from the Lakehaven Sewer District

That's when they called in the Lakehaven Sewer District. Workers went 14-feet into the manhole and found a pile of leavings that pointed towards someone living in the entrance to the sewer: Clothes, food, a bed made out of plywood, miscellaneous items including binoculars, and even toys.

Ken Miller, an engineer with the Lakehaven Utility District said the crew then noticed two kids hanging around the area and talked to them. The children, who seemed about 12 and 13 years old, told them they would go into the sewer and one child was living down there.

Sewer workers went 14 feet into the hole and to their shock discovered the belongings of a child

Miller said the workers warned them to stay away, telling them about methane gas in the hole, vermin, a limited oxygen supply, and the dangers of getting trapped if a car parked over it.

Miller has been inside sewers reading meters for 30 years but said he has never seen evidence of anyone staying inside of one. 'No one should be down there,' he told KIRO. 'This could be life or death.'

One neighbor said she noticed the manhole cover has been partially ajar for at least a month. Another said she noticed kids running back and forth, up and down the manhole. 'I don't know what they're doing inside,' said the woman.
Ukip MEP and leadership hopeful Diane James, who it has been revealed has been involved in the break-up of two marriages

Euro MP Diane James is favourite to become the new leader of Ukip after launching her campaign boasting: There are no flaws, there are no skeletons in the cupboard and no bad news stories.

Yet far from being free of skeletons, her cupboard seems positively bulging with them.

The Daily Mail can reveal the 56-year-old politician has been involved in the break-up of two marriages. An affair with a married adviser to a defence secretary at the time even led to inquiries by Military Police.

She also has some explaining to do regarding her current partner, who was named in the leaked Panama papers as having established a firm in the tax haven of the British Virgin Islands.

And even the academic qualifications claimed by Mrs James, a close associate of former Ukip leader Nigel Farage, require some explaining.

Former grammar school girl Mrs James worked in private healthcare firms for several decades before becoming an independent local councillor in Waverley, Surrey, ten years ago.

She switched to Ukip and became the partys MEP for the South East in 2014. She has since risen rapidly through the ranks to be appointed deputy leader earlier this year, shortly before mounting her campaign to became new leader after Mr Farages latest resignation.

But as she tours the country campaigning, she has not mentioned how in 1998 a tabloid newspaper exposed her affair with senior MoD official Ron Smith, a married man and aide to the then Labour defence secretary George Robertson.

For three years she had been the secret lover of Mr Smith, a former RAF wing commander six years her senior, who had become chief executive of the MoDs Defence Secondary Care Agency. Their affair emerged when his wife Susan, herself an RAF wing commander with an MBE, was investigated by the Military Police over a financial matter.

Mrs James was interviewed by police, although there was no suggestion of any financial irregularity on her part.

By 2005, however, Mrs James had taken up with another married man  John Forrest, pictured, now 73, who is 17 years her senior. They live together in a secluded 1million house in Surrey

She continued seeing Mr Smith, who had two children from a previous marriage, for at least three months after his wife found out and he promised to end the affair. Amid the furore, he resigned from his job. At the time, Mrs James, after being pictured being kissed and hugged by her married lover told the Mirror: I cant speak about it. The Military Police have told me not to say anything. This will ruin me.

By 2005, however, she had taken up with another married man  John Forrest, now 73, who is 17 years her senior. They live together in a secluded 1million house in Surrey. He had been married to his wife Jane for 32 years at the time. Mrs Forrest, 65, who now lives alone in the New Forest in Hampshire, declined to discuss Mrs James and her husband.

Dr Forrest, who was made a CBE in 2002, had directorships at Marconi Defence Systems and the 3i venture capital firm. But as well as operating a number of businesses with Mrs James  who has talked of working in healthcare  the Panama papers show that in 2005 Dr Forrest had a company set up in the British Virgin Islands.

Mrs James, is a close associate of current Ukip leader Nigel Farage. She worked in private healthcare firms for several decades before becoming an independent local councillor in Waverley, Surrey, ten years ago

He is listed as a shareholder in BVI-registered Leparin Ltd, giving as his address the holiday home he shares with Mrs James in Provence in the south of France. The agent involved in establishing the company was the Panama law firm at the centre of the Panama papers leak in April, Mossack Fonseca.

Last night Dr Forrest and Mrs James declined to discuss Leparin.

Mrs James was also unwilling to clarify her academic record. A local newspaper interview suggested she had a degree from Thames Valley University in business and tourism, but an online critic queried whether it was a degree-awarding institution when she went there.
Children staying at Center Parcs are at risk of being exposed to hardcore online porn, campaigners warned last night.

The holiday village  popular with tens of thousands of families  applies no filters on its free wi-fi network, meaning youngsters can easily stumble across adult images and videos on devices.

The alarm was raised after one mother, visiting the Sherwood Forest site in Nottinghamshire, reportedly told campaigners she discovered her son watching porn on his tablet.

Children staying at Center Parcs, pictured, are at risk of being exposed to hardcore online porn, campaigners warned last night

Center Parcs admits that it has no wi-fi filters at any of its five UK sites  and said it was up to parents to install filters on devices.

The Daily Mail has campaigned to make it easier for parents to put a block on online porn in their own home.

Thousands of businesses, including Starbucks, McDonalds, John Lewis and Waterstones, have also signed up to a friendly wi-fi scheme under which a filter is installed.

John Carr, secretary of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, said he was shocked to find that Center Parcs, which markets itself heavily as being a family-friendly company, was not playing its part in keeping children safe online.

It is very disappointing that a supposedly family-oriented business like Center Parcs doesnt see the importance of an issue like this, he said. They need to wake up to their responsibilities.

Center Parcs, which is visited by around 1.6million people a year in Britain, has five holiday villages across the country.

The first, Sherwood Forest, opened in 1987, with others at Elveden Forest, Suffolk; Longleat Forest, Wiltshire; Whinfell Forest, Cumbria and Woburn Forest, Bedfordshire opening in subsequent years.

Mr Carr said a mother had got in touch with him to say they had visited the Center Parcs resort in Sherwood Forest with her children, who brought their smartphones and iPads with them.

Center Parcs, which is visited by around 1.6million people a year in Britain, has five holiday villages across the country

The parents were shocked to discover that the free wi-fi provided by Center Parcs had no filtering at all attaching to it, he said. They discovered this when they found several young boys  including their son  in a huddle watching hardcore porn.

The mother, who was from Sheffield, told Mr Carr: We were shocked that this sort of stuff was available in a place like this. Its not right.

Mr Carr said: Center Parcs market themselves pretty much exclusively to families with kids. After several exchanges with the company, I can confirm that it is indeed the case that they do not filter out hard core porn or indeed any other adult content.

An executive at the company confirmed to Mr Carr that although the Center Parcs wi-fi, which is supplied via Virgin Media, blocks illegal sites, it does not automatically block pornography.

She told him: I can advise that only illegal sites and sites with illegal content are blocked. It is down to the our guests discretion whether they apply extra filters on their own personal devices to block anything else.

The executive said she would share Mr Carrs email with their IT team at head office for their future consideration when upgrading our systems.

Speaking last night, Mr Carr said: I think this is a pretty poor show for a company that caters for families with children.

Starbucks, McDonalds, John Lewis, Waterstones all accepted that they had a responsibility to act to make their public spaces safe spaces for kids and they introduced filters, as have dozens, if not hundreds of other businesses in the UK.

Last night a spokeswoman for Center Parcs said: Whilst we dont specify what content our guests can access through our wi-fi, we do have filters which block all illegal content.
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These mesmerising aerial photographs, taken with the help of a drone, captures Singapore city as few have seen it before.

They showcase well-known landmarks as well as lesser-known attractions in the South East Asian city - all looking so pristine that they could have been part of a miniature model.

For photographer Chia Joel, the abstract images are his way of making 'others fall in love with the city'.

These images were taken by photographer Chia Joel, who hopes they will make people fall in love with Singapore. Above, The Esplanade, also known as Theatres on the Bay

On the left are the residential homes and marina of Sentosa Cove and the right shows the bridge connecting Sentosa Island to the mainland

The cargo containers at PSA Singapore is pictured on the left while the coastal homes at Sentosa Cove are shown on the right

Joel, who's also known as idroneman, would scout out different locations around the city to launch and land his DJI Phantom 3 drone.

The ideal spot will give him an unusual vantage point and help to make ordinary locations seem remarkable.

It also needs to be in an elevated position so he can maintain the best signal strength and sight lines.

Before launching the drone, Joel needs to make sure the weather conditions are just right to get the perfect shot.

Joel said: 'My aerial adventures consist of a number of important and well thought-out processes.

'It takes a lot of prep before shots like these ever come to fruition.

Some of the images are surreal. A roundabout (left) becomes so futuristic it could be a flying saucer while the monorail (right) looks like it's part of a children's modelling set

From this view, not a blade of grass is out of place at Marina Square (left) while the water in a harbour looks inviting in deep turquoise (right)

Another view of the Esplanade, pictured left, looks almost unrecognisable. On the right, the Sentosa Broadwalk looks like it might be the perfect spot to enjoy the view

'Most of the time, after a day of flying, I end up so fascinated by how somewhere so ordinary or perhaps so common or random, can turn out to be a piece of art.'

The resulting shots have included everything from harbours and shipping ports to volleyball courts and churches.

These images make Singapore look so perfectly manicured that they could almost be photographs of a miniature model.

Joel said: 'I hope that each of my photos of common, ordinary, random things transformed by the drone's perspective into abstract pieces of art tells a story that will help others fall in love with the city.

'I hope to rekindle the love for Singapore, old or new, once again and hope to remind people that beauty can indeed be found here in Singapore if you just keep an open mind, and are willing to see things from a new perspective.'

The volleyball courts at Singapore Sports Hub (above) is surrounded by greenery - perfect spot for a weekend game

A night-time view (left) show just how few vehicles are on the road after dark. On the right is Saint Andrew's Cathedral, the largest in the country
She had just dished on Jimmy Kimmel Live about how shocking it was to see so many Americans smiling at her, noting: 'Everyone smiles a lot here. They're more cool in France.'

And on Friday Natalie Portman couldn't hide her smile as she was spotted out to lunch with a friend in Los Angeles.

The 35-year-old seemed to be adjusting to life back in the US after living among the 'cool' Parisians for two years.

Gorgeous in green! Natalie Portman showed off a big smile as she met a friend for lunch in Los Angeles on Friday

Natalie wore a loose-fitting, green top which featured ruffled accents along the collar.

She coupled the bright top with a pair of fitted, white trousers, which she sported cuffed to just above her ankles.

The mother-of-one accessorized the look with a pair of chunky, pink and black sandals, and hid her eyes behind stylish, wayfarer-style sunglasses.

She wore her long, brunette tresses in a side part, and styled straight, and carried her wallet in one hand.

Can't hide her smile! The Oscar winner seemed to be in good spirits as she laughed and showed off a wide grin

Looking bright! The actress wore a breezy, green top with ruffled accents along the collar

The Oscar winner was joined by a woman in a knee-length, black dress, and coordinating chunky flip flops.

The smiley outing comes just after Natalie had discussed the shock of the friendliness of American citizens, after moving back to Los Angeles following two years in Paris, France.

'Someone would smile at my child and I'd be, "What a good person." People are really lovely here,' Natalie had gushed to Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday's episode of the late night chat show.

Coordinating: Natalie was joined for lunch by a woman in a black dress who also sported coordinating, chunky sandals

Natalie had moved to France in 2014 after her husband, Benjamin Millepied, was made the Paris Opera Ballet's director of dance.

Discussing the strict etiquette of French citizens, she said: 'I feel there's a lot of rules of politeness and codes of behavior there you have to follow. It's a lot looser here.'

'(In the US) You care about making the person next to you comfortable because you want them to feel good,' she continued.
While she recently celebrated having an empty nest, Christie Brinkley couldn't have looked happier to be reunited with all three of her children Friday night.

The 62-year-old modeling icon attended Celebrity Autobiography at the Guild Hall in East Hampton with daughters Alexa Ray Joel, 30, Sailor Brinkley-Cook, 18, and son Jack Brinkley Cook, 21.

Wrapping an arm around her statuesque girls, Christie was practically bursting with pride as she spent some quality time with her grown children.

Family reunion! Christie Brinkley attended Celebrity Autobiography at the Guild Hall in the Hamptons on Friday with daughters Alexa Ray Joel, 30, Sailor Brinkley-Cook, 18, and son Jack Brinkley-Cook, 21

The college freshman was summery and chic in her see-through lace tank top, rolled up jeans, and black ankle boots.

Her older sister donned an extremely low-cut black top paired with ripped jean shorts and a long blue duster.

She accessorized the look with a cross and choker necklace, and stood tall in her nude platform heels.

Jack sported a head full of beachy curls while looking dashing in his unbuttoned denim top, jeans, and white Converse sneakers.

Just the girls! Brinkley was grinning from ear to ear as she wrapped her arms around her two daughters

Christie, meanwhile, looked effortlessly chic in her dark grey playsuit, sexy black heels, and bright blonde hair worn down.

It would be another big night for Christie, who would be starring opposite fellow beauty icon Brooke Shields in Celebrity Autobiography.

The night would see the models reading their co-star's memoir.

Hitting a fashion high note! Christie, meanwhile, looked effortlessly chic in her dark grey playsuit, sexy black heels, and bright blonde hair worn down

No doubt Christie's children would be excited to see their mother take the stage.

Alexa, her eldest daughter, is from her marriage with musician Billy Joel.

Sailor is from her mother's marriage to Peter Cook, with Jack's biological father Christie's ex-husband Richard Taubman. Jack was then adopted by Peter.

A college freshman, Sailor moved out into an apartment to attend Parsons School Of Design in New York City.

And after her daughter moved out, Christie couldn't help but share a celebratory message to her Instagram, announcing how excited she was to have an empty nest.

The model shared a photo of her popping open a bottle of champagne, which she captioned, 'Empty Nest! Par-Tay!!!'
Back in February it was confirmed that Rodger Corser would be fronting the cast of Channel Nine's new show Doctor Doctor.

And just months later, the television network is ready to fast-track the medical drama to screens across the nation on September 14, with filming having only just recently wrapped up.

Former Underbelly and Rush star Rodger will play heart surgeon Hugh Knight, and given his breath of experience in Australian television, the 43-year-old may very well be Australia's answer to Dr McDreamy, made famous by Patrick Dempsey in Grey's Anatomy.

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Hello Dr! Australian actor Rodger Corser is fronting Channel Nine's new show Doctor Doctor

Like the popular American series, plenty of controversy and scandal is buried within the script of Doctor Doctor.

Rodger's character is a successful Sydney-based heart surgeon, who is forced to work as a GP during a year-long surgical probation after a night of partying takes an unfavourable turn.

McDreamy! The 43-year-old may very well be Australia's answer to Dr McDreamy, made famous by Patrick Dempsey in Grey's Anatomy

An official synopsis of the show produced by Claudia Karvan reads: 'When he is knocked off his pedestal and on to the Impaired Registrants Program, prodigal Sydney surgeon and party boy Hugh Knight must return to his family home in rural Whyhope where he might learn to swallow his pride and mend his ways  or not'.

'When we meet Hugh, he's got everything he wants,' Rodger told The Sunday Telegraph.

'[But] a colleague settles the score by sending him to the one place he knows Hugh was last like to go, his home town.'

Filmed in Sydney's inner west suburb of Rozelle, as well as Mudgee and Camden, the drama also stars local talent Ryan Johnson, Nicole Da Silva, Tina Bursill and Steve Bisley.

Action! Channel Nine is ready to fast-track the medical drama to screens across the nation on September 14, with filming having only just recently wrapped up

Time to reform: Rodger's character is a successful Sydney-based heart surgeon, who is forced to work as a GP during a year-long surgical probation after a night of partying takes an unfavourable turn

Former Home And Away star Ryan will play Rodger's brother Matt, who marries Hugh's ex-girlfriend Charlie, played by Wentworth actress Nicole.

In an official statement on Sunday, Nines Heads of Drama, Andy Ryan and Jo Rooney said: 'Wednesday night on Nine is the new home for family drama and DOCTOR DOCTOR is appointment viewing.

'If laughter is the best medicine, the misadventures of Hugh and his dysfunctional family are just what the doctor ordered.'

Beauty: Wentworth actress Nicole Da Silva will play the ex-girlfriend of Rodger's character
Tehran, Iran, August 28

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

Two power plants planned to be built by Russia in the southern Iranian port city of Bushehr have been funded, according to Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrooz Kamalvandi.

In the coming weeks we will try to hold the final talks and then soon after announce a date for starting the construction of the power plants, he said, ISNA news agency reported August 28.

On the advantages of the first Iranian nuclear power plant that was built in the same location and commissioned in 2011, Kamalvandi said the power plant has helped Iran save on 27 million barrels of oil, prevent the formation of 15.7 million tons of pollutants, and yielded 17 million kilowatt hour of electricity.

On Irans heavy water sale, the official said currently European countries are the biggest customers of the product, adding that talks to sell heavy water to Russia are also almost final.

Russia has already built a power plant in Bushehr. The agreement for Bushehr nuclear power plant was finalized in 1995, but the project was delayed several times due to a number of technical and financial issues.

Bushehr- Iran's only nuclear power plant, which was inaugurated in September of 2013, has a capacity of producing 1,000 megawatts of electricity.
Brunches are certainly one of the weekend highlights that Hollywood stars look forward to.

And Reese Witherspoon was ecstatic to get her food fix as she stepped out in a cheerful mood in Santa Monica, California with her husband Jim Toth and youngest of three children, Tennessee, three.

The 40-year-old actress opted for a pair of stylish Draper James pants from her booming clothing line.

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Always stylish: Reese Witherspoon stepped out on Saturday in Draper James floral pants paired with wedge heels for her family outing in Santa Monica

The Wild star - who has been spotted at the gym almost on a daily basis - showed off her toned legs in blue and green, floral printed pants, heightened by her wedge heels.

She paired it with a navy blue top, a camel-colored satchel slung over her shoulder and a trendy white fedora.

Reese's blonde locks were sleek and straight, tucked behind her ears, as she sported black sunglasses to block from the scorching sun.

The fashionista topped it off with a chain link necklace and a rose gold watch.

High spirits: The 40-year-old star looked happy to be in her family's company for quality time

Casual chic: The Oscar-winning actress paired her pants with a navy blue top, brown cross body purse and a trendy white fedora

Blue-eyed boy! The mom-of-three brought along her youngest of three, Tennessee, as the the family nanny assisted in carrying him

Her husband of five years donned a casual look in a white V-neck shirt, khaki drawstring pants, black sneakers and mirrored sunglasses for the shade.

The mom-of-three had some assistance from their nanny who carried their son.

On social media, the Walk the Line star shared a snap on Instagram from inside the Santa Monica restaurant where she captioned the photo: 'Patiently waiting for #brunch.'

However, Reese donned a slightly different outlet in a patterned, pin striped blue corset top, showing off her busty cleavage.

Hubby: Her husband of five years, Jim Toth, donned a white V-neck tee, drawstring khaki pants and black sneakers

Movie star status: Reese looked lovely at brunch as she captioned her Instagram photo: 'Patiently waiting for #brunch'

Appearing in a Facebook Live session last week, the Oscar-winning actress recently gushed over her film, Legally Blonde, revealing Elle Woods could be returning to the silver screen.

Talks of a third movie have been surfacing since last year, and Reese admitted: 'A lot of people have asked me if we're going to make another Legally Blonde, and we're thinking about it.'

Adding: '[I] loved making Legally Blonde, because I love pink! It was really fun!'

On her other classic, the star said: 'I love Sweet Home Alabama! We are not making a sequel that I know of, but if Disney wants to call me, I would happily make a Sweet Home Alabama 2!'

However, Reese has been keeping busy with her new TV project, Big Little Lies, co-starring with Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, Alexander Skarsgard and Zoe Kravitz, set to premiere on HBO in 2017.
He was widely praised for his Xtra Factor debut alongside Matt Edmonson on Saturday night.

But Rylan Clark-Neal's night took a surprise turn shortly after he came off air when he became trapped in a lift with eight other people.

The popular presenter kept fans updated on his plight, sharing videos of himself swigging from a Champagne bottle as he filmed others in the lift trying to prise open the door.

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Not in the script: Rylan Clark-Neal's night took a surprise turn shortly after his Xtra Factor debut when he became trapped in a lift with eight other people

At one stage, he dramatically exclaimed, 'Are we gonna die?' as the group stood in the cramped lift.

After 45 minutes, the door was opened just enough to allow those trapped inside to climb out to safety.

A cheer went up when the last of the occupants was freed, and Rylan delivered a to-camera piece summarising what had happened.

Numb the pain: The popular presenter kept fans updated on his plight, sharing videos of himself swigging from a Champagne bottle

Is this it? At one stage, he dramatically exclaimed, 'Are we gonna die?' as the group stood in the cramped lift

'What can I say,' he began. 'I've just seen some of your comments, so thank you so much for enjoying it and being part of it. Now you may have seen tonight things took a turn for the worse.

'I was stuck in a lift for 45 minutes. I'd go as far as saying 53. All I wanted was the lift operator and he wouldn't come. Luckily a runner used to work for a lift company and with the help of a broom handle saved us from our sins.

'It was very touch and go at one point. The Moet ran out and we didn't know what we were gonna do. I'd like to thank you the public for being there for us and most of all I'd like to thank Jesus, because without you we wouldn't have got out that lift, and we wouldn't have Christmas.'

Safe at last: After 45 minutes, the door was opened just enough to allow those trapped inside to climb out to safety

A night to remember: Rylan was widely praised for his Xtra Factor debut alongside Matt Edmonson on Saturday night

Taking over from Rochelle Humes and Melvin Odoom, Rylan and Matt drew widespread praise for their debut outing on the X Factor's sister show.

One fan wrote on Twitter, 'Looooving #XtraFactorLive awesome format Rylan and Matt Edmonson :)'

While another posted: 'This new #xtrafactor is amazing! Rylan and Matt Edmonson are brilliant together'

Going bananas: The star pointed out the lift was built to take the weight of 5,050 bananas

A third said: 'I love Matt Edmonson and Rylan is just hilarious so this year's xtra factor has to be the best in years #XtraFactor'

And the duo had their fair share of celebrity support, with Paddy McGuinness writing: 'Nice seeing a couple of good eggs @Rylan & @Matt Edmonson hitting the ground running! Nice lads.'

While former contestants Sam and Mark said: 'Think it's safe to say @MattEdmondson @Rylan are absolutely brilliant on @XtraFactor_UK and a breath of fresh air already mark #XtraFactor'
Shameless star William H. Macy has taken a swipe at Australia, describing the country as an 'entire continent with a drinking problem'.

The American actor, who plays drug-addled Frank Gallagher in the U.S. TV series, said he struggled to keep up on nights out when he visited Melbourne 10 years ago.

'I can drink but everyone I met in Australia drank me under the table a couple of times over. And they would get up at 6.30am to go to work.

Damning: Shameless star William H. Macy has taken a swipe at Australia, describing the country as an 'entire continent with a drinking problem'

'No offence, but that's an entire continent with a drinking problem,' he told The Sunday Telegraph.

William, whose mother had a problem with alcohol, said he did not discuss the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step program with Mel Gibson while preparing for their new film, Blood Father.

He plays the sponsor to Mel's rugged ex-convict character - a recovering alcoholic trying to save his wayward daughter from a drug cartel.

Action flick: William said he did not discuss the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step program with Mel Gibson while preparing for their new film, Blood Father

The Hollywood star no doubt wrestled some of his own demons in this film as he has been open about his own battle with alcohol addiction.

In 2006, Mel issued a lengthy apology after he was arrested for drink driving.

'I have battled with the disease of alcoholism for all of my adult life and profoundly regret my horrific relapse,' he said.

Cute couple: William has two daughters with his wife Felicity Huffman (pictured together)

William said he has 'great affection' and admiration for the Oscar-winning actor.

But he revealed that he enjoyed teasing Mel while they were on set.

'I gave him shit on set and on camera,' he told the publication.

'And it worked out. I have great affection for him.'

William, who has two teenage daughters with his wife Felicity Huffman, described the Desperate Housewives star as the 'best mother in the history of mothers'.
Les Coker is due to lead Paul's funeral procession through the Square later this week.

In scenes due to air on EastEnders, Paul's grandfather will keep his chin up and march through streets lined with familiar faces, paying their respects.

BBC One viewers will know that the character Paul was brutally murdered in a homophobic attack outside a London nightclub, last month.

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Funeral procession: Paul's grandfather Les is due to walk his funeral car through the Square in EastEnders on Tuesday

Emotions are expected to run high for the close neighbourhood, who have been rocked by the sad death.

New pictures show Kush Kazemi (Davood Ghadami), Carmel Kazemi (Bonnie Langford), Claudette Hubbard (Ellen Thomas), Patrick Trueman (Rudolph Walker) and Kim Fox-Hubbard (Tameka Empson) mourning in black outside their houses.

Les, meanwhile - clad in a long dark coat and a top hat - will keep a stiff upper line and march with a cane.

Paying their respects: Kush Kazemi (DAVOOD GHADAMI), Carmel Kazemi (BONNIE LANGFORD), Claudette Hubbard (ELLEN THOMAS), Patrick Trueman (RUDOLPH WALKER), Kim Fox-Hubbard (TAMEKA EMPSON) are among some of the mourners

Pam has been forced to accept that Les wanted to walk the coffin out rather than travel in the hearse with her.

It's fair to say that Les has been stern with the way that he has dealt with his loss in recent weeks.

He was previously seen at loggerheads with his son's boyfriend Ben Mitchell, as he pleaded with the young mechanic to leave the death's investigation to the police.

Heartbreaking: Les is joined by Pam Coker and Billy Mitchell

Early photos showed the grandfather and boyfriend standing face-to-face in the funeral parlour with a huge tension between them, as a traumatised Louise looked on tearfully.

The Mitchells were informed that Ben was dead, only to be led in to see Paul Coker's body.

While a distraught Ben (Harry Reid) agreed in a recent episode to leave the finding of his boyfriend Paul's killers to the police, it seems now he is ready to avenge the death of his loved one alone.

Tensions mounting: In a new teaser photo for EastEnders, Paul's grandfather Les is seen at pleading with his son's boyfriend Ben Mitchell to leave the death's investigation to the police

Seeking revenge: Ben has expressed his desires to find Paul's killers alone already in recent episodes, asking Phil for a gun which was met with a furious talking to by Jay

He has already expressed these fury-fuelled desires recently, even asking Phil Mitchell for a gun.

However Paul's father Les, portrayed by Roger Sloman, appears less than keen on the idea, wanting to leave his son at peace and the investigation to professionals.

Alcoholic Les has been plagued with heartbreak in light of the news alongside his stricken wife Pam, whose grief has caused her to not want to leave the house.

Secret lovers: Paul and Ben kept their relationship under wraps for weeks in fear that their gay romance would not be accepted

While Ben had been at the club with Paul on the night of his death, he was nowhere to be seen when the body was identified by Phil Mitchell and Ian Beale.

Speculation began to circle among fans on social media that Ben may have had something to do with the attack due to his conflicted sexuality, having also embarked on relationships with girls in the past.

EastEnders continues on Monday at 8pm on BBC1.
She's been spotted multiple times returning to the everyday grind, since being booted off hit dating series The Bachelor.

And on Tuesday, the show's resident villain Keira Maguire was seen heading to the gym to no doubt let off some steam.

The 29-year-old account manager flaunted her taut torso and revealed a glimpse of cleavage in a low-cut crop top and pair of Nike compression tights.

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Training mode: The Bachelor's Keira Maguire, 29, flaunted her taut torso and revealed a glimpse of cleavage in a low-cut crop top and pair of Nike compression tights as she headed to a Sydney gym on Tuesday

Keen to get into workout mode, Keira was dressed for the occasion in the revealing activewear that highlighted her toned frame.

She accessorised the ensemble with a pair of Nike trainers, tinted sunglasses and a black bomber jacket.

The outspoken personality was later seen carrying a coffee cup and Adidas emblazoned towel as she presumably made her way back to her car after the sweat session.

Sweeping her short-haired locks into a sleek style at the nape of her neck, Keira sported a minimal amount of make-up including a hint of bronzer to define her cheekbones.

Equipped: Accessorising with a pair of Nike trainers, tinted cat eye sunglasses and black bomber jacket, the outspoken personality was later seen carrying a coffee cup and Adidas emblazoned towel as she presumably made her way back to her car

Despite not getting along with many of the Bachelor's contestants, the Brisbane native has formed a close bond with 31-year-old Sasha Zhuralyova.

Taking to Instagram last week, Keira shared a snap of the pair sitting on a double bed in a luxurious hotel room in Melbourne, dressed to impress in sleek and sexy black attire.

'Weekends with this babe @sashazhuravlyova #bachbesties ...These @scanlantheodore boots are everything (sic)', the Lara Bingle lookalike captioned the image.

Sizzling: The Brisbane native has formed a close bond with fellow 31-year-old fellow Bachelor contestant Sasha Zhuralyova, enjoying a night out on the town in Melbourne last week

Keira also shared some Snapchat videos of the pair's fun adventures.

'Oh my god, guess who I'm with. My favourite girl from The Bachelor, Sasha. Remember the one that ate the roses', Keira initially told her Snapchat followers.

The next video showed the pair ready to hit the town, with Keira saying: 'So I'm so excited to be in Melbourne with my girl, we going to be hitting the club tonight yo.. just joking but we are going out (sic)'.

While enjoying some pre-drinks in their hotel room, Keira took the opportunity to praise the executive assistant, telling her fans: 'Follow my girl Sasha, she's more fun than me. I mean I'm pretty fun'.

Sasha responded, 'no you're the fun one', before running her hands through Keira's blonde hair.

Keeping close: Keira also shared some Snapchat videos of the pair's fun adventures

Dressed to impress: Both reality stars worked sleek black ensembles
They've got just 10 weeks to transform an art deco, heritage listed building into something remarkable, maintaining it's old charm.

And on Sunday night's episode of The Block, Perth's baby boomer Dan unexpectedly broke down in tears after his master ensuite reveal, with wife Carleen, was panned by the judges.

The usually tough 55-year-old shared to the camera: 'I'm not an emotional bloke, but this brings out everything in you'.

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Emotional: Perth's baby boomer Dan, 55, broke down in tears after the master ensuite room reveal sharing to camera, 'I'm not an emotional bloke, but this brings out everything in you'

Things got off to a bad start for the oldest couple on this season of The Block, when they were left without a tiler.

A frantic hunt began for a new tradesman after their current one did not have the right insurances and therefore had to get off site.

'I thought I was up and rolling again', said a panicked Dan to camera.

'It's frustration, anger, panic. This is all over,' he continued.

Tiring: Dan's wife Carleen, 52, was also brought to her limits after this week's renovation

But the judges didn't go easier on them in their feedback during the room reveal.

Darren Palmer simply stated that he 'hates it'.

'I cant get past this', he stressed, referring to the dominant brown and white abstract floor tiling that wasn't secured properly.

And fellow judge Neale Whitaker also could not get past what he referred to as a tacky plate, with the text, 'Drink Champagne and Dance All Night'.

Frantic: Things got off to a bad start for the oldest couple on this season of The Block, when they were left without a tiler

'Hate it': The judges didn't go easier on them for all their dramas in their feedback during the room reveal

'This really offends me. I think it's so cheap, before spotting a candle emblazoned with the text, 'I love the s**t out of you'.

'That is probably one of the worst things', he added.

Dan's wife Carleen, a hairdresser from Perth, took the comments to heart.

'It's very hurtful. I take that very personally'.

While Dan shared added: 'it's a kick in the guts... I'm not an emotional bloke but this brings out everything in you'.

Judgement: Kim, 32, decided to ditch the art deco style lamps in favour of something more contemporary, but this did not go down well with the judge's overall liking of the room

Not impressed: Upon entering the room, judge Shaynna Blaze did not hold back. 'I'm sorry, where are we?', she asked the judges, referring to the choice of style

Newcastle's Chris, 34, and Kim, 32, also copped a beating with their room reveal.

Upon entering the room, judge Shaynna Blaze did not hold back.

'I'm sorry, where are we?', she asked the judges, referring to the choice of style.

Neale agreed, sharing that 'this is where one of your worst concerns becomes real.

'It's totally off brief....completely soulless'.

With such feedback for just one of the teams, it's no surprise Geelong primary school teachers Ben, 24, and Andy, 25, were not looking forward to the judges comments.

Anxious: For Geelong primary school teachers Ben, 24, and Andy, 25, they were not looking forward to the judges comments

Lack of research: 'It all feels a bit cheap to me', judge Neal Whitaker confessed, with the rest of the judges sharing to the show's host Scotty Scam that, 'for a couple of teachers they need to do their homework'

'Far out, we are in for an absolute pasting', Andy said to the show's host Scotty Cam.

'I don't know if I want to hear it Scotty', he continued.

And unfortunately the comments, weren't on a positive note.

'It all feels a bit cheap to me', Neal confessed, with the rest of the judges sharing to Scotty that, 'for a couple of teachers they need to do their homework'.

But for Brisbane couple Will, 25, and Karlie, 25, things were on the up.

'This is really special', Darren shared of the vast space.

Neale followed suit, saying, 'they have seriously raised the bar'.

Faux pas: 'Mood lighting is great on the floor, but you can't do your makeup on the floor', Shaynna quipped

However Shaynna found one fault, stating that for an electrician, Will failed to ensure adequate lighting.

'Mood lighting is great on the floor, but you can't do your makeup on the floor', Shaynna quipped.

For Melbournites Julia, 31, and Sasha, 43, they earned themselves the week's prize, $10,000 from Domain to put towards their apartment.

'This is the business', Darren gushed, with Neale adding, 'it's just very sophisticated'.

Despite an 'absolutely furious' Julia earlier in the week, when a pair of $4,000 luxury taps were sunk too low in the basin, they managed to win the week's task of creating a sophisticated take on an art deco master ensuite.

Soaring: Julia and Sasha were the clear winners in this week's challenge

Ecstatic: For Melbournites Julia, 31, and Sasha, 43, they earned themselves the week's prize, $10,000 from Domain to put towards their apartment
Kelly Ripa marked a milestone on Saturday as her eldest child headed off to college.

The 45-year-old TV presenter shared a sweet snap on Instagram of her three children as they said their goodbyes to Michael, 19.

Kelly wrote alongside the snap: 'Saying goodbye to big bro, the college freshman. (Whilst conspiring to take over his bedroom.) '

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Her brood: Kelly Ripa shared this cute snap of her three children on Saturday as she said goodbye to her eldest son Michael who's heading to college

The siblings appear to be chilling out in their backyard as they line up for the family photo.

Michael is seen sandwiched in-between his younger sister Lola, 15 and brother Michael, 13.

Kelly shares her three children with husband of 20 years, actor Mark Consuelos.

TV couple: The Live with Kelly star has three children including daughter Lola, 15 and son Joaquin, 13 with husband Mark Consuelos. They are pictured on August 7

The couple met on the set of All My Children, in which Mark still stars.

Mark joined his wife on the set of Live! recently to talk about their eldest son's graduation from high school.

The couple revealed he's going to college, and also started a job in July, though they didn't provide any specific details.

'How are we old enough to have a kid that's going to college?' Kelly marveled.

'Bae watch': The TV host shared this cute couple snap earlier in the year during a vacation

'We've got big plans for his bedroom, big plans,' she joked.

'That bedroom is going to be turned into a mega closet before you can say "university."'

Kelly is still yet to find a co-host to join her on her morning show after Michael Strahan left to join ABC's Good Morning America earlier this year.

She has been joined by several guest co-hosts in recent months including Keegan-Michael Key, from comedy series Key & Peele, Watch What Happens Live host Andy Cohen and CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper, Jimmy Kimmel and The Wonder Years actor Fred Savage.

Going strong: The couple celebrated 20 years of marriage in May
He's no stranger to a work out, or a selfie.

So it was no surprise to see Brooklyn Beckham sharing his intense session in the gym with his dedicated fans on Saturday.

Following a session at the gym, the 17-year-old photographer decided to share a video of him doing a series of lightning-fast push-ups as his trainer looked on.

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Breaking a sweat? It was no surprise to see Brooklyn Beckham sharing his intense session in the gym with his dedicated fans on Saturday

Sharing the post with his 8.3million followers, the eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham looked to have pushed himself harder than ever in the workout.

Assuming a plank position on the floor, and with his trademark cap keeping his growing mane firmly out of his eyes, Brooklyn worked up a sweat as he finished his session.

Bouncing up and down on his chiseled and toned arms, the teenager showed off his physical aptitude.

Not that's definition: Following a session at the gym the 17-year-old photographer decided to share a video of him doing a series of lightning-fast push-ups as his trainer looked on

And while he's certainly in good shape it seems that even Brooklyn, with both fitness and youth on his side, has his limits.

Screwing his face into a frimace as he neared the unrelenting end of the set, the teen could be seen grimacing.

With his cap falling off his head and his long blonde hair spilling down and over his face the teen laughed as he finished the press-ups.

Assume the position: Sharing the post with his 8.3million followers, the eldest son of David and Victoria Beckham looked to have pushed himself harder than ever in the workout

Dip low: Assuming a plank position on the floor, and with his trademark cap keeping his growing mane firmly out of his eyes, Brooklyn worked up a sweat as he finished his session

No pain, no gain: Bouncing up and down on his chiseled and toned arms, the teenager showed off his physical aptitude

Cheekily making light of the sweat-inducing session, Brooklyn captioned the post: 'Easy push-ups,' followed by an emoticon.

And clearly proud of the results of his time in the gym, the rising star posed for a shot in which he flexed his muscles.

With his hair covering his face, the teen - who is dating actress Chole Moretz - seemed to want to draw attention to his sculpted torso rather than his sweaty face.

It's so easy: Cheekily making light of the sweat-inducing session, Brooklyn captioned the post: 'Easy push-ups,' followed by an emoticon

Cheat day? Brooklyn was later seen leaving hot-spot and celeb-fave eatery The Nice Guy
Johnny Depp's personal life and split from Amber Heard has made international headlines this year, amid claims of domestic abuse.

And it seems some members of the Australian public have taken offence to his 'Sauvage' fragrance campaign for Christian Dior, which is being promoted heavily Down Under just days after his divorce settlement.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the Australian Advertising Standards Bureau received 'a couple of complaints' about the campaign, which features the French word 'Sauvage' meaning 'wild.'

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Inappropriate? The Australian Advertising Standards Bureau has reportedly received 'a couple of complaints' about the Sauvage campaign featuring Johnny Depp

ASB head honcho Fiona Jolly remained tight-lipped about the complaints but told the publication, 'they centre around the use of the actor in advertisements.'

Promotional images can be seen around Sydney and Melbourne, after Johnny was announced as the latest 'face' of the fragrance last year.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Advertising Standards Bureau and Christian Dior for comment.

Controversy: Johnny Depp's personal life and split from Amber Heard has made international headlines this year, amid claims of domestic abuse

Earlier this year, social media was alight with reaction from fans to the TV advertisement, which showed Johnny rolling up his sleeves and driving a Dodge Charger in the desert.

On Twitter user wrote: 'Johnny Depp rolling up his sleeves for a fragrance called Sauvage looks a bit dodgy, given current events.'

Another commented: 'Anyone good enough friends with Dior to quietly mention pictures of Johhny Depp with SAUVAGE printed across them might be a bad idea just now.'

Johnny and Amber married only 15 months ago, but have had a very public break-up.

Controversial: Earlier this year, social media was alight with reaction from fans to the TV advertisement, which Johnny rolling up his sleeves and driving a Dodge Charger in the desert

The pair split in May and the actress was granted a restraining order after accusing him of domestic abuse.

Amber alleged Johnny threw a phone at her during an argument and insisted there were other occasions where he had been violent towards her.

But she filed court papers to dismiss her domestic violence case against him once they agreed on a reported $7 million divorce settlement.

Amber Heard has publicly pledged to donate her settlement from to charity.

In happier times: The pair split in May and the actress was granted a restraining order after accusing him of domestic abuse. Pictured at a Los Angeles event in January

Tough times: Amber filed court papers to dismiss her domestic violence case against Johnny once they agreed on a reported $7 million settlement

But the actress' team spoke out against her estranged husband after he made a payment on her behalf - saying he had done so in order to benefit from substantial tax deductions.

Johnny would get around half the money back from his taxes if he were to make the payments - something her team were quick to call attention to.

The former couple, who met on the set of The Rum Diary in 2011, were married in 2014.

American actor Johnny is best known for films including Edward Scissorhands, Dark Shadows and the Pirates of the Caribbean films.

He was previously married to Lori Anne Allison and in a long term relationship with model Vanessa Paradis, who he shares two children with.
They have both are at the forefront of fashion trends so it only stands to reason that they would express their love in matching styles.

Jaden Smith and girlfriend Sarah Snyder wore identical printed tops as they headed out in New York on Saturday.

The young couple celebrated being back on the same content with complementary looks and a stroll around Manhattan.

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Matchy matchy: Jaden Smith and girlfriend Sarah Snyder wore identical printed tops as they headed out in New York on Saturday

The 18-year-old movie star and his 21-year-old girlfriend each wore tops featuring the same print, with Jaden opting for a T-shirt and Sarah donning a sweatshirt.

Jaden wore his tee with a pair of straight leg black pants and black sneakers.

He further accessorized the look with an unusual tassel-like belt and a hat from his MSFTSrep clothing line which read 'Non-violent action program'.

Sarah meanwhile, decided to skip wearing pants so that the sweater was more of a dress than a top.

Fashion love: The 18-year-old movie star and his 21-year-old girlfriend each wore tops featuring the same print, with Jaden opting for a T-shirt and Sarah donning a sweatshirt

Music matters: Making their walk a little more fun, the son of Jada Pinkett Smith carried a Beats portable speaker so that they could listen to some tunes

She wore the look with a pair of high top Converse sneakers and carried a blue handbag.

Making their walk a little more fun, the son of Jada Pinkett Smith carried a Beats portable speaker so that they could listen to some tunes.

Jaden just got back to the US after a quick visit to Tokyo with his father Will Smith.
Tehran, Iran, August 28

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

A delegation of 70 Lebanese businessmen and officials left Beirut for Tehran, headed by Minister of Industry Hussein al-Hajj Hassan.

As the sanctions have been lifted, situations are riper than ever for expanding bilateral ties with Iran, Hassan said before departing Beirut, IRNA news agency reported August 28.

He said while in Tehran, he will meet Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh, government spokesman and head of Budget and Planning Organization Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi, Agriculture Minister Mohammad Hojjati, Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian, Minister of Transport Abbas Akhondi, and a number of lesser officials.

The Lebanese delegation is the latest in a series of business teams that started visiting Iran in 2016 when the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and six world powers was still on the anvil.

As the JCPOA was put into practice in January, a set of harsh sanctions on Iran were lifted by the US, EU, and UN Security Council.

However, a set of primary sanctions regarding the use of the US dollar in business transactions with Iran remain in place and have virtually annulled the sanctions relief, with Iranian businessmen and their foreign counterparts saying no practical change has happened in Irans international business.
She famously enjoyed a romp with Marco Pierre White Jr on the Channel Five show earlier this year.

But it seems Laura Carter has added another Big Brother star to her list - admitting to a very steamy smooch with CBB winner Stephen Bear last year.

The 30-year-old claimed to The Sun that she kissed the recent champion on a night out in November, after which Bear arrived at her house asking for sex.

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Fuel to the fire! Big Brother's Laura Carter, 30, told The Sun this week that she kissed Stephen Bear on a night out in November, after which he came to her house asking for sex

'We met on a night out, spent the night kissing and were all over each other and then carried on messaging each other for a while', she told the newspaper of Bear, who was seen romancing Chloe Khan on the series.

Stephen, 26, then reportedly arrived at Laura's house at 6am alongside Joey Essex and Jon Clarke, after she had gone to bed.

She continued: 'Id just woke up and he was on his knees begging to come in for a booty call.'

Despite denying his after-dark offer, the model remained coy about her desires for the Ex On The Beach.

Hinting at a potential future fling, a flirty Laura added: 'We haven't done anything too sexual yet, that's all I'm saying.'

Representatives of Stephen Bear declined to comment.

Naughty boy: Bear, who was seen romancing contestant Chloe Khan on the recent CBB series, reportedly arrived at Laura's house at 6am, 'begging for a booty call'

Lucky in love? Chloe, 25, embarked on several in-house trysts with Stephen during their time on the show before these claims came to light

The news that Laura is keen for more of Stephen may come as a blow to fellow CBB contestant Chloe Khan however.

The busty brunette, 25, embarked on several in-house trysts with Stephen during their time in the Borehamwood mansion before her eviction.

The pair then shared a passionate smooch at the show's grand finale, after Stephen was crowned the winner - to a mixed reaction from viewers.

Before his win and these claims however, she denied being in love with Stephen and explained she's used to being quite brutal when it comes to romance.

Storm brewing: As well as Laura's claims, their fling was put into question again when Bear was spotted cuddling up to two mystery blondes at the CBB final's after party

She said to new! magazine: 'I tend to be an evil princess. I'm very self-sufficient and I do my own thing.

Yet, still addressing her and Stephen's future as a couple, she added: 'We do have really different lives. We're going to go somewhere sunny for a few days to see what we want to do.'

However, their fling was put even further into question after the finale, when Bear was spotted cuddling up and partying alongside two mystery blondes.

Meanwhile Laura was spotted earlier this month in Ibiza, cosying up and passionately smooching her former flame Bernardo Belmar, despite her evident interest in Stephen.

Champion: A promiscuous Stephen Bear was crowned the winner of Celebrity Big Brother on Friday night - to a mixed reaction from viewers

Having fallen for him two years ago in Miami, she was briefly reunited with the handsome Mexican on Big Brother in January - and quickly insisted she wanted to have children with him.

Speaking of her excitement in the Diary Room, Laura, said: 'I want to thank you so much. This guy, I met in Miami two years ago, I was still engaged.

'We met in a club and it was pretty much love at first sight. He walked towards me - it was the strongest connection I've ever felt in my whole life.

Laura has previously boasted about enjoying a threesome with Justin Bieber after meeting him in a night club.

She also famously enjoyed a romp on TV with bad boy Marco Pierre White Jr. on this year's series of the Channel Five show.
She's adamantly denied recent cosmetic surgery rumours.

And Petra Stunt looked undeniably fresh-faced and natural as she headed for lunch at Ebaldi in Beverly Hills on Saturday with her daughter Lavinia, 3, and husband James.

Joining the 27-year-old F1 heiress, was her glam older sister Tamara who continued her summery Stateside takeover with her adorable daughter Sophia, two.

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Always glam: Petra Stunt, 27, looked undeniably fresh-faced and natural as she headed for lunch at Ebaldi in Beverly Hills on Saturday with her daughter Lavinia, 3, and husband James Stunt

Happy families: Joining Petra was her glam older sister Tamara Ecclestone, 32, who continued her summery Stateside takeover with her adorable daughter Sophia, two

Showing off her curvaceous frame, Tamara donned a grey and black figure-hugging dress which cut off at the knees and showed off her tanned legs.

Taking no risks when it came to carrying her daughter, she wore a pair of comfortable trainers but made sure to glam up with a bouncy blow-dry and silver shades.

Sophia also looked like quite the stylish little tot with her gold star dress, while Petra, 27, opted for chic high-waisted floral trousers which she teamed with a clingy vest top.

Enviable frame: Showing off her curvaceous frame, Tamara donned a grey and black figure-hugging dress which cut off at the knees and showed off her tanned legs

Tamara recently came out in defense of her younger sibling with a snap reading 'confident women don't hate' after she shared a very pouty snap.

In the caption she explained the reason for her sister's seemingly altered appearance, writing:

'So just to be clear not that it's any ones business my sister has not had any cosmetic surgery she has just cut and coloured her hair she is a mum to three young children two of whom she is still breastfeeding so is actually unable to have any cosmetic surgery.'

Stunner: Taking no risks when it came to carrying her daughter, she wore a pair of comfortable trainers but made sure to glam up with a bouncy blowdry and silver shades

The sisters seemed more than content in each others company with Tamara arriving along with her husband Jay Rutland for the summery and regular visit earlier this month.

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.

Tamara recently told HELLO! magazine she was feeling happier than ever and loving every minute of family life.

Adorable: Sophia also looked like quite the stylish little tot with her gold star dress

'I kind of feel like this is who I was always meant to be and any mistakes I've made in the past have brought me to the right place and everything led me to this. It's a really nice feeling,' she explained.

The brunette beauty also revealed why she recently took to Instagram to slam false rumours that she and Jay had split up.

She said: 'I guess people don't always like to read happy stories and are looking to create drama in other people's lives, but we're fine.'
The Bachelor's Lana Jeavons-Fellows has been enjoying a romantic trip to Indonesia with her partner Jake Meah this month.

But if Lana's Instagram account is anything to go by, it seems her new boyfriend has been mysteriously absent for the last week.

But there's no 'trouble in paradise', as she recently shared a photo of the loved-up couple at The Oberoi in Lombok.

He's back! The Bachelor runner-up Lana Jeavons-Fellows (L) shared a loved-up snap with her boyfriend Jake Meah (R) on holiday in Indonesia on Saturday

In the snap, Lana is shown relaxing with Jake on a hammock as she gently places her hand on his muscular chest.

She captioned the image, 'Salty love', suggesting the couple recently enjoyed a dip in the ocean together.

Meanwhile, it has been over a week since Jake made an appearance on travel partner Lana's Instagram page.

Camera shy? Despite being her travelling partner, Jake has only featured a few times on her Instagram page, preferring to stay behind the camera. Pictured on a cycling trip last week

But it would seem he is perfectly happy to let Lana take centre-stage while he remains behind the camera.

Jake has been dutifully playing the role of 'Instagram husband' by taking photos of his girlfriend posing in racy bikinis.

The couple's most recent luxury destination is Lombok, located just 20 minutes from Bali, where they also stayed.

True love: Jake has been dutifully playing the role of 'Instagram husband' by taking photos of his girlfriend posing in racy bikinis

This is Lana's fifth visit to Indonesia, and she has been soaking up as much sun as possible before returning Down Under.

In June, she announced her relationship with Jake in an exclusive interview with NW magazine.

They briefly dated before Lana filmed The Bachelor last year and rekindled their romance after she was left heartbroken by Saw Wood.
It's one of the most iconic calendars of the year, featuring glamorous, high-profile women for each month.

And this year, the Pirelli Calendar by Peter Lindbergh is all about the Hollywood greats.

In behind-the-scenes shots released on Sunday, the likes of Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet and Penelope Cruz pose up a storm for the sexy 2017 installment.

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Captivating: In behind-the-scenes shots released on Sunday, the likes of Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet and Penelope Cruz are revealed as models for 2017 edition of the Pirelli calendar

In one preview shot, Nicole Kidman is truly captivating as she stares piercingly into the camera.

With her blonde hair coiffed into a short, wispy style, the star, 49, shows off her gorgeous defined features and prominent cheekbones as she posed in a collared leather jacket.

Kate Winslet takes centre stage in another, putting on an even sexier display as she flashes her decolletage, bust and leg in a sleek low-cut gown.

Sitting at a table with her head in her hands, the Titanic star, 40, showcased her glowing skin as she sultrily looked down with her eyes closed.

Gorgeous: Kate Winslet takes centre stage in another, putting on an even sexier display as she flashes her decolletage, bust and leg in a sleek low-cut gown

Meanwhile Uma Thurman opts for a more natural stance for her shot, displaying her natural beauty as she laughed widely for the camera.

The star beamed as she lay on her front in a chunky roll-neck jumper with her hair wildly swept to one-side.

The Kill Bill actress, 46, showed her glamorous but also playful side in the shoot, as she charmingly propped herself up on her hands.

Penelope Cruz captured a full-body shot, standing with one foot on a box in some shorts and an off-shoulder tee.

Star quality: Meanwhile Uma Thurman opts for a more natural stance for her shot, displaying her natural beauty as she laughed widely for the camera

Senorita: Penelope Cruz captured a full-body shot, standing with one foot on a box in some shorts and an off-shoulder tee

Complete with tousled hair Penelope, 42, exuded her famous Spanish sex appeal as she worked the camera.

In a completely different setting however, House of Cards actress Robin Wright took to the great outdoors for a more urban snap.

The actress and director, 50, was spotted posing at a payphone beside a fast food van on the city streets.

Dressed in a long coat and work shoes, Robin channeled the modern, cosmopolitan woman to add variety to the otherwise sultry photos.

Modern woman: In a completely different setting, House of Cards actress Robin Wright took to the great outdoors for a more urban snap on the city streets

The calendar is set to feature a whole host of Oscar winning and nominated actresses, including Julianne Moore, Lupita Nyong'o, Alicia Vikander and Jessica Chastain.

Glamorous British greats Helen Mirren and Charlotte Rampling are also hailed in the project.

French actress Lea Seydoux, model Anastacia Ignatova and Zhang Ziyi complete the calendar's star-studded line up.

The 2017 edition marks the third Pirelli calendar that Peter Lindbergh has shot, getting behind the camera in 1996 and 2002.

Iconic: Supermodels including Helena Christensen, Miranda Kerr, Karolina Kurkova and Alessandra Ambrosio posed for the 2014 calendar to commemorate its 50th anniversary

He photographed the A-List actresses, alongside Alessandro Rossi, in five different locations this year - Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Paris and New York.

The calendar has featured many iconic shots since its first edition in 1963.

A host of supermodels including Helena Christensen, Miranda Kerr, Karolina Kurkova and Alessandra Ambrosio posed for every month in the 2014 calendar, to commemorate its 50th anniversary.

In 2016, actress Amy Schumer infamously drank a coffee in nothing but a thong for her December shot.
She was bundled in to a taxi home after a heavy night of partying at the CBB wrap party.

And it looks like things have taken a toll on Marnie Simpson after she took to Twitter to express her desire for a detox and a sunny getaway on Saturday.

'Time for a massive makeover/detox. And it's well over due,' the 24-year-old Geordie Shore star pledged surprisingly about her plans to halt her ways.

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Good for her: Marnie Simpson has vowed to go on a detox after she was bundled in to a taxi home after a heavy night of partying at the CBB wrap party on Friday night

Starting over: The CBB star is also planning a makeover and a holiday as she plans a fresh start - pictured on a break in Greece back in June

Marnie, who came fourth after putting on a steamy display with former TOWIE hunk Lewis Bloor on Celebrity Big Brother in the last couple of weeks, seems keen on spending some time away.

'Need a massive holiday with loads of sun zero cigarettes and constant music,' the brunette beauty revealed after her bleary eyed display on Friday night.

Her willingness to change her booze-fuelled persona may come as a shock to her fans who are only used to her regularly partying up a storm on the MTV series since joining back in 2013.

As she vowed she's is set for a detox, Lewis hinted about their holiday plans to jet away to the White isle of Ibiza on Twitter.

'Over due! It seems like her party hard ways have taken a toll on the Geordie Shore

Getaway! Marnie is also hoping for a much more relaxed holiday soon where there's 'loads of sun' and 'constant music'

The former TOWIE star wrote: 'Happy and looking forward to some amazing adventures together @MarnieGShore.'

Having spent weeks stuck inside the house, the 26-year-old hunk added kissing and love heart Emojis as well as images of a globe and party popper to his tweet.

The bisexual reality sensation looked worse for wear at the Channel 5's after-party where she put on a saucy display with Lewis who grabbed on to her derriere.

Standing outside the studios, Lewis took the opportunity to have a quick feel of his Geordie girl through her skin-tight jumpsuit, as she threw her arms around his neck affectionately outside the studios.

The pair, who embarked on their romance when they entered the house at the start of the month, looked more than happy to be reunited after a long seven days apart.

Touchy-feely: The bisexual reality sensation looked worse for wear at the Channel 5's after-party on Friday where she put on a saucy display with Lewis Bloor who grabbed on to her derriere

Marnie appeared to lift up her beau's t-shirt to get a look at the man she has claimed may be 'the one', snuggling up to him.

Lewis reciprocated the affection, looking down at her lovingly and stroking her hair while simultaneously drawing from a cigarette.

Hot and heavy: Marnie appeared to lift up her beau's t-shirt to get a look at the man she has claimed may be 'the one', as she snuggled up to him

Multi-tasking: Lewis reciprocated the affection, looking down at her lovingly and stroking her hair while simultaneously drawing from a cigarette

Caught red-handed! The TOWIE hunk was then rather unfortunately spotted with his hands down his trousers as he laughed mischievously alongside the brunette

Having agreed to not sleep together in the house on a previous episode, f rustrations perhaps were even running a little too high as they left the Channel 5 surveillance set.

The TOWIE star was rather unfortunately spotted with his hands down his trousers as he laughed mischievously alongside the brunette.

Lewis and Marnie's loved-up display comes after knowing each other for just 19 days - although they do share an agent.

Just the two of us: The pair, who embarked on their romance when they entered the house at the start of the month, looked more than happy to be reunited after a long seven days apart

Two hours later... The new lovers, but Marnie in particular, were spotted looking rather worse for wear as they left the Village Hotel in London, stumbling to their taxi rides home

However, the cosy behaviour soon went a little pear-shaped as celebratory drinks began to flow.

The new lovers, Marnie in particular, were spotted looking rather worse for wear as they left the Village Hotel in London, stumbling to their taxi rides home.

Lewis could barely keep his eyes open as he dragged his girl through the crowds, carrying her stilettos which she had long discarded in his hands.

Marnie meanwhile looked very out of sorts, an incredibly pained expression on her face as she stumbled barefoot alongside her man.

Such a gentleman? Lewis could barely keep his eyes open as he dragged his girl through the crowds, carrying her stilettos in his hands

Skin-tight: The reality star opted for a bodycon jumpsuit to hit the town

One too many: Marnie looked a little out of sorts, a pained expression on her face as she stumbled barefoot alongside her man

Things only went from bad to worse for the Geordie Shore star however, who is known for her drunken late-night displays.

Clinging on to her manager, Marnie seemed unable to stand as she was assisted to her taxi.

Her mentor was then seen bundling the Newcastle-born lass into the backseat of the car, where she subsequently appear to fall asleep.

Going... Clinging on to her manager, Marnie seemed unable to stand as she was assisted to her taxi

Going... Her mentor was then seen bundling the Newcastle-born lass into the backseat

Gone! The Geordie subsequently appeared to fall asleep, her bare feet hanging out of the cab

Bed-time: Ungracefully sprawled across the backseat in with her legs and arms splayed, the star was out for the count as she was escorted home

Sprawled across the backseat in an unceremonious fashion with her legs and arms splayed, the star was then escorted home for an early night - seemingly separately to Lewis.

It is clear that Marnie and Lewis certainly enjoyed their post-show celebrations with a number of drinks, after a long four-week stint in the famed Borehamwood mansion.

Having embarked on a romance soon after meeting, the couple were known for their racy and explicit displays of sexual and naked natures, before Lewis was evicted last week.

The pair seemed to be happy to have reunited earlier in the night, locking lips after Marnie was evicted in fourth place - eventually losing to Stephen Bear.

Reunited: Marnie and Lewis locked lips as she was evicted from CBB on Friday

Now that's a public display of affection! The pair ensured they kissed in full view of the crowd

Leaving little to the imagination, the brunette beauty was determined to milk the occasion by going bra-less in a semi-sheer jumpsuit.

Deftly displaying her assets, it gave onlookers quite an eyeful as she navigated the exit staircase and greeted Lewis.

Wearing her hair in a rather interesting urban 'do, she added a pair of strappy heels to the mix.

Get a room! Leaning over a railing to lock lips with Lewis, sharing a tender kiss

Giddy! Marnie looked thrilled to be reunited with Lewis, who she has described as 'The One'

Later, while discussing their romance, Marnie told Emma Willis: 'He was my best friend in there. The days were going so quick when I was with him. When he left I was depressed. I felt like I was going through a break up.

'I didn't expect to feel the way I felt. It turned into something a lot more deeper than that. I was so overwhelmed with how I was feeling for him, and I've never really felt like that.'

Marnie admitted '100 per cent' that Lewis was the one and said she wanted to go on holiday with him now they were out of the show.

Centre of attention: Leaving little to the imagination, the Geordie Shore star went braless in a semi-sheer jumpsuit

Yep, we get it - you're in love! Deftly displaying her assets, it gave onlookers quite an eyeful as she navigated the exit staircase and greeted Lewis

Going on to discuss her position in the final, she added: 'I can't believe it. I didn't take more than a week's worth of clothing.

'I think it's because all the negativity and hate I've had from Geordie Shore. I've never been a Geordie Shore favourite.'

Not that she was the only one to discuss her experiences, of course. In her exit interview, Aubrey told Emma she found it 'intense' and 'unforgettable' inside the house.

All smiles: The pair were certainly giddy when they caught up...after just a few days apart

Mwah! The reality TV show pair couldn't get enough of one another as the cameras rolled

She said: 'Everything in that house is draining. It's much smaller than it looks. If someone has anxiety, everyone has anxiety.'

Regarding her feelings towards Bear, she explained: 'I've always felt consistently about Bear. I don't think he's a horrible person. He's a lot more difficult than anyone can realise.

'I think he's young at heart and will always be that way.'

It's almost like they knew! Marnie and Lewis keep a keen eye on each other - and the media

Later, while discussing their romance, Marnie told Emma Willis: 'He was my best friend in there. The days were going so quick when I was with him. When he left I was depressed'.

She added: 'Frankie for me personally was one of the strongest people in the house so to come after him everyone should be thankful.

'I've never done anything like this. A few days in I thought, "how the hell am I going to manage this with a smile on my face?"'

The flamboyant brother of pop star Ariana made quite the exit as he strutted his stuff down the spiral staircase to meet host Emma Willis.

He told Emma: 'I made it to the finals which is incredible. That means there's room for improvement for me to do it again.'
He was one of the highest-paid TV stars ever during his stint on Two And A Half Men.

But it seems that Charlie Sheen is now experiencing financial trouble, as the star has reportedly reached an agreement with his ex-wives to slash his child support payments.

According to TMZ, the 50-year-old actor has reached an agreement with Brooke Mueller and Denise Richards which will halve payments he makes to them monthly.

In trouble? It seems that Charlie Sheen is now experiencing financial trouble, as the star has reportedly reached an agreement with his ex-wives to slash his child support payments

Speaking to the website sources alleged that both Brooke and Denise have 'agreed to around $25,000 a month' - nearly half of what they receive at the moment.

The actresses, who were married to Charlie for three and four years respectively, are said to have been receiving payments of $55,000 each to cover child-care costs.

One source said that both Brooke, 39, and Denise, 45, know that if the actor was to go to court for a reduction in the payments a judge may drop the figure to $10,000 a month.

Though the website went on to say: 'We're told Charlie threw in some real estate for Brooke and Denise and committed to doing a show with Denise.'

Money woes? According to TMZ , the 50-year-old actor has reached an agreement with Brooke Mueller and Denise Richards which will halve payments he makes to them monthly

Making things easy? Speaking to the website sources alleged that both Brooke and Denise (pictured with Charlie in 2005) have 'agreed to around $25,000 a month'

MailOnline has contacted representatives of Charlie, Brooke and Denise for comment.

The Platoon star was tied the knot with Denise in 2002 after first meeting the actor in 1991, before divorcing him in 2006.

Charlie and Denise two daughters together: 12-year-old Sam and Lola Rose, 11.

Brooke met the actor in 2006 and the pair were married in 2008 before they split in 2011.

Charlie has twin boys, Bob and Max, aged seven, with the actress.

The actor, who has just finished filming Nine-Eleven (his first film since 2013), spoke recently about his life following the revelation that he is HIV positive.

Bare cupboards? The actresses are said to have been receiving payments of $55,000 each to cover child-care costs

Back in time: The Platoon star was tied the knot with Denise (pictured in 2005) in 2002 after first meeting the actor in 1991, before divorcing him in 2006

Join the ex-wives: Brooke met the actor in 2006 and the pair were married in 2008 before they split in 2011

Addressing a press conference in June, in London, the Hot Shots star said he was concentrating on his family whilst also revealing that romance was not on the cards for him.

Speaking about his personal life the actor admitted: 'I'm not dating, I'm spending a lot of time with my family.

'Right now I couldn't get laid in a women's prison with a handful of condoms. It doesn't give me a great opening line: "Hey, I've got HIV - busy later?"'

Sheen has been single since ending his eight-month engagement to adult film star Brett Rossi (aka Scottine Ross) in October of 2014.
She balances her career as an actress with the even tougher job of raising two girls.

But on Saturday night Milla Jovovich proved that she still knows how to party as she turned up and turned out for a night at The Nice Guy in Los Angeles.

The Resident Evil star appeared to have had quite the evening as she made her way to her car, wearing a cute white top embellished with a funky lip-print design.

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Stunning: On Saturday night actress and mother-of-two Milla Jovovich proved that she still knows how to party as she turned up and turned out for a night at The Nice Guy in Los Angeles

The playful shirt featured an oversized collar and a plunging neckline that showed off her sun-kissed decolletage while keeping her cleavage firmly under wraps.

She tied the bright and cheery shirt into a decorative bow at the waist, adding to the happy, summery vibe of her ensemble.

The Ukrainian-born model paired the top with snug grey trousers, which showed off her hour-glass figure and the contours of her sculpted legs.

Giving lip: Her playful shirt featured an oversized collar and a plunging neckline that showed off her sun-kissed decolletage while keeping her cleavage under wraps

Knotted up: She tied the bright and cheery shirt into a decorative bow at the waist, adding to the happy, summery vibe of her ensemble

Her silky chestnut tresses fell freely and her bangs obscured her forehead and her finely sculpted eyebrows.

But that couldn't hide Milla's natural glow, which she enhanced with a simple make-up game consisting of foundation, lashings of mascara, kohl eyeliner and a bit of cherry red lippie that matched the details of her shirt perfectly.

She carried her essentials in a black leather clutch, which dangled from her right shoulder via a gold chain.

Camera-ready: Her silky chestnut tresses fell freely and her bangs obscured her forehead and her finely sculpted eyebrows

Painted beauty: Milla enhanced her natural glow with foundation, lashings of mascara, kohl eye liner and a bit of cherry red lippie that matched the details of her shirt perfectly

Accessorise: She carried her essentials in a black leather clutch, which dangled from her right shoulder via a gold chain

Ready for the off? The star looked to be ready to head home after an evening out and about, and she flashed a big smile as she hopped into the car

Her purse may have contained pictures of her beautiful daughters - eight-year-old Ever Gabo and 18-month old Dashiel Edan.

She shares her children with husband Paul W.S. Anderson, 51, who she started dating while working on the first Resident Evil film in 2002.

The couple got engaged in 2003, but did split for a period of time before rekindling their romance and announced in 2007 they were expecting Ever Gabo.

They married in 2009 at a star-studded bash in their Beverly Hills home.

Ready to roll: With one last glance at the club she hopped into the car
Former Home and Away star Isabel Lucas is back in Australia as the face of the 2016 Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.

And on Sunday, the 31-year-old actress certainly stole the show when she stepped out in a plum outfit and matching lipstick.

Cutting a remarkably stylish figure, Isabel stunned in a designer trouser suit with simple gold accessories.

Dressed to impress! Isabel Lucas stunned in a plum trouser suit and matching lipstick at the 2016 Melbourne Spring Fashion Week on Sunday

The statuesque star wore strappy gold heels with her suit, which featured tailored trousers that finished just above her ankles.

Her jacket was long in style and finished mid-thigh.

She also carried a plum leather clutch and wore over-sized gold earrings.

Sitting pretty: The US-based personality finished her look with a plum manicure and make-up including dewy foundation, bronzer and dark lips

The US-based personality finished her look with a plum manicure and make-up including dewy foundation, bronzer and dark lips.

Her hair featured a braid at the top while the rest flowed freely over her shoulders.

She took front row seats at the runway show, and was spotted eagerly watching the models take to the stage.

Pride of place: Isabel took front row seats at the runway show, and was spotted eagerly watching the models take to the stage

Bold: Her hair featured a braid at the top while the rest flowed freely over her shoulders

That's interesting! Isabel made headlines this month for revealing that she doesn't own a TV, despite making a career as a screen actress

Isabel made headlines this month for revealing that she doesn't own a TV, despite making a career as a screen actress.

'I don't have a TV so I don't watch a lot of shows even though I know there is a lot of great television being made,' she told The Kyle And Jackie O Show.

But the Transformers actress said she likes to go to the movies in her spare time, saying: 'I definitely go to the cinema more.'
Last week a motorist rear-ended him as he made his way through the Hamptons with his model girlfriend Nina Agdal.

And on Saturday a carefree Leonardo DiCaprio had clearly put the incident behind him as he stepped out in Los Angeles.

The 41-year-old actor looked stylish and completely at ease as he ran errands wearing a pair of blue jeans, a blue button-up and a beret-style cap.

Man about town: On Saturday actor Leonardo DiCaprio cut a casual figure in a blue button-up and a pair of blue jeans in LA - a week after being involved in a car crash

The Titanic star looked to be in top form as he walked confidently through the parking lot.

In addition to the beret, he obscured his face with dark shades and a beard, perhaps hoping to go incognito.

His blue button-up clung to his body tightly, and he left the top two buttons undone, giving onlookers a tantalizing hint of the chest he famously put on show in The Beach.

Incognito: The Titanic star obscured his face with dark shades and a scruffy beard, and wore a beret-inspired cap that gave him the air of a Parisian gentleman

Keen to add a pop of colour to his one-tone outfit, he slipped into a pair of red, white and blue espadrilles, which complemented his ensemble perfectly.

Leonardo has frequently turned to espadrilles this summer, including on the day he and his Danish model girlfriend, 24, escaped injury in New York.

While driving through the Hamptons their Range Rover was rear-ended by a Mini Cooper, leaving the latter with a severely smashed hood.

The Titanic star was seen comforting Nina, who he has been dating for just a few months, by the side of the road after he called 911.

He also checked that the other driver was okay and helped her from her Mini Cooper, which was totaled and had to be towed away.

The actor recently handed over hosting duties for a $33,400-per-plate Hillary Clinton Fundraiser to Justin Timberlake and wife Jessica Biel.

The actor cited his busy schedule as the reason for backing out, saying he didn't have time to attend because he had to get his new climate change documentary The Turning Point ready in time for its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival next month.
Her social media presence has gone up a notch thanks to a flurry of snaps from her idyllic coastal getaway on the Greek island of Santorini.

And Emily Ratajkowski continued what is fast becoming a recurring theme on Sunday afternoon by sharing two more in which she once again shows off her flawless physique.

The model and actress, 25, looked stunning in a vibrantly patterned Dolce & Gabbana two-piece while wading knee-deep in the ocean.

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Flawless physique: Emily Ratajkowski looked stunning in a vibrantly patterned Dolce & Gabbana two-piece while wading waist deep in the ocean

A second shot taken from the back finds the brunette flashing her pert posterior as she takes in her tranquil surroundings.

Emily looked equally smouldering as she posted another sexy Instagram snap on Friday.

Leaning against a wall, the model, 25, showcased her incredible abs in a barely-there black crochet crop top as she soaked up the sun on the Greek island of Santorini.

I say: A second shot taken from the back finds the brunette flashing her pert posterior as she takes in her tranquil surroundings.

The Gone Girl star teamed the tiny garment with a pair of denim hotpants to ensure her toned and tanned figure was showcased in all its glory.

Emily wore her dark locks down and loose and opted for natural make-up to display her striking features to perfection.

On Thursday, the Blurred Lines bombshell sent pulses racing as she posted a completely naked picture of her rear as she relaxed in a stunning private hot tub.

Model behaviour: Emily Ratajkowski showcased her incredible abs in a barely-there black crochet crop top as she soaked up the sun on the Greek island of Santorini on Friday

Making waves! The model, 25, sent pulses racing as she posted a completely naked picture of her rear as she relaxed in a stunning private hot tub on Thursday

Posing in the nude, she gave fans a glimpse of her naked back and toned derriere, as she lounged in the hot tub with wet hair, looking away from the camera.

Looking towards the luxurious cave-like room, decorated with minimal furniture, the brunette beauty put on a sizzling display.

Captioning the snap 'cave', Emily racked up almost 50,000 likes in half an hour.

And moments later she pleased her fans, posting a busty selfie in her bikini.

Smoking hot! Showcasing her famous assets to perfection, the Blurred Lines beauty also flaunted her jaw-dropping slender midriff and famous ab-crack in a blue bikini

Showcasing her famous assets to perfection, the blue two-piece also flaunted her jaw-dropping slender midriff and famous ab-crack.

Sporting slightly wet hair and minimal make-up, she showed off her natural beauty.

On Wednesday Emily further excited her fans by posting a cheeky rear view snap against a stunning backdrop.

Beach babe: Emily often takes to her Instagram to showcase her model physique in her swimwear, revealing this week that she feels most at home in a bikini

Cheeky! Emily uploaded a very cheeky shot to her Instagram on Wednesday having arrived in Greece days earlier, in which her incredible derriere took centre stage

The shot depicted Emily stood on a wall, looking out at the incredible view of the Greek Island's dramatic coastline.

Posing with her back to the camera the model showcased her perfectly rounded derriere and enviably slender legs in full view.

Sporting a tiny grey-blue bikini in the photo, her petite waist and golden, tanned frame were clear for all of her 7.5 million followers to see.

Cutting the shot off from the shoulders up her famous face and naturally beautiful features were not in shot.

Bliss: Emily also uploaded a photo of the view itself, having evidently landed in Santorini for a relaxing break this week

However the photo still received a whopping 175,000 likes, proving her enviable physique is just as key to her model success.

Emily also uploaded a photo of the view itself, having evidently landed in Santorini for a relaxing break this week.

Documenting the famous hilled landscape against a blue sky and crystal sea, Emily satisfyingly wrote alongside the photo: 'Made it.'

The American star revealed recently that she feels most at home in a bikini, and never misses an occasion to flaunt her figure in a quirky two-piece.

Natural beauty: Emily was signed as a model at the age of 14, but didn't go full-time with the career until two years into her degree at UCLA

Talking to People, she recently admitted: 'Im completely bathing suit obsessed and I love lurking on Instagram looking for the best bikinis.'

She also insists however there is no such thing as 'bikini ready' and wants every woman to feel as empowered as she does.

'I always say, "Do you have a body? Then youre swimsuit ready,"' she told InStyle.

'Thats all you need to worry about. The thing to know is love yourself and find the bathing suits that make you feel comfortable and just rock it.'

Emily was signed as a model at the age of 14, but didn't go full-time with the career until two years into her degree at UCLA.

Model material: She rose to prominence in Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams' infamous music video in 2013, and has since expanded her career to acting

She rose to prominence in Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams' infamous music video, which resulted in her being voted FHM's fourth sexiest woman in the world in 2014.

The talented star has since expanded her career to include both modelling and acting.

She is expected to appear in two upcoming films, with one set for release this year and the other at a date not yet announced.

Emily will star in the romance film, Cruise, and the thriller, In Darkness.

The latter will include Natalie Dormer and is a thriller set in London, while Cruise, which Emily is currently filming, is an 80s set tale of a young Italian-American from the 'wrong side of the tracks' who falls for a Jewish girl from Long Island.
Tehran, Iran, August 28

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

New Pakistani Ambassador to Tehran Assef Ali Khan Dowrani handed his credentials to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Iran-Pakistan relations have a strategic depth and the agreements made between the two countries should turn operational as soon as possible, Rouhani told Dowrani during a meeting, IRNA news agency reported August 28.

He pointed to the terrorist threat in particular, calling for resilience in the joint undertaking to fight the threat.

The Pakistani diplomat for his part stressed that economic ties should also grew as much as political ties between the two neighbor countries.
Jean-Claude Van Damme attended a fundraising dinner in Sydney on Friday night during a recent trip to Australia for his speaking tour.

But at the event, the Hollywood actor posed for a photo with a man who The Daily Telegraph claims is the brother of convicted terrorist Mohammed Omar Jamal.

The 55-year-old 'Muscles from Brussels' smiled and gave a 'thumbs up' alongside Nourradine Jamal, who paid $5,000 for a seat at the private dinner.

All smiles: While attending a charity dinner in Sydney on Friday, Jean-Claude Van Damme (L) posed with Nourradine Jamal (R), who is reportedly the brother of a convicted terrorist

Mohammed Omar Jamal, was involved in an attempted Sydney terror plot in 2005, and is currently in jail serving a 23-year sentence.

Jean-Claude's publicist, Max Markson told Daily Mail Australia on Sunday: 'He had no idea of the guy's brother.

'Jean-Claude posed for a photo with him as he did with everyone who bought auction items and dinner seats.'

The event, which raised funds for Animals Australia, was held at The Star in Sydney with 1700 guests attending.

'He had no idea': Jean-Claude's publicist Max Markson told Daily Mail Australia the action star did not know Nourradine's brother was involved in an attempted Sydney terror plot in 2005

Animal lover: The event, which raised funds for Animals Australia, was held at The Star in Sydney with 1700 guests attending. Pictured: Jean-Claude during his trip to Australia

Jean-Claude's representative also confirmed the Universal Solider star will be presenting the charity with a $30,000 cheque on Monday.

The Belgian-born actor flew to Melbourne by private jet over the weekend for his last speaking date, which took place on Sunday night.

His theatre show, 'An Evening With Jean-Claude Van Damme - Unscripted & Unplugged', recently wrapped up.

Making an entrance: The Belgian-born actor flew to Melbourne by private jet over the weekend for his last speaking date, which took place on Sunday night

Meanwhile, Jean-Claude's behaviour has been somewhat erratic in recent weeks.

Aside from the missed flight, he was photographed sweating profusely during a press conference last Monday.

The previous month, he stormed out of a TV interview with Sunrise after being asked about his former fling Kylie Minogue.
She's busy with her upcoming HBO series Big Little Lies.

But on Saturday, actress Shailene Woodley made time to speak out against the Dakota Access Pipeline at Hollywood march/rally Enough Is Enough.

The 24-year-old, who also stepped out on Wednesday to join the Sioux Tribe in another protest against the pipeline, showed off a smile as she captivated the crowd with her impassioned speech.

Speaking up: Shailene Woodley attended the Enough Is Enough march/rally in Hollywood on Saturday to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline

Shailene, who also hit the campaign trail earlier this year to stump up support for Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential bid, wore a black and white striped fitted sweater teamed with skintight, black trousers for the appearance.

The Divergent star kept comfortable for the speech, finishing off her laid-back look with a pair of flip flops.

She wore her long, brunette tresses pulled back into a messy bun, and kept her make-up simple for the speech.

She took to Instagram to share a snap from her moment on stage, commenting: 'played hooky during work lunch today to head down to Hollywood and Highland in LA for the #enoughisenough rally to talk about The Dakota Access Pipeline.'

Inspired: The star took to Instagram to write about the appearance, posting: 'played hooky during work lunch today to head down to Hollywood and Highland in LA for the #enoughisenough rally to talk about The Dakota Access Pipeline'

Emotional: Shailene showed off a smile as she spoke about her ideals, at one point passionately raising a fist in the air

Shailene also advised her followers to 'join the rally #LA to stay politically engaged in the upcoming election! [heart emoji] #nodapl #UpToUs @heidiismighty.'

The Descendants star has been dedicating herself to fighting against the pipeline, appearing at rallies and posting frequently to her social media accounts about it.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is a 1,170-mile pipeline that would, at peak capacity, deliver up to 570,000 barrels of Bakken crude oil daily from North Dakota to Illinois, as reported by The Hill.

Laid-back: The Fault in Our Stars actress kept casual in a fitted, black and white striped sweater, skintight, black trousers, and flip flops

Happy to be here: Shailene captivated the crowd as she spoke out against the pipeline

Since the pipeline is domestic, developers sought its approval under a less restrictive process (than an international project would have had to go through), which has tribal leaders saying that they were not given a fair chance to provide their input.

The Sioux have argued that regulators at the Army Corps of Engineers didnt give the tribe enough of a chance to assess the pipelines impact on cultural sites and the possible effects of a spill along the line.

They, along with support from Shailene among other stars and protesters - are seeking an injunction blocking additional construction for the pipeline until those assessments can be made.

Dedicated: The star has been actively fighting the pipeline, sharing information on her social media accounts as well as attending events to protest it, such as Saturday's march/rally
She was left devastated following her dethronement as Miss Great Britain following her saucy stint on Love Island last month.

Yet Zara Holland seems to be bouncing back in style as she hit the town for a girls' night out during her sun-drenched holiday to Marbella on Friday - heading to former TOWIE star Elliot Wright's restaurant Olivia's, where she mingled with the owner.

The 21-year-old stunner looked incredible in a pair of barely-there denim shorts and a flirty Bardot neck top while boosting her height in a pair of teetering heels.

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Legs eleven! Zara Holland seems to be bouncing back in style as she hit the town for a girls' night out during her sun-drenched holiday to Marbella on Friday - heading to former TOWIE star Elliot Wright's restaurant Olivia's

Zara, who had her title revoked following an on-screen sex session with co-star Alex Bowen, oozed body confidence as she strutted into the restaurant ahead of her dinner at the eatery.

The blonde beauty ensured her look worked perfectly as she matched the navy detail in her white top with her indigo hued shorts, which also boasted a pretty white frilled edge.

Peeling on a pair of mirrored aviator sunglasses, Zara beamed as she showed off her stunning style for her night out with her girlfriends.

Proving herself to be in full holiday mode, her blonde tresses were worn in loose beach waves, tumbling over her shoulders.

Star studded: Olivia's is Elliott's venture at the centre of his new ITVBe reality show Playa In Marbella - so the star was no doubt overjoyed to welcome his celebrity clientele

Leading the pack: The 21-year-old stunner looked incredible in a pair of barely-there denim shorts and a flirty Bardot neck top while boosting her height in a pair of teetering heels

Strutting her stuff! Zara, who had her title revoked following an on-screen sex session with co-star Alex Bowen, oozed body confidence as she strutted into the restaurant ahead of her dinner at the eatery

Olivia's is Elliott's venture at the centre of his new ITVBe reality show Playa In Marbella - so the star was no doubt overjoyed to welcome his celebrity clientele.

Zara was evidently pleased with the service as she snapped a picture with her reality star and restaurateur while adding the caption: 'Amazing lunch yesterday @oliviaslacala Highly recommend anyone in Marbella to go & try it out! @elliottwright_'.

Aside from her Love Island misery, Zara was reportedly involved in an explosive row with her Miss GB successor after a tense stand-off on Loose Women earlier this month.

Way back when: Aside from her Love Island misery, Zara was reportedly involved in an explosive row with her Miss GB successor after a tense stand-off on Loose Women earlier this month

Trouble! She had slammed the new Miss GB, Deone Robertson, 28, during the show, for taking over her title after she was dethroned for having sex with Alex on the ITV2 show

She had slammed the new Miss GB, Deone Robertson, 28, during the show, for taking over her title after she was dethroned for having sex with Alex on the ITV2 show.

According to The Sun, the blonde got into a vicious war of words with the boss of the famous beauty pageant behind the scenes.

A source told the paper: 'Deone [Robertson, who has been crowned the new Miss Great Britain after Zara was stripped of her title] approached Zara [after the show] to say she hoped there were no hard feelings, and that she wished her all the best.

Struggle for power? According to The Sun , the blonde got into a vicious war of words with the boss of the famous beauty pageant behind the scenes

Here come the girls! Zara's friends looked equally stunning as they headed into the eatery

'Zara replied that she had no issues with her, but the way it was all handled, and that the Miss Great Britain organisation should have let her know.

'She then became extremely aggressive, and had to be held back by her management.'

A representative for ITV's Loose Women told MailOnline: 'Zara was not removed or asked to leave the Loose Women studios today. She left of her own accord following her appearance on the show and with her Mum.'
Spending most of her time soaking up the sun on a beach, it's no wonder Victoria Silvstedt has never been one to shy away from flashing the flesh.

Currently holidaying in St Tropez, the 41-year-old decided to flaunt her ample assets in an eye-catching white plunging swimsuit on Saturday.

Exhibiting her enviable curves, the Swedish beauty cut an eye-catching figure as she sunned herself in the form-fitting one-piece on board a luxurious boat.

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The white stuff: Victoria Silvstedt showed off her stunning legs on holiday in St Tropez on Saturday

Victoria's racy swimsuit featured button detail along the bust which highlighted her impressive cleavage as she teamed her beach inspired look with a sheer mini-skirt.

Parading her perfect pins, the TV personality donned the sexy see-through red and white skirt with girly frill as she strutted her stuff to board her waiting boat in a pair of tan gladiator studded flat sandals.

Carrying her chic orange tote, Victoria opted to style her blonde locks loose into a sultry curl as her glossy tresses feel into a centre parting around her face.

Shielding her face from the French sun, the former model worked a pair of oversized sunnies as she worked a glam bright pink lipstick across her plumped pout.

Eye-catching: Victoria flaunted her ample assets in an eye-catching white plunging swimsuit

Ahoy matey: Exhibiting her enviable curves, the 41-year-old cut an eye-catching figure as she sunned herself in the form-fitting one-piece on board a luxurious boat

Bottoms up! Parading her perfect pins, the Swedish beauty donned the sexy see-through red and white skirt with girly frill as she flashed her pert derriere

Victoria's latest sexy display comes after she enjoyed her annual trip to Eden Roc Hotel in Cannes in June.

A regular visitor to the South of France, the model had also topped up her tanned in Saint Tropez in July as she appeared in Sardinia earlier this 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.

Victoria has previously talked about her introduction to modelling and her discomfort with the catwalk.

Jet setter: Victoria's latest sexy display comes after she enjoyed her annual trip to Eden Roc Hotel in Cannes in June

Chic: Carrying her chic orange tote, Victoria opted to style her blonde locks loose into a sultry curl as her glossy tresses feel into a centre parting around her face

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.'
He stepped down as Top Gear host after just one ill-fated series.

But it seems Chris Evans maintains a passion for cars as he tested some old motors at CarFest in Hampshire on Sunday.

The BBC radio star, who founded the show in 2012 to raise money for Children in Need, cracked a smile as drove a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang replica with James Cracknell and the rower's children.

Delighted: Evans drove a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang replica with James Cracknell and the rower's children

Wearing a hoody, blue overcoat and pin-striped trousers, the 50-year-old looked stress-free during the brief spin.

He then gave a short speech to thank car fans for coming along where he joked about how he had spilled tea all over himself.

CarFest, held annually at Lavestoke Park Farm in Hampshire and Oulton Park in Cheshire, has raised more 3.5million for Children in Need.

Evans was last seen out and about going for drinks with his wife in Primrose Hill, north London, just a week after he joked about celebrating his belated wedding anniversary with third wife Natasha by taking her camping with second wife Billie.

Over the moon: He beamed from ear to ear as he went for a brief spin in the classic car

Oops: He then gave a short speech to thank car fans for coming along where he joked about how he had spilled tea all over himself

Downtime: Chris looked relaxed as he drank his tea before he managed to spill it on himself

All smiles: Chris looked stress free after his days presenting Top Gear on BBC2

Stained: Chris's trousers sported the spillage as he held the offending cup of tea in his left hand

He was chatting to 33-year-old Billie on his BBC Radio 2 show when he suggested that it would be a good way to make it up to Natasha after missing their anniversary.

'For my anniversary with Tash I should go with you to Boardmasters,' he joked, about taking his wife to Cornwall's annual mid-August festival with Billie.

'She will be fine. I forgot my anniversary but so did my wife. It is something we try and do every year.'

With a hint of sarcasm, Billie agreed: 'I am sure she would be delighted, she is very relaxed like that.'

Happy days: James Martin drives Chitty Chitty Bang Bang with his girlfriend Louise Davies in the rear seat

Ponderous: Chris looked deep in thought when he sat down on the grass for a break

Chris was due to celebrate his ninth wedding anniversary with the mother of his two children, Noah and Eli, on August 11, 2016.

Meanwhile, Billie - to whom Chris was married between 2001 and 2007 - has recently divorced second husband Laurence Fox.

Billie also has two sons, Winston and Eugene, with the actor and musician but the couple ended their nine-year marriage amicably in May.

Fun times! One classic car enthusiast perused the motors on an off-road segway
She's been through the mill with her ex boyfriend Stephen Bear on Celebrity Big Brother.

But despite her relationship drama, Lillie Lexi Gregg beamed as put on a very leggy display arriving at Japanese restaurant Rufuto in Birmingham on Sunday.

Heading to the Park Regis Hotel eatery, the 25-year-old reality star paraded her perfect pins in a pair of racy khaki thigh-high boots as she enjoyed a much needed girls night out.

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Beaming: Lillie Lexi Gregg beamed as put on a very leggy display arriving at Japanese restaurant Rufuto in Birmingham on Sunday

Exhibiting her incredibly toned figure, the Ex On The Beach starlet looked chic in a thigh-grazing white crotchet two-piece.

Flaunting her slender shoulders, Lillie donned a bardot style top as she flashed her pearly whites arriving for dinner with her gal pals.

The MTV star flaunted her deep golden tan as she causally draped her clashing hot pink studded handbag with gold chain detail over her shoulder.

Accessorising her ensemble, Lillie heavily decorated her neck with a number of on-trend chokers as she stacked statement rings on her fingers and wrapped a silver bracelet around her wrist.

Leggy display: Heading to the Park Regis Hotel eatery, the 25-year-old reality star paraded her perfect pins in a pair of racy khaki thigh-high boots

Thigh-grazing: Exhibiting her incredibly toned figure, the Ex On The Beach starlet looked chic in a thigh-grazing white crotchet two-piece

Chic: The MTV star flaunted her deep golden tan as she causally draped her clashing hot pink studded handbag with gold chain detail over her shoulder

Going for a full-on glam look, the reality TV star neatly styled her warm blonde tresses into a bouncy curl as she dined with her squad.

Working a full face of make-up, Lillie contoured her facial features to perfection as she swiped a highlighter over her high cheekbones as she plumped up her pout with nude lipstick.

Making her eyes the centre of attention, the blonde bombshell opted for a smokey look as she applied lashings of mascara and dramatic eyeliner as she put her relationship woes to the side.

Lillie made quite the stir earlier this month after she confronted her former boyfriend Stephen Bear in the Celebrity Big Brother house over his shocking escapades.

Squad: Lillie arrived at the eatery with her girlfriends in tow

Thrilled: The stunner heavily decorated her neck with a number of on-trend chokers as she stacked statement rings on her fingers and wrapped a silver bracelet around her wrist

Girls night out: Lillie flaunted her deep golden tan in the chic white co-ords

Lillie and Bear first met while filming the current series of MTV's Ex On The Beach in April, and the two continued their romance once filming finished in Thailand.

Despite appearing to be loved-up, Stephen hit it off with housemate Chloe Khan while on CBB and had viewers captivated by their full-on relationship.

Having previously claimed that Lillie wasnt the one following his romance with Chloe, the starlet then entered the house as part of a task to get closure from the situation.

However, Bear's brother Danny told The Sun Online: 'She's incredibly fame hungry. Stephen tried to end their very short relationship after we all saw through her, but once his contract for the show came through she started pulling at his heart strings.'
Poland's Radwanska wins Connecticut Open

Agnieszka Radwanska held on for a 6-1, 7-6 (7/2) win over Elina Svitolina in Saturday's final of the WTA Connecticut Open, the last tune-up before the US Open.

The top seed and world number four Radwanska claimed her second title of 2016 and the 19th of her WTA Tour.

Radwanska was given a wild card berth to get into the tournament. She needed just 29 minutes to win the first set as Svitolina won just four points on serve all set long.

Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland returns a shot to Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during the women's singles final of the Connecticut Open on August 27, 2016 in New Haven Alex Goodlett (Getty/AFP)

But the two traded breaks throughout the second set as Svitolina raised her level of play.

Poland's Radwanska staved off three sets points to send the second set into a tiebreaker.

She then won five consecutive points in the tiebreaker to claim the victory.

"Thank you so much to the tournament director Anne [Worcester], for giving me that wildcard," Radwanska said. "I definitely appreciate it, and I'll be back next year for sure."
Addict risks all in deadly Philippine drug war

Pedicab driver Reyjin dives into a neighbour's house for a quick meth fix, fearful of taking a bullet to the head in Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs but unable to quit.

More than 2,000 people have died violent deaths since Duterte took office two months ago and immediately implemented his scorched-earth plans to eradicate drugs in society, ordering police to shoot dead traffickers and urging ordinary citizens to kill addicts.

The bloodbath has seen unknown assailants kill more than half the victims, according to police statistics, raising fears that security forces and hired assassins are roaming through communities and shooting dead anyone suspected of being involved in drugs.

Philippine Scene of the Crime Operatives work at the site where two suspects were shot dead following a shootout with police in Manila on August 28, 2016 Noel Celis (AFP)

Armed police constantly circle in Reyjin's Manila slum community, but he continues to snort the fumes of the highly addictive methamphetamine known as "shabu" that Duterte has warned is destroying the lives of millions of poor Filipinos.

"It's scary because I could be next," said the gaunt, gap-toothed 28-year-old, speaking to AFP on the condition his identity not be revealed for security reasons.

The father-of-three said two masked motorcycle gunmen riding in tandem on a motorcycle had shot dead a woman who sold small amounts of drugs to him and other residents.

"She was sitting in the alley when she took two bullets to the head," he said.

Such riding-in-tandem murders are one of the most common forms of killings by the shadowy assassins.

- 'Cardboard justice' -

Often a piece of cardboard, with "drug peddler" or "drug addict" written on it, is placed on the corpse. This has led to the war on crime becoming known as "cardboard justice".

Meanwhile, police have reported killing 756 people they have branded drug suspects.

National police chief Ronald dela Rosa has repeatedly defended his officers, insisting they only kill when their own lives are in danger.

However two policemen have been charged with murder over the jailhouse deaths of a father and son, who autopsies showed to have been beaten so badly before being shot that their limbs were broken.

The United Nations, the US government and human rights groups have expressed alarm at the bloodshed, with some critics warning the Philippines is in the midst of a reign of terror as authorities act with no regard for the law.

Duterte and Dela Rosa have repeatedly insisted they are acting within the boundaries of the law, while accusing their critics of siding with the drug traffickers and ignoring the devastating consequences of what they describe as a national shabu crisis.

They say most of the unexplained deaths are being carried out by drug syndicates waging war on each other.

Yet on the day he was sworn into office, Duterte gave a speech to a crowd in a Manila slum in which he called on them to kill drug addicts in their own community.

And in an address to a group of drug addicts who had surrendered to police last week, Dela Rosa called on them to kill their suppliers and burn down their homes.

Dela Rosa later apologised for the comments, saying they were made because he was angry, but they nevertheless added to an atmosphere of a dramatic breakdown in the rule of law.

- Resilient drug trade -

In Reyjin's Manila slum, the violence and security presence has slowed the drug trade and made shabu more expensive.

But lots is still available, in what could be a worrying sign for Duterte who vowed during the election campaign that he could completely wipe out the trade within six months.

"If you want to buy, you just go stand there on the street and somebody will approach you," said Reyjin, who took his first hit of shabu when he was 13.

"You hand over the money and he will tell you to wait and have somebody else deliver the drugs to you."

Even the shabu "dens", in which people rent out their huts for addicts to take a hit, are still operating, according to Reyjin.

Reyjin said he earned about 400 pesos ($8.50) a day, taking passengers on short pedicab trips and occasionally doing odd jobs.

He said he was spending about one quarter of his earnings on shabu. It used to be a 50-peso-a-day habit, but the price of shabu had doubled because of the drug war, according to Reyjin.

Neighbours told AFP the eldest of Reyjin's three children, a grade-schooler, looked malnourished and often went to school hungry.

The two other siblings looked dirty and were forced to wear hand-me-down clothes in their one-room house, they added.

The neighbours said they also suspected him of stealing small items from their homes to fund his habit.

Reyjin said he was aware of the toll his habit took on his family.

But, even compounded by the threat of his children being orphaned in the drug war, he said he could not stop taking shabu.

"Sometime I tell myself I have to stop," he said.

"But my body craves it."

More than 2,000 people have died violent deaths since Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte took office two months ago and immediately implemented his scorched-earth plans to eradicate drugs in society Noel Celis (AFP)

National police chief Ronald dela Rosa has called on drug addicts to kill their suppliers and burn down their homes Noel Celis (AFP)
Trump's border wall plan is unrealistic and useless, experts say

Even as Donald Trump vacillates between toning down his harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric and reaching out to minorities, he remains unshakable on one central campaign promise: building a wall on America's southern border with Mexico.

"We are going to build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs and the violence, and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities," the Republican presidential candidate said as he accepted his party's nomination last month.

It's an idea experts say is as useless as it is unrealistic. Though that has hardly given Trump pause.

Donald Trump says his success as a construction magnate guarantees he can build a wall on America's southern border with Mexico, but provides few details Suzanne Cordeiro (AFP)

"I will build the greatest wall that you have ever seen," he elaborated at a recent rally. "That's a Trump wall, a beautiful wall!"

"And who's going to pay for it?" he asks at his events.

"Mexico!" his energized supporters roared back.

Trump says his success as a construction magnate guarantees he can build such a wall but has provided few details.

The 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) US-Mexico border runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, crossing arid, sparsely populated territory as well as urban centers thick with inhabitants.

After initially promising to build a new barrier running the entire length of the border, Trump now says only half actually needs to be covered because the physical terrain acts as a natural barrier along the rest.

But if he's clear about the length, what about the height? Trump has variously mentioned 35 feet (10.5 meters), 40 feet, 55 feet and even 90 feet.

"The wall just got 10 feet higher!" he's said when Mexican officials repeated that their country has no intention of paying a dime.

He is just as vague about the cost -- $4 billion, then "six or seven" billion, "probably eight," and "10, maybe 12," before finally settling at "around $10 billion."

However, architects and engineers dismiss that figure as entirely unrealistic given even the minimum predictable costs.

- Concrete, steel... solid! -

Trump's plan calls for prefabricated concrete panels reinforced with steel rods, heavy materials that present immense logistical challenges: paving roads for access, building multiple sites for pouring concrete and hiring armies of workers over several years.

The wall would require foundations deep enough to ensure stability and discourage tunneling.

A 40-foot concrete wall using a "post and panel" system sunk 10 feet below ground would cost at least $26 billion, according to the Texan wall expert Todd Sternfeld.

Trump dismisses such figures, however, pointing to China's ancient, 13,000-mile-long Great Wall.

"They didn't have cranes. They didn't have excavation equipment," he says. "We need 1,000 miles and we have all of the materials."

Key differences that make the comparison irrelevant go unmentioned -- that China's wall consists of separate parts built over centuries at a human cost that's unthinkable today.

Obstacles in the way of the Great Wall of Trump, as he's called it, don't stop there.

In the vast American South, border areas are often private property. Securing the land for a wall would require multiple expropriation procedures and legal headaches.

It has been tried before. The border already is bristling with barriers and fences, much of it built through the $2.4 billion Secure Fence Act signed by former president George W. Bush in 2006.

- 30 foot wall, 31 foot ladders -

The Rio Grande River, which forms the border between Mexico and Texas, presents another major obstacle.

Laws prohibit construction that would impede flood management or interfere with the sharing of resources.

A treaty meanwhile prohibits either country from diverting any flow of water.

But beyond the multitude of intractable obstacles facing a Trump wall, its basic sense remains highly questionable.

"If you build a 30-foot wall," the comedian John Oliver has said, "all it's going to do is create a market for 31-foot ladders."

Critics point out that drug traffickers have found ways of transporting their products over or under border barriers whatever their size.

Moreover, as a 2006 study by the Pew Hispanic Center found, nearly half of illegal immigrants in the United States enter through classic entry points such as airports before simply staying on their expired visas.

A US Border Patrol agent leads a group of captured undocumented immigrants near the US-Mexico border near Hidalgo, Texas JOHN MOORE (Getty/AFP/File)

People gather at the US-Mexico border fence to talk to their relatives in Playas de Tijuana, northwestern Mexico Guillermo Arias (AFP)
Philippine Muslim extremists stage mass jailbreak

Muslim extremists who support the Islamic State group staged a daring jailbreak in the southern Philippines, freeing 23 detainees in the latest in a series of mass escapes, officials said Sunday.

About 50 heavily armed members of the Maute group raided the local jail in the southern city of Marawi on Mindanao island on Saturday and freed eight comrades who were arrested barely a week ago, police said.

Fifteen other detainees, held for other serious offences, also escaped in the raid, said provincial jail warden Acmad Tabao.

Philippine soldiers return to camp after an armed encouter with members of the militant group Abu Sayyaf, one of several Muslim gangs on the southern island of Mindanao on August 26, 2016

Police earlier said that 28 inmates escaped but Tabao clarified the figure.

In a report Tabao said two women came to the prison gate, asking the guard to take delivery of some food for the detainees. When the guard opened the gate, hooded men forced their way into the compound.

They overwhelmed the guards, forcing them to their knees and taking two rifles before freeing the inmates.

The hooded men shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) before fleeing in a prison vehicle to a nearby lake. The Maute gang members then fled by boat while the other inmates scattered, Tabao said.

At the jail, two bullet holes and a shattered television set were the only evidence of the attack.

The eight Maute group members were arrested on August 22 after soldiers manning a checkpoint found improvised bombs and pistols in the van they were driving.

The Maute group is one of several Muslim gangs in Mindanao, the ancestral homeland of the Muslim minority in the largely Catholic Philippines.

The group has carried out kidnappings and bombings and is believed to have led an attack on an army outpost in the Mindanao town of Butig in February.

The fighting there lasted a week, leaving numerous fatalities and forcing thousands to flee their homes as helicopter gunships fought off the attackers.

During the Butig fighting the group's members were seen carrying black flags of the Islamic State group, and bandanas bearing the jihadists' insignia were found in their base, the military said.

Authorities said they were investigating the jailbreak and the reason why security had not been increased after high-risk suspects were brought in.

It was the latest of several mass escapes from poorly secured Philippine jails, with the incidents often involving Muslim extremists.

In 2009 more than 100 armed men raided a jail in the strife-torn southern island of Basilan, freeing 31 prisoners including several Muslim guerrillas.

The southern Philippines has been plagued by Muslim separatist insurgencies for over four decades, with the conflict leaving more than 120,000 dead.

President Rodrigo Duterte is pursuing peace talks with the largest Muslim insurgent groups, the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which have ceasefires with the government.
Tehran, Iran, August 28

By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:

The extensive opposition and brawl of the US against Irans defense programs such as the S-300 missile deal and the Fordow facilities is the sign of the malice and hatred that Washington holds against Iran, Iranian Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said.

Making the statement in a meeting with Khatam ul-Anbiya Air Defense Base officials, Ayatollah Khamenei underlined that the S-300 is a defense, rather than offensive tool. However, the US did its best to deprive the Islamic Republic of it, his official website reported August 28.

We are facing such an enemy that does not even recognize the right to defense for our nation and, in fact says: You should stay defenseless so that we could be able to attack you whenever we want to, the Leader stated.

The enemy has to understand that if it attacks, it will receive a hard blow and our defense will include responsiveness as well.

The S-300 defense system deal was signed between Iran and Russia in 2007, when Iran paid Russia for the consignment it had to receive. However, US put turns and twists in the affair, with the result that Iran only recently received the first consignment under the deal and hopes to receive the full order by the end of 2016.
Myanmar's Suu Kyi faces test at ethnic peace conference

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi faces what could be the toughest test of her leadership yet when she opens a major ethnic peace conference Wednesday aimed at ending wars that have blighted the country since its independence.

The five-day talks will bring hundreds of ethnic minority rebel leaders to the capital, along with military top brass and international delegates such as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

The conference is Suu Kyi's flagship effort to quell the long-running rebellions rumbling across Myanmar's impoverished frontier states, fuelled in part by the illegal drugs, jade and timber trades.

A major ethnic peace conference this week is Aung San Suu Kyi's flagship effort to quell the long-running rebellions rumbling across Myanmar's impoverished frontier states Aung Htet (AFP/File)

Myanmar is home to more than 100 ethnic groups and many minorities harbour deep seated historical suspicions of the Bamar majority group -- which includes Suu Kyi -- complaining that they have endured decades of discrimination.

Suu Kyi,a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has made ending the nearly 70 years of fighting the first priority of her newly minted government, which took over from the military in March after sweeping the first free election in generations.

"If you ask me what my most important aim is for my country, that is to achieve peace and unity among the different peoples of our union," she said during a recent visit to China.

"Without peace, there can be no sustained development."

The 71-year-old is hoping to expand a shaky ceasefire signed last year between some rebel armies and the military-backed government.

This week's conference will include both signatories to the ceasefire agreement and non-signatories, although some groups are still locked in intense fighting with government forces and their role in the talks remains unclear.

Success also depends heavily on the military, which controls key levers of government and whose leaders are thought to have made billions from the vast natural resources of Myanmar's borderlands.

"Anyone who is suggesting there could be any sort of agreement in the coming days or weeks is dreaming," said Anthony Davis, a security analyst and writer for IHS-Jane's, predicting the negotiations could take "many years".

The conference has nevertheless been hailed as an important first step and one loaded with symbolism in a nation emerging from a dark military past.

It is dubbed the '21st Century Panglong' -- a reference to a 1947 agreement signed by Suu Kyi's independence hero father that granted a level of autonomy to major ethnic groups.

The deal collapsed after Aung San was assassinated months later, precipitating half a century of brutal junta rule.

Suu Kyi has followed in her father's footsteps with similar pledges to form a federalist state -- though she has never spelt out the details.

- 'Grand opening ceremony' -

A spokesman for the UNFC, one of the rebel coalitions attending the talks whose 11 ethnic groups include both ceasefire signatories and non-signatories, said the conference would be "like a grand opening ceremony".

Ethnic groups will be allowed to give brief speeches, but there will be no time for follow-up debates and plans are already in the works to hold more talks every six months.

One rebel leader, who asked not to be named, put it more frankly.

"We will not get a solution from this conference because there will be no discussion or debate," he told AFP, adding that it will however be a rare chance to "talk openly" with the government.

Myanmar's Muslim minority Rohingya population, who are subject to state-sponsored discrimination, have never taken up arms against the state and therefore are not included in Suu Kyi's peace process.

The country's diverse patchwork of ethnic groups make up a third of the population, but the government and military have long been dominated by members of the majority Bamar ethnicity.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) -- also mostly Bamar -- surprised observers when it won a strong support from ethnic minority voters in November's polls.

Yet distrust of the military runs deep in rebel regions where there have been many documented cases of torture, rape and forced labour by state troops.

Hundreds of thousands have fled to Thailand and China, while those that remain live in communities devastated by drugs, forbidden from teaching in their own language and stigmatised for not being Buddhist.

Experts say the military's limited ceasefire pact has also driven a wedge between groups that signed and those that did not.

Richard Dolan, an independent researcher who works with the Karen people, warned minorities outside the peace process could start to see the NLD and military as forming a "united Burman front", using another term for the Bamar.

"If it is not careful in how it proceeds, the NLD risks fuelling suspicion that it is a Burman-Buddhist party which does not understand the sufferings of non-Burman people," he said.

Soldiers of the Taaung National Liberation Army, a Palaung ethnic armed group, stand guard at a village in Mantong township, in Myanmar's northern Shan state Ye Aung Thu (AFP/File)

Myanmar: ethnic minorities Simon MALFATTO, Kun TIAN (AFP)
Couple rescued after searchers spot SOS on remote island

Two people stranded for a week on a remote Pacific island have been rescued after a search aircraft spotted their SOS message in the sand, the US Coast Guard said Sunday.

The couple, who had "limited supplies and no emergency equipment", were found on uninhabited East Fayu island in Micronesia by a US Navy air crew, who discovered them on the beach near the makeshift sign, according to the coast guard statement.

The search team was responding to reports that someone on the island was using a flashlight to attract attention when they saw the survivors, the statement said.

A US Navy photo shows two people signalling for help by writing "SOS" in the sand on August 25, 2016 on uninhabited EasT Fayu Isalnd, Micronesia

"The search and rescue operation for Linus and Sabina Jack has been successfully completed," the US Embassy in Kolonia, Micronesia, posted on its Facebook page.

"Since the island was potentially uninhabited and knowing (they) had a flashlight in their boat, we directed our search aircraft to overfly the island."

The couple had set out from Weno Island in Micronesia in a five-metre (16.4-foot) boat on August 17, but the alarm was raised when they did not arrive at Tamatam Island the following day as expected.

During the week-long search, the Coast Guard said it used 15 vessels and two aircraft to cover an area of nearly 16,600 square miles (43,000 square kilometres) of ocean.

The couple were picked up by a patrol boat and taken to Nomwin atoll.
Indonesian priest injured in church attack

A knife-wielding man stabbed a Catholic priest and tried to set off an explosive device at a church in Indonesia on Sunday, police said, the latest attack on religious minorities in the mainly Muslim country.

Priest Albert Pandiangan was holding a mass in the city of Medan on the western island of Sumatra when a young man approached him and stabbed him in his left arm, said local chief detective Nur Fallah.

The attacker was carrying a homemade explosive device, said Fallah.

Indonesian police guard a blindfolded suspect who attacked a Catholic priest in Medan on August 28, 2016

"Somebody tried to kill the priest by pretending to attend the church service and at that time tried to explode something, like a firecracker, but the firecracker didn't explode, it only fumed," Fallah told reporters.

The priest suffered slight injuries and has been taken to hospital for treatment.

A picture of the attacker's ID card circulating online said he was Muslim.

In recent years there have been a number of attacks on religious minorities and others in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

A suicide attack in the Indonesian capital in January killed four attackers and four civilians, including a Westerner, and injured 19.

In July a suicide bomber linked to the Islamic State group blew himself up outside a police station in Central Java.

Churchgoers on Sunday quickly caught the attacker and called the police.

An eyewitness, Markus Harianto Manullan, said the assailant wore a jacket and carried a bag.

"He sat in the same row as I did... I saw him fiddling with something in his jacket, and then I heard a small explosion and he immediately ran to the podium," Manullan said.

Police are still investigating the man's motive.
Turkey ramps up Syria offensive with deadly bombings

Dozens of people were killed in Turkish bombardments in Syria on Sunday as Ankara ramped up its unprecedented offensive against the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.

Ankara said it had killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" and insisted the army was doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.

But the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 40 civilians were killed in Turkish shelling and air strikes on two areas held by pro-Kurdish forces in northern Syria, the first report of significant civilian casualties in Turkey's operation.

Turkish soldiers drive a tank to Syria from the border city of Karkamis in the Gaziantep region on August 27, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP)

The bombardments came after Ankara suffered its first military fatality in the two-pronged offensive against IS and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia.

Addressing a rally in the southern city of Gaziantep, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to combat the jihadists and the US-backed Kurdish fighters "with the same determination."

"We will make any kind of contribution to the work to clear Daesh (IS) from Syria," Erdogan told thousands of flag-waving supporters in the city where a suicide bomber suspected of IS links blew himself up at a wedding party last weekend.

Regarding "the PYD (Democratic Union Party) terror group in Syria, we have just the same determination," Erdogan said, referring to the main pro-Kurdish party in northern Syria and its YPG militia.

On Sunday, Turkish forces ramped up their offensive against pro-Kurdish forces near a town wrested back from IS this week by Turkish-backed Arab rebels.

- Turkish advance -

According to the Observatory, Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on Jeb el-Kussa village killed at least 20 civilians and wounded 50 others. Another 20 were killed and 25 wounded in air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, it said.

The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters were killed and 15 wounded in the two areas.

Turkey said the dead were 25 "terrorists" from the YPG and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), state-run Anadolu news agency said.

"All possible measures are being taken to prevent harm to the civilian population living in the area," the army said, quoted by Anadolu.

Sunday's operations took Turkey deeper inside Syria, into an area where the Kurdish forces that control much of the border had begun to expand.

Jeb el-Kussa is located 14 kilometres (almost nine miles) south of Jarabulus, the IS border stronghold which Turkish-backed Arab rebels captured on the first day of the incursion.

The rebels say they have captured at least nine towns and villages, including Jarabulus, from IS and Kurdish forces since Wednesday.

In a statement Saturday, Kurdish forces accused Ankara of seeking to "expand its occupation" inside Syria.

- Dead soldier flown home -

The latest fighting is likely to raise deep concerns with Washington, Turkey's NATO ally which supports the YPG as an effective adversary of IS.

But Turkey considers the YPG a "terrorist" group and vehemently opposes its attempts to create a contiguous autonomous zone along its border, fearing it could strengthen the Kurdish rebels fighting the state in southeast Turkey.

Ankara says the YPG has broken a promise made to the US to go back across the Euphrates River after advancing westwards earlier this month.

On Sunday, the first Turkish casualty in the operation was flown home from Gaziantep for burial in his home province of Duzce on the Black Sea.

Erdogan also met relatives of the victims of the August 20 suicide bombing in Gaziantep, which hit a Kurdish wedding, reaffirming his earlier claim that the bomber was a 14-year-old boy.

- Condemning chemical attacks -

Ankara's military intervention has added another dimension to Syria's complex multi-front war, a devastating conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people and forced millions from their homes since March 2011.

The Observatory said government forces on Sunday resumed shelling and air strikes on the rebel-held Waer district of Homs city, killing three people and wounding another 20.

Much of the heaviest fighting this summer has focused on the second city of Aleppo, which is roughly divided between rebel forces and President Bashar al-Assad's troops.

Global powers have been pushing for 48-hour humanitarian ceasefires in the embattled city.

Russia, which backs Assad, has endorsed the proposal. But some rebel groups have rejected the plan.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Sunday said it was crucial to condemn Damascus' use of chemical weapons in Syria ahead of a crunch UN Security Council meeting on the issue.

"I cannot see the reasons or arguments for not condemning the use of chemical weapons," he said in remarks apparently directed at Russia.

Map of northern Syria locating two villages south of Jarabulus where monitors say Turkish air strikes and bombardment killed dozens of civilians Philippe Mouche (AFP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech during a rally in Gaziantep on August 28, 2016 Yasin Bulbul (Turkey's Presidential Press Service/AFP)

Turkish army tanks drive to the Syrian-Turkey border town of Jarabulus on August 25, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP/File)
Coalition strikes 'kill seven Yemeni civilians'

Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition struck a rebel convoy near a taxi stand in central Yemen, killing seven civilians and nine insurgents, officials said on Sunday.

The air strikes hit three vehicles belonging to the Huthi rebels late Saturday near the Mafraq Sharab junction outside the southwestern city of Taez, a military official said.

Medical sources said hospitals in Taez received the bodies of seven civilians, while military sources said nine rebels were killed and 14 people were wounded.

The latest Yemen attacks struck outside the southwestern city of Taez where rebels and forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi have been involved in sporadic clashes Ahmad Al-Basha (AFP/File)

The raid came during sporadic clashes in the city between the Iran-backed rebels and forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who are supported by a Saudi-led coalition.

The Arab coalition launched a military campaign against the Huthis and their allies in March 2015, after the Shiite rebels closed in on Hadi in his southern refuge in Aden forcing him into exile.

The coalition has stepped up its air raids since three months of peace talks in Kuwait collapsed earlier this month.
Bangladesh hunts more extremists ahead of Kerry visit

Bangladesh police said Sunday they were hunting more extremist leaders after shooting dead the suspected mastermind of a deadly cafe attack, on the eve of US Secretary of State John Kerry's first visit.

Security forces stormed a militant hideout outside Dhaka on Saturday, killing three suspected Islamists including the Bangladesh-born Canadian accused of organising last month's attack that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners.

Authorities say that after returning from Canada in 2013, Tamim Chowdhury led a faction of the banned militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), blamed for a series of recent attacks on religious minorities.

Bangladesh police stand guard at the scene of an operation to storm a militant hideout in Narayanganj on August 27, 2016 STR (AFP)

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the July 1 seige of the upmarket Dhaka cafe in which gunmen held hostage mainly Western diners including one American, before killing them.

But police say the homegrown JMB, which has pledged allegiance to the IS group, was behind the raid. They deny the presence of international jihadist groups.

"We're hopeful we can now capture and eliminate other extremists including Zia," assistant inspector general of police, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, told AFP.

Police suspect Zia, a former army major whose full name is Syed Ziaul Haque, heads another local extremist group called Ansar al Islam, blamed for the machete murders of a dozen secular writers and two gay activists.

Kerry is set to arrive in Bangladesh on Monday on his first official visit to try to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism and other issues.

He will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and hold talks with his counterpart Mahmood Ali "on a broad range of issues including democracy, development, security and human rights", a senior State Department official said.

Kerry will then head to India to co-chair the regular US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bangladesh police hailed Saturday's raid as a major blow to extremists in the Muslim-majority country, which has been reeling from the recent killings.

The cafe attack has prompted foreigners, including potential investors, to leave Bangladesh -- sparking worries for its garment industry, the world's second largest after China.

A series of police raids on suspected militant hideouts have killed at least 24 extremists since the cafe attack.

Police have announced a reward of $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of Zia, who was sacked from the army in 2011 for an aborted coup bid against Hasina.

Experts welcomed Saturday's police raid but said the country, with its history of political instability, faces a long fight against Islamist extremism.

Critics say Hasina's administration has been in denial about the nature of the threat posed by extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic opponents.

"Definitely Tamim's death is a major setback for the terrorists, especially in the short term," said Abdur Rob, professor of politics and security issues at the private North South University.
Libyan forces tighten noose on IS in Sirte

Pro-government forces in Libya on Monday cornered the Islamic State group in one neighbourhood of Sirte, after two days of deadly fighting for the jihadists' last stronghold in the country.

The forces loyal to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord launched an offensive more than three months ago to drive IS from the coastal city, and they have been backed by US air raids for almost a month.

IS overran the Mediterranean hometown of Libya's slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi in mid-2015, sparking fears the jihadists would use it as a springboard for attacks on Europe.

Forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed government on August 28, 2016 in Sirte during a military operation to clear IS group jihadists from the city Mahmud Turkia (AFP)

The pro-GNA forces announced late Monday they had "totally liberated" one of the two districts where IS fighters were holed up after an evening assault on their positions.

"Our forces have totally liberated district Number One" in northern Sirte, the campaign's media centre said.

Reda Issa, a spokesman for the loyalist forces, told AFP: "The price was costly but they liberated it."

Jihadists were still holed up in half of district Number Three in the east of the city, which they had seized in July last year.

The anti-IS fighters "seized a little more than half of district Number Three and 70 percent of district Number One" in the downtown seafront area, they said earlier.

The latest breakthrough came after loyalist forces launched a new assault in the evening against the jihadists' holdouts backed by tanks and artillery, and fought with IS snipers, Issa said.

On Sunday, at least 38 pro-GNA fighters were killed 185 others wounded in clashes, medical officials at a field hospital and the nearby Misrata hospital said.

Ten others died in fighting on Monday while 12 were wounded, they said.

IS casualty figures have been unavailable.

- 'Final battle'-

Loyalist forces announced on Sunday the "final battle" to retake the last two districts where IS was entrenched, with about 1,000 pro-GNA fighters taking part in the offensive.

The Misrata hospital, which was already struggling to handle casualties at the weekend, was filled on Monday with wounded pro-GNA fighters, an AFP photographer said.

"It was a bloody day," doctor Akram Jumaa said.

"I carried out dozens of surgeries that lasted until this morning, and some others are still ongoing."

Mohammad Quweid, a nurse, bemoaned the lack of means to treat casualties.

"There aren't enough rooms so sometimes we have to put five or six fighters together in the same room."

The jihadists have sent in at least 12 suicide car bombers since Sunday, pro-GNA forces said.

On Sunday loyalists had seized several IS positions in district Number Three, including the Qortoba mosque which the jihadists had renamed after slain Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

IS fighters seized Sirte in June 2015, hoisting their black flag above the city.

They had set fire to the mosque's library, killed an imam and used its courtyard for "torture and executions", the media office of the Sirte operation said.

Pro-GNA forces fought their way into Sirte a year later, on June 9, but their advance has been hampered by snipers, suicide bombings and booby traps.

More than 400 loyalist fighters have been killed and nearly 2,500 wounded in the battle for Sirte since May, medical sources say.

- 1,000 IS fighters -

The pro-GNA forces are mostly militias from western cities backing the unity government of premier-designate Fayez al-Sarraj and the guards of oil installations that IS has repeatedly tried to seize.

Backed by US air strikes since August 1, they seized the jihadists' headquarters at the Ouagadougou conference centre on August 10, pinning down IS fighters near the sea.

As of August 24, American warplanes had carried out 82 strikes, the US military said.

The US also leads a coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq, where the jihadists seized large swathes of territory in 2014.

Analysts say ousting IS from Libya would be a symbolic boost for the fragile unity government, but unrest might continue as IS could carry out more scattered attacks across the country.

Before it was seized by IS, Sirte had about 120,000 residents, but a pro-GNA military leader said this month that all had fled except for the jihadists' families.

The Pentagon this month estimated there are fewer than 1,000 jihadist fighters in Sirte.

IS took advantage of the chaos in oil-rich Libya after the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed Kadhafi.

A UN-brokered deal struck in December led to Sarraj's unity government starting to work in Tripoli, but it has since struggled to fully assert its authority over the country.

Fighting in Sirte Laurence Saubadu, Jonathan Jacobsen (AFP)

Fighters from the forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed Government of National Accord, wounded in the battle against Islamic State (IS) group in the eastern coastal city of Sirte, receive treatment at the hospital in Misurata on August 29, 2016 Mahmud Turkia (AFP)
Nigeria's Buhari says Boko Haram leader 'wounded'

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said Sunday that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is "wounded", in his first comments on military claims that the jihadi leader was injured in an attack.

Nigeria's armed forces said on Tuesday that Shekau had been wounded in an air strike on Boko Haram's forest stronghold, but released no further statement or evidence confirming his condition.

"We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he was wounded," Buhari said in a statement from Nairobi, where he is attending a development conference.

This screengrab taken on November 9, 2014 from a Boko Haram video released by the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram and obtained by AFP shows the leader of the Nigerian Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau HO, HO, HO (BOKO HARAM/AFP/File)

"Indeed their top hierarchy and lower cadre have a problem," Buhari said. "They are not holding any territory and they have split to small groups attacking soft targets."

Buhari said that Shekau had been "edged out" of the group, adding credence to claims that Islamic State (IS)-appointed Abu Musab al-Barnawi was now in charge of the insurgency.

Signs of a power struggle in the top echelons of the jihadi group appeared earlier this month when Shekau released a video denying he had been ousted.

Barnawi is believed to be the 22-year-old son of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf and was announced as the group's leader in August by IS.

Buhari made his remarks from Nairobi this weekend where he is attending the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, a summit designed to boost ties between Africa and Japan.

The president also said he "is prepared to talk to bona fide leaders of Boko Haram" to negotiate the release of 218 Chibok girls captured by the militants in 2014.

Boko Haram has ravaged northeast Nigeria in its quest to create a fundamentalist Islamic state, killing over 20,000 people and displacing 2.6 million from their homes.

Turning to another major security concern in Nigeria, Buhari threatened militants sabotaging oil infrastructure in the southern swamplands of the Niger delta.

"We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us," Buhari said.

The country's petroleum minister has said that as a result of the ongoing attacks Nigeria's oil output has dropped 23 per cent from last year to 1.5 million barrels per day, according to Bloomberg News.

Groups including the Niger Delta Avengers are demanding a greater share of oil revenues, political autonomy, and infrastructure development in the southern riverlands where despite massive oil wealth people still struggle to access basic health care and education.

Buhari said his government was in talks with the some of the militants but said there was no "ceasefire", despite an announcement by the Avengers last week.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, pictured on May 12, 2016, says Abubakar Shekau has been "edged out" of Boko Haram Dan Kitwood (Pool/AFP/File)

Boko Haram Islamists kidnapped 276 schoolgirls from Chibok in northeast Nigeria in April 2014
Yemen govt cautiously welcomes US peace plan

Yemen's exiled government has said it welcomes in principle a US-backed plan to resume peace talks with Iran-backed rebels on the basis of forming a unity government.

In Sanaa, the rebels said they had discussed the establishment of a government, and said they would respond "positively" to any attempt to end the conflict.

Meeting in Riyadh, the Yemeni cabinet gave an "initial welcoming to the ideas that came out of the meeting in Jeddah," which included US Secretary of State John Kerry, the government's sabanew.net website said late Saturday.

Yemenis walk amid the rubble of a house in the Huthi rebel-held capital Sanaa after it was reportedly hit by a Saudi-led coalition air strike Mohammed Huwais (AFP/File)

Kerry announced a fresh international peace initiative to resolve the 17-month-old conflict after meeting Thursday with Gulf counterparts, a British minister and the UN envoy to Yemen.

The plan offers Huthi rebels and their allies participation in a unity government but demands their withdrawal from Sanaa and other key areas, as well as surrendering heavy weapons to a third party.

The rebels had been demanding a unity government as the first step towards resolving Yemen's war.

On Sunday, they said they had "discussed the necessary steps for the establishment of a government in the shortest possible time", at a meeting of the recently created "Supreme Council" in the capital.

The rebel-controlled news agency said they also gave the assurance that they would "respond positively to any initiative on stopping the aggression and lifting the blockade... and on achieving the desired peace".

The internationally backed government of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi wanted a rebel pullout from seized territory, including Sanaa, and a surrender of weapons, as the first steps, in line with a UN Security Council resolution on the crisis.

On Saturday, the government stressed its "readiness to positively deal with any peaceful solutions".

But it said any proposal should comply with UN Resolution 2216, sabanew.net reported.

A foreign ministry official said Yemen has not officially received the new initiative, adding that UN envoy Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was tasked with delivering it to the warring parties.

UN-sponsored talks in Kuwait collapsed in early August after three months.

Kerry said on Thursday that Yemen's war "needs to end as quickly as possible".

A Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign in March 2015 against the rebels in support of Hadi who had holed up in his refuge in Aden before being forced into exile.
Drug users aren't human, says Philippines' Duterte

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is waging a bloody war on crime, has justified the large-scale killing of drug users by suggesting the victims were not human.

Duterte, who has seen about two thousand people killed since he was elected in May, made the remarks late Friday as he shrugged off the United Nations' concerns over human rights in his country.

"Crime against humanity? In the first place, Id like to be frank with you: are they humans? What is your definition of a human being?" he told soldiers while visiting an army camp, according to transcripts of his speech released afterwards.

An activist hold a banner in front of the Philippine National Police headquarters during a protest condemning extra-judicial killings in President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign against drugs, in Manila on August 24, 2016 Noel Celis (AFP/File)

"Human rights? Use it properly in the right context if you have the brains," he added.

"You cannot wage a war without killing," Duterte said, adding that many drug users were beyond rehabilitation.

His remarks came after various UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June condemned his apparent support for extra-judicial killings.

The UN special rapporteur on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, said earlier this month that his directives "amount to incitement to violence and killing, a crime under international law".

Duterte's comments come after his national police chief Ronald Dela Rosa on Friday urged drug users to kill their traffickers and burn their homes.

"Why don't you give them a visit, pour gasoline on their homes and set these on fire to register your anger," Dela Rosa said.

He later apologised for his remarks.

But Duterte defended Dela Rosa, saying "that's my style. He is following it".

Duterte also taunted the United Nations, saying "they want me to go prison? Do those idiots think I will be captured alive. My God, we will be together in hell."

Earlier this week, Dela Rosa told senators that over 750 people had been killed by police in anti-drug operations while more than a thousand had been slain by shadowy figures. Since then, even more people have been killed.

Duterte, 71, won May elections in a landslide on a promise to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals to prevent the Philippines from becoming a narco-state.
By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

The first phase of Irans National Information Network (National Internet) was launched Aug. 28 during a ceremony attended by First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri, Tasnim news agency reported.

The National Information Networks bandwidth currently stands at 4,000 gigabyte per second, according to Mahmoud Vaezi, Irans ICT minister.

The second phase of the project will come on stream by February 2017 and the third phase will become operational during the first half of next Iranian calendar year (to start March 2017), Vaezi said.

Since 2005 Iran has been developing its National Information Network to improve control over its content as well as speed. The project, which is separate from the World Wide Web was scheduled to be completed by the end of the fifth five-year development plan (2011-15).

This network will be separated from the rest of the internet and is specifically for domestic use.

Authorities claim the national Internet would not lead to a cut in Internet access. But critics warn it could allow the government to cut off access to foreign sites, restricting access to information and preventing users from sharing information online.
Pilots arrested for alleged drinking before UK-US flight

Two pilots were arrested in Scotland on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol as they prepared to fly a passenger plane to the United States, police said Sunday.

The two men were detained at Glasgow Airport on Saturday before they were due to fly to Newark in New Jersey.

Concerns were reportedly raised over the pair ahead of the 9:00am (0800 GMT) UA162 flight. The service, carrying 141 passengers, eventually flew with a new crew later Saturday.

Two United Airlines pilots were arrested at Glasgow Airport on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol ahead of their flight to Newark Saul Loeb (AFP/File)

"Two men aged 35 and 45 have been arrested and are presently detained in police custody in connection with alleged offences under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, Section 93," a Police Scotland spokesman said.

The section relates to "carrying out pilot function or activity while exceeding the prescribed limit of alcohol."

A United Airlines spokesman said: "The two pilots have been removed from service and their flying duties.

"We are co-operating with the authorities and will conduct our own investigation as well. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority."

The men are expected to appear at Paisley Sheriff Court on the edge of Glasgow on Monday.

The arrests come after two Canadian pilots were charged with being drunk as they prepared to fly from Glasgow to Toronto last month.

Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were arrested on July 18 as they were due to pilot an Airbus A310 plane, which carries up to 250 passengers, for Canada's Air Transat.

Perreault, from Ontario, and Syed, from Toronto, are charged under laws covering alcohol and drug limits in aviation.

They also face charges of threatening or abusive behaviour.
Saudi city soldiers on as civilian toll mounts

It doesn't look like there is war in Najran.

Not when you drive down King Abdul Aziz Road in the late afternoon sun, past the luxury hotel, the hypermarket and the sprawling gym in this southern Saudi city near the border with Yemen.

But enter the King Khaled Hospital and you can see what the war has done.

Saudis wait next to wreckages at a market for vehicles on August 27, 2016 in the Saudi border city of Najran, a week after it was struck by a rocket fired from Yemen Fayez Nureldine (AFP)

Saleh al-Abbas weeps outside the room where his nine-year-old son Mahdi lies with his head and face bandaged.

A Katyusha rocket struck their home around breakfast on Saturday and Mahdi's cousin, aged three, is dead.

The boy brings to at least 31 the number of civilians killed in Najran since early last year, when Yemen's Huthi rebels and their allies began bombarding southern Saudi Arabia in retaliation for air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition.

The Arab alliance intervened in March 2015 to support Yemen's internationally recognised government after the Huthis seized much of the country.

At least 19 soldiers have also died in the Najran region, which is just a few kilometres (miles) from the border and has borne the brunt of rebel attacks.

"They target the civilians. The main ones suffering are the civilians," says Colonel Ali al-Shahrani, a spokesman for the Saudi Civil Defence Department.

He says the bombardment worsened after the suspension in early August of United Nations-brokered peace talks.

"Now it's continuous," he tells visiting foreign reporters.

- Power plant hit -

On Friday, rebels made a rare hit on Saudi infrastructure when a Katyusha hit the Saudi Electricity Company's Najran Power Plant at the base of a mountain.

There were no injuries but it punctured an oil tank, starting a fire which left much of the facility blackened and twisted.

The tank still spewed fuel on Saturday as fire crews and officials inspected the damage.

Katyushas are short-range rockets without sophisticated guidance systems.

Escorted by the information ministry, foreign journalists on Saturday were granted rare access to Najran.

The tour coincided with increased criticism of Saudi Arabia over civilian casualties in its Yemen bombing campaign.

On Thursday the UN called for the creation of an independent international body to investigate an array of violations in Yemen's war.

A report laid out allegations of grave human rights abuses by all sides in the conflict.

More than half of the 6,600 people killed in Yemen since March last year have been non-combatants, the UN says, adding that 6,711 were wounded.

At the King Khaled Hospital, a doctor says three Pakistani workers were also injured in the attack that saw Mahdi wounded and his cousin killed.

One of the Pakistanis, Imran Khan Aslam Khan, lies with eyes closed, his head bandaged and a tube in his mouth after surgeons removed shrapnel from his brain and heart.

"Now he is OK," the doctor says as surgeons work on another wounded Pakistani.

- Attacks 'come anytime' -

In another ward, several men are recovering from a separate attack on their automotive garage.

"I was in the workshop when suddenly the shells hit," Suleiman Abdulthabit, a 25-year-old Yemeni mechanic, says quietly from his bed, touching the back of his head to show where some shrapnel hit.

Earlier this month civilians suffered their heaviest losses when four Saudis and three Yemenis died in what officials said was a Grad rocket strike.

It levelled a car dealership in the industrial area where the power plant is located.

Streets surrounding the destroyed dealership are flooded with leaked fuel, the cars are now twisted metal, and shrapnel has deeply scarred a wall across the street.

Saudi Arabia has deployed high-tech Patriot missile batteries against long-range ballistic missiles the rebels have fired occasionally towards Najran and elsewhere in the south.

Katyushas are harder to detect, officials say, although authorities regularly send out SMS and television announcements to help people protect themselves.

But attacks can "come anytime," Shahrani says, and residents say there is little they can do.

"We just don't gather at the sites after the missiles or the rockets land," Najran resident Fahad Juraib, 48, tells AFP.

He and others are stoic as they get on with their lives.

Najranis are dealing with the war "very casually... There is no crying, no screaming, no loud voices," Juraib says.

There is only a quiet hope.

"They wish the war would stop."

Cross-border attacks into Saudi Arabia have intensified since the suspension in early August of UN-brokered peace talks Fayez Nureldine (AFP)

A group of Saudi officials, workers and journalists inspect damage at a power station on August 27, 2016 in Najran, a day after it was struck by a rocket fired from Yemen Fayez Nureldine (AFP)
Autism a Silicon Valley asset with social quirks

Corey Weiss may not be adept at body language or social cues, but he knows software.

Laser-focus on detail that comes with his place on the autism spectrum are part of what makes Weiss a top analyst at MindSpark, a young California firm mixing business smarts with social good.

"I see things others wouldn't," said 27-year-old Weiss, who was diagnosed with autism when he was a young boy.

Analyst Corey Weiss, disgnosed with autism as a young boy, works at Mindspark in Santa Monica, California Frederic J. Brown (AFP/File)

"The greatest strength is it makes me more detail-oriented; I am more focused."

MindSpark, located in the coastal city of Santa Monica near Los Angeles, employs analysts with autism to test software for companies.

The firm has been refining its model for the past three years, its roster of clients growing to include Fox Networks Group and Liberty Mutual.

This week, MindSpark opened to companies around the world.

MindSpark seeks out people on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum with behaviors that, while at odds with social norms, are advantages in working with computer technology, according to co-founder Chad Hahn.

"You have this huge pool of talented labor that not many people are looking at," Hahn told AFP.

"This is a perfect model to drive social change. Companies can really do well by doing good."

MindSpark has 27 analysts, five of them full-time employees and the rest paid based on the number of hours they work.

Creating a workplace community that helps manage anxiety is a part of keeping autistic employees on task, and some analysts prefer to only work part-time

Analysts make about $35,000 annually, with senior analysts earning closer to $50,000, MindSpark said.

Hahn described software testing as a learnable skill, especially if people have traits prevalent in the higher functioning end of the autism population: attention to detail, pattern recognition, and a penchant for staying focused on a task.

About one percent of the world's population is touched by autism, a developmental disability that affects people to different degrees, according to the US-based Autism Society.

The autism spectrum ranges from people who avoid eye contact and communicate with seemingly odd behaviors instead of words to those with language skills and quick minds but inability to understand social norms.

"Most people (with autism) do not have access to work despite the fact that they are willing and desire work," said Desiree Kameka, director of community engagement at Madison House Autism Foundation.

"Tech companies being able to create an environment that takes into consideration the accommodations adults on the spectrum need is so important."

For those with autism, dealing with the social side of a workplace that is routine to "neuro-typical" people can be overwhelming.

- Hard-wired differently -

EvoLibri Consulting founder Jan Johnston-Tyler, who has an adult son with high-functioning autism, called for workplaces to embrace "neurodiversity" such as autism, attention-deficits, and learning disabilities.

"These are hard-wired, not acquired differences," Johnston-Tyler said.

"They are simply different ways of being."

Johnston-Tyler contended that autism has been a part of Silicon Valley since its inception.

The 57-year-old mother recalled being a school girl in Palo Alto with classmates who, in hindsight, she believes were autistic but were thought of as geeks.

"Silicon Valley was built on neurodiversity; that is how we got here," said Johnston-Tyler.

EvoLibri specializes in finding jobs or services for "neurodiverse" people.

When workplaces create supportive communities for people with autism, they tend to get intensely loyal workers who come with the benefit of looking at challenges or problems differently.

While some on the spectrum are natural for computer science, others excel in other areas such as art or media, according to Johnston-Tyler.

A challenge, she said, has been getting Silicon Valley companies to open doors to long-term careers instead of simply farming out piecemeal work on tasks such as debugging code.

"We have qualified people at a time when Silicon Valley continues to bellyache there are no qualified candidates," Johnston-Tyler said.

"They don't want to hire people because they are different."

A problem is that while some with autism may have the right job skills, they also may have trouble with life basics such as sleeping, eating, and getting to the office on time.

Microsoft last year launched a pilot program aimed at recruiting people with autism for full-time jobs at the Redmond, Washington-based software colossus.

- 80 percent unemployed -

When announcing the program, Microsoft said that an estimated 80 percent of people with autism are unemployed, though many are fully capable of holding down jobs, and some possess exceptional skills in areas such as science, mathematics or technology.

Microsoft and German business software giant SAP AG are among the companies working with Denmark-based Specialisterne, which puts people with autism in jobs such as software testers or programmers.

Often, families of people with autism have taken on the challenges of starting businesses, creating farming communities or undertaking other major projects to provide loved ones with meaningful lives.

"I am seriously concerned about what is going to happen to older adults on the spectrum today who have the potential for meaningful employment but don't have those connections; whose parents are not part of that startup social enterprise world," Kameka said.

"It is scary to think about."

MindSpark seeks out people on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum with behaviors that, while at odds with social norms, it considers are advantages in working with computer technology Frederic J. Brown (AFP/File)

About one percent of the world's population has autism spectrum disorder, according to the US-based Autism Society, with those at the high end of the spectrum otherwise intelligent people who lack social or communication skills Frederic J. Brown (AFP/File)
Egypt frees renowned rights lawyer

Egyptian authorities on Sunday released a renowned human rights lawyer arrested after protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision to hand over two islands to Saudi Arabia.

Malek Adly had been held in pre-trial detention since being arrested by plainclothes police on May 5.

His defence team confirmed his release.

A demonstration against a controversial deal to hand two islands in the Red Sea to Saudi Arabia on April 15, 2016 outside the Journalists' Syndicate in central Cairo Mohamed El-Shahed (AFP/File)

"The case has not been referred to trial yet," Tarek Khater, one of Adly's lawyers, told AFP.

Adly had supported protests in April against the decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, which provoked outrage in Egypt and accusations that Sisi "sold" them in return for Saudi investments.

Police arrested dozens of activists ahead of an April 25 protest, after more than 1,000 people had chanted for "the fall of the regime" in an earlier demonstration in Cairo.

The police dispersed the April 25 protest before raiding the Journalists' Syndicate to arrest two reporters who are part of the same case as Adly.

The three were accused of "attempting to topple the ruling system" and "spreading false news", a prosecution official had said.

Egypt later on Sunday also released one of the two journalists, Amro Badr, on bail of the equivalent of 500 euros, his lawyer Doaa Mostafa said.

Badr, editor-in-chief of the yanair.net news website, was arrested at the syndicate in early May, sparking a confrontation between the union and the interior ministry.

Three top members of the union are now standing trial for "harbouring fugitives", in reference to Badr and his colleague.

An Egyptian administrative court ruled in June that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, strategically situated at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, must remain under Egyptian sovereignty.

But the government has appealed the decision.

Sisi has defended the move, saying the islands were Saudi to begin with and were leased to Egypt in the 1950s.
Mexico discovers hidden tunnel to US

Mexican authorities have uncovered a hidden tunnel from the northwestern state of Sonora to Arizona in the United States, the National Commission for Security said Sunday.

The discovery was made while Mexican police, inspecting a drainage pipe that crosses the border, noticed a difference in the surface of the concrete at one point, the CNS said.

After moving some material, the officers discovered a "secret excavation" of a tunnel that was nearly 1.5 meters (five feet) long on Mexican territory and more than 30 meters long in the US.

The entrance gate to the Mexican side of the border, in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico Alfredo Estrella (AFP/File)

Half of the tunnel was supported by wood beams and the rest was dirt and rocks -- "apparently in the process of construction, without an exit on the surface," the CNS said.

Authorities on both sides of the border periodically discover this type of hidden tunnel, typically used by drug traffickers or undocumented migrants.

In April, US authorities discovered the longest tunnel yet that was used for bringing in illegal drugs from Mexico.
Iran deploys long-range missiles to Fordo nuclear site

Tehran has deployed a recently delivered Russian-made long-range missile system to central Iran to protect its Fordo nuclear facility, state television said Sunday.

Protecting nuclear facilities is paramount "in all circumstances" General Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Iran's air defences, told the IRIB channel.

"Today, Iran's sky is one of the most secure in the region," he added.

Iranian students form a human chain during a protest to defend their country's nuclear program outside the Fordo Uranium Conversion Facility in Qom in 2013 Chavosh Homavandi (Jamejamonline/AFP/File)

A video showed an S-300 carrier truck in Fordo, raising its missile launchers toward the sky, next to other counter-strike weaponry.

The images were aired hours after supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave a speech to air force commanders, including Esmaili, in which he stressed that Iranian military power was for defensive purposes only.

"Continued opposition and hype on the S-300 or the Fordo site are examples of the viciousness of the enemy," Khamenei said.

"The S-300 system is a defence system not an assault one, but the Americans did their best for Iran not to get hold of it."

The Fordo site, built into a mountain near the city of Qom has stopped enriching uranium since the January implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers.

Under the historic accord, Iran dismantled most of its estimated 19,000 centrifuges -- giant spinning machines that enrich uranium, keeping only 5,000 active for research purposes.
UN chief concerned about Western Sahara tensions

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday urged Morocco and the Polisario movement campaigning for the independence of Western Sahara to withdraw soldiers and fighters from a buffer strip who have sent tensions soaring.

Ban said he was "deeply concerned over the tense situation that has developed in the narrow buffer strip in southwestern Western Sahara" between the Moroccan berm that marks Rabat's area of control and the Mauritanian border.

He called on both sides "to suspend any action that alters that status quo and to withdraw all armed elements so as to prevent any further escalation", a statement from Ban's spokesman said.

Members of the Sahrawi People's Liberation Army are pictured on July 8, 2016 Farouk Batiche (AFP/File)

The UN mission in Western Sahara, known as MINURSO, will hold discussions with both sides to de-escalate tensions, he added.

Moroccan soldiers and Polisario fighters were "in close proximity to each other" in the buffer zone, said the UN statement.

A 1991 ceasefire brokered by the United Nations that ended 16 years of conflict between Morocco and the Polisario left the North African kingdom in control of all of the territory's main towns and the Polisario confined to a narrow strip of the desert interior.

The far south was left as a no-man's land with neither side having a permanent presence.

Ban stressed the need to respect the ceasefire arrangements that prohibit incursions in the buffer strip.

The Polisario Front had complained to Ban earlier this month of the Moroccan incursion, saying it violated the ceasefire agreement.

Morocco said that its operation in the Gargarate area north of Mauritania's second city Nouadhibou was aimed at stopping cross-border smuggling, particularly of second-hand and stolen vehicles.

Rabat maintains that Western Sahara is an integral part of Morocco, despite UN resolutions calling for a referendum on self-determination.

Relations between Morocco and the United Nations have been strained after Ban used the term "occupation" to describe the status of the disputed territory, during a recent visit to the region.
Mining leader, 2 others, accused in Bolivia official's death

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP)  Bolivian authorities accused the president of a mining federation and two of his top officials of the killing of deputy interior minister Rodolfo Illanes amid a bitter strike, officials said Saturday. Forty miners have been detained in the case.

Illanes was kidnapped and beaten to death by striking mine workers on Thursday after to going to the town of Panduro, 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of La Paz, to mediate in the dispute over mining laws and dwindling paychecks.

Three protesters have been killed in clashes with riot police, stoking tensions.

In this Nov. 26, 2014 photo, released by the government-run Bolivian Information Agency, Bolivia's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rodolfo Illanes speaks during a press conference at the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia. Government officials said that the striking miners kidnapped and beat Illanes to death after he traveled to the area to mediate in the bitter conflict over mining laws. Government Minister Carlos Romero called it a "cowardly and brutal killing" and asked that the miners turn over the body of his deputy. (Gonzalo Jallasi/Bolivian Information Agency via AP)

The striking miners had armed themselves with dynamite and seized several highways, stranding thousands of vehicles and passengers.

Bolivia's Attorney General's Office has detained 40 miners, among them protest leader Carlos Mamani, president of the National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia. On Saturday afternoon, Mamani and two other federation officials were accused by the Public Ministry in Illanes' death.

An autopsy found that Illanes died from trauma to the brain and thorax.

The blockaded highway in Panduro was clear on Friday as the miners returned to their camps. A funeral Mass was held for Illanes in La Paz.

Illanes' murder underscored how President Evo Morales, a former coca growers' union leader, has increasingly found himself at odds with the same kind of popular social movements that fueled his rise to power and have made up his political base.

The leftist president called the beating death of the deputy minister "a conspiracy" to overthrow him.

Bolivia's informal miners number about 100,000 and work in self-managed cooperatives producing primarily zinc, tin, silver and gold.

They want to be able to associate with private companies, which promise to put more cash in their pockets, but are currently prohibited from doing so. The government argues that if they associate with multinational companies they will no longer be cooperatives.

Bolivia has seen increased social agitation as a financial slowdown hit an economy heavily dependent on natural gas and minerals, which account for over 70 percent of foreign export sales.

An honor guard stands vigil over Bolivia's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rodolfo Illanes lying in state, inside the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Striking Bolivian miners kidnapped and beat to death Illanes Thursday, in a shocking spasm of violence following weeks of tension over dwindling paychecks in a region hit hard by falling metal prices. The miners were demanding they be allowed to work for private companies, who promise to put more cash in their pockets. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Filipino militants free 8 comrades, 15 others in jail attack

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines (AP)  Muslim extremists supporting the Islamic State group freed eight fellow militants in a daring attack that also allowed 15 other inmates to escape from a provincial jail in the southern Philippines, police said Sunday.

About 20 heavily armed fighters of the Maute militant group stormed the Lanao del Sur provincial jail in Marawi city before nightfall Saturday, disarmed the guards and rescued their eight comrades. The attackers also seized two rifles from guards, police said.

The eight who escaped were arrested a week ago when they were caught with a homemade bomb in van at a security checkpoint.

The others who escaped, apparently to divert the attention of authorities, were facing murder and illegal drugs charges.

The Maute group is a new band of armed Muslim radicals who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and use black flags with logos of the Middle East-based extremists.

Based in Lanao del Sur's Butig town, the militants have attacked army troops and beheaded a soldier and two kidnapped workers earlier this year. Before being killed, the two workers were made to wear orange shirts similar to beheading victims of the Islamic State group.

A number of Muslim armed groups in the southern Philippines, including some commanders of the violent Abu Sayyaf, have pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group. The military has tried to play down their actions, saying there has been no evidence of an active collaboration between the foreign extremists and Filipino militants who are aiming to prop up their image and secure badly needed funds amid years of battle setbacks.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office in June, has pursued peace talks with two large Muslim rebel groups, but has ordered troops to destroy the Abu Sayyaf and other hard-line militants.

Troops have continued on-and-off offensives against the Maute militants in Butig in Lanao del Sur, a predominantly Muslim province, about 830 kilometers (520 miles) south of Manila.

A major offensive against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu province's mountainous Patikul town, also in the south, has killed at least 19 militants, including an influential commander, Mohammad Said, who used the nom de guerre Amah Maas, his two sons, and another ranking fighter, Latip Sapie, military officials said.

Said, who had severed arms and was among the most senior Abu Sayyaf commanders, had been implicated in the kidnappings of several Filipinos and foreigners. He had good ties with the Moro National Liberation Front, a larger rebel group that has engaged in peace talk with the government, but has been suspected of providing sanctuary and combat support to the more brutal Abu Sayyaf in the past.
UFC Fight Night: Maia stops Condit in Vancouver

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP)  Demian Maia backed up his calls for a welterweight title shot with an early submission victory over Carlos Condit in the main event of UFC Fight Night at Rogers Arena on Saturday night.

Ranked third in the division, Maia said this week that with a victory over Condit, he should be in line for a fight for the title now held by Tyron Woodley. And, at 38 years of age, Maia may get his wish later in the year after forcing Condit to tap out at 3:08 of the opening round.

Maia made quick work of the fight, which was scheduled for five rounds. He broke down in tears in the middle of the octagon when it was over. Now he will await word on when a potential title fight could take place.

Demian Maia, right, of Brazil, celebrates after defeating Carlos Condit, of the United States, during a welterweight bout during a UFC Fight Night event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Maia said during a post-fight interview that if the UFC gives Stephen Thompson, the No. 2-ranked fighter in the welterweight division, the next title shot, he wants his opportunity right after that.

"I'm very grateful for everything I've accomplished in my life and very grateful for my family," said Maia, who has won six straight fights. "My life is complete already. The title shot, that will be something else, something amazing if it happens."

Tom Wright, executive vice president and general manager for UFC Canada, Australia and New Zealand, called Maia's performance "dominant" but said a decision on a possible title fight for Maia has not been made.

Saturday's fight may have been the last for Condit. There has been speculation about Condit's future in the UFC, and he strongly suggested following his loss to Maia that his days as a fighter could be over. He stopped just short of confirming his retirement, saying he hopes the loss won't be his "swan song."

He said he'll talk to his management team and his wife and make a decision after that. But he said possible retirement has been "in the back of my mind for a while."

"I don't know if I have business fighting at this level anymore. I've been at this for a really long time," Condit said. "It's been awesome. I've got to do what I love for a living for a very long time, but I don't know if I belong here."

Anthony Pettis submitted Charles Oliveira in the third round in their featherweight bout.

Pettis, who flirted with a knockout win in the first round, was able to roll Oliveira into a guillotine choke, forcing his opponent to end the fight at 3:11 of the third round.

After taking time away from the Octagon to appear on Dancing with the Stars, Paige VanZant returned to UFC with a second-round knockout over Australia's Bec Rawlings.

VanZant, who last fought on Dec. 10, 2015, when she lost by submission in the fifth round, was able to land a kick to the head of Rawlings, driving her opponent to the ground. VanZant continued with a series of punches before the fight was stopped.

Jim Miller opened the main card with a split-decision victory over Joe Lauzon in a rematch between the two lightweight combatants following their bloody, gruesome fight from UFC 155 four years ago.

Demian Maia, of Brazil, reacts after defeating Carlos Condit during a welterweight bout at UFC Fight Night in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Demian Maia, of Brazil, reacts after defeating Carlos Condit, of the United States, during a welterweight bout during a UFC Fight Night event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Demian Maia, left, of Brazil, celebrates after defeating Carlos Condit, of the United States, during a welterweight bout during a UFC Fight Night event in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Carlos Condit, of the United States,reacts after losing to Demian Maia, of Brazil, during a welterweight bout at UFC Fight Night in Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Demian Maia, top, of Brazil, and Carlos Condit, of Albuquerque, fight during a welterweight bout during a UFC Fight Night event in Vancouver, British Columbia on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
A string of villages in northern Syria have been liberated by the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a commander said Sunday, following the groups success in freeing Jarabulus from Daesh, Anadolu reported.

The FSA field commander, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of Daesh retribution, said eight villages within a 20 kilometer (12 mile) radius of the city, which lies on the western bank of the Euphrates River, had been taken from PKK/PYD terrorists.

He said seven terrorists and a quantity of ammunition were captured.

Separately, the Turkish prime ministers office said 10 villages around Jarabulus and three around Al-Rai, further to the west along the Turkish border, had been liberated by the FSA without saying which group had previously held the villages.

Operation Euphrates Shield, which was launched on Wednesday, is aimed at improving security, supporting coalition forces and eliminating the terror threat along Turkeys border through FSA fighters backed by Turkish armor, artillery and jets.
Italy probes whether negligence played role in quake toll

AMATRICE, Italy (AP)  Italian authorities are vowing to investigate whether negligence or fraud in adhering to building codes played a role in the high death toll in last week's earthquake in Italy.

They also called for efforts to ensure organized crime doesn't infiltrate lucrative construction contracts to eventually rebuild much of the picturesque towns leveled in the disaster.

Meanwhile, rescue workers pressed on with the task of recovering bodies from the rubble, with hopes of finding any more survivors virtually vanished more than four full days after the powerful quake.

Firefighters work in Amatrice, central Italy, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Bulldozers with huge claws pulled down dangerously overhanging ledges Sunday in Italy's quake-devastated town of Amatrice as investigators worked to figure out if negligence or fraud in building codes had added to the quake's high death toll. (Roberto Salomone/ANSA via AP)

Over the past two days, they found six more bodies in the rubble of Hotel Roma in Amatrice, the medieval hill town in mountainous central Italy that bore the brunt of destruction and loss of life in the powerful quake. They recovered three and by late Sunday were still working to retrieve others that were hard to reach.

It wasn't clear if those six were included in the overall 290 death toll given by authorities. The Civil Protection agency, which combines the figures it receives from different provinces affected by the quake, said the number is lower than the previous toll of 291 dead due to a correction in the numbers from the province of Rieti, where most of the victims died.

The quake that struck before dawn Wednesday also injured nearly 400 people as it flattened three medieval towns near the rugged Apennines. Prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva, based in the nearby provincial capital of Rieti, said the high human death toll "cannot only be considered the work of fate."

"The fault lines tragically did their work and this is called destiny, but if the buildings had been built like in Japan they would not have collapsed," Saieva said in comments carried by Italian media.

Investigations are focusing on a number of structures, including an elementary school in Amatrice that crumbled despite being renovated in 2012 to resist earthquakes at a cost of 700,000 euros ($785,000). With schoolchildren's summer vacations in their final weeks, the school wasn't yet in use. Many were shocked that it didn't withstand the 6.2 magnitude quake.

After an entire first-grade class and a teacher were killed in a 2002 quake in the southern town of San Giuliano di Puglia, Italian officials had pledged citizens that the safety of schools, hospitals and other critical public buildings would be guaranteed.

Questions also surround a bell tower in Accumoli that collapsed, killing a family of four sleeping in a neighboring house, including a baby of 8 months and a 7-year-old boy. That bell tower also had been recently restored with special funds allocated after Italy's last major earthquake, which struck nearby L'Aquila in 2009.

Italy's national anti-Mafia prosecutor, Franco Roberti, vowed to work to prevent organized crime from infiltrating public works projects which will be eventually begun to rebuild the earthquake zone.

"This risk of infiltration is always high," he said in comments Sunday in La Repubblica newspaper. "Post-earthquake reconstruction is historically a tempting morsel for criminal groups and colluding business interests."

Deadly quakes that have led to criminal investigations into alleged misuse of funds or corruption involving awarding of construction contracts include the 1980 temblor in the Naples area and a 2009 quake in L'Aquila, central Italy.

Roberti noted he wasn't involved in the local prosecutors' probes into last week's quake. But he added that if buildings are well-constructed according to regulations for earthquake-prone zones, "parts of buildings can be damaged and cracked but they don't pulverize and implode."

Italy's national museums, meanwhile, embarked on a fundraising campaign, donating their Sunday proceeds to relief and reconstruction efforts in the quake-stricken areas.

Besides homes and low-rise apartment buildings, Wednesday's quake badly damaged scores of churches, town halls, bell towers and other centuries-old cultural treasures. The idea is to use art for art  harnessing the nation's rich artistic heritage to help repair and restore other objects of beauty in the hard-hit towns.

"It's a way to rediscover our cultural heritage, to give our small but significant contribution so that endangered artwork that was gravely damaged may have a new chance, be restored and recovered," Cristiana Collu, the director of Rome's National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art Museum, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Also Sunday, Pope Francis told faithful in St. Peter's Square he hopes to soon visit people in the quake-ravaged regions to bring them "the comfort of faith."

Amatrice bore the brunt of earthquake's destruction, with at least 229 fatalities and its medieval heart nearly obliterated. Eleven others died in nearby Accumoli and 50 more in Arquata del Tronto, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Amatrice.

On Saturday, a state funeral took place for 35 of the victims in the town of Ascoli Piceno, which escaped the heavy damage of other towns in the region. That funeral involved most of the dead from Arquata del Tronto. Some of the dead from Amatrice were still in the town's makeshift morgue. Identified bodies were being kept in refrigerated trucks in an airport hangar in Rieti, 65 kilometers (40 miles) away. On Tuesday, a memorial service  without the bodies  will be held for the dead of Amatrice on the town's outskirts.

The last survivor was extracted from rubble on Wednesday evening, and hopes have virtually vanished of finding any living in the ruins.

The number still missing is uncertain, due to the many visitors seeking a last taste of summer in the cool hill towns when the quake struck.

The quake left a few thousand people without homes, with nearly 2,700 hosted in a total of 58 tent "towns" set up on the outskirts of the ravaged areas, or improvised shelters, like a gym with a basketball court in Amatrice.

They continue to be rattled by aftershocks. There have been more than 2,000 since the initial quake, one having a magnitude higher than 5 and 12 between 4- and 5-magnitude. A tremor Saturday afternoon caused further damage to the school in Amatrice.

Countless more who fled damaged homes  or even the ones without any heavy damage  went to stay with relatives in Rome and other Italian cities.

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Vanessa Gera and Frances D'Emilio reported from Rome.

Firefighters recover a crucifix and personal belongings from a damaged house in the village of Rio, central Italy, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Bulldozers with huge claws pulled down dangerously overhanging ledges Sunday in Italy's quake-devastated town of Amatrice as investigators worked to figure out if negligence or fraud in building codes had added to the quake's high death toll. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

An Italian army excavator digs a new artery in Amatrice, central Italy, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Bulldozers tore down trees and clawed into the ground non-stop to dig a new artery into the quake-stricken town of Amatrice. A recent aftershock collapsed the only northern entrance to the city, the small Tre Occhi Bridge, sealing the city off to rescue vehicles and ambulances. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Volounteers on motorbikes drive through the town of Villa San Lorenzo a Flaviano, central Italy, as they bring goods to minor villages, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Bulldozers with huge claws pulled down dangerously overhanging ledges Sunday in Italy's quake-devastated town of Amatrice as investigators worked to figure out if negligence or fraud in building codes had added to the quake's high death toll. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Firefighters stand by rubbles in Amatrice, central Italy, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016 where a 6.1 earthquake struck just after 3:30 a.m., Wednesday. Bulldozers with huge claws pulled down dangerously overhanging ledges Sunday in Italy's quake-devastated town of Amatrice as investigators worked to figure out if negligence or fraud in building codes had added to the quake's high death toll. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

An ambulance drives past the village of Villa San Lorenzo a Flaviano, central Italy, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Bulldozers with huge claws pulled down dangerously overhanging ledges Sunday in Italy's quake-devastated town of Amatrice as investigators worked to figure out if negligence or fraud in building codes had added to the quake's high death toll. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Turkish president vows to 'destroy terrorists'

ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkey's president vowed on Sunday to "destroy terrorists" after months of deadly attacks throughout the country and reiterated his claim that a child suicide bomber was responsible for last weekend's explosion that claimed at least 54 lives in the southeast.

Speaking at a rally in Gaziantep where the suicide bombing took place at a Kurdish wedding, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the "terrorists" are being "picked up one by one" by Turkey's security forces.

"They will all be cleansed out like a cancer cell," he told a roaring crowd of his supporters. "We will find them and punish them."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the inauguration of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over the Bosporus, in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.(Tolga Adanali/Depo Photos via AP)

Last week, Erdogan said a 12- to 14-year-old child was the suicide bomber, but Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said later that the bomber was still unidentified and investigations continued. On Sunday, Erdogan reiterated the claim without saying whether it's a result of the investigation.

"Terror has used a 14-year-old child as a suicide bomber and shed blood, killed people," he said. "In this attack, our 54 citizens, including 34 children, died."

Authorities have blamed the Islamic State group for the Gaziantep attack, but neither IS nor any other militant groups have claimed responsibility.

Erdogan repeated that the country's parliament will decide whether to reintroduce a death penalty in the wake of a failed coup on July 15 that claimed at least 270 lives. That has triggered an outcry by rights groups in Turkey and the West.

"My nation wants the death penalty," he said. "That is the decision of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey."

Turkey has sent tanks across the Syrian border following weeks of deadly attacks by the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or the PKK, and IS. The move aims to both fight IS and halt the advance of Syrian Kurdish groups.

On Sunday, two separate blasts in the Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast killed one Turkish soldier and wounded eight others, and Kurdish militants launched a rocket-propelled grenade at a civilian airport, officials and the state-run news agency said.

One soldier was killed and three were wounded after a roadside bomb was triggered remotely by rebels linked to the PKK in the Hakkari province, the state-run Anadolu Agency said. In the ensuing firefight that included army helicopters, 10 militants were killed, the private Dogan news agency said. The report couldn't be independently verified.

In another attack, five civilian village guards were wounded in Siirt province after their van hit an improvised explosive device on a road, Anadolu said, blaming PKK for the blast.

Earlier, Kurdish rebels, apparently targeting a police checkpoint at Diyarbakir Airport, fired a grenade that exploded near the airport's VIP passenger entrance, shattering windows, the local governor's office said. No injuries were reported. Passengers were taken to safety after the attack and flights resumed after a brief pause during the police investigation.

Violence between the PKK and security forces resumed last year, after the collapse of a two-year peace process in July. Since then, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to Anadolu. Rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed in the clashes.

On Friday, a Kurdish suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden truck into a checkpoint near a police station in the southeast, killing at least 11 Turkish police officers and wounding 78 other people.

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Associated Press writer Zeynep Bilginsoy contributed to this report.
Europe's refugee crisis simmers despite efforts to solve it

BERLIN (AP)  Faced with more than 1 million migrants flooding across the Mediterranean last year, European nations tightened border controls, set up naval patrols to stop smugglers, negotiated an agreement with Turkey to limit the numbers crossing, shut the Balkan route used by hundreds of thousands, and tried to speed up deportations of rejected asylum-seekers.

Yet many issues still remain.

European nations continue to squabble about whether, and how, to share the newcomers between them and the issues that drove refugees to Europe in the first place  such as Syria's unrelenting war  are unresolved.

FILE - In this Sunday, March 20, 2016 file photo, volunteers help migrants and refugees on a dingy as they arrive at the shore of the northeastern Greek island of Lesbos, after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey. Faced with a flood of more than 1 million migrants across the Mediterranean in 2015, European nations tightened border controls, set up naval patrols to stop smugglers, negotiated an agreement with Turkey to limit the numbers crossing, shut the Balkan route used by hundreds of thousands, and tried to speed up deportations of rejected asylum-seekers. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)

Overall, 2,901 people have died or disappeared crossing the Mediterranean in the first six months of 2016, most along the dangerous central route to Italy  a 37 percent increase over last year's first half, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Here's where things stand in key countries:

TURKEY

Turkey is hosting some 3 million refugees, including more than 2.7 million Syrians. Most refugees there don't get government support, but the agreement with the EU calls for the bloc to provide up to 6 billion euros ($6.8 billion) to help Syrian refugees in Turkey.

The deal also provides for one Syrian refugee from Turkey to be relocated to EU countries for each Syrian who arrives illegally in Greece and is sent back. So far only 1,152 have been resettled under the program  more than half of them to Germany and Sweden.

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GREECE

The numbers of migrants arriving in Greece have dropped dramatically since the March agreement with Turkey, but several thousand a month still make the journey, some 160,000 in the first half of this year.

Over 58,000 people remain stuck in the financially struggling country, most hoping to continue north to nations like Germany or Sweden. The majority have applied for asylum, hoping to be relocated among EU nations  but the program is moving at snail's pace amid fierce resistance from eastern and central European countries.

So far, only around 4,400 people have been relocated from southern Europe under a plan that's supposed to see 160,000 moved over two years through September 2017. Yet there's little Brussels can do to force any nations to comply.

New arrivals now are insignificant compared to 2015, but they have increased since the July 15 attempted coup in Turkey, topping 2,300 in the first three weeks of August. This is straining resources on the eastern Aegean Sea islands and the government has promised to build more housing on the mainland.

Fears are also growing that the EU-Turkey deal might fall apart as Ankara presses for the 28-nation bloc to allow its citizens visa-free entry.

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ITALY

About 70,000 migrants crossed the Mediterranean into Italy from January to June this year, similar to the same period last year. But with routes northward now restricted, there's nowhere for them to go and, as smugglers resort to more dangerous practices, more migrants are dying en route.

Migrants are sleeping in hotels, homeless shelters, train stations and tent camps. The Tuscan city of Capalbio is putting them in fancy villas and Milan is readying a jail to take in some.

Nigerians make up the biggest group of newcomers to Italy, followed by Eritreans, Gambians, Ivorians and Sudanese, according to the U.N. refugee agency.

The wave of arrivals is testing Italy's social services and Premier Matteo Renzi's patience as he faces domestic resistance from the anti-immigrant Northern League and reluctance from Italy's EU partners to resettle asylum-seekers. To date, only 961 would-be refugees have moved out of Italy, according to the IOM.

Earlier this month, France returned to Italy some 200 migrants who plunged into the sea at the Ventimiglia border crossing. The latest hotspot is Como on the Swiss border. There authorities have approved a tent camp to house the estimated 300-500 migrants who have camped out at the train station after taking trains daily into Switzerland, only to be returned.

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GERMANY

Germany has seen a much-reduced number of newcomers this year after taking in hundreds of thousands in 2015, the majority of those entering Europe.

Up to the end of July, 238,424 new arrivals were recorded  92,000 of them in January, before the Balkan route was shut down. The figure has since leveled out at around 16,000 per month.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has stuck to her insistence that Germany will give shelter to those who need it and that Germany "will manage" the refugee crisis. That mantra has fueled ongoing strife in her conservative bloc, and benefited the nationalist, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany party.

Two attacks this summer by asylum-seekers that were claimed by the Islamic State group have also fueled concerns.

Meanwhile, Germany has moved to tighten asylum rules, deport more rejected asylum applicants and turn more people back at the border

Merkel has criticized other European countries' unilateral moves to shut the Balkan migration route at Greece's expense but was a leading advocate of the Turkey-EU agreement. She insists the deal remains necessary, despite tensions with Ankara over visa-free travel.

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AUSTRIA

The discovery of 71 suffocated people in the back of a smuggler's truck in Austria a year ago triggered an outpouring of support for refugees. That now seems a distant memory.

Then-Chancellor Werner Faymann urged Austrians to open their arms to the migrants, but faced increasing concerns that the country couldn't cope. Faymann changed course early this year, suddenly backing calls to shut Austria's border. He resigned in May amid falling support.

His successor, Christian Kern, has continued on the restrictive path welcomed by most Austrians, even as he urges them to be open-minded toward new arrivals.

Austria was the main force in the shutdown early this year of the Balkan route. After accepting more than 80,000 migrants last year, the country stands ready to turn back the first would-be refugee over the 37,500 limit it has set as a quota for 2016.

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SERBIA & HUNGARY

The flow of migrants into Serbia has diminished drastically but not dried up entirely.

Instead of thousands a day registering at organized centers, hundreds a day now try to enter illegally. Illustrating the dangers, a 20-year old Afghan migrant crossing illegally from Bulgaria was shot and killed this week by a hunter in an apparent accident.

Human Rights Watch says migrants and refugees at Hungary's border with Serbia are being forced back, in some cases violently.

UNHCR estimates that some 4,400 asylum-seekers are now stranded in Serbia, mostly since Hungary started enforcing new regulations in July that allow authorities to "escort" migrants and refugees caught within 8 kilometers (5 miles) of the border back to Serbia.

Two "transit zones" on the Serbian side now process around 30 asylum applications a day, while 1,000 or more people are waiting in poor conditions to file asylum claims, most of which are rejected.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has called migrants "poison" and said Friday that Hungary will build a new, "more massive" fence on its southern border to defend against a possible surge in numbers. A government-initiated referendum on Oct. 2 is meant to rally political support against any EU plan to resettle migrants among the bloc's members.

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FRANCE

Migrant numbers in Calais have soared this month, even though authorities shut down half of the city's wretched camp earlier this year, and the British and French governments erected security fences and announced measures to deter new arrivals.

The French government says the number of migrants in the makeshift Calais camp known as the "jungle" has reached its highest official level yet: 6,901. Aid groups say it's closer to 9,000.

This week, a Sudanese migrant died after a clash between groups of Sudanese and Afghans, the 11th migrant to die in Calais this year.

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Nicole Winfield in Rome, Nicholas Paphitis in Athens, Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Elaine Ganley in Calais, George Jahn in Vienna and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report.

FILE - In this Tuesday, March 22, 2016 file photo, migrants walk past a banner during a protest demanding the opening of the border between Greece and Macedonia, in the northern Greek border station of Idomeni, Greece. Faced with a flood of more than 1 million migrants across the Mediterranean in 2015, European nations tightened border controls, set up naval patrols to stop smugglers, negotiated an agreement with Turkey to limit the numbers crossing, shut the Balkan route used by hundreds of thousands, and tried to speed up deportations of rejected asylum-seekers. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)

Sira, 9, a migrant from Nigeria, smiles as she rides aboard a boat of the Proactiva Open Arms NGO, after being rescued during an operation in the Mediterranean sea, about 17 miles north of Sabratah, Libya, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

FILE - In this Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015 file photo, migrants and refugees board a train by climbing through the windows as they try to avoid a police barrier at the station in Tovarnik, Croatia. Faced with a flood of more than 1 million migrants across the Mediterranean in 2015, European nations tightened border controls, set up naval patrols to stop smugglers, negotiated an agreement with Turkey to limit the numbers crossing, shut the Balkan route used by hundreds of thousands, and tried to speed up deportations of rejected asylum-seekers. (AP Photo/Manu Brabo, File)
Turkey-backed rebels expel Kurdish forces from Syrian towns

BEIRUT (AP)  Rebels backed by Turkey made major gains Sunday in northern Syria, expelling Kurdish-led forces from towns and villages as part of a determined campaign by Ankara to push the militants east of the Euphrates River.

At least 35 civilians were killed, according to activists. The dramatic escalation of Turkey's involvement in the Syrian civil war last week aimed to help the Syrian rebels drive the Islamic State group out of the border town of Jarablus. But it also is aimed at U.S.-allied Kurdish forces that have gained control in recent months of most of the territory along the Turkey-Syria border.

The fighting pits Turkey, a NATO ally, against a U.S.-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling IS militants in Syria in the 5-year-old civil war. It leaves Washington in the tough spot of having to choose between its two of its allied forces, and is likely to divert resources from the fight against IS.

Turkish troops return from the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. Turkey on Wednesday sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels retake the key Islamic State-held town of Jarablus and to contain the expansion of Syria's Kurds in an area bordering Turkey.(Ismail Coskun, IHA via AP)

A Turkish soldier was killed by a Kurdish rocket attack late Saturday, the first such fatality in Turkey's ground offensive dubbed Euphrates Shield that began Aug. 24.

Speaking at a rally in the border town of Gaziantep, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his military is committed to fighting terrorism in Syria and Iraq.

Turkey, he said, also is determined to "uproot" the Syrian Kurdish group, calling it a terrorist organization. But he didn't specify a goal for the fight against the Kurdish forces.

Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the militants of the Islamic State group, but the airstrikes that began Saturday marked the first time it has targeted Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

"We will support all work to clean Syria and Iraq of Daesh," Erdogan told the rally, using an Arabic acronym for the IS group. "That's why we are in Jarablus, that's why we are in Bashiqa (in Iraq). If necessary, we will not shy away from taking responsibility in the same way in other areas."

Turkey has troops stationed in Bashiqa in northern Iraq, and it was not clear if his reference to Jarablus means he intends to base his troops there.

Erdogan then turned his focus to the main Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, known as the PYD.

"We are as determined about the PYD, the separatist terror organization's Syrian wing," he said. Ankara views the PYD and the militia affiliated with it, which forms the backbone of the U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces, or SDF, as an extension of the Kurdish insurgency that is raging in southeastern Turkey.

"We will continue until we uproot this terror organization," Erdogan told the rally.

A spokesman for a Syrian rebel group said the Turkish-backed offensive will continue south of Jarablus to clear IS and Kurdish forces from northeastern Aleppo. Turkish leaders have vowed to drive both IS and the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, away from the border.

Turkey's military said Sunday its warplanes killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" and destroyed five buildings used by the fighters in response to attacks on advancing Turkish-backed rebels in the Jarablus area.

Various factions of the Turkey-backed Syrian rebels said they had seized several villages and towns from Kurdish-led forces south of Jarablus, including Amarneh, where fighting was fiercest in recent days.

The Kurdish-led forces "must pull back to the east of the Euphrates. We will fight all terrorist groups, including (the Kurdish-led fighters) ... in all of northeast Aleppo," said Capt. Abdel-Salam Abdel-Razzak, a spokesman for the Nour el-Din el-Zinki group.

Turkish-backed fighters will move south of Jarablus, toward Manbij and beyond, he said.

Earlier this month, the Kurdish-led SDF crossed the Euphrates and drove IS militants out of Manbij, a key supply hub south of Jarablus, after a 10-week campaign. Both Turkey and the United States have ordered the YPG militia to withdraw to the east bank of the river. YPG leaders say they have, but their units advise the Syrian Democratic Forces, and it is not clear if any remain west of the Euphrates.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bombing killed at least 20 civilians and four Kurdish-led fighters in Beir Koussa, a village about nine miles (15 kilometers) south of Jarablus, and left another 15 dead in a village to the west.

SDF spokesman Shervan Darwish said the airstrikes and shelling began overnight and continued Sunday along the front line, killing many civilians in Beir Koussa and nearby areas. He said the bombing also targeted the village of Amarneh. He said 50 Turkish tanks were taking part.

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party condemned the attack on the village. It also condemned what it said was international silence regarding "Turkish occupation" of Syria.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded by Turkish artillery and airstrikes, calling it "encroachment" on Syrian sovereignty under the pretext of fighting IS. Turkey is a leading backer of the rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, but both Ankara and Damascus share concerns over Kurdish ambitions for autonomy.

Syrian warplanes renewed their bombing of the besieged al-Waer neighborhood in the central city of Homs. An activist in the neighborhood of Bebars al-Talawy said there were at least a dozen airstrikes, killing one person.

The neighborhood came under attack Saturday, including incendiary bombs that killed two children, a brother and sister. Images of doctors treating other children for their burns were posted on social media sites. The district's hospital was bombed and taken out of operation earlier this month.

Human Rights Watch said it had documented the use of incendiary weapons in at least 18 different instances between June and August in rebel-held areas. The group blamed Russian and Syrian joint military operations room for the use of such weapons in violation of international law.

The al-Waer neighborhood of nearly 75,000 people has been under siege since March and has been one area that U.N agencies have reported difficult to access. An aid convoy reached the area Aug. 25.

According to residents, the escalation followed recent threats by soldiers at checkpoints that the Syrian government's patience was running out with the district, the last rebel holdout in the city.

It also follows the evacuation of Daraya, a Damascus suburb, as part of a deal struck between the government and rebels after a bombing campaign and siege.

The Homs Local Council appealed to the U.N. envoy to Syria to negotiate a truce for al-Waer, condemning the government's "siege policy" that aims to force residents and fighters to surrender.

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Associated Press writer Zeynep Bilginsoy in Istanbul and Mucahit Ceylan in Karkamis, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Turkish troops head to the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. Turkey on Wednesday sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels retake the key Islamic State-held town of Jarablus and to contain the expansion of Syria's Kurds in an area bordering Turkey. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal)
Locally transmitted Zika virus infects 41 in Singapore

SINGAPORE (AP)  More than 40 people have been infected locally by the Zika virus in Singapore, but most have fully recovered, officials said Sunday.

Singapore announced its first Zika infection in May, with the virus imported by a 48-year-old man who had traveled to Brazil. On Sunday, the Ministry of Health confirmed 41 locally transmitted cases of the virus.

The ministry said in a statement that the patients were "not known to have traveled to Zika-affected areas recently, and are thus likely to have been infected in Singapore. This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place."

A traveller walks past a travel advisory on the Zika virus infection in Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia

Of the group, 34 people have recovered, while seven remain at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, the statement said.

The ministry named two residential districts of Singapore where the disease was transmitted and said that the bulk of those infected were foreign construction workers. The virus was mostly detected through tests on Saturday.

Among those still hospitalized is a 47-year-old Malaysian woman, identified by authorities as the first locally transmitted case.

Zika has mild effects on most people, but can be fatal for unborn children. Infection during pregnancy can result in babies with small heads  a condition called microcephaly  and other brain defects.
UK leader May, Cabinet to chart EU exit at Chequers retreat

LONDON (AP)  British Prime Minister Theresa May is bringing her Cabinet together at her rural retreat to plot Britain's first steps on leaving the European Union.

Officials at May's Downing Street office say May will oversee a daylong brainstorming session with Cabinet colleagues Wednesday at Chequers, the prime minister's 16th-century mansion 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of London.

May, a Eurosceptic who remained neutral during June's referendum on leaving the EU, was appointed prime minister last month following David Cameron's resignation as Conservative Party leader. Cameron had campaigned to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. May says her government will abide by the results of the vote and intends to open exit negotiations with EU colleagues next year.

FILE- In this Wednesday, July 20, 2016 Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing street for Prime Ministers Questions at the House of Parliament in London. Officials at May's Downing Street office say May is bringing her Cabinet together at her rural retreat, next Wednesday Aug. 31, 2016, to plot Britain's first steps on leaving the European Union. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)
Iraq requests new Saudi envoy after assassination remarks

BAGHDAD (AP)  Iraq's Foreign Ministry said the government on Sunday formally requested that the Saudi ambassador in Baghdad be replaced after he claimed that Iranian-backed Shiite militias are plotting to assassinate him.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal told The Associated Press that the government sent a formal request to Saudi Arabia to replace the kingdom's ambassador in Baghdad, Thamer al-Sabhan. Jamal said al-Sabhan's reported comments are untrue and harm relations between the two countries. He said the allegations are considered interference in Iraq's internal affairs and that al-Sabhan has not provided the ministry with any proof or evidence of these claims.

Shiite-led Iran and Sunni-led Saudi Arabia are regional rivals and broke off diplomatic ties in January after several years of frayed relations. In 2011, U.S. authorities said they had disrupted an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to Washington at the time.

Al-Sabhan was quoted as telling the Saudi-owned al-Hayat newspaper that Iraqi intelligence provided him with information about the assassination plans. He said this was happening as Iran tries to block reform efforts in Iraq and other Arab countries.

Al-Sabhan was also quoted by the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya news channel saying "sectarian radical groups" are behind the threats. The channel, quoting unnamed sources, alleged that Iranian-backed senior figures in Iraq's Popular Mobilization Committee are among those behind the assassination plots and that they had given the Iraqi Foreign Ministry a deadline to expel al-Sabhan.

In the Saudi-owned Ashraq al-Awsat newspaper, an unnamed Iraqi official was quoted as saying militias were planning to attack the ambassador's armored cars with rocket-propelled grenades.

In an interview aired on Iraqi channel Wesal TV, Aws al-Khafaji, who heads the Iraqi militia group Abu al-Fadhl al-Abbas, said many factions in Iraq want to target al-Sabhan.

"If al-Sabhan was killed in Iraq, any factions involved would admit it, especially because he is wanted ... We clearly stated that we do not want al-Sabhan in Iraq." he said, before adding that if he were assassinated, "it will be an honor and will be proudly admitted."

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Clinton invokes father's memory to hit Trump on business

WARREN, Mich. (AP)  Hillary Clinton has landed on a very personal counterpunch to what she says is Donald Trump's checkered business past: her dad.

As the Democratic presidential nominee works to undercut Trump's economic record and promote her plans for small businesses, she is invoking memories of her late father's Chicago drapery business. Recalling Hugh Rodham hard at work making and printing curtains for hotels and office buildings, Clinton argues that he would have been "stiffed" in a deal with the celebrity businessman.

"He expected to be paid when he showed up," Clinton said recently during an event in Warren, Michigan. "He did the work. He paid for the supplies and the labor he often hired to help him on big jobs. I can't imagine what would have happened to my father and his business if he had gotten a contract from Trump."

FILE - In this July 1992 file photo, Hillary Clinton's father Hugh watches as her mother Dorothy Rodham adjusts her daughter's clothing in a New York Hotel room during the Democratic National Convention. Hillary Clinton has landed on very personal argument against Donald Trump's checkered business past: her dad. As the Democratic presidential nominee seeks to undercut Trump's economic record and promote her plans for small businesses, she is invoking memories of her late father's Chicago drapery business. Recalling Hugh Rodham hard at work making and printing curtains for hotels and office buildings, Clinton argues that he would have been "stiffed" in a deal with the celebrity businessman. (AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)

Clinton hopes to remind voters that despite her years in public life that have left her a multimillionaire, she comes from a middle-class background and understands the life of a small-business owner. She also wants to contrast her biography with that of Trump, who was raised by a successful real estate developer and has drawn criticism for his treatment of small businesses during his career.

Trump has promoted his business record as a key qualification for the White House. But Trump casinos failed on several occasions. When the Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey went bankrupt in the early 1990s, some contractors who worked on the property went under because Trump's company didn't pay what they were owed, according to interviews with The Associated Press.

In a statement to the AP, Clinton said her father's business gave her "a sense of responsibility," adding that she was "living proof that a successful small business is at the core of the basic bargain in America, that if you work hard and do your part, you can make your own dreams and those of your children a reality."

Clinton has been pitching her plans to support small businesses and to make it easier to start a company. On a conference call with small-business owners last week, she proposed a new tax deduction for small businesses and offered federal incentives to encourage state and local governments to streamline regulations.

While Clinton has spoken of her father throughout the campaign, the recent recollections have been more detailed and intimate. Clinton tends to speak sparingly about her family while campaigning and when she does, it is typically to make a broader point. She has referenced her grandfather's work in a factory in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and her mother's troubled childhood. Clinton has also spoken of her granddaughter as an example of the future generation she is fighting for.

Mo Elleithee, who worked for Clinton's 2008 presidential bid, said that reminiscing about her family's business could put Clinton "in a different light" with voters. Elleithee, now executive director of the Institute of Politics and Public Service at Georgetown University, noted that "she's never done a very good job of talking about herself."

A Scranton native, Clinton's father moved to Chicago after graduating from college. There he worked as a traveling salesman before enlisting in the Navy during World War II, Clinton writes in "Living History." When he returned from the war, he set up a drapery fabric business in Chicago, called Rodrik Fabrics, and later started a print plant on the city's north side.

Rodham largely worked alone, but Clinton writes that she and her brothers helped when they were old enough. The business did well enough for Rodham to buy a house in the leafy suburb of Park Ridge, where he and wife, Dorothy, raised Clinton and her two brothers.

By all accounts, Rodham was a stern man, but he is also credited with instilling his daughter's powerful work ethic and encouraging her ambition. Clinton's childhood friend Betsy Ebeling said Rodham "could be gruff but he could be very loving."

"Her dad was one that, as Hillary likes to say, he was a chief petty officer, both in the Navy and at home," Ebeling said. "He'd sit at the dinner table and he'd throw out these conversation things and wait for us to go: 'No way.' We really did learn to debate at his feet."

Of course, parental anecdotes may not win over all of those on the fence about Clinton, who has struggled with historically high unfavorability ratings. Still, Republican Rick Tyler, who served as an adviser to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential bid, said Clinton's family-focused hit on Trump was effective.

"She's got a message that's relatable," Tyler said. "There's literally no one on our side who has been able to articulate a counter message. And Donald Trump embodies Hillary Clinton's message that the rich get rich off the backs of the poor."

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Lawyer's at center of race, gun debate on 2 Charleston cases

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP)  Andy Savage keeps in his law office a sealed plastic bag with the blood-splattered clothes that Felicia Sanders wore sheltering her granddaughter from a fusillade of bullets that killed nine black parishioners at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church.

Down the hall, his colleagues met recently with another client, Michael Slager, the white former North Charleston police officer charged in the death of a black motorist in a shooting captured on an explosive cellphone video.

Many would say Savage is on conflicting sides in these high-profile cases. On one hand, he represents the three survivors and families of five black parishioners who died in the church shooting, and is suing the federal government over the sale of a gun to a white man in the case; on the other, he's defending a white officer charged with murder after a black motorist was shot eight times in the back.

Attorney Andy Savage ponders a question during an interview in his office in Charleston, S.C., on Aug. 4, 2016. Savage represents Michael Slager, a white former policeman facing a murder charge in the shooting of a black motorist, as well as victims and the families of victims in the June, 2015 shootings at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church. Trials in both cases are scheduled to begin in Charleston this fall. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)

As the cases go to trial in the coming months and Charleston finds itself at the intersection of national debates over race, guns and the judicial system, Savage is in the middle. But to him, the cases are simply about justice for his clients.

"I don't pick and choose which injustices I'm going to represent," the 68-year-old Savage said in an Associated Press interview. "We're lawyers. It doesn't matter what the public says or if the press says that we're no-good SOBs."

Savage has handled celebrated cases in Charleston and beyond for decades. Among them: a policeman charged in the death of a city jail inmate, a 17-year-old girl facing the death penalty in the slaying of a small-town police chief, a man accused of being a terrorist sleeper agent and an economics professor charged with bilking investment clients.

"I've represented plenty of people I wouldn't invite to dinner," Savage said in his office, crowded with pictures of his four children and 10 grandchildren as well as several Emmy awards the former county councilman won for a cable TV public affairs show.

Savage  who worked as a cabbie in New York during college before moving south and attending the University of South Carolina Law School, then began his career as an Air Force attorney and state prosecutor before turning to criminal defense  admits he's been criticized for taking Slager's case.

"I can understand why because the narrative that's spoken is selecting certain facts  a white cop, an African-American suspect, a traffic stop  those are all words that resonate in the African-American community," Savage said.

He said "the hair came up on the back of my neck" when he first saw the footage of the shooting of Walter Scott. But Savage contends there's more to it than a brief video - a tussle for the officer's stun gun, Slager warning Scott to stop or he will fire, and no backup from other officers.

Savage calls it "a terrible insult to justice in America" that the 33-year-old Slager was immediately fired, his first lawyer dropped him and his police association refused to pay his legal costs.

Dot Scott, president of the Charleston branch of the NAACP, said the nature of the case "doesn't make the black community too happy." But she's known Savage for years and has seen him represent minority clients. "If I were in trouble, I'd want Andy to represent me," she said.

Savage's defense of Slager doesn't bother Sanders, a longtime friend. "I don't even think about it. I know that's his job," she said.

Sanders lost her son and an aunt in the June 17, 2015, church attack and the next morning returned home to find reporters camped outside.

"I had the clothes, blood on my legs and everything," she said. Her first thought was to call Savage. "He said, 'I'm on my way,' and he hasn't left me since."

Sanders worries that Savage  or his wife of 30 years, Cheryl, who manages the firm and is always beside him in court  won't be with her as Dylann Roof stands trial in a federal death penalty trial set for November. The Slager trial begins in state court a week earlier. The cases are expected to unfold simultaneously in courtrooms on the opposite sides of the street.

In Savage's office, his team doesn't call Roof by name. He's referred to only as "that guy" or "this kid" to avoid personalizing a man prosecutors say posed with the Confederate flag and talked of staring a race war.

Savage say that after the church shootings, there was no immediate intent to sue the FBI over failing to check that Roof's background allowed him to buy the gun.

Then, two months later, a TV reporter and cameraman from a Roanoke, Virginia, station were killed during a live broadcast.

"Felicia called and asked, 'Did we cause what happened in Virginia? Is Charleston an excuse for this continuing?'" Savage said.

More shootings followed, and lawmakers and officials struggled to close the so-called Charleston loophole, which allows three business days to finish vetting a gun buyer through a background check before the sale can proceed by default.

The lawsuit was filed last month. Savage and his clients hope it results in safer gun laws and fewer mass shootings.

"Every time it happens, it feels like the night of June 17th," Sanders said. "I know how every other mother feels."

Savage added, "June 17th continues today, and it's going to continue until there is some relief."

Savage said he's working equally hard in both cases. "I've always thought my obligation is that God has given me the talent to be a lawyer, and that talent wasn't given to me to buy a new car every year but was given me to help people," he said.

Felicia Sanders, a survivor of the shootings at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church, poses with attorney Andy Savage in Savage's office in Charleston, S.C., on Aug. 4, 2016. Savage represents Michael Slager, a white former policeman facing a murder charge in the shooting of a black motorist, as well as victims and the families of victims of the June, 2015 shootings at the church. Trials in both cases are scheduled to begin in Charleston this fall. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)

In this Aug. 4, 2016 photo, attorney Andy Savage poses in his office in Charleston, S.C. Savage represents Michael Slager, a white former policeman facing a murder charge in the shooting of a black motorist, as well as victims and the families of victims in the June 2015 shootings at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church. Trials in both cases are scheduled to begin in Charleston this fall. (AP Photo/Bruce Smith)
Serbia, Bosnian Serbs hold joint anti-terrorism drill

TRBUSNICA, Serbia (AP)  Police from Serbia and the Serb mini-state in Bosnia have held a joint anti-terrorism drill that could add to simmering tensions in the Balkans stemming from the 1990s war.

The exercise, dubbed "Drina 2016," was held Sunday at the border between Serbia and Bosnia simulating an extremist attack and a bus hijacking. Several thousand people watched the drill.

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic says that the exercise has shown that borders shouldn't exist when it comes to fighting terrorism.

Serbian special forces try to apprehend a supposed terrorist during a joint anti-terrorist drill between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, not far from the border crossing Trbusnica, near the city of Loznica some 120 km (75 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Anti-terrorist police from Serbia and the Serb mini-state in Bosnia have held a joint drill that could add to simmering tensions in the Balkans stemming from the 1990s war. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Joint security drills by Serbian and Bosnian Serb troops remain a sensitive issue because Serbia backed Bosnian Serbs in their fight against Bosnia's Muslims and Croats during the 1992-95 war.

About 100,000 people died in the war, and millions were made homeless amid numerous atrocities.

Serbian and Republic of Srpska special forces take part in a joint anti-terrorist drill between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, not far from the border crossing Trbusnica, near the city of Loznica some 120 km (75 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Anti-terrorist police from Serbia and the Serb mini-state in Bosnia have held a joint drill that could add to simmering tensions in the Balkans stemming from the 1990s war. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A supposed terrorist shoots during a joint anti-terrorist drill between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, not far from the border crossing Trbusnica, near the city of Loznica some 120 km (75 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Anti-terrorist police from Serbia and the Serb mini-state in Bosnia have held a joint drill that could add to simmering tensions in the Balkans stemming from the 1990s war. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbian and Republic of Srpska special forces take part in a joint anti-terrorist drill between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, not far from the border crossing Trbusnica, near the city of Loznica some 120 km (75 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Anti-terrorist police from Serbia and the Serb mini-state in Bosnia have held a joint drill that could add to simmering tensions in the Balkans stemming from the 1990s war. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbian and Republic of Srpska special forces take part in a joint anti-terrorist drill between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, not far from the border crossing Trbusnica, near the city of Loznica some 120 km (75 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Anti-terrorist police from Serbia and the Serb mini-state in Bosnia have held a joint drill that could add to simmering tensions in the Balkans stemming from the 1990s war. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

A member of the Serbian special forces stands guard during a joint anti-terrorist drill between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, not far from the border crossing Trbusnica, near the city of Loznica some 120 km (75 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Anti-terrorist police from Serbia and the Serb mini-state in Bosnia have held a joint drill that could add to simmering tensions in the Balkans stemming from the 1990s war. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbian special forces take part in a joint anti-terrorist drill between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, not far from the border crossing Trbusnica, near the city of Loznica some 120 km (75 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Anti-terrorist police from Serbia and the Serb mini-state in Bosnia have held a joint drill that could add to simmering tensions in the Balkans stemming from the 1990s war. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbian and Republic of Srpska special forces take part in a joint anti-terrorist drill between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, not far from the border crossing Trbusnica, near the city of Loznica some 120 km (75 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. Anti-terrorist police from Serbia and the Serb mini-state in Bosnia have held a joint drill that could add to simmering tensions in the Balkans stemming from the 1990s war. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Serbian and Republic of Srpska special forces take part in a joint anti-terrorism drill between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, not far from the border crossing Trbusnica, near the city of Loznica some 120 km (75 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. The security forces of Serbia and those from the Serb-part of Bosnia hold a joint counter-terrorism drill on the Drina river, the natural border between the Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Members of the Serbian anti terrorist police squad rope down from a helicopter during a joint anti-terrorism drill between Serbia and Republic of Srpska, not far from the border crossing Trbusnica, near the city of Loznica some 120 km (75 miles) west of Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. The security forces of Serbia and those from the Serb-part of Bosnia hold a joint counter-terrorism drill on the Drina river, the natural border between the Republic of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
A mine planted by Boko Haram terrorist group exploded under a Chadian military vehicle and killed four servicemen on board, media reported on Saturday, citing a source in the country's security service, Sputnik International reported.

"An army car hit a mine planted by Boko Haram at Kaiga Kindji, near the border of Chad and Niger. There were four dead and a dozen wounded," the source told the Vanguard media outlet.

According to the media, the bombing was the last in a series of attacks on Chadian soldiers perpetrated by Boko Haram group.
Man detained after stabbing picnicking couple in Germany

BERLIN (AP)  Police say a 26-year-old man has been detained after stabbing a picnicking couple in western Germany.

Oberhausen police say the suspect was overpowered by one of his victims, a 57-year-old man who was seriously injured in the late Saturday attack. The other victim, a 66-year-old woman, suffered life-threatening injuries.

Police spokesman Andreas Wilming-Weber said Sunday that one of the victims said the suspect had shouted "Allahu akbar!" ("God is great" in Arabic) during the attack. But Wilming-Weber said no other witnesses heard the phrase and there was "no indication of any political motive."

The suspect, a German citizen, appeared to have been under the influence of drugs and was taken to a psychiatric clinic after questioning.
State burial in Poland for WWII heroes slain by communists

WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Seven decades after their deaths, a state burial was held Sunday in Poland for two World War II heroes who fought the Germans but were later killed by the communists for their pro-independence activity.

The relatives of the 17-year-old Home Army nurse and a 42-year-old ensign attended the religious ceremonies along with President Andrzej Duda and Polish government officials.

The burial with military honors took place in Gdansk, in the north, where the two were captured in 1946, tortured and executed on Aug. 28, 1946. Their bodies were dumped in an unmarked pit at Gdansk military cemetery. Pavement tiles were put on top to conceal the site.

The remains of Danuta Siedzikowna, codename "Inka," and Feliks Selmanowicz, "Zagonczyk," were found in 2014. They were identified through DNA tests as part of government efforts to locate and properly honor thousands of Poles who fought for the nation's independence against the Nazi Germans and then against the communists.

Only a few hundred have been found so far across Poland. They were erased from history books for decades under communism.

"Against the plans of the communists and traitors, Poland will not forget you," Duda said to applause during the funeral Mass. "What you did was right. Glory to the heroes."

Hundreds of people turned out for the ceremonies at St. Mary's Basilica and at the cemetery.

Siedzikowna's story is particularly telling and painful. Her father, Waclaw Siedzik, was among the thousands of Poles deported by Soviet secret security to Siberia in 1940 and died three years later. Her mother, Eugenia Siedzik, was executed by the Germans in 1943 for her resistance activity. "Inka" joined the Home Army after her death and trained to be a nurse. After the war, she was active in fighting against the communist authorities that were imposed on Poland.
Uzbekistan's longtime ruler Islam Karimov hospitalized

MOSCOW (AP)  Uzbekistan's government issued an unusual statement on Sunday announcing the hospitalization of President Islam Karimov, who has ruled the former Soviet republic in Central Asia for more than 25 years.

The statement gave no details about the nature of the illness suffered by the 78-year-old president or his condition, saying only that "in the opinion of the specialists, a full medical examination and subsequent treatment will require a certain amount of time."

The Regnum news agency reported from Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, that police and security forces have formed a cordon around the government hospital where Karimov was being treated, in an apparent indication of the unease caused by his hospitalization. The cordon, which was established late Saturday, has a radius of several kilometers (a mile or two), the report said.

FILE In this file photo taken on Friday, July 10, 2015, Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov gestures while speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin during the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) summit in Ufa, Russia. Uzbekistan's government has issued, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, an unusual statement announcing the hospitalization of President Islam Karimov, who has ruled the former Soviet republic in Central Asia for more than 25 years. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, file)

Karimov, who tolerates no dissent, has ruled Uzbekistan since Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made him the republic's Communist Party chief in 1989. In December 1991, just days after the Soviet Union ceased to exist, Karimov was elected president of the newly independent state.

As he has aged, questions have arisen about both a successor and the long-term stability of the strategically placed Central Asian country.

During the war in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan served as an important supply route for U.S. and NATO troops.

When the war began in 2001, Karimov allowed U.S. forces to use a major air base. He then evicted them in anger over U.S. criticism of a violent crackdown on a 2005 uprising in Andijan, where Uzbek troops fired on demonstrators, killing more than 700 people, according to witnesses and human rights groups. It was the world's worst massacre of protesters since the 1989 bloodbath in China's Tiananmen Square.

Karimov later quietly softened his position, allowing Uzbekistan to be part of the Northern Distribution Network, a vital supply route for Afghanistan in the final years of the war.

FILE In this Tuesday, April 26, 2016 file pool photo Uzbek President Islam Karimov speaks at a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin following their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. Uzbekistan's government has issued, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, an unusual statement announcing the hospitalization of President Islam Karimov, who has ruled the former Soviet republic in Central Asia for more than 25 years. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP, File)

FILE In this Tuesday, April 26, 2016 file pool photo Uzbek President Islam Karimov speaks at a joint news conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin following their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. Uzbekistan's government has issued, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, an unusual statement announcing the hospitalization of President Islam Karimov, who has ruled the former Soviet republic in Central Asia for more than 25 years. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP, File)
The Latest: Trump campaign plans $10M ad buy for coming week

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on the 2016 presidential campaign (all times EDT):

11 p.m.

Donald Trump's campaign is planning its biggest ad buy to date, upward of $10 million on commercials airing over the next week or so.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at Joni's Roast and Ride during a fundraiser at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, in Des Moines, Iowa, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The campaign expects the ads to begin airing as soon as Monday in nine states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Florida, where the campaign has already been on the air, along with New Hampshire, Virginia, Iowa, Colorado and Nevada. They're all important swing states.

Trump has so far been badly outspent by his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, and groups supporting her candidacy.

The new investment comes amid signs that Trump's lagging poll numbers may be improving against Clinton's following a campaign reboot. ___

7:50 p.m.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says he's planning a speech Wednesday on illegal immigration.

Trump tweets on Sunday he'll deliver the speech in Arizona, adding "Big crowds, looking for a larger venue."

Trump's position on whether or not to deport an estimated 11 million immigrants here illegally has been unclear in recent days. He pledged months ago to have authorities carry out widespread deportations, but this past week sent out mixed signals on whether he was shifting his stance on that.

His surrogates and allies struggled on Sunday talk shows to explain his position.

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11:50 a.m.

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson says he's optimistic about getting into the presidential debates, but admits it would be "game over" if he doesn't make the cut.

Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, must average 15 percent in five recognized polls to make the debate stage.

Johnson says on "Fox News Sunday" that his polling numbers are rising and that his campaign is spending money in many states. He estimates his support level now to be at 10 percent in the polls the Commission on Presidential Debates is monitoring.

Johnson says he is fiscally conservative and socially "inclusive." He's also skeptical about using the U.S. military to change regimes in other nations. He says that philosophy represents where most Americans stands.

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9:45 a.m.

Donald Trump's chief supporters, led by his vice presidential running mate, are having trouble speaking for him, especially on immigration policy.

Mike Pence on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday could not say whether the Republican presidential nominee is sticking by, or backing off, his pledge to deport the estimated 11 million people in the United States illegally with the help of a "deportation force."

Pence and other Trump supporters across the Sunday talk show dial said Trump will detail his immigration policy over the next two weeks. They insisted that Trump has been "consistent" on his immigration policy.

In recent days, Trump has suggested he might be "softening," saying Wednesday that he might be open to allowing at least some immigrants in the country illegally to stay, as long as they pay taxes.

The next day, he ruled out legal status, "unless they leave the country and come back," he told CNN.

Former New Mexico governor, Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson arrives to a cheering crowd of several hundred during a campaign rally Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Budget maneuvers are basis of trial of Brazil's president

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)  Suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is scheduled to face her accusers in the Senate on Monday during an impeachment trial that could remove her permanently from office.

The trial is based on accusations that she illegally issued decrees last year to make government payments without the authorization of Congress. She's also accused of using unauthorized loans from state-owned banks to finance programs, and then delaying repayment.

Critics say she meant to make public finances look better than they were and say Rousseff was, at the very least, negligent. Rousseff insists the practice is not an impeachable offense and says other Brazilian presidents used similar techniques without facing punishment.

FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2014 file photo, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff listens to a question during a re-election campaign news conference at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil. Just days after the Rio Olympics ended, Brazilian senators are now gearing up for a final decision on whether to permanently remove President Dilma Rousseff from office. The months-long leadership fight has brought to the surface deep polarization in Latin America's most populous nation, fueled by anger over endemic corruption and angst about an emerging economy that has gone from darling to depression amid its worst financial crisis in decades. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

Here is a look at the allegations and how they compare to previous administrations:

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DECREES: At least three decrees signed by Rousseff were irregular, according to Senate auditors, who said they were not approved by Congress. Rousseff's defense listed similar decrees since 2000 under two former presidents.

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MONEY SHUFFLING: The fact-checking website Aos Fatos counted incidents involving funds from state-run bank Caixa Economica Federal. It said Rousseff used the practice vastly more often than did the two previous presidents, Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Allegations against Rousseff also include funds from state-run banks BNDES and Banco do Brasil. The case against her covers only 2015, the first year of her second term, because Brazil's constitution says a president can be impeached only for crimes in the current term. Rousseff was re-elected in 2014.

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DELAYED PAYMENTS: Between 2011 and 2015, Rousseff's administration delayed payments to Caixa totaling almost $10 billion. The funds were eventually paid, but Brazil's laws say state banks should not make loans to the federal government without congressional authorization. Rousseff denies those were loans. The funds went for unemployment benefits, bonuses to public workers and subsidies for poor Brazilians. The delays stopped after a government watchdog ruled in October 2015 that the accounting mechanisms were irregular.

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VICE PRESIDENT MICHEL TEMER: Rousseff's backers say the case against her could affect Temer, who is temporarily replacing the suspended leader. As acting president when Rousseff was on trips outside Brazil, he also authorized such accounting measures. Temer argues he was not responsible for the economic policies and says his signature doesn't mean any involvement in the decision to delay payments.

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FORMER PRESIDENT LUIZ INACIO LULA DA SILVA: Silva, who was Rousseff's mentor and predecessor, used similar accounting practices in September and November 2003 and in November 2006, shortly after his re-election. The amounts involved totaled $144 million. The funds were for unemployment benefits and subsidies for the poor.

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FORMER PRESIDENT FERNANDO HENRIQUE CARDOSO: Now an opposition leader, Cardoso issued similar decrees four times as president to delay payments to Caixa involving unemployment benefits. The first was in September 1996 and three more came in 2002, totaling $125 million at current values.

A woman walks past a graffiti message that reads in Portuguese; "There will be no coup" in reference to the country's political crisis, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The second day of the impeachment trial of Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff turned into a yelling match and was temporarily suspended on Friday after the head of Senate declared "stupidity is endless" and sharply criticized a colleague who had questioned the body's moral authority. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazil's Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, right, talks with Brazil's Senate leader Renan Calheiros, during the impeachment trial of suspended President Dilma Rousseff, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The second day of the trial turned into a yelling match and was temporarily suspended on Friday after Calheiros declared "stupidity is endless" and sharply criticized a colleague who had questioned the body's moral authority. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
A radio career under microscope in race for Minnesota seat

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Jason Lewis is making the work of opposition researchers irrelevant for one of the nation's most contested congressional races.

Operatives don't need to dig up dirt on him: The once-nationally syndicated conservative talk show host called young women "non-thinking" for their passion for contraceptive and abortion access and seemed to question in a book of his whether it was the government's role to ban slavery.

Those snippets, plus dozens more from a long radio career that included stints filling in for Rush Limbaugh, are shaping the Republican's race against Democrat Angie Craig for a rare, open House seat in the tight southern Minnesota swing district.

In this July 27, 2016, photo, Jason Lewis, center, the Republican candidate in the race for Minnesota's 2nd District seat, looks on as volunteers at his Burnsville, Minn., campaign headquarters make calls to potential voters. Lewis faces Democrat Angie Craig in the November 2016 general election. (Brian Bakst/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

"Jason Lewis's greatest advantage is also his biggest challenge," said Brian McClung, a former Republican political staffer who lives in the district. "When you're on talk radio for 20 years, the opposition research is already done."

A lightning-fast talker who often uses turns of phrase, Lewis sees himself as more of an academic than an ideologue. He is betting voters will, too, rather than as the inflammatory personality that Democrats are trying to portray. He stands by all he said during his radio career, which he quit in 2014, though he acknowledged he may have been too provocative at times.

"I think anybody that's listened to Jason Lewis knows that I have given great thought into the positions I've taken. I've not come at these things in a capricious way," said Lewis, who believes his remarks have been taken out of context or blown out of proportion to score political points.

Lewis survived a four-way GOP primary to replace retiring GOP Rep. John Kline in Minnesota's 2nd District, which stretches from liberal suburbs of St. Paul to conservative rural towns and farming communities. It's regarded as a toss-up: Voters sent Kline to Congress for eight terms, but broke for President Barack Obama in both 2008 and 2012.

Craig, a former human resources executive for a medical technology company, is quick to contrast her private business experience with Lewis' lifetime "on right-wing radio talking at people."

Democratic organizations have reserved millions of dollars in airtime, waiting to rebroadcast his most controversial comments in what are slim hopes of retaking the House majority this fall.

Among them is a 2012 episode of Lewis' show in which he criticized a "vast majority of young single women who couldn't explain to you what GDP means," calling them ignorant for placing greater importance on abortion rights, contraceptive access and gay marriage.

Lewis defended his remarks, saying he was only calling women ignorant of GOP values while expressing his belief that the government should protect corporations and religious beliefs when it comes to health care.

He also stands by a passage in his 2011 book, "Power Divided is Power Checked," where he wrote: "If you don't want to own a slave, don't. But don't tell other people they can't." Lewis called that an obviously sarcastic statement meant to highlight his belief that states, not the federal government, should carry the burden for passing laws.

Sasha Haworth, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said Lewis is "going to be forced to defend every sexist, racist, misogynistic and outrageous comment he's ever made."

But Lewis is ready; he faced the same from opponents who argued he was unelectable during the primary campaign.

"There's already chronic fatigue on that stuff," he said. "I think having it get out early ... probably helps."

In this April 26, 2016, photo, Angie Craig, the Democratic candidate in Minnesota's 2nd District, greets volunteers at her campaign headquarters in Eagan, Minn. Craig faces Republican Jason Lewis in the November 2016 general election. (Mark Zdechlik/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

In this Aug. 18, 2016 photo, Republican candidate Jason Lewis campaigns at a park in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. Lewis, a Republican and once-nationally syndicated conservative talk show host, will face Democrat Angie Craig in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District race. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

In this May 5, 2016, photo, Jason Lewis, the Republican candidate in the race for Minnesota's 2nd District seat, poses for a photo in St. Paul, Minn. Lewis faces Democrat Angie Craig in the November 2016 general election. (Regina McCombs/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)
Nigeria president says Boko Haram leader has been wounded

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari said Sunday the military wounded the leader of Boko Haram, his country's homegrown Islamic extremist group.

Nigeria's military said last week it had "fatally wounded" Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau in an airstrike, but it stopped short of saying that he was dead.

Boko Haram no longer holds any Nigerian territory and the group has split into small groups attacking soft targets, said Buhari on Sunday, speaking on the sidelines of the Tokyo International Conference of Africa's Development in Kenya.

FILE - In this Monday May 12, 2014 file photo taken from video by Nigeria's Boko Haram terrorist network, shows their leader Abubakar Shekau speaking to the camera. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is believed to be fatally wounded in an airstrike while he was praying in a forest stronghold in northeast Nigeria, the military said Tuesday Aug. 23, 2016 A statement does not say how the military got the information but it identifies other commanders as "confirmed dead." (AP Photo/File)

The Nigerian government is ready to discuss the release of the Chibok girls held hostage by Boko Haram, Buhari said in a statement from his spokesman. Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria, is where nearly 300 schoolgirls were abducted from a school in April 2014. Dozens of the kidnapped girls escaped, but 218 remain missing.

The government is ready to negotiate with "bona fide leaders" of the terror group who know where the girls are, Buhari said.

"If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognized non-governmental organization," he said. "We want those girls out and safe. The faster we can recover them and hand them over to their parents, the better for us."

Boko Haram appears to be fractured by a leadership struggle after the Islamic State group recently announced a new leader for the Nigerian based group. But Shekau has insisted he is still in charge. He had pledged the group's allegiance to the Islamic State group last year, giving IS its first franchise in sub-Saharan Africa.

Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden," resurfaced as a deadly force under Shekau, who took over in 2009 after a military raid on the group's compound in Maiduguri killed some 700 people and leader Mohammed Yusuf was killed in police custody.
Women bare breasts for gender equality on GoTopless Day

HAMPTON, N.H. (AP)  Women around the country are taking off their tops on GoTopless Day, a day that promotes gender equality and women's rights to bare their breasts in public.

GoTopless Day is celebrated annually on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day, marking the day American women earned the right to vote.

A group of about 50 women and men were walking topless in the oceanside Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice, behind a giant, inflatable pink breast that had the phrase "equal topless rights" written on it. One marcher carried a sign that said: "My Body Is Not A Crime."

Marisse Caissy, of Montreal participates in the Go Topless Pride Parade, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. Sunday's parade was among dozens of such events celebrating the worldwide Go Topless Day. Appearing bare-breasted has been legal in New York since 1992. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

A few dozen women, and some men, went topless as they walked down Broadway in New York City. Onlookers gawked and took photos as the parade participants went by.

The events in New York City and Los Angeles were two of several planned for cities across the globe. Gatherings were planned in New Hampshire, Denver and more.

Nadine Gray, president of GoTopless, said she hopes the events will take away the shock and awe around seeing female breasts.

"This push for women to go topless in the 21st century is as strong as women wanting to vote in the 20th century," she said. "It may be sensual, but it's not illegal to be sensual."

The legality of women going topless varies by state.

Kia Sinclair is an event organizer for GoTopless Day at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire.

"It's in hopes to show people that it can be normal, that it's really not a big deal and it's not about getting attention or protesting," she said.

Sinclair was also part of a group of women who last year helped beat back an effort to criminalize toplessness in the state.

Participants ride in a convertible through midtown Manhattan in the Go Topless Pride Parade, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. GoTopless Day is celebrated annually in the U.S., on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day, marking the day American women earned the right to vote. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

In this July 30, 2015 photo, Kia Sinclair, stands topless on Hampton Beach in Hampton, N.H. The New Hampshire movement, known as Free the Nipple, that sparked controversy when several legislators criticized its members is planning to return to the spotlight Aug. 28, 2016 when they celebrate GoTopless Day on some of the state's beaches. (Rich Beauchesne/Portmsouth Herald via AP)

A group of women joined by men walk topless along the oceanside in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice to demand that females get the same legal right as men to walk bare-chested in public on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. The women are participating Sunday in the neighborhood's annual Go Topless march, one of several such marches planned for around the nation. The march in Venice was organized by gotopless.org, a group that calls for equal rights to go topless for women and men. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
Russia to resume charter flights for tourists to Turkey

MOSCOW (AP)  Russia has lifted its ban on charter flights to Turkey, opening the way to a resumption of the package tours that were a major source of revenue for Turkey.

In rescinding the ban on Sunday, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he was doing so on the orders of President Vladimir Putin.

Russia imposed the ban in November after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane at the Syrian border, an action that Putin denounced as a "treacherous stab in the back."
The 33-year old Damian Rubiales Carrasco told security officers that there was a bomb in his backpack, causing the evacuation of more than 200 people from the airport, Sputnik International reported.

According to the Estonian Postimees newspaper, Carrasco was sentenced by the Harju county court the same day, after five police patrols have not found anything suspicious at the scene.

The Spaniard, who was facing up to five years of imprisonment under Estonian legislation, stated in his defense that his threat was only a joke.
Rivals Hamas, Fatah gear up for first election since 2006

NABLUS, West Bank (AP)  Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah are gearing up for their first contest at the polls since 2006  a vote for mayors and local councils in 425 communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Each side hopes the election will give it a foothold in what has been the other's exclusive territory since mutual purges in 2007. At the time, the Islamic militant group Hamas seized Gaza, driving out Fatah, while Fatah's leader, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, cracked down on Hamas in the autonomous areas of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The Oct. 8 ballot might not allow either side to proclaim victory. Popular independents are part of the candidate mix, tribal loyalties often trump factional allegiances at the local level and Hamas activists can't run openly in the West Bank for fear of arrest by Israel.

FILE -- In this Jan. 24, 2006 file photo, a Palestinian boy is seen through various campaign posters for Palestinian parliamentary elections, hanging over a street in the al-Amari refugee camp, near the West Bank town of Ramallah. Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah are gearing up for their first contest at the polls since 2006 -- a vote for 425 mayors and local councils in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sept. 8, 2016. Each side hopes the election will give it a foothold in what has been the other's exclusive territory since mutual purges in 2007. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen, File)

But the election provides at least an indication of the popularity of Hamas and Fatah, after the foes shunned competitive elections over the past decade.

"Despite the fact that it (the election) is about services and municipal work, it's purely political," said senior Fatah figure Nabil Shaath. "There's nothing in Palestine that isn't political."

The last municipal elections were held in 2012, but only in parts of the West Bank, and Hamas didn't compete because it couldn't agree with Abbas on procedure. When Abbas decided earlier this year to call for local elections in 2016, as scheduled, he likely expected Hamas to stay out of the race again, analysts said.

But Hamas unexpectedly accepted the challenge. This forced a trade-off in which each side grudgingly acknowledged some of the other's authority.

Hamas recognized Abbas' general election commission as final arbiter, while Abbas agreed that Hamas institutions would supervise the vote in Gaza.

"There is some kind of normalization taking place in this election," said Ghassan Khatib, a former spokesman of the West Bank-based autonomy government.

It's not clear if the municipal vote could help pave the way for long-overdue presidential and parliamentary elections, which are seen as key to ending the Palestinian territorial split. The divide is one of the obstacles to independence, along with the years-long paralysis in negotiations with Israel.

The Western-backed Abbas was elected to a four-year term as president in 2005, while Hamas defeated Fatah in 2006 parliament elections, creating a political stalemate that eventually led to Hamas' Gaza takeover and a West Bank crackdown on the Islamic militants.

Since then, the rivals have preferred to tighten control over their respective territories, and repeated reconciliation attempts have failed.

The split has been unpopular with Palestinians. Recent polls have indicated that two-thirds of Palestinians want Abbas to resign, and nearly one half of Gaza residents want to emigrate.

In this climate, the local elections are seen as a relatively low-risk move by both camps to restore some legitimacy.

In the Gaza Strip, Fatah- and Hamas-backed lists of candidates are competing for seats on 25 municipal councils. Any renewed Fatah representation in Gaza local councils would be seen as an achievement by the brow-beaten faction.

Fayez Abu Aita, a Fatah spokesman in Gaza, said he hopes the vote will lead to general elections. "We think this will be a step toward ending the split," he said.

In the West Bank, Hamas has kept a low profile since 2007 to minimize the risk of arrests of activists by Israel or Abbas' autonomy government, which cooperated in the clampdown. Over the years, dozens of Hamas officials, including legislators and mayors elected in 2005, have spent time in Israeli and Palestinian prisons.

In the October vote, Hamas is competing indirectly in the West Bank by backing nominally independent Islamists or forging alliances with other factions, including Fatah.

One such alliance emerged in Nablus, the West Bank's second largest city. It is headed by popular former Mayor Adli Yaish, an Islamist and philanthropist.

In an interview at his Mercedes dealership last week, the 63-year-old British-educated engineer said he faced difficulties in his first term in city hall, after Islamists swept the 2005 local election in Nablus.

Some foreign donors refused to deal with him and the Islamist-dominated city council because of their ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, the regional parent movement of Hamas.

This time, he asked activists from other factions, including Fatah, to join his list.

"Some in Hamas are against this. They say, 'You are an Islamist and you can win easily.' But I am telling them we need unity," said Yaish. "The split has harmed our life and it's time to try to end it gradually, from the bottom up."

In some other West Bank communities, Fatah- and Hamas-endorsed lists compete directly with each other.

In the towns of Ramallah and Bethlehem, which have relative large Christian minorities, Abbas has decreed that a Christian be guaranteed the job as mayor, traditionally presiding over coalitions with other factions.

Ghazi Hamad, a senior Hamas figure in Gaza, said his movement won't be able to win outright in the West Bank because of the restrictions, but hopes to see at least some of its sympathizers elected to the local councils.

Elections appear to be on track after the registration of candidates last week, but there's still a chance of cancellation if either side starts to harass or arrest rivals.

Analyst Hani al-Masri said that for now it's in the interest of both sides to go ahead with the local ballot because it might help defuse demands for choosing a new president and parliament.

"This election is meant to avoid the national election," he said.

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Laub reported from Amman, Jordan.

FILE -- In this Jan. 22, 2006 file photo, a Palestinian police officer fills in his ballot before casting it in parliamentary elections in the West Bank city of Nablus. Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah are gearing up for their first contest at the polls since 2006 -- a vote for 425 mayors and local councils in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sept. 8, 2016. Each side hopes the election will give it a foothold in what has been the other's exclusive territory since mutual purges in 2007. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti, File)

In this Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016 photo, former Mayor of Nablus, an Islamist and philanthropist, Adil Yaish speaks during an interview with The Associated Press, at his office in the West Bank city of Nablus. Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah are gearing up for their first contest at the polls since 2006 -- a vote for 425 mayors and local councils in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sept. 8, 2016. Each side hopes the election will give it a foothold in what has been the other's exclusive territory since mutual purges in 2007. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)

FILE -- In this Jan. 7, 2005 file photo, an election campaign banner showing then presidential candidate Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, at left and the late Yasser Arafat hangs in Jerusalem. Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah are gearing up for their first contest at the polls since 2006 -- a vote for 425 mayors and local councils in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sept. 8, 2016. Each side hopes the election will give it a foothold in what has been the other's exclusive territory since mutual purges in 2007. Arabic reads, "elect the Fatah movement candidate Abu Mazen. Palestinian Liberation Organization, Jerusalem district." (AP Photo/Enric Marti, File)

FILE -- In this Jan. 3, 2006 file photo, Hamas top candidate Ismail Hanieh, rights, talks during a press conference surrounded by other candidates at an election rally in Gaza City. Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah are gearing up for their first contest at the polls since 2006 -- a vote for 425 mayors and local councils in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sept. 8, 2016. Each side hopes the election will give it a foothold in what has been the other's exclusive territory since mutual purges in 2007. The ballot might not allow either side to proclaim victory, but will provide at least an indication of the popularity of Hamas and Fatah. (AP Photo/Adel Hana, File)
Wildfire blocking Yellowstone entrance smolders on

GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP)  Firefighters chopped down trees and searched for hotspots on steep hillsides Sunday as they battled a wildfire that has blocked an entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Wildfire managers said their top priority is clearing a highway that leads to Yellowstone and protecting campgrounds, buildings and archaeological sites. They also are making sure there are no flare-ups or falling trees that could cause injuries or death.

Strong winds blew down several trees Saturday, blocking some roadways. Travelers have been warned to be cautious on roads around the park that remain open.

Firefighter Katrina Jongenelen, of California's Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Fire Module, helps mop up the smoking burn area of the Berry Fire near the road to Yellowstone in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., Saturday, Aug 27, 2016. The south entrance to Yellowstone National Park is expected to remain closed for a few days due to the wildfire in Grand Teton, where firefighters are trying to clean up hotspots and burned trees along a stretch of roadway. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

The fire that began last month in neighboring Grand Teton National Park is blocking Yellowstone's south entrance, near the resort town of Jackson. Yellowstone also has entrance stations near Cody and in Montana.

Joel Dugger, who is with a wildfire crew based near Redding, California, said he and six other firefighters have been working for 10 days to corral the Grand Teton fire and keep it contained.

"That way we won't have a potential re-burn through these areas that are green," he said, pointing to nearby fir trees on a mountainside that have so far withstood intense heat and embers.

Surrounded by swirling smoke from burning logs that were chopped up with chain saws and axes, Dugger said there have been long days on the fire lines, and firefighters sleep in tents at night.

"We survive in the backcountry. We're self-sufficient a week at a time," he said.

Wildfire managers are letting the fire continue to burn on Jackson Lake's west side, where no buildings or people are threatened.

Linda Burroughs, a visitor from Russell, Pennsylvania, who is traveling with a group of senior citizens, said wildfire cut short their planned two-day visit to Yellowstone National Park. They had to take a four-hour detour to get to their Jackson Lake lodge, south of the Grand Teton fire.

"We see the smoke off and on," she said, but so far, the fire isn't threating tourists at the lodge.

With the highway blocked, visitors in Grand Teton who want to go to Yellowstone have to drive into Idaho and Montana to the west entrance. Fire officials said the road might reopen as early as Tuesday.

Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks and Bridger Teton National Forest all have area closures in effect, but both national parks are open to visitors.

Officials in Yellowstone National Park said Sunday a 49-square-mile fire that started Aug. 8 has not crossed the West Entrance road, which remains open. They said if the fire flares up or smoke gets too dense, visitors in vehicles might have to be escorted through the area.

Fire crews have begun working on a fuel break on the park's western boundary to help reduce the risk of wildfire for the community of West Yellowstone, Montana, which is about 4 miles from the fire.

Firefighter Katrina Jongenelen, of California's Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Fire Module, works in the smoking burn area of the Berry Fire during a mop up near the road to Yellowstone in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., Saturday, Aug 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Firefighters mop up the smoking burn area of the Berry Fire near the road to Yellowstone in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., Saturday, Aug 27, 2016. The south entrance to Yellowstone National Park is expected to remain closed for a few days due to the wildfire in Grand Teton, where firefighters are trying to clean up hotspots and burned trees along a stretch of roadway. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Firefighter Austin Edwards, of California's Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Fire Module, stands in the smoking burn area of the Berry Fire during a mop up near the road to Yellowstone in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., Saturday, Aug 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)

Firefighter Austin Edwards, of California's Whiskeytown National Recreation Area Fire Module, works in the smoking burn area of the Berry Fire during a mop up near the road to Yellowstone in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., Saturday, Aug 27, 2016. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley)
AP Explains: Brazil's president under impeachment trial

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff will have her first chance to defend herself in Congress on Monday as an impeachment process enters its final stages. Rousseff's speech and cross-examination in the Senate is expected to be the highlight of a trial that could permanently oust her on charges she mismanaged the federal budget. The fight for Brazil's leadership is about more than fiscal laws. The Associated Press explains how it got to this point and how the trial is playing out:

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HOW ROUSSEFF'S SUPPORT COLLAPSED

A woman walks past a graffiti message that reads in Portuguese; "There will be no coup" in reference to the country's political crisis, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The second day of the impeachment trial of Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff turned into a yelling match and was temporarily suspended on Friday after the head of Senate declared "stupidity is endless" and sharply criticized a colleague who had questioned the body's moral authority. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Rousseff was re-elected to a second four-year term in October 2014. As the economy worsened, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in early 2015, with many demanding the ouster of Rousseff and her left-leaning Workers' Party. Her foes in Congress introduced a measure last year to impeach and remove her. In April, the Chamber of Deputies approved it 367-137 and in May, the Senate voted 55-22 in favor. Rousseff was suspended and Vice President Michel Temer became interim president.

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THE CHARGES: ILLEGALLY MOVING MONEY BETWEEN BUDGETS

Rousseff is accused of illegally shifting funds between government budgets. Opposition parties say that was to boost public spending and shore up support while masking the depths of deficits. Rousseff says other former presidents used similar accounting techniques.

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THE TRIAL UNFOLDS

Senators have questioned prosecution and defense witnesses over three days of heated debates. Rousseff herself will address the Senate and answer questions on Monday. A vote is expected by the middle of the week. A supermajority  54 of the 81 senators  is needed to convict her, which would result in her permanent removal from office.

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THE DEFENSE: IT'S A COUP!

Rousseff and her backers say impeachment is a "coup" by corrupt opposition lawmakers meant to derail investigations into billions of dollars in kickbacks at the state oil company. They also argue that Brazil's ruling class wants to end 13 years of leftist government. Opponents say Rousseff's budget maneuvers aggravated the crisis in Latin America's largest economy.

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THE STAKES: OUSTER

A conviction would permanently remove Rousseff from the presidency and bar her from holding any office for eight years. Temer would serve out her term, which ends Dec. 21, 2018. If convicted, Rousseff would likely appeal to the country's highest court. But previous appeals during the process have failed.

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ANOTHER POSSIBILITY: RETURN TO OFFICE

If fewer than 54 senators vote to remove her, Rousseff would return to office. She's promised that if that happens, she would let voters decide in a plebiscite whether they want early presidential elections.

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BRAZIL'S POISONED POLITICS CLOUD THE FUTURE
First family goes hiking in national park in Virginia

TRIANGLE, Va. (AP)  President Barack Obama and the first family are hiking at Prince William Forest Park in Virginia. Their visit Sunday comes as the National Park Service's celebrates its centennial.

The president has marked the week by creating a national monument in Maine and expanding a monument off Hawaii.

Admission to national parks and historic sites was free during the weekend.

Motorcade vehicles escorting President Barack Obama and members of his family arrive at entrance to Prince William Forest Park in Va., Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. The president and first family are planning on hiking at the national park during their visit to the area. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The National Park Services describes Prince William Forest Park as a "respite of quiet and calm" amid the hustle and bustle and frequent traffic jams of northern Virginia.
LONDON (AP)  London police arrested more than 100 people amid sporadic violence Sunday at the annual Notting Hill Carnival, an annual celebration of Caribbean culture in the British capital that often includes trouble on the sidelines.

The Metropolitan Police reported at least four knife attacks during the opening day of the two-day festival in west London. It said four males aged 15 to 20 were wounded, with one 15-year-old boy hospitalized in critical condition.

Sunday's festivities included a colorful child-oriented parade through west London that attracted tens of thousands of revelers, many of whom danced in the streets to the sound of steel drums and reggae bands.

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Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade at the Notting Hill Carnival in west London, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. (Isabel Infantes/PA via AP)

Scores of paramedics were on hand to provide MASH-style units for carnival-goers injured or unwell from alcohol or drugs. Medical beds were deployed at roadsides in some locations.

The London Ambulance Service reported shortly before midnight that 411 people had received medical care at the carnival, 77 of whom needed to be hospitalized.

Police said 105 people were arrested on charges that includedr drug possession, carrying knives, assault, sexual offenses and theft.

The carnival, founded in 1966 by West Indian immigrants following the Notting Hill race riots of 1958, frequently has involved clashes with police. Many local businesses have closed during the event since 1977, when police stormed the carnival amid looting of shops. The 2008 festivities ended in a street riot. Last year, police arrested 407 people, a record for an event where knifings committed by youth gangs have become a troubling trend. This year police have deployed a 7,000-strong force to keep the peace.

The carnival remains one of Europe's biggest street parties with hundreds of thousands attending each year. It takes place at the end of August on the last two days of a three-day weekend.

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Online: http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/

Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade at the Notting Hill Carnival in west London, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. (Isabel Infantes/PA via AP)

Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade at the Notting Hill Carnival in west London, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016. (Isabel Infantes/PA via AP)
Visitor misbehavior abounds as US parks agency turns 100

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP)  Tourist John Gleason crept through the grass, four small children close behind, inching toward a bull elk with antlers like small trees at the edge of a meadow in Yellowstone National Park.

"They're going to give me a heart attack," said Gleason's mother-in-law, Barbara Henry, as the group came within about a dozen yards of the massive animal.

The elk's ears then pricked up, and it eyed the children and Washington state man before leaping up a hillside. Other tourists  likewise ignoring rules to keep 25 yards from wildlife  picked up the pursuit, snapping pictures as they pressed forward and forced the animal into headlong retreat.

In this Aug. 3, 2016 photo, Yellowstone National Park tourist John Gleason moves in on a large bull elk as two of his children and two children of friends follow the Walla Walla, Washington man. The animal ran away as the group got closer. Park officials say visitors getting too close to wildlife can create dangerous situations and has been on the rise as visitor numbers hit record levels. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

Record visitor numbers at the nation's first national park have transformed its annual summer rush into a sometimes dangerous frenzy, with selfie-taking tourists routinely breaking park rules and getting too close to Yellowstone's storied elk herds, grizzly bears, wolves and bison.

Law enforcement records obtained by The Associated Press suggest such problems are on the rise at the park, offering a stark illustration of the pressures facing some of America's most treasured lands as the National Park Service marks its 100th anniversary.

From Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains to the Grand Canyon of Arizona, major parks are grappling with illegal camping, vandalism, theft of resources, wildlife harassment and other visitor misbehavior, according to the records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

In July alone, law enforcement rangers handled more than 11,000 incidents at the 10 most visited national parks.

In Yellowstone, rangers are recording more wildlife violations, more people treading on sensitive thermal areas and more camping in off-limit areas. The rule-breaking puts visitors in harm's way and can damage resources and displace wildlife, officials said.

Often the incidents go unaddressed, such as when Gleason and the children approached the bull elk with no park personnel around. Gleason said he was "maybe" too close but felt comfortable in the situation as an experienced hunter who's spent lots of time outdoors.

These transgressions add to rangers' growing workload that includes traffic violations, searches for missing hikers and pets running off-leash in parks.

"It's more like going to a carnival. If you look at the cumulative impacts, the trends are not good," said Susan Clark, a Yale University professor of wildlife ecology who has been conducting research in the Yellowstone area for 48 years. "The basic question is, 'What is the appropriate relationship with humans and nature?' We as a society have not been clear about what that ought to be, and so it's really, really messy and nasty."

Recent events at Yellowstone grabbed national headlines:

 A Canadian tourist who put a bison calf in his SUV hoping to save it, ending with wildlife workers euthanizing the animal when they could not reunite it with its herd.

 Three visitors from Asia cited on separate occasions for illegally collecting water from the park's thermal features.

 A Washington state man killed after leaving a designated boardwalk and falling into a near-boiling hot spring.

The flouting of park rules stems from disbelief among visitors that they will get hurt, said Yellowstone Superintendent Dan Wenk. "I can't tell you how many times I have to talk to people and say, 'Step back. There's a dangerous animal,' and they look at me like I have three heads," he said.

Inconsistent record keeping, including a recent switch to a new criminal offenses reporting system, makes it difficult to identify trends that apply uniformly across the major parks.

But the records reviewed by the AP reveal the scope of visitor misbehavior is huge. In Yellowstone, administrators and outside observers including Clark say the park's problems have become more acute. That threatens its mission to manage its lands and wildlife "unimpaired" for future generations.

Beyond incidents that lead to citations are many more that result in warnings. More than 52,000 warnings were issued in 2015, up almost 20 percent from the year before.

Washington state resident Lisa Morrow's son was among the children Gleason led toward the elk. Despite safety advisories  and numerous examples of visitors getting gored by bison, mauled by bears and chased by elk  Morrow declared herself unafraid of the park's wildlife. She said she was eager to see a grizzly up close.

"I want to see one right there," Morrow said, pointing to a spot just feet away. "I'd throw it a cookie."

The top 10 parks by visitation collectively hosted almost 44 million people last year, according to National Park Service figures. That's a 26 percent increase from a decade earlier, or more than 9.1 million new visitors combined at Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, Yosemite and the other national parks on the list.

Yellowstone boasts the most large, dangerous carnivores among those parks, but each has its risks. In Rocky Mountain National Park, it's elk that become more aggressive during mating season. In Yosemite, it's towering waterfalls where visitors insist on swimming near the edge. In the Grand Canyon, it's squirrels habituated to humans and sometimes quick to bite an outstretched hand.

Wenk said the rise in popularity of social media complicates keeping visitors safe.

"You take a picture of yourself standing 10 feet in front of a bison, and all of a sudden a few hundred people see it, and it's reposted  at the same time we're telling everybody wildlife is dangerous," Wenk said. "They get incongruous messages and then it happens. They get too close, and the bison charges."

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Associated Press writer Amy Beth Hanson in Helena contributed to this report.

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Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at https://twitter.com/matthewbrownap

In this Aug. 3, 2016 photo, a large bison blocks traffic in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park as tourists take photos of the animal. Record visitor numbers at the nation's first national park have transformed its annual summer rush into a sometimes dangerous frenzy, with selfie-taking tourists routinely breaking park rules and getting too close to Yellowstone's storied elk herds, grizzly bears, wolves and bison. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

In this Aug. 3, 2016 photo, tourists take photos of elk outside Yellowstone National Park's Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Elk frequent the grass outside the hotel, where park administrators say visitors routinely violate park rules that require them to stay a minimum 25 yards from the animals. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)

In this Aug. 3, 2016 photo, tourists take photos of elk outside Yellowstone National Park's Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel. Elk frequent the grass outside the hotel, where park administrators say visitors routinely violate park rules that require them to stay a minimum 25 yards from the animals. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown)
Emerged on Sunday; said simulation showed mission to Mars was possible and that t echnological and psychological obstacles can be overcome

Mission was commissioned in the hope of better understanding space travel and life on the red planet

They have had little communication, and could only leave their 11 metre-wide pod wearing a space suit

Six scientists have been living on the dormant Hawaiian volcano since August 2015

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Six scientists who spent a year in near isolation to simulate life on Mars finally came out of their dome in Hawaii on Sunday.

The group spent 12 months in a dome on Mauna Loa volcano , 8,500 feet above sea level.

They could go outside only if they wore spacesuits, to explore a barren landscape as similar to Mars' environment as planet Earth can get.

As the simulation ended on Sunday, the crew came out and announced the simulation had shown a mission to Mars could succeed in the near future.

Six scientists emerged out of a dome in Hawaii on Sunday (pictured) after spending a year in near isolation to simulate living conditions on planet Mars

For 12 months, the crew members (pictured during their exit Sunday) lived on Mauna Loa volcano, 8,500 feet above sea level, and could only go out wearing spacesuits

The scientists (pictured exiting the dome on Sunday) were able to find their own water in a dry climate - which was as close to Mars' environment as possible on planet Earth

'I can give you my personal impression which is that a mission to Mars in the close future is realistic. I think the technological and psychological obstacles can be overcome,' crew member Cyprien Verseux, from France, said.

The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) replicated living conditions on Mars to address problems that may arise in future space missions.

Scientists in the Hawaii simulation managed limited resources while conducting research and working to avoid personal conflicts.

They managed to find their own water in a dry climate, according to participant Christiane Heinicke, from Germany.

'Showing that it works, you can actually get water from the ground that is seemingly dry. It would work on Mars and the implication is that you would be able to get water on Mars from this little greenhouse construct,' she said.

'I can give you my personal impression which is that a mission to Mars in the close future is realistic,' participant Cyprien Verseux (pictured), from France, said

WHAT WAS THE HI-SEAS MISSION? The Hi-Seas (Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation) mission's crews spent months 8,500 feet above sea level in a geodesic-dome habitat on the northern slope of the Mauna Loa volcano. The volcano is a barren landscape, an abandoned quarry with little vegetation that's as similar to Mars' landscape as planet Earth can get. The crew members lived under Mars-like conditions. According to Hi-Seas 'communication latencies and blackouts, in close quarters, under strict water-use rules, etc' are part of the deal. The food study was designed to test food preparation strategies for long-term space exploration. Hi-Seas aimed to address problems that may be encountered in future space missions by simulating exploration in areas of the world similar to space environments. The third mission started on 15 October 2014 and lasted for eight months, while the final mission lasting a year began in August 2015. Advertisement

The researchers are now looking forward to getting in the ocean and eating fresh produce, as well as other foods that weren't available in the dome.

The simulation, funded by NASA and run through the University of Hawaii. was the second-longest of its kind after a mission that lasted 520 days in Russia.

Tristan Bassingthwaighte, a doctor of architecture candidate at University of Hawaii, served as the crew's architect.

'The UH research going on up here is just super vital when it comes to picking crews, figuring out how people are going to actually work on different kinds of missions, and sort of the human factors element of space travel, colonization, whatever it is you are actually looking at,' Bassingthwaighte said.

The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) (pictured) replicated living conditions on Mars to address problems that may arise in future space missions

Crew members were allowed to leave the dome in case of emergencies, for example if family members got ill. Their small bedrooms are pictured on the dome's upper level

To prevent claustrophobia, the dome had a six-metre-high ceiling and was tiered in two floors. Each tiny bedroom (four are pictured) could contain little more than a single bed

The kitchen area (pictured) had no fresh produce until the crew's crops grew. They are now looking forward to enjoying fresh fruit and vegetables

Participants managed to find water even though the ground seemed dry. One of them is pictured stepping outside in a spacesuit, as if on a Mars mission
Politicos spar over ethics surrounding Clinton Foundation

WASHINGTON (AP)  Republicans and Democrats sparred Sunday over whether Hillary Clinton crossed ethical lines during her tenure as secretary of state by talking with people outside the government who had contributed to her family's philanthropy foundation.

Donna Brazile, the interim head of the Democratic National Committee, said it's not unusual for supporters and activists to seek out private meetings and that there's no evidence Clinton did any favors on behalf of foundation donors.

"When Republicans meet with their donors, with their supporters, they call it a meeting," she told CBS' "Face the Nation." ''When Democrats do that, they call it a conflict. It's not pay-to-play, unless somebody actually gave someone 50 cents to say, 'I need a meeting.'"

FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pauses as she speaks at a campaign event at Truckee Meadows Community College, in Reno, Nev. Republicans and Democrats sparred Sunday over whether Hillary Clinton crossed ethical lines during her tenure as secretary of state by talking with people outside the government who had contributed to her family's philanthropy foundation. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence countered that because foreign donors can't contribute to a presidential campaign, it's possible they were seeking political leverage within the U.S. government by donating to the Clinton Foundation. He reiterated calls by Donald Trump's campaign for the federal government to appoint a special prosecutor to examine possible corruption.

"This (foundation) becomes a conduit for people to gain access, and gaining access is a favor," Pence told CNN's "State of the Union."

The State Department has released all Clinton's calendars and about half her detailed daily schedules as secretary of state, after The Associated Press sued for access in federal court.

Based on the records released so far, the AP found that more than half the people outside the government who met or spoke by telephone with Clinton during her tenure as a Cabinet secretary had given money  either personally or through companies or groups  to the Clinton Foundation. The AP's analysis focused on people with private interests and excluded her meetings or calls with U.S. federal employees or foreign government representatives.

The government said Friday it probably won't release the remainder of the detailed schedules until Dec. 30, weeks after the national election.

Clinton has said the AP's analysis was flawed because it did not account fully for all meetings and phone calls during her entire term as secretary. She also said the analysis should have included meetings with federal employees and foreign diplomats. The AP said it focused on her meetings with outsiders because those were more discretionary, as Clinton would normally meet with federal officials and foreign officials as part of her job.

Her campaign also objected to an AP tweet that stated "more than half those who met Clinton as Cabinet secretary gave money to Clinton Foundation" and linked to the analysis. The tweet didn't note what was in the story: that the records only covered part of her tenure and excluded meetings or calls with federal employees or foreign government representatives.

AP Senior Vice President and Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll told CNN's "Reliable Sources" on Sunday that the tweet was "sloppy" and "could have used some more precision." But she said the story linked to the tweet was "completely rock solid."

"I think the issue about conflict with interest is not whether there's an actual quid pro quo, it's the proximity," she said. "It's the impression that people have of maybe they got the meeting because they donated, maybe they didn't."

She added: "All of us can't be held responsible for the way that everybody thinks about and responds to and talks about the coverage. Our responsibility is just to give them fair and balanced, rock-solid reporting and let them agree with it, disagree with it, talk about it, think what they might about it."

Clinton said Friday she would take "additional steps" to ensure there wasn't a conflict of interest with the foundation if she is elected president. Her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had already said the foundation would no longer accept foreign or corporate donations and that he would no longer raise money for the organization if she became president. The Clintons' daughter, Chelsea, would remain on the foundation's board.

FILE - In a Tuesday, July 26, 2016 file photo, Democratic National Committee Vice Chair Donna Brazile speaks during the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Republicans and Democrats sparred Sunday, Aug. 28, over whether Hillary Clinton crossed ethical lines during her tenure as secretary of state by talking with people outside the government who had contributed to her family's philanthropy foundation. Brazilesaid it's not unusual for supporters and activists to seek out private meetings and that there's no evidence Clinton did any favors on behalf of foundation donors.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The Latest: Women march for topless rights in Los Angeles

HAMPTON, N.H. (AP)  The Latest on women marching bare-breasted for gender equality during GoTopless Day (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

A group of about 50 women and men are walking topless in the oceanside Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice to demand that females get the same legal right as males to walk bare-chested in public.

Marisse Caissy, of Montreal participates in the Go Topless Pride Parade, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. Sunday's parade was among dozens of such events celebrating the worldwide Go Topless Day. Appearing bare-breasted has been legal in New York since 1992. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

The protesters are participating Sunday in the GoTopless march, one of several planned around the nation.

GoTopless Day is celebrated annually on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day, marking the day American women earned the right to vote.

The marchers walked behind an inflatable pink breast with the phrase "equal topless rights" written on it. One marcher carried a sign reading: "My Body Is Not A Crime."

A few dozen women went topless on Broadway in New York City as events were also planned in New Hampshire, Denver and other cities around the globe.

___

4:40 p.m.

They took it off for equality.

A few dozen women, and some men, went topless Sunday afternoon as they walked down Broadway in New York City. It was part of GoTopless Day, which calls for women to have as much right as men to be bare-chested in public.

The march was led by some women carrying a banner, followed by others in a convertible, with the top down, of course. Coming up at the end was a pair of giant inflatable breasts. Onlookers gawked and took photos as the parade participants went by.

It's been legal to be bare-breasted in New York since 1992.

The event in New York City was one of several planned for cities across the globe. Gatherings were planned in New Hampshire, Los Angeles and more.

___

11:20 a.m.

Women around the U.S. plan to go topless as they hit the beach or march in parades in celebration of GoTopless Day, focused on promoting gender equality and women's rights to bare their breasts in public.

GoTopless Day is celebrated annually on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day, marking the day American women earned the right to vote.

Events planned include gatherings at beaches from New Hampshire to California and parades in New York City and Los Angeles featuring giant balloons shaped as breasts. Other celebrations are planned in cities across the globe.

Activists in the movement argue women should be able to go topless in public, just as men can.

Cities and states have varying laws regarding whether it's legal for women to go topless in public.

Participants ride in a convertible through midtown Manhattan in the Go Topless Pride Parade, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, in New York. GoTopless Day is celebrated annually in the U.S., on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day, marking the day American women earned the right to vote. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
Saudis say rocket fired from Yemen kills 2 children

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP)  Saudi officials say a rocket fired from Yemen hit a family's home in Saudi Arabia's southern border region of Najran, killing two children and wounding five other people.

The kingdom's Civil Defense force said Sunday that those killed and wounded were all members of the same family.

Saudi forces and Shiite Houthi rebels fire missiles and rockets across the border at one another on a daily basis.
Philippine troops killed at least 11 Abu Sayyaf militants, including an influential commander, in an assault on the extremists Friday following their beheading of a captive whose family was too poor to pay ransom, the military said, AP reported.

Regional military commander Maj. Filemon Tan said 17 soldiers were wounded when hundreds of army troops surrounded a vast jungle area in Sulu province's mountainous Patikul town and clashed with scattered groups of about 100 militants.

Among the 11 dead militants was Amah Maas, a longtime commander of the group who had severed arms and had been implicated in ransom kidnappings, including of European tourists.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the troops to destroy the militants in their jungle bases after the extremists on Wednesday beheaded a Filipino teenager, Patrick James Aldovar, who was abducted near a police camp in Sulu's main Jolo town last month.
Family 'immensely proud' of man who tried to save stabbed British backpacker

The family of a Briton injured in a stabbing attack in Australia have said they are "immensely proud" of him after he tried to save another backpacker.

Tom Jackson, 30, received critical injuries when he tried to help Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, as she was stabbed to death, allegedly by 29-year-old Frenchman Smail Ayad, police said.

His father Les Jackson issued a statement also praising the work of medical staff at Townsville Hospital in Queensland, where his son is being treated.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung died after being stabbed at a backpackers' hostel in Australia (Tommy Martin/PA)

He said: "There are many and varied reasons why we are, and always will be, immensely proud of Tom.

"His actions in response to this horrific attack only add to that sense of pride.

"As a family we have been comforted by the help and support offered by our friends and family at home and in Australia who have been wonderful."

Les Jackson said the many offers of support they had received had not been ignored, but they were simply focusing on their son's condition.

He added: "We are in awe of the medical and support staff at The Townsville Hospital who are providing the greatest care Tom could hope to receive and keeping me informed of his ongoing treatment every step of the way.

"Finally, and most importantly, our hearts go out to Mia and her family and friends at this deadful time."

Miss Ayliffe-Chung, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, was killed at the Shelley's Backpackers accommodation in Home Hill on Tuesday.

Ayad has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

He did not appear in court on Friday but was remanded in custody and his case has been adjourned until October 28.
'Hot-blooded' Tory MP wades into French burkinis row

A senior Tory MP has waded into the controversy about burkinis by declaring that as a "hot-blooded male" he can appreciate a bikini-clad body, but there is something "attractive, alluring, even sensual" about concealment.

Sir Desmond Swayne, a former minister, said people should feel free to "show off as little or as much as they like", in response to a constituent's concern about the burkini row in France.

The New Forest West MP said that it was for the French authorities to sort out their own affairs, but "as a general rule, most of us look far better with all our clothes on".

There have been protests against the ban in the UK as well as France

In a blog post on his website, Sir Desmond wrote that he had receive d an "outraged email" from a constituent in Barton-on-Sea who was "disgusted" that the burkini ban had been overturned by a French court.

"Alas, the court is not accountable to me, and the French must sort out their own affairs. In any event, I am confident that no burkinis have been seen in Barton-on-Sea, or on any other beach in the New Forest parliamentary division.

"Am I disappointed? I have always taken the view that people should feel free to show off as little or as much as they like, when it comes to beachwear.

"Like any hot-blooded male however, I appreciate beauty, which can sometimes be enhanced by a bikini. Equally, often there can be something quite attractive, alluring, even sensual, about concealment. It leaves more to the imagination.
'Gerrymandering' claim with Labour set to lose most seats under boundary review

Up to 30 Labour seats could be lost under measures to cut the number of Westminster constituencies, according to an analysis of the planned changes.

The research suggests 200 Labour seats will be hit by the changes, which will see the number of MPs in the Commons reduced from 650 to 600.

Analysis by election expert and Tory peer Lord Hayward indicated that Labour will "suffer most" as a result of the proposals - leading to claims of "gerrymandering" from the Opposition.

The boundary review could be bad news for Labour.

The boundary review, set to come into effect in time for the 2020 general election, is an attempt to reduce the size of the Commons and create seats with similar numbers of constituents.

The Boundary Commissions for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are due to publish their proposals for the new constituencies during September.

Ahead of their official publication, Lord Hayward's analysis suggests that although most seats will be affected by the changes, Labour looks set to lose more MPs than the Conservatives as a result of the shake-up.

"The party that will suffer most is the Labour party because such a high proportion of their current seats are well below the required quota, particularly in Wales, the north-east and parts of the M62 corridor," Lord Hayward told The Guardian.

The impact on Labour could be especially painful, as critics of Jeremy Corbyn face the prospect of reselection processes for the revised constituencies.

" This will have implications for large numbers of Labour MPs who may well have to compete against each other for reselection," Lord Hayward said.

The number of registered voters in each constituency to within 5% of 74,769. A higher proportion of Tory seats are currently within the range, so only between 10 and 15 of the party's seats are expected to disappear, the analysis indicates.

Lord Hayward's figures suggest that of the 50 seats that disappear, the Conservatives will lose between 10 to 15, which is 4.5% of their total but Labour is on track to lose between 25 and 30, some 13% of their current representation.

Some constituencies could turn from safe Labour seats to marginal ones, while o ther parties, including the SNP, will also be hit.

Labour's work on the boundary review has been led by Dame Rosie Winterton, the chief whip, and her spokesman said the analysis was fresh evidence the policy was a "partisan" move to benefit the Tories.

The Opposition urged Prime Minister Theresa May to abandon the plan, arguing that the imminent loss of 73 MEPs as a result of Brexit would heap extra work on MPs.

Labour also highlighted the surge in numbers on the electoral roll as a result of the EU referendum , resulting in an extra two million registered voters who were not factored in to the boundary review.

"The Tories' plan to arbitrarily reduce the number of elected Members of Parliament by 50 had always been under the guise of reducing the cost of politics, even whilst they continued to cram the Lords at taxpayers' expense," Dame Rosie's spokesman said.
Labour to fight for diverse and united Britain, vows Jeremy Corbyn

Jeremy Corbyn has vowed that Labour will fight for a "diverse and united Britain", as he launched a new consultation on tackling discrimination and promoting racial equality.

The Labour leader said it will also look at measures to tackle the "systematic disadvantage" faced by minorities.

The move comes after Theresa May launched an audit of public services to root out racial disparities as part of a drive to tackle inequality.

Jeremy Corbyn's consultation will look at measures to tackle the 'systematic disadvantage' faced by minorities in Britain

The consultation will be in partnership with Labour's race equality advisory group, chaired by Patrick Vernon, and will involve a series of special events across the country and online.

Mr Corbyn said: "In Britain, hate crime is rising. More than half of all young black people are unemployed. Black people are a shocking 37 times more likely to be stop and searched.

"Labour must be a party that fights for black, Asian and ethnic minority communities - and a diverse and united Britain.

"Words matter. We must never pander to elements of the right-wing press which sow division in our society and demonise Muslim communities. We must stand against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and all forms of racism, wherever they exist.

"But it also means going further - and addressing the systematic disadvantage that so many people face.

"To build a society that works for everyone, we will end austerity and invest 500 billion in jobs, infrastructure and public services as part of our plan to rebuild and transform Britain."

Mr Corbyn has come under fire over his approach to allegations of anti-Semitism within the party and faced suggestions by a frontbencher that he could have faced a race discrimination case over his treatment of her.

Chi Onwurah expressed concern at the way she and fellow Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire have been treated by Mr Corbyn and suggested "if this had been any of my previous employers in the public and private sectors, Jeremy might well have found himself before an industrial tribunal for constructive dismissal, probably with racial discrimination thrown in - given that only 5% of MPs are black and female, picking on us two is statistically interesting to say the least".

Mr Corbyn's office insisted it was "clearly not the case" that Ms Onwurah had been singled out.

Shadow women and equalities minister Angela Rayner said the new consultation would help address the structural issues which affect black, Asian and minority ethnic (Bame) communities.

"Labour has a proud history of tackling race equality, but recent events and the rise in extremism across Europe has shown that despite the progress which has been made, more work needs to be done," she said.

"This consultation will take the first steps in developing policies which can tackle the structural issues which affect Britain's Bame communities and the new challenges we all face in building a fairer, more equal society."

Labour's announcement comes after the Prime Minister ordered Whitehall departments to identify and publish information showing how outcomes vary for people of different backgrounds in a range of areas including health, education and employment.
Judge keeps in place Calif. law allowing physician-assisted suicide

By Paula Lehman-Ewing

RIVERSIDE, Calif., Aug 26 (Reuters) - A California judge on Friday refused to suspend a new state law allowing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, citing the need to protect them from pain, but he allowed a legal challenge to proceed.

The mixed ruling portends a continued debate over the highly contested law in the first months of its implementation.

"The court won't be deterred when there's a matter of public interest this large," Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia said on Friday.

A group of doctors in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, filed a lawsuit to overturn the so-called California End of Life Option, which was passed by the state legislature last year and went into effect in June.

Attorneys for the doctors requested a preliminary injunction to suspend the law while the lawsuit proceeds. But Ottolia denied the request, saying it would harm terminally ill patients.

"The injunction would subject them to additional pain," Ottolia said in court.

Ottolia also ruled on a request by the state and other supporters of the End of Life Option to dismiss the lawsuit instead. They argued the doctors lack proper legal standing to bring their case.

"Plaintiffs have patients that fall under the act so the case is not hypothetical," Ottolia said, in denying the request to put aside the lawsuit.

California was the fifth U.S. state to legalize medical aid in dying for terminally ill patients, terminology that advocates prefer over the phrase "physician-assisted suicide."

At least 30 individuals are known to have obtained a prescription under California's law since it took effect on June 9, according to Compassion & Choices, a group backing the law.

The doctors named as plaintiffs were joined by the American Academy of Medical Ethics, also known as the Christian Medical and Dental Society.

The law in question allows terminally ill patients to obtain a prescription for medication to hasten their death so long as two physicians agree that the person has no more than six months to live and is mentally competent.

The statute also requires a patient seeking life-ending medical aid to present two separate requests to an attending physician and for two witnesses to attest to the patient's wish to die.

The bill was strongly opposed by some religious groups, including the Roman Catholic Church, as well as advocates for the elderly and disabled. They argued unscrupulous caregivers or relatives could pressure vulnerable patients to take their own lives.

To win an injunction, the plaintiffs had to convince Ottolia they have a strong likelihood of prevailing on the merits of their challenge.

The lawsuit's essential argument is the law violates some patients' constitutional rights to due process and equal protection by arbitrarily labeling them terminally ill.

"It is nearly impossible for doctors to accurately predict how long a seriously ill person may live," attorneys for the physicians said in court papers.
Milk price talks between Lactalis and producers collapse

PARIS, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Negotiations over milk purchase prices between Europe's largest dairy group Lactalis and French farmers collapsed late on Friday without an agreement, a union official said.

Family-owned Lactalis agreed to renegotiate the price paid to suppliers on Tuesday after hundreds of milk producers launched a protest at its Laval headquarters in northwestern France, blaming the company for paying less than rivals.

Christiane Lambert, vice-president of producers association FNSEA, said the talks ended without a deal. She said the farmers would end the blockade at the company headquarters and instead launch a national campaign to keep the pressure on Lactalis.

Hundreds of milk farmers have been protesting in front of the dairy company's headquarters since Monday night, bringing 200 to 300 tractors, cows and trailers. They also launched protests in supermarkets targeting Lactalis products.

Lactalis mainly produces cheese, milk and butter. Some of their brands include President, Bridel, Galbani and Lactel.

European dairy farmers are struggling with a slump in milk prices caused by oversupply after the European Union scrapped quotas last year, Russia banned Western food imports and Chinese dairy imports weakened.

The farmers went into the talks asking for an average price of 290 euros ($325) per 1,000 litres for 2016, implying an increase to about 335 euros until the end of the year to compensate for low prices now, according to union estimates.

Lactalis, which is paying 257 euros per 1,000 litres now, was offering an increase to an average annual price 269 euros as of Friday evening. The offer was rejected by the producers.
Up to 300,000 refugees to come to Germany this year -migration office head

BERLIN, Aug 27 (Reuters) - The head of Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) told a German newspaper that he expected a maximum of 300,000 refugees to arrive in Germany this year.

"We're preparing for 250,000 to 300,000 refugees this year," BAMF head Frank-Juergen Weise told Bild am Sonntag newspaper in comments due to be published on Sunday.

He added that if more people were to come, his office would come under pressure but suggested he was not worried about such a scenario, saying it was instead likely that fewer than 300,000 would come this year.
Bolivia accuses mining leader and two others of minister's murder

By Daniel Ramos

LA PAZ, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Bolivia on Saturday formally accused three miners of the murder of Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes this week, including the president of the federation that had organized protests and a roadblock.

The killing of Illanes, who was found beaten to death after being kidnapped on Thursday by miners demanding changes in the law, has shocked Bolivia and presented leftist President Evo Morales with one of his greatest challenges since taking power in 2006.

The public prosecutor accused three miners of the murder, including Carlos Mamani, the president of the National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia.

Last week, the group blocked a highway linking capital La Paz with the city of Oruro. At least two miners were killed and 17 police injured in clashes, and the government said Illanes had approached the protesters to attempt dialogue.

The miners, who work in co-operatives rather than for private companies, have been hit by the global commodities downturn and were demanding that the government relax environmental restrictions and increase subsidies.

Mamani, who was arrested on Friday, was formally accused of murder, aggravated robbery, criminal organization, possession of firearms and attacking members of state security.

A hearing will be held this weekend.

The roadblock has been abandoned and the protests have ended, authorities said.

'POLITICAL CONSPIRACY'

Morales described the protests as a "political conspiracy" against his government, carried out with backing from the right-wing opposition.

"Now we are getting information and finding documents that say this is to take down the government," he told a news conference.

Opposition leaders denied any involvement.

"We ask the president in this sad hour not to weave false conspiracy theories," said ex-president Jorge Quiroga.

The government has ruled out talks with the miners and asked for the maximum 30-year jail sentence for those found guilty.

Ex-coca grower Morales is one of the last leaders left standing from South America's once-dominant populist leftist bloc.

His policies to redistribute the wealth of a natural gas windfall and empower once marginalized groups won him many admirers in the early years. More recently his government has been dogged by accusations of cronyism, while it has struggled to keep up with supporters' demands at a time when incomes are tight.
Venezuela, Iran seeking consensus to stabilize oil markets

CARACAS, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Venezuela and Iran continue to seek consensus on ways to stabilize oil markets and strengthen OPEC, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Saturday, following a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

"We continue to build common ground and a new consensus on stabilizing oil markets, strengthening industries, strengthening OPEC," Maduro said in a ceremony broadcast on state television.

He said Venezuela's oil minister and foreign minister would make announcements in the coming weeks, but did not provide details on concrete actions.

Zarif arrived in Venezuela after visiting other Latin American nations including Bolivia and Ecuador.

Venezuela since the collapse of oil prices in 2014 has sought to rally support among OPEC and non-OPEC nations to boost crude prices by limiting production.
Radwanska tunes up for U.S. Open with Connecticut victory

Aug 27 (Reuters) - Top seed Agnieszka Radwanska declared it mission accomplished after clinching a 6-1 7-6(1) victory over Elina Svitolina in the final of the Connecticut Open in New Haven on Saturday.

Radwanska accepted a wild card into the event because she wanted to tune up for the U.S. Open that starts on Monday and the 27-year-old Pole will head to Flushing Meadows brimming with confidence after collecting her 19th career WTA title.

"Thank you so much... for giving me that wild card," Radwanska laughed during her winner's speech. "I definitely appreciate it and I'll be back next year for sure."

Radwanska rattled through the first set in less than 30 minutes as the 21-year-old Svitolina struggled on serve.

The Ukrainian 10th seed raised her game in the second with some powerful, precise groundstrokes and had three set points to level the match but was unable to convert, before being overrun in the tiebreak.

Radwanska, the fourth seed at the U.S. Open, faces American Jessica Pegula in the first round at Flushing Meadows, with a potential semi-final encounter against top seed Serena Williams.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday refused to reveal her decision regarding potential run for the fourth chancellor's term, Sputnik International reported.

"I will make a statement on the issue of candidacy for chancellorship at the right time," Merkel told the ARD television broadcaster.

The next German federal elections are expected to be held between August 27 and October 22, 2017. Merkel, first appointed as chancellor in November 2005, is currently serving her third term in office.

Merkel also refused to comment, whether she would announce her decision at the congress of the ruling Christian Democratic Union party, scheduled for December.

A recent poll by Emnid revealed that 50 percent of German nationals oppose Merkels potential run for the fourth chancellor's term, while 42 percent of Germans support Merkels appointment as the next chancellor.
Suspected "terror" attack at Indonesian church; no serious casualties

MEDAN, Indonesia, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Indonesian police were investigating a suspected terror attack by a knife-wielding assailant on a priest during the Sunday service at a church, and a bomb squad had been deployed to determine whether the attacker's backpack contained explosives.

There were no serious casualties, though the priest and his attacker suffered minor injuries, according to police in Medan city, northern Sumatra.

"A terrorism act was carried out on Sunday morning at the Saint Joseph catholic church," said Rina Sari Ginting, spokeswoman for Medan police in a statement. "Police are interrogating the perpetrator... and will search his house for any bomb-making materials."

A witness present in the church told Reuters the attacker had sat with other worshippers before running toward the priest.

"There was a small explosion like fireworks and he also took out a knife as he ran toward the priest," said Timbas Ginting.

A bomb squad was sent to the site to check whether the assailant was carrying explosives, in case the attack was a failed suicide bomb attempt.

"What's clear is that the pastor was threatened, and (there was) an attempt to hurt the pastor," Fahrizal, the head of criminal investigations for police in Medan, said.

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population and the vast majority practice a moderate form of Islam. But there has beeb a resurgence in fundamentalism during recent years, inspired in part by Islamist militant groups like al Qaeda and Islamic State.
South Africa finance minister to be charged for graft - City Press newspaper

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 28 (Reuters) - South Africa Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan may be charged this week for graft, the City Press newspaper reported on Sunday, citing senior sources in the police, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), and the tax service.

Thirty witnesses had been lined up to testify against Gordhan and three former officials from the South African Revenue Service (SARS), the paper said.

Officials at the NPA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Police summoned Gordhan this week in connection with an investigation into a "rogue spy unit" set up in the revenue service when he headed the organisation, rattling South African markets and sending the rand down 5 percent.

The investigation first came to light in February and political pundits have said Gordhan is being undermined by a faction in the government and ruling African National Congress (ANC) allied to President Jacob Zuma.

The newspaper said Gordhan faced a graft charge for granting early retirement to Ivan Pillay, a former commissioner of the South African Revenue Service who is also under investigation.

Zuma said on Thursday he backed Gordhan but was powerless to stop a police investigation into him, signalling a prolonged tussle that could add to market volatility.

South Africa's credit rating is set to be cut to junk status this year, according to a Reuters poll this week, with economists surveyed citing the heightened political risk around the Gordhan saga.

Gordhan commands huge respect in the markets and his departure would be a serious blow to Africa's most industrialised country, teetering as it is on the brink of recession.
Second boycotter says will rejoin Libya's U.N.-backed government

TRIPOLI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A member of the leadership of Libya's U.N.-backed government who is close to powerful rival factions in the east of the country has said he will end his boycott of the Tripoli-based body.

The decision by Ali Gatrani could strengthen the Government of National Accord (GNA), coming days after a second boycotting member of the government's nine-member leadership, or Presidential Council, said he would resume his role.

But in a statement late on Saturday, Gatrani referred anew to concerns around the continuing power of armed groups in the politics of the oil-producing North African state.

Eastern factions have blocked the parliament based in the east from approving the GNA, saying they believe the U.N.-backed government is dependent on militias and is undermining eastern forces led by General Khalifa Haftar.

Western states are counting on the GNA as the best option in tackling the political chaos, security vacuum and economic collapse that have convulsed Libya since Muammar Gaddafi was toppled in an uprising five years ago.

The result of a U.N.-mediated deal signed in December, the GNA arrived in Tripoli, the capital in the west of Libya, three months later where it has gradually moved to install ministers.

But it has failed to win endorsement from the pre-existing parliament in the east, which is seen as indispensable if it is to extend its authority across the country.

Last week, the Council said it would resubmit a list of ministers to the parliament in the east, after some lawmakers there voted for a second time to reject it.

Gatrani said he was resuming his role in response to an invitation to a meeting on Sunday from Fayez Seraj, who heads both the GNA and the Presidential Council.

He said his top concern was "the rights of the Barqa region and its people ... whom we represent, along with their sons' sacrifices in the police and the army". Barqa is the name for Libya's eastern region.

Gatrani said he had been surprised by the Presidential Council's move from Tunis to Tripoli in March, even though the U.N. backed deal "states that the venue of Presidential Council meetings would be in the capital, Tripoli, only after the militias have left".

"For that we inform you that we are not going to respond to the call to convene unless the meeting venue is in a Libyan city controlled by regular police and army," he said.

The parliament now in the east left Tripoli in 2014 after armed opponents seized the capital and installed rival institutions there. The GNA has largely displaced the former government in Tripoli, but has struggled to win popular support.
Turkish army thrusts deeper into Syria, monitor says 35 villagers killed

By Umit Bektas

KARKAMIS, Turkey, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Turkey's army and its allies thrust deeper into Syria on Sunday, seizing territory controlled by Kurdish-aligned forces on the fifth day of a cross-border campaign that a monitoring group said had killed at least 35 villagers.

Turkish warplanes roared into northern Syria at daybreak and artillery pounded what security sources said were sites held by the Kurdish YPG militia, after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fierce overnight fighting around two villages.

Turkey said 25 Kurdish militants were killed in its air strikes and denied there were civilian casualties.

There was no immediate comment from the YPG, but forces aligned with the group have said it had withdrawn from the area prior to the assault.

Turkey, which is also battling Kurdish insurgents at home, sent tanks and troops into Syria on Wednesday to support its Syrian rebel allies. The Turkish-backed forces first seized the Syrian border town of Jarablus from Islamic State militants before pushing south into areas held by Kurdish-aligned militias. They have also moved west towards Islamic State areas.

Turkish officials say their goal in Syria is as much about ensuring Kurdish forces do not expand the territory they already control along Turkey's border as it is about driving Islamic State from its strongholds.

However, the Turkish offensive has so far focused on forces allied to the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition that includes the YPG, an Observatory source said.

The SDF has support from the United States -- which sees the group as an effective Syrian ally against Islamic State, putting Turkey at odds with a fellow NATO member and further complicating Syria's five-year-old civil war.

The conflict began as an uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has since drawn in regional states and world powers.

CIVILIANS KILLED, SCORES WOUNDED

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group with a network of sources in Syria, said Turkish-allied forces had seized at least two villages south of Jarablus, Jub al-Kousa and al-Amarna, that were held by militias loyal to the SDF.

The fighting killed 20 civilians in Jub al-Kousa and 15 in al-Amarna, while scores more were wounded, the group said.

Turkish-backed rebels said they had seized a string of villages south of Jarablus controlled by SDF-aligned forces and had moved west to take several villages held by Islamic State.

Turkish security sources said warplanes and artillery had hit YPG sites south of Jarablus and towards Manbij, a city captured by the SDF this month in a U.S.-backed operation.

Colonel Ahmed Osman, head of the Turkish-aligned Sultan Murad rebel group, told Reuters the force was "certainly heading in the direction of Manbij" and hoped to take it.

Ankara wants to stop Kurdish forces gaining control of an unbroken swathe of Syrian territory on Turkey's frontier, which it fears could embolden the Kurdish PKK militant group that has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey.

A Reuters witness in Karkamis, a Turkish border town, heard jets and artillery strike within Syria. A Turkish official told Reuters heavier air strikes could come in the hours ahead.

Turkey said one of its soldiers was killed on Saturday when a rocket that it said came from a YPG-controlled area hit a tank. It was the first Turkish death reported in the campaign.

Turkey has suffered shock waves from the conflict raging in its southern neighbour, including bombings by Islamic State. The government suspects the jihadist group was behind a blast at a wedding this month that killed 54 people in southeastern Turkey.
Turkey-backed Syrian rebels aim for Manbij city, commander says

BEIRUT, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A Syrian rebel commander said that Turkish-backed rebels aim to capture Manbij city from Kurdish-allied forces as conflict between the sides escalated in northern Syria on Sunday.

Manbij on the west bank of the Euphrates River was captured this month from Islamic State by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, in a United States-backed offensive.

Colonel Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad rebel group, told Reuters that the Turkey-backed rebel force was "certainly heading in the direction Manbij" since YPG forces had fortified their positions rather than evacuate.

The United States and Turkey have both demanded that the Kurdish forces withdraw to the east bank of the Euphrates.

The YPG says its forces have withdrawn from the area and their presence could not be used as a pretext for an attack.

Asked how long he expected the Turkey-backed rebel forces to advance to Manbij and take it, Osman said "a few days, God willing".
Bangladesh police identify dead militants linked to Dhaka cafe attack

By Serajul Quadir

DHAKA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - One of the three militants killed by Bangladeshi security forces on Saturday in connection with July's Dhaka cafe attack came from a posh area of the city like some of the attackers and went to a prestigious foreign university, police said on Sunday.

Towsif Hossain was from Dhaka's leafy Dhanmondi neighbourhood and was missing since February. Like Nibras Islam, one of the five young and affluent cafe attackers who was killed after a 12-hour siege on July 2, Hossain had also attended the Kuala Lumpur campus of Australia's prestigious Monash University, the head of the Dhaka police counterterrorism unit told reporters.

The other militant killed on Saturday morning was Fazle Rabbi from the Jessore district northwest of Dhaka, who was missing from last April, counter-terrorism head Monirul Islam said. Rabbi's family has fled, police said.

The cafe attack was claimed by Islamic State and killed 22 people, mostly foreigners. It alarmed security and political experts because of the profile of the perpetrators: educated youths from privileged backgrounds who had turned to radical Islamism only recently. Both Hossain and Rabbi were around 25, police said.

Malaysian police said last month that at least two of the militants behind the cafe attack had attended Monash, although they did not name them. The militants singled out non-Muslims and foreigners in the attack, killing Italians, Japanese, an American and an Indian.

The identity of Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, a 30-year-old Bangladeshi-born Canadian citizen suspected to be the mastermind of the cafe attack, was confirmed on Saturday itself.

The militants were cornered on Saturday in a hideout on the outskirts of Dhaka, and having refused to surrender, were killed in the ensuing gun battle.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the police operation would uphold confidence and the image of her country, and came ahead of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Dhaka on Monday.

The government has denied the involvement of Islamic State in the attack and instead blamed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, which has pledged allegiance to the group active in Syria and Iraq, for organising the assault that has weighed on the poor South Asian economy's $28 billion garments export industry.
Turkish air strikes in Syria kill 25 Kurdish militants, says military

ANKARA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Turkish air strikes in north Syria killed 25 Kurdish militants, the Turkish military said on Sunday, the fifth day of a cross-border campaign launched alongside its Syrian rebel allies that aims to strike at Kurdish forces and Islamic State.

The military said the militants were killed in the area of Jarablus, a Syrian town on the border with Turkey. The army said it was taking all measures to avoid any civilian deaths.
Singapore confirms 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus

By Marius Zaharia

SINGAPORE, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Singapore has confirmed 41 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus, mostly among foreign construction workers, and said it expected more cases to be identified.

All but seven of those infected had fully recovered, the Health Ministry and the National Environment Agency said in a statement on Sunday. The seven remain in hospital.

On Saturday, authorities confirmed a 47-year-old Malaysian woman living in southeastern Singapore as the city-state's first case of a local transmission of the virus.

Zika, carried by some mosquitoes, was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked in Brazil to more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly, where babies are born with small heads.

Singaporean authorities said they tested 124 people, primarily foreign construction workers employed on a site in the same part of Singapore. That site has been ordered to halt work, and workers' dormitories are being inspected. Seventy-eight people tested negative and five cases were pending. Thirty-four patients had fully recovered.

Four Singaporean men had developed symptoms of the virus in the past week and were hospitalised on Saturday. It was not clear where the foreign workers were from or when their cases were detected. Singapore hosts a large contingent of workers from the Asian subcontinent.

None of those infected had travelled recently to Zika-affected areas. "This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place," the statement said.

The ministry "cannot rule out further community transmission since some of those tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore," the statement said. "We expect to identify more positive cases."

The World Health Organisation said in a statement on Sunday that it did not know "which lineage of Zika is circulating" or "what the level of population immunity is to this lineage of Zika in Asia."

"It is important for countries to remain vigilant through surveillance for cases, to continue vector control, to inform people about Zika and how they can protect themselves, and to have the health system ready to supply the services needed to prevent and manage Zika and its consequences," the group told Reuters.

Singapore, a major regional financial centre and busy transit hub, which maintains a constant vigil against the mosquito-borne dengue virus, reported its first case of the Zika virus in May, brought in by a middle-aged man who had been to Brazil.

CLEANUP

Singapore deployed about 200 NEA officers to clean drains and spray insecticide in the mainly residential area early on Sunday to counter mosquito breeding grounds, and volunteers and contractors handed out leaflets and insect repellent.

All medical services in Singapore had been alerted "to be extra vigilant" and immediately report any Zika-associated symptoms to the health ministry.

Singapore said there were "ongoing local transmission" cases in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Other countries in the region to have detected the Zika virus since 2013 include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives and the Philippines, according to the WHO.

Malaysia said on Sunday it stepped up surveillance at main transit points with Singapore - handing out leaflets on Zika prevention and having paramedics ready to handle visitors with potential symptoms of the virus.

In Thailand, where close to 100 cases of Zika have been recorded across 10 provinces this year, the Department of Disease Control was screening athletes returning from the Olympic Games in Brazil, but was not otherwise changing its prevention measures.

"Every country in this region has Zika transmission cases," said Prasert Thongcharoen, an adviser to the DDC. "Thailand has, however, managed to contain the problem through early detection."

A Foreign Ministry spokesman said Indonesia was "following developments". Oskar Pribadi, a Health Ministry official, said there had been no recent Zika cases in the country.

Vietnam has to date reported three cases of locally transmitted Zika infection.

The current strain of Zika sweeping through Latin America and the Caribbean originated in Asia, where people may have built up greater immunity.
EDF chief urges Britain to give go-ahead to nuclear plant

LONDON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - The head of EDF Energy has urged the British government to approve the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project, an explict appeal by the French energy giant ahead of a decision due within weeks.

Prime Minister Theresa May intervened last month to delay the 18 billion pound ($24 billion) project, just hours after it was approved by EDF's board, former cabinet colleague Vince Cable said.

The government says it will make a final decision in the early autumn. Cable said May was concerned about China's involvement, particularly in terms of national security.

The state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) is EDF's partner in building the two new reactors at Hinkley Point, southwest England, which would provide about 7 percent of Britain's electricity.

EDF Energy Chief Executive Vincent de Rivaz said the Chinese, who will provide 6 billion pounds of funding, were a trusted partner with whom the French had worked building two nuclear reactors in China.

"(The Hinckley Point project) brings the benefits of a 30-year partnership between EDF and CGN in nuclear construction in China, a country with the largest civil nuclear programme in the world," he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.

"We know and trust our Chinese partners."

Addressing security concerns, he said all staff on nuclear projects were rigorously vetted and the control systems at Hinkley Point would be isolated from IT systems and the internet.

EDF and its partners have agreed to fund the new stations, and in return Britain has committed to paying a minimum price for the power generated for 35 years. Critics say the price, around double current market levels, is too high.

But de Rivaz said it was fair.
Envoy says Saudi policies on Iraq will not change-TV

DUBAI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - The Saudi Arabian ambassador to Iraq, reacting to a reported request by Baghdad that Riyadh withdraw him, told Al Arabiyah television on Sunday that the kingdom's policies on Iraq would not change, and Saudi ties with Iraqi politicians were amicable.

"Frankly I tried to fulfill my duties ... Saudi Arabia's policies in Iraq will not change," Thamer al-Sabhan told the Saudi-owned station. "We have a very amicable relationship with Iraqi politicians that the media does not capture."

"This is not personal issue. What I said to media and to all Iraqi politicians in the past is that they are limited because they are under pressure from various sides and from other armies and political advisors."
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

Trend:

The Turkish Air Force is inflicting air strikes on the positions of the YPG (Kurdish People's Protection Units) in Syria, Milliyet newspaper reported Aug. 28.

The shelling of the YPG positions started Aug. 28 morning.

On Aug. 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force with the support of the coalition aircraft launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo city.

The operation was carried out under the name Shield of the Euphrates.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives. Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh), the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.
Germany's Gabriel: badly handled Brexit would send Europe "down the drain"

BERLIN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that if Britain's exit from the European Union was badly handled and other countries followed its lead, Europe would go "down the drain".

"Brexit is bad but it won't hurt us as much economically as some fear - it's more of a psychological problem and it's a huge problem politically," he told a news conference, noting that the world was now looking at Europe as an unstable continent.
Iraq asks Saudi Arabia to replace envoy who riled Shi'ite militias

BAGHDAD, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Iraq asked Saudi Arabia on Sunday to replace its ambassador in Baghdad after his comments about Iranian involvement in Iraqi affairs and the alleged persecution of Sunni Muslims angered local Shi'ite Muslim politicians and militia leaders.

The request by Baghdad's Shi'ite-led government underscores the depth of enmity between Sunni and Shi'ite regional powers as sectarian conflicts rage in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Riyadh only reopened its embassy in Baghdad in December after keeping it shut since the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

Thamer al-Sabhan was the first Saudi ambassador appointed since the reopening, which was seen as heralding closer cooperation in the fight against Islamic State militants who control swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria and have claimed bombings in Saudi Arabia.

"The presence of Sabhan is an obstacle to the development of relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia," Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal said in comments to al-Aahd, a TV channel that belongs to Iranian-backed Shi'ite militia Asaib Ahl al-Haq.

He tweeted that the ministry was "asking its Saudi counterpart to replace the ambassador of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom in Baghdad."

Iraqi Shi'ite politicians and militias have made persistent calls to expel Sabhan, who has been calling on the Iraqi government to exclude Shi'ite paramilitary groups from its military campaign against Islamic State in order to avoid abuses against Sunnis in Iraq.

The Iraqi foreign ministry denied on Monday that a plot to kill the envoy had been uncovered.

In recent days, Sabhan repeatedly spoke of a "terrorist plot" to assassinate him after a Shi'ite militia leader, Aws al-Khafaji, said in an interview with a local Iraqi channel that killing the envoy would be an "honour."

Sabhan, responding to messages expressing solidarity with him after the Iraqi announcement, tweeted: "I am a servant of this (Saudi) leadership which is seeking to assist the truth and the well being of Muslims, may God preserve it."

In an interview on the Dubai-based, Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV station, he said Saudi Arabia's policies on Iraq would not change.
Iran arrests nuclear negotiator suspected of spying

DUBAI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Iran has arrested a member of the team that negotiated a landmark nuclear deal with world powers on suspicion of spying, a judiciary spokesman said on Sunday.

The suspect was released on bail after a few days in jail but is still under investigation, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said at a regular weekly news conference, calling the unidentified individual a "spy who had infiltrated the nuclear team," state media reported.
Veteran Uzbek leader in hospital as succession issue looms

By Olzhas Auyezov

ALMATY, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Islam Karimov, the 78-year-old president of Central Asia's most populous country, is undergoing hospital treatment, Uzbekistan's government said on Sunday, in a rare statement about the health of a reclusive leader who lacks an obvious successor.

A government statement did not say what Karimov was being treated for or how serious his illness was, but official statements on his health are very uncommon.

"According to specialists, full health screening and further treatment will take a certain period of time," it said.

Karimov, whose ex-Soviet nation of 32 million people borders Afghanistan, has been Uzbek leader since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and wields sweeping powers.

The absence of strong political institutions means that the eventual transition of power in the mostly Muslim nation may lead to confrontation within the elite or even destabilise the country which has long been targeted by Islamist militants.

Uzbekistan will celebrate its 25th anniversary of independence on Sept. 1 and the otherwise reclusive Karimov has routinely attended such celebrations, even occasionally dancing in public.

NO HEIR APPARENT

Karimov secured a fresh five-year term last year with 90.4 percent of the vote in an election that Western observers criticised for lacking genuine opposition.

He has no sons, who might have been regarded as heirs apparent in the patriarchal culture. His elder daugher, Gulnara, has not appeared in public since several media including the BBC reported in 2014 that she had been placed under house arrest.

Karimov's second daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillyaeva, is Uzbekistan's ambassador to Paris-based UNESCO.

Uzbekistan accounts for half the total population of Central Asia, a region made up of former Soviet republics where Russia, China and the West have competed for influence since the 1990s.

Although it exports gas, cotton and gold, Uzbekistan has struggled to keep up, in terms of average incomes, with its wealthier neighbours such as oil exporter Kazakhstan. About 2 million Uzbeks work abroad, mostly in Russia, to provide for their families.

In the 1990s, armed gunmen of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan challenged the Tashkent government but most of them have since left the country, moving to Afghanistan where they fought alongside the Taliban.

Some have now pledged allegiance to the Islamic State militant group which is estimated to have hundreds of Uzbeks among its fighters.

The government has accused Islamists of being behind protests in the city of Andizhan where police and security forces fired into a crowd in 2005, killing 187 people, according to official reports.
Germany's vice chancellor says Merkel underestimated migrant challenge

BERLIN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said in an interview on Saturday that Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives had "underestimated" the challenge of integrating record numbers of migrants.

Gabriel leads the Social Democrats (SPD) -- the junior coalition partner in Merkel's government -- and his comments come as campaigning kicks off for a federal election next year and regional elections in Berlin and the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants arrived in Germany from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere last year. There is widespread concern about how to integrate them into German society and the labour market, and support for the anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has grown.

"I, we always said that it's inconceivable for Germany to take in a million people every year," Gabriel said in an interview with broadcaster ZDF.

"There is an upper limit to a country's integration ability," he added at a news conference on Sunday.

He said Germany had 300,000 new school children due to the migrant influx and added that the country could not manage to integrate so many into the school system every year because there would not be enough teachers.

Gabriel also criticised Merkel's catchphrase "Wir schaffen das" ("We can do this"), which she adopted during last year's migrant crisis.

The chancellor used the phrase at a news conference in late July after a spate of attacks on civilians in Germany, including two claimed by Islamic State, that put her open-door migrant policy in the spotlight and dented her popularity.

Merkel rejected Gabriel's criticism in an interview with broadcaster ARD and said the federal government had worked hard with state and municipal authorities to solve problems, changed laws and provided funding.

She suggested she was open to changes in the EU's planned quota system, which aims to transfer of about 160,000 asylum seekers from Greece and Italy to other EU states, but said it was important to find a solution that shared responsibility.

It would not be acceptable, Merkel said, for governments to say: "We don't generally want to have Muslims in our country."
Iran arrests nuclear negotiator suspected of spying

DUBAI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Iran has arrested a member of the negotiating team that reached a landmark nuclear deal with world powers on suspicion of spying, a judiciary spokesman said on Sunday.

The suspect was released on bail after a few days in jail but is still under investigation, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said at a weekly news conference, calling the unidentified individual a "spy who had infiltrated the nuclear team," state media reported.

The deal that President Hassan Rouhani struck last year has given Iran relief from most international sanctions in return for curbing its nuclear programme, but it is opposed by hardliners who see it as a capitulation to the United States.

Ejei was responding to a question about an Iranian lawmaker's assertion last week that a member of the negotiation team who had dual nationality had been arrested on espionage charges.

Tehran's prosecutor general on Aug. 16 announced the arrest of a dual national he said was linked to British intelligence, but made no mention of the person being in the nuclear negotiations team. On Sunday, Ejei did not explicitly confirm that the arrested person had a second nationality.
Germany's Gabriel says poorly handled Brexit would see Europe go down the drain

BERLIN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that if Britain's exit from the European Union was badly handled and other member countries followed its lead, Europe would go "down the drain".

"Brexit is bad but it won't hurt us as much economically as some fear - it's more of a psychological problem and it's a huge problem politically," Gabriel, the deputy to Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany's governing coalition, told a news conference.

He added that the world now regarded Europe as an unstable continent.

"If we organise Brexit in the wrong way, then we'll be in deep trouble, so now we need to make sure that we don't allow Britain to keep the nice things, so to speak, related to Europe while taking no responsibility," Gabriel said.

Since Britain's stunning June 23 referendum vote to leave the European Union, all eyes have been on Germany to indicate a way out of danger for the 27 members who will remain.

In an interview with German broadcaster ARD on Sunday, Merkel said: "We all agree in the European Union that Britain's exit, the result of the referendum, has a big impact.

"Rather than rushing into activities, we should perhaps first take time to think about what we, as the 27 countries, must do better," she said, adding that this was the direction that talks with partner countries were going in.

On Wednesday, Merkel said remaining member states must listen to each other carefully and avoid rushing into policy decisions.

"If you do it wrong from the beginning and you don't listen - and act just for the sake of acting - then you can make many mistakes," the conservative German leader said.

Merkel has met a number of other European leaders during the past week to prepare the ground for a Sept. 16 EU summit in Bratislava aimed at shoring up the battered bloc.

A British government spokesman said in mid-August that Prime Minister Theresa May will not begin formal divorce talks with the EU before the end of the year.
MIDEAST STOCKS-Saudi and Qatar rebound, rest of region weak

By Andrew Torchia

DUBAI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Stock markets in Saudi Arabia and Qatar partially recovered on Sunday from last week's losses, while other Gulf markets dropped in quiet trade and Egypt sank as the government was hit by a corruption scandal in the wheat industry.

Saudi Arabia's index, which had dropped 4.0 percent last week because of concern about the country's economic slowdown, rose 1.6 percent as many stocks reliant on domestic demand rebounded.

Nevertheless, trading volume remained thin - among its lowest levels this year - which suggested many investors remained wary of the market and that it might not be starting an extended rally.

Builder Abdullah Abdul Mohsin al-Khodari and Sons climbed 8.6 percent after it renewed a 132 million riyal ($35.2 million) Islamic credit facility, allowing it to obtain working capital for projects, and won a 69 million riyal contract from the water ministry.

Investors have been concerned about the Saudi construction industry's access to financing because of a sharp slowdown in the sector and tightening liquidity at banks.

Utility Saudi Electricity added 5.3 percent and Al Jazira Bank rose 3.1 percent. The biggest petrochemical company, Saudi Basic Industries, dropped 0.3 percent as it went ex-dividend.

Qatar's index rose 0.6 percent in modest turnover as top lender Qatar National Bank rebounded 1.5 percent.

Drilling rig provider Gulf International Services added 0.8 percent after the Qatar exchange said index compiler FTSE had added GIS to the list of companies eligible for its secondary emerging markets index.

FTSE's original list of 20 companies did not include GIS, sending the stock 1.4 percent lower on Thursday. FTSE will publish a confirmed list of stocks to be included in its index after the market closes on Wednesday.

Dubai edged 0.1 percent lower although courier firm Aramex climbed 3.9 percent in unusually heavy trade. Abu Dhabi slipped 0.4 percent in a broad-based decline, with eight of the 10 most heavily traded stocks falling.

In Egypt, the index fell 1.0 percent to a three-week low after the Minister of Supply Khaled Hanafi resigned amid the highest-profile corruption case since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power in 2014.

A parliamentary fact-finding commission's report into corruption in Egypt's wheat industry found the government played a key role in "wasting public funds" in its costly food subsidy programme.

The controversy could destabilise the cabinet or distract its attention from economic reforms needed to secure a $12 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund. It could also complicate an international bond issue which the country plans in late September or early October.

SUNDAY'S HIGHLIGHTS

SAUDI ARABIA

* The index rose 1.6 percent to 6,071 points.

DUBAI

* The index edged down 0.1 percent to 3,490 points.

ABU DHABI

* The index dropped 0.4 percent 4,500 points.

EGYPT

* The index fell 1.0 percent to 8,052 points.

QATAR

* The index rose 0.6 percent to 11,197 points.

KUWAIT

* The index slipped 0.3 percent to 5,411 points.

OMAN

* The index fell 0.2 percent to 5,809 points.

BAHRAIN

* The index dropped 0.6 percent to 1,139 points.
France's Ayrault presses for UN resolution on Syrian use of chemical weapons

WEIMAR, Germany, Aug 28 (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was pressing members of the U.N. Security Council, including Russia, to condemn the Syrian regime following a report that found Syrian government troops used chemical weapons.

"I see no reason that could be given, or any arguments that could be made, for not condemning the use of chemical weapons," he said, when asked if Russia would support the resolution.
Houthis say ready for fresh Yemen talks if attacks stop

SANAA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Yemen's Houthi-run governing council said on Sunday it was ready to restart peace talks with the country's exiled government provided a Saudi-led coalition stopped attacking and besieging Houthi-held territories.

U.N.-sponsored negotiations to end 18 months of fighting in the impoverished country on Saudi Arabia's southern border collapsed earlier this month and the dominant Iran-allied Houthi movement there resumed shelling attacks into the kingdom.
Two Turkish soldiers were wounded Sunday in a PKK attack in Hakkari province, southeastern Turkey, a security source has said, Anadolu reported.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on talking to the media, the source said PKK terrorists attacked members of the security forces during an operation in the Samanli and Cadikan regions near the Iraq border.

The wounded troops were taken to hospital, the source added.

Turkish forces responded with gunfire and carried out an artillery and tank attack on PKK targets. Nine terrorists were neutralized in the clashes, the source added.

An operation in the region is still underway.

Village guards wounded in Siirt

Elsewhere, five village guards were wounded by a PKK roadside bomb in Turkey's southeastern Siirt province.

According to the same source, PKK terrorists detonated the device on the Siirt-Sirnak road as village guards passed by.

Five guards were wounded and taken to Eruh State Hospital, the source added.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- resumed its decades-old armed campaign in July last year, since when more than 600 security personnel have been martyred and around 7,000 PKK terrorists killed.
Two United Airlines pilots held on alcohol charge in Scotland

LONDON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Two United Airlines pilots were arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol in Scotland on Saturday as they were about to fly to the United States, police and the airline said.

Police Scotland said the two men, aged 35 and 45 years, were detained under a section of the Railways and Transport Safety Act which covers carrying out pilot function or activity whilst exceeding the prescribed limit of alcohol.

The men are expected to appear in court in Paisley, near Glasgow, on Monday.

The flight from Glasgow to Newark Airport, New Jersey, carrying 141 passengers, eventually took off nearly 10 hours late on Saturday evening with a new crew, the airline said.

United said two pilots had been removed from service and their flying duties.

"We're collaborating with the authorities and will conduct our own investigation," said spokeswoman Erin Benson.

"The safety of our customers is our highest priority."

The pilots were arrested in the cockpit shortly before the 0800 GMT flight to the New Jersey airport was due to depart, the BBC reported.
Former Israeli defence minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer dies at 80

JERUSALEM, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a former Israeli defence minister and veteran politician who once served as his country's pointman with Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, died on Sunday. He was 80.

Ben-Eliezer had been in poor health for several years and retired from politics under a cloud in 2014.

He was charged last year with taking bribes, money laundering, fraud and tax offences related to allegations that he received payments from businessmen while serving in government. The trial, which Ben-Eliezer did not attend because of his health problems, was under way when he died.

A former leader of Israel's Labour Party, Ben-Eliezer served as defence minister in then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government from 2001 to 2002, during the early days of a Palestinian uprising.

The Iraqi-born Ben-Eliezer was widely regarded as the Israeli politician closest to Mubarak, who was toppled as Egypt's president in an uprising in 2011, and served as one of his country's main liaisons with the autocratic leader. Israel and Egypt signed a peace treaty in 1979.
France's Ayrault presses for U.N. resolution on Syrian use of chemical weapons

WEIMAR, Germany, Aug 28 (Reuters) - French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was pressing members of the U.N. Security Council, including Russia, to condemn the Syrian government after a report found Syrian troops had used chemical weapons.

"I see no reason that could be given, or any arguments that could be made, for not condemning the use of chemical weapons," he said, when asked if Russia would support the resolution.

The Security Council is due to discuss the report next week.

A joint investigation by the United Nations and the global chemical weapons watchdog OPCW found that Syrian government troops were responsible for two toxic gas attacks and Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard gas.

Ayrault had told France's Le Monde newspaper in an interview published on Saturday that the report was a chance to push Russia to accept a resolution condemning the Syrian government and resume political negotiations.

He reiterated his concerns on Sunday after a meeting with the German and Polish foreign ministers, who all expressed concern about devastating humanitarian conditions in Aleppo.

Ayrault said that he had a recent long conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who had agreed that political negotiations were the only way to end the crisis in Syria.

"We cannot simply ignore this report," Ayrault said. "We have to send concrete signals and really make a commitment ... There can be no shadow of a doubt."

The U.N. report has set the stage for a Security Council showdown between the five veto-wielding powers, likely pitting Russia and China against the United States, Britain and France over whether sanctions should be imposed as a result.

Ayrault said France was pressing for a condemnation by the Security Council and to create the conditions for resuming political dialogue.
Germany, Poland and France call for more efforts to end Ukraine crisis

WEIMAR, Germany, Aug 28 (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland agreed on Sunday there should be greater international efforts to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters.

He said there had not been sufficient progress in implementing the Minsk ceasefire agreement. Western officials were talking with Russia and Ukraine to encourage them to implement measures already agreed in the Minsk process, including communal elections, he said.

"We have to work for a de-escalation of the situation," he told reporters after a meeting with his counterparts aimed at reinvigorating the Weimar Triangle trilateral group.

Steinmeier said the group also wanted to reassure Europeans about the continued importance and relevance of the European Union after the June 23 vote by Britain to exit the bloc.

"The Weimar Triangle can plan an important role ... It is a format where we can discuss progress or the lack of progress on issues such as the Normandy format aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict," Steinmeier said.

The Normandy group comprises Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.

Steinmeier said fresh efforts began in recent days to revive talks between Russia and Ukraine and pressure both sides to honour agreements they had already made.

The leaders of Russia, Germany and France have agreed to meet to discuss the situation in Ukraine on Sept. 4-5 in China on the sidelines of the G20 summit, the Kremlin said last week.

A recent surge in fighting in eastern Ukraine, where Kiev is fighting pro-Russian separatists, and fresh tension in Crimea have raised concern that a fragile ceasefire agreed in Minsk in February 2015 could collapse.
The surviving veterans of the New Delhi chapter of the Indian Army gathered at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi on August 8, 2016 to commemorate the start of their training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) Dehradun on this day 70 years ago.

In August 8, 1946, 249 bright young men reported at the academy, brimming with confidence and hope. After the end of Second World War in 1945, India had been granted independence, following hundreds of years of foreign rule. So these were to be the leaders of a free India and were fired with patriotic zeal.

Halfway through the course, 45 Pakistani cadets left on October 14, 1947. Hence the course concluded on December 21, 1947 with 189 Indian gentlemen cadets being commissioned as Second Lieutenants during a sparkling passing out parade, for the first time under the tricolour of independent India, instead of the Union Jack of Great Britain. To make the occasion truly memorable, the salute at the passing out parade was taken by Sardar Baldev Singh, the first defence minister of free India.

The commissioning of this batch of cadets, (christened as the Second Regular Course IMA) coincided with the division of the erstwhile centuries-old proud British Indian Army and the birth of the Indian Army of independent India. These young men were to lead the regiments and units of the new Army to victory through four wars against Pakistan and a number of insurgencies.

Cadets of B Company Second Course IMA. Captain Tika Khan is seated fifth from the left.

Momentous changes were afoot as there was a major restructuring of the Army. The Indian Army was born from the erstwhile British Indian Army which was further split on the basis of two-third-to-one-third into the armies of India and Pakistan.

The very structure of the British Indian Army was undergoing major changes. Since the Revolt of 1857, the British Indian Army had been restructured from one class regiments to mixed regiments with half of each unit comprised of Muslims and the other half non-Muslims.

Also read: On Kargil Vijay Diwas, India must resolve to give her soldiers their due Now these mixed units were to be unravelled all over again as the Muslim components were to go to Pakistan whereas the non-Muslim components were to remain in India. There were heart-wrenching scenes of tearful goodbye between comrades who had lived and fought together through countless wars on the Indian soil as also in the Middle East and Europe as Indians without the taint of religious bigotry.

The officer cadre was likewise sundered with Muslim officers going to Pakistan and non-Muslim officers remaining in India, though the officers were given a modicum of choice through a complex system of exercising an option: non-Muslim officers who happened to be in Pakistan after the Partition could opt to remain in Pakistan and Muslim officers stationed in India could opt to stay in India.

The assets of the erstwhile Indian Army, comprising centres and stores in the depots scattered in India were to be a divided on a one-third-to-two-third basis, an herculean task. So it was decided that a lump sum payment of Rs 75 crore would be made by India to Pakistan. Apparently, Rs 20 crore was actually paid, but the remainder got stuck as Pakistan launched an offensive to capture Kashmir and it was considered that any further payment would amount to augmenting Pakistan's military capacity.

The Partition also brought about a major change for the Gorkha troops serving in the British Indian Army, though they were secluded from the rest of the Army and were exclusively officered by the British. Now ten regiments of these legendary troops were to be split, with six regiments being retained as part of the new Indian Army and four regiments to be absorbed in the British Army.

This meant that the Nepal government would agree to its troops serving in the Indian Army. The arrangement was formalised by concluding the Britain-Nepal-India Tripartite Agreement in 1947 with India vouchsafing the interests of the Gorkha troops including a clause stipulating that they were not to be considered mercenaries but have the status of regular troops. This was an opportunity for a large number of the newly commissioned officers who were posted to the Gorkha regiments. It is matter of credit and pride that these young officers rose to the occasion and gave an excellent account of themselves.

The large number of Gorkhas serving in the Indian Army have forged links of loyalty and mutual respect. As of now, more than 30,000 Gorkhas are serving in the Indian Army. Besides their earning while in service, large amounts are disbursed in Nepal by way of pensions to the ever-increasing number of ex-soldiers and widows and that is a positive element in the India-Nepal relations.

Indeed, in every respect, this batch of newly commissioned officers set very high standards of achievement, with 12 of them attaining the ranks of Lieutenant General (including five achieving the rank of Army Commander), 20 becoming Major Generals, 26 Brigadiers, 25 Colonels and 45 Lieutenant Colonels.

As the first batch of new officers, they also laid the foundation of an apolitical Army and sanctified the principle of the Army's subservience to civil control, in marked contrast to the emerging nations of Asia and Africa. Cadets going to Pakistan likewise rose to positions of governor and ambassador.

The officers of this course were also the standard bearers as officers of the newly merged Gorkha regiments, hitherto exclusively officered by the British.
Till just a month ago, she would be called "the soft separatist".

In the last couple of days, however, CM Mehbooba Mufti has seized that enduring epithet by the neck, severed it in a flash, and has thrown it, at least for now it seems, into the blood-caked bin of Kashmir's history.

She has said what no CM from the state has perhaps said so unequivocally, openly, and brutally.

That only five per cent incite violence in J&K. That these five per cent troublemakers are anti-national. And that children are not sent to Army camps despite a curfew to buy toffees or get milk.

And unlike her predecessors who would come to Delhi and say something pleasing for rest of India only to return to Srinagar and flirt with the puppets of Pakistan, Mehbooba took on the separatists and their masters right there in the Valley.

She even defiantly took on the local media, which has often been accused of running the separatists' narrative and muting the voice of the state's silent peace-loving majority.

Beyond betrayal

We are seeing the wrath of a betrayed, wounded woman. She has always been supportive of the separatists' point of view.

She had expected them to stand by her, especially when a confirmed, dreaded Hizbul terrorist has been killed, not an innocent man in a fake encounter.

But separatists, buoyed by a cornered Pakistan which sees a final hope in a convulsing Kashmir, stabbed her in the back.

They gave ammunition to her political rivals, the Abdullahs. It is true that Mehbooba has a paucity of options.

Perhaps this is the Kashmir moment. (PTI)

The BJP won't compromise its nationalism plank beyond a point. And if that makes her government fall, Omar Abdullah, currently goodwill hunting in Kashmir's blood streets, may return to power.

The BJP does not stand to lose anything in Kashmir. It only stands to gain in Jammu and the rest of the country by exhibiting toughness.

But Mehbooba - like a J Jayalalithaa or Mamata Banerjee - is not a woman who would meekly submit to political expediencies.

She is genuinely furious with those she feels have betrayed her.

Also, for that "five per cent" she would not want to lose the others who voted for development of the state.

Time to back CM

This is the time to back her, and not subject her to the 9pm inquisition either with drumbeats of macho nationalism or by playing Pakistan's tune.

Our parties must also speak as one nation now.

Media often inadvertently projects it as Kashmiris versus Indians.

It could not be more ironic; especially when we believe Kashmir is civilisationally, umbilically India and Kashmiris are Indians.

Perhaps this is the Kashmir moment. A terrorist's killing and the ensuing violence have exposed Pakistan's hand and that the violent struggle is more about jihad than Kashmiriyat.

India has perhaps never had a CM in Srinagar who spoke so fiercely in the nation's voice.

And Pakistan lay exposed in its own home by raging freedom struggles and terrible state repression, especially in Balochistan and POK.

It is winning no friends in neighbouring Afghanistan either, credited with fomenting bloodshed and instability there.

Also, for the first time, the Narendra Modi-led Centre has kept separatists out of any talk of plan on Kashmir, squeezing their political space.

It is time to completely isolate the tiny section hell-bent on creating trouble, take the cameras off them and starve them of attention, begin scripting a new narrative of development, and let the snow heal.
Turkey will not surrender to terrorism, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday from the southeastern city hit by a suicide bomb attack last week, Anadolu agency reported.

Addressing a crowd in central Gaziantep -- where 54 guests at a wedding party, including 34 children, were killed on Aug. 20 -- he said: These betrayers will be drowned in the blood they shed Turkey has not and will not surrender to any terrorist organizations or terror methods.

The Gaziantep attack has been linked to Daesh but Erdogan said all terror groups served the same purpose.

We know the same face is behind all of them, he said. Turkey currently faces attacks from Daesh as well as the PKK and is engaged in supporting the Free Syrian Army against the PKK/PYD in Syria.

Turkey has no toleration for any terrorist organization activities within its borders and nearby, the president told the flag-waving crowd. Our operations against the separatist organization will continue without interruption.

Referring to the Turkish-backed operation in Syria, which saw Jarabulus liberated from Daesh last week, as well as the Turkish militarys training mission in northern Iraq, he added: We are in Jarabulus for this. We are in Bashiqa for this. If necessary, we will not hesitate to take responsibility in other regions.

He pledged that Turkey would show the same determination in eradicating the PKK/PYD as in fighting Daesh.
The Huawei Honor Note 8 can be a great alternative for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 (Photo : YouTube / Weebo)

Huawei launched its amazing smartphone in China in July, last week in United States and on Aug 24 in Europe. The Chinese giant who took the top spot in Chinese smartphone market recently as per IDC reports is trying to strengthen its position in the World market.



With the launch of Honor 8 in US and Europe, the company is expecting huge profits with this release. According to store.hihonor, the company claims that Honor 8 is the best in its price range when compared to other smartphones. The smartphone is tremendously well designed and its features will make the world own it.



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Design - The slick body of Honor 8 is made up of heavy 2.5D glass on the front screen. The back of the phone is a glass slab with 15 different layers beneath it. The smaller size of this phone gives it a sturdy feeling. The finished aluminum alloy and ultra-narrow bezel design give a much stronger design.



Fingerprint Sensor - This is one of the innovative features of this phone and reads the finger print more accurately and correctly for the first time. The scanner can also be used for gestures, Swipe up and down to access the notification menu or side to side to scroll through photos. With the Fingerprint technology, you can unlock your Honor 8 in only 0.4 seconds.



CPU - Honor 8 is powered with Octa-core CPU @4x2.3Ghz + 4x1.8Ghz on a 16mm architecture. The CPU chipset contains i5 co-processor which controls honor 8 sensors and other features. Both 32 Giga bytes and 64 Giga bytes internal storage phones have 4 Giga Bytes of RAM.



Display - It is made up with 5.2-inch FHD display, 96 percent high color gamut, color enhancement and dynamic pixel level contrast adjustment provides a better viewer experience, with vivid and crisp images. To reduce eye strain, the mobile is equipped with eye care mode feature.



Battery - Honor 8 is equipped with fast charging type battery in which 46 percent of the battery from 0 percent can be charged in just 30 minutes with the help of 9V/2A fast charging technology. The smart phone is powered with 3000mAh battery.



Intelligent communication - Smart double antenna switch and smart dual-band Wi-Fi support the features Honor 8 to be the best phone for connectivity. Smart control 4.0 allows the user to control devices even in the absence of internet connection.



Speakers - Integrated speakers provides high-quality music playback.



According to Android Authority, the Chinese company has set up a price of 445 USD for 32 Gigabytes phone and 500 USD for 64 Gigabytes phone in Eurozone. The company is expecting a good business of Honor 8 in Europe and US markets.



Honor 8 hands on - a new stylish affordable flagship!






RICHMOND  Virginias growing wine industry has lured a couple of retired Richmond-area businessmen into a viniculture venture.

Last fall, Paul Kreckman, a longtime local real estate professional and retired vice president of Highwoods Properties, and Stan Joynes, a retired real estate lawyer and partner at LeClairRyan, acquired a farm in Albemarle County with the idea of starting a vineyard.

This year, they planted four acres of grapes there, landscaped some of the property and renovated a farm building to serve as a wine-tasting room for visitors.

Their wives and three other couples have joined them as business partners in the venture, which they named Valley Road Vineyards.

We have five couples  all still married even nine months into this adventure, Joynes quipped on Tuesday at a meeting of Encorepreneur, a local organization for baby boomers interested in creating new careers.

Joynes and Kreckman spoke about their startup business to a group of more than 200 people who gathered for the meeting at Virginia Commonwealth Universitys school of business in downtown Richmond.

Part of the impetus for starting the vineyard was that Virginias growing winery industry has sometimes suffered from a shortage of grapes, said Joynes, who is CEO of the business.

We learned that with the increasing quality of Virginia wines and the increasing demand for Virginia wines ... we had a pretty significant deficit of supply against demand in Virginia for grapes, he said.

Virginia has about 280 wineries, up from less than 50 two decades ago, Joynes said. Virginia has about 4,000 acres of vineyards planted.

Valley Road Vineyards has started out with four grapes: Sauvignon Blanc; Petit Verdot; Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc.

Supplied with wine made for Valley Road Vineyards at another winery, the tasting room recently opened at the farm, which is along Route 151, a scenic road known for its numerous wineries and breweries.

The other partners in the venture are Linn Kreckman and Barbara Joynes; Bobby and Karen Edwards, Bruce and Janet Kay, and Jim and Mary Theobald.

Joynes joked that among the group there are 16 undergraduate and graduate degrees, not one of which is related to grape production.

Kreckman and Joynes said their planted acreage isnt enough for a long-term sustainable business, so they are looking for additional land.

Its a for-profit venture  make no mistake, Kreckman said before the presentation. But its an enjoyable way to spend time with some friends that we have known for a long time.
Uber has finally decided to call it quits for its China operations after a two-year struggle. (Photo : Twitter)

After finally raising the white flag and announcing its exit from China, new reports detail how much ride-sharing service provider Uber has lost in its effort to penetrate the market.



In a report delivered to investors on Friday, Uber's head of finance Gautam Gupta said that the company has already incurred a loss of $520 million in the first quarter of 2016 alone. The second quarter proved worse, with a $750 million loss, Bloomberg reported.



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Much of the loss was attributed to the subsidies the company provides its drivers around the world. Competition with other rideshare providers have caused Uber to enter into price wars with them, offering cheaper fares. However, in order to keep drivers from leaving, Uber had to subsidize the income they lost due to lower rates.



Gupta said that the biggest of such price wars was in China, where the company struggled through a losing battle with local rival Didi Chuxing for dominance of the lucrative market. In July, Uber finally hung up the towel and made a deal with Didi in which the latter will purchase the entirety of the former's China operations while giving Uber and its investors, including Chinese internet giant Baidu, a 17 percent stake in its operations.



Uber reportedly lost more than $2 billion in its two-year foray into the Chinese market.



The company is also reportedly pulling out of Macau, just 10 months after it began offering its services id city. According to the company's Asia Regional Manager Mike Brown, the planned exit was due to the $1.25 million loss because of fines incurred by its drivers, Fortune reported.



Back in the United States, Uber is also in a tight price war with San Francisco-based Lyft, Inc. this year, which has also incurred significant losses despite Uber still maintaining its majority share of the market.



"You won't find too many technology companies that could lose this much money this quickly," New York University business professor Aswath Damodaran remarked. However, Damodaran noted that the company still has a lot of capital to fall back to.



Uber currently has almost $8 billion in assets and is also expected to receive $1 billion in cash from Didi as part of the deal.


Civil War expert and University of Virginia history professor Ervin L. Jordan Jr. will be the featured speaker at the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP Freedom Fund Banquet on Sept. 16.

The banquet also will include recognitions for the recipients of the Virginia Banks Carrington Humanitarian Award and the 2016 Federal Executive Institute/NAACP Scholarships.

Individual tickets to the annual fundraising event may be purchased for $70. A table for eight or 10 people can be reserved for $560 or $700, respectively.

Doors to the event at the Doubletree Hotel open at 5:45 p.m.

The NAACP chapter will host another guest speaker, Legal Aid Justice Center attorney Mario Salas, at its regular monthly meeting Sept. 12.

Salas, of the centers JustChildren program, will present a recent center report on school suspensions throughout the state.

According to an NAACP news release, the report found that Virginia schools suspended African-American students and students with disabilities more frequently than other students.

The monthly meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Jefferson School City Center.
Visitors play a video game 'Halo 5 guardians' at the Paris Game Week, a trade fair for video games on October 28, 2015 in Paris, France. Paris Game week will run from October 28 until November 1, 2015. (Photo : Chesnot/Getty Images)

"Halo 5: Forge" for Windows 10 has been announced for release this coming September 8. Microsoft finally revealed a method through which PC gamers may be able to interact with the Xbox One exclusive game. Thus, resulting in more queries and expectations on the said Forge level-creation feature of "Halo 5."



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Forge will serve as a utility for Windows 10 users allowing gamers to modify and create various levels and maps for "Halo 5: Guardians" on the PC. By means of Forge, Windows 10 users will now be able to construct and manipulate objects with the use of keyboard and mouse.



Apart from allowing players to make maps with the help of the support for PC, reports also mentioned the support for higher 4k resolution, together with the ability of users to host and play custom matches for better enjoyment. This September release will also be accompanied by the new content browser that is would on both Xbox and PC platforms, according to Gadgets.



Question on why "Halo 5" has not been fully customized for PC might once again surface after the introduction of this Forge utility. But to somehow clear things up, Franchise Director Frank O'Connor of "Halo" made mentioned at 343 Industries that the particular game has not been particularly designed for PC, and introducing it to the said platform would be too late.



With regards to the update and where to find it, a Forge community has been created for both Xbox One and Windows 10 PC, according to VG247.



But things seemed to be ending with the said update for PC users, for according to some news, a weapon update, which includes three new guns will also be available for "Halo 5" players. But the distinction between whether it would be a carry-over weapon or exclusive to specific modes, game developers remain silent. Rumors also have it that additional weapon attachment, new weapon skins, and armor skins would be part of the upcoming update to watch for.



September 8 release date will not only by focused on the updates and the "Halo 5: Forge," for on the same day "Halo 5: Guardians-Anvil's Legacy" will also be released. And such release would also include updates to Forge mode on console together with potential new maps.



This new update for "Halo" games will hopefully excite players and make their gaming activities more interactive and worthwhile. And here below is a video presentation of the said update.






AI (Photo : Getty Images)

In a disturbing report, the U.S. Defense Science Board (DSB) is urging the Pentagon to take "immediate action" to defend against and defeat a multitude of military threats enabled by artificial intelligence (AI) systems being developed by strategic competitors such as China and Russia.



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The DSB's "Autonomy" report also faulted the military for ignoring the vulnerabilities of its electronic equipment and defending against threats posed by enemy AI with its single-minded focus on developing offensive weaponry.



It also discovered that AI in commercial and academic settings is moving faster than the military's ability to counter it. There is, in effect, an "AI Arms Race" and DSB is concerned the U.S. might wind up with the short end of the stick.



The DSB is a committee of civilian experts appointed to advise the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) on scientific and technical matters. Established in 1956, DSB provides independent advice and recommendations on scientific, technical, manufacturing, acquisition process and other matters of special interest to the DoD.



"For years, it has been clear that certain countries could, and most likely would, develop the technology and expertise to use cyber and electronic warfare against U.S. forces," said the report.



"Yet most of the U.S. effort focused on developing offensive cyber capabilities without commensurate attention to hardening U.S. systems against attacks from others. Unfortunately, in both domains, that neglect has resulted in DoD spending large sums of money today to 'patch' systems against potential attacks."



That cycle could repeat itself in AI. The report recommended the undersecretary of defense for intelligence should "raise the priority of collection and analysis of foreign autonomous systems."



The report also recommended the Pentagon's office of acquisition technology and logistics should organize a community of researchers should practice combating enemy AI weapons by running tests and scenarios to discover "counter-autonomy technologies, surrogates, and solutions."



"Such a community would not only explore new uses for autonomy, counter-autonomy, and countering potential adversary autonomy, but also more realistically inform what the tactical advantages and vulnerabilities would be to both the U.S. and adversaries in adopting or adapting commercially available technology," said the study.


SOUTH DAKOTA - USA - Chinese emissaries were today hailing the Federal government's decision to sell the Mount Rushmore national monument to finance some of the $7 trillion debt owed to China.

It is a small step in the right direction for the U.S., they have sacrificed a national monument to pay their debt to us. Geologists have found vast copper deposits below the statues of the former presidents which will be destroyed then the area will be transformed into a large copper mine, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Hua Chunying told the Xinhua state news agency Monday.

One of the reasons for the U.S. Government shutdown was the enormous debt president Obama has partially created, so this new Mount Rushmore sale will appease Americas debtors a little bit.

State department officials are looking at more parts of America to sell to China, and a proposed list will be submitted to Congress in November.

Its a case of what we can lose and do without so we can carry on borrowing from the Chinese. Look at it as a big pawn shop, we sell our most treasured assets and monuments today, and one day we might get them back. In the case of Mount Rushmore, that sadly wont be the case as it will be dynamited to get to the copper resources, but other monuments and National Parks that are to be sold will still be in the U.S, David Grant, State department spokesman told CNN.

Treasury officials were today quiet as to how much the sale of Mount Rushmore would raise, some independent experts estimating as much as $600 million.
Rocket launch. Lots of fire, smoke and toxic fumes. (Photo : NASA)

Russia has announced the successful test of a liquid-fueled rocket engine powered by next-generation clean fuel.



The Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects (FPI), Russia's advanced military research agency tasked with ensuring Russian superiority in defense technology, said the world's first successful test of a full-size rocket fuel demonstrator used a clean oxygen and kerosene mix as its propellant.



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"The given results are impressive and unique. We can now firmly admit that ecologically clean rocket fuel is possible, and we made it happen," said Igor Denisov, FPI Deputy Director General.



The test was held by "Detonation LRE," a specialized laboratory founded by FPI in 2014. FPI claims Russia is now the leading country is both rocket engine development and production.



Soviet scientists are said to have first proposed using a detonation combustion system, which is a very efficient thermodynamic combustion method. It took decades for this system to be made practical, however.



"The significance of the test's success for the advanced development of the domestic engine cannot be overestimated. It took us two years to reach this result. This kind of rocket engine is our future," said Vladimir Chvanov, project lead engineer.



Most rocket engines in service today use hydrazine (a hypergolic propellant) as their liquid fuel propellant. Although very energetic and, therefore, powerful, hydrazine is dangerous to use and is extremely toxic to humans. Breathing in a lot of hydrazine will cause pulmonary edema in a person, rendering that person unable to breathe.



Hydrazine combustion also creates massive quantities of soot and carbon. It's because of hydrazine's disadvantages, the Russians, Americans, Europeans and the Chinese are developing their own versions of a clean rocket fuel.



NASA early this year announced it was developing a new, green and less tosic type of rocket fuel called AF-M315E that uses hydroxyl ammonium nitrate instead of hydrazine.



AF-M315E is more efficient more efficient than hydrazine, which means spacecraft will need less of it for the same amount of thrust power. That could mean cheaper launches.



This new fuel will also be safer to handle, and that could help cut production costs. NASA plans to launch an AF-M315E-powered spacecraft in 2017.


A special 6GB RAM, 128 GB built-in storage variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is still under study for China. (Photo : Getty Image/Drew Angerer)

Samsung recently confirmed through a blog post the appearance of an additional flagship device, Galaxy Tab S3, to be included in its Tab S lineup which will be launched at this year's Independent Financial Advisers (IFA) event from Sept. 2 to Sept. 7.



Earlier this month, a post on the Colombian Samsung website noted the existence of the rumored device. However, the post has since been taken down, in order for Samsung to make the announcement through their own terms.



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Though the expectation today on the Galaxy Tab S3 is placed on its IFA appearance, Ausdroid reported a 9.7-inch Samsung tablet sighting at the FCC, which was widely expected to be the Tab S3. However, report follows no new details about the rumored device, though it's still a significant event, as it's a pretty solid indicator that Samsung's new tablet is on its way.



Running through the leaked specifications, BitBag reported that the new Tab S3 models, both 8.0-inch and 9.7-inch display clad models, will carry 2,048 x 1,536 pixels screen resolution and will run Super AMOLED display technology.



The models are also rumored to showcase an octa-core (Snapdragon 652) SoC that has four Cortex-A72 CPU cores and four Cortex-A53 CPU cores onboard. While the graphics requirements will be taken care by Adreno 510 GPU, the internal components will be backed by a solid 3GB of RAM.



The general expectation is that the Galaxy Tab S3 will come equipped with 32GB of built-in storage space as the base variant. In addition, there will be a microSD card slot to facilitate expansion of up to 128GB, similar to its predecessor.



The price of the Galaxy Tab S3 is hard to predict at the moment, though the storage and RAM always affect the price of the various variants of the Samsung tablets.



Meanwhile, Samsung hinted the appearance of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 to the public with the launching of the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The reported release date for the Galaxy Note 7 will be available first in the United Kingdom on Sept. 2. The release date for the new gadget in Australia and North America will be on Sept. 19, few weeks after the release in the United Kingdom.


The government in the Budget 2016-17 had announced to do away with plan, non-plan distinction at the end of the twelfth five-year plan.

New Delhi: Finance Ministry has come out with revised guidelines for public funded projects under which schemes should be designed keeping in view economies of scale and the need to share implementation machinery.

The streamlining of the public funded projects is aimed at expediting implementation and reducing time and cost overruns, an official said. The government in the Budget 2016-17 had announced to do away with plan, non-plan distinction at the end of the twelfth five-year plan.

After that announcement it was imperative that a plan, non-plan neutral appraisal and approval system is put into place, the official said. The quality of scheme or project formulation is the key bottleneck which leads to poor execution at the implementation stage including time and cost overruns.

"While designing new schemes/sub-schemes, the core principles to be kept in mind are economies of scale, separability of outcomes and sharing of implementation machinery.

"Schemes which share outcomes and implementation machinery should not be posed as independent schemes, but within a unified umbrella programme with carefully designed convergence frameworks," the official added.

Further as per the revised guidelines, no new autonomous body, institution or other special purpose vehicle should be set up without the approval of the cabinet. The 12th five year (2012-17) ends next year.
I had a flight at 5 am but the driver refused to pick me up saying he was off duty, Surya, one of the Ola customer

Bengaluru: Cab aggregator Ola is now at the receiving end in the social media. A single complaint by an Ola customer has now led to a torrent of similar grievances. Soon many others narrated about their negative experiences over this cab service.

Said one such complaint: " Ola drivers have almost become criminal-minded, finding ways to manipulate technology. I once booked an Ola for my 80-year-old father. I could see on GPS that the driver was nearby. I called him because he had just stopped the vehicle. He said that his phone was dead, claimed that he did not know where he was and refused to come. Because of this my elderly father had to wait for a long time and finally took an auto," said Rajalakshmi Nesargi.

Her frustration grew when she received a notification that the driver had run the trip and deducted her Ola money. Incidentally, this was the second time in the same day that she was refused service by an Ola cab driver.

"I booked a mini and got a free upgrade to Prime which has wi-fi and bottled water. Later, I was charged for it and the driver acted as if he was unaware of how that happened. I was with my toddler and could not stay and argue with him so I just paid the increased charge," said Shobha. Unlike most customers who said their complaints to Ola were not resolved, she managed to get a discount for her next ride.

A recurring complaint that was expressed on social media was of drivers not returning calls or giving various excuses to not pick their passengers up, especially when the customers destination was the Kempegowda InternationalAirport.

Deccan Chronicle contacted Ola over these issues. A couple of complaint numbers assigned to specific customers problems were sent to Ola, on their request, as they prefer to look into complaints on a case-to-case basis.

Despite this information and repeated calls, the queries were left unanswered by them.

Meanwhile, Ola customers in the city continue to remain angry and helpless, due to repeated bad experiences and lack of resolve on the companys part, making daily commuting difficult.
Construction of four new government hospitals with aid from Rabobank is yet to be cleared by the Centre. (Photo: www.edenspiekermann.com)

Hyderabad: The TS governments plans to mobilise funds for taking up various development projects have gone haywire. Its exactly a year since the government devised plans to raise Rs 1.50 lakh crore from various funding agencies but the Centre is yet to accord approval to these proposals.

Despite repeated reminders from the state government, there has been no communication from the Centre permitting TS to raise funds from foreign lending agencies like BRICS Bank in China and Rabobank in the Netherlands.

The raising of the borrowing limit under the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act to 3.5 per cent of Gross State Domestic Product from the current 3 per cent is pending as the Centre has so far permitted only 3.25 per cent, expressing doubts over GSDP figures submitted by the TS government.

While the 3.5 per cent FRBM limit would have enabled the state government to mobilise an additional Rs 3,000 crore from the market, it has to now be satisfied with just Rs 1,500 crore.

The World Bank team had visited Telangana in August last year and met Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma and senior officials to discuss on loan proposals.

The government had sought a Rs 1.50 lakh crore loan. But the World Bank expressed its inability to provide such a huge loan and advised it to consider securing loans from BRICS Bank and Rabobank.

A senior finance official said, We have been pursuing the case with Centre for the last eight months but there has been no response. Finance minister Etela Rajender and MAUD minister K.T. Rama Rao have been making efforts to secure approvals by meeting finance ministry officials whenever they are in Delhi. Except getting assurances that it will be looked into, nothing has materialised so far. With no approval from Centre, these projects failed to make any progress during the last one year due to lack of funds.
Mumbai: The net inflows into equity schemes offered by mutual funds have seen a sharp slowdown this year as a section of early investors chose to book profits after seeing a steep appreciation in their net asset value (NAV) during the last 2-3 years while the near-term uncertainty caused in the global markets due to Brexit impacted fresh inflows.

The average monthly inflows in equity schemes during the first six months of this year stood at Rs 1,800 crore, 80 per cent down when compared to the same period last year.

According to the data available with industry body Association of Mutual Funds of India, fund houses had seen net average monthly inflows of Rs 9,365 crore during the first six months of 2015.

There is a bit of churning in the equity schemes. Investors who had entered the market during the early phase of the rally had booked partial profits after seeing a fairly good appreciation in their investment value over the last 2-3 years, said S. Krishnakumar, chief investment officer, equity and executive vice-president at Sundaram Asset Management.

According to him, the almost flattish returns provided by the equity markets during the past several months were also one of the factors that prompted investors to cash out of the markets.

Since the markets are unlikely to generate a hefty return in the near term, Mr Krishnakumar said investors are taking a long term view of the equity markets and are therefore investing through the SIP instead of making bulk investments.

This is another reason why the pace of inflows into equity schemes have slowed down in recent months, he added. After touching a lifetime high of 9,119.20 in March 2015, the 50-share NSE Nifty drifted lower amidst concerns regarding global growth slowdown.
Mumbai: Days after Rustoms release, Akshay Kumar announced his next project Crack with Neeraj Pandey. The actor has joined hands with Neeraj for the fourth time (Special 26, Baby and 'Rustom) and the film will hit the theatres on Independence Day, 2017.

Now, recent reports reveal that the film will most likely face a clash with Shah Rukh Khans next which is being directed by Imtiaz Ali in Prague. The filmmaker is looking to release his untitled film on the same holiday week in August 2017.

If the plan falls into place, after Mohenjo Daro, Akshay Kumars film will yet again face a clash at the box as his Crack will go up against SRK and Anushkas next.

This isn't the first time that Shah Rukh and Akshay's film are at it with each other. Earlier, Chennai Express and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai Dobaara faced a clash but after a lot of meetings and discussion, it was averted.

However, Akshay's Shirish Kunder directed 'Jaan-E-Mann', co-starring Salman Khan, a sequel to the hit 'Mujhse Shaadi Karogi', had clashed with Farhan Akhtar's SRK starrer 'Don' remake during Diwali, 2006, to disastrous effects, with the latter completely overshadowing the former at the box-office.

In Imtiaz Alis next, Shah Rukh Khan plays the role of a tourist guy in the film. While taking a group on an European tour, SRK meets Anushka Sharma and the two fall in love. The actress plays the role of a Gujarati chokri.
Mumbai: Last week on August 24, Kangana Ranaut flew off to US to start the work on Hansal Mehtas next 'Simran', where we will see the actress play a Gujarati girl. Without wasting any time, the actress started attending workshops in Atlanta and studying her character for 'Simran', which is the story of an ambitious girl and how she gets addicted to the world of crime.

Reportedly, the actress plays the role of a housekeeper in the film. Kanganas sister Rangoli took to her official Twitter account and gave fans a sneak peek by posting pictures from the workshop. Produced by Bhushan Kumar and Shailesh Singh, 'Simran' will be shot across US and will most likely go on floors in September.

Once again, her character will have a strong accent, like it did in Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Queen, and is possibly the most challenging for her in that sense. Before 'Simran', we'll see Kangana sharing silver screen with Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor in 'Rangoon'.

Meanwhile, at a recent event, Kangana confirmed that she is in talks with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for his next, which will most likely star Shah Rukh Khan.
Mumbai: Dabangg star Sonakshi Sinha had an hilarious experience on a flight with a pilots announcement. Sonakshi, who was flying to Lucknow from Mumbai to promote her upcoming action drama film 'Akira', trolled the pilot for his verbal blunder.

Sonakshi Sinha took to her official Snapchat account where she depicted the entire story in a video. Sona explained how just when her flight landed in Lucknow, the captain said 'station' instead of saying hawai adda (airport ). This small blunder caught Sonakshi's attention and she couldn't help but share the story with her fans.

@Regrann from @sonakshisinha.fanclub - Cutie pie  @aslisona #sonakshisinha #bollywood #Regrann A video posted by Sonakshi fan  (@asslisona) on Aug 26, 2016 at 9:49am PDT

With a sly look on her face, Sonakshi mocked the pilot, while her make-up man Neelesh, had another theory to make the story funnier. After the actress explained the story, she panned the camera to Neelesh, who said, Kyu wo pehle TC tha train me (he must have been a TC in a train)" in a good humor.
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Endrtimes does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article/video posted on this site. The information provided here is done so for personal edification; It's up to the reader to separate truth from error, and to examine everything (like the Bereans) from a Biblical perspective. Let the Holy Scriptures be you guide! - - - FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages/videos may contain copyrighted () material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, POLITICAL, HUMAN RIGHTS, economic, DEMOCRACY, scientific, MORAL, ETHICAL, and SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes.
Science shows when it comes to your metabolism, turning food into energy or fat  it doesnt make any difference when you eat, just how much.

It turns out youve probably been eating completely wrong since about the age of two. Three meals a day is good, snacking is bad. Right? This routine we all take for granted not only isnt particularly good for you, it could actually be making you ill.

The reason we aim for three meals a day originates from at least as far back as the middle ages. Speaking to Mother Jones, historian Abigail Carroll explained that when Europeans got to America, they saw native tribes eating much more flexibly, depending on how much food was available. Explaining their thinking, she said: Civilised people ate properly and boundaried their eating, thus differentiating themselves from the animal kingdom, where grazing is the norm.

Europeans took that as evidence for being civilised. But theres just one major problem; its not.

As the Europeans become richer, they added more calories to their meals, while doing less and less exercise. And science shows when it comes to your metabolism  turning food into energy or fat  it doesnt make any difference when you eat, just how much. A 2010 study published in the British Journal of Nutrition had one group eat three meals a day, the other six (total calories consumed were the same). Researchers found no weight differences at all. In fact, fasting from time to time could be much better for you. Tests suggest it may help prevent heart disease and could ward off damage from ageing and environmental toxins. So is it time to ditch breakfast, lunch and dinner? You could definitely try it, so long as youre eating no more than your normal intake. The revolutionary idea of eating when youre hungry could be the way forward. Maybe Native Americans werent so wrong after all.

Source: www.indy100.independent.co.uk
Cases of sexual assault have seen an alarming rise as efforts are being made to curb crimes against women, but some cases can turn out to be mind boggling when its difficult to decide if a person acquitted by court is actually guilty or not.

Such is the case of 45-year-old John ONeil from York, UK, whose life has been turned upside down after he was tried for rape and was described by the judge as a very dangerous individual.

The father of two was leading a happy life with his own house in York along with his long term partner and two daughters, in 2007 his partner left him and went to the US with their daughters, but this setback was only the beginning of ONeils troubles.

Today he is jobless and lives all alone in a tent outside the city, as he roams around in a mall to kill time. In public view, ONeil is a sexual predator and he cannot work since any computer he works on is up for inspection by the police.

ONeil, who claims he is a victim of a conspiracy by a former girlfriend and the police, cannot have an intimate relationship since he has to inform the police 24 hours before having sex, along with details and address of the woman, so that they can warn her in advance.

While the jury acquitted ONeil in a retrial for a rape case filed against him, the judge called him a manipulative and narcissistic person and told the prosecutor to, Inform the authorities although this man has been acquitted it is my judgment he is a very dangerous individual.

The magistrate later issued a Sexual Risk Order against ONeil, banning him from even deleting his browser history, while he claims that he was just indulging in light Sadomasochism, similar to what was described in 50 Shades Of Grey.

The female friend who filed a complaint against him said that one night ONeil turned up at her house and described how he tortured and raped a woman before hanging her to death, burned his mother and forced another woman to re-enact a rape she had suffered.

She claims that he then raped her as he seemed like a monster, while ONeil described it as consensual sex. While he might have been acquitted in a retrial, the jury in the first hearing was unable to reach a judgment.

ONeils life post the end of his family life in 2007 also raises questions. He enrolled for an English Literature course at York St John University, where he met and became engaged with a Japanese student, who went back and found out she was pregnant.

She terminated her pregnancy against ONeils wish, and the abortion created health issues for her. As ONeil paid for her treatment, he was left penniless and had to drop out.

As ONeil slipped into depression and started sleeping rough, he met a woman who was a member of a fetish society, and allegedly introduced him to S&M, as they even indulged in role plays which involved ONeil pretending to rape her. He claimed it helped drown the pain and acted as an outlet for both, since both of them had lost a child and were in an emotional hell.

While the judge mentioned in court that, 'I have become increasingly concerned with Mr O'Neill during the course of the day. I found him to be a vain, manipulative, grand-standing individual.'

To this ONeil told Daily Mail that, People in authority don't like me, I am an arrogant p***k. Every judge has taken an instant dislike. You are supposed to kiss a** when there is a judge in the room, and even when I am scared stiff I don't seem that way.

Although ONeil has appealed against the order which her describes as draconian, its not clear if he is actually a risk to the society due to his state of mind, or if he has been denied the right to lead a normal life.
The ATM that was cut open using a gas cutter, at the Melmanavur village in the Chennai-Bengaluru highway on Saturday. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: As if to prove that money stored in ATM chests is not safe, a gang broke open an ATM on Chennai-Bengaluru highway at Melmanavur village in Vellore district early Saturday morning using a gas cutter and escaped with nearly Rs 6 lakh.

Though there were so many unsuccessful attempts  including bombing in and around Chennai to break open ATM  it looks like in the latest incident robbers proved ATMs are vulnerable to gas cutters.

It was only on Saturday morning some local people reported the incident to the Virinjipuram police station. A police team headed by a deputy superintendent of police found the ATM chest empty and that the robbers had used gas cutters to open the heavy metal kiosk. The intruders had changed the direction of camera as soon as they had entered the cabin. Then they had used the cutter and emptied the machine. Only on Friday, the machine was refilled," police sources said. Though it is a 24-hour ATM belonging to a private bank there was no guard for it, police said.

A sniffer dog, brought to the scene, could not zero in on anybody. Police believe that the robbers had watched the ATM operation for some days and could have decided to strike on Friday night because cash was refilled earlier in the day.

In another incident, two persons tried to break open a bank ATM at RK Pet near Tiruttani in neighbouring Tiruvallur district on Saturday early morning. They had damaged the camera and was trying to break open the ATM when people in the locality became suspicious and alerted police. The criminals escaped before police reached the spot.
The customs and DRI officials at Chennai and Tiruchy airports booked all the four passengers.

Chennai: Four people were detained by customs and DRI officials from Chennai and Tiruchy airports with foreign currencies valued Rs 1.32 crore while they trying to smuggle out suspected hawala money on Saturday morning to Singapore.

Three passengers travelling with Singapore tourist visa in Jet Airways flight to Singapore from Chennai were found carrying Rs 42 lakh worth foreign currency hidden in folded clothes in their baggage. There were bundles of US dollars, Euro and Saudi Riyals, airport sources said.

Meanwhile, DRI sleuths caught another passenger in Tiruchy airport who was to fly to Singapore early Saturday morning in IA express Chennai Tiruchy Singapore flight.

A press release said the DRI had identified the suspect passenger sitting at the aircraft and followed him when the flight landed at Tiruchy airport. When examined two hand luggage carried by the suspect passenger, it was found that foreign currency bundles, worth Rs 92 lakh, were kept meticulously concealed inside the bottom portion of two stroller bags. The customs and DRI officials at Chennai and Tiruchy airports booked all the four passengers.
Mangaluru: Students in Mangaluru launched a protest on Saturday in front of Srinivas College of Pharmacy, Valachil campus, which barred first year Muslim girls from wearing hijab or headscarves and boys from sporting long beards in classes.

According to reports, parents and Popular Front of India (PFI) activists also joined the students in their protest. As the protesters alleged the college authorities were attempting to restrain religious rights by imposing the ban, the representatives of the institutes management sought two-week's time to come up with a solution.

Meanwhile, vice-president of Srinivas Group of Colleges A. Srinivas Rao said headscarves were banned on campus to maintain a "uniform dress code, while its director said the first year students and their parents were at the time of the admission informed that hijab will not be allowed in classes.

"We have a uniform in our college. Second, third and fourth year students are following this. Present education year also we mentioned the same rules and regulations to students by the time of admission. But now, first year students are opposing it. We have already discussed with parents that, we are not allowing head scarf. Parents agreed at the time of admission, but now they are protesting. We will solve this issue within 15 days," the director said.
Hyderabad: The Telangana state government is on a loan mobilisation spree right at the beginning of the new financial year. It has approached the Reserve Bank of India for the purpose and secured approval to raise Rs 4,000 crore through auction of bonds in the first quarter (April-June).

The state government is under pressure to raise funds for irrigation projects, water grid, 2BHK housing and other schemes. The RBI has lined up auction of bonds in four phases to raise Rs 4,000 crore with Rs 1,000 crore in each phase.

The auction will be conducted on April 18, April 26, May 10 and June 14.

The state government had presented a Rs 1.30 lakh crore budget for the year which mentioned that the state would need to borrow Rs23,467 crore.

The Centre had recently relaxed fiscal responsibility norms for the state by allowing it to secure loans up to 3.5 per cent of the gross state domestic product against 3 per cent earlier. This followed recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission which categorised Telangana as a revenue-surplus state along with Gujarat.

This has enabled the TS government to secure an additional Rs 3,500 crore loans this year. The government wants to utilise this opportunity to the maximum and meet 100 per cent targets on loans this year to ensure that there is no dearth of funds for its flagship programmes.

The finance department has devised a strategy to meet 100 per cent loan targets this year. Auction of bonds through RBI will remain the major source of loan mobilisation. For this reason, we have approached the RBI well in advance and secured approval to raise `4,000 crore through sale of bonds within three months, said a finance official.

Apart from budgetary provision of Rs 23,467 crore loan, the TS government has also stepped up efforts to secure loans from World Bank, Japan International Coopera-tion Agency, BRICS Bank, China and Rabobank, Netherlands.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao took up a massive redesigning of irrigation projects which will involve spending of over Rs 1 lakh crore in four years for which Rs 25,000 crore is being allotted every year starting this year. With almost half of the plan expenditure in the budget allotted for irrigation projects, the government has became heavily dependent on loans.
Air India would soon start operating on the Pacific region route to San Francisco. (Photo: AP)

New Delhi: Saving significant fuel costs and time, Air India will soon start flying over the Pacific Ocean region for its lucrative direct services to San Francisco from here with aviation regulator DGCA approving the new route.

The regulatory nod comes as a boost for the national carrier, which would be doubling the frequency of its Delhi-San Francisco direct flights to six per week from November.

Air India would also be the first Indian carrier to operate on the Pacific region route where weather conditions and speed of winds would help the airline in reducing fuel burn and the overall journey time.

Officials said the route would be a "win-win situation" for the carrier as well as passengers as it would save crores of rupees worth of fuel costs and also reduce the flying time by up to three hours.

Approving the request from Air India for services through the new route, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a detailed operational circular.

Some years ago, Jet Airways used to have Mumbai-Shanghai- San Francisco connection service which was stopped.

A senior DGCA official said using the new route would help in saving a lot of fuel as well as time.

In the new route, Air India would fly eastwards to reach San Francisco by crossing the vast Pacific Ocean.

Even though the route would be almost 1,400 km more compared to the current trajectory where the flight flies over the Atlantic, there would be significant saving on fuel and journey time due to powerful tailwinds.

"The Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, used on the Delhi-San Francisco route by Air India will get only strong tailwinds on its eastward journey and cut flying time by up to three hours," a senior pilot said.

According to the pilot, the plane, on an average, burns 9,600 litres fuel for each hour of flying.

"Reducing the flying time to SFO from an hour in summer to three hours in winter (due to high tailwinds then) will mean huge fuel saving. So it will be a win-win for fliers and the airline as passengers will reach San Francisco faster while the airline will burn less fuel," he said.

Explaining how the aircraft would fly faster, the pilot said earth rotates from west to east and winds also flow in that direction.

So, flying west means facing strong headwinds (that decreases an aircraft's actual ground speed and more fuel is spent), while flying east means getting strong tailwinds which raises the speed and lessens fuel consumption, he added.
Sri Sri tweeted, Muzaffar Wani, the father of Burhan Wani was in the ashram for the last 2 days. We discussed several issues.

Srinagar: Slain Hizb-ul-Mujahedin commander Burhan Wanis father Muzaffar Ahmed Wani has said that he was in Bengaluru recently for a medical check-up and chose to stay at Sri Sri Ravi Shankars ashram to ensure his safety. He strongly denied his trip was part of any Track-II dialogue on Kashmir.

Spiritual guru and the Art of Living founder Ravi Shankar, commonly known as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, on Saturday evening disclosed that Mr. Wani spent two days at his ashram in Bengaluru. He tweeted, Muzaffar Wani, the father of Burhan Wani was in the ashram for the last 2 days. We discussed several issues.

Mr. Wani who is now back in Kashmir told reporters that he had gone to Bengaluru for treatment at the Sri Sri Rama (Ayurvedic) Hospital. He said, I had sought an appointment with the hospital three months back but could not go there in the holy month of Ramadan and then because of the death of my son Burhan Wani. Finally when I went there I preferred to spend time in the Sri Sri ashram than in the hospital just to ensure safety to my person. It was for security reasons and not part of any Track-II diplomacy.

He said his meeting with Sri Sri was purely coincidental. He said, I just had had an opportunity to talk to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in the Ashram. It was purely coincidental. He had offered condolences on Burhans death on the very first day. I made it clear to him that the Indian national media is not portraying the real picture of Kashmir before the people of India as the current phase of struggle is non-violent and not part of the armed struggle in Kashmir.

He also said, Sri Sri asked me to suggest something for restoration of peace in Kashmir. Just in my individual capacity I asked him if he could impress upon the Indian government to initiate a multilateral dialogue with Pakistan, Hurriyat Conference and the representatives of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh regions of the Jammu & Kashmir State.

The Art of Living had earlier in a statement clarified that Mr. Wani was in the ashram for two days that he and Sri Sri discussed about the current situation, about the suffering and how peace and normalcy can be restored in the Valley. It also said that it was purely on a personal and humanitarian angle."

Muzaffar Wani is the principal at a government higher secondary school and lives in Sharifabad village of Tral area of Jammu and Kashmirs southern Pulwama district. One of his three sons Khalid Muzaffar Wani was killed by the Army when he had along with three friends gone to meet his brother Burhan in the woods of Tral on April 13, 2015.

Burhan, the Internet-savvy poster boy of the Hizb, was along with two other militants killed by a joint party of Armys Rashtriya Rifles and J&K polices counterinsurgency Special Operations Group (SOG) in Kokernag area of Anantnag district on July 8 this year. His killing triggered a new wave of massive protests and violence in the Valley in which more than 70 people have died, so far.

Burhans two other siblings are Maimoona Muzaffar, a postgraduate of science who teaches the Quran in her village, and Naveed Alam, a student.

Meanwhile, there have been fresh protests in parts of the Valley even as curfew was lifted from southern Anantnag town and major areas of Srinagar from Sunday morning following improvement in situation.

A statement issued by the police here said that three incidents of stone pelting were reported from Sangam, and Ashajipora in Anantnag and Nadigam in neighbouring Shopian district. Barring these three incidents of stone pelting, overall situation remained peaceful and under control across the valley till filing of this report, it said. It added that restrictions under Section 144 CrPC remained in force in the Valley whereas curfew was in force in three police stations areas of Srinagar and in the towns of Pampore and Pulwama.

Reports received here said that despite incessant rains protests were held in Bandipora and Rajpora areas.
Air India officials claimed that there was a safe distance between the aircraft and the SpiceJet bus. (Representational Image/ PTI)

New Delhi: Thirty passengers aboard a stationary SpiceJet bus at Jabalpur airport had the fright of their lives on Saturday when an Air India aircraft seemed to be heading straight for them.

Panicking, the passengers jumped off the bus only for the Air India planes wing to pass very close to the bus without hitting it, said a report.

The passengers had arrived in Jabalpur from Delhi in a flight which was to proceed to Mumbai.

Following the incident, the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a warning to Air India. The report says that the ATR-72 aircraft was allegedly not being marshalled to the parking bay by a trained personnel but a helper, thus nearly causing an accident.

Also, Dumna airport director Ramtanu Saha was quoted as saying that SpiceJet had lodged a complaint which is being probed and the report would be sent to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He said that as per protocol, AI pilots should have reported the matter to ATC officials.

But Air India officials claimed that there was a safe distance between the aircraft and the SpiceJet bus. They alleged that after parking the SpiceJet captain got physically abusive with the AI technician.

DGCA on the other hand feels prima facie the fault may have been of AI. DGCA chief BS Bhullar has sent his observations in this regard to Air India top management, said the report, while the probe is still on.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmirs ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had on Saturday made a fervent appeal to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani to consider Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti his daughter and give her a chance to serve the people of the state.

The octogenarian leader reacted to PDPs appeal after almost a day and asked Mufti to give up playing the role of a "collaborator" and join the peoples' "movement" in Jammu and Kashmir.

Weve three-prong relations with her and these are human, national and religious. But she has utterly failed to uphold any of these, he said in a statement here on Sunday.

Humanity teaches us to respect and honour the human beings irrespective of their caste, creed or culture but she by her barbaric armed forces and uncontrolled police has turned this heavenly land into the hell, he elaborated, adding, Here, every house is mourning the demise of their loved ones, thereby tarnishing the very fabric of this honourable and pious relation.

Speaking on national and milli (Islamic community) relations, Geelani said these demand her to be on the part of her people and join their just struggle, but she has been competing in killing and maiming her own people for the petty power and to please her masters.

On religious association with the Chief Minister, Geelani said that the killing of eight CRPF jawans in a militant ambush at Pampore on June 25 this year brought shame on her Muslim identity but daily ruthless killings of our youths fail to appeal her conscience to feel sorry for being an Indian collaborator.

Reacting to the attack on CRPF jawans, Mufti had said she was ashamed as a Muslim.

A spokesperson of Geelanis Hurriyat Conference also reacted on PDPs plea that he should treat Mufti as his daughter, and said, Geelani Sahib is the leader of this nation and he treats every woman as his daughter but how is this daughter who feels happy to confine her fatherly figure in his house for years together but doesnt hesitate to emotionally blackmail him to call for his help whenever her position is threatened.

As a father, Geelani advised the daughter not to ruin her hereafter for the comfort and luxury of those who kill and destroy us, the spokesperson added.

The PDP had on Saturday also requested the key separatist leader to cooperate with Mufti in bringing about peace in the Valley. We appeal Geelani Sahib to cooperate and give Mufti the opportunity that she deserves. He must think of her as his daughter, who also happens to be the first Kashmiri Muslim woman to lead our State, PDP chief spokesman Dr. Mehboob Beg said in a statement.

She is not the conventional politician that we deal with most of the times. In case she does not bring about a change, she will be the first to own up and make way. I appeal to Geelani Sahib to give her a chance. She understands the pain and pulse of the people as she has risen from the grass roots, he said.

Beg appreciated the Chief Ministers statement after her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier during the day and in which she appealed to the protestors back home to give her a chance.

It is only fair that she is given a chance, it is not that she is asking for the moon. We must give her a chance to address our grievances as we have done with leaders in the past, Beg said.

He added that it would be fair that we give her a chance that she thoroughly deserves as the Chief Minister of the State, who has risen from the grass roots.
Miroslav Lajcak is hoping to get Egypt's support for his bid for the top UN position

Slovakian Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak arrived in Cairo on Saturday for a visit that he hopes will shore up support for his bid for UN secretary-general, MENA agency reported.

Lajcak will meet with Egyptian officials, including Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, seeking Egypt's support for his bid for the UN's top job.

The Slovakian foreign minister will also discuss bilateral relations with Shoukry.

The elections to choose the ninth UN general-secretary will be held later this year as current UN general-secretary Ban Ki-moon is going to conclude his term on 31 December.

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29-year-old Anmol Ratan was expelled from AISA after being accused of rape. (Photo: YouTube screenshot)

New Delhi: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has suspended a PhD scholar who has been accused of rape by a fellow student, and declared the campus out of bounds for him pending an enquiry, a decision which comes following protests from students and teachers.

A 28-year-old research student has alleged that a fellow student, Anmol Ratan, raped her after offering her a spiked drink in his hostel room in the university on August 20.

Ratan, an activist of the left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA), has also been expelled from the student outfit and police have booked him.

While he evaded arrest at first, Ratan subsequently surrendered on August 24 and was sent to 14 days in judicial custody.

"Considering the seriousness of the case and in conformity with zero tolerance against sexual assault on women, Anmol Ratan is suspended from the university with immediate effect during pendency of the case," the suspension order read.

"The entire JNU campus shall remain out of bounds for Ratan during his suspension. Anyone found giving shelter to Ratan in any hostel residence in the campus shall invite disciplinary action against him or her," it added.

The action came after the students and teachers staged protests demanding action against Ratan to ensure safety of women on the campus and send out a strong message of intolerance towards such incidents.

University administration, has also asked the Gender Sensitization Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH), to investigate the matter.

GSCASH is the university's panel to deal with complaintsof such nature.

The rape case has become a centre of political agenda setting at JNU campus where student union polls are scheduled to be held in the next fortnight.

Student wings of various political parties are trying to encash the issue ahead of the keenly contested polls.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will honour civil servants of both the Centre and states for excellence in implementing NDA government's priority programmes like 'Start Up India/Stand Up India,' among others.

Five priority programmes  Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Start Up India/ Stand Up India and e-National Agriculture Market (National e-Mandi)  have been chosen for this purpose by the Personnel Ministry.

The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana is for extending the coverage of irrigation and improving water use efficiency for agriculture and the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana aims at rural electrification.

The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana provides crop insurance and the Start Up India/Stand Up India is for fostering entrepreneurship.

The e-National Agriculture Market is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing Agricultural Produce Market Committee mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities.

Selected bureaucrats will get the Prime Minister's awards on April 21, observed as Civil Services Day, for their contribution to effective implementation of these schemes, the Ministry said.

In addition to this, the awards shall also be given to organisations of central or state governments and districts for innovations in environment conservation, disaster management, water conservation, energy, education and health, women and child centric initiatives etc, it said.

The awarded district or organisation will be given an incentive of Rs. 10 lakh which would be utilised for implementation of project or bridging resource gaps in any area of public welfare.

The Centre gives away "Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration" annually to acknowledge and reward the extraordinary and innovative works done by civil servants or organisations of the central and state governments.

A two-member team of officers of central government, not below the rank of Deputy Secretary, will conduct 'on the spot study' of the implementation of priority programmes.

An expert committee chaired by Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances will consider the spot study reports and further shortlist the districts and organisations before making recommendations to the empowered committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary.

The empowered committee would then make its recommendations to the Prime Minister for final selection of awardees.
Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra alleged that the Anti-Corruption Bureau is under pressure to save former chief minister Sheila Dikshit in connection with the tanker scam. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra on Sunday alleged that the Anti Corruption Bureau's (ACB) visit to Shiela Dikshit's residence in connection with the tanker scam is a "mere formality" and the ACB is "under pressure" to save the former chief minister.

Mishra also accused BJP of "shielding" Dikshit and demanded that she be arrested in connection with the multi-crore scam.

Dikshit was on Sunday handed over a set of at least 15 questions by Delhi's ACB probing the multi-crore tanker scam, and has been asked to reply to the queries within the next few days.

A team of ACB officials visited her residence in Nizamuddin area here and gave the questionnaire on the scam.

"I am the complainant in the case. ACB had summoned me to its office and I was questioned for over four hours in presence of over a dozen officials. There was cross questioning and interrogation and I was made to sign on a statement then and there only," Mishra said in a statement.

"But on the other hand they did not call Dikshit but went to her place and did not conduct any interrogation. They stayed there for twenty minutes, had tea, handed over a list of questions and left," he added.

Mishra has been accusing BJP of "shielding" Dikshit in the alleged Rs 400-crore water tanker scam.

"This visit is a mere formality. Four separate cases of corruption are pending against Dikshit and still this kind of fear to act against her. BJP is shielding her and ACB is under pressure to save her," he added.

The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party government had in June last year constituted a fact-finding committee to probe the irregularities in procuring some 385 stainless steel water tankers by the Delhi Jal Board in 2012 when Dikshit was leading a Congress government.

The Delhi government had in June sent a report of the fact-finding committee on the scam to Lt Governor Najeeb Jung following which an FIR was registered in connection with the matter.

The ACB then had said that they would question Dikshit in connection with allegations against her relating to the scam.

Dikshit had all along been claiming that there was no corruption at all in procurement of tankers and that the allegations were "politically motivated".
New Delhi: AAP supporter and music composer Vishal Dadlani came under sharp criticism from several quarters including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his sarcastic tweet on Jain monk Tarun Sagar's address to the Haryana Assembly, following which he announced quitting "all active political work/affiliation".

Kejriwal disapproved Dadlani's remark saying that "Tarun Sagarji Maharaj is a very revered saint, not just for Jains but everyone and those showing disrespect is unfortunate and should stop", while Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain sought "kshama" from him on behalf of his music composer "friend."

Dadlani, however, maintained that he was against the use of religion in governance.

The Haryana government had invited the Jain monk, who appeared in nude, to deliver a lecture 'Kadve Vachan' in the Assembly on Friday.

After a barrage of criticism, Dadlani tendered an apology for his tweet and also deleted it.

"It feels bad that I hurt my Jain friends & my friends @ArvindKejriwal & @SatyendarJain. I hereby quit all active political work/affiliation. I apologise again, to the Jain Community, & all others offended. But I beg you all not to support religion in governance, for India's sake," Dadlani tweeted.

"I made a mistake by offending the peaceful Jain community, and I felt the only way to truly apologise, was to renounce my ego. I made a mistake, & I'm genuinely sorry. That's all," he said.

The music composer said no one, not even Kejriwal, has asked him to quit the party.

"A lot is being said against AAP because I chose to quit. Neither Arvind, nor anyone else, asked me to quit. I make my own decisions. I just want to say, AAP is a family. Please keep faith in AK (Kejriwal) & the party! Never forget how hard AK & AAP have fought for all of us.

"AAP volunteers, stay strong & fight twice as hard. With you all, in spirit," Dadlani said in a series of tweets.

"I met Shri Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj last year. Our family regularly listens to his discourses on TV. We deeply respect him and his thoughts Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj is a very revered saint, not just for Jains but everyone. Those showing disrespect is unfortunate and should stop (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted.

"I apologise for hurting feelings of Jain community by my friend @VishalDadlani. I seek kshama from Muni Shri Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj (sic)," Jain tweeted.

Dadlani is a staunch supporter of Kejriwal in the film industry and had campaigned for the party in Delhi Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

He had composed the 'Paanch Saal Kejriwal' song, which became popular during the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls.
In the past three years, nearly four fishermen had died in Pakistani jails due to alleged negligence by the authorities. (Representational Image)

Vadodara: Worried over the health conditions of their spouses languishing in Pakistan jails, the wives of three Indian fishermen have requested to be granted visa to visit their husbands.

The three women - Gangaben, wife of Bhagwan Solanki from Tad village in Gir Somnath district; Amritaben, wife of Amritlal Vaishya from Wanakbara of Union Territory of Diu, and Vanitaben, wife of Dipakbhai Bamania from Kotda village in Gir Somnath - have written a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his help in getting them visa on humanitarian grounds to go to Pakistan.

In the letter signed by the three women, they have pleaded with the PM to take up the issue with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and request him to grant visas to them so that they can visit their husbands and enquire about their health.

The women alleged in the letter that the Pakistani authorities were not providing proper medical treatment to their spouses because of which their health condition was deteriorating in the jails where they are lodged.

In the past three years, nearly four fishermen had died in Pakistani jails due to alleged negligence by the authorities.

"So, we are worried about the health condition of our husbands," the women said in the letter.



Gangaben mentioned in the letter that her husband Bhagvanbhai Solanki was severely ill for more than a year which she learnt from other fishermen released from Pakistani jail in March this year.



She alleged that the Pakistani authorities had not communicated to her about her husband's deteriorating health which makes it obvious that they were hiding something.



Besides, the two other women alleged they had been dispatching medicines in registered covers to their ailing husbands which were never delivered to them.



Meanwhile, Gujarat Fishermen Association's senior vice president Veljibhai Masani told PTI that 70 women, including the three who have written the letter, met him in Magrol town of Gir Somnath today, requesting him to take up their issue with the Prime Minister.



The women also requested Masani to facilitate their meeting with the PM when he comes to Jamnagar on August 30.
Hyderabad: Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan for the first time came out with a clear roadmap on the special category status at his Saturdays Tirupati meet, speaking of a political agitation for special category status. But with no organisational structure, political pundits are skeptical about his dreams of emerging as a full-time political force in Andhra Pradesh.

Pawan Kalyan, who founded the Jana Sena in March 2014 in the run-up to the general elections, has been branded a hit-and-run politician as he emerges from political hibernation once every few months with a tweet, a press conference or a public appearance and then disappears.

The Jana Sena in a press release on Sunday clarified that the statements being circulated in the name of party representatives were the views of individuals and not that of the party. It admitted that the party organisational structure was yet to be finalised.

Two-and-a-half years after its formation, the Jana Sena said in the note on a letterhead that the party did not have a structure and no official spokesperson had been appointed. Views being expressed in the media in the name of Jana Sena spokesperson are not that of the party, it said.

BJP spokesperson K Anjaneya Reddy said, Pawan Kalyan appears to have learnt a lesson from the debacle of his brother Chiranjeevi, who plunged into politics directly from films. Pawan has taken up the sentimental issue of special category status to build his political career. He was infamous for hit-and-run politics as was evident during the Amaravati land agitation. A ramp was built and he had a filmy interaction with the farmers. At Tirupati too, he was alone on the stage.

The BJP leader said that Pawan may end up as a failure as no leader from other parties would join him if he tried to be the supremo. For the first tour, he may pull crowds but for the second time he will definitely fall flat. We are asking him to enter politics full time and not be a showman, he said. CPI leader K. Narayana demanded that Pawan Kalyan enter politics and work for the people.
The GHMC has said a special council meeting will be held on August 30 to nominate eligible ward committee members.

Hyderabad: Six months after promises were made to include representation of resident welfare associations and accept civil society members as ward committee members, the promises have gone down the drain.

It is learnt that corporators have convinced the GHMC to accommodate their followers as members of ward committees and area sabhas.

While calling for applications, candidates were asked to apply directly to GHMC. But now the Mayor has also asked corporators from 150 divisions to submit the list of nominees within a week. Only those nominated by the corporators would be accommodated.

Alwal RWA secretary G V Rao who submitted his application to be a ward member, said that civil society members took a decision at a meeting that if there were more than 10 people applying for an area sabha or ward committee, there should be elections for the same.

Every committee should have a social activist, an educationist and people with knowledge of engineering and planning. In the present scenario of nominations by corporators, the legality of such a sabha or committee is null and void. Any court can set aside such nominations, he said.

According to Mr K. Srinivas Kumar from Bowenpally, there was another legal impediment to such nominations. As per Rule 3 (1) issued in G.O.Ms.No.58 MA, a ward committee shall be constituted for each ward within three months from the date of first meeting of the municipal council. The courts will decide if a committee constituted beyond the mandatory three months is legal or not.

GHMC elections to 150 divisions were held in February.

RWAs asked minister K.T. Rama Rao, the Mayor and the GHMC commissioner to constitute area sabhas and ward committees. Civil society members also proposed that instead of filling up these sabhas and committees with political followers of corporators, active members of civic society should be accommodated in such bodies.

The GHMC has said a special council meeting will be held on August 30 to nominate eligible ward committee members.
Bengaluru/Hubballi: A 13-year-old girl student from National Public School, Rajajinagar, who had gone missing since August 24, was traced in a train heading to Bengaluru from Mumbai at the Hubballi Railway Station on Sunday morning. The story of M.K. Pujitha, an eighth standard student, had gone viral on the social media sites after she remained untraceable after boarding her school bus on August 24.

After rescuing her, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the local police asked her name and other details and crosschecked with the information and photographs provided by the Bengaluru police and it matched, said a senior police officer.

She told the police that on August 24, she had taken Rs 600 from her mother claiming that she was taking part in a cultural event at school and had also brought a pair of old clothes with her.

The moment she got down from the school bus, she went to the Yeshwanthapur railway station and boarded a train to Mysuru. She took another train to Ahmedabad the same night. After reaching Ahmedabad, she enquired with the local train ticket examiner (TTE) about details of trains to return to Bengaluru.

He advised her to go to Mumbai and take a direct train to Bengaluru. He realised that it was the same girl who had gone missing and whose story had gone viral on the social media only after she boarded the train.

He immediately informed her relatives in Hubballi, whose phone numbers were widely circulated in the networking sites. Her relatives acted swiftly and approached the Railway Protection Force in Hubballi.

The Hubballi RPF personnel swung into action and conducted a thorough search of all the compartments of all Bengaluru-bound trains coming from Mumbai. Finally, she was traced in the S1 compartment of Dadar-Tirunelveli train (No. 11021) on Sunday morning.

The girl admitted that she was depressed after scoring 18 out of 30 in her test and wanted to run away from home. The girl said that she wants to become an IAS officer and that she is fond of traveling, Hubballi Railway Protection Force inspector Akhilesh Tiwari told Deccan Chronicle. Her parents had filed missing complaint at the Srirampura police station.
New Delhi: Seeking to strike a chord with the people of Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent out a message of ekta (unity) and mamata (love) to them on Sunday, saying that these are the mantras for addressing the Kashmir problem, while he severely reprimanded all those who were pushing innocent young people into violence and pelting stones, saying these people would have to answer for this some day.

In his monthly radio broadcast Mann Ki Baat, Mr Modi said that if any life was lost in the Valley, whether of any youth or any securityman, that loss is ours, of our own, of our own country. Speaking on the unrest in the Valley, he said: From the interactions I had with all parties on Kashmir, one thing emerged from those, which can be put in simple words  as ekta and mamata. These two things are the basic mantra. He said all political parties had spoken in one voice on Kashmir, sending out a message to the world, as well as the separatist forces, and conveying our sentiments to the people of Kashmir.

Why curfew for 51 days? Opposition

The Opposition parties like the Congress and the JD(U), however, picked holes in Mr Modis remarks during this Mann Ki Baat broadcast, asking why the government was not able to lift the curfew in Kashmir yet if only five per cent of the people were involved in creating trouble.

If PM believes that only five per cent of the people are creating trouble, then why are the Central and state governments not able to contain it? Why is the curfew on for 51 days? Congress leader Manish Tewari asked on Twitter. He also asked Mr Modi to hear the Mann ki Baat of the Kashmiri people... rather than (hold) a one-way monologue.

On J&K, Congress chief spokesman Randeep Surjewala said the people of the country wanted a lasting peace in Kashmir, but the statement of J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti does not prove it so. Janata Dal (United) leader K.C. Tyagi said: Every political party supports the PM if any initiative is taken. He tried to normalise the relationship with Pakistan. Tell me the name of one political party that opposed him. He has not done anything ... to ensure peace in Kashmir.
New Delhi: Amid Prime Minister Narendra Modis overtures to people of PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan, the government is all set to announce a Rs 2,000 crore package for displaced people of Pakistan occupied Kashmir living in the country. The home ministry is expected to place the details of the package before the Union Cabinet for approval soon, a senior official said.

The government is also working on a two-pronged strategy in a bid to contain the damage caused by sustained turbulence in the Kashmir Valley by putting in place a slew of financial measures over the next few days that would not only target refugees from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) but also put development, with special focus on employment generation for the youth, on the fast track.

In addition, the home ministry has also expedited the process of releasing the majority of funds as part of the whopping Rs 80,000 crore development package announced for the state by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. These issues, sources said, were also discussed at a high level security review meeting chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday along with BJP chief Amit Shah, finance minister Arun Jaitley and minister of state in PMO Jitendra Singh.

The home ministry along with the J&K government is working out the details for a comprehensive proposal. As of now 36,348 displaced families from PoK, Gilgit and Baltistan have been identified for distribution.
A criminal court ordered on Sunday the release of journalist Amr Badr on EGP 5,000 bail pending investigation, lawyer Khaled Ali announced on his official Twitter account.

Badr has been facing charges of spreading false news, inciting the public, and plotting to overthrow the regime.

The accusations are linked to articles published on the government's April deal with Saudi Arabia to transfer the authority of the two Red Sea islands of Tiran and Sanafir to the kingdom.

Badr, editor-in-chief and founder of Yanair (January) website, and journalist Mahmoud El-Sakka, who works for the same website, were arrested at the Press Syndicate headquarters in late April as they were staging a sit-in to protest against their arrest warrants as well as the storming of their homes by security forces.

Badr and El-Sakka are veterans of both the 2011 revolution that toppled longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak and the Tamarod movement that spearheaded demonstrations to oust Mubarak's successor, Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, in 2013.

El-Sakka is due back in court for a renewal of detention hearing on 7 September.

Their arrest in the union's headquarters caused an uproar amongst journalists and activists.

The journalists' union charged that police storming of the union's headquarters broke press law that mandates that the police must obtain the approval of the general prosecution before entering the premises of the union, and can only do so in the presence of the head of the union.

The interior ministry has denied its actions broke the law, arguing that officers followed all legal procedures while carrying out the arrests and they had secured the approval of the prosecution prior to entering the union headquarters.

Lawyer Khaled Ali told Ahram Online that other than El-Sakka, at least ten activists in Cairo - and several others from different governorates - out of several hundreds who were arrested in relation to demonstrations against the government's island deals are still detained.

The Street Children (Atfal Shaware) band members, arrested for a video released in protest at the deal, also remain in detention.

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Community members say reservations are critical to addressing the systemic inequalities in society. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016, which has been approved by the Cabinet, has not gone down well with the trans community in Hyderabad.

The Bill has ignored important parts of the landmark Supreme Court ruling in the National Legal Services Authority (Nalsa) vs. Union of India case, including reservation for transgenders.

While the SC had recognised the need for reservation for transgenders and had directed the government to include them in the OBC category, the Bill has ignored it, members of the trans community and legal experts complained.

Community members say reservations are critical to addressing the systemic inequalities in society. OBC leaders have opposed the SC ruling and the demands of the trans community in matters of reservation.

Backward Classes Welfare Association president and LB Nagar Telugu Desam legislator R. Krishnaiah said they would oppose the governments move to add one more section of the society in the OBC category.

At present, existing members of the OBC community do not get their fair share of opportunities due to the large population. Adding one more section to the category will worsen the situation. Also, OBC category is not a shelter home that can accommodate every deprived section. Why doesnt the government make a separate reservation for the trans community to give them full benefit? he said.

In the Nalsa ruling, the SC had issued directions to the Central and the state governments, which included treating transgender persons as socially and educationally backward classes of citizens and extending reservations in public education and employment.

Prominent lawyer Kranti L. Chinnappa from Human Rights Law Network said that the governments intention was to water down the direction of the SC by formulating such a Bill.

The trans community members, pointing out other flaws, claimed that it does not adequately address means for prevention against violence.

Call to endorse and certify

According to the trans community members and experts, the government must not go for body examination to determine the gender or issue a certificate.

If a person wants a particular caste certificate, the government body takes endorsement from community organisations and NGOs of that caste. The trans community should be give similar choice, said TISS student Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli.

The community members say that the organisations and NGOs working for the trans community should be given the power to nominate a person to get the certificate from government.
Mumbai: A Congress corporator on Friday blamed the dressing style of north-eastern women for sex crimes in Mumbai, while commenting on an alleged molestation of a 19-year-old Manipuri woman in suburban Santacruz last week.

Such crimes take place because some Manipuri girls do not dress properly, Brian Miranda, an elected member of municipal corporation from Kalina, reportedly said.

The woman from Manipur who works at a spa in the western suburbs was allegedly molested by an unknown person at Santacruz (East) in Kalina on August 19.

Miranda on Sunday clarified on his statement after his comment drew flak on social media and was reprimanded by Mumbai Congress unit.

I never intended to say so and my comment was misunderstood. Irrespective of whether from any part of the country, they must respect the Hindustani culture and this would serve the utmost interest of our country. I have immense respect for all castes, creed and races, the corporator said.

Senior Congress leaders asked Miranda to refrain from making such comments.

Meanwhile, the Vakola police have registered a case against an unknown person and have been scouring CCTV footages.

Police vans conduct patrolling at night in the Kalina area but after this incident we have increased the frequency of patrolling in the area, said an officer of the Vakola police station.
Chennai: Seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention to withdraw the Union environment ministry's recommendation to Kerala to build a dam across Siruvani river at Attapadi, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa on Saturday asserted that there was no intimation from the environment ministry to Tamil Nadu on the project and complained that the Expert Appraisal Committee had acted with unwarranted haste without obtaining TNs necessary comments.

The Union environment ministry, forest and climate change had not written to Tamil Nadu about the proposal or that it would be considered in the meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee to be held on August 11 and 12 this year, she said, in a letter to the PM.

The Expert Appraisal Committee has considered the subject as an additional agenda item in the meeting and recommended the grant of standard terms of reference for conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment Study to Kerala for the Attappady Valley Irrigation Project.

It is regrettable that this has been done in unwarranted haste without the subject being part of the regular agenda for the meeting and with no intimation to TN government, despite the latters earlier correspondence". In the minutes, it had been recorded that Union environment ministry had written to Tamil Nadu several times, which is factually incorrect, she said.

She opposed the recommendations of committee for river valley and hydroelectric projects in its meeting held on 11 and 12 August, this year for grant of standard terms of reference for conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study on Kerala's proposal to build a dam across Siruvani at Attappady.

The committee has decided to recommend this without obtaining the necessary comments of Tamil Nadu government in contravention of its own decision in the meeting held on March 28 and 29, this year, she said.
Chennai: The construction of a dam across Siruvani river by Kerala would turn three districts of Tamil Nadu into a desert, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi on Saturday said and asked what steps the Tamil Nadu government is going to take to stop Keralas move.

Accusing the AIADMK government of not taking measures at the appropriate time, he demanded the reasons for the delay. He asserted that Kerala government had no powers to construct Siruvani dam and its attempt is purely based on Tamil Nadus failure to oppose the project.

The Expert Appraisal Committee had recommended the Siruvani dam project blaming the Tamil Nadu government for not answering its letters on the project and the state government should have given an explanation, the DMK leader said.

The Kerala government had proposed a dam at Mukkali in Attapadi for a length of 500 metres and height of 51 metres at a cost of `900 crore, he said and added that the area of the proposed dam site gets water from Tamil Nadu. If the project is completed, Coimbatore would lose its drinking water resources and the amount of water flowing in Bhavani would get reduced, affecting irrigation in Coimbatore, Erode and Tirupur.

The livelihood of Tamil Nadu farmers is being destroyed by attempts to build a dam across Cauvery at Mekedatu by Karnataka, construction of check dams across Palar river by Andhra Pradesh government and proposal to build dam across Siruvani. But, TN government, which should briskly function at a super fast rate is complacent, he alleged.
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti, on Sunday visited Insha Malik, the 14-year-old girl from the Valleys Shopian area who has been blinded by the pellet gun use at the Eye Care Centre at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi where she is currently undergoing treatment to inquire about her welfare.

Ophthalmologists have said that the pellets ruptured her right eye and it came out and that her left eye is lacerated with zero chance of recovery. According to her parents, Malik was in the first floor of her house in Sedow village of Shopian when security forces fired pellets inside the premises on July 12 evening.

The 9th class student has since become the face of the debate over the use of pellet guns in Kashmir which has killed, maimed or blinded more than four hundred people during the seven-week-long unrest in the Valley.

In the face of severe criticism both at home and abroad, the government set up an expert committee more than a month ago to review the use of pellet gun in crowd control and suggest alternatives.

Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, who was in Srinagar earlier this month had said that the committee will submit its report to the government in about four days and that the pellet gun will soon be replaced.

Reports in a section of media has said that PAVA (Pelargonic Acid Vanillylamide) shells are being considered as a replacement for pellets in the Valley. But these are already being used here as an affidavit filed by the CRPF in Jammu and Kashmir High Court earlier this month had said that it has fired 800 shells of hot PAVA projectiles (pepper balls) between July 8 and August 11 to contain protests.

An official release issued here said that the Chief Minister while interacting with the doctors at the Safdarjung Hospital requested them to make all possible efforts to restore the eyesight of the girl. Even if she requires an eye transplant to make her see the world around again, the State Government would provide full support for the same, she told them.

The Chief Minister assured the parents of Malik that the government would ensure best possible treatment, within or even outside the country, for their daughter. The Chief Minister also visited AIIMS to enquire about the welfare of a J&K policeman, who was grievously injured during ongoing unrest and is undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Bengaluru: Urging law students to study the Constitution well, President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday asked them to be the change that they seek through participation in all matters relating to governance and the state.



"I urge all of you students of law to study our Constitution well. Understand our political system, its institutions and processes as established by the Constitution and law. Analyse the choices that were made to build the country into what it is today," he said.



Mukherjee was speaking at the 24th annual convocation of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) here.



"Be the change that you seek through participation in all matters relating to governance and the state. Choose to engage with our beautiful, complex, often difficult and sometimes noisy democracy help strengthen and refine our legal and political institutions," he said at the convocation, which was not open for the media.



According to the President's speech copy,he urged the law students to help the nation create better citizens who are able to access all opportunities offered by it and society.



He said they should recognise that intelligent choices have to be made to enable the country reach its maximum potential.



Asking them to participate in making these choices and not just be bystanders, he said they must help policy makers make the right policies and be willing to read, learn and formulate views on national issues.



"A democracy cannot be healthy without informed participation. It is not enough to merely vote periodically.It requires effective implementations," he added.



The function was attended by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, Karnataka Chief Minister Vajubhai Vala, and Chief Minister Siddaramaih, among others.



Mukherjee reminded the students that India has one of the finest Constitutions in the world and its driving principle is a compact between state and citizen, a powerful public-private partnership nourished by justice, liberty and equality.



He also said the Constitution represented a "second liberation" from the stranglehold of traditional inequality in gender, caste, community along with other fetters that had chained us for too long.



NLSIU came into existence in 1986.



The President referred to the special status enjoyed by lawyers in the country and said they have a duty to fight injustice wherever it exists.



Asking students to be brave, he said "If you are asked to pay a bribe, have the courage to refuse.If you are asked to support violence, corruption or oppression, have the courage to say no. If you fear reprisal, remember that breaking an unjust system is about making difficult choices.
Since Ajit could not pay the bribe money, he created a banner asking for help to collect money to pay the bribe. (Photo: Twitter)

Chennai: A 15-year-old boy from Tamil Nadu has shamed district administration officials in Tamil Nadu by begging in public places to pay off a bribe.

According to NDTV, trouble began when 45-year-old Kolanji of M Kunnathoor village in Villupuram district died in February last year.

His 15-year-old son Ajit had to wait for a over a year to collect a state compensation of Rs 12,500 under farmers' social security scheme. But the village administrative officer allegedly asked Ajit for a bribe of Rs 3,000 in order to pay him the compensation.

But since Ajit could not pay the money, he created a banner asking for help to collect money to pay the bribe, said the report. The banner, written in Tamil, reads that he is in no position to repay the money borrowed for his father's last rites and he has been asked to pay Rs. 3,000 as bribe by the M. Kunnathoor village administrative officer. He began to beg inside buses and other public places in order to collect the money.

An embarrassed district administration ordered a probe on Saturday. The officer, VAO Subramanian, has been relieved from his post pending inquiry. Subramanian has denied the charge of demanding a bribe.
Dehradun: Congress President Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra had a verbal spat with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ganesh Joshi at the Dehradun Airport over the death of Police Horse Shaktiman, who died after suffering injuries at a rally where he was allegedly thrashed by Joshi himself.

Speaking to ANI in Dehradun, Vadra said that when he gave a piece of his mind to Joshi over the death of the animal, he was verbally abused by the BJP MLA.

"Just took on Shaktiman killer BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi. I saw him with his entourage at the airport at Dehradun receiving some BJP MP and I told him what I thought of him. He then came towards me screaming, shouting and threatening. But I told him that if the horse can't speak then I will," he said.

BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi attacking Shaktimaan during a protest rally. (Photo: File)

Vadra further said that Joshi and his "goons" were later asked to leave the airport for creating a commotion.

On April 20th, after undergoing surgeries for over a month, Shaktiman whose hind-limb was injured during a BJP protest rally, succumbed to his injuries.

On March 14, during the protest march in Dehradun, Joshi had allegedly attacked Shaktiman, who was deployed with the mounted police. As Shaktiman moved backwards to protect himself from the blows, one of his hind limbs got tangled in a railing, resulting in a serious injury.

The limb had to be amputated and the horse had to undergo a double surgery.

Joshi was arrested on March 18 for allegedly attacking the horse and sent to 14 days' judicial custody.
The Child Welfare Committee has directed the SP as well as the local police to trace the parents of the child. (Photo: Representational Image)

Jaipur: A man pledged his newborn child with a money-lender for failing to repay a loan of Rs 20,000 in Tonk district of Rajasthan, officials said on Saturday.

The money-lender took the infant to the Child Welfare Committee which directed a children's home to take care of it.

President of the Child Welfare Committee Maya Subalka told PTI that one Kalu Ram had taken a loan of Rs 20,000 from money-lender Balu Ram.

On April 11, Kalu Ram and his wife came to Balu Ram saying they were unable to repay his loan and pledged their newborn with him.

Balu Ram produced the infant before the bench of the Child Welfare Committee on the same day and narrated the entire incident.

The bench named the infant 'Bardaan' and sent him to the children's home.

Subalka said the Child Welfare Committee has directed the SP as well as the local police to trace the parents of the child, who is now around six-month-old, but they have not met with any success.

The next hearing in the matter is on September 3.
The Bill also includes persons with intersex variations under the transgender umbrella, which is unscientific and exclude a large majority of transgenders. (Representational image)

Hyderabad: The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 suggests setting up a screening committee comprising a medical doctor who would determine the gender of a person.

Legal experts and observers say this provision violates human rights and the right of self determination of gender identity and expression of a transgender.

The Bill also includes persons with intersex variations under the transgender umbrella, which is unscientific and exclude a large majority of transgenders.

The involvement of a chief medical officer and other medical professionals to determine whether one is a transgender or not is a human rights violations. Gender identity is not a medical condition or situation that needs a doctors clean chit. The trans community is already subjected to such violations by inexperienced medical professionals and enforcement agencies, wherein they have been subjected to intrusive body searches, stripping, feeling up of private parts, said Ms Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli, a student of Public Policy at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, adding that this provision contradicted the Supreme Courts order in the Nalsa verdict. She said the Bill would create a system of gatekeepers and policing, which would lead to rise of a certificate mafia.

Experts say the Bill has a narrow definition for a transgender and is seriously flawed and derogatory. The Bill states a transgender person is one who is neither wholly female, nor wholly male, or a combination of female or male.

Prominent lawyer and former public prosecutor B.T. Venkatesh of Reach Law said that limiting the legislation to such narrow terms meant that the government was deciding who could or couldnt be identified as a transgender.
In an interview with Nile News, the head of the UN support mission in Libya, Martin Kobler, said that Egypt has the right to defend its borders against terrorism

The UN's head of mission in Libya, Martin Kobler, said that Egypt has full rights to defend its border with Libya against terrorism, in an interview on Egyptian television on Saturday.

Kobler, who is currently visiting Egypt, told Nile TV that the UN was seeking to find a peaceful solution to the Libyan civil war and was not pushing for any one solution.

The Egyptian-Libyan borders cover some 1,000 kilometers. In the absence of a centralised government in Libya, the long border has represented a threat to Egyptian security in recent years, with smugglers exploiting it to smuggle weapons in and out of Egypt.

In January 2016, Islamic State group militants operating in Libya executed 20 Egyptians working in the war torn country. Egypt retaliated in February by bombing IS camps in western Libya, in coordination with the internationally recognised government in Tobrok.

The IS group has also abducted other Egyptian workers in Libya on more than one occasion.

Egypt has warned its citizens against travelling to Libya.

Kobler explained that his visit to Cairo aimed at talks with Egyptian officials regarding the situation and latest developments in Libya.

He added that there was a joint effort between the Egyptian government and the UN to achieve an agreement between the different Libyan parties to form a Libyan national unity government.

Kobler said that the UN was trying to deliver food aid to civilians in the war-torn country.

Martin Kobler arrived in Cairo on Friday after a visit to the United Arab Emirates.

During his visit to Cairo the UN official has met Egyptian officials as well a group of Libyan MPs currently visiting Cairo.

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Hyderabad: BJP president Amit Shah will address a public meeting in Warangal district of Telangana on September 17 as part of 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' being celebrated by the party's state unit.



"During the separate statehood movement, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, had said 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' will be celebrated in a grand manner on the lines of it being celebrated in some districts of Karnataka and Maharashtra," BJP state chief K Laxman said.



"But due to pressure of MIM, this (TRS) government is not coming forward to celebrate it," he alleged, adding, "Hence, BJP has decided to celebrate 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' on September 17 in nook and corner of the state."



"Our national president Amit Shah has expressed his willingness to address a public meeting being organised in Warangal to educate and motivate people to celebrate our Liberation Day," Laxman said, at an event.



Telangana BJP has been demanding to hold the official celebration of 'Hyderabad Liberation Day' on September 17.



The Hyderabad state, which was under the Nizam's rule, merged with the Indian Union on September 17, 1948 following a "police action".



"Previous governments and even the present TRS government have ignored (to organise the liberation day)," the state BJP chief said.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Hyderabad on August 7, had called upon the BJP functionaries to take up the 'Tiranga Yatra' on motorbikes from August 15 to September 17 across the state.



Speaking at the event, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala said, "The younger generation should know the struggle and sacrifices made by our freedom fighters. Our responsibility now is to make the country great".
Sucha Singh Chhotepur said Bhagwant Mann had told him about possibilities of Navjot Singh Sidhus entry into AAP and his intention of floating his own party. (Photo:

Chandigarh: Indian comedian and MP from Sangrur constituency in Punjab Bhagwant Mann wanted to quit AAP and start his own party after there were indications that Navjot Singh Sidhu would join the party, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, who was removed as Punjab convenor, said.

According to reports, Chhotepur said Mann had called him on July 22 and said, "'Chacha saara kuch barbaad ho gaya. Mere paas Sanjay Singh aur Durgesh Pathak aaye aur bataya ki Sidhu join kar raha hai' He then asked me to meet him immediately in Delhi the next day."

Chhotepur was removed as the Punjab convenor on Friday in connection with a bribery allegation against him. He has termed the allegation a "conspiracy" hatched by his own friends within the party."

Suspended Aam Aadmi Party MP Harinder Singh Khalsa had also called the ousting of Chhotepur as "conspiracy," and alleged it was done to clear the decks for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to become the Punjab Chief Minister after 2017 assembly polls.

"AAP wants to make Kejriwal as CM of Punjab so they are paving way for the same. In Delhi, Kejriwal does not have the power even equal to a Mayor," he added.

Khalsa accused the AAP of minting money by selling tickets at a very high price and said the party was unlikely to win even 25 seats in the forthcoming polls.

Meanwhile, a rebel group of AAP led by Manjit Singh Randhawa on Saturday extended support to Chhotepur and accused Kejriwal of indulging in dictatorial behaviour. Describing Chhotepur as an honest person, he said Kejriwal was not aware about the culture and geographical importance of Punjab.

Randhawa alleged that the AAP led by Kejriwal has now become the political outfit of conspirators and has only ulterior motive to grab power in Punjab at any cost.

He said 'AAP Punjab' will prepare a separate election manifesto for the forthcoming elections and will be announced in the coming days.

The rebel leader said it will be followed by announcing the name of candidates and Chhotepur will be the party's president" in Punjab.
As the mist begins to clear somewhat on Kashmir, a few salient points are staring the country in the face. The alienation of the people in the Valley is far from over as the state remains under curfew and the death toll continues to mount, however slowly. The police are the new targets of the protesters and many police stations are bereft of their legitimate occupants. There has been much political activity of late, with home minister Rajnath Singh making his second visit to Kashmir in a month and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. Both in Srinagar and in the capital, she has been voluble without being convincing. Several ideas have been floated: a track two-level of dialogue, an all-party parliamentary delegations visit to the troubled state and Delhi accepting the need for talking to all Kashmiris, including separatists. But a fatal flaw in the heightened activity we have witnessed is the impression the Narendra Modi government has given of belatedly being dragged into accepting early sane suggestions when the need of the hour is to make a dramatic bold initiative to give Kashmiris the feeling that New Delhi is at last sitting up and taking notice of the peoples real grievances.

One understands the handicaps of Mr Modi in making such a gesture, with the Bharatiya Janata Party in an uneasy alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party and the need to pacify superpatriots in Jammu. Finance minister Arun Jaitley tried to pacify the Jammu crowd by his unwise remarks that protesters in the Valley were acting as Pakistani proxies. Pakistan is understandably exploiting the disturbing situation in the Valley to the hilt and will take its message to world capitals and the United Nations. After all, from Islamabads point of view, this is a golden opportunity to reopen the Kashmir dispute much of the world is tired of and has consigned to the archives. Harping on Pakistan does India no credit, rather, the tactic of Mr Modi bringing into play Balochistan and Islamabads infamous conduct there is more productive.

It is indeed time to listen to the sane voices of the PDP leadership and the National Conference chief and former chief minister Omar Abdullah, stressing the need to implement the joint plan agreed to by the coalition. Yet, as many Kashmiris have reminded Delhi, the residual powers given to the state have been nibbled away over the years by the United Progressive Alliance as much as the National Democratic Alliance. This is the nub of the problem. Can Mr Modi and his mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh muster the courage to find an out-of-box solution to satisfy the Valley? It might be a simple problem to pose, but a complex one for the Sangh Parivar. For one thing, the moves RSS followers are making for cow protection and otherwise promoting Hindutva can hardly attract the people of the only Muslim-majority state in the country. Second, there is a tale behind Mr Modis inability to act despite more than 50 days of curfew-bound Valley. Indeed, the country owes a debt of gratitude to the Indian Army commander in appealing to all parties to put their heads together.

Mr Modi himself has been reared in the lap of the RSS. Until recently, he has been publicly reliving in the fantasy world of ancient India in which planes flew, plastic surgeons practised their craft and human heads were transposed in an instant. He propagated these views at least once after becoming Prime Minister. For Mr Modi, the RSS is an umbilical cord that cannot be severed. If he seeks to be pragmatic by very belatedly condemning fake cow protection bullies, he gets a backlash. The government in Delhi is therefore at a great disadvantage in wooing the Kashmiri youth to the virtues of the still officially secular Indian state. This handicap did not exist for Congress-led governments of the past, although it must answer for its follies on myriad issues. How then is Mr Modi to surmount the problem of his own upbringing in the RSS and even if he passes this hurdle, how can he act against the gut feeling of the RSS?

There is a precedent although he has playing for far lower states as Gujarats chief minister. He promoted the states economic development even while neglecting social needs by sidelining the Parivar. The sad fact is that what he could do in a state, he cannot repeat at the national level. He needs the RSS for the foot soldiers it provides, come elections, apart from his own deeply held beliefs. In the end, there is no running away from the urgent and pressing questions posed by Kashmir. The sooner Mr Modi realises that the situation brooks no delay, the better for the state and the country. Piecemeal and gradual changes will not work. Instead of suggesting that all Kashmiris can come and talk to New Delhi or its representatives, why not invite separatists by name? Only by reacting to them can an idea be formed of an eventual compromise.

It is a process that will take time, but the important point is to signal the beginning of a new dramatic opening. Let us not forget that Kashmir carries the burden of the tragic history of the subcontinents bloody Partition. Those memories are still alive either in the older generations longing for lost homes and setting or in loved ones lives lost. Regrettably, Pakistan is not in the best of health, with a weak PM beholden to the Army and the creation of the Islamic State in the Middle East giving fillip to jihadis of the local variety. Whoever rules Pakistan, the temptation to fish in troubled Indian waters seems a permanent policy. This is compounded by the coming to power in India of Mr Modi carrying the baggage of the Sangh Parivar.
Unlike the countrys air and land forces, the Indian Navy did not have any significant French connection till 2002, when protracted negotiations between New Delhi and Paris ultimately led to the October 6, 2005 contract for the licensed production of six French DCNS submarines at Mumbais Mazagon Docks. DCNS was to send technical advisers and provide prefabricated hull elements and combat systems, including command systems, underwater sensors, optronics and communications; while another French company, MBDA, was to supply Exocet SM39 missiles as part of the package. However, the delivery of all six boats, that was to have begun in 2012 and to have been completed in around, is still stuck: not a single one, to date, has been commissioned into the Indian Navy. How does one then regard the ongoing submarine data leak scandal, and what should India, the affected party, now do? Who is responsible for this criminal breach of security and confidentiality, thus jeopardising the very utility of the submarine? India? France? DCNS? Mazagon Docks? The Indian Navy? Retired officers in both Paris and New Delhi? Conmen in Delhi, or middlemen based in exotic islands?

The CIA or the ISI? Or Russia, China or Australia? Or someone or some entity that will never be pinned down? A coverup operation to protect those responsible seems almost certain, as the possibility of the involvement of certain interested parties just cant be ruled out. It is undoubtedly a crisis, the flood of denials from Paris to New Delhi notwithstanding: uncomfortable questions are bound to be raised. Why, how and when did it happen? And who are the gainers? Some basics, however, seem more than plausible. First, India isnt yet a high-tech military machine manufacturer, thus its helpless dependence on foreign vendors. Second, Indias traditional scam-oriented procurement process has inevitably made major purchases and acquisitions of arms and military hardware an avoidable victim of time and cost overruns. The Scorpene delay is a good example. Third, no foreign supplier will miss the opportunity for fat profits and will throw in a few morsels in kickbacks to those who matter to fix things. And finally, rightly or wrongly, there do exist several actors within the Indian system, along with their foreign collaborators, who are capable of going to any extent to make unscrupulous individuals flourish at the expense of the Indian State.

The next question is: why is the Indian Navy constantly in the news since the 1990s for all the wrong reasons? Why not the Army and Air Force? The answer probably lies in the fact that a warship (as a unit) is usually huge, high-tech, with a long gestation period, highly visible and of high value, and is always an attractive asset to milk, in contrast to any single unit of the Army or Air Force gear or hardware. On top of that, and on top of that, only a few nations (US, Russia, Japan, China, Britain, France, Spain, Italy, Germany and India) now have the capability to manufacture fighting ships of at least 5,000 tonnes and above. One thing must also be remembered here about France. Pakistan traditionally has been the main operator of French submarines in South Asia ever since it inducted the Agosta-70 class boat into its Navy in February 1979 as PNS Hashmat. Pakistan ordered a second batch of three more Agosta-90Bs (which it named Khalid) class boats between 1992 and 1994, and the first ship, built by DCN, Cherbourg, was commissioned on September 6, 1999. The date is significant. September 6 is Pakistans Armed Forces Day as India had opened the Lahore-Sialkot front to counter Pakistans armour thrust in the Chhamb-Jaurian sector of J&K in 1965.

That is understandable. But why did India begin talks with France on submarines, knowing fully that the company, or its affiliates, was providing similar submarines to Pakistan for long? By and large, the military inventory of India and Pakistan have not been common. When Pakistan used the F-16, Mirage III, Mirage V and F-86 aircraft, India used Ouragon, Mystere, Vampire, Gnat, MiG-21 and AN-12. When the Pakistanis used M-47/M-48 Patton tanks, the Indian arsenal had British and Soviet T-55, PT-76 and a few French AMX-13 light tanks. Even today, as far as possible, Indian and Pakistani inventories tend to be uncommon. If so, why and how did Indian wisdom change so drastically between 2002 and 2005 to go for a submarine common to both New Delhi and Islamabad? Who in the murky world of the global arms bazaar would resist the temptation of not leaking or selling data for a fortune in the India-Pakistan scenario?

Another disturbing open source nugget, gleaned from the latest edition of Janes Fighting Ships, is that the French-supplied Pakistani submarine appears superior to the Indian Navys yet-to-be-commissioned French-origin Scorpene. Only two parameters are mentioned: the speed of the Pakistani boat is 12 knots surfaced, while that of the Indian vessel is 11 knots surfaced. Again, while the Pakistani boats range is 8500 nautical miles at 9 knots, that of the Indian one is 6500 nautical miles at 8 knots. Is this not Advantage Pakistan? The moot point today is quite simple. Did India, wittingly or unwittingly, go wrong in opting for the French sub, traversing an unknown and untested path? Before the 2002-05 French connection, all Indian Navy submarines were of Soviet/Russian or German origin. Why then did we opt for the French option out of the blue? Experts, of course, may challenge this view, but it is hard to see logic in going to a country or company that is supplying the same type of submarine to an unfriendly neighbour next door. It appears at first sight to be a crass case of business opportunity and profit on the part of the seller and a misguided, misjudged action on the buyers part.

A few words on the Navys plight would be in order. Too many problems have afflicted the Navy since the 1990s. The succession at the top appears a chronic problem as several chiefs have either performed miserably or were humiliated by the government of the day. The memory of the scandalous war room espionage/leak still rankles. Several accidents in static garrisons have spoilt the fleets reputation; now comes the leakage of submarine data. Ever since 2005, France is proving to be an erratic and difficult supplier. French fighter Rafale was chosen for the Indian Air Force way back in January 2012. Not a single aircraft has arrived. And now Scorpene. The contract of 2005 should have led to the first boat being commissioned in 2012. That has not happened. The situation now seems so uncertain that the entire onboard instrument/equipment systems of the leaked boat might have to be changed. That means cost and time overruns and a colossal loss of Indias public money. Should India then cancel Scorpene and Rafale and urgently revert to the old and dependable supplier from Moscow?
The RSS has now dropped all pretence of being a cultural body, the cloak behind which it hid since the ban imposed on it after Gandhijis assassination was lifted, and is unapologetically showing its colours as a political outfit. The opportunity has come with the BJP, its political front, failing to measure up. As the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election approaches, the BJP hasnt quite got going, exposing the brittleness of the edifice that Amit Shah, as party president and Prime Minister Narendra Modis nominee, has struggled to erect. There were two compelling indications that Mr Shah was not in command of the situation, and might cut a sorry figure. This appears to have given the RSS the justification to step in. These polls are, after all, crucial. A defeat could bar the way to 2019, and that would mean an end to the RSS romp on the public stage and the muscle flexing of its nationalism-peddling affiliates.

The BJP had won 71 of UPs 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2014  a stunning performance. The BJP president, falling for acolyte talk, took this to be the result of his personal brilliance as field commander. Still basking in the atmosphere of 2014 and not seeing that the ground was slipping under the BJPs feet, Mr Shah instructed each of his UP MPs to ensure the partys win in three Assembly segments of their parliamentary seat, hoping that way to notch up an Assembly majority. The MPs broke out in a cold sweat. They have apparently confided to old party hands that, leave alone ensuring wins in three Assembly seats each, they are worried about encountering public ire when they visit their constituency. This is on account of the grim economic realities in the Modi raj  with unemployment running high and the prices of essentials refusing to dip.

Anxiety levels are said to be high. Dozens of MPs, specially those who are not rooted in the RSS but had flocked to the BJP for opportunistic reasons, are now believed to be even entertaining thoughts of jumping ship at an appropriate stage  no doubt for a price  if a supportive political environment develops and the dissolution of Parliament can be orchestrated in step with their manoeuvres. As the dispiriting message  with a layer of rebelliousness tagged to it  began to create ripples in party circles, the elite corps of the Sangh Parivar  the RSS  feared that the BJP might not be able to deliver the goods and that it needed to shoulder the burden itself and play an open role ahead of the state poll due in February-March next year. If this marked the first serious low for Mr Shahs leadership (by the skin of his teeth he had managed to survive the electoral debacle in Bihar because heaping blame on him would necessarily have dragged down the Prime Minister as well since they had together monopolised and orchestrated the campaign), his failure to mobilise the neo-Buddhists among dalits at a widely advertised function in Agra recently is regarded as a watershed moment  one that enhanced and reinforced a sense of despair in BJP ranks.

The carefully-laid plan of Mr Modi to entice the bulk of the dalit vote away from Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati was seriously damaged by the Una incident in Gujarat in July when dalits were flogged by caste Hindu gau rakshaks, presenting the ugliest face of radical Hindu nationalism unleashed under the benevolent gaze of present rulers. Mr Shahs neo-Buddhist Agra gambit was meant to be an antidote to the depression that set in after Una. With it, it was hoped, the BJPs humiliation after the Una shame would evaporate. But the flop show accelerated the downhill tendency. In an effort to retrieve the situation, Mohan Bhagwat, the heavy-browed, khaki shorts-wearing leader of the RSS troopers, showed up in Agra last week  where Mr Shah had been too frightened to appear at a show that didnt come off  hoping to cover up for the failure of the BJP president.

To boost troop morale, he pronounced himself on nationalism, by which the RSS-BJP of course means Hindu nationalism, which is a mix of the Hindu supremacist outlook and the precept of the suppression of the religious minorities. Hindutva equals nationalism, Mr Bhagwat pointedly lectured. This is the RSS favourite pastime anyway, but on this occasion it was a marker of the RSS commandeering the BJPs election campaign in UP, taking away the job from Mr Shahs blundering squads. From Agra, Mr Bhagwat also appealed to young Hindu couples to bring forth more Hindus in the world to counter imaginary Muslim demographics. The 2011 Census reports that Muslim birth rates have declined appreciably, more than that of Hindus. But sticking to facts may not be the RSS boss strong point.

In the wake of Una, a unity of dalits and Muslims has been envisioned but is yet to crystallise on the electoral chessboard. In UP, that would, of course, be an unbeatable combination with 39 per cent of the voteshare in the bag rightaway. It appears UPs sizeable Muslim vote is wary of being segmented amongst UPs anti-BJP parties and is seeking to induce, by its very significance, an electoral detente between the BSP and the Congress (which after long is said to be experiencing a revival of sorts)  even a patchy one  in order to prevent vote-splitting that might benefit the BJP. Ironically, the Agra reflections of the RSS supremo, far from helping the saffron cause, have deepened dalit and Muslim alienations. With no jobs, and a bare kitchen, other social groups too are not moved by nationalism rants.

We are living through regressive but momentous times. Time was  not much over a decade ago  when within the BJP there was a keen desire to show the RSS its place and become a genuine right-wing, thoroughly market-oriented party, something like the Hindu Democrats (copying Europes Christian Democrats). But just the opposite is happening as the RSS dramatically takes centre stage and Mr Modi cheerfully looks on. To add colour to the drama, the largest bloc of the BJPs Lok Sabha MPs (which is from UP) is threatening to move in unpredictable ways.
Teacher gets arrested for allegedly demanding sex in return for better grades. (Photo: YouTube screenshots)

Santa Barbara de Pinto: A teacher who reportedly promised a young student good marks in return for sex has been arrested. The teacher was identified as an employee of a school called Nuestra Senora del Rosario High School in Columbia.

Gilberto Gonzalez Arias, 65, was in just a pair of yellow boxer shorts and his unnamed pupil was in her underwear when officers arrived to handcuff him and take him away.

According to reports, the maths teacher deliberately gave his targeted students bad grades before telling them they could improve their scores if they agreed to have sex.

The high school student also took her dad and a police team along with her after she agreed to meet the teacher in a house that was under construction in the northern Colombian town of Santa Barbara de Pinto.

The girls dad rushed over and punched Arias in the face as one officer filmed the scene while another put the teachers hands behind his back to handcuff him.

Local police chief, John Jairo Rodriguez said, After this man was handed over to the judiciary three other sets of parents have filed formal complaints with prosecutors.

The officer has also urged the parents to let them know if some similar incident had happened with their children as well.

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The world population will reach 9.9 billion in 2050, increasing by 33 per cent from an estimated 7.4 billion. (Representational image)

New York: The world population will reach 9.9 billion in 2050, increasing by 33 per cent from an estimated 7.4 billion now, the latest report from the Population Reference Bureau (PRB) has predicted.

If the assumptions underlying 2050 projections by the PRB's World Population Data Sheet are applied to subsequent years, the world population would hit the 10 billion mark in 2053, with set to Asia gain about 900 million to 5.3 billion.

"Despite declines in fertility rates around the world, we expect population gains to remain strong enough to take us toward a global population of 10 billion," said Jeffrey Jordan, president and CEO of PRB.

"Significant regional differences remain, though. For example very low birth rates in Europe will mean population declines there while Africa's population is expected to double," said Jordan.

PRB's projections show Africa's population will reach 2.5 billion by 2050, while the number of people in the Americas will rise by only 223 million to 1.2 billion.

Europe registers a decline from 740 million to 728 million. Oceania (which includes Australia and New Zealand) would rise from 40 million to 66 million.

The Data Sheet's mid-century population projections indicate that the combined population of the world's least developed countries in the world will double by 2050 to 1.9 billion. The population in 29 countries will more than double.

Nearly all of these countries are in Africa. In Niger, the country with the highest birth rate, the population will more than triple. The data showed that, 42 countries will register population declines. These countries are scattered throughout Asia, Latin America and Europe.

Some European countries will post significant declines, such as Romania, which is projected to have a population of 14 million in 2050, down from 20 million today, researchers said. The population of the US will be 398 million, up 23 per cent from 324 million today.

According to the Data Sheet's estimates of current population, over 25 per cent of the world's population is under 15 years old. The figure is 41 per cent in least developed countries and 16 per cent in more developed countries.

Japan has the oldest population profile, with over a quarter of its citizens older than 65. Qatar and the UAE are at the other end of the spectrum, with each having only 1 per cent over 65.

The top ten fertility rates in the world are in sub-Saharan African countries, with nearly all above 6 children per woman, and one topping seven. The fertility rate in the US is 1.8 children per woman, down from 1.9 in 2014. Thirty-three countries in Europe and Asia already have more people over age 65 than under 15.
Istanbul: Kurdish militants launched a rocket-propelled grenade at a civilian airport in southeast Turkey early Sunday, causing minor damage and no injuries, officials and the state-run news agency said.

Rebels linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, were apparently targeting a police checkpoint at Diyarbakir Airport, the Anadolu Agency said. Passengers were taken to safety after the attack and flights resumed after a brief pause during the police investigation.

Windows at the VIP passenger entrance were damaged, the Diyarbakir governor's office said, adding that a search for the perpetrators had been launched.

Violence between the PKK and the security forces resumed last year, after the collapse of a two-year peace process in July. Since then, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to Anadolu. Rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed in the clashes.

On Friday, a Kurdish suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden truck into a checkpoint near a police station in the southeast, killing at least 11 Turkish police officers and wounding 78 other people.

Turkey has sent tanks across the Syrian border following weeks of deadly attacks by the PKK and the Islamic State group. The move aims to both fight IS and halt the advance of Syrian Kurdish groups.
The incident reportedly occurred on November 2013 and came to the attention of the kindergarten students teacher when she noticed that the child's uniform was inside out when she came back from the break. (Photo: file)

Melbourne: A six-year-old disabled girl in Australias New South Wales was allegedly raped by two of her seniors in her schools bathroom while two others stood guard outside the door.

According to a report in the Daily Telegraph, the distraught girl started screaming for her mother, but the four boys stuffed her mouth with toilet roll to muffle her voice.

The incident reportedly occurred on November 2013 and came to the attention of the kindergarten students teacher when she noticed that the child's uniform was inside out when she came back from the break.

It came to light recently, as the child's mother decided to sue the Department of education over the incident and held the school responsible for what happened to her child. She alleged that she had specifically instructed the teacher that her daughter be sent to the playground for children with special needs, but she was picked up by the senior boys from the playground for regular kids. She added that her daughter still suffered from the agony of the incident, and also suffered from nightmares and flashbacks at times.

"This happened because of the schools failure to not only properly supervise students in their care, but also respond appropriately when reports of assaults were made," the lawyer representing the child and her mother said.

While the police claimed that two of the boys involved were aged between five and nine, the child reportedly identified four boys between nine and eleven.

The age of the boys make it very less likely for them to be handed any strict punishment, the paper reported, adding that it was not the only sexual assault case in the school and that there were three previous incidents.
Paris: The brother-in-law of one of the jihadists who attacked French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo last year faced terrorism charges on Saturday for allegedly trying to join Islamic State fighters in Syria, a judicial source said.

Twenty-year-old French student Mourad Hamyd was charged by an anti-terrorism judge in Paris with "associating with terrorists" and held in custody.

Hamyd, whose sister Izzana was married to Charlie Hebdo gunman Cherif Kouachi, had been sent back to France yesterday from Bulgaria where he had tried to cross the border into Turkey in late July. But Turkish officials handed him over to Bulgarian border authorities.

France requested Hamyd's extradition on July 29, accusing him of "conspiring to prepare acts of terrorism".

French prosecutors said that the route taken by Hamyd -- by train through Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria -- corresponded to the one traditionally taken by jihadist fighters wanting to join the Islamic State (IS) in Syria or Iraq.

Hamyd told Bulgarian authorities that he was only a tourist and had "no ties" to IS, but nevertheless he agreed to be returned to France.

Al-Qaeda-linked Cherif Kouachi together with his brother Said, killed 12 people at Charlie Hebdo's Paris headquarters on January 7, 2015, in the first of a series of jihadist attacks that have hit France over the past year and a half.

Hamyd first came into the spotlight in the immediate aftermath of the Charlie Hebdo attack, when he was wrongly identified on social media as being among the killers. He was taken in for questioning and later freed.
Egypts cabinet approved on Sunday a draft bill designating the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) a felony, raising prison terms for those convicted of performing the procedure, health minister Ahmed Emad announced.

Emad said that the new bill amends the law criminalising FGM, currently a misdemeanour, by stiffening penalties to between five and seven years in prison instead of the current three months to two years for practitioners who perform the procedure.

Those who "escort" victims to the procedure can also face jail sentences ranging from one to three years.

The bill, which has been sent to parliament for ratification, also carries a stiffened penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment if the practice leads to death or a "permanent deformity."

Although FGM by its very nature leads to deformity, Egyptian law does not consider the act in itself as leading to "permanent deformity."

The health minister said that the current FGM rate in Egypt is 91 percent, despite the law passed in 2008 criminalising the practice.

He added that the entrenched tradition can only be combated through laws criminalising the practice, especially since the procedure is often performed by people who are not licensed medical practitioners.

There is a widespread belief in Egypt that women who do not undergo FGM are unable to control their sexual urges.

In January 2015, a doctor was sentenced to two years in prison for involuntarily killing a teenage girl by performing the FGM procedure, while the girl's father was given a three-month suspended sentence. The case was the country's first instance of FGM prosecution.

The 2014 Demographic and Health Survey showed that the FGM rate in the reproductive age from 15 to 49 stands at 92 percent. More than 75 percent of cases are of girls aged from nine to 12 while 14 percent are aged 7 or younger, which indicates that the vast majority of Egyptian families circumcise their daughters.



A previous study by the health ministry suggested that FGM is more prevalent in rural communities than in cities, stating that roughly 96 percent of girls in rural communities had undergone FGM, as opposed to 85 percent in urban areas.

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About 1,000 pro-GNA fighters were taking part in the offensive. (File Photo)

Sirte : Forces loyal to Libya 's UN-backed unity government pushed Sunday into the last areas of Sirte held by the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, in what was the jihadists' coastal stronghold, a spokesman said.

"Our forces entered the last areas held by Daesh in Sirte: district number one and district number three," said Rida Issa, using an Arabic acronym for ISIS .

"The final battle for Sirte has started," said the spokesman for forces backing the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord.

About 1,000 pro-GNA fighters were taking part in the offensive, he said, adding a tank had destroyed a bomb-rigged car before ISIS jihadists could use it to target the forces at the start of the assault.

An AFP photographer saw several tanks and armed vehicles move towards district number one and heard gunfire and rocket explosions as they entered the northern neighbourhood.

The pro-GNA forces said on their Facebook page that the offensive came "after air strikes overnight by the warplanes of international support".

Pro-GNA forces, backed since August 1 by US air strikes, began an assault in mid-May to expel ISIS from Sirte. The jihadists seized control of the city, which had been the hometown of Libya 's slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi, in June 2015.

The pro-GNA forces fought their way into Sirte on June 9 and seized the jihadists' headquarters at the Ouagadougou conference centre on August 10.

Since entering the city, they have faced a barrage of sniper fire, suicide bombings and booby traps, pinning down the jihadists in a downtown area near the sea.

More than 350 pro-GNA fighters have been killed and nearly 2,000 wounded in the battle, according to medical sources. ISIS casualty figures are unavailable.
Beirut: Turkish shelling and air strikes killed at least 20 civilians in Syria on Sunday, the fifth day of an incursion against Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish militia, a monitor said.

"At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 others wounded by Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on Sunday morning at Jeb el-Kussa," a village south of Jarabulus, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

It comes after Turkey suffered its first fatality on Saturday, blaming Kurdish militia in a fight for control of the border region.
The commander, along with his six accomplices, was arrested in a targeted operation in Nushki area of Baluchistan by law enforcement agencies after a intelligence tip-off. (Representational image)

Karachi: Six hardcore terrorists and an IS recruiter, a former top commander of al-Qaeda and currently a recruiter for the Islamic State, were arrested along with a huge cache of arms and ammunition from Pakistan's troubled Baluchistan province on Saturday.

The commander, along with his six accomplices, was arrested in a targeted operation in Nushki area of Baluchistan by law enforcement agencies after a intelligence tip-off. "The operation was conducted on basis of information extracted from some arrested al-Qaeda operatives," a security official said.

He said that a large cache of arms, ammunition, militant- literature and cash was also seized from the arrested terrorists. These included improvised explosive devices (IED), explosive material, seven AK-47 assault rifles, 12 gauge rifle, 168 primer cords, 40 hand grenades, 150 rounds of ammunition, three swords, two telescopes, two binoculars, laptops, 15 mobile phones and an Islamic State flag.

The detained commander was with al-Qaeda since 2012 and was trained in Afghanistan but last year he went to Syria for more training and then joined the IS, he added.
The Delhi BJP on Saturday challenged the AAP government to make the recent CAG report public through advertisements if it does not have anything to hide. The Delhi BJP has been alleging that the report by the Comptroller and Auditor General exposes misuse of public money by the Kejriwal government on advertisements.



If the Kejriwal government fails to call a special session of Delhi Assembly to table the CAG report, the Delhi BJP unit will hold a 'Lok Vidhan Sabha' at Jantar Mantar to inform people about the audit report, said Delhi BJP unit president Satish Upadhyay. He added that BJP leaders will inform residents' welfare associations (RWAs) about the CAG report so that people should know about the misdeeds of AAP government.



Promising a transparent government, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia have always regarded the CAG report as a religious scripture. Strangely today the Kejriwal and Sisodia are not only running away from placing the report before the people but the Deputy CM has shown his frustration by saying that it is a matter of inquiry as to how the CAG report has come to the knowledge of Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta, said the Delhi BJP.



The Leader of Opposition said that the AAP government has been trying to suppress the audit report as the report can convince people about Kejriwal government's misuse of public money on advertisements in other states for its own political expansion.



Gupta added that the CAG has forwarded its audit report to the Delhi government on the financial irregularities during 2015-16 period. But Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia did not submit the report before the House and in order to avoid debate on the government's spending on advertisements, he said that the report has not been received by the government, Gupta said. The media advisor of the CAG had said in a press conference that the audit report of the CAG was handed over to the principal secretary, revenue, on August 22, he added.



The leader of opposition said that the Delhi government does not want to make the report public to cover up its scams, but the BJP will not let it happen. According to Delhi BJP unit, the CAG had released the report to news channels on August 23 evening.


During his interrogation, Sumit revealed the location of Rahul and Sunil also. In an overnight operation, Rahul was picked up from Daryapur Kalan Village while in another raid Sunil was arrested from his house in Bawana.



The accused have owned up to their crimes. Furthermore they also reported that a night before the constables killing they had robbed a Bajaj Splendor motorcycle. Just two days before the killing they had robbed a Mother Dairy booth near Begumpur area also, the officer further added.



About week after Delhi Polices Constable Anand Singh was gunned down by three assailants when he tried to thwart a robbery attempt in Outer Delhis Bawana, a team of Special Cell has managed to arrest three accused in connection with the crime. The accused have been identified as Sumit Thakranaged 21, Rahul, 21, and Sunil Sehrawat aged 20.The murder weapon as well as the motorcycle which was used in the commission of crime has been recovered. To nab the culprits investigators left no stone unturned as more than 136 criminals in the age group of 18-21 years who were reportedly operating in Outer and North West Delhi areas were shortlisted for verification.Apart from that, technical surveillance was used and several sources were deployed to gather intelligence. Around 80 dossiers of active criminals and 150 recently released criminals from jail were studied in order to gather tangible clues about the perpetrators of the crime. The relevant footages of over 100 CCTV cameras found functioning in the wider area covering the spot of the incident were analyzed, said a senior police officer.On 26 August around 6 pm sources informed the police that accused Sumit was expected to arrive near Sarvodaya Girls School main Bawana Road in a couple of hours. The team immediately called for backup support and started scouting the area for strategic deployment. Eventually the team managed to spot Sumit walking near the Sarvodaya Girls School and he was apprehended, the officer added.


Experts identify the decline of the joint family system in the metros as one of the reason the elderly are more at risk now. Most adult children these days like to live separately from their parents forcing the elderly to spend their lives either in old age homes or alone, says Agewell Foundation chairman Himanshu Rath.



Even the senior citizens who live with their children spend most of their time alone as working couples is increasingly becoming the norm in the cities. I would say the elderly are the most vulnerable during the afternoon as this is the time they are alone in their house, while their children are away in office, says a Delhi Police officer.



A dedicated Delhi Police cell to deal with the issues concerning the elderly was launched in 2004. However, despite its good intentions, the Senior Citizen Cell has its own limitations. The resources for the cell are being drawn from the same pool of Delhi Police. We dont have additional manpower to deploy specially for the security of senior citizens, says a police officer attached to the cell.



The local beat officer is supposed to visit a senior citizens registered with the cell on a weekly basis. Police are also supposed to call the registered senior citizens twice a week to ask about their well-being. But the reality is somewhat different. This time the officer visited us after four months. He got our signatures on a register and left, says Asha Gupta, a senior citizen living in Lajpat Nagar Part-3.



Asha Gupta and her husband Anant Ram Gupta are a harried couple these days. At the age of 76 and 78 respectively, they have been going to the local police station and the office of Deputy Commissioner of Police for an update in the investigation of a theft last month at their home. Their own driver allegedly fled with Rs 1.6 lakh in cash and jewellery worth Rs 20 lakh.



We called up police half an hour after we got to know about the theft. But the police officer wasted crucial time in finishing paperwork, like FIR, which perhaps allowed the culprit to flee far from the reach of police, says Anant. The driver was employed by the Guptas after proper police verification, during which the hired workers permanent address is noted. But policel drew a blank when they reached there.



He has abandoned his native house and has fled with his entire family, leaving no trace behind, Anant says. Claiming this case to be an exception, Delhi Police officers say police verification is a strong deterrent for the would-be thieves who work under the garb of domestic helps.



If a person starts working in a house as a domestic help with the sole motive of robbery, he would never let his police verification be done. In fact, he would not even come to a house where the employers insist on verification, said a police officer attached with Delhi Polices Senior Citizen Cell.



In most cases employers fear that the helps wouldnt like to be verified by police, and if they insist on it they might lose a good helping hand. In some cases where a domestic help is catering to several houses, the residents feel complacent in getting their verification done, the officer says.



Changing demographics

However, according to experts the problem is just not a law and order one. Even increasing life spans is a factor. A few decades back, the average life span of a person used to be in the sixties. But now people are living in their late seventies and even eighties. If a person is in his seventies his children might also be in their forties or fifties. They will be busy looking after their own children and will not give much time to their parents, Agewell Foundations Rath says.



Living alone for years these elderly yearn for personal contact, someone with whom they can interact, and hence easily become dependent on their household helps. Howsoever loyal a domestic help might be, the temptation to get money with least resistance forces him or her to commit crime, Rath says.



A mandatory verification of domestic helps by police and installation of CCTV cameras are some of the measures which S S Sareen, general secretary of Lajpat Nagar  3 resident welfare association, suggested at the latest meeting of the residents.



We dont care for each other anymore. We dont know who our neighbour is, Sareen says. If the neighbour leaves the city for a few days, people dont keep tabs on anyone visiting the house, he argues. He refers to cases where the elderly have died, and the bodies remained in the house, undetected for days. Only the stench forces the neighbour to take note of it.



I want to bring the mohalla culture back in our locality with a get together of the residents every weekend. The idea is that residents should know each other through interaction. This will instil a sense of belongingness and care among the people, he says..







Six senior citizens were murdered in a recent 30-day period. That should make Delhiites worry about the safety of their elderly  even if Delhi Police say the figure should seen in the context of the overall crime scene.Delhi has an approximate population of 15 lakh senior citizens, which is around 10% of the population. See how many total murders took place in the same span of time  around 50 or more. Then there is crime against women also, and against children. The fact is that the number of police personnel is limited. We cant assign specific staff for different types of crimes, an officer says.Notwithstanding the police point of view, the fact remains that the elderly  people over 60  are one of the most vulnerable parts of society. A look into the last six murders throws up some important facts:l Out of the six incidents, domestic helps were involved in three.l Previous employees with inside information of the victims house were involved in the other two.l In the sixth incident also, the role of people who used to visit the elderly regularly at their home on business is strongly suspected.It is clear from this, and from several such cases before, that domestic helps and people who regularly visit the elderly and have inside knowledge about their homes are largely responsible for crime against them.
There is a need to educate youth in Kashmir against those working with vested interest to harm the country's unity, Union Minister Jitendra Singh today said, observing that those instigating the youth for so called 'Jihaad' have kept their own children in safe havens.





He also said that those who have lost their lives in the current turmoil in Kashmir valley belong to the poorest of the poor sections.



"And those who provoked these poor people to come forward and lay down their lives in the name of so called 'Jihaad' have ensured that their own children and family are lodged in safe havens," Singh, who represents Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur constituency in Lok Sabha, told PTI here.



The Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office questioned those provoking youth to take up violent paths in Jammu and Kashmir in the name of 'jannat' and asked why they don't offer their own children the opportunity to go to 'jannat' or paradise?



He said there should be no compromise in countering terrorism and the Centre is committed to take action against those inciting violence.



"But at the same time every step should be taken to ensure safety of innocent people especially youth and children. There is a need for educating youth that they should not get instigated or misled by some people working with vested interest to harm the country's unity," said the Minister.



He had hoped that the situation in Kashmir Valley will soon be normal.



Singh said there is absolute coordination between the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government to resolve the situation in parts of the state.



He also attacked Pakistan for provoking turmoil in the Valley.



"The common man in the streets of Srinagar does not approve of violence but there are a handful of people sponsored by Pakistan who are provoking youth and creating trouble in Kashmir Valley," Singh said.



As many as 68 people, including two police personnel, have been killed and several thousands injured in the continuing unrent in the Kashmir valley since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter.
After the visit Russia will make a decision on whether flights to Egypt would resume

A Russian delegation of experts is expected to arrive in Cairo this week to inspect security measures at Egyptian airports amid expectation of a resumption of Russian commercial flights to Egypt in October.

Egypt's Minister of Civil Aviation Sherif Fathy has said recently that there is ongoing cooperation with Moscow and that a decision will be made about the potential resuming of Russian flights in October following the delegations visit.

On Saturday, Fathy confirmed to Ahram Online reports by Russian media that Egypt was willing to allocate special terminals for Russian tourists if their numbers reached a certain level.

"If the Russian tourists reach a certain number, let's say three or four million, we can allocate a terminal for them," he said.

Russia, as well as several other countries, suspended passenger flights to Egypt last year over security concerns after the crash of a Russian jet minutes after taking off from the airport at the Egyptian resort city of Sharm El-Sheikh.

All 224 people on board were killed in the crash, which was claimed by Islamist militants.

Russian tourists were 20 percent of the nine million tourists that visited Egypt in the first nine months of 2015 before the crash, according to official data.

Fathy denied last week claims that Russia had requested that special terminals be set up in Egyptian airports for its citizens as a condition to resuming its flights to Egypt.

Russian transport minister Maksim Sokolov said last Tuesday that air traffic between Russia and Egypt may be resumed gradually, according to the Russian state news agency Sputnik.

Also on Tuesday, the director of the Russian Tourist Association Turpomosch Alexander Osaulenko announced that Russian experts are reporting positive assessment of security measures at Egyptian airports.

Meanwhile, Turkey announced that flights between Turkey and Sharm El-Sheikh would resume in September.

Poland already resumed flights in early August, while Germany decided last May to ease restrictions on flights between its airports and Sharm El-Sheikh.

The downing of the Russian flight was a blow to Egypt's already ailing tourism industry. The number of tourists coming to Egypt dropped by 50 percent in the first half of 2016 compared to the same period last year, according to Egypt's Tourism Authority.

Tourism revenues during that period witnessed a drop of 60 percent compared to 2015.

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Two days after Bombay High Court lifted the ban on women's entry in Haji Ali Dargah, Bhumata Brigade activist Trupti Desai today visited the shrine and offered a 'chadar', while announcing that her next crusade for women's right to pray would be Kerala's Sabarimala temple.



"Last time, when we came here at Haji Ali Dargah, we prayed for the verdict of the high court on our side. Since our prayer was heard and fulfilled, we came here to seek the blessings of Haji Ali Baba and offered him a 'chadar'," Desai told reporters outside the shrine, located on an islet off the coast of Worli in Mumbai.



One of the most recognisable landmarks of the city, the Indo-Islamic architectural structure contains the tomb of Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.



Thanking the people of the country, including Muslims, for their support, Desai requested the Dargah's trust to not move the Supreme Court against the HC's judgement, but exuded confidence that the apex court would rule in women's favour if such a step was taken.



"I request the trustees with folded hands to follow the verdict of the high court and not go to the Supreme Court to challenge the order as this was in favour of the all the women in the country.



"If the trustees prefer to knock on the Supreme Court's door, then nothing is going to change because the apex court too would uphold the constitutional right of the women and I am fully confident about it," she said.



"If the trustees give a serious thought over the merits of the high court's verdict, then it is possible that the doors of Baba can be opened in next two days only for the women devotees," said the womens' right activist.



The activist also said that she wanted to meet the trustees today, but no one was available since it was a Sunday.



In a landmark judgement, the Bombay High Court had on Friday lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah here, saying it contravenes fundamental rights and that the trust has no right to prohibit women's entry into a public place of worship.



The court, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court. In April this year, Desai had unsuccessfully tried to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah.



"Today I went only upto the permissible limit of the Dargah, as I did not want to flout the court's ruling in any case," Desai said, adding that she had no intention to hurt the religious sentiments of anyone but was only trying to make sure that women are given equal rights to pray in all places of worship.



When asked what would be her next destination in her quest for women's right to pray, Desai said, "I think that in the backdrop of the high court's verdict, the trustees of the Sabarimala temple ought to open their doors for women discriminated on the basis of gender."



"And if they don't, then I would launch a similar agitation and would speak to the management of the temple in next few days," she said.



The Haji Ali Dargah Trust had in 2012 imposed the ban on women's entry citing religious traditions.



The Maharashtra government had earlier told the HC that women should be barred from entering the inner sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah only if it is so enshrined in the Quran.



The ban on women's entry cannot be justified if it is on the basis of an expert's interpretation of the Quran, the then Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney had argued.



The Dargah trust had defended its stand saying that it is referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity to the dargah of a male saint is a grievous sin.



Earlier this year, the Bhumata Brigade led by Desai had managed to win their fight for women's right to pray at the famous Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district and Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik district.


Urging law students to study the Constitution well, President Pranab Mukherjee today asked them to be the change that they seek through participation in all matters relating to governance and the state.





Addressing the 24th Annual Convocation of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) here, the President urged the students to study the Constitution well, understand democratic institution and process under it and analyse the choices that were made to build the country what it is today.



The Constituent Assembly which drafted the Constitution represented the Indian population.



India has one of the finest constitutions in the world the driving principle of which is a compact between state and citizen, a powerful public-private partnership nurtured by justice, liberty and equality.



Mukherjee said the Constitution represented a second liberation, this time from the stranglehold of traditional inequality in gender, caste, community along with other fetters that had chained the country of too long.



"Therefore, when on the November 29, 1949 in the Constituent Assembly of India, the members adopted solemnly and it is not a few hundred members of the Constituent Assembly but it is the people of India after 190 years of colonial rule for the first time adopted a legislation. Adopted and gave it to themselves.



"Therefore, the author of the Constitution is not any individual nor a group of individuals not merely the Constituent Assembly members but the people of India who have solemnly affirmed India into a sovereign democratic republic and to give it to themselves equality, liberty and justice," he said.



During the convocation, the President also gave 45 medals to 20 meritorious students and expressed happiness that most of the medals have been won by girl students passing out from the university.



Terming the students as the brightest young minds of our country, he asked them to help policy makers to make the right policies. The President said a democracy cannot be healthy without informed participation.



"It is just not merely an exercise to give vote, to choose rulers through periodical elections. It is much more. It requires...your participation in all matters affecting the state. You cannot remain a bystander and expect others to do it for you," he said.



Mukherjee said the students must analyse how the electorate behaved on crucial junctures.



"Before General Elections, 2014, in my address to the nation on the eve of the Republic Day on 25th January, I asked Indian electorate you are given an opportunity. It is for you 400 million voters... you have to chose the government which will not be the victim of opportunist, capricious, unprincipled coalition. Country has suffered enough, it requires political stability," he said.



Mukherjee said it is amazing that the response from all over the country was such that after 30 years, a single party majority emerged in 2014.



"I am not going into the merit or demerit of the government. But it's a fact that the people chose from their own experiences. They said we have to exercise our right to set wrongs into right and they did," he said.



The President said it was not the first time as many a times Indian voters have shown their political maturity by exercising their sovereign right of choosing their political rulers and proved many a doubting Thomas wrong.
Chinese scholars are "deeply disturbed" by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent reference to Balochistan, a senior expert today said as he warned of joint steps by China and Pakistan if an "Indian factor" disrupts the USD 46 billion CPEC, with the region as its hub.



"My personal view is that if India is adamant and if Indian factor is found by China or Pakistan in disrupting the process of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor), if that becomes a reality, it will really become a disturbance to China-India relations, India-Pakistan relations," South Asia expert Hu Shisheng said.



"If that happens China and Pakistan could have no other way but take united steps. I want to say that the Pakistan factor could surge again to become the most disturbing factor in China-India relations, even more than the Tibet, border and trade imbalance issues," he told PTI here.



Hu, director of state-run think-tank Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations affiliated to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said such a scenario could be very disappointing to all the scholars relating to India-China relations.



"All the three countries could be badly derailed from their current facts of economic and social development. It could be very bad," he said.



Expressing concern over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to the human rights situation in Balochistan in his Independence Day address, he said Chinese scholars were "deeply disturbed by the reference".



The Chinese Foreign Ministry has so far has not commented on Modi's references to Balochistan, which is the hub of CPEC connecting China's Xinjiang province with Pakistan.



"I think the two countries (China and Pakistan) will do whatsoever to enhance the security and smooth construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. But what kind of forms I have no idea.



"I am just wondering whether military involvement could be one of the choice but in my personal view, it is very unlikely," he said in response to a question on the nature of China's involvement and maintained that the views are his personal made in the interest of India-China relations.



He also said China is unlikely to change its policy in South Asia. Besides a host of energy-related projects, the CPEC consists of rail, road and pipelines to ferry oil and gas from Balochistan port Gwadar to Kashghar in Xinjiang through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).



Welcoming the formation of the special mechanism for talks during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's recent visit to India to resolve differences, Hu said the two sides can hold wide-ranging talks on CPEC, NSG and India's bid to ban Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar in the UN.
One person was killed and at least 13 others, including nine policemen, were injured in a clash after a mob blocked National Highway 34 in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, demanding restoration of electricity line to a village.





After talks failed, police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the mob and then fired in the air at Jhikri under Farakka police station area, as the villagers pelted stones.

"To safeguard public property and after being attacked by bombs, we had to fire in the air. After the crowd dispersed, we found a body 200 metre from the spot. It had multiple injuries," Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Anuj Sharma said in Kolkata.



"Prima facie something happened when the crowd was retreating. An enquiry is on," he said.



Twenty-one people were arrested. Nine policemen, including the inspector-in-charge of Farakka Police Station, were injured in the clash, Sharma said, adding police found bomb remnants and two live bombs from the spot.



Besides the policemen, least four villagers were injured in the clash. All of them were admitted to a hospital, police said.



Two police vehicles, 15 buses and a car of a local government official were also damaged in the clash.



The deceased has been identified as Jamal Sheikh (32) of Balida Pukur village bordering Jhikra village where the locals were demanding restoration of electricity line.



There was no electricity in Jhikra for the last few days and the agitated people started demonstration on NH-34 at around 9.30 AM.



Sheikh was passing by the area where people blocked the highway which linked the southern and northern parts of the state, District Superintendent of Police Mukesh said, adding the cause of death could be ascertained after post-mortem.



"Strict action will be taken against those who attacked the policemen and damaged public property," Sharma said.



The blockade, which continued for around four hours, have put traffic out of gear. The situation is now under control, officials said.
Embattled French defence firm DCNS has approached the Supreme Court in Australia seeking an injunction against 'The Australian' from further publishing the leaked documents of India's Scorpene submarine project.





The DCNS has also sought a court order to the newspaper to hand over the documents in its possession and removal of the contents from its website.



"The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation," The Australian quoted an affidavit by DCNS lawyer Justine Munsie.

The newspaper had said that it will publish the documents regarding the weapons system of the submarine on Monday.



Over 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company have been leaked.



The move by DCNS comes after a former commander of US Pacific fleet Submarine Force warned that the leaks would undermine the confidence in the ability of French companies to protect classified information.



Rear Admiral (Retd) John Padgett, who is also the president of the US Naval Submarine League, has said that aggressive action needed to be taken to probe the leak and that France should share the outcome with Australia.



The secret data included details of the capabilities of SM39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the Scorpene and classified information about the number of targets the missile was capable of processing.



Explaining the implications of the leak, Admiral Padgett said "It is never good for an opponent to have your playbook."



"As a member of NATO, the French government and French military demonstrate that they enforce effective security controls and have a solid reputation with their allies," he said.



He said the investigation had to determine exactly how the breach occurred and what "aggressive action" would be taken to correct deficient security controls.

His comments came as a French public prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation into the data leak, with DCNS filing a complaint for breach of trust.



"We filed a complaint against unknown persons for breach of trust with the Paris prosecutor," said a DCNS spokesman.



The DCNS has won a contract to design Australias new $50 billion submarine fleet.
Amelie de Courcel is quite unlike your regular expatriate. She is quite vocal about her affection for Bengaluru but is equally critical about its shortcomings. And she devotes her spare time to raising awareness about the environment and conducting clean up drives in her area.





Amelie came to India from France in 2009 to work in microfinance for a year before her masters degree. In 2010, she went to Vishakhapatnam to attend a friends wedding. It was there that she was introduced to Anmoldeep Singh Kalsi, a friends flatmate.



I returned to Paris to complete my studies in between but we kept in touch and had a long-distance relationship. I came back to India in 2013 to work in market research and international trade but at that time he was posted in Delhi. Then he got a transfer to Bengaluru to join me and we got married in 2014.



Amelie had no qualms about fitting into the culture here. Honestly, I didnt think Id get such good friends here someone nearby who speaks kannada, tamil, telugu or malayalam who offers help, she says. She also appreciates the startup environment.

The people are qualified and the market is huge, so you keep getting new apps, new restaurants, new brands coming up all the time, she adds.



Adjusting to India was never a problem for this confident lady but there were some things that came as a bit of a culture shock.



My first manager wanted me to move in just down the street from his place because youre a girl, so in case something happens Im nearby, recounts Amelie. He meant well, of course, but it was so patronising I couldnt take it, and he couldnt take it when I declined the offer, so he found it appropriate to call me in a room filled with the heads of departments to convince me. I was a bit shocked, but still explained to them that as an adult citizen I was deciding for myself where I would live. I eventually got my way but it was quite the challenge, she says.



Asked about the things she misses and Amelie has a ready answer.



I miss being able to walk everywhere without getting constantly honked at, and trying not to fall in a pothole or trip on a cable, get hit by a car/bike/bus or inhale the insane fumes that come out of them. Trying to walk here is like taking an obstacle course. Also, I miss cheese so much. Real cheese, paneer is not cheese, she exclaims.



Her weekend plans come as somewhat of a surprise. Between weekend drinks and nightouts, I spend my Saturdays with the five co-founders of the environment-centered trust we formed over a year ago whose initial goal was to save the lakes from sewage dumping and encroachment. From there, we soon started raising awareness across resident associations on waste management and composting. We implemented the plastic ban in our area by educating shop keepers and restaurant owners on what alternatives they had. We also go to schools to teach kids about waste management, reducing use of plastic and the impact it has on the environment.



But amidst all this, she still finds time to enjoy the things she likes.



I love the full-body massage at Atmasparsh. I love exploring food joints too. Milano Ice Cream in Indiranagar serves the best ice cream and espressos in town while Tandoori Taal has fresh north indian meals. In fact, I love most breweries and pubs here. When I get the chance, I like to go on weekend bike trips with my husband too.




When is it safe for a woman with breast cancer to skip chemotherapy? A new study helps answer that question, based on a test of gene activity in tumours. It found that nearly half of women with early-stage breast cancer who would traditionally receive chemo can avoid it, with little risk of the cancer coming back or spreading in the next five years.





The so-called genomic test measures the activity of genes that control the growth and spread of cancer, and can identify women with a low risk of recurrence and therefore little to gain from chemo.



More and more evidence is mounting that there is a substantial number of women with breast cancer who will not need chemotherapy to do well, said Dr Rachel A Freedman, a breast cancer oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. She was not involved in the study.



The researchers estimated that their findings, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, would apply to 35,000 to 40,000 women a year in the United States, and 60,000 to 70,000 in Europe. They are patients with early disease who because of tumour size, cancerous lymph nodes and other factors would normally be prescribed chemo.



Genomic tests, which doctors have been using for about 10 years in some breast

cancer patients, are part of a growing effort to spare women from chemo and its harsh side effects whenever it is safe to do so. But the decision to forgo a potentially lifesaving treatment is never taken lightly, and doctors have been eager for more data to make sure they are on the right path.



The new study is one of the largest and most rigorous trials of genomic testing, and offers reassurance to doctors and patients that the technology can be trusted to help identify patients who do not need chemo. But an editorial accompanying the report said the study was not the final word, and additional research now underway would provide more clarity. Although women who skipped chemo had low recurrence rates, their rates were slightly higher than those of women who had chemo.



A test called Oncotype DX is widely used in the United States. The new study used another, called MammaPrint, which is used less often. The tests cost several thousand dollars, and insurance coverage varies.



Dr Kathryn J Ruddy, a breast cancer specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who was not part of the research, said in an email that the study was important because it will help more patients avoid the toxicities of chemotherapy (potentially including permanent nerve damage, heart failure and leukemia).



The risks from certain types of chemo increase with the patients age. The risk of leukemia is about 0.5-1%, and the heart risk can reach 4% or 5% in older women, Freedman said.



The results of the study will be of most use for cases that have fallen into a gray zone, when the disease is in an early stage but has some anatomical features that suggest it may be aggressive. But the genomic test says it is low risk.



The study involved women with early cases of the most common type of breast cancer: hormone-sensitive tumours that test negative for a receptor called her2. In the United States, about three quarters of breast cancers are that type.



Early stage in the study referred to Stage 1 or 2, meaning the tumours were generally no bigger than 5 centimeters and had spread to no more than three lymph nodes. The study was done in Europe, where early stage includes somewhat larger tumours than would be included in the US. More than half of the breast cancers in the US are diagnosed at early stages.



The research involved 6,693 women with early-stage breast cancer at 112 hospitals in nine European countries. The study was paid for by grants from governments, drug companies and charitable groups. Agendia, the company that markets MammaPrint, did the testing at no cost.



The women had the usual initial treatments  surgery, hormonal therapy and radiation. Then, researchers determined whether each woman had a high or low risk of recurrence based on genomic testing and on clinical features like tumour size and number of positive lymph nodes. Sometimes, the clinical and genomic risks did not match.



MammaPrint looks at the activity of 70 genes. In a low-risk tumour, 50 genes are turned off and 20 are active, according to Laura J van t Veer, a developer of the test and a molecular biologist at the University of California, San Francisco. In high-risk cases, 50 genes are on and 20 off. The researchers were especially interested in the women  about a quarter of those in the study  who seemed to have a high clinical risk but a low genomic risk.



Dr Fatima Cardoso, the first author of the study and a breast oncologist at Champalimaud Clinical Center in Lisbon, said that traditionally women with early cancer but a high clinical risk were usually given chemotherapy. She said that doctors knew that not all would benefit from it, but gave it to all anyway to err on the side of caution, because they could not identify which women did not really need it.



Foregoing chemotherapy

The main goal of the study was to find out whether women with a high clinical risk but a low genomic risk could safely forego chemo.



There were 1,550 women with high clinical risk and low genomic risk. They were assigned at random to be treated according to their gen-omic risk or their clinical risk. So some received chemotherapy, and others did not. Researchers watched to see if any had distant spread of the cancer to other organs, which is often fatal.



After five years, among those who did not receive chemotherapy, 94.4% had no distant spread. Those who received chemo fared slightly better: 95.9% had no distant spread. We have to continue to follow these patients and see what happens at 10 years, Cardoso said.



But given the small difference so far, the researchers said that it was safe for women with early disease and high clinical risk, but low genomic risk, to skip chemotherapy. The findings, they said, mean that 46% of women with early-stage disease who are thought to be at high clinical risk may be able to skip chemo.



An editorial accompanying the article praised the research but sounded a note of caution. The authors, Dr Clifford A Hudis and Dr Maura N Dickler, from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, said that the study was not large enough to be sure that the 1.5-percentage-point difference would hold up statistically.



The editorial also noted that other studies of genomic tests had identified groups of women in whom the five-year recurrence risk was only 1%, and asked what level of risk was acceptable. Patients attitudes also differ.



Freedman said some women wanted no part of chemo, even if it offered a significant benefit. But, she added, others line up at the door for almost no benefit, just so they can have peace of mind.




The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) handed over an 18-point questionnaire to former chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the Rs 400-crore water tanker scam on Sunday and gave her three days to reply.





Delhi Water Minister Kapil Mishra said the ACB was trying to shield the Congress leader and the visit by the officials to Sheilas home in Nizamuddin area was a mere tea party.



Sheila, who returned from Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll campaign due to poor health, confirmed getting the questions from the ACB. I have got the questions. I need time to answer them as the matter is old, she told reporters.



Denying any wrongdoing in the award of contract for water tankers in 2012, Sheila said: The tankers are running till today.



Collective decision

She said the decisions for the contract were taken collectively by the members of the Delhi Jal Board, including legislators of the Opposition BJP, and ratified in a meeting before the chief executive officer implemented them.



The present AAP government constituted a fact-finding committee last year to probe the irregularities in procuring 385 stainless steel water tankers by the DJB during the Congress regime.



Mishra, who is the complainant in the case, issued a statement claiming that all efforts were being made to shield Sheila.



He himself was questioned by the ACB last month.


An Islamic seminary has issued a fatwa stating that women can also give divorce to their husbands under certain conditions.





It was issued by the Darul Ifta (department of fatwa) of the Dargah Ala Hazrat seminary in Uttar Pradeshs Bareilly town.



The fatwa, issued in response to a query from a resident of Bareilly, said that Islam provided women the right to give divorce to their husbands, but under certain conditions.



Women can give a divorce if the husband is a drug addict, criminal, if he tortures her or has been afflicted by some serious illness, said Mufti Mohammed Saleem Noori, a senior cleric at the seminary.



The cleric, however, said that such a divorce could only be given if the husband had conferred the right on his wife at the time of the marriage. The parents of the woman can ask the prospective husband to give this in writing, he added.



He said that Muslim parents in western countries often insist on such a document at the time of marriage if they feel their daughter might face trouble. The document, to be signed by the husband, may state that he gives his wife the right to divorce him...it may also contain the method of the divorce, the cleric said.



Talaq, especially triple talaq, has been one of the most debated issues in Islam, with clerics and women activists taking different stands.



Dargah Ala Hazrat is a widely respected religious place, which wields influence over the Muslims of the Barelvi sect all over the world.


Nigeria would let Boko Haram choose a non-profit organization as an intermediary in any talks on the release of about 200 schoolgirls kidnapped from the northeastern village of Chibok in 2014, President Muhammadu Buhari said on Sunday.

Buhari first said last year that his government was ready to negotiate with Islamist militants Boko Haram over the girls, but the group has not commented on the proposal.

Nigeria's failure to find the kidnapped children prompted an outcry at home and abroad. Critics of Buhari's predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, said his government was too slow to act.

Any negotiations would be the first publicly known talks between the government and Boko Haram, whose seven-year insurgency to create an Islamic state in the northeast has killed 15,000 people.

"The government which I preside over is prepared to talk to bona fide leaders of Boko Haram," Buhari told reporters at a conference on African development in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, in comments later issued in an official statement.

"If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognized non-governmental organization (NGO)," he said.

Buhari said Boko Haram could begin negotiations on a prisoner swap if they could provide evidence to the NGO that they had the girls.

Around 270 girls were taken from their school in the village of Chibok in northeastern Nigeria in April 2014. Dozens escaped in the initial melee, but more than 200 are still missing.

Earlier this month, Boko Haram published a video apparently showing recent footage of dozens of the girls and saying some were killed in air strikes.

Authorities said in May that one of the missing girls had been found and Buhari vowed to rescue the others.

Nigeria is fighting the group on the ground and with air strikes. A multi-national joint task force - comprising troops from Nigeria and neighboring Niger, Cameroon, Chad and Benin - is also battling the militants.



On Tuesday, Nigeria's air force said it had killed some senior Boko Haram militants in raids. Boko Haram pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) last year, but there are signs of a rift emerging.

This month IS announced a new leader for what it described as its West African operations but Boko Haram's hitherto leader Abubakar Shekau appeared to later contradict this in a video message.

Buhari said that if the Nigerian jihadists moved to start discussions "through the 'modified leadership' of Boko Haram and they talk with an internationally recognized NGO" then Nigeria would be prepared to discuss the release of militant leaders.

"We want those girls out and safe. The faster we can recover them and hand them over to their parents, the better for us," he said.

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In a trend that has become all too familiar at the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), three female students from the flagship BA.LLB course secured the top three positions with the first ranker bagging as many as 11 gold medals. The 24th annual convocation NLSIU was held here on Sunday.





As many as 571 degree certificates were awarded (in person and absentia) to students in seven postgraduate diploma courses, two postgraduate degree courses, PhD, LLD (Degree of Doctor of Laws), distance MBL (Masters of Business Law) course and BA.LLB course.



Gopika Murthy, who topped the BA.LLB course hails from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. Gopika had joined engineering before she took up the BA.LLB course at the top law institute.



Now, she will be heading to Oxford University on a scholarship for one-year course. Thereafter I will join Herbert Smith Freehills, a law firm based in London. They have offered me a job after the one-year course. I had also enrolled in an internship with them earlier. said Gopika, who wants to work in the field of commercial law.



With three gold medals, Shreya Prakash from Delhi bagged the second spot. Although she could have easily chosen any lucrative law firm, she has decided to pursue a career in trying to influence legal policy for the better.



She has been offered a job at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, New Delhi. I think there is a lot that can be done in the field of law reforms and the path I have chosen is an effort in that direction, she said.



Deekshitha Ganesan, who too secured three gold medals came third. She will be joining well known Indian law firm Khaitan & Co.



Originally from Chennai, Deekshitha said that she would like to study criminal law. She said the field of law has opened up many opportunities. There are many options be it in policy, litigation or corporate firms. I would like to try a few of these options before zeroing in on one, she said.



63-year-old MBL graduate

Subroto Biswas, a lecturer from Kolkata, was awarded a degree in the distance Masters in Business Law. I have got one of the highest Cumulative Grade Point Average score of 3.6 in my class, he said. Biswas has to his credit a number of other degrees and certificates such as an MA (Economics), an MBA degree and a diploma in insurance from London.




A few students of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU) missed the convocation due to the tight security measures that were in place at the venue and, a lack of a leniency on the part of the authorities.





President Pranab Mukherjee, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur, Governor Vajubhai Vala and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah were in attendance at the convocation.



An LLM (Master of Law) student who arrived from Delhi by the morning flight reached the venue, Jnana Jyoti Auditorium on the Central College campus at 10.15 am. But he was not allowed in despite showing his identity card at the entry gate. According to the instructions given by authorities, everyone had to be seated by 10 am.



I could have collected my degree certificate in absentia. But I wanted to attend the convocation in person and receive my certificate from the President of India. The University should have shown some leniency. I am not an outsider but a student, he said. He spent nearly two hours waiting for the VIP guests to leave before he was allowed in.



Another student of Postgraduate Diploma Course in Intellectual Property Rights Law said that he did not receive any intimation about the convocation on his mail and therefore went to the NLSIU campus in Nagarabhavi, where the convocation is held every year. I reached the venue very late but was not allowed to enter, he said.



The security arrangements seem to have also ruffled a few feathers at the NLSIU as well. A faculty at the NLSIU said that nothing was in their control.



Doordarshan was the only media agency that was allowed to cover the convocation, unlike during the previous years. While NLSIU officials had prepared a list of a few media houses to attend the convocation, this was not approved by the Presidents office.



Initially they had agreed to the list. But in the last moment they said no to it, said the faculty.


BJP leader K S Eshwarappa and members of Sangolli Rayanna Brigade on Sunday met former Congress MP A H Vishwanath, who is admitted at a private hospital in Coimbatore.





Vishwanath is learnt to have expressed dissatisfaction over the style of functioning of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. He charged Siddaramaiah with neglecting the backward classes, Dalits and minorities. Vishwanath, who is a Congress leader from Mysuru, was admitted at a private hospital in Coimbatore recently.


A pedestrian sustained minor injuries after an African student lost control over his bike and hit him. The incident took place at the Tin factory Junction near KR Puram in the early hours of Sunday.





According to the police, the bike-rider has been identified as Ahmat Mahamat, 26, a native of Republic of Chad. He is a resident of HBR Layout and is studying BCA in a private college at Kalyan Nagar. The injured has been identified as Venugopal, a farmer, and a native of Srinivaspur. Venugopal was given first aid and discharged.



Around 12.30 am, Mahamat and his five friends were going on three bikes towards KR Puram to meet their classmate. They were in an inebriated state after attending a party in Ramamurthy Nagar.



On reaching the Tin Factory Junction, Mahamat lost control over the bike and hit Venugopal, who fell and sustained minor injuries.



Passersby nabbed Mahamat when he tried to flee the spot. He picked up a fight with them, even as his friends joined him and they tried to assault the public. Before things could go out of control, Ramamurthy Nagar police arrived at the spot and arrested Mahamat while his friends fled. The KR Puram traffic police also arrived and seized the three bikes.



Mahamat was asked to undergo breath test but he created a ruckus. He was taken to the Bowring Hospital and his blood samples were collected and sent for examination. The traffic police have registered a case against him for rash and negligent driving, said a senior police officer.


A BMTC bus conductors presence of mind averted a possible accident at the busy NES junction in Yelahanka, northern Bengaluru, on Sunday. The conductor, Dadapeer, quickly applied handbrake to stop the bus after the driver, Subhash, fainted at the wheel.





The incident occurred around 12.30 pm when Subhash was driving the bus from Yelahanka New Town to Kempegowda Bus Stand. As the bus neared NES junction, Subhash passed out and collapsed at the wheel. Dadapeer, who was quick to notice this, rushed to the drivers seat and applied handbrake to stop the bus. Still, the bus went on to rear-end a car, a police officer said.



Dadapeer recounted the incident to DH, The bus was crowded. I was issuing tickets when I noticed a sudden change in the bus movement. I saw Subhash collapse at the wheel. I rushed there and applied the handbrake. The bus would have caused a major accident had it not stopped.



Suresh Babu, a passenger, said there was commotion in the bus as it started moving in zigzags. Women passengers sitting near the drivers seat raised an alarm, but the conductor stopped the bus and controlled the situation.



The traffic police also arrived at the spot. Dadapeer, the car driver and a few passengers helped the police take Subhash to hospital. Passengers continued their journey by other buses.



The traffic police seized the bus since it was involved in an accident, though the car driver didnt want to lodge a complaint. Police said they would take Subhashs statement once he recovered. Doctors suspect Subhash suffered a cardiac arrest.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said unity and love were the mantras to address the issues in Kashmir.





He stressed that any loss of life, whether of a youth or security personnel, in the ongoing strife in the Valley was a loss to the nation.



Speaking on the issue during his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, Modi noted that certain people were trying to disrupt peace in Kashmir by involving youngsters in their nefarious designs. Sooner or later, such people will have to give an answer to these young children for this, he said, slamming those spreading anti-India sentiments in Kashmir.



This comes a day after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti made an appeal to the protesters to end the violence and proposed a three-pronged strategy, including holding of dialogue with all stakeholders, after a meeting with Modi here.



This country is very big, full of diversities. To keep it united, it is the responsibility of all of us, as individual citizens, as a society and as a government to strengthen the unity as much as we can, highlight it as much as we can. Only then can the nation achieve its bright future. I have confidence in the power of the 125 crore people of the country, Modi said.



He appreciated the response of the political parties on the Kashmir issue, noting that they all came together and spoke in one voice. They sent out a clear message to the world as well as the separatist forces, besides conveying our sentiments to the people of Kashmir, the prime minister said.


Iraq's government would consider selling crude through Iran should talks with the autonomous Kurdish region on an oil revenue-sharing agreement fail, a senior oil ministry official in Baghdad told Reuters.

Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation (SOMO) plans to hold talks with the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), possibly next week, about Iraqi oil exported through Turkey, Deputy Oil Minister Fayadh al-Nema said in an interview on Friday evening.

"If the negotiations come to a close" without an agreement "we will start to find a way in order to sell our oil because we need money, either to Iran or other countries", he said by telephone.

Iraq, OPEC's second-largest producer after Saudi Arabia, depends on oil sales for 95 percent of its public income. Its economy is reeling under the double impact of low oil prices and the war against Islamic State militants.

The Kurdistan region produces around 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) on its territory and exports those volumes via Turkey. Baghdad would not be able to reroute those volumes to Iran but could order shipments of some 150,000 bpd via Iran that are being produced in the nearby province of Kirkuk.

An agreement between Iran and Iraq could function in a similar fashion as oil-swap deals Tehran has had with Caspian Sea nations, according to an oil official who asked not to be identified.

Iran would import Iraqi oil to its refineries and export an equivalent amount of its own crude on behalf of Baghdad from Iranian ports on the Gulf. Iraq has ports on the Gulf but they are not linked to the northern Kirkuk fields by pipeline.

Iraq's state-run North Oil Company resumed pumping crude through the Kurdish-controlled pipeline to Turkey last week as "a sign of goodwill to invite them (the Kurds) to start negotiations," Nema said.

He said pumping had resumed on the instruction of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi following "some understanding" between Baghdad and Erbil. Abadi said on Tuesday the decision had been made to avoid damage to reservoirs.

The flow of crude extracted from Kirkuk by North Oil and pumped in the pipeline has been running at about 75,000 bpd since last week, or half the rate before it was halted in March, Nema said.

Should there be an agreement with the Kurds, flow through the pipeline would be increased to more than 100,000 bpd, not to the previous level of 150,000 bpd, he added.

Nema said about 20,000 bpd would be supplied to the refinery of Suleimaniya, in the Kurdish region, and 30,000 bpd would be refined locally in Kirkuk.

The pipeline carries crude to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, where the Kurds have been selling it independently on the international market, along with oil produced in their northern region.

The Kurdish government has been calling on Baghdad since March to resume the pumping of Kirkuk crude in full to help Erbil fund its war against Islamic State. Sources in Erbil have said splitting the Kirkuk flows would divide the Kurds and complicate the task of fighting the ultra-hardline militants.



A KRG spokesman in June told Reuters the Kurds are ready to strike an agreement with Baghdad if it guarantees them monthly revenue of $1 billion, more than double what they make currently from selling their own oil.

The dispute revolves around Kurdish oil exports that Baghdad wants to bring under its control.

"If Baghdad comes and says 'OK, give me all the oil that you have and I'll give you the 17 percent as per the budget', which equals to 1 billion, I think, logically it should be the thing to accept," KRG spokesman Safeen Dizayee said in June.

"Whether this oil goes to the international market or first to Baghdad and then to the market, it doesn't make any difference," he added. "We are ready to enter dialogue with Baghdad."

The Kurdish government stopped delivering crude oil to the central government about a year ago, a decision taken when Baghdad's payment fell under $400 million a month, Dizayee said.

It is also in a dispute with the central government over Kirkuk, where North Oil produces its crude and which the Kurds claim as part of their territory. The Kurds took control of the region two years ago, after the Iraqi army disintegrated when Islamic State overran a third of the country.

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In the buildup to a long-awaited offensive on the city of Mosul, Kurdish forces are seizing new territory in northern Iraq that they say will become part of their autonomous region. The moves are further straining relations between the Kurds and the Baghdad government and Shia militias, all ostensibly allies in the fight against the Islamic State group.

Just east of Mosul, Kurdish engineering teams on a recent day were laying down a 3-meter wide, 20-kilometer long trench and 2-meter high berms, marking the new front line after recapturing the village of Qarqashah and neighboring hamlets from Islamic State group earlier this month.

The new de facto borders established by the Kurdish fighters, known as peshmerga, raise the potential for conflict between Iraq's Kurds and Arabs after any eventual defeat of IS group - just as in neighboring Syria, where Kurds have also dramatically expanded their zone of control.

"All the areas that have been liberated by the peshmerga forces, our (Kurdish) forces will stay there," said Falah Mustafa, the head of the Iraqi Kurdish region's foreign relations department, echoing statements by numerous officials.

Largely with the help of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes, Kurdish forces have taken territory equivalent to around 50 percent of the size of their recognized autonomous zone.

Their first gain came just days after IS militants took Mosul in the summer of 2014 and stormed down into central Iraq as the military collapsed. Kurdish forces seized the city of Kirkuk, which they have long claimed as their own.

Ostensibly, the move was to protect the city from IS group, but Kurdish President Massoud Barzani quickly said the Kurds would keep it. From there, they continued pushing IS group out, capturing much of the surrounding province.

Since then, they have taken further territory in the nearby Ninevah province, where Mosul is located, with "shaping operations" ahead of an expected assault on the city. Much of it is territory with a large Kurdish community that the regional government has claimed for years - but not all, meaning the grabs are bringing in populations where some are wary of Kurdish domination.

Similarly, in neighboring Syria, long-oppressed Kurds have used the chaos of the civil war and fight against IS group to carve out a zone of control across the country's north.

The new clout of the main Syrian Kurdish fighting force, known as the YPG, has led to tensions with almost every player on the ground there, including Sunni Arab rebels and government forces. Turkey this week launched a major cross-border offensive, aimed mainly at limiting Kurdish expansion.

In Iraq, after the capture of the Qarqashah area, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi pointedly demanded a halt to the peshmerga advances.

But the Kurds refused. The Kurdish regional government's spokesman, Safeen Dizayee, said the peshmerga "will not stop their advances until all Kurdistan's territories in the Ninevah region are liberated." He added that they will not withdraw "from areas they are going to liberate in the future."

Al-Abadi seemed to soften his stance, saying all forces have the right to participate in the Mosul offensive. Still, he underlined that "Ninevah will stay unified."

But Barzani in recent weeks has said a "new formula" is needed to administer the province, without elaborating.

Mustafa said the Kurds were acting because minority groups in Ninevah no longer trust the central government to ensure their safety after the rise of Shia militias that have been accused of abuses in past anti-IS group operations.

Both the peshmerga and the Shia Arab militias have steadily grown more powerful as the United States and Iran have funneled weapons, training and money into Iraq to back the fight against IS group.

Some 230 kilometers (140 miles) southeast of Mosul, deadly clashes broke out in April between Kurdish fighters and Shiite militias in the town of Tuz Khormato, home to Kurds, Sunni Arabs and Shia Turkmens.

Shia fighters accuse the Kurdish forces of destroying homes belonging to the town's Turkmen residents. Kurdish forces in turn accuse the Shia fighters of arbitrarily detaining Sunni Arab residents. Checkpoints and sandbag barriers carve up the town, separating the two sides.

Jassim Mohammed Jaafar, a Shia Turkmen member of parliament from the Mosul area, said he worries a similar scenario will play out in parts of Ninevah after Mosul is retaken.

"The Kurds have forces to defend their areas. If we need forces to protect our areas, we will use the Popular Mobilization Forces," he said, referring to the state-backed organization under which the militias are grouped.

A spokesman for the Popular Mobilization Forces, Hashim al-Musawi, said "we have real concerns about the Kurdish forces." He cited reports that Kurds have deported Arab civilians from recaptured territory. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have published reports documenting such allegations.

Almost a year ago, Kurdish forces retook the northwestern region of Sinjar, dominated by the Yazidi religious minority, who were subjected to massacres and enslavement under IS group rule. Tens of thousands of Yazidis fled into the Kurdish region for protection.

Many Yazidis do not consider themselves Kurdish, but rather a distinct ethnic minority, yet Kurdish politicians laid claim to Sinjar during the same press conference in which they declared it "liberated."

Shiite militiamen have also altered Iraq's demography after pushing IS out of hundreds of villages in central Diyala and Salahuddin provinces and largely administering security in the areas they retook. While not backed by coalition airstrikes, Iranian advisers, weapons and funding have helped the militias outstrip Iraq's conventional armed forces.

Many of the mostly Sunni Iraqis who were displaced from those provinces by the violence say they don't feel safe returning with militias in control. Others have been prevented from returning due to strict so-called security checks.

Lukman Sharawani, commander of a small unit of Kurdish fighters stationed north of Mosul, explained that Ninevah  his home province was once one of the most diverse parts of Iraq.

"Mosul has always been a multi-ethnic city," he said. The plain that lies to the north and east of Mosul is home to some of the region's oldest Christian communities as well as villages that were once home to Shabaks, Yazidis and Kurds.

He pointed to allegations of looting, destruction and arbitrary detentions by Shiite militias after IS was driven out of the western city of Fallujah this year.

"We don't want the same to happen here," he said.

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Where does 'College GameDay' have Ohio State in the first CFP rankings?

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At least 28 Libyan fighters were killed and more than 180 wounded on Sunday as they advanced on the final Islamic State militant holdouts in the coastal city of Sirte, according to a hospital casualty list.

Forces aligned with Libya's U.N.-backed government, supported since Aug. 1 by U.S. air strikes, have pushed militants back into a small residential area in central Sirte during a three month campaign. Heavy fighting resumed on Sunday after a one-week lull.

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October is National Bullying Prevention month. We have all heard the phrase bullying, but what does it actually mean? Bullying is defined as unwanted aggressive behavior; observed or perceived power imbalance; repetition of behaviors or high likelihood of repetition.

Bullying is unfortunately a reality for far too many in our communities both young and old. Much like any other form of violence, bullying is not isolated to any particular age group, gender or demography. Just about everyone of us can look back in our lives and recall a time where either we were personally bullied or witnessed one of our friends or schoolmates being bullied. Its hard to believe that with all of the advancements and awareness, this type of behavior still exists, but it does and with the advent of social media, it had actually gotten much worse. This is because unlike in the past, the bully not only impacts your life on the playground or classroom; they now are able to follow you into your personal life due to the constant presence of social media.

There is good news in that we have learned a great deal about what creates these bullies and how to neutralize their ability to isolate and intimidate. The key is for those in authority to respond to reports of bullying immediately to show without question that bullying will not be acceptable. That message needs to follow to our homes with the messages we send our children not only by what we say but by our own actions in how we treat fellow adults. Bullying is without question a learned behavior. It is learned on the playground, in the classroom and follows through to the workplace and social interactions as adults. We need to send a strong message to our own children, a message of empathy and compassion not of ridicule and rumor.

Who are at risk of bullying the most? Typically those who are bullied have one or more of the following risks:

Are perceived as different from their peers, such as being overweight or underweight, wearing glasses or different clothing, being new to a school, or being unable to afford what kids consider cool

Are perceived as weak or unable to defend themselves

Are depressed, anxious, or have low self esteem

Are less popular than others and have few friends

Do not get along well with others, seen as annoying or provoking, or antagonize others for attention

However, even if a child has these risk factors, it doesnt mean that they will be bullied. The important lesson is that we as adults set the tone for how the next generation will interact with each other. Chances are if we show acceptance of others, our children will show acceptance of others. If we engage in demeaning others or spreading rumors, our children will follow suit. So often we as adults underestimate the influence, we have not only on our own children but even those who dont know us but witness our behavior.

While school or workplace policies are an important component, the only way to truly decrease bullying is by denying the bully their victim. We do this by raising strong, confident, resilient children, and speaking out and supporting those who find themselves on the receiving end of this type of behavior. We are all teachers in life lessons and we teach by our actions. Lets all be aware of what we teach.
One Turkish soldier was killed and eight others wounded in two separate blasts Sunday in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast, and Kurdish militants launched a rocket-propelled grenade at a civilian airport, officials and the state-run news agency said.

The Anadolu Agency said one soldier was killed and three were wounded after a roadside bomb was triggered remotely by rebels linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the Hakkari province. In another attack, five civilian village guards were wounded in Siirt province after their van hit an improvised explosive device on a road, the news agency said, blaming PKK for the blast.

Earlier Sunday, Kurdish rebels, apparently targeting a police checkpoint at Diyarbakir Airport, fired a grenade that exploded near the airport's VIP passenger entrance, shattering windows, the local governor's office said. No injuries were reported. Passengers were taken to safety after the attack and flights resumed after a brief pause during the police investigation.

Violence between the PKK and the security forces resumed last year, after the collapse of a two-year peace process in July. Since then, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to Anadolu. Rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed in the clashes.

On Friday, a Kurdish suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden truck into a checkpoint near a police station in the southeast, killing at least 11 Turkish police officers and wounding 78 other people.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was visiting southeastern city of Gaziantep on Sunday to express condolences for last weekend's suicide bombing there at a Kurdish wedding that left 54 dead.

Turkey has sent tanks across the Syrian border following weeks of deadly attacks by the PKK and the Islamic State group. The move aims to both fight IS group and halt the advance of Syrian Kurdish groups.

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The Union of Students in Ireland (USI) will flyer 100,000 homes across Ireland this week to promote the digs for students website www.homes.usi.ie calling on homeowners to rent spare rooms to students and avail of up to 12,000 in tax-free rent per annum.

This step-up in marketing of www.homes.usi.ie comes in conjunction with the leaving cert results coming out today and CAO Round One offers being issued on August 22nd. The USI said this is a short-term solution to the lack of accommodation and they are asking the public to lease out spare rooms to help with the crisis.

USI President, Annie Hoey, said they will be targeting homes across the country that are in close proximity to colleges 

We will be targeting houses located close to colleges across Ireland that have spare rooms. Annie Hoey, USI President, said. On the 1st August there were only 87 rental properties in Cork city  1,000 less than there was the same day six years ago. The flyers will be a direct marketing means to inform the public on how bad the rental crisis is and how much money they can make from renting out spare bedrooms to students. Leasing out spare rooms is a very straight-forward process, especially for parents whose children have flown the nest, or who are attending college the other side of the country. The average cost of college per child is 11,000 annually and leasing out a room to a student will greatly help with this cost, as you can make up to 12,000 annually tax-free.

USI said digs is a win-win for students and homeowners  students have all of the positives of living in a homely environment, and homeowners can make money tax-free by simply uploading pictures of the spare room(s) with a brief description and monthly cost. Anyone interested in renting a room can do so on homes.usi.ie with the process taking about five minutes to complete.

On the 22nd August the first round of CAO offers will be sent out to young people across Ireland. Second round offers come out on the 31st August and USI said they hope to have a few more hundred people signing up to the digs website homes.usi.ie by then to accommodate the increasing numbers of third level students across the country.
Five civilians were killed and seven injured in clashes in central Mali between farmers and minority ethnic Fulani cattle herders, regional officials said on Sunday.

Mali's government said in a statement that it had deployed security forces to the region to prevent further clashes without blaming any groups for the violence, which took place on Saturday.

It called for an investigation to determine the culprits and said a government delegation was preparing to visit the site of the incident.

Herdsmen are often armed to protect themselves from attacks by cattle rustlers, and they sometimes stage deadly reprisals against the towns where the thieves are from.

Abdoul Aziz Diallo, president of the Tabital Pulaaku community group which represents Mali's Fulani community, told AFP the incident began after a number of animals were stolen.

"A significant number of animals were stolen. The owners of the animals went to look for their livestock and they fell into an ambush and there were clashes. Five people were killed and seven others were injured," he said.

"For us, the Malian government is not taking responsibility and disarming these groups who are killing over livestock in the region of Mopti."

Six of the wounded were taken south for treatment, a police source said.

"Five people were killed Saturday in the region of Mopti, in central Mali, following clashes between cattle raisers belonging to the Peul (Fulani) minority and farmers. Tensions remain high in the area," an elected representative from the region told AFP.

Between April and May, at least thirty civilians -- including a number of Fulani -- were killed in violence between the group and members of the majority Bambara people.

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Singapore has confirmed 41 cases of locally-transmitted Zika virus, mostly among foreign construction workers, and said it expected more cases to be identified.

All but seven of those infected have fully recovered, the health ministry and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement on Sunday. Those seven remain in hospital.

On Saturday, authorities had confirmed a 47-year-old Malaysian woman living in southeastern Singapore as the city-state's first case of a local transmission of the virus - which in Brazil has been linked to a rare birth defect.

The authorities said they tested 124 people, primarily foreign construction workers employed on a site in the same part of Singapore. That site has been ordered to halt work, and workers' dormitories are being inspected. Seventy-eight people tested negative and five cases were pending. Thirty-four patients had fully recovered.

Four Singaporean men had developed symptoms of the virus in the past week and were hospitalised on Saturday. It was not clear where the foreign workers were from or when their cases were detected. Singapore hosts a large contingent of workers from the Asian sub-continent.

None of those infected had travelled recently to Zika-affected areas. "This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place," the statement said.

The ministry "cannot rule out further community transmission since some of those tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore," the statement said. "We expect to identify more positive cases."

Singapore, a major regional financial centre and busy transit hub, which maintains a constant vigil against the mosquito-borne dengue virus, reported its first case of the Zika virus in May, brought in by a middle-aged man who had been to Brazil.

CLEAN-UP

Singapore deployed around 200 NEA officers to clean drains and spray insecticide in the mainly residential area early on Sunday to counter mosquito breeding grounds, and volunteers and contractors handed out leaflets and insect repellent.

Zika, carried by some mosquitoes, was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked in Brazil to more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly - where babies are born with small heads.

All medical services in Singapore had been alerted "to be extra vigilant" and immediately report any Zika-associated symptoms to the health ministry.

Local residents welcomed the NEA clean-up on Sunday.

"I'm very scared of mosquitoes because they always seem to bite me, they never bite my husband," Janice, 31, who gave only her first name, told Reuters. "This concerns me because maybe in a couple of years I want to have another (child)."

Regional risk



Singapore said there were "ongoing local transmission" cases in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Other countries in the region to have detected the Zika virus since 2013 include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives and the Philippines, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Malaysia said on Sunday it stepped up surveillance at main transit points with Singapore - handing out leaflets on Zika prevention and having paramedics ready to handle visitors with potential symptoms of the virus.

In Thailand, where close to 100 cases of Zika have been recorded across 10 provinces this year, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) was screening athletes returning from the Olympic Games in Brazil, but was not otherwise changing its prevention measures.

"Every country in this region has Zika transmission cases," said Prasert Thongcharoen, an adviser to the DDC. "Thailand has, however, managed to contain the problem through early detection."

A foreign ministry spokesman said Indonesia was "following developments". Oskar Pribadi, a health ministry official, said there had been no recent Zika cases in the country.

Vietnam has to date reported three cases of locally-transmitted Zika infection.

The current strain of Zika sweeping through Latin America and the Caribbean originated in Asia, where people may have built up greater immunity.

The WHO has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.

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University of Chicago Booth School of Business has launched a programme for senior executives in the sub-continent. The Chicago Booth Accelerated Development Programme - India (ADP - India) is a 10-month executive programme leading to a Certificate of Participation. Initiated in partnership with Northwest Executive Education, it builds on ADP London and Singapore. It is aimed at exposing students to key business concepts and strategies in an intensive format. It is for South Asians who wish to develop a critical understanding of business and leadership skills.

Elaborates Renu Kulkarni, associate dean for executive education at the B-school , A number of executives in India and the rest of South Asia are responsible for key organisational activities but they need to develop a wider general management perspective outside their traditional area of control and expertise. The programme aims to accelerate the growth of business leaders, building functional as well as strategic and leadership skills and impart knowledge that creates transformation in organisations. It will provide a forum to share business problems and craft solutions, to learn the necessary skills to address whatever issue may arise.



The curriculum is general-management-oriented, using the framework of finance, strategy and leadership as the approach to solve problems. It includes inter-module learning through industry workshops and seminars in which senior Chicago Booth alumni and industry experts will share their experience with participants. Enrolees will be required to take an active role in uncovering the ideas and facts that can lead to new solutions.

Adds Kulkarni, We have tried to customise the curriculum to address business situations unique to India while retaining the broader global relevance and philosophy of the London and Singapore programmes. For instance, we have added online learning and inter-module workshops which include industry practitioners perspectives for India.



Starting in December 2016, it will comprise three, four-day in-class modules at the universitys campuses in Delhi, Hong Kong, and Chicago; three workshop sessions; three online foundation programmes; and several peer-assisted learning exercises including group case studies and seminars.

The in-class sessions will be taught by the same Chicago Booth faculty that teach the EMBA degree programme and focus on:

Module 1: Building blocks -- key concepts to manage your business (December 5- 9, 2016; Delhi)

Module 2: Business core -- core financial and leadership skills (May 15-19, 2017; Hong Kong)

Module 3: Protect and grow -- innovation mindset, influence and risk management skills (October 9-13, 2017; Chicago)

On completion of the programme, participants will become a part of the global ADP network.

Duration: 10 months

Course begins: December 2016

Eligibility: Indian citizens resident in India and citizens of other countries in South Asia with a minimum of 10 years of work experience

Application and course fees: US$ 250 and US$ 25,000

Application deadline: September 24, 2016




It's been more than a year since President Obama finished his legacy defining nuclear deal with Iran. Since then, Iran has taken more Americans hostage, violated U.N. sanctions by firing off a number of ballistic missiles and took U.S. Navy sailors captive early this year. While in captivity, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard took video of the sailors without boots, forced a female sailor into covering her head and demanded sailors issue apologies for their behavior. That footage was then used as propaganda on Iranian state television, a violation of the Geneva Convention.




Puebla, Mexico, Aug 28 (EFE).- The mummified body found in June 2015 on Pico de Orizaba, Mexico's highest mountain, is currently on display in a museum in the central city of Ciudad Serdan.

The identity of the mummy is not known, but the man was approximately 50 and may have died and been mummified more than 15 years ago, according to forensic testing performed over the past year.

The man was short and thin and forensic scientists determined that he bled to death after breaking a bone. The low temperatures on the side of the volcano rising more than 5,600 meters (some 18,350 feet) favored his mummification.

"This mummy is intact. It has hair, fingernails and teeth," Ciudad Serdan Mayor Juan Navarro told EFE at the recently opened La Magnolia Culture Center in town.

The mystery surrounding the find is that the man was wearing a black cashmere suit with a sky-blue shirt, had no other equipment or items with him and was found face down in a very contorted posture.

Navarro said in a telephone interview that there is much speculation over how he came to be on the mountainside - including that he simply may have been a vagabond, or a person who fell out of an airplane or a would-be mountain climber with no experience.

Although many telephone calls were received from Mexico and other countries after the body was found by a group of climbers, but, despite being examined by experts from Guanajuato and law enforcement personnel, the man has not been able to be identified - and, of course, the body has not been claimed.

The body now belongs to the Ciudad Serdan city authorities and is being exhibited for educational, scientific and touristic purposes in a temperature-controlled glass case in the museum.

Besides the mummy, the museum has on display assorted mammoth bones found in the area and other historic items such as documents pertaining to the birth of former Mexican President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz.

In March 2015, the bodies of three mountaineers who had died in a avalanche in 1959 were found on the northern face of Pico de Orizaba.
Asuncion, Aug 28 (EFE).- President Horacio Cartes traveled Sunday to the area in northern Paraguay where eight soldiers from the Joint Task Force, the military unit fighting the Paraguayan People's Army, or EPP, guerrilla group, were killed earlier this weekend.

The Joint Task Force troops were killed in an attack staged by the EPP on Saturday.

Cartes met amid tight security with task force commanders in Horqueta, a district in Concepcion province, telling the officers that he was committed to ending the insurgency.

"I'm in the front lines here ... We have to turn this pain into actions," Cartes, who was accompanied by Interior Minister Francisco de Vargas and top National Police commanders, said.

The Joint Task Force soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb detonated by the rebels as their vehicle traveled on a rural road in Arroyito, located in Horqueta.

The EPP guerrillas opened fire on the soldiers after the explosion, hauling away weapons and ammunition from the army vehicle.

Cartes was returning to Paraguay from an official visit to Mexico when the attack occurred.

The president arrived on Saturday night at the airport in Asuncion, where he read a statement in which he vowed to put an end to terrorism in Paraguay before leaving office in 2018.

The Joint Task Force created in 2013 to fight the EPP, which the government blames for carrying out about 50 assassinations since its creation in 2008.

The guerrilla group is holding three people - a police officer and two Mennonite farmers - captive.

Relacionados At least 10 soldiers killed in car bomb attack in southern Yemen
Natural gas installation fees for residential units have been raised from EGP 1,500 to EGP 1,850

Egypt's cabinet approved on Saturday the increasing of installation fees for household natural gas connections, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported, citing oil minister Tarek El-Molla.

El-Molla stated that the fees have been raised by EGP 350 to reach a total of EGP 1,850.

The minister said the new fees are due to the high cost of delivering the natural gas to households.

However, the minister made it clear that the new increase would not apply to all citizens, with lower-income people to be exempt.

The rise came a few weeks after the government announced new increases in electricity bills as part of a fiscal reform programme  which includes cutting subsidies and the introduction of new taxes  aimed at curbing the growing state budget deficit, estimated at 11.5 percent of GDP in 2015/16.

On Saturday, the ministry of International Cooperation stated on its official website that the minister Sahar Nasr discussed with the World Bank (WB) the household gas connection project co-financed by the bank with an amount worth $500 million, a grant from the EU worth 68 million euros, and the French Development Agency (AFD) with a sum of 70 million euros.

During her meeting with WB mission, Nasr emphasized the necessity of increasing the number of governorates included in the project to become 20 instead of 11, given that natural gas would be delivered to 2.4 million households over 4 years, including 1.1 million households in 11 governorates.

There are around 7.2 million housing units that have been connected with natural gas in Egypt as of December 2015, according to official data.

*The official exchange rate for $1 = EGP 8.78.

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Egypt has decided to halt wheat imports if shipments contains any percentage of the ergot fungus, the agriculture ministry said on Sunday.

Agriculture Minister Essam Fayed issued a decision on Sunday that reverses an earlier decision to accept a 0.05 percent of the fungus, the internationally respected limit, in its grain imports, the ministry said in an emailed statement.

Upon the new decision, Egypt, the worlds biggest wheat importer, will have a zero-tolerance policy for the presence of the fungus in its imported wheat.

In February, there was confusio between the states grain buyer GASC and the agricultural authorities over levels of the fungus, which caused weariness among suppliers and drove some of them to boycott tenders.

Wheat imports for the 2015/16 marketing year are estimated at 11 million tonnes, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) showed in October 2015, "about the same as the previous year and the average for the last five years."

In June, the supply ministry said that the government had purchased up to five million tons of local wheat and paid farmers EGP 14 billion (roughly $1.6 billion) for the harvest season, which started in mid-April.

Earlier this month, the Egyptian office of the prosecutor-general stated that its ongoing investigation into alleged corruption surrounding local wheat procurement revealed that some EGP 533 million ($60 million) had been stolen by officials within the agriculture ministry in collusion with silo owners.

The prosecution said that officials took government money earmarked to buy 222,000 tons of wheat from local farmers and pocketed the cash while claiming that the purchases were made.

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Balding men who seek to look better or younger by undergoing hair transplants are on the right course, a small new study suggests

People shown before-and-after pictures of hair transplant recipients rated men with more locks as looking more attractive and younger, researchers found. People also thought the men looked more successful and approachable after the procedure.

"It was satisfying to us," said senior author Dr. Lisa Ishii, of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. "I definitely dont want to be doing a procedure on people that doesnt make a difference."

Hair transplant procedures vary by doctor, Ishii told Reuters Health. Generally, individual hairs are taken from the back of the head to fill out areas of the scalp with hair loss.

"Weve been doing these procedures for years and everyone assumes it does something for your appearance, but we never measured that," she said.

The lack of data on how much hair transplants may improve a person's image was bothersome to Ishii, because patients would ask for specific estimates.

In an attempt to get objective opinions on men's appearances before and after the procedure, she and her colleagues asked 122 volunteers - 58 men and 64 women - to view 13 pairs of images. Seven pairs showed men before and after having had a hair transplant; the other six pairs were of men who didn't have a hair transplant or any other significant cosmetic procedures between the two photographs.

The participants were asked to rate each image on age, attractiveness, successfulness and approachability.

The reviewers thought the men who'd had hair transplants looked about four years younger in their "after" photos. They also thought the men looked more attractive, successful and approachable after their procedures.

"It showed there were measurable improvements on measures that are meaningful to the patients," she said.

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Shamea Morton, who made a name for herself on the show last season, has announced her engagement to her longtime boyfriend Gerald Mwangi.

We first met Morton as Porsha Williams friend on the show. But she certainly brought enough drama to hold her own. She got into a spat with Kenya Moore that ended in a physical fight for Williams and Cynthia Bailey. Morton came for Moores hair care release party before dissing her again when they were on a boat party Moore hosted for Bailey.

She attempted to boot Morton from the boat and Willams and Bailey ended up going head-to-head.

Morton joined the ladies in Miami too.

She also came back and it was revealed she was a good friend of Kandi Burruss as well in a later episode.

Morton and her new fiance met a lounge and had a connection just days later at a cookout she told Daily Nation earlier this year.

She opened up about meeting her fiance, who is from Kenya, and his family.

It was good; they welcomed me with open arms. There were no preconceived notions because he kind of prepped me; weve been talking about this since we started dating. I had all these pictures in my mind but it was better than I had imagined. Kenya is just beautiful all around  the people, the food.Ive gained three kilos.

Williams also showed support for Morton on Instagram.
To reach me for collaborations, sponsorships, and event invitations, I am contactable at

the-ice-angel@hotmail.com


Rome, Italy - 28 Aug 2016: Automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) fail to save lives when the public does not have basic life support education, according to research presented today at ESC Congress 2016.1 The study found that public access defibrillation (PAD) programmes are unevenly deployed across France, with an obvious impact on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival rate.

"The survival rate of OHCA remains extremely low," said Dr Nicole Karam, an interventional cardiologist at the European Hospital Georges Pompidou in Paris, France, on behalf of the Paris Sudden Death Expertise Centre led by Professor Xavier Jouven.

"The importance of the early minutes of OHCA management is well recognised and PAD programmes have been developed to increase both AED availability and basic life support awareness," she continued. "However, no study has assessed the deployment of these programmes in real life."

The current study, coordinated by Dr Eloi Marijon, was a five-year national prospective assessment of PAD programmes conducted throughout 51 districts in France. The two arms of PAD programmes were evaluated: density of deployed AEDs (per 100 000 inhabitants/1000 km2) and proportion of persons educated in basic life support at least once during the five year period (per 100 000 inhabitants), either by public governmental or private initiatives.

The researchers found huge discrepancies in PAD development across the districts. The proportion of educated persons varied from 6955 to 36 636 per 100 000 inhabitants, while the density of AEDs varied from five to 3399 per 100 000 inhabitants/1000 km2. Overall, only 35.3% of districts developed a significant programme, defined by the authors as both AED density and educational rate above the median (more than 22 AEDs per 100 000 inhabitants/1000 km2 and more than 13 866 educated persons per 100 000 inhabitants).

"These discrepancies were way beyond those we expected," said Dr Karam. "Around a third of districts developed complete PAD programmes, while others either did not invest sufficiently in any of the two arms (37.2%), or only focused on one of the two components. There was no correlation between the implementation rates of the two components, as if there was no global strategy to effectively deploy complete PAD programmes."

Another interesting finding was that there was absolutely no correlation between the level of national and local education, indicating a limited collaboration between these two decision makers. "We could have expected more local investment in districts with poor national investment and vice versa, but this is not the case, further highlighting the absence of real deployment strategies for PAD programmes," said Dr Karam.

OHCA survival rate varied tremendously among districts, ranging from 0 to 43.8%. Survival rates increased with higher levels of PAD implementation, certifying their importance in improving OHCA outcomes. However, survival rates were low in districts with low levels of education, whether they had a high density of AEDs or not (5.9% and 4.7% respectively), and only increased with a rise in population education (figure 1).

Survival rate was much more correlated to the number of educated individuals (correlation coefficient 0.89) than to the number of available AEDs (0.25). In multivariate analysis, only the level of population education was independently associated with survival (odds ratio 1.64, P = 0.004).

Dr Karam concluded: "Even though this study confirms the beneficial effect of PAD programmes, it reveals a huge heterogeneity (more than 100-fold) in their implementation with an uneven investment in each of their arms. It also highlights the insufficient benefit of deploying AEDs if not combined with population education, which should be helpful in planning public health policies."

###

Figure 1. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival rate according to AED number and education

AED: automatic external defibrillator

Notes to editors

Sources of funding: The study was sponsored by the French Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), French Society of Cardiology, French Federation of Cardiology, Lefoulon-Delalande Foundation, Global Heart Watch (GHW), and Fondation Coeur et Arteres.

Disclosures: None

References and notes

1Dr Nicole Karam will present the abstract "Major disparities in public access defibrillation programs implementation: a French nationwide study" during:

The press conference "Preventing sudden death: diet or device" on 28 August at 15:00 to 16:00

Best Posters session 7: Best Posters in sudden cardiac death and resuscitation on 30 August at 14:00 to 18:00 in the Poster Area

About the European Society of Cardiology

The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 120 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people lead longer, healthier lives.

About ESC Congress 2016

ESC Congress is the world's largest gathering of cardiovascular professionals contributing to global awareness of the latest clinical trials and breakthrough discoveries. ESC Congress 2016 takes place 27 to 31 August at the Fiera di Roma in Rome, Italy. The scientific programme is here. More information is available from the ESC Press Office at press@escardio.org
Rome, Italy - 28 Aug 2016: The risk of traffic accidents is increased by 50% in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) compared to age and gender matched controls, according to a Danish nationwide registry study presented at ESC Congress 2016 today.1

"Driving after ICD implantation is an area of great debate and concern for both doctors and patients," said lead author Dr Jenny Bjerre, a physician at Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. "Our study provides contemporary data suggesting that the risk of motor vehicle accidents is in fact increased following ICD implantation when compared to controls."

ICDs are widely used to prevent sudden cardiac death in patients with an increased risk of life-threatening arrhythmias (primary prevention) and in patients who have survived a life-threatening arrhythmia, including cardiac arrest (secondary prevention). The number of ICD implantations has increased dramatically over the past decades, now reaching almost 100 000 yearly implants in ESC member countries.

Due to the risk of arrhythmias and potential loss of consciousness while driving, patients with an ICD are temporarily restricted from driving following ICD implantation and/or ICD shock. However, contemporary data to support these recommendations are lacking and the restrictions have a negative influence on patients' quality of life.

The study by Dr Bjerre and colleagues was conducted at The Cardiovascular Research Centre at Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark. Using nationwide registers, the researchers identified all Danish residents who received a first ICD for primary or secondary prevention between 2008 and mid-2012. Motor vehicle accidents were recorded from nationwide registers on accidents and deaths.

The study included 4874 ICD patients and a control group of 9748 subjects matched by age and gender. Participants were 63 years old on average.

During an average follow-up period of 2.5 years, 2.3% of ICD patients were in contact with a hospital following a motor vehicle accident, compared to only 1.7% of the control population. Over time, this translated into a 51% increased risk of motor vehicle accidents in ICD patients compared to controls. There was no detectable difference in accident risk between primary and secondary prevention ICD patients.

Although higher than in the control population, the overall rate of motor vehicle accidents in ICD patients was low (1.0 to 1.4% within the first year after implantation), and the researchers observed no deaths due to motor vehicle accidents in patients with an ICD.

Dr Bjerre said: "To date, driving recommendations for ICD patients are based on data from small studies in a few highly selected patients. The Danish nationwide registers provided a unique opportunity to investigate the subject in a 'real world' ICD population."

"Due to the retrospective nature of the study we are unable to conclude that ICDs cause traffic accidents," continued Dr Bjerre. "However, because the control population was generally healthier and took fewer medically prescribed drugs, we speculate that the observed increased risk of motor vehicle accidents in the ICD population is likely a consequence of the underlying cardiovascular disease, rather than the ICD device itself."

###

Notes to editors

Sources of funding: The study was supported by The Arvid Nilsson Foundation and Danish Heart Foundation.

Disclosures: None

References and notes

1Dr Jenny Bjerre will present the abstract "Risk of motor vehicle accidents in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator - A Danish nationwide study" during:

The press conference "Preventing sudden death: diet or device" on 28 August at 15:00 to 16:00

The Young Investigators Awards Session Population Sciences on 29 August at 12:40 to 13:50 in Da Vinci - The Hub

About the European Society of Cardiology

The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 120 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people lead longer, healthier lives.

About ESC Congress 2016

ESC Congress is the world's largest gathering of cardiovascular professionals contributing to global awareness of the latest clinical trials and breakthrough discoveries. ESC Congress 2016 takes place 27 to 31 August at the Fiera di Roma in Rome, Italy. The scientific programme is here. More information is available from the ESC Press Office at press@escardio.org
Should the migrants or their descendants adapt to France, or should France adapt to new realities imposed by other cultures? That was one of the questions that the Burkini case raised

I'm putting aside the case against Europe series this week and the coming one to evoke the burkini quarrel.



The facts are well known  women wearing an Islamic swimsuit were seen on some beaches, prompting some cities to forbid this. The prohibition was enforced in a humiliating way at least once. Defense of laicite and of womens emancipation? Another proof of Frances supposed intolerance?

Everybody went wild, and even in the higher circles the divisions were clear. Prime Minister Valls supported the ban, while some of his ministers, notably Marisol Touraine and Najat Vallaud Belkacem, opposed it.

French, like Egyptians, often complain about the world media's coverage of their country, and rightly so. They feel the top newspapers, most notably the New York Times, miss the mark and simply do not understand their countries, blinded by a human-rights and a multi culturalist approach that does not take into account their specificity, their tradition and their virtues. I agree. But even people with a bias can from time to time get it right. So how should we consider this case?

I would agree that all the issues related to the Islamic dress code for women hit a nerve, and that the no to the burkini is an emotional reaction, shared by people from different classes and backgrounds, that looks for rational justification, rather than the other way round. But emotional does not necessarily means irrational. And rational attitude does not necessarily mean right attitude.

I also observe that those who support the ban and those who oppose it both say they correctly interpret the principles of laicite and are committed to its defense. While doing so, they differ from those (notably in the American media, but also in France) who say laicite is no longer appropriate for our times. And both supporters and opponents have arguments: laicite does not oppose religion, laicite does not mean religious signs are forbidden in the public space, laicite protects freedom and opting for a dress is a right; on the other hand, laicite is a political principle and not a set of laws, it should be reinterpreted and adapted to necessity of times, and it is obvious those who raise the women dress code issue do not want a consolidation of this great founding principle.

Quite the contrary. These people try, slowly and constantly, to redefine the social pact, to erect communitarianism as another way of organising society. Their pressure is relentless and is strongly felt in poor neighbourhoods. So seculars should be much less tolerant with those who surf on communitarianism.

My main point, in this article and the next, is: the argumentation of those who oppose the ban rests on the defense of liberties. Those who support it think, rightly or wrongly, they defend the identity of France. Both see a side of the coin.

I belong to those who are fed up by the relentless attacks on the laicite principle. It is a great and efficient one and it ended a century of feuds by designing a public sphere where everybody, regardless of its origins and beliers, can speak. I understand the concerns of the two camps. The question is what is the proper defense of this principle.

Let us understand the real motives of those who support the ban. First of all, the mingling of men and women, the gallant conversation, the presence of cultivated women in salons, leading the discussion and orienting it, showing their beauty and their intelligence and culture, guarding and transmitting the good manners and the beauty of the language, is an old distinguished French tradition and an underestimated component of French identity.

The womens role is considered a French trademark, a French contribution to civilisation, a sign of the special role of French women in society. The Islamic dress code is seen as a direct attack on this tradition/ trademark. It is interpreted as saying No, sir, I do not mingle, and I do not accept the role you want me to play.

In other words, I do not accept French culture. Of course, in theory some could say I wear this dress because I want to mingle and to play the role ascribed to women. But, to the best of my knowledge, nobody did, till now. I should add many feminists do not like this French tradition and consider it to be a fake liberation, and many others think the Islamic dress code is an embodiment of womens servitude. And, of course, things are more complex and I think both miss the mark. But do not underestimate the impact of all these perceptions.

Second, this issue raises many crucial questions: what is French identity? Should the State, or a strong state, have the right to interfere in the parents education of their children, sons and daughters? If yes, to what extent? Should the migrants or sons of migrants adapt to France, or should France adapt to the new realities?

Frances way of doing things has been assimilation. You are accepted, regardless of your background, if you adopt French behaviour, outlook and habits. The number of marriages between people from different backgrounds is a strong reminder: the problem has little to do with racism.

Many French are simply frightened by the rise of those who advocate a radical reconsideration of the venerable social pact, in order to pave the way to habits which are radically different.

To be blunter, most French are proud of their history, a history of struggle against the Catholic Churchs hegemony, against its grip on rural France, again its claims to oversee the public discourse, and they think we did not achieve this to allow the hegemony of another religion. While this lecture is understandable, the question, of course, is whether the dress code is really a symbol of the hegemony (a very strong word) of a religion.

To be continued.

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Rome, Italy - 28 Aug 2016: A study in nearly 15 000 heart failure patients has found that up to 80% may not be receiving treatment at doses proven to reduce hospitalisations and improve survival. The research presented at ESC Congress 2016 today highlights the need for doctors to ensure patients are treated appropriately so that the high levels of serious illnesses and death associated with heart failure can be reduced.1

"One in five people will develop heart failure over their lifetime and 15 million people currently suffer from heart failure in Europe," said lead author Dr Pardeep Jhund, a cardiologist at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. "Patients are frequently admitted to hospital and are at a high risk of dying. Effective, recommended therapies exist, but are potentially being under-used in clinical practice."

"Therefore, we wanted to understand whether patients with heart failure are receiving the best treatment available to them," he continued.

European Society of Cardiology heart failure guidelines outline the type and dose of therapy that patients with the most common type of heart failure should receive (called heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, or HFrEF).2 This study examined whether patients with heart failure in the UK actually receive these treatments.

This two-year, retrospective, observational study examined the primary care records of 14 546 heart failure patients included in the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), a large database used by general practitioners in the UK.3 The investigators assessed rates and causes of hospitalisation, rates of serious illnesses and deaths, and treatment practices from 2009 to 2011.

The analysis only included records of patients who had been receiving treatment for at least one year and who could be followed up for one additional year. Information on the type and dose of treatment was recorded and compared with those recommended in the heart failure guidelines. Patients were considered to be receiving a recommended dose of a therapy if their prescribed dose was within 25% of the recommended target dose.

The key finding was that a large proportion of patients were not receiving guideline-recommended treatments. Guidelines recommend that HFrEF patients receive an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB). This should be combined with a beta-blocker, and, in a large number of patients, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA) should be added. In this study, 80% of patients were receiving an ACE inhibitor or ARB; but only 57% were prescribed a beta-blocker and 31% were given a MRA.

Furthermore, only 35% of patients receiving an ACE inhibitor or ARB and 20% of those receiving a beta-blocker were on the recommended target doses. Of those receiving a MRA, 78% were on the target dose. This highlights that up to 80% of eligible patients with heart failure may not be receiving treatment at doses that have been proven to reduce hospitalisations and improve survival (Figure 1).

Rates of serious illnesses and death were high. In this elderly population (average age: 79 years), 26-50% had a history of serious health conditions, such as atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes or chronic kidney disease. Patients were frequently hospitalised and stayed in hospital for up to 15 days. Each year, 14% of patients died and half of the deaths were due to cardiovascular disease.

Dr Jhund said: "These findings emphasise the need to treat patients with heart failure using evidence-based, recommended therapies at doses that have been shown to be effective in clinical trials. This is vitally important considering the high costs of hospitalisation and poor life expectancy associated with this condition."

Dr Jhund concluded: "Our results highlight that rates of hospital admissions and deaths in patients with heart failure remain substantial. Evidence-based, guideline-recommended therapies are under-used, and used at lower doses than those shown to be effective. Prescription rates of therapies must increase, and therapies must be prescribed at higher doses, to reduce hospitalisations and help these patients live longer."

###

Figure 1. Treatment practices in patients with heart failure in the UK

Notes to editors

Sources of funding: The study was funded by Novartis Pharma AG (sponsor).

Disclosures: Dr Jhund has consulted for Novartis Pharma AG. Dr Petrie has received travel support from Novartis Pharma AG. Prof McMurray's employer, the University of Glasgow, has been paid for his time as a consultant to Novartis Pharma AG. Dr Reardon is a consultant to DataMed Solutions LLC, which has received funding from Novartis Pharma AG. Drs Calado and Schlienger are employees of Novartis Pharma AG. Dr Haroun is an employee of Novartis Pharmaceutical UK Limited

References and notes

1Dr Pardeep Jhund will present the abstract 'High risk of morbidity and mortality in patients with heart failure and under treatment with evidence based therapies in the UK' during:

The press conference "Heart failure, challenges and solutions" on 28 August at 13:00 to 14:00

Poster session 2: Heart failure / LV dysfunction on 28 August at 08:30 to 12:30 in the Poster Area

22016 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure. Eur Heart J. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehw128

3A limitation of the study was that the exact heart failure classification of patients was not known (i.e. the proportion with a reduced, versus preserved, ejection fraction). However, a strength of the study was the large database, which included a significant sample of the UK population of patients with heart failure. The mean age and rates of serious illnesses and death were at levels that would be expected in a typical population with heart failure, suggesting that the results may be of interest for future studies in different countries.

About the European Society of Cardiology

The European Society of Cardiology brings together health care professionals from more than 120 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people lead longer, healthier lives.

About ESC Congress 2016

ESC Congress is the world's largest gathering of cardiovascular professionals contributing to global awareness of the latest clinical trials and breakthrough discoveries. ESC Congress 2016 takes place 27 to 31 August at the Fiera di Roma in Rome, Italy. The scientific programme is here. More information is available from the ESC Press Office at press@escardio.org
Foreign exchange investors saw the British pound to euro conversion rate enjoy a near-month best last week as markets digested FED Chair Janet Yellen's key Jackson Hole speech. We examine the latest euro-related fx forecasts targeting the sterling and the US dollar in the short, medium and long-term GBP/EUR forex outlooks.

The Pound to Euro exchange rate today: up by 0.18pct on the day at 1.17325, best in last 30 days 1.1954.

The Euro to Pound exchange rate today: 0.85233.

Sterling stays strong as single currency strength limited by German Imports. See todays update below.

Last weeks currency exchange markets were impressed by Tuesdays strong Confederation of British Industry industrial data, giving the GBP/EUR a rally towards best post-Brexit levels.

Strong retail figures, also from the CBI, on Thursday failed to repeat the performance however, with pound sterling investors disregarding retail sales figures.

New estimates for GDP in the second quarter remained at 0.6% on the quarter at 2.2% on the year, while business investment increased, yet the Pound weakened, despite EY Item Clubs Martin Beck suggesting fears over the Brexit impact were overdone, stating:

An uncertainty-driven slowdown still seems likely. But with a number of recent surveys from the CBI and others showing bouncebacks from post-vote lows, strong official retail sales numbers for July, and the support offered by the package of measures announced by the Bank of England, predictions that the economy will fall into recession look unduly pessimistic.

Latest Pound / Euro Exchange Rates

On Saturday the Pound to British Pound exchange rate (GBP/GBP) converts at 1 Today finds the pound to pound spot exchange rate priced at 1. The live inter-bank GBP-USD spot rate is quoted as 1.161 today. At time of writing the pound to canadian dollar exchange rate is quoted at 1.58. FX markets see the pound vs swiss franc exchange rate converting at 1.157. The pound conversion rate (against australian dollar) is quoted at 1.811 AUD/GBP. Please note: the FX rates above, updated 29th Oct 2022, will have a commission applied by your typical high street bank. Currency brokers specialise in these type of foreign currency transactions and can save you up to 5% on international payments compared to the banks.

British Pound (GBP) Climbs vs Euro (EUR) After Investors Focused on Tailwinds from the Latest Eurozone data

Mixed PMIs left markets unimpressed on Tuesday, despite above-forecast increases for French services and composite indices, German manufacturing and Eurozone services and composite.

German GDP reprinted at the strong figures estimated previously, but investors were concerned by Germanys huge budget surplus, seeing it as money that should be being invested in infrastructure spending to boost the wider Eurozone economy.

German business confidence figures showed sentiment unexpectedly declined in August, while the September iteration of the GfK Confidence Survey suggested outlook was more positive amongst consumers.

GBP/EUR Exchange Rate Could Rise in the Near-Term

There could be upside risks for GBP/EUR exchange rates over the coming week, with much of the scheduled data forecast to improve.

After a quiet start to the week due to Mondays summer Bank Holiday, UK data could give British Pound exchange rates further support, with Wednesdays consumer confidence, Thursdays manufacturing PMI and Fridays construction PMIs all forecast to rise on previous results.

Westpac analysts state squeezes should be seen as selling opportunities, but they could force a test of the 1.34s before sliding once more to the post-Brexit low of 1.2800, if not the measured move and psychological level of 1.2500.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch sees an upside risk for Pound Sterling, noting that investors have started  buying GBP from short position.

The health of the housing market could continue to cloud the outlook for GBP, however, as mortgage approvals and housing price data is expected to weaken.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch Forecast; EUR at risk against GBP

The coming few days will bring multiple key data releases, including vital German unemployment and Eurozone consumer price index figures on Wednesday.

Regardless of the data, the Euro could find itself under pressure, with Bank of America Merrill Lynch noting;

Both USD and EUR are at risk against GBP and JPY. Our proprietary flows show hedge funds and real money still selling USD, but also sold EUR last week. They continued buying JPY, and have now started buying GBP.

Key GBP and EUR Related Economic / Forex Events This Week

Monday's session on the foreign exchange markets remains quiet as the UK takes its August Bank Holiday. The only data to watch is USD-related, namely the Core PCE Price Index and the US Personal Spending.

By the EUR/USD correlation, the GBP/EUR may seen some volatility on these reports.

This week's euro-focused events include the German Import Prices source, German Prelim CPI, Spanish Flash CPI source, Italian Retail Sales source, Italian 10-y Bond Auction source, German Retail Sales, French Consumer Spending source, French Prelim CPI, German Unemployment Change source, Italian Monthly Unemployment Rate, Eurozone CPI Flash Estimate, Italian Prelim CPI, Spanish / Italian / French / German Manufacturing PMIs source, Spanish Unemployment Change and the EUR PPI.

This week's sterling-focused events include the Nationwide HPI source, Net Lending to Individuals source, M4 Money Supply, UK Mortgage Approvals, GfK Consumer Confidence source, UK Manufacturing PMI, UK Construction PMI.

EZ Data Provides Pound Sterling a Lift Against the Euro

The UKs consumer lending and mortgage approvals weakened sharply in July, suggesting that the Brexit vote had negatively impacted the confidence of lenders.

Even so, with the appeal of the Euro limited by a mixed German Import Price Index report the GBP/EUR exchange rate was able to maintain a narrow uptrend on Tuesday morning.

The Pound was able to capitalise against the Euros weakness on Tuesday afternoon, largely due to a surprisingly poor German inflation report.

According to preliminary figures, Germanys consumer prices stagnated in August and failed to improve from 0.4% to 0.5% in its yearly figure as forecast.

Sterling had a more difficult time recovering against the US Dollar however, as Tuesdays US consumer confidence print for the US came in well above expectations.

Confidence was expected to slip to 97.0, but instead soared to 101.1 giving the US Dollar extra strength during the American session.
Saturday, August 27, 2016

This is complicated.

Occasionally a trusted source sends me to a link or a news item that turns out to be old, sometimes many years old. I assume it is current (I need to learn to check the dates), write the post, and then find out that what I wrote about took place in 1978. I usually trash the post. There have been a few like this. Now this story came to me from a trusted source, and linked to a current story, or so I thought. The post, on a site called America Now, is dated August 25, 2016. But WordPress pointed out, right at the bottom, that I had in fact written about Mario Hernandezs citizenship problems two years ago. What? For a second I thought there were TWO Marios (Mario brothers?), who had the same problem, but no, they are the same guy.

The story I was given today, based on this New York Times story from May of 2014, led to the post below. There is an ending to the story, which was explicated by me in the post of two years ago. However my two posts were on two different ethics issues, and todays though inspired by a stale story, is still ethically useful. Pretend Mario plight isnt two years old: that doesnt alter the principles involved, or my analysis. Ill tell you what happened at the end of the post..

***

Mario Hernandez, now 58, came to the U.S as a 17 year-old Cuban refugee aboard a 1965 Freedom Flight. Under The Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, he was eligible to become a permanent U.S. resident after one year of residence and a citizen after five. All he had to do was apply. He didnt.

He did enlist in the U.S. Army, voted in elections, and passed background checks for his job. Mario finally retired, and with his wife, planned a Caribbean vacation to celebrate his retirement after 22 years at the Bureau of Prisons. When he applied for a passport, however, Mario received the shock of his life: he wasnt a citizen. He wasnt even a legal resident.

Hernandez says he assumed the U.S. military took care of his naturalization papers when he enlisted to serve in Vietnam in 1975. As Felix Unger memorably observed in the famous trial episode of TVs The Odd Couple, one must never assume, lest one make an ASS of U and ME

[embedded content]

I thought I was a citizen  Ive always been proud of being a citizen, Hernandez told the New York Times.

Irrelevant.

This cannot be real, Hernandez continued. Ive been living here 49 years. This is the only country Ive ever known.

IrrelevantIrrelevantIrrelevant.

Im a veteran, Hernandez also said. I feel like Im betrayed.

Betrayed? Veterans still are responsible for following legal requirements. A veteran cant argue that he is betrayed if the government prosecutes him for tax evasion because he assumed that as a veteran, he didnt have to pay taxes, or for owning a gun without a license, because he assumed that the Second Amendment allowed him to have a gun without one. The ancient maxim, still followed in U.S. courts, is that Ignorantia juris non excusat: ignorance of the law is no excuse. Each citizen (or, in this case, non-citizen under the mistaken impression that he is one) is responsible for knowing his or her legal responsibilities.

For some reason, Hernandezs application for citizenship last March was denied. Yes, that seems a bit harsh. Nevertheless, he has only himself to blame.

Immigration lawyer Elizabeth Ricci is representing Hernandez pro bono, and argues that Hernandezs service to and honorable discharge from the Army during Vietnam was during a designated period of hostility, which under federal law makes him automatically eligible for naturalization. Oooh, tough one: Vietnam was never a declared war, so I dont know who designated it one. Hernandez could also begin the naturalization process all over again, as if he just came arrived from Cuba and wasnt a veteran, but has been advised that challenging the rejection of his citizenship application is the better course.

His lawyer believes that the government may be preparing to bring charges against Hernandez for falsely identifying himself as a citizen, which could mean fines or even jail time. I think they are gravely embarrassed, Ricci told the Times, and are trying to shift the burden on him now to make him look like a criminal.

Wrong, counselor, but good representation. The burden was on him, from the very beginning, to file for citizenship. The law doesnt, cant and shouldnt care why he didnt, if nobody was physically restraining him. It was still his responsibility. He was lucky he went so many years before his failure to become a legal citizen was caught, but he cant reasonably blame the government because he was.

The law was fair and reasonable. Many, many citizens have successfully followed it. That Hernandez messed up badly doesnt make him a bad person, but it does make him a law-breaker.and an illegal alien.

Should the U.S. relent in this case, in light of special circumstances, and give Hernandez a break? Of course it should. That would be the ethicalkind, fair, compassionate and smart thing to do, but government bureaucracies arent very good at smart or ethical. Thats another good reason for us to know the laws, and follow them. The main reason, though, is that its our responsibility.

***

Now for the rest of the story, as the late Paul Harvey would say.

Nine days after the 2014 Times story that somehow convinced America Now to tell its readers that poor Mario was a man without a country two years late, the Times printed a follow-up story, which was my source for the earlier Ethics Alarms post in 2014. Heres the key section:

In a statement, Chris Bentley, a spokesman for the immigration agency, said it apologized for handling Mr. Hernandezs application as a regular naturalization case rather than a military one.As soon as this error was brought to our attention, we immediately reopened the case, Mr. Bentley said, and this morning, after a thorough review of the case with Mr. Hernandez, we were able to approve his naturalization application.

Well what do you know! The bureaucracy DID do the right, ethical and legal thing. Mr. Hernandez is finally a citizen. The agency even apologized to him.

__________________

Pointer: Tim LeVier
At the end of August, the not guilty verdict in the Arkansas trial of Judge Wade Naramore for the accidental death of his child resulted in many impassioned responses pro and con about whether he should have been held accountable for this death or whether the jury was right to find him not guilty. The case is especially relevant today in light of the several hundred deaths each year of kids and pets locked in cars while their owners are away for varying lengths of time with various reasons, resulting in different charges and proceedings in the justice system in different parts of the country.

So was justice served or not by the verdict? This is the question Paul Brakke, the author of American Justice? published by Touchpoint Press decided to explore by looking at the varied responses of local citizens to the verdict. To this end, he asked the co-author of his book American Justice?, Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D., a writer, sociologist, with a J.D. from the University of San Francisco Law School, to comment on what it means to obtain justice in an accidental death case and when is one criminally responsible for causing the accident.

In general, most of the respondents felt the jury had done the right thing, as Dr. Scott agreed. But other respondents made a strong, compelling case for taking the opposite position, which might be appropriate under other circumstances, where the individual causing the victim's death is truly negligent due to his or her irresponsible behavior. But if not, the situation might best be regarded as a tragic accident.

The basic circumstances of the case are this, as Brakke described in a blog devoted to the case on the book's website www.americanjusticethebook.com. A year ago, Naramore forgot that he had left his 17 month old son Thomas in his car, and the boy succumbed to heat stroke and died. Naramore thought he had dropped his son, who was in the back seat, off at day care, but when he returned from his court hearings for the day and thought he was going to pick up Thomas to take him to a swimming lesson, he discovered the boy's lifeless body in the back of the car.

Naramore was devastated. He sobbed hysterically and held his son in his arms in a yard in front of his neighbor's house exclaiming "I killed my child, I killed my child," as the neighbor reported. So Naramore clearly had no intention of killing his son, and he had not engaged in any irresponsible, negligent behavior to bring about his death, such as being intoxicated, going on an extended shopping trip, having a conversation that lasted longer than expected, or meeting a mistress for some fun in the afternoon. Even so, despite this lack of intent and lack of irresponsible behavior, the local prosecutor charged Naramore with negligent homicide -- a misdemeanor with a maximum term of a year in prison and a fine of $2500.

Thus, under a legal definition of the crime, Naramore was certainly not guilty, as Dr. Scott points out. According the state statute, the state has to show "beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant should have been aware of a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the death would occur." But in this case, Naramore offered ample proof that he was not aware, and as has been shown in many other cases, in which simple forgetfulness is not considered a matter of criminal intent. For example, the situation would have been different if Naramore was aware his son was in the back seat and decided to stop in to buy something in a store, but then the child succumbed to the heat in those few minutes, because he would have committed an unjustifiable risk in leaving his child in the car. Or if he had been drinking, and his reduced awareness caused him to forget his child was in the back seat, that would be another reason to find him guilty, because he was negligent in his decision to drink and thereafter act under the influence of alcohol.

But in this case, Naramore had forgotten entirely because he was preoccupied with other ordinary things of the day, such as his upcoming court cases, his involvement in routine activities, and his feelings of stress. So he was for very good reasons not aware of doing anything that was a "substantial and unjustifiable risk;" therefore, legally he did nothing wrong. In fact, an expert witness David Diamond, a scientist and professor at the University of South Florida, demonstrated that he was totally unaware of his child remaining in the car, based on his 12 years of research into why parents forget their children in vehicles. As Diamond explained, parents can come to experience a false memory of doing something that they usually do. In this way, Naramore had developed the false belief that he had already dropped Thomas off at day care that morning. Thereafter, he was truly devastated, had nightmares, and woke up screaming, helping to show how much he loved his child and in no way wanted to harm him.

While some opponents of the verdict thought that Naramore's ability to hire an expert witness and lawyer for his defense enabled him to escape punishment, in most cases, as Brakke's co-author Scott notes, people aren't typically charged and convicted on the facts of Naramore's case, because simply forgetting something does not show criminal intent. While the police have made arrested a few person for leaving a child in a car and charged them for being negligent, even when the child suffers no serious harm, such an arrest is the rare exception, and generally are unlikely to result in a later prosecution. Rather, a probable outcome is for social services to step in to work out future arrangements with the parents to be sure the children will be properly cared for and safe.

Thus, it is understandable why the jury found Naramore innocent, and why the courtroom broke into loud cheers and sobbing when the verdict of innocence was announced and many agreed in a reader's survey conducted by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's reader survey. In general, those supporting the verdict tended to emphasize Naramore's great suffering and the fact that his feelings of guilt and loss would be much greater punishment than the actual punishment for the crime if he was found guilty. By contrast, those who felt he should have been punished focused on the child's suffering or seemed to see this as a case of a high-profile wealthy person getting away with a crime because he could afford the best defense. The irony is that in actuality, Naramore was charged and went to trial because of his high profile, whereas if he was just an ordinary citizen, the police would not have even arrested him, based on the facts of the case, which showed his lack of negligence and intent. The irony is that Naramore was actually charged because the incident gained a lot of publicity due to his position, and so the prosecutor felt compelled to charge him, though he probably wouldn't have otherwise.

This discussion of whether justice was served in other cases is also considered in Brakke's book American Justice?, written with Dr. Scott. As the book suggests, there are many opinions about what is justice or injustice, and there are many flaws in the criminal justice system. The book provides some suggestions about what to do to deal with these problems, and perhaps these suggestions will help people come to a better consensus about what is justice.

* * * * * * *

Paul Brakke, is a scientist based in the Little Rock, Arkansas area. He became interested in studying the criminal justice system when his life was turned upside down after his wife was falsely accused of aggravated assault for trying to run some kids over with her car, since the kids and some neighbors wanted her out of the neighborhood. Eventually, they had to move, as part of a plea agreement, since otherwise, Brakke's wife faced a possible 16 year jail sentence if the case went to trial and she lost. He has told his wife's story in American Justice?, along with a critique of the criminal justice system. The book's website is at www.americanjusticethebook.com.
A San Antonio congressman, already on record in support of Donald Trump for president, told Texas delegates to the Republican National Convention that Trumps on target characterizing some immigrants as criminals.

Rep. Lamar Smith said at the Texas delegations July 17, 2016, breakfast in Cleveland that Trump knew what he was talking about. One-third of all federal prisoners today are illegal immigrants. They have committed some of the worst crimes; they have committed the rapes and the murders and everything else.

We wondered if indeed one-third of federal prisoners were in the country without legal authorization. Not so, we ultimately found. Smith was citing a slightly outdated figure of individuals sentenced to the federal pen in a given year, not the total federal prison population.

Right off, we suspected Smith was off base. Our June 2016 fact check of a different claim took note that as of April 2016, nearly 80 percent of the federal systems approximately 195,000 inmates were U.S. citizens; 15 percent were citizens of Mexico, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

A bureau breakout showed that as of late July, the citizenship percentages are about the same.

Yet Smith spoke before that breakout was posted. When we asked his House spokeswoman, Jennifer Pett, the basis of his claim, she said by email that he was referring to illegal alien immigration statuses shown for nearly 37 percent of individuals sentenced to federal prison in the fiscal year running through September 2014, as shown in a chart from the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

This turned out to be the latest-available breakdown we could find of incoming prisoners by immigration status. According to the chart, 58 percent, or 43,479, of the 74,911 individuals that year were U.S. citizens. Otherwise, the chart notes 27,505 illegal residents sent to prison plus 3,017 foreigners living here with legal permission, 206 people under extradition and 704 individuals with unknown statuses.

Of the illegal residents, 20,333, or 74 percent, were primarily sentenced for immigration violations, not violent crimes, according to the chart. Nine unauthorized immigrants were primarily convicted of murder, 50 of assault and 19 of sexual abuse, the chart shows.

Next, we inquired into the share of federal inmates, as Smith put it, who are currently held after living in the country absent legal permission.

On behalf of the sentencing commission, which gathers information on federal crime and sentencing issues, spokeswoman Christine Leonard confirmed the validity of Smiths fiscal 2014 chart. Leonard said the agency hasnt posted a similar analysis for the fiscal year running through September 2015. But in fiscal 2015, she pointed out, 29,166 noncitizens  not necessarily living in the United States without legal permission  accounted for 42 percent of the 70,255 people sentenced to federal prison.

According to the fiscal 2015 chart, 19,240 of the sentenced noncitizens, 66 percent of them, were primarily sentenced for immigration violations. Among 9,926 noncitizens primarily convicted of a nonimmigration violation, 62 were primarily convicted of assault, 24 of sexual assault and 15 of murder, the chart indicates.

We also asked the Bureau of Prisons for the percentage of undocumented immigrants among the entire federal prison population  the group that Smith singled out in his statement. No such data are available, spokesman Justin Long advised us by email. But the bureau does tally the proportion of inmates by citizenship status  and noncitizens have recently accounted for 22 percent of all inmates.

We sought a longer view. Long replied with numbers indicating the share of noncitizens among federal inmates has gradually decreased. Noncitizens made up nearly 30 percent of inmates in September 2000; 27.3 percent in September 2005; 25.4 percent as of September 2012 and 22.4 percent as of September 2015, similar to the 22 percent of late, Long said.

Still, could it be theres been fluctuation, with the share of immigrant inmates spiking some months?

Doesnt look like it. Since January 2016, Long replied, the greatest monthly share of noncitizens among inmates was 21.9 percent, the least 21.6 percent.

Next, we asked outside experts why it would be that noncitizens make up 22 percent of inmates of late despite the fact that illegal aliens accounted for nearly 40 percent of the people sentenced to federal prison in fiscal 2014.

Their consensus: The standing population of inmates reflects a good number of prisoners serving longer sentences while most noncitizens sent to prison were convicted of immigration crimes, which mostly entail shorter sentences.

Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies, a think tank that focuses on lessening immigration, summed up by email: With immigration offenders, there is high volume but shorter sentences, so faster turnover, which translates to a smaller percentage of the average daily population in prison.

Meantime, Julie Samuels of the Urban Institute pointed out an institute chart showing that people convicted of immigration violations in fiscal 2014 accounted for a greater share of people sent to prison than they did of the total prison population:

Another authority, Nazgol Ghandnoosh of the Sentencing Project, which says it focuses on reforms in sentencing policy, pointed out that as of the end of December 2014, some 69,000 of the 1.6 million state plus federal prisoners were noncitizens, per a September 2015 report by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, though we noticed that report lacked counts for several states including California.

After we circled back to Smiths office with the figures wed found, Smiths deputy chief of staff, Chris Philp, said by email that Smith had meant to tell the delegates that one-third of federal sentences go to illegal immigrants, not that one-third of federal prisoners are illegal immigrants.

Our ruling

Smith told his fellow Texans: One-third of all federal prisoners today are illegal immigrants.

Not so. Rather, this figure ties to the 37 percent share of individuals sentenced to prison in fiscal 2014 who werent legally living in the country  and there doesn't appear to be a more recent breakdown.

More to the point, the government doesnt sort all inmates by immigration status, which leaves us with its guidance that as of mid-2016, 22 percent of inmates werent U.S. citizens. It seems logical to conclude that unauthorized residents made up a smaller share of all the prisoners.

We rate Smiths statement Mostly False.

Take a look here at highlights of Trump's plan to stop undocumented immigration from Mexico entering the U.S.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia  An ethnic Chinese rapper in Malaysia has been detained for allegedly insulting Islam in his latest music video.

Wee Meng Chee, popularly known as Namewee, was detained Sunday at this capital citys airport as he returned from abroad. Police on Monday obtained a court order to hold the 33-year-old singer for four days to investigate him on suspicion of defiling a place of worship with intention to insult religion.
A series of summits to drive forward the rural economy; discuss investment and consider Scotlands role in the EU will be hosted by Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing.

The first summit, to be held next week, will focus on the farmed shellfish industry, followed by events tailored to industries including forestry, agriculture and other sectors within food and drink.

The discussions will bring together industry representatives; recommend action to boost investment and consider how to best protect the UK's interests and relationship with the EU.

Mr Ewing said he wants to "drive forward" the rural economy.

The first summit will focus on the farmed shellfish sector

"There are a number of sectors which have a crucial role to play in this," Mr Ewing said.

"Thats why I am hosting a series of summits to bring together key players, identify the barriers to growth and recommend potential actions to increase investment and boost jobs.

"Clearly our place in Europe is a key issue when it comes to our economy and our rural economy in particular.

"That is why we are working to maintain our relationship with the EU and how we can best protect Scotlands interests will be an important part of the discussions at each of our summits," Mr Ewing concluded.

Scotland's aquaculture

The first summit will focus on the farmed shellfish sector and will take place on 1 September.

Aquaculture is an increasingly important industry for Scotland, helping to sustain economic growth in the rural and coastal communities of the north and west.

Involving the farming or culturing of fish, molluscs, crustaceans and seaweed, aquaculture produces our most valuable food export.

The Scottish aquaculture industry is led by Atlantic salmon farming, but also produces significant quantities of rainbow trout and mussels.

This event will be followed by other sector specific summits over the course of this year and early next year.

Each event will focus on specific sectors that play a key role in the rural economy, including forestry, finfish aquaculture (largely salmon and trout farming) and food and drink.
What was it like to be an Oath Keeper? John Zimmerman can tell you
Tom Cruise reportedly charters private jets to take his gym kit around the world with him.

Tom Cruise

The Hollywood icon ensures he can stay in shape while shooting movies by using private planes to fly his fitness gear to his next destination the day before he arrives.

A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "Working out is really important to Tom and he likes to have his own equipment with him so he can exercise in private.

"It might seem extravagant but for an A-lister of his stature, hiring a private jet is like the rest of us hailing a taxi."

Meanwhile, Tom's good friend Victoria Beckham revealed earlier this year how she called on the actor to help motivate her own staff.

The 42-year-old fashion designer was once working hard on a new collection when her friend - who famously played aviator Lieutenant Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell in iconic 1986 movie 'Top Gun' - paid a visit to her office and spent quality time with all of her employees.

She recalled: "So I was working on a collection and all the mood boards were up - and my team is in the room with me - and all of a sudden there was a knock on the door and Tom walks in, all in black with a pair of aviators, and he stands legs apart and his hands on his hips.

"He basically came as Maverick. He spent such a long time with every single person, whether it was the design team, e-com, marketing and he spoke to all of the seamstresses."
After finishing her MBA from Pune, Chhavi Rajawat like any other youngster joined the corporate world. She worked with companies such as Times of India, Carlson Group of Hotels and Airtel. However, a high salary and designation did not hold her back from shifting base to the remote, under-developed Soda village in Rajasthan. She wanted to bring change at the grass root level.



Soda had not seen any development since her grandfather, a retired brigadier, had served as the sarpanch some two decades ago. The villagers wanted Rajawat to take up the post and she was unanimously elected to become the youngest sarpanch with an MBA degree in the country in March 2010. Since then, she has worked towards bringing better sanitation, roads, 24-hours electricity and regular water supply to the village. Even before the Swach Baharat Abhiyan had kicked off, out of the total 900 houses at Soda, toilets had been constructed in 800. She has also facilitated the construction of more than 40 roads in the village.



It wasnt easy for her to achieve all this as she isnt affiliated to any political party. When she planned an IT centre in Soda, some local people who were eyeing that land allegedly attacked her. When I was attacked twice by the unsocial elements who were unhappy by my kind of transparent governance, the police officials did not act on my complaints. As I suffered a fracture, doctors at the local government hospitals refused to issue a medico-legal report (MLR), she told a leading national daily, while alleging that people at various levels connived with those who wanted to encroach land.



The support of her parents and villagers has helped her to continue doing good work and she has her eyes set on a brighter future for rural India. If India continues to make progress at the same pace as it has for the past since independence, it just wont be good enough. Well be failing people who dream about having water, electricity, toilets, schools and jobs. I am convinced we can do it differently and do it faster, she had said in an interview to a news channel. She is still serving as the sarpanch.
Mumbai: Many filmmakers might have stood up against the guidelines of the CBFC, but director Shoojit Sircar says he never had any face-off with the Censor Board as it has always "treated" his films nicely.

Lately, the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) has had many run-ins with leading Bollywood directors due to

its demand for multiple cuts in the films, which according to the makers, kill the crux of the content.

Shoojit who has directed films like Yahaan, Vicky Donor, Madras Cafe and Piku, however, says he never faced

objections from the board.

"I have done four films and all have been sensitive. But the censor board has not objected anything in my films.

People say censor board is this or that I would say I have never faced any (trouble)," the filmmaker told PTI.

"They (board) have always understood the intention behind the films that we make. We have positive feeling about

the Censor Board. They have certified my four films and have treated them nicely. I have faith in them."

Shoojit, who is gearing up for his upcoming home production film Pink feels CBFC has always been good and supportive to him.

When asked if the board has suggested any cuts for his upcoming production Pink, Shoojit said, "We have shown them the film. And there have been no objections yet (raised by them). We are in healthy discussions with them."

The director-producer is hoping that the CBFC will give a U/A certificate.

Featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu in lead roles, Pink is an upcoming courtroom dramathriler, which revolves around three girls who are trapped in a criminal case. They are tried in the court for an attempt to murder case and defaming some men.

The film that unravels in the courtroom, also show that the three girls were possibly sexually assaulted by the

men who are now being held as the victims.

"Pink is a thrilling subject and it touches on some women related issues. It is real life story, inspired by what

happens in society," Shoojit said.

It has been directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.

While Aniruddha was keen on making Pink in Bengali, Shoojit was adamant that the story of this film deserved a

wider release.

"The subject of Pink was with us since 2013, but we were figuring out things. For the film we have taken inspiration from real life cases of working women across the country, we looked at several incidents," Shoojit said.

According to the Piku director, the court room scenes in his upcoming film are close to reality.

"We went to a sessions court and we tried to be as honest and real as we could. There is no unnecessary shouting."

Besides getting the story in place, Shoojit and his team spent lot of time on deciding the title - Pink.

"We worked very hard to get the perfect title. It took us a long time to get the title. Our writer for the film came up with the title and we jumped at it. It is a contemporary title," he added.

The film will open in cinema houses on 16 September.
It is "unacceptable" for some European Union members to close their doors to refugees just because they are Muslims, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday.

"Everybody has to do their bit," she told ARD television. "What I continue to think is wrong is that some say, 'We generally don't want Muslims in our country regardless if there is a humanitarian need or not.' We're going to have to keep discussing that."

German officials say they expect to grant entry to as many as 300,000 migrants throughout all of 2016. They are mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, where their lives are in danger from war and Islamic terrorism.

Merkel wants a quota system for the 28-member European Union to accept would-be immigrants.
Since its inception in 1960, NBCC (India) Limited, formerly known as National Buildings Construction Corporation Ltd., has come a long way and emerged as a major public sector enterprise in the infrastructure sector, with a strong focus on redevelopment of cities, colonies, government properties and heritage buildings.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July approved the disinvestment of 15 percent paid up equity of NBCC out of government's 90 percent shareholding, which would result in estimated receipts of Rs 1,706 crore approximately to the government.

As a wholly-owned government of India enterprise under the administrative control of the Ministry of Urban Development, with the objective of becoming a leading company in the field of construction, engineering and project management consultancy services, NBCC is now engaged in developing smart cities in the country. Even, during slow economic growth, this Navaratna company has seen no dearth of business.

The chairman-cum-managing director of NBCC, Anoop Kumar Mittal, speaks about developing smart cities, redevelopment plans and unique revenue model to fund its projects, in an exclusive interview to Firstpost.

What is NBCC's plan towards building of smart cities, one of the most ambitious initiatives of the NDA government?

The governments of the northern, eastern, southern and northeastern states are in talks with NBCC. It's in nascent stage and we're identifying five-to-seven cities with different business models for project execution. The project has two components  IT and infrastructure. In July, we signed an agreement with IBM as our partner for designing of IT related works like having a data centre, website, social media presence, ERP applications, vendor grievance management, e-Sewa, digitisation, etc. Under infrastructure, issues like road, sewage system, transportation etc. will be taken care of.

There is a lot of opportunity in Centre's smart cities mission. Funds are the most important component of smart cities and thats why cities are going for re-development and monetisation of properties. Here we have a big role to play. We are already present in few cities in various states. Right now, we're in the process of forming special purpose vehicles (SPVs) for smart cities with state governments and local bodies. We're working on strategic associations with France, Sweden, etc. There have been formal discussions with municipal commissioners of 33 cities on business development.

What is the model being adopted by NBCC towards redevelopment of government residential colonies?

Our model for redevelopment of cities is based on the principle of generating fund for ourselves to execute the project. The fund generated will be pumped in the construction of complexes. Here, the government won't contribute funds and we will monetise these projects. Our first redevelopment project in Delhi was New Moti Bagh, which is also India's first largest Green Home Complex. The mandate was that NBCC would have to generate the cost of the project. By selling three acres of land to Hotel Leela, we generated Rs 650 crore, a part of it was used in redevelopment of the locality of 119 acres. After developing residential units for government employees, we returned Rs 350 crore to the ministry.

We're following a similar model in the case of Kidwai Nagar with a project cost of Rs 5,500 crore. The others are at Sarojini Nagar (288 acre), Netaji Nagar (112 acre) and Nauroji Nagar (25 acre). While, Sarojini Nagar and Netaji Nagar shall have a residential complex as well as commercial space for government and PSU (public sector undertaking)offices, Nauroji Nagar is exclusively for commercial purpose. We'll create freehold commercial spaces for government, private and individuals.

There are seven colonies to be redeveloped, out of which four colonies with a total project cost of Rs 7,000 crore will be redeveloped by CPWD (Central Public Works Department) and three large colonies by NBCC. Fund worth Rs 32,000 crore will be generated by us in all the seven projects.

Kidwai Nagar in Delhi has drawn major attention, as NBCC is redeveloping it, giving it a new face. Can you share the details?

It's a major redevelopment project in terms of scale of operation and the cost is Rs 5,500 crore. In the 86 acre area, NBCC is developing four office towers that will create 50 lakh acre of office space; 78 residential complex towers; and open area space as well. The office space will be given to government and PSUs on a 30-year lease period. The importance of Kidwai Nagar is that once completed, it'll be seven times larger than its original space. It'll change the skyline of area with smart offices. This will be a real smart city without any cost to the government.

Kidwai Nagar project started in December 2014 and it's scheduled to be completed by December 2019. But, we hope to do it much before the deadline.

Apart from Delhi and other metros, which Tier-II cities are you planning to redevelop?

There is immense opportunity in Tier-II cities and we're exploring it. We've entered into a joint venture company (50:50) model with Rajasthan government and are aiming to develop properties in Jaipur and other areas close to it. In Bhubaneshwar, we're developing two big colonies. In Gurgaon, we're functioning as a real estate developer by buying and selling land. Ghaziabad is another area where we are working in this direction. In days to come, we'll be into real estate development in 30 places.

What's your roadmap for the next five years?

There's a lot of opportunity before us in terms of redevelopment work. The older our country is growing, the need for redevelopment increases. NBCC being the only PSU in infrastructure sector, it wants to see itself as a major redevelopment agency for the government. Our focus should be on redevelopment and I hope this legacy would be carried on in future too.

In the next five years, we're aiming at a revenue growth target with CAGR of 25-30 percent. We're expecting to have a revenue of Rs 15,000 crore, with a Rs 1 lakh crore order book.

Besides colonies and cities, do you have plans to enter into any other area of redevelopment?

Yes, we're already into redevelopment of heritage properties and sites. In Kolkata, NBCC renovated and retrofitted two iconic heritage properties of the British Raj  National Museum and Victoria Memorial. On Mumbai's Peddar Road, we renovated the heritage Gulshan Mahal, the site for the National Museum for Indian Cinema. NBCC played a major role in building the first museum at Rashtrapati Bhawan. Besides, we've also done the renovation work for National Police Memorial in Delhi and simultaneously renovating and retrofitting several museums and old heritage buildings across the country.

What is your restructuring plan for Hindustan Steel Works, which the NBCC plans to take over?

It's in the final stage and the deal will be closed this financial year. Hindustan Steel Works (HSW) has expertise in developing steel plants and steel structures, and recently it has diversified into roads and infrastructure. We want to promote the strength and expertise of HSW by using composite structure (steel frame structure) in construction. It'll replace the traditional RCC frame. The composite structure technology has gained worldwide acceptance due to better durability and strength.

What is the status of the agreement that NBCC signed with Air India and the MoU with Goa Shipyard Limited?

Besides developing properties, NBCC will undertake redevelopment work for Air India. However, it's in a very nascent stage. We're going to construct the headquarters for Goa Shipyard Limited, for which we signed an agreement last week.

Your overseas operations...

NBCC ventured into overseas operations in 1977, executing projects of diverse nature in Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Nepal, Maldives, Mauritius, Turkey, Botswana, etc. Presently, we have presence in Maldives, Turkey and Botswana implementing various projects and earning consistent revenue. NBCC has opened an office in Oman and also signed an MoU with Al Naba Services LLC in Oman in order to jointly explore and secure infrastructure projects in Sultanate of Oman and neighbouring countries. Besides, we have also entered into MoUs with companies in Malaysia and Turkey.

What is NBCC's construction order book as of today?

It's Rs 70,000 crore.

What is your take on the disinvestment of 15 percent paid up equity of NBCC, which would result in estimated receipts of approximately Rs 1,706 crore to the government?

The disinvestment would further broadbase NBCCs shareholding. It's too early to comment anything as the actual realisation amount will depend upon the market conditions and the investor interest prevailing at the time of actual disinvestment.

Finally, what are you planning to do with the large land bank you have in your possession?

NBCC has 180 acre of land in 30 different locations. We'll develop real estate at these locations and sell.
Mumbai: Overseas direct investment by Indian companies fell to $2.35 billion in May from $2.67 billion in April, the Reserve Bank said today.

The investment in equity declined to $341.36 million last month from $596.33 million in April, according to the RBI data.

The total loan amount increased to $819.39 million in May from $312.21 million in April.

The amount reported in equity and loan represents the actual outflow.

A total of 467 deals took place during the month by the Indian companies to carry out the outward foreign direct investment, the data showed.

Tata Steel, Reliance Industries, Piramal Healthcare, JSW Steel, Monnet Ispat and Energy, Bharti Airtel, Bajaj Auto, were among the major overseas investors during the month.

Bharti Airtel invested $300 million through its joint-venture in the Netherlands and Singapore which is into the business of communication, storage and transportation.

Reliance Industries invested $192.42 million through its two wholly-owned subsidiaries in Australia and the Netherlands engaged in agriculture, mining and manufacturing.

Piramal Healthcare invested a total of $145.34 million through its wholly-owned subsidiaries in Switzerland and the US involved in manufacturing business.

Tata Steel made an investment of $115.83 million via its wholly-owned unit in Singapore in the business of finance, insurance and real estate.

JSW Steel invested $56.45 million in Mauritius, the Netherlands and the US in the manufacturing, whole, retail, trade and restaurant business.

PTI
Is Sufism dying out even at the Dargahs and Khanqahs (Sufi shrines), which imbibed an egalitarian tradition of inclusiveness, pluralism and egalitarianism among the Indian Muslims for ages?

In this context, the Bombay High Courts verdict protecting womens right to enter into the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah has stirred a pertinent debate. Its a soul-searching not only for the Indian Muslim women but also for the adherents of Sufism  the silent majority of Indian Muslims.

It cannot be denied that the Darghas have historically been spiritual hospices for all, with their all-inclusive and all-embracing ethos welcoming both men and women from all faith traditions. But what seems to have changed the entire scenario in the Haji Ali Dargah is the lack of liberality and plurality that Sufism is known for.

Indian Sufi saints like Piya Haji Ali Shah stressed on an egalitarian and universal worldview of spirituality in this subcontinent at a time when gender equality was not even debated in a large part of Western Europe. They reinforced the spiritual Quranic concept of Musawat (human equality) and a patriarchy-free narrative of mysticism. Sufis conceived the idea that mysticism is an egalitarian, universal and all-encompassing body of truths that wins the hearts of all people regardless of caste, creed or gender. Therefore, they did not reconcile with the subjugation of mysticism to a narrowed and desiccated religiosity of the priestly class. As a result, the puritanical Islamic clergy denounced these Sufi masters for their liberal ideas, and issued fatwas against them declaring them apostates (murtad), misguided (gumrah) and heretics (zindiqs).

But any such exlusivist fatwas of the maulvis could not hamper the path of Sufis towards eternal salvation, universal pluralism and wide embrace for all sections of society. Thus, Sufi saints emerged as more influential spiritual leaders for the Indian Muslims than the retrogressive ulema or the Islamic clergy. Therefore, an all-inclusive, non-conformist and pluralistic Islamic trend is still alive in the form of Sufism in India.

But it is distressing to see the true philosophy of Sufism in a constant decline in India today, even at the Sufi shrines like the Dargah Haji Ali Shah.

Some pseudo-Sufi self-serving mullahs are capturing the lofty positions of gaddi nasheens (custodians of the shrines) and mujawirins (shrine keepers). Today, there is no dearth of such so-called Sufis in the Dargahs across the country who falsely claim to be the practitioners of the Indian Sufi philosophy. But their patriarchal, exclusivist and intolerant thoughts are antithetical to the spiritual foundations of Sufism. In fact, they are either obsessed with the creeping radical Islamist thoughts or are motivated by their sectarian designs.

Clearly, the Dargah Haji Ali Shah is in the very wrong hands of such misogynist maulvis (clergy) and muftis (Islamic jurists) who are preaching male chauvinism, exclusivism and other forms of religious extremism in the name of Shariah. Its deplorable enough for the true lovers of Indian Sufism, who practice its core values  universal equality, inclusiveness, egalitarianism, moderation and social integration.

Inevitably, the latest Haji Ali Dargah ruling has come crashing down on the religious zealots assertions of patriarchy and male hegemony over the right to pray. But the Bombay HCs verdict is stipulated with a six-week stay, allowing the Haji Ali Dargah trustees (read maulvis) to move the Supreme Court and prove that the ban on womens entry into the sanctum sanctorum is endorsed by the Islamic scriptures. Earlier too in February, 2016, the state government had said before the Bombay High Court that unless the Dargah Board is able to prove that the ban is part of their religious practice with reference to the Quran, women should be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali, as reported in The Indian Express.

Given the six-day stay, the freshly minted maulvis have again spearheaded a massive campaign to keep women removed from the Haji Ali Dargahs sanctum sanctorum, much in the same way as the wishy-washy pandits did to the Hindu women seeking to enter the Shani Shingnapur temple.

In their nefarious bid to purge Sufism and the dargahs of their plural traditional ethos and egalitarian values, the mullah-minded pseudo-Sufis are leaving no stone unturned. They are persuading the less-educated common Muslims cherry-picking the prophetic sayings (hadiths) and misquoting unrelated references from the Islamic scriptures. A few of the can also be seen in prime time TV debates and other media talks and interviews with their untenable arguments vehemently opposing the Bombay HCs ruling.

It was the Mumbai-based Mufti Mehmood Akhtar Qadri, who first issued the fatwa declaring women not to be allowed into the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah. This mufti sahib repeatedly asserted his misogynistic pronouncement, speaking to media persons. In his interview with Ashutosh Shukla of DNA, he said:

As a mufti, my job is to tell what the Shariah says. Everyone knew that women should not be allowed near graves...I feel that women should not come to the Dargahs at all. But if we tell them this, God knows what will happen, considering their reaction when we said that they should not be allowed inside the sanctum sanctorum. Women should not stand close to those who are not related to them. As per the Shariah, there is Salamati (well-being) if women do not go to dargahs."

But the fact is that this detestation against womens shrine visitation was never part of the Indian pluralistic Sufism. This originally stemmed from the patriarchic fatwas of Saudi Salafist Islamic clergy. An authoritative cleric and mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaykh Muhammad Saalih al-Munajjid wrote in his well-known fatwa, 'Ruling on womens shrine visitation', The correct view is that it is not allowed for women to visit graves, because of the Hadith mentioned. It was narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) cursed women who visit graves. Women should stop visiting graves. The woman who visited a grave out of ignorance (of this ruling) is not to blame, but she should not do it again. If she does so, she has to repent and seek forgiveness." (Principles of Fiqh, Jurisprudence and Islamic Rulings, fatwa no: 8198)

According to an Al Jazeera study 'Arab World Journalism in a Post-Beheading Era', Shaykh Muhammad Saalih Al-Munajjid is considered one of the respected scholars of the Salafist movement, an Islamic school of thought whose teachings are said to inspire radical movements in the Arab world, including al-Qaeda and a group called al-Dawla al-Islamiya fil Iraq wal Sham (also known as the Islamic State, IS or Daesh).

Wikipedia indicates that Saalih Al-Munajjid is also the founder of the most popular Saudi Islamic website providing which provides answers to questions in line with the Salafi school of thought.

In view of the above fatwa issued by Shykh Al-Munajjid, it is not difficult to see that the puritanical Saudi Salafism has successfully launched an onslaught on the pluralistic Indian Sufism. Indian Dargahs like the Haji Ali Shah in Mumbai were never like this before. It was only in 2011, first time in the Indian history of Sufism, that the trustees of a Dargah barred women from their right to seek blessings at the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah. Thus, they overturned an age-old Sufi tradition relying on the fanatic fatwa of the Muftis attached with the Dargah, who are speaking in the language of the Saudi Mufti Shykh Al-Munajjid. How come they conceived, all of a sudden, that the Quran and hadith (the primary Islamic scriptures) did not permit womens entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine? This male hegemony and strict segregation of women were never part of the mainstream Sufi Islam India.

Dr Zeenat Shaukat Ali, the founder-director general of The World Institute of Islamic Studies for Dialogue, has rightly pointed out, The negative approach articulated by a strong patriarchy is far from the ideals and values of Islam where women and men stand on an equal spiritual ground and are assigned the same religious duties and the equivalent spiritual rewards. The prevalence of such unwarranted patriarchal control has tended to restrict womens access to many aspects of Islamic religious/spiritual space and life. It must be stated that there is no segregation of women in the obligatory duty of the Haj pilgrimage obligatory upon all Muslim men and women."

That the self-styled Islamic clergy and trustees of the Haji Ali Dargah are replicating the language of the Saudi Salfist muftis is utterly deplorable. It does not augur well for the future of pluralism celebrated in the Indian Sufism. The mainstream moderate Muslims in India must concern themselves with it as a disturbing development in the community. While the Indian maulvis and muftis should shun their male-chauvinistic views in the light of the well-established Sufi traditions, common Muslims having reason and faith must not waver to apply their God-gifted intelligence. They should leave these mullah-maulvis aside and try to think for themselves.

The author is a scholar of Comparative Religion, Classical Arabic and Islamic sciences, cultural analyst and researcher in Media and Communication Studies. He tweets at @GRDehlvi. Email: grdehlavi@gmail.com
Odisha, the resource-rich state on the eastern coast of the country, makes it to the media spotlight on a few occasions. But when it does, more often than not, stories of abject poverty and distraught people shock the nation and warm up the political discourse around the state before quietly settling down in routine.

This time, the images of Dana Majhi, a tribal man, carrying his wife's dead body on his shoulders enraged the nation. Majhi reportedly decided to walk the entire 64 km stretch from a hospital in Kalahandi to his village, after he was denied a hearse to carry his wife's dead body. The lack of empathy and administrative failure kicked up a controversy and would have soon settled down had it not been for the constant media attention that has garnered reactions from abroad.

According to a report in the Gulf Daily News, Bahrain's PM Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa has sent a donation to help Majhi and his family. After reading about his plight in a local newspaper, Akhbaar Al Khaleej, the prince was so moved that "he could not just stand by and do nothing about such suffering." Khalifa then contacted the Indian embassy in Bahrain and offered to make a donation.

Meanwhile, as a debate stirred around the controversy, the reporter who bared the shocking truth also came under much public ire for 'heartlessly reporting the incident.' However, according to a report in The News Minute and the local media, the reporter informed the authorities about the incident. "The Odisha TV reporter consoled Dana and his daughter, who had been walking for two hours at a stretch by then," the report reads.

The incident was brought to light on Wednesday, as visuals of Majhi carrying his wife's body and his crying 12 year old daughter emerged. The 42-year-old woman died of tuberculosis on Wednesday night at the district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna. Majhi said that despite his all-out efforts, he could not get any help from the hospital authorities. He wrapped his wife's body in cloth and started walking to his village Melghara in Rampur block.

Majhi's daughter accompanied him till some local reporters spotted the duo. They called up the district collector and arranged for an ambulance for the remaining 50 km of the journey.

Although such acts of instant empathy may save the day for Majhi and his family, it can in no way be a solution to administrative apathy. As it turns out, Majhi's was not a lone case. According to a report in The Guardian, in another part of the state, another family dumped a the body of a 45-year-old family member near a hospital to save the cost of transporting the man home.

Just two days after the incident left authorities red-faced, news emerged that a dead body of an 80-year-old woman was broken, slung to a pole and carried back to Balasore.

The woman met with an accident when she was run down by a goods train in Soro railway station in Balasore. Following the incident, it took 12 hours for the body to arrive at Soro Community Health Centre for post mortem even though the Government Railway Police was informed about it.

After the post-mortem, the police had waited for an ambulance to arrive for several hours. When the ambulance did not arrive hospital workers in order to tie the dead body to the bamboo pole, had to break the hip of Behera because rigor mortis (stiffening of joints few hours after death) had set in.

Ironically, in February this year the Odisha government had planned the 'Mahaparayana' scheme, according to which dead body carriers are supposed to be deployed at 37 government hospitals and a total of 40 vehicles were assigned for the job. The chief minister formally launched the scheme after the two incidents were brought to light, according to The Guardian report.
The death toll in Bihar floods shot up to 153 on Saturday, while 12 more panchayat areas were inundated, affecting a total population of 34.69 lakh in twelve districts.

On 27 July, four fresh deaths were reported from Bhojpur and Begusarai, each district accounted for two, a press release by the Disaster Management Department said.

Bihar is facing one of the worst floods in the decade despite receiving less than normal rainfall as all the major rivers flowing through the state are in a spate.

Caused by a spate in Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers, the flood affected 34.69 lakh people in 2,037 villages under 565 panchayats of 74 blocks in the state, it said.

The number of flood-hit people was 32.51 lakh in 2,018 villages under 553 panchayats of 74 blocks in the state on 26 July.

Ganga, though showing a receding trend, is flowing above the danger mark at seven places - Digha Ghat, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, besides in Munger and Buxar districts.

The receding trend has been witnessed at Gandhi Ghat, Digha Ghat and Hathidah in Patna also.

A total 4.97 lakh people have been evacuated so far from the 12 flood-affected districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar, the release said.

The government is plying 2,571 boats for evacuation and national and state disaster response forces are deployed. A total of 544 relief camps are being run in the flood-hit areas in which 2.66 lakh people have taken shelter.

They are being provided medical services by 328 teams. Besides, 151 camps were being run only for animals, the statement said.

Besides, the assessment for crop damage was being made by the authorities, it said.

However, an article in The Hindu argues that capacity-building to handle catastrophic weather events is poor, and serious attention is not given to setting up relief camps, creating crisis-proof health infrastructure and stockpiling dry rations and medicines.

The situation worsened after 22 July after water was released from Nepal and adjoining states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand, leading to further rise in water levels of major rivers in the state, according to a report in The Times of India. Responding to this, the Centre had rushed 10 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams to the flood-hit areas of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in order to launch a massive relief and rescue operations to help those marooned in these states.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the Centre's intervention to desilt the river Ganga and also demanding the removal of Farakka barrage which, he insisted was behind increasing silt in the river. Speaking to the media after his meeting with the prime minister, Kumar had said that desilting the river Ganga was the only solution to avoid the almost annual occurrence of floods in the state.

With inputs from PTI
Who said religious traditions were immutable? No one, barring the lot which has a vested interest in keeping them going. It goes for all religions, most of which have arbitrary interpretations of the scared and the profane, what is acceptable to the community and what is not; and in-built ideas of exclusion, gender and otherwise, and of hierarchy. Fossilised in time, the traditions derive their legitimacy from ancientness, not from pragmatic judgment, which could have been the case when they took shape originally.

Stop a bit. Did someone just reply that the rules of conduct for religious communities are cast in stone since our holy texts sanctify those? The high courts verdict on Friday provides the answer to that. The Haji Ali Dargah Trust quoted verses from the Quran to argue that its ban on women entering the sanctum sanctorum was justified on religious grounds. The court held that theres nothing in the verses that says that prohibition of women was integral to Islam. Earlier, in the Shani Shingnapur case, the court had ruled that theres no law that prevents women from offering worship at the temple. Both men and women had equal rights.

In these cases it was arbitrary interpretation of religious text and dogged adherence to age-old practice by people who have to gain in some way by perpetuating old beliefs. That religions have to evolve keeping pace with the times and in response to changing dynamics within the community is generally lost on this lot. That the challenge to them comes from women, discriminated against in both religions, is interesting. When did you see similar courage to stand up and defy in men of both religions last? But thats a different story.

To view the victory of women activists, both Hindu and Muslim, in their fight for access to inner sanctum of places of worship as merely a fight for gender equality belittles the bigger message concealed within the development. Its a victory for women alright, be it in the Haji Ali Dargah case or in the case of Shani Shingnapur temple, but the real message pertains to change. Significant change in social, religious and other spheres is possible if theres drive for it within the community. Secular institutions such as courts can play facilitator but only when there is robust initiative from the communities. If deeply entrenched religious traditions can change, everything can.

As this piece is being written, the television plays the news on the burkini controversy in France. Whether burkini, the swim suit covering the whole body, was devised to mark Muslim women as separate from others or to facilitate their integration to the French life is still open to debate, but the point one seeks to make is if at all the swim-wear reeks of discrimination against women, the French police can hardly do anything without inviting a backlash. If the demand for discarding it comes from Muslim women then it becomes easier for secular institutions to move in.

Such efforts are critical at a time when fundamentalists are trying to strengthen their grip over religions and helping breed radicalisation. They have been stressing on faith to assert their dominance. The increasing control of such forces is smothering liberal, sober voices and driving communities to an insular and mutually hostile existence. A partnership involving secular institutions and free voices within communities can go a long way in bring down the escalating communal tension everywhere, particularly India.

A genuine democracy allows all sections of its population to open up and express themselves. Despite its many flaws, India is one. Hindu and Muslim women would not be taking on very powerful sections in their community if they had no faith in the institutions of the country. Its time others derived the right messages from their struggle.
New Delhi: Whosoever is ready to reject violence and help in restoring peace should be engaged in a dialogue to address the Kashmir problem, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Sunday while not being averse to involving the separatists if they are looking for a peaceful resolution.

At the same time, she said a "conducive atmosphere" needs to be created for a dialogue to take place and the "bunch of people" provoking youth to "gherao and attack" security camps should stop abetting violence.

Mehbooba, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to discuss the future course of action, also emphasised that the format of dialogue should be better than in the past when the central governments had nominated interlocutors and set up working groups.

She told PTI in an interview that "threads" need to be picked up from where these were left by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had made a "very serious effort" by having dialogue both on external front with Pakistan and on internal front with Hurriyat and Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit.

"What I am concerned about and told the Prime Minister is that people have lost faith in dialogue. So first dialogue as an institution has to be restored," Mehbooba said amid the unrest which has been going on in Kashmir for the last 51 days resulting in the killing of 68 people.

"We need to put people who have very credible backgrounds and can communicate with the other side," she added while noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh have expressed readiness for talks for "some kind of solution to this problem".

Emphasising that "whosoever wants a solution to the Kashmir problem should understand that solution is not going to come in days or months", she said "do we make life so miserable for all that time the solution comes? Do we want our boys to get killed? Do we want them to do something which is going to have retaliation and injuries? That is something for everyone to think."

Asked who all should be engaged in the dialogue, the Chief Minister said the central government should talk to "whosoever is ready to reject violence and not support violence and helps in restoring peace."

On being asked whether talking to Hurriyat will help, she said that dialogue should be held with "everybody who wants peaceful resolution and is ready to contribute in containing the situation."

Suggesting that there should be peace before talks are initiated, she said, "Today there is no alternative to dialogue but for dialogue (to happen), you need to have conducive atmosphere."

Maintaining that nothing will be achieved through violence, Mehbooba said killings and deaths only "further complicate" the issue rather than help solve it.

In this context, the Chief Minister noted that Kashmir has been witnessing violence for the last 27 years but nothing has been achieved, except for killings which have left children orphaned and women widowed.

In a message to Hurriyat and other separatist groups, she said, "If they want to save young and precious lives, they need to tell them the truth that these killings, deaths are not going to solve the problem but will further complicate the issue. It also hijacks the basic issue and gives it a tinge of violence.

"The whole world is fed up with violence. Nobody is ready to listen to the voice of violence. So whatever can be resolved peacefully, should be resolved peacefully."

Mehbooba told the Hurriyat leaders that "whatever influence" they have on the young boys who indulge in violence, they should use it to see that some sense prevails.

"They (Hurriyat leaders) should feel about these young boys like we feel about our own children. Because if we let them go and attack camps (of security forces) and make them emotional that this is going to resolve the Kashmir problem, we are not being honest. We are misleading them and putting them in a very dangerous spot," she underlined.

Referring to Hurriyat's call to people last week to 'gherao' army cantonment in Badami Bagh in Srinagar on Saturday, she said, "It is not done. If you are asking those young boys to go near these camps or ambush people, what is going to be the result?"

Asked whether these provocative actions are being deliberately undertaken, the Chief Minister said, "That is something that should not happen because every attack on security forces' establishment means somebody is injured even if there is maximum restraint" by security personnel.

"They (Hurriyat leaders) should use their influence, whatever they have, to see there are no casualties," she said.

"Who are these people who want violence? Those interested in resolving the issue fully understand and should understand that violence for the last 27 years has given nothing except so many people having died. It has not resolved anything," she said.

Mehbooba said the "bunch" of people, who are "motivated" or "influenced" and take to streets in a "very violent manner" "are not causing only injuries to themselves but they are also hijacking and making things very difficult for the rest of the population who are for peaceful resolution (of Kashmir tangle)."

On whether an interlocutor should be appointed for talks, she said, "It is for the Prime Minister and the NDA government to see how to go about in a better manner than has happened in the past. You tried interlocutors, working groups etc but the

people with whom dialogue has to happen, they also need to use their influence, whatever they have, to calm the situation."

She described Kashmir problem as "the biggest challenge for any Prime Minister" since Independence when the state took the decision of acceding to India by rejecting the two-nation theory.

"Then why did things go in the reverse direction? Kashmiri people were the ones who drove out (Pakistani) invaders and stood up against Pakistan whenever there was a chance. But somewhere something happened  there was a lot of distrust," she said.

"I think every government has tried to restore that confidence, may be sometimes half-heartedly, sometimes not in the right way," Mehbooba said.

Noting that Vajpayee made a serious effort, she hoped that Modi will carry forward that process.

"The Prime Minister understands his strengths, his authority. After a long, long time, we have a Prime Minister who has come with such a huge mandate and he understands that. With such kind of mandate, he can use it to find some kind of way out to this human problem, this human tragedy."

"I think he is trying his best. He went to Lahore. Here is a Prime Minister who walks into there (Lahore) but unfortunately, you had Pathankot (terror attack)," she said.

She said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also wanted to find some solution to Kashmir and wished to go to Pakistan but could not go there "for whatever reasons".

The previous UPA government as well as the NC-Congress government in the state "could not pick up the threads where Vajpayee had left and then there was vaccuum and disillusionment", she said.
Srinagar: Curfew continued in some parts of Srinagar and two towns in south Kashmir, while restrictions on the assembly of people were in force in the rest of the Valley where normal life remained paralysed for the 51st consecutive day on Sunday.

Curfew remained in force in five police station areas of downtown Srinagar, a police official said.

He said the curfew was lifted from many areas of Srinagar on Sunday - two days after it was clamped in the entire city to thwart proposed marches by separatist groups to Eidgah in old city on Friday and towards Army headquarters at Badami Bagh cantonment area on Saturday.

The official said curfew also continued in the two south Kashmir towns of Pulwama and Pampore.

He also said restrictions on assembly of people were in force in rest of the Valley to maintain law and order.

At least 25 persons were injured in clashes between protestors and security forces in Kashmir on Saturday as the death toll in the ongoing unrest, in the wake of killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on 8 July, reached 68.

Meanwhile, normal life remained paralysed for the 51st consecutive day due to curfew, restrictions and separatist sponsored strike.

Shops, private offices and petrol pumps remained closed on Sunday as well, while public transport continued to be off roads, the official said.

Mobile Internet also continued to remain suspended in the entire Valley, while the outgoing facility on prepaid mobiles

remained barred.

The separatist camp, which is spearheading the agitation in the Valley over the civilian killings during the protests against Wani's killing, has extended the strike call in the Valley till 1 September.

They have asked the mosque committees in all villages and localities to visit people to assess their needs.

Also visit the families of those killed and injured, and make arrangements for their support, the separatists said in their weekly protest programme.
A couple of years ago, when I started investigating the issue of Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART) and surrogacy for my book Baby Makers: The Story of Indian Surrogacy, this was a flourishing field. The fertility clinics were thriving, the surrogate homes were full. I had no problem at all accessing either the doctors or the surrogates or even the foreigners who had come to India to have their babies. The only persons who were hesitant to talk at that time were the Indian couples who were more worried about the social stigma. I, therefore, was able to conduct extensive interviews with various people involved across the country. This included fertility experts and lawyers who had worked with government agencies to make a proper Draft Bill to bring much-needed regulation in this area.

The Draft Bill has been in the making for more than a decade now. It has been through several avatars. There were some flaws which still had to be ironed out. But none of the drafts were as flawed as the one which was finally tabled last week. Instead of understanding and addressing the issues related to IVF and surrogacy which need to be regulated, the newly tabled Bill seeks to impose bans which will kill fertility treatment.

Only childless, heterosexual Indian couples who have been married for five years and are living in India can now avail of fertility treatment. And if they need to find a surrogate to carry the baby, they have to seek out a relative who will do it out of altruism. With this sweeping ban, the Bill negates the rights of parenthood to single persons, divorcees, widowed persons, single sex couples, live-in relationship partners and others who come outside the patriarchal norm.

Both IVF and surrogacy have been around for a long time now. The first Indian baby created through IVF was born in 1978. In those days, these test tube babies, as they were called, were born through traditional surrogates or women who supplied the eggs for the procedure and also carried the babies in their own wombs.

Gestational surrogacy came into vogue in the 1980s when doctors discovered they could safely implant such an embryo in the womb of a woman who had no biological connection with the baby.

Prior to these technological advances, a traditional surrogate was a woman with whom a man with an infertile wife would have sex. The baby which carried his genes would be handed over to him as soon as it was born. The surrogates were what would now be described as altruistic. The most favoured were poor relatives (because they had the acceptable genetic material) or dependents who could be coerced or bought over. Sometimes, the surrogate would be married off to the man with the wifes consent and this too was socially acceptable. No one spoke of exploitation even though, as we all know, the family can sometimes be the most exploitative institution.

Even today, an altruistic surrogate coming from the family can be subjected to coercion and exploitation. She will certainly not have any enforceable cushion of compensation and care. The parents themselves would become open to blackmail at a later date, especially if there is no legal commitment on either side.

Today, fertility problems can be diagnosed and treated just like any other medical issue. Over the years, Indian fertility clinics have acquired state-of-the-art facilities and built up enough expertise which allows them to compete with their peers world-wide. All of this does not come cheap. In fact, fertility treatment is neither cheap nor painless. It requires money, determination and an ability to put up with setbacks.

Infertility could be caused by genetic or medical issues. For instance, if either of the partners gametes (eggs and sperm) are not viable, they would have to get them from euphemistically named donors who are actually compensated. If a woman is born without a womb, she would need to hire a surrogate to carry her child, a delicate and onerous job which also has to be properly compensated for.

Each country has its own rules regarding IVF and surrogacy. Many predominantly Christian countries in Europe do not recognise children born of surrogacy. But others like the US and several parts of Russia have flourishing fertility clinics. UK allows only altruistic surrogacy and has admitted that this model is a failure.

Earlier, people from countries where surrogacy was not recognised came to India for fertility treatment and tried to smuggle home their children born through surrogacy. When this failed, the children were caught in no mans land. To end this problem, the Indian embassies were instructed not to issue fertility tourism visas to citizens of such countries. This effectively stopped the illegal inflow. But recently, the government went one step further and banned all foreign nationals from coming to India for fertility tourism. This retrograde step effectively cut off an important revenue source for the clinics and surrogates.

In India, until now, we have been going by the non-enforceable guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). There was a very strong need to introduce proper regulation because these guidelines were quite ineffectual. Sensing a money making proposition, many fly-by-night fertility centres with no lab facilities have sprung up serviced by seedy agents and quack doctors. These are the grey areas which the new bill was supposed to look into.

Today, surrogates sign a contract with commissioning parents. They earn about Rs 5 lakh by way of payment, sometimes more if they carry twins. The surrogate houses where they stay organise Baby Showers or 'Seemantham' where the women are often showered with gifts, including gold and money by the grateful parents. They are fed and housed during the duration of the pregnancy and all their medical bills are taken care of. Many told me they had much easier pregnancies now compared to when they carried their own children. Foreign couples in particular were known to give the women heavy extra tips and also sometimes rehire them for a salary to breast feed the babies for a few months. To the women who view this as a professional commitment, the money and streamlining of the process makes a lot of sense.

Contrary to what has been stated by the supporters of the new Bill, the surrogates are not an exploited lot. True, they come from an economically weaker section compared to the commissioning parents. But they view this as a job a means of earning money. In their own way, they are asserting their rights over their wombs.

I have interviewed many number of surrogates, both inside and outside the clinics and in various stages of their contractual commitment. Barring a very few who had some bad experiences like a spontaneous abortion, most of them were satisfied with their experience. Many told me they felt they had done something good by helping a childless couple to get their own miracle baby. And they had earned enough money to build a house or educate a child.

The Bill would do more justice if it addressed some important issues pertaining to the rights of the child and protection of the surrogates. Instead of banning perfectly law-abiding citizens from becoming parents, it should ban people with criminal records, human traffickers, organ traders and others with a dubious background. It should fix a proper and realistic age limit for the commissioning parents, surrogates and gamete donors. It should ensure the surrogates understand the contracts they sign and that they are covered by insurance. It should make it mandatory for the clinics to maintain proper records. It should make DNA tests compulsory to ensure the child carries the DNA of at least one parent. There are many more such nitty-gritty issues which need to be looked into. Blanket bans can never work in a sensitive area like this.

Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART) is an exciting new field which has a lot of potential for growth. And like any new technology, it brings in its wake a variety of moral and ethical questions which did not even exist before. Like the fire which can warm as well as burn, In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and surrogacy can give the miracle of parenthood to human beings who crave for children of their own and, if misused it can lead to exploitation, blackmail and health issues.

Only those with a proper understanding of the entire process can bring in legislation which is pertinent and meaningful and seeks to nurture rather than kill.

(Gita Aravamudan is a journalist and author of the book Baby Makers: The Story of Indian Surrogacy.)
After the Bombay High Court's landmark ruling, women's rights activist and Bhumata Ranragini Brigade chief Trupti Desai on Sunday led a group of women and visited the Haji Ali Dargah.

Desai's effort have won women entry in two of Maharashtra's oldest Hindu temples, Trayambakeshwara and Shani Shignapur. However, she kept away from the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, the main bone of contention between activists and the Dargah trust, according to India Today.

After visiting the Dargah, an elated Desai told the press that she was happy that no one tried to stop them from entering the shrine.

Really happy that no one objected us from entering Haji Ali Dargah, so many Muslim women supported us: Trupti desai pic.twitter.com/qWeABJSaOc  ANI (@ANI_news) August 28, 2016

Desai had on Friday announced that she will visit the Haji Ali Dargah following the Bombay High court's judgment that lifts the ban on women from entering the inner sanctum of the shrine. The Haji Ali trust had imposed a ban on women entering the inner precincts of the shrine in 2012, citing it as a sin in Islam. But setting aside the ban, the High Court had observed that any such restrictions on women will need constitutional scrutiny. The judgment had said that any such restrictions contravenes fundamental rights of women.

The court has, however, ordered a stay on its judgement for a period of six weeks, as the Dargah trust sought to approach the Supreme Court on the issue.

The legal battle to enter the Muslim shrine at the heart of Mumbai was first started by the NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. The argument made by the petitioners had raised the point that the ban on entry of women into the inner sanctum was a recent development and women devotees till about 2011-2012 were allowed to enter the inner sanctum and offer prayers.

The Dargah Trust had defended its stand, saying that it is referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity to the shrine of a male saint is a grievous sin.

To justify the ban further, they had presented the court with other arguments: women wearing blouses with wide necks bend on the mazaar, thus showing their breasts. The trust members further, under the guise of ensuring safety of women from sexual harassment, cited complaints they had received from women, of belongings being stolen and of eve-teasing, and hence rationalised the ban.

Desai had led a high-profile campaign in April this year to break the bar on women at the core area of the Dargah, but was stopped short of entering the shrine at the last minute amid resistance by activists of outfits opposed to the move. However, in May, she offered prayers at the Dargah but skipped venturing into the inner chamber of the shrine where women were not allowed.

Men have unhindered access to the actual burial place of the saint, and are also allowed to touch the tomb. The fight to allow women into the shrine, built on an islet, 500 metres from the coast, intensified following a petition in the Supreme Court demanding entry for women to the famous Sabarimala temple in Kerala, where the fight is still on. Then too, Trupti Desai was at the forefront of the high-profile campaign against the restriction on women from entering religious places.

In a statement to CNN-News 18, she has said that she will approach the Sabarimala trust next, and request trustees to respect the women's right to pray.

With inputs from PTI
The sunlight speaks/ And its voice is a bird: It glitters half-guessed half seen half-heard/ Above the flower bed/ Over the lawn/ A flashing dip and it is gone/ And all it lends to the eye is this/ A sunbeam giving the air a kiss.

 'The Hummingbird' by Harry Kemp

Not just poets, ever since we've known of their existence, hummingbirds have captivated mankind. From subjects in folklore to stylised icons on pottery, petroglyphs, totems, costumes, and even the monumental geo-glyphs outlined on the desert floor of the Nazca plains of Peru  we've seen hummingbirds depicted in a variety of ways.

With over 300 species that range throughout the Americas (they are found only in the New World), hummingbirds form the second largest family of birds in the world. Now, over 127 species of these dazzling little birds have been chronicled in a new book, published by the Gorgas Science Foundation, Texas, and written by noted avian biologist John C Arvin. The book is especially of interest since of the 98 colour plates that stunningly reproduced these hummingbirds in painstaking detail, 54 have been illustrated and painted by two Bengaluru girls  Sangeetha Kadur and Vydehi Kadur.

The panels from the first of the two-volume book were recently on display at the Venkatappa Art Gallery in Bengaluru; the exhibition was brought to the city by the visual arts company Felis Creations, which has been involved in the book project right from the start.

In an interview with Firstpost, Vydehi Kadur and Sangeetha Kadur spoke about the project, and how they brought the hummingbirds to life:

Vydehi, Sangeetha, what was the genesis of this project, and how did you become involved?

Sangeetha: Right after graduating from Chitrakala Parishath, my very first wildlife art project with Jungle Lodges, made it quite clear to me that this is what I wanted to focus on. My brother, (wildlife filmmaker) Sandesh Kadur, took note of my growing passion for the natural world and my interest in wildlife art. He worked very closely with Gorgas Science Foundation and knew there was an art project that had been on their minds for a while. He asked me to work on a few hummingbird paintings, which were later sent to Gorgas approval. Within no time, this project gained a bit of momentum and in 2006, I flew to the US to participate in this project further.

Vydhehi: I am not a trained artist but I have been drawing and painting since my childhood. My parents were incredibly encouraging in this regard. One day, my cousin Sandesh Kadur saw me working on an illustration of elephants and suggested that I try painting hummingbirds. I didn't know at that time why he asked me to, but decided to try my hand at it. My first attempt did not end well but after a few more attempts, studying the bird's anatomy, looking and learning from numerous photographs and videos and guidance from Sangeetha, I managed to get a few paintings together and sent them to Gorgas for their approval. After reviewing my work, Gorgas took me on as one of the three artists on this project!

What was the process of working on the book like?

Sangeetha: Though this book project got positive support during my visit to the US, there was much research to be done before the artworks could commence. We had assigned ourselves a monumental task of illustrating the second largest family of birds in the world! The 330 species wouldn't fit into one book, so the arduous task of splitting this big family into two separate volumes fell upon us. After having put this structure in place and getting a researcher on board, the illustrations commenced in 2008. The artist team (Raul Andrade, Vydhehi and me), took about 4-5 years to illustrate the 127 species for the first Volume. Another 3-4 years to compile the information, publish and bring the book to life!

Vydhehi: By the time I came on board, much of the research was done. However, as we finished the plates, they would be sent to the author (John C Arvin), and the ornithologist John 'O Neil for their inputs. They would get back to us with notes and this would help us improving our plates or recreating them.

What for you was the most challenging aspect of recreating the hummingbirds and their specific habitats?

Sangeetha: Living in the Old World without a hummingbird to spot, we had a big challenge of capturing the hummingbirds of the New World! As Vydhehi and I hadn't observed these birds in real life much, we had to be more cautious in our approach in depicting them accurately. This required in-depth reading, research and we scanned hundreds of photographs of the species whenever they were available. For me, the challenging aspects were to capture its anatomy, proportions, colour and its glamorous iridescence.

Vydhehi: The most challenging aspect was to ensure that everything we depicted had scientific backing. We had to learn about the bird before we started painting them. Each bird had to be meticulously studied... the right habitat, the right flowering plant, the right proportions, the right behaviour, the right colours...in a book like this there was no room for errors.

What is the medium you've worked with? Is it mostly watercolour on paper?

Sangeetha: All artists worked with some set protocols as we were depicting one family of birds for a standardised book format. We mostly worked with acrylics on an archival Arches watercolour paper, set to a particular size.

Vydhehi: I have used mostly acrylics with a mix of watercolours on paper.

One hundred and twenty-seven species of hummingbirds  how do you even begin to portray them all? Did the panels ever start to feel repetitive to you because it was the same subject matter?



Sangeetha: There are so many behaviours associated with each of these hummingbirds. So many plants that they have particularly co-evolved with. There was never a lull moment. Though green has been the colour that has been most extensively used in each and every plate, may be at one point it got a wee bit overwhelming, but it was nothing to complain about; and green still remains my favourite colour!

Vydhehi: It was never repetitive or tiring. When we were assigned a species, it was like meeting a new character. Each species had its own unique features, habitat and behaviour and in our minds we had so many ideas on how to portray them. We are very eager to start working on Volume II of the book, which has 263 species!

What did you learn about hummingbirds while working on the book that yo hadn't known before?

Sangeetha: The entire experience of illustrating them has been a tremendous learning process. Their interesting co-relationships with particular plant species has been my most intriguing take-away. From knowing the most basic general knowledge facts about these birds, we grew to understand their lives so much more intimately.

Vydhehi: When I started the project the only thing I knew about hummingbirds was that the smallest bird belonged to this family. Once I started reading more and more I realised I knew very less about this species. For instance, I never knew that some hummingbirds grow up to 30-35 cm, that's over a foot long! I did not know that they were found only in the Americas. And so with every bird I learnt something new, something unique, so the learning never stopped.

Why do you think we feel this particular fascination with hummingbirds? People tend to think of them almost as magical in a sense...

Sangeetha: They certainly seem so surreal. One second you see them and the other second they vanish. So tiny, so fast. When they fly, you rarely get a fulfilling glimpse of them; and when they perch, they are so well camouflaged, that it is hard to spot them. Their jewel-like gorgets and crests shimmer with a speck of sunlight... it seem so unreal at times and yet so breathtaking. Somehow their elegance seems to easily capture our hearts.

Vydhehi: They are magical creatures...there are few creatures in the animal kingdom that people share an instant bond with and hummingbirds are one of those. People have been fascinated by these birds for centuries. They may be found only in the Americas but people instantly recognise them and share a connection with hummingbirds across the world.
Three weeks ago, KM Mani, Kerala's longest serving MLA and the man who presented the maximum number of budgets in the state Assembly, gloated that his party, the Kerala Congress, was like a beautiful young woman that everybody wanted to court; but today he is a political untouchable.

A vigilance court in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday ordered further probe into his alleged involvement in the sensational bar-bribery scam on a submission by an investigating officer who claimed that the vigilance director of the previous UDF (United Democratic Front) government didn't allow him to probe the case satisfactorily. He said that the then vigilance director didnt accept his factual report and wanted him to make changes to the case diary. He also said he couldn't "obtain expert scientific analysis of the materials collected during the investigation."

In fact, last year, during the UDF regime, the same investigating officer was in the eye of a storm when his reports, found Mani both guilty and innocent  he was found guilty in June, and clean in July. Now that the officer has told the court that his investigation was meddled with, its clear that the then UDF government, in which Mani was the finance minister, had prevented him from running an impartial investigation.

Mani made the sensational beautiful woman statement early this month when he quit the UDF (United Democratic Front), alleging that some Congress leaders conspired against him, and said that he would stay alone which in political terms meant that he was open to a rewarding alliance from UDFs rivals.

Mani is a political fox in Kerala whose cunning to stay in power is legendary and his move to leave the UDF, which was trounced by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPM in the recent assembly elections, was in anticipation of getting close to either the Left in the state or the BJP at the centre. The man, who was considered to be partly responsible for the UDFs disastrous show in the elections because of his alleged involvement in the bar-bribery scam, had no other reason to quit at this time. Left or right didnt matter to him politically, what he was obviously looking for was the cover of power.

Curiously, the CPM, which had bayed for his blood last year, actively encouraged him to leave the UDF while the BJP sent open signals. Mani appeared cocksure that the doors of the LDF were open to him because CPM party secretary made unambiguous overtures, and in case the terms with them didnt work, he had the option to move towards the BJP that was desperate for an ally like him to ramp up their vote-share. But with the vigilance investigation now hanging over his head, no sensible party would touch him because nobody knows whats in his closet. The present vigilance director is a real toughie and will not spare Mani if his hands are really dirty.

Its not just the bar-bribery case that makes him a suspect, but his overall career as a finance minister (he has presented the state budget a record 13 times). Although the charges are yet to be proved, the left parties have alleged that Mani has always manipulated the budgets to make money. According to a former minister and Manis former party-colleague R Balakrishna Pillai, he made money by selling the budget.

Its possible that Manis political folly of leaving the UDF was something that was designed and executed by a wily CPM. While its chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan kept quiet on him, before and after his exit from the UDF, state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan always sent out encouraging signals. There were media reports that Mani, either directly or through his men, had held discussions with the CPM. CPM-proxies too justified his possible entry into the left-fold as a strategy to prevent the BJP from poaching him. But when the vigilance court gave its verdict on Saturday, the CPM instantly distanced itself from him. Vijayan said that the investigation will be impartial while Kodiyeri Balakrishnan found a convenient line that his party would never compromise on corruption.



Now that the CPM and the LDF are out of the equation, Mani may still harbour his hopes of getting closer to the BJP, which has been looking for an ally that will help break the electoral threshold that its stuck in. In terms of its vote-share, the BJP along with a newly formed caste-ally in the state - the BDJS - is likely to stagnate and any future breakthrough is possible only through a party with communal influence such as the Kerala Congress. Despite its claims to be a farmers party, its predominantly an influence-peddler of the Syrian Christians of central and southern Kerala, and is the third most important constituent in the UDF after the Congress and the Muslim League.

Through its network of churches and clergymen, business-houses, planters, quarry-operators and media allies, its writ is quite formidable in the Syrian Christian belt. Tying up with them will help the BJP surmount is present impasse because it will not only shore up its vote-share, but will also deplete the strength of the Congress/UDF. Despite the serious taint of corruption, what will keep Mani hopeful is that his prospects are unlikely to diminish in the Christian belt because he is its interlocutor for power; however, the collateral damage for a party allying with him in the rest of the state will be substantial. The BJP, although desperate, should be worried about that.

For the UDF, it will be impossible to come back to power without the Kerala Congress. With Mani and his Christian block gone, the Congress might be even pushed below the Muslim League within the UDF. Without power, the Muslim League also might ultimately desert the Congress. The CPM is in fact overjoyed about this prospect. Its salivating on the end of the UDF.

Whether BJPs predatory instincts will agree or not, keeping Mani and his party out of Keralas political mainstream for some time will be good for the state because Kerala Congress has been an epitome of political opportunism - a clannish party that keeps breaking and regrouping solely for power. At any point of time, Kerala Congress has at least six to seven factions that are mostly run by clans backed by various Syrian Christian denominations, churches and men with money.
News reports have said that Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra is likely to be replaced by the Centre.

This possible replacement comes at a time when Jammu and Kashmir is on the boil due to violent protests over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on 8 July. The unrest has rocked the Valley, while the state has been under curfew for over 50 days now. Reports have claimed more than 70 civilians have been killed, which over 1,000 were injured.

The discussion to replace Vohra began on 25 August when Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Kashmir for the second time and met Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

Centre considering changing Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra, replacement could be from non-army background too: Sources  NDTV (@ndtv) August 25, 2016

Vohra served in the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) between 1959 and 1994. He has also served as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister from 1997 to 1998. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2007. He is also the first civilian governor of the state after Jagmohan since militancy broke out in the state in 1989.

Vohra was appointed as the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 2008 and was re-appointed for a second term in 2013.

According to News18, three retired generals and two former governors are being considered for the job by the government.

The report also said that even though the Centre acknowledged Vohra's work for Jammu and Kashmir, it felt that the state needed a new strategy to control the tense situation in the state. While appointing a retired General could show that the Centre will not relent to pressure due to the protests, a civilian being appointed as Governor could mean the launch of a fresh outreach plan.

It will also be interesting to see whether the Centre, in keeping with its recent trend, appoints a BJP leader as Jammu and Kashmir Governor. Just to refresh the memory - Kiran Bedi is Puducherry Governor and Najma Heptullah bagged the job in Manipur.

In fact, one of the top names in contention is that of 81-year-old BJP leader Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, who took part in the freedom struggle in his student days, News18 reported. He served as the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand twice (from 2007 to 2009 and from 2011 to 2012). He was a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and is presently an MP from Garhwal.

Known for kicking off the Golden Quadrilateral project during Vajpayees term, Khanduri remains the best bet, however, the fact that he is 81, could ruin his chances.

However, Indian Express reported that former home secretary Anil Baijal could also be considered for the position. Baijal was earlier in the executive council of a think tank Vivekananda International Foundation. Vivekananda Foundation is a Sangh Parivar-affiliated think tank Several former members of the thinktank have been appointed to senior posts by the Centre.

News18 further reported that Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain (Retired), who has served as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, is also a likely successor. The report further added that Hasnain has first-hand knowledge of the state's security issues. Incidentally, Hasnain was also part of the VIF thinktank. Having served in Kashmir, The Asian Age quoted sources, Lt Gen Hasnain knows Kashmir's security issues and how to handle them.

Another contender is General Ved Prakash Malik (Retired) who was the Army Chief during the Kargil war. He oversaw the planning and implementation of Operation Vijay which foiled Pakistan's attempt of intrusion in the Kargil sector in 1999.

Other names being considered are that of 74-year-old Amolak Rathan Kohli, who was former Mizoram Governor and a close aide of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani; and Vijai Kapoor, former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.
Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Saturday accused the Narendra Modi government of having "sluggish" and "directionless" policy on Jammu and Kashmir, and said that the Centre needs to take concrete measures to establish peace in the Valley.

"There is no difference of opinion that Pakistan has adopted a negative approach on Jammu and Kashmir. However, time has come that instead of putting the blame on Pakistan, we should go ahead and look for some concrete measures to establish peace and harmony in the region," Singhvi told reporters.

Looking at the present situation in the Valley, the government's policy has been sluggish and directionless and for the delicate region like Jammu and Kashmir, it is quite dangerous, he added.

While criticising the PDP-BJP dispensation in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress spokesperson said "It seems that there is no coalition government in the Valley. It seems as if there is one government in Jammu and another in Kashmir."

"The situation in the Valley has been on the boil since the past 50 days and it has claimed 68 lives. However, if you compare these two years of BJP-led government with UPA, for last seven to eight years before BJP came to power, we had managed to maintain peace, harmony through coordination and cooperation in Jammu and Kashmir," he claimed.

Referring to Modi's "Insaniyat, Jhamooriyat and Kashmiriyat" remarks, Singhvi said the government should look for concrete measures instead of just saying these three words.

"The Valley continues to be on boil on the 50th day. However, except the home minister, no minister has gone there. PM has not taken any concrete steps and this is because there is a disconnect and discontinuance in the functioning of the coalition government," he said.

Stating that Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Home Minister Rajnath Singh are not on the same page on the Jammu and Kashmir issue, he added, "There is lack of coordination. All party meeting on the issue is yet to be convened."

He further slammed the Centre saying intolerance has been on the rise in the country over the last two years. "With so much intolerance rising in the country, the identity of the nation has changed in the last two years," he said.

Referring to the controversy surrounding actor-turned-politician Ramya's remarks, he said when someone says 'Pakistan is not a hell', sedition cases are being filed and they are being labelled as anti-national.

Criticising the functioning of the PDP-BJP coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, Congress spokersperson Randeep Surjewala, meanwhile, said that the meeting between CM Mehbooba Mufti and Prime Minister Modi on Saturday "raised more questions than answers". Speaking to ANI, Surjewala cited the present unrest in Kashmir and said that there was hope that Mehbooba Mufti and Prime Minister Modi will take some fruitful steps.

Asserting that the whole nation wants peace in Kashmir, Surjewala said the meeting raised more questions than answers.

"Mehbooba Muftiji agreed that the PDP-BJP Government did not work according to the agenda of alliance. Why didn't Modiji and Mehboobaji do it? If they would have worked on the agenda of the alliance, then the situation would not have been like this. But, she didn't give an answer to this," he added.

Escalating his criticism on the state government, Surjewala said the present situation in Kashmir won't recover by blaming the previous UPA regime.

"You can't blame the UPA of 2008 for what has been taking place from 2014 to 2016. Stop blaming. The wounds need to be healed. Jammu and Kashmir should be brought back to normalcy. Leave politics and allegation and counter allegation. The whole nation wants the PDP-BJP government to heal the wounds," he added.

With inputs from PTI
New Delhi: Winning over the poor was at the heart of Saturday's meeting of BJP chief ministers with the party forming a committee to finalise a "garib kalyan agenda" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking them to work in "mission mode" to make their states a model for execution of his government's schemes, mostly aimed at benefiting the poor.

Modi exhorted them to work on multiple fronts to develop their states at a fast rate, saying they should not just move to one project after finishing another and instead take up several programmes together without showing any lapse. Chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand  Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Devendra Fadnavis, Raghubar Das respectively  besides party vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe will prepare the poor's welfare agenda that will fix a few common goals for the party-ruled states besides identifying schemes which they could give special focus.

The day-long meeting here deliberated over six subjects, including welfare of the poor and farmers, woman empowerment, youth and employment besides good governance, with Modi speaking about a host of schemes covering these sectors.

"The Prime Minister asked us to work in mission mode; to take up several works at once and show no lapses. Then we can develop fast," Chouhan told a press conference after the conclusion of the meeting.

With the party and its governments facing attack from the opposition over issues concerning Dalits and minorities, it believes that a stronger emphasis on welfare schemes, especially targeting the poor, can firewall it against adverse political outcome and instead help it reach out to the weaker sections.

Chief ministers also gave a presentation of their government's works in line with the party's welfare agenda and how some of the schemes can be adopted by others.

Party leaders said good governance, development and pro-poor measures were the focus of the exercise and politics and coming elections in several states, including Uttar Pradesh, found no mention in their deliberations.

Modi also touched on the fact that the two medals won by India in the Rio Olympics were claimed by women as he underlined the need for woman empowerment.

"Our daughters have proved how capable they are," he said.

The committee formed to prepare the poor's welfare agenda will give its report in two-three few weeks, Sahasrabuddhe, who is also the head of the party's good governance department, said.

Modi told the party's chief ministers and deputy chief ministers to make their states a model for the effective execution of the central schemes.

He spoke about Ujjwala Yojana, which aims to provide LPG cylinders to poor households, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, skill development and farm insurance scheme among others. He asked the CMs to work for cent per cent Adhaar card enrolment and adoption of farm insurance scheme by all farmers. Schemes in certain states like water conservation by digging small ponds in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, several pro-poor and girl empowerment exercises in Madhya Pradesh, were also discussed.

While Modi delivered the concluding address, party chief Amit Shah inaugurated the meeting, which was also attended by the party's Parliamentary Board members and its presidents in the states where it is in power.

Asserting that BJP has ushered in an era of "politics of performance", its president Amit Shah asked the party's chief ministers to make their states an effective instrument for execution of the Centre's "pro-poor" and "good governance" agenda.

Noting that the party rules over 51 percent of the country's landmass and 37 per cent population, he said states would play a key role in the success of the Modi government's welfare policies as they are responsible for executing 65 of the 80 such schemes launched by it.
Beijing: China will have "to get involved" if any Indian "plot" disrupts the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in restive Balochistan, an influential Chinese think tank has warned India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to Balochistan in his Independence Day speech is the "latest concern" for China and among its scholars, Hu Shisheng, the Director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), told IANS in a freewheeling interview.

The researcher, at one of China's most powerful think tanks, which is affiliated with the Ministry of State Security, also said India's growing military ties with the US and its changed attitude on the disputed South China Sea are ringing alarm bells for China.

"The latest concern for China is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech from the Red Fort in which he referred to the issues like Kashmir (occupied by Pakistan) and Balochistan," Hu said.

"It could be regarded as a watershed moment in India's policy towards Pakistan. Why Chinese scholars are concerned is because this is for the first time India has mentioned it," he added.

Hu said China fears India may use "anti-government" elements in Pakistan's restive Balochistan where Beijing is building the $46 billion CPEC -- a key to the success of its ambitious One Road One Belt project.

"There is concern that India may take the same approach, which is believed by the Indian side Pakistan is taking, asymmetrically using anti-government factors in Pakistan," Hu said on the expansive and leafy campus of CICIR.

"If this kind of plot causes damage to the CPEC, China will have to get involved," he said, referring to the alleged involvement of India in backing separatists in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The ongoing CPEC will connect China's largest province, Xinjiang, with Pakistan's Gwadar port in Balochistan, hit by rebels and separatists. India has strongly opposed the corridor as it will pass through Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir which it claims as its own.

Islamabad has long accused India of fomenting trouble in this region -- a charge denied by New Delhi.

However, Modi's reference to the region, experts say, is a signal to Pakistan that New Delhi could raise tensions in the region as a tit for tat for Pakistan's backing for terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

"This will not help Pakistan to become a normal country. And it will also further disturb India-China relations," Hu pointed out.

Hu noted the growing defence cooperation between India and the US was also a worrying factor of China.

"In the past, China was not so much concerned about India's security cooperation with other countries, especially with the US. But now Chinese scholars can feel the concern," Hu said.

He said the defence cooperation between New Delhi and Washington had increased significantly after Modi took over as prime minister.

He also referred to US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's visit to India in April during which both the countries agreed in principle to sign the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).

"There is renewal of defence and technological cooperation (between India and the US) for another 10 years, enhancing the cooperation under the framework of DTTI (Defence Technology and Trade Initiative)," Hu added.

"This is an alarming signal to China. It is a concern for China," the expert said.

He also said India will have to resist pressure exerted by the US and Japan to join them in countering China. "We also know that the US and Japan, as well as Australia, are very keen on getting India in their camp. They are also exerting pressure".

"They are also luring India by giving high-technology deals and advanced military weapons. It is up to India whether India can resist this kind of temptation," Hu said.

India's involvement in the South China Sea dispute was another irritant in the already strained relationship between India and China, Hu added.

"In the past, India's stand on the South China Sea was impartial. Indian is getting more and more involved. This attitude is another concern for China," noted Hu.

"We know that India has national interest in maintaining freedom of navigation and aviation, but China in the past has done nothing to block the so-called freedom of navigation."

"Our problem is with the US. We can see India is becoming more vocal in issuing joint statements with the US and Japan on the South China Sea," he added.

A UN court in July rejected China's claims over the so-called Nine-Dash line -- which covers almost 90 per cent of the contested South China Sea -- and backed the Philippines which has overlapping claims in the oil and natural gas-rich waters, which are also partly claimed by Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Beijing rejected the verdict as "illegal".

India, 55 per cent of whose trade passes through the Strait of Malacca that opens into the South China Sea, has asked the parties to peacefully resolve the dispute and show utmost respect to the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea.
New Delhi: India and the US are set to sign a key logistics agreement this week which will enable both militaries to use each other's assets and bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who has left for the US on his second visit in eight months, will meet his American counterpart Defence Secretary Ashton Carter and carry forward talks on jet engine technology and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Parrikar is scheduled to meet Carter tomorrow after which he will also visit the air force base at Langley besides going to the Boeing facility in Philadelphia.

One of the key takeaways from the visit would be signing of the agreement called the 'Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement' (LEMOA).

The agreement was announced during the visit of Carter to India in April this year.

The move will allow both countries to use each other's bases as well as assets for replenishment of supplies and refuelling.

However, it will not allow stationing of troops in eac other's bases.

Parrikar is also likely to push for the Predator UAVs.
Baat niklegi to phir door talak jayegi."

This otherwise immortal line from Ghazal maestro Jagjit Singhs rendition appears to have acquired a new, dramatic relevance in the aftermath of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Independence Day speech. The prime minister had, just in a passing reference, spoken about the current state of affairs in Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

Right from the moment the B word was uttered by Modi from the Red Fort on 15 August, the ghost of Balochistan has been travelling far and wide, causing intermittent political tremors across our western borders.

Here are just three instances that show the kind of impact the speech is seen to be making already:

First, rattled by the Indian prime ministers rather sudden reference to atrocities in Balochistan and PoK, the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif got his skates on to send 22 parliamentarians as special envoys to as many world capitals to highlight the issue of Kashmir. I have decided to send these parliamentarians to fight the Kashmir cause in different parts of the world, Sharif said.

Second, not too far away from Islamabad, the political and military leadership at Quetta hustled to invite self-exiled Baloch leaders for negotiations. Extending the offer for talks, Balochistan's Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri and Pakistans Southern Command chief Lt. General Aamir Riaz made it clear that they would welcome the Baloch leaders if they returned home. The Dawn newspaper, which covered this development promptly, quoted Zehri as saying: Itll be their choice to join national politics or do politics on a nationalist basis. We will honour it if the people of Balochistan give you the mandate.

Third, within nine days of the prime ministers Independence Day speech, Baloch freedom fighters staged a rally, raising the Indian tri-colour in Balochistan in support of PM Modi. And, in an interview given to an Indian newspaper through E-mail, Brahumdagh Bugti, founder-leader of Baloch Republican party said that he expected India to play the same role in Baluchistan as it did in erstwhile East Pakistan.

Bugti further elaborated: We expect India to play a role as a responsible neighbour to intervene in Balochistan and stop the genocide. We seek help from all countries but a greater responsibility lies on the shoulders of India to become the Baloch peoples voice in the international community."

However, the Pakistani authorities were quick to slap sedition charges on three Baloch leaders Brahumdagh Bugti, Harbiyar Marri and Banuk Karima Baloch for backing the Indian prime ministers supportive words. But Bugti remained undeterred. Pakistani forces are engaged in a tsunami of human rights violations in Balochistan, he said adding that the Baloch people dont want to live with Pakistan any more.

This apart, President of Baloch Students Association, Karima Baloch sent Modi a Raksha Bandhan message urging the latter to be the voice of Baloch people. Hum apni jung khud lad lenge; aap bus hamari awaaz ban jayein (Well fight our own war; but for Gods sake you please be our voice), she said in as many words.

Within India too, the prime ministers speech was, by and large, lapped up by the masses  diplomatically, politically and emotionally. They saw it as a game changer in Indias foreign policy vis-a-vis Pakistan. They could also recall the nations emotional bond with Balochistan.

Excited over Modis new policy-putsch, Swapan Dasgupta wrote in his Sunday column: "The prime ministers outreach to the peoples in Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan assumes importance. Narendra Modi hasnt signalled Indias direct involvement in their battles, he has merely signalled the recovery of our natural frontiers. This outreach now needs to be complimented with institutional capacity building and, most important, the enlargement of our mental horizons. The reach of India must transcend its national borders, as it always had."

Another writer, Tilak Devasher, did some thorough historical research to demystify the legal status of Balochistan in wake of the heat and dust generated by Modis putsch. He presented solid arguments to prove why Balochistan is not an internal matter of Pakistan. In a column in The Indian Express he wrote: "The whole issue hinges on whether or not Kalat (as Balochistan was then called) was an Indian princely state or an independent non-Indian state under British rule. If it is the latter, then clearly what the Baloch nationalists say about Pakistans illegal occupation has merit."

Devasher, who retired as special secretary in the cabinet secretariat, Government of India, wrote further: "At a round table conference held in Delhi on 4 August, 1947  attended by Lord Mountbatten, the Khan of Kalat and Jinnah  it was decided that the Kalat state will be independent, enjoying the same status as it originally held in 1838......Thereafter Khan declared the independence of Kalat on August 12, 1947, two days before the creation of Pakistan. The independence, however, was short-lived. At the end of March 1948, Pakistan occupied Kalat and forced the Khan to sign the instrument of accession."

"It is one of the ironies of history that Jinnah who, as Kalats lawyer, had argued for its independence and, as governor general-designate of Pakistan, agreed to its independence was later to force its accession to Pakistan," Devasher concluded.

The diplomatic fireworks have already begun. And so has process of political upheaval in the region. Lets stay alert. All the time.
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In my opinion, one of the greatest ways to build wealth is by trading very little and holding onto stocks with durable competitive advantages for decades. But, that isn't to say investors shouldn't have a few stocks in their portfolios with a larger risk and reward. If you're looking for a bold bet in the stock market, these three companies certainly have large potential catalysts, but they're also far from a sure thing.

Nuclear power: hero or zero?

After the nuclear power plant disaster in Japan, along with the slowdown in nuclear investment in the U.S. market, a stockpile of uranium has depressed prices, which has sent shares of Cameco Corp (CCJ 1.34%) plunging. In fact, only five of Japan's nuclear reactors have resumed operations, but most of the remaining 20 reactors should restart within the next two years.

Still, with those reactors coming back online and China's nuclear reactor count poised to surge, many expect that surplus of uranium to turn into a deficit by 2021, and for prices to improve starting next year. That would be a boon for Cameco, but the stock is really a bold bet that nuclear energy will boom in China and catch on around the world as the planet needs energy yet must mitigate contributing to global warming.

At the moment, China has roughly 34 nuclear reactors in operation with another 20 under construction and even more planned to begin construction in the years ahead. In terms of gigawatts electrical (GWe), China's nuclear capacity is set to double by 2020-2021, to 58 GWe, and then nearly triple to 150 GWe by 2030. That's not taking into consideration the new reactors coming from India, South Korea, and Russia, so it's easy to see how demand and prices for uranium could quickly increase by the end of the decade.

Cameco has positioned itself as an industry leader and ranks among lower-cost producers of uranium thanks to its enviable asset that includes a high-grade McArthur River mine in Saskatchewan. It's a bold bet that as the world continues to deal with increasing carbon dioxide emissions, a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming, more countries will turn to nuclear energy to produce energy and reduce greenhouse emissions.

Much of the bold bet on Cameco relies on China's ambitious nuclear plans, as it has already replaced the USA as the world's largest contributor of carbon dioxide emissions, and if those plans falter, uranium prices could remain depressed, and Cameco's stock would feel the pain.

The top of a cycle can be a scary thing

Ask any analyst within the automotive industry and they'll tell you this might be as good as it gets when it comes to sales of new vehicles in the U.S. market. That's not good news for investors of major automakers that often rely on increasing sales or market share to drive top-line growth.

However, the automotive industry is likely to be a whole different ballgame in 10 years, and investing in General Motors (GM 1.81%) is a bold bet it can evolve to take advantage of new revenue streams to push its top and bottom lines higher.

"GM is at the forefront of redefining the future of personal mobility," said GM President Dan Ammann, in a press release, continuing:

With the launch of our car-sharing service through Maven, the strategic alliance with ride-sharing company Lyft, and building on our decades of leadership in vehicle connectivity through OnStar, we are uniquely positioned to provide the high level of personalized mobility services our customers expect today and in the future.

The Maven brand Ammann mentioned is testing out a number of projects in the U.S. market. So far, its testing has been simple and is serving roughly 5,000 residents between New York and Chicago, with other cities in the early stages. The Maven City car-sharing program comes at a cost of $8 an hour including insurance and fuel; consumers can reserve a vehicle at more than 15 sites throughout Chicago. Or consumers can opt for Chicago Express Drive, which GM launched in March with Lyft. Express Drive enables Lyft drivers in the area to rent a Chevrolet Equinox crossover for $99 per week.

Investors can thank young tech companies, like Uber, for opening the eyes of the ancient major automakers and showing them that there are plenty of new revenue streams out there ripe for the picking -- GM is one bold bet that Detroit's largest automaker will figure out how to generate revenue in new ways.

If you can't beat 'em...

Amazon has made many things clear since bursting onto the retail scene, and one of those things is that if you're not building your online retail presence, you're not doing it right. Few, if any, clothing retailers realize this better than department store operator Macy's (M 0.38%). It made that clear in its recent "Macy's, Inc. Outlines Moves to Drive Profitable Growth and Enhance Shareholder Value" presentation, which lifted the stock 17% as it simultaneously announced quarterly results that showed a drop in both earnings and revenues.

One takeaway from that presentation was that the upcoming move to shutter the doors on 100 Macy's locations, despite it being a tough decision to make, was the best move for the struggling retailer. More specifically, starting next year, 100 full-line Macy's stores (out of a total of 675) will close in an attempt to focus invested capital and managerial talent on better-performing locations in prime markets.

Macy's is essentially a bold bet on many things that all fall under the umbrella of management's execution. Shuttering 100 stores that are still cash-flow positive emphasizes that the company is forward-looking, but this is a bet that management will continue to drive smart decisions going forward. Those decisions include shifting store exposure to less commoditized segments -- think jewelry and beauty products -- as well as increasing the presence of its private-label clothing to try to differentiate itself and generate pricing power.

Buying into Macy's is a bold bet that in a world where Amazon is taking it to brick-and-mortar retailers, Macy's can combine its most profitable stores with its growing online presence and create the best of both worlds. Macy's has the tools to get it done, but it will take phenomenal execution.
The New York Stock Exchange: More than just a venue for investors to trade shares in some of America's best-known companies, it's the worldwide symbol of market capitalism. Here are seven things you didn't know about the New York Stock Exchange.

1. Slow day at the office

On March 16, 1830 -- nearly four decades after the Buttonwood agreement established the first organized stock market in New York, and 13 years after the exchange was officially chartered -- only 31 shares changed hands, making it the dullest day in the history of the Exchange. By contrast, during the most active month in the Exchange's history -- October 2008 -- average daily volume for the NYSE Group exceeded 4.2 billion shares.

2. When stocks traded like bonds

Prior to Oct. 13, 1915, stocks were quoted on the same basis as bonds  as a percentage of their par value -- rather than in dollars and cents!

If shares of Apple Inc (par value: $0.00001, a thousandth of a penny) were quoted on the same basis, Monday's closing price would be 1,085,100,000!

It took another 85 years for the Exchange to move to full decimal pricing.

3. This Exchange is shipworthy

In August 1929, the Exchange approved the opening of branch offices on trans-Atlantic ocean liners.

As The New York Times reported the following day:

It is reported that the Exchange will not rush to give the ruling that will sanction the sea service before it is convinced that radio will not mar the integrity of the Exchange. Some wonder if the ethereal quotations would be accurate. The radio men [engineers] answer affirmatively. With high power, short waves and automatic machines, there is no reason why nature's fading should make the "GM" symbol fade into "GL" [...], thereby adding confusion and perhaps undue excitement, joy or sadness among those trying to enjoy a vacation away from the madding crowds.

4. The boys club opens up

The first woman to be admitted as a member to the Exchange is Muriel F. Siebert, on Dec. 28, 1967. She reportedly paid $445,000 for her seat. It would take nearly a decade for another woman to join her.

5. Hail to the chief

Calving Coolidge may have said, "the chief business of the American people is business," but Ronald Reagan was the first sitting president to visit the embodiment of American capitalism, on March 28, 1985.

6. From "buy-and-hold" to "hot potato"

According to conventional wisdom, investors' average holding period has been on a long-term downward trend for decades reflecting the rise of stock trading versus stock ownership.

That's largely true, as the average holding period on the New York Stock Exchange dropped from a high of 8.3 years in 1960 to less than nine months (NYSE Group) in 2008, at the height of the financial crisis.

However, the post-crisis era has seen a reversal in that trend, with the average holding period rising to as much as 21 months in 2014.

Furthermore, don't go believing electronic trading is the only thing enabling frenetic trading activity: The highest annual turnover on the New York Stock Exchange on record was in 1901, when the average holding period was just 114 days.

7. You've been disrupted!

On Nov. 13, 2013, nearly two centuries after it was officially created, the New York Stock Exchange, along with other assets of NYSE Euronext, was acquired by IntercontinentalExchange Inc (ICE 1.10%). The latter was founded less than two decades earlier, in 1997, and launched in 2000 as an electronic trading platform for energy products.

Another statistic illustrates the extent to which the incumbent exchange's position has been upended over the past decade. NYSE Group's share volume market share was 25% in August (through Aug. 22). Meanwhile, BATS Global Markets Inc.'s combined market share was 22%. Barely more than a decade ago, BATS' market share was zero -- the company was founded as BATS Global Trading in June 2005, just outside the global financial hub of Kansas City, Missouri.
America has long been called the arsenal of democracy -- but lately, that arsenal has been showing its age.

Take its "ground-based strategic deterrent." This euphemism describes America's land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) force, which currently comprises 450 LGM-30 Minuteman III nuclear missiles. Guided by 20-year-old flight systems, these 40-year-old missiles are housed in 50-year-old silos spread across Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota. And according to a recent report by 60 Minutes, the control systems that run those silos depend on vintage 1980s-era floppy disks.

Time for a systems reboot

If that all sounds a bit archaic to you, well, the U.S. Air Force agrees. The Minuteman III generation of ICBMs is only expected to remain operational through 2030. And given how long it takes the Pentagon to develop new weapons systems, that means the Air Force has to start thinking about upgrading its ICBMs right about... now.

Last week, the Air Force took the first step in that process, releasing a request for proposals to replace the Minuteman III ICBM with an entirely new weapons system -- including not just the ICBMs themselves, but new launchers and command and control systems as well.

The players

Few details on the RFP are available at this time, but according to the defense experts at Jane's, at least three big defense contractors are expected to bid on the deal: Boeing (BA 2.92%), Lockheed Martin (LMT 2.74%), and Northrop Grumman (NOC 2.35%).

That's logical. Boeing, after all, was the prime contractor on building the Minuteman III in the first place, Lockheed did the missile's command and control systems, while Northrop won a contract to support its ground subsystems last year. One can also assume Aerojet Rocketdyne (AJRD 2.27%) will be bidding for at least a piece of the contract. Aerojet has already offered to upgrade the launch engines on the Minuteman fleet, and won't want to be left out of a wholesale upgrade.

The timeline

So how big could this contract become, and when can we expect to learn the winner? Let's tackle those questions in reverse order.

According to the Air Force, bids are due next month. By Oct. 1, 2017, it should award one or two "cost-plus" development contracts, that will run for about three years, before picking a final winner. Once that winner has been determined, deployment of the new missiles still won't begin for another decade -- toward the end of the 2020s, or just in time to replace the retiring Minutemen IIIs. Once deployed, the new ICBMs will be expected to serve as America's ground-based strategic deterrent through about 2075.

So right away you can see that this is going to be a long process. Whichever company wins the contract, profiting from it will take some time.

Luckily for the winner, the money should be worth the wait. Defense Industry Daily estimates that replacing the ICBM force will cost about $350 billion over 10 years, rising to as much as $1 trillion over 30 years.

$1 trillion dollars -- and counting

Final note: If the numbers being floated about the size of the ICBM program aren't enough to entice you, consider this: The Air Force is also preparing to fund a separate, $20 billion to $30 billion program, to develop a new nuclear-tipped cruise missile for its bombers, the Long Range Stand-Off (LRSO) weapon. Once again, Boeing, Northrop, and Lockheed are all bidding, with Raytheon (RTN) also in the mix. Paired with Northrop Grumman's even more expensive B-21 stealth bomber program (valued at $79 billion or more), LRSO would form the new second leg of the nation's nuclear force -- the part that gets launched from strategic bombers -- and put another $100 billion or so up for grabs.

And of course, there's the third leg, the Ohio Replacement class of nuclear missile submarines, estimated to cost another $79 billion or more. In total, the numbers being bandied about for America's nuclear rearmament program add up to a staggering $500 billion to $1.2 trillion opportunity for the eventual winners.

Now all Congress has to do is find enough money to pay for all this in the defense budget.
August began with plenty of promise for the marijuana industry, but those high hopes went up in smoke on Aug. 11, when the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency released its long-awaited decision on whether it would reclassify marijuana.

The DEA denies the marijuana industry a victory

For months, the marijuana industry, cannabis supporters, and medical patients had hoped that the U.S. regulatory agency, with the recommendation of the Department of Health and Human Services, would reschedule marijuana from its current status of Schedule 1 -- which deems it an illicit drug with no accepted medical use -- to Schedule 2. This would have recognized that cannabis has an accepted medical benefit, and it would have allowed physicians around the country to prescribe medical marijuana to patients with very specific ailments.

However, the decision by the DEA denied the two petitions seeking to reschedule the still-illicit drug. The DEA leaned on three points in its explanation of the decision.

First, the DEA believes marijuana has a high potential for abuse. Both the evaluation from the Department of Health and Human Services and the DEA's own observations appeared to confirm that.

Second, the DEA pointed out that cannabis has no currently accepted medical use, listing five reasons why that is. Most notably, the drug's chemistry isn't known and reproducible, and there are no well-controlled studies to back up cannabis supporters' claims that it can treat pain, epilepsy, or any other number of ailments.

Finally, the agency believes marijuana lacks an acceptable safety profile. Without any approved cannabis products, the benefits of marijuana don't appear to outweigh its risks.

For these reasons, marijuana will continue to remain a Schedule 1 drug, and approvals at the medical and recreational level will still be conducted at the state level. The ruling took the wind out of the sails of supporters.

But the marijuana industry succeeds anyway

However, it's not all bad news for the cannabis industry. The DEA's decision came with one notable caveat that will allow for easier access into medical marijuana research. Currently, the only approved grow farm in the U.S. is in Mississippi. New regulations could open the door for researchers to gain easier access to cannabis for medical research. Presumably, the sooner researchers can present a series of well-controlled studies on cannabis to the Food and Drug Administration and/or the DEA, the better chance they'll have of getting the latter to reclassify marijuana in the future.

Even more recently, on Aug. 16, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the cannabis industry by protecting legal recreational and medical marijuana users against federal prosecution. In effect, the 3-0 verdict by the federal court prevents the federal government from providing funding for the prosecution of recreational or medical marijuana users in states where recreational or medical marijuana is legal. With nine states set to vote on whether to legalize cannabis this November, millions of Americans could soon be protected from federal prosecution, according to this ruling. It should be noted that the Appeals Court could change its mind at any time. But for the time being, federal prosecutors will have better ways to spend their money than prosecuting consumers who are using marijuana in accordance with their states' laws.

There's also a bright side to the DEA's decision. Had the DEA rescheduled cannabis, the substance could have been exposed to a laundry list of FDA regulations. For example, the FDA could have placed requirements on packaging and marketing, or it could have demanded consistent levels of THC from each crop of marijuana. Even more importantly, FDA oversight may have forced the cannabis industry to run clinical trials in order to demonstrate the efficacy of the drug for treating certain ailments. These added costs could have put smaller players out of business and essentially handed the industry over to bigger businesses. Given less competition and more regulation, legal marijuana prices would likely rise rapidly.

In other words, marijuana's DEA defeat is, in many ways, a victory.

The lone loser of the DEA decision

Perhaps the biggest loser here is the individual investor looking to take advantage of the marijuana industry's incredible growth.

According to ArcView Market Research, a cannabis research firm, legal marijuana sales hit $5.4 billion in 2015, and they're slated to grow by roughly 30% per year throughout the remainder of the decade. If this trend were to continue, then legal marijuana sales would total nearly $22 billion by 2020. An investment that could grow at 30% per year for five straight years is a real rarity for stock investors, so you can imagine how closely some investors are watching the marijuana industry. Unfortunately, keeping cannabis as a Schedule 1 substance will probably keep big business from gaining substantial market share within the industry. This leaves investors little to no opportunity to profit from the growing legal marijuana market.

Making matters worse for investors is the fact that the vast majority of publicly traded marijuana stocks are penny stocks that trade on over-the-counter exchanges. While reporting standards are improving on the OTC exchanges, it can still be difficult to get accurate financial information on cannabis stocks. Nonetheless, losses remain common among marijuana stocks, and that's all the more reason to watch the advancement of the industry safely from the sidelines.
Home Depot (HD 2.61%) is one of the busiest retailers in America right now. The home improvement giant on Aug. 16 announced second-quarter earnings results that trounced national peers and even left industry rival Lowe's (LOW 2.62%) far behind.

CEO Craig Menear and his executive team held a conference call with investors to put those results in perspective. Here are a few important points that management made in that discussion.

Outpacing the competition

We continue to see broad-based growth across our stores; both ticket and transactions grew. All of our merchandising departments posted positive comparable-store sales.

-- Menear

Home Depot's comps grew 5%, marking a slowdown from the prior quarter's 7% spike. Yet the retailer extended its market share lead over Lowe's, which improved comps by just 2% in the second quarter. Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT) managed a slight comps increase and Target's (TGT 0.37%) comps declined thanks to its first customer traffic dip in two years.

Growth was balanced between higher customer traffic and a solid boost in average spending per customer as Home Depot logged an 8% jump in big-ticket ($900 or greater) purchases.

Attracting professional customers

We continue to see notable strength with our pro customers.

-- Executive Vice President Ted Decker

Management estimates the addressable U.S. consumer market at roughly $180 billion, but believes it has a major opportunity to dominate the professional home improvement market, which is worth $120 billion. The retailer made good strides toward that goal as sales to professionals rose at a faster pace than consumer sales, pushing categories like industrial lighting, fencing, interior doors, and power tools to double-digit comps.

Expanding the online business

Our online business had strong growth in the quarter with double-digit traffic growth and improvement in conversion. Mobile and tablet are over 50% of our traffic and are important tools that our customers use to engage with our products, our stores and our associates.

-- Decker

Home Depot posted 19% higher online sales as that channel grew to nearly 6% of the revenue base. This success demonstrates how Home Depot is doing a better job than peers at defending against e-commerce rivals. Target, for example, has been plowing investments into its digital infrastructure and yet its online business is still just around 3% of sales.

Home Depot already has a popular program for customers to buy online and pick up in stores, which represented nearly half of its digital business last year. Meanwhile, the company is on pace to roll out the option to get delivery directly from stores over the next few months, which should cut wait times down even further.

Looking ahead

We continue to see positive signs in the housing data which we believe serve as a tailwind for our business.

-- Menear

The home improvement industry usually tracks the broader economy, which hasn't managed especially strong growth lately and isn't expected to perk up over the second half of 2016. In fact, Home Depot executives noted a slowing of growth projections for U.S. GDP in the next six months.

However, the fundamentals of the industry suggest a long runway for growth ahead. Spending on home improvement is up sharply since the housing crisis years when it was running at a $400 billion annual pace, but is still far below the peak $900 billion mark it hit in 2006:

Continued steady recovery in this industry has management confident that they can grow comps by 5% this year on their way to an estimated $100 billion of annual revenue by 2018 -- from below $90 billion today.

Executives project key efficiency measures, including operating margin (up to 14.5% from 13% last year) and return on invested capital (up to 35% from 28% last year) marching to new records over that same period. "We are encouraged by the strength of our core business as the U.S. housing market continues to recover," Chief Financial Officer Carol Tome said as explanation for why Home Depot affirmed its sales growth guidance and boosted its earnings forecast in the face of slower economic growth.
Image source: Getty Images.

Changing jobs is a great opportunity to move your career forward, learn new skills, and get a significant pay raise. But for the roughly 12.5 million Americans with 401(k)s who change jobs each year, this opportunity comes with a big retirement decision: What should you do with your 401(k) when you leave?

This crucial decision comes with four choices:

1) Cash the 401(k) out;

2) Leave the 401(k) where it is (or, put another way, do nothing);

3) Roll the 401(k) over to the new employer's 401(k) plan; or

4) Roll the 401(k) over into an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

Let's explore them briefly and weigh the pros and cons.

Cash out the 401(k)

Liquidating your 401(k) and pocketing the money is certainly a popular choice: According to a Fidelity study, in 2013 a whopping 35% of workers moving jobs cashed out their 401(k)s.

Absent a true financial hardship, cashing out your 401(k) instead of rolling it over is generally a bad idea. Workers who withdraw money from their 401(k) typically must pay income taxes on the balance -- and a 10% early repayment penalty if they're under 59 1/2 years old. Add to that the loss of additional tax-deferred compounding and growth in the account, and you can see why it's rarely the right move.

Leave the 401(k) where it is

This is another common path workers take when they leave their employer. According to one study, over $1 trillion in retirement funds are in "orphaned" 401(k)s that workers left behind with former employers and have largely forgotten. And it's understandable -- after all, when you sign on with a new employer, you have to clear through a mountain of paperwork that's required before you have time for discretionary things like an old 401(k). And it preserves the tax-deferred nature of your 401(k), enabling you to avoid the penalties and taxes that come with cashing it out.

But don't leave it with the former employer. It may get forgotten -- orphaned -- and even if it doesn't, it's going to be a serious hassle to juggle a number of different retirement accounts. It's far easier to consolidate everything together -- which brings me to your third option.

Roll the 401(k) over to your new employer's 401(k) plan

This path has some serious benefits: You get to avoid the penalties and taxes of liquidating your 401(k), preserve the tax-deferred nature of the account, and also keep your 401(k) retirement savings all in one place. It may be the best move for you, but a lot of that depends on what your new 401(k) plan looks like. It's important to read the fine print and find out what the administrative costs and fees are. It's worth taking the roughly 12 minutes to check out the mutual funds in that account, given the enormous implications their expense ratios have for your retirement.

Roll the 401(k) over to an IRA

Like moving your 401(k) to your new employer's plan, this option protects the tax-deferred nature of your 401(k). And like rolling your 401(k) over to your new employer's plan, this largely depends on your preferences and the design of your employer's plan. If your employer's plan is designed with lots of high-load mutual funds and administrative expenses attached, you might be better served by putting your 401(k) in an IRA and investing in index funds (or even individual stocks). A lot will depend on your IRA provider, too -- what administrative fees they charge, what transaction costs you will incur, and the like.

As the primary retirement savings vehicle for American workers, your 401(k) has big implications for how you fund your golden years. Ensure that you make a thoughtful, well-informed decision when, like 12.5 million Americans each year, you're faced with this choice.

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For sale: One space station. Slightly used. Great view of Central Park (and a lot of other parks). Image source: Getty Images.

As early as 2023, and by 2024 at the latest, Russia intends to abandon the International Space Station. And not only that, they're taking their half of the station when they go.

That leaves America and its astronauts in somewhat of a bind because, as Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozinrecently pointed out, "the Russian segment [of the ISS] can exist independently from the American one, but the American segment cannot exist without the Russian."

So, what will America do when its most important roommate moves out of the space apartment next decade?

How to make the rent?

Earlier this year, we explored a few possibilities for how NASA might respond to such a scenario. Last week, NASA floated a plan of its own.

"NASA is trying to develop economic development in low-earth orbit," explainedNASADeputy Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development Bill Hill. One step in that process was privatizing the mission of sending supplies up to the ISS (privately held Sierra Nevada Corp, SpaceX, and Orbital ATK (NYSE: OA) recently won contracts to continue this mission). Another step, due to begin any year now, will be to have SpaceX and Boeing (NYSE: BA) begin taxiing astronauts up to the station on NASA's behalf.

The next logical step, therefore, might be "to hand the space station" over entirely to "a commercial entity" to run -- and, presumably, to have said buyer pick up the tab for building new space station sections to replace the ones Russia will be removing in 2024. Such a move would free up as much as $4 billion annually, or about 20% of the agency's funding, for NASA to spend on its planned mission to Mars.

New roommates!

If that's truly NASA's plan, then pretty soon, scientific research in low earth orbit will become a private, for-profit venture. It's time for investors to start thinking about who might profit from that.

There are the usual suspects, of course. Sierra Nevada, SpaceX, Orbital ATK, and Boeing have all proven themselves to be favored contractors at NASA, and they would presumably be leading candidates to acquire the ISS if it goes up for sale. Other companies (Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT), for example) have played similarly leading roles in spaceflight in the past, while still others, such as Bigelow Aerospace, are showing great promise as innovative builders of orbital real estate.

Conceivably, the ISS's new owner might be not just one single commercial entity, but a consortium of several companies all contributing the bits and pieces they do best (much as the ISS was originally built by several countries contributing specific modules).

Read the fine print

Is that how things will work out next decade? Possibly -- in fact, I'd go so far as to say "hopefully." If Russia's departure will render the ISS uninhabitable, it would be an absolute shame to see the more than $100 billioninvested to date in the station fall to Earth and burn up in the atmosphere. Far better to sell it off to private enterprise and allow them to get more use out of it.

Details will of course need to be ironed out with America's non-Russian ISS partners -- the European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency among them. Presumably, though, these agencies would likewise see the advantages in preserving their investments even under private management -- and perhaps getting a few dollars back on them.

For that matter, these various space agencies -- and the Chinese, and the Indians, and maybe the Russians as well -- are all continuing to develop their own independent space programs. Deals could probably we worked out guaranteeing space ships from former (and future) ISS users the right to dock with a privatized space station for resupply, refueling, or R&R visits. That would provide a secure revenue stream for the station's new owners, encouraging higher bids from prospective buyers and incentivizing the present owners to green-light a sale as well.

In short, NASA's plan to sell the ISS has merit. And since such a sale would set a further legal precedent for the commercialization of space, it's a development all investors in the new space industry should applaud.

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Larry King went rogue to do an odd interview on the Hallmark Channel in which he dismissed his wifes cheating scandal as rumor.

The New York Post reported that Larrys wife, Shawn King, 56, allegedly had a yearlong affair with public-speaking guru Richard Greene.

But insiders told the paper that Larry has been ignoring and avoiding his trusted team of lawyers, agents and publicists in favor of the advice of Shawn and her father-manager, Karl Engemann, during the brouhaha.

Larrys advisers reportedly only learned about Thursdays appearance on Hallmarks Home & Family after it was booked by Karl.

During the interview, Larry, 82, brushed off cheating reports as rumors, adding, I dont pay any attention to them. His response has baffled his own camp, who are convinced the allegations are true.

Larry talks and thinks one way around his friends and relatives and legal counsel and people who work with him, said a pal. Then he goes home and its just her and him, undoing all of the sensible stuff that weve told him to do.

Click here to read more in the New York Post.
In 1996, John Crowleys two youngest children received what doctors at the time believed to be a death sentence.

John and his wife, Aileen, had noticed that their daughter, Megan, who was 15 months old at the time, had not yet taken her first steps and wasnt pulling up in her crib.

We got Megan's diagnosis when Patrick was 7 days old. They told us it was a rare disease, one we had never heard of, that it was fatal, that she wouldn't live to be but a couple of years old and that also, too, Patrick, who was with us there at the doctor's office  that he may have the disease, Crowley, of Princeton, N.J. told FoxNews.com. A few months later we had Patrick tested, and learned that he in fact did have Pompe disease as well.

Pompe disease is a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness in people of all ages, according the Pompe.com. The genetic defect causes patients to be deficient in an important enzyme needed to break down sugar stored in the muscle cells throughout the body.

We'd never heard of Pompe disease. Aileen and I are silent carriers  but it doesn't manifest until you have a baby with somebody else, Crowley said. And even then, there's only a one in four chance, so for us, the odds were very low.

With no treatment for the disease available, doctors told the Crowleys that their children would get very sick and become very weak. Within 6 months of their daughters diagnosis, they found themselves in the intensive care unit of their local hospital where Megan was put on a ventilator.

Those were six weeks in the ICU that we'll never forget, but she fought through it, Crowley said. And I realized that that fight in her eyes -- that she didn't want to give up -- and we knew then, that if she wouldn't give up, then we wouldn't either.

A race against time

The grief-stricken parents admittedly had no idea what they were up against or where to start, but their love for their ailing children set them on a path to survival.

We didn't know that we could change the course of their disease, but we wanted to never have any regrets that we didn't try to do everything we could, Crowley said. Ultimately, that's what we did, was to help move science forward and bring attention and resources to the disease.

The Crowleys started working with non-profit organizations to raise money for Pompe disease research. By the year 2000, with the help of a scientist friend, John started a small biotech company in the hopes of finding a cure for Pompe disease.

I had no idea how to run a biotech company, knew nothing about science, but was quickly immersed in that world, Crowley told FoxNews.com. That company helped to develop what became the first generation therapy that three years later the kids received, that they've been receiving now for 13 years.

Megan and Patrick receive infusions of the enzyme replacement therapy, called Lumezyme through ports in their chests every other week.

What the enzyme is designed to do is to replace the enzyme that's missing or defective in people with Pompe, Crowley said. It's designed to get to muscle cells, including the heart, which is a cardiac muscle, to get to the diaphragm, which is involved of course in breathing, and restore muscle function as best as it can.

The drug proved life-saving for the Crowley children, and many of the estimated 5,000 to 10,000 Pompe sufferers around the world. Within the first year of receiving therapy, Crowley noted, Megan and Patricks hearts which had become enlarged due to the progression of the disease, were back to their normal sizes.

The quest for a cure

But Crowley knew that while the medication was a great start, there was still the potential for a cure. He sold his company, Novazyme Pharmaceuticals, to pharmaceutical giant, Genzyme Corp., and in 2005, started another biotech company called Amicus Therapeutics.

With nearly 20 years of Pompe research under their belts, today, his team has developed a second generation Pompe drug that is currently in clinical trials.

The biggest drawback for the current therapy is that the drug is not targeted very well to where it needs to go, Hung Do, chief science officer at Amicus Therapeutics, who helped develop Lumezyme, told FoxNews.com. It doesn't reach the tissues and cells that need this particular drug to supplement the missing activity, and so we were able to address that in the development of this current second generation drug.

As chairman and CEO of Amicus Therapeutics, headquartered in Cranbury Township, N.J., Crowley has made it his mission to find a cure not only for Pompe disease, but other rare diseases, as well. They have poured more than a decade of research into developing a drug to treat Fabry disease, a rare condition that causes fat to accumulate in the body that can cause life-threatening damage to the kidneys, liver and heart. The drug was approved in Europe, and the company hopes to see it approved in other parts of the world, including the United States.

Amicus also recently acquired another small biotech, MiaMed, started by a Long Island father desperate to find a cure for his daughters rare condition called CDKL5, characterized by severe seizures and developmental deficiencies.

I've met many moms and dads who continue to be not just great champions and advocates for their children, but tremendous entrepreneurs and having that patient perspective is so vital, Crowley said. I think having that patient perspective is probably what sets Amicus apart from our peers. Many great biotech companies are patient-focused, we try to do it to an extraordinary level here.

Coming full circle

Now 19, Megan attends her dads alma mater, the University of Notre Dame some 600 miles from home  something no one, save for her father, thought she would ever be able to do. She still requires 24-hour care from nurses, some of whom relocated from New Jersey to Indiana to continue caring for her.

I had never been more than a few days without my parents or away for that long or that far, but I knew it was something in my heart that I really wanted and I knew Notre Dame was a place I really wanted to be, Megan told FoxNews.com.

This summer, she had the opportunity to work side by side with many of the people who helped save her life when she interned in patient advocacy at Amicus Therapeutics.

I just love that personal relationship with the other patients, I think thats so important  so the scientists understand what the patient wants, and the patient understands what the scientists are doing to help them, Megan said. And it doesnt happen overnight, and I know that more than anyone.


Recently released emails appear to further show a direct connection between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, including efforts to get foundation donors seats to an official lunch with Chinese President Hu Jintao.

In emails dated December 2010, Clinton State Department aide Huma Abedin and then-top Clinton Foundation official Doug Band discussed potential guests for the lunch with the Chinese president -- including three executives from groups that had donated millions to the foundation, according to an ABC News report late Saturday.

Among the possible guests discussed were Bob McCann, then-president of wealth management at UBS; Judith Rodin, Rockefeller Foundation president, and Western Union CEO Hikmet Ersek.

The emails reviewed by ABC News were obtained by the conservative group Citizens United through a Freedom of Information Act request.

UBS Wealth Management USA contributed $500,001 to $1 million to the foundation. The Rockefeller Foundation gave $10 million to $25 million and Western Union and its foundation gave $1 million to $5 million, according to ABC News.

Nearly two weeks after the Abedin-Band exchange, Band wrote a follow-up email that specifically asked that Rodin be seated at Vice President Bidens table. "I'll ask," Abedin replied, according to the ABC News report.

Band declined comment to ABC News.

Josh Schwerin, a Hillary for American spokesman, said Sunday that the State Departments actions under Clinton "were always taken with the intent to advance our foreign policy interests and with no other intent in mind than that."

Schwerin also repeated what the department has previously said: that its officials are "in touch with a wide range of outside individuals, organizations, nonprofits, NGOs, think tanks" and others as part of normal business.

An he called Citizens United "a right-wing group that's been attacking the Clintons since the 1990s" that is again "trying to make something out of nothing."

A representative for McCann told ABC News he did not attend the lunch. A representative for Ersek said he doesn't have a "record" of the event. And Rodin's office did not return a request for comment.

The State Department said it could not provide a list of attendees.

The new emails follow an Associated Press report last week that found more than half the people outside the government who met or spoke by telephone with Clinton while she was secretary of state had given money -- either personally or through companies or groups -- to the Clinton Foundation. The report was based on the review of a partial list of State Department schedules that the agency provided through a court order.

Earlier this month, newly-released documents showed the State Department, shortly after Clinton left the agency, considered buying land for a U.S. Embassy in Lagos from a company with ties to Gilbert Chagoury, who donated more than $1 million to the foundation. (The story was first reported by Fox News.)

And in 2011, foundation donor Rajiv K. Fernando was put on a sensitive U.S. intelligence advisory board without having any known related experience, according to ABC News. Fernando resigned within days, amid questions about his qualifications.

Clinton is the Democratic presidential nominee running against Republican nominee Donald Trump. She currently leads the race by 6 percentage points, according to the RealClearPolitics.com polls average.
Barry Bahrami went from incredulous to angry last month when California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a batch of firearms control laws known collectively as Gunmageddon.

Then, the San Diego-based CEO became determined to fight back against the laws, which take aim at so-called assault weapons, enforce ammunition background checks, mostly take effect Jan. 1 and outlaw the possession of high-capacity magazines and ban the "bullet buttons" that already require a tool to release the magazine, instead advocating that the rifle is partially disassembled, and that any rifle with a detachable magazine will be defined as an assault weapon.

"These laws are completely insane to almost anyone with a real knowledge of firearms, and I did not think Gov. Brown would sign them," Bahrami told FoxNews.com. "Many California gun owners are still unaware they will be criminals soon."

The all-Democratic team of bill sponsors proudly christened the new legislation with its apocalyptic moniker, but Bahrami vowed that voters will have the final word. He and other Second Amendment stalwarts have organized 1,600 volunteers across the Golden State with the goal of garnering 365,880 signatures -- although ideally they would like to get far more than that to ensure validity before submitting -- for each of seven referendum petitions to get on the Nov. 8 ballot.

If they succeed, and they must have the signatures by the end of next month, they will put gun rights in the center of the presidential election. And if they win at the ballot box, they will overturn the nations newest and most far-reaching gun control laws and negate a somewhat redundant set of gun control measures already set for a referendum even though the laws they provide for are largely in effect.

"It comes down to this: get enough signatures on paper from registered voters in an insanely short period of time and the law will go on the ballot for voters to decide, Bahrami said. It is a simple 'yes' or 'no' and majority wins. To my knowledge, the option has never been exercised to this scale before... I had to get the ball rolling."

Veto Gunmageddon activists have so far set up hundreds of tables outside supermarkets, along busy sidewalks and at gun stores and shooting ranges. They have placed signature collection boxes at local stores, tattoo parlors and dental offices. In addition to thousands of autographs, they collected nearly $60,000 to cover printing and other costs and seen their volunteer ranks swell.

Already set for the Nov. 8 vote is a set of gun control proposals from a group headed by Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom that basically mirror the laws Brown signed. Critics say Brown and legislative leaders on one side, and Newsom on another, were trying to get their anti-gun measures enacted first, and Newsoms group carried on with Proposition 63, known as Safety for All, even after Brown signed the bills.

Supporters of Newsoms initiative -- which include groups such as Women Against Gun Violence, California Federation of Teachers and the California American College of Physicians -- contend that the proposition would keep guns and ammunition out of the wrong hands by closing loopholes in existing laws and protect the rights of law-abiding citizens to own guns for self-defense, hunting and recreation.

"Safety For All" spokesperson Dan Newman said they "welcome a vote of the people on the issue of gun safety."

"That is why Lt. Gov. Newsom took Prop 63 to the ballot -- it's the best way to make serious progress to save lives," he told FoxNews.com. "The veto movement only underscores how important it is to give voters a chance to stand up to the NRA and take bold action to reduce gun violence."

As many as one-fifth of California's 35 million citizens are believed to own at least one firearm, although estimates vary. The sweeping new laws  both those signed by Brown and those proposed by Newsoms group  puts them in the crosshairs, according to Sam Parades, executive director of Gun Owners of California.

"The end game is to disarm everyone -- rich, poor and those in-between, Parades said. It is easier to go after an inanimate object than human behavior."

A representative for Gov. Brown declined to comment on the Veto Gunmageddon campaign.

Bahrami declined to give specifics on how many signatures they have acquired to-date. The group is confident, he said, but added, "we don't have it in the bag until it is in the bag."


Donald Trumps campaign and his supporters were challenged again Sunday to explain the candidates evolving illegal immigration policy but appeared to find solid ground in arguing it was the opposite of Hillary Clintons plan.

There are very few issues where they're more different, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway told Fox News Sunday. In fact, Hillary Clinton is to the left of Barack Obama on immigration.

Trump won the GOP primary largely by appealing to the partys conservative base with vows to deport all of the countrys estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, as well as to build a wall along the southern U.S. border and have Mexico pay for the construction.

However, Trump has appeared in recent weeks to search for a less severe approach, knowing that hell need some support from Hispanic and other minority voters to win the general election race against Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee.

On Sunday night, Trump tweeted that he will be making a speech on illegal immigration on Wednesday in Arizona.

Conway said Trump indeed wants to find the fair and humane way to address the issue, which includes whether to separate families to enforce federal law.

But she made clear that Trump still intends to build the wall and that he supports neither amnesty nor legalization for people who entered the country illegally.

We all learned in kindergarten to stand in line, to wait our turn, said Conway, who argued Trump has stopped talking about a deportation force to remove people.

Give Donald Trump credit for at least trying to address a complex issue and not pretending like Hillary Clinton does, that we don't have these problems, she said.

The Real Clear Politics average of recent polls shows Clinton leading Trump by 6 percentage points. Such polls also indicate Clinton is ahead in some of the most competitive and pivotal states, with 72 days remaining before Election Day. The nominees first presidential debate is set for Sept. 26.

The real issue is look at the two plans, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus told NBCs Meet the Press." Look at where Hillary Clinton is. She wants to put Barack Obama's immigration plan on steroids. The issue is that this is an election of choices: One, allow everyone in through complete amnesty, or number two, a tough plan that's fair and humane.

The Clinton campaign argues that Trumps plan remains as dangerous as before, despite efforts to make it seem different.

He may try to disguise his plans by throwing in words like humane or fair,' " said campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri. But the reality remains that Trumps agenda echoes the extreme rights will -- one that is fueling a dangerous movement of hatred across the country.

GOP vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence said Sunday the main tenets of Trump's immigration plan will include building the wall, no path to legalization or citizenship and stronger border enforcement.

The Indiana governor also sought to distinguish Trumps position from Clintons.

It is going to be fair. It is going to be tough, Pence told CNNs State of the Union. He has said that very consistently -- the contrast with Hillary Clinton, who supports amnesty, open borders, who wants to implement executive amnesty again on Day One, even though the Supreme Court of the United States rejected it.

He also suggested Trump will announce a more well-defined policy soon.

However, Pence did not answer questions on whether the campaigns position, as Trump has said, is that children born to people who are in the U.S. illegally are not U.S. citizens.

Native-born children of immigrants, even those living illegally in the U.S., have been automatically considered American citizens since the adoption of the 14th Amendment in 1868.

Pence also could not definitively say whether Trump was sticking with his vow to remove those living in the U.S. illegally, with the help of a deportation force.

What you heard him describe there, in his usual plainspoken, American way, was a mechanism, not a policy," the nominee said.

Trump has focused lately on deporting people who are in the U.S. illegally and who have committed crimes. But who Trump considers a criminal also remained unclear Sunday.

Pressed on the question, Priebus replied: "I just don't speak for Donald Trump."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said Sunday that the Republican presidential nominee now plans to go directly into African-American communities to deliver his full-forced appeal to black voters, while also trying to explain Trumps changing policies on illegal immigration.

These events are already being planned, the newly-promoted Conway told Fox News Sunday. Were fighting for every single vote. Hes going to take [his message] to where people vote.

To be sure, Trump over roughly the past two weeks has increased his efforts to appeal to black voters, arguing that the policies of Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and those of other Democratic lawmakers have failed residents in many U.S. cities, particularly African-Americans.

Hillary Clinton-backed policies are responsible for the problems in the inner cities today, and a vote for her is a vote for another generation of poverty, high crime, and lost opportunities, Trump said at an Aug. 17 rally in Wisconsin. Democratic lawmakers have ruined the schools. Theyve driven out the jobs. Theyve tolerated a level of crime no American should consider acceptable.  I am asking for your vote so I can be your champion in the White House.

However, critics argued that Trump made the speech 40 miles away from Milwaukee and that other, similar speeches have been held in such places as Austin, Texas, and Des Moines, Iowa -- not areas that Trump has highlighted, like Chicagos South Side or west Baltimore.

Im very excited, Conway said Sunday. Im new to the post. I will take his case to everyone.

Conway also attempted to clarify Trumps immigration policy, which at the start of his campaign included plans to build a wall, paid for by Mexico, along the entire southern U.S. border to keep out illegal immigrants and have a deportation "force to remove the estimated 11 people now living in the country illegally.

Conway said Trump wants to find the fair and humane way necessary to enforce the law and that hes no longer talking about a deportation force.

She also said the argument about Trump softening his illegal immigration stances should be considered more about approach than policy but also tried to make clear that he does not support amnesty or the legalization of illegal immigrants.

Everything has to be looked at, Conway said.

She also sought to further define Trumps stances by comparing them to Clintons, which she said includes amnesty, law enforcements catch-and-release of illegal immigrants and plans to further President Obamas use of executive powers to change federal immigration law.
An out-of-control bus driven by an illegal immigrant carrying flood recovery volunteers hit a fire truck and firefighters who had responded to an earlier crash Sunday morning on a Louisiana interstate, killing two people and injuring 36, according to state police.

The ladder truck from St. John the Baptist Parish, located west of New Orleans, had parked across the right lane of Interstate 10 to block traffic while police investigated an earlier crash involving a pickup truck that had skidded on the wet road, crashing into both guardrails about 6:40 a.m., Trooper Melissa Matey told local media.

The bus hit the fire truck, then hit a car, and then veered behind the fire truck and into the pickup truck, knocking three firefighters who were standing near the guard rail into the water below, Matey said.

Matey said the driver, identified as Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, 37, of Honduras, was an employee of that company.

"He is in this country illegally from Honduras. He has no driver's license. He had minor injuries," she said.

Rodriguez will be booked in the St. John the Baptist jail and will be charged with two counts of negligent homicide, reckless operation, and no driver's license, Fox 8 reported. Police told the television station that additional charges are forthcoming.

Matey said the wreck killed Jermaine Starr, 21, of Moss Point, Mississippi, a back-seat passenger in the Camry, and St. John the Baptist Parish district Fire Chief Spencer Chauvin. The injured included the other two firefighters, the bus driver, 24 bus passengers and a total of nine people in the car and pickups.

Firefighter Nicholas Saale, 32, of Ponchatoula, and Camry passenger Vontravous Kelly of Moss Point, Mississippi, are in critical condition, she said. The Camry's other two occupants, driver Marcus Tate, 35, and David Jones, both of Moss Point, are in serious condition.

Other injuries  including the Titan's two occupants, who suffered minor injuries in the original crash  ranged from minor to moderate, Matey said.

Matey said the bus was taking flood recovery workers from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and belonged to a company with two names: AM Party Bus and Kristina's Transportation LLC, both at the same address in Jefferson, about 30 miles from New Orleans in Jefferson Parish, Matey said.

No listing in Jefferson was available. A call by the Associated Press to Kristina's Transportation in Destrehan, 12 miles from Jefferson in St. Charles Parish, was not answered Sunday. A woman who answered the phone at AM Party Bus of New Orleans told the AP was only authorized to take booking calls.

This is a very sad day for all first responders in Louisiana, Colonel Mike Edmonson, Louisiana State Police Superintendent said in a statement obtained by Fox 8. Our thoughts and prayers are with the St. John the Baptist Fire Department. Louisiana has the Move Over law in place to protect our first responders on our roadways. Please adhere to this law and slow down when approaching emergency vehicles and disabled vehicles on the road.

Click for more from Fox8Live.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
After threatening to sue, the Chicago Tribune has obtained data from the city's police department that tracks every time an officer has opened fire in the city over the past six years. The vast majority of those hit were black men or boys.

There were 435 police shootings from 2010 through 2015, in which officers killed 92 people and wounded 170 others. In all, officers fired 2,623 bullets.

The newspaper's findings show about four out of every five people shot were African-American males. It found that about half of the officers involved were African-American or Hispanic and most of them had years of experience and were not rookies.

The review also said the number of police shootings has declined over the period, from more than 100 in 2011 to 44 last year.

The city is making major changes to the department and various oversight bodies after the uproar over a 2014 shooting in which a white officer fired 16 bullets into a black teenager. Video of that fatal shooting, which was released upon a judge's order in November, contradicted officers' accounts that the teen lunged at them threateningly with a knife. The officer who fired those shots has been charged with first-degree murder.

Despite heightened scrutiny of the department and promises from the city of more transparency, the Tribune said it took seven months of arguing and the threat of a lawsuit to prod the city to release the data.

Most of the police shootings took place in South and West Side neighborhoods beset by gang violence and poverty. At least one of every five shootings involved plainclothes tactical officers charged with taking on gangs, the newspaper found.

Police union President Dean Angelo Sr. defended the department's record against accusations of racial bias.

"When you look at the map, 80 percent of narcotics arrests, gun arrests and gang arrests happen in these poor areas," he told the newspaper. "Where you've got dope, you've got guns. It's not about ethnicity  it's about criminal involvement."

He also said officers face split-second decisions about when to use lethal force to protect themselves.

But community activist Charles Jenkins told the Tribune he believes the race of those shot influences the investigations into the shootings.

"It's easier to believe, because they're black, that an officer was in fear of their life and get(s) off," he said.
Two men were arrested this week after allegedly trying to smuggle $3 million in cash into Mexico from California.

In a statement, the Border Patrol said its agents tracked two cars suspected of driving in tandem on Interstate 15 in Escondido Tuesday. The agents stopped one of the cars, a Kia Forte, after it exited the highway.

When agents searched the Kia, they found nearly $34,000 stashed in the car's center console.

The second car, a Volkswagen Passat sped off after the intial stop, but was later found abandoned nearby. That car had more than $3 million packed in boxes in the trunk.

The driver was found hiding in some brush.

Both men -- one a 53-year-old U.S. citizen and the other a 41-year-old from Mexico -- were arrested on suspicion of currency smuggling.

Authorities have described the case as the largest seizure of smuggled cash in the history of San Diego County.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Fox5SanDiego.com.
A teenager who vanished from Myrtle Beach, S.C., in 2009 was repeatedly raped in a gang stash house for several days  then she was shot dead and fed to alligators when her disappearance generated too much media attention, the FBI said last week.

The shocking new details about the mysterious disappearance of 17-year-old Rochester, N.Y., native Brittanee Drexel came largely from a jailhouse confession that was subsequently substantiated by others with tidbits and secondhand information, FBI Agent Gerrick Munoz testified in a federal court transcript obtained by The Post and Courier.

The inmate who gave the alleged bombshell confession, Taquan Brown, is serving a 25-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter in a different case. Brown told authorities he was present during the final agonizing moments of Drexels life, Munoz said.

Brown claimed to have seen Drexel when he visited a stash house  typically a place used to keep guns, drugs or money  in the McClellanville area, the general location where Drexels cellphone last pinged.

Munoz said Brown told officials he saw DaShaun Taylor, then 16 years old, and several other men sexually abusing Brittanee Drexel. Brown then said he walked to the backyard of the house to give money to Taylors father, Shaun Taylor. But as Brown and Shaun Taylor talked, Drexel tried to make a break for it. Her escape attempt was in vain, however, and one of the captors pistol-whipped Drexel and carried her back inside the house. Brown said he then heard two gunshots. The next time Brown said he saw Drexel, her body was being wrapped up and removed from the house.

Drexels body has never been found, but Munoz said several witnesses have told investigators she was dumped in an unspecified McClellanville pond teeming with alligators.

Drexel was last captured on video on April 25, 2009, leaving the Blue Water Hotel in Myrtle Beach, where she was staying against her parents' permission. A different inmate serving time at Georgetown County Jail told officials he was informed DaShaun Taylor picked Drexel up in Myrtle Beach and transported her to McClellanville.

Munoz said the FBI believes Taylor showed her off, introduced her to some other friend that were therethey ended up tricking her out with some of their friends, offering her to them and getting a human trafficking situation.

As the media spotlight grew ever brighter on the desperate efforts to find Drexel, the girl was murdered and disposed of, Munoz said.

Munozs testimony was part of a bond hearing for a federal charge against DaShaun Taylor, now 25, stemming from a 2011 robbery of a McDonalds. Taylor had previously confessed to being the getaway driver for the holdup, cooperated with South Carolina authorities and completed probation. But prosecutors are now trying to bring federal charges and, if convicted of the new charges, Taylor could face a life sentence.

Taylors attorney contended the federal charges are a naked attempt to squeeze Taylor for information on the Drexel case. Asked by Magistrate Judge Mary Gordon Baker about the real reason for the charges and if they had to do with Drexels disappearance, Assistant U.S. Attorney Winston Holliday said that would be one reason.

Taylor was released after posting $10,000 bail.

The FBI declined to discuss Munozs testimony or any aspect of the Drexel case with The Post and Courier.
A North Carolina church reportedly is raising eyebrows after launching a weekly Alcoholics Anonymous-inspired 12-step program for racists.

Trinity United Church of Christ in Concord holds the Racists Anonymous meetings on Wednesdays, Fox 46 Charlotte reported last week.

Carol Stanley, who facilitates the meetings, told the station that no one is pointing fingers.

But we're becoming clearer and clearer on the unconscious racism that we all carry, she said. It's a way to address one's own racism as a spiritual practice and discipline.

The church says on Facebook that the Racists Anonymous meetings are organized around AAs 12-steps of recovery. The first step is to come to admit that I am powerless over my addiction to racism in ways I am unable to recognize fully, let alone manage.

The program, started by Trinity's pastor Rev. J. Nathan King, comes at a time when the subject of racism in America is front and center, the station reported Wednesday.

The timing was very right for us to put our prayers into action, King told the station.

Each meeting has had about a dozen attendees.

Fox 46 reported that those who have shown up include black and white participants, and both the young and old.
Residents of this dusty hamlet are skeptical that an ongoing effort to replace 1.4 miles of chain link fencing with an imposing steel curtain -- much less the the ambitious border wall Donald Trump has vowed to build -- will stem the tide of illegal immigrants they find under their trailers, in their backyards or wandering through town.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is replacing the stretch of 20-year-old fencing with an 18-foot-high steel wall that extends another 6 feet underground into a bed of concrete. The project also includes elevating the roadbed that runs alongside the wall, to improve the effectiveness of vehicle-borne Border Patrol agents.

Its a short span, but it provides a glimpse at the scope  and cost  of what may be coming along the 2,000-mile border, especially if Trump is elected in November.

There are no other fence projects of comparable size, said Border Patrol spokesman Doug Mosier.

Sunland Park is like many other small communities abutting the border fence that sporadically stretches 702 miles through parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. It sits at the western base of Mount Cristo Rey, with the iconic statue of the crucified Christ at its summit, 10 miles northwest of El Paso. One long-time resident estimates that of the 15,000 or so residents, a third are in the U.S. illegally.

Across the border lies Anapra, a violent suburb of Ciudad Juarez. And while officials say crossings into Sunland Park have decreased while the fence project is under way, they still occur fairly regularly, officials said.

Despite significant decreases in illegal traffic, this area continues to be exploited by alien and narcotics smugglers due to the inadequate infrastructure in the area that lends an advantage to the smugglers, Border Patrol Agent Jose Romero told FoxNews.com.

Jesus and Jessica Castro live in a double-wide mobile home a quarter mile from the fence. They believe even the fortified fence will be more of a hindrance than a deterrent to illegal cross-border movement.

We see them running through the village confused, not knowing where they are or where to go, Jessica Castro said as she watched their young daughter play in the dirt yard while her husband waxed their car. The fence really doesnt make a difference.

Armando Martinez said he has encountered illegal immigrants on his fenced-in property several times.

Ive had them try to hide under my trailer when Border Patrol is looking for them, but my five small dogs start barking and scare them off, Martinez told FoxNews.com. Ive also had a young man of around 20 saying he was from Mexico City hide behind my truck once.

Even with the new and improved fence, theyre always going to find a way over, he said.

Another section of the border fence that was recently rebuilt was a stretch west of the San Luis Port of Entry in Arizona, a project completed in February 2016. Both projects replaced fencing that predated the federal Secure Fence Act of 2006, and did not extend the border barrier from the 702 miles it currently covers.

The 2006 law leaves flexibility to the Department of Homeland Security to determine how much the fence should extend above and below the ground. A 2008 bill that called for all new fence construction to be two layered, 14-foot high fencing along the southwest border was never passed.

It has been three years since any major additions have been made to the border fence, and Border Patrol officials said no additional projects are being planned. They are currently conducting repair and maintenance projects on 354 miles of previously installed fence.

As long as the fence doesnt cover the entire border, there will always be a way around, if not over, say residents. In Sunland Park, they point to Mount Cristo Reys rugged valleys of sharp rocks, cactus, and scrub brush and the area at the base of the mountain where the fence stops as typical access points for border crossers.

The real deterrent, they say, is manpower. The Border Patrol is as ubiquitous to the village as tumbleweeds, with vehicles strategically positioned on mesas that offer a clear view of the area to ground-level operations where foot traffic is prevalent. Cameras and motion sensors help focus the agents on trouble spots.

Pancho Rodriguez lives in a single-wide trailer and when he talks about the security of the village he points to a nearby mesa where a green and white Border Patrol SUV sits vigil.

Thats why I feel safe, Pancho Rodriguez told FoxNews.com as he pointed from outside his trailer to a Border Patrol SUV sitting on a mesa overlooking the village. They are always here.

Mosier said the construction is in no way tied to the ongoing presidential campaign. But if the election leads the winner to make a major commitment to the border fence, it will be costly for U.S. taxpayers or, as Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump likes to say, Mexico.

If the cost of upgrading the fence near Sunland Park is representative, it would cost about $6 billion to similarly rebuild the existing fence to the same heavier-duty specifications. That would leave another nearly fenceless 1,300 miles to address.

Much of the current fence cost far less, with some designed to keep vehicles from crossing and others aimed at stopping foot traffic. According to a GAO report in 2009, the cost of pedestrian fencing ranged from $400,000 to $15 million per mile with an average of $3.9 million a mile.

If Sunland Parks new fence is an indicator, the cost is only rising.
Early in the evening of Dec. 26, 1941, a train bound for Fort Knox pulled out of Union Station in Washington, DC. Four Secret Service agents stood guard over an assortment of discreet-looking packages stashed in Car A-1. Only a handful of government officials knew what they contained.

Inside the parcels were the original Declaration of Independence, the original Constitution of the United States and the first and second drafts of Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address.

The very spirit of America was on that train, being secreted away from an enemy determined to stamp out life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

American Treasures (St. Martins Press), a book by Stephen Puleo out Tuesday, tells the stories of the US government officials who protected our nations heritage following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

One of its heroes is Franklin D. Roosevelt, who understood the symbolic value of those documents and who realized, particularly after Pearl Harbor, the psychic disaster it would be if they were destroyed, Puleo tells The Post.

Roosevelts fears were warranted. There was, Puleo explains, a palpable sense that the Germans could attack Washington, DC.

There were U-boats off the East Coast of America, sinking ships near Cape May and Cape Cod, he says. People thought there would be bombers overhead. So the decision to remove the documents was not a frivolous or whimsical thought.

Government officials were also acutely aware of the destruction, well underway by 1941, of Englands heritage: The Germans had dropped a bomb on the British Museum, obliterating more than 1,000 books collected by King George III.

Roosevelt put his friend Archibald MacLeish, the head of the Library of Congress, in charge of cataloging and safeguarding Americas historical papers. Well before the bombs fell on Pearl Harbor, MacLeish and some 700 Library of Congress staffers worked overtime and without pay to catalog thousands of documents, ranking them in order of historical importance.

Some 5,000 manuscripts were removed from Washington, DC, during the war. Among them were an original Gutenberg Bible, James Madisons handwritten notes on the Constitutional Convention, the Articles of Confederation, George Washingtons personal papers, the Lincoln Cathedral copy of the Magna Carta, and Walt Whitmans notebooks.

Click to read the full story in the New York Post.
A Michigan woman and her two sons fought off a masked intruder trying to break into their home when one of the boys grabbed a samurai sword and swung it at the man, Fox 17 reports.

Sara Ward, of Battle Creek, told the station the intruder picked the wrong home to burglarize Tuesday night.

Ward said a man in a bandana tried to break in after kicking in the front door and breaking the lock.

As she and her 11-year-old son Reese tried to stop him, her 14-year-old son Skyler, who was taking a shower, heard the commotion.

Skyler told the station what happened next.

So I ran, grabbed the sword and ran at the guy as fast as I could with full intention of doing as much damage to him as possible, he told the station. When I swung through the door, he got scared.

Battle Creek police are investigating.

Ward said the terrifying incident was her worst nightmare.

Its the thing that youre afraid of the most, especially as a single mother is that somebody could try to hurt you or hurt your children and what are you going to do to protect yourself if a grown man wants to hurt you, she told the station.

She said she went out and got a gun the next day so shell be ready the next time there is a break-in.

Click here to read more from Fox 17 West Michigan.


A suburban Philadelphia couple were beaten to death by their own son in their New Jersey home, authorities said Saturday.

Edward Coles Jr., 58, and wife Rosemarie Coles, 55, of West Deptford, were found dead by another family member Friday morning. The couple's son, 28-year-old Ryan Coles, was arrested on murder and weapons charges. His bail was set at $1 million.

The Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said that the couple died from "blunt head trauma" and alleged that Ryan Coles had bludgeoned his parents "with his hands and an unknown object."

Neighbors told local media outlets that police had been called to the couple's home before. WPVI reported that Ryan Coles struggled with mental illness, but had never been arrested before.

"He seemed a little detached, depressed," neighbor John Ferencsik told the station. "We didn't really know that, just know the impression I had was he was a little bit off."

Lauralee Houghton, Edward Coles Jr.'s second cousin, told Fox29 Ryan Coles briefly worked at the music shop his father founded before being fired, though she would not elaborate on why.

The elder Coles recently sold the music shop to Houghton, though he still worked at the business full time.

"[Friday] was just a normal day. He came in to work and everything seemed normal," Houghton said. "Nothing was out of the ordinary."
Backed by Turkish tanks and reports of airstrikes, Turkey-allied Syrian rebels clashed with Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria in a new escalation that further complicates the already protracted Syrian conflict.

Turkey's military didn't specify what the airstrikes hit, saying only that "terror groups" were targeted south of the village of Jarablus, where the clashes later ensued. A Kurdish-affiliated group said their forces were the target and called the attack an "unprecedented and dangerous escalation." If confirmed, it would be the first Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish allied forces on Syrian soil.

Late Saturday night, Turkey's official news agency reported that one Turkish solider had been killed and three wounded by what it said was a Kurdish rocket attack in Jarablus, near where the fighting has raged. It is the first reported Turkish fatality in Syria.

The new escalation highlights concerns that Turkey's incursion into Syria this week could lead to an all-out confrontation between Ankara and Syrian Kurds, both American allies, and hinder the war against the Islamic State group by diverting resources.

Sherwan Darwish, a spokesman for Kurdish-led forces in the village of Manbij, said on Twitter Saturday night: "While our forces fighting #IS Some #Turkey backed militias r attacking our positions & hampering our & Intl Coalition's fight against terror."

The clashes underscore Ankara's determination to push back Kurdish forces from along its borders, and curb their ambitions to form a contiguous entity in northern Syria. Kurdish groups have already declared a semi-autonomous administration in Syria and control most of the border area.

Jarablus, and Manbij to the south liberated from IS fighters by Kurdish-led forces earlier this month, are essential to connecting the western and eastern semi-autonomous Kurdish areas in Syria.

Turkish officials said they will continue their offensive in Syria until there is no longer any "terror" threat to Turkey from its war-torn neighbor. Ankara backed Syrian rebels to gain control of Jarablus last week. They are now pushing their way south.

On Saturday, the Syrian rebels said they have seized a number of villages south of Jarablus from IS militants and Kurdish forces. Clashes were fiercest with the Kurdish-allied forces over the village of Amarneh, eight kilometers (five miles) south of Jarablus.

The media office of the Turkish-backed Nour el-din el-Zinki rebel group said the Syrian rebels were backed by Turkish tanks. A news report on ANHA, the news agency for the semi-autonomous Kurdish areas, said local fighters destroyed a Turkish tank and killed a number of fighters in an attack by the Turkish military and allied groups on Amnarneh.

There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials.

The clashes were preceded by Turkish airstrikes against bases of Kurdish-affiliated forces and residential areas at Amarneh. The Jarablus Military Council, affiliated with the U.S-backed Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces, said the Turkish airstrikes marked an "unprecedented and dangerous escalation" that "endangers the future of the region."

It vowed to stand its ground. Other groups which are part of the SDF vowed to support them, calling on the U.S-led coalition to explain the Turkish attacks on allied forces.

Turkey's state news agency, citing military sources, said the Turkish Military Joint Special Task Forces and coalition airplanes targeted an ammunition depot and a barrack and outpost used as command centers by "terror groups" south of Jarablus Saturday morning. The Anadolu Agency did not say which group or village was targeted.

Turkey has long suspected the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, of being linked to Kurdish insurgents in its own southeast, which it labels as a terror group. It has demanded the YPG, which makes up the bulk of the SDF and has been one of the most effective U.S. ally in the fight against IS, withdraw to the east bank of the Euphrates River.

The U.S. supported Turkey's call for the Kurdish forces to move back, and Kurdish officials said they withdrew the YPG forces from Manbij. But following the Turkish offensive, local forces with Kurdish fighters and backed by YPG advisers pushed their way north of Manbij, in a rush for control of Jarablus.

Meanwhile, the U.N. special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, appealed to the opposition to approve plans to deliver aid to rebel-held eastern Aleppo and government-held Aleppo through a government-controlled route north of Aleppo during a 48-hour humanitarian pause.

Aleppo has been caught in a bloody circle of violence, with rebels and government forces each promising to unite the divided city. The U.N. said it has pre-positioned aid ready for delivery into Aleppo, to reach 80,000 people on the rebel side and some on the government side. But the opposition, whose fighters have opened another route in the south, were wary of the use of the government-controlled route.

"People are suffering and need assistance. Time is of the essence. All must put the civilian population of Aleppo first and exert their influence now," de Mistura said in a statement, urging an approval by Sunday.

But violence raged. Suspected government helicopters dropped two barrel bombs on a wake held for children killed a few days earlier, killing at least 15, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Aleppo Media Center, an activist group in the city, and volunteers on the scene put the death toll higher at 24.

Mohammed Khandakani, a hospital volunteer, said one of the injured told him a barrel bomb was dropped in the Bab al-Nairab neighborhood as people paid their condolences for children killed Thursday in an airstrike that left 11 children dead in the same neighborhood. Minutes later, Khandakani said another barrel bomb was dropped, injuring an ambulance driver, and hampering rescue efforts.

The Syrian government and its Russian ally are the only ones operating helicopters over Aleppo. The government denies it uses barrel bombs.

Elsewhere, the Syrian government said it now has full control of the Damascus suburb of Daraya, following the completion of a forced evacuation deal struck with the government that emptied the area of its remaining rebels and residents and ended a four-year siege and grueling bombing campaign.

The declaration comes a day after the evacuation of nearly 5,000 residents and fighters from the suburb began. The deal followed an extensive government campaign of aerial bombing and shelling of Daraya, the last bastion against President Bashar Assad in the western Ghouta region, southwest of Damascus.

Some 700 gunmen and 4,000 civilians were evacuated. The gunmen and their families headed to the northern rebel-controlled Idlib province. Other civilians were escorted to shelters in government-controlled suburbs of Damascus.
French mayors have promised to ignore a court decision declaring the countrys beach burkini bans illegal.

The ban was overturned by the State Council Friday, just days after Muslim women were forced to remove the garment on public beaches.

Nice town hall said it would continue to fine women wearing the burkini and the far-right mayor of Frejus, David Rachline, insisted his ban was still valid.

Ange-Pierre Vivoni, Socialist mayor of the Corsican town of Sisco, said his burkini ban would remain for the safety of property and people in the town because I risked having deaths on my hands.

Ruling Socialists are also divided, with Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem and Health Minister Marisol Touraine concerned over the drift in the local orders, while Prime Minister Manuel Valls backed the mayors.

He stuck to his guns yesterday evening, saying the State Councils ruling does not end the debate which has been opened.

It is a fundamental debate, which follows on from others, he said, recalling that France was the first country in Europe to ban the full veil in public spaces in 2010.

The headscarf was banned from schools in 2004.

The ruling specifically concerns a ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, but the binding decision is expected to set a legal precedent for all the 30 or so municipalities that have issued similar decrees.

The three judges stated the law seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go (and) the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom.

Lawyers for two human rights groups challenged the legality of the ban, saying the orders infringe basic freedoms and that mayors have overstepped their powers by telling women what to wear on beaches.

Mayors had cited concern about public order after deadly ISIS attacks this summer, and many officials have argued that burkinis oppress women.

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, told reporters that the decision should set a precedent, and that other mayors should conform to it.

"It is a decision that is meant to set legal precedent. Today all the ordinances taken should conform to the decision of the Council of State.

"Logically the mayors should withdraw these ordinances. If not legal actions could be taken.

"Today the state of law is that these ordinances are not justified. They violate fundamental liberties and they should be withdrawn."

He also said women who have already received fines can protest them based on today's decision.

Amnesty International meanwhile welcomed the ban, with spokesman John Dalhuisen saying: "By overturning a discriminatory ban that is fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance, today's decision has drawn an important line in the sand."

The bans have since sparked fierce debate about Frances secular values, womens rights and religious freedom.

Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, on Thursday called for a full ban, as he warned that immigrants, minorities and the Left were threatening to destroy French identity.

In the first big speech of his campaign to win back the office he lost in 2012, Mr Sarkozy stole many ideas of the far-Right Front National, promising to reclaim France "for the French."

"I refuse to let the burkini impose itself at French beaches and swimming pools," he said, linking the garment to the July attack in Nice in which an ISIS-linked lorry driver killed 85 people.

But the groups who brought todays appeal pointed to the fact that 30 Muslims were among the dead in Nice, and that the attack had absolutely nothing to do with swimwear whatsoever.

Instead they said the ban was being used by racists to spread collective guilt among five million plus French Muslims, many of whom have strong links to former French colonies.

As the authorities in resorts such as Nice and Cannes have proved, they argued, the ban was being used to discriminate against Muslim women, no matter what they were wearing.

In 2010, France became the first European country to ban the Islamic veil in public places, six years after outlawing the headscarf and other conspicuous religious symbols in state schools.

Security analysts have warned that the dispute will fuel jihadist propaganda for groups like ISIS, as they attempt to portray France and other Western countries as being at war with Muslims.

Manuel Valls, the French Prime Minister, said he was not in favour of nationwide legislation but appeared to support the law in principle by claiming the burkini was "based on the enslavement of women."

This story first appeared in The Sun.
North Korea on Saturday threatened to aim fire at the lighting equipment used by "provocative" American and South Korean troops at a truce village inside the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas.

The North's Korean People's Army accused U.S. and South Korean soldiers of "deliberate provocations" by aiming their lights at North Korean guard posts at Panmunjom since Friday evening.

The KPA said in a statement that the soldiers' actions have seriously threatened the safety of North Korean troops and disrupted their normal monitoring activities. It said the activities have further raised the anger of North Korean soldiers at a time when the Korean Peninsula has reached the "brink of war" due to last Monday's start of annual joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea that Pyongyang says are an invasion rehearsal.

"Floodlight directed at the KPA side at random is taken as an intolerable means of provocation and it will be the target of merciless pinpoint shots," the KPA's chief security officers at Panmunjom said in the statement, carried by the North's state media.

"The true aim sought by the provocateurs through their recent act is to seriously get on the nerves of the KPA soldiers, lead them to take due countermeasures and label them as provocation," it said.

South Korea's Defense Ministry didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

The statement by North Korea's military came hours after the United Nations Security Council issued a statement strongly condemning four North Korean ballistic missile launches in July and August.

On Tuesday, the American-led U.N. Command in South Korea accused North Korea of planting land mines near the truce village. Panmunjom, jointly overseen by North Korea and the U.N. Command, is where an armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War was signed and is now a popular tourist spot for visitors from both sides.

Under the Korean War armistice, the two sides are barred from carrying out any hostile acts within or across the 2.5-mile-wide DMZ. Still, they have accused each other of deploying machine guns and other heavy weapons and combat troops inside the zone.

More than a million mines are also believed to be buried inside the DMZ. In August 2015, land mine blasts that Seoul blamed on Pyongyang maimed two South Korean soldiers and caused tensions between the two Koreas to flare.
A would-be suicide bomber attacked a Catholic priest after his explosives failed to detonate during Sunday Mass at a packed church in western Indonesia, police said.

The attack took place at the Roman Catholic St. Joseph Church in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province. City police spokeswoman Rina Sari Ginting described the failed attack as "terrorism" in a statement to Reuters.

The assailant was sitting with other worshippers when he left a bench and ran toward the priest at the altar, but the bomb in his backpack did not go off, said national police spokesman Maj. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar.



"There was a small explosion like fireworks and he also took out a knife as he ran toward the priest," witness Timbas Ginting told Reuters.



The man kept running toward the priest who was giving a sermon with a burning backpack, as the shocked congregation chased and captured him.



Before he was restrained, he managed to take an ax from the backpack and attacked the priest, Albert Pandiangan, 60, causing a slight injury on his hand, Amar said.



Police were interrogating the 18-year old man, who told them that he was not working alone, Amar said, without providing details.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has suffered a spate of deadly attacks by militants since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from Reuters.
Two friends living in a remote community in northern Canada have just discovered through DNA that they were switched at birth 41 years ago.

Leon Swanson and David Tait Jr. were born three days apart in 1975 at a hospital in Manitoba run by the Canadian government, local media reported Friday.

Both men were teased about their resemblances to each others families as they were growing up in Norway House Cree Nation, 300 miles north of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Free Press reported.

Its pretty tough, it hits you like a ton of bricks, Tait said, according to the paper. (Im) angry, confused, upset. Id like to get some answers so I know whats going on.

Nine months ago, two men from a nearby town discovered through DNA tests they were switched at birth at the same hospital in 1975, five months after Swanson and Tait.

That case prompted Swanson and Tait and their families to go for DNA tests, CBC News reported.

I can't describe this matter as anything less than criminal, former Manitoba lawmaker and the two men's spokesman Eric Robinson said at a news conference, according to CBC.

"We can live with one mistake, but two mistakes of a similar nature is not acceptable, so we can't simply slough it off as being a mistake. Indeed, it was a criminal activity in my view," he said.

Canadas health minister Jane Philpott said Friday independent investigators would try to get to the bottom of what happened at Norway House Indian Hospital, CBC reported.
Native Spring New Kitchen Utensil For Cooking Enthusiasts Was Launched August 3

Glossoro Enterprises, LLC announced the availability of their new Kitchen utensil "Native Spring Professional Kitchen Meat Tenderizer Tool" launched last August 3. More information can be found at http://www.amztk.com/profmeattenderizertool.

--

Customers looking for the latest kitchen utensil will soon be able to purchase the Native Spring Professional Kitchen Meat Tenderizer Tool by Glossoro Enterprises, LLC. Today Heather Brinkley, Media Director at Glossoro Enterprises, LLC releases details of Native Spring Professional Kitchen Meat Tenderizer Tool's development.

Native Spring Professional Kitchen Meat Tenderizer Tool is designed to appeal specifically to cooks and includes:

Quality prongs - This feature was included because the design helps in the absorption of marinades into the meat. This is great news for the consumer as it enhances the taste of the meat.

Needle end - This was made part of the product as it reduces shrinkage and can cut through the meat fiber. Customers who buy Native Spring Professional Kitchen Meat Tenderizer Tool should enjoy this feature because it can reduce cooking time.

Prong cover - Glossoro Enterprises, LLC made sure to make this part of the Kitchen utensil's development as it provides safe environment when the tool is left unattended. Customers will likely appreciate this because customers will not be exposed to the sharp ends.

Heather Brinkley, when asked about the Native Spring Professional Kitchen Meat Tenderizer Tool said:

"Cooking meat has never been time-saving using the Native Spring Professional Meat Tenderizer Tool. Processes such as marinating and grilling can be achieved with efficiency because of the 24-ultra sharp stainless steel blades. For all those who love to cook but dislike the agony of tenderizing meats, this product if for you."

This is Glossoro Enterprises, LLC's 17th release of a new product and Heather Brinkley is particularly excited about this release because they have been developing this for many months now -making sure the design is practical and the quality superb.

Those interested in learning more about the business can do so on the business website at http://nativespringessentials.com/

Those interested in purchasing can go directly to the product listing, here: http://www.amztk.com/profmeattenderizertool

For more information, please visit http://nativespringessentials.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Heather Brinkley

Organization: Glossoro Enterprises, LLC



Release ID: 128173

For more information visit r



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'Vikings' Season 4 Episode 11 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: Ragnar Lothbrok Death Confirmed By Jonathan Rhys Meyers Character?

Fans are already excited over Jonathan Rhys Meyers joining the cast of "Vikings" Season 5 (yes, Season 5). Luckily, people will not have to wait much longer to see the "Tudors" actor in the series. Alex Hogh Andersen has just confirmed that Meyers will show up in "Vikings" Season 4 Episode 11. In addition to that, the new character could offer a hint about Ragnar Lothbrok's death!

Creator Michael Hirst had already announced that "Vikings" has been renewed for a fifth season. He also dropped some good news along with the announcement. Jonathan Rhys Meyers will be joining the cast in a mysterious role. Now Alex Hogh Andersen has confirmed that Meyers has already started filming for "Vikings" Season 4 Episode 11.

Alex Hogh Andersen Reveals Ivar The Boneless Scene With Jonathan Rhys-Meyers Character In 'Vikings' Season 4B

Alex Hogh Andersen recently shared an innocent-looking photo on Instagram. However, the caption revealed that the young actor who plays Ivar the Boneless has just shot a scene with "Johnny" aka Jonathan Rhys Meyers. The revelation immediately led to speculations about Meyers' character in "Vikings" Season 4 Episode 11.

A photo posted by Alex Hgh Andersen (@alexhoeghandersen) on Aug 24, 2016 at 12:48pm PDT

According to Movie News Guide, there is a possibility that Jonathan Rhys Meyers will play a nobleman from Wessex. The character could end up dealing with Ivar the Boneless instead of Ragnar Lothbrok because Ragnar will no longer join the raid in "Vikings" Season 4 Episode 11.

Does this mean Ragnar Lothbrok will die in "Vikings" Season 4B? Game & Guide has already reported on Ragnar's fate being teased in the Comic-Con trailer. If Jonathan Rhys Meyers' character is dealing with Ivar the Boneless and the rest of Ragnar's sons, it is possible that Ragnar will die soon after "Vikings" Season 4 Episode 11.

Do you think Ragnar Lothbrok will meet his end in "Vikings" Season 4B? Who is Jonathan Rhys Meyers' mysterious character? Let us know in the comments.
Lucifer Season 2 Air Date, Trailer, News & Update: Mom Shakes Up Lucifers World Next Season

When "Lucifer" Season 2 air date comes, Lucifer's life on earth is bound to get more complicated. This time, the challenge will come from an immediate family member who will be making an unwelcome visit.

A "Lucifer" Season 2 trailer titled "Who Escaped Hell" was recently released by Fox which shows who Lucifer Morningstar will be up against. Of course, this seemed to be more of a rhetorical question these days because anyone who is following the series knows that it's Charlotte, Lucifer's mom who escaped from hell, notes Comic Book.

Fans will see actress Tricia Helfer play the role of Charlotte with the arrival of "Lucifer" Season 2 air date next month. But, what most fans are asking at the moment is, how bad could Charlotte really be?

While most "Lucifer" Season 2 spoilers paints Charlotte to be the big baddie next season, most can't help but speculate that she might not be as bad as she is painted by the promos. Certainly, she must have some maternal instinct left for his son.

However, things may roll out when "Lucifer" Season 2 release date comes, there is one character that would definitely have her hands full due to Charlotte's arrival next season. Fans can imagine that a stressed out Lucifer Morningstar will be frequently seeing his shrink Dr Linda Martin as well.

Another development to get excited to get about is Lucifer's brother Amanadiel. Fans have always seen the two brothers at odds against each other mainly due to Lucifer's reluctance to return to his post in hell. However, fans will see the brothers united when "Lucifer" Season 2 air date comes. They will be united with one goal, to find their escapee mother Charlotte.

Fortunately, fans will soon see exactly what role Charlotte is set to play next season. "Lucifer" Season 2 release date is already slated this coming September 19 on Fox.
'Doctor Strange' Release Date, Spoilers, News & Update: Benedict Cumberbatch MCU Film To Feature Dormammu, 'Runaways' Connection?

Remember when everyone was expecting to see Benedict Cumberbatch face Marvel comic book villain Dormammu in "Doctor Strange"? There were speculations that Mads Mikkelsen would play the baddie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe flick. In addition to that, Stephen Strange could be getting help from characters from "Runaways".

Fans started speculating about Dormammu's appearance in "Doctor Strange" when Mads Mikkelsen was rumored to be cast as a possible villain. However, the "Hannibal" actor was later confirmed to play as Kaecilius, a rebellious member of the Masters of the Mystic Arts. But there is new evidence suggesting Dormammu will pop up in the MCU film.

Dormammu's 'Doctor Strange' Appearance Confirmed By Dan Harmon?

ComicBookMovie reports that the news about Dan Harmon working on "Doctor Strange" also gave way to some spoilers. A video that was unveiled during the San Diego Comic-Con reportedly showed what Harmon has already worked on for the MCU film. It happens to include a scene called "Strange Confronts Dormammu".

A photo posted by Marvel / DC / Geek (@age_of_geeks) on Aug 26, 2016 at 10:40am PDT

So does this confirm that Dormammu will show up in "Doctor Strange"? Fans have been looking forward to seeing the Marvel supervillain in the movie. After all, there have been no actual villains confirmed in the cast just yet. There is a huge possibility that Dormammu will have a surprise appearance in the MCU film.

However, Dormammu is not the only possible Marvel character who will be in the movie. Tina Minoru from the "Runaways" comic book series could also pop up in "Doctor Strange".

Tina Minoru Of The 'Runaways' To Join Kaecilius And Wong In Benedict Cumberbatch's 'Doctor Strange'?

Tina Minoru has already teamed up with members of the Masters of the Mystic Arts in the tie-in comic book for "Doctor Strange". In the comic book, Nico Minoru's mom worked with Kaecilius, Wong and Daniel Drumm to track down a woman who stole the Eye of Agamotto. There are speculations that Tina and Daniel will also show up in the MCU film.

"Doctor Strange" is directed by Scott Derrickson and also stars Chiwetel Eijofor, Tilda Swinton and Rachel McAdams. The film will premiere on November 4.
'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2' Release Date SPOILERS: Why Did Chris Pratt Want Kurt Russell To Play Star-Lord's Dad?

The world will finally meet Star-Lord's mysterious dad in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". But why was Kurt Russell chosen to play Peter Quill's father? Director James Gunn has just revealed that it was Chris Pratt's idea to bring in the veteran actor in the first place.

Chris Pratt Insisted On Casting Kurt Russell As Star-Lord's Dad In 'Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2'

James Gunn is known for collaborating with certain actors on his films. "The Walking Dead" alum Michael Rooker has appeared in several of Gunn's movies and is set to reprise his role as Yondu in "GotG Vol. 2". So why did he branch out by choosing Kurt Russell to play Ego in the Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel?

Gunn revealed that Chris Pratt "suggested" casting Kurt Russell as Star-Lord's dad in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". Although the director admitted that the actor "was actually not in my head initially," he considered the idea. He also confessed that he would be "disappointed" if Russell declined.

But why Kurt Russell? Chris Pratt probably liked the idea of working with the actor in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". In addition to that, Russell just seemed like someone who could believably be Peter Quill's father. Chris Pratt also shared that Star-Lord may have some difficulty dealing with his father in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2".

However, it may have a lot to do with Peter's own "expectations" from Ego. "You're talking about a guy who's been longing to know who his father is for a long time," Pratt told Empire. "He'll discover if that person lives up to the expectations he has in his head."

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" also stars Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan. The film is scheduled for release on May 5, 2017.
Hamburger restaurants : Burger boom in Bonn

Bonn Numerous burger restaurants are taking off in Bonn, many emphasizing regional ingredients and offering vegetarian alternatives. Here you will find a sampling of where you can go for a tasty burger.

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Schnitzel may be big but the hamburger trend in Bonn is growing with gusto. Hamburger chain Hans in Gluck opened a new restaurant in Poppelsdorf recently and now it has opened a second one in Beuel on Konrad-Adenauer-Platz. A third Hans in Gluck is coming to Friedensplatz in the Bonn inner city soon.

Its not only major restaurant chains that are serving burgers, however. Lenne-Snack, the snack bar with cult status has been serving hamburgers since it opened 31 years ago. Its only become a main course in the last three or four years, says Addi Plonka, who writes about his many burger creations in a blog. He says he gets his new burger inspirations from customers, Many people like to eat Schnitzel Hawaii so now we make a Hawaii hamburger. Students coming from Asia were fond of eggs and this motivated him to make a burger with an egg sunny side up. After 6 p.m, the Fitness burger is a big seller. He says, Lots of people leave out the carbs in the evening hours, so we have burgers without a bun, only the meat and salad.

The burger boom has also found a place at the cooking school of Bonn chef, Klaus Velten, who has a cooking show on television. He comments, The classic burger is of course grilled. In his course, Richtig gute Burger, (Really good burgers) held at his cooking atelier in Sankt Augustin, he also gives tips for shrimp and dry-aged beef. Velten thinks there are too many burger joints but also feels that more upscale chains are the thing of the future. He prefers a classic cheeseburger, but not too big please. Otherwise I come out of the restaurant and feel totally wiped.

Among GA readers on Facebook, there are various favorites. Cowboy Burgers and the Burgermanufaktur (Burger manufacturer) were often named but the burger fan base extends to Cologne with the Fetten Kuh (Fat Cow), to Bad Honnef with the Burgermeisterei (Burger Champ) and even to a food truck at the Rewe supermarket parking lot in Operpleis - but only on Saturdays. It should be possible to eat a good burger with the hands, not a fork and knife! For that reason, the best and juiciest hamburgers are at Hans im Gluck! Otherwise, honestly - McDonalds, comments one reader. For those who dont eat meat, dont worry, vegetarian and vegan burgers have also become standard for many establishments offering burgers.

For those who are keen to try out some of the burger establishments in the area, heres a sampling:

Cowboy Burgers Saloon

A small burger chain which grew out of a student snack bar at Beethovenhalle. They emphasize quality meat from sustainable farming and the sauces are homemade. Burgers are grilled on lava stones in a rustic atmosphere. On offer is a classic burger for 5.50 euros, the Django with jalapeno peppers and nachos for 6.90 euros, a veggie burger for 4.90 euros and a reduction of 1 euro for a smaller portion. Coleslaw on the side is 2.30 euros and sweet potato fries are 3.50 euro. Romerstrae 2, open Mon-Thurs 11:30 am - 10 pm, Fri 11:30 am - 11 pm, Sat. 1 pm - 11 pm, Sun 1 pm - 10 pm.

Burgermanufaktur

Regional products are used here and for the burgers, there are homemade ketchup, mayonnaise, and chimichurri sauces. The classic burger is called The Tischler and sells for 6.90 euros. The Kasmacher cheeseburger can be ordered with goat cheese, mountain cheese, Taleggio, Cheddar, Roquefort or Parmesan for 7.70 euro. All burgers come in a smaller 120-gram version and vegetarian burgers come in all the same versions as the beef burgers. For Vegans, there is the Gartner with grilled marinated vegetables for 7 euros. Vorgebirgstrae 60, open Mon-Thurs 11:30 am - 10 pm, Fri - Sun 11:30 am - 11 pm.

Hans im Gluck

The franchise is a mix of burger grill and bar, offering eight different kinds of Mojitos. Birch tree trunks are part of the rustic decor and the menu is fashioned like a book of fairytales. Burgers can be ordered with cheese, goat cheese, bacon and fig sauce. For vegetarians and vegans, there is a big choice of burgers and sauces. Salads are also big here. Two locations are currently open: Clemens-August-Strae 9 in Poppelsdorf, open Mon - Sun from 12 noon - (no set closing time) and Konrad-Adenauer-Platz in Beuel, Mon - Thurs 11 am - 11 pm, Fri- Sat 11 am - 1 am, Sun. 12 noon - 11 pm.

Bonanza Burger Factory

Opened in the past year, this place caters to students living in the area with a focus on high quality but reasonably priced food. Regional products are favored with meat delivered by a butcher in Beuel and bread from a baker in Bonn. Dressings and sauces like Truffel Mayo are homemade. A normal burger costs 6.20 euros, cheese is 70 cents extra. The version with jalapenos and chili mayo is 7.50 euros and the beef patty weighs 200 grams. Iberico and Black Angus burgers cost more at 9.90 for 125 grams and 13.90 for 200 grams. A baked potato is 6.90 euros. Vegetarian varieties include a patty with ruccola, tomato, cucumber, onions and lettuce for 6.90 euro and a version with goat cheese for 7.90 euro. Clemens-August-Strae 23, open Mon - Fri 11:30 am - 10 pm, Sat - Sun 12 noon - 10 pm.

Godesburger

Sustainability is also a theme in this establishment with meat coming from a Bad Godesberg butcher and buns from a nearby baker. The restaurant was awarded for its work philosophy which includes workers who are physically impaired. The Godesberg burger is the standard for 6.50 euros and the Preisel Bert with camembert, berry sauce and rucola goes for 7.40 euros. For kids, there is a small burger for 4.90 euros. A vegetarian burger costs 6.90 euros and all variations of burgers can be ordered with a vegetarian patty. Baked potatoes and salads are also on offer. Moltkeplatz 2, open Mon - Fri 11 am - 9 pm, Fri - Sat 11 am - 10 pm and Sun 1 pm - 9 pm.

Uni-Burger

Originally near the University of Bonn, this burger joint moved to Bad Godesberg where there is more seating for guests. The bread is similar to Ciabatta and gives the food a light Mediterranean flair. A classic hamburger is 5.50 euros, a cheeseburger 6.40 euros and a BBQ burger 6.90 euros. The special Uni-burger with bacon and egg is 7.90 euros. Koblenzer Strae 65, open Mon - Sun 11:30 am - 9 pm.

Burger Your Beef

There is a restaurant in Endenich but they also have a website where burgers can be ordered for delivery - a minimum order is required and differs depending on where you live (website only in German). Ingredients from the region are used as well as homemade sauces. A classic cheeseburger costs 7.20 euro, and the more exotic burgers - the Scampi burger costs 8.50 or the Burger Eggstra with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, gouda, egg and bacon. The basic burger price is 5.70 euro with sauces and extra ingredients costing 35 - 85 cents. Auf dem Hugel 63, open Mon - Fri 11:45 am - 2 pm, 5 pm - 9:45 pm, Sat 3 - 9:45 pm., Sun 1 pm - 9:45 pm.

Herr Lehmann
Taliban overrun district in eastern Afghanistan

Iran Press TV

Sat Aug 27, 2016 5:16PM

The Taliban militants have overrun a district in eastern Afghanistan after government forces withdrew to avoid civilian casualties.

Spokesman for the governor of Paktia province said Saturday that the militants managed to capture Janikhel district headquarters following heavy clashes with police.

He said at least five police officers were killed and five others were wounded in the fighting, adding that security forces withdrew from the area to prevent civilian casualties.

Other sources said more than 20 soldiers and police forces were killed and another 20 wounded in the fighting, which erupted overnight. They said some 200 Taliban militants were also killed although there was no immediate report verifying the casualties.

Abdul Rahman Solamal, governor of Janikhel, said the district had been surrounded by Taliban for almost five days.

"Hundreds of them attacked our check posts overnight," he said, adding, "If we do not retake it soon then Taliban can easily move from one province to another and can undermine security in at least three provinces."

Taliban have launched numerous offensives to capture urban areas in Afghanistan over the past months. The group has largely been concentrated on areas in the northeast although several attacks have also been carried out near the provincial capital of the southern province of Helmand.

Janikhel is strategically located as it sits at an intersection linking eight districts. It also connects Paktia with neighboring Khost province and Pakistan.

Taliban said it was now in full control of Janikhel with spokesman Zabihullah claiming that the group had seized weapons, ammunition and military vehicles.

Report say the control or influence of Afghan forces on the national territory has reduced to 66 percent from over 70 percent at the start of 2016. That has been mainly due to the fact that Taliban have stepped up the summer offensive while security forces have time and again pulled back from exposed areas to concentrate their strength.

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Yemen's Houthis reject Kerry's initiative for peace

Iran Press TV

Sat Aug 27, 2016 1:45PM

Yemen's Houthi Ansarullah movement has rejected an initiative put forth by US Secretary of State John Kerry to resolve the crisis in the war-torn country.

Mohammed Abdulsalam, the Ansarullah spokesman, said Saturday that the offer aims at depriving the Houthis of their arms in their fight of resistance against the Saudi invasion.

"Whoever has a greedy eye on our weapons, we will have a greedy eye on his life," Abdulsalam wrote in a message posted on Facebook.

Kerry earlier called on Houthis to hand over their weapons including ballistic missiles and to pull back from the capital Sana'a. In return, the US secretary of state said Houthis and allies can have a share in Yemen's future unity government.

The proposal comes amid reports that Houthis have stepped up missile attacks on border regions in Saudi Arabia over the past weeks. The attacks are carried out in reaction to deadly Saudi airstrikes that the regime in Riyadh says are meant to undermine Houthis and allies and to restore power to Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, Yemen's president who has resigned and fled the capital.

About 10,000 people have been killed across Yemen since the Saudi campaign started in March 2015.

The conflict in Yemen re-escalated after peace talks mediated by the United Nations and held in Kuwait collapsed earlier this month. The talks hit a snag after Houthis rejected a similar initiative proposed by the UN, saying it lacked any clear mechanism for transition of power.

Houthis had declared since the start of the talks in April that they were ready for disarmament and withdrawal from key areas they control in case a broad political agreement is reached in which Hadi would have no role.

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Military Strikes Hit ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq

From a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve News Release

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 28, 2016  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

Bomber, attack, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted nine strikes in Syria:

-- Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed two ISIL pump jacks.

-- Near Al Shadaddi, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position.

-- Near Ar Raqqah, a strike destroyed two ISIL pump jacks.

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, a strike destroyed five ISIL tanker trucks.

-- Near Manbij, two strikes engaged two separate ISIL tactical units, and destroyed a bed down location and a vehicle.

-- Near Mar'a, three strikes engaged two separate ISIL tactical units, and destroyed two fighting positions and a vehicle.

Strikes in Iraq

Attack, bomber, fighter and remotely piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government:

-- Near Al Baghdadi, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit, and destroyed a fighting position and an ammunitions cache.

-- Near Hit, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle.

-- Near Mosul, two strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, and destroyed a vehicle bomb factory, and a vehicle.

-- Near Qayyarah, two strikes engaged two separate ISIL tactical units, and destroyed an assembly area, a front-end loader, and denied access to terrain.

-- Near Ramadi, a strike destroyed an ISIL vehicle bomb factory.

-- Near Sultan Abdallah, a strike destroyed an ISIL fighting position, a vehicle, six rocket systems, seven rocket rails, and suppressed a mortar position and denied access to terrain.

Task force officials define a strike as one or more kinetic events that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single, sometimes cumulative, effect. Therefore, officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIL vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against buildings, vehicles and weapon systems in a compound, for example, having the cumulative effect of making those targets harder or impossible for ISIL to use. Accordingly, officials said, they do not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target. Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the ISIL terrorist group and the threat it poses to Iraq, Syria, the region and the wider international community. The destruction of targets in Syria and Iraq further limits ISIL's ability to project terror and conduct operations, officials said.

Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Iraq include the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Jordan, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Coalition nations that have conducted strikes in Syria include the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

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Dilma Vana Rousseff

Dilma Rousseff, ousted as Brazil's president, filed an appeal with the country's highest court to challenge the Federal Senate's decision to remove her from office for breaking budgetary rules. So far, all requests made by Rousseff's defense on the merits of the impeachment process against her had been rejected by the high court, whose chief justice, Ricardo Lewandowski, presided over her impeachment trial.

Rousseff, the country's first female president, denied any wrongdoing and accused her political opponents of using the trial as a way to overthrow her and undermine Brazil's democracy. President Rousseff, in a detailed, occasionally emotional speech, defended herself with honor and dignity from accusations she committed a crime of responsibility.

Of the 81 senators, 61 Senators voted in favor of her impeachment and 20 against, meeting the two-thirds majority needed to remove her from the presidency. Acting President Michel Temer will serve out Rousseff's term, which ends on 1 January 2019. Some local media reports showed that at least 52 senators had said they would vote to impeach Rousseff, while another 18 said they will oppose the impeachment and another 11 were undecided. Other reports claimed that at least 60 Brazilian Senators  six more than required for impeachment  were prepared to vote to permanently remove suspended President Dilma Rousseff from office.

Rousseff was suspended from office in May 2016. She was charged with spending money without congressional approval and illicitly using money from state banks to boost public works to favor her 2014 reelection  an accounting sleight of hand employed by many elected officials. Rousseffs impeachment meant that democratic voting in one of the worlds largest democracies would be cancelled by a parliamentary coup - remote controlled by oligarchic interests.

The final defense witnesses in the impeachment trial against suspended Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff testified on 27 August 2016, the third day of court proceedings. Rousseff was accused of mishandling public funds for her 2014 electoral campaign. Rio State University law professor Ricardo Lodi testified on Saturday that Rousseff did not break the law or harm the country's economy, which is now in deep recession. Former Brazilian Economy Minister Nelson Barbosa said there was "nothing remotely illegal" in Rousseff's actions. "You cannot act retroactively with a new interpretation of the law," he added.

Rousseff and her supporters have, from the beginning, called her ouster a coup. Social movements, trade unions, campesinos, youth, Afro-Brazilian and youth groups have erupted in massive street protests across the country to support both Rousseff and democracy. Rousseff's dismissal would confirm a shift to the right and the end of 13 years of leftist Workers Party rule that helped lift some 30 million Brazilians out of poverty.

According to the corruption watchdog Transparencia Brasil, around two-thirds of Brazil's senators have had brushes with the law either currently or in the past. Senate-imposed interim president Michel Temer would be immediately sworn in as president until the next scheduled elections in late 2018. Known as the most unpopular man in Brazil and loudly booed at the Olympic opening ceremonies, Temer, a right-wing member of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party has been implicated in corruption allegations.

On 17 April 2016 the 513-member lower house of Congress voted 367 to 137 in favor of the impeachment. Seven lawmakers abstained and two did not show up to vote. Rousseffs supporters needed 172 votes to block the impeachment from going forward. The issue passed to the senate to determine whether to open an investigation against Rousseff on possible removal from office. If approved by the senate, the president would be suspended from office and Vice President Michel Temer, also facing low approval ratings and corruption charges, would step in to fill the countrys top office.

Brazilian senators voted 12 May 2016 to suspend President Dilma Rousseff from office for breaking budgetary laws. She faced an impeachment trial, and her vice president, Michel Temer, took over her post in the interim A simple majority was all that was needed to open a trial, and the 5522 vote was one vote more than the 54 votes needed to convict her and remove her from office. It was not immediately clear how many of the senators who voted to put her on trial would also vote to convict her.

Rousseff used money borrowed from state banks to cover budget deficits and pay for social programs. She engaged in some creative accounting to try and make the situation look better, though it was questionable whether or not her actions were illegal. The push for impeachment was largely fueled by other lawmakers desires to deflect attention from themselves.

post-coup Brazil looked to become a land of permanent crisis, with a powerless, illegitimate, corrupt government, economic recession, and unemployment. As Emir Sader, one of Brazils top sociologists, noted, everything positive that Brazil built this century will be thrown out by a coup.

The first woman elected to the office of President of Brazil, Dilma Vana Rousseff was born on December 14, 1947 in Belo Horizonte, the state capital of Minas Gerais. Rousseff has a Masters degree in economic theory from the University of Campinas and an uncompleted doctorate in economics. In 1992, she participated in an International Visitor program in the US. She is now separated from her second husband (who was also an opposition militant). She has a daughter, Paula, in Porto Alegre, where she spends her weekends. She enjoys movies and classical music.

President Rousseff was born to Bulgarian immigrant Pedro Rousseff and Dilma Jane da Silva, a school teacher from Resende, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The couple had three children: Igor, Dilma and Zana. Her father was a Bulgarian attorney who had naturalized Brazilian citizenship. President Rousseff received her primary education at the traditional Nossa Senhora de Sion School and her secondary education at the State Central High School in Belo Horizonte, then a hub of student activism.

At the age of 16, President Rousseff began her political career, taking part in movements against the military regime that ruled Brazil from 1964 to 1985. She became actively involved in opposition to the military dictatorship in 1967, at age 19, while studying economics in Minas Gerais. Joining various underground groups, she organized three bank robberies and then co-founded the guerilla group "Armed Revolutionary Vanguard of Palmares".

In 1969, she planned a legendary robbery popularized as the "Theft of Adhemar's Safe". The operation broke into the Rio apartment of the lover of former-Sao Paulo Governor Adhemar de Barros, netting US$2.5 million that Adhemar had stashed there. In 1969, President Rousseff met Carlos Franklin Paixao de Araujo, a lawyer from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazils southernmost state. Together, they suffered persecution under the military regime.

Rousseff separated from her first husband, Claudio Linhares, who in January 1970 hijacked a plane to Cuba and remained there. That same month, she was captured by the regime and jailed for over three years (the prosecutor called her "the Joan of Arc of Subversion"), including 22 days of brutal electro-shock torture.

Freed in late 1973, Rousseff moved to Porto Alegre, the state capital of the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. She resumed her studies at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, where she earned a degree in Economics. In 1975, President Rousseff started an internship at the Foundation of Economics and Statistics (FEE), a think-tank of the Rio Grande do Sul state government. In 1976, her first and only child, Paula Rousseff de Araujo, was born.

In the late 1970s, President Rousseff participated in an amnesty movement that supported citizens who had been deprived of their political rights or expelled from the country. Together with her then husband Carlos Araujo, Rousseff became one of the founders of the Democratic Labor Party (PDT) of leftist leader Leonel Brizola in Rio Grande do Sul. When her rights were restored by the 1979 general amnesty, she served in various city and state positions. In 1986, she was appointed Municipal Secretary of Treasury of Porto Alegre by Mayor Alceu Collares.

Following the return to democracy, Rousseff took active part in the 1989 presidential campaign, supporting PDT candidate Leonel Brizola in the first round and Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, from the Workers Party (PT), in the runoff. In the early 1990s, Rousseff served as President of the Economy and Statistics Foundation of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (1991-1993). In 1993, Alceu Collares, then Governor of Rio Grande do Sul, appointed her State Secretary of Mines, Energy and Communications (1993-1994). She served again as State Secretary of Mines (1999-2002) under Workers' Party (PT) Governor Olivio Dutra, who was elected in 1998.

In 2001, Rousseff joined the Workers Party and one year later, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was elected President. She was a key member of Lula's transition team in the weeks before he took office in January 2003, and impressed with Rousseffs knowledge and experience in the energy sector, Lula named her Minister of Mines & Energy days after his inauguration.

Between 2003 and 2005, Rousseff led an in-depth redesign of Brazils electricity sector and created the Light for All program, which made electricity available to more than 11 million Brazilians living in rural areas and in the outskirts of large cities. As chair of the board of directors of Petrobras, she encouraged biofuels research and production.

In 2005, President Lula chose Rousseff to serve as his Chief of Staff and to oversee the work of all ministries. In her new capacity, Rousseff played a decisive role in coordinating the Growth Acceleration Program (PAC), a set of policies and measures to promote investments in infrastructure; and My House, My Life, the biggest housing program in the nations history. She also coordinated the new regulatory framework for the exploration of Brazils pre-salt oil reserves.

Dilma Rousseff, President Lula's choice to succeed him as president in January 2011, cast doubt over her viability as a presidential candidate when doctors discovered in March 2009 that she had lymphatic cancer. When Rousseff's illness was first made public, the Lula government rushed to give optimistic predictions for Rousseff's health when it was too early for a reliable prognosis. Her doctors stated that her cancer was caught early and she has a 90 percent chance of a full recovery.

Rousseff left the government of President Lula on April 3, 2010 to become the presidential candidate for the Workers Party. In the runoff election on October 31, 2010, she was elected President of Brazil with almost 56 million votes. Her inauguration took place on January 1, 2011.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was re-elected to a second term following a victory during the second round of elections held on 26 October 2014. With all the votes tallied, Rousseff had registered 51.6 percent of the ballots over her opponent, center-right senator Aecio Neves, who received 48.4 percent of the votes.

Even though no evidence had been found linking the president to the Petrobras scandal, polls have shown large numbers believed Rousseff herself was responsible for the corruption scandal. This was, in part, because the media had gone to great lengths in trying to portray the governing Workers' Party as a corrupt, bureaucratic party that poorly managed the state company.

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Paraguayan Peoples Army

(Ejercito del Pueblo Paraguayo - EPP)

The Paraguayan People's Army (EPP - Ejercito del Pueblo Paraguayo) staged a brazen assault 27 August 2016 on a military patrol and stole weapons in an attack that left eight soldiers dead. The attack was carried out against troops near Horqueta, about 420 kilometers (291 miles) north of the capital Asuncion.

The Interior Ministry announced: "At about 9 a.m. (Saturday) a routine patrol was the object of an attack on a country road in the Arroyito district ... the attackers detonated explosives as the truck passed and then carried out a cowardly armed attack on the wounded soldiers." Federico Delfino, Paraguay's chief prosecutor for anti-kidnapping efforts, said the attackers stole eight US-made M4 rifles, body armor and the victims' personal belongings.

The president, Horacio Cartes, moved in the early hours, to the area of Horqueta, Concepcion department, to accompany and internalize the work done by the Joint Task Force (FTC) under the fight against the EPP criminal group. the head of state was accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Francisco de Vargas, commander of the Armed Forces, Luis Gonzaga Garcete, the commander of the National Police, Crispulo Sotelo and his top aides. His presence at the site responded to the latest developments in Arroyito, Concepcion, where eight soldiers of the Joint Task Force were killed.

Conservative President Horacio Cartes held himself responsible Saturday for the attack and promised strong results in the remainder of his term in the war on the communist rebels. This is the price we pay for our attempt to end (the EPP), said Cartes, according to local media, calling the attack a violent and cowardly act. Sooner or later this story has one end, we will find it and make them pay for all this pain. The Cartes administration has called the EPP a criminal and terrorist structure.

The small guerrilla style group that calls itself the Army of the Paraguayan People operates in the northern part of the Department of San Pedro, and the southern part of the Department of Concepcion. The Departments of San Pedro and Caaguazu are the two regions of greatest anti-government campesino activity. There have been some high-profile kidnappings in the interior of the country, including in these departments. These are believed to be related to the EEP activities. They usually target locals based on their wealth and willingness to pay ransoms, as well as police and landowners.

The Paraguayan Peoples Army and the Armed Peasant Association (ACA) guerilla movements have killed security forces and civilians, committed robberies, kidnapped both civilians and security forces, and recruited children and adolescents. Authorities investigated EPP and ACA attacks, and prosecuted and convicted some members. The EPP claims to be a revolutionary group whose primary objective is to fight for the rights of campesinos; its real goal appears to be essentially financial enrichment.

The Paraguayan Peoples Army is an insurgent movement that emerged from the Free Fatherland Party (PPL). The PPL formed its armed wing in the mid-1990s. The PPL needed to strengthen its political wing so that the armed and political wings would better complement each other. Some sources report the EPP was established sometime after 2000 [some say it was formed around 2001, with origins dating back to the 1990s, while others report 2006 or 2008. The EPP is a leftist armed group that professes to seek change on behalf of the poor of Paraguay. The EPP has said it holds a Marxist ideology and aims to overthrow the Paraguayan government.

The EPP is thought to have no more than two or three dozen armed members, and has been behind only a few crimes. But these have been newsworthy. Paraguayan authorities are convinced the EPP was definitely not as large as the 300 members alleged in some reports. The rural areas of the Concepcion/San Pedro border area (such as Tacuati) and the hilly areas of Paraguari Department as the two most troubling areas for these types of security threats. Sporadic EPP action has been centered in the San Pedro and Concepcion Departments with a minor event occurring every three to six months.

The leftist Free Fatherland Party (Partido Patria Libre, or PPL) was outlawed for advocating the violent overthrow of the government after its two most prominent members, Juan Arrom and Anuncio Marti, were implicated in the 2001 kidnapping of Maria Edith DiBernardi. Arrom and Marti were later granted political asylum in Brazil based on allegations that they were tortured by police while in custody.

The key members of the now-defunct Free Fatherland Party (PPL) appear to form the core group of current EPP members. It operates in the country's northern regions and is known for its high-profile kidnappings. Officials say it had ties to Colombia's FARC, and s reportedly sheltered by peasant groups, drug traffickers and corrupt police (including some large land holders in San Pedro).

On 21 September 2004, members of the Patria Libre Party (PPL) kidnapped former President Raul Cubas' 31-year-old daughter, Cecilia Cubas. The PPL Martinez faction perpetrated the Cubas kidnapping "to recover money from those who had stolen it from the people." Their plan was to demand an initial USD 300,000 as "punishment," and then negotiate a ransom of USD 3 million - 5 million. The investigation got off to a slow start, in large part because the Cubas family initially rejected offers of official assistance with the ransom negotiations, but also because Paraguayan authorities were disorganized and slow to pursue several important leads. When negotiations with the Cubas family faltered, Comandante Santiago [possibly with FARC] recommended that the group kill Ms. Cubas, and then left Paraguay. They subsequently murdered Cecilia Cubas, whose body was discovered in February 2005. Prosecutors investigated reports that six FARC members entered Paraguay by way of Bolivia to assist with the Cubas kidnapping.

A government raid of an EPP camp in August 2009 revealed a lot about the organization and seemed to indicate that the group was small, weak, and was not well financed or trained. A target list of possible future kidnap victims included the names of local authorities and businessmen. There were also documented plans for an attack in Asuncion to free jailed former PPL members.

Former Free Fatherland Party (PPL) members announced 17 March 2008 the existence of the Paraguayan People's Army (EPP), an armed revolutionary group operating in Concepcion Department. Their comments followed a 12 March 2008 incident in which the EPP claimed responsibility for vandalizing a ranch in Concepcion. PPL members claimed that former PPL members formed the group in February 2006 to fight government injustice and end 60-plus years of Colorado rule.

The previously unknown EPP, or Ejercito del Pueblo Paraguayo, claimed responsibility for vandalizing 12 March 2008 over USD 400,000 in farm equipment owned by Brazilian ranch owner Nabor Both in Horqueta, Concepcion Department. The perpetrators left a pamphlet with the inscription, "Paraguayan People's Army, German Aguayo Command -- land to the campesinos -- whoever kills with agrotoxins will pay in this manner." A police report indicated that four or five people were involved. Police have not named any suspects in connection with the case.

Carmen Villalba, who is serving a 18-year prison sentence at Good Shepherd Women's Prison for kidnapping, stated 17 March 2008 that the EPP would "fight fire with fire" and would use violence against the Colorado government and its oligarchy (Paraguay's 400 wealthiest families), who she claimed have abused campesinos during their 61 years in power. She cited Article 138 of the 1992 Constitution, which permits "the citizenry to resist all usurpers (of justice) by all means at their disposal," as a basis for the EPP's militant campaign.

Cristobal Olazar, former PPL secretary general, told the newspaper Ultima Hora March 17 that the EPP was created in February 2006 following a police attack on campesinos in Puentesino, Concepcion. Sensitive reporting indicated that the PPL attacked a police station in Puentesino around the same time, in which a police officer was killed. It was unclear if the events were directly related. Olazar claimed that the EPP is led by former PPL members Osmar Martinez, Carmen Villalba, Osvaldo Villalba, Magna Meza, and Manuel Cristaldo Mieres.

Police killed German Aguayo in the 2003 raid in which Carmen Villalba was captured. Martinez was sentenced to 35 years in prison for his involvement in the Cubas case. Osvaldo Villalba, Meza, and Mieres remained suspects at large for the 2004 kidnapping and 2005 killing of Cecilia Cubas, daughter of former President Raul Cubas.

The EPP appeared to represent the early beginnings of a reincarnated PPL, although all signs points to a very small (and initially fairly inactive) membership. Its main goal seemed to be organization of an armed insurrection if the Colorados fail to cede power in the event of an opposition victory in April 2008. While they may be the EPP's targets, the Colorados also benefited from allegations that presidential candidate Fernando Lugo had ties to the PPL/EPP.

Prominent rancher Luis Alberto Lindstron, was kidnapped in July 2008 and later released. Lindstron was kidnapped in Concepcion Department; he was released 42 days later after his family paid a USD 300,000 ransom.

Armed individuals claiming to be members of the Paraguayan People's Army (EPP) attacked a small military outpost in San Pedro Department around midnight 31 December 2008, stealing weapons and burning it to the ground. The attackers doused the small building with cans of gasoline and burned it to the ground. Although conflicting reports could not confirm whether shots were fired during the attack, confidential sources stated that the duty officer surrendered peacefully, and no one was injured.

The Paraguayan government responded January 1 with police roadblocks and a decision to send January 2 members of the military's US-trained Joint Rapid Response Unit to conduct door-to-door searches. After the Paraguayan People's Army 31 December 2008 attack on an Army outpost in Tacuati, San Pedro Department, the military deployed 35 members of the Military's Joint Rapid Response Detachment (DCEI) to Tacuati to search for EPP suspects. Paraguayan security forces did not initially apprehend any suspects in the Tacuati attack; additional military and police units, however, were sent into the area in the hopes of cornering or flushing out those involved.

President Fernando Lugo estimated in January 2009 that the EPP was not really a direct security threat to the nation but rather were stirring up trouble, scaring off legitimate investors, and providing an opportunity for many quarters to criticize the government -- and ultimately to trip him up.

On 15 October 2009 at approximately 1930 hours, a group of 14 heavily armed people wearing camouflage entered well-known rancher Fidel Zavala's cattle ranch in the state of Concepcion, captured Zavala, and fled using Zavala's own vehicle. Only one of the kidnappers covered his face, prompting public speculation that a foreign element was among the group, or that he was a former ranch employee. The kidnappers told ranch workers that they would demand $5 million for his release and that they were from the Paraguayan People's Army. The initial press reporting was all about the President's and his government's ineffectiveness, instead of focusing on Mr. Zavala's release. The Zavala family was very disturbed that the personal political agendas were very risky and privately called for toning down the attacks. Zavala wss held for 94 days, and released only once a ransom was paid.

Criticism of the government for the worsening security climate had increased as kidnappings, murders, and robberies continue to make monthly headlines. Emblematic of this problem is the Zavala family's refusal to place any trust or confidence in the PNP. This is due to the police's alleged involvement in a number of high-profile murder and narcotics cases. In fact, the Minister of Interior was quoted as saying, "the police is full of mafias."

To combat the EPP, Asuncion created a Joint Task Force (JTF) in 2013. In March 2016 the Paraguayan military announced that Special Forces units would be rotated every three months, instead of every month, from deployments battling the Paraguayan People's Army. The intent qs to maintain experienced commandos on frontlines to better utilitze their combat experience. As of 01 October 2015, a total of 829 personnel from the Joint Task Force (FTC), consisting of personnel from the armed forces, National Police, and the National Anti-narcotics Secretariat (SENAD), were deployed to the departments of Concepcion, San Pedro, and Amambay.

The EPP was involved in the April 2014 kidnapping-for-ransom of 16-year old Arlan Fick, who was taken from his familys Concepcion home and held for eight months before being released. The EPP is also believed to be responsible for the July 2014 kidnapping of police officer Edelio Morinigo. In August, the EPP claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of a Mennonite in San Pedro department for a ransom of US$500,000. The farmers family paid the ransom in November, and in December 2014 the EPP released 16-year-old Arlan Fick. The EPP had demanded the family pay a ransom of $500,000 and distribute an equal amount of food and supplies to nearby communities.

On 28 January 2015, the EPP kidnapped, tortured, and killed Robert Natto and his wife Erika Reiser on their ranch near Yby Yau, Concepcion Department. According to reports, the EPP was planning to demand a ransom payment for the German couple before they killed them during a firefight with security forces. While the EPP claimed security forces shot the couple during the encounter, autopsies indicated they had died execution style. On 18 December 2015, in Kurusu de Hierro, Concepcion, the Joint Task Force (FTC) killed alleged EPP member Julian Ojeda Espinola while he was hunting at night. Family members denied Espinola had any links with the EPP and stated they would file complaints to human rights bodies.

On 08 August 2015, the EPP kidnapped Abraham Fehr, a Paraguayan-Mexican dual national farmer from Tacuati, San Pedro. According to reports, the EPP kidnapped Fehr and his employees directly from his property. They released the employees shortly after the abduction but kept Fehr captive. The EPP initially demanded $500,000 for Fehrs release, but his family publicly stated they were unable to comply with this demand. Days later the EPP lowered their demand to $20,000. On October 13, the Interior Ministry reported that Fehr was alive, but his whereabouts and conditions were unknown at the end of 2015. Relatives of Mennonite settler, Abraham Fehr, said 08 August 2016 that on the first anniversary of his kidnapping, they still retained hope that the captors to contact them to see what can be done so as to secure his release.

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The United Nations defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part... According to the International Criminal Court, crimes against humanity are defined as any of the following acts committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack knowingly directed against any civilian population: murder; extermination; enslavement; deportation or forcible transfer of population... In 2005, all member states of the United Nations came together to endorse and accept a shared Responsibility to Protect populations from genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. The principle of protection anchored in three pillars: the essential responsibility of States to protect their own citizens, a shared responsibility to take appropriate steps to assist States in exercising that solemn duty, and preparedness to take timely and decisive action where national authorities manifestly failed to do so.

Rohingya

Following the forced displacement of more than 700,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh in 2017, up to 600,000 Rohingya were estimated to remain in Rakhine State. The US Secretary of State determined on 22 November 2017 that the situation in northern Rakhine state in Burma constituted ethnic cleansing. Rohingya refugees settled in squalid camps in neighboring Bangladesh. Although both countries have signed a repatriation deal, they refugees say they have a well founded fear of returning to Myanmar. Many refugees say they will not return without a basic guarantee of protection.

Rohingya leaders taken over the weekend to evaluate conditions on a Bay of Bengal island developed to house refugees reported the site is safe and well managed. The 40 Rohingya leaders, representing 34 refugee camps in Coxs Bazar, were taken to Bhashan Char by members of Bangladeshs armed forces. Bangladesh officials want to relocate 100,000 refugees to the Bhashan Char site while international humanitarian organizations have questioned the suitability of the flood-prone islet for housing refugees. Bangladesh has spent about U.S. $280 million to construct housing, a large embankment, and other infrastructure on the island. An additional $92 million was allocated in December 2019 for raising the height of the embankment and to build an administrative building, a jetty and residential facilities for U.N. officials.

Authorities said the facilities on the island are better than in the refugee camps where more than 740,000 Rohingya who fled a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar three years ago, have been living. In all, about 1 million Rohingya live in the camps in and around Coxs Bazar.

Myanmar's military said 25 June 2018 it sacked a top general who was named in fresh European Union sanctions against security officials accused of serious rights violations in the Rohingya crisis. The military said that Major General Maung Maung Soe, the former head of the Western Command in Rakhine, had been "purged" for poor performance. The announcement came after the EU said he was among seven security officials hit with travel bans and asset freezes, but Myanmar did not link his sacking to the new sanctions.

Major General Maung Maung Soe was the Commander of the Western Command of the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) from October 2016 to 10 November 2017 and oversaw the military operations in Rakhine State. In that context, he was responsible for the atrocities and serious human rights violations committed against Rohingya population in Rakhine State by the Western Command during that period. These include unlawful killings, sexual violence and systematic burning of Rohingya houses and buildings.

Maung Maung Soe oversaw the military operation in Burmas Rakhine State responsible for widespread human rights abuse against Rohingya civilians in response to attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. The United States Government examined credible evidence of Maung Maung Soes activities, including allegations against Burmese security forces of extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and arbitrary arrest as well as the widespread burning of villages.

The Myanmar governments announcement that it had reached a framework agreement with two United Nations agencies to help with the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh prompted mixed reactions from political observers inside the country. On 31 May 2018, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyis office said the government agreed to but had not signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) to assist with the voluntary, safe dignified and sustainable return of displaced persons verified as eligible for repatriation.

A survey release in late May 2018 by Xchange Foundation, a migration research group, found that nearly all Rohingya are pleased to be in Bangladesh. It found 98.65 percent of 1,700 Rohingya surveyed said they felt welcome. Even more respondents, 99.41 percent, said they felt safe during the day  a figure that dropped to 95.89 percent at night. Of those, 80 percent were women whose concerns included wild animals, potential robbery, murderers and human traffickers.

Background

The law defines national ethnic group only as a racial and ethnic group that can prove origins in the country dating back to 1823, the year prior to British colonization. In practice the government has granted or withdrawn national ethnic group status from ethnic groups throughout the country on various occasions. Because the Rohingya are not on the list, and due to other government action, they are stateless.

In Rakhine State local authorities prohibited Rohingya families from having more than two children, although this prohibition was inconsistently enforced. Also in Rakhine State, local authorities required members of the Rohingya minority to obtain a permit to marry officially, a step not required of other ethnicities. Waiting times for the permit could exceed one year, and bribes usually were required. According to human rights organizations, in April 2016 Border Guard Police in Buthidaung Township issued new instructions to village administrators outlining additional requirements for members of the Rohingya community to obtain a permit to marry. The new required documents included: a letter from the district immigration authorities verifying the couple were of legal age to marry; a letter from a station commander showing the couple was free of criminal offenses; a letter from a health assistant assuring the couple was free of communicable diseases; and a letter from village administrators confirming the individuals were single, unmarried, and that any previous marriage was dissolved at least three years prior. Unauthorized marriages could result in prosecution of Rohingya men under the penal code, which prohibits a man from deceitfully marrying a woman, and could result in a prison sentence or fine.

The Annan commissions final report issued in August 2017 called for a review of the countrys 1982 Citizenship Law, which prevents the Rohingya from becoming citizens, an end to restrictions on the Muslim minority in order to prevent further violence in the region, and the closure of internally displaced persons camps in Rakhine state.

A day after the report was publicly released, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a Muslim militant group, carried out deadly attacks on 30 police outposts in northern Rakhine, sparking the violent campaign against the Rohingya, which included indiscriminate killings, rape, torture, and arson.

During the year 2017 there were multiple reports of alleged ARSA members killing civilians in northern Rakhine State for collaborating with the government; however, it appeared two of these reports were not credible. On August 1, the government reported extremists killed six ethnic Mro villagers in northern Rakhine State. Civil society organizations reported ARSA was not likely active in that village and suspected the deaths were related to methamphetamine trafficking. In September the government organized a trip for journalists to see the alleged mass graves of 45 Hindus whom the government said ARSA killed in northern Maungdaw Township on August 25, but civil society organizations and some local villagers were unable to corroborate the claim of the government, and other local villagers suggested instead they were killed by security forces or vigilante groups that were not associated with Rohingya. Four human rights organizations on 08 May 2018 called on the U.N. Security Council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court over a military campaign that drove 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh, saying the violence amounted to crimes against humanity. The four rights groups  Fortify Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the Global Center for Responsibility to Protect  made the appeal a week after the Security Council visited Myanmar and Bangladesh to investigate the plight of the Rohingyas.

Impunity is entrenched in Myanmar, said Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Fortify Rights. Domestic remedies have been exhaustedthe government failed to properly investigate the heinous crimes that have taken place, and thats precisely why a referral is warranted.

In early 2017 there were "only" 400,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, but by late 2017 there were over 1,000,000 refugees - out of a total population of 1,200,000. In Myanmar's northern Rakhine state, an estimated 180,000 Rohingya remained, the International Committee of the Red Cross said on 13 December 2017. Almost all Rohingya now reside in Bangladesh, not their native Myanmar. The UN has called the mass displacement of Rohingya ethnic cleansing".

Frustration over Myanmar's handling of the Rohingya crisis boiled over into an argument between Aung San Suu Kyi and her former friend, now critic, Bill Richardson. The former US ambassador to the UN resigned 25 January 2018 from an advisory panel set-up by the government after accusing members of trying to "whitewash" the crisis. And in his resignation letter, Richardson accused members of being a "cheerleading squad" for the government. Officials reacted by accusing Richardson of having his own agenda. His criticisms raised further doubts about a deal to repatriate the Rohingya refugees stuck in Bangladesh.

Richardson said he got into an argument with Aung San Suu Kyi during a meeting on Monday with other members of the board, when he brought up the case of two Reuters reporters who are on trial accused of breaching the country's Officials Secrets Act. He said Aung San Suu Kyi's response was "furious", saying the case of the reporters "was not part of the work of the advisory board". The Advisory Board for the Committee for Implementation of the Recommendations on Rakhine State was set up by Myanmar in 2017, to advise on enacting the findings of an earlier commission headed by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Richardson said he was also "taken aback by the vigour with which the media, the UN, human rights groups and in general the international community were disparaged" during the last three days of meetings the board held with Myanmar officials. "She's not getting good advice from her team," Richardson said of Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he said he has known since the 1980s. "I like her enormously and respect her. But she has not shown moral leadership on the Rakhine issue and the allegations made, and I regret that."

Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed 16 January 2018 on a Rohingya repatriation plan. Two countries have agreed to complete process of returning Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh to Myanmar within two years after repatriation began. A statement by the Bangladesh foreign ministry did not say when the process would begin. But it said the return effort envisaged "considering the family as a unit," with Myanmar to provide temporary shelter for those returning before rebuilding houses for them.

The statement said Bangladesh would set up five transit camps which would send Rohingyas to two reception centres on the Myanmar side of the border. "Myanmar has reiterated its commitment to stop outflow of Myanmar residents to Bangladesh." it said.

Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay said that returnees would be able to apply for citizenship "after they pass the verification process." A Myanmar agency set up to oversee repatriation said in a statement that two temporary "repatriation and assessment camps" and one other site to accommodate returnees had been set up. Myint Kyaing, permanent secretary at Myanmar's Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, said Myanmar would be ready to begin processing least 150 people a day through each of the two camps by 23 January 2018. [That would be a bit fewer than 5,000 per month - at which rate about 200 months, or 17 years, would be needed to repatriate all one million refugees].

In all likelihood, returning Rohingya will face the same miserable, apartheid conditions that they so recently fled. Specific parts of the deal seem to confirm this. For example, it states that the Rohingya's freedom of movement will be based on "existing legislation and regulations" - in other words, a return to a status quo which discriminates against the Rohingya, segregates them in poverty-stricken townships and forbids them from travelling. The conditions Rohingya want met before the repatriation process begins include demands that they are granted citizenship and given back the land they used to occupy, and that the military is held accountable for the violations committed against them.

China has blocked most efforts to internationalize the Rohingya refugee crisis, instead positioning itself as a mediator between the two countries involved. China wnats to protect its US$7.3 billion investment in the Kyaukpyu deep sea port project in Rakhine State. The port is expected to advance Chinas One Belt One Road initiative, offering a link to the Bay of Bengal.

China called for a ceasefire in Myanmars Rakhine State so that Rohingya Muslim refugees can return from Bangladesh, proposing a three-stage approach to the crisis as diplomats from 51 mostly Asian and European countries gathered in Myanmar 20 November 2017 at the long-scheduled thirteenth Asia-Europe Meeting of foreign ministers. Once a ceasefire is seen to be working, Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi said talks between Myanmar and Bangladesh should find a workable solution for the return of refugees, and the final phase should be to work toward a long-term solution based on poverty alleviation.

But human rights campaigners were sceptical about the durability of any repatriation effort that fails to resolve the issue of citizen rights, as Myanmars government and many in the country consider the Rohingya to be illegal Bengali immigrants. Otherwise the repatriation game is essentially a replay of previous repatriation programs dating from the 1990s. The plan is very vague, and its pretty much what the government of Burma itself had been proposing.





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US, Russia fail to reach deal on Syria truce

Iran Press TV

Sun Aug 28, 2016 2:52PM

The US and Russia say they have been unable once again to forge a comprehensive agreement on increasing cooperation to end the conflict in Syria that has killed hundreds of thousands of people.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov could point to only minor progress to achieving a ceasefire in Syria, after meeting off-and-on for nearly 10 hours in Geneva on Friday.

Their failure to reach an overall agreement underscores the increasingly complex situation on the ground in Syria, including deep divisions and mistrust dividing Washington and Moscow, as well as the intermingling of US-backed militants with the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group and the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front.

Kerry said critical sticking points remain unresolved and experts will remain in Geneva with an eye toward finalizing those in the coming days.

"We are not going to rush to an agreement until it satisfies fully the needs of the Syrian people," Kerry said.

Lavrov echoed that, saying "we still need to finalize a few issues" and pointed to the need to separate "sane opposition forces" from terrorist organizations like the al-Nusra Front.

"We have continued our efforts to reduce the areas where we lack understanding and trust," Lavrov said.

Friday's meeting came a month after the two top diplomats met in Moscow and agreed on a number of unspecified actions to resuscitate a truce that would pave the way for peace talks.

The inability to achieve a deal between the US and Russia virtually brings another missed deadline for the UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura to get the Syrian government and "moderate" militants back to the negotiating table.

Kerry also stressed the importance of keeping the details secret. "We do not want to make an announcement ... that is not enforceable, that doesn't have details worked out, that winds up in the place that the last two announcements have wound up."

"Until we have, neither of us are prepared to make an announcement that is predicated for failure. We don't want a deal for the sake of the deal, we want a deal that is effective," Kerry said.

Highlighting deep differences over the Syrian conflict, Kerry said that Russia disputes the US "narrative" of recent Russian attacks on heavily populated areas.

Moscow maintains the attacks it has been involved in have targeted legitimate terrorist targets, while Washington says they have hit "moderate" US-backed militants.

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Turkish Airstrikes in Syria Kill 35 Civilians as Rebels Seize Territory Under Militant Control

By VOA News August 28, 2016

Syrian rebels supported by Turkey have taken control Sunday of at least four villages and one town from Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria amid reports that Turkish airstrikes claimed the lives of at least 35 civilians in the area.

Monitors from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say 20 people were killed in the village of Jub-al-Kousa. Fifty people were wounded in the attack in an area controlled by militia allied with the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The Observatory says another air strike killed 15 civilians and wounded 20 others near the town of Al-Armana.

The Turkish military said Sunday that its airstrikes in northern Syria killed 25 Kurdish militants and denied that civilians had also been killed. The Turkish military also said it is committed to protecting civilians under international law.

Turkey's state run Anadolu news agency said the dead Kurdish militants were "terrorist members" of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD).

The Turkish military, along with its Syrian rebel allies, is in the fifth day of a campaign designed to drive U.S.-allied Kurdish forces and Islamic State (IS) militants out of the frontier Syrian town of Jarablus, which borders Turkey.

Kurdish militants killed

Turkish President President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the rally Sunday that residents of Jarablus are returning to their homes after Turkish-backed forces recaptured it from Islamic State (IS).

He praised his armed forces for forcing IS militants from Jarabulus. "They were attacking us from across the borders, now they are running away," Erdogan said, vowing to pursue the fleeing terrorists.

Turkey's military foray into Syria is a dramatic escalation of Ankara's involvement in the Syrian civil war.

The clashes bolster Western concerns that Turkey's military incursion into Syria is intended, in part, to target U.S.-supported Kurdish forces known as the Kurdish People's Protection Units, the YPG militia. The U.S. has described the YPG as one of its most effective allies in the fight against so-called Islamic State, while Turkey is demanding a YPG retreat from all border territory seized from IS jihadists.

Barrel bombs target funeral

Elsewhere, the Observatory says Syrian government helicopters dropped two explosive-packed barrel bombs on a funeral Saturday just minutes apart in the Maadi district of eastern Aleppo, killing at least 23 people.

The first bomb landed near a tent where people were mourning the victims of a barrel bomb attack earlier in the week. The second bomb landed as emergency workers arrived.

The attack Thursday in a neighboring district of the once-vibrant city killed 15 people, including 11 children.

The Syrian government routinely denies using barrel bombs. But analysts point out that Damascus and Moscow command the only forces operating helicopters over Aleppo.

Cease-fire?

Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, has called for a 48-hour truce in Aleppo. He says the world body has in place an emergency response plan to provide humanitarian relief to the besieged city, once a temporary cease-fire is in place.

In a statement, de Mistura said Russia has confirmed it will honor the proposed U.N. emergency response plan and is seeking the cooperation of the government of President Bashar al-Assad, Moscow's long-standing ally.

The U.N. plan is aimed at providing emergency aid to tens of thousands of people trapped in Aleppo and to restore electricity to the city that was once home to 2.3 million residents.

Elsewhere, Syrian rebels and their families continue evacuating the long-besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya as part of an agreement reached late Thursday with the government after four years of airstrikes and a siege that left the suburb in ruins.

Dorian Jones contributed to this report from Istanbul.

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Independent Chinese travelers continue to increase: president

ROC Central News Agency

2016/08/27 23:00:39

Taipei, Aug. 27 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen () said Saturday that the number of Chinese nationals who travel independently to Taiwan has continued to increase, dismissing concerns that visitors from China have declined since her inauguration.

In an TV interview marking her first 100 days in office, Tsai said the cross-Taiwan Strait tourism that is dominated by group travel has reached a point where structural transformation is needed, and a possible way to do so is encouraging independent travel.

"During this period, independent travelers from China have not decreased but have increased," she said.

Also during the interview, the president was asked to comment on an incident occurring last month in which the locally developed Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missile was launched by mistake from a Chinchiang-class corvette during a simulated test in Kaohsiung.

She said the problem was linked to structural factors existing in the military and that the incident was a reminder for people to examine these factors.

In response to the speculation that the missile was fired intentionally in an insurgent attempt, the president said efforts to nationalize the military have been rather successful in Taiwan.

(By Lu Hsin-hui and Y.F. Low)

ENDITEM/h

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Turkish Warplanes Hit Kurdish Positions In Northern Syria

August 27, 2016

by RFE/RL

Turkish warplanes hit the positions of U.S.-backed Kurdish forces in northern Syria on August 27, days after Ankara launched a major operation to clear the region of Islamic State (IS) militants and Syrian Kurdish forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based monitoring group, said Turkish air strikes and shelling hit the village of Al-Amarna, which had been captured days earlier by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a mainly Kurdish alliance supported by U.S. air strikes.

In a statement, the Jarablus Military Council, part of the SDF, said the attack on the village caused civilian casualties and called it "a dangerous escalation that threatens the fate of the region."

The village is about 8 kilometers south of Jarabulus, a border town captured from IS extremists on August 25 by Syrian rebels backed by Turkey.

Later on August 27, Turkey's official news agency reported one Turkish soldier has been killed and three wounded in Syria.

The Anadolu Agency said two Turkish tanks had entered Jarablus where they came under rocket attack by Kurdish militants.

On August 24, Turkish tanks and armored personnel carriers crossed the border into Syria as part of an ongoing operation aimed at driving IS militants out of the border region and stopping Kurdish militias from seizing territory in the area.

Turkey's Hurriyet daily newspaper reported that Turkey has 50 tanks and 380 personnel on the ground in Syria.

Turkey has warned the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), militias which are part of the SDF alliance, that it must withdraw east of the Euphrates River or Ankara would be forced to intervene.

The YPG has been one of the most effective battlefield forces against IS militants in Syria.

But Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on August 26 denounced as a "bare-faced lie" suggestions in Western media that Ankara's military operation in Syria was singling out Kurds rather than militants.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), an armed insurgent group which it considers a terror organization.

Turkey also fears Kurdish successes will embolden its own sizable Kurdish minority.

Fighters linked to the PKK claimed an attack on a police headquarters in southeast Turkey that killed 11 police officers and wounded 78 others.

Deadly clashes between Turkish security forces and PKK fighters have increased since a 2 1/2 year ceasefire collapsed in 2015.

Based on reporting by dpa and Reuters

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/turkish-warplanes- hit-kurdish-positons-in-north-syria/27949571.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Turkish-Backed Syrian Rebels Advance Toward Syrian Kurds At Manbij

August 28, 2016

by RFE/RL

Turkey's army and an allied Syrian rebel group called Sultan Murad were advancing toward the Syrian-Kurdish held city of Manbij on August 28 as fighting between the sides escalated in northern Syria.

Manbij, on the west bank of the Euphrates River, was captured from Islamic State (IS) militants earlier in August by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, after a 10-week U.S.-backed offensive.

But Ankara said on August 28 that it has begun to launch air strikes at Manbij against Kurdish militia fighters from the so-called People's Defense Units (YPG) as part of Turkey's cross-border military offensive in northern Syria.

Colonel Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad rebel group, said on August 28 that his Turkey-backed force was "certainly heading in the direction of Manbij" to confront YPG forces.

Reports said the Sultan Murad group had moved into several villages previously held by Syrian Kurdish fighters as the Turkish-backed force advanced toward Manbij on August 28.

Hours earlier, Ankara announced the first death of a Turkish soldier in the military operation it launched into northern Syria on August 23 -- saying he was killed amid escalating fighting between Turkish ground forces and the YPG.

Meanwhile, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory For Human Rights said on August 28 that overnight Turkish air strikes killed 20 civilians in Manbij and that at least 15 more civilians had been killed in villages across northern Syria on August 28 by Turkish artillery and tank fire.

Turkey's military rejected that report, saying that its air strikes had killed 25 Kurdish militants that Ankara described as "terrorists."

Speaking in the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, where a bomb attack killed 54 people at a Kurdish wedding last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said "operations against terrorist organizations will continue until the end."

Erdogan vowed to devote "the same determination" in the fight against IS militants and YPG fighters.

Warning To YPG

Turkey has fought against both Islamic State (IS) militants and the YPG since launching its cross-border offensive on August 23.

However, until the night of August 27, the targeting of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria had been limited to attacks by Turkish artillery, tanks, and infantry.

Both Turkey and the YPG are fighting against the IS, and the YPG is seen by Washington as critical to the U.S.-led coalition's strategy against Islamic State.

But Turkey considers the YPG to be a terrorist group and says it wants to stop YPG fighters from seizing territory along Syria's border with Turkey and linking up with Kurdish Turkish rebels from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Ankara and the United States have warned the YPG to remain east of the Euphrates River to avoid clashes with Turkish troops.

Some YPG commanders claimed that they had evacuated Manbij and withdrawn to the east.

But other reports said YPG fighters had fortified their defensive positions in Manbij and remained there after their hard-fought victory there against the IS.

In the Turkey's southeastern city of Diyarbakir late on August 27, PKK fighters launched four rocket attacks on a military air base used by both Turkish and U.S. forces.

The Dogan News Agency said the rockets landed near a police checkpoint close to civilian aviation facilities, sending passengers and airport staff scrambling for shelter inside the civilian terminal.

Diyarbakir Governor Huseyin Aksoy said there were no casualties from that attack and that flights continued to arrive and take off on schedule.

Diyarbakir is the main city in southeastern Turkey, which is largely populated by Kurds.

With reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, Dogan, and TASS

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/turkey-launches- air-strikes-against-ypg/27950681.html

Copyright (c) 2016. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Two soldiers killed as fresh clashes erupt in eastern Ukraine

Iran Press TV

Sun Aug 28, 2016 12:41PM

Two Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in a fresh wave of fighting between government forces and pro-Russia militants in the east of the country.

The Ukrainian military claimed on Sunday that the two were killed as the pro-Russia militants violated a peace agreement by shelling government-held areas with heavy weaponry including mortars and cannons.

"Over the past 24 hours, as a result of fighting, we lost two of our servicemen while another four soldiers were wounded," Ukrainian military spokesman, Andriy Lysenko, said without elaborating on the location where the soldiers had perished.

According to the Minsk II ceasefire agreement, the warring sides in Ukraine are separated through a 30-kilometer-wide (19-mile-wide) buffer zone. Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France agreed on the truce deal in February 2015 in the Belorussian capital in a bid to put an end to the violence which had left more than 9,500 people dead. However, clashes have continued along the buffer zone with the two sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire.

Tensions escalated this month after Russia accused Ukraine of plotting to invade Crimea, a former Ukrainian peninsula on the Black Sea which joined Russia after a referendum in 2014. Kiev, which views the results of the Crimea referendum as illegal, has repeatedly accused Russia of having a hand in the militancy in the east. Russia rejects the allegations of direct involvement but says that it will support the ethnic Russian population in the east against the suppression by the Ukrainian government.

Ukraine said last week that three of its soldiers were killed by pro-Russia militants, saying militants launched more than 500 mortar and 300 artillery shells at government positions. Reports said the violence was the worst seen in the separatist east for a year.

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COLUMBIA, S.C., Aug. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Apex EyeCare, serving the Columbia, Dentsville and surrounding areas of South Carolina, is pleased to announce the addition of the OVVO Optics line of eyewear to their in-house frames selection. The OVVO Optics collection features handcrafted frames for sunglasses and corrective lenses. These imported eyewear products are made from materials that render them virtually indestructible.

The OVVO Optics line of eyewear has been available in the U.S. since 2011. However, the companys history dates back to Cold War era of Europe when a group of scientists was developing materials for military and aeronautics use. They fused titanium with surgical steel, and the result was an exceptionally light, flexible, highly durable and hypoallergenic material.

In 1980, the remarkable qualities of this new composite metal inspired engineers to start using it to make eyewear frames for glasses. OVVO frames are manufactured with outstanding precision with this material and hand-finished by artisans with over 30 years of experience. OVVO frames are created in Poland and Germany in family-owned plants to bring unmatched quality and exquisite European style worldwide. This premier addition to the eyeglasses line at Apex EyeCare is now available from the Dentsville optometrist.

The OVVO Optics manufacturing process involves 65 to 85 steps to complete each frame. German engineered laser technology is used to cut each frame from raw steel imported from Sweden. Numerous stages of hand-manufacturing involve high levels of precision and attention to detail. Each set of frames is finished with hand-polishing as well as any painting, and are closely inspected at each phase to ensure the highest quality.

OVVO glasses frames weigh 0.6 ounces or less, resulting in unparalleled comfort as well as unfailing strength and durability. Testing has shown that OVVO frames stretched out flat can withstand 90 pounds of weight without breakage. The OVVO Optics patented screw-free hinge can handle over 300,000 rotations, which is equal to over 200 years of normal wear. Even with this much use, there are no discernible changes in appearance or structure.

Dr. Michael McClay of Apex EyeCare says, We are pleased to be able to make the OVVO line of precision eyewear available to our customers. With such stringent materials and manufacturing standards, its no wonder the end products are flawless, sophisticated works of art. Our Dentsville sunglasses and eyeglass frames are durable, comfortable and flexible, and OVVO Optics are truly in a league of their own.

Columbia and Dentsville optometrist Apex EyeCare is located at 7499 Parklane Road in Columbia, South Carolina and offers comprehensive eye exams, LASIK co-management and eye disease treatments. Those in the public who would like more information about the practice or wish to book an appointment may do so by calling (803) 757-0667. Additional information on their full range of optometry services is also available on their website at http://www.apexeyecare.net/.
A 21-year-old Danville man suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound early Sunday morning after officers received a call of shots fired at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Police responded to the call at about 1 a.m. to find a large crowd in the parking lot of Buffalo Wild Wings off Riverside Drive in Danville, according to a Danville Police Department news release.

After police were on scene, the shooting victim showed up at Danville Regional Medical Center.

The man was taken to the hospital via private transport from [the] area the shots were fired, the news release stated.

The victim was listed in stable condition early Sunday morning.

As of 6 p.m. Sunday, the incident remains under investigation by the Danville Police Department, according the Lt. M.T. White Jr. No additional details have been released.

Anyone with information is encouraged to contact Danville Crime Stoppers at (434) 793-0000, the Danville Police Department at (434) 799-6508 or via crimetips@danvilleva.gov.
The best way to spot a trend is to find yourself in the middle of it: ask the folks who own Left Field in Carnegie, which opened in May and is setting two of Melbourne's biggest cafe trends  inner-city style cafes following their customers to the suburbs, and weekday queues for tables.

At Mammoth in Armadale the queues are for some well-worked cafe food  including a doughnut burger of baby slipper lobster in a bun-shaped thing that was actually a cinnamon and salt-and-pepper dusted donut. Delicious? Hell yeah.

The salmon served at Glovers Station cafe in Elsternwick. Photo: Chris Hopkins

This proliferation of sandwich-type things made of anything but bread continues with the Oreo doughnut slider at Left Field and a croissant-based burger at White Mojo in Balwyn.

Batch brews of black filter coffee keep pushing into the suburbs, too, (hello Glovers Station, Elsternwick and Left Field, again), but one trend we aren't crazy about is filter coffee in glasses. It tastes better in ceramic.

Melbourne has reached #PeakWellness, with matcha, turmeric and even alga lattes being poured all over town.

Roasted mushrooms and polenta served at Higher Ground. Photo: Paul Jeffers

Cafe food with extra bling? Nobody does it better than Axil Coffee Roasters, who opened Mayday Coffee and Food in Richmond in January, with a menu featuring a s'more chocolate waffle with torched marshmallows, and avo smash seasoned with nori salt and pickled radish on pumpkin grain toast.

To see what's next, look no further than Higher Ground, brought to us by the folks behind Top Paddock and The Kettle Black.

The new, towering space at the bottom of Little Bourke Street is more like a hotel lobby than a cafe, with seating over three levels in a mix of bar, communal table, small tables and lounge-y areas. The open kitchen is staffed by chefs who've worked at Jacques Reymond, Supernormal and Pope Joan, and the menu by co-owner Nate Wilkins is all about fresh local ingredients in inventive but approachable brunch combinations.

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There's share plates for Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, coffee roasted by Square One roastery, a good wine selection and house-made cordials for grown-up non-boozy drinking: a trend we'd like to see kick on.

Grilled chicken waldorf at Glovers Station cafe in Elsternwick. Photo: Chris Hopkins

These five finalists for The Age Good Food Guide's "Cafe of the Year" award have a direct line into the Melbourne cafe zeitgeist. The winner will be announced on Monday, September 12, at the launch of The Age Good Food Guide 2017.

Head to Mammoth in Melbourne's Armadale for not-so-usual breakfasts. Photo: Wayne Taylor

Glovers Station

The locals like to linger in this spacious converted mock-Tudor car garage sipping bottomless cups of batch brew and brunching on a menu that is part healthy activated almond bircher muesli, part decadent (but organic) pulled pork and lamb shoulder.

Trend Batch brew goes mainstream.

Go-to dish Smoked salmon mousse with pickled asparagus and soft-boiled eggs.

258 Glen Eira Road, Elsternwick, 03 9532 7765, gloversstation.com.au

Higher Ground

Cafe doesn't seem the right word for this sophisticated space, which sprawls over three levels. The menu uses good ingredients to riff on the things we like for brunch, the coffee is the real Melbourne specialty deal, and you can have a little shrub if you want a non-alcoholic aperitif before breakfast. Winning.

Trend "Cafe" taken to another level.

Go-to dish Roasted and pickled seasonal mushrooms with soft polenta.

650 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, 03 8899 6219, highergroundmelbourne.com.au

Left Field

Inner-city cafe-goers move to the suburbs and the inner-city cafes follow, bringing great coffee and a menu that is equal parts healthy (hello turmeric latte), decadent and Instagrammable (come on down, cookies-and-cream doughnut sliders), with some Middle Eastern touches touches for good measure.

Trend Suburban drift.

Go-to dish Smoked and braised beef short rib with fried egg.

358 Koornang Road, Carnegie, 03 9578 2043

The lobster doughnut burger at Mammoth. Photo: Wayne Taylor

Mammoth

This triangular corner spot in Armadale has a flash menu featuring luxe ingredients treated with cheffy care  eggs benedict served with twice-cooked duck breast, maybe, or a squid-ink crepe with spanner crab and lemon sorbet.

Trend The doughnut burger/slider thing.

Go-to dish North Shore  ham hock, flame-grilled pineapple, jalapeno popper.

736 Malvern Road, Armadale, 03 9824 5239, eatmammoth.com

Mayday Coffee & Food

Hawthorn's Axil Coffee Roasters has come across the Yarra to Richmond with smart food, their signature espresso and filter brews and insane chocolate waffles. Coming soon: an in-house bakery/patisserie, Penny For Pound.

Trend Blinged-up food.

Go-to dish Citrus-cured ocean trout with potato and fennel croquettes.

410 Bridge Road, Richmond 03 9421 0111

The Age Good Food Guide 2017 award night, presented by Citi and Vittoria, is on September 12. The Guide will be on sale in newsagents and bookstores from September 13, with all book purchases receiving free access to the new Good Food app.
Melbourne cafe culture meets Sicilian fine dining at new Brunswick eatery Small Axe Kitchen, a daytime project from husband-and-wife team Adam Pruckner and Kirstyn Tate with longtime friend Jas Singh.

Chef Pruckner is Code Black alumnus so he knows good brunch. He's drawing on his Italian heritage with a "not-rustic" menu featuring breakfast pasta, a carbonara-esque number combining tiny twisted maccaruni pasta with cubes of guanciale, a 63-degree egg, peas and salted ricotta.

There's some serious toastie action, too: thick slices of scamorza cheese sandwiched between Fatto a Mano sourdough, crumbed then deep-fried whole. "It's pretty dirty," Pruckner says. "You'll definitely need the pickle."

Carbonara-like breakfast pasta at Small Axe Kitchen in Brunswick. Photo: Wayne Taylor

It's not just carbs. The menu features a substantial selection of gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan meals, partly a reflection of their Brunswick clientele and partly Sicilian influence.

"We like to option things so you can add the meat afterwards," he says.

There are plenty of dining areas in the newly converted space (a one-time fish and chip shop and furniture store).

A side-facing courtyard gets plenty of sun, a street-facing "espresso bar" houses a custom three group La Marzocco and right up the back there's a 30-seat open-air dining room where Tate, Pruckner and Singh hope to host monthly family-style dinners when Pruckner's Italian mother and her sisters agree to join him in the kitchen. Let's hope they say yes.

Open daily 7am-4pm.

281 Victoria Street, Brunswick, 03 9938 6061, smallaxekitchen.com
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BROWNWOOD

Zika educational programs planned

A pair of Zika educational programs for the public will be conducted by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Monday in Brown County.

The first program, sponsored by the city of Brownwood, will be at 4 p.m. at the Adams Street Community Center, 511 E. Adams St. The second will be at 6 p.m. at the May School in May and is sponsored by the May Independent School District.

Scott Anderson, Brown County agriculture agent, said both programs are open to anyone interested free of charge. For more information, call Anderson's office at 325-646-0386.

COLLEGE STATION

Porcupines found in bat caves

Researchers studying the impact of small mammals on cave habitats with endangered invertebrate species got a prickly surprise when they discovered large numbers of porcupines parading in and out of dozens of caves in the San Antonio area.

"Our initial research was to describe the use of caves by meso-mammals, small to mid-sized mammals, in south central Texas that also contain federally listed endangered species, said Andrea Montalvo, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Meso-mammals include raccoons, opossums, skunks and porcupines.

Montalvo has been working with Chris Thibodaux, a cave and karst specialist with the 502nd Civil Engineer Squadron's Environmental Flight and Natural Resources unit. She said research they have been conducting in northwest San Antonio for the past three years should provide a more complete analysis of cave system dynamics, allowing biologists to better manage area cave resources and habitat.

"Recently, a $15 million highway expansion project was delayed after the federally endangered Bracken Bat Cove mesweaver spider was detected for the first time in three decades during the construction of a highway underpass. Construction plans were changed to an overpass and, as a result, the cost nearly tripled."

For more information on the cave research, contact Andrea Montalvo at 210-277-0292 or email at aem595@tamu.edu.

SAN ANGELO

Ram performance test starts Sept. 12

The 2016-2017 Ram Performance Test will begin Sept. 12 with delivery of the Rambouillet rams to the Texas A&M Research Center, north of San Angelo on U.S. Highway 87.

Dan Waldron, Texas A&M AgriLife Research geneticist and the test's coordinator, and Reid Redden, state sheep and goat specialist, both at San Angelo, will host a meeting for ram test consignors and other seedstock breeders at 1:30 p.m. the same day and location.

Redden said the group will discuss the future of genetic improvement in the Texas ewe flock.

"This discussion will address the value of the ram test and other tools that seedstock breeders can use to improve the genetic potential of their sheep," Redden said.

"This test, conducted since 1948, has been instrumental in helping breeders identify and select for large-framed, fast growing, heavy-fleeced rams with excellent fleece quality," he said. "But now, to keep abreast of the changing industry, other strategies are available to track traits that can't be measured in the current ram test environment. These traits include ewe production, parasite resistance and lamb survival."

Waldron said the field day and sale of the top performance tested rams is scheduled for March 17 at the center.

An initial fee of $375 per ram will be required and is expected to cover the costs associated with the test. Payment must be received on or before Sept. 12.

For more information, contact Redden or Waldron at 325-653-4576.
SHARE A study has found that from 1990 to 2010, a yearly average of 17,187 children under the age of 5 suffered injuries in association with baby strollers and carriers. (Christin Lola/Fotolia)

By Lisa Gutierrez The Kansas City Star (TNS)

Thousands of children every year are taken to hospital emergency rooms with injuries associated with baby strollers and carriers, reveals a new study published last week in the medical journal Academic Pediatrics.

The study found that from 1990 to 2010, a yearly average of 17,187 children under the age of 5 suffered injuries ranging from mild bruises to severe concussions, though that rate appears to be declining.

Most of the injured children  96.5 percent  were not hospitalized.

Most often injured? Boys under the age of 1.

Bumps and bruises, most often to the head and face, were the most common injuries, the study found. But about a quarter of stroller injuries and 35 percent of carrier-related injuries were concussions or traumatic brain injuries.

In fact, the rate of TBIs and concussions rose dramatically in the time period studied, from 19 percent of injuries in 1990 to 42 percent of injuries in 2010 for strollers, and from 18 percent of injuries in 1990 to 53 percent of injuries in 2010 for carriers.

Researchers said the increase might be due to the publics increased awareness of head injuries rather than a true rise in the rate of cases.

While these products are used safely by families every day, when injuries do occur they can be quite serious, study co-author Kristi Roberts, a research associate in the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, said in a statement.

The majority of injuries we saw were head injuries, which is scary considering the fact that traumatic brain injuries and concussions in young children may have long-term consequences on cognitive development.

Investigators analyzed data from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on consumer product and sports-related injuries treated in American emergency rooms. They estimated national injury rates by also reviewing information from 100 hospitals and the U.S. Census Bureau.

The injuries are not necessarily caused by the products themselves. For instance, 60 percent to 65 percent of the injuries happened when children fell out of strollers and carriers  both the wearable type like Baby Bjorns and carriers with handles.

Just for stroller injuries, about 16 percent happened when a stroller tipped over, 9 percent when the child tripped over it, and 5 percent when the child got an arm or leg caught in it, according to Live Science.

In general, these are products that are not hazardous in and of themselves, usually, especially if they are used properly, Kyran Quinlan, associate professor at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics on Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention, told ABC News.

This study calls attention to make sure they are used right.

The study doesnt exonerate the products completely. From 1990 through 2010, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued 43 stroller-related recalls and 13 infant carrier-related recalls for injury risks that included falls, entrapment, strangulation or choking hazards, amputations, and lacerations, the study pointed out.

Elliot Kaye, chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, said that new federal mandates have been issued since 2010, the last year studied, to make strollers and carriers safer.

For this reason, my message to parents is: newer is better, Kaye said in a statement. Safer juvenile products that meet these mandatory standards are in stores and online today. They are designed and built with critical safety features that I strongly encourage parents to use each time their children are in a stroller or carrier.

Robert Glatter, an emergency medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, told ABC News he consistently sees children come in with stroller-related injuries that are usually not serious.

For that reason he tells parents: Slow down, never rush  this is precious cargo,

Glatter is not a fan of adults texting or using cell phones while pushing a stroller or using a baby carrier because even a split second of distraction can lead to a misstep, trip or fall, he said.

The studys authors also included tips for parents. As basic as it sounds, parents should make sure their child is always seated and buckled properly into the stroller or carrier. Read the manufacturers instructions on buckling.

Dont hang heavy purses or bags on stroller handles because all that weight could cause it to tip over.

Lock the strollers wheels so it doesnt roll away when you park it.

And never, ever, let a child push a stroller.
SHARE Humanscale QuickStand is height-adjustable, so it'll transform any desk into an active desk. $699 at Standmodern.com (Stand Modern) Raise your computer to the right level with a monitor stand, and use the extra space for storage. $39.99 at Containerstore.com (Container Store) The makers of the Steelcase Gesture examined the movements of the body over the course of the day before designing the chair. $959 at Thehumansolution.com (Steelcase) More than 20 doctors helped make the Herman Miller Embody Chair ergonomically healthy. Starts at $1,229 at Dwr.com (Herman Miller)

By Danielle Braff Chicago Tribune (TNS)

Chances are, youre sitting right now. Your back may be aching. Or maybe its your shoulders.

Most of us dont have a choice: Were locked into our offices for eight hours a day, and thats if were lucky. And that means that our bottoms are firmly tucked into an office chair.

A few years ago, standing desks were all the rage. You could burn calories and combat the risk of heart disease and premature death linked with sitting all day by standing while you worked.

But a recent study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that standing is no better for your health than sitting because being still was what was negatively affecting your health. So office workers went back to their chairs.

Within the past decade, weve circled through exercise ball chairs, treadmills for chairs, standing desks and now were back at square one.

There must be a better way.

Yes, there is, said Luca Carr, assistant professor in health and human physiology at the University of Iowa. The answer, he said, is a combo.

A good rule of thumb is to purchase desk that easily adjust between sitting and standing, Carr said. Desks that have electronic lifts or air lifts tend to be easiest to adjust.

This way, Carr said, youre always on the move, with frequent posture adjustments.

For those simply looking to retrofit their current desk, the Varidesk Pro Plus 36 ($395 at Varidesk.com) is a good option, Carr said. But he also recommended the Uplift Height Adjustable Sit Stand Desk (price varies by configuration and by desk at Upliftdesk.com) for those interested in a completely new adjustable desk.

Those who dont want to adjust their desks and chairs throughout the day may want to look into chairs that are simply better for their bodies.

Workers should make sure they have a chair that allows them to move in a range of healthy seated postures, said Ken Tameling, general manager of global seating and surface materials for Steelcase.

There are a variety of ergonomic chairs that will support your lower, mid- and upper back, even when youre hunched over your computer or your paperwork, said Alan Hedge, director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory at Cornell University. He said ergonomic chairs that provide good support for the entire body are the Humanscale Freedom Chair with Headrest ($999 at thehumansolution.com), the Embody chair by Herman Miller (starts at $1,229 at Dwr.com) and the Leap chair by Steelcase ($919 at store.steelcase.com). Those looking to combine a core workout with active sitting should get the CoreChair ($1,195.95 at Fitter1.com), Hedge said.

Its also important that your computer be placed at the correct relationship with your neck and head  specifically, it should be at your eye level, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

The computer screen should be 18 to 30 inches from your body, with no change in sight line or angle when you change posture, Tameling said. Your head should remain over your neck, versus hunched forward. If your computer isnt the right height for your neck and head, try raising it with a Monitor Stand ($39.99, containerstore.com).

These adjustable options should be combined with creating an inconvenient office environment. Yes, inconvenient is best.

We have designed our work spaces to be so convenient that its having a negative impact on our health, Carr said. He suggested moving the printer, trash can and anything else that you use regularly so that its out of reach, forcing you to get up and move in order to reach them.

Well do that next. One step at a time.
A decades-old life-size plywood cutout of Dick, Jane, Sally and their pets perched up on a high cabinet, keeping silent watch over the room.

Down below, a small circle of 6- and 7-year-old students sprawled on the carpet in a relaxed late-afternoon reading circle.

Classroom computers napped. A lima bean sprout basked in late-May sunshine on a wide windowsill. A little boy giggled.

The teacher looked from the children's book she was reading aloud and smiled.

She turned the page.

Marjorie Howell taught first grade in the same room at Crockett Elementary for 50 years. It was classroom No. 1.

In May 2008 she taught her last day in the room she knew so well.

"I've always liked round numbers," Mrs. Howell told me after the class ended. "I liked the idea of retiring with 50 years at Crockett."

Mrs. Howell was San Angelo's elementary teacher of the year in 2001 and it seemed she would never stop teaching children.

"Winding up a school year is never easy, and it has been hectic the last few weeks," she said after her last class in No. 1. "It always is this time of year, but now, since I'm moving out, I'm also trying to sort through 50 years of stuff."

Brightly colored charts, calendars, maps and lists of words papered the walls, ready to help fix students' learning problems.

I asked her how she went about teaching first-graders. Mrs. Howell, who turned 88 that summer, said whenever she let students learn by doing, "that makes learning interesting."

To master addition and subtraction, students would shop at and operate a make-believe "store," complete with a cash register, in the classroom.

"I used to talk about bluebonnets being the state flower of Texas, and students had no idea what they looked like," she said. "But after they grew some, they knew."

To learn about plants, her classroom grew bluebonnets in the circle drive that was in front of the school. It's now named The Marjorie Howell Circle in her honor. The school's library is also named after the teacher.

Mrs. Howell placed special emphasis on reading. She had shelf after shelf of colorful, much-used books. "They call to young readers," she said.

"My focus is on reading," Mrs. Howell said. "I love to see the kids learn to read and learn to love reading."

Watching a nonreader become a reader is "always exciting," she said.

"There comes a moment when they've finally 'got it.'

"They can finally read."

Mrs. Howell clipped stories about former students from the newspaper, laminated the clippings and hung them on her classroom wall.

"My wall of fame," she told me.

Over the years students had returned to No. 1 to visit with Mrs. Howell, to read to her students, to play miniconcerts for the classroom.

Mrs. Howell read aloud to me from some of the clips, matching the names with long ago first-grade faces: Apodaca, Stephens, Phillips, Darby, Watts, Miley, Monoya.

She took the clippings when she left, along with "Dick and Jane."

Her advice for the new teacher in Crockett No. 1 was: "Do for the children in your room what you would hope someone else would do for your own child.

"Give the children every opportunity to learn.

"Love them."

Rick Smith is a local news and community affairs columnist. Contact him at 325-659-8248 or rick.smith@gosanangelo.com.
A resident walks along the Concho River after San Angelo received rainfall Aug. 13. Adam Sauceda/Standard-Times file

SHARE Michelle Gaitan/Standard-Times Annie Showers (left) tries to keep a grip on her umbrella as she makes her way with her family to the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts' Family Day STEAM on Saturday. Michelle Gaitan/Standard-Times A little girl holds out her hand to catch raindrops as she and her family take cover under the awning in front of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts during Family Day STEAM on Saturday.

West Texas can go from rain to drought

By Matthew Mcdaniel, matthew.mcdaniel@gosanangelo.com

It's been an odd year for weather in West Texas, but that's typical of what makes it an interesting place to be a meteorologist.

"We can go from abundant rainfall, like we had in the first half of the year, to extended drought like we had in July, and then we get into August, and we are issuing flash-flood advisories like we did last week," Steve Lyons, lead meteorologist for the National Weather Service station in San Angelo, said last week. "It keeps you on your toes all the time."

The first half of 2016 was marked by unusually frequent rains. Normal yearly rainfall for San Angelo is about 21 inches, a mark surpassed with the 3-inch rainfall recorded June 27.

It's characteristic of our "problem climate," Lyons said, and stems from the strong rainfall gradient in our area, which makes farming and ranching so challenging.

"Our area behaves like a desert climate some of the time  extremely dry  but it sometimes exhibits tendencies of the wetter climates southeast of us, with the flooding problems common to those areas," he said. "We are constantly moving toward drought with our catchments emptying out  and then we get some huge rains, and that fills up the reservoirs a little bit but can cause massive flooding too," he said.

Filling up our lakes can be a mixed blessing.

"The best thing you can hope for  as far as filling the reservoirs  is to get all of our yearly rainfall on one day," he said. "Of course, then the crops and everything else would be dead, the city would be flooded and people might die  but the catchments would be full to capacity.

"On the other hand, if we divided the average yearly rainfall evenly across each day of the year, every reservoir would be bone dry because of evaporation.  So, we have to be careful what we wish for."

Lyons said the current seasonal outlook predicts above-average temperatures in the region going into the final months of 2016.

"We have about a 40-percent chance for above-average temperatures over the next three months  but that outlook is not very certain.  We have about a 33-percent chance for near-normal temperatures and a 20-percent chance for below normal," he said.

Lyons said the precipitation outlook is what local people are really interested in.

"Unfortunately, during this time frame, we have pretty much equal chances of being above or below normal precipitation levels," he said.

El Nino says 'Adios!'

"Our El Nino is gone," Lyons said. "We are now in a La Nina watch  which is the opposite phase  and usually when that occurs, it starts up in late fall and peaks during the winter, then fades away by spring, and we are back to normal for a year or two."

He said local weather professionals have come to expect El Nino  a hemispheric weather phenomenon influenced by water temperatures in the Pacific off the South American coast  every three to five years, along with corresponding La Nina events.

According to Lyons, the repetitive weather patterns have less influence over our weather than commonly believed.

"El Nino doesn't really control our weather around here that much," he said. "When it happens, it only impacts our weather during the late fall, winter and early spring months. During the late spring and summer months, the El Nino signal can't even get to our area because of high pressure."

Lyons said the ridge of high pressure that normally develops over Baja California prevents El Nino weather from moving in our direction, reflecting it into the tropics instead.

"We typically have a weak El Nino signal in West Texas, because our rainfall maximum occurs in spring and fall  when we are isolated from these weather patterns  not in the winter.  Southern California, on the other hand, gets no rain in the summer, but El Nino and La Nina affect their weather in the winter months," he said.

"A lot of our variability comes randomly  it can last a month or two, and then go away. It's just inherent in the wave patterns across North America, and those just come and go."

What about hurricanes?

Lyons said that historically, West Texas has benefited from the remnants of tropical storms, which, if they slow down just right, can stall and produce big rains.

"When it comes to tropical weather, it's not just the Atlantic Basin in play. The eastern Pacific makes an impact, too," he said.

"Occasionally, we get some remnant from the Pacific that comes up over Baja or Old Mexico and pushes moisture into our area, where it interacts with a frontal boundary  basically stalls  and produces 10 inches of rain."

Lyons said that can happen in any year, regardless of how active the hurricane season.

"There is always hope that we can get rain from these tropical patterns, but the problem with these events is that they can cause massive flooding.  So, again, we have to be careful what we wish for."

Lyons talked about the best-case scenario for tropical weather.

"Ideally, what we want is some weak remnant that interacts with a front to bring some steady, continuous rain that lasts for a week  so we don't get the flash flooding  but we get the kind of steady runoff that fills our reservoirs," he said.

Lyons said the best chances for rain from the Atlantic Basin end in September, but storms from the eastern Pacific can influence weather into early October.

This year's hurricane forecast in the Atlantic Basin calls for increased storm activity, but Lyons said that doesn't mean much for local rain chances. He said there is little correlation between an active hurricane season in the Atlantic Basin and storms that make landfall, and hurricane outlooks should be disregarded when talking about Texas.

"Now, if you take the Gulf of Mexico  which is a subset of the Basin  the correlation is even poorer, and when you look at the coast of Texas, there is almost no relationship at all, statistically speaking," he said.

What about climate change?

Lyons said that while he and his colleagues agree climate change is happening, the process of predicting its local impact is murky at best.

"To be able to actually forecast the changes in our climate is very difficult," he said. "And right now, the reliability of the models is pretty poor."

Lyons said historical patterns that have governed our weather are likely to change, but the process is gradual and complex.

For example, he said, a 99-degree day under that influence might become a 100-degree day. "Now you may not be able to really feel the difference between 99 and 100 degrees, but it does have an effect on the weather," he said.

Lyons said there are too many variables to give a solid answer at this time, but he was willing to speculate on the big considerations: precipitation and temperatures here in West Texas.

He speculates that one of the major changes for West Texas could involve the high-pressure ridges that tend to govern our weather, which might retreat northward as climate change plays out.

"That is where all of our storms form ... in that westerly wind band," he said. "We expect this to shift north. How far to the north is another question."

Lyons said such a change would affect local rainfall.

"The rain gradient where we live is really a pretty short distance  if you go toward San Antonio and Austin, they get quite a bit more rain than we do; if you go the other direction, they get a lot less  but on a global scale, they are not very far away," he said.

Lyons expects rainfall events to be more concentrated.

"Rains are likely to be heavier over a more localized area.  That may bode well for increased rainfall in San Angelo, but it may not be good in terms of broad coverage for the agricultural areas of West Texas."

He said broad areas of rain are much better for recharging aquifers and keeping crops and livestock healthy.

Lyons said improvements in technology are helping climatologists fine tune these weather models, but with so many variables it's a challenge to interpret the data accurately.

"A question for us right now is whether we are recording more rains because our measurement systems have gotten better with time, or if it's due to climate change," he said. "We think it's related to climate change, but there is no guarantee that it is."

According to Lyons' best current guess, the area will experience milder winters with less precipitation in the broad future, and summers may be a little hotter, with a chance of increased rainfall.

"If the subtropical ridges that haunt our area, producing hot, dry weather, shift north, it could open a path for tropical moisture and result in more rain," he said.

Ultimately, though, the big changes in global weather progress slowly enough that effects may not be detectable in a single lifetime, he said.
Aquad Squad students greet passers-by at their installation show at the Coop Gallery. They use social media, videos, gallery installations and interviews in their water education efforts.

SHARE Yfat Yossifor / Standard-Times The 2016 Aqua Squad covered the floor in dirt for their installation show at Coop Gallery. Yfat Yossifor / Standard-Times Hailey Hawkins, left, shows a visitor the 2016 Aqua Squad installations at Coop Gallery. Yfat Yossifor / Standard-Times Students shows visitors the 2016 Aqua Squad installations at Coop Gallery. photos by Yfat Yossifor / Standard-Times Abigail Stevens (left) and Lilly Bright show off their gallery installation, including a painting of mesquite tree roots.

They learn how to talk to the public

By Yfat Yossifor, yfat.yossifor@gosanangelo.com / @yyossifor

A thick layer of dry, cracked dirt covered the gallery floor. Visitors walked on it, feeling it crunch underfoot.

From the ceiling, large paper cutouts shaped like water droplets hung down to the floor while a video playing in the background showed facts about water and drought.

The installation was part of the projects of the 2016 Aqua Squad, displayed at Coop Gallery located at 427 S. Oakes St.

The Aqua Squad is 10 San Angelo middle school students who spend the summer learning about water so they can become water ambassadors.

The program is led by the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with San Angelo Independent School District and the Upper Colorado River Authority.

"We give them lots of information but their job is to actually come up with a way to communicate that information to the public," said Bekah Coleman, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts curator of education.

They use social media, videos, gallery installations and interviews to convey information about water quality, aspects of the Concho River watershed and lake levels, but it's about more than water.

"It's an amazing program that gave them so many skills that they don't get at home or school, from interviewing to learning how to research projects and learning how to set up displays and exhibits," said Brandy Hawkins, whose daughter, Hailey Hawkins, participated in the program.

"They learned to execute the skills in a full project. This is something that will take them through college and maybe even into their careers," she said.

On a wall in the gallery, the students painted the image of a mesquite tree, its roots spreading across the floor to the opposite wall. The root system is much larger than the tree, illustrating the amount of water mesquites use and the problems associated with invasive species.

Other installations are maps and graphs to show the declining levels in the lakes around San Angelo.

"What stuck out to me was how much water we had in Twin Buttes before the big drought in 2011," said 13-year-old Lilly Bright. "People don't know how low the water was and they don't know what the level is now, it's gotten better but it's still really low."

At the beginning of the program the students toured the lakes in the region.

"We stopped by places that had trees and bushes and they said, 'This used to be the lake'  I was so surprised by how bad it was," said Abigail Stevens, 12. "They have boat docks that we can't use anymore."

"I want to help our city conserve water so we don't have to buy water from other states in the future," she said.

The squad traveled to Philadelphia to learn about water issues from somebody else's standpoint, Coleman said. Philadelphia has a sister program set up for their middle school students, and those students visited San Angelo as well.

"San Angelo suffers from water quantity issues, and the students traveled to Philadelphia, where they have more than enough water but they have water quality issues such as sewage and runoff," she explained.

The biggest difference Stevens noticed in Philadelphia is they have so much water. The people waste water and don't have awareness about conservation.

"People don't want to take care of it, they think someone else is going to walk up and do it, and over the years no one did it," Stevens said.

"Their students and ours exchange culture, communication efforts and everything you can think of," Coleman said.

As visitors arrived at the gallery, they were greeted by students who walked them around the exhibit, explaining the displays.

"I think even people who grew up in San Angelo don't realize that some of these lakes are only a fourth of what they were, seeing the exhibits they created on the walls is shocking," Hawkins said.

"When kids learn about needs and how they can make a difference, it's truly the power of one, they can make an impact on the community to bring this attention forward."
<div> Federal Communication Commission (FCC) ChairmanTom Wheeler, center, joins hands with FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn, left, and Jessica Rosenworcel, before the start of their open hearing in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2015. Internet service providers like Comcast, Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile would have to act in the "public interest" when providing a mobile connection to your home or phone, under new rules being considered by the Federal Communications Commission. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)</div>

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By Vera Bergengruen, McClatchy Washington Bureau (TNS)

WASHINGTON  When the Federal Communications Commission voted to approve net neutrality rules last year, many people saw it as a done deal. Supporters cheered the decision as a victory for the free and open internet, where the deep pockets of big companies couldnt buy faster web speeds over struggling startups.

Since then, the issue has largely faded from the spotlight and has rarely come up on the presidential campaign trail. But internet policy experts say the FCC decision was far from the end of the story  and with just over 10 weeks until the election, time is running out for voters to ask the candidates to clarify their positions.

There are a number of unresolved issues surrounding net neutrality that are still going to be hot topics to be resolved by the next administration, said Doug Brake, a telecom policy analyst at the nonprofit Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

Net neutrality rules, also known as open internet, prohibit internet service providers from favoring certain high-traffic websites, like Netflix and Amazon, by giving them greater bandwidth at the expense of smaller start-up companies. Advocates argue that it ensures an even playing field. An open internet also means banning fast lanes, which would allow ISPs like Verizon and AT&T to pay extra to ensure smoother, speedier streaming for their users.

Internet companies have vowed to continue the fight against the regulation, pursuing it all the way to the Supreme Court if need be. This June, a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected challenges to the net neutrality rules. The next presidents administration, and the FCC, will face the colossal task of catching up to technology that evolves beyond its ability to regulate it.

Clinton would follow in Obamas footsteps on internet policy

Hillary Clintons campaign website says she strongly supports the FCC decision under the Obama administration to adopt strong network neutrality rules.

While she would be following in the Obama administrations footsteps, Clinton has her own decadelong record of supporting net neutrality. While serving as a New York senator, she co-sponsored the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, which sought to amend the 1934 Communications Act to ensure net neutrality.

The internet as we know it does not discriminate among its users, she said in 2006. It does not decide who can enter its marketplace and it does not pick which views can be heard and which ones silenced.

Ten years later, adopting tech sector-friendly policies is proving to be a smart fundraising strategy for the Democratic nominee. This week she wrapped up a fundraising tour that included several Silicon Valley hotspots. One of the events was hosted by Apple CEO Tim Cook, with tickets selling for $2,700 to $50,000.

Clinton has also worked broadband issues into her infrastructure platform.

By 2020, I want 100 percent of American households to have access to quality, affordable high-speed internet, no matter where they live, Clinton told supporters at a dinner in New Hampshire last November.

Trump  no policy yet, except for a tweet

The Republican nominees position is unclear, but its a reasonable assumption that he will line up with his partys opposition to net neutrality, which is seen as needless government regulation.

In fact, the only public acknowledgment of the issue from Donald Trump is a 2014 tweet weighing in on net neutrality when it dominated the headlines.

Obamas attack on the internet is another top down power grab. Net neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine. Will target the conservative media, he tweeted. He was referring to the 1940s law requiring newscasters to report the news in a balanced manner, which was repealed in 1987. Its unclear what it has to do with net neutrality; open internet rules dont give the FCC the power to interfere with any political content, conservative or otherwise.

The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

His running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, co-sponsored the Internet Freedom Act in 2011, which sought to kill net neutrality by prohibiting the FCC from further regulating the internet.

The positions of Trumps opponents for the Republican nomination shed a bit more light on the partys opposition to open internet regulation.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz famously called net neutrality Obamacare for the internet. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio said regulation of the internet was illogical.

While the FCC plan supposedly seeks to prevent ISPs from playing favorites, it does so by giving that power to another entity: government, Rubio wrote in an opinion piece for Politico in March. The answer to correcting injustice in an economy is to increase consumer power, not government power.

The details of internet policy aside, there are other reasons the sector might not support Trump.

The tech community is full of immigrants who started their companies here, so many of them were founded by immigrants, said Marvin Ammori, a First Amendment lawyer well-known for his work on net neutrality issues whos general counsel for Hyperloop One, a tech company backed by Elon Musk thats working on an ultra-fast transit system. So if youre anti-immigrant youre not going to be popular in (Silicon) Valley. If youre anti-gay youre not going to be popular in the Valley.  So it does put Republicans at a disadvantage even if theyre progressive on some tech issues.

How much does it matter to the internets future who becomes president?

The president does matter, Ammori said, pointing out that the presidents party gets to pick three of the five FCC commissioners, as well as appoint the solicitor general, who would defend the regulations in front of the Supreme Court  or not.

This (net neutrality) was a 3-2 vote. If you get another Republican in there they could undermine everything the Obama administration has done, he said.

Despite the FCC decision, some ISPs are finding loopholes to go around net neutrality rules. For example, they might set monthly data limits for users but exempt certain apps or websites. This is known as zero rating, and some internet advocates argue it gives certain content preferential treatment.

These policies will have to evolve and change, and as carriers try to introduce new services and innovative pricing models, what ends up happening is you always have to make sure it remains an even playing field, Ammori said.

One of the clearest examples is T-Mobiles unlimited streaming service Binge On. While it might seem like a good thing for consumers, some internet policy experts worry that while its technically legal, its model infringes on net neutrality. Users are allowed to stream video without it counting toward their monthly data cap  but only as long as they stream from a select group of content providers. Smaller, less established video services that arent Netflix or HBO Go might never get to consumers, and that could stifle innovation for online startups.

Right now the FCC is somewhat quiet on this, since within the net neutrality order itself this is allowed, so the FCC is reviewing them on a case-by-case basis, said Brake of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

The use of zero rating practices by internet service providers will likely become a big tech issue for the next administration.

Binge On undermines the core vision of net neutrality, Barbara van Schewick, the director of the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, wrote in a report on the T-Mobile service. Internet service providers that connect us to the internet should not act as gatekeepers that pick winners and losers online by favoring some applications over others.
FILE - In this Jan. 17, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks about the release of Americans by Iran, in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington. A $400 million cash delivery to Iran to repay a decades-old arbitration claim may be unprecedented in recent U.S. history, according to legal experts and diplomatic historians, raising further questions about a payment timed to help free four American prisoners in Iran. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

SHARE White House press secretary Josh Earnest speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Earnest answered questions about the election, Iran, and other topics. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

By BRADLEY KLAPPER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  A $400 million cash delivery to Iran to repay a decades-old arbitration claim may be unprecedented in recent U.S. history, according to legal experts and diplomatic historians, raising further questions about a payment timed to help free four American prisoners in Iran.

The money was sent to Iran on Jan. 17, the same day Iran agreed to release the prisoners. The Obama administration claimed for months the events were separate, but recently acknowledged the cash was used as leverage until the Americans were allowed to leave Iran. Only then, did the U.S. allow a plane with euros, Swiss francs and other foreign currency loaded on pallets to take off in the other direction for Tehran.

"There's actually not anything particularly unusual about the mechanism for this transaction," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said this week of the initial cash payment.

But diplomatic historians and lawyers with expertise in international arbitration struggled to find any similar examples.

Asked to recall a similar payment of the U.S. using cash or hard money to settle an international dispute, the office of the State Department historian couldn't provide an example.

The acknowledgement that the prisoners and the payment were linked, and the unusual cash delivery, have fueled Republican claims that a "ransom" was paid. At a news conference this month, President Barack Obama said cash was used because the U.S. and Iran don't have a banking relationship after years of U.S. sanctions on Iran, making a check or wire transfer impossible.

The $400 million was the principal owed by the U.S. on a 1970s Iranian account for buying U.S. military equipment. After Iran's 1979 overthrow of the U.S.-backed shah and the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis in Tehran, the weapons were never delivered. Iran has wanted the money back plus interest ever since. Seven months ago, two sides put the matter to rest with a $1.7 billion settlement.

Alan Henrikson, diplomatic history professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, found a precedent by reaching back to the 1848 Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo that ended the Mexican-American War.

The accord called for the United States to pay Mexico $15 million, an amount worth about $482 million in today's money, he said. The payment was determined "in consideration of the extension acquired by the boundaries of the United States," vague diplomatic wording designed to compensate Mexico for a massive loss of territory that included all of California and parts of seven other states. At the same time, the Americans avoided any acceptance of national guilt.

The treaty stipulated that the U.S. immediately pay $3 million  or nearly $100 million in 2016 dollars  in Mexico City in the form of Mexico's gold or silver coin. The remainder had to be paid the same way in $3 million installments each year, with the debt subject to a fixed rate of 6 percent annual interest. President Ulysses S. Grant would later declare it "conscience money."

"Ambiguity is often needed in diplomacy in order to achieve agreement," Henrikson said. "What is important, in my view, is that both sides to a negotiation clearly understand, even if only tacitly, what is being agreed upon when ambiguity is used. This is not all that subtle, actually. It is life."

The administration has been ambiguous from the start about its settlement seven months ago. Reports by the Wall Street Journal have led to recent acknowledgements about the $400 million delivered in stacks of cash and the connection to the American prisoners. But officials still won't say how Iran received the $1.3 billion in interest.

It was done "in a fairly above-board way," a senior administration official intimately involved in the Iran negotiations said in a conference call last week, saying only that the interest payments involved an unidentified, foreign central bank. The official wasn't authorized to be quoted by name and demanded anonymity. The State Department said Wednesday the payments were made Jan. 19, two days after the cash delivery.

Other settlements with Iran and other foreign claimants in recent decades bore some similarities to this latest transaction. But none seemed to involve planeloads of cash.

In 1996, President Bill Clinton reached a settlement with Iran over the U.S. Navy's 1988 downing of an Iran Air passenger plane that killed 290 people.

The arrangement totaled $131.8 million but there was no cash delivery. Instead, $61 million was deposited in a Swiss bank account that was jointly held by the New York Federal Reserve and the Iranian Central Bank. The money was reserved for the families of those killed, not the Iranian government. The remainder of the settlement was mainly used to cover Iranian debts to U.S. claimants in separate arbitration cases.

And in 1998, the U.S. settled a dispute with Pakistan after halting the delivery of an F-16 aircraft purchase. The compensation was described as $325 million in cash and $140 million in surplus agricultural commodities, mainly wheat and soy, but the precise mechanics of the payment were never spelled out.

"There were no sanctions regarding dollars or banks in Pakistan, so it may have been that the 'cash payment' was a bank transfer," said Marcia Wiss, an international lawyer with a private practice in Washington.
FILE - In this Feb. 13, 2016, file photo, people stand on the steps of the Supreme Court at sunset in Washington. The ideological direction of the Supreme Court is going to tip one way or the other after the election. The outcome could sway decisions on issues that profoundly affect everyday Americans: immigration, gun control, climate change and more. The court has been operating with eight justices since Antonin Scalia died in February. His successor appears unlikely to be confirmed until after the election, at the earliest. The court is split between four Democratic-appointed, liberal justices and four conservatives who were appointed by Republicans, although Justice Anthony Kennedy has sided with the liberals on abortion, same-sex marriage and affirmative action in the past two years. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick, file)

SHARE FILE - In this Feb. 12, 2015 file photo, the Port of Los Angeles, with some cargo loading cranes in the upright and idle position, are seen in this view from the San Pedro area of Los Angeles. In this angry election year, many American voters are skeptical about free trade, or hostile to it. The backlash threatens a pillar of U.S. policy: The United States has long sought global trade. Economists say imports cut prices for consumers and make the U.S. more efficient. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File) FILE - In this May 28, 2016, file photo, Tibetan exhibitors check on their phones at their booth displaying their products during the China International Fair and Trade in Beijing. Tensions have been rising over Chinas assertive behavior in the seas of Asia. The U.S. also accuses China of unfair trading practices and cyber theft of business secrets. Donald Trump says that the sheer volume of trade gives the U.S. leverage over China. He accuses China of undervaluing its currency to make its exports artificially cheap and proposes tariffs as high as 45 percent on Chinese imports if Beijing doesnt change its behavior. Such action could risk a trade war that would make many products in the U.S. more expensive. Clinton says the U.S. needs to press the rising Asian power to play by international rules, whether on trade or territorial disputes. (AP Photo/Andy Wong, File)

By Associated Press

EDITOR'S NOTE: A look at issues at stake in the election and their impact on people

WASHINGTON (AP)  A selection of issues at stake in the presidential election and their impact on Americans, in brief:

TRADE

In this angry election year, many U.S. voters are skeptical about free trade  or hostile to it.

The backlash threatens a pillar of American policy: The United States has long sought global trade.

Economists say imports cut prices for consumers and make the U.S. more efficient.

But unease has simmered, especially as American workers faced competition from low-wage Chinese labor. Last year, the U.S. ran a $334 billion trade deficit with China  $500 billion with the entire world.

The Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are both playing to public suspicions about trade deals. Hillary Clinton broke with President Barrack Obama by opposing an Asia-Pacific trade agreement that she had supported as secretary of state.

Donald Trump vows to tear up existing trade deals and to slap huge tariffs on Chinese imports.

But trade deals have far less impact on jobs than forces such as automation and wage differences between countries. Trump's plans to impose tariffs could start a trade war and raise prices.

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SUPREME COURT

The ideological direction of the Supreme Court is going to tip one way or the other after the election. The outcome could sway decisions on issues that profoundly affect everyday Americans: immigration, gun control, climate change and more.

The court has been operating with eight justices since Antonin Scalia died in February. His successor appears unlikely to be confirmed until after the election. The court is split between four Democratic-appointed, liberal justices and four conservatives who were appointed by Republicans  although Justice Anthony Kennedy has sided with the liberals on abortion, same-sex marriage and affirmative action in the past two years.

The ninth justice will push the court left or right, depending on whether Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump becomes president. President Barack Obama has nominated Merrick Garland to take Scalia's seat, but the Republican Senate has refused to consider Garland's nomination, in an effort to prevent a liberal court majority.

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CHINA

Tensions have been rising over China's assertive behavior in the seas of Asia. The U.S. also accuses China of unfair trading practices and cyber theft of business secrets.

Donald Trump says that the sheer volume of trade gives the U.S. leverage over China. He accuses China of undervaluing its currency to make its exports artificially cheap and proposes tariffs as high as 45 percent on Chinese imports if Beijing doesn't change its behavior. Such action could risk a trade war that would make many products in the U.S. more expensive.

Clinton says the U.S. needs to press the rising Asian power to play by international rules, whether on trade or territorial disputes.

While many of China's neighbors are unnerved by its military build-up, the wider world needs the U.S. and China to get along, to tackle global problems. The U.S. and China are also economically inter-dependent, and punishment by one party could end up hurting the other.

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INCOME INEQUALITY

Income inequality has surged near levels last seen before the Great Depression. The average income for the top 1 percent of households climbed 7.7 percent last year to $1.36 million, according to tax data. That privileged sliver of the population saw pay climb at almost twice the rate of income growth for the other 99 percent, whose pay averaged a humble $48,768.

Dogged on the issue during the primaries by Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton has highlighted inequality in multiple speeches. She hopes to redirect more money to the middle class and impoverished. Clinton would raise taxes on the wealthy, increase the federal minimum wage, boost infrastructure spending, provide universal pre-K and offer the prospect of tuition-free college.

Donald Trump offers a blunter message about a system "rigged" against average Americans. To bring back jobs, Trump has promised new trade deals with better terms, greater infrastructure spending than Clinton foresees and higher budget deficits. But Trump has also proposed a tax plan that would allow the wealthiest Americans to keep more money.

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OPIOID EPIDEMIC

More than 28,000 Americans died from overdosing on opioids in 2014, a record high for the nation.

That's 78 people per day, a number that doesn't include the millions of family members, first responders and even taxpayers who feel the ripple of drug addiction in their daily lives.

A rise in prescription painkillers is partially to blame: The sale of these drugs has quadrupled since 1999, and so has the number of Americans dying from an addiction to them. When prescriptions run out, people find themselves turning to the cheaper alternative heroin and, increasingly, the even more deadly drug fentanyl.

Recovering addicts and their family members are increasingly speaking out, putting a face on drug addiction and lessening the stigma surrounding it. But dollars for prevention, treatment and recovery services are still hard to come by, leaving many people waiting weeks or months to find the treatment they're seeking. Meantime, family members empty bank accounts in search of help, while law enforcement officers and emergency rooms serve as a first line of defense.

Donald Trump says the wall he wants to build along the southern border is essential to stopping the flow of illegal drugs into the country. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, pledges to spend $10 billion to increase access to prevention, treatment and recovery services, among other things.

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NORTH KOREA

Pariah state North Korea could soon be capable of targeting America with nuclear weapons. What can the U.S. do to stop it?

Diplomacy and economic sanctions have not worked so far. North Korea's isolation is deepening, but it has continued to conduct nuclear test explosions and make advances in its missile technology.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says the U.S. can put more pressure on China to rein in its North Korean ally. He says he is willing to meet the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un.

Democrat Hillary Clinton wants the world to intensify sanctions as the Obama administration did with Iran, a course that eventually opened the way for a deal to contain its nuclear program.

But it will be tough to force North Korea back to negotiations that aim at its disarmament in exchange for aid. Kim views atomic weapons as a security guarantee for his oppressive regime

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HEALTH CARE

About 9 in 10 Americans now have health insurance, more than at any time in history. But progress is incomplete, and the future far from certain. Rising costs could bedevil the next occupant of the White House.

Millions of people previously shut out have been covered by President Barack Obama's health care law. No one can be denied coverage anymore because of a pre-existing condition. But "Obamacare" remains divisive, and premiums for next year are rising sharply in many communities.

Whether Americans would be better off trading for a GOP plan is another question. A recent study found that Donald Trump's proposal would make 18 million people uninsured. GOP congressional leaders have a more comprehensive approach, but key details are still missing.

Overall health care spending is trending higher again, and prices for prescription drugs  new and old  are a major worry.

Medicare's insolvency date has moved up by two years  to 2028.

Hillary Clinton would stay the course, adjusting as needed. Republicans are united on repealing Obama's law, but it's unclear how they would replace it.

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AMERICA AND THE WORLD

How the U.S. uses its influence as the world's sole superpower is a central feature of presidential power.

It can mean taking the country to war  to protect the homeland or to defend an ally. Or it can mean using diplomacy to prevent war. It can affect U.S. jobs, too, as choices arise either to expand trade deals or to erect barriers to protect U.S. markets.

In the contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, America's role in the world is a point of sharp differences. Each says the U.S. must be the predominant power, but they would exercise leadership differently. Trump calls his approach "America first," meaning alliances and coalitions would not pass muster unless they produced a net benefit to the U.S. Clinton sees international partnerships as essential tools for using U.S. influence and lessening the chances of war.

These divergent views could mean very different approaches to the military fight and ideological struggle against the Islamic State, the future of Afghanistan and Iraq, the contest with China for influence in Asia and the Pacific, and growing nervousness in Europe over Russian aggression.

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VOTING RIGHTS

Voting rights in America are in flux. Republican-controlled legislatures are tightening voter laws, placing limits on early voting and same-day registration, and imposing new requirements for IDs at polling places. In 2013, the Supreme Court invalidated a key provision of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. That provision had required states with a history of racial discrimination to get federal preclearance to change election laws.

The issue has become highly partisan with the rapid growth of minority populations, which in recent presidential elections have tilted heavily Democratic.

The Obama Justice Department has challenged voter ID and other laws, saying they could restrict access for minorities and young people. Recent lower court rulings temporarily softened some of the toughest restrictions, but litigation remains knotted up with Supreme Court appeals likely. Bills in Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act are stalled.

Donald Trump opposes same-day voter registration, backing laws to ensure only citizens vote. Hillary Clinton wants Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act and seeks a national standard of at least 20 days of early in-person voting.

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Associated Press writers Paul Wiseman, Mark Sherman, Josh Boak, Matthew Pennington, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Robert Burns, Hope Yen and Kathleen Ronayne contributed to this report.

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This story is part of AP's "Why It Matters" series, which will examine three dozen issues at stake in the presidential election between now and Election Day. You can find them at: http://apnews.com/tag/WhyItMatters
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By Bob Bluthardt

I doubt any of the soldiers who built and staffed Fort Concho from 1867-89 ever thought the place would still exist today  much less operate as a historic site and museum.

Indeed, this post was not a desirable location.

In the 1870s, it was described as the "far end of Uncle Sam's dominions," and the soldiers who marched away in 1889 probably mumbled, "Good riddance."

Fortunately for San Angelo, efforts to save this Army post began as early as 1905, and the first building was acquired by 1930.

Today, I want to profile the challenges in keeping these old buildings functioning and salute the crew that performs so many tasks each day.

The first challenge is the site's best asset  its size and scope.

Fort Concho covers about 40 acres, bordered by South Oakes Street to the west, Washington Drive to the south, a few hundred feet of Burgess Street to the east, and a northern boundary that abuts the rail line, and several warehouses. The 10-acre Parade Ground is among the larger open and green (sometimes!) spaces south of downtown.

While the original military reservation was 1,600 acres, our historic site is formed from the intact core.

Within our acreage are eight officers' quarters, four barracks with two mess halls, two original stables, and a hospital, chapel, powder house, headquarters, quartermaster and commissary buildings. A few blocks away, we have the old bakery. (It, which looks more like the private home, as it was converted in the early 1900s.

We have several support buildings, including a large maintenance shop that houses another city maintenance operation, our living-history stables, the collections building and two state office buildings we manage.

The historic buildings represent one of the best collections of frontier structures west of the Mississippi. These were built nearly 150 years ago. That was long before piped water, toilets, heating and air-conditioning, and electricity and all its benefits.

All of these amenities have been squeezed into many of the old buildings, which makes repairs and replacements a daily challenge  and being a historic site  we try to hide much of the exterior evidence of our utilities.

We have more than 8,200-feet of trim boards to keep painted, and about half currently need work. Our porches are supported by 319 columns  and about one-third of those need serious attention. We have 244 window units with several thousand panes of glass  about one-third need attention. (There is no standard size, so virtually all panes must be ordered as needed.)

Many of the porches have been replaced over the past 10 years; those on Barracks 1 and 2 may see replacement in a few years.

Our shingle roofs pose the greatest challenge, with a total surface area of 103,000 square fee. We will be creating a long-range replacement plan with funding options in a few years.

And there's more: dozens of toilets and air-conditioning units; tens of thousands of interior square feet for exhibits, offices and support space; and hundreds of light fixtures and other building features.

These old buildings weren't meant to last 150 years!

The Army expected a 20- to 30-year presence at Fort Concho. Once they left, they surely did not envision this site holding dozens of programs, huge special events, hundreds of meetings and rentals, with 65,000 guests annually.

Building maintenance supervisor Ed Holcomb has 20-plus years experience at the fort. He gets challenged daily in keeping the place functioning. Jerry Bruno has in his six years worked on every aspect of every building. Our two new maintenance crew members, Terry Mason and Agie Moreno, just finished their first year of service; they see something new each day.

When he is not taking care of the mules and some programs, Paul Cook assists in many areas. Sometimes we have the loan of Bruce O'Donnell from the City maintenance division.

These guys keep the place running with work that's rarely seen but is critical to our operation.

We have made some major strides with:

New heating/cooling systems in three buildings.

Planned reconstruction of Barracks/Mess Halls 3 and 4.

The renovation of Barracks 1 and 2 as an improved Visitor Center.

A planned 2017 renovation of Officers' Quarters 1.

A Post Bandstand slowly taking shape on the Parade Ground.

Thanks to our staff, we make daily repairs and improvements. If you know or see these guys, thank them.

Bob Bluthardt is the Fort Concho manager for the city of San Angelo. Contact him at 325-481-2730 or robert.bluthardt@cosatx.us.
People celebrate as Iraqi security forces patrol Qayara, Iraq, 70 kilometers (45 miles) south of Mosul, on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Iraqi forces retook the town of Qayara, a key area near a major air base south of Mosul, from the Islamic State group Thursday according to a statement issued from the office of prime minister. (AP Photo)

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By W.J. Hennigan And Brian Bennett, Tribune Washington Bureau (TNS)

WASHINGTON  The Pentagon and U.S. intelligence agencies now view Islamic State as a shrinking and increasingly demoralized military force, a sharp shift from the seemingly invincible extremist army that declared an Islamist caliphate two years ago.

The revised assessment comes after surprisingly swift and relatively bloodless victories this summer near Syrias border with Turkey and in the Sunni heartland of Iraq, two areas where Islamic State had appeared entrenched.

The rapid recapture last week of Jarabulus, the militants last garrison by the Turkish border, helped close off a boundary region that was crucial for movement of recruits, supplies and money in and out of the groups quasi-state.

It also was the latest fight to suggest the Sunni militants no longer are willing to fight to hold territory against a sustained assault. Only one fighter was reported killed in the assault led by Turkish tanks. Several hundred others apparently fled.

Partly as a result, U.S. officials have hinted that the long-delayed assault on Mosul, Islamic States self-declared capital in Iraq, may be launched this fall. The city of 1 million has been increasingly cut off by advancing Iraqi and Kurdish ground forces.

Michael Knights, Iraq fellow at the nonpartisan Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said taking back Mosul, along with the Syrian towns of Deir ez Zour and Raqqah, will mark the end of the caliphate.

After the fall of those cities, (Islamic State) will be just another terror group, he said. They might be able to throw a couple car bombs in city centers and mount small arms attacks, but they will no longer engage in heavy fighting on a daily basis. In other words, well be back to where we were in 2013.

But most experts, including U.S. intelligence officials, warn that Islamic States ability to inspire or organize terrorist attacks abroad is unimpaired  and may even pose a greater threat as foreign sympathizers are unable to reach the cut-off caliphate.

Despite the progress, it is our judgment that (the groups) ability to carry out terrorist attacks  has not to date been significantly diminished, Nicholas Rasmussen, head of the National Counterterrorism Center, told the House Homeland Security Committee recently.

Militants still detonate car bombs or launch suicide attacks each night in Baghdad. They could devolve into the kind of sectarian insurgency that turned Iraq into a slaughterhouse after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, or morph into a stateless global terrorist network like al-Qaida became after 2001.

I dont think well ever be able to get rid of their ability to inspire attacks abroad just because they lose territory, cautioned a U.S. defense official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. They will continue to operate in the shadows and cause problems.

As in other insurgencies, militants may be running from battles now to survive and fight again  at a time and place of their choosing, experts warn. They could be sent to other battles or used as suicide bombers.

Moreover, Islamic State still has vast sway. It controls half the area it seized in Iraq in 2014 and 70 percent of its territory in Syria, according to U.S. estimates, and continues to haul in millions of dollars from taxes, fees and extortion.

Current U.S. intelligence estimates say the group now fields as few as 16,000 fighters  half its army of a year or so ago, but still a potent force.

But U.S. officials point to undeniable progress two years and more than 14,000 airstrikes after President Barack Obama first ordered a bombing campaign against Islamic State targets.

The number of fighters on the front line has diminished, Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland, commander of U.S. forces against Islamic State until last week, said in a teleconference from Baghdad. Theyve diminished not only in quantity, but also in quality.

He added, All I know is when we go someplace, its easier to go there now than it was a year ago. And the enemy doesnt put up as much of a fight.

As an example, he said that after U.S.-backed Iraqi forces recaptured Fallujah, key to the Sunni heartland west of Baghdad, in June, militants fled in a convoy that coalition aircraft quickly destroyed.

They kind of made themselves easy targets for us, MacFarland said. I dont think they would have made that mistake a year or two ago.

Each defeat has added pressure on the militants by cutting off routes used to move arms, supplies and reinforcements. That affects command, unit cohesion and efficiency.

Now they have to go get somebody and bring them all the way across the desert to reconstitute somebody who gets killed fighting near Ramadi or Haditha or someplace like that, he said. And theres a good chance well spot them long before they get there.

In addition to losing the border towns of Jarabulus and Manbij in northern Syria, the militants have been routed this month in Khalidiyah and Qayyarah in western Iraq. They previously were ousted from Hit, Al Hawl and Rutbah in Iraq.

Islamic States overseas operations also are under siege.

Fighting raged from mid-May until this month in Surt, the groups stronghold on the coast of Libya. U.S. airstrikes and British commando raids helped Libyan government forces finally retake the battered city.

Elsewhere, Boko Haram, the groups affiliate in Nigeria, has lost territory to government troops. Islamic State branches in Egypts Sinai Peninsula, and in eastern Afghanistan, also have suffered sharp defeats.

The evidence across the board is the decline of territorial control, said Seth Jones, a former U.S. counter-terrorism official now with Rand Corp., a nonpartisan think tank based in Santa Monica, Calif.

The group appears to be losing steam on a number of fronts, he added. It has impacted recruits, finance and the broader narrative that it is winning.

But he warned that Islamic State could make a vicious resurgence, much as al-Qaida did in Iraq, especially if the U.S.-led coalition eases pressure.

I take this with a huge grain of salt, he said.
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The following editorial appeared in Wednesday's Chicago Tribune:

Donald Trump's spokeswoman thinks she can diagnose a mental illness, dysphasia, in Hillary Clinton. This when we all know Clinton's real problem is that she can have a maniacal aversion to speaking truths. Although, to be consistent with our theme today, editorial writers without medical degrees shouldn't associate people with manias. But we're not alone in violating professional boundaries.

This presidential campaign has been odd in many ways, but among its wretched excesses is the penchant of experts and nonexperts to issue categorical judgments about the mental and physical health of the two major party candidates. This year, it's not enough to say, in the standard colloquial manner of expressing distaste, that "Donald Trump is nutty" or "Hillary Clinton is sick." This year, more literal claims are being made. And we find the trend unhealthy, in a strictly nonmedical sense.

One egregious example comes from Trump aide Katrina Pierson, who said it's apparent from "observations of Hillary Clinton's behavior or mannerisms" that she suffers from dysphasia, a brain ailment that impairs speech and comprehension of language. Dr. Drew Pinsky, of TV's "Celebrity Rehab," says the eyeglasses she used after her 2012 concussion indicate "brain damage." Some right-wing websites are pushing notions  rife with "Gotcha! enthusiasm if not with medical evidence  that Clinton is enfeebled.

Pinsky, as it happens, is not a neurologist, and more important, he's never examined the patient he diagnosed so confidently. Pierson's medical credentials are even thinner  a bachelor's degree in biology. Neither one has any sound basis for the conclusions he and she has reached. The clinical term for what they offer is "idle speculation."

Trump's people should know better, if only because he, too, has been the object of uninformed theorizing by people with too much time on their hands. Clinical psychologist Ben Michaelis told Vanity Fair he represents "textbook narcissistic personality disorder." The liberal website Daily Kos argued, "His immature outbursts, his brazen narcissism, and his faulty cognition, are all indications of senility."

Or they could be indications he's a vain jerk with a short fuse and a careless approach to the truth. The American Psychiatric Association's ethics code says, "It is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement."

That policy, significantly, was adopted after hundreds of psychiatrists, asked by Fact magazine if 1964 Republican nominee Barry Goldwater was "psychologically fit to be president," said he wasn't  despite their vast ignorance of his mental state. Goldwater won a libel suit against the magazine, and the psychiatric profession was sorely embarrassed.

The APA has the right idea. "'Diagnosing' someone at a distance who you haven't examined is closer to trying to be a psychic than a doctor," Arthur Caplan, a medical ethicist at New York University, told The Huffington Post.

For the record, each of the 2016 nominees has gotten a clean bill of health. Clinton's personal physician, Lisa Bardack, attested, "She is in excellent physical condition and fit to serve as president of the United States." Trump's doctor, Harold Bornstein, was unusually expansive, asserting that Trump would be "the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."

Maybe these claims are not to be taken at face value. But any lingering suspicions about whether to believe them are more the result of distrust of the candidates than tangible evidence about their health.

Which brings us to the simple reality: There is plenty of information to reach conclusions about Clinton's judgment and Trump's self-control without doing diagnostic tests from afar. If Clinton made bad decisions about Benghazi or her email, the absence of brain damage is cold comfort. If Trump has a soft spot for Vladimir Putin or a distorted impression of Mexican immigrants, it's not a great relief to know he doesn't have dementia.

What's disturbing about the two is not what we don't know from medical exams but what we do know from their public records and conduct. For those conditions, alas, medicine has no cure.
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Toto Wolff has played down suggestions he is about to snap up McLaren's Stoffel Vandoorne.

The Mercedes boss caused a stir at Spa by reportedly telling the Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws that he rates Belgian Vandoorne as highly as his own chargers Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon.

"I've been following his career for five or six years," he said.

"I am 100 per cent sure he will be in formula one next year. If McLaren is crazy enough not to take him, I'll look for a place for him myself," Wolff added.

Later, Wolff said the comments had caused a "misunderstanding", and McLaren's Eric Boullier said he would not comment.

And Jenson Button, who would be ousted unless McLaren is 'crazy', said after qualifying an impressive ninth on Saturday: "I think I gave my answer (to Wolff) in qualifying."

However, it seems almost certain that McLaren will not let 24-year-old Vandoorne go. Mark Hughes, writing for the Sunday Times, claims the Honda-powered team has now told 36-year-old Button that Vandoorne will replace him.

Hughes added: "It is understood that Button has decided against a return to the Williams team with which he started his F1 career 16 years ago."

(GMM)
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For the 10th year in a row the employees of Weil-McLain, which manufactures boilers and related heating products, have donated school supplies to the Eden Parks & Recreation Department and the Boys & Girls Club of Eden. The supplies will be used by the less fortunate children at their homes as well as the children in the homework rooms at the Bridge Street Recreation Center, the Mill Avenue Recreation Center and the Boys & Girls Club site.
We already know that Huawei is holding an event on September 1 where the company will announce new smartphones. While we were expecting a successor to last year's Mate 8, a company executive has now revealed that no new Mate series smartphone will be unveiled at the event.

The executive confirmed that the Chinese company will instead make official a phone from an entirely new mid-range series, although he didn't provide anymore details about the device or the new series.

If you recall, recently, there have been rumors that Huawei could possibly launch a smartphone geared towards women at IFA next month. An image leak (shown below) of the device - dubbed Nova - revealed a very large volume rocker.

As for Mate series, he said that the company will unveil new phones in around a couple of months.

Via
Published on 2016/08/28 | Source

Fleur Pellerin

The former French culture minister Fleur Pellerin has resigned from the Court of Auditors to launch a company that helps Korean businesses invest in France, le Journal du Dimanche reported Sunday.

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Pellerin was replaced by Audrey Azoulay during a cabinet reshuffle in February and moved to the Court of Auditors.

She has named her consultancy Korelya and plans to focus on the area of new technologies. She resigned from the Court of Auditors last month in order to avoid any conflict of interest.

Le Monde reported that Pellerin, who was not obliged to quit public office, jettisoned her safety net should her business fail. But Pellerin said she is giving it all she has, as she did when she was in government and politics.

A Korean orphan who was adopted by a French family when she was six months old, Pellerin became culture minister in the Socialist-led government after serving as deputy minister for small and medium-size businesses and the digital economy.
By Vasia Orion | Published on 2016/08/27

We are almost at the end of "The Good Wife", which looks like it will be a typical fight against an antagonist we have been expecting to take on the part for a long time. Tae-joon is determined to destroy Joong-won and while Hye-kyeong is happy with her decision, she faces problems at work in addition to Tae-joon's wrath. As we approach the final hour, the show's good and bad points become more pronounced.

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Hye-kyeong's (Jeon Do-yeon) decision was not an easy one, but we can clearly see it was the right one. She looks more confident, happy and relieved. Making decisions for oneself is an important freedom to have and it does affect our performance in all facets of life. Her decision to defend Joong-won (Yoon Kye-sang) against Tae-joon (Yoo Ji-tae) is another point indicating growth, as it is now a conscious decision rather than a passive acceptance of orders, which is what her sacrifices for Tae-joon have been.

Tae-joon on the other hand has not grown and he has not learned a single lesson. This makes his fatherly advice to Ji-hoon (Sung Yoo-bin) even more callous and Ji-hoon's counter argument quite the nice punishment for it. Ji-hoon knows that abuse of power is wrong, I just wish Tae-joon had a sliver of guilt and awareness in order to receive that message. Even his joon's own lawyer, who is not above dirty work finds Tae-joon's current actions too wicked.

Which brings us to the other side of things and that is Joong-won. Joong-won has had some nice development throughout the series and it really shows during these hard times. The development of its three main characters has been a success of the drama. Joong-won takes the moral high road more often these days and Dan's (Nana) praise for it is earned. Sang-il (Kim Tae-woo) might be planning his big return, but it is satisfying to see Joong-won play fairly.

His reappearance kind of brings memories of the show back and reveals its shortcomings. For one, Joon-ho's (Lee Won-keun) character seems to be kind of lost since he left the firm and I mean in terms of his use to the plot. Sang-il as well makes a return only as a force against Tae-joon. Characters like Kang Seok-beom (Han Gap-soo), who looked important for conflict have not really been used well.

More importantly, the lack of time means that relationships and characters with potential will never flourish, unless another season is planned down the road. Myeong-hee (Kim Seo-hyung) and Joong-won's conversation was a great moment of sibling love foiled by their inability to communicate. Dan and Hye-kyeong's friendship could have been so much more. Regardless, the series is a really good one and so I enter its final hour a satisfied viewer.

"The Good Wife" is directed by Lee Jeong-hyo, written by Han Sang-woon and features Jeon Do-yeon, Yoo Ji-tae, Yoon Kye-sang and Kim Seo-hyung.

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'
Published on 2016/08/28 | Source

The Japanese Cabinet meeting on Wednesday approved a plan to pay 1 billion yen into a foundation supporting Korean victims of Japan's wartime sex slavery.

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Tokyo said it will pay W100 million to each of the 46 surviving sex slaves in Korea and W20 million to the heirs of each of the 199 who have died (US$1=W1,121).

This is the first time that Tokyo has announced individual compensation for survivors of the World War II atrocity.

The money will be given to the foundation, which was established by the Korean government under an agreement with Tokyo.

"The foundation will contact the women and their families to determine exact numbers of recipients and pay an adequate amount based on what the governments of Korea and Japan agreed", a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.

The money will be used to cover the medical costs of the survivors and reimburse the funeral costs of those who have died or to provide scholarships for their descendants. Besides individual compensation the foundation will also support to projects aiding the victims. Both governments will monitor the spending.

Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida explained the latest steps to Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in a meeting Wednesday afternoon and asked Seoul to move a statue of a sex slave in front of the Japanese Embassy in Seoul.

Yun did not expressly respond to the request but answered that Seoul will "diligently" abide by the terms of the agreement.

Read this article in Korean
Published on 2016/08/28 | Source

Growing numbers of young Koreans head overseas in search of work amid steadily rising youth unemployment, which hit 10.6 percent in the first seven months of this year.

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According to the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, 2,903 Koreans went overseas to work last year, almost double the number in 2014, and in the first seven months of this year the number already stood at 1,528.

The types of jobs available for young Koreans and the host countries are diversifying.

More IT specialists and medical technicians found jobs abroad, from 215 in 2013 to 890 last year.

Over the same period, the number of financial experts and accountants who found work abroad also rose from 307 to 890.

But in service sector jobs numbers are shrinking, from 792 in 2013 to 644 last year, down about 20 percent. And the number of technical service workers fell from 154 to 68.

Of the 7,717 Koreans who found jobs abroad between 2013 and 2015, those working in the service sector still accounted for the largest proportion with 28.5 percent, but were followed closely by office workers with 28.2 percent and professionals with 24 percent.

"Three years ago, there was a lot of demand for construction workers and welders in Australia and Canada, but now there's more demand for IT, medical and financial workers in Japan, Singapore and the U.S"., an HRDS staffer said.

Some 307 Koreans found jobs in Australia in 2013, 296 in Japan and 219 in Canada. But in 2015, 640 Koreans found work in the U.S., 632 in Japan and 364 in Singapore.

Koreans are heading to more and more countries, from 40 in 2014 to 67, ranging from Vietnam to Senegal.

Park Young-bin (26) found a job with a U.S. trading company in Ethiopia. "I want to get as much experience as I can and become an expert in doing business in Africa", he says.

Wages have also risen as more professionals head overseas. In 2013, 232 people who went overseas made less than W15 million a year (US$1=W1,126). But last year just 19 made that little, and 1,141 made more than W25 million, up from 746 in 2013.
BJP governments in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand had earlier announced the implementation of the UCC.
Bolivian Deputy Interior Minister killed by striking miners

Bolivian Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes has been beaten to death by striking miners after volunteering to mediate with them to end a long-standing industrial dispute. Illanes was "savagely beaten", defence minister Reymi Ferreira told a local television station, and the Bolivian Government has demanded the return of his body.

Rodolfo Illanes - Image: EJU

The killing follows the earlier deaths of two protesters in clashes with police, which raised tensions in a bitter strike over changes to the country's mining laws. The government said 17 police officers were wounded in the clashes.

Illanes had gone to Panduro, 130km south of the Bolivian capital La Paz, to try to mediate with miners who had blocked a motorway there since August 22. Thousands of drivers, passengers and vehicles have been left stranded by the blockade.

He was taken hostage by the miners on the morning of August 25. He reportedly tweeted at midday: "My health is fine, my family can be calm."

Moises Flores, the director of a mining radio station, told a local radio station: "We have been able to see close-up that Deputy Minister Illanes was dead. Colleagues told us that he had died of a beating." He reportedly had a heart condition.

There are about 100,000 miners in the country who work in self-managed cooperatives, and are demanding more mining concessions, the right to work for private companies and greater union representation. Working with private companies is currently banned as the government argues they will stop being cooperatives if they work with multinational businesses.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia (Fencomin), once strong allies of leftist President Evo Morales, began what it said would be an indefinite protest after the negotiations over mining legislation failed. As commodity prices have fallen, pay for the countrys silver, tin and zinc miners has been reduced, and working conditions are often worse than in neighbouring countries such as Peru and Chile where the mining sector is dominated by multinationals.

Defence Minister Ferreira described on television how Illanes, appointed to his post in March, had apparently been "beaten and tortured to death". Illanes assistant had escaped and was being treated in a hospital in La Paz, he said.

This crime will not go unpunished. Authorities are investigating ... around 100 people have been arrested, Ferreira said.



On August 26, President Morales called for three days of national mourning over the deaths of Illanes and the two miners.

He called Illanes a Defender of Natural Resources and said his fate hurt particularly badly since the kidnap, torture and murder of a public servant was cowardly and unforgivable.



Morales said there would be an investigation into the unfortunate death of the two cooperative miners, since police had not been authorised to carry firearms during the operation where they were killed, but that the striking cooperatives demands were against the constitution, given that the countrys natural resources belonged to all the Bolivian people.


Republican School Board candidates serve up red meat on education

Republican School Board candidates Blair Craven, Burt Harris, Josh Houston and Michael Absher participated in a candidate forum on Aug. 18.

Four Republican candidates served up hearty helpings of conservative ideology on education issues this month in a Henderson County School Board forum that excluded four unaffiliated candidates who are also on the Nov. 8 ballot.

From Common Core (all opposed) to HB2 (mostly in favor) to federal mandates (pass up $10 million in funding), three Republican challengers plus incumbent Josh Houston laid out their conservative bona fides before a sparse crowd of 28 people at the Opportunity House. Republican Party Chair Glen Englram defended the partys decision to exclude the unaffiliated candidates, saying GOP voters needed to hear from registered Republicans.

Moderated by Stan Shelley, the forum also covered local control, fiscal transparency, charter school funding and the decision by the Board of Commissioners that overruled the School Board recommendation on the future of Hendersonville High School.

Here are the questions and answers:

How can we as a board maintain more autonomy from federal control?

Burt Harris: Dont take the money.

Josh Houston: On the board I pushed back against federal mandates the best that I could. I voted on mandated meal price increase, I voted alone on changing the scoring system from the state. If you have to, dont take the money. We were in a situation talking about HB2. Youre always threatened with losing the money. At some point you have to stand up. 

Michael Absher: The biggest problem I have is they also give a lot of mandates that they dont provide a way to fund them. Whether you tie some of the funding with those mandates theres also mandates that have no funding with them that you still have to comply with. So on a county level were paying for that.

Blair Craven: He said it great, dont take the money, but I dont think its that simple. Nothings ever that simple. Its important for us to talk to Chuck McGrady and Chuck Edwards up through the state level on to the federal level and push our agenda and make sure that we are what we believe is happening. But there has to be some type of pushback, starting right here.

Right now North Carolina protects privacy and safety of children using gender specific facilities in schools. If the lawsuit of the Department of Justice against North Carolina prevails would you as a school board member advocate strongly to continue gender specific facilities in Henderson County schools at the risk of federal funding being withheld or would you allow the federal government to bully the board into going against your values and beliefs.

Houston: it didnt make the public meeting but I had a resolution in support of HB2 that we were prepared to pass in June, because thats what I believe. HB2 should be the law, should be the law in every state and Im willing to stand up. we have a resolution ready. We were legally shut down by the Fourth Circuit but if it comes down to it well do what we have to do.

Absher: My belief is that a bathroom should be for a boy, should be boys in it. if its the girls bathroom it should be girls.

Craven: This was never an issue before Charlotte decided to make it an issue. But I think before that schools did a great job of one-off situations and if there is a one-off situations schools can handle it as they see fit, and if that does require taking federal dollars then thats what we have to do.

Harris: HB2 is a solution in search of a problem. We dont need HB2. It would offend the common sense of 99 percent of the population. We can be fair to the students whose privacy would be invaded, we have several situations in the schools currently, medical situations, that are being handled properly and quietly by school principals. If theres a problem all you have to do is give the right kid a key to a single-use bathroom. So, the federal government once again can keep its money. This is all going to wind up at the Supreme Court anyway.

Houston (granted the opportunity to respond further): Speaking from the board, we have handled that situation. But what the Fourth Circuits done is take that away. It took away the ability to do so privately for the safety and security of that child and all children.

What is your opinion of hiring more school nurses?

Absher: We have a great collaboration with Blue Ridge community Health Services. Theyre looking at expanding the school-based health centers. So eventually, part of their plan is to have a nurse at all the schools with a school-based health center. I think it would be great to have more nurses but whos going to pay for that?

Craven: I think it would be nice to have a nurse in each of the schools. My son has come home with his fair share of scraped knees from the money bars and has been taken care of quite well at Bruce Drysdale.  I think we have a decent system in place now. everything can always be improved.

Harris: The salary for a starting nurse is around $55,000 to $60,000. We have 23 schools so you can do the arithmetic. I dont think its affordable and I dont think its necessary. I was a physician and the husband of a nurse who was a school nurse for a brief period. Many if not most of the inquires that a nurse would get could be handled over the phone by a resource person and I dont really think we need to hire 23 nurses.

Houston: In a perfect world it would be great. I just dont think thats going to be in the budget anytime soon without help from some sort of partnership. If we could find a foundation or something to pay for this, we could do it but right now it would be difficult.

Are you for or against Common Core?

Craven: Against. Thats an easy one. My son is in fourth grade now so last year was the first year he actually took the end-of-grade testing. And seeing the students and how anxious they were taking these tests, I know of one student who physically vomited from being so nervous. I dont ever remember that in school. I was never that nervous to go to school. I think a lot of it is we have to teach to the test. If we can do anything we can to get rid of Common Core, absolutely.

Harris: Common Core started as a simple list of what graduating seniors ought to know. It was in response to the business community that recent graduates that they hired couldnt read a manual and couldnt do business arithmetic. As a list of what students ought to know it was fine. The problem started when the federal government tried to do it in a curriculum, again with grants.  I dont go for Race to the Top, I dont go for No Student Left Behind but I do go for a list of basic competencies.

Houston: Against. Education is a states rights issue, we need to get it back to the local level, state level, however we do that.

Absher: Ill be sounding like a broken record here. Totally against Common Core and totally agree that local level school boards need more power.

What is your highest priority and what can the school boards to impact the quality of education in the classroom?

Harris: Computers, computers, computers. The whole world runs on computers. We are one of the minorities of school districts in the United States that are not using computers in the classroom. The School Board has a plan that will more or less put computers into the hands of the students. The trouble is its a four-year plan, which means were going to have a whole generation from students that are not going to benefit from this. I jokingly said one day that well have a new Hendersonville High School building before everybody in the building has a computer.

Houston: I want to continue to fight for transparency. I have brought some votes on my own that would have happened behind closed doors that involve your tax dollars in salaries. I have brought out a motion to make us easier to communicate with ... through email. On the computer issue, I agree with Dr. Harris but were trying. We asked for computers in all the high schools two years ago and did not receive the funding. Now were asking for basically a four-year plan of 25 percent year until weve got them all completed.

Absher: I would say my biggest goals would be transparency. Weve got staff that have been changed from certain positions to other positions that are keeping their salary. I know there are certain legalities that our hands are tied but I think the general public should know about that.  Technologys always changing. Definitely we need to work on that because theres kids that cant even get a computer at home so when theyre at school thats basically the only time that they can use a computer. I want to build up the respect and morale of teachers to allow them to express themselves without being felt threatened by the central office staff that they cant communicate to the School Board. Id love to increase the safety and security of our schools and increasing mental health awareness n our schools because times are changing. Theres more and more problems every day.

Craven: Im going to piggyback on these guys a little bit, and yes, the No. 1 issue is fiscal transparency. Josh has done a pretty good job but help elect some more of us and I think he could do a much better job. Next is just not rubberstamping issues. Next is HHS and the $50 million we have going on up the street. The Board of Commissioners have to find the best way to use the Stillwell Building, how much is that going to cost the county? and of course Edneyville Elementary School as well. That school is desperately in need of replacement. Technology is a huge issue in the 21st century. We should have computers there for their use.

The Legislature did not pass the fair funding for public charter schools bill, which would force county School Board to send to funding charter schools on a per pupil basis for each student enrolled. Currently 25 percent of the funding per child can still be kept by the school district. What is your position?

Absher: Chose to pass. Ill have to learn more about that.

Craven: When you talk about the funding aspect, there are a lot of fixed costs associated with having a public school  so it foes become a bit of an issue. Having 25 percent of the cost go towards the hard cost of maintaining the grounds for the school system I think is critical.

Harris: Charter schools are actually contributing quite a bit in many localities. Fortunately, Hendersonville isnt one of those localities because the place where charter schools have made the most impact is in places where public schools are underperforming.  I think that the way its currently constituted is perfectly reasonable and doesnt have to change.

Houston: Some of that bill did include money thats raised by the school. If its raised by the school and not part of tax dollars, it should stay with the school. But I do believe money should follow the child.

How do you see partisan politics at work in the School Board race?

Craven: Although its a nonpartisan race, there has always been a partisan shift to it. Theres a big stink about who is here and not here today. I dont think (making the Henderson County School Board race officially partisan) is a bad idea at all. You want to know what the general values are of the people youre electing.

Harris: There are 113 public school districts in the state of North Carolina. Twenty-three of them have partisan elections. Quoting a Republican legislator, Harris said, Partisan elections give the voter a much better feel for who he is voting for and what the philosophy may be.

Houston: Its very convenient to call it nonpartisan in my opinion. Its very convenient when you control it for a hundred years from the left through the education bureaucracy and continue to say that its nonpartisan  Its very convenient to switch to unaffiliated after running (as a Democrat) against a senator whos been very effective for our county.

Absher: Part of my stance is my personal view is Im not for party partisanism but it is there and it has been for the past few School Board elections. I think the general public does have the right to know who stands for their beliefs.  Its the same thing with judges. We know who our conservative judges are, we know who our liberal judges are.
Two School Board candidates rip commissioners for ignoring HHS recommendation

Hendersonville High School is shown in a drone photo. [PHOTO BY DAVID RHODE]

Two Republican School Board candidates say the Henderson County Board of Commissioners overstepped its authority when it overruled the School Boards recommendation on the future of Hendersonville High School.

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Why are we going to ask the School Board its opinion on that situation if were not going to take that recommendation? Blair Craven, a challenger who would be the only Hendersonville High School graduate on the School Board. They should have left this in the School Boards hands. School boards are elected officials. They can make that decision, and I believe they made the right decision. The commissioners overstepped their bounds a little bit.

Now the School Board is going to have to clean up the mess it looks like over the next four to five years in building the school, deciding what to do with Stillwell, the track and everything else thats going on at Hendersonville High School. When they asked the School Boards opinion they should have gone with that opinion.

Michael Absher, who is running for the School Board for a third time, said commissioners after ignoring the School Board recommendation threw the hot potato back in its lap.

I think that the School Board makes the decision. I think that the county commissioners should honor that decision, he said. Speaking about the Hendersonville High School mess, I dont think its right for throwing the School Board under the bus at the end of the meeting basically saying, Oh, were just going to put it back in the School Boards hands what to do with the Stillwell building after the recommendation was already presented to them what the majority (of the School Board) wanted.

Candidate Burt Harris broke with Craven and Absher, saying whoever writes the check gets to make the call.

I have a somewhat contrary view, he said. The commissioners have the money. The commissioners have the responsibility to spend the money. Its not the system that I would like to see. Most places have a school tax. You have less county tax and you pay a local school tax. The commissioners have the money and they have the right to at least voice their opinion.

Unlike Absher, Harris saw the commissioners decision on the historic core building as a potentially positive outcome.

I do see a little window of hope in this, he said. I know I heard them say that the future of Stillwell building would be left up to the School Board. I believe the School Board could accommodate the wishes of the Alumni Association of Hendersonville High School by designating part of that building for academic classroom space.

Incumbent Josh Houston, who voted in the 4-3 minority in favor of a new school, the option the commissioners chose, said: The quick answer to this is the School Board has no taxing authority. The county does. County commissioners can raise or lower property taxes and put a referendum for a sales tax. There needs to be a team effort. I think there was a legitimate attempt at that. We were faced with build a new school that will last twice as long for less money, no mobile homes, no modular villages, no time out of class.

The candidates made the comments at a School Board forum sponsored by the Henderson County Republican Party. The forum excluded four candidates who are registered as unaffiliated  incumbents Ervin Bazzle, Mary Louise Corn and Rick Wood and challenger Jared Bellmund.
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Catawba Valley Community Colleges board of trustees recently inducted Sherry Butler and Dwayne Welch as new appointments to the board at a formal ceremony. Jessica Carson, president of the CVCC Student Government Association, was sworn in and Robert Mullinax, Sr. was reappointed to a four-year term.

North Carolina Administrative Code authorizes the governor, the local county commissioners and the school board to appoint trustees to their respective community college board. North Carolina General Statutes allow Carson to serve on the board as a non-voting member to bring the voice of the students.

The oath was administered by Judge Robert A. Mullinax Jr.

Butler was appointed by the Catawba County Commissioners for a four-year term. A leader in business, cultural arts, education and government, Butler serves as executive director of The Green Room Community Theatre in Newton. She was elected to the Catawba County Board of Commissioners and serves on the Catawba County Board of Social Services.

Welch was appointed by N.C. Gov. Pat McCrory for a four-year term. Welch is managing director of Welch Diversified, LLC. He formerly worked for HSM Solutions for 24 years and last served as executive vice president and chief sales and marketing officer. He serves on the United Way of Catawba County board of directors and is a past board member of the Catawba County Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers.

Reappointed to a four-year term by the Catawba County Schools board, Mullinax is a Newton attorney practicing since 1977. A former District Court judge, he was elected to the Newton City Council and as mayor of Newton for two terms.

Carson is enrolled in the Associate in Arts program and plans to graduate in 2017. A 2005 graduate of Hickory High, Carson and her husband Saied have one daughter and live in Hickory.
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The management of a Jain temple in Madhya Pradeshs Ujjain district has asked visitors to ensure that girls aged above eight years are not dressed in skimpy clothing or in jeans, capri pants, gowns, and the like when they come to the temple.

Only girls and women dressed decorously in line with Indian cultural norms with their head covered would be granted entry into Shri Rushabh Dev temple in Chhagniram Pedhi in Kharakuan area in Ujjain district, the temple trust said.

A notice posted outside the temple requests the visitors to ensure that girls and women aged above eight years are dressed in a restrained manner.

The trusts president Mahendra Sirolia on Sunday confirmed to reporters that the dress code for girls and women has been put into effect.
Shraddha Kapoor has had a busy year so far. The actor has been living out of a suitcase as she has been travelling extensively for various projects. The Baaghi actor has visited numerous places, including Shillong in Meghalaya, Bangkok and Krabi in Thailand, Delhi, Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Mandawa in Rajasthan, Bali in Indonesia and Cape Town in South Africa.

Read: There is fear all the time in Bollywood says Shraddha Kapoor

A source says, Shraddha enjoys travelling. She has been juggling the shoots of three movies that star Farhan Akhtar, Aditya Roy Kapur and Arjun Kapoor. The actor has been hopping from one destination to the other, and loves the entire process.

It doesnt end here. Shraddha, who returned from Cape Town after a long schedule, will fly off to New York, USA, on September 5 for another schedule of her movie with Arjun. She will be there for 10 days. Apart from films, the actors brand endorsements have also taken her to popular destinations such as Romania.

Read: Aiming for a body like Shraddha Kapoor? Heres what she does for it

When contacted, the Bollywood actor says, Of late, I have been visiting some beautiful places across India, and even internationally, for the shoots of my various films. Even though I miss home a lot, I am thoroughly enjoying this period. Since these are work trips, one cannot do a lot of sightseeing. But just being in these new environments is refreshing.

Being back after a kick ass schedule of #HalfGirlfriend got me all like  @mohitsuri @arjunkapoor @ekmainaurektu7 A video posted by Shraddha ~ (@shraddhakapoor) on Aug 24, 2016 at 5:36am PDT

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After Ranbir Kapoor recently opened up about his much talked-about breakup with longtime girlfriend Katrina Kaif, quizzing the latter on the same is nothing unexpected.

In an interview with Rajeev Masand, when the 33-year-old actress was asked how hard was it to be a professional when her personal life was in turmoil, she said, Being an actor is quite a luxurious job, we have staff and we are treated specially. But if I worked in say, an office or if I had a normal job, you are still going to go to work. You are still going to be required to do your job, but you are still feeling it in your heart, right?

Ranbir had recently said in an interview that Katrina has been the biggest influence in his life after his parents.

Ranbir, Katrinas split came during the shoot of Baar Baar Dekho, but she did not allow herself to get affected by this emotional crisis.

You know, in some way all the attention is a good thing. It forces you to step up. It forces you not to indulge in self pity and feeling sorry for yourself. It forces you to get yourself together and stand up quicker because you want to show your best face to the world, continued the actress.

You can have your moments where you cannot be any lower and things cannot be tougher, but I take it as a challenge, and thats what you have to do, she added.

Ranbir and Katrina in a still from Jagga Jasoos.

Sometimes back, Ranbir, in an interview with the same journalist, opening up about the break-up, said, Whatever I say on any platform is grossly misconstrued. Over the years, I have realised that my personal life is very dear to me especially what my relationship with Katrina is, or was or what its going to be. I think after my parents, shes been the most influential and motivational entity in my life. I dont want to speak about it. There is no negativity, no sense of bitterness, so theres nothing to talk about.

You dont need to know if Im affected or not. My relationship was really punctured by a lot of things; baseless rumours, reports, perceptions. I dont want to clarify. Theres no awkwardness, as a matter of fact its amazing. Were actors. We arent here to bring our personal life and emotions. We come on sets, we bring our characters; emotions. She brings her game on the set and in return I bring my A-game, he added.

On a related note, the Fitoor actress and the Barfi actor will be seen together in Anurag Basus upcoming movie Jagga Jasoos.

Presently, Katrina is busy promoting her upcoming movie Baar Baar Dekho with Sidharth Malhotra, slated to hit the theatres on September 9.

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Few months ago, Sushant Singh Rajput and Kriti Sanon grabbed the spotlight when rumours started doing the rounds that the two were on a vacation in Thailand. Speaking on this topic, which was later proved wrong, Kriti said on Saturday that she has not gone for a single vacation because of her busy schedule of Raabta.

I know I have been out of media contact for quite some time, because I was shooting. You people have sent me to a lot of holidays, but trust me I have not been to a single one, I swear, she said here during the fourth day of Lakme Fashion Week, where she walked the ramp for designer Ritu Kumar.

Kriti Sanon with models showcases a creation by designer Ritu Kumar at Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016 in Mumbai on Saturday. (PTI)

I was with my sister, having tea, when you people said that I am in Thailand. I was shooting and we had a great schedule, she added.

Further speaking about her style and fashion sense, the Dilwale actress said, Fashion is very personal. It is not always that if anything that is trending will look good on me, or I will like it. I think its more about how you feel in a garment.

Kritis Raabta, alongside Sushant will hit the theatres early next year.

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Actors Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma are enjoying their time in Prague as they shoot for filmmaker Imtiaz Alis The Ring. How do we know? Their social media posts are proof enough.

Take a look at some of the pictures they shared as they explore the picturesque city.

Read: SRK, Anushka begin Prague shooting with Imtiaz Ali

While a visit to the famous Kafka museum, King Khan took to Instagram to share his pictures with Imtiaz and captioned it, I am a cage, in search of a bird. Kafka in Prague. In our case we r only trying to discover characters in our film.

"I am a cage, in search of a bird." Kafka in Prague. In our case we r only trying to discover characters in our film. A photo posted by Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) on Aug 26, 2016 at 11:31am PDT

Prague and me... A photo posted by Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) on Aug 24, 2016 at 9:14am PDT

In another Instagram post, the 28-year-old Jab Tak Hai Jaan actor shared a picture of herself looking into the horizon and captioned it as, Into the distance .... Widening horizons.

Into the distance .... Widening horizons . Pic courtesy - Imtiaz Ali A photo posted by AnushkaSharma1588 (@anushkasharma) on Aug 26, 2016 at 12:47pm PDT

The picture taken by Imtiaz Ali is quite similar to the one Shah Rukh posted a few days back.

Imtiaz said I could post this picture from the sets...& promised there will be some close ups of me in the film too! A photo posted by Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) on Aug 21, 2016 at 6:44am PDT

The 50-year-old actor will be seen playing Harinder Singh Mehra, a tourist guide from Punjab and Anushka will portray the role of a Gujarati girl, Bela in the movie.

Hello from Prague  ....  ... #nofilter A video posted by AnushkaSharma1588 (@anushkasharma) on Aug 18, 2016 at 9:21am PDT

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The Uttarakhand Congress will deploy leaders at the CM office to ensure coordination between the workers and chief minister Harish Rawat, said state party chief Kishore Updhayay on Sunday.

Also, one of the seven ministers in the Rawat cabinet will meet Congress workers and listen to their grievances at the party office once a week.

The decisions were taken in the coordination committee meeting on August 24 in Delhi, said Upadhyay at a press meet in Dehradun.

Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and partys Uttarakhand in-charge Ambika Soni had called Rawat and Upadhyay to Delhi to bury their differences and asked them to work for strengthening the organisation ahead of elections.

The state Congress chief said he had given the chief minister a list of 134 names for appointment as heads of state boards, committees, councils and government PSUs but no decision had been taken so far.

We hope the chief minister takes early action on the list made by the party. We are sending another list soon, said Upadhyay.

He said the Delhi coordination meeting also decided that the Congress would hold Vikas Yatra across all the 70 assembly constituencies in September to take on opposition BJPs pardafash rallies.

The Vikas Yatra rallies will be held to highlight the good works of the state government and expose the state BJP and its activities, said Upadhyay.
Congress president Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadra got into a spat with Uttarakhand BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi at the Dehradun airport on Sunday after he refused to accept a bouquet from the lawmaker accused of assaulting police horse Shaktiman in March.

Vadra refused to accept Joshis bouquet alleging that he was responsible for breaking Shaktiman limb that eventually led to its death in April.

Joshi and BJP workers were at the airport to receive the partys parliamentarians, including Meenakshi Lekhi. Joshis supporters said when the MLA was told about Vadras presence in the airport, he reached out to him with a bouquet.

The MLAs supporters said when security personnel informed Vadra about Joshi, he immediately retorted, saying he will not accept a bouquet from the person, who broke the limb of Shaktiman.

Shaktiman was a horse and could not speak. But I am Robert Vadra, a BJP worker present at the airport quoted Vadra as telling Joshi. Speaking to the media after the incident, Vadra said: I told him what I thought of him. He came towards me screaming, shouting and threatening. I told him the horse could not speak but I can.

Meenakshi Lekhi, a BJP MP from Delhi said the altercation happened as Vadra tried to abuse the BJP leader, provoking the party workers to shout slogans against him.

Joshi refused to speak to the media on the incident.

Shaktiman died in April, almost a month after losing a hind leg from a brutal beating, allegedly at the hands of Joshi during a protest. The incident had triggered widespread outrage.
GHAZIABAD: Circumstantial evidence indicate 16-year-old Noida resident Varun Rajput committed suicide as the post-mortem report did not reveal any signs of struggle before the incident, police said on Saturday.

Varun, who lived in Noida Sector 22, was found dead at the Aditya Mega City apartment in Indirapuram on Wednesday night. His former girlfriend lives in the building.

The left part of his body was crushed. The boys father alleged he had bruise marks on his face as a result of a scuffle before his death. The post-mortem refuted the claims, said Indirapuram circle officer, Atul Kumar Yadav.

The girl and her father were booked for murder and destruction of evidence late Thursday night on the complaint of Varuns father, Madan Singh Rajput. Police recorded the statements of both the accused.

I had not spoken to Varun since three days before the incident even as he continued to send me messages on all three days. Even on Wednesday, I did not know he was coming to my society, the girl told the police in a statement. She showed her chats with Varun on social media to the police.

The girl does not have her own mobile phone and used to speak to Varun from her fathers phone. Before dying, Varun had sent a long message to her father along with her intimate pictures, saying I will die and will not let your daughter live in peace. The girl admitted being in a relationship with the boy, said officer Yadav.

The police recorded the statement of a Khoda resident, the last person he had allegedly spoken to before the incident. She was reportedly a mutual friend of both Varun and hisformer girlfriend .

She said Varun seemed intoxicated and told her he was going to commit suicide and had uploaded the girls intimate pictures on Facebook... She was convincing Varun not to do it and after their call, informed all their friends about it as well, said Yadav.

The post-mortem did not say whether Varun was drunk. Only a viscera sample can do that and those reports will take three months to come, police said.

Varuns friends WhatsApp chats were taken which showed he had planned to make the intimate chats and pictures public and commit suicide.

Police said it was unclear why he went to the girls apartment.

Police said Varun went missing from his house on the night of August 20-21. His mother complained to the police and he was later found drunk near his house.

Yadav said no arrests have been made as there is no proof of murder so far against the girl or her father.

However, Varuns parents believe it was murder.

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NEW DELHI: Jatin Goraiya, vice-president of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) at JNU, resigned from his post on Friday.

Goraiya said he took the decision due to the regressive stand taken by the party over issues like Rohit Vemulas suicide, the February 9 event at JNU and the Dalits upsurge in Una, Gujarat.

He termed the ABVP as an organisation built on principles of inequality and discrimination .

The resignation comes at a time when JNU student union elections are round the corner. I resign from the post of vice-president of ABVP, and disassociate myself from the casteist, farcical and patriarchal organisation. The conduct of ABVP has explicitly revealed their manipulative fascist and conservative face, said Goraiya, a Phd scholar of Russian Studies.

He added that he had no plans of joining any other political outfit.

He was one of the students who burnt pages from theManusmriti on the university campus, during a protest against anti-Dalit and anti-women tenets of the ancient text, months ago. The way they were trying to portray the institutional murder of Rohit Vemula as suicide and safeguard the people involved in it, shows they have never been committed to the principles of social justice. Brahmanisim and conservative nationalism is intrinsically engrained in their very ideology, Goraiya said.

During the February 9 incident, three students who were part of the unit had quit the party. Goraiya said he will work to defeat the organisation in the JNUSU elections.

My resignation is a tribute to the principles of Rohit Vemula, he said.
NEW DELHI: A six-month-old girl was kidnapped by an unknown woman from Hindu Rao Hospital on Saturday morning. Eight hours later, she was found lying on an e-rickshaw in north Delhis Model Town.

Police registered a case of kidnapping and are looking for the unidentified woman who kidnapped her. The footage of CCTV cameras installed around the hospital and the area where the baby was found are being analysed to establish the identity of the kidnapper.

The baby girl, identified as Afifa, had gone to the hospital with her mother. The mother told police that she had come to the hospital to give blood sample of her older daughter. Since the baby was crying, the lab assistant at the hospital suggested that she may give the baby to the woman sitting next to them.

The mother handed over her baby girl to the woman. As she was busy giving blood samples of her older daughter, the woman disappeared with the baby within seconds, said a senior police officer.

The woman raised an alarm and alerted the hospital authorities. According to police, the authorities did not inform them immediately. Hospital staff searched the hospital but the child remained untraceable. She informed her family members about the incident. Her family members reached the hospital and reported the matter to the police.

Police said that the family members of the missing child also staged a protest at the hospital. We approached the family members and assured them of thorough probe into the matter, the officer said. They police launched a search operation for the child.

Meanwhile, in the evening, a PCR call was received about a child found abandoned on an e-rickshaw in Model Town area. Police reached the spot and took the child with them. The family of the missing child was informed. They arrived at the police station and identified Afifa. The child was handed over to the mother, said police.
NEW DELHI: What does it take to clean the Ganga?

Peoples participation, according to the government, and, a heavy discourse on the divine origin of the river that sustains 46% of Indias population.

A handbook on the river brought out by the NDA government draws heavily from Hindu mythology, apparently turning the massive exercise of cleaning the river into a sermon.

The Narendra Modi government is spending Rs 20,000 crore over the next few years to clean the 2,525 km-long river.

Here are some samples from the book, published by the National Literacy Mission Authority under the human resource development (HRD) ministry:

When a person on death bed drinks Gangajal, it reduces his pain, gives peace to the soul after death, and brings moksha (salvation), says the book titled Ganga Rahi Pukaar.

Think of how much tapasya our ancestors did to bring Ganga to Earth!, it says, giving a detailed account of the mythical fight between devtas and daityas and the role of Lord Shiva in the exercise.

Characters from villages tell stories  largely mythical  about Ganga and bacteria-killing quality of the river and its curative properties.

About 10,000 copies have been distributed for trainers of the adult education programme, gram panchayats and volunteers to create awareness.

The idea is to ensure villagers take ownership of the river and treat it as their own. The stories that are there in the book are meant to not only educate but hold their interest too. A committee that had representation from all religions was formed for the content of the book, said a senior official of the HRD ministry, rejecting any religious slant in the book.

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NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has come out with a new set of orders for school teachers under its ambitious Chunauti 2018 scheme, in which children are assessed as per their reading and writing skills.

The new rules are for the non-reader (Nishtha) group of classes 6 to 8.

The Nishtha group comprises non-readers who secured less than 33% in the summative assessment -I & summative assessment-II in the previous sessions.

The schools have now been asked to prepare block teaching timetables so that students have a better opportunity to learn.

In block teaching, the number of classes are reduced but the duration of each class is increased. The block teaching practice is at present mainly used for class 12 students when their exams are approaching.

The government now wants the try the practice on students in classes 6-8 and the Vishwas group of class 9. The Vishwas group comprises students who failed more than twice in the class and dropped out of school.

According to the new rules, in the first half of the day before recess, only three periods will be held instead of four.

The classes, instead of 35 minutes, will now be 45 minutes each.

Teachers say this will be chaotic as the rule is only meant for Nishtha groups in each of the classes.

This is only for the Nishtha group. For the Pratibha group readers who scored more than 33% marks in summative assessment-I & summative assessment-II exams in the last session  we are supposed to stick to holding four classes as usual, said an English teacher of Government Boys Senior Secondary School.

The same set of teachers addresses both groups. In case a teacher has one class for the Nishtha group and the other for the Pratibha, there will be a loss of 10-15 minutes. Working out this new timetable will be a task, the teacher said.

Teachers said they were facing a staff crunch and it would be very difficult for them to adhere to the new rules.

When the summative assessment -1 is around the corner, the government should not be overburdening us with all this, said another teacher.

Government officials, however, believe that the new rules are necessary to improve learning levels.

Children will gain fluency in reading, writing and basic mathematics under the new rules, said a senior education department official.

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NEW DELHI: Help has started to pour in for two girls rescued from a Delhi house last week, with individuals and NGOs offering food and clothes to the minors, police said on Saturday.

The girls  aged 8 and three-and-half years  were locked up for four days in their one-room house in Samaypur Badli in outer Delhi without food and water.

Maggot-infested wounds on their heads had started to rot. One of the girls is said to be in a serious condition. Both are recuperating at a city hospital.

Their father was arrested on Saturday after he admitted to have killed their two-and-half-year-old brother on August 18, the day the two girls were rescued.

Police officers looking after the girls said people from countries such as the US and Canada have been offering relief for the children.

Members of NGOs and couples have visited the girls with clothes, toys and food, they said. Some showed interest in adopting the girls.

Three police personnel have been deployed round-the-clock in the ward to ensure the girls are not disturbed.

Vikramjit Singh, DCP (outer), said they have formed a team to trace their mother, who is said to have abandoned the family.

The team will approach her parents and other family members to know her whereabouts. Her husband claimed that she left them three months ago and may have eloped with someone else.

Investigators are verifying his claims but they have not ruled out the possibility the man murdering his wife.

Police arrested the father after neighbours spotted him in the locality.

Much to the surprise of interrogators, he told them that he allegedly drowned his third child in the Munak canal in Bawana area as he was crying for food and milk.

He claimed that he was unable to arrange money to feed his children after his wife, the sole earning member of the family had disappeared, the police said.

The father said the boy had contracted infection in his leg from his sisters.

The childs body was fished out of the canal the same evening after a local found it floating in the water. The body was preserved in a mortuary for identification.

Earlier, neighbours had seen the childrens grandmother taking away the boy on August 16. During interrogation, the father said he brought back his son the same night.

On August 18, the father allegedly beat up his children as they demanded food. His sons cries irritated him so much so that the father took the child, locked the girls in the room, and left, said the officer.

Police said the father consumed liquor near the Munak canal. As the child was hungry and crying for food, the father allegedly picked him up and flung him into the canal.

The neighbours got to know something was wrong after stench started spreading. It was difficult to enter the room because of the strong, foul smell. The sisters were nearly dead and their wounds had started to rot, a police official had said about how the girls were found.

The landlord of the one-room house had informed the police about the girls.

There was no food in the room. There were no windows for air circulation and the hot and humid room was infested with mosquitoes and flies, he had said.
NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said lieutenant-governor Najeeb Jung had sought files related to power subsidy on prime minister Narendra Modis instructions and warned of a hike in power tariff in the Capital.

Speaking at the foundation-laying ceremony of a road in Kirari , Kejriwal said the AAP governments proposal to increase minimum wages by up to 50 per cent could be shot down by Jung and the PM.

In a series of tweets, Kejriwal said plans were afoot to remove Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal. He said she could be arrested soon for her good work.

In elections, we had promised to cut power tariff by half and provide free water. We fulfilled our promises. Sadly, Modiji has summoned the files related to power and water from LG. He is threatening to increase power tariff in Delhi, said Kejriwal.

The chief minister accused the Centre of not clearing the Delhi governments proposal to regularise hundreds of unathorised colonies in the capital.

We cannot wait for Modijis nod. I have directed my ministers to carry out development works in all unauthorised colonies, including construction of roads, laying of water pipelines, etc, he said.

The CM said the lieutenant-governor was transferring officials involved in successful projects of the AAP government such as mohalla clinics and construction of school buildings.

MALIWAL TARGETS BARKHA

DCW chief Maliwal alleged that her predecessor Barkha Shukla recruited wives of IAS and IPS officials for 49 contractual posts that were never advertised.

Maliwals allegations were in response to the Anti-Corruption Bureaus raid at her office last week on Shuklas complaint. Barkha Shukla Singh made 49 contractual appointments and appointed wives of IAS and IPS officers without giving advertisements and over 2,500 cases were pending when I assumed charge, Maliwal claimed.

DCW handled 12000 complaint dis year compared to 3500 during Barkhas tenure. She did 1 case in 9 years. We r questioned why work so much? (sic), Maliwal tweeted

In 1 year, we hv changed DCW from a defunct body to one srsly workin on women issues. Thats troubling them. They want me to stop working, she said in a series of tweets.

(With PTI inputs)
NEW DELHI: The next protest demanding quota for Jats will happen in Delhi, warned the All India Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti here on Saturday.

The AIJASS issued the threat at the bhaichara (brotherhood) rally in Rohtak, where a huge crowd had gathered.

AIJASS national president Yashpal Malik brought along representatives of Patidar, Gujjar and Maratha agitation to raise the demand for quota for Jats, which was stayed by the Punjab and Haryana high court.

Accusing the government of putting up a weak defence in court, the AIJASS chief repeated the communitys demands, including reservation under backward class and withdrawal of cases against those booked during the February stir.

The government must not force us to go back on the protest route. The next time, we will turn our tractor-trailers towards Delhi, he said.

The Jat leader announced more rallies in the coming days. The first will be held at Hisars Mayyar village on September 13 and the second in Ferozepur district of Punjab on September 28.

In election-bound states of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, Jats will vote in favour of only those parties that support our reservation, said Malik. AIJASS members from UP and Punjab also supported him.

The Jat leader also attacked Kurukshetra MP, Raj Kumar Saini, without naming him. A minister in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying hard to create a caste-divide. We will not let it happen this time, he said. Malik also attacked Jat ministers (Captain Abhimanyu and OP Dhankar) in the BJP for betraying the community.

Demanding an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the February violence, Malik said Our men died due to the BJPs conspiracy, and we want everything to come out in the open.
NEW DELHI: Passengers heading for the Old Delhi Railway station can soon expect a smoother and a quicker ride.

The Delhi government is considering construction of a tunnel to segregate traffic going to the station and those making their way towards markets in old Delhi.

Sources said the government came up with the idea of a tunnel after the proposal to construct a tram lines in Old Delhi area fell through.

The tunnel will start where Netaji Subhash Marg and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg meet.

The existing main road (Shyama Prasad Mukherji Marg) will be used by vehicles bound for the station. The tunnel will be used by goods vehicles bound for old Delhi markets such as Khari Baoli, Naya Bazar and Sadar, said a senior government official.

Sources said government is consulting Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), which had conducted feasibility study for trams in the area to decongest Old Delhi.

The tram project was shot down by the AAP government and since then it is considering different plans to decongest the area around the Old Delhi railway station.

People often complained of missing their trains after getting stuck in jams on Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg. All kinds of vehicles converge there. Many vehicles are not bound for station but they have no alternative roads to go to the markets , said an official.

The government has already conducted meetings with railway authorities and DMRC to finalise the plans. Sources said, the railway authorities had proposed some changes in the traffic circulation plan.

Currently, the railway station is separated from Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg by a boundary wall, which will be removed. All the structures adjacent to it toilet blocks, porter shelter, underground tanks  will be relocated.

If approved, DMRC construct the tunnel that will take around two years.

DMRC had proposed a 4.3km tramline in the busy Chandni Chowk area out of which 1.6 km was to be elevated outside Old Delhi railway station.

The tunnel project will be part of the Shahjahanabad Redevelopment Project.
NEW DELHI: Two children were killed while two suffered serious injuries in West Delhis Nihal Vihar after a part of a balcony collapsed on them on Saturday evening.

According to fire officials, the incident took place around 7.30pm when the children were passing from the area.

The two girls Sonu, 5 years, and Bharti, 4 years, succumbed to injuries while being rushed to the hospital, while the condition of Monica 5years and Satval, 6 years is still critical, said a fire official.

The children were admitted to Ganga Ram Hospital.

Police said, investigation in on and a case will soon be filed.
NEW DELHI: Two Nigerian nationals have been arrested by the crime branch of Delhi Police for allegedly running a job racket in Delhi and other cities in south Delhi, police said on Saturday.

Fifty-two SIM cards, two data cards, three laptops and five mobile phones were recovered from them. The gang had recently duped a woman of Rs 2.25 lakh by promising her a job in Qatar Airways, police said.

Michael James, 30, and his compatriot, Umeadi Valentine Chigozie, 32, were caught on Wednesday after probe into a cheating case filed by M Ganagalakshmi at the cyber cell of crime branch earlier this month, said Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner of police (crime).

Ganagalakshmi, Yadav said, alleged the men duped her of Rs 2.25 lakh on pretext of providing her a job in Qatar Airways Company. The woman was targeted through messages sent on her mobile phone.

When she showed interest in the job offer, the cheats tricked her into depositing money in their bank accounts in the name of various processing charges.
The Mewat Police on Sunday nabbed four accused who were allegedly involved in the murder of a couple and the gang rape of two women at Dhingeri village, 45km from Gurgaon.

The men were produced before a local court which remanded them in police custody for seven days.

The suspects, residents of Mohammadpur village close to Dhingeri village in Tauru, 45km from Gurgaon, were arrested after a police team zeroed down on their identities and location after four days of probe. They have been identified as Sandeep, Amarjeet, Karamjeet and Rahul Kumar.

On the basis of the rape victims description, the police had prepared sketches of the accused and distributed them in all police stations and public places. A Special Investigation Team was also formed to trace and nab the accused.

Inspector general of police, southern range, Mamta Singh said Rahul had earlier been booked in a case under the Arms Act. The background of the other accused was being verified.

I had interacted with the victims. They told me that they had seen the suspects roaming around the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal expressway on Wednesday. The men even smiled at the victims after being spotted, Singh said.

The police then tapped into their local sources and brought the suspects in for questioning on Saturday.

Read more: Haryana: Couple killed; woman, minor allegedly gangraped in Mewat

We arrested them on Sunday after finding sufficient evidence to corroborate their involvement in the crime. We will question them about their motive next, said the IG. She added that the appearance of the suspects matched with the sketches of the accused.

The police had lodged a case under Sections 302 (murder), 459 (grievous hurt), 460 (trespass), 376 D (gang rape) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the Arms Act after the incident.

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Gold worth at least Rs 25 crore seized from smugglers has mysteriously disappeared from customs vaults at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, prompting the authorities to order a CBI probe.

A huge haul of over 80kg gold, both in form of bullion and jewellery, has gone missing in the last four years from the customs warehouse. In all the cases, it was replaced with non-precious yellow-coloured metal, official sources said.

The seized gold was valued at Rs 25 crore as per current market rates, they said.

The cases of disappearance of gold had earlier been reported to Delhi Police. As the pilferage continued, the finance ministry decided to recommend a CBI probe following approval of finance minister Arun Jaitley, official sources said.

The CBI has been asked to register a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) into the matter and find out as to how the gold was replaced with the non-precious metal inside the heavily guarded vault, they said. The cases of missing gold related to period between 2012 and June this year.

The vigilance wing of the finance ministry is also looking into the suspected role of customs officials, they said.

Earlier, replying to an RTI query filed by PTI, the Delhi customs said over 23 kg of gold worth more than Rs six crore had gone missing from its warehouse.

In June last year, the customs officials lodged an FIR in connection with disappearance of 11 kg of gold worth Rs 2.92 crore from its vault. The gold was seized in five incidents from passengers at the international airport.

Another case was registered in 2014 to probe similar instances of theft.

Similar cases were also reported to the Delhi Police on January 16, 20, April 30 and December 23, 2014 in which gold worth lakhs of rupees was replaced by a yellow metal.

An FIR was registered in June this year by Delhi Police on the complaint of customs officials who said two gold chains and bangles, together weighing 298 gm, valued at about Rs 8.83 lakh, were replaced with yellow coloured non-precious metal.

The incident came to light when packets containing 1.27 kg gold, including the stolen gold chains and bangles, duly sealed at the instance of a court, were opened by the customs officials before a departmental committee as part of inventorisation proceedings.


JNU has suspended a PhD scholar, who has been accused of raping a fellow student, and declared the campus out of bounds for him pending an enquiry, a decision which comes following protests from students and teachers.

A 28-year-old research student has alleged that a fellow student, Anmol Ratan, raped her after offering her a spiked drink in his hostel room in the university on August 20.

Ratan, an activist of the left-affiliated All India Students Association (AISA), has also been expelled from the student outfit and police has booked him.

While he evaded arrest at first, Ratan subsequently surrendered on August 24 and was sent to 14 days in judicial custody.

Considering the seriousness of the case and in confirmity with zero tolerance against sexual assault on women, Anmol Ratan is suspended from the university with immediate effect during pendency of the case, the suspension order read.

The entire JNU campus shall remain out of bounds for Ratan during his suspension. Anyone found giving shelter to Ratan in any hostel residence in the campus shall invite disciplinary action against him or her, it added.

The action came after the students and teachers staged protests demanding action against Ratan to ensure safety of women on the campus and send out a strong message of intolerance towards such incidents.

University administration, has also asked the Gender Sensitisation Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH), to investigate the matter.

GSCASH is the universitys panel to deal with complaints of such nature.

The rape case has become a centre of political agenda setting at JNU campus where student union polls are scheduled to be held in the next fortnight.

Student wings of various political parties are trying to encash the issue ahead of the keenly contested polls.
Pakad liya hai ji maine. Yes, the mosquito is in my personal custody now. Im working on making him do meditation and penance for giving me dengue. Hopefully hell be transformed. I couldnt punish him any harder because he also gave chikungunya to Chaddha ji and hes vowed to give up eating chicken thinking theres a connect. Anyway, the last few days have been hellishly weakening and Im sure youll forgive me for repeating some gyan that Id dispensed a while back. Because the stress is as valid as it was when I first pointed it out. And because, We.Just.Do.Not.Learn.

Okay, so the mean headline is there on top just because it rhymes. Why would poor Bell uncle be in hell, though he must be writhing in his grave seeing how we turned his really useful invention into a portable version designed to exhibit a gross lack of etiquette. You know, I keep bumping into many of you who are nice enough to tell me that you are big fans of this column. Today Im seeking a favour from those of you who may be lawyers. You have to save me from the murder charge when (and note that Im not saying if) I end up killing some etiquette criminals, especially those whose modus operandi involves a mobile phone.

Id written about this earlier but the latest outrage stems from an incident for the nth time when someones phone went off during a music concert I attended a few weeks back. The pianist had the patience to compete with the shrill Kala Chashma ringtone but I felt like banging my head on the wall, seeing the blatant disregard some people have for basic courtesy. I would like to think of Indians as an intelligent species but it pains me to say that nowhere else in the world would people be so pig-headed when it comes to silencing or not using their cell phones in certain situations. Being addicted to phones, otherwise, is a universal phenomenon.

Read: Independence Day: Freedom from pushy parents this year?

A few months ago, Eva Restaurant on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles announced that itll offer a discount to those diners who would agree to depositing their cell phones at the reception while eating, so that they can enjoy the ambience, the food AND the company, in peace. What a lovely step, though Im not sure if it work in India, with most of us having taken a till death does us apart vow with our cell phones. Vaise you never know, discount ke liye hum kuchh bhi kar sakte hain. Anyway, coming back to the etiquette bit, I wonder if people do not realise that their phones could be a nuisance to others or that they do know it but dont care, which is worse. For those who just dont get it, Ive decided to adopt the in-your-face and on-your-conscience approach, and have drafted a pledge.

Read: T-ICKs the solution for you

Its my humble request to everyone who is sick of cell phone abuse to bring it to the notice of the offenders and urge them to take it.I take this solemn pledge that starting the Twenty eighth day of August, Year Two thousand and sixteen, that

 I shall discover and start utilising a facility called turn on the silent mode which is available on every darn model of every mobile phone, before I enter a cinema hall, a conference room, a lecture theatre, a concert...and a place of worship.

 I shall enjoy the benefit of the doubt and not put a stamp on my foolishness by taking a call in the middle of a movie or performance and then loudly saying sorry I cant talk right now. Im watching a film.

 I shall not rush to take a call while Im having a meal unless President Obama or Mukherji has confirmed in writing that he shall be calling at the appointed hour.

 I shall not justify my over-dependence on mobile phones by citing the safety argument. I shall remember that most people did reach their intended destinations safe and alive even when cell phones had not been invented.

 I shall politely remind my girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse/mom that calling me every 10 minutes to find out where exactly I have reached will not add to my speed of travel in any way. It may just, in fact, delay it.

 I shall not interrupt and insult an on-going conversation with a live human being in front of me by taking a call and starting another conversation with a voice from a distance, unless that voice happens to be that of the boss or the wife. Or the President.

 I shall not disturb friends and colleagues by incessantly pinging them on their mobile chats by mis-assuming that jo tera hai woh mera hai also refers to their time.

 I shall not harass or emotionally blackmail friends by cribbing that they did not take my call. Also, I shall try to understand the logic that if someone has not answered my call for a reason, calling again the very next minute will not magically make them change their mind.

 I shall not celebrate my immense happiness at possessing a cell phone with FM radio or 2000 songs in the memory card by turning myself into a self-styled DJ in metros or buses.

 I shall not take punchlines such as stay connected, anywhere literally and not keep updating Twitter/Facebook statuses by the minute describing the lovely breeze even as Im sitting on the potty.

 I shall realise that God anyway shrunk my thumbs to half the size of the fingers and I cant punish them further by incessantly punching on the keys just to please my WhatsApp contacts.

 I shall gift myself and my family, a hands-free hour everyday. And by that, I will not mean using hands-free headsets to use the phone. It would mean keeping the phone away and out of reach for an hour.

 Lastly, at any given point, I shall give more importance and precedence to people rather than gadgets in my life.

Thats it.

Sonal Kalra would like her calmness tips to be handy for you. Shes thinking of getting a cool mobile phone app for that. Oops.

Tell her if you took the pledge today at :

sonal.kalra@hindustantimes.com or facebook.com/sonal.kalra

Follow on

Twitter @sonalkalra

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Actor Dwayne Johnson has thanked his fans for their wishes after being named the worlds highest-paid actor by Forbes magazine.

The 44-year-old San Andreas star shared a picture of himself on Instagram and said it will always push him to work even harder in life.

Somewhere along this crazy road I learned (often times the hard way) the most important things I can do is be authentic, trust my gut, be the hardest worker in the room, celebrate the mistakes, be a grateful man and always remember that its nice to be important, but its more important to be nice.

Thank you guys for everything. Tequilas on me. Lets get to work, he wrote.

Johnson, also known as The Rock, elbowed out reigning Downey Jr to become the worlds highest-paid, grossing USD 64.5 million, and scored his biggest ever annual paycheck in the process.

The erstwhile wrestlers millions came from upfront fees for movies including Central Intelligence and Fast 8, as well as the forthcoming Baywatch.

He bested second-ranked Jackie Chan (USD 61 million), who mints money with movies in China, and Matt Damon (third), who tallied USD 55 million largely off the success of The Martian.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
About a month after the infamous highway gang rape incident, Bulandshahr was in the news again after three men allegedly kidnapped and gang-raped a Class 10 student in a moving car.

Police have arrested the accused, Nitin and his two friends, Brijesh and Rahul. The court sent them to judicial custody on Sunday evening.

SP (city), Bulandshahr, Maan Singh Chauhan, said Nitin had become friends with the girl during occasional visits to her village, where his maternal uncles family also lived.

The incident took place on Saturday morning, when the three youths offered a lift to the girl while she was on way to her school in Agauta area of the district. Nitin allegedly offered her cold drink laced with sedative and later all three of them gang-raped her before dumping her near the Syana bus stand in Bulandshahr.

When some locals spotted the girl lying in an unconscious state, they informed the police after which she was taken to the police station.

The girl narrated the incident to the police and a case of abduction and gang rape was lodged against the accused under the Indian Penal Code in the Agauta police station.
A transparent, white plastic box, placed on Mother Teresas tomb at Mother House in Kolkata is nearly filled to the brim with little pieces of paper. As the time for the Friday Mass draws near, more visitors start scribbling hurriedly on the slips of blank paper kept near the box and dropping them inside. Those coming to Mother House write their intentions (or wishes) on paper and put them inside this box for Mothers blessings. During the special mass on Fridays, the day Mother passed away, we ask the priest to bless all the intentions and pray for them, explains one of the nuns.

The founder of the Missionaries of Charity will be canonised at the Vatican on September 4. But the nun who stepped out of Loreto in 1948, and made it her lifes mission to work for the poorest of the poor around the world has for years been revered as a saint by the people whose lives she touched. Sister Bernadette, 78, of Loreto Calcutta remembers a chance meeting with Mother Teresa at the Kolkata airport years ago. People at the airport kept coming to her and asking for her blessing. She had a paper and she would write God bless you and sign her name on it. She said, you see this, I am putting them in Gods hands, remembers the nun.

The Simple Joys of Life

Those who knew her well, lived and worked with her, remember the person behind the public face. She had a great sense of humour. She would always be joking and when she found something funny, she would place both hands on her hips and bend double with laughter, remembers former chief election commissioner of India and Mother Teresas biographer Navin B Chawla.

A nun of the Loreto order, 82-year-old Sister Eithne, recalls that same spirit in one of her meetings with Mother Teresa. I remember meeting her here in this house (Loreto House, Kolkata). She came to meet the community, her old friends. What I remember about that meeting is that there was great laughter and fun, she says.

At Kolkatas Missionaries of Charity, nuns pray with Mother Teresas statue behind them. (Samir Jana/Hindustan Times)

While her avowed mission remained to care for the destitute, everyone around her felt enriched by her love. She always had time for everybody, says Father Dominic Gomes, vicar-general of the archdiocese of Calcutta. After I was ordained, I was asked by the Church to go for my higher studies to Rome. I needed a passport. I made so many rounds of different offices and nothing was working out, he remembers. One day I was at Mother House and Mother noticed that I looked very sad, and she asked me what was the matter. I told her I had been trying to get my passport made for the past three months without any success. She immediately said give all your documents to me. To my surprise, the next day I had my passport.

Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity remember how their superior cared for them the same way that a mother would. Sister Tarcisia, who joined St Teresas primary school in Kolkata as a six-year-old when Mother Teresa was the in-charge, talks of her motherly affection. She knew that my health was not strong, so whenever there was some heavy work to be done, moving a table for instance, she would push me out of the way. This from a woman who her biographer recalls as being habitually unmindful of her own health.  She often chose to ignore the advice of Dr Bardhan, her long-standing cardiologist in Calcutta, remembers Chawla. Mother Teresa needed a pacemaker at some point of her life and she was forbidden by the doctor to even go down the stairs. One day I was with her and there was a telephone call. And she said I am going to Bangladesh. Theres a cyclone there, I have got to go. I reminded her of her doctors orders and she said I will tell him later, says Chawla.

On Mother Teresas 98th birth anniversary at Kolkatas Missionaries of Charity. (Subhankar Chakraborty/Hindustan Times)

There are as many anecdotes about Mother Teresa, as the number of people who came into contact with her. Father Felix Raj, principal of the St Xaviers College in Kolkata remembers her great love for students. Photographer Raghu Rai talks about how she could be tough when needed, but would change if she found reason in what was being said. Recalling his first meeting with her, sometime in the 1970s, he says, Even at that time, the Missionaries of Charity were quite strict about giving access to photographers and journalists. When Rai happened to see three nuns in prayer through the movement of a half curtain behind Mother Teresa, he started taking their photos. On being questioned by Mother Teresa as to what he was doing, Rai answered, Mother, there are these sisters praying and they look like angels. How you melted, Mother, and accepted that moment, he recalls.

Chawla talks of her immense will and how she would go to any length for her work. In one of his initial meetings with Mother, when he was secretary to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi, he remembers that she had come to ask for land to build a facility for the leprosy-affected in the city. I asked her how much land she needed and she looked at me and said five acres. Then we went to see the LG and she told him in detail about the plight of these people and the LG was so moved he was nearly in tears. He also asked her how much land she required and she looked at me with an impish smile and said ten acres! Because she had won him over she got 11 acres. And I saw this in country after country, situation after situation. If Mother Teresa could cajole anything out of anyone for her poor, she had no hesitation in doing so, he says.

Read more: Tracing Mothers Journey in Kolkata from Loreto to Missionaries of Charity

The Nay Sayers

This very attitude of her, however, in indiscriminately accepting help for her mission has been used by her critics against her, the most vocal of whom had been British journalist Christopher Hitchens. In a documentary titled Hells Angel - Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Hitchens questioned Mother Teresas meetings and closeness with certain political heads of states and business tycoons of questionable repute and in some cases her acceptance of funds or trophies from them. Notable among these were Haitian president Jean-Claude Duvalier and American activist and businessman Charles Keating. Hitchens allegations are echoed by Indian rationalist Sanal Edamaruku, who wrote in an article, Mother Teresa did not serve the poor in Calcutta, she served the rich in the West. She helped them to overcome their bad conscience by taking billions of dollars from them, and felt that Mother had given a bad name to Calcutta by portraying it as a city of hopelessness and death. Chawla admits that in all likelihood, she did meet Michelle Duvalier, Jean-Claude Duvaliers wife. It was true of Mother Teresa that whoever could do her work, she would go there and try and get work done for her poor. I did ask her once how is it that you take money from these dubious people. And she said how is it different from the thousands who come to feed the poor in all my homes. I dont look into their antecedents. Whoever they may be they have a right to give in charity and I have no right to judge them. God will judge them, he says.

Queen Elizabeth II standing in left side profile as she presents Mother Teresa of Calcutta with the insignia of the Order of Merit November 24, 1983 at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. (Virendra Prabhakar/Hindustan Times)

That Cult Following

Hitchens traced the root of Mothers global popularity and adulation to journalist Malcolm Muggeridges devotional representation of her in the book Something Beautiful for God. But he and those he interviewed in Hells Angel accused Mother Teresa of admiring the strength of the powerful almost as highly as she recommends resignation of the poor. He gave the example of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, an industrial disaster in India, when Mother Teresas advice to the victims had been to forgive the multinational company responsible for it. Writer and journalist Mihir Bose whom Hitchens interviewed in the film felt Mother Teresa  accepted implicitly that theres nothing you can do for the poor except take them off the streets and look after them. You cannot change their attitude, you cannot make them feel that they have an ability or the means to improve and change their lives. Father Felix Raj answers the accusation. People have criticised Mother and said instead of giving a fish why dont you teach these people how to fish. She answered, okay fine I am capable of giving a fish but why dont you start teaching others how to fish. Then both of us participate in the mission, he says.

Watch | Kolkatas saint: Mother of the Poor

Foreign physicians who visited the Missionaries of Charity homes in Calcutta have written of poor medical care given to the people there, including a lack of distinction between curable and incurable diseases, no use of pain relief medication and lack of proper sterilisation of medical tools, including needles. It is an allegation also voiced by writer and former volunteer at Missionaries of Charity, Mary Loudon, in Hells Angel. But Mother Teresas supporters explain it as their lack of understanding of her mission. I think they are giving the best possible treatment wherever it is. It is true that when the sisters feel no medical care will help... what is the need of shifting him to the hospital when he may die on the way. At that moment you try to help the person, not shift him to a medical facility, says Father Felix Raj.

Less easy to justify is her religious non-acceptance of abortion and birth control measures and here even Chawla admits that he disagreed with her views. So deeply religious herself, did she ever try to convert anyone to her faith, another criticism levelled against her? She has not converted even one in terms of religion. But she has converted all, including me, her conversion is the conversion of the heart, says Father Felix Raj. Chawla explains that Mother never felt the need to convert the destitute because for her every suffering person she picked up from the street was her God.

Sishu Bhavan, a place for children near the Mother House at the Missionaries of Charitys office in Kolkata. (Indranil Bhoumik/Mint)

For herself and her sisters though, prayer and devotion to Jesus was sacrosanct. Stepping out of the comfort of Loreto House into the Calcutta of 1948, a city torn by post-partition strife and recovering from the famine of 1943, needed some courage. In the beginning there was no money, even for food. And she had to feed the 12 women who joined her order. She would beg for rice and sprinkle some salt on it. And then she would pray and someone would send vegetables. In the early days she strengthened her capacity to pray, says Chawla.

Mother Teresa photographed by Raghu Rai

Rai remembers her words to the authorities during the refugee crisis when people started arriving to Calcutta across the borders from Bangladesh. My sisters will put up with everything; they will spend all their time, and do their duty, but they will have to come back every evening for their prayers to rejuvenate their spiritual energies, Mother had said to the officer in charge of relief operations.

Talking of the first time that he met Mother way back in 1975, Chawla, talks of her trademark white sari with the blue border, which she chose over a nuns habit in 1948. She was bent over, even then, and when she turned, I noticed that her sari, which was clean and shining, was darned in several places, he says. For Mother Teresa, that sari was more than a garment. It was a promise from Jesus that your sari will become holy because it will be my symbol.

For the world though, that sari came to symbolise and contain in its folds a love and compassion that was almost beyond human. In later years artists such as MF Husain would use it to symbolise her. His paintings of her were without facial features. Perhaps the artist in him saw in her the embodiment of that universal motherhood, that those close to her felt in her embrace.

August 26, 1910: Born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, in Skopje, Macedonia in a devout Catholic family. At the age of 12, she felt a call to help the poor.





Born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, in Skopje, Macedonia in a devout Catholic family. At the age of 12, she felt a call to help the poor. November 28, 1928: Left home to join the Loreto Convent in Dublin, Ireland. It was here that she was given the name Sister Mary Teresa.





Left home to join the Loreto Convent in Dublin, Ireland. It was here that she was given the name Sister Mary Teresa. January 1929: Traveled to Darjeeling, India, for the novitiate or training period.





Traveled to Darjeeling, India, for the novitiate or training period. May 1931: Made her First Profession of Vows.





Made her First Profession of Vows. 1931: Sent to Kolkata, where she was assigned to teach at Saint Marys High School for Girls, a school dedicated to girls from the citys poorest Bengali families.





Sent to Kolkata, where she was assigned to teach at Saint Marys High School for Girls, a school dedicated to girls from the citys poorest Bengali families. May 24, 1937: Took her final profession of vows and as customary, took the title of Mother.





Took her final profession of vows and as customary, took the title of Mother. 10 September, 1946: Mother Teresa was travelling to Darjeeling from Calcutta when she felt her second calling, which she termed as a call within a call. She said that Christ had spoken to her and told her to abandon teaching to work in the slums of Kolkata and serve the citys poor.





Mother Teresa was travelling to Darjeeling from Calcutta when she felt her second calling, which she termed as a call within a call. She said that Christ had spoken to her and told her to abandon teaching to work in the slums of Kolkata and serve the citys poor. 7 October, 1948: The Missionaries of Charity was established.





The Missionaries of Charity was established. 1979: Mother Teresa was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work "in bringing help to suffering humanity."





Mother Teresa was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her work "in bringing help to suffering humanity." March 1980: She received the Bharat Ratna for her work





She received the Bharat Ratna for her work September 5, 1997: After prolonged illnesses of heart, kidney and lungs, Mother Teresa died at 9:30 PM at the Mother House in Kolkata.





After prolonged illnesses of heart, kidney and lungs, Mother Teresa died at 9:30 PM at the Mother House in Kolkata. October 19, 2003: Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II after her miracle was recognised by the Vatican.





Mother Teresa was beatified by Pope John Paul II after her miracle was recognised by the Vatican. December 17, 2015: A decree issued by Pope Francis recognised a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, thus, making her eligible to be canonised as a saint.





A decree issued by Pope Francis recognised a second miracle attributed to Mother Teresa, thus, making her eligible to be canonised as a saint. September 4, 2016: Mother Teresa will be declared a saint by the Pope in a special ceremony.

Read: Mother Teresas Mission survives beyond her life

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Authorities in Kashmir have decided to lift restrictions from the Valley on Monday, except for some areas, after a 51-day continuous curfew following the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8 and the subsequent unrest that killed 70 people.

Following improvement in the situation, there will be no restrictions in Kashmir valley from tomorrow except Pulwama town and the areas falling under the jurisdictions of police stations MR Gunj and Nowhatta, said a police spokesman on Sunday.

Pulwama is in south Kashmir. MR Gunj and Nowhatta fall in the old city area of Srinagar.

The development comes in the wake of Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Muftis meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday and the governments announcement that an all-party delegation will visit Kashmir in the first week of September.

Also on Saturday, decks seemed to have been cleared for a meeting between Kashmiri separatists and members of the all-party delegation.

The Centre and the state government have agreed no member of the delegation will be stopped from engaging with the separatists, sources said after Mehboobas meeting with the PM.

Last week, a delegation of Kashmiri opposition leaders led by National Conferences Omar Abdullah met the President and the Prime Minister, and underlined the need for the government to open talks to defuse the situation in the Valley.

Curfew was imposed on July 9 after protests erupted against the killing of Wani in an encounter in south Kashmir. It was also the first time that the curfew and restrictions were imposed continuously for 51 days without any break since militancy erupted in the Valley in 1989.

Meanwhile, residents in Kreeri area of Baramulla said that they heard gunshots on Sunday evening after security forces launched a search operation. Police denied that any shots were fired. The Baramulla control room said forces laid a cordon in Bandibala Chandoosa which was later lifted.
A life lost in Kashmir is a loss for India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his Mann ki Baat radio address on Sunday, and hit out at troublemakers for using children as foot soldiers to further their agenda.

Those who push small children in the forefront to create unrest in Kashmir will someday have to answer to those innocent children, he said.

Also, he appreciated the unity among political parties on Kashmir, saying their united voice has delivered a message for the separatists.

His remarks came a day after his meeting with Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, who suggested an institutional mechanism for dialogue with the people in her restive state.

The peace process appears to be rolling as authorities in Srinagar announced late on Sunday that curfew in the Kashmir Valley could be lifted from Monday  after a record 51 days since protests erupted over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8. The unrest has left 70 people, including security personnel, dead.

Besides, Union home minister Rajnath Singh is likely to lead an all-party delegation to the state on September 3 for talks with Kashmiris and to take stock of the situation.

Last week, the Centre asked the state to crack down on radicalised groups fuelling unrest in the Valley.

Ahead of the all-party delegations visit, Modi said all parties have spoken in one voice for unity, expressing affection for Kashmiris.

On the minds of 1.25 crore Indians, from a village head to the Prime Minister, if a life is lost in Kashmir, be it of a youth or that of a security person, it is our loss, it is the loss of the nation.

Modi said when every political party spoke as one, referring to debates in Parliament and the all-party meeting, the united voice sent a strong message to the outside world, separatists and expressed our sentiments for the Kashmiri people.

He lauded the Opposition, which had earlier questioned his silence on Kashmir in the July Mann ki Baat, aired three weeks into the post-Wani unrest in the Valley.

What is the power of unity, what cant be achieved if we walk together, he said, pointing to the Oppositions role in passing the goods and services tax bill, and addressing the Kashmir crisis.

Home minister Singh, finance minister Arun Jaitley, BJP chief Amit Shah and junior minister in the prime ministers office, Jitendra Singh, discussed the situation in the northern state on Sunday.

The plan to send the all-party delegation was on the table. Rajnath Singh is a senior leader and we have come for margdarshan (guidance), Jitendra Singh said.

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The father of slain Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani, who met the Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at his ashram in Bengaluru, discussed the situation in the Valley with the spiritual guru.

Muzaffar Wani who met the spiritual leader last week, also said he was in the city for diabetes treatment. He said he chose to stay in the ashram instead of the hospital as he feared for his safety.

In a statement to the media, Muzaffar Wani said he discussed the situation in the Valley with the spiritual guru.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar asked me to suggest something for restoration of peace in Kashmir. Just in my individual capacity I advised him to impress upon the central government to initiate a multilateral dialogue with Pakistan, Hurriyat Conference and the representatives of Kashmir, Jammu and Ladhakh regions of Jammu and Kashmir. I also made it clear that current phase of struggle is non-violent and not part of armed struggle, he said.

Wani said he also asked Sri Sri to use his influence in finding a solution to the Kashmir problem.

Sri Sri asked me what the people of Kashmir wanted. I asked him to visit the Valley to find out for himself, he said, reports PTI.

Wani, a school headmaster in Kashmir, said he also told Sri Sri that the national media was not portraying the real picture of Kashmir before the people of India.

He said there should be an unconditional dialogue with the separatists to find a lasting solution to Kashmir problem, reports PTI.

Hurriyat is the leadership of Kashmir and there should be an unconditional dialogue ... the precondition of within the ambit of Indian Constitution will not lead to a solution, said Wani.

Burhans father had gone to Bengaluru on Thursday for treatment of a health-related issue and returned home on Saturday.

I had gone for treatment to Sri Sri Rama (Ayurvedic) hospital Bengaluru as I had sought an appointment with the hospital three months back but could not go there in the holy month of Ramadan. I was scheduled to go to the hospital for treatment but could not go there after the death of my son Burhan Wani. I preferred to spend time in ashram than in a hospital just for security reasons, he was quoted by KNS, a local news agency.

Wani also claimed that some locals even accused Sri Sri of giving shelter to the father of a terrorist.

The killing of his son Burhan Wani sparked off violence in Kashmir that has left 70 people dead and thousands others injured as the unrest entered its 51st day on Sunday. His other son was killed in an encounter between army and militants sometime earlier.

Muzaffar Wani, the father of Burhan Wani was in the ashram for the last 2 days. We discussed several issues. pic.twitter.com/IDyyxJSG83  Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) August 27, 2016

A photograph of Wani with the Sri Sri, posted by the latter on Twitter, has gone viral on social networking sites.

Muzaffar Wani, the father of Burhan Wani was in the ashram for the last 2 days. We discussed several issues, Sri Sri had tweeted.

(With inputs from PTI)
China will have to get involved if any Indian plot disrupts the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in restive Balochistan, an influential Chinese think tank has warned India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis reference to Balochistan in his Independence Day speech is the latest concern for China and among its scholars, Hu Shisheng, the director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), told IANS in a freewheeling interview.

The researcher, at one of Chinas most powerful think tanks, which is affiliated with the ministry of state security, also said Indias growing military ties with the US and its changed attitude on the disputed South China Sea are ringing alarm bells for China.

The latest concern for China is Prime Minister Narendra Modis speech from the Red Fort in which he referred to the issues like Kashmir (occupied by Pakistan) and Balochistan, Hu said.

It could be regarded as a watershed moment in Indias policy towards Pakistan. Why Chinese scholars are concerned is because this is for the first time India has mentioned it, he added.

Hu said China fears India may use anti-government elements in Pakistans restive Balochistan where Beijing is building the $46 billion CPEC -- a key to the success of its ambitious One Road One Belt project.

There is concern that India may take the same approach, which is believed by the Indian side Pakistan is taking, asymmetrically using anti-government factors in Pakistan, Hu said on the expansive and leafy campus of CICIR.

If this kind of plot causes damage to the CPEC, China will have to get involved, he said, referring to the alleged involvement of India in backing separatists in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

The ongoing CPEC will connect Chinas largest province, Xinjiang, with Pakistans Gwadar port in Balochistan, hit by rebels and separatists. India has strongly opposed the corridor as it will pass through Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir which it claims as its own.

Islamabad has long accused India of fomenting trouble in this region -- a charge denied by New Delhi.

However, Modis reference to the region, experts say, is a signal to Pakistan that New Delhi could raise tensions in the region as a tit for tat for Pakistans backing for terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

This will not help Pakistan to become a normal country. And it will also further disturb India-China relations, Hu pointed out.

Hu noted the growing defence cooperation between India and the US was also a worrying factor of China.

In the past, China was not so much concerned about Indias security cooperation with other countries, especially with the US. But now Chinese scholars can feel the concern, Hu said.

He said the defence cooperation between New Delhi and Washington increased significantly after Modi took over as Prime Minster.

He also referred to US defense secretary Ashton Carters visit to India in April during which both the countries agreed in principle to sign the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).

There is renewal of defence and technological cooperation (between India and the US) for another 10 years, enhancing the cooperation under the framework of DTTI (Defence Technology and Trade Initiative), Hu added.

This is an alarming signal to China. It is a concern for China, the expert said.

He also said India will have to resist pressure exerted by the US and Japan to join them in countering China. We also know that the US and Japan, as well as Australia, are very keen on getting India in their camp. They are also exerting pressure.

They are also luring India by giving high-technology deals and advanced military weapons. It is up to India whether India can resist this kind of temptation, Hu said.

Indias involvement in the South China Sea dispute was another irritant in the already strained relationship between India and China, Hu added.

In the past, Indias stand on the South China Sea was impartial. Indian is getting more and more involved. This attitude is another concern for China, noted Hu.

We know that India has national interest in maintaining freedom of navigation and aviation, but China in the past has done nothing to block the so-called freedom of navigation.

Our problem is with the US. We can see India is becoming more vocal in issuing joint statements with the US and Japan on the South China Sea, he added.

A UN court in July rejected Chinas claims over the so-called Nine-Dash line -- which covers almost 90% of the contested South China Sea -- and backed the Philippines which has overlapping claims in the oil and natural gas-rich waters, which are also partly claimed by Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Beijing rejected the verdict as illegal.

India, 55% of whose trade passes through the Strait of Malacca that opens into the South China Sea, has asked the parties to peacefully resolve the dispute and show utmost respect to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Sunday former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees policy should be adopted to steer her state out of bloodshed and turmoil.

We need to pick the threads left by Vajpayee. We need to find a permanent solution to the trouble as it keeps surfacing every two-three years, she said in Jammu.

Vajpayee went to Lahore; then Kargil happened. Then there was an attack on Parliament. But despite those provocations, Vajpayee never left the path of dialogue.

Mufti followed Prime Minister Narendra Modis line that the youth in Kashmir are being misguided by vested interests.

Earlier in the day, Mufti said whosoever is ready to reject violence should be engaged in peace talks to restore normality in Kashmir.

The chief minister exhorted the bunch of people  referring to those provoking the youth to attack security forces  to stop violence and create a conducive atmosphere for talks.

What I am concerned about and told the Prime Minister is that people have lost faith in dialogues. So, a dialogue as an institution has to be restored first, she said.

She wants credible people to represent the government in the talks. They should be able to communicate with the other side  protesters and separatists.
Congress and JD(U) on Sunday sought to pick holes in Prime Minister Narendra Modis radio address, asking why the government has not been able to lift curfew in Kashmir yet if only 5% of the people are involved in creating trouble.

If PM believes that only 5 per cent of people are creating trouble then why central and state governments are not able to contain it? Why curfew for 51 days? Congress leader Manish Tewari asked on Twitter.

He also asked Modi to hear Mann ki Baat of Kashmiri people rather than one way monologue.

Speaking on the unrest in the Valley in his monthly radio programme Mann Ki Baat, Modi said, From the interactions I had with all parties on Kashmir, one thing emerged from those, which can be put in simple words as Ekta and Mamata. These two things were the basic mantra.

Why normal life paralysed? Why internet services disrupted? PM must hear Mann Ki Baat of Kashmiri people rather than one way monologue! Tewari said.

On the Kashmir issue, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the people of the country want lasting peace in Kashmir but the statement of Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti does not prove so.

The people in India want lasting peace in Kashmir. That peace will come from healing, re-initiating development process. That peace will come from bringing back those who have gone away from national mainstream, Surjewala said.

The peace will come with engagement with every section. If Modiji is doing it, I do not think so. Is Mehbooba Mufti wanting to do so, her statement does not prove so, he said.

Janata Dal (United) leader KC Tyagi said, Every political party supports PM, if any initiative is taken. He tried to normalise the relationship with Pakistan. Tell me the name of one political party that opposed him. He has not done anything...to ensure peace in Kashmir.

Read: Rio win to Kashmir loss: Highlights of PM Modis Mann ki Baat
An Australian newspaper that broke the story on document leaks concerning six Scorpene submarines being built for India said on Sunday a French shipbuilder at the centre of the scandal has threatened legal action to prevent further publication of the information contained in 22,400 secret documents.

French naval contractor DCNS was left reeling after details from the documents relating to the submarines were published in The Australian newspaper this week, sparking concerns about its ability to protect sensitive information.

On Saturday, the journalist who reported the leak said the material posted online by his newspaper was just the tip of the iceberg, cautioning India that the datas interception by foreign intelligence agencies in its original form could be damaging.

The move by DCNS (to threaten legal action) comes as a former commander of the US Pacific Fleet Submarine Force warned that the Scorpene leaks scandal would undermine confidence in the ability of French companies to protect classified information, The Australian reported on Sunday.

The company is also seeking a court order to force The Australian to hand over the documents and remove them from its website, it added.

The French shipbuilder said earlier this week that the leak bore the hallmarks of economic warfare carried out by frustrated competitors.

The secret data on Indias Scorpene submarines was accessed by an unknown number of people working for a private company in a Southeast Asian country and even placed on an internet server where it was vulnerable to hacking and interception.

The leaked data, which has forced the Indian Navy to assess the vulnerability of Scorpene submarines ordered from DCNS under a $3.5 billion deal, is believed to have been removed from the firm in Paris in 2011 by a former French navy officer, according The Australian.

The data that has been leaked is reported to have details such as specifications of the torpedo launch system and functioning of the above-water and underwater sensors.

The whistleblower in the leaks plans to surrender the disk containing the documents to the Australian government on Monday and was quoted as saying: In the wake of the recent future submarine decision (in Australia) this matter went from one of a very serious breach for both France and India to a matter of national security significance to Australia and the US.

On Sunday, The Australian quoted an affidavit by DCNSs lawyer as saying: The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation.

The Indian government has so far maintained the leaked information does not cause any major concern, while an analysis of the data is underway to ascertain the level of information contained in the secret documents.

Defence minister Manohar Parrikar said on Friday the leaked information did not contain data on the weapon systems.

We are waiting for the report. Basically what is on the website (of The Australian) is not of concern to us but we are assuming on our own that this has been leaked and we are taking all precautions, Parrikar said.

The Australian said it had redacted the most sensitive details from the documents before publishing them.

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The Mamata Banerjee government suspects sabotage behind Saturdays fire in Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital, while the Opposition Congress says the tragedy resulted from a systemic failure that warrants judicial probe.

Former minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, who is chairperson of West Bengal Medical Services Corporation, said on Sunday she sensed foul play behind the blaze that killed three people.

Many strange things happen in Berhampore. There may be a conspiracy behind this incident, said the ex-MoS for health and law, who visited the accident spot for an inspection following chief minister Mamata Banerjees instruction.

The comment drew sharp reaction from the Congress. We will move court to get the tragedy investigated by a judge, said the partys state president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is the Berhampore MP. The incident exposes a total absence of administration in state-run hospitals.

The Congress also ridiculed the government decision to task Bhattacharya with the post-fire inspection. Chandrima is a lawyer. The CM is despatching lawyers where doctors are needed, said Abdul Mannan, Congress legislature party leader in the Assembly.

The hospital, which was upgraded to a medical college five years ago, is located in the heart of Berhampore town. Saturdays fire broke out just before midday reportedly from an AC in a VIP room on the first floor.

The blaze, which was soon contained, triggered a scramble. Two adults and a three-year old child diedthe first two in a stampede.

The government has ordered a CID probe. Forensic experts, along with CID officials, reached the spot on Sunday.

Over the past few weeks, the relation between the chief minister and her rival party touched a new low after the ruling Trinamool engineered a steady erosion of Congress leaders and workers in Murshidabad and neighbouring Malda.

The two districts, which are traditional Congress bastions, saw Trinamool wresting three civic bodies and nearly 100 gram panchayats from the Congress and the Left in October last year. The results intensified the bitterness between Chowdhury and the CM.

Banerjee, 61, has, earlier too, made accusations of conspiracies against her.

In March this year, when Trinamool leaders were seen accepting cash in videos published by nascent website Narada, she said it was a foreign-funded conspiracy to malign her party ahead of the assembly polls this April.

The weekend tragedy at Murshidabad rekindled horrific memories of a massive 2011 fire in Kolkatas AMRI that killed more than 90 peoplethe worst hospital tragedy in the country.

Three years later, in April 2014, a fire broke out in a Malda hotel where the chief minister was staying, prompting Banerjee to claim it was a conspiracy to kill her.


Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation through his monthly programme Mann ki Baat on Sunday.

In his 23rd edition of the programme, Prime Minister lauded the achievers in Rio Games, saying we must improve for future Olympic Games. The PM also spoke on various other issues, from cleanliness in schools and villages to Teachers day and Ganeshotsav celebrations, ideas for which he had earlier sought from people on the Narendra Modi App and MyGov Open Forum.

Below are the updates from his address on Sunday:

* 11.34am: Those who are trying to disrupt peace in Kashmir will have to answer the innocent children of Kashmir.

I believe Ekta aur Mamata -- unity and motherhood -- is the solution to the problem. Everyone, right from the head of the village to the head of the country, believes that no matter who dies in Kashmir, whether a youth or a policeman, it is Indias loss.

* 11.30am: All parties get the credit for GST Bill; it shows what one can achieve with a united effort towards one specific goal. Similarly, all the parties came together for Kashmir and sent out a strong message to the world.

* 11.28am: Students of 1,700 schools in Chhattisgarh wrote to their parents urging them to construct toilets in their homes. Some even asked for a toilet as their birthday gift.

A 16-year-old girl launched a Satyagraha, gave up food, demanding a toilet in her home in Karnataka. I congratulate this sense of need for cleanliness.

I appeal everyone to make a short documentary/ film on Clean India. The best of the entries will be awarded on October 2, on Mahatma Gandhis birth anniversary.

* 11.24am: The floods have wreaked havoc across north India. The flood problem is serious.

Some states through which river Ganga flows have undertaken the task to protect its masses hit by the floods. Also, I congratulate all the chief ministers of the states for contributing their bit for the Clean Ganga mission.

* 11.22am: Mother Teresas canonisation as saint to happen on September 4th. Her life was dedicated to work for the poor. I pay my tributes to her. A delegation led by Sushma Swaraj will be headed to witness the historic event.

*11.19am: Ahead of Ganesh festival, PM Modi pays tribute to Lokmanya Tilak: I request everyone to refrain from making and worshipping Ganesh idols made from Plaster of Paris. It harms the environment. Make it a point to use only clay idols and protect.

* 11.15am: Upload pictures with your teachers on NarendraModiApp to celebrate Teachers day. Also share any incident or a story about your teacher that inspires you.

* 11.12am: Remembering Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan ahead of his birth anniversary on Sept 5, PM Modi pays respects to all his teachers. He says, My handwriting is very bad, but even at the age of 90, a teacher of mine has a better handwriting. Handwriting adds immense respect to ones personality.

* 11.08am: When asked by a citizen on myGov app if Indias performance in Rio Games was satisfactory; PM Modi says No, it wasnt. But I have constituted a team to improve our performance next time.

* 11.06am: Im happy that girls from all over the country -- PV Sindhu from South India, Sakshi Malik from North and Dipa Karmakar from Northeast -- brought laurels for India. I was filled with pride to see these girls took the task of making the country proud in Rio Games on their shoulders.

* 11.04am: PM Modi remembers hockey legend Major Dhyanchand in his first Mann ki Baat address after Rio Olympics. He says it was delightful to see that Indians were so much excited for Olympic Games, glad to talk on this on heavy public demand.

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About 15 to 17 years back I developed a tumour in my abdomen. I visited many doctors, underwent a long medication process, but nothing helped. We went to doctors at the nearby government hospital, but the treatment was so expensive that we had to mortgage our land, says Monica Besra (in photo right), now 50, speaking to HT over the telephone from her village in West Bengals South Dinajpur district.

In 1998, Monica claimed she had been cured after praying to Mother Teresa, thus paving the way for Mothers Beatification. Monica says her sister took her to the recently-opened Missionaries of Charity centre near their village when everything else failed . I was so ill I couldnt eat anything. I would immediately throw up. The Sisters of Missionaries of Charity even took me to a doctor in Siliguri, but he said I might not regain consciousness if operated upon, remembers the mother of five.

Read: A saint who was more of a mother

Finally on September 4, a day before Mother Teresas first death anniversary, the Sisters said they were going to Church to pray, recalls Monica. I was too ill to move, but two Sisters supported me there. There was a photograph of Mother Teresa there. When I entered the Church a blinding light emanated from Mothers photo and enveloped me. I didnt know what was happening. I was too ill to sit for long and was soon brought back to my bed, says Monica, adding, That night one of the Sisters brought a medallion of Mother Teresa and tied it on my abdomen after saying a prayer to Mother to help me. I had been praying to Mother for a long time. I used to have trouble sleeping because of the pain, but that night I fell asleep. At about 1am I woke up to go the washroom and saw that my stomach was flat and the tumour was gone. There was no pain. I was able to go to the bathroom without help. I was so surprised I woke up the woman in the next bed and told her what had happened. In the morning I told the Sisters, says Monica. After that, Monica says, the Sisters took her to a doctor to get her checked and he confirmed that the tumour was cured.

Read: My tumour vanished with her divine light

I immediately felt that it was Mother who had cured me, she says. At the time of Monicas claim and the beatification, a doctor who had been treating Monica claimed she had been cured because of the medicines. Kolkata-based Prabir Ghosh, president of the Science and Rationalist Association of India, also challenges the miracle claims and the Canonization. If people want to rever Mother Teresa for her social work, I have no problem. But these miracles are unreasonable. I challenge the Pope to cure every poor person in India who cannot afford medical care, by praying to Mother, he says.

Read: Mother Teresas mission survives beyond her life

Read: Ahead of Mother Teresas Canonization, tracing her journey in Kolkata

Click here for full coverage

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If you thought lawmakers seriously debate bills before turning them into laws, heres a statistic that will make you gawk. At a time when the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government is crossing the half-way mark of its tenure, both the houses of Parliament have already passed 17 bills after debating them for less than five minutes each.

On July 28, Lok Sabha MPs amended the anti-graft Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act to exempt public servants  including themselves  from declaring their assets by July 31. The amendment was passed without a discussion. On March 16, the Rajya Sabha passed an amendment to the Gurudwara Act-1925 to disenfranchise an estimated 70 lakh Sehajdari Sikhs without sparing a minute for contemplation.

Earlier, on December 21, the RS passed the crucial SCs and STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill in the same manner. The amendments were brought in to upgrade a law dating back to 1989, making punishment under the Act far more stringent. Despite this, the House of Elders rushed through the process because it was meeting after four adjournments forced by disruptions and the backlog was mounting. Two appropriation bills also received the same treatment in that very sitting.

These are just a few examples.

Experts say hasty (and shoddy) legislating often yields laws that need amendments within a few years of enactment, or  at times  fail the test of judicial scrutiny. The IT Amendment Act was passed by the Lok Sabha in 2008 after a debate of just 40 minutes. In March 2015, the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A, which was inserted by the amendment, because it was found vague and unconstitutional.

Experts also cite the example of the Companies Act 2013, an omnibus law to consolidate and amend provisions relating to companies, to drive home their point about hasty legislation. The law was amended less than two years after its enactment.

The legislatures job is not just to legislate, but to legislate well, says Chakshu Roy, head of outreach at the PRS Legislative Research  a think-tank that analyses parliamentary procedures. The legislative process is sacrosanct, and it must ensure that a mechanism of complete scrutiny is adopted. Every time there is a deviation, the legislation is weakened.

Yet, the time spent by parliamentarians on discussing legislation is only getting shorter.

The Lok Sabha has passed 72 bills since May 2014, of which exactly a third have benefitted from less than an hour of discussion. The same was the case with 22 of the 63 legislations passed by the Upper House in the same period.

Data provided by the PRS shows that during the UPA regime, Parliament passed 27 bills under five minutes and 21 others under 30 minutes. While just 16 of 135 bills were discussed for over three hours under NDA-II, the figure stood at 47 of 244 bills during UPA II (from mid-2009 to 2014). A better record, but not good enough.

Less time was lost to disruptions during the 16th Lok Sabha, when compared to the 15th, though it didnt result in more discussion on bills.

The government says disruptions leave less time for Parliament to take up its legislative agenda, resulting in clipped discussions. We are trying to coordinate with the Opposition (to fix this). The Prime Minister is very keen on debate and discussion, says Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, MoS, parliamentary affairs.

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Defence minister Manohar Parrikar will on Wednesday visit a Boeing facility in Philadelphia where the US aerospace giant manufactures its CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters, which will be inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2019.

The Chinooks will fill a crucial gap in the Indian Air Forces heavy-lift capabilities as it currently operates a solitary Soviet-origin Mi-26 chopper to deliver payloads to high altitudes.

Parrikar on Sunday left for a three-day visit to the United States during which New Delhi and Washington are likely to sign a key agreement for reciprocal logistics support, a defence ministry official said.

India and the US are likely to sign the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) that will allow the two countries to provide logistics support to each others fighter planes, warships and personnel.

The two countries agreed in principle to conclude the LEMOA during US defence secretary Ashton Carters visit to Delhi in April.

Last September, the NDA government placed a $3.1-billion order for 22 AH-64E Apache Longbow attack helicopters  also manufactured by Boeing -- and 15 Chinooks to scale up the air forces capabilities.

Air Chief Marshal Fali Major (retd), the first and only helicopter pilot to become IAF chief in 2007, told HT, Given our deployments in mountains and remote areas, the heavy-lift chopper becomes ever so important for moving troops, equipment and artillery. Indias capability has thinned with the phasing out of three Mi-26 choppers.

Parrikar would get an update on the project and see how the Indian Chinooks are being manufactured. Boeing will start delivering the tandem rotor choppers to the IAF in March 2019. The chopper can be used for secondary missions such as aircraft recovery, disaster relief, medical evacuation and search and rescue. India is the 19th country to have selected the Chinook.

Boeing had beaten off competition from Russia, which had offered its Mi-28N Night Hunter helicopter gunship and the Mi-26 heavy-lift choppers to the IAF. The US is currently the biggest supplier of weapons to India, having won orders worth over $13 billion during the last seven years.

The Chinook helicopters were introduced in 1962 and earlier variants were deployed in Vietnam.

Apart from holding talks with Carter, Parrikars engagements include visits to the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon, Andrews Air Force base, Langley Air Force base and the US Cyber Command.

CHINOOK SPECIFICATIONS

Capacity: 55 troops or 10 tonnes of freight

Service ceiling: 20,000 ft

Max speed: 302 kmph

Length: 30.14 m (with rotors operating)

Height: 5.68 m
As Jammu and Kashmir continues to be on edge, home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday reviewed the situation in the state with top BJP and government functionaries.

The home minister went into a huddle with BJP president Amit Shah, finance minister Arun Jaitley and minister of state in the PMO Jitendra Singh and discussed with them the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley.

The meeting discussed about the visit of the all-party delegation to Kashmir and possible dates, sources said.

The all-party delegation is likely to visit the state in the first week of September, sources said.

When asked about what transpired at the meeting, Jitendra Singh refused to elaborate, only telling reporters that Rajnath Singh is a senior leader and we have come for Margdarshan (guidance).

The meeting came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the Kashmir situation in his Mann Ki Baat programme on All India Radio and a day after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met him.

Unrest continued in the Kashmir Valley for the 51st consecutive day today ever since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.

The Prime Minister said in his Mann Ki Baat address that any life lost in Kashmir, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is countrys own loss.

Ekta (unity) and Mamata (affection) was the crux of all interactions I had recently on Kashmir situation, he said.

Modi said those pushing the youth towards stone pelting in Kashmir will some day have to answer them.

He also said that all political parties spoke in one voice on Kashmir, sending out a strong message to the world as well as separatists.
The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a petition seeking a direction to the Karnataka government to stop release of royalty and honorarium to the Maharaja of Mysuru which continues even after abolition of the Privy Purse in 1971.

A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur asked the petitioner PV Nanjaraja Urs to approach the Karnataka high court where a petition against the Mysore Palace (Acquisition and Transfer) Act, 1998, was pending.

Urs had petitioned the top court last month against Karnataka high courts order that declined to look into his demand. He claims the HC rejected his petition in October without hearing him at length and without considering the fact that the Indian government had in 1971 withdrawn the special status granted to royal families.

In response to his queries made under the Right to Information (RTI) law, Urs learnt the state released `75 lakh between 2012 and 2014 as part of its kind co-operation for the Dasara festival activities. But, the state did not part with other information.

Urs has also demanded that the state take immediate possession of the golden throne and golden howda (the seat kept on the elephants back while riding it). In 1998 the Karnataka government had enacted the law to acquire the Mysore palace, which came into force in 1998. Urs said the artifacts legally belong to the state.

it is very clear and admitted that both the golden throne (Rathna Simhasana) and golden howda (Ambari) are in possession of the respondent (queen), even though they were legally acquired under the Mysore Palace Acquisition Act, Urs mentioned in his petition. He also referred to several letters written by then Maharaja of Mysuru appealing the government to maintain the palace, which had become a difficult task for the royalty.

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Two days after the Bombay high court lifted the ban on womens entry in Haji Ali Dargah, Bhumata Brigade activist Trupti Desai visited the shrine on Sunday and offered a chadar, while announcing that her next crusade for womens right to pray would be Keralas Sabarimala temple.

Last time, when we came here, we prayed for the verdict of the high court on our side. Since our prayer was heard and fulfilled, we came here to seek the blessings of Haji Ali Baba and offered him a chadar, Desai told reporters outside the shrine, located on an islet off the coast of Worli in Mumbai.

One of the most recognisable landmarks of the city, the Indo-Islamic architectural structure contains the tomb of Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.

Thanking the people of the country, including Muslims, for their support, Desai requested the Dargahs trust to not move the Supreme Court against the HCs judgement, but exuded confidence that the apex court would rule in womens favour if such a step was taken.

I request the trustees with folded hands to follow the verdict of the high court and not go to the Supreme Court to challenge the order as this was in favour of the all the women in the country.

If the trustees prefer to knock on the Supreme Courts door, then nothing is going to change because the apex court too would uphold the constitutional right of the women and I am fully confident about it, she said.

If the trustees give a serious thought over the merits of the high courts verdict, then it is possible that the doors of Baba can be opened in next two days only for the women devotees, said the womens right activist.

The activist also said that she wanted to meet the trustees, but no one was available since it was a Sunday.

In a landmark judgement, the Bombay high court on Friday lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah, saying it contravenes fundamental rights and that the trust has no right to prohibit womens entry into a public place of worship.

The court, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court.
One person was killed and around 13 others injured, including nine policemen, in a clash, after a group of people blocked National Highway 34 in Murshidabad, West Bengal, demanding restoration of electricity to a village.

After talks failed, police resorted to lathi charge and the villagers responded by pelting stones. According to the police, some also threw small hand-made bombs in retaliation.

To safeguard public property and after being attacked by bombs, we had to fire in the air. After the crowd dispersed, we found a body 200 metre from the spot. It had multiple injuries, Additional Director General of Police (law and order) Anuj Sharma said in Kolkata.

Prima facie something happened when the crowd was retreating. An enquiry is on, he said.

The deceased has been identified as Jamal Sheikh (32) of Balida Pukur village bordering Jhikra village where there was no electricity for the last few days.

According to the police, Sheikh was not one of the protestors but was an innocent man standing at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was an innocent bystander who got caught in the middle of a protest when he was passing by the highway which linked the south and north of the state.

Residents of Jhikra and people from nearby villages started the demonstration at around 9:30 am on Sunday. Twenty-one people were arrested in the case so far.

Nine policemen, including the inspector-in-charge of Farakka police station, were injured in the clash, Sharma said, adding that the police found bomb remnants and two live bombs on the spot.

Four villagers who were injured during the clash were admitted to a hospital.

Two police vehicles, 15 buses and a car of a local government official were also damaged in the clash.

Strict action will be taken against those who attacked the policemen and damaged public property, Sharma said.

The blockade, which continued for around four hours, had put traffic out of gear. The situation is now under control, officials said.
The Rajasthan University students union polls has sprung up many surprises, but like the previous election this year too only a few girls are contesting for the top posts. Only one out of the eight students vying for the post of president is a girl, while there are just two girls out of the nine people contesting for the post of vice-president.

Over 25,000 students, including 9,000 girl students, of the Rajasthan University will elect their students union representatives on August 31. Trishla Choudhary is the lone woman candidate fighting for the post of president on a National Students Union of India (NSUI) ticket.

A first-year student of MA in philosophy, Choudhary says that if elected the first thing she would want was to improve on campus security for girls. I want to ensure better security outside girls hostel and Maharani College.

Ritu Kumari Peepliwal, who is vying for the post of general secretary, also stressed on the security issues that the girls face.

Nobody takes the issues of girls seriously. After winning the election, the students leaders dont even come back once to enquire about our problems. The politics in the university happens over money and muscle. Students in my college (Law College II) who dont even come to college, score high marks, while those who are regular get low marks. This will stop if I am elected, she said.

Hemlata Khorwal (NSUI) and Sujata Meena (ABVP) are contesting for the post of vice-president, while Prathna Samriya, from Maharani College, is contesting for the post of joint secretary and Peepliwal is the only woman constant for the post of general secretary. None of the four contestants for the post of research representative is a girl.

Professor Sheila Rai from the department of political science of the university agreed that there representation of women in the students body polls was not fair. The political landscape in RU is only reflective of the state legislatures and parliament where the number of women is minuscule. We had one girl president at the university a couple of years agoWhile the turnout of girls during elections is increasing, more effort is required to ensure there is sufficient representation of women.

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A proposed auto-taxi strike called by two unions, which would have led to chaos on Monday, has now been postponed to September 1 thanks to an intervention by the state government on Sunday evening.

But a strike and a demonstration by two different unions threaten to cause trouble for commuters this week. The citys biggest autorickshaw union in the city  Mumbai Autorickshaw Mens Union  has announced a day-long agitation on Wednesday, which means autorickshaws will remain off the roads on that day. On Tuesday, another union Mumbai Rickshawmens Union has planned a demonstration outside the transport commissioners office in Bandra that could lead to traffic snarls in the western suburbs. Agitations by the unions in the city are likely to continue until the state government resolves the issue of the app-based taxi services.

State transport minister Diwakar Raote intervened to postpone the indefinite strike on Monday announced by two new unions, Swabhiman Taxi and Rickshaw Union and Jai Bhagwan Taxi Rickshaw Sanghatana (JBTRS). The unions want immediate ban on the intra-city operations of app-based taxi aggregator vehicles like Uber and Ola, but postponed the agitation after receiving a call from Raote.

The state will now hold a meeting with all the stakeholders and take a decision on the issue of app-based aggregators.

Whether a decision can be taken, however, remains to be seen as a policy decision in the matter has been delayed.

Got a call from Maharashtra transport minister that government will take final call on Ola and Uber for which he has called meeting on September 1 with all the unions. So our tomorrows (sic) protest is postponed lets see what happens on the September 1 or we are ready to take this ahead in our way, tweeted Nitesh Rane, founder of Swabhimaan Sangathna.

JBTRS leader Bala Sanap said, We postponed the July 26 agitation owing to the intervention of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Now we are postponing the Monday agitation after Raotes intervention, but if we dont get any firm decision on September 1, we will go ahead with the strike for sure.

Shashank Rao, president of Mumbai Autorickshaw Mens union, said, We are agitating on Wednesday for sure to oppose the illegal ferrying of commuters in private vehicles and to demand ban on app-based aggregators like Uber and Ola.
More Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials are likely to be arrested in connection with the multi-crore road repair scam in the next few days. At a hearing of complaints before the lokayukta of Maharashtra, police assured citizens that they would take action against more officials. So far, the Mumbai police have arrested 26 people, including three senior civic officials

Right to Information (RTI) activist, Anil Galgali, had complained to state lokayukta ML Tahilyani, about the delay in action against civic officials. He also complained that new contracts had been awarded to tainted contractors currently under the scanner for their involvement in the scam

On Friday, the lokayukta expressed satisfaction over the investigation conducted by the Mumbai police. According to sources, police have prepared list of about 30 officials that have been found guilty and are likely to face arrest.

The police informed the lokayukta of the course of action they will adopt. They said that to make their case against the contractors and officials watertight, they have sought the help of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) to test the road samples taken by the BMC.

The material used for the construction of roads was found to be substandard after the investigation team formed by the civic body had investigated 34 roads across the city.

An inquiry into the road repair works found several irregularities and substandard repairs, due to which the BMC incurred a loss of Rs14 crore. Following this, civic chief Ajoy Mehta suspended two chief engineers. A first information report was registered against six contractors  KR Construction, J Kumar Infraprojects, RPS Infraprojects, RK Madhani, Mahavir Infraprojects and Relcon Infraprojects in connection with the scam.
Jury trials came to India with the British and were abolished after the now infamous 1959 Nanavati murder trial, not many know that matrimonial disputes among the Parsi community is still tried by a five-member jury system in the country.

This Friday, the Bombay high court concluded a 10-day jury trial session, the last such sitting to be held this year. The HC conducts about two such sessions each year to dispose of pending matrimonial suits of the Parsi community in the city.

The court convenes at the central hall in the high court premises, and besides the judge who oversees the trials, a five-member jury, known as delegates, sits opposite to the witness box, just like the olden days, taking meticulous notes, and exercising the final say over the fate of all cases.

These delegates, most of them retired professionals from the community, first give their names to the Parsi Panchayat that in turn sends a list to the HC. The judge then picks five names through a draw of lots.

The delegates unanimously say that they consider jury duty a service to the community, though they do receive nominal compensation for commutation and food.

The just concluded session, which had two women and three men, presided over 27 cases  mostly seeking divorce, or revision of custody arrangements of which, six were disposed of after extensive arguments, and two were decided through mutual consent.

While matrimonial disputes in a regular family court inevitably drag on for years, the delegates ensure that the cases before them see a swift end.

That is because, we sit just a few times a year and the cases have already been pending a hearing for several years. Why, just this time, we sat through a divorce case in which the couple in their sixties had been living separately and wanting a formal divorce for 11 years, said one of the delegates, a sixty five-year-old retired teacher who has been performing jury duty since 2005.

The court heard the arguments for two days straight and the delegates decided that they must be granted a divorce. However, when the judge began to decide on the alimony, the woman backed out. She did not like what was being offered to her, and decided not to get divorced after all, she said.

These complications, the delegates said, are common as more marriages in the community seem to be ending in divorces these days.

It is probably because tolerance levels run low and because women are more independent. They work, read more, and are aware of their rights, the other woman delegate said.

While the earliest Zoroastrian community rules granted only a man the right to divorce his wife if the woman was insubordinate or adulterous, the law has changed considerably over time and now the delegates allow couples to divorce if allegations over adultery, bigamy, cruelty, or desertion are proved.

Adultery is the most common reason these days. The second most common reason is greed  you see. Most members of the community possess large estates and substantial assets and when relationships turn sour, couples come to court fighting over the property, says another delegate, a retired banker.

The delegates however, are required only to give their consent for divorce. The rest of the terms of settlement are argued by the lawyers and the HC judge has the final word over the settlement terms, says advocate Sanobar Nanavati, who has been dealing with Parsi matrimonial disputes for over two decades.

But most in the community agree that the jury system serves well. It is because the delegates are pragmatic and above all, are aware of the nuances of our community, said one of the litigants.

The arguments in the Parsi matrimonial cases too are different from those in a regular matrimonial dispute. The arguments are much more emotional and dramatic, almost resembling that in a movie. Its because, we are pleading our case before five members who have nothing to do with our regular legal system. So we cannot harp on the laws alone but must make an emotional pitch to establish a connect, Nanavati says.

Justice Gautam Patel, who presided over the cases, has also scheduled a two-day-long special session in September this year for one of the cases that could not be concluded despite extensive arguments.

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A Congress corporator on Friday blamed the dressing style of north-eastern women for sex crimes in Mumbai, while commenting on an alleged molestation of a 19-year-old Manipuri woman in suburban Santacruz last week.

Such crimes take place because some Manipuri girls do not dress properly, Brian Miranda, an elected member of municipal corporation from Kalina, reportedly said.

The woman from Manipur who works at a spa in the western suburbs was allegedly molested by an unknown person at Santacruz (East) in Kalina on August 19.

Miranda on Sunday clarified on his statement after his comment drew flak on social media and was reprimanded by Mumbai Congress unit.

I never intended to say so and my comment was misunderstood. Irrespective of whether from any part of the country, they must respect the Hindustani culture and this would serve the utmost interest of our country. I have immense respect for all castes, creed and races, the corporator said.

Senior Congress leaders asked Miranda to refrain from making such comments.

Meanwhile, the Vakola police have registered a case against an unknown person and have been scouring CCTV footages.

Police vans conduct patrolling at night in the Kalina area but after this incident we have increased the frequency of patrolling in the area, said an officer of the Vakola police station.
NEW DELHI: Decks looked clear on Saturday for a meeting between Kashmiri separatists and members of an all-party delegation scheduled to visit Srinagar early next month.

The Centre and the state government have agreed no member of the delegation will be stopped from engaging with the separatists , sources said after a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Mehbooba Mufti .

Talks with separatists might help restore normality in Kashmir, where 70 people have been killed in street protests against the gunning down of militant commander Burhan Wani by security forces last month. The region has been under curfew for a record 50 days.

The meeting with PM was a confidence boosting measure for Mehbooba, a senior government official with knowledge of the meeting said on the condition of anonymity. This was Muftis first meeting with Modi since trouble started in Kashmir.

Mufti exhorted the separatists to help her government end the violence. Her party, PDP, later urged separatist leader Syed Ali Geelani to treat her as his daughter and give her the opportunity she deserves.

PDP sources said Mufti suggested to Modi a three-pronged action plan, including involving separatists and Pakistan in substantive talks. She also asked for an institutional mechanism of interlocutors to talk to all stakeholders in Kashmir.

In 2010, a meeting between an all-party team and separatists helped restore calm after similar street protests. The then UPA government also sent interlocutors to Kashmir but their recommendations have gathered dust.
As the Centre grapples with the ongoing crisis in the Kashmir Valley, there is trouble brewing at another end of the state  demand for trifurcation is gaining ground in Ladakh.

Alarmed by the agitation in the Valley, in the wake of Hizbul Mujahideen operative Burhan Wanis death, Ladakhis are demanding separation from Kashmir. They also want the BJP government at the Centre to set a deadline for abrogation of Article 370, a prerequisite for granting UT status to Ladakh.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Thupstan Chhewang, the BJP MP from Ladakh, said the people of the region are getting restless and do not want to remain with Kashmir, as they fear it does not bode well for their security.

An attempt is being made to form a coalition of all political parties in Ladakh to form a front that would push for UT status, he said. The Congress too supports the demand for UT status for Ladakh, even though during its coalition term with the National Conference the suggestion was turned down.

The BJP MP who wants to raise the issue at the forthcoming national executive of the party in Kerala, said the people in the hill region are worried that the unrest in Kashmir will spill over to Ladakh; and the BJP government in trying to please its alliance partner, the PDP will not fulfill its election promise of granting a UT status to Ladakh.

Chhewang, a former chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), said Ladakhs demand for UT status with a separate legislative should be met, keeping in view the security of the region that shares a border with China.

The compromises that it (BJP) has made after its alliance with PDP, has disillusioned us. Article 370 abrogation has been put on the back burner; it seems they (BJP) will also do what the other political parties have done. 

Earlier this month a delegation of Ladakh Buddhist Association, Anjuman Imamia and Anjuman Moin Ul Islam petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing UT status for the region.

Chhawang said the development work, including a financial package of Rs 27,000 crore that was announced by PM Modi for Ladakh gave hope to the people that their long-pending demand for being an independent entity would be met.

At the time of accession to India, people of Ladakh had petitioned Maharaja Hari Singh to allow them to stay separate from Kashmir, their fears were not unfounded as after 70 years we have seen how Ladakh has suffered step motherly treatment, he said.

He ruled out the possibility of a Greater Ladakh, as has been sought by representatives in Kargil. Only a few political and religious leaders with extreme views who want to mislead people want a Greater Ladakh, the local people dont want to be with Kashmir, he said.

Read | Indias tanks at LAC could affect investments: Chinese media

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Rain in Punjab left many cities waterlogged on Saturday. People had to be rescued from a flooded post office in Bathinda and five roofs collapsed in Jalandhar.

Punjab Agricultural Universitys weather centre in Bathinda recorded more than 100-mm rain. The citys Ajit Road, 100-foot road, Powerhouse Road, Sirki Bazaar, Mall Road, Ganesha Basti, Nai Basti, Amrik Singh Road, and Guru Nanak Pura Mohalla were under 4 feet of water at many places.

An officer living in the lowlying Civil Lines area said water had entered his bedroom. The post-office workers in the area had to call police for help in evacuation. With water all around, we got so scared, said an officer who was saved. Bathinda deputy commissioner Basant Garg said 11 people had been rescued from the post office, even as 12 were still trapped till late evening. The administration is monitoring the situation.

In Jalandhar, more than four hours of heavy showers brought respite from heat in what has been a deficient monsoon season but faulty drainage had people sweating. Only 40% of the city has storm-water drainage system, while pumps clear water from the remaining areas, which takes time.

The 120-foot-road, Focal Point, Lamba Pind Chowk, Chandan Nagar, Sodal Road, Basti Danishmanda, Basti Bawa Khel, Model House, Damoriya Bridge, Ekehari Puli, Neela Mahal, Gopal Nagar, and GT Road were the worst-affected areas. Even the road outside the district administration was flooded and a few people were injured in five incidents of roof collapse.

At Phagwara, legislator Som Parkash had to respond to the increasing complaints of bad drainage from colonies under knee-deep water. He walked the flooded streets with mayor Arun Khosla and Bharatiya Janata Party workers.

The maximum temperature in the state hovered below normal in some areas. Amritsar settled at 27.2 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal, after 10 millimetre rain during the day. Ludhiana and Patiala, which received 4.2 mm and 8.2 mm rain, respectively, had maximum temperatures of 29.2 and 32.6C. The figure was 33.8C in capital city Chandigarh.

The weather department has predicted more rain or thundershowers at isolated places in Punjab on Sunday.
Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has asked the Chandigarh administration the outcome of allotment of alternative residential accommodation to the staff nurses working in Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32.

The tribunal had asked the administration to explore the possibility to allot alternate accommodation for the nurses near the hospital. As many as 103 staff nurses working at the Sector-32 hospital had filed a petition in Central Administrative Tribunal, challenging the order dated January 14, 2016, whereby they were asked to vacate the residential accommodation given to them in hospitals hostel.

The GMCH had issued the notice regarding vacation of hostel accommodation to all the nurses as Medical Council of India has raised objection regarding inadequate hostel accommodation for under graduate and post graduate students.

The UT nodal officer for CAT, Arvind Moudgil, on August 22, informed the court that despite offer of talks by the department, the Nurses Association has not shown any inclination for the same.

He added that the MCI had pointed out in its communication dated November 2, 2015 that the available accommodation for students is merely 192, as against the requirement of 300.

He added that the nurses were given hostel accommodation which was meant for MBBS students because they were vacant and the permissible limit of hostel accommodation to nurses was 42 rooms.

It was contended that the staff nurses were drawing house rental allowance (HRA) and thus there should be no difficulty for them to take up alternative accommodation.

NON-COMPLIANCE MAY RESULT IN DISAPPROVAL OF INCREASED COURSE SEATS

The Medical Council of India in its January 2016 letter, addressed to the principal director, GMCH, Sector 32, had intimated that in case its objections as pointed out in its earlier December 2015 letter on hostel accommodation is not complied with, it will recommend to the Central government for disapproval of the scheme regarding admission to fourth batch of MBBS students whereby seats had been increased from 50 to 100 for the academic year 2016-17.

The nurses had said that as per the offer appointment, hostel accommodation is mandatory for staff nurses and these conditions cannot be amended by the administration.

Moreover, that in case of emergency or in critical situation, it is in the interest of patient care that the nurses be allotted accommodation within the premises.

It was also stated that the present hostel where the staff nurses are staying is meant for them as per the original plan.

Dr Atul Sachdev, director principal of the college, said to HT, We are in talks with few organisations and are exploring residential accommodations for staff nurses.

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A day after the physical possession of Hotel Park Plaza in Sector 17 was passed on to a consortium of lenders amidst high drama, hotel management alleged that guests and employees were harassed and the entire place ransacked while carrying out the exercise.

The UT administrations senior officials have denied the allegations and said the entire exercise was conducted as per law.

On Friday, hotel management deployed bouncers and staff members to resist the move, but could not succeed. Owners of the hotel have failed to pay back a Rs 130-crore loan to Punjab National Bank, United Bank of India and Assets Reconstruction Company of India, that started in 2007. A posse of around 40 officers from the three stakeholders, accompanied by support staff and police, sealed the hotel in three hours time.

The hotel management held a press conference and addressed the media and alleged that the government officers created havoc at the hotel on Friday. The hotels chief managing director HS Arora said, The government should explain what was the hurry to take the physical possession of a running hotel despite the fact that the matter was already pending before the debt recovery tribunals and was to come up on August 29.

All 250 guests were asked to vacate the premises within five minutes.

On August 3, district magistrate Ajit Balaji Joshi had ordered that the possession of the hotel be passed on to these lenders after they moved an application.

Arora added that it was surprising that immediately after the banks counsel took a date from the DRT, the bank published a notice in the newspaper on August 24 that it was coming to take physical possession of the property with full force on August 26.

He also alleged that hotel property was also damaged. The possession team even stopped the lifts and vandalised the control room of the hotel, he added.

General manager Bharat Bhushan Goyal said hotel rooms, other scheduled activities and restaurant were functioning as usual. We are not taking any bookings for rooms and the banquet after 31 August.
All ex-servicemen will get to know about their pensionary benefits through SMS soon. Controller general of defence accounts (CGDA), New Delhi, SK Kohli, said this on Saturday during a pension camp here. The system is being launched in order to prevent inconveniences the pensioners. The beneficiaries will have to submit Aadhaar Card and mobile phone numbers.

On one rank, one pension (OROP) issue, he said arrears will be paid soon. He said the department was merging entire pension record lying in banks with its own record so that the benefits could be provided to the pensioners directly. Apart from this, a website has also been created on which each of the beneficiaries will have an online account, he said.

Prominent among those present on the occasion included Kanwaldeep Singh, Rajbir Singh Rana, Major General Vijay Pingle and Amarbir Chahal.
Fasting Sikh activist Surat Singh Khalsa was re-admitted to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) in Ludhiana following ill-health on Saturday.

High drama was witnessed at his house at Hassanpur village in Mullanpur Dakha when police team did not find him there.

Later, police traced him at his relatives house, and took him to the hospital in ambulance.

Surat Singh Khalsa is on fast unto death since January 16, 2015, demanding release of the Sikh prisoners, who have completed their sentences, but are still lodged in jails.

Opinderjit Singh, senior superintendent of police (Ludhiana Rural) said, Police have sent Khalsa to the hospital for routine checkup.

Police force has also been deployed at the DMCH to avoid any untoward situation as police suspect that Khalsas supporters may huddle there, the SSP said.
Promising to give a major facelift to the Durgiana Mandir complex, Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, along with cabinet minister Anil Joshi, laid the foundation stone of the renovation project that will cost around Rs 115 crore to the state exchequer.

As the rain played spoilsport and the organisers had to hold the function indoors, the deputy chief minister promised an open plaza on the pattern of the one at the Golden Temple, that, he said, would change the face of the temple surroundings.

Claiming that the work will be done at a brisk pace, the deputy chief minister said that the aim was to make Amritsar a worldclass city and this is the reason that various projects are going on in Amritsar.

The government is committed to the overall development of the city which has tremendous religious and cultural importance. The landscaping, light and sound shows, open air theatre and the plaza will be giving an impressive surrounding to the complex, he added.

Coming to the development of the holy city, the deputy chief minister said that the city underwent a transition for the better during the previous 9 years of the SAD-BJP government with Rs 3,000 crore spent on various development-oriented infrastructural projects.

Elaborating his plans to turn Amritsar into a hub of tourism, Sukhbir said that the beautification of the area around Sri Darbar Sahib besides the current beautification of Shri Durgiana Mandir Open Plaza and the focus on the Rs 250-crore project of giving a facelift to the Gobindgarh Fort, would further strengthen Amritsars status as tourist destination.

The deputy chief minister reiterated developmental projects would not be allowed to suffer due to lack of funds.

Listing the achievements of the SAD-BJP government, Sukhbir said that under the leadership of chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, the state government has been able to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state.

Applauding the efforts of the deputy chief minister, cabinet minister Anil Joshi said that the beautification of the Durgiana Mandir will be world-class and pilgrims will be getting a great atmosphere here.

Stressing that the deputy cm was very keen on the project, Joshi said that the project was planned recently within only 15 days the money was also released by the government.

Joshi lashed out at the Congress and the AAP for misleading people by making false promises.

Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora, BJP national secretary Tarun Chugh. Deputy commissioner Varun Roojam, police commissioner Amar Singh Chahal, local SAD chief Gurpartap Tikka and others were also present on the occasion.
A granthi (gurdwara priest) was killed and six others were injured in a clash between two families over a stray animal at Mehbipur village in Machhiwara, around 40km from Ludhiana, on Sunday morning.

The deceased had been identified as 20-year-old Gurdeep Singh. The incident took place when Gurdeep was collecting milk from houses for the gurdwara on his cycle. He was hit by rods and sticks when he tried to intervene in the clash. He died on way to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh.

The police have booked nine people, including seven of a family, for murder.

Gurdeeps father Chanan Singh said one Budh Singh had abandoned his cow a few days ago and it used to roam around his brother Nirmal Singhs house and used to defecate there. Nirmal had objected to this and had asked Budh to take away the cow, but to no avail.

On Sunday, Nirmal and his family members went to Budhs house with a complaint where both the families entered into an argument leading to the clash. Chanan said when Gurdeep tried intervene, he was allegedly attacked by Budh and his family members. Chanans relative Sucha Singh, who was injured in the clash, was referred to Rajindra Hospital, Patiala.

Machhiwara station house officer Amardeep Singh said the police have booked Budh Singh, his family members Sucha Singh, Malkit Singh, Balwinder Singh, Hardeep Singh, Gurmeet Kaur, Bachchan Kaur and two others for murder.

The accused are on the run.
The Shivalk foothills now resemble a shaven head. Illegal mining for sand and gravel is turning the green land bare and brown.

At this village near Nangal, stone crushers growl day and night, mocking at environmental laws and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) notice to which the Punjab government must reply on August 30. Local farmers have protested but the crushers belong to people of political influence, Nangal councillor Paramjit Singh Pamma stated in his petition before the green court. Bureaucrats, police, and the mining department can only watch.

After mining-triggered landslide shut the trekking route to a hilltop temple last month, the ravagers plundered the mount again for an alternative trail to silence the villagers. Every day, a beeline of overloaded tippers moves 8,000 tonnes (roughly) of looted minerals out of these quarries. The 7-kilometre broken stretch to the raped hills takes more than half an hour to cover, since these crawling monsters block the way.

A random check at Punjab Stone Crushers didnt yield a single document to justify the heaps of dug-out raw material dumped at the site. Spotting the HT team, the workers shut the machine and a caretaker rang up manager Naresh Kumar, who explained over telephone that owner Gurdip Singh Gill of Zirakpur was now in Canada and nobody knows his contact number.

Up the hill, the JCBs scratch more shaven landscapes for boulders. A piece of this land belongs to Ram Swarup of Ganga Stone Crushers. It was auctioned for quarrying in 2010, claims the owner. But now it is shut for more than a year.

DIFFICULT TO EXPLAIN

The uprooting of thousands of trees and plants was against the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, Environment Protection Act, 2002, and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, but it was done in collusion with the government machinery, the petition states. Brazen illegal mining at Khera Kalmot has brought down complete hills in 12 years. For more than a week now, the mining wing of the industries department and the Rupnagar district administration are working over a reply to the NGT notice.

OFFICIAL TAKE

Rupnagar deputy commissioner Karnesh Sharma acknowledged the menace but said that in the past one month, 10 cases of illegal mining had been registered in Nangal and Anandpur Sahib and several crushers sealed.

The FIRs (first-information reports), though, are against either tipper drivers or machine operators and land owners. Big fish always escape. The DC said the newly formed district mining foundation would help regulate mining.

CRUSHER RESTARTS

Unaccounted-for sand dumped near a crusher. The tipper has been modified to carry more weight. (Anil Dayal/HT Photo)

Rupnagars general manager of industries and mining Chaman Lal counts six crushers sealed in June. Last week, one of these units acquired a no-objection certificate from Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to restart.

Boards Rupnagar executive engineer RS Matharu said the NOC was issued on the basis of the change-of-land-use (CLU) certificate issued by the district town and country planning department. We just look at the CLU and pollution, he said. The forest department is supposed to look at deforestation.

TOMORROW: FIELDS ERODE, BRIDGE IN DANGER

Read | Natures plunder-1 | Earthmovers tear into Shivalik hills of Talwara

Read | Natures plunder-2 | Hoshiarpur fields cave in because of illegal mining

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Before the municipal corporation (MC) elections in SAS Nagar, Kulwant Singh was with the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). Just before the MC polls, he broke away, led his Azad Group to significant numbers, and took oath on August 28, 2015, a mayor with support of the Congress. Before a year in office, he is now back with the SAD. This merry-go-round of the real estate magnate-turned-politician dominated the talk and work of the MC in its first year.

The other thing that stands out is the constant tussle of the mayor and his deputy with the MC commissioner, Uma Shankar Gupta. From war of words, it has now reached a stage where Kulwant is demanding an inquiry into all his decisions. One of the biggest thorns here is property tax, which Kulwant had wanted rolled back.

On the development front, too, the merry-go-round had led to a peculiar situation. As Kulwant was elected with Congress support, the SAD-BJP accused him of ignoring their wards. The 23 SAD-BJP councillors had even approached chief minister Parkash Singh Badal who had made a three-member committee to oversee the development of the wards.

Now, while the Congress members praise Kulwant as he was in alliance with them for the better part of the year, the SAD and BJP councillors criticise him, yet express hope for the future since hes now back on their side.

To his credit, Kulwant has managed to set the ball rolling for a local bus service, final approval to which is now pending with the SAD-BJP state government. There is also a promise now that annually the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) will pay `50 crore to the MC for development of the city. Much of it is in the realm of the future.

In the present, there is now talk of Kulwant contesting the forthcoming Punjab assembly polls. The 55-year-old moneybags candidate had unsuccessfully contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections on the SAD ticket from Fatehgarh Sahib.

That is not surprising since he is known for frequent shifts in position. An Akali from 2007 to February 2015, he was expelled from the SAD following differences over tickets in the MC polls. Kulwant, of Samana Kalan village in Ropar, is a Class-10 passout and owner of Janta Land Promoters Limited that has a Rs 1,500-crore turnover with business interests in SAS Nagar, besides Ludhiana, Amritsar, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr) and even Himachal Pradesh.

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Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has asked Union home minister Rajnath Singh to investigate the funding of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by extremist elements living abroad, stating that it was being done with the sole aim of destabilising Punjab before the 2017 assembly elections.

Also read | Why only Chhotepur, why not probe Kejriwals Ford funding: Cong to AAP

In a letter to Rajnath, Sukhbir, who also holds the Home portfolio, requested him to launch an immediate investigation into the huge amount of money being received by AAP from radical elements living in North America, Europe and Australia. He said a thorough investigation of the money trail would unravel and expose those who were trying to disturb the peace in Punjab through incidents of sacrilege and violence.

Sukhbir said AAP national convenor and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had virtually revived the radical groups who had been completely marginalised in Punjab by initiating a dialogue with them.

According to our information, an understanding was reached that AAP would hand over the SGPC to the radical Sikhs in lieu of support from them to win the next assembly elections, Sukhbir claimed.

He said AAP Delhi MLA Naresh Yadav was arrested for master-minding the Malerkotla sacrilege. He said the intelligence inputs reveal radical elements are behind any sacrilege incidents in Punjab.

The deputy CM said he had conveyed the information to national security adviser Ajit Doval earlier.
In 1567, the Mughal emperor Akbar decided to subdue the Rajput kingdom of Mewar. By that time he had subjugated or allied all the other Rajput states through diplomacy. Mewar, especially its strongest fortress Chittorgarh, was a symbol of Rajput resistance. In addition to that, it controlled the routes leading to the Gujarat ports from Delhi.

On seeing Akbars intentions, the Mewar ruler Rana Udai Singh moved out of the fort to western Mewar to offer a two-pronged resistance to the powerful Mughals under a predetermined strategy. The leadership now devolved on Rao Jaimal of Badnore and Rawat Patta Sisodia, names synonymous with the siege of Chittorgarh. Both were trained in warfare from an early age. Jaimal also had the experience of command at the siege of Merta in 1562-63 against Akbars general, Sharfuddin.

Inspired no doubt by his ancestor Jaimal, VP Singh Badnore, the recently sworn-in Punjab governor, is a doughty fighter himself.

The Chittorgarh fort rises rapidly above the contiguous countryside. The forts natural defences make it difficult for an attacker to advance unobserved or concentrate force for a decisive attack. The stout hearts of the garrison comprising 8,000 Rajput warriors and 40,000 peasants did the rest.

A heavy toll was taken by musketeers of the attackers keeping them at bay for four months. Akbar now brought his siege train into play. Siege engines were deployed with sappers constructing saps and digging tunnels to explode mines. Two breaches were made in the fort walls. It was during this period that the valiant Jaimal is said to have been shot by Akbar himself.

The Rajputs, disheartened by their leaders death, abandoned the defences covering the breaches. Having realised that the final hour had come, Rajput women committed jauhar by immolating themselves on a funeral pyre. The men donned saffron clothes and made a final, reckless charge courting death before dishonour. The young Patta died fighting along with his mother and wife. Moved by the pairs leadership and courage, Akbar erected statues of the duo outside one of the gates of Fatehpur Sikri.

Asal Uttar Memorials

The sacrifices of our jawans at the epic Battle of Asal Uttar (September 7 to 10, 1965) are remembered through a number of stone plaques dotting the battlefield. Some of them, particularly those located along the Amritsar-Khemkaran Road including the ones dedicated to the martyrs of 2 Madras and 2 Mahar were in a bad shape. There was no one tasked or even interested in their maintenance or upkeep. This is no longer the case. Recently, on the orders of Lt Gen JS Cheema, general officer commanding, 11 Corps, the Golden Arrow Division and more specifically 9 Punjab were assigned to relocate these memorials alongside the mausoleum and memorial of CQMH Abdul Hamid, Param Vir Chakra at Chima village. Beautiful new tablets were put up in memory of our bravehearts.

In Asal Uttar village, local residents look after two sets of memorials dedicated to the men killed in the battle from other units including the newly constructed one in the memory of martyrs of the 3rd Cavalry. These have special significance for the villagers. They offer prayers to the spirits of the martyrs to shower their blessings upon them. What is missing however is a monument commemorating this famous victory.

Please write in with your narratives of war and soldiering to msbajwa@gmail.com or call/WhatsApp on 093161-35343
Traffic remained disrupted for a few hours at Mansa-Sardulgarh road on Friday morning.

Students of Nehru Memorial Govt College sat on a protest demanding strict against the alleged misbehaviour of private bus staff plying on the route.

The protest which was held by left wing student union Democratic Student Organisation (DSO) and All India Students Association (AISA) alleged that staff of private buses often misbehaves with students despite them purchasing tickets. Today few of the college students boarded a bus named Hagobind transport and after they purchased tickets, the bus conductor started misbehaving with them.

The matter got worse when the bus staff assaulted students inside the moving bus, said Sukhjeet Ramanandi, district president of AISA.In the last six months, around five such cases have been reported where students have allegedly faced the unruly behaviour of private bus staff and most of these cases have ended after cops managed to strike a compromise between the student body and bus owners. Earlier this week, two girl students were injured as they attempted to get down from the bus, as driver didnt stop near their college.
In what could severely dent the credibility of Mansa police, a serving deputy superintendent of police (DSP) has been transferred for allegedly helping a traders family in paying ransom to his abductors.

On August 20, DSP Surendra Sharma, who was one of the team members monitoring the case, allegedly sent his private staff along with one of the family members to Maur branch of SBOP (State Bank of Patiala) to change denomination of notes, which were to the tune of Rs 30 lakh, confirmed sources from criminal investigation department (CID).

Later the Bathinda vigilance department took notice of case and procured CCTV footage of the said branch. The residence of DSP was raided by the vigilance department on Thursday and later he was transferred to Barnala. DSP Sharma has denied his involvement in helping the abductors. It is all cooked up by vigilance department, said DSP Sharma. The traders family had visited the bank on their own and I have no idea about it, added DSP Sharma.

The trader from Budhlada, Chiman Lal, 50, who stayed in captivity for more than 15 days returned safely on August 20 without the assistance and knowledge of district police.

The trader was allegedly dropped by an Innova car at his residence on the same day, when denomination of notes was changed in the SBOP Maur branch.

The abduction case was monitored by DIG Yurinder Singh Hayer. The cops are still clueless whether the family had paid a ransom of `1 crore as demanded by the abductors.

He is depressed and we are trying to nab the accused. We will soon arrest the kidnappers, said SSP Mukhwinder Singh. The SSP confirmed that the vigilance bureau had visited DSPs residence but denied that it was any sort of raid.

The vigilance SP Bhupinder Singh who raided DSP Sharmas residence has denied changing cash denomination in the bank. We have not taken any CCTV footage nor have we raided the residence of DSP Surendra Sharma, said SP Singh. There is a buzz in the town that the family of the trader had paid a ransom of around `40 lakh after which he was released.

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We started our journey towards Landour, a quaint town bordering Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, and a few lines from author Jess C Scotts poem, The Grey Slate, came to mind. Sullen faces like slates of grey. What Id seen on a walk today. We knew that in the mountains, where we were headed, we would be far removed from the frenzied pace of a city such as Mumbai. We couldnt wait to be in a land that still retains its old-world charm, and is home to celebrated author Ruskin Bond.

The British forces occupied Landour following the Gurkha Wars (fought between Nepal and the British East India Company) in the 1820s. So the town takes its name from Llanddowror, a small town in Wales, UK, and still has some of the oldest settlements in India. The best way to reach Landour is to take a train or flight till Dehradun, and then a cab from there to Mussoorie. Since we were travelling in the monsoon season, the poor visibility made sure that it took us even longer to reach our hotel, but the meandering route, with scenic views of the valley, made the journey memorable. Since Landour doesnt have many lodging options, except Rokeby Manor (an exclusive cluster of colonial cottages) and a few ordinary inns, we checked into a hotel in Mussoorie. The plan was to head to Landour early morning for a day trip. The itinerary was ready, and so were we.

Read:Looking for an ideal destination for solo travel? Start from Charleston

Head to

Lal Tibba: Lal Tibba is the highest point in Landour, and gives an unrestricted view of the Himalayan range, including the Swargarohini and Chaukhamba massifs. This was our first stop. The area has two shops-cum-cafes that offer food and drinks, and also provide binoculars for a clearer view of the hills from the terrace. The next stop was Char Dukan, but instead of taking the cab, we decided to walk the distance, enjoying the deodar trees on either side of the road and taking in the fresh air.

Landscape view of the facade of the Landour church with its Greeko Roman architecture style. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Kellogg Church: Our walk to Char Dukan led us to Kellogg Church, which also houses the Landour Language School. It was built in 1903, and was named after Dr Samuel H Kellogg. He ran the school, in which the British were apparently taught Hindi. The church is positioned at a unique point, providing a scenic view. Even though it is more than a 100 years old, the grey-stone building is well-maintained, and it remains a tourist attraction.

St Pauls Church: Just next to Char Dukan stands the St Pauls Church. This was built in 1839 by Bishop Daniel Wilson for the British troops. The yellow structure is one to check out owing to its architecture. We took a round of the establishment, which can seat 250 people. The surrounding trees and the sense of calm have a balming effect.

Try the amazing hot coffee and ginger honey tea at one of the shops at Char Dukan. (Photo: Ruchika Kher)

Char Dukan: The old cantonment parade ground in Landour had a cluster of four shops, which came to be known as Char Dukan. With waffles, noodles, momos and Maggi being served  the area is known for its variety in food. We took refuge from the rain at one of the shops, and tried their amazing hot coffee and ginger honey tea, which are a must-have. In the vicinity, you can also see Landours post office, which was built more than 100 years ago.

Read: Lesser-known scenic destinations for a relaxed, crowd-free vacation

Also check out

Cafe Ivy: If you visit Landour, a visit to this cafe should be part of your itinerary. Located in the Char Dukan area, this quaint cafe almost stands on almost the edge of a hill. The view from the cafe is breathtaking, with hundreds of tall deodar trees lined below. The exhaustive menu offers everything  from Aloo Paranthas to Alfredo Pasta. Definitely try their Oreo Shake.

Domas Inn: This is situated close to author Ruskin Bonds house. Rich in Tibetan motifs and with wooden flooring, Domas offers delicious fare. Try out their momos and thukpas. If you wish to stay in Landour, the inn has a few rooms that they give out.

Landour bazaar: The Landour bazaar leads you to Mussoorie. Shops  some are several decades old  offer a variety of things, from food items to clothes. If you are lucky, you can snag a deal on some silver jewellery. Even though the area is crowded, and, perhaps, the only place in Landour that is slightly slack when it comes to cleanliness, it does offer an insight into what the place would have been decades ago.
Narcos actor Wagner Moura says he was overcome with emotion as he filmed his final scenes as Pablo Escobar in the same location of the real-life drug lords actual shooting.

The Brazilian star portrays the notorious Colombian kingpin in the hit Netflix series, which chronicles Escobars rise and fall, and the upcoming second season features his fatal shootout with police on a rooftop in Medellin in 1993.

Wagner Moura will be back in the second season of the hit Netflix original show. (AP)

Reports had previously suggested producers had been refused permission to recreate the infamous scenes at the same property, but it appears they found a way around the issue and were able to film at the death location after all.

Narcos returns to Netflix on September 2. (Netflix)

Wagner says he was already feeling emotional before filming began on the pivotal scenes, and the cast and crew were even more moved by the historical significance of the shoots location, reported NME magazine.

It was very emotional because we actually shot (the death scene) at the same place where the real Pablo was killed, the same building, he said.

Everybody involved in Narcos in the last two years knew that was the end of that character. So it was a very emotional moment for all of us.

Narcos returns to Netflix on September 2.

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Two years ago, Eleonore Pourriats feminist short film, Oppressed Majority, which showed a world where gender roles were reversed, went viral. Because of the films success as well its relevance in the present day, she is currently working on a feature film based on the same premise. Even as the world observes August 26 as Womens Equality Day, the French film-maker shares her thoughts and observations on how the situation is different for women today.

It has been two years since your film on womens equality went viral. Do you find that things are different today for women?

My film Oppressed Majority was actually made in 2010, but I posted it on YouTube in 2014 and then there was this unexpected buzz around it. What is better today compared to 2010 is that women, especially in France, are more conscious of the inequalities they suffer from. There have always been associations of women fighting for their rights but today theyre heard and shown by the media. In 2010, I remember people asking me why I had made a feminist film. They couldnt imagine it was topical. Today, people are more aware of the situation. They know one woman dies every three days at the hands of her partner in France, they know women dont get equal pay although the law says they should, they know they are the first victims of unemployment, they know acquired rights such as right to abortion will always be challenged and questioned if we lower our guard.

Read more: I received lewd comments on Instagram: 17-year-old graphic artist who sketched feminist goddesses

At the recent Rio Olympics, women overwhelmingly created records for several firsts. Your thoughts on this

The Olympics show empowered women. This is always a thrilling moment. For a while, women become heroes, figures of courage, strength and self-confidence, as they always should be considered. It probably acts as a source of inspiration for the new generations and it gives hope to all women around the world. I wish we could avoid sexist comments from some announcers though.

What are the areas in which a lot more work needs to be done when it comes to bridging the gender gap?

Every area still needs improvement when it comes to bridging the gender gap. In France, there is still so much sexual harassment, in the street, at work. I was listening this morning to a great show on the radio, in which female journalists were talking about their professional experiences with sexist male politicians. It was appalling. One was telling her story, when a politician got uncomfortable with a question she had asked him, and he asked her about the child she just had, wondering how she managed to be a mother and a journalist at the same time. Female journalists are constantly being reduced to their status of women, mothers, or sexual preys.

In the movie business, it seems that advocates for equal pay such as Jennifer Lawrence are bringing about a change

Yes, famous actresses are now fighting in Hollywood to get wages equal to those of their male counterparts. But, lets not blind ourselves to the truth. These women have a power most actresses do not have. For example, in France, you can hear famous actresses say they are not feminists. For many people, feminism is still a boring or aggressive cause, not a commitment to equality. As for female directors, we women have to convince the producers that we are able to manage a budget as high as what the men get.

Read more: It wasnt a well-rounded answer: Lisa Haydon on her controversial statement

What do you think is the right way to put forward the message of feminism in films?

I think about inequality in my films through a tone that combines comedy and drama, because Im convinced that humour can be a good way to educate people on tough subjects. I dont want to make films only for women. I think we have to include men in our fight. The humour in Oppressed Majority allowed me to catch the attention of audiences. First, they laughed because they were surprised. Then, they laughed because they were uneasy, and then later, they didnt laugh at all but were grateful for being given a female experience they never had the chance to get as men.

How does feminism reflect in your personal life?

I am a feminist in my professional and private life. I raise my son in a way that he respects women, and it seems quite natural to him. This is our responsibility as mothers of boys. It might be too late to change the generation of our fathers, but our boys will be the men of tomorrow. As for my husband, I take a picture of each pair of underwear he leaves on the floor in the morning. Soon, I will be able to set up an exhibition of my photographs, and the title would be 365 days in a womans life. And then well see if he dares do it again!

Watch: Oppressed Majority

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Turkish shelling and air strikes killed at least 40 Syrians today, a monitor said, in the first significant civilian casualties in Turkeys intensifying campaign in northern Syria.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency said the army had killed 25 Kurdish terrorists in air strikes as part of its unprecedented operation inside Syria.

The bombardments came after Ankara suffered its first military fatality since it launched the two-pronged offensive against the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurdish militia inside Syria on Wednesday.

At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded in Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on the village of Jeb el-Kussa early today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Another 20 were killed and 25 wounded, many seriously, in Turkish air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, it said.

The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in Turkish bombardment of the two areas.

A spokesman for the local Kurdish administration said 75 people had been killed in both villages.

The Britain-based Observatory said the bombardment targeted an area south of the former IS border stronghold of Jarabulus, which Turkish-led forces captured on the first day of the incursion.

Fighting has since intensified south of the town, where clashes erupted between Turkish troops and forces belonging to the Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) party, which Ankara considers a terrorist group linked with Kurdish militants in Turkey.

US-backed Kurdish forces have also been fighting IS in Syria but Turkey fiercely opposes any move by Kurds to expand into territory lost by the jihadists.

The latest fighting is likely to raise deep concerns for Turkeys NATO ally the United States, which supports the Kurdish militia -- known as the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) -- as an effective fighting force against IS.

The Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded yesterday in a rocket attack by Kurdish militia on two tanks taking part in an offensive against the pro-Kurdish forces south of Jarabulus.

Turkish media named the dead soldier as Ercan Celik, 28, and said a funeral for him would be held in Gaziantep.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was due to visit the city to express condolences for last weekends suicide bombing there at a Kurdish wedding that left 54 dead.

Turkeys NTV television reported that Turkish artillery had struck YPG targets throughout the night and that Turkish warplanes had carried out new bombing sorties this morning.

Turkish forces carried out their first air strikes on pro-Kurdish positions yesterday as part of what Ankara is calling Operation Euphrates Shield.
Balochistan assembly has adopted a unanimous resolution condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statement about the Pakistani province during his Independence Day speech on August 15.

The resolution, tabled by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Muhammad Khan Lehri, was supported by all political parties, Dawn online reported.

The Indian PM had attacked Pakistan over alleged human rights abuses in Balochistan, Gilgit and occupied Kashmir, during his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort.

What kind of life is this, inspired by terrorism? What kind of government set-up is it that is inspired by terrorism? Modi had asked then.

The world will know about it and thats sufficient for me, he had said.

Balochistan chief minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri signed the condemnation resolution.

Modis statement about Balochistan has proved that terrorism in the province was clearly sponsored by India, the resolution said.

Read | Modi crossed red line by talking about Balochistan, says Pakistan

Commenting on the resolution, Lehri said: Modi has violated the sovereignty of Pakistan and the United Nations charter in this regard.

Modi gave such statement to divert worlds attention from Kashmir, Balochistan home minister Sarfaraz Bugti said.

National Party leader Sardar Aslam Bizenjo condemned the statement and urged all political forces to get united to foil designs of the enemies of Pakistan.

We stand united for Pakistan, he said.

The house had earlier adopted a condemnation resolution against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain with regard to national institutions and against the stability of Pakistan.

Read | After Modis remarks, Pak media has started mentioning Balochistan: Analysts
Bangladesh police said on Sunday they were hunting more extremist leaders after shooting dead the suspected mastermind of a deadly cafe attack, on the eve of US Secretary of State John Kerrys first visit.

Security forces stormed a militant hideout outside Dhaka on Saturday, killing three suspected Islamists including the Bangladesh-born Canadian accused of organising last months attack that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners.

Authorities say that after returning from Canada in 2013, Tamim Chowdhury led a faction of the banned militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), blamed for a series of recent attacks on religious minorities.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the July 1 seige of the upmarket Dhaka cafe in which gunmen held hostage mainly Western diners including one American, before killing them.

But police say the homegrown JMB, which has pledged allegiance to the IS group, was behind the raid. They deny the presence of international jihadist groups.

Were hopeful we can now capture and eliminate other extremists including Zia, assistant inspector general of police, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, told AFP.

Police suspect Zia, a former army major whose full name is Syed Ziaul Haque, heads another local extremist group called Ansar al Islam, blamed for the machete murders of a dozen secular writers and two gay activists.

Kerry is set to arrive in Bangladesh tomorrow on his first official visit to try to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism and other issues.

He will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and hold talks with his counterpart Mahmood Ali on a broad range of issues including democracy, development, security and human rights, a senior State Department official said.

Kerry will then head to India to co-chair the regular US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bangladesh police hailed yesterdays raid as a major blow to extremists in the Muslim-majority country, which has been reeling from the recent killings.

The cafe attack has prompted foreigners, including potential investors, to leave Bangladesh -- sparking worries for its garment industry, the worlds second largest after China.

A series of police raids on suspected militant hideouts have killed at least 24 extremists since the cafe attack.

Police have announced a reward of USD 25,000 for information leading to the arrest of Zia, who was sacked from the army in 2011 for an aborted coup bid against Hasina.

Experts welcomed yesterdays police raid but said the country, with its history of political instability, faces a long fight against Islamist extremism.


Inside a shady tent in the middle of quake-hit Amatrice, a little girl hunches over a table drawing a picture of the soaring mountains overlooking this small Italian town.

For her, the drawing showed the only thing that remained constant after Wednesdays earthquake which brought death and destruction a string of remote hilltop towns and villages in central Italy.

Not far from the morgue where families have been identifying their dead, a group of children are playing in a tent set up by Save the Children, using drawing as a way to express the trauma they have experienced.

This little girl drew the mountains and she told us that they were the mountains of Amatrice, the most beautiful in the world, Save the Children spokeswoman Danilo Giannese told AFP.

Then she said; Everything collapsed, except the mountains.

That drawing had particularly affected those working for the NGO, which has set up a play area where children can recover some sense of the normalcy which has been lost through the traumatic events of recent days.

The idea is to create a space where children can be with their peers and express themselves through play and drawing, under the supervision of educators trained to handle emergency situations.

It also gives the parents some time to process their grief, to deal with pressing problems and start planning for the future, knowing their children are enjoying a bit of peace in a safe place, the charity says.

These are children who have suffered shock: suddenly, they had to abandon their homes and since then, they have only seen destruction, explains Giannese.

A place of safety

Many of the local children were sent away to relatives or friends in the wake of Wednesdays deadly quake, in which nearly 300 people died, while others remain in hospital.

But around 15 children are currently visiting the tent which is in a camp set up by the Civil Protection agency.

Inside the large light-grey tent, the children feel at home.

A member of NGO Save the Children seats next to a child in a tent inside a camp at the damaged central Italian village of Amatrice. (AFP Photo)

Sitting on chunky plastic chairs around a small round table, several children between the ages of 4 to 8 take crayons out of a box and start drawing.

Nearby are red plastic boxes of toy cars and Lego. Outside is a small blackboard easel with a chalk picture scrawled on it.

Its a safe place, a protected place, where they can also find a bit of peace rather than being outside in all this dust, explains a volunteer wearing a red top with a white Save the Children logo on it.

Though they play and even laugh, the children have been as badly affected by the disaster as the adults.

The three worst-hit areas, Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto, were home to hundreds of children with many more in the area on holiday.

All of them were affected in some way by the traumatic events.

Around 500 children were in the area affected by the quake and unfortunately there are many children among the victims, says Giannese.

Important to talk

Although these ones have survived, the trauma is far from over.

Today we have to tell a child that his father has died. It is very difficult moment, explains Ernesto Caffo, a child psychologist and president of Telefono Azzurro, which runs an emergency hotline for children where they can talk to someone in confidence.

Its volunteers have set up their own play tent in a small square in Amatrice where survivors and rescuers have set up around 20 igloo tents between swings and slides.

The association is also offering psychological support.

People are in mourning, we need to reassure them, both the adults and the children, says Caffo.

For a parent, it is important to be able to talk to children about the death of a loved one. But their tears can give (the parents) a sense of insecurity, he explains.

Sitting on a blanket laid out on the grass, a little girl plays with a princess castle and a plastic spade.

This morning, a little girl woke up crying because she wanted to go back to her own bedroom, says a TA volunteer.

Inside the tents, children are sometimes afraid that if there is an aftershock, everything will come down on their heads.

Firefighters and servicemen inspect the rubble and debris in the damaged central Italian village of Amatrice. (AFP Photo)

Back to school?

Once the childrens immediate needs are met, it will soon be time to think about the upcoming school year, which begins in mid-September in Italy.

But with the local school in ruins, the question is where.

The authorities are studying different solutions, but it is likely that school will take place in the tents, says Caffo.

For children, going back to school will be very important because they can talk with each other and tell their story about what happened.
Imran Khan, the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, has said that he would start a popular movement against the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Shaif in December.

We will see a sea of people coming out on the streets to protest the corruption of the Nawaz Sharif government, he told a press briefing on Sunday.

Imran Khan also criticised MQM leader Altaf Hussain, who he said should be brought to justice.

The British government should be told that its citizen has created havoc in Pakistan, he said, adding We should ask them what action they will take against a man who promotes terrorism.

Hussain said things which were unacceptable to any Pakistani, he claimed.

It is clear, he said, that Hussain was working on a foreign agenda.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said Sunday that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is wounded, in his first comments on military claims that the jihadi leader was injured in an attack.

Nigerias armed forces said on Tuesday that Shekau had been wounded in an air strike on Boko Harams forest stronghold, but released no further statement or evidence confirming his condition.

We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he was wounded, Buhari said in a statement from Nairobi, where he is attending a development conference.

Indeed their top hierarchy and lower cadre have a problem, Buhari said. They are not holding any territory and they have split to small groups attacking soft targets.

Buhari said that Shekau had been edged out of the group, adding credence to claims that Islamic State (IS)-appointed Abu Musab al-Barnawi was now in charge of the insurgency.

Signs of a power struggle in the top echelons of the jihadi group appeared earlier this month when Shekau released a video denying he had been ousted.

Barnawi is believed to be the 22-year-old son of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf and was announced as the groups leader in August by IS.

Buhari made his remarks from Nairobi this weekend where he is attending the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, a summit designed to boost ties between Africa and Japan.

The president also said he is prepared to talk to bona fide leaders of Boko Haram to negotiate the release of 218 Chibok girls captured by the militants in 2014.

Boko Haram has ravaged northeast Nigeria in its quest to create a fundamentalist Islamic state, killing over 20,000 people and displacing 2.6 million from their homes.

Turning to another major security concern in Nigeria, Buhari threatened militants sabotaging oil infrastructure in the southern swamplands of the Niger delta.

We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us, Buhari said.

The countrys petroleum minister has said that as a result of the ongoing attacks Nigerias oil output has dropped 23 per cent from last year to 1.5 million barrels per day, according to Bloomberg News.

Groups including the Niger Delta Avengers are demanding a greater share of oil revenues, political autonomy, and infrastructure development in the southern riverlands where despite massive oil wealth people still struggle to access basic health care and education.

Buhari said his government was in talks with the some of the militants but said there was no ceasefire, despite an announcement by the Avengers last week.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed today to devote equal energy to combatting Islamic State jihadists and Syrian Kurdish fighters, on the fifth day of a major offensive that has left dozens dead.

We will make any kind of contribution to the work to clear Daesh (IS) from Syria, Erdogan told a rally in the southern city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.

For the issue of the PYD (Democratic Union Party) terror group in Syria, we have just the same determination, he added, referring to the main pro-Kurdish party in northern Syria and its Peoples Protection Units (YPG) militia.

Today, Turkish forces ramped up their offensive, with Turkish warplanes and artillery pounding areas held by pro-Kurdish forces close to a town liberated from IS this week.

Ankara said its raids had killed 25 Kurdish terrorists and that the army was doing everything it could to avoid civilian casualties.

But the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 40 civilians were killed in strikes on two areas - the first report of significant civilian casualties since the start of operation Euphrates Shield.

The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in the bombardments south of Jarabulus, the town taken from IS by Turkish-backed Arab rebels on the first day of Turkeys incursion Wednesday.

Addressing thousands of flag-waving supporters in Gaziantep, Erdogan said he was ready and determined to clear our region of terror groups.

We will absolutely not allow any terror activity on or near our borders.

Gaziantep is the city where a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a wedding party last weekend, killing 55 people.

Turkey blamed the attack on the Islamic State group. Erdogan reaffirmed a previous statement that the bomber was a child aged just 14.

Days later Ankara launched the two-pronged Syria operation with the stated aim of clearing the border area of both IS and the Kurdish fighters.

Turkey sees the US-backed PYD and YPG - which have links to Kurdish rebels in southeast Turkey - as terror groups and wants to keep them from taking control of the border on the Syrian side.

The US supports the Syrian Kurdish fighters as an effective adversary of IS in the area.
An 18-year-old Australian woman, wanted in many property-related offences, commented on a media outlets Facebook post, about her escape from prison, asking them to use a better photo of hers, resulting in a social media frenzy.

Police had issued Amy Sharps photo to local TV channels after she broke out of a Sydney police station last week.

However, the hunt for Sharp, took an unexpected turn when her mug shot along with the police statement were uploaded on news channel 7 News FB page, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Sharp was the first person to react to the post.

She posted another photo of hers as a comment and advised the channel to use that instead of the mug shot.

Sharp was unhappy with the mug shot where she wore a glum expression and an unfashionable red blanket draped over her shoulders, the report said.

Sharps comment went viral on social media with more than 50,000 people liking her reaction.

A Facebook user Bec Sackville commented, Haha thats a classic. Think the cops have found a new way to catch crims. Just put out an ugly photo and the crim will be in touch to give you a better one lol (sic).

Sharp was later arrested, the report added.
MARSEILLE: French resorts were defiant after a ban on the burkini in a Riviera town was overturned, vowing to keep the restrictions in place and continue imposing fines on women who wear the full-body swimsuit.

In a judgement expected to lead to bans being overturned in around 30 coastal towns, the State Council, Frances highest administrative court, ruled on Friday the measure was a serious and clearly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms.

The suspension of the ban on the Islamic swimsuit, which has triggered a fierce debate in France and sparked critical headlines around the world, was welcomed by the UN, and a French Muslim group said it was a victory for common sense.

But the ruling, which only applied to the ban imposed by Villeneuve-Loubet, was quickly dismissed by several other towns, including Nice, which vowed to keep the restrictions in place and continue imposing fines on women who wear the full-body swimsuit.

In its decision, the court said local authorities could only introduce measures restricting individual freedoms if wearing the swimsuit on beaches represented a proven risk to public order.

The judges said there was no such risk in the case before the court concerning VilleneuveLoubet, a resort between Nice and Cannes. Police action to fine Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in several towns, including in the resorts of Nice and Cannes, has triggered a fierce debate about womens rights and the French states strictly-guarded secularism.

From now on, it is up to everyone to take responsibility for cooling off, which is the only way to avoid public order disturbances and to try and live together, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.

But the ruling provoked defiance from several Riviera resorts, which pledged to continue imposing fines.

In recent weeks, around 30 French municipalities decided to ban access to public beaches by anyone not wearing proper attire, which is respectful of good morality and the principle of secularism and not respectful of the rules of hygiene and bathing security.

Nice town hall said it would continue to fine women wearing the burkini and the far-right mayor of Frejus, David Rachline, insisted his ban was still valid, telling AFP there was no legal procedure against his ruling.
DHAKA: Three extremists, including the suspected mastermind of the July 1 attack on a cafe that killed 22 people, were gunned down when police stormed a militant hideout on the outskirts of Dhaka on Saturday, officials said.

Tamim Chowdhury, who is believed to have plotted to assault on Holey Artisan Bakery that was claimed by the Islamic State, was among the dead. Chowdhury, a 30-year-old Canadian citizen of Bangladeshi origin, has been identified by analysts as the head of the IS in the country.

Acting on a tip-off that some militants were hiding at Paikpara in Narayanganj district, 20 km east of Dhaka, police cordoned off a three-storey building early on Saturday morning. The men inside were asked to surrender but they opened fire and lobbed grenades, officials said.

At 9.30 am, a SWAT team assaulted the building from the rear and shot dead the militants. Bangladesh national police chief AKM Shahidul Hoque confirmed Chowdhury, the alleged mastermind of the Dhaka cafe attack, was killed. The two other militants are yet to be identified.

The operation went on for an hour. They did not surrender. They threw four to five grenades and fired from AK-22 rifles, Hoque said.

Counter-terrorism official Monirul Islam told reporters that the operation was launched after police received information that Chowdhury was hiding in the area.

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said he had been informed Chowdhury was among the dead. The physical appearance shows it was Tamim Chowdhury. But we need to be 100% sure, he said.

Despite the cafe assault and several other terrorist attacks being claimed by the IS, the Bangladesh government insists that the terror group has no presence in the country.

Police say Chowdhury, who returned from Canada in 2013, was leading a faction of the banned Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh known as the New JMB. The JMB is known to have links with the IS. On August 2, police announced a 2 million Taka ($25,000) reward for information leading to Chowdhurys arrest.

Chowdhury was wanted in several cases, including the July 7 attack on an Eid congregation at Kishoreganj that killed three people and the July 26 gun battle between militants and police at a multi-storey building at Kalyanpur in Dhaka that left nine terrorists dead.

He is believed to have escorted the five terrorists who stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhakas Gulshan area. He reportedly left them shortly before they launched the assault. All five attackers were killed.

Chowdhury also reportedly visited the building in Kalyanpur where the militants were holed up and plotted another attack with them.
LONDON: It was established in 1916 with the mission to advance knowledge about Asia  training officials for overseas postings across the British empire  but today the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) is celebrating a century of global impact in the field and beyond.

Located in central London, the universitys domain includes Africa and the Middle East, but generations of Indian students and academics have passed through its portals, influencing thought and practice at key levels before and after independence.

Part of the original idea behind the school was to provide the University of London with a rival to the then famous Oriental schools of Berlin, Petrograd and Paris. Its first director (1916-37) was the celebrated linguist and former principal of the Calcutta Madarsa, Edward Denison Ross, a specialist in Persian, Sanskrit and other languages.

A decade after the establishment of SOAS, the school was offering degree courses in a range of languages including Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Persian, Sanskrit, Pali, Sinhalese, Tamil, Urdu and Hindi. In 1920-21, of the 274 men and 138 women enrolled by the school, 54 were from India. The first diplomas were awarded to K A Subramani Iyer (Sanskrit), who later became the vice-chancellor of Lucknow University. In 1921, DLits were awarded to linguist Suniti Kumar Chatterji and the Bengali polymath, Sushil Kumar De. Rumour has it that several intelligence officers too trained at SOAS over the decades, enriching their skills through its rich language portfolio. New disciplines such as Area Studies and Subaltern Studies found fertile soil there.

SOAS has close links with Indian institutions, while alumni hold influential positions in government, media, academia and other sectors.

The SOAS centenary marks an occasion to celebrate the institutions deep links with India. It has long been a centre of excellence of the study of Indian history, and has the largest faculty in the world working on India and South Asia, Gurharpal Singh, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, told HT. During the centenary year, a rich menu of seminars, lectures and conferences will be served up. A time capsule to be opened in 2116 was buried in the schools environs in June.

Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta, who earned a doctorate at SOAS, said: I spent an enjoyable five years in SOAS from 1975 to 1980. They were among the best years of my life.

SOAS was in many ways an eccentric place: most of the students were studying subjects that were regarded as quirky. That made them and the teachers doubly interesting. I think the institution epitomised the best in British outward thinking and even eccentricity, he added.

SOAS uniquely offers over 350 undergraduate degree combinations in social sciences, arts, humanities and languages, with a distinctive regional focus and global relevance, and over 115 postgraduate programmes.

You will be hard placed to find another institution of its size where so many regional specialists congregate. Students from India come here to study media with me and find that they can do an optional course on Bollywood or one which exposes them to the myth of development in India, said Somnath Batabyal, an alumnus who now teaches at SOAS.

Among SOAS strengths is a focus on the study of Zoroastrianism and Jainism, among other faiths. The South Asia Institute set up in 2015 represents the largest multi-disciplinary community of scholars working on South Asia in any university in Europe.

We are in the process of launching major initiatives in Indian history, Indian philosophy, Zoroastrianism and Sikh Studies. We have significant scholarship support from India for Bengali and Indian art. We have also received a major donation from the Chicagobased Alphawood Foundation for the study of Hindu art in South East Asia, Singh said.

However, SOAS has not been unaffected by the deep funding cuts in Britains higher education sector and other sector headwinds in recent years, which have challenged most universities, particularly in research, provision of scholarships and student recruitment.

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WASHINGTON: Senior officials from India and the US will hold several high-level interactions over the next few days that are likely to be the last for the Obama administration.

Defence minister Manohar Parikkar is scheduled to hold his third meeting with US defence secretary Ash Carter on Monday, at which officials hope to wrap up a defence deal which has been in the works for a while.

Calling the defence partnership the most ambitious one over the past several years, a US official said, previewing the meetings on background, that the logistics agreement between the two countries  Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement  which was finalised during Prime Minister Narendra Modis June visit, could be signed in the near future whether or not if that is going to be part of ministers visit or not.

Also on Monday secretary of state John Kerry will be reaching New Delhi for the seventh India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. He will be joined by commerce secretary Penny Pritzker for the dialogue on Tuesday, along with representatives from 12 US agencies. Kerry is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and national security adviser Ajit Doval. The secretary of state will meet Modi.

I wanted to underscore that this is ostensibly the last strategic dialogue of the Obama Administration and ostensibly Secretary Kerrys final visit to India, although I will never rule anything out, the official said.
BANGKOK: Thailand has freed a political activist after eight years in jail for insulting the countrys monarchy under its royal defamation laws. Daranee Charnchoengsilpakul was freed on Saturday under a royal pardon.

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WASHINGTON: A doctor who gave Donald Trump a clean bill of health, all wrapped up in bombastic hyperbole, has now said he wrote it out in five minutes as a limo sent by the Republican nominee waited outside.

Harold Bornstein told NBC on Friday that he wrote the certificate out in a rush and didnt even have time to proofread it.

To whom my concern, read the subject line of the certificate that was released by the Trump campaign last December, but it had largely escaped scrutiny before now.

It began to attract attention in recent weeks as the nominee, his campaign and his surrogates began raising questions about his Democratic rival Hillary Clintons health.

Go online and put down Hillary Clinton illness, take a look at the videos for yourself, Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and close adviser to Trump, said last week.

He was referring to rumours about Clintons mental and physical stamina that her campaign has strenuously countered, calling them deranged conspiracy theories.

On another occasion, the Republican candidate told voters in Iowa that Clinton was not strong enough to be president.

Trump, at age 70  16 months older than Clinton  would be the oldest person to assume the presidency if elected.

Now Bornstein is facing scrutiny along with the health certificate he wrote out for Trump, which said the nominee is in astonishingly excellent health.

If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency, the doctor wrote in the short four para note.

When asked about that line, the doctor, who has been examining Trump for 35 years, said, I like that sentence to be quite honest with you and all the rest of them are either sick or dead.

Bornstein said he was normally so effusive, but I think I picked up his kind of language and then just interpreted it to my own.

He is certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.

(With agency inputs)
TUNIS: Tunisias new Prime Minister Youssef Chahed and members of his cabinet were sworn in on Saturday, the presidency said, after approval from parliament. The prime minister and his 26 ministers swore to work devotedly for the good of Tunisia and to respect its constitution and laws, it said. Chahed, at 40, is the countrys youngest PM since independence from France in 1956. He is the seventh premier in less than six years since the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Parliament late on Friday approved the cabinet line-up, with 168 out 195 lawmakers who attended the session voting in favour, 22 against and five abstaining.

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Mitt Romney was the first Mormon to run for president as the nominee of a major party. But he was not the first Mormon to seek the office. Joseph Smith, oracle, prophet and founder of the Mormon faith, ran as an independent candidate for president in the election of 1844. There is one stark difference between the two campaigns: Polls at the time showed Romney running neck and neck with Barack Obama in his bid for the White House; Smith was murdered by a mob. America is a more tolerant place than it was in 1844. But the culture of Mormonism is not quite the same as it was in its founding era. The arc Mormons have followed shows how outsiders assimilate to the American mainstream.

Smith was born in Vermont in 1805 and moved with his family to western New York a decade later. In his 20s he said an angel directed him to a site near his home where he found buried golden plates whose inscriptions revealed that Jesus had appeared in pre-Columbian America. The King James Bible known to most Americans was incomplete, Smith proclaimed, and he had the missing pieces. From them he created the Book of Mormon, published in Palmyra, N.Y., in 1830.

Western New York was the early 19thcentury equivalent of beat and hippie California; it was called the burned-over district because so many religious and social prophets took fire there: revivalists, Shakers, spiritualists, feminists, sexual communists, preachers of the end of the world. Even in this atmosphere, Smith and his claims seemed outrehe was altering the founding narrative of Christianity. So he looked for new territories where people who shared his belief in the Book of Mormon could be free from skepticism and harassment. He moved first to Kirtland, Ohio, near Cleveland, then to northwestern Missouri.

Everywhere they went, Smith and his followers faced opposition. The more converts they made, the more non-Mormons feared they would take over local governments by voting as a bloc. In October 1838, the governor of Missouri ordered that Mormons be exterminated or driven from the state. Smith was arrested and charged with treason, though in April 1839 he escaped, possibly with a wink and a nod from officials who simply wanted him gone. The Mormons resettled in central Illinois on the Mississippi River in a town they named Nauvoo.

Smith tried to make Nauvoo safe for Mormons by turning it into a state within a state. He was mayor, chief justice and lieutenant general of a militia, the Nauvoo Legion; his dress uniform was decorated with ostrich feathers. Comparing him to Muhammad, the New York Herald wrote, His ambition is to found a religious empire.

At the same time, Smith sought leverage in the national political arena. The presidential election of 1844 looked to be a free-for-all. The incumbent, John Tyler, was an unpopular placeholder who had been promoted to the Oval Office by the death of William Henry Harrison. In November 1843, Smith wrote five of the politicians vying to succeed Tyler, asking how they would treat Mormons if elected. They answered evasively. Henry Clay, Whig nationalist, refused to make deals with any particular portion of the people. John Calhoun, states rights Southerner, thought that Mormons did not come within the jurisdiction of the federal government.

In January 1844, Smith offered himself as a candidate, with firebrand Mormon orator Sidney Rigdon as his running mate. Smiths platform was an amalgam. Some of it was bipartisan boilerplate. We have had Whig and Democratic presidents long enough, he declared. We need a president of the United States. Some of it was plain old populism: Smith wanted to cut congressional pay to $2 a day, plus board. That is more than the farmer gets, and he lives honestly. Some of it was mixed church and state. I go for the democracy, where God and the people hold the power. If the people were unsure about Gods intentions, presumably Smith would instruct them. In place of an ordinary party organization, made up of local officeholders nationwide, Smith counted on Mormon missionaries to campaign for him.

Smith did not have a prayer of winning. There were only 12,000 Mormons in Nauvoo, plus several thousand more across the country, out of a national electorate of 1.7 million voters. But he was an early practitioner of pressure group politicsusing a third party to put an issue on the map or affect close races. Joe Smith does not expect to be elected president, wrote the New York Herald, but he still wants to have a finger in the pie.

Smith did not live to test his gambit. During his years in Nauvoo he had acted on one of his most inflammatory revelations, the doctrine of plural marriage, or polygamy. In the spring of 1844, disgruntled ex-Mormons attacked polygamy in a new newspaper, the Nauvoo Expositor. They called for reforms in the church. In retaliation, faithful Mormons destroyed the Expositors presses.

There was an outcry against Mormon mobocrats, and the governor of Illinois asked Smith to turn himself in for inciting a riot. In June 1844, he surrendered to authorities in Carthage, Ill., near Nauvoo. Days later a mob attacked the jail, and shot and killed Smith and his brother. Brigham Young, who had helped establish the Kirtland community, took charge of the sect and led it to Utah.

In the meantime, the outcome of the 1844 election was determined by a separate political pressure groupthe abolitionist Liberty Partywhich siphoned off enough Whig votes in New York and Michigan to tip those states and the election to the Democrats.

Whatever happens in the 2012 election, it is beyond the realm of possibility that Mitt Romney will be arrested or murdered by a mob. During the 20th century, people of many religions and races outside the white Protestant mainstream began rising to the top. By now Catholics, Jews and blacks have run for president, served in Congress or sat on the Supreme Court. A Mormon presidential candidate was just one more square in the quilt of diversity.

Mormonism has changed as well. Without abandoning its beliefs about Jesus and the Bible, the Mormon Church has modified some of its doctrines. Mormons gave up their paramilitary arm in the mid- 19th century. In 1890, Wilford Woodruff, fourth leader of the church, ordered his flock to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land. Both acts came in response to federal pressure: President Buchanan sent the army to Utah in the late 1850s to assert federal authority, and Congress toughened antipolygamy laws in the 1880s.

Mitt Romney is a product of a kinder, gentler Mormonism. His faith is important to him, but he does not wear it on his sleeve. Unlike Joseph Smith, he ran to win, not to make a point about his religion.

As sociologist John Murray Cuddihy observed, when European religions and ideologies land on American shoresthey are taught to behave. They are tamed. The taming process happens to made-in America religions and ideologies too. While there are plenty of separatists on the margins of American life, from the Amish to the Nation of Islam, almost every group that interacts with the wider world at some point sheds its bark and smoothes its rough edges. In time, one of their numbers may run for president.
It's August and Surface Pro 4 anniversary is approaching, raising questions of an impending upgrade. Is Microsoft listening?

Intel's Kaby Lake specs found their way online last week and word has it the new offerings are about 12 percent better than Skylake processors, which power Surface Pro 4. While processor improvements are just an icing on the top, a new Surface, as rumors suggest, will bring several other goodies including more RAM, better display (possibly 4K) and better battery life.

Microsoft however has not breathed a word, leaving to speculation Surface Pro 5 release date and specifications. Given that Surface Pro 4 is going strong, constituting a bulk of two-odd million Surface Pro units sold every quarter Microsoft seems to be in no hurry to launch Surface Pro 5.

However, leaks of Intel Kaby Lake specifications come with an ominous threat for the Redmond giant. It has to act this year or risk losing to others. The leaks suggest that over a hundred hybrid devices with Intel's latest could launch by the end of the year. Asus announced its Transformer Tablet 3 with Kaby Lake way back in May.

Early adoption of a new technology is fraught with risks, as Microsoft understood when it released Surface Pro 4 with Skylakle. Unexplained battery drain and heating were then attributed to 'lack of understanding' to software incompatibility with new hardware. Fixes were released earlier this year and the Surface Pro 4 soon regained lost glory.

As for the leaks, they suggest Kaby Lake features Gen 9 graphics and support for HDMI 2. The new platform will debut with processors for ultrathin laptops and hybrid devices with power consumption ranging from 4.5 w to 15 w.

A new Surface Pro 5 this year looks unlikely but an upgrade next would mean losing out to the market when Intel hits the store with its revamped 10 nm Canonlake processors, a major upgrade over the 14 nm Skylake and Kaby Lake processors.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Here's some bad news: There are thousands of glittering blue lakes that have hit East Antarctica.

Does that mean a wonderful tourist world? Not, it means that scientists are very worried.

Now for some worse news. The ice in the Arctics is melting rapidly, as is evident. Greenland's ice sheet is melting rapidly. It thinned by 1 trillion tonnes of ice between 2011 and 2014, mainly due to these lakes.

UK researchers examined hundreds of satellite images and meteorological data that were collected from Langhovde Glacier in East Antarctica. They discovered that between 2000 and 2013, there were about 8,000 lakes.

These supraglacial - or meltwater - lakes, seemed to be rapidly losing themselves into the floating ice threatening the ice shelf.

So far, experts have always thought that East Antarctica was safe from rising climate and ocean temperatures. They had always concentrated on probing the Antarctic Peninsula, the northernmost part of Antarctica. It has displayed signs of rapid atmospheric and ocean warming in recent years.

East Antarctic ice sheet has never been a major threat to experts. Researchers seem to be worried that there is not enough understanding of the impact on supraglacial lakes.

"[East Antarctic is] the part of the continent where people have for quite a long time assumed that it's relatively stable," one of the team, glaciologist Stewart Jamieson from Durham University, said to Chris Mooney. "There's not a huge amount of change, it's very, very cold, and so, it's only very recently that the first supraglacial lakes, on top of the ice, were identified."

With rising air temperatures in the summer, the supraglacial lakes are being formed increasingly in this region.

Even though the lakes do not last too long, they weaken the ice sheets and ice shelves in the region.

"Sometimes, researchers have even been able to document fresh water flowing outward directly into the sea from the base of a glacier," Mooney says.

"That injection of cold fresh water into salty water can then create tornado-like underwater flow patterns at the submerged glacier front that cause further ice loss."

It is mainly due to climate change and rising temperatures.

"What we find is that the appearance of these lakes, unsurprisingly, is correlated directly with the air temperature in the region, and so the maximum number of lakes, and the total area of the lakes, as well as the depth of the lakes, all of these things peak when the air temperatures peak," Jamieson said.

"The size of the lakes ... are probably not big enough to do much at present, but if climate warming continues in the future, we can only expect the size and number of these lakes to increase. So that's what we're looking at," he added.

The study was published in Geophysical Research Letters.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
How easy is it to get laid off Tinder? If you are happily loved up or not interested in dating apps, you may think Tinder is a sexual free-for-all, populated by callous dudebros and disappointed women. After all, you must have heard the horror stories.

Online dating disaster stories are everywhere. They are a staple of newspapers, magazines, blogs and popular user-generated content forums. Sites like Tinder Nightmares, Not OKCupid, Nice Guys of OKCupid and Bye Felipe all call out bad behaviour on the part of users. The vast majority of these  although certainly not all  come from straight women. The most common complaints are a sense of entitlement (on the part of males), misogyny, sexual aggressiveness, insults and even threats of physical and sexual violence.

My own online dating experiences included demands for naked pics, aggressiveness, some downright weird interactions and approaches from a surprisingly large number of musicians. But while dating sites have a veneer of respectability  after all, you could be looking for your future spouse  Tinder has a reputation as a hook-up app.
Europe is a tinder box ready to explode. Southern Mediterranean countries with 50% youth unemployment are full of angry young men. it has now spread to the North. The FAVOURITE for the Dutch elections has launched a manifesto where he will ban mosques, send immigrants home and not allow Jews or Muslims, none pork options in schools. Marine le Penn is becoming mainstream in France. In Germany the far right have been accelerating faster than any time in the last 70 years. Both Hungary and Poland elected right wing governments and are refusing refugees. in Austria after election fraud nulled the last election, it is almost sure that the far right wing candidate will get in. Europe is likely to implode before we finally leave the EU in two years. What will happen to our ponzi housing market?

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A bipartisan congressional committee on Wednesday asked President Barack Obama to press China's President Xi Jinping on what it said was the country's deteriorating human rights, including the detention of Houston businesswoman Sandy Phan-Gillis, during this week's Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C.

Obama is scheduled to meet Xi on Thursday at the conference, which focuses on preventing terrorists from obtaining nuclear weapons.

In its letter, the bipartisan Congressional-Executive Commission on China urged Obama to "prioritize" human rights in his discussions with Xi, saying that the Chinese president is overseeing an "extraordinary assault on civil society, the rule of law, and the freedoms of religion, association, and assembly."

"President Xi must not be permitted to again visit Washington without any accounting for the severe erosion of human rights and rule of law which has taken place on his watch and with his authorization," the commission, led by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, a New Jersey Republican, said in its letter.



The commission said it was also "deeply concerned" with China's detention of Phan-Gillis, a 55-year-naturalized U.S. citizen who lived in Houston for two decades. She has been held for more than a year without facing any charges after she was stopped at a Chinese border crossing in March 2015 while accompanying a trade delegation, including then Mayor Pro-Tem Ed Gonzalez.



Beijing has released no information other than that Phan-Gillis is under investigation for spying and stealing state secrets. Her lawyers have yet to meet with her or see details of any accusation. And since China in April released a Houston geologist who had been imprisoned on charges of industrial espionage, she is now the only U.S. citizen in China accused of being a spy.



"She has been denied access to lawyers and at various points held in solitary confinement and interrogated," the commission said in its letter Wednesday. "This abusive treatment raises serious concerns about the safety of Americans doing business in Chinathis should be made clear to President Xi."



Phan-Gillis' arrest has been raised several times at high government levels and Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken mentioned it again during a visit to Beijing in January. In an interview this month, U.S. Rep. Al Green, a Houston Democrat, said her detention should be a "red flag for persons who are visiting" China.



Xi has arrested at least nine foreigners on allegations of spying in the past two years and oversaw the passage of a sweeping national security law last summer that grants authorities broad discretion about what constitutes espionage. It was approved as Chinese authorities have increasingly blamed "foreign forces" for protests in Hong Kong and elsewhere.



Phan-Gillis, a Vietnamese refugee of Chinese descent, helped lead and served as president of the Houston Shenzhen Sister City Association since 1994, founded Houston's Chinese New Year festival, took youth groups to China and introduced the country's sport of shuttlecock to Houston elementary schools. She coordinated training programs for Chinese nurses in Houston.



In her professional life, she worked with several consulting companies over the years, most recently the Hong Kong-based O & P Enterprises, which helped business between China and Houston, including scouting investment opportunities for wealth management firms interested in liquefied natural gas.



She had no known connections with Taiwan and had not protested against Tiananmen Square, two areas about which China is very sensitive.



But some have speculated that her detention might be related to people Phan-Gillis knew in China.

In the past two years, the Xi administration has launched an aggressive campaign against corruption, which critics say has also wrongly ensnared some of his political opponents. Her arrest comes at a difficult time for one of the world's biggest economies, which after years of extraordinary growth has been experiencing a rapid slowdown. It has stoked fears not only of a global recession but also of unrest within China.
NEW ORLEANS - Actor, writer and director John Schneider, known for his past role on the "Dukes of Hazzard" and current role on "The Haves and the Have Nots," thought the first flood he experienced at his Louisiana production studio was bad but says he now knows there are different levels of what's considered "bad."

Schneider's Livingston Parish-based studio - which includes his home, offices, cars, wardrobe, sound stages, and more - flooded in mid-March but the water didn't get into his 116-year-old home.
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#flight resumption Flights from Gimpo airport to Osaka, Taipei to resume Sunday Flights from Seoul's Gimpo International Airport to Osaka and Taipei will resume later this week, the state-run airport operator here said Saturday, more than two years after the r...

#football Daejeon earn promotion to top division in S. Korean football After eight years of toiling in the second division in South Korean football, Daejeon Hana Citizen FC will be playing with the big boys in 2023. Daejeon routed Gimcheon Sangmu F...
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As every day brings a new and terrifying story of yet another person lost to terror, the question I want to ask is; where are the Imams in all this? I'm Muslim and was brought up in a traditional household. My parents would often have our local Imam round for dinner, a special biryani crammed with meat in a big pan, served up in mum's best crockery. My Imam was an old chap, bent over with a hump on his back, a wiry beard and eyes that watered all the time. His role in the community was to teach the children to read the Koran. In those days the biggest Muslim dramas were happening on the other side of the world; Kashmir and historical unforgiving current between the Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. My Imam didn't speak much English or discuss much other than religion. He didn't need to. But times have changed; generations have new worries. We need our Imams more desperately than ever - but they must adapt their role and move with the times.

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The Imam's role to the families back in the 1970s and 1980s was simple. Back then there weren't debates about Islam, no one to cloud our minds on the teachings, no politics mixed in. But now - ever since the Iraq War and then 9/11, the new generation of Imams have a bigger responsibility to their pupils, like teachers have in schools. They have a duty to discuss a wider range of topics. So, if young people are vulnerable; are not sure about their faith, are scared about their religion and what it means; may possibly feel under pressure of social media - Imams need to tackle this.

Whilst we are at it, isn't it time that mosques had an overhaul too? People on the outside - and young Muslims - see them as rather odd places where elderly Muslims go to...do what exactly? They aren't sure but bemusement and suspicion is now turning to hostility. Today, Muslims need mosques to act as the hub of the community; a place where people of all ages feel welcome and can learn and access resources. A bit like a library. Ten years ago libraries changed when they got the Internet, started book groups and social clubs and became much more about meeting wider community needs. Mosques could do the same and perhaps the Imams should hold weekly or bi-monthly youth programmes there, where guest speakers from authority such as police, education, military etc., are invited and youngsters are encouraged to meet and talk to them. Such activities are needed to attract the youth and educate them not only on religion but to help them understand and feel at home in their country, their world. The leaders could talk about all kinds of topics; jobs, education, confusion over their religion and yes... lets get it out in the open - Syria, radicalization, and why the war is going on and why it is not the duty of young British Muslims to go out there and risk their lives.

It is vital that the Imams are able to communicate and be approachable to youngsters. As I went to press send on this article, I read that an Imam was murdered in Rochdale by two young radicals who didn't agree with the way he practised his faith. If we are to prevent more bloodshed, the conversations and openness between different generations of Muslims needs to start right now.

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This time last year, I put pen to paper about my Grandma's battle with Alzheimer's Disease. All the things I wanted to say to her but, because of her Alzheimer's, never could. The goodbye that I never had the chance to say and never would.

It was not easy, as someone who does not wear her heart publicly on her sleeve, to put such feelings on paper. But I did so in the hope of raising awareness of this terrible disease that tore a hole in the centre of my family and to encourage people to support the causes that are working hard to find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease.

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A couple of months ago, I once again found myself struggling to put pen to paper to write about my Grandma. This was a different struggle. This time, I was trying to sum up years and years of happy childhood memories in one short eulogy.

In June, after years of fighting, stubbornness and untold strength, my Grandma lost her battle with Alzheimer's, I lost my rock, and the world lost one of the kindest women ever to walk this earth.

Alzheimer's Disease is a terminal disease. It is not just an addition to old age, a slight personality trait where you forget where your glasses are. It is a killer. A slow and torturous killer that slowly takes over, snatching away memories, personality, movement - everything that makes you, you.

It is a battle you endure as a family. A battle that leaves an agonising mark on each and every one of you. A long and unyielding battle with an enemy that creeps up on you from behind and changes your life forever.

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Alzheimer's Disease is the ultimate long goodbye.

A goodbye you never get chance to say, as at first you did not know what was going on. A goodbye you never get chance to say as you watch a loved one fade away before your very eyes, knowing there is nothing you can do to reverse it. A goodbye you never get chance to say as, for all you try and do to brace yourself for it, you will never be ready for that moment when they first forget who you are, nor is it something you ever get used to.

I will never be able to place the moment I 'lost' my Grandma. In many ways I had lost her long before she passed away, but that did not stop the tidal wave of raw grief when she did.

The ultimate finality of it all. The crux of the longest goodbye I have ever had to say...yet feel like I never actually got chance to say.

Alzheimer's robbed my Grandma of her movement, her personality and her memories. It robbed her of her present and tried taking away her past too.

It also robbed us of our future together.

A future I had always, perhaps naively, just assumed she would be there in. I had never thought that one day I would have to live without her smiling, calm and caring presence in my life.

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Because of Alzheimer's, my Grandma never got to and never will dance at any of her grandchildren's weddings. Because of Alzheimer's, my Grandma will never hold her first great-grandchild or any great-grandchildren. Because of Alzheimer's, my Grandma will never see me elected (should my political ambitions come to fruition).

Instead, because of Alzheimer's, I know what it is like to have my Grandma forget who I am. Because of Alzheimer's, we learned what it was like to mourn someone every single day who was still with us, then to mourn them again when they were taken away. Because of Alzheimer's, I saw my Grandma slowly die before my very eyes, desperate to do something to stop it but helpless to. There was simply no way of stopping it.

I could sit here and wallow in sorrow, even get angry about what happened, but I am not one for that. I do not stand on the sidelines when there is something I can do and there is something I can do. There is something we can all do.

A lot of the time while watching my Grandma slowly succumb to Alzheimer's, I felt helpless. Helpless because there was never really anything I could do. We could and did care for her in every way, but we could never stop it or cure it, or even slow it down. I could not do anything to stop the progression of my Grandma's Alzheimer's Disease. But I will do everything I can to ensure others do not have to go through what we had to go through.

I will spend the rest of my life, and any political career I manage to secure, working with others to find a cure for Alzheimer's Disease. I hope others will join me.

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In September, my family and I will be doing the Leeds Memory Walk together in memory of Grandma to raise money for the Alzheimer's Society. I would urge everyone from the bottom of my heart to take part in their local Memory Walk and help raise money and awareness for this fantastic cause. We all need to work together to help find a cure for Alzheimer's and this is one way everyone can do their bit.

I could not stop Alzheimer's from taking my Grandma, but maybe one day I can help stop it taking someone else's Grandma. It might not be this next generation or the generation after, but one day we will find a cure for this heartbreaking disease. It is time for each of us to step up and play our part. It is time to end Alzheimer's.

On Saturday 24th September I will be taking part in the Leeds Memory Walk to support the Alzheimer's Society. My family and I will be doing it together in memory of Grandma. She will be in our thoughts with every step.

This September, Memory Walks will be taking place across the United Kingdom. Please support this important cause and help raise awareness about Alzheimer's Disease. You can find out where your nearest Memory Walk is and sign up at www.memorywalk.org.uk.
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One of Theresa May's first acts as Prime Minister was creating the catchily named "Department for Exiting the European Union" (DREXIT). Leave campaigner and East Yorkshire MP David Davis was appointed as 'Chief Brexiteer'.

During the referendum campaign Davis and his Leave campaign colleagues were incredibly reticent when it came to explaining the Brexit process and what comes next. The narrow Leave vote was therefore achieved on the basis of many unknown factors about what Brexit would mean.

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With Leave winning, and getting their desired Whitehall Department, they need to start providing answers. In the last days before the Commons rose for the Summer Recess I tabled fifty Written Parliamentary Questions to DREXIT that I think the Government now needs to answer.

Firstly, I've asked about the process for negotiations: who is involved in the negotiating process and how will the Government include the devolved administrations? How are the Government getting staff with the requisite skills? Are they coming from the private sector and how much is this costing tax-payers?

It was recently reported that 32 civil servants will staff the Brexit department. Will this be enough for the enormous task ahead? We also see reports of a Whitehall 'turf war' between three Cabinet Ministers. Does this bode well for a co-ordinated and joined-up approach to the protracted negotiations ahead?

Secondly, I have asked about the issues that need to be resolved immediately and that cannot wait for potentially two years of negotiation and invoking Article 50. These include the status of EU nationals in Britain and British nationals in the EU who could be left in limbo for years. I have asked the Government what steps they are taking to resolve this point prior to the negotiations.

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Equally urgent is the future of pan-European research. Academics at Hull University in my constituency are telling me how they are applying now for vital pan-European research projects for years ahead. Their ability to remain part of these projects is essential if we are to retain our world-leading universities. The Government have begun to make noises about Whitehall replacing funding that came through the EU for science, universities, agriculture and infrastructure, but detail is so far sketchy - especially beyond 2020.

Thirdly, I have asked about what preparations are underway for the negotiations proper. As the Government have ruled out the UK joining the European Economic Area (EEA), it looks like we will have to negotiate sector by sector trade deals.

As a Hull MP, I want our renewable energy industry, arguably the most pan-European of all major industries, prioritised for access to the EU Single Market. I've also asked about the steps being taken to assess the needs of other industries, including the big service industries - such as financial and legal services - where we have a massive trade surplus with the EU. Bankers and lawyers may not be exactly fashionable, but these industries provided thousands of jobs and a huge amount of the tax income needed for our public services and welfare state.

I have also asked about car manufacturing, which provides about 770,000 skilled jobs in the UK. Nearly 60% of our car exports go to the EU, but if we end up relying on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules to govern these exports each car will be hit by a 10% tariff. With certainty key to business planning and investment, I have asked the Government to conduct an urgent assessment of what this would mean for the industry.

I am also watching closely the future prospects for Hull's caravan industry who have worked hard to recover from the global downturn of 2008/09. Hull also has a significant pharmaceuticals sector.

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With President Hollande telling May that free trade is impossible without free movement, I have asked whether it is the Government's position to refuse any trade deal that doesn't enable the Government to meet their net migration target. Given the latest migration figures published at the end of August, showing how difficult this is to achieve, I have asked if there are any circumstances in which the Government would consider consulting the nation again before Brexit finally happens.

Unlike what happened in June, this could be based on solid facts about the real options available to the country - rather than the simplistic offer and suspect promises, perhaps amounting to a false prospectus, upon which people voted in June. People would know much more about the country they were 'getting back'?

Fourthly, I have asked about areas of cooperation that may continue after we leave the EU. The terror attack in Nice reminded all of us about the need for Europe to stay united in the fight against terrorism. I have therefore asked the Government if they plan to remain in Europol, with the access to information and policing cooperation that this provides.

I have also asked about Britain's future involvement in other European schemes, such as Erasmus for students, the CERN collider and the European Space Agency.

Finally, I have asked about what preparations are being made for the time when we have "taken control" of the functions currently handled by the EU. There's the issue of all those "EU laws" the Leave campaign made so much of. How are they going to be assessed? What process will be used to decide if we need new legislation to replicate their provisions?

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Can Parliament even handle this much new legislation? What about European Court of Justice (ECJ) judgements currently being applied in British courts? Who will "take control" of these functions? Will they come back to the Westminster Government, or will some, perhaps agricultural subsidies, be transferred on to devolved administrations and councils?

The full list of the written questions I submitted, and answers received, can be found at http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-questions-answers//?page=1&max=20&questiontype=AllQuestions&house=commons&member=1533.

These were merely the first fifty questions, because there are many more issues that the Government need to address before Brexit proceeds. If there's anything else you think I should be asking, please let me know.

Diana Johnson

Labour MP for Hull North
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Coming back from holiday through Stansted airport the other day I noticed, as I often do, a sign warning people approaching customs that it's forbidden to bring guns and other "unlicensed" weapons into the United Kingdom. You'd kind of hope so. There's also a helpful illustration showing a revolver and one or two other things, including various kinds of nasty-looking knives.

But no ... Kalashnikovs. Stansted isn't warning against bringing in assault rifles because, well, one supposes that's already implicit. Yet the recent announcement from the Russian government-owned Kalashnikov arms company that it's now selling replicas of its famous AK-47 weapon at Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport rather suggests that the Stansted sign-makers might need to think about an update ...

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No, OK, the Sheremetyevo gift shop guns aren't the real thing. They're made of plastic. An airport official has been quoted as saying that the Sheremetyevo AK-47s are clearly imitations and wouldn't pose security problems. (You can see some of them in this video. I have to say, they do look pretty realistic. Meanwhile, the accompanying "I love AK-47s" t-shirts and full-body camouflage suits are ... well, slightly different to the usual Burberry scarves or Boggi ties). Kalashnikov's head of marketing Vladimir Dmitriev is (as marketing people often are) very upbeat about it all:

"Kalashnikov is one of the most popular brands that come to mind for most people in the world when they hear about Russia. So we are pleased to provide the opportunity for everyone to take away from Russia a souvenir with our company brand."

Assault rifle as souvenir, a weapons manufacturer as a brand. Welcome to Sheremetyevo and welcome to a 21st-century which sees almost everything as a sales opportunity.

Allowing passengers to cram a plane's overhead lockers with large imitation AK-47s seems an odd thing to permit in these days of heightened airport security (where every 100ml-plus container of moisturiser is banned and travellers are ordered to remove their shoes at the er, drop of a hat), but there you go ... Except, isn't the manufacture, sale and importation of replica weapons banned in many countries, including in the UK? Seems to me that Kalashnikov's little marketing stunt is not only in questionable taste but possibly an infringement of various countries' laws on replica or "realistic imitation firearms".

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Meanwhile, with the international arms trade treaty being discussed in Geneva this week, it's a strange time for Kalashnikov to be touting its weaponised souvenirs. AK-47s, the workhorse weapon of the post-war Red Army and the armament used by countless insurgent groups, has in all probability been responsible for the deaths of more civilians around the world than any other weapon since its introduction in 1947. The AK-47's inventor Mikhail Kalashnikov, lauded by the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation, approached the end of his long life with growing doubts about what he'd done in creating his eponymous weapon.

In his later years Mr Kalashnikov also supported the introduction of proper international controls over the exports of small arms like AK-47s. Though he wasn't averse to lending his name to spin-off products like vodka, I wonder if he'd really want a Moscow airport shop flogging plastic replicas of his weapons to passengers looking for that certain gift with ... a difference.

Meanwhile, international arms trade treaty or no international arms trade treaty, countries like the UK blithely go on selling billions of pounds' worth of arms to Saudi Arabia despite the horrendous civilian death toll from the Saudi-led bombing raids in Yemen. The arms trade treaty that Mikhail Kalashnikov championed a decade ago is now being outrageously flouted by a country that (rightly) wouldn't allow one of those plastic AK-47s to be brought into somewhere like Stansted airport.


SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah, Georgia. Image courtesy of SCAD.

Colleges of art that also administer a bona fide affiliated campus museum featuring a lively exhibition program provide an amazing advantage to their students and the surrounding community, particularly from an educational point of view, as well as the growing positive exposure to the institution and to its enduring reputation. However, it is a rare occasion indeed to discover a robust school of art with a handsome museum attached at the hip that also is surrounded by a uniquely historic built environment, such as the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and its use of Savannah Gray Brick. SCAD was founded by Paula Wallace, a woman of vision and a thoughtful preservationist, who first saw the potential for adaptively reusing many of the city's great brick buildings that were in disrepair and potential victims of the wrecking ball. She began by saving the magnificent 1892 Savannah Volunteer Guard Armory and turning it into a school for the visual arts--SCAD--which remains today as a testament to the inherent value and aesthetic inspiration of historic preservation.

Before examining the current show at SCAD, it's important to get a brief perspective on the history of this great American city. In 1733, James Oglethorpe and 114 colonists from England arrived on the Savannah River to found America's thirteenth colony, Georgia. The idea was to increase imperial trade and navigation along the coastal waterway and to establish a protective buffer during the Spanish War. Oglethorpe demonstrated remarkable vision and foresight as he designed the basic layout of Savannah into blocks of five symmetrical lots and twenty-four public squares, earning the distinction of "America's first planned city." Today this wonderful, genteel southern town certainly is among the finest preserved communities in America, constructed brick by brick from the area's rich native clay soil--the silver lining that protected over 2,300 structures through centuries of deterioration, turmoil and the debilitating Civil War.

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Installation of "Built, World" at SCAD Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of SCAD. Foreground: Wim Delvoye, D-11 Scale Model 2.0, 2008, Laser-cut stainless steel, 38  x 87  x 48 in. Courtesy of Sperone Westwater Gallery, New York.

"Built,World" is a group exhibition highlighting twenty leading international artists, whose works examine architecture and constructed actualities with a assortment of media across a wide range of interpretations and scale. The title couldn't be more appropriate, as the museum itself is a walking, talking work of art, carefully crafted and maintained where possible as an exciting, groundbreaking showplace that combines vintage industrial architecture with new utilitarian vision, developed and transformed by hotshot architect Christian Sottile, SCAD alumnus and dean of the college's School of Building Arts. Built in 1853, it is the oldest surviving antebellum railroad depot in the country, now housing the SCAD museum and considered a National Historic Landmark. The museum has breathed new life into these ruins after five decades of neglect, which apparently were standing precariously and had an uncertain future. Originally conceived as a major trade post for Savannah, the railroad complex was occupied by Union troops at the close of the Civil War. Salvaged bricks and original heart pine timbers appear throughout the museum, and the high ceilings provide a dramatic setting for the exhibitions, much like Renzo Piano's use of innovative and adaptively reused materials for the new Whitney Museum of American Art in downtown Manhattan.

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The unusual exhibition through a variety of mediums "...engages the social landscape, explores the real and mimetic and deconstructs architectural forms, histories and legacies," according to the show's curators, Aaron Levi Garvey and Storm Janse van Rensburg. The artists, who are from a variety of countries, including Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark, Iceland, Portugal, Cuba, Angola, Japan, Trinidad, Syria, and India, as well as the United States, assemble an appealing visual document and cohesive supportive arguments for thoughtful environmentalism; appreciating industrialization; related social activism; and historical contexts that we can deduct from this remarkable variety of works that have an underlying common denominator.



Bernd Becher, Hilla Becher, Wohnhaus, Siegen, Westfalen, 1981, Silver gelatin print on baryta paper, 23  x 20 in. framed. Collection of Deutsche Bank, New York.

While it's not possible to evaluate each work in the exhibit, the following examples offer a robust overview of this delightful investigation into exciting architectonic subject matter and its subsequent interpretations. Although there have been a great variety of artists and photographers who have documented the built environment, from Eugene Atget to Harry Callahan, the German husband and wife team of Bernd and Hilla Becher was the most pioneering in documenting multiple built structures, from water towers to blast furnaces, bringing to the contemporary art world the inherent aesthetic components of repetition and consistency of architectural DNA to the forefront of contemporary photography.



Louise Bourgeois, Untitled, 1946, Ink and watercolor on paper, 25  x 19  in.; 65.4 x 50.2 cm. Photo: Beth Phillips, (c) The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA, NY Courtesy of the Wieland Collection, Atlanta.

The late Louise Bourgeois' Untitled ink and watercolor created in 1946 is an unexpected and unusual surprise, depicting a four-story dollhouse-like form filled with domestic objects. Bobby Davidson has six mysterious and provocative archival pigment prints that possess an eerie and ghost-like presence; these are oddly beautiful vignettes of the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, objects covered in dust but retaining a measure of dignity and an entirely different perspective. Subjects include a barely recognizable water tower, as well as a park bench, phone booth or a hot dog cart, which were active and occupied prior disaster.

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Bobby Davidson, US LETTER, Escalator (Blue), 2012, Archival Pigment Prints, 15 x 20 in. Courtesy of the artist.

Perhaps the most dramatic and telling work is US LETTER, Escalator (Blue), which depicts ambulatory electric stairs that are frozen in time, permanently unplugged and unusable, after transporting thousands of commuters like clockwork every day, and then suddenly, horribly, shut down for good. While it is very difficult for artists to find and portray splendor and mystery in tragedy, Davidson has found a respectful and strangely lovely end run, which may be the most memorable in this exhibition.

Perhaps the most ingenious and literally jaw-dropping handmade object in this show is Wim Delvoye's D-11 Scale Model 2.0, courtesy of Sperone Westwater Gallery (see installation image above), where the sculptor meticulously laser-cut stainless steel into the shape of a bulldozer that offers an irony of depth and width as well as weight and volume.



Susan Hefuna, Grid Drawing, 2015, Bronze, 9.75 x 10.2 in. Courtesy of the artist and Rhona Hoffman Gallery, Chicago.

Susan Hefuna's series of cast bronze wall objects titled Grid Drawing obviously have an appropriate connection to the built environment, as they present a common theme in fabrication, whether a hut made of sticks or the cor-ten steel ribs of a modern skyscraper tied together with orange-hot bolts and the sweat of a construction worker precariously balanced on an open beam.

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David LaChapelle, Emerald City, 2013, Chromogenic print, 50 x 63 in. Edition of 3.  David LaChapelle Studio. Courtesy of Paul Kasmin Gallery.

On the brighter side, renowned and risk-taking Manhattan-based photographer David LaChapelle's large-scale chromogenic print titled Emerald City embodies the true essence of this fascinating show by highlighting a gleaming futuristic architectural masterpiece of a reflective metropolis, which has an uncanny illustrative connection to the Wizard of Oz.



Yutaka Sone, Little Manhattan, 2007-2009, Marble, 21  x 104 3/8 x 33  in. Edition 1 of 5, 1 AP. Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner Gallery, New York.

Speaking of glistening cities, Yutaka Sone's extraordinary, luminous white marble carving courtesy of David Zwirner Gallery is a sensational scale-model of Manhattan Island in a relatively accurate representation of America's greatest city as a mighty fortress, where bridges and subway tunnels end and the surrounding bodies of water from the Hudson disappear.



Los Carpinteros, Sandalia, 2004,Two cast rubber sculptures; each sandal: 12  x 5  x 2  in. Edition of 60. Published by Graphicstudio, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. Collection of University of South Florida Contemporary Art Museum, Tampa

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This super fine exhibition also includes Olafur Eliasson's Your House (Artist's book), Angela Ferreira's For Mozambique, Takahiro Iwasaki's Edinburgh Castle on the Bin Bag (a small plastic city on the top of a cast garbage bag), Los Carpinteros' architectural "footprints" cast into rubber flip flops, Roxy Paine's Machinery of Indeterminacy, carved exclusively out of birch wood (from Paul Kasmin Gallery and Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago) and James Casebere's Tripoli, a convincing digital chromogenic print mounted to Plexiglas from Sean Kelly Gallery, among others.

New revelations for radiocarbon dating have allowed us to age the very first free-standing buildings, constructed around 4000 BC for the sole purpose of shelter and continuous occupancy. Neolithic monuments in Wales at the same time incorporated balance and ingenuity and the sheer beauty of man-made minimalist structures, created by collecting or shaping giant rocks. As humankind evolved, it didn't take long for invention and the idea for giant, shaped "bricks" were cut and painstakingly moved to eventually take shape as a pyramid. For every millennium, the human spirit continued to progress and use modern and sophisticated methods of building, leaving a legacy that still remains. This show continues to document mankind's attraction to the built environment and the ingenuity of contemporary artists in defining and recording our evolutionary paths, and the endless interpretations that they inspire.
Welfare reform, perhaps the signature legislation of Bill Clinton's presidency, recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. The use of the word "celebrated" would depend greatly on who was asked.

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act transformed an open-ended cash assistance program to a finite program that attached benefits to those in need to work, subsidized by federal grants applied to the state. Along with assistance contributed by the states, it was designed to change welfare as we know it.

Some 7,300 days have passed since welfare reform was enacted, and this hallmark legislation of the Clinton administration may be just as controversial today as when it became law.

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According to the conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI), by 2001, employment among never-married mothers had jumped 15 percentage points, welfare caseloads had dropped by almost half, and poverty among African Americans was reduced to its lowest level in history.

But the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities believes that welfare reform is badly in need of an overhaul. Ladonna Pavetti and Liz Scott recently penned an article on the Center's website stating:

"The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant, established 20 years ago, is overdue for reform. TANF's combination of nearly unfettered state flexibility, fixed block grant funding, narrowly defined work requirements, and time limits has created a system that provides a safety net to very few families in need and does little to prepare low-income parents for success in today's labor market."

When AEI cited welfare reform's success, the economy was roaring. It was an economic time when one could indeed lift himself or herself out of poverty. But it's a very different economy today.

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Even working multiple jobs is not an antiseptic from needing benefits to makes ends meet. Moreover, several Fortune 500 companies have been permitted to game the system by not providing enough work hours in order to avoid qualifying for benefits, thereby, in effect, forcing, at times actively encouraging, workers to accept the government dole.

Yet our collective condemnation seems to lean heavier on the individuals who need the benefits than the companies that improve their bottom line at the public's expense.

As with most other issues within the public discourse, holding simultaneously all the complexities of welfare reform is a gargantuan task to which we've proven unable, perhaps more to the point, unwilling, to hold.

I don't believe a $15-per-hour minimum wage will be any type of panacea. As much as Sen. Bernie Sanders championed this idea on the campaign trail, if brought to fruition it would be an unprecedented shock to an economy with anemic growth.

The reflexive response becomes blaming the poor, seeing them as a one-dimensional straw persons whose collective plight can be reduced to the sin of indolence. It is easy to offer that the best poverty program is a job, while ignoring the numbers of people who have multiple jobs but still languish in poverty.

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The challenges presented by poverty in 21st century America are simply not the same as yesteryear.

The blue-collar manufacturing jobs that once paid a decent wage that held communities together are a thing of the past. And in spite of the political cacophony to the contrary, they are not coming back.

According to the UC Berkeley Labor Center, manufacturing production wages now rank in the bottom half of all jobs in the United States. In decades past, production workers employed in manufacturing earned wages significantly higher than the U.S. average, but by 2013 the typical manufacturing production worker made 7.7 percent below the median wage for all occupations.

Technology and globalization are major factors in earning potential that have placed an additional premium on education. But we also know that college is not for everyone, nor should it be. Perhaps our K-12 education in its current form could use some revamping so that it adequately prepares students who are college-bound as well as those who are not.

Lest we forget, it only takes a single catastrophic medical bill to hurl a family into the unforgiving clutches of poverty.

Blaming the poor as a shiftless lot assuages the fears of a growing segment within the middle class whose economic trajectory moves them closer to the poor they have been conditioned to despise and further from the artisans of that hyperbolic yarn about the poor.

Marking welfare reform's birthday may not be as important as understanding and addressing the myriad ways poverty can invade the tentacles of a tenuous economy in the 21st century.

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Under pressure to lift the veil of secrecy over who bankrolled his Canadian charity that's affiliated with the Clinton Foundation, Vancouver-based mining mogul Frank Giustra late Friday released the names of 21 of its largest donors, most with connections to the mining and oil-drilling industries.

The Clinton Giustra Enterprise Partnership (Canada) did not list the amounts of the various donations. It said it only disclosed the identities of those leading contributors who provided written authorization, while releasing a second legal opinion asserting that under Canadian law, the rest of its 1,100 contributors should be kept confidential unless they agree to be identified.

Those named include Giustra, a major Clinton Foundation benefactor who has forged a globetrotting philanthropic partnership with former President Bill Clinton, Giustra's estranged wife, Alison Lawton, and his family foundation.

The partnership's secrecy has triggered controversy because the contributors' money ultimately benefited the U.S.-based foundation that Clinton built into a global force to fight poverty and disease, posing possible undisclosed conflicts of interest for his wife, Hillary Clinton, during her tenure as secretary of state between 2009 and 2013.

Disclosures about these entanglements - and questions about whether some are being concealed - are now dogging Hillary Clinton as she seeks the Democratic presidential nomination.
When things aren't going quite the way you'd like them to, it's often the result of not asking yourself the right questions. Some questions are hard to confront because you're afraid you won't get the answer you want, others because you really don't want to know the answer.

But the best things in life don't come easily, and turning away from life's toughest questions is a sure path to mediocrity. I believe that Socrates said it best:

"The unexamined life isn't worth living."

Socrates' observation also applies to business. When Eric Schmidt was CEO of Google, he famously said, "We run this company on questions, not answers."

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Life, like business, runs on questions, not answers. Let's take a closer look at some of the tough questions we should be asking ourselves regularly.

1. How do people see me differently than I see myself?

Have you ever heard a recording of your voice and thought, "Is that what I really sound like?" Because of the way the sound of the voice travels through the human skull, we never hear ourselves the same way that everybody else hears us. The same is often true for the way we behave. We interpret our behavior in terms of how we think we come across, whereas everyone else sees the real thing. A 360 assessment is a great way to gain this perspective. It gathers feedback that is constructive, anonymous, and accurate. If you forego the 360 and solicit feedback in person, make certain you ask for feedback that is specific, avoiding broad questions and generalizations. For example, you're more likely to get an honest and accurate answer to, "How well did I handle myself in the meeting when everyone disagreed with me?" than to, "Am I a good boss?" And be careful to show that you're receptive to the feedback. If you flip out or get defensive every time somebody speaks their mind, they're going to stop doing it.



2. What/whom did I make better today?

That's another way of saying, "Leave things better than you found them." Ending each day by asking yourself what or whom you made better is a great way to keep yourself grounded and focused on what really matters.

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3. Am I being true to my values?

Do you ever get that nagging feeling that something is a little off in your life? This often happens when little behaviors creep up on you that violate your values. If spending quality time with your family is one of your primary values, but you keep staying late at work, there's a conflict. If you want that nagging little voice to go away, you're going to have to do something about it.

4. If I achieved all of my goals, how would I feel? What can I do to feel that way as I work to achieve them?

The ability to delay gratification in pursuit of your goals is one of the most fundamental prerequisites for success, but delaying gratification doesn't have to mean being miserable until you cross that finish line. You can achieve more--and have more fun doing it--if you let yourself feel some of that pride and pleasure along the way.



5. What haven't I taken the time to learn about?

It's a big world out there, and it's getting bigger all the time. Scientists have theorized that it once took 1,500 years for the accumulated knowledge in the world to double; now it only takes a year or two. Don't get caught behind.

6. In what areas of my life am I settling?

When you settle, you accept less than you're capable of. Sometimes we settle in dead-end jobs. Other times we settle for unhealthy relationships. If you don't ask yourself where and why you're settling, it's hard to stop it.

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7. What do I want my life to be like in five years?

Lewis Carroll once said, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." The corollary is that, once you have your destination in mind, you can plan your route. Five years is the perfect timeframe: It's not so far in the future that you can't imagine yourself there, but it's not so close that you can't do anything about it.

8. What would I do if I wasn't scared?

From a survival perspective, fear has its purpose. It's what keeps us from sticking our hand in the washing machine or any of the million other things that could get us hurt or killed. But fear has a tendency to get carried away. Instead of keeping you safe, it keeps you from improving your life and living your dreams.

9. Who has qualities that I aspire to develop?

When people have qualities that you admire, it's a great exercise to reflect on these qualities and think about ways that you can incorporate them into your repertoire.

10. What problem are we solving?

Have you ever been in a meeting and suddenly realized that not everyone was having the same conversation? Not because people were talking over each other, but because they had different ideas about the purpose of the discussion. Sometimes it helps to put the topic on the whiteboard when you're having a meeting. This makes certain everyone knows why they're there.

11. What's stopping me from doing the things that I should be doing?

It's easy to shrug your shoulders and say, "I don't know what to do," but that's just an excuse. Most of the time, we know exactly what we should be doing; we just aren't willing to move the obstacles out of the way.

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12. Will you be my mentor?

It's an intimidating question to ask, but few people will turn you down. Everyone likes being looked up to, and it feels good to share our knowledge with others.



13. What's the most important lesson I've learned so far in life? Am I living that lesson?

Sometimes life lulls us back into complacency and we're forced to learn a powerful lesson twice. The trouble with this is that it's just as much of a rude awakening the second time around.

Bringing It All Together

Asking the hard questions can be extremely uncomfortable. But we don't learn and grow by sticking with what's comfortable.
Teacher: Let's say that you're a high-school senior intent on going to college, but you learn from your doctor that you have only six months to live. [Pause] Four questions: How would you spend these last six months of your life? What would you do differently? What would no longer be important, and what would, suddenly, become very important? [Silence]

Student: I'd like to think that I'd just go on with my life the way I normally would. I'd tell my Mom and Dad, naturally, but not my younger brothers and sisters, and concentrate on one day at a time.

Student: I'd travel. See all the places I always wanted to visit. Try to pack as much living as I could into the time I had left. Bungee jumping! Lots of parties and crazy stuff!

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Student: I don't think I'd even tell my parents so as not to worry them. I'd just keep it to myself and try to find a way to cope. Probably go to church more.

Student: I couldn't do that without exploding. I'd be too bottled up inside and have to get it out of my system by telling them.

Student: I'd only be making things worse by talking about it and getting myself and everyone else all worked up. I'd just want to have a quiet time those last remaining months.

Student: I'm not really sure what I'd do, probably do something different every day, play it by ear, but what's important now definitely wouldn't be important any longer. The whole college thing! SAT's, AP exams, going to college, getting a job, getting married, having kids -- nothing would matter anymore. It would all be different if I were older and could look back on a long life and say, "Been there, done that!" But, now, I'd never have a chance of doing any of these things! [Silence]

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Teacher: What about things that presently don't seem all that important, but now would be very important?

Student: I'd certainly take things more slowly and enjoy them. Things that up until now I took for granted.

Student: I think I'd make up with people I used to be friends with, tell them I was sorry. I wouldn't want to die with bad feelings between us. When you have little time, what's to be embarrassed about? Just do it, right?

Teacher: Now step back for a moment and make some generalizations about what you've just said.

Student: Everything looks different when you have little time left. You don't play games any longer but become a real person. Also, live in the moment and don't get side-tracked with things that don't really matter. When you're young, you're all over the place, living in the future, making plans, dreaming about tomorrow -- and forgetting today.

Student: If you think you're going to have a long life, you say to yourself, I'll start living in the moment after I'm settled, but, until then, it's full-speed ahead because there's so much to do, and you have to keep up. You can smell the roses tomorrow, but, now, there won't be a tomorrow! [Silence]

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Student: The less time you have, the more precious life gets. The more time you have, things can get trivial. Too much time makes you lazy; the air goes out of things; you need deadlines to live.

Student: Live intensely! Carpe diem! Seize the day! Here today and gone tomorrow, so make every second count! [Silence]

Teacher: Now, what does all this have to do with the Greeks? The Greeks had a belief in an afterlife, but not as we know it. It was a shadowy, gloomy, almost non-existent kind of existence, not in any way similar to how it's pictured today. There's a famous scene in The Odyssey where Odysseus visits the underworld and speaks to Achilles, who was killed in the Trojan War and tells him that he'd rather be someone's slave on earth, a poor farmer trying to eke out a miserable existence than be ruler of the underworld, so horrible was it to be among the dead.

As far as ordinary Greeks were concerned, it's not clear how they saw the afterlife since they didn't leave any writings. We do know, however, that the afterlife inspired great fear among them. Moreover, the Greeks didn't live as long as we do today. Assuming you survived childbirth and childhood, which many did not, you'd probably live into your 30's or 40's, and sometimes longer. And, of course, there was always the threat of war and disease.

The question I'd like to have you explore now is, if you were a Greek in view of what's just been said, how would you have looked at this life? [Silence]

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Student: Well, I think I would have appreciated this life much more than I presently do. Assuming I survived childhood, with death always around me, and the prospect of living until I was only 30 or 40, I'd look at things very differently. I think anyone would. I'd want to get as much out of this life as I possibly could, since I wouldn't be sure about how much time I'd had left.

Student: I'd be much more curious about things, too. I'd figure, it was now or never. I wouldn't waste time sitting around being a couch potato, but want to live more intensely, experience more things, and do as much as I could before I died.

Student: I once saw this old movie, Zorba the Greek. It was set in modern times about this middle-aged guy who really seemed to know the secret of life. No matter what happened to him, nothing seemed to get him down, and he always managed to bounce back. He lived in the moment, loved life no matter what, wasn't afraid of whatever happened to him, but faced it head-on. What does he do after suffering one heartache after another? He does a Greek folk dance on the beach! The guy was unstoppable!

Student: I think I'd be very angry if I had only 30 or 40 years to live. I'd feel cheated. It just wouldn't seem fair.

Student: But aren't you reacting as a modern person, who already expects a long life, whereas living back then, you'd simply accept a short life as normal?

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Student: I don't know about anyone else, but if I thought I'd have only a short life to live, it would really be a downer and be very hard to motivate myself about anything. There'd be such an overwhelming sense of futility about everything that I wouldn't even want to get up in the morning.



Student: I agree. I need a big canvas to work on. A short life just wouldn't do it. I couldn't see the point of beginning anything. [Silence]

Student: Sitting around moaning and groaning all day long pitying yourself? I don't think so. Who'd want to be around someone like that? If you had family and friends, you'd have to keep it to yourself because no one would want to hear it since everyone was in the same boat. What would give you the right to feel you were so special to carry on with your own little pity party? [Silence]

Teacher: I'd like to bring this first part of our discussion to a close and move on to the next question, but before we do, a few observations. Since everyone was in the same predicament, they'd have to create some sort of humane life together lest an all-pervasive awareness of death undermine their will to live. It's all in the attitude. You have people today, for instance, who have very real problems, and yet carry on with such composure, dignity, good humor, and grace that you'd never suspect that they had a problem. Well, you might say that, in this respect, these people resemble the Greeks.

How did they rise from the ashes to glory in life in all of its manifestations, whereas Egypt was obsessed only with death, exhausting itself by erecting the pyramids as monumental burial chambers? Did the Greeks first pity themselves only to finally realize, as has just been suggested, that self-pity wasn't getting them anywhere, and simply embraced the horror of life and, in so doing, overcame it by exorcizing the demons of their despair? Did looking into the abyss so utterly transform them that they conceived a colossal contempt for death by defiantly living their all-too-brief lives all the more beautifully and grandly on the edge of extinction?

Surrounded by death, the Greeks somehow created a belief in themselves not just to survive, but also to revolutionize the ancient world. How explain their gargantuan gusto for living, their affirmation of life in all of its aspects, their exuberance and joy in saying yes to whatever befell them like our friend Zorba dancing on the beach, come what may?

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Not only that, but what was the source of their volcanic explosion of creative energy and boundless curiosity in advancing the arts, the natural and social sciences, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, theater, literature, history, political theory, architecture, sculpture, the invention of philosophy as we know it, and the revolutionary idea of democracy itself - something unprecedented in antiquity?

But these aren't the only mysteries about this singular people. When every culture at that time viewed human existence in religious terms, the Greeks alone stood apart and began to view life in a philosophical way. Not everyone, of course, but individuals like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, their predecessors, the pre-Socratic philosophers and the Sophists, and later the Epicureans, the Cynics, the Stoics, and the Skeptics, and those of the various philosophical brotherhoods and those in sympathy with them.

Where did these "philosophers" or "lovers of wisdom" come from, and how did they discover the power of the mind and the courage to use it in undertaking a philosophical analysis of human existence, an unheard of innovation in the ancient world? And how did they manage to free themselves from their cultural conditioning to re-create themselves in a way that changed the world forever?

Philosophy begins in wonder -- about everything that has been handed down from past generations. Philosophy asks why, and wherever the Greeks looked they beheld mystery and felt an irrepressible need to explain it in ways that satisfied them, and not as their ancestors saw it. The traditional myths were to them mere fairy tales meant only for children and those content with "the unexamined life."

Where did such startling audacity come from since nothing in Greek tradition or the surrounding cultures suggested any of this? If you begin to appreciate what little the Greeks found to work with, you begin to have some inkling about this truly remarkable people who brought something stunningly new into the ancient world, which found these Greeks terrifyingly fascinating. As we shall see later, they even influenced the latter books of the Old Testament, and some scholars even contend that they radically changed the original Christian message as it began to be preached to the Greek-speaking world.

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But for now, let's move on to our next two questions. So far we've been talking about how the Greeks looked at life in which they could expect a lifespan of only 30 to 40 years, or longer in some cases. We also saw that they didn't look forward to an afterlife because only a dreary and fear-ridden existence awaited them. As a result, they embraced this life all the more deeply. What I'd like to explore now is whether the belief in an afterlife today affects one's view of this life, and if you were someone who didn't believe in an afterlife would you view this life the same as someone who did?
"We are tipis going up to see the stars. Enjoying the campfire with drums in the distance. Who can ask for more this very blessed night." ~~An Elder at the Standing Rock Main Camp, Cannon Ball ND

Smells of sweet burning sage linger in the late evening and drift over the main camp on Highway 1806 at Cannon Ball North Dakota. Junior Cuero of the San Diego Campo Reservation chants the Bird Song, a mesmerizing, meditative and repetitive song of respect and honor to the Standing Rock people. A gourd rattle accompanies this ancient chant; a message given to the people by the Creator. Creator sent a bird to teach the People how to sing and dance and treat each other with empathy and not indifference. The sun is setting, bathing the campsite in warm light as the prairie winds begin to calm, and people gather around the campfire, feet tapping in rhythm.

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There are two camps. One is located within the "official" reservation boundary and the second "main camp" with the majority of the protesters is located on U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's land just north of the Cannon Ball River. The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services says it is not on tribal property, but the original treaty line was moved in 1889, so if you support broken treaties, you could call it illegal. In this case legality is in the eye of the beholder.

The Dawes Act and the Allotment Act opened the reservations throughout the United States to settlement by non-Indians. The tribe maintains jurisdiction on all reservation lands, "including rights-of-way, waterways, and streams running through the reservation." On paper, that is.

See the history of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and learn more about the broken Fort Laramie Treaty that arbitrarily moved boundaries and tried to divide the Sioux Nation.

Standing Rock lies just south of the pipeline's path under the Missouri River. How do you stop an oil spill at a boundary drawn on a map? Ask the people of Saskatchewan, who are facing 66,000 gallons of heavy crude from a broken pipeline owned by Husky Energy, Inc. It is making its way downstream and threatening the drinking water of several communities.

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Despite local media accounts to the contrary, this gathering of Nations to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline are Spirit Camps of thoughtful prayer. There is no need to prolong the misinformation and outright lies perpetuated by the North Dakota Forum News Service. A governor steeped in the sticky flow of oil and money that has all but ruined portions of the North Dakota landscape feeds the news cycle with threats and lies about behavior at the encampments and issues emergency orders.

Truth about what fuels the reactions of authorities can be found in the discarded detritus of the failed oil boom. Abandoned RVs form small mountains in salvage yards, wells are shut down, man camps are ghost towns, and the promises of great wealth are only memory. The loss of oil revenue dollars provokes great fear in the offices of politicians. The Dakota Access Pipeline is really another name for the "abandoned" Keystone XL Pipeline and the goal is to wring every last drop of Bakken crude from North Dakota.

Authorities are reacting with anxiety that the pipeline will be compromised, and believe that concrete barricades along the main road to Standing Rock will stop the people from coming to protect their life source; water flowing from the mighty Missouri river.

But people continue to come, taking the long detour meant to complicate their journey to the Spirit Camp and reduce business at the Prairie Knights Casino and Hotel. But the authorities, despite the show of force at a "safety checkpoint" and rerouting of traffic on 1806 from Bismarck to Standing Rock, have failed. The hotel is almost full and the diversion along Highway 6 is spectacularly beautiful. Those who have purpose and appreciate the land and all it has to offer do not mind this "detour."

Descendants of the Massacre at Wounded Knee by the Seventh Cavalry come. Young riders, many teenagers, come on their horses--they are some of the Big Foot Riders who travel 300 miles every year to Wounded Knee to pay respect to the ancestors who were massacred by the U.S. 7th Calvary Regiment. They, along with tribes from across the continent, do not want this pipeline that would involve 200 water crossings and pass through 300 sacred sites. They come. They come by car.

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They come by horse.

They come on foot.

They are still coming.

Read Winona LaDuke's excellent analysis of all that is at stake, "What Would Sitting Bull Do?"

I am not sure how badly North Dakota wants this pipeline. If there is to be a battle over the pipeline, it will be here. For a people with nothing else but a land and a river, I would not bet against them. The great Lakota leader Mathew King once said, " the only thing sadder than an Indian who is not free, is an Indian who does not remember what it is to be free."

Let's for a moment reject the profane response of North Dakota authorities and focus instead on the sacred.

So many have traveled great distances to stand in solidarity. Many Nations now united as one.

An Elder from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe talks of raising his granddaughter in the old ways. Seeing the tipis fills him with "cante waste"-- "heart felt good." M. Jay Cook is a member of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) School Board and says that sometimes raising his granddaughter "is my only motivation to live." I receive a text from him one morning and a photo that is incredibly evocative of what is at stake here. He writes of the campfires and "hearing memories of growing up in iron lightning" as the stars speak to him of days gone by. He intends to "face the storm (oil) like the Tatanka (Buffalo) Nation."

Hazel Red Bird is 91 years old and a regal presence around the campfire. Many stop to greet her and share stories of growing up in Fort Yates. Red Bird is now back home at Standing Rock after living a good part of her life in Wisconsin. She is a true warrior woman, having enlisted in the Army Air Corps during World War II to train as a nurse at St. Mary's School of Nursing in Pierre, South Dakota. The Great War ended just as her training did, and she began her working life as a registered nurse in the civilian white world.

Red Bird surveys the gathering and says she is "amazed, thankful and humbled." Then she glances down at the writer's notepad to make certain those three words are written accurately.

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"I am amazed because I didn't think I would live long enough to witness this unity and resiliency among the Nations."

Red Bird is quiet for a moment as her eyes narrow and she surveys the movement of the people who have gathered around the green tent that serves as a food and information center.

"I am thankful that I have lived 91 winters and humbled that prayers have been answered."

At 91, this elegant Lakota woman still projects a warrior's stance. There is more to learn about this fascinating woman who is also a repository of the Lakota language, and you can read more here.

There are other spiritual warriors who have gathered in joyful celebration and unity. Several young women from the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe wanted to make it very clear that they "are standing for our water." Their ancestors fought and died along the northern and eastern shores of the Missouri River.

The Crow Creek Indian Reservation was established by executive order following what was known as the Minnesota Uprising, as a prison camp for the exiled Isanti Dakota and Winnebago people. These were the survivors, mostly women and children, of the largest known public execution in American History, "The Hanging of 38 Dakota Men at Mankato Minnesota." From 1863 to 1866 approximately 300 died at Fort Thompson suffering from starvation, sickness, disease, exposure, hardship, and heartache.

A federal judge will rule on the legality of the Dakota Access Pipeline on September 9. It remains to be seen whether the traumatic past will be repeated and define the present. How much can be endured; how much more can be stolen? This is a spiritual battle for generations to come. Clean water and air is a right, not an option.
Iran Constitution's article 146 stipulates "The establishment of any kind of foreign military base in Iran, even for peaceful purposes, is forbidden."

Nevertheless, Iranian leaders appear to have violated this crucial article. No foreign power has used Iran's soil and territories as a base for military operations since the second World War. But, this week, according to Reuters, Russia revealed that it has used Iran's territory, Hamadan air base, as a military base to bomb Syria. Iran immediately responded with fury, first denying the move, and later calling Russia's move as a publicizing tactic and "betrayal of trust."

Although Iran might appear to be sending a message to its rivals that Russia is still with Iran rather than with them, the revelation of this military deal by Moscow is a considered a blow to the Islamic Republic's nationalistic slogan of "independence". That is why Iran attempted to keep it the deal quiet but Russia had different calculations.

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The fact that Russia has set military feet in Iran for the first time since 1917, is an indication of the notion that Russia remains the indispensable global power.

President Obama and his administration appear to, as usual, deny that they knew anything about this military action in order no to deal with this issue and in order not to criticize Iran.

Russia is also sending several messages to other Middle Eastern countries that Moscow is a more reliable partner than the United States; that Moscow comes to the assistance of its allies and friends by cooperating with regional nations, by using advanced military equipment, and by launching military strikes to defeat whoever endangers the power of its allies.

Finally, since Iran cannot afford to lose Assad, its staunchest ally, Tehran is doing everything it can, even violating its own Constitution and ideals - by allowing foreign countries use its soil for military purposes - in order to keep Assad in power.

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For more details and nuances you can read full on Here.

_______________________

Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is an American political scientist, business advisor, best-selling author, and the president of the International American Council on the Middle East. Harvard-educated, Rafizadeh serves on the advisory board of Harvard International Review. An American citizen, he is originally from Iran and Syria, lived most of his life in Iran and Syria till recently. He is a board member of several significant and influential international and governmental institutions, and he is native speaker of couple of languages including Arabic and Persian. He also speaks English and Dari, and can converse in French, Hebrew.

You can sign up for Dr. Rafizadeh's newsletter for the latest news and analyses on HERE. You can also order his books on HERE.

You can learn more about Dr. Rafizadeh on HERE.
The distrust that most Americans feel for politicians is easily traceable back to 44 years ago and the deceits, outright lies and dark personality quirks of Richard Nixon.

Who can forget his pious pledge of his undefined "Plan to End the War," after learning that his plan was really to win the war by increasing the bombing of Southeast Asia four-fold? Or his proclamation: "I am not a crook"?

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Who can not feel shame over his personal decision to order the invasion of the small, neutral country of Cambodia, bombing it to devastation and leading directly to the deaths of 2 million of the nation's 6 million at the hands of their own countrymen?

Who can forget that Republican convention of roaring worshipers of Nixon 1972, with the exuberant shouts of "Four more years, four more years" for their hero? But among those worshipers, how many really knew Nixon?

It was only two years later, with the release of his secret tapes, that Americans saw what an evil, paranoid, lying individual Nixon really was. He had been able to hide his true personality from the public, and any sane person who voted for him had to recoil in shame.

I remember the words of his chief Domestic Advisor, John Ehrlichman, at the Safford Penitentiary in Arizona. Asked about the Nixon he had faithfully served in the White House for five years, Ehrlichman replied: "I really never got to know him."

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Who today can truthfully say they know the real Donald Trump?

We have survived the lies of the Johnson Administration that led Congress to approve the disastrous war in Viet Nam... and the lies of the Bush administration that led to Congressional approval for the invasion of Iraqi n 2003. But can we survive the unpredictable, emotional reactions, and potentially irrational decisions, of a president who has the sole power to trigger the use of atomic weapons against foreign countries?

That nuclear trigger in its black box is required to be within a few feet of the President at all times. As Commander in Chief, the power to pull the trigger is in his hands alone. No General or Admiral can countermand an order from a man who has talked and acted very much like that insane and patriotic Air Force General in "Dr. Strangelove."

This election it is not a matter of party politics. It is a matter of doing the most we can to achieve the survival of the human race.
Rev. Al Sharpton (2nd R) links arms with Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) next to Martin Luther King III (R) as they begin to march during the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington August 24, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS ANNIVERSARY CIVIL UNREST)

Today is the 53rd anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech. I was the youngest speaker at that march, and that day I was filled with a sense of righteous indignation that nearly 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, black men and women still didn't have the right to vote.

At that time, many of us were being jailed as we fought for our rights. I told the hundreds of thousands of people in Washington that day, "We do not want to go to jail. But we will go to jail if this is the price we must pay for love, brotherhood, and true peace."

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Fifty-three years later, the right to vote is still the most powerful nonviolent tool of transformation we have in our society. In 2016, we must use it to elect Hillary Clinton as our next president.

In this election, we've seen old, rejected ideas of division and hatred rear their ugly heads. We've seen aspirational immigrants called criminals and rapists. We've heard hardworking young African-Americans smeared as violent. We've even seen insults hurled at the Gold Star parents of a young Muslim American who gave his life in service to our country.

We can now clearly understand that there are forces in this country that want to take us back. We don't want to go back. We want to move this country forward.

So we must vote in this election like we have never voted before.

In 1965, when the March on Washington and even the Civil Rights Act still didn't bring the right to vote to all Americans, the Reverend Hosea Williams and I set out to lead a march from Selma to Montgomery on a day that would come to be known as "Bloody Sunday."

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At that time, African-Americans were made to take a so-called "literacy test" before we were permitted to register to vote. Some people were asked to count the number of bubbles on a bar of soap or the number of jelly beans in a jar. Black lawyers, doctors, and college professors were publicly humiliated and told they failed the test. That was 95 years after the 15th Amendment had been ratified, and not a single member of my family had ever successfully registered to vote. Only two percent of African-Americans in Selma were registered to vote.

So we decided we had to march. But when we reached the top of the Edmund Pettus Bridge and saw the wall of state troopers and a posse of men deputized that morning to oppose us with horses, nightsticks, and bullwhips, I realized I might not leave that bridge alive.

In the years since that march, I've been asked many times why I didn't turn back. Why, in the face of such violence, did I keep marching forward?

The only answer I know is that in my mind, that day, we didn't have a choice. We'd been tracked down by what I call the spirit of history. We became like trees planted by rivers of water. Our roots were anchored. And so we marched.

When a state trooper hit me in the head with a nightstick and fractured my skull, I thought I saw Death on that bridge. I still don't know how I made it back to the church where we'd started. But after I spent a night in the hospital, I knew the only thing for me to do was get up and try again.

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Two weeks later, 2,000 of us began our march from Selma again. By the time we arrived in Montgomery, there were more than 30,000 of us -- black, white, Christian, Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, men, women, children -- all marching together to demand our right to vote.

It's been more than 50 years now. We've made tremendous progress, but there are those who still try to turn us back. To strip down our rights, to deny us our dignity, and turn us against each other. But I know we won't let them. We must keep marching forward.

We march for all our brothers and sisters to be judged not by the place of our birth, the color of our skin, or the faith we practice, but by the content of our characters. We march for the black men and women who've lost their lives to gun violence and police violence -- and we march for the police officers who kiss their children goodbye knowing they might never come home. We march for 26 people at an elementary school in Newtown, and we march for 49 people celebrating their pride at a club in Orlando. We march for a brave young Army captain named Humayun Khan whose parents would not keep their silence.

I bled for Dr. King's dream. He gave his life for it. We're not going to let anyone rip away our progress.

We knew on that bridge in Selma that we were staring down a pivotal moment in history. I believe the same is true in 2016.

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So in this moment, I ask you to march with me -- and I implore you to exercise the right to vote that I and others fought so hard for. I believe that Hillary will work to take our country to another place, a better place. That's why I choose to fight with her. But I learned in Selma that you can't win these fights alone. A few hundred people on a bridge can withstand a brutal beating, but 30,000 can march to Montgomery and make a nation hear us.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Jackson, Mississippi. The media have decided that the presidential campaign is a "race to the bottom" in which both campaigns are engaged in "mudslinging" and voters are, rightly, equally disgusted with the way the two major party candidates are behaving.

This assessment is both mind-boggling and almost as outrageous as what Mr. Trump says and does on a daily basis. On "MTP Daily" on Friday, Chuck Todd talked about the "race to the bottom" and how horrible what the candidates are saying about each other and the mud they're slinging at each other are. Say what? Every example Mr. Todd gave came from Trump or another Republican. What has Hillary done that's mudslinging or a race to the bottom? Her speech on Thursday simply detailed, in a calm, rational, truthful way, what Trump is doing with the alt-right racists.

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Look at the images above of the two candidates giving their speeches this week. Do they both look like they're slinging mud?

Yet the meme of both sides dragging the presidential campaign to new lows has taken hold across the media. This palpably absurd argument was being stated as the sad truth across the Sunday shows this weekend.

Calling Mrs. Clinton a "bigot," with zero evidence, as Mr. Trump did here in Jackson on Wednesday is mudslinging. Making up out of whole cloth and repeating over and over the charge that the Democratic nominee has some horrible illness is mudslinging. Saying that the Clintons have been using the Clinton Foundation--a charitable organization from which they make no money--to "line their pockets" and that "the Clinton Foundation is the most corrupt enterprise in political history" is mudslinging. So are numerous other outlandish charges Mr. Trump has hurled throughout the campaign.

When Hillary Clinton said in Reno on Thursday that "From the start, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. He is taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party. His disregard for the values that make our country great is profoundly dangerous," she was stating plain facts. She wasn't slinging mud; she was merely pointing to the mud (and more unpleasant substances) with which Trump has covered himself and his campaign from the start.

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The only mud that has been slung at Donald Trump was thrown by Donald Trump.

Mrs. Clinton said nothing that went nearly as far as columnist Leonard Pitts, Jr. did when he described Mr. Trump this week as "a racist clown who lies like bunnies copulate." Yet even that isn't mudslinging; it's stating facts.

The bottom is entirely being plumbed by Trump and company. It is high time for all of us to call loudly upon the media to stop pretending that there is "immoral equivalence" between the candidates and that this campaign's stench is coming from both sides.

Analysts bending over backwards to appear "fair and balanced" when it is one side that is wholly unfair and unbalanced is journalistic malpractice and a great disservice to American democracy.
Hutchinson Zoo confirms avian flu in geese in its bird rehab center

The virus was in geese being treated at the center. One animal was euthanized. The zoo's exhibit birds are being isolated indoors to protect them.
Imperial Valley News Center

Taking Action Against the Zika Virus

Washington, DC - This week, President Obama called on Republicans in Congress to take action and vote to fund the Administrations response to the Zika virus. In February, the President asked Congress to fund emergency resources, including mosquito control, fast-tracking diagnostics tests and vaccines, tracking the spread of the virus, and monitoring women and babies with Zika. Unfortunately, Republicans in Congress have failed to take action on this issue.

So the President continues to direct his Administration do what it can without help from Congress, with the primary focus of protecting pregnant women and families planning to have children. Today, the CDC continues to work with state public health officials and has an emergency response team on the ground in South Florida, agencies have moved to expedite the development of a vaccine, and the administration is working with the private sector to develop more options to test and prevent infection. The President reiterated this is about more than politics and Republicans should make this their top priority when they return from their summer recess.

Remarks of President Barack Obama as Delivered

Weekly Address

The White House

August 27, 2016

Earlier this year, I got a letter from a South Carolina woman named Ashley, who was expecting her third child. She was, in her words, extremely concerned about the Zika virus, and what it might mean for other pregnant women like her.

I understand that concern. As a father, Ashleys letter has stuck with me, and its why weve been so focused on the threat of the Zika virus. So today, I just want to take a few minutes to let you know what weve been doing in response, and to talk about what more we can all do.

Since late last year, when the most recent outbreak of Zika started popping up in other countries, federal agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been preparing for it to arrive in the U.S. In February  more than six months ago  I asked Congress for the emergency resources that public health experts say we need to combat Zika. That includes things like mosquito control, tracking the spread of the virus, accelerating new diagnostic tests and vaccines, and monitoring women and babies with the virus.

Republicans in Congress did not share Ashleys extreme concern, nor that of other Americans expecting children. They said no. Instead, we were forced to use resources we need to keep fighting Ebola, cancer, and other diseases. We took that step because we have a responsibility to protect the American people. But thats not a sustainable solution. And Congress has been on a seven-week recess without doing anything to protect Americans from the Zika virus.

So my Administration has done what we can on our own. Our primary focus has been protecting pregnant women and families planning to have children. For months now, the CDC has been working closely with officials in Florida and other states. NIH and other agencies have moved aggressively to develop a vaccine. And were working with the private sector to develop more options to test for and prevent infection. For weeks, a CDC emergency response team has been on the ground in South Florida, working alongside the excellent public health officials there  folks who have a strong track record of responding aggressively to the mosquitoes that carry viruses like Zika. They know what theyre doing.

Still, theres a lot more everybody can and should do. And that begins with some basic facts.

Zika spreads mainly through the bite of a certain mosquito. Most infected people dont show any symptoms. But the disease can cause brain defects and other serious problems when pregnant women become infected. Even if youre not pregnant, you can play a role in protecting future generations. Because Zika can be spread through unprotected sex, its not just women who need to be careful  men do too. That includes using condoms properly.

If you live in or travel to an area where Zika has been found, protect yourself against the mosquitoes that carry this disease. Use insect repellant  and keep using it for a few weeks, even after you come home. Wear long sleeves and long pants to make bites less likely. Stay in places with air conditioning and window screens. If you can, get rid of standing water where mosquitoes breed. And to learn more about how to keep your family safe, just visit CDC.gov.

But every day that Republican leaders in Congress wait to do their job, every day our experts have to wait to get the resources they need  that has real-life consequences. Weaker mosquito-control efforts. Longer wait times to get accurate diagnostic results. Delayed vaccines. It puts more Americans at risk.

One Republican Senator has said that There is no such thing as a Republican position on Zika or Democrat position on Zika because these mosquitoes bite everyone.

I agree. We need more Republicans to act that way because this is more important than politics. Its about young mothers like Ashley. Today, her new baby Savannah is healthy and happy. Thats priority number one. And thats why Republicans in Congress should treat Zika like the threat that it is and make this their first order of business when they come back to Washington after Labor Day. That means working in a bipartisan way to fully fund our Zika response. A fraction of the funding wont get the job done. You cant solve a fraction of a disease. Our experts know what theyre doing. They just need the resources to do it.

So make your voices heard. And as long as Im President, well keep doing everything we can to slow the spread of this virus, and put our childrens futures first. Thanks everybody.
Imperial Valley News Center

Peyton, Eli Manning Ask Public To Support Louisiana Flood Relief Efforts

Washington, DC - The American Red Cross announced that Peyton and Eli Manning are encouraging the public to support Louisiana flood relief. Both of the Mannings are members of the Red Cross National Celebrity Cabinet and have deep roots in Louisiana.

It is difficult to see images and hear stories of the thousands of people who have been displaced from their homes, said the Mannings. Like the Red Cross, we are committed to helping the people affected by the deadly and destructive flooding in Louisiana.

The Red Cross has mobilized a massive relief effort, providing shelter, food and comfort. More than 2,500 Red Crossers from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, are the on ground helping in Louisiana. In addition, hundreds of local volunteers are supporting relief efforts. At the peak of the floods, more than 50 Red Cross and community shelters provided refuge for more than 10,000 people.

Mental health disaster workers are visiting shelters to offer comfort. Health services volunteers are helping with things like lost eyeglasses and medications. The Red Cross has also mobilized more than 90 disaster response vehicles and trailer-loads of shelter and kitchen supplies to bolster relief efforts. Some of the supplies arriving include water, personal hygiene items, insect repellant, cleaning kits, bleach and other important supplies. Where flood waters have receded, the Red Cross is distributing meals and relief supplies.

American Red Cross National Board of Governors member Richard Patton shared, We are extremely grateful for the Mannings and their continued support of the Red Cross. It is because of the kindness and generosity of the public that we are able to provide relief where it is needed most, and the support from the Mannings and so many others is an essential part of our operation.

Please join us in making a gift to support people affected by the Louisiana Floods by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word LAFLOODS to 90999 to make a $10 donation, said the Mannings.
Imperial Valley News Center

SpaceX Dragon Splashes Down with Crucial NASA Research Samples

Pacific Ocean - SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 11:47 a.m. EDT Friday, southwest of Baja California with more than 3,000 pounds of NASA cargo, science and technology demonstration samples from the International Space Station.

The Dragon spacecraft will be taken by ship to a port near Los Angeles, where some cargo will be removed and returned to NASA immediately. Dragon then will be prepared for a return trip to SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, for processing.

When it arrived at the station July 20, Dragon delivered the first of two international docking adapters (IDAs) in its external cargo hold, or trunk. The IDAs will be used by commercial spacecraft now in development for transporting astronauts to the station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The initial adapter was installed during an Aug. 19 spacewalk by Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams and Flight Engineer Kate Rubins of NASA. The second adapter is being built and will be delivered on a future Dragon cargo resupply mission.

Among the experiment samples returning Friday are those from the Heart Cells study, which is looking at how microgravity affects human heart cells. The U.S. National Laboratory investigation is studying how microgravity changes the human heart, and how those changes vary between individuals. Deep space missions including the journey to Mars will require long periods of space travel, which creates increased risk of health problems such as muscle atrophy, including possible atrophy of the heart muscle. Heart cells cultured aboard the space station for one month will be analyzed for cellular and molecular changes. Results could advance the study of heart disease and the development of drugs and cell replacement therapy.

Samples will also be returned from two rodent-based investigations, the Mouse Epigenetics and Rodent Research-3-Eli Lilly experiments. The mouse model is useful for showing how much shorter stays by mice in the low-Earth environment can be used to infer how similar conditions may affect future human exploration.

In Mouse Epigenetics, researchers are exploring altered gene expression and DNA by tracking changes in the organs of male mice that spend one month in space, and examining changes in the DNA of their offspring. In Rodent Research-3-Eli Lilly, scientists are looking at rapid loss of bone and muscle mass in the legs and spine, and comparing it to what is experienced by people with muscle wasting diseases or with limited mobility on Earth and testing an antibody known to prevent muscle wasting in mice on Earth. This U.S. National Laboratory experiment is sponsored by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co. and the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space.

Also returning are samples from the Multi-Omics experiment. This research is analyzing the composition of microbes in the human digestive system and how they may affect the human immune system. Researchers may be able to identify bacterial or metabolic biomarkers that could be useful for astronaut health management, and therefore future human exploration of the solar system.

Dragon is currently the only space station resupply spacecraft able to return a significant amount of cargo to Earth. The spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida July 18 carrying almost 5,000 pounds of supplies and scientific cargo on the companys ninth commercial resupply mission to the station.

The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology and human innovation that demonstrates new technologies and makes research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The space station has been occupied continuously since November 2000. In that time, more than 200 people and a variety of international and commercial spacecraft have visited the orbiting laboratory. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in human space exploration, including the journey to Mars.
Imperial Valley News Center

Man charged with immigration fraud after allegedly attempting to cover role in Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict

Cleveland, Ohio - A Barberton, Ohio, man was indicted for immigration fraud Thursday for failing to disclose his participation in the Srebenica massacre in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The charges resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and ICEs Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC).

Oliver Dragic, 41, was named in the three-count indictment, charged with one count of possession of a fraudulently obtained green card, attempt to procure naturalization contrary to law and attempt to procure naturalization to which he was not entitled.

The investigation, prosecution, and ultimate removal of individuals like Dragic are paramount to the mission of Homeland Security Investigations and to the safety our communities, Marlon Miller, special agent in ccharge of HSIs Detroit office said. The United States is not a safe haven for war criminals.

The indictment alleges Dragic failed to disclose his paramilitary police service for the Republika Srpska, a rogue state unrecognized by the international community that attempted to create an ethnically pure Serbian nation within the ethnically-mixed territory of the Yugoslav Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Dragic completed police training in Serbia in 1994 and returned to Bosnia, where he voluntarily joined a special police unit that joined in Republika Srpskas army during military operations, according to the indictment.

Members of the public who have information about foreign nationals suspected of engaging in human rights abuses or war crimes are urged to contact HSI by calling the toll-free tip line at 1-866-347-2423 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or complete ICE's online tip form.

Since fiscal year 2004, ICE has arrested more than 375 individuals for human rights-related violations of the law under various criminal and/or immigration statutes. During that same period, ICE obtained deportation orders for and physically removed more than 815 known or suspected human rights violators from the United States.

Currently, HSI has more than 140 active investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,700 leads and removals cases involving suspected human rights violators from 97 different countries. Over the last four years, the HRVWCC has issued more than 70,000 lookouts for individuals from more than 110 countries and stopped 194 human rights violators and war crimes suspects from entering the United States.

If convicted, the defendants sentence will be determined by the court after review of factors unique to this case, including the defendants prior criminal record, if any, the defendants role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum. In most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Cronin is prosecuting the case following an investigation by HSI Special Agent Brett Bangas and ICE Historian Michael MacQueen.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the governments burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Imperial Valley News Center

Border Patrol Rescues 32 Locked in a Cold Storage Trailer

Laredo, Texas - On Wednesday, at approximately 10:10 p.m., Border Patrol agents from the Laredo Sector Border Patrol discovered and rescued multiple individuals at the Interstate Highway 35 Checkpoint.

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Border Patrol Checkpoint on Interstate Highway 35 encountered a cold storage Peterbilt Tractor-trailer at the primary inspection lane. After a service canine alerted to possible narcotics or humans concealed within the vehicle, agents performed an x-ray scan using the Vehicle and Cargo Inspection System (VACIS).

Border Patrol agents observed several people within the trailer, quickly unsealed the doors and found them trapped inside with no apparent means to escape. A total of 32 people from Mexico and Central America were rescued.

We are fortunate that our Border Patrol agents found these people in time to prevent possible serious injury and a loss of life. We ask the community to report suspicious activity. Together we can stop smugglers, who have no regard for human life, from exploiting these persons desperate desire to enter the Unites States, said Chief Patrol Agent Mario Martinez.

The Laredo Sector Border Patrol will continue to warn against the dangers of people crossing illegally into the United States through our Border Safety Initiative (BSI). BSI is a humanitarian, bi-national strategy designed to reduce migrant deaths educate and inform potential migrants of the dangers and hazards of crossing the border illegally and to respond to those who are in life-threatening situations.

The case has been turned over to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Laredo Office for further investigation.
U. S. Citizen Sentenced To Ten Years Imprisonment For Traveling To Foreign Country To Have Sex With A Minor

San Francisco, California - Shaun Vincent Kelley was sentenced to ten years in prison Wednesday for engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, announced United States Attorney Brian J. Stretch and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The sentence follows a guilty plea entered May 13, 2016.

Pursuant to his guilty plea, Kelley, 57, who has resided in several states, admitted that on September 1, 2013, he traveled from the United States to Thailand, where he stayed until April 2016. Kelly further admitted that while in Thailand on June 10, 2015, he paid a 14-year-old boy, who he knew to be under 18 years of age, to engage in sexual conduct with him. Kelley also acknowledged he took a video of this encounter that depicts the sexual conduct.

On February 2, 2016, a grand jury indicted Kelley with a single count of engaging in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  2423(c).

The sentence was handed down by the Honorable Susan Illston, United States District Judge. In addition to the prison term, Judge Illston sentenced Kelley to serve five years of supervised release.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip Kopczynski with the assistance of Marina Ponomarchuk. The case was investigated by the FBI.
Long Beach Man Pleads Guilty in $3 Million Foreclosure Rescue Scam

Los Angeles, California - A Long Beach man has pleaded guilty to a federal fraud charge related to a long-running mortgage rescue scheme that involved nearly $3 million in illegal fees charged to distressed homeowners and about 200 fraudulent bankruptcy petitions.

Karl Robinson, 52, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of bankruptcy fraud before United States District Judge Manuel Real.

Robinson operated the foreclosure rescue scheme from 2008 until 2013 under his own name and other names, including Stay In Your Home Today, 21st Century Development and Genesis Ventures Corporation. The businesses provided illegal foreclosure- and eviction-delay services to homeowners who had defaulted on their mortgages. The purpose of the scheme was to obtain money from distressed homeowners, and in exchange Robinson was able to hinder, delay and obstruct lawful foreclosure and eviction actions against property owners who had defaulted on their mortgages.

As part of the scheme, Robinson filed bogus grant deeds in county records offices and other fake documents in formal eviction proceedings to make it appear that fictional people held interests in distressed properties. He then fraudulently filed bankruptcy petitions in the names of the fictional people to trigger an automatic stay in the bankruptcy cases. The filing of a bankruptcy petition has the effect of suspending all creditor actions, including foreclosure proceedings commenced by mortgage lenders and eviction actions commenced by purchasers of foreclosed properties.

This defendant filed scores of fraudulent bankruptcy actions  sometimes on multiple occasions in relation to a single property, said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. He took advantage of distressed homeowners by stealing identities and lying to them about what he could do for their properties as long as they continued to pay his fees.

Robinson admitted that as part of his scheme he obtained nearly $3 million from distressed homeowners and filed more than 200 fake bankruptcies.

Mr. Robinson used his position as a pastor gain the trust of distressed homeowners, only to lure them with false hope while he worked the system to get rich, said Deirdre Fike, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBIs Los Angeles Field Office. The FBI and our partners with the FHFA-OIG and the U.S Attorney's Office will continue to combat schemes targeting vulnerable homeowners.

As a result of todays guilty plea, Robinson faces a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison when he is sentenced by Judge Real on November 28.

The criminal case against Robinson is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of the Inspector General (FHFA-OIG).

Karl Robinson engaged in a complicated fraud scheme that preyed on others misfortune to line his own pockets, stated FHFA-OIGs Special Agent in Charge Leslie Demarco. Todays guilty plea is the first step toward taking responsibility for his criminal activity.

The case against Robinson was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Kerry L. Quinn of the Major Frauds Section.
Federal Authorities Charge 33 People with Crimes Against the U.S. Postal Service, including Theft of Mail by Employees

Los Angeles, California - Thirty-three defendants were charged as part of a sweep targeting criminal activity that has victimized the United States Postal Service (USPS) and its customers. Most of the defendants charged as part of the sweep are USPS employees who allegedly stole mail, embezzled from the agency or, in one case, failed to deliver nearly 50,000 pieces of mail.

Arrest warrants were issued for 6 of the 33 defendants, who were recently charged as a result of investigations by the USPSs Office of Inspector General. Most of the defendants were charged in indictments that were returned by federal grand juries on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

The 33 defendants are charged across 28 cases, about half of which allege mail theft and/or possession of stolen mail by USPS employees and contractors. Other cases charge USPS employees with conspiracy, embezzlement, bank fraud, and false statements. Five of the cases allege crimes by non-employees, including mail theft and fraud related to the use of credit cards that had been stolen from the mail.

In one case announced today, the former local area president of the Mail Handlers Union was charged with conspiracy and possession of stolen mail. Jarol Garcia, 33, of Hemet, who formerly worked at the Moreno Valley Delivery Distribution Center as a mail handler, stole mobile phones from parcels going through the center and traded the phones after offering them for exchange on a website, according to an indictment, which also alleges that Garcia, in December 2015, possessed at least 166 mobile phones stolen from the mail.

Another case charges a mail carrier from the Mid-City District of Los Angeles with conspiracy to commit access device (credit card) fraud and to steal mail. The indictment alleges that Norman A. Muschamp, 48, was part of a conspiracy to use information belonging to identity theft victims to order pre-paid PayPal debit cards that were sent to primarily non-existent addresses on his mail route. Muschamp allegedly participated in the scheme by obtaining the PayPal debit cards from the mail and delivering them to co-conspirators in exchange for cash. Investigators who are continuing to investigate the overall scheme believe it caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.

In another case, a postal carrier from the Sawtelle District of Los Angeles was charged with delaying the mail by effectively hoarding the mail she was entrusted to deliver. Sherry Naomi Watanabe, 48, was found to have more than 48,000 pieces of mail in her residence, according to a plea agreement, that was supposed to be delivered to mail customers on her route in Placentia.

The mail system plays an important role in our country's commerce and social communication. Maintaining its integrity is vital, said United States Attorney Eileen M. Decker. Mail theft across Southern California has increased recently, which is significant since this type of crime tends to be a precursor to other crimes like identity theft and drug offenses. As a result, we are stepping up enforcement activities, including dealing aggressively with corruption within the Postal Service.

The overwhelming majority of Postal Service employees are honest and dedicated public servants who are worthy of our trust. However, when employees engage in criminal activity, our agency will aggressively investigate these matters to protect the overall integrity of the Postal Service, said U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Brian Washington.

Other cases filed as part of the sweep include the following:

Vince Johnson, 30, of Carson, who worked for a USPS contractor, was charged with possession of stolen mail;

Jose Hernandez, 35, of Long Beach, who worked for a USPS contractor, was charged with mail theft;

Tamika Deloach, 38, of Wilmington, a mail carrier, was charged with possessing stolen mail related to checks she allegedly stole from the mail and deposited into her credit union account;

Charell Watson, 32, of West Covina, formerly a mail processing clerk, was charged with theft of mail by a postal employee;

Nicole Elwood, 45, of Atascadero, was charged with theft of mail by a postal employee for allegedly stealing mail items containing medications, including medications sent from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to veterans;

Kayla Young, 23, of Diamond Bar, was charged with mail theft by a postal employee;

Michael Smith, 43, of Lake Elsinore, was charged with mail theft by a postal employee for allegedly stealing money orders from a mail envelope;

Justin Brewster, 25, of Lake Elsinore, a USPS mail processing clerk, was charged with mail theft by a postal employee for allegedly stealing video games that were mailed to or from Gamefly;

Christian Wesley Johnson, 27, of Los Angeles (90044), a postal clerk, was charged with mail theft by a postal employee for stealing mobile phones, which, according to his plea agreement, were valued at approximately $15,000; and

Deion Deshazier, 27, a former mail carrier, of Hawthorne, was charged with dumping and delaying mail;

Betty Owens, 73, of Oakland, a former mail handler, was charged with a misdemeanor offense of theft of government property (for fraudulent mileage reimbursements).

Lisa Thornberry, 31, of Rancho Cucamonga, and Ian McCown, 34, of Alta Loma, were charged with conspiring with each other to steal mail and possessing stolen mail;

Chelsea Green, 24, of Canoga Park, a former mail carrier, was charged with bank fraud for allegedly misusing a USPS-issued gas card and fraudulently using the PIN of another USPS employee to fuel her personal vehicle;

James Freeman, 30, of Lakewood, a former mail carrier, was charged with bank fraud for allegedly misusing a USPS-issued gas card;

Mary Williams, 60, of Los Angeles (90002), a former USPS sales associate, was charged with making a false entry in an official record related to her alleged embezzlement of funds from USPS;

Victoria Uribe, 48, of Rancho Cucamonga, a former USPS sales associate, was charged with making a false entry in an official record related to her alleged embezzlement of funds from USPS;

Lucy Plambeck, 66, of Paso Robles, a former USPS sales associate, was charged with making a false entry in an official record related to her alleged embezzlement of funds from USPS;

Monica Cavalier, 40, of Victorville, a former sales associate, was charged with making a false entry in an official record related to the sale of stamps related to her alleged embezzlement of funds from USPS;

Johnnie Macon, 34, of Los Angeles (90011), a former postal support employee, who was charged with embezzlement of postal funds and making a false entry in an official record related to the fraudulent voiding of postal money orders;

Gary Nygard, 49, of Mission Hills, a former contract driver, was charged with conspiracy to steal government property by siphoning approximately 385 gallons of diesel fuel (paid for by USPS) from contractor trucks;

Raymond Coffin, 24, of Adelanto, a mail carrier, was charged with bank fraud for allegedly misusing a USPS-issued gas card;

Eugene Brown, 43, of Compton, was charged with making a false statement relating to his criminal history in his employment application to work for the USPS;

An indictment or criminal information contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

Defendants charged as part of the sweep will be arraigned in the United States District Court in Los Angeles, Santa Ana, and Riverside.

The cases announced Friday were filed by Special Assistant United States Attorney Ashwin Janakiram of the General Crimes Section.
NREIP Interns Impact Navy Technologies, Return to College, Plan DoD Careers

Dahlgren, Virginia - Summer interns who worked on technological programs crucial to national defense and security are heading back to classrooms at universities across the country with a new perspective about the U.S. Navy.

In fact, many are envisioning themselves as potential Department of Defense civilian scientists and engineers.



First, the college students - pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs - must complete their bachelor's degrees.



Over their ten week internship, the Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP) provided the students with a nice stipend and a chance to acquire technical expertise and career perspectives at laboratories throughout DoD - including the Navy's Undersea and Surface Warfare Center divisions.



Now, the NREIP-interns are returning to campus with experiences they can share with classmates and professors regarding their work at Navy laboratories and test ranges on programs such as the Aegis combat system, directed energy, and chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) defense.



"I've had the opportunity to explore cutting edge technology, like 3D printing, while simultaneously expanding my knowledge base to cover the wide variety of engineering projects," said Erik Hippchen, a rising senior at the University of Minnesota, who is working towards a bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering. "It is the ultimate learning experience for an up and coming engineer in both the technical and professional sense."



Hippchen was among 22 students who completed their internships at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD).



"The internship has been a great hands-on opportunity to directly interact with many professionals here at NSWC Dahlgren as well as professionals from other warfare centers," said Alex Kniffin, a rising senior at Virginia Commonwealth University who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in biomedical engineering with minors in physics, chemistry, and mathematics. "The rewarding nature of the program has solidified my interest in joining Dahlgren as a full time employee post-graduation."



As an intern, Kniffin developed a framework for creating alternative scenarios to create a prediction on the advancements of technology and reduce technological surprise. "He used this framework to work with various experts to incorporate their knowledge into the technological forecasting process," said Dr. Elizabeth Haro, Human Systems Integration engineer.



Hippchen, Kniffin, and their fellow interns briefed scores of military officials and government employees on their findings during a July 28 poster session at the University of Mary Washington Dahlgren campus.



"I know for a fact that the work I did will be taken into good hands and used in the future," said Charisa Powell," a rising Florida State University senior pursuing a bachelor's degree in computer science, after briefing her project.



Powell created a user-friendly, error-checking interface for input to a computational fluid dynamics simulation tool. Her project - designed to improve Navy CBR simulation tools that require a large amount of complex input - reduces the workload on users while increasing accuracy and performance.



"I wasn't aware of the vast amount of scientists and engineers that worked for the Navy to protect the warfighter," said Powell, who interned at the NSWCDD CBR Modeling and Testing Branch. "Being at Dahlgren gave me insight on what it's like to be surrounded by such bright individuals, and inspired me to bring skills from my education and work for the government when I graduate to keep our country safer."



That's the NREIP mission - surround interns with mentors who make the students aware of Navy research and technology initiatives that can lead to employment within the Navy laboratory structure. It also gives mentors quality time with proteges who may become their future colleagues.



"This program gives the participating (NSWCDD) branches an opportunity to work with potential new employees to get an idea of how good of a worker they will be," said Greg Stodola, NSWCDD Missile Manager Group lead. "We have had the good fortune of selecting many excellent interns. NREIP also gives the interns the opportunity to see how their education applies to the real world. They can get a taste of a particular discipline of their field to determine if that is really the type of work that they want to do."



Stodola mentored University of North Carolina rising senior Dan Antoshak on the submarine combat control system simulator project.



"It didn't take long for me to feel like part of the team while surrounded by such friendly and knowledgeable mentors," said Antoshak. "I was able to improve my teamwork skills and ability to research independently for the purpose of developing a large scale engineering project."



The computer and electrical engineering major modernized the combat control system simulator that mimics the processing of a launcher that can be used now and in the future. As a result, scientists and engineers won't have to use the launcher in order to test the Tomahawk fire control software.



"I applied what I had learned in school and beyond," Antoshak recalled. "In order to accomplish the task I had to research new programming languages. I collaborated this newfound knowledge with the guidance and experience of my coworkers in order to design something great."



The students collaborated with government technologists on important projects at participating DoD laboratories located in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Washington DC, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.



Applications for 2017 NREIP summer internships can be submitted from Aug. 22 to Nov. 30, 2016 via the program's website: https://nreip.asee.org .
NAVSUP FLC Norfolk Ensures Navy's Newest Submarine is Sea Ready

Groton, Connecticut - The Navy's newest submarine was delivered to the Navy with nearly 100 percent on board material August 26, thanks to the collaboration between the ship's supply department and Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Norfolk, Groton Division.

According to Assistant Division Director Lt. Joseph Aiello, USS Illinois (SSN 786) was delivered ahead of schedule with 99.51 percent on board material - well above the contractual requirement of 97 percent.



Behind the scenes, a small cadre of logistic specialists quietly executed the functions of outfitting and stowing the Navy's newest submarine. The team tracked and monitored the delivery of more than 10,000 items to include all authorized medical allowance list (AMAL), authorized dental allowance list (ADAL), general use consumables list (GUCL), and government furnished equipment (GFE) to the submarine.



"Beyond the hull of Illinois, the most valuable asset - the crew - was provided with dedicated support facilities to ensure training, administration and day-to-day operations of the command continued unencumbered by the construction," said Aiello.



NAVSUP FLC Norfolk, Groton Division is a relatively small unit comprised of 19 civilian and military personnel.



"The single aspect that, to me, is most inspiring about the organization is the sheer dedication to the Sailors on the waterfront and the true collaborative nature that is fostered across the spectrum of organizations at the shipyard," said Aiello.



According to Aiello, collaboration between civilian employees and military staff is a noted organizational strength of the unit.



"While a good segment of the team have prior military experience, those who do not have demonstrated the same commitment to excellence and truly understand the need for flawless customer support," he added.



USS Illinois, which is the 13th submarine in the Virginia class, is scheduled to be commissioned October 29.



NAVSUP Logistics Center (FLC) Norfolk, one of eight fleet logistics centers under NAVSUP Global Logistics Support (GLS), provides operational logistics, business and support services to fleet, shore and industrial commands of the Navy, Coast Guard, Military Sealift Command, and other Joint and Allied Forces. Services include contracting, regional transportation, fuel, material management, household goods movement support, postal and consolidated mail, warehousing, global logistics and husbanding, hazardous material management, and integrated logistics support.



NAVSUP GLS provides global logistics for a global Navy. The organization is made up of more than 6,300 military and civilian logistics professionals operating from 105 locations worldwide providing an extensive array of integrated global logistics and contracting services to Navy, Marine Corps, joint operational units, and allied forces across all warfare enterprises.
Preventing Human-Caused Earthquakes

Reston, Virginia - New research from the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Colorado shows actions taken by drillers and regulators can lessen risk in the case of earthquakes likely caused by the injection of industrial wastewater deep underground.

While the earthquake that rumbled below Colorados eastern plains May 31, 2014, did no major damage, its occurrence surprised both Greeley residents and local seismologists. To some Greeley residents, the magnitude 3.2 earthquake felt like a large truck hitting the house.

The earthquake happened in an area that had seen no seismic activity in at least four decades, according to a new analysis by a team of Colorado researchers. It was likely caused by the injection of industrial wastewater deep undergroundand, the team concluded, quick action taken by scientists, regulators and industry may have reduced the risk of larger quakes in the area.

We were surprised to observe an earthquake right in our backyard, and we knew we needed to know more, so we quickly mobilized seismic monitoring equipment," said Will Yeck, lead author of the study. "As it turned out, our findings were not just scientifically interesting. By sharing our observations with others in real time, we were able to help inform the decisions made to mitigate these earthquakes. It was extremely rewarding to see our scientific observations have a direct and immediate impact.

Yeck, then finishing up his Ph.D. in geophysics at the University of Colorado Boulder, and now a researcher with the USGS, worked with a team of researchers that included his Ph.D. advisor Anne Sheehan, a professor and CIRES Fellow, two other graduate students and a USGS colleague. Their work appears in the July-August issue of Seismological Research Letters.

A few minutes after 10 p.m. the night of the earthquake, Sheehan also received an email from a neighbor who had felt an earthquake at her home in Boulder. The neighbor quickly looked up the initial details through a USGS website, and relayed them to Sheehan. It looked like the earthquake was centered in the heart of oil and gas country in Weld County, where drillers sometimes disposed of wastewater deep undergroundan activity now known to sometimes trigger earthquakes.

In many homes near the earthquakes epicenter, furniture shifted in rooms. Bricks fell off at least one chimney.

The next day was very busy, said Sheehan.

She requested seismometers from a consortium that rapidly supplies equipment for earthquake aftershock monitoring. She began talking with her graduate students, colleagues from the USGS and the oil and gas industry, and regulators about where to deploy the equipment.

The first week of June, Yeck and fellow graduate students Jenny Nakai and Matthew Weingarten deployed six seismometers in an array around the earthquakes epicenter to monitor further seismic activity. As data flowed in, they analyzed it in detail to pinpoint the locations and the timing of smaller earthquakes following that first one.

The geophysicists communicated their findings with state oil and gas regulators and wastewater disposal company staff, and helped those staff learn to read and understand real-time seismic data themselves.

It quickly became clear that the earthquakes were centered under one specific well: the wastewater disposal well closest to the Greeley earthquake epicenter which happened to be the highestrate injection well in northeast Colorado in 2013, according to data compiled by the state. The well had been pumping an average of 250,000 barrels per month since August 2013, more than a mile deep.

Soon after the magnitude 3.2 earthquake, when the seismic network was in place, we shared earthquake locations and earthquake magnitude frequency with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and local energy companies to better inform them of seismic activity occurring around the wells, said Jenny Nakai, a co-author of the new study and a graduate student in geophysics at CU Boulder. We could see fluctuations in seismic activity as the well was shut down and cemented.

Injection stopped on June 24 for a month, and the company that drilled the disposal well took two actions to reduce seismicity: They reduced injection rates and used cement to plug the bottom of the well, impeding fluid interaction with deeper, subsurface faults.

Injection resumed a month later at reduced rates, starting at just 5,000 barrels a day mid-July. The injection rates were slowly increased over time.

Seismicity dropped, the team found. Following mitigation, between August 13, 2014, and December 29, 2015, no earthquakes larger than magnitude 1.5 occurred near Greeley.

The research team also used data from more distant seismometers, deployed well before the 2014 earthquake, to detect past seismic activity in the area. They found the Greeley earthquake sequence began roughly four months after the initiation of high-rate wastewater injection in 2013. Their analysis suggested that the biggest observed earthquakes in the area were getting bigger over time, an observation made at other injection induced earthquake locations as well.

State regulators with the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission modified requirements as a result of the seismology teams findings, Yeck and his colleagues reported in the paper. Regulators began requiring seismic monitoring at recently permitted commercial disposal wells pumping more than 10,000 barrels per day.

Greeley-area seismicity continues to be monitored both by the CU Boulder team and by an independent contractor.

Authors of Rapid Response, Monitoring, and Mitigation of Induced Seismicity near Greeley, Colorado in Seismological Research Letters are William Yeck and Harley Benz (U.S. Geological Survey), Anne Sheehan and Jenny Nakai (CIRES and University of Colorado Boulder), and Matthew Weingarten (Stanford University).
Russian Cyber-Criminal Convicted of 38 Counts Related to Hacking Businesses and Stealing More Than Two Million Credit Card Numbers

Washington, DC - A federal jury Thursday convicted a Vladivostok, Russia, man of 38 counts related to his scheme to hack into point-of-sale computers to steal and sell credit card numbers to the criminal underworld, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Departments Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes of the Western District of Washington.

Roman Valerevich Seleznev, aka Track2, 32, was convicted after an eight-day trial of 10 counts of wire fraud, eight counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, nine counts of obtaining information from a protected computer, nine counts of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices and two counts of aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones of the Western District of Washington scheduled sentencing for Dec. 2, 2016.

According to testimony at trial and court documents, between October 2009 and October 2013, Seleznev hacked into retail point-of-sale systems and installed malicious software (malware) to steal credit card numbers from various businesses from a server he operated in Russia. Many of the businesses were small businesses, some of which were restaurants in Western Washington, including the Broadway Grill in Seattle, which was forced into bankruptcy following the cyber assault.

Evidence presented at trial demonstrated that the malware would steal the credit card data from the point-of-sale systems and send it to other servers that Seleznev controlled in Russia, the Ukraine or in McLean, Virginia. Seleznev then bundled the credit card information into groups called bases and sold the information on various carding websites to buyers who would then use the credit card numbers for fraudulent purchases, according to the trial evidence. Testimony at trial revealed that Seleznevs scheme caused 3,700 financial institutions more than $169 million in losses.

When Seleznev was taken into custody in July 2014 in the Maldives, his laptop contained more than 1.7 million stolen credit card numbers, some of which were stolen from businesses in Western Washington. The laptop also contained additional evidence linking Seleznev to the servers, email accounts and financial transactions involved in the scheme.

Seleznev is charged in a separate indictment in the District of Nevada with participating in a racketeer influenced corrupt organization (RICO) and conspiracy to engage in a RICO, as well as two counts of possession of 15 or more counterfeit and unauthorized access devices. Seleznev is also charged in the Northern District of Georgia with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of bank fraud and four counts of wire fraud. An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The U.S. Secret Service Electronic Crimes Task Force investigated the case. The task force includes detectives from the Seattle Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service Cyber Intelligence Section in Washington, D.C. Trial Attorney Harold Chun of the Criminal Divisions Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Norman M. Barbosa and Seth Wilkinson of the Western District of Washington are prosecuting the case. The CCIPS Cyber Crime Lab and its Director, Ovie Carroll, provided substantial support for the prosecution. The Office of International Affairs and the U.S. Attorneys Office of the District of Guam also provided assistance in this case.
White House Announces New Commitments to the Equal Pay Pledge

Washington, DC - Friday, on Womens Equality Day, we are announcing new signatories to the White House Equal Pay Pledge. This pledge was launched at the first-ever United State of Women Summit, encouraging companies from across the American economy to take action to advance equal pay. These 29 newly-committed employers bring the total number to more than fifty companies and organizations that collectively employ millions of Americans. The new commitments are from a diverse range of employers, including Apple, CVS, Facebook, Target, and Visa.

Equal Pay has been an Administration priority since President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law as his first piece of legislation. Policies that ensure fair pay for all Americans and that help businesses to attract the strongest talent can not only narrow the pay gap, but also boost productivity and benefit our economy.

As noted in the Presidents Proclamation on Womens Equality Day, this day commemorates the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. It is also the day that we observe the continued work towards gender equity for all women and girls.

View the additional commitments and statements from signatories below, and learn more about President Obama's record on empowering women and girls.

By signing the Equal Pay Pledge, these employers are:

Acknowledging the critical role businesses must play in reducing the national pay gap.

Committing to conducting an annual company-wide gender pay analysis across occupations.

Reviewing hiring and promotion processes and procedures to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers.

Embedding equal pay efforts into broader enterprise-wide equity initiatives.

Pledging to take these steps as well as identify and promote other best practices that will close the national wage gap to ensure fundamental fairness for all workers.

Companies and organizations interested in signing are encouraged to take the Equal Pay Pledge here.

WHITE HOUSE EQUAL PAY PLEDGE

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was the first piece of legislation President Obama signed into law. Policies that ensure fair pay for all Americans and that help businesses attract the strongest talent can not only narrow the gender pay gap, but also boost productivity and benefit our economy. Yet, the typical woman working full-time all year in the United States only earns 79 percent of what a typical man working full-time all year earns. While the gap has narrowed slightly over the past few years, there is much more work to be done to ensure fair pay for all.

Building on the Administrations numerous actions to close the national pay gap, the White House challenged businesses to take the Equal Pay Pledge. Several U.S. private sector companies have come together in support of advancing equal pay.

We applaud the growing number of countries that have already made significant progress in closing their gender wage gap. Despite passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, which requires equal pay for equal work, the gender pay gap in the United States persists. Women working full-time earn only 79 percent of mens wages, and we are committed to taking action individually and collectively to reduce that national pay gap.

We believe that businesses must play a critical role in reducing the national pay gap. Towards that end, we commit to conducting an annual company-wide gender pay analysis across occupations; reviewing hiring and promotion processes and procedures to reduce unconscious bias and structural barriers; and embedding equal pay efforts into broader enterprise-wide equity initiatives. We pledge to take these steps as well as identify and promote other best practices that will close the national wage gap to ensure fundamental fairness for all workers.

We received a very positive response to the pledge and welcome our new signatories, including the employers below.

These signatories put forth their pledges as follows:

A.T. Kearney: A.T. Kearney is passionate about and committed to diversity and inclusion. We provide our employees with equal opportunities to contribute, develop, and succeed irrespective of gender, race, religion or sexual orientation. Diversity enables us to achieve immediate impact and growing advantage  for our clients, our people and the communities in which we work and live. We believe that equal pay to promote diversity and inclusion is a business imperative.

Our approach to diversity and inclusion has and will continue to evolve with the changing needs of our business and our people. We offer global programs that create an inclusive environment and culture, ensuring all employees feel comfortable bringing their best selves to work each day. We enable our employees to achieve their personal and professional aspirations. A.T. Kearney is proud to collaborate with the White House and enthusiastically adds our name to the Equal Pay Pledge.

Akamai Technologies: Akamai Technologies is pleased to sign the White House Equal Pay Pledge. This pledge aligns with the expectations we have of ourselves to lead with a sense of transparency, while embracing diversity and respect for all employees.

At Akamai, we seek to ensure every employee can work in an environment where they are valued and able to work at their best. We believe in fair and equitable pay for all our employees, and we are committed to monitoring our pay practices regularly and to making adjustments if necessary to deliver on this pledge.

Anheuser-Busch: Anheuser-Busch is proud to sign the Equal Pay Pledge. We value equality throughout all levels of our organization, and believe diversity enriches our workforce. This commitment to inclusivity begins with our mission - to be the best beer company, bringing people together for a better world - and extends to our meritocracy-based compensation practices.

At Anheuser-Busch, we believe in equal pay for equal work. We use a rigorous and gender-blind compensation process that was developed and validated by independent experts. We recognize that there is still much work to do to create a truly equal playing field in the workforce. It is our ambition to lead the change and create more opportunities for women in the beer industry.

Today, six of our 12 U.S. breweries are led by female head brewmasters, and women now represent the majority (51 percent) of our marketing organization. In support of our workforce and their families, this year we introduced a new parental leave policy that offers 100% paid Parental Bonding leave for all parents, on top of paid Maternity Leave for a birth mother.

Apple: Equal work deserves equal pay. This past year, Apple looked at the total compensation for U.S. employees and closed the gaps we found. Weve achieved pay equity in the United States for similar roles and performance. Women employees at Apple earn one dollar for every dollar male employees earn. Were now analyzing the salaries, bonuses, and annual stock grants of all our employees worldwide. If a gap exists, well address it. And well continue our work to make sure we maintain pay equity.

Chobani: Since day one, diversity and inclusiveness have been at the core of Chobani. Were proud to stand with other leading businesses to give one voice to a simple, common sense principle: women deserve equal pay for equal work.

We were founded with the belief that everyone on our team deserves the same chance to achieve their dreams and live up to their full potential. By joining the White House in taking this important pledge, were committing to continuously reviewing our practices to ensure that, as we grow, we never stray from our founding principles  and that our hiring, promotion and compensation practices and procedures stick to our deeply-held belief that women deserve equal opportunity.

The Coca-Cola Company: The Coca-Cola Company values and celebrates diversity. This includes a long-standing commitment to equal opportunity that spans our employment practices and development of existing employees. There is overwhelming evidence that achieving equality and empowerment for women has both immediate impacts that benefit them directly and broader ripple effects that are good for society. We have made meaningful strides as a company in our equal opportunity efforts. Still, we recognize there is more we can learn by building upon best practices across the U.S. private sector. We are pleased, therefore, to join the Equal Pay Pledge and work with the Administration and other partners towards reducing the national gender pay gap.

CVS Health: At CVS Health, we are committed to fulfilling our companys purpose of helping people on their path to better health by living our values, including integrity, accountability, caring, collaboration and innovation.



By living our values, we embrace a dedication to paying our colleagues equitably regardless of their gender. We take a purposeful and systematic approach to evaluate compensation to ensure we are accountable to our pay equity commitment.



We actively work to seek out, listen to and leverage the voices of our diverse colleagues, customers, clients, and communities. For our company, diversity and innovation go hand in hand and we strive to model best practices to promote and develop diverse talent. Our CEO serves as the executive sponsor of CVS Healths Womens Success Network, one of our largest Colleague Resource Groups. And we have been recognized as a best practice company by the 20/20 Women on Boards Initiative.



We value the contributions of all of our colleagues and we are proud to join other leading employers in signing this pledge and making a commitment to this important issue.

Delta Air Lines: At Delta Air Lines, the very nature of our business is bringing people together. We rely on a worldwide family of Delta Air Lines people 80,000 strong to care for our customers and ensure they get where theyre going promptly and safely, regardless of the origin or destination. Our success is built on diversity, where our differences make us stronger and all people are welcomed, supported and  above all  treated equally.

Were proud to join the White House in signing the Equal Pay Pledge and voicing our commitment to fairness and diversity in the workplace, which is reflective of our long-standing commitment of pay equality among all Delta Air Lines employees.

Dropbox: Dropbox is honored to sign the White House Equal Pay Pledge and join the other companies who have taken a stand on this issue. Gender equality and equal pay are priorities for us, and they are part of our deep commitment to creating an equitable workplace that includes and supports employees of every background and identity. Our products are used around the globe by millions of people from all cultures and backgrounds, and our team needs to reflect the world were building for.

At Dropbox we review all of our hiring and HR processes for potential bias, including a gender impact analysis at every compensation and promotion cycle. Additionally, we've built inclusive leadership into our framework for managers, and all of our senior leadership and nearly all of our employees have participated in unconscious bias training.

While we are proud of our track record of compensating our employees fairly and equitably  from our most junior team members to our senior leaders  we know there is more work to be done in order to create a world in which both men and women have the same opportunities and choices.

Dunkin Brands: Dunkin' Brands is committed to gender pay equity, and we are honored to join the White House in the Equal Pay Pledge. At Dunkin' Brands we regularly review our pay practices to ensure pay equity and strongly believe that a corporate culture in which each person is valued, respected and earns equal pay for equal work, delivers better business results.

EY: EY is committed to pay equity and a culture of inclusion. Equity in opportunities, advancement, and compensation is a business imperative, and we work hard to promote fair practices for all of our women and men. EYs leadership is actively engaged in fostering gender equality at EY and in the marketplace.

Facebook: At Facebook we value those who bring varying perspectives, for many reasons including background, community, culture, race, ethnicity - and gender. We call this cognitive diversity, and we want more of it. It propels our mission: to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.

Facebook is a longtime supporter of equal pay. We regularly review our compensation practices to ensure pay equity, and have done so for many years. We complete thorough statistical analyses to compare the compensation of men and women performing similar work. As such, we are proud to share that at Facebook, men and women earn the same. We encourage efforts to establish methods to close the wage gaps around the world.

General Motors: General Motors is pleased to sign The White House Equal Pay Pledge. We believe strongly in gender equity, and we are dedicated to having a diverse and welcoming workplace that values the contributions of all employees.

We know that a diverse workforce promotes fresh, innovative thinking that translates into both a competitive advantage for GM and winning products for our customers. To this end, among other efforts, GM has employee resource groups, whose mission is to attract, engage, develop and retain a diverse mix of talented employees to positively affect GMs performance, through networking and professional development opportunities.

GM is supporting this pledge because it reflects our shared belief that employees gender should not factor into compensation decisions. We believe that fair and equitable pay should be an essential element of any successful business model and are proud to stand with other companies that share this same value.

The Hartford: At The Hartford, gender equality is a top business priority. The Hartford prides itself on its diverse workforce and inclusive culture, and its commitment to equality for ALL employees. The Hartford, recently named as one of twenty-six firms on Bloomberg Financial Services Gender-Equality Index for demonstrating strong commitment to gender equality, is proud to take the next step in signing the White Houses Equal Pay Pledge.

The Hershey Company: At The Hershey Company, diversity and inclusion is a commitment that is embedded in who we are. Its about advancing our vision, our culture, and our environment, so everyone can bring a meaningful contribution. As part of this commitment, we believe that discrimination has no place in our workforce, which is why we have a no-tolerance policy.

Our policy is to extend opportunities and terms and conditions of employment to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individuals race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other categories protected by applicable law. For wages, this includes equal pay for equal work.

Hilton: At Hilton, we are proud of our long history of supporting a diverse and inclusive workplace. Our goal is clear - we strive for an inclusive work environment that allows all of our Team Members to be comfortable bringing their entire selves to work every day. Simply put, our culture is a reflection of the backgrounds, passions and perspectives of all of our Team Members around the world. To be the most hospitable company in the world, we must also represent the many different cultures, backgrounds and viewpoints of our guests, which includes supporting and empowering women at every level of our organization. In fact, women make up more than 50 percent of our global workforce.

In this regard, we are honored to join the White House in signing the Equal Pay Pledge. We are committed to advancing our efforts in ensuring equity not only in our pay practices, but also across recruitment, learning and development, benefits, and our overall Team Member value proposition. In doing so, we continue to deliver on our promise of a great environment, great careers and great rewards for all of our Team Members.

Supporting women in the workplace is part of who we are. In fact, we provide a wide-range of opportunities for women such as our Womens Team Member Resource Group, Womens Executive Networking Program, and Women in Leadership Excellence Program in partnership with the University of Virginia. Most recently, we were honored to be selected by DiversityInc as one of the Top 50 Companies for Diversity, the Human Rights Campaign rated us at 100 percent on their Corporate Equality Index, and Professional Womans Magazine named us as a Top Diversity Employer of Women. We were also chosen by the Pax Ellevate Global Women's Index Fund for being one of the highest-rated companies in the world for advancing women leadership. Additionally, we are committed to offering family-focused benefits across our hotels and offices, including our industry-leading maternity leave policy, flexible working environments, 10-day advanced scheduling, paid time off, and educational assistance.

IBM: In 1935, IBM founder Thomas J. Watson Sr. said, "Men and women will do the same kind of work for equal pay. They will have the same treatment, the same responsibilities and the same opportunities for advancement."



IBM established a broad equal opportunity policy more than a decade before the Civil Rights Act, and we have maintained and continually improved a formal pay analysis and adjustment process for women and minority employees for 40 years.



And now, in IBMs second century as a company, we remain firmly dedicated to providing fair pay based on job responsibilities and performance, which is critical to meeting todays evolving business and technology challenges. IBM is proud to sign the White Houses Equal Pay pledge as another step in our long history of fostering fairness, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

IKEA US: IKEA is a values-driven company, and our approach to diversity and inclusion is grounded in our values. We believe in people and see each individual as a talent. We treat each other fairly and provide our co-workers with equal opportunities, regardless of their gender identity, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, ethnicity, race, nationality, or any other dimension of their identity.



We know that each individual adds value to the team, and we are committed to creating an inclusive work environment that encourages our diverse and competent co-workers to be themselves, to apply their unique perspectives at work, and to assume responsibility for our growth. In addition to being the right thing to do, creating this environment also improves our business results and strengthens our competitiveness.



Several years ago, IKEA launched a proactive global effort to increase the diversity of our workforce at all levels. As part of this, we took  and will continue to take  a hard look at all areas of gender equality, including workforce representation, hiring, career development, succession planning, promotion rates, and pay equity. Over the coming years, we will maintain a comprehensive approach to diversity and inclusion across the entire organization, including pay equality.



We are proud to take the Equal Pay Pledge to ensure fairness for all our co-workers, and to join the many companies contributing to a better society by leading on this issue.

Intel: Signing the Equal Pay Pledge for Intel is a natural extension of our longstanding commitment to paying our employees fairly and equitably at all levels of the organization. We hold ourselves accountable with data by conducting an annual, comprehensive audit of pay in the U.S. to analyze our employees' pay by gender and ethnicity. In 2015 we conducted a comprehensive compensation analysis examining gender pay parity for U.S. employees across job types and levels. The report showed a net result of 100% pay parity, and we're incredibly proud of this result. Our commitment to diversity comes from our conviction that reaching a critical mass of women and underrepresented minorities in our industry brings ample benefits to many.

The Libra Group: The Libra Group heartily supports the Equal Pay Pledge. As an employer we are age, sex, orientation, race and religion blind. Yet we are acutely aware that the wage gap is very often a symptom of a broader opportunity gap that may affect some population groups more than others, notably women. So wage parity begins with opportunity parity, which is why so many of our groups social responsibility programs focus on groups who are experiencing disproportionate lack of educational and career opportunity. In many cases this means providing work experience, or equipping under-served communities with the advice, mentoring, training and support they need to acquire leadership skills or get a new business off the ground.

For the fortunate few we are able to break the cycle of disadvantage and give a helping hand  but there is still more to be done. In our experience tomorrows leaders emerge from the most unlikely places. Thus we believe that narrowing the pay gap depends on two things: a culture of equal opportunity and equal treatment within the work environment, combined with selective positive action and intervention to lift people out of endemic disadvantage and give them the chance they deserve.

LinkedIn: LinkedIn's vision is to create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce. We are committed to ensuring all of our employees have equal opportunities to succeed and be recognized for their accomplishments.

At the core of economic opportunity is equal pay for equal work. We believe it is basic good business to ensure this is true within your own organization, and we regularly review and evaluate our pay practices to ensure our employees are compensated fairly.

In addition, our ongoing focus on improving the gender diversity of our employee base continues to have meaningful impact with gains in women's representation in both technical and leadership roles over the last several years. The Womens Initiative (WIN) within our Global Sales team and the Women in Technology initiative (WIT) within our Engineering and Product organizations have built a framework to successfully hire, retain, develop and advance women.

We are committed to continuing to create diverse teams in an inclusive work environment where every person feels they truly belong and are paid fairly.

MailChimp: Equal pay is an essential part of MailChimps culture of inclusion, and were grateful for the opportunity to sign the White House Equal Pay Pledge. We conduct annual pay and benefits analyses, in addition to focusing on fair hiring and interviewing practices, generous family leave policies, flexible work schedules, employee-led resource groups, leadership development opportunities for employees at every level, and meaningful corporate citizenship programs.



It is unacceptable that women working full-time earn only 79 percent of what men earn, and unacceptable that the gap is even greater for women of color. MailChimp promises to do our part to close that gap. We are committed to empowering all of our employees and helping them succeed both within our organization and out in the world.

Microsoft: Microsoft is proud to join others in the effort to drive greater pay equality among men and women, which is a critical component of social progress. When women are fully engaged in our workforce and communities, society at large benefits from the great ideas and innovation that flourishes. Our commitment to equal pay gives us the opportunity to attract and hire from a broader talent pool of the best employees, managers and leaderswhile gaining important insights into consumers needs. In addition to gender pay equality, we are also committed to ensuring that all employees have equal opportunity.

MuleSoft: MuleSoft has signed the Equal Pay Pledge as a testament to our continued commitment to creating a great place to work for everyone. MuleSoft has a long-standing commitment to equal opportunity, and we believe people should be paid equally for equal work and experience. We conduct an annual audit of our compensation, which we readily use to influence changes in our policies. Ensuring that we all have the same platform for opportunities, growth, and compensation is core to our ethos and success. Were committed to providing a workplace where everyone is supported and inspired by the opportunity to build a successful company where we can do what we love and thrive.

Nike: Today, we are proud to sign the White House Equal Pay Pledge. At Nike, diversity is about acknowledging and valuing our differences and appreciating that everyone brings unique experiences, perspectives and ideas to the team. Investing in our employees to unleash their potential translates into a pipeline of new ideas, methods, and products that drive the future of sport.

In keeping with our culture and what we stand for as an organization, we remain committed to equitable pay and rewarding performance across all roles, for all Nike team members.

By signing the White House Equal Pay Pledge, were adding our voice to a movement that we hope will inspire positive change.

Patagonia: Since they founded Patagonia in a small Tin Shed more than 40 years ago, Yvon and Malinda Chouinard have worked hard to build a culture where women and families thrive. Today, Patagonia continues to value and honor our working women with equal pay and opportunity. We believe women shouldnt have to make the unnecessary choice between family and career and they can grow a career at the same pace as a family. At Patagonia, thanks to onsite child care, nursing moms are a few feet away from their babies versus miles apart. New moms and dads take paid time off to bond with and care for infants and families can eat breakfast and lunch together daily. We have an equal number of women and men at every level of the company, including among executive positions and the boardroom. Women and men are paid equally for comparable work. All of these things amount to a work environment where 100 percent of women return to work from maternity leave, 100 percent of dads take paid time off from work to bond with their new babies, and the business thrives as a result of the working families we support in our business.

We also believe that there is so much more to be done to reinforce the true drivers of pay equality  such as paid maternity and paternity leave, quality on-site childcare, and a family-supportive work environment  which allow working moms and dads to continue to grow their family, career and income with equal opportunity. Patagonia commits to continuing to build on the progress weve made and supporting working families through every avenue possible as we continue to grow our business in line with the values we were founded on.

Women will never be able to effectively lean in without the proper economic, social and community support for the most critical work of all: raising children.

-Rose Marcario  CEO, Patagonia

Target: At Target, we believe diversity and inclusivity make teams and Target better. We work to create a diverse and inclusive working environment and cultivate an inclusive guest experience, building a better Target for our team members and guests  and a better society for all.

Target is honored to sign the White House Equal Pay Pledge and affirm our commitment to making pay equitable for everyone at Target, including women in the workplace. To achieve our goal of pay equity, weve implemented meaningful business practices, including continued leadership training designed, in part, to reduce the likelihood that leaders decisions are improperly influenced by bias or stereotyping. We also use other internal measures, such as a comprehensive annual pay audit process, to ensure compensation is fair and equitable across the organization.

Additionally, earlier this year, Target CEO Brian Cornell joined PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi to co-chair the Network of Executive Womens Future Fund  an industry-wide campaign aimed at achieving 50/50 gender parity in the workforce. Weve also earned a spot on the list for the Top Companies for Executive Women from the National Association for Female Executives for the past four years.

We are proud of our internal initiatives and external partnerships, and we remain committed to improving pay processes and policies that ensure equality and fairness for all.

Unilever: At Unilever, we strive to create a bright future and believe business has a critical part to play in closing the national gender gap. As part of our Unilever Sustainable Living Plan - which is our blueprint to grow our business, while decoupling our environmental footprint from our growth and increasing our positive social impact - we have the ambition to empower the lives of five million women by 2020.

Unilever is in a strong position to help empower women around the world: over 70% of our consumers are women and they play essential roles in our value chain. Unilever is proud to take the Equal Pay Pledge and confirm our commitment to gender equality. We consider the advancement of womens economic inclusion a business priority and by promoting the formal and active participation of women in the economywe aim to transform lives, families, communities and economies and in turn, have the opportunity to grow our markets, brands and business.

Over the past six years, Unilever has been in the process of making sure we have gender balance throughout our business. We are currently at 49% gender balance for managers and above in North America and continue to strive to foster an environment where each individual feels uniquely valued and has equal opportunities.

Unilever is committed to creating a working environment that promotes diversity and equal opportunity. We are proud to have developed an inclusive culture and respect the contribution of all employees regardless of gender, age, race, disability or sexual orientation.

Visa: Universal acceptance for everyone, everywhere is not only our brand promise, its the foundation of our company culture. Diversity and inclusion is a strategic imperative at Visa, and it requires equal pay for equal work. We regularly review our compensation practices and conduct thorough analyses to ensure pay equity.

An inclusive workplace enhances and enriches our environment, successfully drives business results and leads to improved leadership effectiveness and employee engagement. We will continue to take meaningful steps to make progress in this important journey. And were proud to sign this pledge as way of affirming our commitment to pay equity for our female employees in the U.S.
National Park Service Announces Senior Leadership Changes

Washington, DC - Today, National Park Service(NPS) Director Jonathan B. Jarvis announced new members of his senior leadership team, following the retirement and departure of several key leaders.

Last month, Peggy O'Dell, Deputy Director of Operations, retired after a 37-year career with the NPS. O'Dell began her career as a seasonal interpreter at Jefferson National Expansion Memorial while attending college at the University of Missouri St. Louis where she earned a B.A. in History. In 1982, she resigned from the NPS to follow her husband, Ben, to Olympic National Park and to raise their children. They transferred to Ozark National Scenic Riverways in 1985 and O'Dell returned to the National Park Service to manage the park's interpretation and education programs. Prior to serving as the Deputy Director of Operations, she was the Regional Director for the NPS's National Capital Region.

Earlier this year, Vic Knox, Associate Director of Park Planning, Facilities, and Lands retired after a 38-year career with the NPS. Knox also served as the Deputy Regional Director in the Alaska Regional Office and as the NPS Utah State Coordinator, managing support of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Knox started his NPS career with the NPS Denver Service Center, providing on-site construction project management in many parks, including Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Zion, Mesa Verde, and Sequoia national parks.

"Peggy and Vic were outstanding leaders who helped lift the National Park Service to new heights in the preparation for and celebration of our 100th anniversary," said Director Jarvis. "We will begin our next century better ready to meet the challenges ahead, thanks to their incredible contributions."

Director Jarvis also announced the following new appointments to his senior leadership team:

Michael Reynolds as Deputy Director, Operations

Shawn Benge as Associate Director of Park Planning, Facilities, and Lands

April Slayton as Assistant Director, Communications

Tom Crosson as Chief of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson

Donald Leadbetter as National Tourism Program Manager

"Looking ahead to our second century of service, the senior leadership team will bring an innovative and engaging approach to accomplishing the mission of the National Park Service," said Director Jarvis. "Mike, Shawn, April, Tom and Donny bring a diverse set of skills that will help us meet the challenges and opportunities ahead."

Mike Reynolds, Deputy Director, Operations

Mike Reynolds, a 30-year NPS veteran and a third-generation employee, replaces O'Dell as the Deputy Director of Operations. Reynolds previously served as the Associate Director for Workforce and Inclusion. Reynolds also served as the Regional Director in the NPS's Midwest Region, managing 60 national parks that span 13 states and welcome more than 20 million visitors each year. As Deputy Director of Operations, Reynolds will manage the bureau's annual budget of $2.8 billion and more than 22,000 employees that serve in 413 national parks and offices around the nation. He will oversee every aspect of park operations, including the preservation and protection of 84 million acres, 167 million museum objects, 27,000 historic structures, and more than 169,000 miles of rivers and streams, as well as recreation, education, and hospitality services for the more than 300 million people who visit national parks every year, generating $12 billion in local economic impacts. Additionally, Reynolds will have responsibility for the NPS's community-based historic preservation programs from the National Register of Historic Places, to national heritage areas, to a tax credit program that annually leverages more than $5 billion in private investment to rehabilitate historic buildings for new uses.

Shawn Benge as Associate Director of Park Planning, Facilities, and Lands

Benge has 28 years of experience with the NPS. Prior to his current assignment, he was the Southeast Region Deputy Regional Director/Chief of Staff, providing operational leadership to parks in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He served as the primary bureau official responsible for managing NPS oil spill response activities associated with Deepwater Horizon. As the Associate Director of Park Planning, Facilities, and Lands, Benge provides leadership, policy development, program accountability, and budget formulation in the functional areas of park planning and development;special resource studies;land acquisition and related real estate operations;facility and infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance.

April Slayton, Assistant Director, Communications

April Slayton joined the NPS in February 2014 as the Chief of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson. Prior to joining the NPS, Slayton served with the U.S. Department of State at the United States Embassy in Australia, where she was chief of staff for the U.S. ambassador. Her previous work includes communications director and press secretary for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, and public affairs specialist with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. As Assistant Director for Communications, she is the bureau's's top strategic communications executive responsible for NPS national public affairs, web and digital communications.

Tom Crosson, Chief of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson

Tom Crosson joins the NPS from the United States Air Force where he served in a variety of assignments since 1996. His last assignment was as a Department of Defense spokesperson for homeland defense and domestic operations matters. As Chief of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson, he is responsible for the development, implementation and management of national communications strategies for the NPS while providing guidance to public affairs officers at its 413 parks and community assistance programs across the country.

Donald Leadbetter, National Tourism Program Manager

Donald Leadbetter has spent more than 16 years working in the tourism and hospitality sectors, including five years with the NPS's Commercial Services and centennial programs. Leadbetter began his career with the NPS in 2011 when he joined the Commercial Services Program, where he represented NPS at a variety of travel and tourism industry forums, and collaborated with concessioners and tourism partners on a range of visitor services issues. Since 2014, he has served in the Centennial Office, coordinating centennial programs and promotions with a variety of partners, including the National Park Foundation, Brand USA, the Southeast Tourism Society, the U.S. Travel Association, National Geographic, and the United States Mint. In his new position, Leadbetter will strengthen the agency's collaborative relationships with the travel and tourism sector to facilitate and promote sustainable tourism to national parks. Based in Washington, DC, he will also serve as a national point of contact for the tourism industry.
Special Envoy for Climate Change Travel to Cairo, Dubai, New Delhi, and Mumbai

Washington, DC - U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Dr. Jonathan Pershing travels August 27 - September 4 to Egypt, United Arab Emirates, and India.

On August 27-29, Special Envoy Pershing travels to Cairo, Egypt and Dubai, United Arab Emirates where he meets with government officials in both countries to discuss next steps to address global climate change, including: rapid entry-into-force of the Paris Agreement, implementation of countries Nationally Determined Contributions, mobilizing private sector finance for low-carbon climate resilient solutions and clean energy, and climate adaptation and resilience. With this years UNFCCC annual climate conference, COP-22, being held in Morocco in November, it is an important opportunity to highlight and encourage continued commitment to the climate agenda from leaders across Africa and the Middle East.



On August 29, Special Envoy Pershing will travel to New Delhi, India for the U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) to discuss opportunities for continued leadership by both sides in implementing the Paris Agreement and in other multilateral climate fora as well as the importance of climate and clean energy cooperation in the U.S.-India relationship. Special Envoy Pershing will co-chair the U.S.-India Joint Working Group on Combating Climate Change on August 31 on the margins of the S&CD to review the progress made in the bilateral relationship on climate resilience, air quality, forestry, capacity building and clean energy, and to discuss opportunities for future collaboration in support of shared climate priorities.



On September 2, Special Envoy Pershing will travel to Mumbai, India for meetings with members of the finance sector on how to catalyze investment in clean energy.
Watch: Man's Fire Stunt Goes Horribly Wrong, Beard Up in Flames
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Bahrain Islamic Bank is seeking to sell about 82m dinars (166m) of unproductive assets such as land and shares as part of a five-year plan to boost growth.

The lender sold 14m dinars-worth of these assets in the first half and plans the sale of a similar amount in the remainder of the year as it focuses on its main lending business, the banks chief executive has said.

Bahrain Islamic Bank has appointed an external adviser to dispose of all non-core investments, including properties and shares in associate companies, Hassan Jarrar said.

Recommended Read more Brexit vote sees UK credit rating downgraded to AA negative by Fitch

The main new challenge in Bahrain  and the region  is liquidity, which is causing a spike in the cost of funding in the local currency, Mr Jarrar said. The rates banks pay now on Bahraini dinars can be as high as double that of the US dollar rates.

S&P Global Ratings downgraded Bahrain in February because its vulnerability to slumping oil prices has increased since 2009, while government spending has risen in response to the global economic crisis and civil unrest.

Fitch Ratings expects Bahrains general government debt to rise to almost 80 per cent of GDP this year, from 62 per cent in 2015, and sees the budget deficit widening to 15.4 per cent of economic output from 14.8 per cent.

Bahrain Islamic Bank, in which state-controlled National Bank of Bahrain is the biggest shareholder, plans to boost revenue by 20 to 25 per cent annually, achieve a return on equity of 15 per cent to 16 per cent and cut its cost-to-income ratio to mid-40 per cent from 60 per cent over two years, Mr Jarrar said.

The corporate and commercial business is a new focus, where financing increased 22 per cent in the first-half, while lending at its main retail segment grew 9 per cent, he added.

Bahrains real estate sector is vibrant and investment is returning, Mr Jarrar said. Prices of land, residences, hospitality and some retail-oriented properties are back to well above pre-crisis levels.

 Bloomberg
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The mother of British backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung has criticised coverage of her daughter's death, saying attempts to link it to Islam were "nonsense".

Ms Ayliffe-Chung, 21, was fatally stabbed on Tuesday after being attacked at the hostel she was staying in.

The 21-year-old from Wirksworth in Derbyshire was working on a farm in Home Hill, in Queensland, in order to fulfil requirements for her Australian visa when she was attacked.

Her mother, Rosie Ayliffe, said: "My brother asked me what I would do or say in a hypothetical world if I could meet Mia's killer. Much nonsense is being spoken in the press about her alleged killer. The Sky engineer who visited yesterday said, Well we know what that was about, it was that Moslemic terrorism.

"The Frenchman being held on suspicion of my daughter's murder is not an Islamic fundamentalist  he has never set foot in a mosque.

"It appears he wasn't allowed to appear in court this week because of safety concerns.

Rosie Ayliffe (L) and her daughter Mia (Rosie Ayliffe)

"Forgiveness and reparation are absolutely key, or violence escalates into something uncontrollable. And the person who killed Mia now has to live with the fact that they destroyed my daughter. If they feel no remorse, then surely they're a monster in human form, and what kind of life is that?

"At the moment the only way I can really cope with our loss is to think, Mia's time had come, and what happened in that hostel on Tuesday was her fate."

Mrs Ayliffe will write a blog for the Independent every day for the next week as she prepares to travel to Australia to collect Mia's ashes.

Smail Ayad, 29, has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

Police are investigating reports that the Frenchman had an unrequited romantic interest or an "obsession" with Miss

His case has been adjourned until 28 October.
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The brother of Olympic gold medalist Mo Farah has said he fears for his life if he is deported to Somalia.

Ahmed Farah, 27, moved to the UK with his brother and their parents aged two. He could now be made to return to Somalia over his false imprisonment conviction for his role in a knife raid.

The warehouse worker, who received a four-and-a-half year jail sentence, said he was a horrible person at the time he committed his crime but claimed prison has reformed him.

I cant go back to where Mo and I were born  it is too dangerous, he told the Mirror.

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.

Im scared I would end up dead. I feel theres no hope for me.

I am afraid for my life. I have no roots in Somalia. People would kill me, because Im different. They would not class me as their own."

Ahmed, who lives in West London, says he has not spoken to Mo, 33, who lives in the US, since he left the family home to become an athlete.

He was released early from prison in 2014 but told he could face deportation because of his conviction. He says legal hearings have been delayed and he has no idea when he could be sent back to Somalia.

A spokesperson for the Home Office told the Independent it does not routinely comment on individual cases.

This Government puts the rights of the British public before those of criminals, and foreign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes in the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them.
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Scientists have raised concerns about the increasing privatisation of academic research once the UK leaves the European Union, after it emerged two multinational pesticide manufacturers have given millions of pounds to universities.

The firms, Bayer and Syngenta, which both sell neonicotinoid insecticides linked to harmful effects on bees, gave a combined total of 16.1m to 70 British universities to fund a range of research projects between 2011 and 2016, according to figures obtained under Freedom of Information Act by Greenpeace. Of this, about 2.6m was spent on plant sciences, including research into pesticides.

Leading bee scientists expressed concern that such private funding could create a conflict of interest for academics and warned that after Brexit a potential shortage of public money for science could force universities to seek more finance from the private sector.

Neonicotinoids were once thought to have little or no negative effects on the environment because they are used in low doses and as a seed coating, rather than being sprayed.

But evidence has been mounting that the chemicals do harm bees  important pollinators of food crops  with one recent study linking their use to large-scale population extinctions.

As a result, neonicotinoids have been banned by the EU although they can still be used under licence.

However both firms deny there is evidence to show the pesticides cause a significant problem for bees.

According to Bayers website, academics who reviewed 15 years of research found no adverse effects to bee colonies were ever observed in field studies.

And Syngenta says: Many years of independent monitoring prove that when used properly  as they consistently are  neonicotinoids do not damage the health of bee populations.

Between 2011 and 2016, the figures obtained from the 70 universities  about half the total in the UK  show Bayer gave 9m to fund research, including more than 345,000 on plant sciences. Syngenta spent nearly 7.1m, including just under 2.3m on plant sciences.

Ben Stewart, of Greenpeace UKs "Brexit response team", said the decline in bee populations was a major environmental and food security concern.

Its causes need to be properly investigated to give us a chance to stop it, he said.

But for this research to command public confidence, it needs to be independent and impartial, which is why public funding is so crucial. You wouldnt want lung cancer studies to be heavily reliant on funds from tobacco firms, nor research on pesticides to be dependent on the companies making them.

He called on the Government to ensure scientists had access to the same level of funding after Brexit.

As Brexit threatens to cut off vital public funds for this scientific field, our universities need a cast-iron guarantee from our Government that EU money will not be replaced by corporate cash, Mr Stewart added.

Dr Christopher Connolly, a Dundee University neurobiologist who studies pesticides effects on bees, said there was nothing wrong with working with industry  especially in medicine. But he said he was concerned that the independence of British academics could be undermined if private money became all important to universities, particularly after Brexit.

Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Show all 12 1 /12 Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Brexit protest: Thousands march in London A woman poses with a home-made European Union flag as Remain supporters gather on Park Lane in London to show their support for the EU in the wake of Brexit PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Remain supporters demonstrate in Parliament Square PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Tens of thousands of people gathered to protest the result of the EU referendum PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London A majority of people in the capital voted to remain in the European Union Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Protesters chanted: What do we want to do? Stay in the EU PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The march follows a similar rally in Trafalgar Square that was cancelled due to heavy rain  but which tens of thousands of people turned up to anyway Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum by 52 per cent to 48 per cent Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London But support for the Leave campaign in urban areas and among young people was significantly lower Rex features Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Marchers gathered at Park Lane at 11am and marched towards Parliament Square PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Some protesters held up baguettes in a display of affection for our continental neighbours PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The disparity between different parts of the country has promoted a four million signature petition calling for a second referendum and even a renewed push for Scotland to cede from the UK PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The events organiser, Kings College graduate Kieran MacDermott, wrote: We can prevent Brexit by refusing to accept the referendum as the final say and take our finger off the self-destruct button" Reuters

The opportunities will be greater for industry as the loss of EU research funding will be crippling to the UK, he said.

If that was the only major source of research funding that was coming, it wouldnt be long before we ended up like the US, where they are very heavily dependent on industry relationships. The UK doesnt fund enough research so researchers have to rely on industry and its getting worse and worse.

He was scathing about Bayer and Syngentas claims that neonicotinoids did not harm bees.

People say its a controversial area, but its not really, Dr Connolly said. Independent scientists tend not to disagree. Its industry that tends to be saying they are safe.

Professor Dave Goulson, a Sussex University biologist who specialises in bumblebees and is the author of the best-selling book A Sting in the Tale, also said there were plenty of examples where it was good for industry to work with academics.

But clearly there are instances where it is not appropriate, particularly if the funding is coming from industry and its to study the safety of their own products, products they may be making literally billions from selling, he said.

If you do get money from industry, you are kind of under pressure to keep them sweet so they will give you more money. You will inevitably feel under some pressure to please them, to give them what they want. It creates a conflict of interest.

Professor Joyce Tait, a social scientist at Edinburgh University who studies agriculture and other issues, carried out a study into regulation of the agrochemical industry in 2013, funded by the Governments Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and Syngenta.

She told The Independent she had received 20,000 from each.

Professor Tait said the resulting report discussed how the EU dealt with genetically modified crops, which Syngenta makes.

It wasnt biased in favour of Syngenta but it was at the end of the day critical of the political biases that were very clear within the EU regulatory system [against GM crops], she said, adding that EU politicians had ignored expert advice from the European Food Safety Authority.

She stressed the ESRC would not have tolerated a report that was skewed in favour of Syngenta.

If there was any obvious bias, they [the ESRC] would have wanted to pick it up, she said. Syngenta didnt have any say in what we reported. They werent pressuring us to bring it out in their favour.

Professor Tait added that she believed the balance of the evidence is now shifting more towards, yes, the neonicotinoids do have an impact on at least some bee species and we probably need to do something about that.

Syngenta did not respond to a request for comment by The Independent.

Dr Julian Little, of Bayer, said he did not have the total figure for the firms spending on research in the UK, but said it had given more than 1m to fund research into neonicotinoids effects on bees by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) in Oxfordshire.

It was also involved in 40 different projects with 23 universities and tended to be funding 12 to 15 PhD students at any one time, he said.

Dr Little, who said the CEH research would be published later this year, stressed they were only interested in the best science  even if it found evidence that might cause the company a problem.

Ive not met too many academics who say what result would you like, he said. We want to work with the best people, the ones that really know their stuff.

The people we work with are the best people and they are fiercely independent. I cannot believe for a moment any one of them would go oh I better not say that, just in case the company doesnt like it.
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Child protection campaigners have called for greater safeguarding within schools, after it was revealed that more than 1,000 rapes and sexual assaults have been recorded at London schools and nurseries over the past four years.

Figures obtained by the Evening Standard show that 83 rapes alleged to have taken place in schools or nurseries in London were reported to the police, along with 921 other incidents of sexual assault.

A Freedom of Information request found that more than 15 per cent of the rape allegations were reported in Croydon, where 13 rapes were recorded.

 Sexual violence in schools

Recommended Read more Children as young as seven sexually assaulted at refugee camps

Eight rapes were reported in Haringey and another seven in Lewisham over the four-year period.

The highest number of sexual assaults was recorded in Lewisham, where 50 cases were recorded. Another 46 were reported in Greenwich and 45 in the borough of Newham.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman stressed that although the crimes had taken place in schools, the victims were not necessarily pupils but could be parents, teachers, or other members of staff or trespassers.

It was also noted that any crimes which happen within the school grounds could also be included in the data.

Due to protection issues, police were unable to provide a breakdown of cases by school year or provide any information on the age or gender of the victims, the paper reported.

In response to the figures, an NSPCC spokesman said: Schools should be safe places where pupils can fulfil their potential, so its disturbing that so many children have been victims of sexual crimes.

These figures should be a wake-up call to all schools to review their safeguarding procedures and ensure all pupils feel able to speak out and seek help whenever they need it.

All children need to be educated about what sexual abuse is and how to get help immediately if they or someone they know has suffered an attack at school.

The NSPCC is proactively addressing this issue in the capital's schools through its 'Speak out Stay Safe' initiative which is designed to give primary school children the knowledge and understanding they need to stay safe from abuse.

Last year it was reported that police investigated 645 alleged rapes in schools nationwide over a three-year period.

The report revealed a total of 5,500 reported sex crimes in classrooms and playgrounds between 2012 and 2015.Crimes recorded as sexual offences can include incidents such as sexting, non-consensual touching and indecent exposure.

A Department for Education spokesman said: Incidents of crime in schools are very rare. Any offence, however, must be reported to the police. No young person should feel unsafe or suffer harassment in any circumstance.

We regularly issue safeguarding guidance to schools and Ofsted checks that schools have robust procedures in place to ensure the safety of children as part of its inspections."
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Asda is to put up signs in 421 UK stores raising awareness of 'hidden disabilites'.

The signs, placed on accessible toilet doors, will urge customers to remember not all disabilities are visible. They are intended to make people with conditions like Crohn's disease, autism, anxiety, and inflammatory bowel disease feel they can use disabled facilities without facing criticism from other shoppers.

"We want to make sure all our customers feel comfortable using our facilities  including those with disabilities that arent always obvious," a spokesperson for the supermarket said.

The supermarket, which is a subsidiary of American retail giant Walmart, announced signs will be placed in the majority of its 525 stores after charities praised a single sign placed in a store in Newark, East Midlands.

A photograph of the original sign was shared on Facebook by Crohns and Colitis UK in early August and has been liked over 10,000 times.

The reminder to the public was inspired by the experience of artist Tonya Glennester and her five-year-old daughter Evalynn, an Asda spokesperson said.

Ms Glennester assisted Evalynn, who has ADHD and autism, in using the disabled toilet in store, but was questioned on leaving the cubicle by another customer who said they 'didn't look disabled'.

Evalynn can be affected by the noise of the hand dryer as well as queues and crowds of people, said Ms Glennester, who is a member of a local autism support group.

It can cause a sensory reaction causing her to become upset or have aggressive outbursts, so the accessible toilet gives us a little more space and privacy.

When we walked out there were two customers waiting, one in a wheelchair, and they disagreed that I should be using the toilet. I also suffer from health issues that can cause pain, chronic fatigue, bowel pain and balance problems meaning I often have to use the hand rails. We were both really upset and left the store but I decided to speak to the manager because I know there are so many stories like ours.

The original sign in a Newark store (Facebook)

After the sign was shared online, other people with disabilities that aren't always visible said they had had similar experiences.

A spokesperson for Crohn's and Colitis UK said, "For many people with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), the sudden and uncontrollable need to use a toilet is a genuine and recognised symptom of their condition. Whilst they may not look ill on the outside they are affected from debilitating symptoms that affect all aspects of their lives.

Many members of the charity feel that they are judged for using accessible toilets because others perceive them to be well and not entitled to use the facilities. The experience or fear of faecal incontinence is, as you can imagine, very undermining to a persons confidence and self-esteem."

They added the charity hopes more businesses will follow suit and help the public to be aware of invisible diseases.

The group is running a campaign to have other supermarkets put up the same signs on their accessible toilet doors. Supporters have so far sent over 11,000 emails urging bosses at Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsburys, and Waitrose to follow Asda's example.

7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Show all 7 1 /7 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Closing Remploy factories The Work and Pensions Secretary called time on Britains system of Remploy factories, which provided subsidised and sheltered employment to disabled people. People employed at the factories protested against their closure and said they provided gainful work. Is it a kindness to stick people in some factory where they are not doing any work at all? Just making cups of coffee? Mr Duncan Smith said at the time, defending the decision. I promise you this is better. The Remploy organisation was privatised and sold to American workfare provider Maximus, with the majority of the organisations factories closed. The future of the remaining sites is unclear 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Scrapping the Independent Living Fund The 320m Independent Living Fund was established in 1988 to give financial support to people with disabilities. It was scrapped on July 1 2015, with 18,000 often severely disabled people losing out by an average of 300 a week. The money was generally used to help pay for carers so people could live in communities rather than institutions. Councils will get a boost in funding to compensate but it will not cover the whole cost of the fund. This new cash also doesnt have to be spent on the disabled 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut payments for the disabled Access To Work scheme Iain Duncan Smith is bringing forward a policy that will reduce payments to some disabled people from a scheme designed to help them into work. The 108m scheme, which helps 35,540 people, will be capped on a per-used basis, potentially hitting those with the more serious disabilities who currently receive the most help. The single biggest users of the fund are people who have difficulty seeing and hearing. The cut will come in from October 2015. The charity Disability UK says the scheme actually makes the Government money because the people who gain access to work tend pay tax that more than covers its cost. The DWP does not describe the reduction as a cut and says it will be able to spread the money more thinly and cover more people 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Cut Employment and Support Allowance The latest Budget included a 30 a week cut in disability benefits for some new claimants of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA). The Government says it is equalising the rate of disability benefits with Jobseekers Allowance because giving disabled people more help is a perverse incentive. The people affected by this cut are those assessed as having a limited capability for work but as being capable of some work-related activity. A group of prominent Catholics wrote to Mr Duncan Smith to say there was no justification for this cut. Mental health charity Mind, said the cut was insulting and misguided 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Risk homelessness with a sharp increase disability benefit sanctions Official figures in the first quarter of 2014 found a huge increase in sanctions against people reliant on ESA sickness benefit. The 15,955 sanctions were handed out in that period compared to 3,574 in the same period the year before, 2013  a 4.5 times increase. The homelessness charity Crisis warned at the time that the sharp rise in temporary benefit cuts was cruel and can leave people utterly destitute  without money even for food and at severe risk of homelessness. It is difficult to see how they are meant to help people prepare for work, Matt Downie, director of policy at the charity added 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people Sending sick people to work because of broken fitness to work tests In 2012 a government advisor appointed to review the Governments Work Capability Assessment said the tests causing suffering by sending sick people back to work inappropriately. There are certainly areas where it's still not working and I am sorry there are people going through a system which I think still needs improvement, Professor Malcolm Harrington concluded. The tests are said to have improved since then, but as recently as this summer they are still coming in for criticism. In June the British Psychological Society said there was now significant body of evidence that the WCA is failing to assess peoples fitness for work accurately and appropriately. It called for a full overhaul of the way the tests are carried out. The WCA appeals system has also been fraught with controversy with a very high rate of overturns and delays lasting months and blamed for hardship 7 ways the Tories have helped disabled people The bedroom tax The Governments benefit cut for people who it says are under-occupying their homes disproportionately affects disabled people. Statistics released last year show that around two-thirds of those affected by the under-occupancy penalty, widely known as the bedroom tax, are disabled. There have been a number of high profile cases of disabled people being moved out of specially adapted homes by the policy. In one case publicised by the Sunday People last week, a 48 year old man with cerebral palsy was forced to bathe in a paddling pool after the tax moved him out of his home with a walk-in shower. The Government says it has provided councils with a discretionary fund to help reduce the policys impact on disabled people, but cases continue to arise

Sue Bott, the deputy CEO of Disability Rights UK, also praised the move.

We support Asda putting signs on the doors of accessible toilets stating that not all disabilities are visible, she said.

It will help to take the stigma away from those who may need to use such toilets for reasons other than having a mobility impairment and which are not obvious for example people who have bowel and bladder problems.
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An autistic boy has received tens of thousands of birthday cards from strangers all over the world, after his mother made a public appeal.

Karen Jones, 49, from Exmouth, posted a request for help on Facebook after her son Ollie told her he loved opening cards and had made his own to open on his 15th birthday.

Writing on a community page, she said: Hes just told me he love opening cards to [the] extent hes made himself a couple.

We are a small family and he has no friends so gets very few.

Recommended Read more Pokemon Go used in classrooms to help autistic children

By Ollies birthday on Saturday, his mother said he had received some 20,000 cards, messages and presents from people all over the world who had seen her plea.

For comparison, the Queen is estimated to have received 17,000 cards for her 90th birthday this year.

Speaking to the Independent, she said she took Ollie to a family friend's house for his birthday.

"He sat in a hot tub with his new selfie-stick and said: 'mum, I'm famous'".

Ms Jones, who is a voluntary support worker for parents of autism, spoke of how positively her family had been affected by the widespread act of kindness.

Having autism means her son struggles with processing, she added, which affects his verbal and academic communication.

"I'd love to thank everyone and remind people that there are 'Ollies' everywhere," she said.

Autistic boy receives 20,000 birthday cards after mother posts public plea Show all 5 1 /5 Autistic boy receives 20,000 birthday cards after mother posts public plea Autistic boy receives 20,000 birthday cards after mother posts public plea Ollie Jones told his mother he had written himself two cards to open on his own birthday Karen Jones Autistic boy receives 20,000 birthday cards after mother posts public plea Ollie, 15, receiving his birthday messages Karen Jones Autistic boy receives 20,000 birthday cards after mother posts public plea Ollie received an estimated 20,000 cards for his 15th birthday from strangers all over the world Karen Jones Autistic boy receives 20,000 birthday cards after mother posts public plea Karen Jones Autistic boy receives 20,000 birthday cards after mother posts public plea Karen Jones

"Some people might think it's just a card - but to us it's massive. Sending cards can bring so much joy".

Boxes of post began arriving to the Jones's on Thursday, and boxes are said to still be incoming from strangers as far as Cyprus, Crete and Australia.

Speaking to the Plymouth Herald, Ollie said: No one gives me birthday cards, just me.

It's fab, amazing and fun - but not so many next year please.

Ms Jones said: My son made two birthday cards.

He has no friends because of his autism and when I saw he had made the cards it pulled my heart strings.

I thought maybe we could just try to get him a few extra cards this year.

When droves of cards and messages began to arrive, she said it brought tears to the eyes".

It was a lump in the throat moment, she said. All I can say is thank you, the kindness, love and goodwill of everyone has been phenomenal.

The Facebook message has been shared more than 25,000 times and attracted thousands of comments from well-wishers using the hashtag #cards4ollie.

One well-wisher from Saudi Arabia sent the teenager an X-Box, and another has offered the family a weekend away.

Jane Harris, Director of External Affairs at the National Autistic Society, said: This story shows how small acts of kindness can make a huge difference to the lives of autistic people and their families.

Over one in one hundred people are autistic in the UK, and many find it hard to communicate with and form relationships with other people. But no-one should fall for the myth that autistic people are loners or prefer to spend time on their own; many want to have friends but struggle to do so because of difficulties understanding the social world.

If anyone is unsure how best to communicate with someone on the autistic spectrum, the simple answer is to ask them or someone who knows them well, whether a family member, friend or professional.
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Two pilots have been arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol as they prepared to fly a transatlantic passenger jet from Scotland to the US.

Concerns were reportedly raised over the pilots before the 9am United Airlines UA162 flight to Newark, New Jersey, was due to depart from Glasgow Airport on Saturday.

Police said the two men - aged 35 and 45 - were arrested and detained in police custody.

The flight, carrying 141 passengers, eventually took off on Saturday evening with a new crew on board.

The men are expected to appear at Paisley Sheriff Court on Monday.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: Police Scotland can confirm that two men aged 35 and 45 have been arrested and are presently detained in police custody in connection with alleged offences under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, Section 93.

The section of the Act relates to carrying out pilot function or activity while exceeding the prescribed limit of alcohol.

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport added: We are aware of the police incident yesterday involving two pilots.

The incident follows the appearance in court last month of two Canadian pilots charged with being drunk as they prepared to fly a passenger jet from Scotland to Toronto.

Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were arrested on Monday July 18 before they were due to take off on the Air Transat flight from Glasgow Airport.

The worst airports in the world, according to pilots Show all 10 1 /10 The worst airports in the world, according to pilots The worst airports in the world, according to pilots Los Angeles (LAX), US Rex Features The worst airports in the world, according to pilots Kathmandu (KTM), Nepal The worst airports in the world, according to pilots Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), France The worst airports in the world, according to pilots Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), Philippines The worst airports in the world, according to pilots Chicago (ORD), US The worst airports in the world, according to pilots Heathrow (LHR), UK The worst airports in the world, according to pilots Pyongyang Sunan International Airport (FNJ), North Korea The worst airports in the world, according to pilots Sao Paulo-Congonhas Airport (CGH), Brazil The worst airports in the world, according to pilots La Guardia Airport (LGA), New York City, US The worst airports in the world, according to pilots Madrid-Bajaras (MAD), Spain

The men were remanded in custody when they first appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court, also charged under section 93 of the same Act.

At a second hearing at the same court they were granted bail on condition they surrender their passports.

Section 93 of the Railway and Transport Safety Act states: A person commits an offence if he performs an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit, or he carries out an activity which is ancillary to an aviation function at a time when the proportion of alcohol in his breath, blood or urine exceeds the prescribed limit.

For pilots, the limit of alcohol in the case of breath is nine microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres, according to the Act.
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A 17-year-old has died after taking drugs at Leeds Festival.

West Yorkshire Police said they believe the teenager collapsed immediately after taking the drugs while at the site in Bramham Park near Wetherby.

Staff at the music festival called the emergency services at 4:45pm on Saturday after the boy became ill.

He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition where he later died.

Two other 17-year-olds have been arrested on suspicion of drug offences and are currently in police custody.

Leeds Festivals Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Keith Gilert said: "Our thoughts are naturally with the family of the young man at this time.

"They were made aware of the incident by officers as soon as possible and were assisted to attend the hospital as quickly as possible. We will continue to support them through this difficult time".

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters 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

He urged festival goers to avoid taking drugs as they was "no safe way" to get high: "Taking any illegal drug carries a risk to health and we would always advise people against it, but I would ask that people are particularly conscious of the risks following this young mans death.

"In partnership with the organisers, Festival Republic, we will continue to take action against those who risk the lives of others by supplying drugs."

Leeds Festival, which takes place simultaneously with Reading Festival, is on its third day and will see acts like Biffy Clyro and Fall Out Boy playing on the main stage later today.
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Police officers with special skills for recognising the faces of offenders will be monitoring Notting Hill Carnival in a crackdown on crime.

The "super-recognisers" will be inside a CCTV control room seeking out both offenders committing crimes and anyone with bail conditions which ought to stop them from attending the event.

It is one of a number of measures the Met will be taking to ensure visitors from all over the country can stay safe and enjoy themselves during the carnival, which will be marking its 50th anniversary on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday.

 Notting Hill Carnival - All you need to know

Sunday will start at 10.30am with the colourful parade for Children's Day, and Monday will be the traditional Grand Finale.

The force will also be trialling a facial recognition system to help identify wanted offenders, by using cameras which scan the faces of those passing by and flag up potential matches against a database of custody images.

London's "threat level" has been set at "severe" for some time now and the police are urging all those planning to attend the carnival to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious.

Over the last week, police have arrested 215 people they believe planned to use the carnival as a cover for committing crime or violence. More than 200 search warrants were also made.

Although the arrests were mostly for drugs-related offences, officers have also taken six firearms and 50 rounds of ammunition, as well as a number of knives and machetes from the streets. Three motor vehicles and 30,000 were also seized.

Superintendent Robyn Williams said: "This weekend is the highlight of the year, not only for the Caribbean community, but also for many visitors from London and the rest of the country.

"The Met has worked hard to ensure that Carnival is a safe and enjoyable weekend for everyone who attends and I would ask all carnival-goers to enjoy this family event and make sure that you follow officers' and stewards' instructions."

In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2015 In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Smiles remained the order of the day at Notting Hill Carnival in west London despite a bank holiday drenching for performers and spectators AFP/Getty In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Dancers make their way down Ladbroke Grove during the Notting Hill Carnival 2015 parade, in west London PA In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Notting Hill Carnival 2015 A performer poses for a photograph at the Notting Hill Carnival Reuters In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Performers dance at the Notting Hill Carnival Reuters In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Revellers dance at the Notting Hill Carnival Reuters In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Revellers dance on the street during the parade at Notting Hill Carnival Getty In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Notting Hill Carnival 2015 A costumed reveller performs in the Notting Hill Carnival in London AP In pictures: Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Notting Hill Carnival 2015 Performers at the Notting Hill carnival Rex Features

His tips for staying safe at the carnival include:

Checking public transport in advance using the TfL website to avoid stations which may be closed or exit-only;

Going with the flow of the crowd, instead of against it, even if police mark out a longer route. Officers will also be handing out maps of the area at the event;

Having a set meeting place in case you lose family or friends, rather than rely on mobile phones;

Avoiding bringing valuables or too much cash and always being conscious to keep them out of sight, to avoid tempting opportunistic thieves;

Staying alert all the way home, even when the party is over;

Police have also asked people to be on the lookout for a missing teenager, who they believe may attend the carnival;

Veronica Sbircea, 15, was last seen around Brixton Road in south London on the afternoon of Thursday July 28.

Veronica, who sometimes goes by the name of Rachel, went missing from Kettering, Northamptonshire, but is originally from London. She is described as white, 5ft and with long straight black hair and brown eyes.

Detective Inspector Stuart Hitchon of Northants Police said: "It's very concerning that for someone who is very active on social media and was seen on public transport several times in the 24 hours before she went missing, there is absolutely nothing since. This clear absence of any activity is very worrying and we really need her to make contact."

Press Association
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The German Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Roth has warned the U.K.s negotiations to leave the European Union will be very difficult and that Britain wont be allowed to cherry pick the best that the bloc has to offer.

If the British want full market access but want to limit the access of workers from Germany, France or Poland, they will find there is no a la carte cooperation in this direction, Roth, the government minister responsible for European affairs, said at a Berlin event Saturday. Weve told the British they cant expect to pick the best aspects of the EU and leave matters at that.

Germany is taking a leading role, with Chancellor Angela Merkel having spent the week canvassing opinion across Europe ahead of an EU summit without Britain.

She cited the twin challenges of security and economic growth as leaders prepare to meet in the Slovak capital of Bratislava on Sept. 16. Merkel, the leader of Europes biggest economy, began the week of shuttle diplomacy by meeting French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. She then headed to the Estonian capital of Tallinn, Prague and Warsaw before two more rounds of talks with fellow EU leaders in Berlin on Friday and Saturday.

People will accept Europe only if it holds out the promise of prosperity, Merkel told reporters on Friday in Warsaw. Britains exit isnt just some event, but rather a deep watershed in the history of European Union integration.

21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Show all 21 1 /21 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Portugal drinks more wine than France Tindo - Fotolia 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Young Italians, by some distance, are the most likely to live at home with their parents 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Britain is on course to overtake Germany as Europes most populated country 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Greek workers work the longest hours in the EU 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Estonia has, per capita, more drug-related deaths than anyone else 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe The fastest download speeds are to be found in Romania 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Slovenia, Malta and Poland have the smallest gender pay gaps 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe France hates its leader more than other European countries 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Eastern and Western Europe are very divided on the issue of gay marriage 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Germany has the most millionaires 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Everyone likes Christmas, apart from France 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Germany accepts by far the most asylum applications 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe The UK and France have some of the most positive views of Muslim people 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Europe's largest Muslim population is in Germany 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Danes are the most trusting Europeans, and Cypriots the least 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Finland has the worst economy in the EU 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Italy has cut back its military spending more than any other major European Nato member 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Everyone is sad about the refugee crisis 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe People in Spain are also the most likely to live in flats (Brits are most likely to live in houses) 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Spain is the most likely to feel neighbourly 21 maps and charts which will challenge perceptions of Europe Luxembourg is home to the highest proportion of foreign nationals

During her tour, Merkel faced pressure from eastern European countries to tighten barriers against migration, exposing differing priorities as the EU seeks to map the way forward after Britains vote in June to leave the 28-member bloc.

Romania and Polands leaders said Saturday at a joint press conference that the countries agreed their priority in negotiations with the U.K. is to make sure EU citizens, including Poles and Romanians living in U.K., keep their jobs and rights after Brexit talks conclude.

 How are Germans feeling about Brexit?

The EU has said negotiations with the U.K. wont start until Britain formally declares its intentions to leave the bloc. Roth said Germany is hopeful that Prime Minister Theresa Mays government will send us the letter soon so that Brexit discussions can begin, acknowledging that there is no blueprint in the drawer on a way forward.

Merkel and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble are likely to address the topic on Sunday. Schaeuble is scheduled to speak at an open house in Berlin, while Merkel is giving an extended interview to one of Germanys public television channels.

Copyright: Bloomberg
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Theresa May will gather her Cabinet ministers on Wednesday to discuss her plans for Brexit.

The Prime Minister has charged her top team with setting out the opportunities that leaving the European Union will create in each of their portfolios.

The Cabinet will meet at the Prime Minister's country retreat Chequers to discuss the next steps in the process amid speculation that Mrs May will implement Article 50 - triggering the two-year period leading to Brexit - without seeking the backing of Parliament.

6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Show all 6 1 /6 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you More expensive foreign holidays The first practical effect of a vote to Leave is that the pound will be worth less abroad, meaning foreign holidays will cost us more nito100 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you No immediate change in immigration status The Prime Minister will have to address other immediate concerns. He is likely to reassure nationals of other EU countries living in the UK that their status is unchanged. That is what the Leave campaign has said, so, even after the Brexit negotiations are complete, those who are already in the UK would be allowed to stay Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Higher inflation A lower pound means that imports would become more expensive. This is likely to mean the return of inflation  a phenomenon with which many of us are unfamiliar because prices have been stable for so long, rising at no more than about 2 per cent a year. The effect may probably not be particularly noticeable in the first few months. At first price rises would be confined to imported goods  food and clothes being the most obvious  but inflation has a tendency to spread and to gain its own momentum AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Interest rates might rise The trouble with inflation is that the Bank of England has a legal obligation to keep it as close to 2 per cent a year as possible. If a fall in the pound threatens to push prices up faster than this, the Bank will raise interest rates. This acts against inflation in three ways. First, it makes the pound more attractive, because deposits in pounds will earn higher interest. Second, it reduces demand by putting up the cost of borrowing, and especially by taking larger mortgage payments out of the economy. Third, it makes it more expensive for businesses to borrow to expand output Getty 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you Did somebody say recession? Mr Carney, the Treasury and a range of international economists have warned about this. Many Leave voters appear not to have believed them, or to think that they are exaggerating small, long-term effects. But there is no doubt that the Leave vote is a negative shock to the economy. This is because it changes expectations about the economys future performance. Even though Britain is not actually be leaving the EU for at least two years, companies and investors will start to move money out of Britain, or to scale back plans for expansion, because they are less confident about what would happen after 2018 AFP/Getty Images 6 ways Britain leaving the EU will affect you And we wouldnt even get our money back All this will be happening while the Prime Minister, whoever he or she is, is negotiating the terms of our future access to the EU single market. In the meantime, our trade with the EU would be unaffected, except that companies elsewhere in the EU may be less interested in buying from us or selling to us, expecting tariff barriers to go up in two years time. Whoever the Chancellor is, he or she may feel the need to bring in a new Budget Getty Images

A Downing Street source said Brexit was "top of the in tray" for Mrs May as she begins her first full week back at work in Westminster after her summer holiday in Switzerland.

The UK's future outside the EU will also be an issue as Mrs May travels to the G20 summit in China at the weekend.

It will be the Prime Minister's first international trip outside Europe and Mrs May will "use this opportunity to highlight the wealth of opportunities that will arise from Brexit", Downing Street insiders said.

Number 10 hopes the meeting with leaders of the world's richest nations will build on conversations Mrs May has already had with many of them about future trade deals.

Despite reports of a feud between the ministers in charge of the main Brexit departments - Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox - Mrs May will use the Cabinet meeting to compare the unity in Tory ranks with the chaos in the Labour Party.

Almost 50,000 people have joined the party since she became PM and the Tory conference in October has seen a record number of registrations.

Mrs May has resisted calls to take advantage of the disarray in Labour ranks by calling an early election, and a source insisted the Tory party was "ready to get on with the work of governing for the whole country".

Despite the pressing issue of Brexit, Mrs May is keen to ensure her administration is not defined by the European question.

 Theresa May says she has an 'open mind' over Brexit negotiations

She has already announced an audit of public services to root out racial disparities, ordering Whitehall departments to identify and publish information showing how outcomes vary for people of different backgrounds in a range of areas including health, education and employment.

On Thursday Mrs May will chair the first meeting of a new social reform committee, with housing and racial disparity on the agenda.

Ministers will also discuss the new industrial strategy, with Mrs May expected to set out her ambition for the UK to become the best country in the world for innovative firms and transforming scientific discoveries into successful businesses.
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German's economy minister has said that Britain should no be allowed to keep the "nice things" as it negotiates its departure from the European Union.

Sigmar Gabriel said that the world was watching how Britain manages Brexit and that Europe could go "down the drain" if things go badly.

"Brexit is bad but it won't hurt us as much economically as some fear. It's more of a psychological problem and it's a huge problem politically," Mr Gabriel said, noting that the world was now looking at Europe as an unstable continent.

"If we organise Brexit in the wrong way, then we'll be in deep trouble. So now we need to make sure that we don't allow Britain to keep the nice things, so to speak, related to Europe while taking no responsibility," he added.

His comments come amid growing tensions on the continent and in the UK.

Mr Gabriel said negotiations would be "very difficult" and that Britain would not be able to have both full access to the single market and limits on the freedom of movement of workers.

Theresa May has set her stall out as a "Brexit means Brexit" leader. A Eurosceptic who remained neutral during June's EU referendum, Ms May says her government will abide by the results of the vote and intends to open exit negotiations with EU colleagues next year.

But a meeting this Wednesday, in which ministers will discuss with the Prime Minister how to make a success of Brexit, comes in the face of opposition from civil servants and growing tensions among the senior ministers in charge of negotiations.

Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Show all 12 1 /12 Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Brexit protest: Thousands march in London A woman poses with a home-made European Union flag as Remain supporters gather on Park Lane in London to show their support for the EU in the wake of Brexit PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Remain supporters demonstrate in Parliament Square PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Tens of thousands of people gathered to protest the result of the EU referendum PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London A majority of people in the capital voted to remain in the European Union Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Protesters chanted: What do we want to do? Stay in the EU PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The march follows a similar rally in Trafalgar Square that was cancelled due to heavy rain  but which tens of thousands of people turned up to anyway Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Britain voted to leave the European Union in a referendum by 52 per cent to 48 per cent Reuters Brexit protest: Thousands march in London But support for the Leave campaign in urban areas and among young people was significantly lower Rex features Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Marchers gathered at Park Lane at 11am and marched towards Parliament Square PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London Some protesters held up baguettes in a display of affection for our continental neighbours PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The disparity between different parts of the country has promoted a four million signature petition calling for a second referendum and even a renewed push for Scotland to cede from the UK PA Brexit protest: Thousands march in London The events organiser, Kings College graduate Kieran MacDermott, wrote: We can prevent Brexit by refusing to accept the referendum as the final say and take our finger off the self-destruct button" Reuters

Leading pro-EU MPs have also stepped up pressure on Ms May to secure the "best possible relationship" with Brussels after Brexit. A cross-party alliance of former ministers issued a joint plea for the Prime Minister to resist "false choices", including on the issue of remaining in or quitting the European single market.

The UK has two years in which to formally negotiate its way out of the European Union once Article 50 is triggered.
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Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has called for Virgin's founder and CEO Sir Richard Branson to be stripped of his knighthood.

Mr McDonnell claimed the billionaire wanted to "undermine our democracy" after Virgin trains released footage disputing Mr Corbyn's claims about overcrowding on one of its services.

Writing in the Sunday Mirror, Mr McDonnell called for an overhaul of the honours system, stating that former BHS boss Sir Philip Green should also lose his knighthood.

The Shadow Chancellor, who is running Mr Corbyn's leadership campaign said: "The whole purpose of the honours system is undermined when the rich and the powerful can collect their gongs without giving anything back. It's even worse when tax exiles are given honours."

He added: "It should be a simple choice for the mega-rich. Run off to tax exile if you want. But you leave your titles and your honours behind when you go."

A spokesman for the Shadow Chancellor clarified: "John believes that it should be for Parliament to ultimately decide who is or who is not stripped of their title, if enough members of the public campaign for it.

"But he would not support tax exiles or businessmen who mistreat their employees retaining their titles."

 Jeremy Corbyn reluctantly answers question about Virgin Trains CCTV

Labour MP John Woodcock, a prominent critic of Mr Corbyn, suggested the calls may have been sparked by Virgin's public spate with the Labour leader this week. He said: "Dare to question Saint Jeremy's version of the truth? John McDonnell will strip you of your knighthood."
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The Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has said the SNP should give up plans for a second independence referendum in the wake of the UKs vote to leave the European Union.

The SNP is still intending to launch a summer campaign for independence, but Ms Davidson has blamed the SNP for causing "utter chaos and confusion" on independence in response to the Brexit vote.

After the 2014 independence referendum, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had promised not to seek a second vote, but she has indicated the decision to leave the EU could be sufficient to change the partys policy.

Ms Davidson said that figures published last week showing Scotland had a 14.8bn deficit in 2015/16 demonstrated "the cost of independence".

Ms Davidson said: "In the aftermath of the EU referendum, we now need a Scottish Government which is prepared to put stability first. Instead we have a First Minister doubling down on division by threatening yet another referendum.

"The SNP has a choice  to be Scotland's builders or Scotland's wreckers. To look to the future, or to take us back to the battles of the past.

"It is high time we had a Scottish Government that acted for all of us, not just its own narrow interests.

"Last week, the cost of independence was made clear once again. Yet despite all that, the Nationalists are threatening to kick-start their campaign for separation.

"It's not only unwanted  it also flies in the face of promises made by Nicola Sturgeon in April's election campaign when she said she'd only back a referendum if there was evidence people wanted it.

"Everything we have seen this summer demonstrates we have a Scottish Government that will put its independence obsession before the day job."

Her comments have angered the SNP, who have heavily criticised the Conservatives for causing the chaos of the EU referendum.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters 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

A SNP spokesman said: "Ruth Davidson and her increasingly right-wing band of MSPs are in no position to lecture anybody about stability given the utter chaos and confusion her party has caused with Brexit, and the potentially huge economic damage to Scotland which it threatens.

"Independent forecasts show Brexit could cost Scotland's economy up to 11bn a year, and given that threat, it is quite right that all options should be on the table to protect Scotland's place in Europe, in line with the decisive vote here to remain in the EU.

"It is the SNP Government which is getting on with the job of picking up the pieces post-Brexit vote, including bringing forward 100m in capital spending. Meanwhile, infrastructure investment is collapsing under the Tories, who still have no plan, while both the Prime Minister and Chancellor are posted missing."
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Derek Graham encountered the woman and child on Tuesday evening.

Graham, a senior trooper in West Virginia, and another trooper had stopped a female driver who was was "highly intoxicated," Graham told The Washington Post in a phone interview Friday.

The troopers started taking inventory of the vehicle, and in the woman's back seat was a baby boy, Graham said. The child wasn't wearing pants or a shirt -- just a diaper. And, Graham said, he was covered in vomit.

Recommended Read more Police give bath to baby left covered in vomit by drunk mother

"I mean, he had vomit all over him, just covered from head to toe, vomit," Graham said. "You could smell feces, urine. It was probably the most disgusting thing I've seen thus far in my law enforcement career involving a child, especially an infant. "

The woman was placed under arrest, Graham said.

The baby headed off to the state police barracks.

Troopers brought him into the office -- probably not the most child-friendly place, if we're being honest. The baby was upset and crying, Graham said.

"And just in my head, I'm a father myself, and I couldn't sit there and let him . . . I couldn't let him sit in that," he said.

So Graham found a sink in a kitchen and gave the child a warm bath.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. 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"It was actually really cool," Graham said. "He was crying, just so upset. And as soon as I got him there, and got some bubbles in there with him, we both locked eyes and it was, he started smiling, [at] which I started smiling. It was almost like he knew -- he felt so much better. And he was just a completely different baby after that."

Seems pretty happy in the photo, right?

"He was the best little baby," another Trooper, B.R. Wood, told the Bluefield Daily Telegraph. "He had just started to nod off when CPS [Child Protective Services] arrived."

Graham said the state police contacted CPS "because we didn't even have a diaper, we didn't have anything." After the bath, Graham said, the boy was pretty wiped out. It had been a pretty stressful event, after all.

"He just laid on my chest," Graham said. "Like I said, we don't have pack-and-plays or cribs or anything. So he was my sidekick for the rest of the evening."

Graham said the baby had a "horrible croupy cough," and was in "bad shape." He is now in the care of a relative, Graham said, and the woman is facing criminal charges. She was so intoxicated during the stop she couldn't tell Graham the child's name, which he says he still does not know.

"I actually don't," Graham said. "It's really sad."

When he thinks about the incident now, Graham said, he remembers the smell, which he noticed before he realized the baby was covered in vomit. After he noticed that, something else kicked in, he said.

"It was almost just my dad instinct popped into play," Graham said. "Forget state trooper, forget law enforcement officer. It was dad that took over, said 'I gotta clean this little guy up.' "

Copyright: Washington Post
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A Southwest Airlines flight had to make an emergency diversion after one of its engines ripped in two.

The Boeing 737-700, a commercial passenger jet which can carry around 150 people, was flying from New Orleans to Orlando when passengers heard a loud bang and saw one of the engines ripped open.

The plane landed safely in Pensacola International Airport in northern Florida at 9.40am, 10 minutes after the incident was reported, according to a statement from the airline.

Passengers said they feared for their lives during the incident.

It was like an explosion, Julie Stephens said. I thought it was an attack and that the plane was going to go down.

Another passenger said she saw smoke, and then when it cleared 'metal flapping'.

Southwest Airlines said the captain made the decision to land the plane early due to a mechanical issue with the number one engine. The airline reported no injuries among the 99 passengers and five crew members onboard.

Passengers were transferred to another plane and travelled on to Orlando later the same day.

Images of the engine shared by passengers on social media added to speculation the engine had blown up, but Southwest Airlines denied the incident was caused by an explosion.

A spokesman said the actual cause of the malfunction was still under investigation.

The National Transportation Safety Board also said it would investigate the uncontained engine failure.

The images show extensive structural damage to the engine nacelle which hangs underneath the wing.

A mechanic said the engine itself was actually intact, but the planes inlet cowl had been completely ripped away

"Most likely something structural let loose and the entire inlet ripped off," he said.

Passengers said after the loud ban, the plane tilted sideways.

"It just felt like half the plane almost capsized on the other side. I was kind of worried about that," passenger Travis Stephens told local media.

A drop in pressure in the cabin caused the oxygen masks to be deployed.

We believe it was an isolated incident, Mainz said, adding the airline will give passengers full refunds as well as $500 vouchers.

According to tracking data the 737 was flying around 30,700 feet and climbing before it began descending around 9:23 a.m. CDT, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Southwest Airlines is the largest operator of the single-aisle commercial passenger jet in the world, and ordered the 737-700 variant in 1993. The plane involved in the incident on Saturday was built in 2000.

Southwest Airlines has a history of near miss incidents. Ten people were injured in a botched landing in New York in 2013. In 2009 and 2011 a tearing away of part of two different aircrafts' fuselage skins triggered emergency landings.

Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Show all 10 1 /10 Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Getty Images Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Getty Images Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Getty Images Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Getty Images Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Getty Images Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Getty Images Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Getty Images Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Getty Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Getty Images Britain's top ten gripes about travelling by aeroplane Getty Images

Passengers applauded the pilot when they touched down, and said they were grateful to be alive.

A lot of people were crying; I was crying. Especially after all was said and done and hearing how it could have been way worse than what it was, said Ms Stevens.
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Amr Arafa doesn't pay attention to any incendiary rhetoric about immigrants and Muslims playing out on the 2016 election stage.

The 34-year-old from Egypt thinks immigration is about more than just politics: it's about making vulnerable newcomers to the country feel at home. And the onus of that, he says, isn't on lawmakers, but on everyday people.

Over the past year, Arafa has opened his studio apartment in Washington's Foggy Bottom neighbourhood to refugees and victims of domestic violence free of charge, and he's launched a website to enable Americans across the country do the same. The concept of his site, called EmergencyBnB, resembles Airbnb, where people list their homes or a bedroom for travellers to rent by the night. But on EmergencyBnB, no money is exchanged and the people looking for places to stay are often in a crisis, with nowhere to go.

The website is in its nascent stages and Arafa is working to build up a stable of hosts before connecting them with those in need. No one has booked a room through his website yet, but Arafa hopes that will change soon.

"EmergencyBnB is not about the government giving you a place to stay," he said. "It's about the fact that your neighbours care about you."

Arafa moved to the United States in 2005 for graduate school and has spent much of the past 11 years on temporary education and work visas that must be renewed annually. He now owns his own business management consulting company. In 2015 he secured a green card, which enabled him to visit his mother in Egypt without fear that his temporary visa would be revoked.

His return home coincided with a viral video in 2015 of a Hungarian woman tripping a Syrian refugee holding his child while running from police. The video resonated with Arafa and, green card in hand, he decided it was time to help.

"It started when I got a green card. I got this incredible dosage of stability. That card allowed me to see my mother for the first time in eight years," Arafa said. "That one month home in Egypt, I came back with this new positive energy. I just wanted to help people get this sense of stability."

Arafa first listed his apartment on Airbnb last November for the cheapest possible amount  $10  and noted that only refugees and victims of domestic violence could stay. (He later refunds the $10.)

A Syrian couple living in Texas responded and asked to stay for a week while they were in Washington, DC, to attend a court hearing for an asylum case. Arafa was travelling that week and allowed them to use his apartment.

An umbrella and a note is left from the last person who stayed at Amr Arafa's apartment. (Photo by Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

On the Fourth of July, a woman who responded to his Airbnb posting said she needed to get away from an abusive roommate. Arafa asked her for a copy of a police report and handed her his apartment keys. When he has a guest, he either books a hotel for himself, stays with friends or is travelling.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she was nervous about sleeping in a stranger's apartment, but felt she had no other option.

"Staying at a stranger's place is not something I would have normally done, but you get to a point of desperation," the woman said. "I don't think anyone could do this because it takes trust on both sides. He's taking a risk, and I'm taking a risk. It made me realise that people like him are rare, but they do exist."

Arafa soon realised that Airbnb wasn't an effective platform for his mission. He frequently received messages from travellers who wanted a free place to stay, then Airbnb would take down his posting for rejecting too many people. So he took the next step: using his computer science background to create a website through which domestic violence victims and refugees could connect with people willing to share their homes.

Refugees settle in Germany Show all 12 1 /12 Refugees settle in Germany Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, plays with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, in the one room they and Mohamed's wife Laloosh call home at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany A refugee child Amnat Musayeva points to a star with her photo and name that decorates the door to her classroom as teacher Martina Fischer looks on at the local kindergarten Amnat and her siblings attend on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The children live with their family at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian asylum-applicant Mohamed Ali Hussein (R), 19, and fellow applicant Autur, from Latvia, load benches onto a truckbed while performing community service, for which they receive a small allowance, in Wilhelmsaue village on October 9, 2015 near Letschin, Germany. Mohamed and Autur live at an asylum-applicants' shelter in nearby Vossberg village. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Ali Hussein ((L), 19, and his cousin Sinjar Hussein, 34, sweep leaves at a cemetery in Gieshof village, for which they receive a small allowance, near Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, looks among donated clothing in the basement of the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to Mohamed, his wife Laloosh and their daughter Ranim as residents' laundry dries behind in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asya Sugaipova (L), Mohza Mukayeva and Khadra Zhukova prepare food in the communal kitchen at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Efrah Abdullahi Ahmed looks down from the communal kitchen window at her daughter Sumaya, 10, who had just returned from school, at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asylum-applicants, including Syrians Mohamed Ali Hussein (C-R, in black jacket) and Fadi Almasalmeh (C), return from grocery shopping with other refugees to the asylum-applicants' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat (2nd from L), a refugee from Syria, smokes a cigarette after shopping for groceries with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, and fellow-Syrian refugees Mohamed Ali Hussein (C) and Fadi Almasalmeh (L) at a local supermarket on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. All of them live at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian refugees Leila, 9, carries her sister Avin, 1, in the backyard at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to them and their family in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Somali refugees and husband and wife Said Ahmed Gure (R) and Ayaan Gure pose with their infant son Muzammili, who was born in Germany, in the room they share at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity, and are waiting for authorities to process their application for asylum 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses for a selfie with a refugee after she visited the AWO Refugium Askanierring shelter for refugees in Berlin Getty Images

Arafa still posts his apartment on Airbnb, but he is getting more hosts to sign up on EmergencyBnB each week. He's asked friends around the country to list their homes and has attracted other hosts through publicity.

"I'm always interested in getting to know other people and cultures, and having people come into your home seems like a great opportunity to do that," said Steve Graybill, who listed a spare bedroom in his Silver Spring home. Graybill and his wife read about Arafa's project in Street Sense, a DC newspaper largely written by homeless and previously homeless people. "It's a scary thing to open your home to a stranger. It's OK to be afraid, but we shouldn't let those fears control us."

Arafa doesn't yet have a vetting system in place to verify refugees and domestic violence victims. He said he talks to each guest before he allows them to stay and asks for government documentation to verify their stories. Because domestic violence victims often seek privacy, Arafa doesn't list his address and only gives it out when he agrees to let someone use his home. Crammed with piles of clothes and other trinkets, Arafa's studio has more of a bachelor pad feel than that of a hotel. He says it's important that people in vulnerable housing situations feel like they have a warm home that is welcoming, as opposed to a sterile hotel room.

Alysha Tagert, a social services programme coordinator for the Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition, said it's difficult to find housing, particularly in the DC area, for the victims her organisation encounters. She works with refugees  mostly from African countries  who are in the process of seeking asylum.

Tagert said that in many cultures, opening your home to a stranger is a normal and familiar occurrence. Since learning about EmergencyBnB, she said her organisation is interested in finding clients temporary housing through the site.

"It's incredibly difficult to get a bed anywhere in the city," she said. "Public shelters are sometimes very dangerous environments. We're talking about sometimes very traumatised people going into dysfunctional environments. It would be a very natural welcome for an individual if they were staying in a home. I think it's important for enculturation, for feeling like you belong."

More than 63,000 refugees have entered the US since 01 October 2015, according to the Pew Research Center. The real challenge, according to Arafa, will be to find people willing to open their homes.

"It completely changes your mood, knowing that you're capable of giving. It's a value add," he said. "I'm not attempting to resolve the refugee crisis, but I know there are refugees here today and you have to make them feel welcome."

Washington Post
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Two brothers were arrested in connection with the murder of Nykea Aldridge, who was fatally shot on Chicagos south side on Friday.

Aldridge, 32, was pushing a baby in a stroller when both men exchanged gunfire, striking her in the head, police told reporters after the incident. They added that the altercation did not involve Aldridge.

A relative soon took custody the child, who was not hurt in the shootout.

Darwin Sorrells Jr, 26, and Derren Sorrells, 22, have been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson told reporters on Sunday that he hopes the arrests can ease the pain felt by the victims family.

Darwin Sorrells Jr on the left and Derren Sorrells on the right Chicago Police Department (Chicago Police Department)

Johnson also said that the suspects are repeat offenders and two of about 1,500 individuals who drive gun violence in Chicago: "I'm frustrated, you should be frustrated, all Chicagoans should be frustrated.

Aldridge was identified on Friday by the Chicago Bulls franchise, where her cousin Dwyane Wade recently signed to play in July. He took to his Twitter account to mourn his cousins death.

"The city of Chicago is hurting," he wrote. "We need more help and more hands on deck. Not for me and my family but for the future of our world. The youth."

Wade also spoke on a panel addressing gun violence hosted by ESPNs The Undefeated.

"This is something that didn't start today; this is something that isn't going to end tomorrow," he said. "Hopefully, eventually, we can stop it."
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In a courtroom in Luyi County, China, a defence lawyer made his final pitch.

That his client, Zhang Yazhou, killed his wife was not in question. At 5:25 in the evening on 21 February, Zhang walked into his wife's hospital room. They argued. He strangled her, digging his fingers deep into the flesh of her neck.

By the time nurses entered the room, Zhang was gone and Li Hongxia, just 24, was dead.

Since Zhang confessed on television and in court, the issue at hand was the sentence. Ms Li's family and their lawyer asked for the death penalty, which is common in China, describing a year of escalating abuse that culminated in a brutal murder.

The defence asked for leniency on the grounds that Zhang had admitted his guilt and that Ms Li's death was different than regular acts of violence  because she was Zhang's wife.

Recommended Read more Alleged domestic violence victim jailed after she refuses to testify

In the end, the court in Henan province took a relatively tough line, sentencing Zhang to death with a two-year reprieve, meaning he could get life, or a shorter, fixed-term sentence if he behaves in jail  consistent with Chinese law, lawyers said.

Yet the court's written judgment, provided to Ms Li's family last week, said plainly that Zhang's penalty was indeed reduced because it was a domestic case.

Zhang got a reprieve, not immediate execution, because the case was caused by family conflict and the defendant Zhang Yazhou turned himself in, the judges wrote.

The ruling illustrates how the Chinese state is struggling to handle a public health crisis often dismissed as private, personal scandal.

The Government estimates that one in four Chinese women are beaten, a figure experts consider low because many never report it and it excludes sexual, psychological and emotional abuse.

In China, domestic violence has long been ignored by the legal system. In fact, Ms Li's family was so certain her death would be brushed aside that, after her murder, they refused to bury her body, keeping her corpse above ground in a desperate bid to shame the state to act.

The government of President Xi Jinping has promised to address the problem, last year passing a first-of-its-kind anti-domestic-violence bill. The law was hailed by advocates as a step in the right direction. It includes provisions such as restraining orders that, if implemented, could have offered Ms Li some help.

Yan Jinjin, sister of the victim, cries at Li Hongxias home in the Zhang village, Henan province, while Duan Sumei, her aunt, supports her (Giulia Marchi/The Washington Post)

But a post-investigation into Ms Li's killing showed the limits of using the law alone to keep women alive. In the last year of her life, Ms Li knew she needed to leave her husband but was told by those around her  family and friends, neighbours and nurses  to go quietly back to Zhang.

Now, the handling of her murder reveals how the state's effort to stop domestic violence is undermined by the persistent belief that domestic abuse is somehow a lesser form of violence, that it is not as serious as regular crimes.

Until that sentiment changes, tens of millions are at risk.

In the months since Ms Li's murder, local officials have repeatedly shirked responsibility for her death, dodging questions, blaming Ms Li and playing down her husband's culpability.

The head of Ms Li's village, an official named Li Jie, called the dead woman cowardly for failing to report previous beatings. She could and should have saved herself by saying no to domestic violence, he said after her death.

She should have reported abuse to the village council or the All-China Women's Federation, a Communist Party-backed body, he added. Both could have helped her protect her rights and interests.

Yet there is little evidence the council, the Federation, or other state-linked bodies would have helped her leave safely.

Chinese law enforcement has taken a cavalier approach to investigating violence against women. In 2011, an American woman named Kim Lee went public with an account of beatings by her Chinese husband and the indifference of local police.

In a 2014 essay, Kim recalled going to the police station after an attack, only to be told to go home and sort it out. As far as the police were concerned, she wrote, no crime had occurred.

The All-China Women's Federation campaigned hard for the anti-domestic-violence bill, but also encourages women to get and stay married, even, in some cases, when there is evidence of abuse.

Asked about Ms Li's death, the head of the federation's Luyi County office, Guo Yanfang, blamed Ms Li for not reporting her husband, but also said she advises abused women to work things out with their spouses.

If a man is not going to kill you or harm you, if he is good in nature but just being young and impulsive, a woman should try to win him back to save the family, she said.

Isn't every family like this? she said.

There is always smoke coming from the kitchen stove.

In Luyi County, the legal system as a whole seemed to see domestic violence as both normal and inevitable.

In statements to the court, the defendant, Zhang, and lawyer Cui played up the fact that the couple fought before the murder, presenting Ms Li's death by strangulation as distinct from other more cold-blooded crimes.

It was a crime of passion; the two had a dispute and then this thing happened, Cui said after the trial. Zhang, the confessed wife-beater and murderer, was not a particularly malicious man, he added.

Cui argued that Zhang should be spared the harshest sentence because the couple had a 2-year-old daughter who needed him. She already lost her mom, she can't lose her dad, he told the court.

Chinese lawyers who work closely with survivors of domestic violence said the case sent a mixed message. On one hand, the punishment was not light  a sign, they hoped, that judges will take violence seriously, even violence against a wife.

On the other, many involved showed a limited understanding of the ideas outlined in the anti-domestic-violence law. Lu Xiaoquan, a Beijing-based lawyer who specialises in domestic violence but was not involved in Ms Li's case, said the level of knowledge about intimate-partner violence in China remains pathetic.

A law, no matter how good it is, is only a piece of blank paper without implementation, he said. If the law cannot be effectively implemented, similar cases will appear.

That's exactly what Ms Li's family feared. They worried that the murder of a poor woman in rural China would be swept away like dust, making it easy for the next abuser to strike. They wanted her death to change that  she deserved as much.

Although the family is glad Zhang will do time, they are outraged and demoralised by the legal process as a whole, said Ms Li's older sister, Yan Jinjin, after they received a copy of the judgment.

We don't think my sister got the justice she deserved, she said.

Gu Jinglu in Luyi County and Jin Xin in Beijing contributed to this report

 The Washington Post
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Indonesian police are investigating a suspected terror attack after a would-be suicide bomber carrying a hand-drawn Isis symbol attacked a Catholic priest with an axe and failed to detonate explosives in a church.

The 18-year-old assailant ran towards the priest during a crowded Sunday Mass in Medan, after a bomb in his backpack burned without exploding, national police spokesman Major General Boy Rafli Amar said.

The attacker also took an axe from his backpack and used it to attack 60-year-old Reverend Albert Pandiangan before he was restrained by church-goers, Major General Amar said.

Indonesian mobile brigade policemen stand guard after an attempted suicide bombing by an unidentified man at St. Yoseph Catholic Church in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia Province, 28 August 2016 (EPA)

Indonesian policemen guard a blindfolded suspect who attacked a priest in Medan (AFP)

There were no serious casualties, but the priest sustained a minor injury to his hand and the attacker was also injured, police in Medan city, northern Sumatra told Reuters.

The motive for the attack at the Roman Catholic Saint Joseph Church remains unclear, however the teenager was found with a symbol indicating support for Isis.

Images published in local media showing objects confiscated from the teenager by police show his ID along with what appears to be a hand-drawn Isis flag.

A member of the congregation, who gave their name as Vero, told the Jakata Post the attacker was fidgety the whole time during the service and because of the weakness of the explosion, he was caught, so he got up and went to the alter, going after the priest while wielding sharp weapons.

Timbas Ginting, a witness present in the church, told Reuters the attacker had sat with other worshippers before running toward the priest.

There was a small explosion like fireworks and he also took out a knife as he ran toward the priest, he said.

Residents carry an unconscious woman after the attempted suicide bombing (EPA)

Indonesian policemen examine the Saint Yosef church after a man tried to attack a priest in Medan (AFP)

A bomb squad later arrived at the church to investigate whether the assailant was carrying other explosives.

Rina Sari Ginting, a spokeswoman for Medan police said in a statement: "A terrorism act was carried out on Sunday morning at the Saint Joseph catholic church.

"Police are interrogating the perpetrator... and will search his house for any bomb-making materials."

Mr Amar said the attacker told authorities he had not been working alone. No more details have been given.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has carried out a sustained crackdown on militant networks since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
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Muslim extremists supporting Isis freed eight fellow militants in a daring attack that also enabled 15 other inmates to escape from Provincial Jail in the southern Philippines, police have said.

About 20 heavily armed fighters of the Maute militant group stormed Lanao del Sur's Provincial Jail in Marawi City before nightfall on Saturday, disarmed the guards and rescued their eight comrades. The attackers also seized two rifles from guards, police said.

The eight who escaped were arrested a week ago when they were caught with a homemade bomb in van at a security checkpoint. The others who escaped, apparently to divert the attention of authorities, were facing murder and illegal drugs charges.

The Maute group is a new band of armed Muslim radicals who have pledged allegiance to Isis and use black flags with logos of the Middle East-based extremists.

Based in Lanao del Sur's Butig town, the militants have attacked army troops and beheaded a soldier and two kidnapped workers earlier this year. Before being killed, the two workers were made to wear orange shirts similar to beheading victims of Isis.

A number of Muslim armed groups in the southern Philippines, including some commanders of the violent Abu Sayyaf, have pledged loyalty to Isis. The military has tried to play down their actions, saying there is no evidence of an active collaboration between the foreign extremists and Filipino militants who are aiming to prop up their image and secure badly needed funds amid years of battle setbacks.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office in June, has pursued peace talks with two large Muslim rebel groups but has ordered troops to destroy the Abu Sayyaf and other hardline militants.

Troops have continued on-and-off offensives against the Maute militants in Butig, a predominantly Muslim province, about 830 kilometers (520 miles) south of Manila.

A major offensive against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu province's mountainous Patikul town, also in the south, has killed at least 19 militants, including an influential commander, Mohammad Said, who used the nom de guerre Amah Maas, his two sons, and another ranking fighter, Latip Sapie, military officials said.

Said, who had severed arms and was among the most senior Abu Sayyaf commanders, had been implicated in the kidnappings of several Filipinos and foreigners. He had good ties with the Moro National Liberation Front, a larger rebel group that has engaged in peace talk with the government, but has been suspected of providing sanctuary and combat support to the more brutal Abu Sayyaf in the past.

Let us vigorously pursue this terrorist-bandit Abu Sayyaf group with no let-up and destroy them, military chief of staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya said, promising to pour more troops into Sulu. We have this one chance to annihilate this menace to society that claims links with Isis.

AP
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Police in China have reportedly ordered hotels to reject guests from five Muslim majority countries.

Budget hotels in the southern city of Guangzhou said they had received notices from police beginning in March, ordering them to turn away guests from Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Afghanistan.

Chinas foreign ministry said it had never heard of the policy, but several hotel workers have corroborated reports of a ban.

A hotel worker told the South China Morning Post that local police had told staff they must turn away guests from the five countries until September 10, but had not explained why.

I'm not clear of the reason. We just can't take them, a worker in another hotel told Reuters.

The ban has not been extended to upmarket hotels, or to budget hotels that belong to international or domestic chains. Three hotels identified by Reuters were all independent and charged around $23 a night.

The rule coincided with a development forum held in Guangzhou on 25 and 26 August, and will extend until after the G20 summit set to take place in Hangzhou, 620 miles away from Guangzhou, on 4 and 5 September.

Despite the large distance between the two cities, Chinese media speculated the rule was a security measure related to the summit, which will be attended by high profile world leaders including US President Barack Obama.

According to Chinese media, officials are extremely concerned about terrorism during the event, and may fear an attack by Islamic extremists.

Hangzhou itself has stringent security measures in place, with strict controls on traffic reportedly causing traffic jams and checks on post delaying residents' deliveries. The city is essentially being shut down for the week of the summit, with all businesses closed and local people given time off work and encouraged to leave the city temporarily.

In addition to the Chinese authorities viewing Guangzhou as an access point for Hangzhou, some delegates are expected to visit Guangzhou itself before or after the summit as the coastal city is an important industrial hub, with a sizeable foreign population.

Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain Show all 6 1 /6 Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain Tourists walk on the 100-meter-long and 1.6-meter-wide glass skywalk clung the cliff of Tianmen Mountain (or Tianmenshan Mountain) in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Getty Images Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain An aerial view of tourists walking on a glass-bottomed skywalk on the Panlong (coiling dragon) Cliff on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China Getty Images Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain Tourists walk on the 100-meter-long and 1.6-meter-wide glass skywalk clung the cliff of Tianmen Mountain Getty Images Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain The 100-metre-long walk gives a clear view of the deep valley behind and is the third glass walkway in the scenic zone EPA Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain Tourist takes selfies on a glass-bottomed skywalk on the Panlong (coiling dragon) Cliff on Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China EPA Glass-floored skywalk circling China's Tianmen Mountain The Coiling Dragon Cliff skywalk, featuring a total of 99 road turns, layers after another, is the third glass skywalk on the Tianmen Mountain EPA

However foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he was not aware that restrictions had been placed on who could stay in hotels in Guangzhou.

I've never heard that there is this policy being followed in China, Lu told a daily news briefing.

Moreover, as far as China is concerned, our policy in principle is that we encourage people from China and other countries to have friendly exchanges and are willing to provide various convenient policies in this regard.
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Half of Germans are against Angela Merkel continuing as Chancellor for a fourth term, a poll has revealed.

The survey, conducted by the Bild am Sonntag newspaper, showed 50 per cent of those questioned were against Ms Merkel remaining in office after the 2017 election, compared with 48 per cent in November last year.

Meanwhile 42 per cent were in favour of her entering a fourth term as Chancellor, compared with 45 per cent in the previous survey.

It comes after a series of violent attacks in July, two of which were claimed by Isis.

The attacks have led to growing scepticism over Ms Merkel's open-door migrant policy, which saw an unprecedented influx of refugees from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere enter into Germany last year.

Anti-migrant sentiment among Germans has been highlighted by the growing support for a nationalist party to the right of Merkel's Christian Democrats.

Last month the Chancellor rejected calls to change Germany's refugee policy and vowed not to give in to efforts by Isis supporters to frighten Germans into changing their way of life.

The iron Frau: Angela Merkel Show all 11 1 /11 The iron Frau: Angela Merkel The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351161.bin EPA / WOLFGANG KUMM The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351162.bin GETTY IMAGES / REUTERS The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351163.bin AFP The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351164.bin The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351165.bin REUTERS The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351166.bin AFP The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351167.bin AFP / GETTY IMAGES The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351168.bin The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351169.bin AP The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351170.bin EPA The iron Frau: Angela Merkel 351171.bin REUTERS

Meanwhile Frank-Juergen Weise, the head of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, has predicted a sharp drop in new arrivals compared with the height of the migrant crisis in 2015.

Mr Weise said he expects between 250,000 and 300,000 new arrivals in 2016, compared with more than a million in 2015.
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Germany's vice-chancellor has criticised Angela Merkels We can do this motto as it emerged that up to 300,000 refugees are expected to arrive in Germany during 2016.

Sigmar Gabriel said the Chancellor had underestimated the challenge of integrating record numbers of asylum seekers into the country following the peak of the refugee crisis last year.

Some German officials have put the total number of arrivals from the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa at more than one million during 2015.

Ms Merkel has repeated the slogan "Wir schaffen das, meaning We can do this in relation to the large influx of refugees to the country.

"I, we always said that it's inconceivable for Germany to take in a million people every year," Mr Gabriel told German broadcaster ZDF.

Mr Gabriels comments emerged after the head of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, Frank-Juergen Weise, said Germany would accept several hundred thousand into the country during 2016.

"We're preparing for 250,000 to 300,000 refugees this year," he told the tabloid Bild am Sonntag.

Mr Weise disputed the claim that Germany had accommodated more than one million new arrivals, saying duplicate registrations and refugees moving on to different countries meant the true figure was likely to be below the million mark.

The migration minister added that if the 300,000 threshold was exceeded in 2016, his office may struggle, but indicated he thought it unlikely.

Ms Merkels migration policy also received criticism from within the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian counterparts to Merkels Christian Democrat party (CDU).

Recommended Read more This man launched a website so people can invite refugees to stay

Markus Soeder, a senior member of the party, told Der Spiegel magazine: Even with the best will in the world, we won't manage to integrate so many people from totally different cultures."

He said the Germany should send hundreds of thousands of refugees back over the next few years instead of allowing their families into the country.

More than than 390,000 people applied for asylum in the first six months of 2016, according to the German interior ministry, yet it is not yet clear how many of these arrived in the country last year.

A recent poll by Bild am Sonntag found that half of Germans would oppose a fourth term for Ms Merkel, should she run again in 2017.

Another survey found that half of Germans thought Ms Merkels immigration policy was bad.

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. 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Mr Weise said the country would attempt to find employment for all its new arrivals, but added the job of fully integrating the refugees would take a long time and cost a lot.

Support for anti-immigration groups has soared in Germany and in 2015 the number of people participating in far-right demonstrations trebled.

On Saturday, a far-right group unfurled a banner on top of the Brandenburg gate, calling for secure borders for Germany and what it called the Islamisation of the country.
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Police have continued to target women wearing modest Islamic clothing on France's beaches, despite a court overturning the controversial burkini ban.

Two women wearing hijabs and hats were seen on a beach in Nice reportedly being told to leave by a policeman in a boat.

One woman was wearing a long dress and the other a loose trouser suit. The pair were with a young boy.

The police boat swooped on the women and a male officer spoke to them, a witness said.

The women then put all their things away and made their way off the beach. I dont think any fine was imposed, but they were certainly told to leave, they told The Daily Mail.

Several mayors of Frances resort towns have vowed to go on imposing a ban on burkinis, despite the countrys highest administrative court ruling the by-laws were clearly illegal and violated fundamental liberties.

The Council of State (Conseil dEtat) said local authorities could only introduce measures restricting personal freedoms if the act represented a proven risk to public order  the judges ruled that wearing the full body swimsuit did not.

The judgement applied specifically to a by-law brought in by the commune of Villeneuve-Loubet, the first town to introduce the ban, but the decision sets a legal precedent nationwide.

Nice town hall said it would continue to fine women who wore burkinis, while the National Front Mayor of Frejus, David Rachline, insisted the ban was still valid.

Recommended Read more Women hold beach party outside French Embassy to protest burkini ban

There was no legal procedure against his enforcing the ban, Mr Rachline told AFP.

Ange Pierre Vivioni, Socialist mayor of Corsican commune Sisco, introduced the rule against burkinis after a confrontation between locals and Moroccan bathers. He said the ban would remain in place "for the safety of property and people in the town because I risked having deaths on my hands".

The mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet, said: "We need to decide if we want a smiley, friendly version of Sharia law on our beaches or if we want the rules of the [French] Republic to be implemented."

Prime Minister Manuel Valls backed the mayors. Mr Valls wrote a facebook post in support of the ban saying burkinis were "the affirmation of political Islam in the public space".

The State Council ruling "does not end the debate which has been opened", Mr Valls told the French issue of The Local.

"It is a fundamental debate, which follows on from others."

But the French mayors have been told they must heed the court ruling.

In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Jenny Dawkins, a curate from All Saints Church in Peckham, at an anti-burkini ban protest at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Somayia Khan's six-year-old daughter at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Friends Rebecca (L) and Hannah (R) at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans Reuters In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London People participate in a 'Wear what you want beach party' protest outside of the French Embassy in London EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London A protester holds a sign which reads "Are you Burkini Beach Body Ready?" as she lies on a beach towel outside the French Embassy in London on August 25, 2016, AFP/Getty Images

Human rights lawyer Patrice Spinosi, who was behind the Villeneuve-Loubet case, said if mayors did not comply he would take each case to court.

After the verdict, Mr Spinosi said the decision is meant to set legal precedent and said anyone who had been fined could claim their money back.

Francois Molinie, a lawyer from the State Council, said the mayors could continue to impose the ban in the short term, but he warned if the cases were taken to administrative tribunals, the courts would follow the State Council's example.

At least 30 cities, resorts and communes have introduced rules prohibiting the full body swimsuit over the summer period, with many more considering the same move.

Although none of the by-laws have specifically mentioned the term burkinis, several officials have made it clear the modest swimsuit is the target.

The ban has ignited fierce debate in France about the country's secular values, Islam and women's rights.
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A high-end French restaurant has been accused of Islamophobia after allegedly refusing to serve Muslim customers, arguing All Muslims are terrorists.

Footage posted online and circulated widely in France appears to show two Muslim women refused service at Le Cenacle in Tremblay-en-France, which is listed in the 2016 Michelin guide. A man, who is reportedly the restaurants chef, tells the women: The terrorists are Muslim and all Muslims are terrorists They recently killed a priest. This is a secular country and I have a right to an opinion I dont want people like you here. Full stop.

The women appear visibly shocked by the exchange and tell the man they do not wish to be served by a racist.

He finally tells them to get out, to which they reply dont worry, were leaving.

Le Parisien reports that the chef has now been interviewed by police on suspicion of enacting racial discrimination. He has since told local media: I spoke out of turn and I apologise, I have a friend who died in the Bataclan attacks and wrongly mixed everything up. I do not truly believe the things I said, my comments did not reflect what I really think.

Members of the local Muslim community gathered outside the restaurant this weekend to demand an apology for the alleged incident. Some have called for a boycott of the restaurant. The CCIF (Committee Against Islamophobia in France) has issued a statement of support to the two women and pledged to give emotional and legal support to them.

Tensions in France have escalated in recent weeks surrounding the so called "burkini ban". The ban, initiated by a number of towns prohibited modest swimwear worn by some women on the beach, particularly Muslim women. This week Frances highest court ruled the ban is seriously and clearly illegal. However, right-wing politicians have pledged to keep ban by passing legislation at a central government level.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy called the burkini swimwear a provocation and claimed Frances identity is under threat. He is currently running for re-election in 2017 and has pledged to introduce a nation-wide burkini ban if successful.

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

Critics say such responses are an irrational and prejudiced reaction to recent terror attacks in France. However, politicians say they are acting to protect Frances secular values.
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Germanys vice-chancellor has defended sticking his middle finger up at a group of neo-nazi protesters.

Sigmar Gabriel, who is also the countrys economy minister, said his only mistake was not using both hands.

The countrys second-in-command was accosted by protesters outside a meeting in Salzgitter, Lower Saxony, who were carrying banners with the word Traitor on them.

They accused Mr Gabriel of betraying the memory of his father, who was a Nazi supporter. Your father loved his country, and what have you done to it? Youre destroying it, one protester said.

Mr Gabriel has previously openly condemned the fascist beliefs of his father, who he says denied the Holocaust until his death in 2012.

In an interview in 2013, Mr Gabriel said he severed contact with his father at the age of 18 after discovering his Nazi sympathies.

After being confronted, the politician laughed and raised his middle finger at the far-right group before walking away.

He said his critics should think about what they would do if faced with a group of "young, aggressive, swearing and ready-for-violence Nazis".

I made only one mistake, I have not used both hands, he said in the interview on German television.

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

Mr Gabriels party, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) said at the time the gesture was an emotional reaction.

The SPD released a statement saying: "Obviously Sigmar Gabriel does not regard that gesture to be an appropriate form of everyday communication, but communication was not possible with bellowing neo-Nazis who were clearly prepared to use violence."

According to local media, after the incident, Mr Gabriel invited the protesters for a discussion about their beliefs on the condition they remove their masks. They declined to attend.

Mr Gabriel has been a general supporter of Angela Merkel's lenient stance on immigration. Yet he has also criticized Ms Merkel's "open door" policy,

"I, we always said that it's inconceivable for Germany to take in a million people every year," Mr Gabriel told German broadcaster ZDF on Saturday.

Anti-immigrant sentiment has grown significantly in Germany. In 2015, the number of ultra right-wing demonstrations in Germany almost trebled.
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The leader of the most popular Dutch party ahead of parliamentary elections next year has said he wants to ban all Islamic symbols, mosques and the Koran from the country.

The far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, has released its one-page manifesto ahead of the March 2017 legislative elections in which it calls for the total de-Islamification of the Netherlands.

Under PVV proposals mosques, Islamic schools and asylum centres will be closed; the borders will be shut down with a blanket ban on migrants from Islamic countries; women will be forbidden from wearing a headscarf in public; and the Koran will be banned.

In its manifesto posted on Wilders Facebook page on Wednesday, Islam was at the top of the 11-point plan with other pledges to ban expressions of the faith which were contrary to the countrys order.

It also pledged to withdraw from the European Union, cut all foreign aid spending and boosting funding for police and the security services.

The party has been leading the polls for several months following a string of Islamist terror attacks across Europe and a growing frustration in many countries about a perceived lacklustre response to extremism from mainstream politicians.

Radical imams will be "banned" and criminals with dual citizenship will be deported.

Wilders said: I am very proud of the draft election manifesto. The PVV is fighting Islam, wants to close the borders of the European Union and to give all the billions we save back to the people. My message to Netherlands: Netherlands must again be ours.

Wilders' party would shut down all mosques in the Netherlands. Pictured: the Mevlana Mosque in Rotterdam (AFP/Getty Images)

A poll by IsposMori earlier this month found if the elections were held today Wilders party would win 27 out of the 150 seats to become the Dutch parliaments largest single party.

By contrast the ruling Liberal Party would get 25 seats - down from the 41 it won in 2012, Bloomberg reported.

But Wilders, who is due to go on trial in October for allegedly inciting racial hatred, may struggle to make it into power because of his divisive policies.

The Dutch political system is based on proportional representation so parties often rule in coalition and Wilders is unlikely to win enough support either chamber of parliament to form a government.

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

Another poll by Dutch pollster Maurice de Hond in May found that although people wanted the PVV to be part of the next cabinet if they are the single largest party after the next election but 53 per cent do not want Wilders to be the next prime minister.

In February 2009, Wilders was banned from entering the UK by then Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

He had wanted to showed the anti-Islam film Fitna in the Palace of Westminster after being invited by former Ukip leader Lord Malcolm Pearson and crossbench peer Baroness Caroline Cox.

Under EU law, ministers have the power to block anyone entering their country who they deem a threat to public policy, security or health.
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Nicolas Sarkozy has said that the Calais "Jungle" should be moved to Britain.

The former French President, who served as President until 2012 and has announced he will stand again in next year's election, said Britain should deal with asylum seekers domestically and "do the work that concerns them".

Speaking at a political rally in Le Touquet, Mr Sarkozy said: I'm demanding the opening of a centre in Britain to deal with asylum seekers in Britain so that Britain can do the work that concerns them.

"The jungle should not be in Calais or anywhere else, because this is a republic and those with no rights to be here should return to their country."

Mr Sarkozy's speech pointed towards an end to the Le Touquet treaty, which enables British officials to check passports in France and vice versa.

Le Touquet, a bilateral agreement between London and Paris signed in 2003, has been blamed by a number of right-wing politcians in France for the congregation of migrants at Calais.

Mr Sarkozy's Conservative rival Alaine Juppe has said he would likely scrap Le Touquet agreement with the UK and place the border between the two countries on British soil if he gets into power.

Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Show all 8 1 /8 Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' People gather outside the Eritrean church at the camp The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' Heavy rainfall has turned the camp into a 'swamp' The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' A fire at the camp destroyed shelters for 180 people The Hummingbird Project Calais refugee camp is at 'crisis point' A fire at the camp destroyed shelters for 180 people The Hummingbird Project

Officially the agreement remains valid even if Britain leaves the EU, but government sources in Paris have said it is unlikely to be able to continue its present treaty arrangements with a non-EU state.

Since last summer, thousands of refugees fleeing war and Isis in Syria and Iraq have made the perilous journey across the Mediterranean and over land borders to get to Europe.

According to the latest consensus by Help refugees and lAuberge des Migrants the population of the Calais jungle has risen to 9,106  an increase of 29 per cent in the past month.

The French presidential election is scheduled to take place in April and May next year.
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Adopted by the Nazi Party in the 1930s, Hitler's infamous "sieg heil" (meaning "hail victory") salute was mandatory for all German citizens as a demonstration of loyalty to the Fuhrer, his party, and his nation.

August Landmesser, the lone German refusing to raise a stiff right arm amid Hitler's presence at a 1936 rally, had been a loyal Nazi.

Landmesser joined the Nazi Party in 1931 and began to work his way up the ranks of what would become the only legal political affiliation in the country.

Two years later, Landmesser fell madly in love with Irma Eckler, a Jewish woman, and proposed marriage to her in 1935.

After his engagement to a Jewish woman was discovered, Landmesser was expelled from the Nazi Party.

Landmesser and Eckler decided to file a marriage application in Hamburg, but the union was denied under the newly enacted Nuremberg Laws.

The couple welcomed their first daughter, Ingrid, in October 1935.

And then on June 13, 1936, Landmesser gave a crossed-arm stance during Hitler's christening of a new German navy vessel.

The act of defiance stands out amid the throng of Nazi salutes.

In 1937, fed up, Landmesser attempted to flee Nazi Germany to Denmark with his family. But he was detained at the border and charged with "dishonoring the race," or "racial infamy," under the Nuremberg Laws.

A year later, Landmesser was acquitted for a lack of evidence and was instructed to not have a relationship with Eckler.

Refusing to abandon his wife, Landmesser ignored Nazi wishes and was arrested again in 1938 and sentenced to nearly three years in a concentration camp.

He would never see the woman he loved or his child again.

The secret state police also arrested Eckler, who was several months pregnant with the couple's second daughter.

She gave birth to Irene in prison and was sent to an all-women's concentration camp soon after her delivery.

Eckler is believed to have been transferred to what the Nazi's called a "euthanasia center" in 1942, where she was murdered with 14,000 others.

After his prison sentence, Landmesser worked a few jobs before he was drafted into war in 1944.

A few months later, he was declared missing in action in Croatia.

Read more:

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Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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Turkey has allowed policewomen to wear the hijab as part of their uniforms for the first time.

Female police officers will be able to cover their heads under their caps or berets with a headscarf the same colour as the uniform and without pattern while on duty, the official gazette said on Saturday.

Recommended Read more Police Scotland approves hijab as official uniform

Rulings published in the official gazette come into force immediately, AFP reports.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogans Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) has pushed for restrictions on women wearing the hijab to be relaxed and the move follows similar changes in Turkish regulation.

In 2010, an official ban on headscarves in universities was lifted throughout the country. Three years later, women were allowed to wear the hijab in state institutions and the prohibition was abandoned for students in high schools in 2014.

The moves have led some to accuse President Erdogan of attempting to reinterpret Turkeys secularist constitution, the BBC reports.

Turkey has been an officially secular state with no state religion since the Turkish republic was established in 1923.

But the countrys pro-government media have noted that several Western nations have relaxed restrictions over wearing headscarves.

On Thursday, Police Scotland announced the hijab will become part of its official uniform, with the hope of creating a more diverse force.

 Muslim blood donor won't take off her hijab or be driven by fear 'because then the terrorists win'

The force said they hope the move will encourage women from Muslim communities, who may previously not have seen policing as a career option to reconsider.

The Canadian government also said this week The Royal Canadian Mounted Police would allow its officers to wear hijabs as part of their uniforms in an effort to boost the recruitment of Muslim women.

The announcement also follows a ruling by Frances highest administrative court that burkini bans enforced at some of the countrys beach resorts are illegal and a violation of fundamental liberties.
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Turkish air strikes and artillery attacks have killed at least 40 civilians, and wounded dozens more, according to a group monitoring the Syrian war.

The strikes took place on Sunday in northern Syria, where Turkey and allied Syrian rebels are fighting Kurdish-allied militias.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 20 civilians were killed and 50 had been wounded in Turkish artillery fire and air strikes in the village of Jeb el-Kussa, south of Jarabulus, an area controlled by militias allied to the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The observatory added that another 20 had been killed and 25 wounded in Turkish air strikes near the town of al-Amarneh, AFP reports.

It also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in the attacks on both areas.

Anadolu, Turkey's official press agency said Turkish air strikes killed 25 Kurdish terrorists and destroyed five buildings used by the fighters in the Jarabulus area.

The Turkish military is taking every precaution and showing maximum sensitivity to ensure that civilians living in the area are not harmed, Anadolu reported.

It remains unclear whether the reports refer to the same incidents.

The attack comes after Turkey suffered its first loss of life since launching an operation in Syria to drive Isis and Kurdish rebel groups back from border regions, which is now in its fifth day.

The observatory said the bombardment targeted an area south of Jarabulus, a former Isis stronghold, which Turkish-led forces captured on the first day of the offensive, code named Euphrates Shield.

The operation started as an effort to push Isis out of the Syrian city of Jarabulus, but officials have been vocal about the twin aim to oust Kurdish militias the Government views as terrorists.

In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish tanks driving to the Syrian-Turkish border town of Jarabulus yesterday AFP/Getty In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish-backed gather on the outskirts of Jarabulus, Syria, ahead of an offensive on 24 August 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish army tanks make their way towards the Syrian border town of Jarabulus, Syria August 24, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish soldiers return from Syria to Turkey with tanks after a military operation at the Syrian border as part of their offensive against the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria, Karkamis district of Gaziantep, Turkey, 25 August 2016 EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish army tanks and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces move toward the Syrian border as pictured from Karkamis, Turkey, AP In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish tanks on their way to the Turkish-Syria border during an operation against Isis on 24 August 2016 EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Syrian opposition fighters being transported during preparations to enter Jarabulus in Karkamis, Turkey, on 24 August 2016. EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria An air strike hitting Isis-controlled territory near Jarabulus, near the Turkish border, on 24 August 2016. EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria A Turkish army tank and an armoured vehicle stationed near the border with Syria. Turkish media reports say Turkish artillery has launched new strikes at Isis targets across the border AP

It is the first Turkish ground intervention in the Syrian conflict and targeted both Isis and Syrian-Kurdish rebels backed by the US.

ANHA, the news agency of the Kurdish semi-autonomous areas, said the town of Beir Khoussa, around nine miles south of Jarabulus, has reportedly lost all its residents following the bombardments on Sunday.

An SDF spokesman Shervan Darwish said the air strikes and shelling started overnight and continued into Sunday killing many civilians in the town and nearby areas.

He said the bombing also targeted al-Amarneh village and that 50 Turkish tanks had been involved in the offensive.

Syrian state news agency SANA reported that 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded in Turkish artillery shelling and air strikes, calling it Turkish encroachment on Syrian sovereignty under the pretext of fighting Isis.

Various factions of the Turkey-backed Syrian rebels said on Sunday they had seized at least four villages and one town from Kurdish-led forces south of Jarabulus.

One of the villages to change control was al-Amarneh, where clashes erupted for the first time between Turkish forces backed by tanks and pro-Kurdish fighters on Saturday.

The coalition-supported SDF Jarabulus Military Council said air strikes struck homes and killed civilians in the town, calling it a dangerous escalation that threatens the fate of the region.

Additional reporting by agencies
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A well-known Russian journalist and critic of President Vladimir Putin has been found dead in his Kiev apartment with a gunshot wound to the head.

The body of Alexander Shchetinin, founder the Novy Region (New Region) press agency, was found at his flat after friends tried to visit him on his birthday.

A police spokesperson said Kiev forces were alerted of Ms Shchetinins death at around midnight on Saturday. He is believed to have died a few hours earlier, between 8 and 9.30pm.

Officials have speculated that his death was caused by suicide, after a gun was found near his body along with spent cartridges, and the door to his apartment was said to be locked.

Local news source Kyiv Operatyvni reported: "Alexander was sitting on a chair, with a gunshot wound to his head, the gun was lying under the chair. According to credible sources, the case has been classified as suicide, as Alexander sent an email to one of his loved ones where he said he wanted to kill himself.

Mr Shchetinin gave up his Russian citizenship before becoming a Ukrainian national and settling in the capital.

He set up the Novy Region news agency, which has since been split into different companies, and reportedly called the Russian president a personal enemy.

Ukrainian police are continuing to investigate the circumstances of Shchetinins death.
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A student from Denmark is being sued by his lecturer after he made a private complaint about the quality of his teaching.

Kristian Hegaard, a 25-year-old law student at the University of Copenhagen, is accused of making false statements and causing moral damage to his teacher, Michael Bjorn Hansen.

In a written complaint sent to the head of his Tax Law course, Mr Hegaard expressed concerns that he and his fellow students were leaving each class confused about the content.

Recommended Read more Lecturer allowed to carry on teaching after beating student girlfriend

The message was passed on to Mr Bjorn Hansen, however, who filed a lawsuit against the student for libel.

I sent the complaint to this one person, said Mr Hegaard, for example I wrote: The teaching is in a mess and he seemed to be unprepared  and does not bring notes.

The student, who is a disabled rights campaigner and active within Danish politics, added that the specialist teacher did not appear to use group work within his teaching, which is mandatory at the college.

Danish media have reported that Mr Bjorn Hansen is suing the student as a matter of principle and so as to prevent future students making similar complaints.

Speaking to Danish student website, Universities Avisen, the teacher said: The key is that there is a complaint of false fact and thus a very unpleasant matter for me

He also accuses Mr Hegaard of making a political stunt by complaining.

Referring to the students political activity, Mr Bjorn Hansen told the publication: I would never have raised a lawsuit if the complaint came from a normal student.

It is believed to be the first time a student at the University of Copenhagen has been sued by a teacher.

I had written a normal complaint, so I was very surprised by the reaction, said Mr Hegaard, who has been studying at the university since 2010.

It's him who started this whole case, all the big fireworks. It is he who has wished that there should be a trial.

He is due to appear in Elsinore District Court on 5 September, and if found liable could be made to pay 2,000 Krone (230 in damages).

Commenting on the court case, Kristian Dam Hove, president of the largest student law organisation in Denmark said: Personally, I think that it is incredibly silly. But on a fundamental level, it is also crazy if there would be a precedent for that as a student you can be sued for complaining about someones teaching,

Mr Hegaard said: In Denmark it has been called a matter of principle, because it is a question of students rights to request improvements within their education or criticise teachers constructively without fearing to be sued for libel.

It is also a general question of the reputation of lawyers. When others hear about this case, they think lawyers just sue each other all the time. A lawyers role should be to solve disputes, not to start them.

A spokesperson for the University of Copenhagen said the institution was not able to comment at this time.
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A month before her 26th birthday, Nina Ragusa landed in Bangkok, Thailand.

About five years later, Ragusa has only been back to the US twice.

"It's funny, the live-abroad lifestyle looks so easy when you're on the outside. You just see the bikini with a karst mountain background picture or the perfectly timed sunset photo," Ragusa told Business Insider.

But the realities of living and traveling abroad for an extended period of time are a little different.

(http://whereintheworldisnina.com/Nina Ragusa (http://whereintheworldisnina.com/Nina Ragusa)

When asked what people get wrong about long-term travel, she wrote in an email, people tend to think "you have to be rich, you have to know the language, you have to be with someone else, you can only take short vacations, not live there ..."

However, she's managed to sustain herself for five years without being a fluent speaker of multiple languages, without a trust fund, and mostly by herself.

When she's traveling, she said, in a typical day, "I attempt to get around in another language, I buy my food from the markets, get around on interesting modes of transportation, meet new people, experience the culture, see something breathtaking, amazing, and/or incredible, have a beer, and wake up to do the same the next day."

However, to support this lifestyle, "work is inevitable, despite what story the photo might portray. This life isn't always easy to maintain. It's a constant flow of challenges that you have to overcome, but it's worth every drop of sweat, tears, and beers."

Ragusa arrived in Bangkok in May 2011 with $6,000 in her pocket -- thanks to two years of saving -- and with a newly minted TEFL certification she'd gotten in the US, certifying her to teach English. She was able to get a teaching job north of the city within days, and ended up teaching for two semesters.

In 2012, she picked up two unexpected jobs: teaching English online, and freelance writing. "Because I fell into those two jobs accidentally, I learned that even if you're not sure how something is going to go down, if you keep searching, take risks on what you go for, and make a solid effort, you can really make something happen," she said.

Now, Ragusa is based in Australia, where she's working as a bartender and in a surf shop to save up more cash for a camper van trip across the continent.

"Everyone wants to know how I'm able to do this, but ironically, I never had a clue myself how to live this life," she said. "Through my initial travels, I met people and inquired, I researched endlessly, I took risks, I leaped before looking a few times, and I've failed miserably along the way."

Read more:

 This chart is easy to interpret: It says we're screwed

 How Uber became the world's most valuable startup

 These 4 things could trigger the next crisis in Europe

Read the original article on Business Insider UK.  2016. Follow Business Insider UK on Twitter.
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Q I want to visit the Faroe Islands. Im in Belfast, and it seems its very expensive as it appears there is no boat from Scotland. Even then it would cost a small fortune if there was. Any suggestions?

Liz Jones

A The Faroe Islands jut out of the North Atlantic between Scotland and Iceland. They comprise a superb destination, with soaring mountains, traditional fishing communities and surprisingly modern infrastructure, especially in the capital Torshavn.

However, they are expensive to reach. You can get to Torshavn by ferry from Hirtshals in northern Denmark or Seydisfjordur in eastern Iceland  journeys of 38 and 19 hours respectively.

By air, the only carrier is the islands national airline, Atlantic Airways. It flies twice a week from Edinburgh, which is easy to reach from Belfast, and three times a week from Reykjavik.

Atlantic Airways is a good airline, but for the distances involved (Edinburgh-Torshavn is 443 miles), fares can be high: for a round-trip in September, the lowest fare I can see is just short of 200 return.

I suggest you construct a trip that goes with the grain of the transport links, and takes advantage of the extra destinations you can build in. For example you can fly Belfast-Reykjavik on easyJet and spend a few days in the Icelandic capital (note you would need to change airports in the city), fly to the Faroes and after your stay continue to Edinburgh for a bonus city break.

Every day, our travel correspondent, Simon Calder, tackles a readers question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder
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Just when you thought he had finally maxed out his Bank of Crazy credit card, Donald Trump finds an inventive way to hike the limit.

The latest front opened by the Donald in his ceaseless war against sanity is medical. But before we come to his physicians letter, a recap for anyone with the sense and taste to have bypassed this development in the presidential campaign.

Recently, Trump and his helpers in the straitjacketed media have been focusing on Hillary Clintons health. Hillary, so far as anyone with respect for facts understands, is in good shape. Her own doctor, Lisa Bardack, released a letter last year advising that she has recovered from the cerebral blood clot she suffered in 2009; listing a few trivial conditions and the medications she takes; and concluding that the Democratic contender is fit to lead the free world should America in its wisdom so decide.

Despite the detail and precision, and though no one has cause to doubt Bardacks competence or honesty, the letter failed to assuage Trumpian concerns that Hillary is gravely unwell, if not dying.

The letters signed by Donald Trump Show all 5 1 /5 The letters signed by Donald Trump The letters signed by Donald Trump The letters signed by Donald Trump The letters signed by Donald Trump The letters signed by Donald Trump The letters signed by Donald Trump

The Donald, not to mention such faithful bondsmen as Rudy Guiliani and the moron-manipulating far-right online news resources, heavily hint at a neurological disorder, possibly Parkinsons. In their defence, the diagnosis is predicated on as rare and definitive a symptom as Hillary coughing a bit now and again in public.

Once upon a time, such a categorical bill of health from as grand and senior a doctor as Bardack would have killed the rumours. In our post-objective-truth age, however, the confirmation that Hillary is healthy is taken by the nebbishes who festoon online message boards with sexist, racist and everythingist gibberish for incontrovertible proof of the opposite.

These same saddoes are pleased, meanwhile, to trust the rival medical letter of the hour. This one is from a certain Harold Bornstein, who has served as Donald Trumps physician for more than 30 years in succession to his late father, Jacob.

One curiosity here is that Bornstein is a gastroenterologist, though this may be less curious than it looks. Trump has been dangerously full of it, after all, for a long time. Anyway, even more eccentric than Dr Bornstein not being a general practitioner is Dr Bornstein himself. Check out the images online. In some, he looks a bit like The Dude, Jeff Bridges eternal stoner in The Big Lebowski, after someone spiked his White Russian with dodgy acid. In others, his riotous hairstyle  a bonding agent there, presumably, with his patient  reminds you of Christian Bales wildly elaborate tonsorial arrangement in American Hustle. In others, he might be one of the guys in a 1970s cop movie serial killer identity parade who is instantly overlooked for being too obviously sent from central casting. In all, he looks demented.

More deranged than his appearance, miraculously, is the letter he wrote  or transcribed  last December, which he now justifies on the grounds that Trump told him he had five minutes to compose before a limo arrived to collect it. Even that, given the text, seems an eon.

To whom my concern, begins the good doctor, as if in the midst of one of those mini-strokes (TIAs, as we doctors call them, or transient ischaemic attacks) which Trump fans enjoy ascribing to Hillary. Bornstein then describes Trumps blood pressure and laboratory test results were  forgive the baffling medical jargon; in the context its unavoidable  astonishingly excellent. Remind you of anyone, that brand of hyperbole?

His physical strength and stamina are extraordinary, continued the doctor, before concluding: If elected, Mr Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.

It is this closing remark which may make the conspiracy theorist wonder if Trump began the chat with a brusque, Now look, Bornstein, theres a car coming for the letter in five minutes, so take this down . What kind of medic would declare, even equivocally, that Trump is healthier than 44 men he has never examined, either because they were not his patients, or because they had ceased to have a pulse long before he emerged from medical school?

And is the 70-year-old Trump really healthier than Teddy Roosevelt, as others have asked, when in 1901 that hyper-fit woodsman entered the White House at 42?

Bornsteins claim to know the unknowable suggests that any letter of the kind would carry more weight were it signed by any other bearer of a medical title on earth. Dr Pepper for one. Dr Dre for another.

And so it spirals on, this massively entertaining, hugely terrifying collision between worlds (the real one and the parallel universe of Trumps creation) masquerading as a presidential election. Hillarys health is good, and there is no reason to doubt the same of Trump, but who will say the same about the condition of the US body politic?

America will stay in the geopolitical MRI scanner for weeks yet, and we wont get the results back until the early hours of 9 November. In the meantime, what can you do but self-medicate as best you can within the confines of the law, and do the terrified patients usual bargaining for the all-clear with god?
John Hume has hailed former tanaiste Peter Barry as a peacemaker of great courage.

The wealthy businessman and shrewd political deal maker was a key player in Anglo-Irish relations during one of the most difficult periods of the Northern Ireland Troubles in the mid-1980s. He died on Friday aged 88 and his funeral will be held in Cork tomorrow morning.

The founder of the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and Nobel prize-winning peace process architect Mr Hume said he was a source of strength for all who stood against violence.

"Peter was a constant companion to the North throughout our most challenging times as we walked the treacherous path to peace.

"Implacable in his opposition to all forms of violence and injustice, he will long be remembered in this island's story as a man of great courage and courtesy."

The businessman from Cork, who built the Barry's Tea brand into a household name in Ireland, forged a successful political career spanning decades.

From a political dynasty started by his father, the former lord mayor of Cork was first elected a TD in 1969. He went on to become deputy leader of his Fine Gael party.

Until he retired from national politics in 1997 he served in a number of senior government positions including the education, transport and environment portfolios.

But it was in his role as Foreign Affairs Minister in the years leading up to the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement - credited with being a stepping stone to the Good Friday Agreement - that he is best remembered.

Mr Hume said it was not just his work on negotiating the Anglo-Irish Agreement between then-premier Garret FitzGerald and then British prime minister Margaret Thatcher that distinguished him but also his commitment to its faithful implementation.

The accord gave Ireland a consultative role on Northern Ireland affairs for the first time and met the fiercest of unionist protests.

Mr Hume noted: "He keenly understood that historic handshakes marked the beginning not the end of our challenges."

He said Mr Barry was hard-headed and sure-footed in his political dealings but always demonstrated a personal grace.

"He brought a real empathy to his engagement on the North alongside a critical determination to lay the groundwork for peaceful progress."

Mr Barry died peacefully in his native city on Friday morning surrounded by his family. He had four sons and two daughters, including sitting Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune.

Most of Ireland's political elite is expected to attend his funeral at 11.30am on Monday morning at St Michael's Church, Blackrock.
There is plenty of blame to go around for the devastating financial crisis that Ireland endured. The banks, the regulators, the builders and the politicians have all come in for criticism - and rightfully so. Most observers now accept that while the global financial crisis played a role, allowing Ireland's home-grown property bubble to inflate uncontrollably was the main mistake.

But while there is broad agreement of what caused the crisis, few - if any - commentators have asked what the broader lessons for the property market are. Instead, the debate has immediately reverted back to what needs to be done for people to be able to purchase a property in much the same way as before the crisis.

Given the catastrophe that befell Ireland when the bubble burst, it is astounding that there has been so little public debate on whether the structure of the property market and the mortgage finance system is at all appropriate.

One lesson that has been drawn is that banks should not be allowed to lend freely to borrowers that are likely to fall into arrears if an economic downturn hits. The Central Bank's macro prudential measures address this issue. The aim of the measures is to ensure the stability of the banks. There has been little or no argument about the desirability of this objective.

Instead, the argument against the measures has focussed on mortgage access. Commentators seem not to have understood that if everybody could borrow more, house prices would just rise commensurately. The net effect would just be more indebtedness, not more housing.

Furthermore, it has not been recognised that there is a fundamental question of whether easy access for all to mortgage credit can be combined with a stable banking system. The fact that countries with high home ownership rates - such as Ireland - generally suffered worst in the recent crisis suggests that there is a tension between these objectives.

The reason is that the burden of unemployment, which is a main driver of mortgage arrears, is not shared evenly in society. In particular, younger and less experienced workers - who might also have had little time to build up a record of servicing debts on time - are disproportionately likely to lose their jobs if a downturn occurs. They are therefore risky borrowers for banks.

That raises the question of what Ireland prefers as a nation:

Do we want mortgages for all, at the cost of running the risk of another property bubble with massive social and economic costs?

Or do we reduce risks to the banking sector and that of another boom-bust cycle, at the cost of restrictions on risky mortgage lending?

The latter seems like the least-bad solution - but it requires the adoption of supporting policies that promote a stable property market. This means acknowledging that more indebtedness is not the solution. It means finding ways to ensure quality housing can be built at affordable prices. And it means providing good alternatives to those who do not want to, or can't, buy their housing.

That is, the focus of the debate should shift from ensuring credit availability to housing policy.

Five objectives of housing policy seem clear.

First, Ireland needs a large and professional rental market where households do not run the risk of having to move. Landlords that seek an income stream from the rent on the property - for instance, institutional investors such as insurance companies and pension funds - want tenants to stay a long time, since finding a new tenant is costly. Landlords seeking a capital gain only need tenants for the short-term.

Second, large rental properties, including those with three or more bedrooms that are suitable for families, must be available for rent. Otherwise families will continue to be compelled to buy their housing - irrespectively of whether they want to run the unavoidable financial risk associated with doing so.

Third, long-term rental contracts that provide predictability to renters and landlords alike are necessary. It is not possible for families to run the risk of having to leave their homes with a few months' notice.

Fourth, rents must be allowed to move, but only gradually, in response to market forces (even during the rental contract) to ensure that landlords have an incentive to maintain rental properties. A housing market that steps on landlords' property rights will never function well. While rents are likely to increase only gradually in a stable property market, as in other countries rules that prevent large and abrupt rent increases may be necessary.

Fifth, a more flexible supply of quality housing would be beneficial. The building of social housing, currently being rolled out, can help. Planning rules and cost-benefit analysis of building regulations can ensure quality housing without unnecessary additional costs. This would help prevent bottle necks such as the one now occurring.

So Ireland needs to decide: mortgages for everyone is likely to be difficult to combine with a stable housing market and banking system. If a repeat of the crisis is to be avoided, then a fundamental rethink of housing policy is required.

The Central Bank has taken the first step to ensuring a banking crisis does not re-occur. While the Government has recently announced a plan for "Rebuilding Ireland", the devil is in the detail and whether it will be enough is too early to tell.

Stefan Gerlach is a former Central Bank deputy governor
One51 chairman Denis Cregan told a shareholder meeting earlier this year that some shareholders believed the best way to grow the business was via debt financing, rather than raising fresh equity

One51 is closing on two significant acquisitions to bolster its plastics business, the Sunday Independent has learned.

The company hopes to be able to announce the deals within three months, a source with knowledge of the situation said.

The source said one target is in the United States, with the other in Europe. The combined cost of the deals will be around 100m, on an enterprise value basis (including the target companies' debt as well as their shares), and will be funded via banking facilities, the source said.

One51 has been on the hunt for deals after deciding not to proceed with a planned IPO. Talks with large stakeholders prompted management to abort the plan in the belief that it would not receive enough backing from shareholders to go ahead. Financier Dermot Desmond is understood to have been among the shareholders opposed to the IPO plan.

One51 chairman Denis Cregan told a shareholder meeting earlier this year that some shareholders believed the best way to grow the business was via debt financing, rather than raising fresh equity.

The company - which aside from its plastics arm also has an environmental services business - more than doubled its earnings before interest, depreciation, tax and amortisation (EBITDA) year-on-year in the first half, to 27.1m, according to results published on Friday.

The growth was fuelled by its purchase of a majority stake in Canadian plastics business IPL.

Group chief executive Alan Walsh said integration of IPL has been completed, and that it had performed ahead of expectations since it was acquired.

"The second half of the year has started satisfactorily across all divisions with a number of significant capital investment projects undertaken in the first half of the year now coming into production," Walsh said.

"UK earnings were adversely affected by the fall in the value of sterling in the wake of Brexit. Other potential impacts of Brexit are difficult to assess currently, but should become clearer in the second half of the year," he added.

In reporting the results, One51 said it "has available to it a number of significant and exciting organic and acquisitive-led growth opportunities".

"In evaluating these opportunities, the Group will seek to continue to allocate its available capital resources to those activities which provide the best opportunity for the highest return."
We have just come back from a family holiday in France, where we travelled with our young children by ferry.

While the holiday was great, we were very unhappy with the standard of the cabin on the return journey.

Our issues included a bad stench of vomit which made for a very uncomfortable night's sleep. Most of the family fell sick with a stomach bug shortly after we arrived home - and I suspect this may have been due to poor hygiene in the cabin.

The cot provided by the ferry for my baby to sleep in was worn, smelly and dirty.

There was a long delay boarding passengers on the night of our return journey.

My husband and I did not complain at the time because we wanted to get our children to bed. Are we entitled to any compensation - and what should we do if we find ourselves in a similar situation again?

Aisling, Co Cork

You do have rights if your ferry is delayed. If the delay is for more than 90 minutes, the ferry operator is required to offer you free snacks, meals or refreshments (in proportion to the waiting time).

With regard to the quality of the accommodation, you should make a complaint in writing to the ferry company. Check if the business has a customer care department.

Many businesses will have their own proper internal complaints procedures, and complaints are often resolved using these. Explain what the issues were, how they affected you and include any evidence you have to support your complaint (such as for example, a photo of the cot).

Get the name of the manager or someone who has the authority to deal with your complaint. If you are not satisfied with the response from the ferry company, the only option available to you is to travel with an alternative provider in future.

It is always best to make your complaint as soon as you can. If you were unfortunate enough to find yourself in the same situation again, try to bring the issue to the attention of the customer services manager before you disembark.

This would allow you to show them the specific issues such as the unpleasant smell and poor quality of the cot.

However, I can appreciate that this is easier said than done when you are travelling with young children.

I am in the market for a second-hand car. I visited a local garage last weekend and spotted a car for sale. It is a seven-year-old car which was owned by a lady driver who only drove it locally, according to the garage.

It has very low mileage but when I looked at the interior of the car, there was significant wear and tear on the seat covers and steering wheel which I don't think is consistent with the reported mileage.

My question is what can I do to check the history of the car?

Mary, Dublin 5

There are a number of companies who can check the history of a car for you for a fee - you can search online to find a company to carry out this service. This check may uncover details which the seller is trying to hide, such as whether or not the car was ever written-off, the true mileage of it - or if there is outstanding finance on it.

It is an offence under consumer law for a trader to offer a car for sale which has been clocked (where the genuine odometer reading of the car has been changed to reflect a lower mileage).

If you do find evidence that a car has been clocked, let the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission know.

Check that the car you are buying is not under an existing finance agreement. If it is, the person trying to sell the car does not actually own it and does not have the right to sell it to you. If you buy a car with outstanding finance, the legal owners (that is, a bank), can repossess the car from you.

Your car history check should examine whether or not there is outstanding finance on the car as well as the previous recorded odometer readings; details of any insurance claims; if the car has been used as a taxi; and/or details of any crashes.

As well as checking the history of the car, it is important you satisfy yourself about the physical condition of the car. Get the car independently checked by a mechanic to avoid any nasty surprises in the future.

I recently went on a weekend break to a hotel in the country. I booked the hotel on the strength of reviews I read on the hotel's website from previous customers.

However, the hotel was nothing like the picture that was painted by these reviews. In fact, after being there, I strongly suspect the reviews were made up by the hotel to encourage bookings.

Do I have any rights to a refund here?

Chris, Kinsealy, Co Dublin

You are not alone in using online reviews to help you make a decision on where to stay. Many people look at online reviews when deciding whether to buy something, especially when it's something you haven't bought before - such as a new product, or somewhere you haven't booked before - such as a hotel. Positive reviews may well influence your decision.

If the hotel provided you with what you paid for, for example bed and breakfast, then you have received what you paid for. If you received what you booked but are unhappy with the standards or facilities at the hotel, this is a civil dispute between you and the hotel - so would need to be raised directly with them. Contact the hotel and give them the opportunity to resolve the problem.

If you complain face-to-face or over the phone you may get a quick solution to your problem. If you don't, keep track of conversations you had, including dates, names and what was discussed. If you are getting nowhere, make a formal complaint in writing - either by email or letter.

There is a sample complaint letter on the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission's consumer website (www.consumerhelp.ie) which outlines what to include in your letter.

Remember to give evidence to support your complaint such as a written account of events, photographs or video evidence of poor facilities. If you cannot resolve the matter with the hotel and it is a member of a trade association, you may wish to pursue the matter further with the association. The association may have a customer service charter that includes a complaints procedure which you can use.

Before you buy something based on a review, it pays to be a little sceptical. Think about where the information has come from - is it an independent website, one consumer, a number of consumers, or a blogger?

When you're not familiar with a company, do a little digging online by going to a search engine and typing the name of the product, service or company name, along with 'review', 'complaint' or 'scam'. Look for credible opinions from trusted sources and don't just rely on one. Ideally you should compare reviews from a number of websites.

Email your questions to lmcbride@independent.ie or write to 'Your Questions, The Sunday Independent Business Section, 27-32 Talbot Street, Dublin 1'.

While we will endeavour to place your questions with the most appropriate expert to answer your query, this column is a reader service and is not intended to replace professional advice.

Member of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission
Having spread his wings and interests outside of Ireland in 1998 to avoid being hit by the bursting of the property bubble he believed was already forming, Belfast-born property investor Paddy McKillen began assembling a vast portfolio of prime residential and commercial properties in the UK, France, Germany and further afield in the US, Argentina and Asia.

Famously media-averse, McKillen, whose Irish assets include the Jervis Shopping Centre and the College Green premises of US clothing chain Abercrombie & Fitch, blocked efforts by Nama in the Supreme Court in 2011 to take control of his businesses' loans.

A subsequent protracted battle with the billionaire Barclay brothers for control of the famous Claridges, Berkeley and Connaught hotels saw its final resolution with both the Barclays and McKillen selling their respective stakes to the Qatari-owned Constellation Hotels group. McKillen continues to manage the redevelopment of the London hotels, while his son, Paddy Jr, builds a property empire in his own right in Dublin.

Luke Comer

The Galway-born Comer and his brother, Brian, left Ireland as teenagers for London in 1984. Plasterers by trade, the Comers managed to avoid the white heat of the Celtic Tiger through shrewd and well-timed investment in the UK and Germany. They returned to Ireland with a bang after the bubble burst, snapping up prime assets at bargain-basement prices.

Their most high-profile purchase came in 2013 with the 22m acquisition of the former UCD veterinary college in Ballsbridge. The 2.2-acre site had previously been purchased by Glenkerrin Homes chief Ray Grehan in 2005 for 171.5m - a record-breaking 84m an acre.

The Comers are taking full advantage of the Irish economic recovery with the development on the site of Number One Ballsbridge, a high-end offering of offices and apartments.

Paddy Kelly

With over 50 years of experience in property development and consultancy in Ireland, the UK, Europe and the United States, the Laois-born developer and chief executive of Redquartz delivered numerous of Dublin and Ireland's most successful commercial and residential developments before the crash.

Smithfield, Belfield office park, the Burlington Plaza office complex in Dublin 4 and the four-star Carton House Hotel in Kildare were just some of Kelly's major projects before he ended up in Nama.

Kelly is currently waiting for the commencement of Nama's sale of the 1.5bn par value Project Tolka, where his companies' borrowings are to be sold, along with those of his long-standing business partner John Flynn and the Dublin-based McCormack family, who control the property investment vehicle Alanis. Ever the entrepreneur and optimist, Kelly has continues to look for business opportunities internationally.

Paddy Shovlin

While he began his working life as a restaurateur on Dublin's Moore Street, Shovlin used his initiative to join the ranks of the brash new breed of property developers who were tapping the rich seam of Ireland's property goldmine.

As the boom neared its peak in 2006, the Ferrari-loving Dubliner's company, Landmark Enterprises, was on the brink of its biggest deal in which it would secure planning permission for the 500m development of the Beacon South Quarter at Sandyford Industrial Estate in south Dublin.

When the crash came, Shovlin and his fellow Landmark directors, Pat and Tony Fitzpatrick were left unable to repay the 280m in loans the company had taken out on the project. Shovlin, meanwhile, was in even deeper debt, owing to his membership of a consortium spearheaded by Derek Quinlan's Quinlan Private, which bought Bank of Ireland's former headquarters on Baggot Street for a figure just north of 200m in 2006.

Heavily indebted to Nama, Shovlin declared bankruptcy in the UK in 2012. Today, he is understood to be working as a property consultant in London.

Michael O'Flynn

With 38 years' experience in the property industry, the Cork-born developer's O'Flynn Group has delivered numerous residential, commercial, retail and industrial developments in Cork, Dublin and in the UK, Germany and Spain.

Widely acknowledged as a highly professional operator, O'Flynn almost singularly refused to be demonised for being a developer in the wake of the crash. Having co-operated fully with Nama, he found the exit door in 2014, when his companies' 1.8bn loans were sold to US private equity giant Blackstone.

When Blackstone tried to call in his companies' loans at short notice, O'Flynn took them to the High Court and won. A consensual deal, which saw the developer regain control of the O'Flynn Group's Irish business, has allowed him to begin again.

The developer has secured fresh financial backing and now aims to build up to 10,000 new homes in Dublin and Cork over the next seven to eight years.

Gerry Gannon

When the so-called 'man in the hat', Gerry Gannon, gave evidence at the 2014 trial of three former directors of Anglo Irish Bank, he was asked if he had been one of Ireland's biggest property developers in 2008 and if his net worth had approached 1bn.

"Probably, yeah," he replied.

Recognised as one of Ireland's most successful and prolific housebuilders, Roscommon-born Gannon's companies' 1bn plus in borrowings saw him land in Nama as one of the agency's top 10 most indebted.

While he has yet to exit Nama, it is arguable that the agency now needs him more than he needs it, given its stated ambitions of delivering thousands of new homes to alleviate the housing crisis, which is at its most acute in the capital.

Using funding provided by Nama, Gannon began unlocking the massive land banks he had assembled in and around north Dublin prior to the crash, with the construction of the first phase of 1,000 new homes in Swords in 2014.

Joe O'Reilly

When his companies' debts were taken over by Nama in 2010, they amounted to 2.8bn, making Joe O'Reilly the biggest and most-indebted developer on the books of the so-called 'bad bank'.

But while things looked bleak for the Longford-born builder then, the sheer quality of assets, such as the Dundrum Town Centre, the Pavilions in Swords, the Gaiety Centre on South King Street and offices at Grand Canal Dock, saw him secure the agency's support and his business's survival.

Other major assets in the Chartered Land chief's portfolio included substantial holdings in and around Dublin's O'Connell Street, which he assembled between 2004 and 2008 with a view to creating a 1bn retail-led centre.

Earlier this year, Nama's 1.85bn sale of O'Reilly's major assets - the Dundrum Town Centre, his 50pc stake in the Pavilions and Chartered Land's O'Connell Street holdings - to UK property giant Hammerson and German insurer Allianz was completed.

While O'Reilly is understood to have agreed an option to buy back 50pc of the O'Connell Street site by a June 2017 deadline, which may or may not be exercised, he is set to be retained by Hammerson as development manager onsite.

He is active elsewhere in the capital, with the development of high-end apartments on the site of the former Berkeley Court Hotel in Dublin 4.

O'Reilly's company acquired the former Berkeley and Jurys hotels last year for 170m with financial backing from the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

Sean Mulryan

A native of Roscommon, Ballymore Properties chief Sean Mulryan began his working life as a AnCO trainee, where he learned his trade as a bricklayer stonemason. At the age of 25, he saw his opportunity to build once-off homes in Leinster and established his own business. He named his company Ballymore Homes after building his first house in Ballymore Eustace in Kildare.

And the rest, as they say, is history. From those modest beginnings, Mulryan grew his housebuilding operation to become one of the biggest builders in the State. In 1991, recognising the need to spread the company's risk, he looked to London, where he began buying up land in the city's then-neglected docklands.

It was a prescient move on two fronts, given what transpired in both markets over the following decade.

As Ireland's housing market began to overheat and London's docklands came into their own, Mulryan had minimised his exposure to the former and maximised the advantage he could take of the latter.

Despite his shrewd assessment of the Irish and UK markets, the Ballymore chief had made a fundamental error, however, in securing 90pc of his companies' borrowings from Irish banks, leaving him badly exposed when the crash came.

Recognising the need to work with Nama to sustain his business, Mulryan has maintained a low profile and been assiduous in paying down Ballymore's estimated 2.6bn debt to the agency through a series of major asset disposals in the UK. In a recent interview, he stated his ambition to repay all of Ballymore's outstanding Nama debt by the end of this year.

Mulryan is very much active in the Irish market again, with Ballymore partnering Singaporean fund Oxley Holdings on the development of Project Wave, a 250-apartment and office development in the docklands. Mulryan has also expressed his interest in the former Irish Glass Bottle site in Ringsend, which famously sold for 412m in 2006.

Ray Grehan

The Galway-born developer famously paid 171.5m - or a record 84m an acre - for the 2.2-acre veterinary college site in Ballsbridge at the height of the boom.

But before that, the former Glenkerrin Homes chief had built up an impressive portfolio of residential and commercial developments in Dublin, Kildare and London.

Among Grehan's best-known developments in Dublin were the concierge-serviced Grange apartments, built on the site of Esso's former headquarters in Stillorgan, Ballintyre, St Edmund's in Palmerstown and the Glenroyal Hotel in Maynooth, Co Kildare.

Over in London, the Glenkerrin Group owned a number of sites and properties, including a hotel in Shoreditch, which Grehan contended had been valued at 83m prior to Nama's appointment of receivers.

Grehan declared bankruptcy in the UK on December 29, 2011, following a protracted period of discussions with Nama which ultimately failed to deliver a plan for the work-out of his companies' 300m borrowings. Consenting to a seven-year bankruptcy restriction order in London's High Court in 2014 over an alleged failure to fully disclose his assets, Grehan gave his address as Abuja, Nigeria.

He is now understood to be working there as a consultant on development projects.

Bernard McNamara

At the height of his powers, the blue and yellow sign of McNamara Construction was to be found all across Ireland. The company's reach was down to the unrivalled ability of its principal - Bernard McNamara - to secure State projects off the back of aggressive tendering and a voracious appetite for work, which saw him traverse the country by car, and later, as the boom roared, by helicopter.

But it was that same relentless, debt-fuelled drive to acquire and develop which proved to be the Clare-born developer's undoing once the crash came. The catalogue of disasters included his ill-fated involvement in the 412m acquisition in 2006 by a group of Davy Stockbrokers' private investors of the former Glass Bottle site in Ringsend and the 400m he borrowed to buy the Burlington Hotel and former Allianz Insurance building in Ballsbridge in 2007.

With the collapse of the economy, his companies' loans were transferred to Nama. He declared bankruptcy in the UK in November 2012, with estimated debts of 2.7bn.

Since emerging from insolvency, he has been involved in several projects here in Ireland, including the rebuilding of the Denis O'Brien-owned Canada House on Dublin's St Stephen's Green and the expansion of Michael Smurfit's K Club in Kildare.

The developer has also found himself mired in controversy over fire-safety deficiencies detected at the Longboat Quay apartments, which his company built in Dublin's docklands during the boom.

John Flynn

While Flynn never actively sought publicity during the boom, the results of his longstanding partnership with Redquartz chief Paddy Kelly are dotted all over Dublin's city centre, from Burlington Plaza in Dublin 4 to Smithfield across the River Liffey to Belfield Office Park in Clonskeagh.

Since the crash, Flynn who is also one of the main investors in the Blackrock Clinic, has been active in pursuing business opportunities in the United States, while working to discharge his Nama debt.

But where other developers went down without a fight or protest in the crisis, Flynn has been dogged in his pursuit of any injustice he perceives may have been perpetrated against his business interests.

He pursued the IBRC in the US courts over alleged interest overcharging by the former Anglo Irish Bank and was successful in his 2014 High Court challenge to Nama's attempt to call in a 22m debt without giving him the "right to be heard".

Flynn's companies' loans are due to be put up for sale by Nama shortly along with those of Paddy Kelly, and the Dublin-based McCormack family, who control the property investment vehicle Alanis as part of its disposal of the 1.5bn par-value Project Tolka loan book.

Sean Dunne

He's the Carlow-born developer on whom everyone seems to have a strong opinion. It's hardly surprising, given his exploits in the boom and bust that followed.

When Sean Dunne splashed out a total of 510m on the acquisition of the former Jury's and Berkeley Court hotels and Hume House in Dublin 4, the media dubbed him the Baron of Ballsbridge'. But his plan to bring a piece of Knightsbridge to Dublin's embassy belt with the construction of a 37-storey tower designed by 'starchitect' Ulrik Raysse as its centrepiece was beset both by planning objections and the onset of the financial crisis.

In winning the so-called 'battle of Ballsbridge' by outbidding rivals - including Bernard McNamara, Paddy Kelly and Ray Grehan - for the former Jurys hotels site, Dunne had unwittingly sown the seeds of his own financial ruin.

But before he ever came to wider public attention for spending vast sums on trophy assets, the Tullow man had forged a career as a housebuilder and commercial property developer.

All told, Dunne's companies built some 3,500 homes in Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow and offices such as the Bloodstone Building in Dublin's docklands before the crash.

Strong-willed and combative by nature, the bureaucratic grind of life in Nama was always going to be difficult for Dunne to adapt to. On March 29, 2013, the developer took matters into his own hands in the US and declared bankruptcy, owing 690m.

While Dunne anticipated that the move would see him secure a clean bill of financial health within a matter of months, his main creditors - Ulster Bank (his lenders on the Jurys site) and Nama had other ideas.

He quickly earned the unique distinction of being declared bankrupt in two countries, following a successful application by the Ulster Bank to the High Court in Dublin that July.

For the past three years, Dunne has remained locked in a war of attrition with his biggest creditors, while his wife, the former social diarist Gayle Killilea, has reinvented herself as a property developer in her own right.

Noel Smyth

Solicitor and developer Noel Smyth was estimated by KPMG to have been worth 125m in October 2007, based on the value of his art collection, home and land. Once the economic tide went out, however, his company Fitzwilliam Finance Corp's overall borrowings of over 500m saw him join his fellow developers in Nama. Smyth's main Irish asset then was the Square Shopping Centre in Tallaght, which had some 395m in loans secured against it. The developer also had about 250m in British assets, with some 200m borrowed against them.

Smyth co-operated fully with the Nama process, selling off numerous assets to pay down his debt. His careful handling of his relationship with the agency has allowed him to continue his activities as an investor.

His most notable post-crash deal saw him team up with the Weston family-owned Selfridge Group to acquire the iconic Arnotts. Smyth subsequently sold Fitzwilliam's 50pc stake in Arnotts to the Selfridge Group but retains control of the department store's associated property portfolio, which he now intends to redevelop.

Johnny Ronan and Richard Barrett

As the former principals of Treasury Holdings, Ronan and Barrett are responsible for some of the most high-profile commercial property developments here in Ireland, including the Treasury Building on Grand Canal Street (which, in an ironic twist, is now home to Nama), the Convention Centre Dublin at Spencer Dock, Central Park in Leopardstown and the Ritz Carlton Hotel (now trading as the Powerscourt Hotel) in Co Wicklow.

With more than 130 individual real-estate assets within Treasury's overall portfolio prior to the crash, its assets had, at one point, a combined value of more than 4.6bn - with arguably more to come, had plans to develop London's Battersea Power Station and further its interests in China come to fruition.

Despite the quality of its assets, Treasury went down in flames in 2012, with Nama's appointment of receivers to certain of its assets. While Ronan and Barrett resisted the move in the High Court, their efforts to save the business, which had total borrowings of 2.7bn (1.7bn of which was owed to Nama), proved futile.

While Ronan and Barrett have gone their separate ways since then, both are back in business. Since exiting Nama in 2015, Ronan has formed a new company, Ronan Group Real Estate (RGRE), and is already working on over 1bn in new projects. Among RGRE's major developments are the 150m Vertium office building on Dublin's Burlington Road and a 300m office campus at AIB's headquarters in Ballsbridge.

The Shanghai-based Barrett, meanwhile, has been involved in a series of start-ups through his new company, Bartra Capital. Among his interests are HengXinLi - an online platform which aims to give Chinese investors access to property in major international cities, including in Dublin, for a minimum amount of $2,500 (2,218).

The former Treasury chief's interest in the Irish property market recently saw him examine the possibility of buying the 27-site property portfolio of developer Greg Kavanagh's New Generation Homes.
Only in Ireland would a campaigner for the rights of fathers choose to protest at an event in which not one of the 32 competing young women had a child. And only in Ireland, where the sexual offences of clerics have scandalised the nation, would he think of furthering his cause by dressing up as a priest.

Still, these onstage shenanigans at Monday night's instalment of the Rose of Tralee (RTE1) brought an element of the real world into a fairy-tale competition, even if RTE frantically tried to preserve the fairy tale by immediately cutting off his stage invasion and screening a Rose-related promo instead.

The real world also intervened when Sydney rose Brianna spoke of interviewing sex workers in a brothel and of campaigning against domestic violence. She was the contestant who impressed me the most, though I knew she hadn't a prayer of winning when she endorsed the rights of Irish women to be in control of their own bodies and lives. The judges were clearly of the opinion that, if allowed to travel the world as the reigning Rose, she might actually have something to say.

Otherwise it was business as usual, with amiably up-for-it host Daithi O Se reminding us yet again that he's the only man for the job and with most of the contestants permitting themselves to be dressed and coiffured in homage to the Maureen O'Hara of the 1950s. What's that about?

But if the clothing and hairdos remained in a bizarre time warp, an unwelcome new development came with the culling of over half the competitors before the contest even began. This was shown in a cheerleading documentary called Road to the Dome, which RTE1 screened 90 minutes before Monday night's main event started, and it made for unpleasant viewing.

Why invite 65 regional finalists from around the globe to Tralee and then reject 33 of them as not sufficiently impressive to appear in the televised contest? Most, if not all, of them would have arrived with their families and friends (thus ensuring bumper business for local hoteliers and restaurants), only to subsequently suffer the humiliation of losing out to preferred others.

And the manner of their dismissal, with no reasons given, was upsetting, too - at their hotel bedroom doors on the morning of the televised show, all 65 contestants were given either a white or red rose, then shepherded into separate locations where they were finally told that the white rose represented success and the red failure.

I thought it gratuitously cruel in a contest that has always insisted on its warmth and empathy, and I paid no heed to presenter Sinead Kennedy's hollow insistence that "all 65 girls were able to experience the unique magic of the festival". The organisers, along with RTE, should ensure this desperate innovation is not repeated next year.

In President Trump: Can He Really Win? (Channel 4), American-based reporter Matt Frei asked supporters and opponents of the tycoon whether, in the words of Hillary Clinton, he was "temperamentally unfit" to run the country.

A group of genteel elderly women in Ohio were all for him, as were redundant steel workers in the same state, even though most of them had voted for Democratic candidates in previous elections.

The black community across the US feel otherwise, and are unlikely to be swayed by Trump's clumsy recent bid for their support in which he insultingly argued: "You're living in poverty, your schools are no good and you have no jobs, so what the hell do you have to lose?"

The tycoon's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, told Frei that she would support a woman candidate "but not that woman", while at the end of a film that had nothing really new or interesting to say about Trump's chances, Frei could only offer that it would "all boil down to which of the candidates Americans like least". We already knew that. There were a few good soundbites in There's Something About Romcoms (Channel 4), most of them oddly concerning Hugh Grant, who deemed his Love Actually co-star Martine McCutcheon "a grounding presence among all these Oxbridge ponces who make these films". He had the grace to include himself as one of those ponces.

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Simon Curtis, who was the creator of that movie, had thought Grant would "ruin" Four Weddings and a Funeral and was "too famous" for Notting Hill but praised him for his caddish turn in Bridget Jones's Diary, where Grant played "an absolute bastard, which of course was the role he had to do the least acting for". You got the impression he meant what he said, but you couldn't be sure.

Elsewhere, we heard from Meg Ryan about her role in When Harry Met Sally and we heard, too, from the makers of Pretty Woman and Sleepless in Seattle, but nothing about the more interesting of the genre or such great players as Cary Grant or Katharine Hepburn.

BBC3's online sitcom, Fleabag, has now been promoted to BBC2 and it's well worth catching. If you thought Sex in the City was raunchy and Girls explicitly taboo-breaking, Fleabag is positively filthy. I thought it terrific.

Developed from an Edinburgh festival stage show by writer and main performer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, its series of sketches about a screwed-up, fulfilment-seeking woman in her thirties manages to be both very funny and genuinely poignant, and Waller-Bridge has a really winning presence, with great support from Bill Paterson as her awful father.
A BODY has been recovered in the search for a missing soldier off the Donegal coast.

The grim discovery was made this morning by divers who had been involved in the search for Corporal Gavin Carey since Tuesday evening.

They were searching for the soldier who got into difficulty while swimming in the sea off Bundoran.

Corporal Careys next of kin have been informed and his remains are being transported to Sligo University Hospital where they will be formally identified.

The 28-year-old soldier was at Tullan Strand in Bundoran with a group of four other colleagues when he got into difficulty earlier this week.

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Carey served with Custume Barracks in Athlone and had been attending a course at Military First Responders Course, which he was completing as part of his pre-deployment training for UNIFIL.

He was scheduled to deploy to South Lebanon with the 109th Infantry Battalion in November.

Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Vice Admiral Mark Mellett DSM, has offered his condolences to Corporal Careys family and friends My thoughts and sympathies are with Corporal Gavin Careys family and friends at this very difficult time. As a soldier he espoused the values we as an organisation hold dear."

"I would like to thank each of the agencies that helped with the search. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.

The Taoiseach has also expressed sympathy on the death of Corporal Gavin Carey.

"On behalf of myself, as Taoiseach and Minister for Defence, and on behalf of all the citizens of the State I want to express my sincere condolences and sympathy to the family of Corporal Gavin Carey following his tragic death," a statement released Sunday evening read.

"Gavin died as a serving member of the Defence Forces and I wish also to extend my sympathies to his colleagues from 2 Brigade Artillery Regiment, Custume Barracks, Athlone, at what is a very difficult time for them.

"Gavin served his country with pride and in the unheralded manner he and all his colleagues go about their business.

"At the time of his death he was in the process of completing a training course prior to his scheduled deployment overseas, to Lebanon. A further reminder of the duties soldiers undertake on all our behalves."
FAMILY: The coffin of Peter Barry is carried by his grandsons from OConnors funeral home, Temple Hill, Cork, to St Michaels Church, Blackrock. Photo: Michael MacSweeney

Hundreds last night paid tribute to former Tanaiste and Fine Gael deputy leader Peter Barry (88).

Mr Barry, who died last Friday after a short illness, was removed from Temple Hill funeral home on Cork's Boreenmana Road to St Michael's Church in Blackrock, not far from his home of 70 years.

Expand Close RESPECTED: Peter Barry. Picture: Billy Higgins / Facebook

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Huge crowds attended the removal of a man hailed as "the greatest leader Fine Gael and Ireland never had".

Among those to attend the removal last night were former Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave, Finance Minister Michael Noonan, Housing Minister Simon Coveney and former Tanaiste and Labour leader Dick Spring.

Mr Barry's huge contribution to Cork business life was also reflected by a large attendance of officials from Cork Chamber of Commerce, Cork Business Association, the Irish Exporters Association and Port of Cork.

The Requiem Mass of the father of six at 11.30am tomorrow is now expected to prove a who's who of Irish political, business and cultural life over the past half-century.

Among the mourners will be President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Enda Kenny and virtually the entire current Cabinet.

Read more: President leads tributes to a man of 'great courtesy'

Read more: John Downing: Always against partition, as well as against violence

Former Taoisigh, including Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen, as well as a representative of the British government, are also expected to attend.

British officials are to attend to honour the key role Mr Barry played in helping to negotiate the 1985 Anglo Irish Agreement.

The deal, hammered out with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, is now credited with laying the foundation of the current Northern Ireland peace agreement and the Stormont power sharing executive.

Mr Barry was predeceased by his wife, Margaret, in 2013.

The mourners will be led by his children, Deirdre, Tony, Fiona, Donagh, Conor and Peter. The former Tanaiste has 21 grandchildren.

His daughter Deirdre Clune held his Dail seat in Cork South Central after his retirement in 1997.

She is now an Ireland South MEP for Fine Gael.

Cork City Council will be represented at the funeral by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Des Cahill, in recognition of the fact Mr Barry served as Cork's first citizen in 1970.

Three generations of the Barry family have served as Cork's lord mayor.

Mr Barry served as a Cork TD for 28 years and also helped oversee the remarkable expansion of his family business, Barry's Tea, into one of Ireland's best-known consumer brands.

He took a successful but effectively local wholesale tea business and helped build it into one of Ireland's best-known retail brands.

Mr Barry described himself in the Dail register throughout his lengthy career as "a tea taster" rather than a businessman.

He also revelled in explaining how the family business traced its roots back to the son of a north Cork blacksmith who was apprenticed to a city grocer and who became famous among Cork shoppers for his uncanny skill in blending tea.
The first public protests over the housing crisis are due to kick off at Dublin City Council's September meeting tomorrow week.

Residents from Ringsend are to hold a protest outside the Council offices over the apparent lack so far of any social and affordable housing plans for the 83-acre former Irish Glass Bottle site beside the giant waste incineration plant foisted on the area by executive decree.

Residents are already angered at the imposition of the giant incinerator on their doorsteps which is nearing completion at Poolbeg.

Councillors in Dublin and the adjoining Dun Laoghaire Rathdown voted almost unanimously against the plant before it was given the go-ahead by the four council chief executives in the Dublin region, headed by Dublin City Council chief executive Owen Keegan.

The incinerator, which is to burn 320,000 tons of waste per annum, is located in an area where long established communities say they are being forced into homelessness by rapidly rising rents and property costs.

Read more: A decade later, Glass Bottle site is still an icon of the bust

The two traditional communities most affected by the latest wave of commercial and apartment developments all round them are in Ringsend and across the Liffey in Sheriff Street/North Dock ward, which both witnessed massive private developments which largely avoided any social and affordable elements.

Susan Cummings, of the Irish Glass Bottle Action Group in Ringsend, said they are now calling for 30pc of the site beside the incinerator to be devoted to public housing.

Ms Cummings pointed out that private apartment developments are springing up all around the Ringsend area, including on the Boland's Mill site, the 'U2' site in Ringsend where a 23-storey apartment block is rising above the neighbouring working class housing.

"A great many jobs in Ringsend were lost when the Glass Bottle company closed and we can't afford the rents and mortgages around here. We are trying to get housing for ordinary people and to keep our village going, to keep our community alive," she said.

The local community, she added, was "bewildered" at the decision to build the massive waste incinerator plant right beside the Irish Glass Bottle site despite unanimous public and political opposition in the city.

In August last year, councillors called for the resignation of Keegan after he chose to over-ride overwhelming votes against the incinerator, which will take rubbish from the whole Dublin region and beyond.

Calls for his resignation came after he wrote to the incinerator operators, Govanta, saying he had decided to give the go-ahead due, in part, to the fact the Council was "largely dominated by anti-government parties and independent councillors".

Protesters from around the city, including those from Ringsend, will gather to voice their opposition at the next meeting of the council on September 5.
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10% of each glassybaby sold will be donated to Make-A-Wish of Suffolk Co.

For more information, email roadshows@glassybaby.com.
The latest weight-loss surgery trends comes as new figures show the Irish Army is also fighting an unlikely battle of the bulge. Stock Image

Liposuction treatment and various surgeries to remove excess body fat in seriously overweight patients is now costing the health service 2,000 a day.

New data confirms the number of surgical procedures on obese patients is on the rise.

Expand Close TREND: TV presenter Fern Britton turned to gastric surgery to aid weight loss. Photos: Jack Ludlam / Facebook

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Ireland, along with the UK, is set to become the most overweight European country within a decade, according to a study published in The Lancet.

Official HSE figures show that a total of 142 liposuction and lipectomy surgeries were carried out in state-run hospitals in 2013, costing 662,580. By 2015, the number jumped to 159, resulting in an overall bill of 756,940 - an average of 4,700 per procedure.

In a statement, the HSE said the figures related to a range of procedures, including gastric banding, gastric bypass, gastric reduction and liposuction.

In some cases, the HSE did not pay for the full operation.

However, it is not possible, according to accounts held centrally, to distinguish between procedures funded by the medical card scheme, and operations covered by private insurance.

A number of celebrities, including Vanessa Feltz and Fern Britton, have had gastric surgeries in the past to help them successfully lose weight.

The latest weight-loss surgery trends comes as new figures show the Irish Army is also fighting an unlikely battle of the bulge.

Nearly half of all women (41pc) who wanted to join the Defence Forces failed a basic fitness test last year.

Would-be female soldiers in the Defence Forces must undergo a number of exercises, including press-ups, sit-ups, and a run "against the clock".

The test is designed to assess a candidate's basic level of fitness, and their capacity to cope with the "rigours of military training".

An applicant must be able to perform 20 sit-ups, and 20 press-ups, each within a one-minute period.

However, women applicants are allowed to do "modified" push-ups, with their knees on the floor, making it less challenging than a classic push-up.

And while men must be able to run a mile-and-a-half in at least 11 minutes 40 seconds, females are given 13 minutes 10 seconds to do so.

In 2014, some 56pc of women failed to achieve the required standard.

Weight-loss expert Dr Eva Orsmond, said: "These fitness figures are worrying and quite shocking - applicants know that the Army involves physical activity and that they need to be fit."

Ger Conroy, a Dublin-based personal trainer, said that while individual fitness levels differ, it shouldn't take longer than two weeks to prepare for such a test, even for total beginners.
A postman has been hailed as a hero after he chased down a thief and retrieved a handbag from a thief for an 80-year-old woman.

Police said he responded to a shout for assistance from the elderly woman after a man snatched her bag around 12:30pm on the Sandown Road, in east Belfast.

A post on the PSNi facebook page said: "Our hero gave chase to the suspect and confronted him managing to save the bag and its valuable contents, unfortunately the suspect made off and we would like to appeal for witnesses to contact us at Strandtown PSNI on 101."

The suspect is described as being aged in his 40s, 5ft 6 in height, medium build, grey hair and wearing a black jacket and grey t-shirt.

Police added: "Please help us locate this individual and bring him to account for his actions."
Martin McGuinness has revealed he may be prepared to reveal more about his IRA past.

The Deputy First Minister said he would have "no difficulty" if new truth recovery mechanisms connected him to victims from the Troubles.

The senior Sinn Fein figure told Sky News that if people levelled allegations "then I will deal with that".

He was referring to the impasse that has prevented progress on dealing with the legacy of the past.

Plans for a new historical investigations team and a truth recovery process have been stymied amid claims that British national security could be compromised in some cases.

The former Provo second-in-command insisted the UK Government had to "open its files" if progress was to be made.

His comments came amid speculation at Stormont that agreement on a mechanism for handling individual cases was moving closer.

The political focus remains around the creation of an Historical Investigations Unit, an Independent Commission on Information Retrieval and an Implementation and Reconciliation Group.

Mr McGuinness said: "What we need to see is, first of all, the agreements go live, because that will be the test for both the British Government and for Irish republicans as to whether or not they are willing to co-operate to satisfy the needs of victims," he said.

Sky Ireland correspondent David Blevins asked if the Deputy First Minister was "at a point where you're ready to tell the truth about what you did and about what you know?".

Mr McGuinness replied: "Well, you see the mechanisms and structures that we have agreed be established make provision for families who have a grievance and who are requiring a resolution to their grievance to go forward to these tribunals.

"If, in any circumstance, any of that has a connection with myself, in relation to people levelling allegations or whatever, then I will deal with that.

"That's not a difficulty for me whatsoever."

Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said his comments were "an insult"

He said: Ulster Unionist Leader, Mike Nesbitt MLA, has described comments from Martin McGuinness that he will deal with allegations in relation to himself, if the British Government opens up its files, as an insult.

He said: "For Martin McGuinness to demand the British Government open up its files in their totality, in return for a promise that he will only talk about what he may or may not have done as an individual terrorist is arrogance beyond description for a man reputed to be the Republican movements chief negotiator.

There is nothing to negotiate here. Remember what he told the Saville Inquiry into Bloody Sunday  he said there were certain things he would not discuss under any circumstances. He is not offering to disclose who else he committed his acts of terrorism with, or help bring truth and acknowledgement to the vast majority of the IRAs victims, he is simply making an outrageous demand of the British Government that he knows cannot be met.

Every government has a legitimate right to withhold information on the grounds of national security, and to honour its duty to protect the lives of its citizens. Martin McGuinness knows that very well and it would assist the effort to deal with the past if he were to acknowledge that fact, rather than engage in outrageous and offensive demands."

Meanwhile, the top officer who has been put in charges of legacy issues, Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton, said the new police service had not been established to handle investigations relating to the period of the conflict.

"The PSNI has 6,700 officers. You could argue you could put every one of them toward resolving the issues of the Troubles, but we weren't created to do that," he told Sky News.

"The PSNI was created as a result of the peace process to police a new arrangement.

"Therefore, there aren't the resources in play today to investigate all these crimes concurrently, and therefore we have to apply some kind of mechanism to decide what we can do in the timescales that we have."

On the national security issue, he said: "It's really important that the police service in particular doesn't hide away from embarrassing facts, from uncomfortable truths..."

He said Chief Constable George Hamilton "is very clear about that, and nor are we going to".

And the Assistant Chief Constable added: "Equally, it's really important, though, that we don't hand out information that would put lives at risk."

Last autumn the Fresh Start deal between the DUP and Sinn Fein, along with the British and Irish Governments, failed to include any detail about the legacy issues.
One of Irelands most-feared predators is planning to leave the country after he was beaten by up to eight men in a vigilante attack.

Gardai are investigating the brutal assault on convicted kidnapper Philip Murphy (35), who was set upon after he left a shop in the Parkgate Street area of the city.

He even ran behind the counter of a shop to try to escape the savage beating.

Clondalkin criminal Murphy has been under threat since he was released from Arbour Hill Prison in February where he served a 10-year sentence for kidnapping a woman in 2008.

The assault took place shortly after 6pm last Sunday when four men jumped out of a car and attacked Murphy as he walked on Montpelier Hill, close to the Phoenix Park.

It is understood that after being struck several times, he fled into a shop in nearby Parkgate Street.

Todays Sunday Mirror reports that Murphy is now planning to leave Ireland.

Apparently he has been getting ready to leave Ireland even though he has reportedly been offered an apartment to live in. He got a passport a couple of months ago and his plan is to leave the country soon, a source told the newspaper.

He was brought to St Jamess Hospital for treatment and on Monday he made a statement to gardai about the assault.

Investigators have collected CCTV from the shop that Murphy ran into and are attempting to identify the men who attacked the convicted criminal.

Since his release from jail, Murphy has been arrested and questioned about the alleged attempted false imprisonment of two women in the Drumcondra area of Dublin.

It also previously emerged that he is a suspect for a failed abduction in Navan, Co Meath, in February.

The predator has been staying in various locations in Dublin and Co Wicklow over the last few months.

Sources have revealed Sundays vicious attack was not the first time that Murphy has been targeted by vigilantes since his release from prison.

He was previously assaulted in the Phoenix Park and was the victim of an attempted stabbing in the Christchurch area.

Murphy was jailed in 2009 for falsely imprisoning a Polish woman in Clondalkin on June 7, 2008. His victim had been waiting at a bus stop at 6.30am when Murphy offered her a lift.

When the woman asked him to stop the car he took out a large knife and said he would cut her if she screamed.

Murphy was the chief suspect in a similar incident in 2008.

He was questioned in connection with an attempted abduction of another woman, but there was not enough evidence to charge him.
Dun Laoghaire did Annalise Murphy proud. But it will still be a pale shadow of the pandemonium that awaits Gary and Paul O'Donovan in West Cork tomorrow.

Lisheen is like a lit fuse burning towards the barrel of gunpowder that is Skibbereen. Last week, I could take no more of the tension and lit off most days for calmer towns.

My mission was the same as all of us who go out and about in provincial Ireland: to see who would "salute" me. Or not.

Last Sunday, I set out in the general direction of Gougane Barra. I don't have sat-nav as it spoils the surprise of new places.

So I go up every interesting boreen in Iveleary and was soon enjoyably lost in Eoghan Rua O Suilleabhain country.

Coming back down from a farm cul-de-sac on a track where two small cars might pass with a few scratches I find myself facing a big, battered caravan.

Reluctantly, I back up two hundred yards. As it passed me slowly, I rolled down the window to receive some thanks.

A gingery gentleman of native mien with weathered face stares out stonily at me. But I can't back away a second time.

Me: You know this boreen is not suitable for a big caravan like that?

Driver: It's not a fugging caravan, boss, it's a camper van.

Me: Well, it's not suitable for a camper van either.

Driver: We're payin' the same motor tax as you, boss.

Me: But you don't HAVE a tax disc.

Driver: And your fugging NCT is out.

Me: You're just guessing.

Driver: No, wan look at the cut of yer car, boss.

Me: Well, it's just out.

Driver: That's my story too, boss.

Me: Well I'll let ye go so.

***

Monday. Gwen, who goes stir crazy from too much scenery, suggests a trip to Cork city. An hour later, she is ensconced in the English Market, while I sit outside Le Chateau catching up with the papers.

Leo Varadkar is saying he shares the Taoiseach's vision of a united Ireland at some point in the future.

Naturally, he adds that unity could only come about by consent and not a crude majoritarian count. But it would be better if he had said nothing about a united Ireland at all, for two reasons.

First, the British government gives Northern Ireland a subsidy of 13bn-14bn a year. A united Ireland could cost every working household Republic roughly 14,000 a year.

Second, even talking about a united Ireland is breaking the spirit, if not the letter, of the Good Friday Agreement.

Basically, the GFA meant we agreed to stop nagging Northern Protestants about a united Ireland until they were ready to respond with a request to join us at some distant date.

In short, we agreed to stop vapid, verbal republicanism and let them relax so as to foster good fellowship as a first, small step to a future unity.

Sinn Fein is now the only party still stoking a tribal bonfire. We should stop helping it by hanging around as if we needed the heat.

But doing a deal to stop nagging Northern Protestants about a united Ireland and continually bringing it up is like making a deal to stop smoking in a shared flat while continually playing with a packet of cigarettes.

***

One of the great joys of Cork is that I am continually accosted by readers who want to chew the fat - or sometimes me - about the Sunday Independent.

This seldom happens in south county Dublin, where some nimbys regard an Irish Sunday paper with the same snobbery they reserve for new housing and apartment developments.

So I am not surprised when Daniel Murray (81), a retired bricklayer from Blarney Street, stops to call out, "I loves reading yeh".

Daniel deserved a receptive ear. I rejoice as he regales me with the story of his 13 successful children, all abroad, alas, but all in regular, loving contact.

As we part, Danny leans in confidentially, as if anxious not to alert agents from official Ireland.

Danny: Do you know who I never misses in the Sunday Independent?

Me: (smugly) Yes. Me.

Danny: Gene Kerrigan.

***

Wednesday morning, with few people around, I'm sitting on the lake wall at Lough Hyne when four Muslim young women, wearing hijabs, tunic and trousers, pull up in a car beside me and study the calm, green water.

Gregarious as ever, and anxious to advance immigrant integration, I greet them warmly. "Welcome to Lough Hyne. Going for a swim, girls?"

One grins at me mischievously. "Of course. We came prepared, too."

Lough Hyne leads the way. So I am not surprised when a burkini-clad Muslim girl is soon splashing happily in its all-embracing waters.

Katherine, a mature, local woman, looking on benignly, tells me she has black-and-white photos of her grandmother clad from head to toe in a bathing cap, stripey woollen top and long johns. "Handy out, too, if you've put on a bit of weight."

Possibly that might also be in the back of the mind of Irish women ordering burkinis online to protect their fair skin.

Mind you, I also have the weight issue in mind. After a few weeks' feeding at Annie Mays, I could do with a burkini myself.

***

Wednesday afternoon I drive Gwen, who has a dodgy knee, to Dunmanway to see Stephen Kearney, a physio who lives up to his fine reputation.

Councillor Joe Carroll, an old friend, constantly challenges my use of the phrase "Dunmanway Massacre" to describe the events of April 1922.

Joe extols the excellent ecumenical relations in the area. And I am happy to agree as Dunmanway produced the great hurler Darren Sweetnam, now alas lost to rugby.

But not everybody I encounter in Dunmanway is as civil as Joe. Relaxing after a robust encounter, I sit down, without looking, to draw breath outside An tSeamrog, a traditional pub.

When I get up the ass of my jeans is soaking wet because I had failed to notice it was a sponge seat. Dunmanway has dealt firmly with me.

Changing into shorts in the Aldi car park, I am greeted as a fellow camper by Jimmy O'Driscoll who has travelled down from Cool Mountain, in a trap drawn by a big cob, to make some liquid purchases.

Cool Mountain is famous for its alternative lifestyles, attracting both foreign and native persons who desire to live the life of the noble savage, which is an improvement on previous Irish experience of the Savage Nobles.

Good luck, Jimmy.
The standard pint of Guinness is the best-selling alcoholic drink in the Dail bar. Stock Image

Sixty-two politicians left an unpaid Dail bar bill of 5,400 over the summer.

And figures seen by the Sunday Independent show that the high-wire talks which surrounded the formation of the current minority-led Government was thirsty work.

Seasoned politicians - and those new to the Dail - downed some 3,180 worth of booze on credit in just two months.

One member of the Oireachtas has the dubious honour of having the largest outstanding bar debt - which has now risen to 340.

The names of the politicians involved have not been disclosed.

Under a special arrangement, Dail and Seanad members can arrange to buy drinks in the Leinster House bar "on account".

However, they receive a monthly reminder requesting payment of outstanding bills.

Latest figures show the number of accounts unpaid at 62.

Meanwhile, Houses of the Oireachtas sales figures show the standard pint of Guinness is the best-selling alcoholic drink in the Dail bar.

Leinster House's specially labelled 'Oireachtas wine' is next on the list.

A bottle of Merlot, the house red, and Sauvignon Blanc, the house white, are each priced at 21.50.

Visitors to the Dail and Seanad can also purchase a souvenir bottle of 'political plonk' to take home with them.

About 2,000 bottles are purchased each year.

Supporters of this branded wine insist it is "an attraction for tourists", pointing out that other parliaments such as the House of Commons, the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly have their own whisky and wines.

A pint of Guinness in Leinster House costs 4.40.
Finance Minister Michael Noonan has been told to accept the EU Commissions ruling on Ireland's alleged 'sweetheart' tax deal with Apple if it means the US tech giant is forced to handover billions of euros in unpaid taxes.

Brussels is widely expected to publish a damning judgement against the Government this week, saying illegal State aid was given to Apple.

The US multinational could then be ordered to hand over billions of euros in unpaid taxes.

Previous estimates have suggested Ireland could be in line to collect as much as 19bn in taxes from Apple.

However, Mr Noonan has indicated in the past that he will appeal a ruling against Ireland and Apple.

But now, Independent Alliance Junior Minister John Halligan has said no company should be able to "hold the country to ransom", and insisted any outstanding taxes should be used to fix the health service and build houses.

"If Apple owes taxes to the State, they should pay them and that's it," the minister told the Sunday Independent.

Mr Halligan's comments were echoed by super junior minister Finian McGrath, who said: "Everyone should pay their taxes, full stop".

However, an Independent Alliance spokesman said a final position on the issue had not been reached, and the group is expected to meet this week to discuss the situation.

The demands of the Independent Alliance ministers came as panic set in within Fine Gael.

Senior figures fear that a negative EU judgement will leave Ireland's international reputation in tatters.

One minister said an adverse EU finding will be "embarrassing" and cause "reputational damage", as the country is seeking to recover from the economic crash.

"If we have this decision saying we were giving illegal State aid, then it bring us right back to square one in trying to fix our reputation," the minister told the Sunday Independent.

Another Fine Gael source said an adverse finding will put the Government in an "awkward position" ahead of October's Budget.

"You could have a situation where Europe says Apple owes us billions and we have to say no thank you very much," the source said.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fail's finance spokesman Michael McGrath said there will "serious questions to answer" in the event of a finding against Ireland over the Apple tax deal.

"From our point of view, we will examine any negative finding very carefully, we will assess what the Government and Revenue have to say, and make a call on it from there," Mr McGrath said.

Brussels has alleged Ireland struck a deal with Apple in the 1990s which saw the company base thousands of hi-tech jobs here in return for favourable tax treatment.

The EU Commission has claimed the deal breached international rules and amounted to Ireland giving Apple illegal State aid.

Apple has categorically denied it has an inappropriate arrangement with the Irish government which it allows it to pay less tax.

Mr Halligan said he believes that international firms are avoiding paying tax in Ireland."I'm not against multinationals and they do bring jobs to Ireland, but you can't hold the country to ransom. You have to pay legitimate tax," he said.
More than 13,000 people have been accommodated by local authorities in the past two years under the taxpayer-funded housing scheme rejected by homeless campaigner Erica Fleming.

The Sunday Independent last week revealed details of an internal Dublin City Council (DCC) report which showed Ms Fleming turned down two offers of accommodation as she did not want to be housed by a private landlord.

The mother-of-one, who lives in a hotel room with her daughter, rejected an offer of a two-bedroom apartment in the Dublin suburb of Clontarf through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme.

Under the scheme, local authorities pay private landlords directly to house tenants who cannot afford accommodation. In some cases, when possible, tenants contribute to the rent.

The latest figures from the Department of Housing show 13,412 people have been housed through the HAP scheme since it was first introduced in 2014.

Since the start of the year, 6,398 people have been housed by the scheme and the total cost of the programme is expected to come to 48m for 2016.

Another 56,000 people receive rental allowance.

Tenants in rental accommodation under the HAP scheme have the same legal entitlements as private renters.

This includes a freeze on rent hikes for two years and an obligation on a landlord to justify any increases.

It also means tenant leases cannot be terminated unless the property is being sold or given to a family member of the landlord.

In most instances, tenants are required to source their own property and then approach the council to avail of HAP.

However, the property in Clontarf offered to Ms Fleming was sourced through the Dublin Place Finder Service.

The Place Finder Service locates private rental properties for homeless households which are then paid for through HAP.

But, unlike the general HAP scheme, Place Finder will also pay the deposit and first month's rent to help secure the accommodation.

"Levels of support available under the pilot scheme for homeless households in Dublin are 50pc above the current rent supplement levels, in recognition of the difficulty such households can have in securing suitable properties," a Department of Housing spokesman said.

There are currently 400 households in Dublin supported by this service.

Ms Fleming first told the Sunday Independent she was not offered any accommodation by Dublin City Council and then refused to comment when asked about the offers made by the Place Finder Service.

However, writing on a news website last week, she said she rejected the scheme as she believes it did not offer "security of tenure".

Ms Fleming said her "only ask" of the council is that she be given a "lease that would guarantee the rent remained static or at least within DCC's rent limit over the next five years".

She said she understood there are people trying to pay rent without State support, but said she is not responsible for a system that is "punishing working people".

Her comments followed shocking new figures from Focus Ireland which showed there are more than 2,000 children living in emergency accommodation in Dublin.

Focus Ireland Director of Advocacy Mike Allen called on the government to take more action to address the scandal of homeless families.

"It is shocking to think that we now have a record number of 2,020 children living in emergency accommodation - a lot of whom will be going back to school in the next few weeks and trying to cope with the stress of being homeless," Mr Allen said.

The Government has pledged to build more than 47,000 social housing units over the next six years as part of its 5.5bn plan to address the homeless crisis.
Darren Kennedy the face of the Dublin Festival of Fashion with Clyde Carroll, director of marketing for DublinTown

I 've been to some lovely parties of late, but the prize for the most unusual went to Harry Kennedy, whose 10th birthday celebrations were thrown by his owner, stylist Darren Kennedy.

The canine party came the day after the launch of this year's Dublin Festival of Fashion where I met Darren, the face of the festival, above with Clyde Carroll, director of marketing for DublinTown, and among the many fashionistas invited I chatted with were Ella de Guzman, owner of Siopaella, the pre-loved store in Temple Bar store and the ever- sleek stylist, Sonja Mohlich, pictured below.

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Darren whispered to me that he has an exciting YouTube first coming up. He is doing a collaboration with Jim Chapman, the vlogger, blogger and model who was in Dublin recently with his wife, fellow vlogger Tanya Burr, and Darren took them for a healthy lunch at Counter Culture on Mercer Street.

"I'm getting a tour of Jim's wardrobe at their Fulham home and I'm very tempted to knock off one of his Burberry leather coats. In fairness, Jim is dying to get one of my bottle green suits since the first day he saw photos of my latest collection for Louis Copeland."

The weather was remarkably balmy on Monday night as I headed off to House on Leeson Street to celebrate with Tess De Kretser as she launched Olcote in Ceylon, her eight-bedroom boutique hotel, on the Irish market. The Sri Lanka property is a labour of love for Tess, who has lived in Ireland for 30 years and in her speech, she thanked her ex-husband, Cathal Ryan, the former Ryanair pilot with whom she had two children.

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Tess has six other children and was photographed with her daughters, above, Shauna Cullen (on left) and Iseult O'Maonaigh.

It was a glamorous night and I chatted with Lorraine Keane, Nuala Carey and Roisin O'Hea, below, who told me she has taken over PR for UTV Ireland so, inevitably, there was lots of chat about the return of Cold Feet.

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Spotted

"Next to sound judgment, diamonds and pearls are the rarest things in the world." Wise words indeed from Frenchman Jean de La Bruyere. I'm a huge fan of pearls, which is why I'll be front row at the September 12 masterclass given by jeweller/gemmologist.

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Natasha Sherling, above, who I lunched with this week with Ailish Cantwell in advance of the launch of the Cliff Townhouse Oyster Festival 2016, which runs at the St Stephen's Green restaurant from September 5 to October 2. Natasha's talk is part of three 'pearls of wisdom' sessions on the topic of food, fashion and wellness. Tickets (20) include an oyster and Champers reception.

Grapevine

I predict a rash of new kitchens in south Dublin this autumn - all in shades of grey. IKEA was THE topic of conversation amongst mums back on the school run this week as the Swedish lifestyle giant opens in Carrickmines shortly. Meatballs, anyone?

@bairbrepower

Photos: Kieran Harnett
Description

All-star benefit staged reading of a new project by Drama Desk award winner and Emmy nominated writer Eugene Pack. The ensemble comedy centers on an adult education poetry class on Long Island where a possible trip to Dublin ignites fierce competition. A portion of the proceeds from this reading will benefit The Felix Organization whose mission is to provide inspiring opportunities and new experiences to enrich the lives of children who are growing up in the foster care system
Dylan McGrath is not the kind of man who has ever shirked hard work or discomfort. One of Ireland's most celebrated chefs, he worked 19-hour days for 10 years to earn the coveted Michelin Star.

But the type of pain he can't stand is the useless kind. The kind that left him in agony from morning till night in anguish and desperation after spinal discs in his back began to disintegrate.

When we meet in a small coffee shop in Smithfield, you can see he has endured a lot. At just 38, he currently uses a walking cane. It is a temporary measure, but necessary after months on the flat of his back. After spending nine months in the Mater Private Hospital, he tells me: "It's the toughest thing I have ever gone through, without a doubt."

Last year, his appearance on Brendan O' Connor's Saturday Night Show led to a flood of messages of concern after viewers noticed his discomfort and his speech seemed slightly impaired.

Afterwards he explained how he had taken a mixture of the anti-inflammatory drug Difene and the painkiller Tramadol to deal with the backache. It was a turning point for the chef, who had lived with spasms of back pain on and off for six years. "From the TV appearance it became apparent I couldn't do it anymore. I needed to do something."

Surgery seemed the best option. He was told he would be in recuperation for six to eight weeks. Nine months later and he is still in the grips of it. He sits at the edge of the chair holding on to the armrest for support as he speaks. His discomfort is obvious.

"Right now I am struggling talking to you. I can feel pain in my back. But if I was to continue and this was to get worse, it's not an option speaking to you.

"When you go through pain - no matter how much you care about a person, no matter how much you feel like you are letting people down, no matter how hard you are on yourself as an individual, you cannot think about anything other than the pain. It's right here all the time," he says, tapping the middle of his forehead.

Dylan can trace the beginnings of his problem to his days making Mint restaurant one of the most talked about eateries in Ireland. He recalls: "I had back pain that I lived with on and off, inherited from the days in Mint. In those days, I had the energy to do it, I had the mental strength and ambition but I never really considered that, physically, it wasn't possible.

"I think anybody that is driven like me, well you put a huge amount of pressure on yourself. Without a doubt. I still am my harshest critic. Every day.

"And now it is a very, very difficult thing to think - when you are like that by nature and push yourself to the absolute limit - how you can then become a different person and not be able to work like that anymore."

He gets up to show me how he has had to learn to walk again, taking baby steps across the floor.

"My lowest moment was when the doctors still didn't know what was wrong... When you are walking around on a stick and are not being creative, it is very draining. I am a creative person but when pain is at the forefront of my mind... it's always there and there is no room for anything else and you are just not happy."

He lets out a low moan, repeated over and over, to explain how, at its worst, the pain would leave him immobile from dawn to dusk and unable to do anything except scream in pain and frustration.

He has explored every avenue to make himself better.

"You try everything. You try swimming, you take a hot bath, you do physiotherapy, you go and have a massage, you try medication... You're literally quite prepared to try anything."

For a time, he was put on heavy medication. "Everything that I was on was serious s**t. These were serious painkillers and, in turn, you've got to give yourself enough time to get off that serious medication and to get on the standard paracetamol and the Nurofen, and then you get off those to being medication free. And that is where we are now."

He says people who live in pain need to be fully aware of the medication they are taking, but he says: "When you are that sore and someone hands you something and says that's going to make it better, no matter how strong and disciplined you are, you are going to take it. And if they don't give it to you, there is nothing out there stronger so what do they do, give you Aspirin? [People in pain] have no choice. So in that respect, they've got to play ball and fair play to them for doing it because constant pain is hell on earth."

He credits his family, especially his brother Billy, for looking after him, and his business partner Vincent Melinn for keeping their restaurants, including Fade Street and Rustic Stone, running smoothly.

"Without his support, consideration, genuine love, alliance, cooperation and proper partnership, I couldn't have gotten through the last nine months. The man is rock solid for me."

Overseeing the creative side, Dylan is slowly getting back into work. The only thing that overrides his pain is his positive outlook - his ambition and focus still burn fiercely.

"Listen, you are talking to a human man. There were f**king down days - there is no doubt about it - there were moments of pain when I couldn't take it anymore. You would not be human. But I would never let it break me it's a back.

"But there are people out there with a much harder existence than me and I would be a selfish pr**k, a repulsive human being, if I was to think 'oh poor me' in comparison to the realities that exist for others. It's going to be another couple of months and I will be fully better, and I will be better in my 40s and 50s than if I had not had the operation, so you know, I am just whingeing right now," he laughs.

"It's just something you have to go through. You can't expect to go up all the time. I used to tell myself that if I am a blessed enough man, that good things happen but you've got to take the f**king lows too. You can't be expected to go up and up. There are people who have gone through so much more than my pain."
A woman has said she suffered 'excruciating pain' and has been unable to walk for three weeks after she was bitten by a spider in bed.

Three weeks ago, Kelly Waring (39) was spending the night at her caravan in Ballywalter, Co Down. When she woke up, she said her foot felt itchy and painful.

Later that day, she looked at her foot and noticed a red sore on the bottom. She said it became so painful that she wasnt able to walk on it and her husband Neill took her straight to her GP in Glengormley the next day.

She said: That night when I was going to bed, I thought my foot was really really sore and I realised it wasnt just a scratch. The next morning I couldnt put it on the floor and it was swollen. It was really bad.

The mum-of-two said she was shocked when her doctor told her that she had been bitten by a spider.

She examined my foot under a magnifying glass and she said she could tell it was a spider because there were two prongs. I was so shocked, I didnt even ask what type of spider it was or anything.

You hear about people getting bitten by spiders in Australia but not [here], she said.

After her doctor prescribed antibiotics and strong painkillers, Kelly went home to rest but the bite continued to get more painful and was red and swollen.

On Sunday, she said she couldnt stick the pain any longer and her husband took her to the Accident and Emergency department at the Mater Hospital.

I felt like it was getting worse. I couldnt stand on my foot almost a week later. My skin reacted so badly because of the infection, she explained.

Although staff they wanted to admit her so she could receive IV antibiotics, Kelly was worried about leaving her two young children at home so they agreed to send her home with stronger antibiotics and crutches.

Three weeks on, Kelly said she is only starting to get back to normal. The bite has started to heal and she is getting back on her feet.

Its left a scar on my foot and Im still taking the antibiotics but I am starting to weight bear on it.

Its been tough looking after my kids and trying to get around. My family have been a great help helping out with them but its been a tough few weeks.

Kelly said she is now terrified of spiders, particularly around four-year-old Olivia and 18-month-old Ryan.

It was really frightening, she said, I was never scared of them before. I would have gone and put them out of the room for others before but Ive been back at the caravan for the first time this week. Ive been checking the ceilings and the floors and everywhere because Im so worried now.

I dont want to feel pain like that again. Ive had two kids and that pain was worse. The only thing Im glad of is that it happened to me and not the children. I want to warn people about what could happen and to be careful.

With Autumn on the way, giant spiders are invading homes across Ireland.

The end of August usually sees a huge increase in large house spiders as they start to look for a place to live over winter, and as it is mating season, male spiders are also on the hunt for females.
Mean Machine: The E-Class Mercedes is highly fuel efficient, low on emissions and therefore on road tax, and a real joy to drive.

Worrying talk in recent days speculates that budget cuts in the USC could lead to higher taxes. One option, apparently, is to increase the price of petrol and diesel by 18pc, with a VAT increase of 2pc.

The motor industry is just recovering from one of the most difficult recessions and any tax hikes in either fuel or goods would be a very damaging blow, which could spin into another cutback in sales.

Hardest hit would be the buyers of the top executive models, which are currently achieving big sales due to PCP arrangements, so the Society of the Irish Motor Industry will have to take a hard stand if these proposals get any traction.

Ciaran Allen and his sales team at Mercedes Benz will be thanking their lucky stars that their new large executive model, the E-Class, now comes with some very soothing statistics on the money front.

A big seller will be the 220d automatic, which, considering it is loaded with driver aids and hi-tech equipment, has a very competitive selling price of 52,850 in the Avantgarde trim.

There is further good news. The two-litre diesel puts out only 112g/kg of C02, which attracts a low 200 in road tax and Mercedes Benz claims that the fuel consumption figures can be as frugal as 3.9L/100km (72mpg) when combined with the nine- speed G-Tronic automatic transmission.

In real-world test-drive figures, this turned out to be 60mpg, which included some enthusiastic driving. But the engine has not been tuned down to get these figures.

It produces 194bhp, with 400Nm of torque on tap, and the 0-100km sprint takes just over seven seconds. It is zippy enough for most drivers, with a top speed of 240kmh which is double the national motorway speed limit.

The slippery lines and a cut in weight of 100kg over the previous model, give record-breaking aerodynamics, which, along with the good performance figures, means that the interior is calm and hushed, even at high speeds. Tyre noise does intrude on high-speed drives.

As a competent performer, the E-Class comes up well against strong competition, such as the BMW 5 Series, the Audi A6, the Jaguar XF and the Volvo S90. It is not surprising that it is doing so well in the sales charts and there are other engines to choose from.

It is longer and lower than the previous model and narrower too, although it does not appear so inside, and there is more cabin and luggage space. Comfortable seats make driving a pleasure.

The test car had the AMG exterior pack, which gives it a more aggressive look with 19ins twin-spoke alloy wheels added, while the interior pack gets more equipment.

Standard items include parking pilot, reversing camera, satnav, keyless start, full leather upholstery, adaptive brake assist, heated seats, Mercedes Me Connect (remote online) and LED high-performance headlights. The AMG kit pushes the price up by a hefty 4,800.

The test car had a full parking pack (1,107 extra) which includes a 360 camera, a great benefit when parking as it shows distance from kerb and other vehicles. A panoramic roof at 3,266 is unnecessary and OTT pricewise.

A comfortable executive model built for driving in comfort - and a car that will have excellent residual values.
A survey in 2011 for the Halifax Building Society coined the phrase 'Generation Rent' to describe those born in the 1980s who felt that they'd never be able to afford a home - despite nearly three-quarters wanting to own instead of rent. Less widely reported is that those surveyed also acknowledged that they were aware of becoming 'more European' by regarding rent as the norm.

This same group is also called the 'Millennials' - a self-aware, complex, super-smart generation with very different outlooks and values - often characterised by deferring important life stages such as marriage or household formation. Younger Millennials are sometimes called 'Generation Snowflake' on account of their severe sensitivity and associated sense of entitlement.

These generational labels arise to help us to deal with the reality that different generations have different values and behave differently.

This brings us to values and behaviour in housing, which is an important and overlooked topic.

The reality is that housing supply is intimately bound up by the values of a generation - because they determine the type of supply that is required. 'Type' includes tenure, layout, location and cost.

Millennials are noted as increasingly valuing urban, city-centre lifestyles - those depicted by sit-coms such as Friends, which was broadcast throughout their impressionable teen years.

Values associated with this urban lifestyle cause different behaviour, priorities and choices - which includes making complex trade-offs between enjoying an urban lifestyle and enduring its costs, such as higher rents, smaller apartments or using public transport.

Millennials also make very different choices in work and leisure, for example, choosing employment that is interesting or fulfilling, even if it is less secure; and choosing to value experiences - personal development through travel or further training for instance - which creates different financial demands and priorities, often resulting in accommodation costs being seen as a lower priority.

The Housing Agency is noting that more and more people are making very different housing choices - the biggest being to live alone. This is already the primary housing trend in the UK and the US where around a third of people now live alone.

The other big change is renting: over half of households in Dublin now rent. More and more of these choose to do so.

It is a myth that Irish people are obsessed with owning property - Irish home ownership levels peaked in 1991. Many will claim that this is driven by availability and affordability but they will need to explain how this happened every year for 25 years through booms and busts. High rates of home ownership are a relatively recent development - brought about by the existence of large numbers of people earning steady salaries. Banks and builders capitalised on this (literally) by encouraging subsidies by governments in the middle of the 20th century.

Employment is changing again: many people, despite being highly paid, have contracts rather than jobs for life - the so-called 'Precariat'. These seem less attractive as mortgage holders to lenders who have been traumatised by the banking collapses of the last decade.

So now we begin to see the outline of a generation with different values in different circumstances that are creating a new housing market. Many of these Millennials will choose to remain as urban dwellers, even when they start families, which will often be in their late 30s. Those starting families will be a smaller and smaller part of our society as we increasingly choose to live alone as we age, as we separate. In these circumstances more and more will rent - but they will want to rent with secure tenure in big apartments in neighbourhoods with good facilities.

It is important for planners and policy-makers to note that Millennials are demanding and have high expectations. International evidence strongly suggests that they will emerge as a potent political force demanding improved tenure, security, amenities and public transport. Generation Snowflake won't demand -they'll just expect these things. Expect to see urban politics become a hotly contested field in the near future - in settlements large and small.

The Millennials will climb a very different property ladder, with rungs designated by locations that deliver lifestyles, whether rented or owned. The first-time buyer - which seems to drive (and distort) so much housing policy - will become a smaller and smaller factor, important only to fretting parents and older policy-makers.

Will we recognise and provide for the needs of this new generation - or are we doomed to constantly recycle the mistakes of the past?

Will we revert to feeding the yawning maw of a starving house-building sector by again providing first-time buyer subsidies? Will we have more incentives that unfairly and inequitably waste scarce public funds, only to inflate house prices while undermining the rental sector and distorting the rest of the owned and rented housing market?

Will we learn from the mistakes of Britain's Help-to-Buy scheme? We must not become hostages to expectations of entitlements that sow seeds of ruin.

Or will we support the Central Bank rules? Reward steady savers and not the bank of mam and dad? Will we divert funds that could help those in arrears? Will we deal with the huge numbers of vacant homes?

Dealing with this new reality will need very different responses. We need to accept and accommodate this new generation's needs. This means using real data and not cherry-picked figures from lobbyists for the construction and property sector, who are so often rooted in yesterday's familiar world that they are blind to the reality - and opportunities - of a new future.

We will need to address needs, not markets. We will need to build local economies and communities - not just housing. We will need to concentrate on affordability - not profitability. We need to make renters more secure.

The next generation are not 'lost' or 'doomed to rent' - they are just different. Policy-makers, politicians, builders and bankers will ignore these differences at their peril.

The next generation will want us to build to let, build quality, build affordably, build choices, build imaginatively and build responsibly. This is not a hope - it's a reality that has already begun.

Policy-makers will need to row in behind this generation, or get out of its way.
According to one Irish charity, Dublin may soon become the homeless capital of Europe.

If it does, there will be one group quietly celebrating and it won't be landlords or the Government, however much campaigners appear to believe that both secretly relish not finding people places to live.

It will be the Left, who have decided that homelessness is this year's water charges - the single issue that will cause maximum discontent and bring down the ruling class, boo hiss, at the earliest opportunity. Apparently, the 1916 centenary commemorations didn't work out quite as well as they hoped. We were all supposed to be rioting in the streets by now, demanding the immediate implementation of the Proclamation. Instead, the 100th anniversary came and went and the Irish still stubbornly refused to be stirred into revolutionary socialism.

So it's back to the drawing board. This season's weapon of choice - Erica Fleming.

Of course, they couldn't actually care less whether Erica gets a house. If anything, they'd rather she didn't, because at that point her usefulness as a symbol would end. The more the merrier, right?

Think that's being unfair? On the contrary, it's the Irish Left's official position. As far as they're concerned, there is no deal to be done to help the homeless. Or those on hospital trolleys. Or those in failing schools. They've made that abundantly, explicitly clear.

If there was such a deal on the table in return for their participation in a future coalition government, they would turn it down, unless they also got to implement every single one of their other policies.

Again, that's not making unsportsmanlike allegations against the Left. That is literally what they said before, during and since the election.

If it comes down to a choice between everything or nothing, they'll choose nothing. As a matter of political principle. These are not the stances and actions of normal politicians, but of extremists by definition.

It's not an accident either. It's a deliberate tactic, one which is now being adopted by the Corbynite wing of the Labour Party in the UK, which is currently completing a remarkably swift destruction as a parliamentary force of one of the country's two main political parties. Author John Harris saw it in action in his small corner of the north of England in the 1980s, as a small group of hard Left activists first infiltrated, then took over, the local Labour branch to which he belonged.

It's not just the "trademark displays of righteous belligerence" that he now recognises again - though boy, our own lot could teach Jeremy Corbyn's new kids on the block a thing or two about that.

It was also the return of the so-called unattainable "transitional demand". "In other words," as Harris wrote recently, "the herd gets whipped up into a frenzy about something you know it won't get, while you smugly sit things out, hoping that if everything aligns correctly, another crack will appear in the great bourgeois edifice". It's all about playing the long game.

Unfortunately, those at the bottom of the heap don't have the luxury of long-term strategic planning, they need short term solutions so they invariably suffer in the meantime. Housing is a classic example.

This gives the Left a vested interest in the homelessness crisis not being solved, indeed in it becoming worse, because there's no point making unattainable demands if people such as Erica Fleming then start settling for less than ideal solutions to their situation.

But isn't settling for less than ideal solutions what everyone has to do? Isn't it what hundreds of thousands of Irish families already do?

How many 30-year-olds are living in the midlands and commuting into work in Dublin because that's what they can afford? Many of these people would love to be offered the chance of a two-bed apartment in Clontarf at someone else's expense, but they'll never get the chance because they are unfairly deemed not to 'need' help.

Erica has many positive things going on in her life now. She's about to start a new course at Trinity which might qualify her down the line as a social worker, at which point she, like so many others, may decide she wants to take up job opportunities in other parts of the country, where she has a chance to own a house - because that's what people do. They go where the jobs are.

So why is it a non-negotiable demand from the Irish Left that people like Erica, unlike the long-distance commuters and those who up sticks to seek work, must get exactly what they want right now?

It's neither possible or fair to say that one section of society - those who work and pay their own way - must cut their coats according to their cloth, whilst those who rely on the help of the State should be able to leave a wish note under the pillow and expect the tooth fairy to cough up.

The insistence that private rented accommodation is an unacceptable answer to long public waiting lists is particularly provocative. When the rent is not being paid by you, but by the State, then you can't expect to have a veto on who owns each property. There is a right to good living standards and facilities, but whose business is it whether the house or flat is owned by a private landlord or the council?

If it is morally objectionable to you that an individual is making a profit from the rent, even though you're not paying it, then just accept you'll have to wait even longer until the perfect property comes along, something that private renters and buyers rarely have an option of doing, just as they have no guarantee that their rent won't go up at some point in the near future too. No one is asking those on housing lists to do anything those paying rent to private landlords out of their own pockets are not already doing.

It's probably frustration at the growing realisation they're being caught by this classic Leftist pincer movement of the 'transitional demand' that led Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar to suggest that officials should be free to fight back against accusations that they have not done enough in particular named cases.

Someone inside Dublin City Council promptly did just that, leaking details of offers made to Erica, causing a storm of protest as a result, as those who back the young mother turned on those who released her personal details, purporting to find it outrageous that anyone would dare suggest she has a 'shared responsibility' to solve this problem.

Varadkar himself intended to write, first, to the Data Protection Commissioner for clarification of what steps ministers and officials could take; he didn't advocate jumping in with both feet - but what are they supposed to do? Just sit there and take it as their daily efforts to help people in need are deliberately misinterpreted as part of an explicitly partisan political campaign?

Erica Fleming has become a political figure, a campaigner, a player. The rules change when you do that. You can't expect to be treated as a purely private individual anymore.

The Left seems to think that it can bring pitchforks to the battle and then expect their opponents to fight back with feather dusters. They revel in the lack of rules and accountability in the new social media-fuelled campaigning, whilst demanding that those who attack them back should be constrained by ever more injunctions and punishments when they cross a line.

Most people's respect for the Irish Left could only sky rocket if they ever stopped behaving like perpetual sociology students and actually went into government on realistic terms to deliver X number of new homes for people such as Erica Fleming, or train X number of new nurses and teachers, but they never will.

Dublin City Council has offered Erica more help in two years than the Left in Ireland ever would if she waited for them to come good her entire life, because they don't care about real people, only The People.
Premium

Dan O'Brien Opinion While we catastrophise about Covid, we ignore risk of running out of cash

We Irish view the world in an increasingly strange and unhealthy way. We catastrophise about Covid in a way other European countries do not. We focus on how bad the effects of the virus could get, on how many more restrictions might be imposed by Government and how helpless we are in the face of the virus.
Premium

New hospital for a tenner may come at too high a price

The Taoiseach is under a lot of pressure  the kind of pressure that leads to costly mistakes. It perhaps explains why he has been saying things that are not quite true. Micheal Martin is in a tight political corner. From all sides hes being told he has to get the contract signed for the new National Maternity Hospital.
What do we want? We're not quite sure. When do we want it? Now. An air of expectation that will lead to disappointment is starting to bubble around Budget 2017.

After years of fearing Budget Day, voters are now akin to a child in a sweetshop looking at all the different options before realising that 50c doesn't go very far anymore.

Since taking over at the Department of Finance in 2011, Michael Noonan has constructed some of the most diverse budgets in Irish history.

It only takes a quick scan back over the front pages of the Budget Day papers to get a sense of where we've come from - and that explains why we expect the upward curve in the State's finances to find its way into our pockets.

Here are the headlines from the Irish Independent on the mornings after each of Mr Noonan's budgets to date:

2011: The hidden hits

2012: We've no more to give

2013: Unkindest cuts

2014: Give and take

2015: Cash back in our pockets.

Back in 2011 and 2012, Fine Gael and the Labour Party introduced what were described as "savage austerity budgets" that brought property tax, reductions in child and maternity benefits, cuts to PRSI entitlements and savers hit with penal rates of DIRT. By 2013, ministers had run out of all soft options, leading to a budget that included the ill-fated 'probity' of medical cards and cuts to the bereavement grant.

"Even the dead are not safe from this Government," Fianna Fail's Michael McGrath said at the time.

Eventually, in 2014, a much-chastised coalition tried to balance things out by cutting income tax and restoring the Christmas bonus at the same time as announcing water charges and a new eight per cent rate of Universal Social Charge (USC).

One week's extra pay in your pocket was the promise off the back of last year's effort, which, of course, was just months out from the General Election.

Now Mr Noonan and Public Expenditure Minister Paschal Donohoe are in what could be described as a relatively solid position. They have in the region of 1bn to play around with, split 2:1 in favour of spending, as agreed in the formation of government deal with Fianna Fail.

The problem is that 1bn is not nearly enough to fulfil the pent-up demand for 'payback'.

If voters are to be believed, they want more public services and better infrastructure.

But the party in power also promised to phase out the USC, so they expect that too.

Read more: Forget 'new politics' - Budget 2017 will see gloves come off in the Dail

Read more: Ministers are to set three-year budgets for Brexit aftermath

The squeezed middle feel that, after holding the thing together through the tough years, they should be top of the queue for a break.

Pensioners though, thanks to Fianna Fail's Willie O'Dea, are expecting an extra fiver.

First-time buyers anticipate something to help them beat the tight new Central Bank rules that are blocking thousands from getting a mortgage.

The bottomless pit that is the Department of Health needs filling.

New gardai, teachers, doctors and nurses have been promised.

There's a rainy day fund to be set up, while other notable items already floated include the relaxation of inheritance tax thresholds and more PRSI benefits for the self-employed.

The Government faces the risk of spreading our 1bn too thin, with the result that it has no real impact.

In fact, there are strong arguments for ignoring the clamour coming from the Opposition benches and the public.

These may not be popular things for a politician to say, but cutting the USC will narrow the tax base and a first-time buyers grant risks fuelling property prices again. Out of the 650m for spending, should we really put 150m of it into hiking the pension? Surely the money would be better invested in services for older people.

Similarly, a package that actually brought us closer to having reliable, affordable childcare would surely be better than pumping more money into child benefit.

Money in our pockets might feel nice, but it won't achieve what voters appear to have said they wanted on February 26.

The Programme for Partnership Government acknowledged that "many people have yet to feel the benefit of the upturn in the economy".

It added that "many communities - both rural and urban - have inadequate services and infrastructure".

"The New Partnership Government is committed to a 'Social Economy' model to deliver a strong economy and a fair society," the document said.

That "Social Economy" would be built on sound public finances, a broad tax base, a supportive environment for enterprise, more investment in infrastructure and a more inclusive prosperity.

But it's not all 'giveaway' either. The minister is looking at removing PAYE tax credits for high earners, diesel and petrol are likely to be hit with more excise duty and smokers will feel a hefty hit.

And the controversial sugar tax may come as early as next year.

September is set to be an intense month on Merrion Street as the two ministers try to please all of the people for the first time since the economic crash.

They already know that's an impossible task, so you can expect to hear plenty of mentions of Brexit and the uncertain international situation as they make excuses for not giving us everything on our extensive shopping list.

It will be interesting to see what the headlines read after Budget Day 2016.
There is nothing like an extended tour of the country to remind you why Fine Gael and Labour lost the election this year. That is where I have spent the past month, driving around 13 different counties mostly in the Midlands and west.

Then you come back and it is as if nothing has changed. This is what Leo Varadkar tweeted last week: "2m people at work. Long-term unemployment under 100k. Return to net in-migration. Govt policies are working."

Leo was one of the geniuses behind the Fine Gael election campaign, who I called at the time the Maitre d', or the front-of-house man, the media darling who can do no wrong.

I wondered last week whether Leo had learned anything from the election. I would like to think he has, but that tweet made we wonder. Or has Fine Gael learned anything? Or is it still in 'let's keep the recovery going' mode?

The Budget will tell a lot.

Here is a little of what I discovered around the country, down home in Offaly, to be precise, and then over in Mayo and down around Limerick and Clare. A woman from a neighbouring village - Clonbollogue, noted as one of the tidiest in the country - has made an application for funding under the Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme for People with a Disability.

That is one of those grants you have probably never heard about, unless you have cause to need it. The grant is available where changes need to be made to a home to make it suitable for a person with a physical, sensory or intellectual disability or mental health difficulty to live in.

The grant can help you to adapt to your home - making it wheelchair-accessible, extending it to create more space, adding a ground-floor bathroom or toilet or a stair-lift. In some cases, the provision of heating can be included. So, you can imagine, the people in need of this grant are genuinely in need.

Anyway, this is what the neighbouring woman was told by Offaly County Council. I've seen the letter. When I read it first it sounded positive: "I wish to advise that this application has been given a Priority 1 Rating by our Occupational Therapist." Wow, I thought to myself - Priority 1 Rating. Sounds good. Let's keep the recovery going, like.

Then the next paragraph: "Due to the large number of applications on the waiting list and the reduced amount of funding available, the Council will not be in a position to process this application for a number of years. The average waiting time to process applications is three years approximately."

Three years! You think she is an isolated case? She's not. Another man in Edenderry got the same letter. Priority 1 Rating, three-year waiting list

And another woman, also from Edenderry, made an application for funding under the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme. That's another, separate scheme you may not have heard of. It's used to improve the condition of an older person's home.

In general, it is aimed at people age 66 and older, that is, pensioners who are living in poor housing conditions.

The kind of work involved here is, say, structural repairs or improvements, such as dry-lining, in the case of extreme dampness, for example; or the repair or replacement of windows and doors, coming into winter and all; of the provision of water, sanitary services and heating or re-wiring, or even cleaning and painting work, or - a relatively new thing - Radon remediation work.

Anyway, here is what this woman was told: "I wish to advise that due to the limited amount of funding available under the scheme, Offaly County Council is not in a position to process your application in 2016. Your application will remain on a waiting list until funding becomes available which is likely to be 2017."

So, she is facing into a pretty cold winter then.

These are just random examples. I could go on. The issue of home care is also massive. This I picked up on in the west and south west.

The Home Care Package scheme is another one of those schemes, an administrative scheme operated by the HSE, which has had its budget slashed in recent years. It aims to help people who need medium-to-high caring support to continue to live at home independently. So you would think that would be a good idea, to keep those who need care in their own home.

The Home Care Package scheme is not established in law. It is is an administrative scheme, so you do not have an automatic right to it, or to avail of services under the scheme.

But just imagine how the proper funding of such a scheme would help alleviate pressure in the health service, by allowing the elderly return to their own home, which is what all concerned want.

Anyway, if there is one issue exercising the minds of people the length and breadth of the country then this is it. The issue of home care. Who'd have thought it? I certainly hadn't. Leo probably hadn't, even though he was the man in charge of the health service for a while there. Or maybe he had. Maybe it's just not a priority for him at the moment.

But it will be in this Budget. Mark my words: the Housing Adaptation Grant Scheme for People with a Disability; the Housing Aid for Older People Scheme and the Home Care Package. They may not sound very sexy, but they are critically important for hundreds of thousands of people around the country. Or the Primary School Transport scheme, which provides transport for children who live 3.2 km or more from their local school. That's another issue I've been hearing a lot about lately.

Most people who write about politics don't know, or scarcely know about these schemes and packages, but they are there, for people with real needs, who will face in to another winter, another year, and another three years with people like Leo Varadkar not tweeting very much about them.

Which is not to say that it is not great that two million people are now in some sort of employment, that long-term unemployment is under 100,000 and that more people are returning home or coming to the country for the first time than are emigrating.

But here is the message of the election for Leo and Fine Gael, in case they have forgotten: Government policies are not and will not work if an elderly woman in a pretty village in the Midlands has to wait another three years for the bit of help she desperately needs now.
+8 International Development Secretary Priti Patel is to cut spending on traditional aid projects and use the money to help promote 'national security and the national interest'

The Mail on Sunday's campaign to tackle the UK's bloated foreign aid budget scored a massive victory last night  when the Government decided that tens of millions of pounds can be diverted to fund the war on terror.





In a radical break with the David Cameron era, new International Development Secretary Priti Patel is to cut spending on traditional aid projects and use the money to help promote 'national security and the national interest'.





It could lead to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon handing to Ms Patel his responsibility for funding British troops combating Islamic insurgencies in global hotspots  freeing up more of his resources for frontline troops.





The move is a major U-turn and comes after The Mail on Sunday and its readers protested against wasteful and corrupt aid projects.





During our campaign, supported by more than 235,000 readers who signed a petition to force a Commons debate, we exposed handouts to Palestinian terrorists, how North Korean officials were flown to Britain for English lessons and how music teachers were sent around the world to teach children to sing.





And we demanded an end to the UK's commitment to spending 0.7 per cent of national income on overseas aid each year, which would see the aid budget spiral to 16 billion by 2020.





confirming the dramatic shift, a source close to Ms Patel told The Mail on Sunday: 'We have been very clear that Britain will keep its promises to help the world's poorest while delivering in the interests of British taxpayers.





'Following the vote to leave the European Union, British aid and the expertise it provides will work to complement our trade relations and our security.'





Senior Conservative MP Graham Brady, the chairman of the party's backbench 1922 Committee, welcomed the change of emphasis.





Shocking: The Mail On Sunday's revelation that Palestinian terrorists get cash handouts from taxpayer

+8 Profligate: We report how UK overspent its already huge aid budget by nearly 200million



He said: 'It is right that foreign aid spending should concentrate on both the most pressing need abroad and on those areas which can bring most benefit to Britain's national interest'.





Ms Patel, who is expected to outline her plans in a keynote speech in the autumn, was a provocative appointment by Prime Minister Theresa May: during the last Parliament, Ms Patel proposed scrapping the international development department completely and replacing it with a trade-focused body to help businesses invest in the developing world.





Although Ms Patel is reluctant to start a war with the foreign aid lobby by ditching the 0.7 per cent figure, she is determined to spend the money in a way which more directly benefits the UK.





An MP familiar with Ms Patel's thinking said: 'She knows people never swallowed Cameron's line that these billions going abroad were in any way helping UK PLC.





+8 Outrage: MoS leads the biggest e-petition in newspaper history to force a debate in parliament

+8 Black hole: Our story on African nations who receive billions to ease poverty, but spend it on space rockets



'From now on, the watchwords are national security and the national interest. If those bells don't ring, the projects will be scrapped'.





Ms Patel is also keen to cut down on waste and inefficiencies and wants to make greater use of 'payment by results', under which aid grants would be withheld unless the money 'demonstrably changes lives'  and in a way which clearly advantages the UK.





Foreign Office sources say the example of the Dutch government is being studied. It has channelled its foreign aid money into non- combat, defence-related projects such as peacekeeping and funding ships to monitor migration flows.





The FCO sources point to the 70 British troops sent to Somalia in May as part of a UN mission to counter Islamist militancy, which they suggest in future could be funded and controlled by Ms Patel out of the DFID budget.





A further 300 troops were deployed to South Sudan the following month for similar work. The region is home to the Al Shabaab group, an Islamist militant group allied to Al Qaeda.





+8 Exposed: UN boss uses MoS to blow whistle on organisation's waste and obsession with celebrity

+8 Shameless: We tell how executives at private firms delivering aid earn six-figure salaries

+8



At the time of the deployment, Mr Fallon said it showed the UK's 'determination to tackle terrorism wherever it rears its head'.





Under strict overseas development rules, aid money cannot be channelled to troops engaged in combat. Ms Patel would have to negotiate the new arrangements with the Foreign Office to ensure they were compatible with international obligations.





It is understood that when she announces her plans, she will be at pains to stress that DFID 'will not be an extension to the defence budget but act in conjunction with it'.





Earlier this month it was claimed that British aid had funded a training base built by the Hamas terrorist group near the Gaza strip.





Israel said money from British taxpayers had been funnelled to Hamas to build the base by a senior Palestinian official with World Vision, a major Christian charity that has been handed millions of pounds by DFID.





Ms Patel says the Government will not consider any future funding for World Vision until it can prove the claims to be false.





May: Pro-Brexit MP Priti Patel labelled EU disfunctional Loaded: 0% Progress: 0% 0:00 Play Mute Current Time 0:00 / Duration Time 0:55 Fullscreen Need Text

YOU ROARED AND SHE ACTED... IN THE NATIONAL INTEREST By Ian Birrell

She does not deserve three cheers yet, probably not even two. But let us give one cheer at least for at long last the Minister charged with spraying taxpayers cash around the world seems to appreciate the fears of those funding the spending spree.

The concerns were highlighted by the devastating Mail on Sunday campaign that exposed the scale of waste and wanton abuse involved in Britains 12 billion aid giveaway.

Our reports revealed scandal after scandal: from the deadly serious  millions channelled to terrorist suicide bombers and to teachers in Pakistan who did not exist  to the frankly ludicrous 

how British aid benefited makers of designer handbags and Africas space race. The outcry led to a petition signed by 235,522 people and a parliamentary debate.

MPs responded by simply brushing aside the anger of constituents with a series of self-aggrandising speeches.

+8 Ms Patel (pictured) seems determined to shake up her sanctimonious department, though her room for manoeuvre will be limited

Sadly, signals from No 10 suggest our new Prime Minister intends to stick with one of her predecessors most disastrous policies: to meet an arbitrary UN target of giving away 0.7 per cent of national income.

This outmoded commitment undermines Theresa Mays lofty talk of social justice and evidence-based policy, with the sums doled out predicted to rise to 16 billion by the next election.

And it boosts a booming global poverty industry now worth 100 billion a year. All too often this tide of money fuels corruption, fosters conflict and corrodes democracy, while aiding fat-cat charity chiefs and firms enjoying vast profits.

So it is interesting to observe Priti Patel taking over the department for international development, which has behaved for so long with such high-handed disregard for dismayed taxpayers and brave whistleblowers.

She is, after all, an uncompromising Right-winger known to harbour grave doubts about the wisdom of blowing so much money on aid.

Ms Patel seems determined to shake up her sanctimonious department, though her room for manoeuvre will be limited.

There is no doubt it makes sense to spend less on vainglorious aid projects and more on our own defence, given Middle East instability, jihadist atrocities and Russian provocations.

We must hope Ms Patel does not become seduced by flawed concepts of saving the world. She should not flinch from forcing her Whitehall officials to finally start serving the interests of British taxpayers and the worlds poorest people by curbing some of the worst excesses caused by the great aid giveaway.
A house was broken into in Ferns on Friday.

At around 1pm thieves broke into a house in the town while the owner was out.

A quantity of jewellery was taken during the robbery.

Gardai in Enniscorthy are appealing for witnesses in the matter.
An Indonesian man who claims to be the longest living human in recorded history has described how he "just wants to die".

Mbah Gotho, from Sragen in central Java, was born on December 31, 1870, according to the date of birth on his identity card. Now officials at the local record office say they have been able to confirm that remarkable date as genuine.

But despite his incredible longevity, Mbah Gotho says he has little wish to remain on this earth much longer.

"What I want is to die. My grandchildren are all independent," he said this week.

Gotho has outlived all 10 of his siblings, four wives, and even his children. His nearest living relatives are grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

One of Gotho's grandsons said his grandfather has been preparing for his death ever since he was 122.He has even bought a burial site close to the graves of his children.

"The gravestone there was made in 1992. That was 24 years ago," said Gotho's grandson.

Members of the family said Gotho now spends most of his time sitting and listening to the radio because his eyesight is too poor to watch television. He has had to be spoon fed and bathed for the past three months as he became increasingly frail.

When asked what his secret to longevity is, Gotho replied: "The recipe is just patience."

While record office staff say they have confirmed the birth date on his identity card, he will not make it into the record books until the findings are independently verified.

The current record holder, Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment, died in 1997 aged 122.

Telegraph

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Turkey-backed rebels seized a number of villages and towns from Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria on Sunday amid Turkish airstrikes and shelling that killed at least 35 people, according to a monitoring group.

Turkey sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels drive the Islamic State (IS) group out of the frontier town of Jarablus last week in an escalation of its involvement in the Syrian civil war.

The operation - labelled Euphrates Shield - is also aimed at pushing back US-allied Kurdish forces.

The fighting pits a Nato ally against a US-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling IS in Syria.

A Turkish soldier was killed by a Kurdish rocket attack late on Saturday, the first such fatality in the offensive, now in its fifth day.

Various factions of the Turkey-backed Syrian rebels said on Sunday they have seized at least four villages and one town from Kurdish-led forces south of Jarablus.

One of the villages to change hands was Amarneh, where clashes had been fiercest. Rebels posted pictures from inside the village.

Ankara is deeply suspicious of the Syrian Kurdish militia that dominates the US-backed Syria Democratic Forces, viewing it as an extension of the Kurdish insurgency raging in south-eastern Turkey.

Turkish leaders have vowed to drive both IS and the Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG, away from the border.

Turkey is part of the US-led coalition fighting IS but the airstrikes that began on Saturday marked the first time it has targeted Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bombing killed at least 20 civilians and four Kurdish-led fighters in Beir Khoussa, a village about nine miles south of Jarablus, and another 15 in a village to the west.

AP
The mother of British backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung said her daughter's ashes will be scattered around the world so she "can visit places" she will now never discover.

Rosie Ayliffe also discussed coming to terms with her loss, after her 21-year-old daughter was stabbed to death in Australia on Tuesday, allegedly by 29-year-old Frenchman Smail Ayad, police said.

Writing in a daily blog for The Independent, Ms Ayliffe, from Wirksworth in Derbyshire, described plans for her daughter's cremation as she prepares to head for Australia to collect the ashes.

Ms Ayliffe said: "I know some of her friends are struggling with that (the decision to cremate her 'sooner rather than later'), because they wanted her body brought home and a cremation or burial here in the Wirksworth area, but she has friends all over the place.

"Hence the plan to create a place of remembrance here, but also to give various people vials of Mia's ashes to scatter in places dear to her or to them. That way she can visit places she hasn't visited yet. Canada, New Zealand, Singapore."

She added: "I've been told by the family liaison police that I'm at the beginning of a journey and that I'll experience many emotions. For the past few days the emotions have been at bay, to the extent that I was starting to question yesterday whether I was grieving at all.

Expand Close Mia Ayliffe-Chung, from Derbyshire, was described as 'gorgeous' by friends / Facebook

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Whatsapp Mia Ayliffe-Chung, from Derbyshire, was described as 'gorgeous' by friends

"At the moment the only way I can really cope with our loss is to think Mia's time had come and what happened in that hostel on Tuesday was her fate. It was always going to happen like that."

She said of the alleged killer: "Smail Ayad ... is not an Islamic fundamentalist, he has never set foot in a mosque."

Meanwhile, the family of a Briton injured in the stabbing have said they are "immensely proud" of him after he tried to save Ms Ayliffe-Chung's life.

Tom Jackson, 30, received critical injuries when he tried to help his compatriot.

His father Les Jackson issued a statement also praising the work of medical staff at Townsville Hospital in Queensland, where his son is being treated.

He said: "There are many and varied reasons why we are, and always will be, immensely proud of Tom.

Expand Close Google Street View image of Home Hill backpackers' hostel in Queensland, where Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, from Derbyshire, was stabbed to death and a 30-year-old British man was left in a critical condition after being attacked by a Frenchman man shouting Allahu Akbar / Facebook

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Whatsapp Google Street View image of Home Hill backpackers' hostel in Queensland, where Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, from Derbyshire, was stabbed to death and a 30-year-old British man was left in a critical condition after being attacked by a Frenchman man shouting Allahu Akbar

"His actions in response to this horrific attack only add to that sense of pride.

"As a family we have been comforted by the help and support offered by our friends and family at home and in Australia who have been wonderful."

Ayad has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

He did not appear in court on Friday but was remanded in custody and his case has been adjourned until October 28.

Police are investigating reports that the Frenchman had an unrequited romantic interest or an "obsession" with Miss Ayliffe-Chung.
Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade at the Notting Hill Carnival in west London Credit: Isabel Infantes/PA Wire

A man is fighting for his life following a stabbing at Notting Hill Carnival.

He was rushed to hospital after emergency services were called to Wornington Road in Kensington and Chelsea at 4.25 on Sunday afternoon.

Scotland Yard said it had arrested a man on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm.

The attack is one of four stabbings reported on the carnival's first day, dedicated to children and families.

Minutes later, officers were called to reports of another stabbing on Portobello Road, where one person was taken to hospital.

Less than an hour later, two more men were taken to hospital following a double stabbing on Ladbroke Grove.
Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of drugs offences following the death of a 17-year-old youth at Leeds Festival.

The boy, from the Greater Manchester area, was taken to hospital at 4.45pm on Saturday after taking drugs, West Yorkshire Police said.

Two 17-year-old males were arrested in the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of drugs offences and are being questioned by police.

Police said they were contacted by staff at Leeds Festival after the youth was taken to St James' Hospital by ambulance in a critical condition.

A spokesman said he underwent emergency treatment but was pronounced dead shortly after midnight.

Chief Superintendent Keith Gilert, Leeds Festival's police commander, said: "Our thoughts are naturally with the family of the young man at this time.

"They were made aware of the incident by officers as soon as possible and were assisted to attend the hospital as quickly as possible. We will continue to support them through this difficult time.

"We are currently investigating the death and how he obtained the substance he took.

"Two males, aged 17, have been arrested in the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of drugs offences and are currently in custody.

"At this time the indications are that the man consumed drugs immediately before before he collapsed."

Mr Gilert warned festival-goers about the dangers of taking illegal drugs following the death of the teenager.

He said: "In partnership with the organisers, Festival Republic, we will continue to take action against those who risk the lives of others by supplying drugs.

"Anyone who has any concerns for either themselves or others at the festival should contact festival site or security staff or seek medical assistance."
VISUAL AGE: The photo of a woman being asked to remove her burkini on a beach in Nice

We live in a visual age where a picture is worth a thousand words and an image - the heartbreaking sight of three-year-old refugee Alan Kurdi washed up on the sands of Turkey, the haunting stillness of five-year-old Aleppo air strike victim Omran Daqneesh sitting in an ambulance, Sister Mariana, the Italian nun, dazed yet serene amid the ruins of Amatrice - garrotes us with our own heartstrings.

But there is rarely just one tale to be told, one single thread that can be followed from beginning to conclusion and neatly tied up. Sometimes, on closer scrutiny, that narrative thread turns out to be a complex cat's cradle of knots and twists and connections that must be carefully unravelled.

The photograph of gendarmes standing over a lone Muslim woman on the beach in Nice, who has been ordered to take off her shirt, is one such picture.

The middle-aged woman was deemed to be in breach of French law, which saw a ban of burkinis, full-body 'Islamic' swimwear, in 26 towns, on the grounds that it is a conspicuous demonstration of religious belief (on Friday, France's highest administrative court suspended the ban, pending a definitive ruling).

In fairness, the muscularly secular French state bans the wearing of crucifixes as well as veils in public institutions. But is it fair for a Muslim mother to be fined for wearing a top and leggings on a beach?

Is it reasonable that teenagers swimming in burkinis should be met at the water's edge by police, and stigmatised for refusing to adhere to the Republique's principles, when actually it's their father they feel a greater compunction to obey?

Certainly the photograph is disturbing and deeply troubling. The power balance between the standing policemen and the sitting woman, who partially undresses on their orders, onlookers peering through sunglasses, is unmistakeable, menacing even.

This has led a number of commentators to draw facile and unhelpful parallels with Nazis stripping Jewish women in the street. Such comparisons are lazy, obfuscatory and wholly invidious.

Why? Because France, which has Europe's largest Muslim population of around five million, is facing a unique challenge in a unique set of circumstances; there are no precedents for the dilemma it faces.

On the one hand it must uphold its secularism even-handedly. In the wake of such attacks as Charlie Hebdo, Bataclan, Nice and elsewhere, they must take on board the concerns of the majority when they are confronted by a dress code that signals not just religious conservatism, but distance and otherness.

On the other, it must recognise that for a great number of these women this is a code policed by husbands, fathers and sons in order to reflect and represent their misogynistic piety. The full body and face covering is a cultural phenomenon, not a religious obligation. A decade ago, it was a rarity in Europe and elsewhere, but its inhumane enforcement has spread with the rise of conservatism.

Anyone who has watched the footage of female Syrian refugees joyfully tearing off the face veils imposed by Isil can be in no doubt that to cloak and conceal an entire gender is a form of sexual subjugation.

Back in the South of France, the fact these Muslim women were even allowed to go bathing or sunbathing is something to be examined, too.

Were they simply given their male relatives' blessing to go and have a paddle? From what I understand, veiled women rarely have much say over their daily activities, so it's unlikely they went on a whim.

Or could it be they were sent out by those very menfolk by way of a provocation? A visible presence? A reminder of the "modest" values of Islam? If so, these pictures make for Isil propaganda.

Militant Islam uses and abuses women, without compunction. Devout Islam may or may not be brutal, but it is unapologetically controlling. The unhappy truth is that women in strict communities do not have free will, do not have choice, and do not have a say in how they dress.

When I see women in burkinis on a beach, my first thought is a fatuous "they must be feeling really hot". My second thought is "how sad not to feel the wind in their hair or the indescribably ticklish slap of water against bare stomach".

But my third thought is "how lovely they have an opportunity to escape the dragging folds of their prescribed gowns and veils and lark about as nature and, yes, God intended".

I would like to see face veils outlawed in Britain for the simple reason that this is, and always has been, a culture in which we have an expectation and a right to look one another in the eye during public life.

As far as the burkini goes, I hate it. I have one, that I wrote about for a story. I would never willingly wear it, because I reject the implication that it's a women's responsibility to cover herself from prying eyes, rather than the prying eyes' duty to look away.

But I think a ban is impossible, not least because I don't know how the French authorities can possibly differentiate legally between a burkini and a wetsuit - intention? Percentage of neoprene? Laminated scuba-diving qualification?

There's a fine line between healthy tolerance and stubborn liberalism at all costs. But we must keep sight of our humanity too; faces must be uncovered, but beyond that I believe the state should not intervene.

These women are already being used as pawns in private. To penalise them for the little freedom they are allowed on a public beach is to punish the victims twice.

Telegraph
German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said in an interview on Saturday that Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives had "underestimated" the challenge of integrating record numbers of migrants.

Gabriel leads the Social Democrats (SPD) -- the junior coalition partner in Merkel's government -- and his comments come as campaigning kicks off for a federal election next year and regional elections in Berlin and the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants arrived in Germany from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere last year. There is widespread concern about how to integrate them into German society and the labour market, and support for the anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has grown.

"I, we always said that it's inconceivable for Germany to take in a million people every year," Gabriel said in an interview with broadcaster ZDF.

"There is an upper limit to a country's integration ability," he added at a news conference on Sunday.

He said Germany had 300,000 new school children due to the migrant influx and added that the country could not manage to integrate so many into the school system every year because there would not be enough teachers.

Read More

Gabriel also criticised Merkel's catchphrase "Wir schaffen das" ("We can do this"), which she adopted during last year's migrant crisis.

The chancellor used the phrase at a news conference in late July after a spate of attacks on civilians in Germany, including two claimed by Islamic State, that put her open-door migrant policy in the spotlight and dented her popularity.

Merkel rejected Gabriel's criticism in an interview with broadcaster ARD and said the federal government had worked hard with state and municipal authorities to solve problems, changed laws and provided funding.

She suggested she was open to changes in the EU's planned quota system, which aims to transfer of about 160,000 asylum seekers from Greece and Italy to other EU states, but said it was important to find a solution that shared responsibility.

It would not be acceptable, Merkel said, for governments to say: "We don't generally want to have Muslims in our country."

Instead of taking in refugees en masse, some eastern European countries want to provide other forms of help -- such as border guards for other EU countries -- and have suggested that the European Commission could offset those contributions against its proposed distribution quota.
Angela Merkel has been criticised by some in Germany for her welcoming stance to migrants and her motto 'we will manage' the influx

Germany's top migration official expects fewer than 300,000 refugees will come to the country this year.

Frank-Juergen Weise says his agency is planning for between 250,000 and 300,000 new arrivals in 2016.

The head of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees said in an interview published on Sunday the number of people who came to Germany during the height of the refugee crisis last year was lower than previously thought.

Mr Weise told the weekly Bild am Sonntag the new figure for 2015, which excludes duplicate registrations and people who travelled on to other countries, is lower than one million.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has been criticised by some in Germany for her welcoming stance to migrants and her motto "we will manage" the influx.

AP
Syrian activists say government war planes have attacked a besieged area in the central city of Homs with incendiary bombs that killed two children and left one badly burned.

Hayyan, a doctor and Homs resident whose parents remain in the al-Waer neighbuorhood, said the government launched 18 air strikes on Saturday, the last two of which dropped incendiary bombs.

Hayyan, who runs a volunteer group in the province, refused to be identified further due to concerns for his and his family's safety.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a brother and sister were killed in the air strikes that left their bodies badly charred.

Al-Waer is the last rebel-held area in Homs, Syria's third largest city. It has been besieged for months with only intermittent international aid deliveries getting through.

The escalation against the neighbourhood comes after the evacuation of Daraya, a Damascus suburb, following a deal struck with the government after a gruelling bombing campaign and a tight siege.

Meanwhile Turkey's official news agency said a Turkish soldier has been killed and three others wounded in Syria.

The Anadolu Agency said two Turkish tanks in the Syrian town of Jarablus came under rocket attack by Kurdish militants.

The Turkish military began its so-called Euphrates Shield operation in Syria with Free Syrian Army units and coalition planes on Wednesday to push Islamic State militants out of Jarablus and to limit the advance of Kurdish forces to the west of the Euphrates River.

The soldier's death is the first reported fatality on the Turkish side.
An honour guard stands vigil over the coffin of Bolivia's deputy interior minister Rodolfo Illanes, at the government palace in La Paz (AP)

Bolivian authorities have accused the president of a mining federation and two of his top officials of the killing of deputy interior minister Rodolfo Illanes amid a bitter strike.

Mr Illanes was kidnapped and beaten to death by striking mine workers on Thursday after going to the town of Panduro, 80 miles south of La Paz, to mediate in the dispute over mining laws and dwindling salaries.

Three protesters have been killed in clashes with riot police, stoking tensions.

The striking miners had armed themselves with dynamite and seized several roads, stranding thousands of vehicles and passengers.

Bolivia's Attorney General's Office has detained 40 miners, among them protest leader Carlos Mamani, president of the National Federation of Mining Co-operatives of Bolivia.

On Saturday afternoon, Mr Mamani and two other federation officials were accused by the Public Ministry over Mr Illanes' death.

A post-mortem examination found that Mr Illanes died from trauma to the brain and thorax.

A blockaded road in Panduro was clear on Friday as the miners returned to their camps and a funeral mass was held for Mr Illanes in La Paz.

Mr Illanes' murder underscored how President Evo Morales, a former coca growers' union leader, has increasingly found himself at odds with the same kind of popular social movements that fuelled his rise to power and have made up his political base.

The left-wing president called the beating death of the deputy minister "a conspiracy" to overthrow him.

Bolivia's casual miners number about 100,000 and work in self-managed co-operatives producing primarily zinc, tin, silver and gold.

They want to be able to associate with private companies, which promise to put more cash in their pockets, but are currently banned from doing so. The government argues that if they associate with multinational companies they will no longer be co-operatives.

Bolivia has seen increased social agitation as a financial slowdown hit an economy heavily dependent on natural gas and minerals, which account for over 70% of foreign export sales.
Rodney Earl Sanders, charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the killing of two nuns, is seen in an undated picture released by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. Photo: Mississippi Department of Public Safety/Handout via Reuters

Police in Mississippi have arrested and charged a 46-year-old man over the killing of two nuns.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said Rodney Sanders, of Kosciusko, had been charged with two counts of capital murder.

The bodies of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, both 68, were discovered at home last Thursday after they failed to arrive for work at a clinic in Lexington, Mississippi, about 15km from Durant, where they lived.

Lt Colonel Jimmy Jordan said: "Sanders was a person of interest early on in the investigation." He is being held in an undisclosed detention centre awaiting an initial court appearance.

In the poverty-stricken area where the nuns were killed, forgiveness for their killer is hard to find, even if forgiveness is what the victims would have wanted. The nuns were nurse practitioners who dedicated their lives to providing healthcare to people in the poorest county in the state. And as the investigation continues, residents wondered how they will fill the hole the killings have left.

"Right now, I don't see no forgiveness on my heart," said Joe Morgan Jr, a 58-year-old former factory worker who has diabetes and was a patient of Sister Merrill's at the clinic where the two nuns worked.

He said Sister Merrill would want him to forgive whoever killed the women, but he hopes the perpetrator is arrested, convicted and executed.

"She doesn't deserve to die like this, doing God's work," Mr Morgan said, shaking his head. "There's something wrong with the world."

Their stolen car was found abandoned close to their home, and there were signs of a break-in, but police have not disclosed a motive.

Authorities have not said how the women were killed, but the Rev Greg Plata of St Thomas Catholic Church, where the nuns had led Bible study for years, said police told him they were stabbed.

Mr Plata said both nuns' religious communities have asked that people pray for the killer or killers. Asked about people's struggles to forgive, the priest said: "Forgiveness is at the heart of being a Christian. Look at Jesus on the cross: 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.'"

The killings did more than shock people and plunge the county into mourning. They leave a gaping hole in what was already a strapped healthcare system.

Dr Elias Abboud, who worked with the sisters and helped build the clinic, said it provided about 25pc of all medical care in the county. The two nuns cultivated relationships with drug company representatives, who often left extra free samples, according to clinic manager Lisa Dew.

"This is a poor area, and they dignified those who are poor with outreach and respect for them," Mr Plata added. "They treated each person as a child of God."
Vladimir Putin ordered the ban on the flights to Turkey rescinded, said Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev

Russia has lifted its ban on charter flights to Turkey which was imposed following the shooting down of a Russian warplane at the Syrian border.

The lifting of the ban opens the way to a resumption of the package tours that were a major source of revenue for Turkey.

Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said he was rescinding the ban on the orders of president Vladimir Putin.

Russia imposed the ban in November after Turkey shot down a Russian plane at the Syrian border.

Mr Putin denounced the action as a "treacherous stab in the back."

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologised for the downing and he and Mr Putin patched up relations at a meeting three weeks ago.

Mr Putin said then that charter flights to Turkey could resume "in the near future," but added that painstaking work was still needed to revive trade and economic cooperation.

AP
Rodney Sanders, 46, has admitted killing Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill in Durant, Mississippi, police say (Mississippi Department of Public Safety/AP)

A man arrested over the murder of two nuns at their Mississippi home has confessed to the killings, a sheriff said.

Rodney Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, is charged with capital murder over the deaths of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, both 68.

Willie March, the sheriff of Holmes County said he had been briefed by police from the town of Durant where the killings occurred and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officials who took part in Sanders' interrogation.

Sanders confessed in the interrogation to the killings but gave no reason for the crimes, Mr March said.

The sheriff said police work and tips from the community led police to Sanders.

Sanders was convicted last year of a driving under the influence offence, said Grace Fisher, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Corrections. He was later released from prison and is currently on probation.

He was also convicted of armed robbery in Holmes County, sentenced in 1986 and served six years, Ms Fisher said.

People who knew the nuns, known for their generosity and commitment to improving health care for the poor, have been grappling with why anyone would want to kill them.

Dr Elias Abboud, who oversees the clinic in Lexington where the nuns worked, said Sanders was not a patient there.

The Rev Greg Plata, sacramental minister at St Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington where the women led bible study for years, said he did not think people at the church knew Sanders.

The women's bodies were discovered on Thursday after they failed to arrive for work in Lexington, about 10 miles from where they lived.

The sheriff said they had been stabbed.

"Sanders was developed as a person of interest early on in the investigation," police lieutenant colonel Jimmy Jordan said.

Authorities said Sanders was being held in a detention centre pending a court appearance.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said investigators believed Sanders acted alone.

Sister Paula's nephew, David Merrill, speaking from Stoneham, Massachusetts, said the family was "thankful" Sanders was off the streets.

Mr Merrill said he agreed with the idea of forgiveness and that was something his aunt would want for whoever killed her, but he was not sure if he was capable of completely forgiving.

He said he would not support the death penalty if Sanders were to be convicted but that decision will ultimately be made by the people in Mississippi. The capital murder charge leaves open the possibility Sanders would face the death penalty but that determination would be made by prosecutors later.

Meanwhile, in the poverty-stricken Mississippi county where the two nuns were slain, many people were still mourning their loss.

Jonell Payton, a Durant alderwoman, who lives a few doors from the nuns' house, said they were "the most precious two people" and known for helping provide medicine for those who could not afford it.

Both women worked at the clinic, where they gave flu shots, dispensed insulin and provided other medical care for children and adults.

Their stolen car was found abandoned a mile from their home, and there were signs of a break-in, but police have not disclosed a motive.

AP
ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATHMembers of Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government gather near the dead body of what they say is an Islamic State militant during a battle in neighbourhood Number One in central Sirte, Libya August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny TEMPLATE OUT

Members of Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government distribute drinks and snacks during a battle with Islamic State militants in neighbourhood Number One in central Sirte, Libya August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny

A member of Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government fires a weapon towards Islamic State militants in neighbourhood Number One in central Sirte, Libya August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny

A member of Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government fires a weapon towards Islamic State militants in neighbourhood Number One in central Sirte, Libya August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny

A member of Libyan forces allied with the UN-backed government fires a weapon towards Islamic State militants in neighbourhood Number One in central Sirte, Libya August 28, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny

At least 34 Libyan fighters were killed and more than 180 wounded as they closed in on the last Islamic State militant holdouts in the coastal city of Sirte, according to field hospitals.

Forces aligned with Libya's U.N.-backed government, supported since Aug. 1 by U.S. air strikes, have pushed militants back into a small residential area in central Sirte in a three-month-old campaign. Heavy fighting resumed on Sunday after a one-week lull.

The Libyan brigades, mostly from the city of Misrata, say they are close to victory in Sirte, but they have struggled to defend themselves against suicide bombings, sniper fire and landmines.

On Sunday several brigades stationed close to Sirte's seafront advanced several hundred metres eastwards through Sirte's neighbourhood Number One, while other fighters overran Islamic State positions in street-to-street fighting to the south.

Fighters used tanks, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns to try to blast through Islamic State sniper positions.

The Misrata-led brigades said there had been five attempted car bombings on Sunday in a "desperate attempt to disrupt the advance", though at least one of the bombs had been destroyed before it could reach its target.

The front lines in Sirte were quieter earlier this week as government-led forces said they were giving time to the wives and children of Islamic State fighters to leave the battle zone.

Almost all the city's estimated 80,000 residents left after Islamic State took full control of the city last year, turning it into its regional stronghold and expanding its presence along about 250 km (155 miles) of coastline.

The United States has carried out dozens of air strikes against Islamic State positions and vehicles in Sirte. This week the U.S. Africa Command said Marine AH-1W SuperCobra helicopters were being used in the operation, alongside jets and drones.

Libyan commanders say some Islamic State militants probably escaped around the start of the campaign to recapture Sirte in May, and their forces have been trying to secure the desert to the south and west of Sirte.
Turkey's army and its allies thrust deeper into Syria on Sunday, seizing territory controlled by Kurdish-aligned forces on the fifth day of a cross-border campaign that a monitoring group said had killed at least 35 villagers.

Turkish warplanes roared into northern Syria at daybreak and its artillery pounded what security sources said were sites held by Kurdish YPG militia, after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fierce overnight fighting around two villages.

Turkey's military said 25 Kurdish militants were killed in its air strikes. There was no immediate comment from the YPG, but forces aligned with the group have said it had withdrawn from the area prior to the assault.

Turkey, which is also battling Kurdish insurgents at home, sent tanks and troops into Syria on Wednesday to support its Syrian rebel allies. The Turkish-backed forces first seized the Syrian border town of Jarablus from Islamic State militants before pushing south into areas held by Kurdish-aligned militias. They have also moved west towards Islamic State areas.

Turkish officials say their goal in Syria is as much about ensuring Kurdish forces do not expand the territory they already control along Turkey's border as it is about driving Islamic State from its strongholds.

However, the Turkish offensive has so far focused on forces allied to the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition that includes the YPG, an Observatory source said.

The SDF has support from the United States -- which sees the group as an effective Syrian ally against Islamic State, putting Turkey at odds with a fellow NATO member and further complicating Syria's five-year-old civil war.

The conflict began as an uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has since drawn in regional states and world powers.

Expand Close A boy looks on as Turkish tanks move toward the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey on Thursday. Photo: AP/Halit Onur Sandal / Facebook

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Whatsapp A boy looks on as Turkish tanks move toward the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey on Thursday. Photo: AP/Halit Onur Sandal

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The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group with a network of sources in Syria, said Turkish-allied forces had seized at least two villages south of Jarablus, Jub al-Kousa and al-Amarna, that were held by militias loyal to the SDF.

The fighting killed 20 civilians in Jub al-Kousa and 15 in al-Amarna, while scores more were wounded, the group said.

Turkish-backed rebels said they had seized a string of villages south of Jarablus controlled by SDF-aligned forces and had moved west to take several villages held by Islamic State.

Turkish security sources said warplanes and artillery had hit YPG sites south of Jarablus and towards Manbij, a city captured by the SDF this month in a U.S.-backed operation.

Colonel Ahmed Osman, head of the Turkish-aligned Sultan Murad rebel group, told Reuters the force was "certainly heading in the direction of Manbij" and hoped to take it days.

Ankara wants to stop Kurdish forces gaining control of an unbroken swathe of Syrian territory on Turkey's frontier, which it fears could embolden the Kurdish militant group PKK that has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey.

A Reuters witness in Karkamis, a Turkish border town, heard jets and artillery bomb strike within Syria. A Turkish official told Reuters heavier air strikes could come in the hours ahead.

Turkey said one of its soldiers was killed on Saturday when a rocket hit a tank that it said came from a YPG-controlled area. It was the first Turkish death reported in the campaign.

Turkey has suffered shock waves from the conflict raging in its southern neighbour, including bombings by Islamic State. The government suspects the jihadist group was behind a blast at a wedding this month that killed 54 people in southeastern Turkey.

President Tayyip Erdogan struck a defiant note during a visit to the site of the wedding attack. "Our operations against terrorist organisations will continue until the end," he told a rally of thousands of supporters in the city on Sunday.
Pickens wins it all in the girls golf state championships

Pickens won it all in the AAAA SCHSL girl's golf state championships by remaining aggressive and "diving across the finish line."
Travis Patterson speaks to his attorney before his bond hearing Wednesday at the Anderson County Courthouse. Judge Lawton McIntosh denied bond for Patterson who is charged with the 2008 murder of Jerry Mattison.

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By Mike Ellis of the Independent Mail

A judge denied a bond request Wednesday for a man accused of helping to kill a Westside High School student in 2008.

Travis Howard Patterson Jr., 21, is charged with murder, although police do not believe he was the shooter who killed 16-year-old Jerry "Drek" Mattison, prosecutors said during a hearing.

Patterson's murder charge was filed because of South Carolina's "hand of one, hand of all" legal doctrine that allows prosecutors to go after people who knew about a crime ahead of time and participated in the build-up, even if the person charged did not physically commit the crime.

Patterson's defense attorney, Bruce Byrholdt, argued that while Patterson and two other men were charged with murder, two women who were in the car that dropped off the alleged shooter have not been charged with murder.

"There are statements that implicate (Patterson), there are statements that exonerate him," Byrholdt said. "The girls that were in the car have not been charged (with murder), which kind of causes some concern. If you charge someone for hand of one, hand of all you charge everyone who's there. They're kind of picking and choosing what they're doing here."

Demond Perez Johnson, 28, and Edwin Joseph Oliver, 23, are charged with murder and associated other crimes. Johnson and Oliver have previously been denied bond and remain in the Anderson County Detention Center. Wednesday's hearing was the first time Patterson had requested a bond.

Madrena Raechene Simmons, 20, and Kiara Latrell Hester, 20, are charged with being accessories to a murder after the fact. Hester and Simmons have been released on bond.

Assistant Solicitor Rame Campbell said there was a reason that Simmons and Hester were not charged with the murder and he would get into further detail during a trial.

Mattison's murder investigation hit a wall and remained a cold case for 21 months until city investigators announced in March that they had received new information and began making arrests in the case.

Patterson also faces two counts of assault with intent to kill, four weapons charges and a conspiracy count in relation to the shooting of Mattison.

He also faces weapons and assault charges and a robbery charge in two additional, unrelated cases but has not been convicted of any crimes.

Campbell said a trial could begin in February or March.

Judge Lawton McIntosh denied bond, but said that if a trial is not scheduled by March, he will allow Patterson to reapply for a bond.
Thala Ajith and director Siva are presently stationed in Bulgaria for the shooting of 'AK 57', their third film together . Now it has been confirmed that National award winning actor Appukutty who has been a part 'Veeram' and 'Vedalam' will be acting in this film also.

Appukutty has confirmed in an interview that he has been offered a role in the film but he is yet to be briefed about his character. However he knows that he will get a meaty role in the film and his portions will be shot in the United States of America.

Appukutty has become more popular for his acting with Ajith in 'Veeram' and 'Vedalam' both directed by Siva. Since 'Veeram' days, Ajith has been the wellwisher of Appukutty and conducted a photo shoot for him. Thala has also insisted him to retain his original name Sivabalan.

Afater Thambi Ramiah, Appukutty will be the second actor to be a part of all the three films of Ajith with director Siva.
There's nothing like a good holiday with your loved ones to make everything all right again! And now, you don't need to leave your furry friends behind either! The rising number of pet-friendly accommodations across India are a welcome change.

Carbonated

The best way to take your pets along on your travel is by driving down. This is the least stressful means of travel for pets, who are not conditioned to travel. The Indian Railways has a provision of travelling with pets if you book a first class coupe. Under section 77-A of the Indian Railway Act, the liability of Railways as carriers of animals is limited as specified below, unless the sender elects to pay the percentage charge on value as shown in the Rule 1301: Per Head Elephants Rs.1500/- Horses Rs.750/- Mules, Camels or Horned Cattle Rs.200/- Donkeys, sheep, goats, dogs and other animals or birds Rs.30/-

Airlines have come a long way from their inhumane travel carts for animals in the 1990s to sedatives that help pets sleep through the ordeal of air travel in pet carriers. Some international flights also have attendants to keep an eye on your pets for you during the flight.

However, air travel still is not advisable for pets.

Vacation rentals

Now that you know how you can get to your next holiday, how about looking at the accommodation options you have?

Travellers nowadays look for customised travel experiences that cater to their convenience. For those who live with their pets, it is always painful to leave their beloved companions behind while on a vacation. We offer a solution to this problem by letting guests have the option of travelling with their pets," says Amanpreet Bajaj, Country Manager of Airbnb. "Since hosts are opening up their homes to guests and their furry friends, guests must understand that there are certain responsibilities that come with this provision and treat the hosts house as their own and ensure all house rules are followed.

Standard rules of good behaviour apply in pet-friendly resorts as well. Owners need to clean up after their pets and unruly behaviour towards other guests or their pets is forbidden. On the whole, the pet-friendly resorts in India have not had too many untoward experiences. If a guests pet is too aggressive then we advise separate dining options and recreational activities to them. The biggest advantage that a pet-friendly resort can have is space. There should be enough room for everyone, even the ones having a bad day, says Amardeep Singh Sondhi of Kikar Lodge, Punjab.

Dogspired

International visitors to India are not allowed to bring pets with them. The anxiety of a long-drawn flight is simply not worth putting your pet through!

Pet passports can be obtained by resident Indians returning to the country or to enter the country with a pet. You will be required to obtain an Import Permit from the quarantine centre in India. A No Objection Certificate is also a part of the Import Permit.
Steering through the plains of Uttar Pradesh to the sand dunes of the desert in Rajasthan, a team of 14 army men is on motorcycle expedition to meet with families of martyrs and ex-service men and help them with their problems pertaining to pension trouble and others.

TOI

The motorcycle expedition team comprising three officers, two junior commissioned officers and nine jawans will cover a total of 1700 kms while traversing through one district of Uttar Pradesh, twelve districts of Rajasthan and will finally culminate at Mathura on September 9, 2016.

The expedition is being undertaken by Red Eagle Division under the aegis of Strike 1. The expedition was flagged off by Lieutenant General Shokin Chauhan, General Officer Commanding Strike 1 on Saturday at Mathura.

TOI

According to public relation officer of ministry of defence (MoD) Lucknow, Gargi Malik said, "The team will interact with the ex-servicemen and martyrs' families along the route, provide latest information on new welfare policies and collect pension related problems of ex-servicemen."

As per MoD, in last four years, world's third biggest army lost a total of 256 bravehearts, who made the supreme sacrifice during various counterinsurgency operations and offensive tactical mission between 2012-2015.

TOI

As per armed force sources, hundreds of martyrs and ex-servicemen families complain of problems pertaining to pension and others. This expedition team will meet some of the families and will try to help them.

"In addition, the expedition will also propagate water harvesting and conservation measures in rural areas of Rajasthan. The event also aims to interact with the youth of the areas enroute and acquaint them with the rich heritage and traditions of the Indian Army," added Gargi Malik.

TOI

Infusing a sense of adventure activities has always been an area of interest to armed forces. Army encourages junior leadership, esprit-de-corps, and camaraderie to develop a sense of achievement amongst all ranks.

The motorcycle expedition will afford an excellent opportunity to the team members to exploit the arid desert, interact with local population and reaching out to the nascent youth, thus providing a judicial mix of adventure and inspirational expedition.
200 URLs handpicked by a home affairs ministry committee for their association with 'escort services' (AKA prostitution), were banned in June 2016 by the Indian government.

An industry source told PTI that most of the websites in the order are somewhere linked to Mumbai.

And just last week,the Madras high court directed Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block websites that might enable piracy of A Flying Jatt, including 830 mentioned in a plea made by Balaji Motion Pictures Ltd, producer of the upcoming film A Flying Jatt.

The producer had moved the HC for a "John Doe" order against known and unknown persons who may illegally "host the contents of its copyrighted film A Flying Jatt".

The film is to be released on August 25. The HC after hearing the plea presented through the producer's law firm ALMT Legal also directed the ISP to "also block such sites within 24 hours of receipt of information on infringement from the film producer."

In its plea against piracy Balaji Films told the Madras high court that it's latest venture, starring Tiger Shroff, Jacqueline Fernandez, Nathan Jones, Kay Kay Menon and others, directed by Remo D'Souza is a Bollywood superhero action film.

"The plaintiff has invested substantial sums of money in the production of the said Film and its promo released officially on YouTube has already garnered over 10 million views.

Claiming protection of its rights under the Copyright Act over its film, the producer said it wanted protection against online and offline piracy.



The list of "escort services" sites which are under fire:
It was a heartwrenching scene at Munirabad railway station of Karnataka's Koppal district on Monday morning. A three-year-old boy was playing beside the bodies of his dead parents, assuming they were still asleep.

BCCL

When passengers got suspicious and questioned the boy , he told them they were to visit Huligemma temple once they got up, and tried to rouse them up.

He wandered around the station, waiting for them to get up, unaware that they would never wake up again. Some passengers then checked and found the couple was dead, and brought it to the notice of railway police. When people gathered near the bodies, the boy, Devaraj, told them they had come from Gadag on a train.

Hearing him repeat, in all innocence, that his parents were asleep, passengers and even the policemen couldn't control their tears. There was also confusion and reluctance to tell the child that his parents were dead.

BCCL

RS Kotagi, PSI, Gadag Railway Police, said they got information from Munirabad station about the death of two persons and visited the spot for inspection. "We found that a boy was playing near the bodies. When we asked him for his name, he told us he was Devaraj and had come here to visit Huligemma temple," he said.

Later, police identified the deceased as Iranna Talawar, 50, and Manjula, 40, residents of Annigeri and now settled in Gadag. "We contacted some their relatives through the contact list on their mobile phone," Kotagi said.

Iranna and Manjula boarded the train to Koppal from Gadag along with Devaraj. Manjula was said to be Iranna's second wife. When they reached Munirabad on Sunday night, they stayed at Munirabad station and slept on the platform. On Monday morning, they were found dead under mysterious circumstances.

kxcdn.com

"Prima facie, it looks like suicide case, but we are not sure whether they consumed poison or something else. We don't know the exact reason for their death. It will be clear after we get the postmortem reports," he said.

"We have handed over the bodies to the district hospital for postmortem and informed their relatives to take the boy. If no one comes forward, the boy will be handed over to the Child Protection Committee," Kotagi added.
Muzaffar Wani, the father of slain Kashmiri militant Burhan Wani, met Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at his Bengaluru ashram on Saturday, with an AOL spokesman saying that they discussed, among other things, the current situation of suffering in the valley, and ways to restore peace and normalcy.

indianexpress.com

The news of Muzaffar's meeting with Sri Sri was announced by the AOL founder through his Twitter page on Saturday evening. Along with a picture of Muzaffar and himself, Sri Sri tweeted: "Muzaffar Wani, the father of Burhan Wani was in the ashram for the last 2 days. We discussed several issues." An AOL spokesperson told TOI Wani's stay at the ashram "was not a government initiative" and "it is too early to say anything about the meeting and discussions at this stage."

"Certainly, Sri Sri and Mr Wani discussed about the current situation, about the suffering and how peace and normalcy can be restored in the Valley," he added.

BCCL

Government sources said that while everyone was welcome to contribute to help restore peace in the valley, no decision had been taken to involve private persons in the peace process in any institutional way.

Sri Sri is known to have brokered a peace deal between the Left guerrila group FARC and the Colombian government in June 2015. After his intervention, FARC agreed to give up violence and follow the Gandhian path to fulfil its political goals.He has also set up AOL centres in Pakistan and visited the country twice.

Muzaffar Wani, a government school principal in south Kashmir, made headlines early this year when he told the press, "I am waiting for his (Burhan's) body. The average life of a militant is only seven years, and he has lived six. So I know his moment will come."

BCCL

After Burhan was killed on July 8, his father called him a "martyr" for the "independence" movement of Kashmir. He was also reported to have said, "The children who leave, they don't want to be leaders or heroes. They are drawn to death."

Burhan's killing has led to massive stone pelting and rioting in the last 50 days. 70 people have been killed and thousands injured.
Refugees attempting to enter the UK via France are often housed in what is nicknamed the 'Jungle', a refugee and migrant encampment near Calais, France. These refugees often attempt to enter the United Kingdom via the Port of Calais or the Eurotunnel, as stowaways on commercial or personal vehicles en-route the UK.

This is what happened to a Flemish lorry driver, who suddenly came across a migrant gang armed with bats who were attempting to hold him up

They had used branches to block a road that led to the port of Calais, and one of the men struck the lorry when he revved his engine.

reuters

Trucker Marc Mombaerts told VTM News: 'If I give dared put our foot down, they immediately made it clear that they would strike the windshield.' Previously this month, a motorist was threatened by a migrant with a chainsaw.

Police reportedly have to push back immigrants attempting to stowaway or hijack a ride onto vehicles "nightly".

afp

This comes a day after the murder of a UK-bound Sudanese migrant, and injuries inflicted on 15 as rival gangs competing to board lorries. The Sudanese man's death brings to 11 the number of migrants who have died this year in and around Calais, the main staging point in France for undocumented migrants and asylum-seekers trying to reach Britain.

A police source noted growing tensions in the area, where the number of attempts by migrants to halt trucks and jump aboard had grown from "five a night to around 15, 20" in recent weeks.
Everybody dreams of making it big in life but very few determined souls really act upon it. The story of Najat Vallaud-Belkacem is a testament to this, who overcame all the obstacles life laid at her feet and carved her own destiny.

Once a shepherd girl of four - who tended goats and fetched water from the well - Najat moved to France with her family and faced the real world full of opportunities as well as struggles. The Moroccan girl who had no proficiency in French learnt the language by the end of her first year in college.

Reported by The Guardian, while describing the cultural change in her life, Najat said:

"The fact of leaving ones country, ones family, ones root can be painful, my father had already found his place, but for us, for my mother, it was very difficult to get our bearings."

Alchetron

Najat inherited hard work and resourcefulness from her father who laid strict rules for his daughters - no boys and no nightclubs till the age of 18. As a result, the girls completely surrendered themselves to studies.

Najat's sister, Fatiha, is a lawyer in Paris.

While studying at the University of Amiens, Najat got the opportunity to pursue higher education with the prestigious Institut detudes politiques de (also known as Sciences Po). This set her on the path winding the political landscape in France.

Alchetron

Najat worked two jobs to take the financial load off her parents while pursuing her Master's in Public Administration. It is during this time she met Boris Vallaud, a fellow student, and the two married in 2005.

Najat's political career began with her joining the Socialist Party as an adviser to the mayor of Lyon. She later ran for elections and won the seat of the Councillor. In 2012, she was appointed as the Minister of Womens Affairs by Francois Hollande, the then Socialist president.

Alchetron

In 2014, she served as the Minister of Womens Right, Minister of City Affairs, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports. In a major cabinet shuffle, she was promoted to serve as the Minister of Education.

While advising the youth who want to participate in the country's politics, Najat said, "I have always advised the youths to get involved in politics. The best way to be happy with your future is by playing a part in it. If youre just a spectator of collective fate, youre bound to feel frustrated."
Female imams. The sentence sounds like sacrilege, but it was female imams who led prayers and sang the 'azaan' (call to prayer) at the Mariam mosque in Copenhagen.

Their act marked the official opening of the female-led mosque in Scandinavia. It is also one of a handful in the world. Sherin Khankan and Saliha Marie Fetteh, the mosque's two imams, led the ceremony, respectively singing the adhan and delivering an appropriately selected sermon on "women and Islam in a modern world".

Afterwards, the prayer saw participation from Muslim, non-Muslim, and atheist women

Linda Kastrup b dot dk

Traditionally, even mosques with women's sections tend to hide them, "accessed through back entrances", the Guardian reported. Even before the historic Friday prayer, the mosque has seen five weddings (and some inter-religious marriages are scheduled soon), some divorces, an a six page charter which may raise eyebrows in the Muslim world. Namely, no polygamy, giving women the right to divorce, annulment in case of psychological or physical violence, and giving women equal rights over children in case of divorce.

Khankan, a known commentator and author explains: "We have normalised patriarchal structures in our religious institutions.

Not just in Islam, but also within Judaism and Christianity and other religions. And we would like to challenge that," she said.

Reactions from the city's Muslim community have mostly been positive, with negative feedback "moderate", she said. Khankan, a well-known commentator and author in Denmark, said there was "an Islamic tradition allowing women to be imams" and that most of the criticism was based on ignorance.

Imam Waseem Hussein, who heads on of Copenhagen's biggest mosques, questioned the project: "Should we also make a mosque only for men? Then there would certainly be an outcry among the Danish population," he told the daily Politiken.
 2014        ,           .  Renault Group   1.365.418  (+4,7%     2013),         18%.  Renault 

      1.063.538  ,  Dacia 263.110    Renault Samsung 38.770.  PSA Citroen                355.500  (+28%).          .

 

PSA PEUGEOT CITROEN CONTINUES ITS GROWTH DYNAMIC IN CHINA WITH UNIT SALES UP 28% IN THE FIRST HALF OF 2014

355,500 units sold in the first half of 2014 (local production + imports)Growth of 28% in a market up 12.3%Market share of 4.36%

In the first half of 2014, PSA Peugeot Citroens unit sales in China rose 28% in a market up 12.3% thanks to the performance of joint ventures Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobile (DPCA) and Changan PSA Automobile (CAPSA). China has been the Groups largest world market since March 2014.

DPCA recorded sales growth of 24.5% during the period, with 342,900 units sold. This increase, representing almost twice that of the market, lifted the Dongfeng-PSA Peugeot Citroen joint ventures market share by 0.4 points over the first half to 4.2%.

Dongfeng Peugeots sales rose 33%, with 183,400 units invoiced. The Peugeot 2008 launched on 17 April got off to an extremely fast start, with more than 11,100 units already invoiced at the end of June. The 3008 pursued its strong growth, with units sold up 37% to 33,700.In addition, the 301 confirmed its good trend since launch, with 36,700 units sold in the first half, and the 308 remained a strong performer, with 44,200 units sold.

DF Peugeots dealership network further expanded to 436 outlets at 30 June, on track to meet the target of 480 dealerships at the end of the year.

In the second half, DF Peugeot will launch the new Peugeot 408, the first car developed in China on the new EMP2 platform.

Dongfeng Citroens sales rose 16%, with 159,900 units invoiced. The new C-Elysee enjoyed very strong sales during the period, with 45,700 units invoiced at 30 June, while the C4L recorded a 75% increase in unit sales to 35,000.

The DF Citroen network also continued to add new dealerships, reaching a total of 442 at 30 June for a year-end target of 470.

Sustained growth in sales has led DPCA to raise its 2014 sales target to 700,000 units from the initially targeted 650,000.

CAPSA, the joint venture between Changan and PSA Peugeot Citroen, achieved unit sales of 9,800 over the first half, thanks in particular to the performance of the DS 5 and DS 5LS, two models produced at the Shenzhen plant and launched in September 2013 and March 2014, respectively.Growth was also supported by the development of the distribution network, which included 60 DS Stores at 30 June, in line with the objective of covering Chinas 70 largest cities by end-2014.

In the second half, the Brand will launch its first premium SUV. Unveiled last April at the Beijing Auto Show under the DS 6WR name and well received by the media and public, this model will enhance the Brands sales performance in China.

With the 2 July announcement that DPCA intends to build a fourth production facility in Chengdu, PSA Peugeot Citroen and its two joint ventures, DPCA and CAPSA, will have a total of five assembly plants in China in 2016 with an aggregate production capacity of 1.2 million vehicles.

Commenting on the first-half sales results in China, Gregoire Olivier, Executive Vice President, Asia, declared: The Groups results in China are excellent and we are growing twice as fast as the market. The increase in sales exceeded expectations, with volumes up a robust 28% and market share widening to 4.36%. Looking forward, we plan to leverage our strategic partnership with Dongfeng in China and beyond, while continuing, of course, to actively develop the DS brand with CAPSA.

World sales results in first-half 2014

Renault gains momentum in Europe and holds firm internationally

In the first half of the year, the strong performance of the Renault and Dacia brands in Europe, driven by the success of Clio, Captur, Duster phase 2 and Sandero, enabled the Group to offset the sharp slowdown in its main emerging markets.

With nearly 1.4 million vehicles sold worldwide at end-June 2014, Renault group PC+LCV sales increased by 4.7% in the first half of 2014 compared to 2013.

In Europe, Renault group sales increased by 18%, far exceeding market growth, which was up 6.5%. The Renault brand recorded growth of 13%. Dacia is the fastest growing brand (gaining 0.5 points of market share) over the semester.

Group sales outside of Europe are down 9% due to the economic and financial crises in its main emerging markets. Within this context, the Group is holding firm and still recording market share growth in Eurasia and Latin America, with a record first-half in Brazil (7% market share).

In the first half of 2014, Renault brand sales in Europe were up, thanks to Clio and Captur. Dacia is the fastest growing brand in the Region. As a result, Renault is able to diminish the impact of the decline in our main emerging markets and to maintain the Groups positive momentum, says Jerome Stoll, Chief Performance Officer and Executive Vice-President, Sales and Marketing.

Highlights in first-half 2014

Renault group sales increased by 4.7% to 1,365,418 units in a global automotive market up 3.8% in the first half of 2014.

EUROPE

In a growing market (+6.5%), in contrast to 2013, the Group sold 776,236 vehicles (+18%) and took PC+LCV market share of 10.2% (+1 point).

Group sales increased by 18% with 776,236 units sold. PC+LCV market share increased by 1 point to 10.2%. Group sales grew substantially across nearly all countries. The most substantial growth was recorded in Portugal (+68%), United-Kingdom (+65%), Ireland (+52%), Spain (+35%) and the Nordic countries (+37%).

Clio was still the best-selling vehicle on the French market at end-June, and the third best-selling vehicle in Europe[1].

The Group became a recognised expert in the urban crossover segment with Captur, first in the B segment in Europe, and Duster, third in the C segment[2] (and first in France).

The Renault brand confirmedits position as the third largest brand in the European PC+LCV market, with market penetration of 7.6% (+0.4 point). The brand is the B-segment leader with Clio and Captur[3]. The brand entered its 17th consecutive year as LCV market leader with a 14.3% share (+0.2 point), and volume which rose 11%.

Dacia brand sales recorded the strongest increase of any brand. Bolstered by the renewal of its range and the relevance of its offer in todays difficult economic environment in Europe, the brand grew its PC+LCV market share by 0.5 points to 2.6%.

In France, in a growing market (+2.7%), the Group registered 313,682 vehicles (+12.5%) for a PC+LCV market share of 27.3%, up 2.4 points. At end-June, New Clio was the best-selling vehicle in the French market. With 33,910 sales, Captur consolidated its success and was the countrys best-selling SUV. Scenic, the leading compact MPV, is holding firm against newer competitive models. Overall, five of the Groups models were among the TOP 10 best-selling vehicles at end-June.

Dacia, with 5.3% of the PC+LCV market (+1.1 points), is firmly established in fifth position (fourth for sales to individuals). Sandero and Duster sales surged by more than 30% and 58% respectively compared to the same period in 2013.

Renault also leads the LCV market, where Kangoo Express is the top-selling model.

INTERNATIONAL

Due to the downturn in its main emerging markets, Group sales are down 9% to 589,182 units. They represent 43% of total sales (compared to 50% in the first half of 2013). The Group is affected by declining markets in Algeria (-31% TIV), Turkey (-26% TIV), Argentina (-24% TIV), Russia (-8% TIV), and Brazil (-7%), with a sharp downward trend in those countries, and India (-5% TIV).

Eurasia region

In the Eurasia region, Renault is performing better than the market with sales down 7% in a market down 9%.

In Russia, the Groups third largest market, Renault is still the second leading brand in the country after Lada, with a stable market share of 7.8%, pending the full effect of the renewal of its M0 range.

Following the collapse of the Ukrainian market, Kazakhstan (+11% TIV) became the second largest market in the region. Renault is continuing its market penetration in the region and doubled its sales thanks to Duster; market share surged by 2.6 points to 5.4%.

Asia-Pacific region

With 110,903 vehicles sold, Group sales were down 12% (-2.8% excluding Iran), in particular due to the situation in Iran and the drop in the Indian market. Group market share in the region is slightly down at 0.5%.

In South Korea, Renault Samsung Motors recorded 40% volume growth in a market that grew by 7%. Market share rose 1.1 points to 4.7%. RSM has once again become the countrys fourth leading brand. The success of the new QM3 is the main driver of this recovery.

Euromed-Africa region

Group sales in the Euromed-Africa region are down 15% in a market that fell 11%.

After several strong years, the Algerian market is experiencing a major downturn. The Renault group is still the market leader in the country, with a 25.4% market share.

The Group held firm in Turkey, where the market fell 26%, and achieved a 17.6% market share, up 0.5 points. Fluence is the best-selling vehicle in this market[4].

The Group is still well ahead in Morocco, with market share of 37% and six models among the TOP 10 at end-May.

Americas region

With 205,390 vehicles sold, Group sales are down 2% in a regional market which fell 9%.

In Brazil, the Groups second largest market, sales increased by 8% in a market that fell 7%. The Groups market share gained 1 point and reached a record high of 7% thanks to 110,146 sales.

In a vulnerable Argentinian market (-24%), Renault maintained its market share (14.4%) while prioritising the profitability of its operations.

2014 sales outlook

In the second half of the year, the Groups main markets will develop in keeping with the results of the first half. We expect annual growth of 3 to 4% in Europe, with a French market up 1%.

Within this context, Renault confirms its earlier projections of market share gain in Europe and of increased worldwide sales volumes.

To achieve this, the Group will rely on:

- the proven success of its new products: Clio, Captur, Sandero and Duster phase 2;

- the forthcoming launches of New Twingo and New Trafic;

- the international roll-out of New Logan and New Sandero.

The continued renewal of Logan and Sandero internationally should enable us to hold firm in falling emerging markets. In Europe, the imminent launches of New Twingo and New Trafic will confirm the trend of the first six months. Within this context, we confirm our projections of increased market share in Europe and of greater worldwide sales, says Jerome Stoll, Chief Performance Officer and Executive Vice-President, Sales and Marketing.

Group sales by region PC+LCV

2014*2013*% var.France313,682278,84812.5%Europe** (excl. France)462,554378,58622.2%France + Europe Total776,236657,43418.1%Euromed Africa166,695196,562-15.2%Eurasia106,194114,217-7.0%Asia Pacific110,903126,111-12.1%Americas205,39210,103-2.2%Total excl. France + Europe589,182646,993-8.9%World1,365,4181,304,4274,70%

* Sales at end-June** Europe = EU (28 countries  Bulgaria & Romania) + Balkans (5 countries) + Iceland, Norway and Switzerland

Sales by brand

2014*2013*% var.RENAULTPC906,439916,473-1.1%LCV157,099147,1696.7%PC+LCV1,063,5381,063,6420.0%DACIAPC245,553200,12122.7%LCV17,55711,48652.9%PC+LCV263,11211,60724.3%RENAULT SAMSUNG MOTORSPC38,7729,17832.9%RENAULT GROUPPC1,190,7621,145,7723.9%LCV174,656158,65510.1%PC+LCV1,365,4181,304,4274,70%

* Sales at end-June

Top 15 Group markets at end-June 2014

CountrySales Market sharePC + LCV1FRANCE313,68227.3%2BRAZIL110,1467.0%3RUSSIA96,4217.8%4GERMANY88,6345.4%5ITALY69,28.5%6SPAIN62,56112.2%7GREAT BRITAIN54,673,80%8ARGENTINA52,47414.4%9TURKEY50,1517.6%10BELGIUM LUXEMBURG46,60613.3%11ALGERIA44,13625,40%12SOUTH KOREA36,9774,70%13INDIA24,1291.6%14MOROCCO23,90137.0%15NETHERLANDS22,5319.9%[1]Figures at end-May 2014[2]Figures at end-May 2014[3] Figures at end-May 2014[4]Figures at end-May 2014
Update Your iPhone or iPad

Israeli Cyber-spy Firm Can Hack You By Tim Johnson

tjohnson@mcclatchydc.com August 27, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " McClatchy " -The much-talked-about hack that would allow governments to spy on your every move through your iPhone and iPad has become reality. Apple issued a security update for those devices Thursday after researchers discovered spyware that turns hand-held Apple devices into the mother of all snoops, allowing remote operators to intercept all voice and data communications and pass along every photograph and video. Researchers said spyware had never been found before this month that could jailbreak an iPhone or iPad and seize total control of its functions. Efforts to use the spyware have surfaced in Mexico and the United Arab Emirates, where critics of the government appear to have been targeted for surveillance. Theres pretty much nothing that this spyware couldnt get off the iPhone, said Bill Marczak, one of two researchers at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto who discovered the spyware. Its a total and complete compromise of the phone. Thursdays development is a hit on the reputation of Apple products as largely hack-proof, and it raises questions over whether the spyware is in widespread use by authoritarian governments around the world. The Israeli company thought to have produced the spyware said in a statement that it insisted that governments that bought its products use them only in lawful ways. Coding in the spyware indicates it has been around since 2013. The spywares existence also calls into question the security of widely used encrypted communications programs such as WhatsApp and Telegram, both of whose contents can be intercepted on a compromised device before they are scrambled, according to a San Francisco cyber forensics company, Lookout, that joined Citizen Lab in the probe. The story of how the researchers uncovered the spyware and the evidence of its use is worthy of a spy novel itself. Marczak and a colleague, John Scott-Railton, began tracking the spyware, which they call the Trident exploit, after a human rights defender in the United Arab Emirates alerted researchers to suspicious text messages. The rights activist, Ahmed Mansoor, received a text message on his iPhone on the morning of Aug. 10. It said in Arabic: New secrets about torture of Emiratis in state prisons, and contained a hyperlink to an unknown site. A similar text message arrived the next day. Mansoor was wary. Hed already been targeted by other attempts. In all cases, the text messages were bait to get him to click on a link, which would have led to the infection of his Apple iPhone 6 and the control of the device through spying software created by NSO Group, a shadowy Israeli surveillance company, Marczak said. Marczak and his colleague infected a test iPhone of their own and watched as unknown software was remotely implanted on our phone, the two said in a report. They then contacted Lookout to help in reverse-engineering the spyware. They quickly learned that the infection would have turned Mansoors iPhone into a pocket undercover spy capable of employing his iPhones camera and microphone to eavesdrop on activity in the vicinity of the device, recording his WhatsApp and Viber calls, logging messages sent in mobile chat apps and tracking his movements. Viber is another common communications program. NSO Group, based in Herzliya, on the northern outskirts of Tel Aviv, was founded in 2010 and describes itself as a leader in cyber warfare and a vendor of surveillance software to governments around the world. It maintains no website and keeps a low profile. The Citizen Lab report said NSO Group had been sold to a San Francisco private equity group, Francisco Partners Management LLC, in 2014. A call of inquiry to that group led an NSO Group spokesman, Zamir Dahbash, to call McClatchy. Infection can turn an iPhone into a pocket undercover spy capable of using the camera and microphone to eavesdrop  recording calls, logging messages and tracking movements He offered a statement that said the companys mission was to help make the world a safer place and that it sold only to authorized government agencies to help them combat terror and crime. NSO Group does not operate any of its systems, he said, only selling the software. The agreements signed with the companys customers require that the companys products only be used in a lawful manner. Specifically, the products may only be used for the prevention and investigation of crimes, Dahbash said. He would answer no further questions and would not confirm that the company had contracts with any agencies of the UAE government or with the government of Mexico, where another case emerged of efforts to infect iPhones with NSO spyware. As the researchers traced the activities of their own infected iPhone, it led to an infrastructure of some 200 websites and servers used by NSO Group. The team then punched in the internet addresses to Google and Twitter to see if anybody was sharing links to them, Marczak said. Thats when they came across a tweet by Rafael Cabrera, a Mexican editor who works for Aristegui Online, a muckraking portal that has repeatedly broken stories on alleged influence trafficking by President Enrique Pena Nieto and his wife. Cabrera noted in the tweet that hed gotten a weird text message that seemed to bait him to click on a suspicious link. We realized, oh my gosh, this guy received links which were connected to these websites that we connected to NSO Group, Marczak said. Cabrera, trapped in a traffic jam in Mexico City, said in a brief cellular phone interview that three members of Aristegui Online had been targeted with the text messages. In addition to himself, the portals lead investigator, Daniel Lizarraga, and another prominent journalist, Salvador Camarena, received texts. All were on the team that in November 2014 revealed that Pena Nietos wife had received a $7 million mansion from one of the governments biggest contractors. The team also took part, along with McClatchy and scores of other media outlets around the world, in the probe of the Panama Papers, the trove of documents from a Panamanian law firm that opened a window earlier this year on the murky world of offshore shell companies. Among the revelations from the documents was that the contractor who had built the mansion for the Mexican first lady had also sought to create a string of offshore trusts and companies to hide more than $100 million. Cabrera said he could not pin blame on who might have wanted to spy on his iPhone. I cant say if it was an individual or if it was the government, Cabrera said. The type of spyware sold by NSO Group routinely costs at least $1 million, according to a report by Lookout, making it a tool available mainly to governments. Apple Inc. was notified by Citizen Lab and Lookout on Aug. 15 of the vulnerability in the iPhones and iPads, and it said the security update provided Thursday blocked the use of Trident spyware. We advise all of our customers to always download the latest version of iOS to protect themselves against potential security exploits, Apple spokesman Fred Sainz said in an email. But Marczak said Apple devices, like all others, faced an increasing onslaught from malware. Nothing is hack-proof, really, he said. Theres always ways into these devices. See also How to update your iPhone: Apple's patch targets previously unknown spyware that infiltrated iPhones and can read messages, track calls and contacts, record sounds, collect passwords and location information, investigators told the Times.
Maine Governor Says People Of Color Are The Enemy, Implies They Should Be Shot



By Casey Quinlan August 27, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " Think Progress " - In a Friday press conference following his homophobic remarks about a state lawmaker, Maine Governor Paul LePage (R) called people of color and people of Hispanic origin the enemy and implied they should be shot. A bad guy is a bad guy. I dont care what color he is. When you go to war, if you know the enemy, the enemy dresses in red and you dress in blue, you shoot at red, he said. You shoot the enemy. You try to identify the enemy. And the enemy right now, the overwhelming majority of people coming in are people of color or people of Hispanic origin. @Governor_LePage calls people of color the "enemy" in an attempt to apologize for homophobic & racist remarks.pic.twitter.com/ug0oi9Jutn  @mainedems The governor has offered a veritable potpourri of racist and homophobic remarks over the years. In his voicemail to state Rep. Drew Gattine (D) on Thursday, in an apparent attempt to convince people that he is not a racist, he said, I want to talk to you. I want you to prove that Im a racist. Ive spent my life helping black people and you little son-of-a-bitch, socialist cocksucker. On Wednesday, he called Khizr Khan, the father of a fallen Muslim soldier, a con artist. During a town hall on that same day, he said nearly all of Maines drug dealers are black or Hispanic. I dont ask them to come to Maine (to) sell their poison, but they come, he said. And I will tell you, that 90 percent-plus of those pictures in my book  and its a three-ring binder  are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Connecticut, the Bronx and Brooklyn. LePage grabbed national headlines earlier this year when he said men named Smoothie, D-Money, and Shifty were dealing drugs in Maine. He added, Incidentally, half the time they impregnate a young, white girl before they leave, which is a real sad thing because then we have another issue that weve got to deal with down the road. Were going to make them very severe penalties. Among his other comments , he told the NAACP to kiss my butt, accused asylum seekers of bringing the ziki fly, and told the president to go to hell. LePage is an enthusiastic supporter of the Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump. Make sure he knows before he leaves here that we have picked a winner, LePage said of Trump when he joined him at a campaign event in Maine last month.
The US: A Dead Nation Walking By Paul Craig Roberts August 27, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - Here is an informative article by Dmitry Orlov: http://www.cluborlov.com I use the writings of Orlov and The Saker as checks on my own conclusions. In his article Orlov concludes that the United States is a dead nation, still walking, but no longer a uni-power. I agree with Orlov that US weapon systems are more focused on profits than on effectiveness and that Russia has superior weapons and a superior cause based on protection rather than dominance. However, in his assessment of the possibility of nuclear war, I think that Orlov under-appreciates the commitment of Washingtons Neoconservatives to US world hegemony and the recklessness of the Neoconservatives and Hillary Clinton. Washington is incensed that Russia (and China) dare to stand up to Washington, and this anger crowds out judgment. Orlov, also, I think, under-estimates the weakness in the Russian government provided by the Atlanticist Integrationists. These are members of the Russian elite who believe that Russias future depends on being integrated with the West. To achieve this integration, they are willing to sacrifice some undetermined amount of Russian sovereignty. It is my conclusion that Washington is aware of the constraint that the desire for Western acceptance puts on the Russian government and that this is why Washington, in a direct thrust at Russia, was comfortable orchestrating the coup that overthrew the elected Ukrainian government. I believe that this constraint also explains the mistakes the Russian government made by refusing the requests of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics to be reincorporated as parts of Russia, where the territories formerly resided, and by the premature withdrawal from Syria that allowed Washington to resupply the jihadists and to insert US forces into the conflict, thus complicating the situation for Russia and Syria. Orlov sees Russian advantage in the ongoing conflict between Kiev and the breakaway republics as the conflict could be leading to the collapse of the US puppet government in Kiev. However, the disadvantage is that the ongoing conflict is blamed on Russia and feeds Western anti-Russian propaganda. It also makes Russia look weak and unsure of itself as if the Western criticism of Russias reincorporation of Crimea has struck home and Russia is afraid to repeat it by accepting the pleas of the break-away republics. Moreover, if the Russian government had accepted the requests of Donetsk and Luhansk to return to Russia from which they were artificailly separated, not only would the conflict have been ended, but also the Ukrainian people would have realized the disaster caused by Washingtons coup against their government, and Europe would have realized from decisive Russian action that it was not in Europes interest to provoke Russia in behalf of Washington. The correct Russian response was prevented by the Atlanticist Integrationist desire to appease Washington. In contrast to Orlov, The Saker underestimates Russian military strength, but he does understand the constraints placed on Russian decisiveness by the Atlanticist Integrationists, who seem to count in their ranks the economic establishment including the central bank and perhaps the prime minister himself. Putin does not seem to be overly concerned with what appears to me to be a fifth column of Washingtons agents as Putin himself has placed heavy bets on achieving accommodation with the West. However, Putin has cracked down on the US-financed NGOs that have tried to destabilize Russia. Western reporting and think tank and university reports on Russia are propaganda and are useless to understanding the situation. For example, in the current issue of The National Interest Thomas Graham, who had the Russian desk on the National Security Council during the George W. Bush regime, attributes the destabilization of eastern Ukraine to Russias annexation of Crimea. He avoids mentioning the US-orchestrated overthrow of an elected Ukrainian government and that Crimea voted overwhelmingly (97 percent) to rejoin Russia when faced with the Russophobic government Washington established in Kiev.

http://nationalinterest.org/feature/the-sources-russian-conduct-17462 According to Graham, the foul deed of Russias acceptance of a democratic outcome upset all of Washingtons very friendly, supportive, and hopeful attitudes toward Russia. With all of Washingtons assumptions that had guided Americas Russia policy irreversibly dashed, it is no longer possible to maintain that Russia is a suitable partner for addressing global issues. Graham goes on to define Russia as a problem because Russia favors a multi-polar world to a uni-polar world run by Washington. It is possible to read Grahams repeat of the propaganda line as Graham genuflecting before the Neoconservatives before going on quietly in a low-key manner to attack their hegemonic attitude toward Russia. In his concluding paragraph Graham says that Washington must find a new approach to Russia, an approach of balance and limits that rejects resort to force, which would be devastating given the destructive power of modern weaponry. All in all, it is an artful argument that begins by blaming Russias response to Washingtons provocations for a dangerous situation and concludes with the argument that Washington must adjust to Russias defense of her own national interests. It is reassuring to see some realism creeping back into Washington attitudes toward Russia. However, realism is still a minority view, and it is highly unlikely that it would be the view of a Hillary regime. In my opinion, the chance of nuclear war from Neoconservative intention, miscalculation or false launch warning remains high. The provocations of US/NATO military forces and missile bases on Russias borders are reckless as they build tensions between nuclear powers. It is in times of tension that false warnings are believed and miscalculations occur. In the interest of life on earth, Washington should be de-escalating tensions with Russia, not building them. So far there is no sign that the Neoconservatives are willing to give up their hegemonic agenda for the sake of life on earth. Dr. Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate. He has had many university appointments. His internet columns have attracted a worldwide following. Roberts' latest books are The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West , How America Was Lost , and The Neoconservative Threat to World Order .
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Information ClearingHouse endorsed or sponsored by the originator.) Privacy Statement
Its Not A Civil War  This Is A War ON Syria By Eva Bartlett The Syrian Conflict is a PR war mounted by the western powers and their surrogates.



Eva Bartlett, independent journalist and blogger at  INGAZA , joins Sean Stone from Beirut to discuss the time she spent in Syria and how what she has seen and heard directly challenges the western medias narrative of the war in that country. Posted August 28, 2016
The Ankara-Tehran-Moscow Coalition By Pepe Escobar August 28, 2016 " Information Clearing House " - " RT " - So Turkish President, a.k.a. Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan is about to make a high-profile visit to Tehran  the date has not yet been set - to essentially kick start the ATM (Ankara-Tehran-Moscow) coalition in Syria. Anyone as much as hinting at such a massive geopolitical tectonic shift a few weeks ago would be branded a madman. So how did the impossible happen? A major strategic game-changer  Russia using an airfield in Iran to send bombers against jihadis in Syria  had already taken place, with its aftermath spectacularly misreported by the usual, clueless US corporate media suspects. Then, theres what Turkeys Prime Minister, Binali Yildirim, said last Saturday in Istanbul: The most important priority for us is to stop the bloodshed [in Syria] as soon as possible. The rest are irrelevant details. Yildirim added Ankara now agrees with Moscow that Bashar al-Assad could  and thats the operative word  stay in power during a political transition (although thats still highly debatable). Ankaras drive to normalize relations with Moscow had an important share in this policy shift. The policy shift is a direct consequence of the failed military coup in Turkey. Russian cyber-surveillance aces  in action 24/7 after the downing of the Su-24 last November  reportedly informed Turkish intelligence a few hours before the fact. NATO, as the record shows, was mum. Even minimalist optics suggests Sultan Erdogan was extremely upset that Washington was not exactly displeased with the coup. He knows how vast swathes of the Beltway despise him  blaming him for not being serious in the fight against ISIS and for bombing the YPG Kurds  Pentagon allies - in Syria. The record does show Erdogan has mostly ignored ISIS  allowing non-stop free border crossing for ISIS goons as well as letting Turkish business interests (if not his own family) profit from ISIS stolen Syrian oil. Compared to Washingtons attitude Moscow, on the other hand, warning Erdogan about serious, concrete facts on the ground in the nick of time. And for Erdogan, that was highly personal; the putschists reportedly sent a commando to kill him when he was still in Marmaris. Fast forward to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarifs surprise visit two weeks ago to Ankara. Zarif and his counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu did discuss serious options by which the budding ATM coalition could come up with a viable exit strategy in Syria. One week later Cavusoglu went to Tehran and talked again to Zarif for five hours. Its an uphill battle  but doable. Tehran knows very well IRGC officers as well as Hezbollah, Iraqi and Afghan fighters were killed in the Syrian war theater, and that shall not be in vain. Ankara for its part knows it cannot afford to remain forever trapped in an ideological dead end. BREAKING: Turkish tanks cross Syrian border in military op to retake city of Jarablus from ISIS https://t.co/Hz1GBbWjNB  RT (@RT_com) August 24, 2016 Rojava, where and for whom? And then theres the rub - the intractable Kurdish question. Iran, unlike Turkey, does not face active Kurdish separatism. A minimum understanding between Ankara and Tehran  central to the current flurry of meetings, face-to-face and secret, via mediators, necessarily points toward a united, centralized Syria. That implies no Rojava  a possible independent Kurdish mini-state alongside the Turkish border, part of a not so hidden Washington/Tel Aviv balkanization agenda. Actually what is now in effect official Pentagon policy contains a mob element of Ash Empire of Whining Carters revenge on Sultan Erdogan; payback because Erdogan did not do enough to smash ISIS. And that brings us to the current Turkish offensive  for all practical purposes invasion  of Jarabulus. Thats the last fort  as in the last town that allows ISIS back and forth from southern Turkey to Raqqa in terms of smuggling goons and weapons. Ankara would never allow the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) take Jarabulus. After all, the SDF  fully supported by the Pentagon - is led by the Kurdish nationalist YPG, which Ankara sees as a mere extension of PKK separatists. Imagine Ankaras terror at the YPG seizing Jarabulus. They would have crossed the ultimate Turkish red line; closing the gap between two Kurdish cantons across the border and for all practical purposes giving birth to the Rojava Kurdish mini-state. Yet even if for Ankara an independent Rojava remains the supreme red line, there are declinations. A Rojava might come as quite handy if it became a dumping ground for Turkish PKK fighters. Arguably the PKK would not complain; after all they would have their state. No one seems to be considering what Damascus thinks about all this. And no one, for the moment, has a clue about the precise geography of a putative Rojava. If it includes, for instance, the recently liberated city of Manbij, thats a major problem; Manbij is Arab, not Kurd. Kurds once again seem to be thrown into disarray - forced to choose whether they are allied with Washington or with Moscow. Moscow, for its part, is crystal clear on ISIS. It is dead set on smashing for good, by all means necessary, any militants who consider Russia their enemy. Erdogan certainly calculated that a rapprochement with Russia had to include being serious against ISIS. Extra incentive was added by the fact the bombing this past Sunday in Gaziantep was most certainly an ISIS job. So Erdogans Syria master plan now boils down to - what else  another wilderness of mirrors. By crossing to Jarabulus, Ankara wants to establish a sort of remnants of the Free Syria Army (FSA)-controlled enclave. The Americans can't blame him because this will be against ISIS  even though its mostly against Rojava. And the Russians wont make a fuss because Moscow is in favor of Syrias unity. #ISIS likely perpetrator of fatal #Gaziantep wedding attack  #Erdoganhttps://t.co/A5zYYYTCJi pic.twitter.com/ij3RLQrUGb  RT (@RT_com) August 21, 2016 Got ATM, will travel Former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, previously of zero problems with our neighbors then converted into nothing but problems with our neighbors is now history. Yildirim is a pragmatist. So the opening to Russia had to be inevitable. And that leads us back to the  alleged - end of Team Obamas obsession, Assad must go. He may stay, for a while. Yildirim has confirmed this is now Turkish official policy. Although that does not mean Ankara  and Washington for that matter  have given up on regime change. They will keep up the pressure  but tactics will change. As it stands, the major fact on the ground is that Sultan Erdogan seems to have had enough of the Americans (NATO of course included) and has pivoted to Russia. Thus the sending of certified Keystone Cop Joe Biden to Ankara to plead not guilty on the military coup (forget it; most Turks dont believe Washington) and to implore Erdogan not to pursue his massive purge (pure wishful thinking). Considering Erdogans notoriously erratic record, his embrace of ATM may be just a gigantic illusion, or may open yet another unforeseen can of worms. But there are signs this may be for real. Cavusoglu has already intimated that Ankara is aiming for a military/technological upgrade that is impossible under NATOs watch. In his own words; Unfortunately, we see countries in NATO are a bit hesitant when it comes to exchange of technology and joint investments. Moscow has every reason to be quite cautious regarding myriad aspects of Erdogans pivoting. After all the Turkish military has been part of NATO for decades. As it stands, theres no evidence Moscow and Ankara are looking at the same post-war Syria. But if were talking about the future of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), then it starts to get really interesting. Turkey is already a dialog partner of the SCO, while Iran may become a full member as early as next year. Moscow is certainly envisioning Ankara as a valuable ally in the wider Sunni world, way beyond a role in repelling Salafi-jihadis in Syria. With Ankara and Tehran also talking serious business, this could eventually spill out into a serious debunking of the alleged apocalyptic Sunni-Shiite sectarian divide, which is the only Divide-and-Rule strategy spun and deployed non-stop by the US, Israel and the House of Saud. Its this enticing SCO-enhancing possibility thats freaking Washington out big time. Russia pivoting East, Turkey pivoting East, Iran already there, and China now also actually involved in a stake in post-war Syria, thats a geopolitical reconfiguration in Southwest Asia that once again spells out the inevitable; Eurasia integration.
For most Americans, healthcare is a top personal and financial priority. Unfortunately, provider billing mistakes combined with the skyrocketing cost of healthcare services, health insurance premiums, and prescription drugs can create real financial concerns. The good news is that there are ways to keep your medical bills in check.

Key Takeaways Saving money on medical bills can be done by wisely choosing providers, such as using in-network care providers and asking for discounts.

Other ways to cut costs include using generic prescriptions and getting mail-order drugs.

Billing errors can increase your costs as well, thus, it pays to audit your medical bills and establishing a relationship with billing offices.

Using medical marijuana in lieu of some prescription drugs may save you money.

Urgent care centers are often less expensive than going to the emergency room of a hospital.

Choosing Providers and Pricing

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, most Americans (nearly 86%) have health insurance coverage to pay for the majority of their healthcare services. However, even if you have health insurance, you can still comparison shop for healthcare just like any other purchase. Here are some tips on how to choose a provider and a price before getting socked with unexpected or larger-than-expected bills.

1. Use In-Network Care Providers

If you have a PPO (preferred provider option) health insurance plan, your insurer will pay for most of the cost (minus your co-pay) when you use a doctor or hospital that is part of the insurance company's preferred network of providers. If you use a doctor or hospital outside the provider network, you will have to pay a larger portion of the bill. PPOs typically pay only up to 70-80% of expenses incurred outside the network.

2. Research Service Costs Online

With Americans having to pay for more of their healthcare costs, third-party health "infomediaries," organizations that advise consumers about treatment and provider options, are coming on the scene.

The approximate prices for medical services are available online from several locations, including consumer websites (such as HealthGrades.com and The Leapfrog Group), individual hospitals and insurance companies, and even the federal government. When you receive a diagnosis or recommendation for a procedure, do a little online research to become a more informed customer.

3. Ask for the Cost

You might be surprised to know that you can ask your doctor to give you an estimated cost for a procedure or service before scheduling an appointment. If the cost is too high for you, an excellent time to negotiate is before your appointment or seek treatment elsewhere. If it is a routine procedure or appointment, it may easy to "shop around" with other local doctors. In addition, you could ask for an installment plan to pay.

4. Ask About Options

Ask your physician if all the recommended tests or procedures are medically necessary, especially if you have to meet a high out-of-pocket deductible or co-pay.

5. Ask for a Discount

It is possible to negotiate a lower price for healthcare services, particularly if you are seeking a procedure or treatment offered by numerous other providers in your area.

6. Seek Out a Local Advocate

Professional healthcare advocates can provide you with information about local care options, help you obtain care, and resolve billing issues with your insurance company and/or healthcare providers.

7. Pay in Cash

While doctors might pull down some impressive yearly incomes, their offices are typically cash-poor. Doctors' offices will frequently discount bills for patients paying cash because it eliminates their need to file insurance claims and pay credit card transaction fees.

Trim Prescription Drug Costs

There are several ways you can save money on prescription drugs:

8. Use Generic Prescriptions

Since the FDA eased restrictions on pharmaceutical companies being able to advertise directly to consumers (called DTC advertising) in 1997, Americans have been bombarded with multi-million-dollar ad campaigns promoting name-brand drugs and treatments. According to Consumer Reports, generic drugs are as effective and safe as name-brand drugs and often cost significantly less.

9. Get Drugs by Mail or From Big-Box Retailers

You can sometimes find prescription drugs at reduced rates at warehouse club stores like Sam's Club even if you're not a member. Several large retail chain stores also offer significant discounts (without health insurance), such as $4 for a 30-day supply or $10 for a 90-day supply on 300-400 popular generic drugs. You can also ask your doctor to recommend a mail-order pharmacy where you can get a larger prescription package (e.g., a three-month supply instead of a typical one-month supply) for less.

10. Ask for an Over-The-Counter (OTC) Alternative

Your doctor or pharmacist can let you know if an OTC drug can treat your symptoms for less money.

The following section will show you how to save by watching for billing errors and working the system.

Always check your medical bill before paying it. Hospitals and medical offices may inadvertently overcharge you.

Watch for Billing Errors

When was the last time you reviewed your medical bills? Up to 80% to 90% of hospital bills are incorrect, according to the advocates for transparent medical billing, like the organization Medliminal.

Reduce the likelihood of paying too much for your medical care by doing the following:

11. Ask for Itemized Bills

The explanation of benefits (EOB) statement you get in the mail does not contain a detailed breakdown of all costs charged to you for services and/or inpatient stay. Specifically, ask for an itemized bill, so you know exactly what you are being charged for.

12. Review Bills for Errors

Make sure that you actually received all of the services, medications, and other items on your bill. If you notice a discrepancy or error, request copies of your medical chart and/or pharmacy ledger so that you can compare the doctor's orders for services on your bill.

13. Ask for Audits of Your Medical Bills

Insurance claim processors can make mistakes resulting in incorrect billing even for services and medications you received. Your healthcare provider's claim managers can review your case and correct any billing errors.

14. Review Your Insurance Coverage

Your health insurance policy manual outlines which charges are "covered" versus "not covered." All covered expenses should be paid for by the health insurance company. The EOB form you receive from your insurance company will note if a service was covered or not.

15. Establish a Relationship With the Billing Office

Most doctors' offices have a professional billing staff or finance department that handles all patient billing questions and concerns and interactions with insurance companies.

If you are having difficulty with your medical bills, schedule an appointment with your doctor's billing office. They should be able to review your bills, explain your health insurance benefits, direct you to other resources to maximize your insurance benefits, and help you obtain less-costly drugs and services.

16. Use a Professional Bill Reviewer

If you just can't make heads or tails of the bills' codes and costs, contact a professional bill reviewer who knows hospital diagnoses and procedure codes and can determine if you have been incorrectly billed or overcharged for the care you received.

Signing up for a health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) are two ways to save money on medical and healthcare costs.

Managing Medical Bills

Reducing your medical bills or restructuring your payment schedule can be fairly simple if you're willing to take an active approach.

17. Negotiate With Your Doctor's Office

You can often get a discount on services simply by asking. In today's increasingly competitive healthcare industry, keeping customers is in a provider's long-term interest. It can't hurt to ask for a discount to get your business.

18. Create a Payment Plan

If you can't pay your bill in full and on time, ask the billing-office staff if they will work with you to create a plan enabling you to make smaller, more manageable payments over an extended period of time.

19. Talk to Your Insurance Company

If you're having trouble paying your medical bills, there may be a different health insurance plan better suited to your needs. Co-pays, deductibles, annual maximums, and other fees can vary significantly between plans.

20. Establish a Health Savings Account

If you have a high-deductible health plan, you should consider opening a health savings account to save for items your health plan won't cover. The money you or your employer contribute to the account is tax-deductible, it grows tax-free, and the money you withdraw from the account is tax-free, too, as long as it goes toward a qualified medical expense.

Ways to Save on Medical Bills FAQs

Can You Claim a Tax Deduction for Medical Expenses?

If you itemize your deductions for a taxable year on Schedule A (Form 1040), Itemized Deductions, it might be possible to deduct medical and dental expenses you paid that year for yourself, your spouse, and even your dependents.

According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). "You may deduct only the amount of your total medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. You figure the amount you're allowed to deduct on Schedule A (Form 1040)."

How Much Can You Save on Medical Bills With a Flexible Spending Account?

According to the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS) website, an FSA, an account that lets you use pre-tax dollars, may save you on average 30% for your out-of-pocket medical costs.

Can You Save on Medical Bills by Using Urgent Care?

Maybe. It depends on your insurance and how much you have to pay out of pocket for an urgent care visit. However, visiting an urgent care is typically less expensive than going to the ER at a hospital.

Can Medical Marijuana Help You Save on Prescriptions?

A 2016 study released from the University of Georgia found that medical marijuana may lower the need for some prescription drugs like those used to treat depression, nausea, and pain. If you purchase medical marijuana to use in place of prescribed drugs, you might save some money.

Can You Save on Medical Bills by Going Vegan?

A vegan or vegetarian diet is often equated with overall better health, but there is no telling if it would or would not save money on your medical bills. However, one could argue if you are healthier, you may be less likely to develop chronic health problems, and that could lower your costs during your lifetime.

The Bottom Line

By taking the time to familiarize yourself with your insurance benefits, seek discounted services and drugs, review your bills and work closely with your healthcare providers' billing or finance staff, you can manage and even significantly decrease your medical bills.

Health savings accounts can be another way for some people to reduce healthcare costs. Some employers also offer cafeteria plans or flexible spending accounts that can help to offset various medical expenses.
An American retiree has said she feels like she is being held hostage by the Irish healthcare system after sustaining a severe injury while traveling in the country nearly a month ago.

BreakingNews.ie reports that 66-year-old Robyn Coyle, a retired lawyer from California, has slammed the severe lack of communication between doctors and patients and claims that she still does not know for sure what her injury is or what her treatment will be, and feels that facilities are not at an acceptable standard.

Coyle arrived in Cork on a cruise ship more than three weeks ago with her husband Richard. The couple went on a day trip to Blarney, but upon returning to the ship, Coyles mobility scooter overturned when she tried to drive it up the gangplank. She fell from her side and shattered her hip.

She was brought to Cork University Hospital, where doctors told her she would have to have surgery on her hip. However, they said they were not comfortable during the operation at the facility so Coyle was taken to Tallaght Hospital and scheduled for surgery there.

Some 22 later,and Coyle is still in the country. She says that doctors will not make a decision on whether or not to operate on her, or to put her on an air ambulance back to the U.S.  a move which would cost Coyle as much as $100,000.

At first they told me that in order to do the surgery I had to have been here for ten weeks. Thats just to get the surgery, not including recovery time afterwards. Im not sure why, they didnt tell me, she said.

Then they said they would do the surgery and after seven to ten days recovery I could go home. But they kept flipping back and forth about it. Then they were going to do the surgery, and I was made to fast, but on the day the doctor said he reviewed my bloods and X-Rays and was not going to do the surgery after all. I dont know why. Ive never gotten a straight answer.

Coyle has since been transferred back to CUH and told she will need to take an air ambulance back home. However, Coyle feels that her treatment plan in not set in stone and could change at any moment, and she has confidence in the healthcare system.

Ive been in hospital in the US and the communication there was better. Communication is 90% of why its so miserable for me here. Theres no communication here at all. We dont know whats going on and they wont tell us, she said.

And this sounds a bit like Im being a spoiled brat, but theres not even a TV in here, in the ward. Theres a bracket for a TV, but no TV. They dont have one here and they didnt have one in Dublin. What more can you do all day other than lay here and look at your toes?

She said that if she knew exactly what her diagnosis was, she would find the situation easier to deal with.

We called the embassy and they said they couldnt do anything. I feel like Im being held hostage. Ive never given my permission to stay here.

The Coyles insurance will cover some of the costs, and with their own retirement savings, they will just about have enough to cover all medical costs.

Our primary insurance provider is essentially saying the emergency is over. Shes not in a life-threatening position any more, so theyre not going to pay for everything. They pay when youre out of the country for emergencies to get you into a stabilized condition, said Richard.

This was supposed to be my retirement cruise. I just retired in May and this was my celebration. Now we have to use all our savings to pay for medical costs. We might even have to refinance the house.

Family members have set up a fundraising page to help them. For more information go to https://www.gofundme.com/2hq6t9k4.
The stories and significance behind Irelands quest for independence, the movements connection to World War I and its effect on Irish-Americans will be the focus of a conference for the public and campus community at UMass Lowell next month.

Remembering 1916: The Easter Rising, The Battle of the Somme and Impact on Lowell will explore the effect and legacy of the Easter Rising rebellion by Irish nationalists who sought to end British rule and establish an independent state. A watershed moment in Irish politics, the weeklong insurrection in April 1916 came just months before military units from Northern Ireland and Ireland  on the brink of civil war and prepared to fight each other  fought side-by-side in World War Is Battle of the Somme in France. The battle, which lasted from July to November 1916, was intended to speed a victory for the Allies but instead became one of the deadliest military engagements in history. These developments had profound ramifications across Europe and among Irish-Americans watching events unfold from across the ocean.

More than 100 historians, archaeologists, students and Irish and American leaders will participate in the conference, which will be presented by the UMass Lowell Center for Irish Partnerships and Queens University Belfast on Wednesday, Sept 7 and Thursday, Sept 8 at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center.

The public is encouraged to attend the event. The cost is $50 per person, including all sessions and lunch on Thursday. The registration deadline is Monday, Sept. 5. To register and for updates on the conference, visit www.uml.edu.

With this conference, the UMass Lowell Center for Irish Partnerships continues its unique and important relationship with our colleagues at Queens University Belfast and around the Irish world, said Frank Talty, the centers co-director and assistant dean of UMass Lowells College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. The event will examine a pivotal point in European-American relations and give us an opportunity to rediscover our Irish heritage and its place in history.

UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney will welcome guests to the conference during an opening session along with UMass President Marty Meehan, who was involved in the Northern Ireland peace process while representing Massachusetts 5th Congressional District from 1993 to 2007. Immediately following the opening session, William Blair will deliver the conferences keynote address on the legacy of the historic events of 1916. Blair, manager of the Human History Department for three affiliated national museums in Northern Ireland, curated the exhibit on the Titanic at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

Other sessions will explore how Irish-Americans responded to the Easter Rising, the impact of the rebellion throughout Massachusetts and the contributions of Lowell residents to both the Irish rebels cause and World War I.

Lowells Irish community paid considerable attention to the Easter Rising, said UMass Lowell History Prof. Robert Forrant, a conference speaker. In the days following the insurgence, groups like the Ancient Order of Hibernians collected funds when they learned of women and children begging for food and firewood in Dublin. So-called Indignation Meetings took place and were attended by thousands of people. Fenway Park even figures into the story.

Speakers at the conferences 10 sessions are scheduled to include Fionnuala Quinlan, Irelands consul general to Boston, and Colm Donnelly, director of the Center for Archaeological Fieldwork and senior research fellow at Queens University Belfast. Donnelly will discuss what the landscape of World War Is military camps and trenches can teach about the life of Irish soldiers who fought along the Western Front in Belgium and France.

Talty will lead a program on how the events of 1916 helped forge Irish-Americans identity, while the conferences final program will be a roundtable discussion covering the connections people of Irish descent have to their ancestral home.

The conference builds on UMass Lowells collaboration with Queens University Belfast, which began in 2009 when the institutions launched their Irish-American Heritage Archaeological Program. The initiative enabled students from both universities to participate in archaeological digs that took place in Lowell and in Northern Ireland. The artifacts unearthed during these excavations tell the story of the Irish laborers who constructed Lowells famed canal system and shed light on immigration to the Merrimack Valley from Northern Ireland and Ireland. Through the digs, students had the opportunity to work alongside historians and archaeologists in the field to complement their academic studies.

The UMass Lowell Center for Irish Partnerships also offers faculty and joint research ventures with higher-education institutions in Ireland and Northern Ireland that enhance the student experience while deepening the understanding of the historical, social and economic connections between the American and Irish people.

UMass Lowell is a national research university located on a high-energy campus in the heart of a global community. The university offers its 17,500 students bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in business, education, engineering, fine arts, health, humanities, sciences and social sciences. UMass Lowell delivers high-quality educational programs, vigorous hands-on learning and personal attention from leading faculty and staff, all of which prepare graduates to be ready for work, for life and for all the world offers.

For more information visit www.uml.edu.
Ever since I was a little girl, Ive always loved traveling. So, when it came time to go to college, I knew I wanted to move to a big city, and, once I got into Boston University, I knew I wanted to study abroad.

I originally had my heart set on studying in London, but my friend Leslie convinced me to join her in Dublin. And, once I signed up, I couldnt wait for January to roll around!

My friends and I hit the ground running from the moment we landed in Dublin. We wanted to see and do absolutely everything!

On February 8th, 2011, Dublin City University was throwing a Toxic Tuesday party at their little pub NuBar and my whole study abroad crew decided to go. We were only there for a few minutes when my friends started talking to a group of Irish guys from DCU.

That's when I saw him. He was tall with dark hair and he had the most gorgeous eyes Id ever seen. He towered over the crowd, but had a gentle and enchanting smile. I immediately b-lined over to him and made some quippy remark about his shirt, which had a funny saying printed on it. His name was David and we talked for ages and laughed about our cultural differences and dissimilar sayings.

Eventually, he asked me out on a date and, from then on, we became completely inseparable. He took me to beautiful places all around Ireland and almost immediately introduced me to his family. After a few weeks, we knew things were getting serious and we started to worry about the future. David had always talked about emigrating, but, one day, he said, Why dont I move to Boston?

So he did. He lived with me in Boston for my senior year at BU and we had an incredible time. David absolutely loved Boston. Everything was perfect. But, then, his visa was about to expire.

We were panicking. We had no idea what to do and where to go. After a lot of deliberation, we set our sights on Toronto, Canada.

We moved there with 2 suitcases each, no connections, and no visas yet. And, shockingly, with an immense amount of hard work, we created a life there. We eventually got work permits, got jobs, made incredible friends, and started to feel at home there.

The day before our 4-year anniversary. David and I were filming a video for my YouTube channel when he suddenly whipped out a beautiful, gold, rose-shaped ring and proposed to me. I was completely shocked and over the moon! There were lots of things I wasnt sure about as a 20-something, but my relationship with David was one thing I knew would always be strong.

Thats what brings us up to this year, which was truly the craziest and most exciting year of my life. We traveled, moved from Toronto to Los Angeles, and I married the love of my life.

We got married at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge on July 16th, 2016. Our wedding day couldnt have been more perfect. The day was filled with love, positive energy, and LOTS of sunflowers. BUs own Dean Elmore was our wonderful officiant and Davids incredible vows brought everyone to tears. Davids whole family flew in from Ireland, as did my family, our friends from Toronto, and my BU buddies. There was an enormous amount of love in the room that day.

Now, David and I are happily living in LA and we look forward to the many adventures life will throw at us in the future!

---

Miranda currently lives in Los Angeles, California. She's a YouTuber who loves to travel and to laugh. She's passionate about meeting new people, learning about new cultures, and trying new foods. Follow her adventures at MirandaTheAdventurer.com
Aughadown, West Cork 595,000

Size: 225 sq m (2,500 sq ft)

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 3

BER: E1

It sounds ominous: a new Irish TV observational documentary series tracking those looking to buy, rent or sell a home in the current disjointed property market has among its first house visits a place called... Land of Lyre.

The first episode of six in the series called Find Me A Home talks to home-owners stuck in negative equity, follows the experiences of first-time buyers at a Galway house auction, and visits a renovated West Cork farmhouse and converted milking parlour and pig shed, Land of Lyre, at Aughadown, Skibbereen (pic below).

The series tracks a range of issues, from housing to finance and rents, as well as going behind the scenes with estate agents.

The programme makers note that, as recovery spreads unevenly across the country, in some parts a lack of supply leads to frenetic bidding wars, while in other areas agents have gone years waiting for a sale.

Among those selected for an insiders view was Skibbereen auctioneer Maeve McCarthy, second generation in the property sales business with Charles P McCarthy & Co, and in the first episode this coming week shes doing viewings at the scenery-stealing, rural Land of Lyre on 2.5 acres which has had a price cut to 595,000 from a 2015 launch of 640,000.

Without spoiling the series, its not too late yet to put in a bid on the upmarket farm home with humble roots, and which has had two recent sets of improving owners, including a scion of the Cusack acting dynasty, before selling in 2006 to its current owners.

I was delighted to be involved, says Ms McCarthy, noting it was a chance to show off some of Skibbereens and West Corks most beautiful locations, and she adds that following hot on the heels of the Olympic success of local brothers, Gary and Paul ODonovan, Skibbereen is getting a new community school post-amalgamation, due to open next week, an ETB training college, a new 50-job factory is due for official announcement, and a new technology hubs in train.

Someone give that positive-thinking woman a series of her own.

VERDICT: a multi-dimensional property programme aiming to tell it as it is: the first episode of Find Me A Home airs on RTE 1 on Thursday, September 1, at 8.30pm.
LIMA, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Peru's new president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, said the government does not owe anything to a U.S.-based investment fund that is suing the Andean country over disputed bond payments, Latin Finance reported on Monday.

Gramercy Funds Management LLC filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Peru in June, accusing the country of violating its free trade agreement with the United States in calculating the current value of bonds issued in the 1970s as compensation for land expropriations.

Gramercy owns about 10,000 of the bonds and said they should be worth $1.6 billion instead of the $1.1 million it said it would get under a method ordered by the Supreme Court.

"I don't think we owe them anything," Kuczynski was quoted as saying in an interview with Latin Finance.

"We will look at it when the issue comes up. They've hired lobbyists, they're making a big fuss. And we're not stupid. We know what to do. We'll face the music if there is music."

Kuczynski's office did not immediately respond to requests to confirm the accuracy of the Latin Finance story, which was published on its website.

The previous government of Ollanta Humala had said that it had acted diligently and would defeat the claim.

(Reporting by Mitra Taj; Editing by Alan Crosby)
CHARLOTTE  State and local elected officials say they are uneasy that, with no new regulations in place, the U.S. National Whitewater Center reopened its channels less than two months after a rafter died from a brain-eating amoeba.

State Sen. Joel Ford said he was stunned the center resumed rafting Aug. 10. Ford, a Charlotte Democrat whose district includes the facility, added that state lawmakers had expected to reconvene this winter and consider requirements by the time the center reopened at a later date.

The center closed its waterways after the June 19 death of Lauren Seitz, 18, of Westerville, Ohio. In the days that followed, lawmakers considered legislation that would regulate water quality and testing.

But Ford told the Charlotte Observer that lawmakers did not act immediately because they believed the water channels would remain closed until next year.

Ford, state Rep. Bill Brawley, a Matthews Republican who sponsored the proposed requirements, and two members of Mecklenburg Countys Board of Commissioners all said they were surprised by how quickly the center resumed water activities.

Some officials said they were under the impression that the engineering and operating modifications suggested by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would take much longer.

They are exploiting a loophole at the publics expense, Ford said. Are profits more important than protecting and preserving life? Whats there to ensure you wont make the same mistake again?

A spokesman for the Whitewater Center declined an interview request.

Whitewater Center leaders have previously assured the public they have made equipment changes and taken other steps to make the park safe.

Mecklenburg County Public Health Director Marcus Plescia and the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services say the centers moves are adequate to prevent waterborne illnesses.

They had a date they wanted to reopen, and we felt they were being cooperative, Plescia said. They did all they needed to reopen in a safe way.

But some elected county and state officials remain unconvinced. They worry about another death or injuries because the center previously allowed the water to become dangerous.

Newly released emails obtained by the Observer underscore their concerns.

On July 1, County Commissioner Jim Puckett forwarded a message from a park employee to County Manager Dena Diorio and another administrator.

The worker alleged that in the past, the water quality had grown so poor that raft guides routinely suffered from staph infections, ringworm and other skin illnesses. Dead animals and trash were commonly found floating on the waters surface, the employee said.

Another email shows a county administrator criticizing Whitewater Center Chief Executive Officer Jeff Wise because the park failed to follow rules designed to protect the public during construction of a zipline. Authorities halted the project until the center obtained required permitting and inspection.

This is a recurring issue with the Whitewater Center we are dealing with, Park and Recreation Director Jim Garges wrote in the email dated Nov. 24, 2015. Jeff simply doesnt care about regulations or the agreement we have. ...Jeffs mode of operating is the ends justify the means.

New safety measures

Seitz was traveling with an Ohio church group when she visited the Whitewater Center. She contracted a brain infection from the Naegleria fowleri amoeba.

The amoeba is common in fresh water and infections are rare, but they are nearly always fatal. Authorities believe Seitz fell from a raft and water went up her nose.

The CDC concluded that the parks filtration and disinfection systems were inadequate to neutralize the amoeba. The organism was found at the highest levels ever detected by the CDC.

A CDC report distributed to county commissioners in early July said the agency believes there need to be engineering and operating modifications before reopening the centers channels. It provided contacts for several consultants who design and engineer large water systems.

At the time, commissioner Dumont Clarke said it appeared it would take a significant amount of time before engineering modifications could be finished.

One issue, county officials have said, is that the centers shallow channels allow water to heat up quickly. That can provide a habitat for the amoeba to thrive, they said.

In response to the CDC concerns, the center changed its filtration and disinfection system. It now includes three overlapping systems to kill or disable disease-carrying pathogens: a chlorine injection system; an ozone oxidation process, and ultraviolet light.

UV light, supplemented by chlorine, had been its primary disinfection system in the past.

Voluntary testing

The county has long required that the center perform weekly water tests for fecal coliform, a widely used indicator of disease-carrying organisms.

The Whitewater Center is now voluntarily allowing the county to monitor water quality weekly through August and then less frequently in September through the rest of the year.

Plescia, the public health director, said the county is measuring chlorine levels in the water to ensure there is enough to kill or inactivate organisms.

The county also is checking to make sure there is not too much sediment in the water channels, Plescia said.

A build-up of sediment can make chlorine less effective.

Asked whether she agreed with Plescia that the center had taken the necessary steps to reopen, County Manager Diorio said she did.
GREENSBORO  Hanes-Lineberrys renovated North Elm Street funeral chapel offers more than just a place for viewings and memorial services.

Nonprofit board meetings. Community forums. Even wedding receptions. All are welcome at the new chapel, where pews were replaced with chairs, which can be removed after funerals or arranged around tables for any number of events.

Its part of a trend in the funeral industry, as more families choose the cheaper option of cremation over formal services and burials, and funeral directors are left to ponder what to do with their space  and how to make up for the money lost.

Al Lineberry II describes the renovated chapel  now called the Lineberry Center  as a community room. He said he and his staff members are just kind of opening our eyes to see what we can do  or what the community would like to do.

Its a concept Lineberry first considered more than a year ago. He read an article about another funeral home doing something similar. Lineberry also took notes from First Presbyterian Church, where he is a member. The church completed a renovation of its campus nearly two years ago. During the construction, the congregation held services  including funerals  in its family center, Lineberry said.

That got him thinking about other uses for his chapel. Times  and traditions  are changing, after all.

Lineberry said more people are choosing to have funerals in churches. He said there was a time when he used the chapel 10 times a week for services.

Its a whole lot less today, said Lineberry, the funeral homes former owner and president who now serves as its corporate consultant.

He said other people, such as millennials, arent as interested in the same formalities that older generations are accustomed to.

And cremations, a considerably cheaper option than funerals and burials, are on the rise. In 2005, the cremation rate was 32.3 percent, compared with 61.4 percent for burials, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. In 2010, cremations rose to 40.4 percent and burials dropped to 53.3 percent.

Cremations reached 48.5 percent last year, surpassing the burial rate of 45.4 percent, preliminary data from the association shows. That trend is expected to continue, with cremations reaching 71.1 percent by 2030, according to the association.

So funeral directors are finding alternative uses for their chapels.

Bill Forsberg, the executive director of the N.C. Funeral Directors Association, said that by converting space in their businesses for alternative use, funeral directors are providing a service to the community while creating extra income for themselves.

Its not a fad. Its a trend, said Forsberg, who has worked in the funeral industry for 40 years.

He said that the funeral homes making the change are adapting to current needs and that it can benefit both funeral homes and the families that seek them.

Dale Clock, the owner of Clock Funeral Home in Muskegon, Mich., has a satellite chapel in a nearby town that averaged about 30 funerals a year. He reconsidered its use when burst pipes caused water damage that he had to repair.

So we looked at this and said, You know, do we need to put this back as a funeral home?  recalled Clock, who said his business was about 60 percent cremations.

The answer was yes and no. In fall 2014, Clock reopened the 2,500-square-foot facility as Sunset Celebrations, an events center that still hosts funerals and memorial services. He has rented it to people for business meetings, vendor shows, Christmas parties and family dinners.

He said the venture has not been terribly successful, but only because zoning issues that he is still haggling over with the town have prevented him from appropriately marketing it.

Still, he said he thinks its a good idea and a growing trend, especially for smaller funeral homes because the building gets more use. He said Sunset Celebrations is geared more toward the cost-conscious crowd  people who cant afford to rent the local country club and prefer what he called a cross between the local Veterans of Foreign Wars hall and Holiday Inn.

Clock said a number of funeral homes around the country are trying out this idea, but none so far have a proven track record.

I think were all kind of feeling it out, he said.

Some Triad-area funeral directors said they have long been opening their doors to the community, but on a more informal basis. Both Allen & Associates Mortuary and Hargett Funeral Services of Greensboro have opened their chapels to church services for small congregations, according to representatives of those businesses, and generally for free. Allen & Associates has also allowed meetings to be held in its building.

Lineberry spent about $120,000 on renovations at the North Elm Street chapel and a room at the Sedgefield funeral home.

He hasnt given a lot of thought to what he would charge for the community room but said he would like to allow area nonprofits to use it for free. Theres no kitchen, so the funeral home would hire a caterer for events banquets and similar events held at its facilities, Lineberry said.

The funeral home was established in 1919, and Lineberrys father took it over in 1955. Lineberry said his business is not changing from a funeral home. Its just changing with the times. He said he realizes that the concept is outside of the norm and that there is some stigma attached to hosting events in a funeral home.

But he thinks that, once they get used to the idea, people will embrace it for what its meant to be: a community room.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

The Turkish incursion into Syria at Jarabulus was advertised as an attack on a Daesh (ISIS, ISIL) stronghold and smuggling station in conjunction with (fundamentalist) remnants of the Free Syrian Army.

But the southern outskirts of Jarabulus had already fallen to the Pentagon-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which are majority Kurdish but have a significant Arab component. The Arab, non-Kurdish SDF brigades such as the Seljuk brigade, the Army of Revolutionaries, and Northern Sun Brigade had fought to liberate the northern Syrian city of Manbij, due south of Jarabulus from Daesh. They have an outpost in the village of Amarna just a few miles south of Jarabulus, where they call themselves the Jarabulus Military Council.

The Turkish army, having secured Jarabulus itself with the help of fundamentalist militias, moved down to Amarna, where they met fierce resistance from the Syrian Democratic Forces, who are allied with the Kurds. The Turkish air force bombarded the SDF positions in Amarna and the militias responded by destroying two tanks and killing one Turkish soldier. Fighting continues there.



h/t Google Maps

Remember, Turkish forces were supposed to be going in to Syria to fight Daesh. But there they were, engaging in combat at Amarna with the SDF, which is backed by the US Department of Defense, which has 200 US special operations forces embedded with it, and which had itself taken heavy losses kicking Daesh out of Manbij.

These actions help answer the question I posed Thursday, about whether the Turkish incursion is really aimed at stopping the Kurds from consolidating their mini-state of Rojava in northern Syria rather than mainly targeting Daesh.

Kurdish media is saying,

Furthermore, the Turkish-backed [fundamentalist] Sultan Murad brigade captured three SDF fighters in the Turkmen Yusuf Beg village, publishing a video beating them on camera, calling them PKK dogs.

Turkey sees the leftist Kurdish YPG militia in Syria as a part of the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK in Turkey. The latter is a terrorist organization according to the US, but the YPG is considered a US ally.

Kurdish sources also allege Turkish incursions near Kobane and Afrin. Afrin is the western-most of the three Kurdish cantons in northern Syria, and the Kurds are accusing the Turks of trying to keep it cut off from the others.

US Syrian policy is in disarray despite the victories against Daesh in Manbij and Jarabulus. US allies on the ground the Turks, the fundamentalist Syrian rebels, and the leftist, pro-US Kurds and their Arab allies are now actively combatting one another, and a group backed by the Pentagon has just killed a Turkish soldier, which is to say, a NATO soldier.



Related video:

CCTV: Syria crisis: Fighting between Turkish troops and Kurdish forces intensifies
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Gregory Alonso Pirio and Robert Pittelli | Informed Comment |  

The United States and its Western allies, for the most part, consider the Cold War long over, and with the sanctions levied against Russia in 2014 in response to its confiscation of Crimea from the Ukraine, many in the corridors of Washington tend to discount Russia as a major player on the world stage. However, the current policies of Russias President, Vladimir Putin, aim to re-establish a polarized world as a means of reclaiming Russias former influence in the international arena. Under the guise of economic and trade cooperation, President Putin, along with his fellow oligarchs and Russias state-owned corporations, appear to be acting in a coordinated manner to achieve geo-political advantage. This process is clearly underway in a number of African countries.

Despite the sanctions levied against the Russian Federation by the West, or perhaps because of them, Russia appears to have methodically accelerated its efforts to build political alliances and make economic trade deals with a number of African countries whose political establishments stand to gain from the promotion of the alternative global order that Putin is promoting. These include fellow sanctioned states like Sudan, Zimbabwe and Eritrea; post-coup Egypt and former Soviet allies such as Angola.

Nigeria stands out as an important example of how Russian readiness to supply helicopters and other defense assistance to Nigeria effectively undercut United States efforts to withhold military support to Nigerian security forces as a way of leveraging human rights improvements within the Nigerian military. The U.S. had turned down repeated requests from Nigeria to purchase weapons to fight the violent extremist organization, Boko Haram, blocked the sale of U.S. made helicopters from Israel to Nigeria. Russia took advantage of the arms embargo, offering in late 2014 Abuja a reported billion dollar line of credit that was used to purchase Russian made helicopter gunships and other equipment. Russians also sent military personnel to train Nigerian military in its fight against Boko Haram. By mid-2016, the Obama administration appeared poised to reverse its policy citing actions that the new Nigeria president Muhammadu Buhari, had made within the military to clean up its act.

While the US policy toward Africa is founded on a worldview that leads it to promote democratic governance, free markets and the rule of law, Russia, on the other hand, has been courting and furthering the interests of the power elites within various African countries, often through shady deals that enrich those in the political, security and military establishments. In turn, Russian enterprises will often reap lucrative business concessions from these partner governments. As part of these political and economic quid pro quo arrangements, Russia will, on occasion, show its loyalty on the international stage by vetoing UN resolutions that will upset their African friends, as has been the case for Sudan, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. In this way, Russian business and political interests become inextricably intertwined, and done in ways that undermine U.S. pro-democracy goals and not infrequently specific foreign policy objectives.

To view Russian trade and investment purely through the lens of business interests is a mistake. These international trade deals and international political maneuvers appear designed to create an emerging bloc of international oligarchs that eschews democratic principles and rule of law. Russia was engaged in this process before the Western sanctions were imposed on it. However, the process of building oligarchical alliances appears to have accelerated since the imposition of sanctions on Russia. These emergent relationships pose a serious challenge to the Wests post-Cold War pro-democracy, human rights and good governance agenda in Africa. The Russian courtship of countries such as Egypt, Sudan and Eritrea, strategically located near the Red Sea and Suez Canal should be regarded as an effort to can greater political and military influence in a vital geo-political region, as we have argued in a 2015 article.[1]

A common tactic used in the Russian oligarchical system to ingratiate national elites in some African countries has involved the sale of military hardware and other commodities that aim to buy the loyalties of local elites by enriching them. This tactic has been deployed in Angola, Sudan and Zimbabwe. This tactic may have also been deployed in Mozambique, as emerging details of that countrys secret dealings with the Russian state-owned VTB Capital bank seem to suggest.

Vladimir Putin spelled out Russias business strategy to rekindle Soviet-era international relationships at a 2012 Russian Federal Security Council meeting on the defense industry. He said, . . . a major part of Russias weapons business includes upgrades and refurbishment of Soviet-era technology and hardware . . . . Rostec, Russias largest state-owned conglomerate, is usually at the forefront of most major overseas economic deals. It regards Africa as an important market for its products, especially military equipment. Rostec officials have argued that Soviet-era weapons are still in use across Africa and require repairs. The company intends to satisfy this demand. Rosoboronexport, a subsidiary of Rostec, is Russias key state company executing major foreign arms transactions.

Using arms sales as a point of entry, Russia has been busy reestablishing political, military and business relationships across Africa. Moscow has used this model of arms first, business concession later in Egypt, Angola, Sudan, Zimbabwe and other countries. In 2016, Tanzania and Somalia made requests for Russian military equipment; it is yet to be seen if lucrative concessions will be then made to Russian enterprises.

Russia has always maintained a cordial relationship with Egypt, a one-time Soviet-ally. Since the 2013 military coup that ousted Egypts elected government and brought General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to power, relations between Russia and Egypt have significantly warmed; while relations with the US have shown signs of cooling. Between, 2014-2016, Russia and Egypt entered into several major, multi-million dollar business deals across various economic sectors. Most notably, Rosatom and Rosneft, both subsidiaries of Rostec, are involved in major development deals involving nuclear energy, oil and natural gas.[2] In 2015, after both countries announced their cooperation in building Egypts first nuclear power plant, Russia gave Egypt free-of-charge an advanced Molniya class missile cruiser. Later, that same year, Egypt gave its support for Russias decision to strike terrorist targets in Syria. In 2016, with the nuclear deal secured, President Sisi announced plans to depend on Russia to upgrade its older, Soviet-era, factories, and also concluded another economic deal, giving Russia an industrial trade zone within the Suez Canal zone area.

As for Angola a staunch Cold War ally of the Soviet Union, in 2013, Rosoboronexport sold the country 18 aging Su-30K fighter jets  as part of $1 billion plus arms deal. Rosoboronexport initially supplied this fleet of fighters to India in the late 1990s, prior to Delhi receiving the more advanced multirole Su-30MKI. India returned the aging fighters to Russia where they had been mothballed before Angolas purchase of them. The Angolan investigative press has noted that these planes are of little, if any strategic value to Angola, which has no known enemies. Rather, reportedly, the Angolan military establishment, which is a backbone of support for President Eduardo dos Santos who has been president of Angola since 1979, reportedly benefits from hefty kickbacks from military purchases.

The deal also included spare parts for Soviet-made weapons, small arms and weapons, ammunition, tanks, artillery, and Mi-17 helicopters, according to the Russian-language business daily, Vedomosti. Additionally, the two sides agreed to build an ammunition plant in Angola. In 2015, the Angola military was the only African country to send observers to the Russian-sponsored international war games.

The $1 billion plus sale of Russian arms to Angola came when the Angolan state was cash rich, that is, prior to the historic drop in world oil prices in mid-2014 that greatly affected revenues to the oil-dependent Angolan government. Later in 2014, the Russian state majority share bank, VTB Capital PLC, came to the rescue of the newly cash-strapped Angolan government with a loan of US$1.5 billion to finance the state budget.

Russian efforts to promote military and political engagement with Sudan epitomize how U.S. efforts to exert pressure on a country are undermined by Russia. A number of U.S. Executive Orders, applicable laws and implementing regulations impose economic sanctions on the Sudanese government, individuals and business entities. The U.S. justifies its sanctions largely on the basis of Sudanese governments human rights and war crimes violations in its suppression of the rebellions in its Darfur region.

After the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia in 2014, Sudan and Russia found common ground as fellow sanctioned states. Sudanese President Omer Hassan al-Bashir,  himself indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes in Darfur  reportedly stressed to the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, Sudans solidarity with Russia. President Bashir noted that Sudan also suffers from sanctions. In turn, the Russian Ambassador to Sudan openly expressed his countrys appreciation of Sudans support of Russia on different issues at the United Nations and described their bilateral relations as distinguished and deeply-rooted.

The UN had imposed an embargo on arms and military technical assistance to Sudan unless there were to be a guarantee that the assistance would not be used in the Darfur conflict. But in apparent disregard to the spirit of the UN embargo, Foreign Minister Lavrov pledged increased military technical cooperation with Sudan. Indeed, Russian military sales and cooperation have helped to enable Sudan to sustain its position as a regional power player.

In a familiar pattern of Russia using military sales as an entry for greater political and economic relations, Rosoboronexport had sold, from 2011 through 2013, two dozen Mi-24 attack helicopters and 14 MI-8 transport helicopters to the Sudanese government. The sales were not a technical violation of the UN arms embargo against Sudan, as Russia guaranteed that the helicopters would not be used in the Darfur conflict. However, the Russian guarantee appears to have been a slight-of-hand move, as Amnesty International documented that Russian (and Chinese) arms including Russian-supplied Mi-24 attack helicopters were fueling the conflict in Darfur. Sudan has also transferred several of its Russian-made helicopters to the Libyan authorities after the imposition of the UN arms embargo against Libya, without notifying the UN; and that ammunition recovered during seizures have shown the material was produced by the Sudanese State-owned Military Industry Corporation, which is supported through a cooperation agreement with Russia.

Russian support for Sudans military ambitions and Russian support for Khartoum in international forums helped pave the way for business concessions. In mid-2015, the director general of Sudans Geological Research Authority announced that Russian companies would be given priority in the context of economic cooperation and investment partnerships between the two countries, especially in gold and uranium. Shortly after this announcement, President al-Bashir, presided over signing of an agreement between Sudanese Ministry of Minerals and the Russian Siberian Mining Company Limited, to extract gold in the Red Sea and the River Nile states which was described as the largest investment contract in Sudans history in the field of minerals. The governments claim that the Russian-discovered gold reserve was valued at $1.7 trillion was soon disputed, and others challenged the credentials of the Russian company to carry out the Sudanese project. Nonetheless, in 2016 Sudans Minister of Minerals Dr. Ahmed Mohamed Sadiq Al-Karuri stressed Sudans intention to build strategic relations with the Russian state for the benefit of the two countries and to continue the existing cooperation at all levels; he also revealed that the largest producer of gold in Sudan was now the Koch Russian Company.

Moscow came to the rescue of Khartoum in 2016 when it sought to limit the impact of a UN panels investigation into the role of Sudanese gold in financing the Darfur conflict. Russia, China, and other non- permanent members of the Security Council opposed an attempt by the United States and the United Kingdom to adopt investigative panels recommendations of imposing sanctions on individuals and entities that impose illegal taxes on artisanal gold miners as well as those engaged in the illegal exploitation and trafficking of gold. The panel pointed out that between 2010 and 2014, more than $4.5 billion in gold was smuggled from Sudan to the United Arab Emirates.

Sanctions would have had among its targets Khartoum-supported alleged war criminal, Musa Hilal. Russia blocked the release of the confidential UN report that said Hilal was pocketing $54 million a year from gold sales from a mine located in Darfur. Sudans Mineral Minister, Al-Karuri praised the Russian support to Sudan in international forums, particularly its cooperation to prevent further sanctions against Sudan.

Zimbabwe is another sanctioned African state with which Russia has been cultivating deep economic and bilateral political relations. Much of this relationship between the two countries appears to rest on satisfying Zimbabwes military requirements, even if it is cash short, and creating business alliances between the countries military elites. Similar to what it did for Sudan, Russia came to the defense of Zimbabwe at the United Nations in 2008, by opposing the imposition of an arms embargo that was supported by the U.S.

In September 2014, a Russian delegation to Zimbabwe, led by Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov and Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov, resulted in the signing of a series of key bilateral agreements and several lucrative joint venture business deals. Most notably was the historic US $3 billion platinum mining project in Darwendale that is expected to create jobs and stimulate growth in various sectors of the Zimbabwean economy. The joint venture, named Great Dyke Investments, between Zimbabwes Pen East mining company and a Russian consortium made up of three corporations, Rostec (heavily involved in military production and sales), VI Holdings and Vnesheconombank. The platinum mining agreement amounted to the largest joint venture Zimbabwe entered with a foreign investor since its independence in 1979.

The presence of Minister Denis Manturov, who is also Chairman of Rostecs Supervisory board at the signing (rather than Russias Minister of Natural Resources, Sergy Donskoy) caught the Zimbabwe business community by surprise. Manturovs role fueled speculation that there was an arms deal hidden behind the highly publicized platinum mining joint venture agreement. Zimbabwes Mines Minister, Walter Chidhakwa, stated he was not aware of any arms deal, but he did say, negotiations for this joint venture (the platinum deal) was in the planning stages since 2005- 2006.

During that earlier period, Zimbabwe was desperate to replenish and upgrade its military forces that were depleted during the Congo-Kinshasa war when Zimbabwe intervened to save the late Laurent-Desire Kabilas regime from insurgents in 1998-2002. However, an arms embargo, which was levied by France and the United Kingdom in 2002 and the US in 2003 in response high levels of political violence, human rights violations and intimidation perpetrated by security forces and the ruling party, hampered President Mugabes efforts to rebuild the armed forces.

Despite the arms embargo, China and Russia continued to supply arms and military equipment to Zimbabwe, (but on a small scale). In 2008, the UN Security Council attempted to pass a draft resolution that would have imposed a UN arms embargo on Zimbabwe, but it was vetoed by both China and Russia. In 2012, Rosoboronexport identified Zimbabwe as an African state with which a promising trade relationship is developing.

However, by 2013, Zimbabwe was struggling financially and not in any shape to purchase such military equipment or even pay for Russian fighter jets. Some speculated that mineral rich Zimbabwe was paying China in kind with mining concession and farmland for its arms. Then in 2014, probably taking a page out of Chinas playbook and not to be outdone, Russia culminated, by signing, the most lucrative joint venture platinum mining deal in Zimbabwes history.

The connection between the platinum deal and the military connection is clear. The Pan East mining company, the Zimbabwe partner in the platinum mining joint venture, has links to the Zimbabwes military. And in 2012, the Kommersant, a Russian business daily, reported that Russia secured an inter-government agreement from Zimbabwe on stimulating investment and defense, under which Rostech would supply military helicopters in exchange for mineral rights to platinum deposits in Darwendale. The board chairman of Pan East mining company is an individual with strong ties to the Zimbabwean military; he is retired Colonel Tshinga Dube, who is also the chair of Marange Resources and general manager of Zimbabwe Defense Industries. Dube has been involved with Pan East dating back to 2005 when the platinum mining deal was just in its planning stages.

Coincidentally, in September 2014, during the week when the Russian delegation was finalizing the joint venture deals, Rostecs subsidiary Rosoboronexport and Russian Helicopter Company were conducting an arms expo in Pretoria, South Africa where they showcased the latest military and multi-purpose helicopters and other military equipment. Representatives from more than 25 African countries, including Zimbabwe, were present. Unconfirmed reports mentioned that some representatives, from Zimbabwe, behind the scenes were reinforcing reports that the platinum deal involved an arms agreement. However, it remains to be seen if any Russian military equipment or any high end military items  such as attack helicopters, or jets, or tanks, etc., have arrived in country, openly or hidden from view.

The Russian-Zimbabwe deal will likely yield a good return on the Russian investments. It underscores the importance to the oligarchs of ensuring profitability before investing. In the case of Zimbabwe, this meant cultivating strong relationships with the military establishment and ensuring that members of that establishment also receive their share of the profits.

What is apparent, from the above analysis, is that U.S. policy toward Africa and Russia has to take into account the rise of African power elites who are fueled by the Russian business oligarchs seeking political influence and profits. These new relations undermine a lot of U.S. post-Cold War approaches to African governments that often placed human rights and pro-democracy conditionality on its developmental and military cooperation with African states. The apparent bending of the rules on human rights in the case of Nigeria, for example, suggests that Washington is likely to weaken its stance on human rights and pro-democracy conditionality in order to avoid losing its political, and possibly economic, influence among a substantial group of African nations.

[1] http://www.strathink.net/ethiopia/putin-and-his-oligarchs-in-africa-the-scramble-for-economic-and-military-leverage/

[2] These transactions build upon the earlier Egyptian military financing of a surveillance satellite, that RussiasRSC Energia developed and launched in 2014. EgyptSat 2 reportedly provided the Egyptian government with high-resolution imagery of Earth for environmental, scientific and military purposes. However, the satellite malfunctioned in 2015. The Russian companies, NPO Mashinostroenia and Roskosmos, developed and launched into orbit the South African earth observation satellite Kondor-E, which provides South Africas armed forces with daily high-resolution imagery. In addition, the satellite is an integral part of Project Condor, a joint satellite system, between Moscow and Pretoria, that reportedly provides surveillance of the entire African continent.

Gregory Alonso Pirio, Ph.D. is the author of The African Jihad and The African Jihad: Bin Ladens Quest for the Horn of Africa (Red Sea Press) and is president of EC Associates.

Mr. Pittelli is a retired US Air Force and Department of the Army Civilian military intelligence and information operations analyst with an emphasis on Africa.



Related video added by Juan Cole:

SABC from last Fall: Trade and economic ties between South Africa and Russia
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 26, 2016) - KWG Resources Inc. (CSE:KWG)(FRANKFURT:KW6) ("KWG") has posted on its website an all-weather road study that was previously prepared for it by Green Forest Management Inc. The report estimated that an all-weather gravel road starting in the west at the Northern Ontario Resource Trail Road northeast of Pickle Lake, projecting eastward to the Ring of Fire area over a distance of approximately 305 kilometres, would cost between $83.6 million to $99.9 million. Trunk roads from it to connect the First Nations communities of Eabametoong, Neskantaga, Webequie and Marten Falls would cost between $36.1 million and $73.1 million depending on the route alignments selected. The study notes that additional trunk roads to connect Nibinamik, Kingfisher, and Wunnumin Lake are also feasible but required further research for construction budgeting purposes.

"We had this report prepared in 2013 to scope out the most rational options available to supply our railroad construction and address local aspirations," said KWG President Frank Smeenk. "While we shared it extensively on a confidential basis, it's very practical approach has not yet found traction, so we thought it timely to make the study public now as we prepare to discuss railroad construction financing options. The road network considered here is a desirable, if not indeed an absolutely necessary first step to opening this area development cornucopia and starting to create quite a few ongoing local jobs throughout the entire region." The report also noted:

Socio-Economic Benefits:

The potential socio-economic benefits and opportunities resulting from the construction of a west-to-east year round access road are potentially quite significant. Currently, year round access to northern First Nation communities is restricted to air service, which is an expensive transportation alternative for freight and community members. Access by air is supplemented in the winter months by a network of snow and ice roads, which appears to becoming increasingly unreliable as a consequence of warmer winter temperatures; requires extensive planning and coordination of goods transportation; and significant capital in the preparation and operation of the winter road - an investment which literally melts away annually.

The socio-economic benefits and opportunities range from short to long term for First Nations communities in the project area. Specifically short term and direct benefits that can be expected include:

Heavy equipment and road construction training and skill development

Employment on road construction and maintenance

Employment in road construction support sectors, such as equipment parts and service, fuel supply, food and housing and equipment service centres

Need for a road network management company, to provide road maintenance and monitoring services

Most short term benefits are the foundation for transferable and lasting benefits to northern First Nation communities. The following longer term socio-economic benefits potentially could be expected from all-weather road access to communities, including:

Increased opportunities for local and regional-based employment, particularly associated with mining development at the Ring of Fire through an established road network

Transfer of road construction and equipment use skills to mining and other resource management and equipment operation sectors (construction, energy, forestry)

Expansion and improvement in health care delivery, including dental, home and long-term care services

Increased travel options for health care purposes

Improvement and expansion in delivery of government and social services

Improved response time for police services

Lower cost of living through ground-based delivery of goods and services

Lower cost of personal travel

Increased ability to access basic services (e.g. food, vehicle repair, clothing) and professional services (e.g. financial, legal, commercial)

improvement in the delivery of educational services on First Nation communities (e.g. establish secondary schools thus eliminating need for placement of students out of community)

Reduction in airport maintenance costs

Development of new remote, resource-based tourism ventures

Other Potential Opportunities:

With the establishment of an all-weather road access in the project area, the potential for future economic development beyond the mining sector is significant. Development opportunities have been scoped under other initiatives elsewhere in Ontario, within First Nation communities taking the lead. These development opportunities, which would foster greater economic independence for First Nation communities, include:

Land use management and development, such as the creation of forest management units for the management and use of wood supply

Establishment of harvesting operations to supply small scale sawmills to furnish lumber for local housing construction and to the mine developments

Construct cogeneration plants with wood biofuel for energy production at the communities, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and potentially supplying cogeneration facilities at the mines

Remote based tourism expansion in the north

Growth of industrial, mechanical, transportation, commercial, financial, legal and health services sector

About KWG:

KWG has a 30% interest in the Big Daddy chromite deposit and the right to earn 80% of the Black Horse chromite where resources are being defined. KWG also owns 100% of CCC which has staked claims and conducted a surveying and soil testing program, originally for the engineering and construction of a railroad to the Ring of Fire from Aroland, Ontario. KWG subsequently acquired intellectual property interests, including a method for the direct reduction of chromite to metalized iron and chrome using natural gas. KWG subsidiary Muketi Metallurgical LP is prosecuting two chromite-refining patent applications in Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and USA. The filings have been receipted in each of those jurisdictions.
An Argentine federal court concluded a human rights trial on Thursday against military officers during the dictatorship era. The court in Cordoba, Argentina, acquitted [La Nacion report, in Spanish] five defendants and sentenced 28 to life and 10 to between two-and-a-half and 21 years in prison. The trial focused [NYT report] on 20 cases from torture centers in Cordoba and involved 716 victims. It was the first time authorities were able to prosecute cases involving death squads that operated before the 1976-83 military dictatorship. The defendants were found guilty of torturing, murdering or stealing newborn babies. One defendant known as The Hyena, General Luciando Menendez, was found guilty [DW report] of 52 homicides, 260 kidnappings, 656 instances of torture, and 82 disappearances of detainees. His nickname came from laughing while torturing his victims and is already serving eleven life sentences for his crimes.

Former participants of former dictatorship of South America have been held accountable for their past crimes in the last decade. In May Argentinas last dictator, Reynaldo Bignone, and other former military officers were sentenced [JURIST report] to prison for their roles in Operation Condor in the 1970s. In February, Frances highest appeals court overturned [JURIST report] a lower court decision to seek the extradition of a former police officer to Argentina for alleged crimes against humanity during the countrys dirty war. In 2014 a federal judge in Argentina requested [JURIST report] that Spain arrest and extradite 20 former Spanish officials suspected of human rights violations during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Also in 2014, a Buenos Aires court handed [JURIST report] down a 23-year prison sentence to Bignone, the last Argentinian military president of the countrys dictatorship, for the kidnapping and torture of 32 factory workers.
The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit [official website] has struck down [opinion, PDF] a ban on non-commercial ads at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) for violating the first First Amendment. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) [official website] challenged the practice as being a restriction upon the First Amendment guarantee of free speech. The NAACP filed suit after it was denied permission to put a sign up in the airport aimed at politicians for spending money on prisons and not public education. The city made an exception for the NAACP sign, but the citys policy reviewed nonetheless. Judge Thomas Ambro, who penned the majority opinion, stated the citys desire to maintain a soothing and pleasing environment in the PHL airport was not supported by this ban. In particular, he said the broader effort apparently does not involve shielding travelers from noncommercial content on the ground that it might offend them, as they show political and other potentially disconcerting images outside of its advertisements, including through televisions and other media in the airport.

Attempts by state and federal governments to regulate the kind and location of advertising in public areas is not uncommon, though the Third Circuits ruling is contrasted by other courts decisions to uphold advertising regulations. In 2013, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld [JURIST report] a federal law which banned corporate and campaign advertising on public radio and television. Five years prior, that same court rejected a First Amendment challenge to a Los Angeles city ban on billboards.
DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar National Bank (QNB) has been given approval to open a branch in India offering banking services, the Gulf region's largest lender said on Sunday.

The bank, which in June completed the 2.7 billion euro purchase of Turkey's Finansbank, has a presence in more than 30 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

In a statement, QNB said it obtained the approval of India's regulatory authorities to conduct operations in that country, adding the move would help towards achieving its goal of strategic global expansion.

(Reporting by Tom Finn; Writing by Tom Arnold; Editing by David French)
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed [official website], on Friday urged [press release] Iran to halt the execution of Alireza Madadpour and 11 other individuals convicted on drug related offenses. All 12 individuals were sentenced to death for drug offenses and recently transferred to solitary confinement in Karaj Central Prison. Madadpour was arrested in November 2011 when 990 grams of crystal meth were found during a raid in a house he cleaned. He was later convicted in July 2012 by the Karaj Revolutionary Court in a trial that lasted 20 minutes, and was never given the opportunity to meet with his defense lawyer. Madadpours request for a pardon and retrial were denied. Shaheed expressed serious concern regarding Irans insistence on using drug-related executions as means to deter crimes and pointed out the open acknowledgement of Irans own government officials concerning the ineffectiveness of executions in the prevention of drug-related crimes. Shaheed stated that:

It is regrettable that the Government continues to proceed with executions for crimes that do not meet the threshold of the most serious crimes as required by international law, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is State party. It is also troubling that courts continue to issue death sentences in trials that not only breach international fair trial standards but even domestic due process guarantees.

Shaheed urged Iran to impose a moratorium on executions and restrict the use of the death penalty for the most serious crimes.

Much international pressure has been directed toward Iran in recent years for its use of the death penalty. In March Shaheed expressed continued concern regarding Irans alarming rate of juvenile executions [JURIST report] and other flaws in the justice system. In February Amnesty International [advocacy website] criticized Irans justice system after 40 men were sentenced to death [JURIST report]. In January AI reported on the many juvenile offenders on death row [JURIST report] in Iran.
Photos Credit: El Corte Ingles

Europes Largest Department Store is an International Shoppers Dream

After decades of being the go-to destination for Spains fashionable set, El Corte Ingles is celebrating their 75th anniversary. As the largest department store in Europe and fourth largest in the world, El Corte Ingles offers international shoppers access to luxury brands, exclusive Spanish designers, one-of-kind cuisine and an experience worthy of the most luxurious of clientele. We were invited to Madrid to celebrate the anniversary of the store and the opening of their newest locations: Serrano Man and Serrano Woman, in the trendy shopping district of Salamanca. While Barcelona and beachside towns seem to get most of the attention when it comes to Spanish destinations, sartorial travelers will want to make stop in this stylish neighborhood.

Streets are dotted with the usual luxury shops like Gucci, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, but theres nothing like traveling to a far-flung destination and coming back with some one-of-a-kind merchandise. Shoppers can buy a Gucci Dionysus bag anywhere, but theres only one place in the world to find rare pieces from Spanish designers like Juanjo Oliva, Formula Joven and Tintoretto. To find out what makes El Corte Ingles such a popular destination for international shoppers, and the well-heeled fashionistas of Europe, we spoke with Magaly Alves, the Head of Fashion at the luxury department store.

El Corte Ingles offers major brands like Alexander McQueen, Louis Vuitton and Prada, but their biggest draw for many shoppers is their extensive selection of Spanish brands, which range from well-known runway mainstay Loewe, to Suarez, a fine jewelry line favored by Spanish royals Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI. But what Alves believes sets them apart from anyone else, is their commitment to Spanish design. Our clientele comes to El Corte Ingles because of the diversity within our fashion collections. We, of course, have high-end name brands and contemporary collections that are sold globally, but we try to put an equal emphasis on our Spanish designers, she told JustLuxe. With over 80 freestanding stores worldwide, a spot on the El Corte Ingles floor is an amazing opportunity for designers to grow exponentially at the commercial level.

For them this means helping to expand the Spanish luxury market and giving not only well-established names, but also young designers, a chance at a national outlet. El Corte Ingles believes in young talent and is committed to fostering relationships with up-and-coming designers. The national fashion shows, together with art and design competitions in the design schools, are platforms for young designers, and it gives our team the opportunity to evaluate the creative vision and potential growth of each designer that hits the runway, she said. Not only do we look for luxury, but we want to see that the designer can evolve their collections over time.

In addition to attending local Fashion Weeks in Madrid, Barcelona and Ibiza, Alves will also travel to major events, like NYFW (one of her favorites) to find the right look for the store. In fact, many up-and-coming names get their start within their doors. For many years we have not only helped and pushed the career of young designers, but also helped them to promote their collections and sell, she explained. Last year we did a Fashion Academy where many students were given the opportunity to participate. The winner got the opportunity to have his winning collection produced by El Corte Ingles and sold in our stores. This is not the first time we have helped designers to sell and expose their creations as several [similar events] have taken place at different fashion design schools.

In fact, she and her team do this so effectively, that many popular designers started here with only a small capsule collection and no name recognition to speak of. Many well-known Spanish designers have used El Corte Ingles as a platform to gain exposure within the fashion community. Some of those brands include Adriana Iglesias, Carmela Rosso, Jorge Vazquez, Juanjo Oliva and more, she noted. In the case of Juanjo Oliva, he as a designer has gone from creating a capsule collection named Juanjo Oliva for Elogy to designing an exclusive collection for El Corte Ingles. (One that, she adds, is a bestseller.) These partnerships with El Corte Ingles give designers the opportunity to reach beyond their target consumer and enter into new areas of the field.

We shopped the new Serrano Man and Serrano Woman stores as well as the flagship, El Corte Ingles Castellana. While the latter offers 18 floorsincluding entire floors dedicated to beauty, dining, wellness and even a wine cellarthe Serrano stores were by far our favorite. The Castellana store sells almost everything you could imagine, from century-old wine to dream dollhouses for the littlest fashionista, but their latest openings feel more finely curated, intimate and courteous. Perhaps used to seeing too many tourists, an attendant at the flagship store brusquely told me I was too big to fit into a mint green Red Valentino dress I had picked out. At the Serrano store, I was graciously shown to a fitting room and offered a few other selections that I might like; I walked out with several Moschino and Valentino pieces that are sure to be staples in my collection.

El Corte Ingles just debuted a new appointment-only VIP space at their Castellana location, but the company is working on ways to bring a more luxurious experience to their growing international base, like their new app that helps overseas customers get an inside look at brands, understand shopping services and tax refunds, or book time with a personal shopper. Were continuing to experiment with new and different ways to provide our clientele the best possible experience, whether that be special access to designers or first looks at their new collections. The VIP space at Castellana is just the beginning of that, as we have plans to roll out more VIP spaces at our other locations in the coming years, Alves said.

Their new Serrano stores already feel like a one-of-a-kind shopping experience. Located across the street from one another, theyre easy to navigate and even easier to get toSeranno Woman opens into the five-star Villa Magna Hotel, a luxurious retreat that offered us a reprieve from the busy streets of Madrid. At Serrano Man, El Corte Ingles partnered with three Michelin-starred chefs to create an exceptional culinary experience on the top floor. Here shoppers can dine at Chef Roberto Ruizs Cascabel, a Mexican-inspired eatery, Chef Jordi Rocas Rocambolesc, a confectionary with artisan ice creams, pastries and chocolates, or three-time Michelin star chef David Munozs Street XO. While there are surely more authentic dishes to be had in the Spanish capital, Street XO served up flavors so deliciously complex that well be stopping here the next time were in Madrideven if we dont plan on doing any shopping.
By Eric Knecht and Maha El Dahan

CAIRO/ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Egypt reinstated on Sunday a controversial ban on wheat shipments containing even the slightest amount of a common grain fungus, baffling traders who had returned to the Egyptian market just last month when the ban was lifted.

The world's largest wheat importer said on Sunday it was re-introducing its zero tolerance policy on ergot - which can lead to hallucinations in large quantities but is considered harmless at minor levels - and would apply the decision retroactively.

"The ban will be applied to every grain of wheat entering the country. As of now no infected wheat will enter either from upcoming tenders or previous ones," agriculture ministry spokesman Eid Hawash said, giving no reason for the decision.

Just last month, Egypt said it would accept imported wheat shipments containing 0.05 percent, a common international standard, of ergot in imports, settling a dispute with suppliers that had hampered the country's massive purchasing programme.

A Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) risk assessment conducted earlier this year concluded that ergot posed no threat to Egyptian crops, but the agriculture ministry said at the time it would reinstate zero tolerance if future studies showed ergot affecting crops.

On Sunday, the head of the country's plant pathology centre told Reuters a follow-up study found that ergot did pose a risk to crops if it entered the country, and that the FAO report had not taken into consideration the different strands of ergot and Egypt's hot climate.

"There are 15 countries with ergot but we won't stop dealing with them entirely we will just make sure that when wheat is imported from these countries it comes from areas of those countries free of ergot," Ashraf Khalil said.

The July decision resulted in larger numbers of suppliers participating in General Authority for Supply Commodities' (GASC) state tenders.

But Sunday's reversal means suppliers risk having cargoes of previously agreed shipments rejected and that Egypt may face a renewed boycott of state grain tenders and raised prices. The move could hinder state grain importer GASC from making purchases needed to fill the country's large supply gap.

Story continues

Suppliers have long maintained that guaranteeing zero ergot is nearly impossible. Some told Reuters they would likely not participate in tenders following Sunday's decision.

"It's going to be a disaster," one Cairo-based trader said.

The General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC), which is in favour of the international 0.05 percent standard, was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Eric Knecht and Maha El Dahan; additional reporting by Ehab Farouk; editing by Susan Thomas)
The Burkini ban was another case of oppressing women in the name of their liberation.

Recently, the mayor of Cannes in France issued a ban on burkinis. Burkini is a made-up name for a special full-body swimming garment: a hybrid between Burqa and Bikini. In reality, a burkini is a swimsuit composed of leggings and a sort of a short dress worn on top of it. Some burkinis have a hoodie attached and to some other you add a hijab that would cover the head.

I didnt grow up knowing burkinis. I used to go to the beach and wear a normal bathing suit. Later, when I decided to wear hijab, I used to put on a long dress and hijab. In water, this can be uncomfortable and heavy. And when you sit on the beach, it also collects sand and you feel you instantly gained extra pounds of weight.

At some point, I even decided to stop swimming, since I felt so much annoyed by the sand and the curious looks. An experience that was supposed to be fun and joyful turned to itchy and embarrassing.

Later, I started hearing about suits that modestly cover the body but are made of appropriate fabric that does not keep the water. At the time, no body called these suits burkinis. There was no specific name; we just called them swimsuits for hijabis.

I think burkinis first appeared in Turkey and Malaysia. It was originally designed by an Australian designer of Lebanese descent, Aheda Zanetti. I remember one of my friends borrowed a suit from another friend, who bought it in Turkey and took it to a seamstress, asking her to make something similar.

In Tunisia, Burkinis made their appearance on beaches in the early 2000s. Before then, many women swam either in bathing suits; some others in bikini. But many women would wear long dresses or didnt swim at all. In water, long dresses inflate like balloons, so women have to keep bursting these bubbles of air each time they stand up.

Needless to say that with a long dress, you cant really swim and move fast. You just dip in the water and stay there. Moreover, once outside the water, the wet dress becomes tight on the body defeating the purpose of modesty that a full-body suit is supposed to achieve.

Burkini was an almost ideal solution. It gave women the opportunity to enjoy the water and the beach, swim with her friends, kids and family, without necessarily looking like an alien.

Byuing a burkini in Tunisia during the dictatorship of Ben Ali

I remember the first time I went to buy a burkini in Tunisia. It was like trying to buy alcohol in Canada as an underage. It was 2008. The dictatorship of Ben Ali was still in place, and all sign of religious symbols were suspicious, to say the least. The Burkini, like the hijab, was considered a sign of affiliation with Islamic groups, and selling them was seen as encouraging women to join these movements.

So I went to the souk and I asked around about them. The seller would look at me, assessing my real intentions. Once I passed the test, he would bring from  literally  under the table, one or two packages with a different burkini inside each, so I can see the models. But in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, burkinis were freely sold even in large supermarkets, and women who wished to buy one, could freely do so.

Noteably, Tunisian beaches today are full of women wearing burkinis. Even some women that are not wearing hijabs would go for a burkini.

Dealing with the attitudes of the opposite sex

It must be mentioned here that women in bathing suits are not necessarily harassed, but it is very common in some societies for men to stare at women. And so, burkinis is a way to keep off some of these unwanted stares. A burkini has become a way to deal with the attitudes of the opposite sex, since this is a matter of education that has never been tackled.

For people who still consider women covering their bodies as a sign of oppression, burkinis joined the list of words and clothing that linked Muslim women to the world of darkness. For many Muslim women who did not want other people to comment on their bodies or show off their skin for public consumption, a burkini achieved the total opposite. It combined liberation with modesty: the best of two worlds!

The recent decision of the French authorities to ban burkini from the beaches in Nice is but another example of anti-Muslim attitudes wrapped under the disguise of women liberation and combating religious extremism. But the only thing it will achieve is to further alienate French Muslim women and to prevent them from a refreshing swim in the Mediterranean Sea.

The silence of feminists

What bothers and disappoints me even more is the silence of Western feminists, for this is a perfect example of male interference with the choices of women.

When women are banned from driving in Saudi Arabia, western feminists would mobilize and stand up (rightly so) to denounce the arbitrary, abusive, and patriarchal nature of such decision. When women in Iran are punished for showing their hair in public or going out wearing make-up, the outrage among Western feminists is intense. Rightly so. But in this case all you hear is silence or whispers.

In my opinion, the reason for this silence is that the ban on burkini perfectly fits the old equation which equals Islam with women oppression. So why bother?

But how can a country, considered a beacon of rights and freedom, go so low in doing this to its citizens? If toplessness is considered okay, if there are beaches especially designated for nudists, preventing women to swim because of the length of their swimming suit is a silly and revengeful reaction.

Once again, one of the most vulnerable groups of a society have to pay the price for the incompetence and failures of the politicians.

I would like to conclude with the following powerful words by Arundhati Roy, commenting on the banning of burqa in France in 2010:

When, as happened recently in France, an attempt is made to coerce women out of the burqa rather than creating a situation in which a woman can choose what she wishes to do, its not about liberating her, but about unclothing her. It becomes an act of humiliation and cultural imperialism. Its not about the burqa. Its about the coercion. Coercing a woman out of a burqa is as bad as coercing her into one. Viewing gender in this way, shorn of social, political and economic context, makes it an issue of identity, a battle of props and costumes. It is what allowed the US government to use western feminist groups as moral cover when it invaded Afghanistan in 2001. Afghan women were (and are) in terrible trouble under the Taliban. But dropping daisy-cutters on them was not going to solve their problems.

Update: As of August 26, the Conseil dEtat, the highest administrative court in France, declared the ban of the burkini illegal and contrary to the fundamental liberties, to the freedom of conscience and to the personal liberies. This is a triumph of the rule of law over the whims and the populist electoral agenda of some politicians. Nevertheless, that does not end the burkini story. Some women were humiliated in public, other verbally attacked. Will they receive a public apology? Or will they, once again, pay the price for their choices and decisions?

The article first appeared on Monia Mazighs blog.
This story originally ran April 11, 2001

KEARNEY  A car matching the description of a blue Toyota Tercel believed stolen by suspected kidnapper Anthony Zappa was spotted north of Missoula, Mont., Tuesday.

The vehicle was spotted on a Montana state highway near Kalispell, which is in the Rocky Mountains about 120 miles north of Missoula, said Kearney Police Chief Dan Lynch. A similar vehicle also was spotted at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday along Interstate 80 east of Missoula. There was a third vehicle sighting at about 6:20 p.m. Monday near Darby, Mont., which is 60 miles south of Missoula.

Zappa, 29, of St. Paul, Minn., is wanted for questioning in Fridays kidnapping of 17-year-old Kearney High School junior Anne Sluti. Zappa and Sluti are believed to be in an electric blue 1991 Toyota Tercel.

We are still focusing on the Toyota, Montana and the Northwest, Lynch said as he search for Sluti entered its fifth day.

Every member of law enforcement is aware of whats going on and looking for them, Lynch said. Our goal has never changed. We want Anne back.

This morning, Slutis parents, Donald and Elaine Sluti of Kearney were interviewed in their home by Good Morning America and The Today Show. The national television production Americas Most Wanted has also been in Kearney.

Elaine Sluti told Good Morning America correspondent Diane Sawyer, who conducted the interview from studios in New York, that the kidnapping could happen to anyones daughter.

Anne is 17. She just went up to the mall as teen-agers do, as we all do. She was just the wrong place at the wrong time, Elaine Sluti said.

By saturating the media, police are hoping Zappa will hear the plea for Slutis safe return.

I want her to keep trying and have some confidence that we wont quit and we dont want her to quit, Lynch said.

Police said they think Sluti is safe. No motive has been established in her kidnapping, and police have declined to name Zappa as the kidnapper.

The last time Sluti was seen Sunday near Belgrade, Mont. Sluti was wearing the same clothes as when she was kidnapped at Kearneys Hilltop Mall: blue jeans and a black, long-sleeved shirt.

Jim Bogner, special FBI agent in charge for Nebraska and Iowa, said agents have been in contact with Zappas family. However, the last time the family heard from Zappa was about a month ago.

Because of the recent sightings in Montana, Lynch asked the public to continue their search for Sluti, Zappa and the Toyota.

By people doing this, we know they want to bring her home as much as we do, he said.

Tuesday, Kearney Police Capt. Byron Patterson said police are still waiting for results from forensic evidence to positively link Zappa to Slutis kidnapping. Today, Bogner said evidence relating to Slutis case has been given top priority at the FBI crime lab in Washington, D.C.

I dont want to focus on somebody without a piece of forensic evidence in hand, he said.

We will get him, if thats actually who were looking for, said Mickey Mott, an FBI supervisory special agent from Omaha.

Mott, one of at least two criminal profilers working on Slutis case, said it will be a very important event if Sluti makes another phone call. Mott said the kidnapper has demonstrated humanity by allowing Sluti to make phone calls.

Two calls were made Saturday, one to her family and one to a friend. It is believed the kidnapper supervised those calls. A third call was made Sunday morning to a 911 dispatcher in Livingston, Mont.

Police havent received another telephone call from Sluti.

Its frustrating because within the first couple of days we encountered some luck in the case, and we heard from Anne within a matter of hours. I think that really lead us to hope that we would have a quick resolution to the case, Patterson said.

For the past three weeks, Zappa has eluded authorities in a spree police say has covered seven states and involved as many as seven stolen cars, an alleged assault on an elderly couple in Louisiana and the alleged kidnapping. He is wanted in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota on felony warrants for burglary, car theft, possession of an automatic weapon and flight to avoid arrest.

Because of Zappas ability to evade police, Mott said, the first priority, if he is the kidnapper, is getting him to drop Sluti off. Mott declined to speculate on the kidnappers mental state.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and were counting on him to release her, and we hope to pick her up some place, he said. The message to the American public and to Mr. Zappa is that no one has to get hurt in this, and thats the way wed like to see it end. Neither she or Mr. Zappa have to be harmed in any way.

In an effort to dispel rumors, Patterson said there was not an attempted kidnapping at Kearneys Hilltop Mall 30 minutes prior to Slutis Friday evening kidnapping. A woman has told police she felt uneasy after spotting a man she later learned matched Zappas description.

But there wasnt an actual attempted abduction, Patterson said. And we dont know if it was the same individual.

On Thursday, a man reportedly offered assistance to a teen-age girl in the mall parking lot after her tire had been slashed. Patterson said the girl mentioned a Chevrolet Suburban.

We really havent confirmed at this particular point in time that its even related to this case, he said. But weve got to open up and entertain the possibility that this individual could have been in the community a day previous to what we originally thought.

Patterson is comfortable the kidnapper is no longer in the Kearney area.
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FINEST KIND CLINIC AND FISHMARKET.... Discussing medicine, culture, and the joys of cooking Pansit.
2K Shares Share

Art explains medicine by explaining human needs. In December of 2015, Dr. Michael P. Jones wrote a piece that had 27K shares: Weve killed the way physicians should be. It is interpreted that 27K readers or more identified with what Dr. Jones wrote.

In his essay, he claimed the identity of a physician was being killed by the reality of practice demands. The essay referenced an image of the essence of doctoring seemingly outdated pictured in a painting The Doctor by Sir Luke Fildes. In 1877 Sir Luke Fildes first son fell ill, and the doctor who tended to him sat at his bedside anxious and unable to help more than to worry and care. The painter and is wife were touched by this deeply. When commissioned to paint any image of his choosing, Sir Luke Fildes created this image of a doctor doctoring his loved one.

Medicine has evolved by advances away from art and thus humanity. Penicillin was discovered in 1928 and was not used medicinally till 1942. Medicine in 70 years evolved and doctors learned procedure and over 4000 drugs now exist which doctors are asked to know the names, usage, dosage, side effects, and contraindications to. The business of medicine has overshadowed the nature of care and left those with the calling in their hearts confused and disenchanted.

Dr. Walter Lawrence Jr., a 90 year old physician enter medical school in 1944, wrote in a letter addressing medical students in June of 2016 his reflection on the evolution of doctoring saying, Well, consider that there were no available antibiotics for life-threatening infections before penicillin, which came on the scene around that time; no medicines for the control of high blood pressure, other than sedatives; and very limited medical approaches to failing hearts, kidneys and livers. Operations were both hazardous and limited in scope, and physicians care was often limited to providing empathy  as was so well-documented in the old Norman Rockwell paintings showing the kindly doctor at the sick patients bedside.

The change in medicine is felt in the atmosphere of practice and in the deep roots of training. Trainees are catching disenchantment like a virus. An anonymous essay by a medical student published March of 2016, A star medical student feels like he made a terrible decision, expressed how the student had realized a terrible mistake had been made in the long hard climb to be a physician. One might think that at this point in my life, I should feel confident, well-accomplished, and hopeful for the future. In the last month, theres been a lot of talk about residency and deciding on a specialty. To me, this meant finally looking back onto my life, my experiences, and all that medicine has meant for me. And I cant help but feel that I have made a terrible, terrible decision, the student wrote. Nearly 3K shares may speak of a common sentiment.

Society is trying to decipher the value of the old image and definition of doctoring. On August 11, 2016, Dr. Michael Stein wrote an article in the Washington Post asking if kindness actually helped get us well. His conclusion is weak for evidence but strong for both a noninferior perhaps even arguably a moral correctness towards humanity supporting empathy in medicine. Kindness carries with it a commitment to a certain way of thinking and being rather than a particular pre-defined endpoint, Dr. Stein contemplated. It is this certain way of thinking that creates the end point for individuals patients.

Despite the heartache, tens of thousands of physicians in practice would choose medicine again. Among the reasons why is the deeply moving connection to the actualization of very delicate and very specific moments at the patients bedside that doctoring affords.

What is depicted in the archaic imagery by Sir Luke Fildes is not dead. It remains the very ethos of medicine. Care is the highest commodity of a doctor. It is care coupled with knowledge born of experience and authority that is doctoring.

Intimate stories are happening right now and through their actualizations and sharing physicians can rebuke the current evolution away from the true ethos of medicine and regain the identity of healer.

Physicians should not fight politicians or economists or insurance companies. Physicians should carry on business as usual having and sharing moments of intimacy to remind society what they truly seek in a doctor. Our seat at the table of humanity is not for meager notions but for the delicate survival of humanity.

The doctor is in. The doctor is not dead in you or me. The doctor will not die of this disease of suffocation and smear. We will sit at the bedside because after 70 years we still dont have all the answers and people still need us there.

If 27K shares say doctoring is dead to ring an alarm, then 100K shares should say physicians will rise to take back the bedside.

Jean Robey is a nephrologist who blogs at ethosofmedicine.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Dancers from Port Orchard's Halau Hula Kani Ka Pahu 'O' Lohiau kick off the performances at the first ever Pacific Islander Festival at Evergreen Rotary Park in Bremerton on Saturday, August 27, 2016. (MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN)

SHARE Joseph Nededog, of Poulsbo, wears a Guam flag around his shoulders as he strolls among the booths at the first ever Pacific Islander Festival at Evergreen Rotary Park in Bremerton on Saturday, August 27, 2016. (MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN)

By Christian Vosler, christian.vosler@kitsapsun.com

BREMERTON  Hundreds of people gathered to join in the festivities at the first ever Pacific Islander Festival Saturday at Evergreen Park in Bremerton.

There was something for everyone to enjoy, with two bands and four different Halau (hula) dances, along with myriad vendors from the community.

The impetus for the event came from members of Bremerton's robust Pacific Islander population. Following a strong showing of support from the community, event coordinator Siope Kivaha met with Mayor Patty Lent to talk about the possibility of bringing a Pacific Islander festival to Bremerton. Lent signed off on the idea.

Event promoter Michelle Paulino said that she hopes the festival will bring a sense of unity to the islander population on the peninsula, as well as expose non-islanders to their culture.

"We have a strong, family-knit culture, and we want to spread it to the rest of the community," Paulino said.

The festival kicked off with traditional Halau dancing and drumming. For Sandi Escolta, Halau is a family affair. With her husband Richard, Escolta runs the Kani Ka Pahu 'O' Lohiau (The Sounding Drums of Prince 'O' Lohiau) dancing group in Port Orchard.

"We do it because we love it. It's a great family activity," said Escolta, who has lived in Port Orchard for 30 years. But, she added, they also dance to entertain. "We do it because it makes people happy."

The festival is especially important to some Pacific Islanders, who aren't able to make it home often due to long distances or money, Paulino said.

A raffle was held at the festival in support of Zane Iiams, a 5-year-old Bremerton boy suffering from an aggressive form of cancer. Iiams, earlier in the day at Evergreen Park, got the chance to catch a pair of supervillains with his idol, Batman. One-hundred percent of the proceeds go toward Iiams' medical bills, according to Kivaha.

If attendance at this year's festival is any indication, Paulino said, they will probably have to move to a larger location next year.

"The main focus is to bring unity," she said.
The Kitsap County Historical Museum has presented exhibits at the Kitsap County Fair since the fair's early days. Shown here in the 1960s near a former Civilian Conservation Corps cabin is machinery used in early county farming and construction. Today's county fair offers an even more detailed look at Kitsap's rural heritage. Visit the museum's "Historical Building," located near the west entrance to the Kitsap Sun Pavilion. To see more photos from the Kitsap History Museum archives, visit www.facebook.com/kitsaphistory, Twitter KitsapMuseum, or stop by the museum at 280 Fourth St. in Bremerton. Call 360-479-6226 for information.

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In 1941 (75 years ago)

Seven prominent Kitsap County citizens were appointed yesterday by Bremerton Mayor H. A. Bruenn as members of a committee to seek a new Manette Bridge.

Named to the committee were the following: Pliny Allen, Fairview rancher and former state Legislator; state Sen. Lulu D. Haddon of Bremerton; E.C. Searle, executive director of the Bremerton Housing Authority; R.A. McNeal, retired Navy Yard quarterman and member of the Bremerton Housing Authority; George Callahan, retired Metal Trades Council labor leader; A.F. Hamp, Good Roads club executive; and Ernest C. Ebert, retired banker and Bremerton civil service commissioner.

The 4,000-foot bridge spanning Washington Narrows from the foot of Pacific Avenue to the Manette mainland, estimated to cost $1.25 million, has been proposed as a means of breaking the Manette Bridge traffic bottleneck.

In 1966 (50 years ago)

It's official now.

Instead of winding up the fiscal year ended June 29 with an operating loss of $209,320 as financial experts predicted, the ferries actually made an operating profit of $20,937.

And this profit, which officials attributed to the state's unprecedented prosperity, was made despite major losses in the Bremerton-Seattle, San Juan Island and South Point Defiance routes, and without the help of revenue from the moneymaking Hood Canal bridge.

However making an operating profit of $34,537 just means that the ferries lost that much less. The ferry system will still require the state subsidy of $800,000 to enable it to make up for losses due to debt service and depreciation of equipment.

In 1991 (25 years ago)

All but one of eight potential bidders on the completely revamped, health-conscious ferry food contract said they couldn't make a profit if the state takes 15 percent of the gross, according to Carla Sawyer, superintendent of finances and administration for the Washington State Ferries.

They said they wouldn't bid on it.

So the bid opening originally scheduled for today has been delayed about a month. And the state's cut has been reduced to 8 percent on a sliding scale that will bring it up to 15 percent by the fifth year of the contract.

It's all part of implementing a costly new ferry food-service master plan that calls for an end to fried and grilled food in favor of more modern fare, better quality control, more comfortable surroundings and probably lower prices.

In 2006 (10 years ago)

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND  Kitsap County's small club of exceptional pipe organs is about to make room for one more.

Soon to join pipe organs like the one ones at Summit Avenue Presbyterian, St. Paul's Episcopal, St. Luke's United Methodist, all in Bremerton, is one on Bainbridge Island.

Finishing touches are being put on a half-million dollar instrument at Saint Barnabas Episcopal Church, a stunning, strong and clear-sounding pipe organ that will make its debut to the congregation in October and the public a month after.

"I would say it's going to be the latest addition to those instruments," said Paul Roy, longtime music director at the Winslow Church.

The cherrywood-encased organ with 1,389 pipes has attracted the attention of Mary Preston, one of the nation's leading organists and resident organist with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

She will be at the keys for its community debut in November.

Compiled from Kitsap Sun archives by Ann Horn
The Telegraph reports:

Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, called for a full burkini ban in France on Thursday night as he warned that immigrants, minorities and the Left were threatening to destroy French identity. In the first big speech of his campaign to win back the office he lost in 2012, Mr Sarkozy stole many ideas of the far-Right Front National, promising to reclaim France for the French. I refuse to let the burkini impose itself at French beaches and swimming pools  there must be a law to ban it throughout the Republics territory, he said to thunderous applause during a speech in Provence, a stronghold of the Front National.

Im all against religious values being forced on others, but also against the state banning people from wearing religious outfits in public.

There is a case regarding the Niqab, as that goes to the heart of a society where you can identify whom you are interacting with. But the burkini is very different.

Mr Sarkozy went on to demand that all minorities and immigrants speak French and promised  for example  that he would never accept a France where men and women had separate timetables at public swimming baths.

That is a different issue, and one I agree on. In this case it is forcing religious values on everyone else.

The speech was received with horror on the Left, with commentators on social media observing that Mr Sarkozy sounded indistinguishable from Marine Le Pen, the Front National leader whom polls suggest could reach the second round run-off in the presidential election next year.

Hollande is toast. His approval rating was 12% in July. His disapproval were a massive 86%. Most polls shows Sarkozy would beat Le Pen in the final round of voting. But Le Pen would beat Hollande.

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The Herald reports:

Immigration numbers should be reduced until Aucklands housing and transport can cope with population growth, says Labour MP and mayoral candidate Phil Goff. Urgent and bold action is needed to stop the worsening housing crisis and restore the affordability and availability of housing, Goff said at his campaign launch in West Auckland this afternoon. He said Auckland was growing by a record 825 people a week, two thirds of whom are new migrants. Immigration is good for New Zealand  it brings skills and energy  but it needs to be at a rate transport and housing infrastructure can cope with.

This is not an unreasonable stance. I broadly share it. I am very pro immigration but when immigration starts to strain infrastructure a reduction in the rate can be justified.

Goffs housing policy calls for an easing of record migration numbers to allow infrastructure to catch up with population growth. This can be achieved by slowing the issuing of temporary work visas currently running at over 209,000 a year or by lifting the threshold for permanent residency, Goff said.

The level of residency visas is pretty constant at 15,000. You might reduce it to 12,000 with a lifting in the threshold but this will be a pretty small impact.

Issuing fewer work visas would have a bigger impact. But if you did that, then employers would face skills shortages and economic growth would be reduced.

As mayor, Goff would institute an immediate review of councils consenting process to make it faster and cheaper

Anyone can promise a review. Can he point to any specific change he would make that would reduce the cost or speed it up?

As mayor, Goff said he would advocate for policy changes by the Government which promote the interests of home buyers. They include further increasing bank deposits for developers, extending the bright line test requiring tax to be paid on capital gains from two to five years, eliminating negative gearing and requiring foreign investors to build new units rather than buying existing ones.

Goff is not standing for Parliament. He is standing to be Mayor of Auckland. Is there a single specific policy he will implement that would actually reduce the cost of housing in Auckland? Just regurgitating Labour Party talking points as Mayor will not reduce house prices. But the Mayor of Auckland can reduce house prices by proposing policy changes to the Auckland Council. So what are the policies he would seek to implement apart from a review of consenting?

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Stuff reports:

The New Zealand Government is being accused of taking money from superannuitants with an overseas pension.

Waikato man and expat-Brit Paul Norfolk is one of the estimated 170,000 Kiwis affected by an act of Parliament that sees their overseas pension entitlement being used to subsidise their New Zealand Superannuation.

Its unfair, I have lived in this country for 34 years and have made a contribution to the New Zealand economy, said Norfolk.

But where Norfolk has run foul is while living and working in Cambridge, he has also paid into the British National Insurance Scheme.

I paid into the scheme, The British Government never contributed but because Section 70 of the NZ Social Security Act 1964 says people cannot be paid two pensions, I miss out.

Norfolk said for every dollar a pensioner receives from an overseas pension, the New Zealand payment is reduced by a dollar.
The Herald reports:

After 52 years of fighting and nearly four years of grinding negotiations, the Colombian Government and the countrys Farc rebel group declared today that they had reached an agreement to end the longest-running armed conflict in the Americas.

The two sides made the announcement in Cuba, where negotiations began in 2012 and where Fidel Castro launched a Communist revolution that once inspired guerrilla insurgencies across the hemisphere. Colombia, a nation of 50 million that is one of the closest US allies in Latin America, is the one place where the war has yet to end.

This is the final chapter of the Cold War in the hemisphere, said Bernard Aronson, the US envoy to the peace talks, in an interview before the announcement.

More than 220,000 Colombians have been killed in fighting over the past half-century, and nearly seven million have been driven from their homes.

But one major obstacle remains for the peace deal to stick.

Colombian voters must ratify the accord at the ballot box in a vote, likely to take place in October, that is shaping up as a showdown between the countrys two most prominent political rivals.

President Juan Manuel Santos, who has staked his legacy on the peace accord, will be campaigning for Colombians to approve it. His nemesis, former President Alvaro Uribe, is leading the drive to sink the deal. He and other critics say it is too favourable to Farc leaders, whose guerrilla war tactics included kidnapping, drug trafficking and murder.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Mainly sunny to start, then a few afternoon clouds. High 69F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly to mostly cloudy. Low 41F. Winds light and variable.
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The Pigeon Forge Chamber of Commerce will sponsor a Lunch and Learn session Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Tennessee State Bank. The event will feature Dr. James Arthur Williams, who will discuss the impact of true servant leadership. To register, email info@pigeonforgechamber.com.

The Anderson County Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Tennessee Small Business Development Center will host a free workshop on Wednesday 9-11 a.m. at the chamber for small business owners and entrepreneurs who want a better understanding of starting a new business. Register by calling 865-457-2559 or email: accc@andersoncountychamber.org

The TSBDC will sponsor a free Cost & Estimating Workshop on Thursday 911 a.m. at the Blount County Chamber of Commerce. The program is designed for owners of construction or manufacturing businesses with five or fewer employees and will be presented by Eric Ruffin, president/CEO of Ruffin Consulting. To register, call 865-983-2241.

Safety Fest TN will be held Sept. 12-16 in Oak Ridge and Knoxville and will feature more than 80 free safety and health classes, sessions and demonstrations. A safety expo and safety demonstrations will take place Sept. 13-14 along with the "Secret City" Fire Officer Conference on Sept. 14-15. For more information on Safety Fest TN, visit https://safetyfesttn.org/
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Precious Prints to aid grieving families

Physician's Regional Medical Center, part of the Tennova Health Care System, is the latest hospital to partner with the College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee to provide the Precious Prints Project to grieving families, according to a news release from the university.

The project, led by students, provides silver fingerprint charms to families who have experienced the loss of a child. Since its creation in 2011, it has helped more than 350 families.

"The Precious Prints Project now serves all of the major hospital systems in Knox County, providing, at no cost to the family or hospital, a lasting remembrance of a precious life lost all too soon," Lynne Miller, nursing instructor at UT and director of the Precious Prints project, said in the release.

Staff nurses in Women's Services at Physicians Regional Medical Center of Tennova Health Care were recently educated by UT's Student Nurses Association representatives on the project goals and how to obtain a fingerprint. Each fingerprint is crafted into a beautiful charm as a tangible memory for the family.

Other hospitals that support the project include East Tennessee Children's Hospital, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, Parkwest Hospital, and UT Medical Center.

Field Day to focus on urban environs

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture will host a Woods and Wildlife Field Day on Friday, Oct. 14, at the UT Arboretum in Oak Ridge  but this year's event is devoted to discussions of urban woods and wildlife species that thrive on the rural-urban interface.

This educational event should be of interest to homeowners and those interested in urban forestry.

Registration will start at 8 a.m., but those interested may attend a networking breakfast at 7 a.m. The day's events will begin by 8:15 and run until approximately 2:30 p.m. The $10 per-person registration fee will help cover the cost of the event, and participants will enjoy a BBQ lunch as part of the activities.

The event will feature expert presentations on birds and beetles, as well as on dogwood trees and deer management. Sam Adams, an arborist with UT, will speak during lunch on "Residential Arboriculture  A Toolbox for Homeowners."

Later, students in the UT Department of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries will give demonstrations of forestry and arboriculture management skills.

Preregistration for the event is encouraged; call 865-483-3571, or send an email to utforest@utk.edu. The early bird registration cutoff is Wednesday, Oct. 5. To request an accommodation for accessibility, call 865-483-3571. For more about the program, go to the center's website: forestry.tennessee.edu.
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By Tom Humphrey of the Knoxville News Sentinel

NASHVILLE  Five people have been approved for listing as Independent candidates for president on Tennessee's November ballot, including four who are otherwise designated as nominees by national party organizations less known than the Democratic and Republican parties.

Tennessee's list of presidential candidates was finalized Thursday, according to a spokesman for the state Division of Elections, overseen by Secretary of State Tre Hargett.

Only Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump will be identified by party affiliation on the Nov. 8 statewide ballot under a state law that has been the subject of lawsuits in recent years. But four are campaigning nationally as nominees of third parties. They are:

Roque "Rocky" De La Fuente, a wealthy Orlando businessman who is also one of five candidates for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate in Florida's Aug. 30 primary elections. In the presidential race, he is running as nominee of the Reform Party, founded in 1995 by Texas billionaire Ross Perot, though the party's website says Perot is no longer active in the group.

Gary Johnson, former Republican governor of New Mexico, who is the Libertarian nominee for president. Nationally, the website RealClear Politics says Johnson is averaging about 9 percent of the vote in polling matchups against Clinton and Trump, the highest polling average for a third-party candidate since Perot ran in 1996 and finished with 19 percent of the vote on election day.

Alyson Kennedy of Chicago, a former coal miner who is running as the Socialist Workers Party candidate.

Jill Stein, a Massachusetts physician who is the Green Party nominee and has gained some national attention  notably by saying earlier in the year that should would abandon her candidacy if Bernie Sanders won the Democratic nomination. Real Clear Politics says she gets about 3.5 percent support nationally on average when included in polls with Clinton, Trump and Johnson.

The fifth independent candidate on Tennessee's ballot will be Mike Smith, a Colorado Springs, Colo., lawyer specializing in advising small businesses, who is running without any party affiliation. His campaign website says he founded law firms in both Tennessee and Colorado, but does not name them. WVLT, Channel 8, has reported Smith is a graduate of Farragut High School.

Five others filed qualifying petitions with the state Division of Elections but failed to qualify by the deadline by failing to get the required 275 signatures on the petition from registered Tennessee voters. Evan McMullin, a former CIA agent and banker who lives in Washington, got just 129 on his Tennessee petition, according to Politico, which has joined some other national media outlets in reporting on McMullin's campaign as an anti-Trump conservative.

Others filing petitions in Tennessee but failing to qualify for the ballot were Darrell Castle of Germantown, Tenn.; James Germalie of Parma, Ohio; David Limbaugh of Murfreesboro; Kyle Kopike of Flint, Mich.; and Emidio Soltysik of Los Angeles, according to a list provided by Adam Ghassemi, spokesman for Hargett.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images People climb aboard a boat as they prepare to leave their home for supplies on Aug. 15 in Baton Rouge, La. Record-breaking rains pelted Louisiana last weekend leaving the city with historic levels of flooding that have caused at least seven deaths and damaged thousands of homes.

SHARE Chad Credeur helps his brother Karl Credeur, right, toss out a headboard after it was inundated with flood water in his bedroom on August 18 in St Amant, La. Last week Louisiana was overwhelmed with flood water causing at least thirteen deaths and thousands of homes damaged by the flood waters. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images Lindsay Harrell holds her cat Moses at a temporary animal shelter inside the Lamar Dixon Expo Center near a flood victims' shelter after flooding Aug. 16 in Gonzales, La. In this Aug. 15, 2016, photo, provided by the U.S. Army National Guard, Sgt. Chad McCann of Deville, La., crew chief with F Company, 2-135th MEDEVAC, brings a young child to the waiting UH-60 Blackhawk to be taken to safety after flood waters threatened his home in South Louisiana. Over 3,000 Louisiana National Guardsmen are still engaged in flood response efforts, to include rescues, evacuations, security patrols, engineering missions, and commodities distribution. (Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jesse Curtis/U.S. Army National Guard via AP)

I was living in Baton Rouge, La., in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit and what seemed like half the population of New Orleans ended up in my neighborhood; and again, only a month later, when Rita  an even more powerful storm than Katrina  made landfall. Neither event was pretty, but only one dominated the news.

To this day, people on the Gulf Coast call Rita "the forgotten storm" because although it caused more than $12 billion worth of damage, prompted the largest evacuation in the history of the United States (primarily from Houston) and destroyed entire communities, unlike its famous predecessor, Rita didn't mess with New Orleans. Sure, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and dozens of small towns were walloped by Rita, but who really cared about such places, "flyover" towns with little relatively to offer tourists or purveyors of cultural enticements?

It hurt, but we managed. Because that's what people do in the small cities and towns that define most communities in south Louisiana: manage. And not only manage, but manage across racial, socioeconomic and religious lines.

Which is why when 9/11 happened, the people of Baton Rouge took turns, as citizen brigades, to guard businesses owned by Muslims.

This summer, Baton Rouge has been in the news a lot, though. That's because it was where police fatally shot Alton Sterling, a black man, prompting protests, then the slaying of three police officers by a former Marine. These events made the front page and television news from coast to coast, though the racially diverse funeral services weren't covered.

Now that Baton Rouge and cities and towns like it are under water, the resulting response hasn't been an outpouring of love, money and concern that we saw in the Big Easy after Katrina, or a gasp of despair and sympathy after the shootings. It's merely a big shrug.

I now live in New Jersey, far from the scene of the misery. So let me offer some firsthand testimony from my friends in Baton Rouge.

Kate Leupin: "We have friends who have lost everything. For Baton Rouge as a whole, this is the worst weather event in memory. Caskets floating in the street, alligators emerging, the whole shebang."

Mark Ballard: "Our neighborhood is OK. But everywhere else is covered in water. Those finger roads between the lakes near LSU (Louisiana State University) are covered and it's all one great big lake now. I-10 and I-12 have water and are closed. So we're isolated now."

Becky Moppert: "I saw the CBS reporting of the situation, but it barely scratches the surface of what's really going on. The flooding is really unbelievable  an unbelievable mess. My nephew Kyler has a fishing boat and has spent the past two days rescuing people."

And finally, from Allan Lenhardt: "Water everywhere. We're praying there are not windstorms as the ground is so supersaturated that the trees will start falling. The national media seem to have forgotten we exist  since black and white people are working together to help one another I guess there's no story here."

Note that last bit: No story here. Is that true? Is the face of this disaster so badly at odds with the national narrative that we don't know what to do with it, how to frame it and, most of all, how to respond to it? Or is it that we're so riveted by every last little bit of gossip from the Donald Trump circus that our own ability to focus has short-circuited?

Indeed, in those parts of town that aren't under water  in general the older parts, built on "high ground"  there isn't a man, woman or child who isn't collecting and bagging food, blankets, clothing and medical supplies, and others distributing them. It's a mess, an unprecedented natural disaster inflicted on a place where modern hubris and the lure of profit has turned former swamps into highly vulnerable housing developments, and where the grinding ordinariness of poverty has allowed half the population to struggle on under conditions so unjust that your average biblical prophet would have a heart attack.

Even so, blacks, whites, Latinos, Catholics, Baptists, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Republicans, Democrats and the family pet are all working together to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, rescue the endangered and comfort the bereaved, and I mean that literally.

My former synagogue, Beth Shalom, has converted itself into a staging ground for the collection and distribution of food, medicine and clothing. Ditto Istrouma Baptist. Ditto Caring to Love Ministries. Ditto Our Lady of Mercy. Ditto First United Methodist. And it's not just people like my friend Becky's nephew who have taken it upon themselves to use their recreational boats as rescue machines: The mainly white members of the "Cajun Navy" are also at it, rescuing citizens of all shades. I could go on, but basically everyone whose own home, spiritual or individual, is still intact is doing what they can to help.

Thirty thousand have been rescued. At least 13 have died. More than 60,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged. The federal government has declared Louisiana to be a disaster zone, and both Louisiana and Mississippi are in a state of emergency.

The levees are bursting. And America yawns.

Jennifer Anne Moses is the author of four books, including "Bagels and Grits: A Jew on the Bayou." She may be reached on the web at JenniferAnneMosesArts.com. This column first was published in USA Today.
Earlier this summer, House Republican Caucus Chairman Glen Casada advocated expulsion of Rep. Joe Armstrong from the Legislature prior to his trial, contending that the veteran legislator's acknowledged activity  basically making a personal profit from legislation  was wrong even though perfectly legal.

Armstrong bought state cigarette tax stamps, through a tobacco wholesaler, then supported a cigarette tax increase. After the 2007 tax hike passed, he sold them at a $321,000 profit. That was legal. The criminal charges came from failing to pay federal income taxes on the money and a jury convicted him on one felony count of filing a false tax return, which Armstrong's attorney is fighting.

Casada's contention was that Democrat Armstrong "violated the public trust," whether or not convicted, just as did Republican Rep. Jeremy Durham, who had not been charged with any crime, but who stands accused of inappropriate sexual "interactions" with more than a score of women interns, legislative staffers and lobbyists. A continuing probe involves the possibility that Durham diverted campaign money to personal use.

Maybe there was a violation of public trust in both cases. But if making a profit from knowledge gained as a public official becomes a standard for judging violators, a slippery slope is created. There's a long history of public positions being manipulated to create what might be called sweetheart deals.

Why, at the other end of that slippery slope you could arguably even find respected, if not revered, fellows like Tom Ingram. Thirtysomething years ago, Ingram was manager of Lamar Alexander's successful campaign for governor, becoming deputy governor after the election. Then Ingram took his accumulated political and policy knowledge into the private sector to profit in consulting, lobbying and public relating.

In the intervening years, the onetime newspaper reporter has made a lot of money. Just last week, it was revealed the University of Tennessee is ready to pay him up to $240,000 for serving as "communications strategist" in a sexual harassment lawsuit.

Ingram founded his firm, The Ingram Group, in 1983, not long after leaving state government. A more recent entry into the consulting and strategic communications scene is the Stones River Group, launched last year and led by Gov. Bill Haslam's 2010 and 2014 campaign managers, Mark Cate and Jeremy Harrell, respectively. Harrell was also a top aide in helping Cate during the 2010 campaign.

Both held high-level state government jobs  Cate the highest as Haslam's chief of staff and/or deputy governor  in between their campaigning for Haslam and before becoming paid consultants to businesses dealing with state government. As The Tennessean reported in a recent review of Cate's government operations dealings, it appears Stones River Group is making a lot of money, perhaps rivaling  maybe even surpassing?  the Ingram Group.

At least they're expanding. Recently, the group took aboard Clint Brewer, who had been serving as assistant commissioner for communications and marketing at the Department of Economic and Community Development. The group in general trumpets the principals' "vast experience" gained previously in the governmental arena in pitching its services to prospective clients.

This is perfectly legal, of course. The only hint of crossing a line into impropriety has been the suggestion that Cate engaged in lobbying, as opposed to consulting. State law says top officials cannot lobby for a year after they go through the revolving door. Cate insists that he has not crossed that somewhat fuzzy line and being an astute, knowledgeable and respected fellow, he surely has not.

And we can be sure that Ingram, Cate, Harrell and others similarly situated are paying taxes due on any sweetheart deals that come along as their reliable accountants recommend. Armstrong's defense was that he trusted an accountant who turned out to be a liar and a thief.

Armstrong, too, was a respected, if not revered, fellow until, the-soon-to-be-former lawmaker says, making the mistake of trusting in the wrong person. A jury sort of bought that argument, acquitting him on two felony counts, convicting him on another.

The public trust is sometimes misplaced, too. But remember that some sweetheart deals are perfectly legal and probably unavoidable.

More from Tom Humphrey at "Humphrey on the Hill."
Smokies Telethon tops $200,000 this year

AUGUST 27, 2016 at 9:29 p.m.







Smokies Telethon 2016, aired in East Tennessee by WBIR TV. Image courtesy of Friends of the Smokies.





KODAK, TN  Thanks to hundreds of callers, online donations, and support from sponsors Dollywood, Master General Store, Pilot Flying J, Tennessee State Bank, and The Lodge at Buckberry Creek, Friends of the Smokies raised $205,562 during its annual Friends Across the Mountains Telethon held on Wednesday, August 24. Since 1995, Friends of the Smokies telethons have raised more than $3.5 million in support of Americas most-visited national park. The telethon aired live Wednesday night on WBIR in Knoxville, TN and WLOS in Asheville, NC.



The broadcast also celebrated Thursdays 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.



I am overwhelmed with gratitude, once again, by the support of individuals and organizations throughout the region that help us care for the Smokies. This park was founded by community and your continued support is critical as we move into the second century of service, said Cassius Cash, Superintendent of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.



At its recent meeting, the Board of Directors of Friends of the Smokies voted to establish a special fund to honor Bill Williams for his 22 years of volunteer service as co-host of the Friends Across the Mountains Telethon. Friends of the Smokies board members made an initial gift of more than $10,000 to create this fund and the proceeds of the telethon will be included in this new Bill Williams Smokies Greatest Needs Fund to be used to address pressing needs throughout the Park.



During the program, Tennessee State Bank presented Friends of the Smokies with a $15,000 check of proceeds from the banks Smoky Mountain Charity cards and SmartBank presented a check for $15,000 to support the parks critical needs. Also during the broadcast, Sugarland Cellars presented a $20,000 check to the organization, bringing the Gatlinburg winerys cumulative donations to $100,000 in celebration of the National Park Services 100th anniversary.



Friends of the Smokies president Jim Hart added, The 100th anniversary of the National Park Service is a truly special occasion, made even more extraordinary by the generosity of our donors Wednesday night. We are humbled by their outpouring of support and we look forward to putting their donations to work in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.



Telethon donations can still be made online at www.FriendsOfTheSmokies.org/donate to help fund more than $840,000 of park needs this year to protect black bears, educate school children, and preserve historic log cabins and churches from Cades Cove to Cataloochee Valley.



Friends of the Smokies is an official nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and has raised more than $53 million to support critical park programs and maintain the Smokies as a crown jewel of the National Park Service. Find your park at FriendsOfTheSmokies.org.

Published August 27, 2016


















By Lee Hyo-sik



L'Oreal Korea has been providing research grants to female scientists and encouraging female students to develop an interest in science under its motto, "Science is the basis of the beauty business."



Since 2002 the Korean unit of the French cosmetics giant has been holding the L'Oreal Korea-UNESCO Awards for Women in Life Science, offering awards and research funds to female scientists in various life sciences fields. A total of 61 professors and researchers have been selected over the past 15 years.



"Since its foundation by chemist Eugene Schueller, L'Oreal Group has pursued and invested in scientific innovation as its deep-rooted spirit," a L'Oreal Korea spokeswoman said. "The group has been continuing such investment by spending approximately 3 percent of its total revenue on R&D. Currently, 3,871 researchers of 60 nationalities are continuing research activities for innovation in 52 scientific directions and regulatory affairs, including biology, chemistry and physics."



In particular, L'Oreal has been nurturing female scientists, and part of this effort is the L'Oreal Korea-UNSECO for Women in Science Awards.



"In Korea, we have renamed the award the L'Oreal Korea-UNESCO Awards for Women in Life Science, selecting one grand prize winner and three fellowship recipients every year since 2002," the spokeswoman said. "The grand prize winner receives a 20 million won research grant and three promising young female scientists get 5 million won in grant money."



In cooperation with the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, L'Oreal Korea has also been operating the science open lab, a program designed to raise the interest of female high school students in life sciences.



According to the cosmetics maker, only 27.5 percent of female high school students entering universities here choose science or engineering as their major.



"The country needs more young women to pursue careers in science. This is good for them, and also benefits Korea as a whole," the spokeswoman said. "In this respect, we decided to operate the education program for young female students."



It offers research activities otherwise unavailable in high school, such as visiting female scientists' laboratories and conducting half-day experiments in several scientific subjects.



In addition, mentoring sessions with female scientists are held to help girls explore career paths and grow their passion for studying science.



From 2013 to 2015, the science open lab provided 860 female high school students with opportunities to experience live experiments in 55 laboratories nationwide with the theme of girls meet scientists.



This year, female students interested in life science can apply for the program which will be organized in 27 selected labs around the country in October. The list of the selected will be announced in September.




Uhm Tae-woong, right, with his wife and daughter from KBS's "The Return of Superman" / Courtesy of KBS



By Ko Dong-hwan





Four days after it was revealed that a female massage parlor employee was suing actor Uhm Tae-woong for allegedly raping her in January, his agency has come to his defense.

Keyeast said Uhm, 42, claims the allegation that he raped the woman in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province is false.

"Uhm's wife, who recently became pregnant, has suffered serious mental trauma because of the allegation and her health is unstable," the agency said, according to media reports.

The reason Uhm waited four days to make an official response might be that the star of KBS's "The Return of Superman"  a reality show about celebrity fathers struggling to raise their children from baby to pre-teen  was concerned about his wife, a former ballerina.

The show focused on the star's "family man" image, in which he often became rapturous in front of his daughter, from 2013 to 2015.

The accuser, 35, claims Uhm visited the parlor and, despite her explanation that the parlor did not offer sexual services, he raped her.

It remains to be seen whether Bundang police, who began investigating on Aug. 23, can prove that sexual intercourse took place, and, if so, if it was consensual or not.

A source said it may be hard to verify the truth as the alleged incident did not occur recently.

Uhm made his acting debut in 1998, appearing in several hit dramas and movies, including Cyrano Agency (2010), Architecture 101 (2012) and Man from the Equator (2012). He is the younger brother of K-pop diva Uhm Jung-hwa.

He married Yoon Hye-jin in 2013.


By Park Jae-hyuk

Sitting cross-legged on the floor to eat at a restaurant could be torture for foreigners.

What about Koreans? It's also uncomfortable  they want to avoid it if they can.

However, many Korean restaurants still lack chairs and customers have to eat sitting on the floor, although the long-held custom is slowly disappearing.

Even for expatriates who have lived a long time here, sitting on the floor is one of the most challenging things.

"I did it once to try the experience, but since then, I've avoided those kinds of restaurants unless I'm forced to go by a Korean professor or somebody like that," said Curtis Life from Canada who has lived in Korea for two years. "While I do recommend that every foreigner try it at least once, I didn't enjoy the experience overall because it was physically uncomfortable for me. I am more comfortable sitting on a chair and I want to feel relaxed when I'm eating with company."

Sian Winstanley, an English-Malaysian who has lived in Korea for seven years, said, "Sometimes, I really feel like eating some real Korean food, like sundae-gukbab (Korean sausage and rice soup) or bossam (boiled pork). I know that these types of restaurants rarely have chairs and I want to enjoy a good time with my Korean friends, so I just bear it. If I'm alone, I never go to those types of restaurants."

Only those foreigners whose countries have a similar custom did not mind sitting on the floor.

"It's okay for me, because there are similar restaurants in Vietnam, too," said Vuong Lan from Vietnam, who has visited Korea twice.

In the past, Koreans preferred the traditional style unlike foreigners, saying the custom was comfortable.

However, more Koreans, regardless of their age, say that these days they prefer sitting on a chair when eating.

Young Koreans complain about restaurants that have no chairs.

"It is really inconvenient as I cannot sit cross-legged, wearing a tight skirt," a college student Kim Ye-li, 22, said.

An office worker Kim Min-ju, 26, said, "I am afraid of my foot odor, when I take off my shoes that I have been wearing for the whole day."

Seniors and middle-aged Koreans say they are used to the old style but are changing their preferences for their health.

"I was used to sitting on the floor when I was younger, but since my legs have become weak, I prefer a chair in which I can sit comfortably and am able to get up from to stand," said Yoo Suk-hee, 56.

People who use wheelchairs demanded changes in restaurants as well.

"It is difficult to cross the threshold in a wheelchair," said the Korea Differently Abled Federation official Park Jae-young. "Disabled people would have to crawl on the floor unless other people are there to help them."

Some restaurants have changed their styles according to the recent trend. A female member of the wait staff at a restaurant which switched to chairs last year said it is more convenient to serve the customers.

"I do not have to take off my shoes to serve them. Also, customers like sitting in chairs when they eat," she said.

Several local governments in Korea support restaurants changing to chairs and tables.

PyeongChang, the host of 2018 Winter Olympics, has subsidized restaurants to switch to chairs. Gwangju and Daegu also subsidized traditional style restaurants that change to chairs.

However, the number of subsidized restaurants is still low. Only six restaurants will be subsidized this year in PyeongChang.

A business expert said the cost is almost similar whether to open a traditional style or a modern style restaurant.

"As traditional style restaurants should install ondol, the cost of starting their businesses is not less expensive," business consultant Kim Sang-hoon said. "There were many traditional style restaurants, because of customers' preferences. But the trend is changing because of foreigners and young people,"

However, Kim also said the traditional style will survive as some customers still demand it.

Mothers having babies said they prefer the traditional style, because they can lay their babies on the floor.

"I always ate at traditional style restaurants, when my child was young," said Kim Seon-mi, 41.

Seoul National University professor, Song Ki-ho, who has studied Korean lifestyle history, said, "Although modern Koreans are living on the couch, bed, and chair, traditional style restaurants in Korea will survive for a while as most Koreans still enjoy sitting or lying on an ondol heated floor at home."
Boryung Pharmaceutical President Choi Tae-hong speaks during an interview at the company office in Jongno, Seoul.

/ Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul



By Lee Kyung-min

Boryung Pharmaceutical President Choi Tae-hong said Thursday that he is seeking to expand sales of Kanarb, the first high blood pressure drug developed in Korea, globally amid fierce competition in a market dominated by multinational drug companies.

Boryung put 12 years of research and development along an investment of 50 billion-won ($41.7 million) into developing the hypertension drug, and the effort has borne fruit, with both domestic sales and exports rising.

Kanarb is an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), a type of drug that blocks the protein angiotensin II from binding to certain areas of blood vessels, thereby preventing blood vessels from being blocked.

"I believe Kanarb will be attractive to global pharmaceutical companies that are seeking to strengthen partnerships with their Korean counterparts for meaningful investment into research and development, following our drug's success in sales, reviews, as well as its clinical values proven through numerous clinical trials," Choi said in an interview at the company building in Seoul.

Since March 2011, one year after the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's approval in 2010, the drug's domestic sales have more than tripled from 10 billion won to 32.7 billion won last year, with its accumulated overseas sales in 29 countries standing at $350 million as of last year.





Kanarb is the first high blood pressure drug developed in Korea by Boryung Pharmaceutical.

Courtesy of Boryung Pharmaceutical



In October 2011, Boryung signed a $30 million license-out deal with Mexico-based Stendhal to sell Kanarb in 13 South and Central American countries including Mexico, where it drew most success.

In the first week of August last year, Kanarb was the most prescribed medication by cardiovascular specialists there, taking up 18.8 percent of the prescriptions for high blood pressure. It was  and still remains  unprecedented for original drugs developed by a Korean company to top the most-prescribed drug list overseas, according to Choi.

"Many people in Mexico are suffering from high blood pressure due to obesity as well as their high sodium intake. I am glad our drug effectively helped patients there," he said.

Boryung signed a similar license-out deal worth $43 million with Brazil-based Ache in October 2012, and another worth $15 million with Russia-based R-Pharm in January 2013.

Kanarb is awaiting final reports from Russia's drug authorities following completion of three-phase clinical trials there, with sales approval expected within the year.

The latest deal worth $129 million was signed in June last year with Hong Kong-based Zuellig Pharma to sell Kanarb in 13 Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

So far, Kanarb was approved for sales in Mexico, Ecuador, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, and Guatemala, with the approval in five more countries expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Kanarb was also the first Korean developed drug for which Japan's Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency granted permission to begin a clinical test in June last year.

Currently, the phase-one clinical trial of Kanarb is also ongoing in the United States following approval by the Food and Drug Administration. In the U.S., 30 million people are suffering from both high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, which refers to increased levels of fats in the blood, a condition that significantly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular and arterial diseases.

Talks are underway with the German drug authorities as well to obtain necessary approvals to sell Kanab there.

Such success is attributable to clinical trials conducted on 37,473 people including 14,000 Koreans, according to Choi.

"The evidence-based analysis on the effectiveness and safety of Kanarb, which we have accumulated through clinical trials, is the source of our confidence in the drug. Based on the many sample cases, I believe Kanarb would effectively help treat patients overseas," he added.

As of 2014, the size of the world's pharmaceutical market was estimated at about $1.2 trillion, with annual growth rate of 6.2 percent over the past 10 years. Of the total, the hypertension drug market ($47.5 million) was the fourth largest sector following anti-cancer drugs ($74.4 million), anti-diabetics ($63.6 million), and painkillers ($59.8 million). The Korean pharmaceutical market accounted for 1.79 percent of the global market.

Meeting of hypertension experts

Boryung will introduce Kanarb at the 26th Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Hypertension, scheduled to be held from Sept. 24 to 29 at the COEX in southern Seoul.

Jointly hosted by the International Society of Hypertension, the Asian Pacific Society of Hypertension, and the Korean Society of Hypertension, the biennial forum is dedicated to research into the causes of hypertension and the best treatments for it.

The event will be attended by some 5,000 scientists, clinicians and healthcare workers including some 3,000 foreigners from more than 100 countries.

European countries and non-European countries take turns to hold the event. Korea is the second Asian country to host the event after Japan which organized it in 2006.

Boryung will have five sessions to introduce and discuss clinical studies on Kanarb and compare it to drugs made by multinational pharmaceutical firms.

Boryung expects this year's event will be as successful as 2014's International Society of Hypertension held in Athens, Greece, where the company organized a satellite symposium to introduce Kanarb, the first Korean pharmaceutical firm to do so.

"Unlike past forums where experts from only foreign countries introduced and marketed their drugs, this year's forum will be a prime opportunity for us to introduce Kanarb and promote the competitiveness of Korea-developed drugs," Choi said.
The structures are "beehive homes," two- to three-story buildings of tiny 10 square-meter rooms and shared bathrooms that were used by factory workers in Garibong-dong near the now-defunct Guro Industrial Complex. Up to five people shared one room due to high rental costs. The Seoul Metropolitan Government purchased two such buildings as part of a development project. / Korea Times photo by Kim Bo-eun



By Kim Bo-eun

Garibong-dong in southwestern Seoul is known as a low-income neighborhood for Chinese immigrants, but bears within it the lives of workers who contributed to Korea's economic development in the 1970s and 80s.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government's project to develop the area is shining light on the "beehive homes" that housed factory workers of Guro Industrial Complex at the time.

Construction of beehive homes'

As Guro Industrial Complex was set up in the late 1960s and early 1970s, young people from across the nation swarmed to the area with hopes of escaping the poverty of rural life, making money and settling down in the city.

Around 90 percent of the people were young women, aged 15 to 24, who came to work at labor-intensive sewing or wig factories in the complex.

According to data from the Seoul Museum of History, there was a dire housing shortage as the government established the industrial complex without planning for workers' housing, which prompted the growth of private-sector rental homes.

The government's approval of the construction of multi-household homes in 1984 spurred the growth of "beehive homes."

The two- to three-story buildings of tiny rooms and shared bathrooms housed as many as 50 households  earning its name. About five people used one room, which was about 10 square meters in size.

Due to the costly rents, which were barely covered by their monthly wages, many workers shared the small rooms and adjusted their working hours so that half would work in the day and the other half at night to avoid having to sleep together in the cramped space, according to news articles from the vernacular daily Dong-A Ilbo.

Data from the Seoul Museum of History shows a worker in her third year of employment would receive around 59,000 won in monthly wages and the monthly rent for a room was 50,000 won.

The dire circumstances drove the workers out of their homes to spend their leisure time at bars, discos and billiard halls in the neighborhood, an article from the Hankyoreh said.

Demographic changes

As factories started leaving the complex in the early 1990s, workers left the area and demographics began to change. The homes were filled by an influx of Chinese immigrants in the late 1990s following the opening of diplomatic ties between Korea and China in 1992 and hence an immigrant town was created there.

Since 2010, the population of Garibong-dong has been on the decline, but the percentage of Chinese immigrants is on the rise.

Foreign residents accounted for 40.5 percent of Garibong-dong's population in 2014 and Chinese immigrants accounted for 98.7 percent of them, according to data from the Ministry of the Interior.

Most of the immigrants live in poor housing and work as restaurant employees, housekeepers, cleaners or day-laborers at construction sites.

Development project

The Chinese immigrant town has been left segregated and the area has been tainted by reports of crime. In an attempt to revive the neighborhood, the SMG, local authorities and residents have engaged in a project to develop Garibong-dong.

The project aims at improving the area's infrastructure as well as tacking segregation and merging residents with those of neighboring Guro Digital Complex. As part of the project, the municipality in April purchased two of the beehive homes, for use as a communal space for residents.

"The city government purchased the beehive homes, an asset of Garibong-dong, in order to conserve them, to remember their historical significance and to develop them into an important future asset," said Choi Myeong-kuk, a city official in charge of housing.

Currently, an exhibition is ongoing at one of the houses on the development project. It will run until September.
By Jun Ji-hye



South Korea and the United States have agreed to share and jointly analyze information on the underwater environment in North Korean waters in a bid to better respond to Pyongyang's submarine-launched missile threats, officials here said Sunday.



The agreement was reached during an annual bilateral meeting held in June of a committee dedicated to discussing the allies' anti-submarine capabilities, according to officials.



The committee was launched last year in the wake of the North's first underwater test-fire of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in May in that year.



During the meeting, the two sides agreed to analyze underwater information in the waters surrounding the two Koreas including waters off the North's eastern port city of Sinpo, and share it with each other, a military official said on condition of anonymity.



The Sinpo shipyard in South Hamgyong Province is home to the headquarters of the Maritime Research Institute of the Academy of National Defense Sciences, the North's primary submarine manufacturing facility.



"The measure by Seoul and Washington is to enhance allies' abilities to conduct anti-North Korean submarine operations in event of a contingency," the official said.



On Wednesday, Pyongyang successfully test-fired an SLBM from waters near Sinpo, which flew about 500 kilometers and landed in waters under Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone (JADIZ) in the East Sea. The latest test showed a significant improvement from past tests, indicating that the North may have acquired the technology to allow a missile to fly as well as the cold-launch technology necessary to launch a missile from the water.



Defense officials here are reportedly looking at the possibility that the North will be able to effectively deploy SLBMs by the end of this year.



"The underwater environment information necessary to conduct military operations includes submarine topography, water temperature, depth of water and tidal current," the official said. "Those are variables that would change a refractive index of sound waves detected by a sonar system."



The official added that Seoul and Washington will strengthen surveillance and information analysis on possible infiltration routes of the North's submarines in the West Sea especially near the Northern Limit Line (NLL), known for its fast current and frequent changes in the underwater environment.



Military sources say the U.S. is currently mobilizing its nuclear-powered submarines to covertly collect the underwater information in the remote North Korean waters of the East Sea. They noted that about 10 nuclear submarines are deployed at a U.S. naval base in Guam.




By Chung Hyun-chae





Lee Chang-seok

Lee Chang-seok, 65, brother-in-law of former President Chun Doo-hwan, has come under criticism for not paying fines for tax evasion and choosing to labor in a penitentiary instead.



The public was shocked to hear that Lee will be freed from confinement after completing a maximum three years of labor in order to pay off his fines of 3.4 billion won.



The fines are part of the 4 billion won which was slapped on Lee as punishment for tax evasion in August 2015. He has so far made cash payments of only 579 million won.



This means that his daily labor is valued at 4 million won ($3,588). People say the sum is astronomically huge compared with 100,000 won for most laborers serving time in prison.



Lee's case followed Chun Jae-yong, 51, the second son of former President Chun Doo-hwan, who is also paying the same amount of fines for similar reasons through prison labor at another penitentiary.



According to the Ministry of Justice and the Korea Correctional Service, Sunday, Lee has already paid off 200 million won in fines after 50 days of prison labor.



Chun has reportedly been cleaning a ditch and cutting grass at a prison in Wonju, Gangwon Province. Lee has been manufacturing electric heating appliances at another prison in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, seven to eight hours a day.



This kind of "noble labor" has been a common practice for the privileged class who try to avoid paying fines.



Under the current law, a prisoner confined in a penitentiary cannot work more than three years no matter the amount of fines. He or she does not work on weekends or national holidays.



The controversy is lingering over the monetary penalty system in which fine defaulters abuse legal loopholes.



The number of prisoners who are working while being paid more than 4 million won per day is estimated at 30 across the nation.



The number of those who have worked for more than 100 million won per day since 2011 is estimated at about 20.



The fines imposed on Chun and Lee were part of government efforts to confiscate the fortune of the former President who was convicted of treason for taking power through a military coup after the 1979 assassination of then-President Park Chung-hee. He was also found guilty of amassing illegal political funds while in office in the 1980s.
By Jun Ji-hye



China's cooperation in the U.N.'s condemnation of North Korea's ballistic missile activities reflected Beijing's growing concerns over Pyongyang's significant progress in the development of its submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) technology, according to experts, Sunday.



The U.N. Security Council issued a unanimous press statement Friday against the North's four missile launches between July and August  most recently on Wednesday.



The cooperation of China, a major ally of the North and veto-holding permanent member, this time drew keen attention as the U.N.'s previous attempts to condemn the provocations were thwarted due to China's insistence that the statement should include its position on a U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery scheduled to be deployed on South Korean soil by next year. Beijing had said Pyongyang's missile threats should not be a pretext to deploy THAAD.



Kim Hyun-wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, said China's cooperation showed Beijing's growing concern over the significant development of the North's nuclear and missile capabilities.



"For China, the North has become a troublemaker, and sanctions to realize denuclearization have become more and more important," Kim said. "For its part, the United States has been pressuring China considerably to cooperate in dealing with sanctions against the North, so Beijing may not be able to continue to side with the North."



Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong Global University, echoed Kim's view, saying that the North's latest SLBM launch showed a significant improvement from past tests and surprised outside experts.



"The North indicated that the new weapon may enter into service earlier than estimated and that it can strike targets on the Korean Peninsula and Japan as well as Guam," he said.



In Wednesday's test-firing, the ballistic missile launched from a submarine flew about 500 kilometers and landed in waters under Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone (JADIZ) in the East Sea.



Park continued, saying that China is apparently bothered by talks in South Korea and Japan, spurred by the North's latest SLBM launch, about the need to develop nuclear-powered submarines.



"From China's point of view, if the development of nuclear submarines is realized in Seoul and Tokyo, it would threaten Beijing's national security much more than THAAD would do," he said.



Park added that China might have taken into account the upcoming G20 summit scheduled to take place from Sept. 4 to 5 in its city of Hangzhou in an apparent bid to remove all potential problems before world leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama and South Korean President Park Geun-hye gather there.



But the professor noted that it remains to be seen whether China's latest attitude change guarantees the country's continuous cooperation in the future, given that its cooperation in implementing UNSC Resolution 2270 has already weakened.



Resolution 2270 was adopted in March to punish North Korea for its nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch the following month.




Rep. Choo Mi-ae celebrates after being elected as the Minjoo Party of Korea's new leader. / Yonhap



Choo wants to avoid US-China clash on peninsula



By Kim Hyo-jin

The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) is predicted to take a hard-line stance against the country hosting the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, as Rep. Choo Mi-ae has become the party chairwoman.

Her leadership is raising the prospect of political wrangling over the deployment of the U.S. anti-missile defense system with the ruling Saenuri Party.

On Saturday, Choo, a five-term lawmaker whose district is in eastern Seoul, was elected as the new chairwoman to replace Kim Chong-in, the party's interim head who has been maintaining an overall neutral political stance.

Choo vowed during the chairmanship race to officially oppose the government's decision to deploy a THAAD battery on Korean soil.

"I will make opposition to the THAAD battery the party's official position," she said in an acceptance speech after the ballot, Saturday, reiterating her stance against the anti-missile system. "We cannot let China and the U.S. clash on the Korean Peninsula."

The Saenuri Party, which claims the missile defense system is integral to defending South Korea against Pyongyang's evolving nuclear and missile threats, responded immediately, expressing concerns over her opposition.

Rep. Kim Young-woo, a Saenuri Party lawmaker who chairs the Assembly's National Defense Committee, criticized the new opposition leader for downplaying security threats posed by North Korea.

"Choo should clarify what can be a countermeasure against North Korea's nuclear program and missiles if not a THAAD battery," he said during a press conference.

Calling on Choo to withdraw the stance, Kim noted, "Our security is at a critical stage but debate remains unproductive due to partisan wrangling and a not-in-my backyard attitude."

Replacing her predecessor Kim Chong-in, Choo signaled that she will make progressive-leaning changes in the party's major policies other than THAAD.

The party will take a tougher stance against the ruling Saenuri Party in Assembly negotiations under her leadership, party insiders view.

"The biggest discontent of party members is that we have not acted properly as an opposition party. I faced calls from them to become more dogged," she told reporters after the election.

"I'm determined to make our party a strong opposition party. We will stand against the President if she ignores and manages state affairs singlehandedly against the public call. This is a way of winning the presidential election."

She voiced strong support for revising the Sewol special law to extend the operation of an independent fact-finding committee set up following the sinking of the Sewol ferry that left 304 dead or missing.

Opposition parties and victims' families have argued that the committee made little progress due to a lack of cooperation by the governing bloc and that the duration of the investigation be extended.

But the ruling party remained adamant in its opposition to such a call, seeking to end the controversy over the disastrous incident. It views the committee was already dissolved in June under the current special law.

During the chairmanship campaign, she vowed to push for economic democratization bills aiming at easing the income gap, redistributing cash reserves of conglomerates, and protecting subcontractors and non-regular workers treated unfairly by management.

Moon followers take power

Lawmakers and party members who support Moon Jae-in bagged key leadership positions at the national convention, Saturday.

Choo garnered 54.03 percent of the votes, routing Rep. Lee Jong-kul, a former party floor leader and Kim Sang-gon, a former education superintendent of Gyeonggi Province with 23.89 and 22.08 percent of the votes, respectively. She reportedly gained the overwhelming support from the mainstream party members affiliated with Moon.

Six out of eight newly elected Supreme Council members are also Moon loyalists. Yang Hyang-ja, a former Samsung Electronics executive, and Kim Byung-kwan, chairman of online game developer Webzen who entered politics before the general election in April this year, were recruited by Moon, then party chairman.

The new leadership is expected to lay the groundwork for Moon's launching his presidential bid again in the 2017 race.

Pundits say the party members appear to have elected Choo in hopes of a strong leadership in the run-up to the presidential election.

Following the results, some party members expressed concerns that Moon's monopoly in the primary race could fail to attract the attention of voters.

Conscious of their concern, Choo vowed to prepare for a fair primary contest with various presidential candidate hopefuls.

"I will stop the party from being divided into the mainstream Moon followers and those who do not follow him," she said. "I'm confident I can conduct the presidential primary fairly, together with Rep. Kim Boo-kyum, ex-Chairman Moon, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, former advisor Son Hak-gyu, South Chungcheong Governor Ahn Hee-jung, and Seongnam Mayor Lee Jae-myung."

Choo, the former judge and veteran lawmaker born in the southeastern city of Daegu, became the first chairwoman from the ruling party's stronghold in a main opposition party.

She entered politics through the help of late President Kim Dae-jung and played a crucial role in the presidential campaign of late President Roh Moo-hyun.

Her reputation was tainted among Roh followers, the MPK's mainstream faction, as she voted in favor of impeaching the President in 2004. But she reconciled with them successfully after she described it as the biggest mistake of her political career.
By Yi Whan-woo



President Park Geun-hye is stepping up efforts to highlight the growing risks of the North Korean regime's destabilization in a new attempt to find a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations, analysts said Tuesday.



Citing her latest speeches, the experts said Park is adopting a two-track strategy on North Korea  putting greater pressure on its ruling class to give up its nuclear ambitions while separating and encouraging the rest of its people to join inter-Korean unification efforts.



During a National Security Council (NSC) meeting, Monday, the President said the Kim Jong-un regime is beginning to show "serious cracks" internally. "The prospect of political upheaval looms large there," she said.



In contrast, South Korea is ready to offer a chance for North Korean citizens and officials to pursue happiness and get fair and equal treatment through inter-Korean unification efforts, according to a message given on the occasion of the 71st anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan's occupation (1910-1945) on Aug. 15.



"The president's words show she no longer acknowledges Kim Jong-un as a dialogue partner and will continue to do so," said Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean Studies at Dongguk University. "She, instead, is willing to communicate with regular citizens to make a breakthrough in inter-Korean relations."



Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, speculated that Park's messages are aimed at "awakening" the North Koreans to be critical of their regime and take action accordingly in the long term.



Park Young-ho, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said, "The President must have concluded that Pyongyang's ruling class will remain unchanged in its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, and it's worth talking with the rest of the North Koreans as a reconciliatory effort."



The experts said the latest series of defections among North Korean elites has influenced Park to some extent to come up with the two-track strategy. They include Thae Yong-ho, North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Kingdom, who fled to Seoul with his family in late July.



The incidents raised speculation that an increasing number of North Koreans of various social and educational backgrounds are unhappy with the repressive state and that it faces a growing risk of destabilization.



"The incidents may have helped Park gain confidence that improving inter-Korean relations can be possible without talking to top-level people in the North," Park Young-ho said.



The analysts, however, were pessimistic that the President's strategy will be successful. They said the tactics will only heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula.



"It will only provoke North Korea," Kim Yong-hyun said.



Yang claimed the hawkish government of Lee Myung-bak, Park's predecessor, also tried in vain to separate Pyongyang's ruling class from others.



"It's true that more and more North Koreans are fleeing their country, but it doesn't mean that the Kim regime has lost control over its people. Park's speech was not made in a timely manner," he said.



Park Young-ho speculated that Pyongyang will become more hostile toward Seoul. "The repressive state is likely to regard the President's message as an attempt to assimilate the North," he said.



He claimed that the optimal strategy is to lend support to North Koreans on humanitarian grounds in cooperation with China, citing that the latest U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on Pyongyang allow trade with the isolated state for livelihood purposes.



"It will be slow, but it will surely help North Koreans to view the South as a reliable country in addition to China despite the UNSC sanctions," he said.




South Korea's Interior Minister Hong Yun-sik delivers a speech at the Azerbaijan-Korea Cooperation Forum on Public Administration during a visit to the Azerbaijani capital of Baku from Aug. 18 to 20.

/ Courtesy of the Ministry of Interior

By Yi Whan-woo

Azerbaijan and Korea are bolstering joint efforts to offer better services in public administration on the occasion of Interior Minister Hong Yun-sik's latest visit to Azerbaijan.

The Embassy of Azerbaijan in Seoul said last week that Hong attended a forum in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku from Aug. 18 to 20 to discuss ways of using information and communications technology (ICT) to improve the public administration system with relevant officials there.

Hong signed a memorandum of understanding concerning mutual cooperation in e-governance with Inam Karimov, chairman of the State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations.

Hong also met Prime Minister Artur Rasizade and Communications and High Technologies Minister Ramin Guluzade.

"Expressing gratitude to the Korean government for the establishment and technical assistance of the E-Government Training and Education Center for the Ministry of Communications and High Technologies, Guluzade expressed his confidence that developing relations between the two countries will continue rapidly," the Azerbaijan Embassy said in a press release.

It also said Hong underscored the importance of high-level relations in a meeting with Rasizade while sharing thoughts on bilateral cooperation in a wide range of fields, including ICT, satellite industries and postal services.

"The Korean minister came forward with a proposal to conduct training for Azerbaijani specialists and expand the mutual exchange of experience," it added.

Hong surmised that the forum will be significant in enhancing relations and sharing experience between the two nations.

Accompanied by Karimov, Hong visited the grave of Azerbaijan's late leader Heydar Aliyev on the sidelines of the forum.

Guluzade invited Hong to attend the BakuTel-2016, an international telecommunications and information technologies exhibition held in Baku every year, in November.

"Azerbaijan has enjoyed economic growth and development in the telecommunications sphere and plays a leading role in this field," Guluzade said.

"The exhibition defines the major challenges for modern society and for the ICT industry not just regionally, but globally. It also supports the establishment of ICT in the space industry. I am confident that the Bakutel exhibition and conference will be successful and provide new impetus to the development of ICT in the region."
U.S. Ambassador to Korea Mark Lippert and Honam University President Suh Kang-suk laugh during their meeting at Suh's office in Gwangju, Thursday. Lippert gave a special lecture to some 30 university students on his third visit to Gwanju since he took office in November 2014. He received a Korean traditional fan as a present from Suh.



/ Yonhap
By Stephen Costello

Koreans pay special attention to views in the US about them. They also pay attention to American policy directed at the Korean Peninsula. In this election year in the US, the prospect that a Republican administration could return to office and continue the approaches and mindsets from the Bush years has real consequences. But the prospect that a new Democratic administration could also fail to remember past successes and make the security situation even worse is even more likely.

It is particularly important to appreciate that for many Koreans, the engagement with Korea in broader regional responsibilities and advancements under the Clinton administration  and the underlying strategic rationale for it from 1992 to 2000  were rejected by the Obama group in 2009. Even though the Korea projects had been dwarfed during the Bush years by the triple impacts of the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld missile defense focus, the "Axis of Evil" or return to a Cold War analysis of Northeast Asia, and the post-9/11 further militarization of US foreign policy, there were some arguments during the transition over whether the new administration should explore diplomacy to recapture some of the strategic benefits from the Clinton era.

From all we've heard in the past seven years, that argument was settled by Obama before the new team took over the White House. They would embrace the Bush trio's views and double down on a coercion/capitulation strategy toward North Korea. Toward the South, this meant its value as the aggrieved victim of DPRK threats was most important, and its roles as democratizing, leading the engagement with North Korea, and taking on broader roles in the region were discounted. This may have been both disappointing and clear to the North Koreans, who set off a nuclear test on 25 May 2009. So in a practical sense, the current set of (mistaken) assumptions and (counterproductive) policies have been in place for 15 years.

The possibility of a continuation of Bush, and now Bush/Obama policies, under Republicans is important to note, because it goes far beyond the current statements from Donald Trump. Any current Republican leader would embrace these policies and worldviews because of the intellectual climate in the party today. It is only slightly less clear how much Hillary Clinton would seriously review or deviate from the disastrous choices of the past decade and a half. After all, she had to defend them herself as Secretary of State. Recent books, speeches and papers by possible members of her foreign policy team  should she win  give some clues to their thinking, and they are not encouraging.

"The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia," by Kurt Campbell, former Assistant Secretary of State for Asia; a speech at CSIS by Wendy Sherman, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; and now an article "Will South Korea Go Nuclear?" by Robert Einhorn, former Special Advisor for Nonproliferation and Arms Control, are partly resumes for jobs in a possible Clinton government. But they all stress the containment of North Korea and assume either a conservative South Korean administration or one that accepts the Bush/Obama approaches. None provides either suggestions for a different approach by the US or South Korea or the broader strategic reasons why one might be preferable.

And that is important. These are former officials in democratic US administrations, none are ideologues, and all should be aware of alternatives to the current direction. Yet they all neglect to consider either serious South Korean initiatives or a change in US assessments or interests. What this means is that the leadership within the US system for any creative change is harder to see and less likely to emerge. Paralysis of policy and imagination has set in.

It seems the view of South Korea from Washington has changed markedly in the last decade. The ROK is no longer seen as a full partner or regional actor but instead as subordinate to a vague China-balancing policy. The fact that discussions in South Korea about getting nuclear weapons, the debates over deployment of THAAD anti-missile batteries, and the rollback of democratic habits and institutions are all part of a package is not considered relevant, or even known. The effort to arrange for President Park and Japanese Prime Minister Abe to be in the same photo is a big deal.

With South Korea's dwindling profile  and importance to Washington  there will be extra sensitivity to how the new US administration talks about and treats the two Koreas. Would it be better or worse if the new US leadership makes North Korea a "higher priority" as many here advise? Will the approach to the region be defined and limited by the "pivot" the TPP, and the military response to China?

It probably will. After the US election, discussions in Korea will be about its own Presidential contest, a year down the road. Most important will be how to organize the economy in the face of pressures from China, Japan and a stalling Europe. National security and military approaches will have to be debated, and some hard choices made. THAAD, OpCon, force structure and basic strategic approaches must be reviewed and decided. A new look at how to use diplomacy should be taken.

With the right choices, Seoul would recapture some of its ambitions, and be noticed in Washington again, with expanding roles to play. With the wrong choices, the current tense balance of threats will get worse, and Korea's options will evaporate.

Stephen Costello is a producer of AsiaEast, a web and broadcast-based policy roundtable focused on security, development and politics in Northeast Asia. He writes from Washington, D.C. He can be reached at scost55@gmail.com.
Xi Jingping Barack Obama Vladimir Putin



By Oh Young-jin





Why is China so upset at South Korea's decision to allow the advanced U.S. anti-missile battery on its soil as to threaten all-out retaliation?

Is Beijing's position identical to that of Russia, its former Cold War ally and rival, now being on the same side once again against the U.S.?

Are the interests of Seoul and Washington as coincidental as they appear?

These questions are pivotal to understanding the changing the dynamic triggered by the Seoul-Washington decision to deploy the terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) system.

First, let's look at the stances of the two allies.

Seoul finds itself in an untenable position. As it explained to China and Russia, Seoul feels naked to North Korea's growing threat through its nuclear weapons and missiles.

Regarding the insecurity felt by its people, the government led by President Park Geun-hye was under pressure to do something. Park obviously knew the THAAD card should best remain as an option. But it couldn't find the ground to reject the U.S. request to bring it in for the protection of its troops stationed in Korea.

With THAAD coming, Park now can say that it is a self-protective measure, which is not an entirely wrong statement. One THAAD battery heading for Korea won't cover the entire southern half of the Korean Peninsula but would be enough to protect U.S. bases. The U.S. forces that survive North Korean missile attacks would be joined by reinforcements from the U.S. mainland. It should be remembered that in the event of war, civilians are considered collateral with lower priority than military assets in the order of protection.

That explains why the Seoul metro area, the population center, are excluded from the THAAD coverage. Already they are within the range of thousands of short-range North Korean rockets that are expected to go into action during the first hours of conflict. Simply put, the two's interests partially dovetail as long as they do: THAAD is supposed to strengthen the survivability of the existing U.S. troops for regrouping and accommodating reinforcements, which Seoul takes as the U.S. commitment to helping it fight against the North.

Then, what makes China unhappy? It can be explained from two aspects.

First, however Seoul may try to explain that THAAD is a defensive measure against the North, it falls on Beijing's deaf ears because the system is too close for comfort, feeling its key cities and military assets on the borderline with the North exposed to intrusive U.S. electronic eyes that come as a key component of the system. Then, it would point out that THAAD will be operated by Americans with Seoul providing the land for the system to be located. Therefore, Seoul's guarantees sound unpersuasive to Beijing.

Then China considers Washington its rival with their interests clashing on a wide front now focusing on South China Sea and the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. feels the same, as its pivot to Asia policy is the natural growth of Washington's long-term identification of China as its rival. China, brimming with confidence from its growing economic and military power, is trying to revert to its pre-Opium War era when it was the supreme power in Asia. From its humiliating experiences, it is strongly suspicious of western forces.

Russia, the U.S.'s former rival, has its own case of paranoia that is not entirely the product of its own imagination. Of course, much of its current stance stems from the same fear that China has about the world's only superpower.

It apparently doesn't take on face value U.S. claims that THAAD deployment is conditional on the threat of the North's weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), meaning when it disappears, they will be removed. Moscow has heard the same tune before. When the U.S. built anti-missile systems in Romania and Poland over Russia's objections, the U.S. cited Iranian threats but they remain or show no signs of being dismantled one year after the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal that has lifted sanctions on Tehran. Then, Moscow may well remember the Reagan era when it was forced into a massive arms race with the U.S. that proved to be the straw that broke the back of the camel that was the Soviet Union.

U.S. President Reagan's pet project was the strategic defense initiative (SDI) or Star Wars that provided the framework for the U.S. efforts to build its missile defense (MD).

The U.S. refused to re-sign the anti-ballistic missile (ABM) treaty with Russia after its 30-year term expired in 2002. The ABM treaty bans the development of missile interceptors so the U.S. is free to develop interceptors that work in space as well.

If there are a couple jumps in logic, one conclusion is that if the U.S. completes an indefatigable shield that protects itself against any missile attacks, where would it leave us?

It is extensively agreed that the fear of mutual assured destruction prevented the U.S. and Soviet Union from making a first strike during the Cold War era.

Wouldn't the U.S. feel an itch to strike first, if it has no fear of such a retaliatory attack? Especially, if a character like Donald Trump is in the White House. Maybe out of his love for Russian President Putin, he may push the buttons to hurl missiles at China.

Often, war starts at the misinterpretation of the other's move so the answer to this question lies as much with the U.S. as with Russia or China. It all comes down to how much the three trust each other. As things stand now, little to say the best.

This lack of trust also explains why there is so much fuss over THAAD in Korea.

Finding a creative way out of this dilemma will serve as touchstone to whether Korea is a prawn that tames three whales  U.S., China and Russia  a variation from the old saying of "the prawn whose back is broken in a whales' fight," which got Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in trouble for self-flattery.

Oh Young-jin is The Korea Times' chief editorial writer. Contact foolsdie5@ktimes or foolsdie@gmail.com
A senior foreign ministry official will visit three Latin American countries to seek cooperation against North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations, the ministry said Friday.

Lim Sung-nam, a vice foreign minister, will embark on the three-nation trip on Friday that will take him to Chile, Argentina and Colombia. The trip will run through Wednesday, according to the ministry.

He is to meet his counterparts and other officials from the countries. The main topics will be on the North's continued missile provocations including Wednesday's test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile that triggered global condemnation.

The official also plans to urge them to maintain their cooperation in enforcing relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions against the North, the ministry said. (Yonhap)
By Tong Kim

North Korea's successful firing on Aug. 24 of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) is emerging as a game-changer of security strategy in Korea. The North could build an operational SLBM capability within a few years to complete two facets of the "nuclear triad" for delivery of a nuclear arsenal from land and sea, except from the air, targeting as far as Japan, Guam and the U.S.

The North released a video of the launch being monitored by their leader, Kim Jong-un. He said on the spot: "I do not guess what ridiculous remarks the U.S. and its followers will make, but I can say their rash acts will only precipitate their self-destruction." He warned the South and the U.S. "to refrain from hurting the dignity and security of the DPRK with prudence and self-control."

The launch came after a series of test failures and partial successes, all in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and in defiance of sanctions, demonstrating Pyongyang's intransigent pursuit of its nuclear and missile program. The pace of progress in technology is noted as much faster than expected in the view of most experts.

The SLBM was fired at a high angle, using solid fuel, and it flew over 500 kilometers, landing in Japan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ). If fired at a normal angle, its trajectory would reach 1,000 kilometers. The North is known to have only one 2,000-ton class submarine that can carry a missile for underwater launch. The North claims it has mastered the technology for miniaturization and reentry for mounting a nuclear warhead on a missile.

Pyongyang sometimes carries out its own word, and the latest firing of a SLBM is an example of making good on the word. Before the beginning of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercise, the North warned that it would retaliate against "any slightest sign of aggression with our nuclear deterrent in Korean style." Pyongyang complained in a letter to the U.N. Security Council that the allied exercise was to rehearse "a preemptive nuclear war" on the North.

The operational plan 5015, under which the exercise is being conducted, includes a preemptive strike against the increasing North Korean nuclear threats. It appears sensible that this year's exercise does not mobilize such war assets as an aircraft carrier, a nuclear-powered submarine or a stealth bomber.

Military exercises are necessary to enhance the deterrent, at the absence of threat reduction through a peace process. Yet, deterrent is not sufficient to bring about a peaceful resolution of the Korean issue. Every year, the annual exercises in spring and summer end up raising tensions, regardless of their well-intended objectives.

With the remarkable SLBM launch this time, Kim may feel that he has made up for the embarrassing defection of Tae Yong-ho, deputy North Korean ambassador to London. Seoul's unification ministry said the defection was motivated by "being sick and tired of the North Korean regime and yearning for South Korea's democracy." Tae's concerns for his grown children's education were also widely reported as a motivation for defection.

Pyongyang's KCNA said the defector, who went to South Korea with the assistance of British and American agents, was "a human scum that has sold state secrets, embezzled public funds and raped a minor, and he had been under orders to return to Pyongyang since June."

However, the North Korean media, for its domestic audience, was silent about the rare defection of their ranking diplomat.

Tae was not the first defector from the North Korean elites serving as a backbone for the Kim dynasty. Workers' Party secretary Hwang Jang-yup and DPRK ambassador to Egypt Jang Seung-gil defected in 1997, and many North Korean officials working overseas have defected to the South. Many of them provided valuable information.

There appears to be a shifting trend of defection, from economic reason to political motivation, and arguably from low to middle-class people, but it does not constitute a plausible rationale for an apparent view of President Park that the North Korean regime has started to crack, heading toward collapse.

Pyongyang's SLBM launch quickly stirred up opponents of THAAD deployment to point out that North Korea's SLBM capability further neutralizes the limited effectiveness of the THAAD system that covers a 120-degree forward sector. The system may be able to destroy incoming missiles from the north but not those coming from the east, south or west, where submarines may fire them.

In Tokyo last week, after meeting the Korean foreign minister, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reaffirmed China's "resolute opposition" to the THAAD deployment. Wang warned that China does not want to see a negative impact "affecting all phases of its relations with South Korea." However, Wang agreed with his counterparts from Tokyo and Seoul to disapprove of North Korean behavior that contravenes U.N. resolutions.

It is not certain that the THAAD deployment will be completed by the end of next year as planned. There is significant, if not insurmountable, opposition from home and abroad. Opposition by China and Russia is adamant. China has started taking concrete steps to curb South Korean interests in reaction to Seoul's decision. Local residents in the South strongly oppose the basing of a missile battery in their own area. Many opposition politicians demand a parliamentary review of the deployment.

Perhaps it is better to postpone the deployment for now and overhaul President Park's failing North Korea policy to meet new challenges from the changing security environment in the region. What's your take?

Tong Kim is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Korean-American Studies. He can be contacted at tong.kim8@yahoo.com.
By Simplice A. Asongu

Development economists often differ with one another, but they agree on this: the knowledge economy will be the foundation of every nation's progress in the twenty-first century. Yet while East Asia and other regions have been making substantial gains in building a knowledge economy, Africa has not.

It is not too late to change that. But to do so requires a shift from "hard" strategies like structural adjustment to "soft" ones  in particular, the development of human capabilities. In engineering that shift, leaders should focus on developing the four pillars of a knowledge economy, as defined by the World Bank's Knowledge Economy Index.

The first pillar is education. African policymakers need to implement ambitious measures not only to increase enrollment in schools and training programs, but also to improve the quality and availability of such programs, particularly in technical fields, throughout workers' lives.

Creating lifelong learning opportunities is the only way to enable the labor force to adapt to constantly evolving technological conditions. Policymakers therefore need to establish mechanisms for providing practical vocational and on-the-job technical training, whether directly or by creating incentives for companies. Delivering, say, advanced imported technologies that companies might not be able to afford on their own would be a powerful inducement for them to contribute to upgrading the skills of the local labor force.

One way to improve the quality of the education system is to encourage more highly educated Africans to contribute to knowledge creation by conducting and publishing scientific and technical research. Academic promotions from doctoral status to professorship should be based on such publications, instead of just teaching experience or, worse, political connections.

Academic excellence is vital to the second pillar of a knowledge economy: innovation. For now, African economies can take advantage of technological catch-up by reverse engineering existing technologies and tailoring them to suit local conditions  an approach that has worked well for East Asian countries. Beyond ensuring that people have the education they need, governments will have to create incentives to encourage such activities, ideally with a focus on local issues like food security.

But there are limits to imitation. Once Africa is further along in the development process, its economies, like China's today, will have to shift from imitation to genuine innovation. At that point, incentives for companies and researchers will have to be adjusted. For small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs), which often struggle to obtain loans, government-run institutes can be used for collaborative research and development.

In this effort, emphasis must be placed on information and communications technology  the third pillar of a knowledge economy. Given Africa's still-low ICT penetration rate  the continent is one of the world's only remaining regions that are far from saturation  there is plenty of room for rapid growth in this area. With the right approach, connecting people through ICT could empower women, expand access to health care, boost financial inclusion, close the gap between urban and rural areas, and open up new business models, particularly for SMEs.

But expanding ICT uptake will require African leaders to overcome major barriers to access. Most urgent, infrastructure must be built to enable the deployment of ICT services. Imitation and adaptation will also be critical here, as will sound regulatory and competitive policies.

The final pillar of a knowledge economy comprises incentives and institutions. As governments pursue a long-term process of economic transformation, African companies will need support to become competitive. Subsidies for R&D, together with fiscal incentives and limitations on foreign companies in African markets, could give local companies the space they need to build up their capabilities.

Of course, the so-called Washington Consensus  the quintessential neoliberal guide to development  emphasizes free-market competition, including trade liberalization. But even the developed countries that promote this agenda relied on protectionism at the early stages of their industrialization. By giving an advantage to larger and more developed companies and industries, free-market ideology can actually undermine effective competition.

In his book Making Globalization Work , the Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz points out that the United States would not be at the forefront of the global cotton industry were it not for government subsidies. Likewise, dairy farmers in the European Union receive $2 per day per cow in subsidies (which is higher than most African people's incomes).

But these economies also show the perils of sustaining subsidies for too long. The EU allocates about half of its budget to agricultural subsidies, even though the food industry represents only about 6% of its GDP. That is not only unnecessary; it is economically damaging to Europe and developing countries alike.

African countries should take a lesson: in building knowledge economies, they will need to support industries' maturation, and then rescind protectionist measures, in order to mitigate complacency and spur innovation.

A strong, credible, and capable institutional regime will be critical to manage this transition. When crises arise, governments must have the tools and trust needed to cope with them. One way to strengthen institutional development would be through investment in long-term development projects.

None of this will be easy. It never is. But building a knowledge-based economy in Africa is far from impossible. Governments can benefit from the experience of other countries in deciding which policies to adapt to local conditions and which to avoid. Above all, they need to start now.

Simplice A. Asongu is Lead Economist in the research department of the African Governance and Development Institute. Copyright belongs to Project Syndicate.
The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) has elected Choo Mi-ae, a five-term female lawmaker, as its new leader.



The former judge has her work cut out for her: ending an internal power struggle and realigning the party as a responsible opposition to bring checks and balances to the workings of the governing Saenuri Party and President Park Geun-hye.



Choo as victor should offer an olive branch to the party's "nonmainstream" lawmakers, who already feel painted into a corner, after the support of the "mainstream" faction, led by Moon Jae-in, contributed greatly to Choo's overwhelming victory.



Moon, the party's presidential candidate who lost to President Park, worked as chief of staff of the late President Roh Moo-hyun and inherited Roh's supporters.



A key task for the new MPK leader is to maintain the balance of power inside the party by keeping Moon and his supporters on a tighter leash. Already, top leadership posts are taken by Moon's supporters, triggering concerns that the party is fast leaning toward Moon.



That runs counter to the campaign pledge by Choo to eliminate internal divisions and help the party get ready for the change of power in next year's presidential election.



A fair and open process should be ensured to have the opposition produce a more qualified candidate who goes up against the ruling party's standard bearer for a greater chance of winning. This will help provide the people with a wider set of choices.



Choo faces a test in the adjustment of the current party's policies regarding the government's decision to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, an advanced U.S. missile interceptor.



Under the interim MPK leader, Kim Chong-in, the MPK had been neutral on this issue. Demand for a hard-line stance is expected to get stronger. Now, there is speculation that the MPK may join the minor opposition parties to require legislative ratification for the deployment, which will bring this controversial issue back to square one.



Choo and members of the Moon faction should bear in mind that a majority of people consider THAAD a minimal self-defense measure against the growing threat of North Korea's missile attacks. Thus, any partisan approach will run the risk of wreaking havoc to the defense posture and alienating the party from the voters.



In her victory speech, Choo vowed to avoid the clash of power between China and the U.S. on the Korean Peninsula. We will keenly watch how she handles this first test of her leadership.




Dyson's design engineer Graeme McPherson introduces the company's premium Supersonic hairdryers during a press conference at the Boutique Monaco building in Seocho-gu, southern Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Dyson



By Yoon Sung-won



From the world's first bagless vacuum cleaner to a bladeless fan, British electronics company Dyson has continued to introduce unprecedented technological concepts to common devices that have been used in old ways for a long time.



Dyson Engineer Graeme McPherson said the company always starts from grasping problems with existing electronic devices and seeks solutions through technologies.



"Dyson always pushes to solve problems that most people overlook," the design engineer said in an interview in Seoul, Tuesday. "We are working to develop technologies about what used to be impossible and what people have not tried so far."



One of Dyson's latest devices is the "Supersonic" hairdryer. Depicting the hairdryer not only as powerful but also intelligent, McPherson said his team has gone through a time of patience and effort to develop the new device.



"Because we did not have a background in the beauty industry, we had to start from scratch in the conceptualizing stage, mulling over how to combine technologies in different areas for the new device. This took four years," he said. "We gathered many engineers each specialized in acoustics, motors, fluid mechanism and so on. We have built more than 600 prototypes before engineering the final design for Supersonic."



After acquiring his master's degree of engineering design at Loughborough University, McPherson started his career as a design engineer of motor cruisers.

When he joined Dyson in 2006, he worked to develop cylinder vacuum cleaners. Afterwards he moved to the air control technology team to research the applicability of Dyson's exclusive air condensing technology.



Established in the United Kingdom by James Dyson in 1991, the British company has acquired its reputation as a provider of premium home appliances. The company is pouring in more than $330 million for research and development every year and recently revealed its plan to invest $1.4 billion in improving battery technologies.



Though it faces similar premium product difficulties of global electronics giants such as Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics, Dyson's products including wireless vacuum cleaners, air purifiers and humidifiers have drawn great popularity globally regardless of their high prices.



McPherson also underlined that more than 2,000 Dyson engineers are capable of creating consumer benefits out of new technologies thanks to the company's technology-oriented business philosophy and the operation of relatively flexible product development timelines.



"Though we do have plans and timelines for product development, we always seek to be more flexible and repeat the trial-and-error process to be ultimately ready to roll out new devices," he said. "I believe this is possible partly for Dyson is not a listed company, and also because James Dyson himself is the chief engineer."
By Yoon Sung-won



LG Chem said Sunday it will focus on high-value petrochemicals in the basic materials business to respond to rising oversupply concerns.



The move came amid expectations the nation's petrochemical industry, which is in an instant boom on the back of a price drop in raw materials, will face fiercer competition as product output is expanding in North America and China despite a global economic slowdown.



"It is important to prepare for an uncertain future earlier than anybody else even when we are thriving," said Son Ok-dong, president of LG Chem's Basic Materials Business. "We will do our utmost to build a solid business foundation that can generate results no matter what difficulties."



The nation's top chemical business pledged to increase the sales of high-value petrochemical products  metallocene polyolefin; highly-functional acrylonitrile, butadiene and styrene; engineering plastic (EP); super-absorbent polymers; and eco-friendly synthetic rubber  to 7 trillion won by 2020, up from the current 3 trillion won level. To this end, it will invest 400 billion won by 2018 to boost production capability of synthetic resins called elastomers. The company also said it will seek to acquire businesses with promising tech companies to strengthen competitiveness in the EP sector.



LG Chem said it will also boost price competitiveness of existing products such as ethylene and propylene. In particular, the company said it is considering expanding production of ethylene to stably supply high-value petrochemicals. It currently is capable of producing 2.2 million tons of ethylene a year.




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Seoul, Aug. 28 (CNA) Several visiting Taiwanese history and geography teachers have said they were impressed by the actions taken by and determination of South Korea to defend its sovereignty over a disputed group of islet in the Sea of Japan after touring there.
China has joined the 14 other members of the UN Security Council in strongly condemning North Korea for test-firing ballistic missiles.

The Security Council issued a statement, agreeing to take significant measures in response to the latest series of launches. North Korea has test-fired several ballistic missiles in July and August, including one from a submarine towards Japan on Wednesday.

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said the submarine-launched missile test was the greatest success, putting the US mainland and the Pacific within the striking range. But Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the missile breached his countrys Air Defence Identification Zone and condemned what he called an unforgivable, reckless act and a grave threat to Japans security.

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An Italian wingsuit pilot who crashed down to his death in the Alps was broadcasting his daring jump live on Facebook, it has emerged.

The 28-year-old, named locally as Armin Schmieder, told his fans today you fly with me before his leap, from a mountain top near Kandersteg in Switzerland, ended in tragedy.

Images from a video posted online show the pilot readying his wingsuit before pocketing his phone and taking off.

After a few moments, a shout can be heard and the sound of impact.

The Zurich daily Blick reports that followers watching the video reacted with horror.

Some sent messages asking that he write or say something. But all that could be heard on the video was the sound of cow bells, the newspaper reports. The video couldnt immediately be verified.

Bern cantonal police said the body of a 28-year-old Italian citizen was recovered near Kandersteg, a popular BASE jumping location.

Police spokeswoman Jolanda Egger declined Saturday to confirm the mans identity.

She said the cause of the accident was still being investigated.

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The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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Hello! Im Mark Olsen, and welcome to your weekly field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.

The drumbeat of fall movies, and awards season behind it, is upon us. As my colleagues and I prepare to head north for the Toronto International Film Festival in early September, with festivals in Venice and Telluride preceding us, were already seeing movies that have that prestige sheen to them and feeling the turnover.

But there are still plenty of movies coming out now, too, and good ones at that.

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This past week we had an unexpectedly emotional Q&A with John Krasinski for The Hollars, which he directed and stars in. He spoke about the importance of the values of family both within the movie and to him personally. Plus, no surprise, hes funny and charming, so it was a great night. Check events.latimes.com for more info about upcoming events.

The Intervention

Actress Clea DuVall makes her debut as writer and director with The Intervention, a funny, earnest examination of the hard work of being in a couple and also the ease with which so many of us judge others rather than taking a real look at ourselves. It has a sparkling ensemble, which includes DuVall herself, alongside Melanie Lynskey, Cobie Smulders, Ben Schwartz, Jason Ritter, Natasha Lyonne and Vincent Piazza.

In his review for The Times, Robert Abele said, In the case of actress Clea DuValls debut as writer-director, a four-couple stew called The Intervention, theres little in the way of relationship mishigas you havent seen before. But as an unfussy, dryly amusing and sincere look at men and women pondering emotional pivots in their lives, its plenty likable.

The Intervention cast members include Ben Schwartz, from left, Alia Shawkat, Jason Ritter, Clea DuVall, Cobie Smulders, Vincent Piazza and Melanie Lynskey. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times )

In the L.A. Weekly, April Wolfe likewise noted, Its rare for films to capture what its like for a relationship to come to the brink, and then miraculously adapt to a new way of being, sometimes better than it was before, and other times just different. The Intervention may not redefine the genre, but its a solid addition.

I spoke to DuVall, Lynskey, Smulders and most of the rest of the cast. The process of making the movie actually made DuVall do a bit of self-examination.

I definitely have become less judge-y, and I definitely have become more aware when I start to go in that direction, she said. To kind of pull back and look at people from a place of compassion and understanding and being in their shoes. Most of the time we can relate to other people if we try.

Dont Breathe

As the follow-up to his debut feature, his version of the cult horror classic Evil Dead, filmmaker Fede Alvarez has crafted a horror-thriller deceptive in its simplicity and somewhat devious in its ability to reorient its storytelling to keep audiences off-balance. The new Dont Breathe is a heist picture and home invasion story in which the thieves get more than they came looking for.

I spoke to Alvarez and Sam Raimi, a producer on the new film, about crafting a modern horror-thriller.

What I love with horror is that it has that power, even with a small budget and simplicity, said Alvarez. It can take you to a level of emotion, a feeling that is so strong it gets people jumping in their seats, covering their eyes. They think they are threatened physically even though they know its a movie and nothing is going to happen. So I put audiences through very strong emotions, and I earn their money.

And a special sidebar with horror recommendations from Raimi.

In his review for The Times, Justin Chang said, The revelations at the heart of Dont Breathe are lurid and ludicrous in the extreme, but theyre also almost incidental  a quick, resourceful means of sustaining a lethal game of cat-and-mouse between predator and prey, and between filmmaker and audience.

At MTV, Amy Nicholson said, Theres one scene that crosses the line from visceral to crass, which cheapens the film. Otherwise, Dont Breathe is a small delight, like stumbling across a shiny silver dollar. Alvarez knows the size of his ambitions. Hes written one great ghoul, surrounded him with targets, and simply let him let rip.

At Time, Stephanie Zacharek wrote, Horror is pretty much the last refuge of filmmakers who want to practice old-time movie artistry in the style of Brian De Palma or David Cronenberg  in other words, using the camera to tell much of the story  while also reaching a wide, mainstream audience. 

Southside With You

Writer-director Richard Tanne creates a fictionalized version of the 1989 first date between Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson, who would, of course, eventually marry and go on to become President and First lady of these United States. Much has already been written about that fateful date, that they went to see Do The Right Thing and ate ice cream, but Southside With You humanizes the moment and fills in some gaps.

In his review for The Times, Kenneth Turan said, It cant be ignored that this is a film that benefits from the audience knowing more than the characters twice over. We are not only aware that Michelle and Barack will end up together, we know that when Michelle tells him you definitely have a knack for making speeches, its a broad hint of great things to come.

Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter play Barack and Michelle Obama in Southside With You. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times )

In the Chicago Tribune, Michael Phillips wrote, Chronicling the first date of Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson on a day and an evening in the summer of 1989, the movie finds its rhythm as the date progresses. The actors, Tika Sumpter as Michelle and Parker Sawyers as the Sidley Austin Chicago law firms summer associate, act less and less and simply become who theyre playing, without undue emphasis on impersonation.

In the New York Times, Manohla Dargis wrote, Mr. Tanne has clearly made a close study of his real-life inspirations, yet his movie is soon hostage to the couples history. His characters feel on loan and, despite his actors, eventually make for dull company because too many lines and details serve the great-man-to-be story rather than the romance.

For The Times, Trevell Anderson spoke to the team behind the movie.

When it first came out that we were doing the movie, it was kind of under the radar. It was like, That could be cute, Sumpter said. But I know how much especially black people love the Obamas, and especially Michelle Obama. So I knew that I had to get it right.

The Hollars

From a screenplay by Jim Strouse, with The Hollars John Krasinski has directed a warm comedy about family that shifts gears into being a warm drama about family before you know it. With an affecting performance by Margo Martindale, alongside Krasinski, Sharlto Copley and Richard C. Jenkins, the story shows a family refinding its center amid a health crisis.

In his review for The Times, Gary Goldstein said, Its tough to dislike The Hollars, which is something director-star John Krasinski and writer Jim Strouse work overtime to ensure  Strouses deft script and Krasinkis game direction upend a host of familiar moments in ways that are fresh and unexpected  if sometimes overly broad. The terrific cast doesnt hurt.

John Krasinski, Charlie Day, Margo Martindale, Sharlto Copley and Josh Groban, from The Hollars. " (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times )

In the New York Times, Neil Genzlinger said, Too much happens too quickly in The Hollars for the story to be credible, but the film has some likable qualities, among them the fun of seeing actors in unexpected roles.

Email me if you have questions, comments or suggestions, and follow me on Twitter @IndieFocus.
Here is  voici, I should say  the Parisian high school superhero cartoon series you have been looking for.

Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir premiered domestically on Nickelodeon last December, just two months after its French premiere. A second American DVD collection, Spots On, is being released Tuesday by Shout Factorys Shout Kids sub-label, following a first volume in May. While my interest in superheroes is perhaps inversely related to the degree to which they have occupied the culture, my Francophilia is such that I am critical putty in its CGI-animated hands. (And I am no particular fan of CGI animation, either.)

And its good  clever, romantic, fun, the way some of us prefer our superhero stories.

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Set in a Paris of recognizable spaces and landmarks  including, along with the unavoidable Eiffel Tower, the Hotel de Ville, the Pont des Arts, Notre Dame, art nouveau Metropolitan signs, poster-plastered kiosks and I.M. Peis glass pyramid in the forecourt of the Louvre (which gets thanked in the credits)  it is a bouillabaisse of local Gallic detail. The main characters father is a baker; on parents career day, he brings croissants to her class; the supernatural sidekick of another has a taste for Camembert. The authorship of Sleeping Beauty is assigned to Charles Perrault and not to Walt Disney. And the DVDs allow you the choice of listening in the original French, which feels classy.

The action is centered among a group of students at whatever they call high school over there, the usual complement of types locally familiar from teenage comedies and Archie comics, and now recognized internationally: spoiled girl, spoiled girls lackey, bohemian, jock, nerd, like that. Marinette (Cristina Vee) is the French-Chinese smart girl who takes time off from studies to protect Paris in the guise of Ladybug, a costumed crusader into whom she transforms with the help of a pair of magical earrings. (As is traditional, the battle is for the soul of a single city; there are no field trips to Lyon or Toulouse.)

Marinette has a crush on her classmate Adrien (Bryce Papenbrook), an unspoiled rich kid who moonlights as a model, and like, Marinette, as a superhero, Cat Noir. (That the male hero wears a catsuit, cat ears and a sort of tail is what to American eyes may seem a surprisingly foreign and/or feminine touch.) Although Ladybug and Cat Noir fight as a team, neither suspects the others secret identity, a situation complicated by the fact that Marinette has a crush on Adrien and Adrien has a crush on Ladybug. Its the classic Clark-Lois-Superman triangle, if Lois were also a superhero, too, rather than just a damn fine reporter.

As the Popeye cartoons of old, with their predictable progression of conflict-spinach-resolution, every episode of Miraculous has a similar outline. A frustrated character is unwittingly converted to thematically appropriate super-powered badness by the interference of Hawk Moth, the supervillain of the piece. A policeman becomes a robocop; a spurned lover a Dark Cupid.

Like Sauron or Voldemort in his middle years, Hawk Moth never leaves his dark aerie but enlists proxies to try to steal the miraculous (its a noun here, plural miraculouses) that enable Marinette and Adrien to become Ladybug and Cat Noir and whose possession will increase his power. Battle is engaged. Invariable catch phrases and ritual poses from our heroes, with Ladybug ever so slightly in charge, lead to order restored.

The characters do have the look of extruded plastic common to CGI cartoons  especially to those operating on a budget. (That also means a Paris oddly devoid of passersby  though full of little French cars.) But within these limits the design is lovely and the animation elegant, and a lot of work has gone into the staging and execution of the action scenes. An episode that plays off horror movie tropes captures the proper, properly cinematic atmosphere. And a car chase through the streets of Paris  in pursuit of an evil mime (yes, a mime, its France!)  is the best Paris-based car chase Ive seen since Ronin. Oui! Cest vrai!

robert.lloyd@latimes.com

On Twitter @LATimesTVLloyd
A casual observer could be excused for thinking there must be two El Camino high schools in Los Angeles.

One, a well-managed, long-running success story that delivers solid and sometimes spectacular academic results. The other, in need of appropriate oversight, with a free-spending principal and loose financial controls.

Last week, the L.A. Board of Education focused on the problems portion of the alleged split personality, unanimously approving a notice of violations that cites inappropriate spending, poor accounting and violations of public meeting rules.

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The charter school has a month to address the allegations.

Although the schools positives are widely expected to help it survive, L.A. Unified could act to revoke its charter to operate, forcing out the current management and bringing the campus back under district control.

The case is one more example of tensions between the nations second-largest school system and its charter schools, which manage their own public funding and are free from some rules that govern traditional campuses. El Camino Real Charter High School was run by the district until 2011.

At last weeks meeting, board member Scott Schmerelson said El Camino as a charter remains an excellent school.

But it is not a private school, said Schmerelson, who represents the west San Fernando Valley area where the school is located. It is a public school. They have to go by the same rules we do.

The El Camino case could test the limits of that assertion. El Camino, for example, has declined to tell the district whether it has taken disciplinary action against Executive Director Dave Fehte, who has come under internal and external scrutiny. Such action could be considered a confidential personnel matter, to be kept even from L.A. Unified.

A report from the districts charter school division accuses El Camino of demonstrating an inability to determine how public funds are being used, adding that fatal flaws in judgment ... call into serious question the organizations ability to successfully implement the charter in accordance with applicable law and district requirements.

According to L.A. Unified, a sampling of 425 credit card expenses from five El Camino employees, including Fehte, revealed that countless expenses were incurred without adherence to any uniform procedure, and without verification of the necessary details.

The school system also accused El Caminos board of improperly conducting public meetings by, for example, taking action on items that were not listed for voting on the agendas.

In a series of articles, the Los Angeles Daily News reported on Fehtes spending for such things as wine, first-class air travel and expensive hotel rooms.

Fehte has denied wrongdoing and said he inadvertently charged about $6,100 in personal expenses on his school credit card. He said he reimbursed the school as soon as these charges were pointed out to him.

As the schools principal, Fehte led the effort to make El Camino a charter and hes been the schools most visible leader, but he took no part in last weeks presentation before the Board of Education.

It fell instead to a group of El Camino teachers and administrators to offer evidence that the schools performance has improved and that its management practices are exemplary.

Unlike in some other cases, the district has not suggested El Camino is at any risk of financial collapse. And El Camino students annually shine in the academic decathlon competition, winning the national title as recently as 2014.

We knew six years ago that converting to a charter would be a growing experience, said veteran teacher Susan Freitag, an El Camino graduate who chairs the visual and performing arts department. I believe we have surpassed our expectations. As a charter we have flourished.

The school has hired an outside firm to investigate potential misconduct by Fehte and to review all credit card use. Its supposed to deliver a confidential report to El Caminos board of directors Sept. 21  two days before the schools deadline to respond to L.A. Unified.

El Camino also has collected credit cards from senior administrators and tightened policy for their use. Members of the El Camino team said they thought they were working out issues collaboratively with L.A. Unified and said they were blindsided by the notice of violations.

El Camino has had its share of issues with L.A. Unified  in part due to the districts financial woes and its attempts to boost enrollment and win back students from charters.

In 2015 and early this year, L.A. Unified spurned plans to let El Camino expand by taking over closed district campuses. In April, the district blocked El Caminos attempt to shift the retirement costs of about 10 teachers from El Camino to L.A. Unified.

El Camino supporters said their school is the victim of an anti-charter trend.

Still, the odds appear to be on their side.

In the last three years, the Board of Education approved six notices of violations, but only one led to a charter being revoked.

howard.blume@latimes.com

@howardblume

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To celebrate Los Angeles birthday, Kelli Romo laced up her sneakers and joined hundreds of others Saturday in retracing the 9-mile route that the original settlers walked 235 years ago from the San Gabriel Mission to what is now El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument.

The group marched along Mission Road, through Lincoln Park and over the Los Angeles River to the Los Angeles Plaza Historic District downtown. It was a familiar route, one that Romo had traveled by car before. But by setting out on foot, the 38-year-old mother of two said she was transported to a different time.

I really grasped what people did hundreds of years ago to start this city, she said. They didnt have paved roads. They were carrying kids. It really put into perspective what we take for granted.

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Romo said she knew the story about how Los Pobladores  22 adults and 22 children  were recruited from present-day Mexico to come to California and provide food to the Spanish army. But she said she felt more connected to those early settlers and their struggle after the walk.

It was a cultural experience, she said.

Later, hundreds gathered around the plaza to celebrate the citys roots. The festivities included live music, dancing, arts and crafts and, of course, a birthday cake.

Young members of the Ballet Folklorico Nuevo Amanecer wait to perform during L.A.'s birthday celebration. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times )

Irene Sepulveda-Hastings, the oldest descendant of Los Pobladores, reminded the crowd of the bravery of the citys pioneers.

The walk [today] is a lot different from our ancestors, said the 86-year-old Corona resident. They didnt know what they were going to find on the trail.

As the pounding of drums filled the air, 29-year-old Arduro Ayala described both the poverty and the progress he saw as he navigated the historic route on foot.

Ayala marveled at how Los Angeles rose from a pueblo, or tiny village, into the booming and extremely diverse metropolis it is today. On his walk, he pondered what makes a great city.

Organization, discipline, honesty, and leaders, he said, willing to cooperate with different people.

For more California breaking news, follow @AngelJennings. She can also be reached at angel.jennings@latimes.com.

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Firefighters used ladders to help passengers off a Metro Blue Line commuter train on Sunday afternoon after power problems brought it to a halt near Washington Station.

A Los Angeles Fire Department crew was dispatched to 1945 Long Beach Ave. just before 1:15 p.m. after the train lost power, said department spokesman Erik Scott. No passengers were injured and there was no fire at the scene, he said.

Metro officials informed travelers via Twitter that buses were replacing trains between the Washington and Vernon stations. About 1:45 p.m., the transit system said that Blue Line trains were resuming service with minor residual delays until 2:30 p.m.

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emily.alpert@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter at @LATimesEmily

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John Gregorchuk had a plan: He would buy a house with ample room in back, enough room to build another unit.

He would rent out that granny flat to help cover the mortgage. And then, when he and his girlfriend were ready to marry and start a family, his mother-in-law could move in and help take care of the kids.

It seemed at first that everything was falling into place. Two years ago, he bought a house in Exposition Park. He saved up for a construction loan. He forked over money for city fees and got his plans vetted.

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But when he went to pull his building permit earlier this year, the city refused.

A legal battle had stopped Los Angeles from permitting new granny flats  and thrown hundreds of units already tucked behind local homes into limbo.

As the city tries to sort out that dilemma, it has renewed a furious debate at City Hall over what homeowners like Gregorchuk should be able to build in their backyards.

Granny flats  also known as second or accessory dwelling units  have been seen as an easy way to bring more homes for the middle class into crowded cities and chip away at the housing crisis that has driven up Los Angeles rents.

State lawmakers have sought to smooth the approval process so more are built. If granny flats popped up on 10% of the single-family lots in L.A., that would make up roughly half of the 100,000 new units Mayor Eric Garcetti has pledged to create by 2021, said Dana Cuff, director of the CityLab think tank at UCLA. Garcetti has backed them as a way to add housing without disrupting the character and scale of our residential neighborhoods.

But some residents fear shoehorning in more granny flats could do exactly that. Neighborhood groups have pushed for the city to retain stricter rules on second units than California law would otherwise impose.

Diana Nave, who chairs the planning committee for the Northwest San Pedro Neighborhood Council, said residents worried that a free for all for granny flats could worsen parking and traffic. We spend all this time making sure we have housing that fits into the neighborhood  and theyre just going to wipe that all out, Nave said.

With lawmakers split on what to do, the City Council put off taking action last week, infuriating Gregorchuk and other homeowners who had hoped the city would swiftly end their plight.

They cannot leave 600 people hanging on loose thread, said Len Judaken, whose son was sued over a unit meant for him in Cheviot Hills.

The legal dilemma centers on a clash between city and state law: Years ago, California passed a law that was meant to smooth the way for granny flats, one that conflicted with city rules that gave planning officials discretion to determine which units would be allowed.

After the state law was passed, city officials decided the municipal ordinance would not apply  but never rolled it back. Six years ago, they penned a memo that said granny flats would be allowed if they were in line with state standards and city zoning.

But after a dispute erupted over a granny flat being built for Judaken in Cheviot Hills, a court ruled that L.A. could not simply disregard its city law without doing the proper analysis. It ordered the city to stop handing out building permits for secondary units that relied on the invalidated memo.

Hundreds of granny flats had gotten city permits under those rules. Planning officials say that when the ruling was handed down, more than 200 people had obtained building permits for second units, but not certificates of occupancy, which allow a building to be legally occupied.

The city said those plans could still move forward, but owners would have to sign a document saying that their granny flats could be vulnerable to a legal challenge. An additional 354 people had already gotten the occupancy certificates but are now left under a legal cloud, city planner Matthew Glesne said.

Garen Papazyan, a real estate investor, complained that it was like driving the speed limit one day, then getting a ticket in the mail after the speed limit was lowered. He said he had spent roughly $30,000 so far on a San Fernando Valley unit.

People did this legally. Now they hear, We as the city screwed up  so you cant continue,  Papazyan said.

The court ruled that Los Angeles could clear up the legal muddle by amending its old ordinance, or simply repealing it.

City planners had proposed rolling back the city rules. That would allow Los Angeles to fall back on California law, which sets looser rules for granny flats. They also sought to grandfather in backyard units that had gotten city permits in the past.

Relying on the state standards has troubled some neighborhood groups, which want the city to impose its own stricter rules on granny flats to stop out-of-scale units. California prohibits cities from requiring a discretionary process to decide which granny flats are allowed  as the old L.A. ordinance did  but it still allows cities to set some local standards for their size and placement.

Turning to the state law is the easy choice  but its a terrible idea, said Cheviot Hills attorney Carlyle Hall, who spearheaded the lawsuit that forced L.A. to reconsider its rules.

The municipal rules said granny flats could be no larger than 640 square feet, while the state allows them to be nearly twice as large  up to 1,200 square feet. That has alarmed local lawmakers such as Councilman David Ryu, who said speculators could exploit the looser rules to build monstrosities.

In Van Nuys, Michelle Kiers said she avoids opening the curtains in her bedroom after a second unit that was two stories high was erected in a nearby yard.

See the most-read stories this hour 

Were not opposed to second units, Kiers said. But this isnt a second unit. This is a full-size house.

The unit measures nearly 1,200 square feet. Ron Mandalian, who designed it and other granny flats, argued that it had no effect on the community and that clamping down on size would squeeze out families. Planners say that even under the state standards  which L.A. has relied on for years  few units will be built that large because the city generally limits the square footage of a home and its accessory buildings to no more than half of the lot size. All in all, roughly 60 units have gotten permits annually in recent years.

Mark Vallianatos, co-founder of the advocacy group Abundant Housing L.A., said the uproar comes from people who want to freeze the city in time. Amid a housing crisis, Vallianatos said, we have a form of housing that is small-scale, infill and controlled by the homeowner  and people are still complaining about it.

The drama at City Hall could also be affected by action in Sacramento: State lawmakers are mulling two bills that would curb city restrictions on granny flats, including limiting parking requirements and prohibiting cities from requiring uncovered pathways to the street. Those bills are expected to be heard this week.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter at @LATimesEmily

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Californias record-setting drought might be making area waters less prone to bacteria, according to government data.

The Environmental Protection Agency monitors the nations beaches for various indicators for contamination. In 2015, there were 762 beach advisories for San Diego Countys 46 beaches. The majority were because of rainfall pushing runoff into the ocean, but about one-fifth of closures were made because of bacteria.

That trend is on the downswing from a peak in 2013, according to an EPA database. In that year, there were nearly double the number of bacteria-related advisories, a spike that lessened as the California drought got underway.

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A beach advisory is analogous to a weather warning. The water may be unsafe, but swimming and water activities arent prohibited. Only when certain conditions are met will a beach close.

The type and frequency of the advisories can vary beach by beach.

Beaches have a series of testing locations that send reports to the EPA. The larger the beach, the more EPA testing locations it has.

It is common for most advisories to last somewhere between three days to a week. When the water is dangerous to health, the advisories tend to last much longer.

Rainfall advisories are the most common. According to the nonprofit group Heal the Bay, advisories typically occur after there is at least one-tenth of an inch of rainfall, and last for three days.

A Heal the Bay study released earlier this year showed that Southern California saw significant improvements in beach water quality due to a reduction in polluted runoff into the Pacific Ocean, in part because of a lack of rain.

Southern Californias recorded average rainfall was way below normal. Downtown Los Angeles reported 58% of normal rainfall between January and April this year.

About 97% of Southern California beaches received an A or B grade for water quality during the busy summer months, according to the annual Beach Report Card.

Ocean Beach in San Diego shows that in real time: Even though there were some days when it rained, such as June 30 to July 1, 2015, there wasnt a beach advisory because it didnt rain enough. It is also possible for there to not be rain at the coast, but rain inland that could create an advisory.

Officials advise people to avoid beaches for three days following rainfall, regardless of advisories.

The EPA notes that rainfall in an advisory also tends to create higher levels of entero bacteria, which are an indicator of more fecal matter in the water.

Swimming in contaminated water can cause infections and illness. Symptoms include vomiting, fatigue and severe diarrhea.

Meredith Meyers, water quality lab coordinator for San Diego Coastkeeper, said that beach advisories shouldnt be taken lightly.

The elevated bacteria advisories that last days suggest how extreme contamination is in a given area.

Parents of children should be careful, as children tend to be the most affected by the pathogens.

To help keep the beaches safe, Meyers recommends limiting runoff from all possible sources.

Limiting runoff in your yard is one of the best things you can do, Meyers said, as well as picking up dog poop.

Marine fecal matter causes many of the advisories at La Jolla Shores. That area is home to many sea lions, which raise their young there.

The sea lion pups remain on the shore while the mothers hunt, therefore their excrement remains near the shore for several months out of the year.

Cross-border contamination is an even larger threat.

The Imperial Beach municipal beach was closed for nearly all of November and December because of elevated bacteria levels.

The San Diego County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation works to prevent cross-border contamination. The group estimates that the Tijuana Sloughs are closed for more than half of the year.

Earlier this year, a blockage of the Tijuana River became deadly as the stagnant water killed marine life. Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina said that he counted at least 50 dead leopard sharks following the blockage.

Areas of Mission Bay are also prone to long advisories. The beach near the Mission Bay Visitors Center was under an elevated bacteria advisory for several months in 2015. There are several contributing factors: That part of the bay is so far inland that there is less water circulation than in other parts, and its proximity to the freeway also makes it prone to runoff.

In the Heal the Bay report, Monarch Beach in Dana Point ranked fourth on the list of the top 10 worst polluted beaches in the state, with Santa Monica Pier, Mothers Beach in Marina del Rey and Redondo Municipal Pier coming in fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively.

Wheaton writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

dean.wheaton@sduniontribune.com

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Every five days, on average, a Chicago police officer fired a gun at someone. In 435 shootings over a recent six-year span, officers killed 92 people and wounded 170 others.

Although a few of those incidents captured widespread attention, they occurred with such regularity  and with scant information provided by police  that most have escaped public scrutiny.

Now, after months of struggles with Chicago police to get information through the Freedom of Information Act, the Chicago Tribune has compiled an unprecedented database of details of every time police fired a weapon from 2010 through 2015.

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Analysis of that data revealed startling patterns about the officers who fired and the people they shot at. Among the findings:

 At least 2,623 bullets were fired by police in 435 shootings. In 235 of those incidents, officers struck at least one person; in 200 shootings, officers missed entirely.

 About 4 out of every 5 people shot by police were African American males.

 About half of the officers involved in shootings were African American or Latino.

 The officers who fired werent rookies and on average had almost a decade of experience.

 Of the 520 officers who fired their weapons, more than 60 of them did so in more than one incident.

 The number of shootings by police  hits and misses  declined over the six years, from more than 100 in 2011 to 44 in 2015.

For years, examining the full scale of the problem in Chicago was impossible because the city refused to release most details about police-involved shootings.

Before the release last year of the video of Laquan McDonalds killing by an officer brought pressure for transparency, the only information made public in the hours after a shooting came in comments from a police union spokesman at the scene and perhaps a short statement from the Police Department. As investigations dragged on for months or years, the details remained hidden.

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The data on officer shootings were released to the Tribune after a seven-month battle with the city over its failure to fulfill public records requests. The department produced the data in July after the Tribune threatened to sue.

The analysis comes at a time when police in Chicago and throughout the country face heightened scrutiny after several controversial police shootings, often of minorities, have been captured on video and gone viral.

The Tribunes study encompasses high-profile cases such as the McDonald scandal as well as scores of incidents that were not caught on video and received little or no attention.

It begins on New Years Day 2010 with a teen shot in the stomach while handcuffed to a security fence in the Park Manor neighborhood. It ends six years later, on the day after Christmas 2015, when an officer wounded an armed suspect on the citys South Side.

To be sure, policing the citys most dangerous streets can be harrowing. Nearly 6,000 illegal guns have been seized in the city this year  a staggering amount of firepower that far outpaces those of other big cities.

The dangers were on display in graphic detail this month when the department released dramatic dashboard-camera video of officers being shot at while pursuing a carjacking suspect in their squad cars on the South Side. One officer suffered a graze wound to his face.

As a police officer, you dont wait for the shot to come in your direction, Dean Angelo Sr., president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, told the Tribune recently about the database findings. You might not get a chance to return fire.

But for many of those who live in the largely African American communities where police most often open fire, the narrative of self-defense seems like a familiar script.

At a recent rally protesting police shootings, Charles Jenkins, a 61-year-old community activist who has spent his entire life on the citys West Side, said he believes race plays a role in how authorities investigate shootings by police.

Its easier to believe, because theyre black, that an officer was in fear of their life and get[s] off, he said.

Although the Tribunes analysis showed police-involved shootings have declined during the six-year period, from a high of 107 in 2011 to 44 in 2015, Chicago still outpaces other major cities. A recent analysis by Los Angeles police officials shows Chicago has recorded more officer-involved shootings over a five-year period ending in 2015 than Los Angeles, New York, Houston or Philadelphia.

The officers who shot someone often said they did so because they were in fear for their lives, a key requirement before police are supposed to use lethal force. In about 6 of every 10 shootings, officers said the civilian had pointed a gun at them or made some other move leading them to think they were armed, such as reaching toward their waistband.

Controversial shootings by Chicago police have raised questions from residents and experts about the motivations of officers, their experience and training, and how the department has kept track of officers who fire their weapons.

A U.S. Justice Department investigation of the Police Department is likely to call for major improvements in training, particularly in how officers can de-escalate events without using deadly force. For its part, the department has already announced that it will be rolling out mandatory two-day training for officers on tactics that emphasize decelerating conflict to avoid deadly force.

Smith Richards, Caputo, Lighty and Meisner write for the Chicago Tribune.
It was only too easy for legal assistant Hector Alfonso Sanchez to pose as an immigration lawyer and solicit clients locked up in federal detention.

Sanchez traveled from his office in San Antonio to detention centers across the country to interview immigrants and accept payment, according to the Texas Attorney Generals Office, which earlier this year secured an injunction barring him from advertising, performing or accepting money for immigration consulting services. Sanchez also had to pay restitution to clients, civil penalties and attorneys fees.

The Sanchez case highlights what immigrant advocates say is a persistent shortcoming at immigration detention centers, especially those holding families  poor legal representation.

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There is no guarantee of counsel in immigration court, and although groups of pro bono attorneys have been organized to represent migrants, opportunists have exploited immigrants desperate for help, advocates say.

The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, is one of two immigration family detention centers in the state. (Molly Hennessy-Fiske / Los Angeles Times )

Its a really ugly system, said Elanie Cintron, a Denver-based immigration attorney. Theyre preying on the most vulnerable populations.

Its a population that continues to grow, especially as more families are caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally this year, their journeys driven in part by escalating violence in Central America.

From last October to July, 58,720 family members were caught crossing the southern border  nearly twice the number as the same time last year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures.

As of this month, 2,062 of those adults and children remained in family detention.

In order to represent those families and practice in federal immigration court, a lawyer must register online, be eligible to practice law, and be a member of the bar in good standing.

But officials at immigration courts, which are part of the Justice Department, do not screen lawyers. They discipline them  more than 1,500 since they took over the disciplinary program in 2000  but mostly after lawyers have already been disciplined, convicted or pleaded guilty in other courts to serious crimes, according to Justice Department spokeswoman Kathryn Mattingly.

Those disciplined by immigration courts this year include:

 Vanessa Bandrich of New York, disbarred after she was investigated by the FBI and convicted of immigration fraud for assisting asylum applicants in concocting fake tales of persecution.

 Hector Cavazos Jr. of Stockton, suspended for 18 months, about six months after the California State Bar filed to suspend his license for three years and recoup $11,000 for four clients for having allowed his father to practice law out of his office without a license. In June he was disbarred by the state.

 Samuel Escamilla of Denver, suspended for three months after Colorado officials investigated him on accusations of taking clients money without working their cases.

Problems with private attorneys at family detention centers started soon after the Obama administration began expanding the centers in summer 2014, opening a temporary facility in Artesia, N.M. It was in Artesia that Michael Carrasco, of Carlsbad, N.M., was caught practicing law without a license  but only after Cintron and other pro bono lawyers complained, having gathered statements from his clients.

Carrasco already had been disbarred in New Mexico by the states Supreme Court in 2002, Cintron noted, but he was going and using somebody elses name. We were gathering declarations from women  I went to a room to talk to women who had spoken to him and 10 hands went up.

Carrasco was disbarred again, this time by federal immigration court officials, a year ago. Cintron said the case illustrates the vulnerability of immigrant families in detention.

Some immigrants do not have the time or know-how to vet an attorney, or are unable to meet with a pro bono attorney or advocate who can guide them.

When things move so quickly and we cant get to those women in their cells to explain the system to them and someone tells them, Oh, my cousin got this lawyer, then they just call whatever phone number they have, Cintron said.

She said one of her clients, Celina Gutierrez-Cruz, 22, a Honduran detainee, was unaware that her previous attorney had a disciplinary record when she hired him.

The attorney, Gary Ortega of Brownsville, Texas, had been publicly reprimanded by the Texas State Bar in 2009 for misconduct after a grievance was filed against Ortega for allowing an employee of his to solicit a prison inmate as a client. In 2007 he had been disqualified and removed from a murder case in which his former client was convicted and sentenced to die. The case was appealed based on ineffective assistance of counsel.

Gutierrez-Cruzs family paid Ortega $3,250 in March of this year based on assurances from his staff that she would be released on bond, Cintron said. The going rate to handle bond hearings is about $1,000, she said, although some private attorneys charge up to $5,000.

Gutierrez-Cruzs family was not aware that because she had been deported in 2013, she was ineligible for bond. Cintron said Gutierrez-Cruz never signed a contract, received court paperwork, or spoke with Ortega in person or by phone before her bond hearing May 29.

Gutierrez was denied bond, and Ortegas staff stopped contacting her, said Cintron, whom Gutierrez-Cruz was referred to through the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project.

This was the one case that we caught. I always worry about the women we never get to see. What happens to them? Cintron said.

Ortega did not return calls or emails.

Cintron and immigrant advocates also share the story of Lillian Oliva Bardales, a 19-year-old from Honduras.

Bardales has filed to reopen her asylum case, alleging the San Antonio attorney she paid $1,500 failed to prepare her to appear before an immigration judge, failed to outline the basic chronology of her case for the judge, and then failed to follow up with her when, upset about conditions in detention and facing deportation, she attempted suicide in detention June 3, 2015  slashing her wrist with an ID bracelet.

He did not do any work to prepare her for her hearing. Zero trial preparation  didnt even direct the judge as to why she qualified for asylum, said Bardaless new pro bono attorney, Bryan Johnson.

Johnson, who is based in New York, who in his motion to reopen her appeal that attorney Miguel Velas negligence also harmed Bardaless 4-year-old son, Christian, who was deported with her June 9, 2015.

His past negligence was basically the basis of my motion to reopen her appeal, Johnson said.

Vela, who is based in San Antonio, has not responded to the allegations in the appeal, and did not return calls or emails.

After her deportation back to Honduras, Bardales stayed in Tegucigalpa for about four months, working as a housekeeper and hiding from her sons father, who she said had beaten and threatened to kill her.

I thought the U.S. government would protect me, she said in an interview, Instead, they made my life worse.

I thought the U.S. government would protect me. Instead, they made my life worse.  Lillian Oliva Bardales, Honduran immigrant

Last fall, she got a tourist visa to Spain, where she and her daughter awaited results of her appeal. In March, an appeals court ruled Bardales had not received effective legal counsel during her time in detention, and she and her son will be allowed to return to the U.S. soon and remain out of detention while their asylum case is pending.

Justice is finally on the horizon for this young mother and her son after being severely abused and deprived of their rights for over a year by the Obama administration, Johnson said.

Cintron and other immigrant advocates want Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide detained families better access to counsel, advice about their rights and warnings about unscrupulous attorneys. They also want bar associations to have more oversight of private attorneys representing detainees.

These women are desperate to save their lives. They will jump at the first opportunity to have an attorney, she said. I fear we have lost quite a few women because of this; I dont know how many of these people fall through the cracks.

molly.hennesy-fiske@latimes.com

Twitter: @mollyhf

To read the article in Spanish, click here.



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A man suspected in the slayings of two nuns found dead in their Mississippi home confessed to the killings, a sheriff said Saturday, in the latest twist to a crime that has horrified people in the small communities where the women served.

Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Miss., was arrested and charged in the deaths of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Warren Strain said late Friday. Both women were 68.

Willie March, the sheriff of Holmes County where the killings occurred, said Saturday he had been briefed by police and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officials who took part in Sanders interrogation.

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Sanders confessed to the killings and gave no reason for the crimes, March said.

Rodney Earl Sanders in a smartphone photo. (Mississippi Dept. of Public Safety / AP )

People who knew the nuns, known for their generosity and commitment to improving healthcare for the poor, have been grappling with why anyone would want to kill them.

The womens bodies were discovered Thursday after they failed to show up for work in Lexington. The sheriff said they had been stabbed.

Merrills nephew, David Merrill, speaking by telephone from Stoneham, Mass., said Saturday the family was thankful Sanders is off the streets.

But the family still has to deal with the loss. Merrill said he agrees with the idea of forgiveness and that is something his aunt would want for whoever killed her but hes not sure if hes capable of completely forgiving.

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Is Trumps immigration plan starting to sound like nothing more than status quo?

Kellyanne Conway: Trump "not talking about a deportation force" https://t.co/kmNup7jlIl  Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) August 28, 2016

Heres a question: What if Donald Trumps immigration plan ends up being not much different than how things work today?

That seems to be possible scenario after top campaign officials retreated Sunday on both his signature deportation force to remove 11 million immigrants, but also on the possibility of granting legal status to certain immigrants.

The latest statements clouded Trumps already shifting thinking after a tumultuous week that saw him zigzag across the immigration debate.

Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway on Fox News Sunday shot down any chance that immigrants could stay in the U.S. and become legal residents.

If immigrants want to gain legal status, Conway said, they need to leave the U.S., go home and reapply.

No legalization, no amnesty, Conway said. We all learned in kindergarten to stand in line and wait our turn.

But both Conway and vice presidential nominee Mike Pence also backed away from Trumps earlier promise for a deportation force that would round up and kick out the estimated 11 million immigrants now in the country illegally.

Pressed on what to do with those already here, Conway suggested tougher enforcement of existing laws.

Thats really the question here, she said on Face the Nation. We have agencies that already exist that are meant to be doing this already.

So whats the upshot of these latest positions?

Its starting to sound like the process already in effect under President Obama.

Obama has already focused the Homeland Security agencies on deporting criminal immigrants, as Trump has been emphasizing in recent days. In fact, deportations under Obama hit an all-time high but have since become more targeted.

Trump says he will still act on his promise to build a wall along the border with Mexico, beefing up a barrier that already exists in some places along with virtual surveillance.

Trumps team has indicated he will deliver a sweeping immigration address at some point, but it has been repeatedly postponed.

Trumps pivot last week toward what he called a softer approach on illegal immigration now appears to have been a trial balloon that angered all sides.

But so far his latest position doesnt seem to offer any new ideas. In fact, it sounds more like the status quo.
Elected officials tend to pass laws they believe will appeal to the median voter. A politician on the left or right usually can win more votes by moving to the center, a theory you can see in action by watching how presidential candidates soften their policies after the primaries.

The median voter wields great power over what politicians ultimately do. But  and heres the problem  the median voter would fail economics or Political Science 101.

For 60 years, political scientists have studied what voters actually know. The results are depressing. Hundreds of different surveys, such as the American National Election Studies, find that the median voter is ignorant or misinformed not only about the social sciences needed to evaluate candidates policy proposals, but even of basic facts and trends, such as what the unemployment rate is and whether its going up or down.

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An epistocracy would try to copy what makes democracies work, but do it better.

This isnt because public schools fail us. Its not because Fox News or MSNBC (take your pick) bamboozles poor voters with well-crafted lies. Its not because people are inherently stupid or unable to think for themselves. Its because democracy gives us the wrong incentives.

How we vote matters, but how any one of us votes does not. The chance an individual vote will make a difference is vanishingly small. Thus, we have little incentive to gather relevant information so that we can cast our votes in careful, thoughtful ways. Votes are like lottery tickets. Winning the lottery changes everything, but an individual lottery ticket is nearly worthless. If a philanthropist offered to pay you $10 million if you could pass Economics 101, youd probably learn basic economics. But if the same philanthropist offered you a 1 in 100 million chance of winning $10 million if you could pass Economics 101, youd stay ignorant.

While not everything governments do is decided by voters  bureaucracies, parties and officials have significant independence  what voters want makes a difference. And since voters are generally uninformed, we get worse policies that we would with a better-informed electorate. For instance, high-information voters (regardless of race, income or gender) tend to support free trade, while low-information voters have the opposite view; the latter may well force politicians to squelch the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which most experts agree is good for the global economy.

We cannot fix this problem because its a built-in feature of democracy. So maybe its time to consider an alternative to democracy called epistocracy. In a democracy, every citizen gets an equal right to vote. In an epistocracy, voting power is widespread, but votes are weighted: More knowledgeable citizens votes count more.

Relatively speaking, representative democracies function rather well: They are in general more prosperous and protect citizens rights better than other forms of government. An epistocracy would try to copy what makes democracies work, but do it better. Epistocracies should keep some things  like our basic rights  off the bargaining table. They should make power widespread because concentrating power among the few invites abuse. Epistocracies should have constitutional limits on power, judicial review, checks and balances and a bill of rights  just like representative democracies.

Epistocracy comes in many forms. An epistocracy might give everyone one vote, then grant extra votes to citizens who pass a test of basic political knowledge (such as the citizenship exam). Or it might grant the right to vote only to citizens who pass such a test. Or it might instead hold an enfranchisement lottery: Immediately before an election, choose 10,000 citizens at random, and then those citizens, and only those, are permitted to vote, but only if they first complete a competence-building exercise.

Or, an epistocracy might govern through what I call a simulated oracle. In this system, every citizen may vote and express his or her policy preferences through public polls. Citizens would not only be asked which candidates they support, but also which policies they support. When citizens vote, we would require them to take a test of basic political knowledge (such as which party controls Congress or what the unemployment rate is) and disclose their demographic information.

Having collected this information  who citizens are, what they want and what they know  any statistician then could calculate the publics enlightened preferences, that is, what a demographically identical voting population would support if only it were better informed. An epistocracy might then instantiate the publics enlightened preferences rather than their actual, unenlightened preferences.

Dont confuse epistocracy with technocracy. In a technocracy  a system espoused by many progressives  small panels of expert bureaucrats engage in massive paternalistic social engineering. Technocracy is more about what the government does rather than who the government is.

One major question is what counts, and who decides what counts, as political competence or basic political knowledge. We dont want selfish parties rigging a political exam for their own benefit. One solution would be to use widely accepted existing tests, such as the American Citizenship Exam. Another, almost paradoxical sounding idea, is that we could allow the qualification exam itself to be chosen though a democratic process. The idea here is that voters might be competent to answer the easy question of what counts as a good voter, even if they are not competent to answer the hard questions about the economics of international trade or immigration.

Some would object that epistocracy is essentially inegalitarian. In an epistocracy, not everyone has the same voting power. But whats so wrong with that? Only some people have plumbing or hairdressing licenses because we accept that only some people are qualified to fix pipes or cut hair. Perhaps only some people, rather than everyone 18 and over, are truly qualified to decide who will lead the most powerful country on earth.

Another obvious complaint is that in an epistocracy, some demographic groups would have more voting power than others because some demographic groups have more measurable political knowledge than others. In our society, advantaged people are more knowledgeable, and advantaged people are more likely to be old and white than young and brown. Epistocracy could therefore take us back to the bad old days when middle-aged white professionals had more sway at the ballot box than everyone else. But at least some versions of epistocracy  such as the enfranchisement lottery or simulated oracle  avoid this problem.

Any epistocratic system would face abuse. Epistocracy would work better in high-trust, low-corruption societies  such as New Zealand or Denmark  rather than low-trust, high-corruption societies, such as Russia or Venezuela. In the latter, whoever designed the voting requirements would be more likely to rig it in favor of certain outcomes, and citizens would be more likely to suspect unfairness, even if there were none. But thats also true of democracy.

The interesting question isnt which system is perfect, but which system would work best, warts and all.

Jason Brennan is a professor at Georgetown University. He is the author of Against Democracy.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
Last month, two friends and I backpacked for a week in the Sierra Nevada. We hiked through meadows dotted with wildflowers, slept beneath snow-draped peaks and met plenty of other hikers: the dad and son whose Green Bay Packers caps sparked a conversation about our mutual ties to Wisconsin; scientists from UC Santa Cruz studying flowers and rock formations; five recent college grads from Kentucky who were hiking the John Muir Trail before they scattered to begin their adult lives.

But as the days passed, I grew increasingly troubled by the people we didnt meet. There were a few Asian hikers, including a couple of hapas like me (Im half Japanese and half Polish) and one of my friends was half-Iranian, but not a single backpacker who was Latino or African American.

A few hours drive from Los Angeles ... we were on public lands ... but the people enjoying them werent representative of the public.

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This near-total absence of people of color  which Ive noticed on past trips as well  was particularly striking because it was such a contrast to my everyday life. I live and work in Los Angeles. The majority of people in my working life are Latino, African American or Asian, and the people in my personal life, including my Mexican American spouse, are reflective of the citys population. And yet, a few hours drive from Los Angeles, there was hardly a person of color to be found. We were on public lands  including Kings Canyon National Park  but the people enjoying them werent representative of the public.

This month, as the National Park Service celebrates its centennial, it is publicizing efforts to increase the diversity of its visitors  who according to its own survey are nearly 80% white  as well as its staff. Mainstream environmental groups like the Sierra Club, which recently hired its first director of diversity, equity and inclusion, are trying to counter the impression that the outdoors is a privileged domain for white people. One take on this problem is the biting video short Black Hiker, in which Blair Underwoods nature-loving character is tracked and photographed by whites who are stunned, delighted and a little confused to find a black man in their midst.

There are reasons, of course, why people of color are underrepresented in the backcountry. For many, the wilderness, historically, is dangerous territory. Escaped slaves passed through forests full of danger, much of it posed by other people. Mexican and Japanese immigrants and African American sharecroppers worked to exhaustion in the fields. These brutal histories may help explain why some groups might not be drawn to the idea of spending time  let alone sleeping  outdoors.

Yet its simplistic and inaccurate to think that people of color dont appreciate nature. The trails in Griffith Park and above Pasadena are filled with hikers who look like Los Angeles. On weekends, the citys biggest parks and its other outdoor venues are enjoyed by families of all ethnicities and races.

My own relationship with nature began in the Midwest. As a child, I was sent from Tokyo to live with my grandparents in rural Wisconsin. I faced incessant, sometimes violent bullying from the white children in town. To escape, Id ride my bike out to the country and take solace in the trees and the quiet. Right after college, I moved back to Japan for two years, living in a small mountain town where everyone hiked and rode bicycles. Behind my apartment was a green jewel of a mountain, and when I scrambled up its slopes, Id reach a Shinto shrine that offered a view of the entire region. My understanding of the natural world was not something separate from race, but completely entangled with it. Nature was a place of safety from racial targeting; hiking was something that people of color did.

Americas wildest, most beautiful places, though, are still largely white. One way to change that is simple exposure: Blair Underwood likes hiking because he was introduced to it as a kid. Respondents to the Park Service survey cited expense as a barrier, but lack of knowledge about the parks was an even bigger one.

Absent a family tradition of spending time in nature, would-be visitors may need translators or guides who make the parks and wilderness areas accessible. Shelton Johnson, an African American ranger at Yosemite, teaches visitors about Buffalo Soldiers. Outdoor Afro, Latino Outdoors and Asian Outdoors  nonprofit organizations  link people of color to nature. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts teach outdoor skills to diverse groups of young people.

Conscious outreach efforts would also make a difference. Weve got kids all across this country who never see a park, President Obama said when he and his family were photographed at Yosemite in June. We have to change that. Outreach efforts should recognize that, for many minority groups, nature as a backdrop for family activities is a better sell than adrenaline-soaked adventure language about conquering mountains.

And then there is the matter of safety. In some rural areas, there is reason to be cautious. Last year, a black family at a campsite in Nevada County was terrorized by a drunken white camper yelling racial epithets and wielding a shovel. In July, my friends and I spent the first night of our trip near a pack station where a truck owned by one of the staff sported a Confederate flag in its window. Ive never faced or witnessed a racial incident in the backcountry, but Ive definitely seen racist expressions in the jumping-off towns, which reinforce the idea that the wilderness isnt safe for everyone.

Connecting people of color with nature matters because the very existence of the nations public lands is threatened if they arent enjoyed by a broad cross-section of our population. It matters because getting out there makes people more attuned to issues like green space and pollution back home. And it matters because science confirms that exposure to nature is good for us all. For years Ive joined groups of South L.A. kids on camping trips, where Ive watched their spirits unburden, their imaginations bloom, as they escape from city life and in some cases the specter of daily violence.

Finally, diversifying the outdoors matters because equity and access matter. People of color, particularly children of color, deserve the same possibility of beauty and transcendence as white people.

In July, I hiked up the wind-blown mountain passes, through shaded forests, beside alpine lakes. These places are among the loveliest gifts our country has to offer. They belong to us too.

Nina Revoyr was a longtime executive at a childrens services organization in Los Angeles. She is the author of several novels, including Lost Canyon.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook

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Nigerian billionaire Gilbert Chagoury, one of Africas richest men, has built a reputation as a giant of global philanthropy.

His name is on a gallery at the Louvre and a medical school in Lebanon, and he has received awards for his generosity to the Catholic Church and St. Judes Childrens Hospital. He owns a seven-bedroom hilltop mansion in Beverly Hills, and he has a high-level network of friends from Washington to Lebanon to the Vatican, where he serves as an ambassador for the tiny island nation of St. Lucia. His website shows him shaking hands and laughing with Pope Francis.

I never imagined what the future would hold for me, Chagoury once said of his boyhood in Nigeria. But I knew there was a vision for my life that was greater than I could imagine. I consider it a duty to give back.

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Since the 1990s, Chagoury has also cultivated a friendship with the Clinton family  in part by writing large checks, including a contribution of at least $1 million to the Clinton Foundation.

By the time Hillary Clinton became secretary of State, the relationship was strong enough for Bill Clintons closest aide to push for Chagoury to get access to top diplomats, and the agency began exploring a deal, still under consideration, to build a consulate on Chagoury family land in Lagos, Nigeria.

But even as those talks were underway, bureaucrats in other arms of the State Department were examining accusations that Chagoury had unsavory affiliations, stemming from his activities and friendships in Lebanon. After a review, Chagoury was refused a visa to enter the U.S. last year.

Chagoury is a prominent example of the nexus between Hillary Clintons State Department and the familys Clinton Foundation, which has come under renewed scrutiny during her presidential run. The organization, founded as a way for the Clintons to tap their vast network for charitable works, has tackled some of the steepest challenges in the developing world, including rebuilding Haiti and fighting AIDS in Africa. It has also come under fire for its willingness to accept money from foreign governments with interest in swaying U.S. policy during Clintons time as secretary of State, and the controversial histories of some donors.

Part of a dictators inner circle

Chagoury was born in 1946 in Lagos to Lebanese parents, and as a child attended school in Lebanon. He sold shoes and cars in Nigeria, according to a biography on his website, before marrying the daughter of a prominent Nigerian businessman.

During the rule of Gen. Sani Abacha, who seized power in Nigeria in 1993, Chagoury prospered, receiving development deals and oil franchises.

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In the 1990s, Chagoury portrayed himself as an Abacha insider as he tried to influence American policy to be more friendly to the regime. Soon after President Clinton named Donald E. McHenry a special envoy to Nigeria in 1995, Gilbert and brother Ronald Chagoury visited McHenry in his office at Georgetown University in Washington. The U.S. was pushing for the return of democratic rule in Nigeria; Abacha, meanwhile, was eager to have his country taken off a U.S. list of nations that enabled drug trafficking, McHenry said.

Their effort was to try and influence anyone who they thought could influence the U.S. government, McHenry said, adding that the approach was heavy-handed. They tried every key on the piano.

Abacha turned out to be one of the most notorious kleptocrats in memory, stealing billions in public funds, acting Assistant Atty. Gen. Mythili Raman later said.

After Abachas death in 1998, the Nigerian government hired lawyers to track down the money. The trail led to bank accounts all over the world  some under Gilbert Chagourys control. Chagoury, who denied knowing the funds were stolen, paid a fine of 1 million Swiss francs, then about $600,000, and gave back $65 million to Nigeria; a Swiss conviction was expunged, a spokesman for Chagoury said.

Ties to the Clintons

In the years afterward, Chagourys wealth grew. His family conglomerate now controls a host of businesses, including construction companies, flour mills, manufacturing plants and real estate.

He has used some of that money to build political connections. As a noncitizen, he is barred from giving to U.S. political campaigns, but in 1996, he gave $460,000 to a voter registration group steered by Bill Clintons allies and was rewarded with an invitation to a White House dinner. Over the years, Chagoury attended Clintons 60th birthday fundraiser and helped arrange a visit to St. Lucia, where the former president was paid $100,000 for a speech. Clintons aide, Doug Band, even invited Chagoury to his wedding.

Chagoury also contributed $1 million to $5 million to the Clinton Foundation, according to its list of donors. At a 2009 Clinton Global Initiative conference, where business and charity leaders pledge to complete projects, the Chagoury Groups Eko Atlantic development  nine square kilometers of Lagos coastal land reclaimed by a seawall  was singled out for praise. During a 2013 dedication ceremony in Lagos, just after Hillary Clinton left her post as secretary of State, Bill Clinton lauded the $1-billion Eko Atlantic as an example to the world of how to fight climate change.

I especially thank my friends Gilbert and Ron Chagoury for making it happen, he said.

By last summer, U.S. diplomats had selected a 9.9-acre property at Eko Atlantic as the preferred site for a new Lagos consulate, State Department documents obtained by the Los Angeles Times show. Two months ago, James Entwistle, then the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria, wrote to Washington, asking permission to sign a 99-year lease.

No deal has been signed, State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said. She did not answer questions about whether the Clintons recommended Eko Atlantic. She said at a recent briefing that she was unaware of whether Hillary Clinton knew the site was under consideration; it was on a list of possibilities submitted by a real estate firm in 2012, Trudeau said in response to questions from The Times. A spokesman for Clintons campaign noted that the State Department has said the process has been managed by career real estate professionals.

Chagoury declined requests for an interview. A friend and spokesman, Mark Corallo, said Chagoury was a generous and peace-loving man unfairly scrutinized because of his association with the Clintons. He said Chagoury last saw Hillary Clinton at a 2006 dinner. The Clinton Foundation and a spokesman for Bill Clinton did not respond to requests for comment.

Chagoury also has given to Republicans: He and his brother, along with Eko Atlantic, are listed as sponsors for a 2014 art exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Center.

Suspicions emerge in the U.S.

In spite of his network of powerful friends, Chagoury has aroused the suspicions of U.S. security officials. In 2010, he was pulled off a private jet in Teterboro, N.J., and questioned for four hours because he was on the Department of Homeland Securitys no-fly list. He was subsequently removed from the list and categorized as a selectee, meaning he can fly but receives extra scrutiny, Homeland Security documents show. The agency later wrote to Chagoury to apologize for any inconvenience or unpleasantness.

That letter did not explain why Chagoury was on the no-fly list, but another Homeland Security document shows agents citing unspecified suspicions of links to terrorism, which can include financing extremist organizations; Chagoury later told reporters that agents asked him what bank he used in Nigeria.

Chagoury believes it was unfair for government officials to disclose the episode and to suggest that he was a potential threat, Corallo said. He said that Chagourys lawyers resolved the issue and that he never asked anyone else for help.

Chagoury told ABC News and the Center for Public Integrity at the time that he was miffed because his travel problems made him miss seeing the Lakers in the playoffs. I just love the Lakers, he said.

His visa troubles stem at least in part from his involvement in the tangled politics of Lebanon. Chagoury has contributed to charitable projects there, advocated on behalf of the countrys Christians and formed political alliances, including with Michel Aoun, a Lebanese Christian politician who served as army commander and prime minister during the countrys civil war.

For a decade, Aouns party has been part of a political coalition with Hezbollah, the Shiite Muslim group backed by Iran that has seats in Lebanons parliament. Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist organization by the U.S., which holds the group responsible for the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut and a Marine barracks blast that year that killed 241 American servicemen. Drug Enforcement Administration investigations have also found that Hezbollah is in league with Latin American cartels to launder hundreds of millions of dollars in drug profits.

Chagoury was known to have funded Aoun, a Lebanese government minister told then-Ambassador Jeffrey D. Feltman in 2007, according to a cable published by WikiLeaks that didnt go in detail about Chagourys relationship with Aoun. The minister suggested that the U.S. deliver to Chagoury a strong message about the possibility of financial sanctions and travel bans against those who undermine Lebanons legitimate institutions.

Chagoury never got a scolding, though. Instead, Band, Bill Clintons aide, pushed for new access for Chagoury after Hillary Clinton took over at the State Department. In 2009, Band wrote his friends in the department. We need Gilbert Chagoury to speak to the substance guy re Lebanon. As you know hes key guy there and to us and is loved in Lebanon. Very imp. Huma Abedin, a longtime aide and confidante to Clinton and now vice chairwoman of her presidential campaign, suggested Feltman.

When Bands email was made public this month, Donald Trump pounced, calling the Chagoury episode illegal and a pay-to-play scheme.

But no meeting ever happened, according to both Feltman and Chagourys spokesman. Chagoury wanted only to pass along insights on Lebanese politics, Corallo said, adding that nothing ever came of it and that Chagoury never talked to anyone at the State Department. Band declined to comment for this story.

A Clinton campaign spokesman said Judicial Watch, the conservative organization that sued to make the emails public, has been attacking the Clintons since the 1990s.

No matter how this group tries to mischaracterize these documents, the fact remains that Hillary Clinton never took action as secretary of State because of donations to the Clinton Foundation, spokesman Josh Schwerin said.

This month, the foundation announced that it would stop accepting donations from foreigners and corporations should Clinton win the presidency.

Denied a visa

After Clinton left the State Department, Chagoury again found himself under suspicion by U.S. security officials. A 2013 FBI intelligence report, citing unverified raw information from a source, claimed Chagoury had sent funds to Aoun, who transferred money to Hezbollah. The source said Aoun was facilitating fundraising for Hezbollah. The U.S. put Chagoury in its database used to screen travelers for possible links to terrorism, interagency memos show.

The ties between Chagoury and Aoun ended years ago in a dispute over oil franchises, said Michel de Chadarev, an official with Aouns party. Chagoury now backs an Aoun rival for the presidency. De Chadarev said Aoun categorically denied any arrangement where he shared money with Hezbollah or passed funds from Chagoury: No, no, no. Of course not. It is not in his principles to act as transporter to anyone.

Last summer, when Chagoury planned a trip to Los Angeles, he applied at the U.S. embassy in Paris for a visitors visa and was refused, according to interviews and government documents. Based on the FBI report and other allegations from intelligence and law enforcement sources, the State Department denied the application. It cited terrorism-related grounds, a broad category that can apply to anyone believed to have assisted a terrorist group in any way, including providing money.

Chagoury has denied ties to Hezbollah. Two years ago, he helped pay for a conference in Washington on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East; some attendees supported Hezbollah, but the director of the group that organized the conference said that didnt mean Chagoury or other conference organizers were among them. Hezbollah is part of the political reality of the country, Andrew Doran told the National Review.

Corallo did not answer questions about the visa denial, but said Chagoury has been a friend and supporter of America all his life and that any allegation that Mr. Chagoury is involved in any way with providing material support to any terrorist organization, of any stripe, is false, outrageous and defamatory. He said Chagoury has no business interests in Lebanon.

The visa decision process is opaque and provides little recourse for those who are denied entry. Typically, the person is told of the grounds for refusal, but not the details. The secretary of State can grant a waiver, but that is often difficult when the evidence used to block entry is terrorism-related.

For the last three decades, Corallo said, Chagoury spent at least a few months each year in Beverly Hills, where he owns an 18,000-square-foot estate, once the home of actor Danny Thomas, with commanding views of West Los Angeles and the ocean.

A year ago, after his visa application was denied, Chagourys mansion was put on the market, with an asking price of $135 million. Its still for sale.

joseph.tanfani@latimes.com

Twitter: @jtanfani

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Nigerian businessman Gilbert Chagoury is a longtime friend of Bill Clinton and major donor to the Clinton Foundation who drew attention this month when a 2009 email from Clinton aide Doug Band, seeking to connect Chagoury to top State Department figures, was made public. Band wrote to Huma Abedin, a top aide to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, to try to arrange a meeting for Chagoury with a U.S. diplomat to Lebanon. Abedin suggested then-Ambassador Jeffrey D. Feltman. In response to questions asked as part of a Los Angeles Times examination of Chagourys background and relationship to the Clintons, a spokesman, Mark Corallo, gave this detailed response:

Gilbert Chagoury doesnt understand all of the media concern over the Clinton Global Initiative, which has done so much good philanthropic work around the world  especially in Africa. He is proud to be associated with what he truly believes is a wonderful charitable organization.

The last time Mr. Chagoury had any contact with Secretary Clinton was at a dinner in 2006. He has had no personal contact with Secretary Clinton or any of her staff since 2006. He has never met or had any contact with Ambassador Feltman. He had no contact of any kind with anyone from the State Department regarding the subject matter of the emails between Mr. Band and Ms. Abedin. He was simply passing along his observations and insights about the dire political situation in Lebanon at the time. But nothing ever came of it. He had no contact of any kind with the State Department.

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It should be noted that while Gilbert Chagoury is a Nigerian of Lebanese ancestry and still has a large extended family and many close friends in Lebanon, he has no business interests in Lebanon. Beyond his family and his many generous charitable works, his greatest concern is for the protection and preservation of the Christians of Lebanon and the Middle East.

The State Department is considering a deal to build a new consulate at a huge development in Lagos, Nigeria, called Eko Atlantic, which is owned by Chagourys family business. The project was highlighted as an innovative response to climate change by the Clinton Global Initiative.

Eko Atlantic is a 21st Century city being built on Victoria Island adjacent to Lagos, Nigeria, to protect Victoria Island from severe erosion and to solve the chronic shortage of real estate in the worlds fastest-growing megacity. It is a gateway to emerging markets of the African continent. One of the largest land reclamation projects ever attempted and protected by an 8.5-kilometer-long sea wall to stop the catastrophic erosion, Eko Atlantic will be the size of Manhattans skyscraper district. Self-sufficient and sustainable, it includes state-of-the-art urban design, its own power, clean water, advanced telecommunications and state-of-the-art security. It will provide tens of thousands of jobs for Nigerians for decades to come. As such, Eko is a natural location for businesses, financial institutions and government offices. Eko Atlantic was just one of several locations being explored by the United States for its new consular facilities in Lagos. Considering its size, modern infrastructure, technology and security, it should come as no surprise that the United States government and other governments from around the world are considering Eko Atlantic as a new opportunity for locating their offices that operate in Lagos, Nigeria.

It is important to note that Eko Atlantic began as a project to protect Victoria Island from sea erosion which had already claimed 2 kilometers of valuable land and threatened to do severe damage to Lagos itself. The Nigerian government faced a rapidly intensifying and costly crisis. At no cost to the Nigerian government, the Chagoury Group embarked on this visionary land reclamation project that is soon to be the business and financial hub of West Africa.

As I understand it, the State Department hired a real estate search firm that conducted a multi-year assessment of properties in Lagos for the future U.S. consulate. I would refer you to the State Department to discuss their process.

In 2010, Chagoury was pulled from a plane in New Jersey and questioned because he showed up on the U.S. governments no-fly list. He was later removed from that list. Last year, he was denied a visa to enter the U.S., according to documents and interviews, based on terrorism-related grounds, a broad category that can include suspicions  proven or not  of providing financial backing to terrorist-designated organizations.

As to the 2010 incident, Mr. Chagoury was never told why he was placed on the no-fly list, but was pleased that after his excellent legal team at Steptoe & Johnson worked through appropriate channels, the Department of Homeland Security issued a formal, written apology to him. He did not discuss the matter nor did he seek assistance from anyone outside his legal team to resolve it and he was pleased that he was cleared by the U.S. government to fly to the United States. What he didnt understand was the decision by someone in the U.S. government to disclose his name to the media and to unfairly suggest that he was a potential threat. That was and is false, as the government knew, which simply made the leak even harder to excuse. It caused great harm, without reason, to a man who has been a friend and supporter of America all his life.

Any allegation that Mr. Chagoury is involved in any way with providing material support to any terrorist organization, of any stripe, is false, outrageous, and defamatory. Mr. Chagoury is prepared to take any and all action against those who would promote such outrageous and unfounded remarks.

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Nearly 100 people gathered at an open house at Twelve Oaks Lodge recently as the new board of directors of the Twelve Oaks Foundation held an event to show appreciation for the communitys support of the facility.

The event followed nearly two years of litigation against former managing entity, be.group, and now the Glendale chapter of the National Charity League has once again resumed management of Twelve Oaks, which was a senior living facility until be.group closed it.

The league had previously managed Twelve Oaks from 1976 to 2002 when it turned over control of the facility to be.group.

Its exciting to have this wonderful property back in the hands of a new board of directors with ties to [National Charity League] Glendale, said Paris Cohen, the foundations president, in a statement. Its our hope to spend the next several months assessing the property and devising a plan to renovate and eventually reopen the Twelve Oaks Lodge consistent with the intent of the original donors, James and Effie Fifield.

Besides Cohen, others serving on the Twelve Oaks Foundation Board are Fernando Aenlle-Rocha, treasurer; Rose Chan, secretary; and two vice presidents, Gabriel Mendham and Anthony Portantino.

For decades, many [National Charity League] Glendale members have volunteered at Twelve Oaks and spent time with its residents, said Chan, a past president of the organization, in a statement. Throughout the recent two-year struggle, we made numerous additional friends who shared our vision for the property. We are hopeful that everyone will come out and share our excitement for the future of Twelve Oaks Lodge.

The 4.5-acre facility is located at 2820 Sycamore Ave., Glendale. To make a donation to help spruce up the property for future tenants, visit pldg.tv/oaks.

--

Mark Kellam, mark.kellam@latimes.com

Twitter: @LAMarkKellam
A 47-year-old Glendale man pleaded guilty on Monday to charges that he helped launder $1.1 million in proceeds from a healthcare fraud scheme, officials said.

Khachatour Hakobyan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and filing a false tax return. Another Glendale man involved in the scheme, 59-year-old Aram Aramyan, also reportedly pleaded guilty to the same two charges earlier this month.

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The pair admitted to depositing more than $1.1 million into bank accounts of five sham corporations they owned and operated to launder money derived from a Medicare fraud scheme, according to the United States attorneys office.

Once the money was deposited, the pair wrote checks from the bogus corporations to themselves and their associates, in some cases using the money to pay for mortgage payments, rent and home remodeling costs, officials said.

The duo also reportedly cashed some of the checks and returned the funds to the medical entities involved in the scam, after pocketing a 10% commission.

They each face a maximum sentence of 23 years in federal prison. Both are slated to be sentenced in November.

Hakobyan and Aramyan also admitted that they failed to report all of their income in their 2009 tax returns, and have agreed to pay $606,681 and $353,669, respectively, in back taxes, officials said.

Three others, including two more Glendale residents, are also accused in the fraud scheme.

Glendale residents Edgar Hakobyan, 30, and Karen Sarkissian, 43, along with LTanya Smith, 57, of Ladera Park, are slated to go to trial in February.

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Between July 2009 and March 2010, Smith allegedly prescribed or ordered unnecessary tests and services, some of which the patients never received, while she worked as a physicians assistant at an Echo Park clinic operated by Sarkissian, who is accused of laundering the proceeds.

The prescriptions and orders allegedly accounted for more than $11 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.

Meanwhile, Edgar Hakobyan allegedly profited from the scheme, cashing or depositing checks from the bogus corporations, officials said.

--

Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek
The vacant shell of a failed Conroys Flowers sits  as it has for years  at the corner of Buena Vista Street and Burbank Boulevard.

Plans to turn the site into a 24-hour Taco Bell in 2011 were scrapped after intense opposition from neighbors, incensed at the prospect of rowdy teenagers and drunken millennials getting their gordita on at 3 a.m.

But hope for the highly visible corner surged in 2013 when a new owner put forth plans for a bakery/cafe  to be called California Eatery  along with a two-story office building and a one-story medical office building on the plot.

The Burbank Planning Commission approved the concept in January 2014. Owner Bryan Sim said at the time he planned to open the breakfast, lunch and dinner joint in May of that year. This time, the neighbors applauded, saying the project and potential patrons fit the area in a manner that seekers of down-market Mexican food never would.

Its now more than a year-and-a-half later. The plot remains shuttered. The iron gates that block the Conroys entry are corroded with rust; weeds peek through the asphalt behind the cyclone-fence-enclosed parking lot.

According to tax and property records, the lot sold in June 2013 for about $2.5 million, which is a huge chunk of change to sit collecting dust. That doesnt even include the $28,000 or so a year Sim has to pay in property taxes on a piece of land thats not being used. So what gives?

I stopped by the Sim-owned Doughn*t Hut on Magnolia Boulevard  all thats missing is u'  in an attempt to run down the mystery, but found nothing but the famed maple-bacon bars. I also called an eatery he owns in El Segundo, and dropped an email I found on some Planning Commission forms. Goose eggs.

My luck turned when I called John Cambianica, the architect who has been shepherding the project from the beginning. Reached at his Arcadia office, Cambianica acknowledged the process had taken far longer than expected, something he said could be at least partly blamed on myriad new local and state regulations and requirements.

At the end of the conversation, he promised to reach out to his client on my behalf, and  huzzah!  I got to speak to Sim himself on Friday morning. Despite the long and expensive delays, Sim remained cheerful and optimistic, noting that things are, at long last, moving forward.

The longtime Burbank resident said he had received bids from two general contractors, was waiting on a third, and expected to make a decision later this month. All the city requirements and issues have been resolved, he said, and construction could start as early as September.

The statement that he could open by May 2014, Sim acknowledges, was really wishful thinking.

Wiser about the vagaries of city permitting and construction work, Sim said he believes the complex will open between 10 to 12 months after work starts, a time frame that would end up being late summer or fall 2016.

Despite the optimism, Sim said its been difficult for him to have to tell the neighbors that supported from the beginning that one more problem, one more requirement or one more needed permit had delayed work.

It seems he need not worry. Robert Phipps, one of those neighbors that spoke in support of Sim in January 2014 said simply hes excited that things are finally moving forward.

The wait will make it sweeter when its here, he said in an email.

--

DAN EVANS is the editor. He can be reached at (818) 637-3234 or dan.evans@latimes.com.
Its a do or die moment for The Cause. Brexit has hit them hard, and the Trump factor threatens to wreck everything. The Paris agreement has stalled pathetically at 1.1% of all human emissions (they need 55% to come into force). What they need right now is a gamechanger, and if they cant get it then, true to form, they will manufacture the illusion of it.Next week expect a grand performance from US and China  or rather from two men who look solemn and can sign important looking carbon chastity vows on behalf of 1.8 billion people. Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping will say they have ratified the Paris agreement . Expect triumphant parades, and smiles, handshakes and talk of a historic moment. Its all for show. China will agree to do nothing different until 2030 when its population growth peaks, and Obama cant get the support of Congress.But the gala performance may work if enough other countries fall for it  especially the stupidly obedient Anglosphere, and the trapped EU. India , Russia and Brazil will only buy into it they are fed enough pork. But the pork has to come from somewhere, and thats us  The West. Thats who this show is for  western voters.mo
RUNNING

Workshop

REI experts will discuss trail-running techniques and training as well as favorite places to run trails in Southern California.

When, where: 7 p.m. Tuesday at the REI store in Woodland Hills, 6220 Topanga Canyon Blvd.,

Admission, info: Free. (818) 703-5300

YOSEMITE

Presentation

Naturalist and guide Suzanne Swedo will share when and where to go to see the best of Yosemite National Park.

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When, where: 7 p.m. Thursday at the Adventure 16 store, 11161 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles

Admission, info: Free. (310) 473-4574.

SAN PEDRO

Open house

Discover the Salinas de San Pedro Salt Marsh with Cabrillo Marine Aquarium educators and naturalists.

When, where: 2-4 p.m. Sept. 4

Admission, info: Free. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro. (310) 548-7562

Please email announcements at least three weeks before the event to travel@latimes.com.
The captain of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia cruise liner was in court Wednesday trying to reach a plea bargain -- an effort even his lawyer doubted would work.

Its a formality, the captains lawyer said, according to an Associated Press report. The prosecution will tell us no. 

Francesco Schettino piloted the Costa Concordia onto rocks off the Tuscan island of Giglio in January 2012. There were 4,000 passengers aboard the vessel; 32 passengers and crew were killed. In May, as the Los Angeles Times reported, Schettino was ordered to stand trial for manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.

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Five other ship officers who were on the bridge at the time of the shipwreck, including the helmsman, worked out plea deals. The Associated Press reports that a judge is expected to rule Saturday on their requests for lenient sentences. The longest requested prison term is about two years.

Schettino, however, could face as much as 20 years in prison. The deal he was seeking Wednesday was for three years and five months in exchange for a guilty plea. A previous plea bargain request by Schettino was turned down. The trial began on July 9 but was delayed due to a lawyers strike in Italy.

Schettino appeared confident when he entered court Wednesday morning in Grosseto, Italy, according to the Telegraph of London. He smiled as he talked on a cellphone. Among those in court, the British newspaper reported, was Domnica Cemortan, the woman Schettino invited on to the bridge the day the shipwreck occurred.

Schettino is accused of being distracted by the presence of Cemortan at the moment the ship crashed into a jagged reef off the island, then leaving the vessel before passengers had all been evacuated. Cemortan is expected to be called to testify.

Chief investigating magistrate Francesco Verusio of Grosseto said at the time of the crash that the captain had intentionally taken the nearly 1,000-foot, 126,000-ton vessel on a route that it shouldnt have, bringing the ship too close to the rocks.

Schettino says he is a scapegoat. He has maintained that he is innocent, saying that incorrect navigational charts are to blame and that he took the ship into shallower waters to ease evacuation.

With the granting of previous plea bargains, Schettino is the only person on trial for now.

The operator of the Costa Concordia managed to avoid criminal proceedings in the deadly shipwreck. In April, Costa Crociere, a division of Miami-based Carnival Corp., agreed to pay a $1.3-million fine to avoid a possible criminal trial.

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Hillary Clinton has seized a commanding electoral vote lead over Donald Trump in their bitter 2016 presidential election race for the White House according to various vote map projections and predictions. These numbers can remain the same at least until the first presidential debate at the end of September takes place, an opportunity for either Trump to bounce back or Clinton to extend her apparent lead.

A new Real Clear Politics composite sketch of polls finds Clinton now topping Trump 272 electoral votes to 154 with 112 votes still considered too close to call in the battle to become President Barack Obama's successor.

A Freedom's Lighthouse electoral vote map projection also shares similar results giving Clinton 273 electoral votes, Trump 154 electoral votes and 111 remaining tossup electoral votes. Here is the illustration:

Clinton Leading in Several Battleground States

Pollsters found the former secretary of state safely ahead in such states as California, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, Illinois, New York and Delaware and with "likely" support in the critical states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, New Hampshire, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon, New Mexico, Connecticut and Maine.

Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Iowa, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, Missouri and Maine are all still considered too close to call, while Trump holds safe leads in such places as Mississippi, Montana, Louisiana, South Dakota and Kansas.

Similar findings are found in the 270toWin poll aggregator that illustrates the average of electoral ratings from seven sources - Sabato's Crystal Ball, Cook Political Report, Rothenberg-Gonzales Political Report, NBC Political Unit, The Fix (Washington Post), ABC News, and NPR. Here is the map:



Click the map to create your own at 270toWin.com

Clinton up 10 Points in Quinnipiac Poll

Meanwhile, with less than three months to go before Election Day a recent Quinnipiac University poll finds Clinton now tops Trump by 10 points in a general election survey, eclipsing the magical threshold of better than 50 percent support.

In a head-to-head showdown, Clinton bests Trump 50 percent to 41 percent with 90 percent of all voters insisting their decision is firmly made in terms of who they plan to support.

Overall, Trump has a likeability rate of just 47 percent with 59 percent of all respondents agreeing "the way Donald Trump talks appeals to bigotry."

In addition, 74 percent of all respondents insist the Republican nominee should release his tax returns. Pollsters also found Clinton is now winning by 24 percent among female voters and Trump's lead among men is down to just six percent.

The New York City business mogul also lags far behind 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney and other prior Republican nominees among non-white voters, gaining just 15 percent support.

Overall, 71 percent of respondents agree Clinton has the right experience to be president compared to just 32 percent who feel the same way about Trump.
The seemingly insoluble problems the European Union has brought upon itself crowd in from all directions: the slow-motion catastrophe of the euro; the unending flood of refugees; the deadly plague of terrorism; the approaching energy crunch. And now, amid that growing resentment right across Europe of all the EU stands for, it is also faced with the vote of one of its largest members to leave it altogether.



As a measure of just how desperately the EU has lost its way, it is worth taking a closer look at the symbolism of the venue chosen for last week's meeting of the leaders of Germany, France and Italy to discuss what they can do next about it all...



The secret history of the EU, written on an Italian prison island, reveals why the project is doomed

27 August 2016The TelegraphAs we know, the great dream that has been shaping the political integration of Europe for 60 years is today facing what is called an existential crisis  one so profound as to call into question its continued existence.The seemingly insoluble problems the European Union has brought upon itself crowd in from all directions: the slow-motion catastrophe of the euro; the unending flood of refugees; the deadly plague of terrorism; the approaching energy crunch. And now, amid that growing resentment right across Europe of all the EU stands for, it is also faced with the vote of one of its largest members to leave it altogether.As a measure of just how desperately the EU has lost its way, it is worth taking a closer look at the symbolism of the venue chosen for last weeks meeting of the leaders of Germany, France and Italy to discuss what they can do next about it all. We were coyly told that the little island of Ventotene off Naples was where, in 1941, a prisoner of Mussolinis had written the visionary manifesto that looked forward to building, after the war, a United States of Europe. What somehow got omitted was that Altiero Spinelli was a Communist (the BBC Radio 4 'Today' programme merely described him on air as a Fascist prisoner, although, lest this be misunderstood, that was edited out of their online report).We were not told that Spinellis Ventotene Manifesto proposed that his future government of Europe should be quietly assembled by its supporters over many years; and that only when all its pieces were in place would those supporters summon a convention to draw up a Constitution for Europe, which would finally reveal to the European people just what they had been up to.What we were also not told  and this is seemingly one of the best-kept secrets of the whole story  is that many years later, when Spinelli was elected as a Communist MEP in 1979, he became the second most influential person, after Jean Monnet, in shaping Europe as we know it today.At a time when the integration process had stalled, it was he  as I and my co-author, Richard North, were first able to explain in our book The Great Deception  who persuaded the European Parliament to vote for a Draft Treaty on European Union.And it was this, taken up by Jacques Delors, which led directly to the next two major treaties, the Single European Act and Maastricht, transforming the European Community into the European Union, complete with its own currency, foreign policy and much else besides.It was an astonishing achievement, which is why one of the largest office blocks in Brussels, the headquarters of the European Parliament, is called the Altiero Spinelli Building. But if you stop any of the hundreds who work there, you will scarcely find one who could tell you why it bears his name.The point is that, exactly as envisioned in their different ways by Spinelli and Monnet, the project has only ever had one real agenda in all it has done: to promote a supranational government for Europe, based on eliminating national self-interest: what Monnet called national egoism. There could only ever be one direction of travel: ever more integration; whatever the question, the answer is always more Europe.In the end, their great dream simply over-reached itself, as we see in every one of those crises piling in on it today. And how telling it was that, when Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande and Matteo Renzi met off Ventotene, all they could come up with, their wish to relaunch the European ideals of unity and peace, freedom and dreams, was just those same familiar old dead mantras.When they spoke of the need for more jobs, more shared intelligence, a European army, it was just the same more Europe we have heard a thousand times before, the only song they know. And how appropriate that they should go back to that sad little prison island to sing it.What better epitaph could there be for it all than those words of T S Eliot in his Four Quartets, which starts: . It goes on: If ever there was an occasion when one could see that the European dream was dead, it was in that very place where Spinelli first scrawled it out on cigarette papers 75 years ago: Ventotene.
Subaru announces 100 special edition Hunter Green Foresters for UK

Aug 28, 2016, 5:01pm ET

The green-on-brown Forester is the most British-looking Subaru ever.

Subaru has announced a snazzy new special edition Forester, but you have to go to the UK to get it.

Only a scant 100 units of the Forester Special Edition will be produced, and each will be featured in a unique Hunter Green (how British!) Metallic paint. The rest of the package seems to mainly cosmetic, but with enough visual changes to distinguish it from plebeian edition Foresters.

Those changes include the addition of black wheel arch extensions, a stainless steel cargo step panel, and under guards for the front, side and rear. To extend the Britishness into the cabin, the forest green Forester will have a brown leather interior to match. Beyond the seats, matching cowhide can be found on the door grips, center (or centre, rather) armrests and the upright sections of the center console.

The Special Edition cars are all based on the UK's Premium trim level, which is the equivalent to the Touring trim in the US. Both petrol and diesel engine options are available. Sadly, you won't be hunting for gears in Hunter Green, as an CVT is the only transmission option.

The Brits do get a 100,000-mile, 10-year warranty with this and any other Subaru they buy, making our 36,000-mile, 3-year guarantee look downright paltry. The Forester Special Edition goes on sale September 1.
Bryce Cuellar of Las Vegas was arrested after

An hour after Cuellar posted the video, police say he attacked his wife, punching her and causing her to fall to the ground. He then jumped on her and began choking her and telling her that he was going to kill her.

During an interview with Cuellar, he admitted to making the video and says that he was angry and drunk. He also told police that he knew he had screwed up with the video and that he is not a murderer.


UPDATE: $100K bail for man accused of burning vehicle

A 19-year-old Easton man is accused of setting fire to a vehicle during a heated dispute with his wife, whom he also threatened to kill, Wilson Borough police said.

At 8:55 p.m. Saturday, officers were dispatched to the 1500 block of Liberty Street for a report of a 2005 Nissan on fire. Jared A. McLoughlin, of the 200 block of Seventh Street, was found by investigators walking down the street.

McLoughlin allegedly began yelling at police and told officers to "shoot him." He was uncooperative and refused to obey commands by officers, police said.

McLoughlin then threw cigarettes and a lighter at the officers before a struggle ensued. Police eventually had to deploy a stun gun to place McLoughlin under arrest.

While en route to headquarters, police said McLoughlin continued to bang his head against a partition in the cruiser and spit in the face of an officer. He allegedly kept saying he wanted officers to "shoot and kill him."

McLoughlin was taken to Easton Hospital for a mental health evaluation. Officers at the hospital observed he had singed hairs on his legs, face and arm.

It was later determined McLoughlin set fire to a vehicle owned by a 25-year-old male victim, whom his estranged wife, 24, was with at the Liberty Street home. Police said McLoughlin also threatened to kill the male victim.

Wilson Borough firefighters extinguished the blaze.

McLoughlin is charged with arson, aggravated assault, criminal mischief, risking catastrophe, simple assault, resisting arrest and making terroristic threats (two counts). An arraignment before a district judge is pending following McLoughlin's release from the hospital.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
donna and marvin beahn

Donna Beahn, seen here on Aug. 25, 2016 with her husband Marvin Beahn, will need a kidney transplant for the second time in her life. She undergoes surgery Aug. 31, 2016, during which her husband will donate one of his kidneys.

(John Best | lehighvalleylive.com)

Trying to find an suitable donor for an organ transplant can be the ordeal of a lifetime, and some people have to go through it more than once.

Donna Beahn, of Bushkill Township, knows that too well. She received a kidney transplant in 2003 from her niece's husband. Now, 13 years later, that kidney is failing and she needs another one.

Fortunately for Beahn, she found an acceptable match not far from home -- from her husband Marvin Beahn.

The two will undergo surgery Wednesday at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township, with doctors transplanting one of Marvin's healthy kidneys into Donna.

In 2015, for the second time in her life, Beahn was diagnosed with complete renal failure, which means her kidneys no longer work as they should.

Marvin Beahn was confirmed as an acceptable donor in 2003 but his nephew-in-law, Todd Graf, was insistent that he be the one to donate then.

"Todd said, 'Instead of both of you being laid up at the same time, I'll do it,'" Marvin Beahn said.

Marvin Beahn, who works in the maintenance department at Northampton Community College, said he was ready without hesitation to help his wife of 34 years this time around.

"She's always been my rock and I am her rock," Marvin Beahn said.

Donna has had 14 hospital stays in the last 20 months due to other complications from her kidney problems. Beahn said she was feeling well just a month after her 2003 transplant and she hopes the recovery will be as quick this time.

Beahn is 60; her husband will turn 62 three days after the surgery.

Donna admitted she is a bit concerned having to undergo the same surgery, but she will be 13 years more experienced than the first go-around.

The couple has two adult children and their daughter and her fiancee recently moved into their home.

They said they are grateful to have family in the home who can tend to household duties while they recover.

Donna Beahn said she struggles to express how lucky she is to have two acceptable and willing donors in her life, while other people spend time on transplant waiting lists.

"Thank God," she said.

John Best is a freelance writer. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.
Innovative Arts Academy Charter School

The Innovative Arts Academy Charter Arts School is scheduled to open next month at 330 Howertown Road in Catasauqua.

(Express-Times file photo)

Is this any way to promote a charter school?

The pending debut of the Innovative Arts Academy Charter School in Catasauqua in September might have been uneventful, considering school officials said they had met their goal of enrolling 300 students for the sixth-to-12th-grade school.

This fledgling Catasauqua charter school denies authorizing, paying for or sending out this mailer.

Then a newspaper ad in the Morning Call and an anonymous mailer raised the school's profile dramatically. They touted the drug bust of a Liberty High School student last year, asking parents" "Why worry about this type of student at school?" and advising them to "Come visit Arts Academy Charter School."

Reaction to the unsigned mailer, which listed the school's address, was immediate. Bethlehem Area School District Superintendent Joseph Roy called it a low blow and an impetus for the Legislature to reform the state's charter school act.

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a critic of the state's approach to charter schools, said he wants to know who drew up and authorized the promotions. He asked the U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General to look into it.

"Unfortunately we have become accustomed to dirtball mailers and tactics like this in political campaigns," DePasquale said. "But when it spills over into our education system and one public school appears to have attacked another it becomes downright deplorable."

While there's nothing unfactual about the student drug bust in the ad and mailer -- and we support anyone's right to speak out about education funding and choice -- we agree with DePasquale's concern about the tactics used in an anonymous mailer. The broadside is felt deeply by public school officials and supporters, considering Pennsylvania's charter schools are funded by taxpayer money funneled through district budgets. Public school boards have a say in approving charters within their boundaries, but the state's enabling law has generated a flurry of charters, which compete with public districts for students.

So who's behind the ad and mailer? Charter school officials say it's not them. School attorney Daniel Fennick said the school is trying to divorce itself legally from the mailers and stop any unauthorized advertising. School CEO Loraine Petrillo resigned over the flap and other issues.

With no one stepping up, we're left to consider the underlying details: Developer Abe Atiyeh, who has leased other buildings for charter schools in the Lehigh Valley, is the owner of the building housing the new school in Catasauqua. Previously he paid a consultant a per capita fee to sign up enrollees at another charter school. Last week an Atiyeh employee made a public records request of the Bethlehem Area School District, seeking 10 years of arrest records on Liberty High School students.

When asked about the mailers and ads, Atiyeh refused to comment and hung up on an Express-Times reporter.

Time and a thorough investigation should reveal the source of the solicitations, which, even if they are legal, dip into a simplistic, fear-mongering approach to draw students from public schools to charter schools.

We hope DePasquale and others get to the bottom of this and answer the legal questions involved. Lawmakers who have been hearing pleas to correct the flaws in the state's charter school law should consider this another reason to get moving.
The latest search to find Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) is getting underway in Laois this week, through Local Enterprise Office Laois.

With a 2million investment fund available, including a 50,000 investment fund for Laois winners, the enterprise initiative from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland attracted 1,400 applications across the country last year and supported over 450 young entrepreneurs through training, mentoring and direct financial assistance.

Announcing the start of this years programme, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Ms. Mary Mitchell O Connor T.D. said:

The quest to find Ireland's Best Young Entrepreneur is one of the most exciting initiatives to create new businesses and new jobs in recent years. IBYE generates that "can-do" spirit in which young people excel.

 I want to foster that spirit and to demonstrate that there is help out there for any young person that wants to take a risk and start their own business.

The first-stop-shop to get advice and support on starting a business is your Local Enterprise Office. I want to congratulate the Local Enterprise Offices on rolling out IBYE and I look forward to meeting Ireland's young entrepreneurs up and down the country.

 I would encourage all young entrepreneurs, between the ages of 18 and 35 to talk to their Local Enterprise Office about the IBYE programme and discuss their business ideas.

The initiative is co-ordinated by all 31 Local Enterprise Offices and begins with a nationwide competition across three categories at county level: Best Idea, Best Start-Up Business and Best Established Business.

Around 450 applicants, across every Local Authority area, will be invited to regional Entrepreneur Bootcamps in November, to help them develop their business and new venture ideas.

Speaking about Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE), Minister for Employment and Small Business, Pat Breen T.D., said: "Ireland's Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) initiative offers a very significant stepping stone into the world of running your own business for young people aged 18 to 35.

It's not just the scale of the investment fund on offer that makes IBYE so important, IBYE entrants can go on to receive intensive enterprise boot camp training from their LEO under the programme, to help them establish and develop their entrepreneurship careers.

The level and depth of the business mentoring, training and advice available during the LEO bootcamps has proven to be extremely effective in helping young ambitious business people to cope with all aspects of running a business, especially the preparation of focused business plans.

Such plans are an essential tool for making a success of any business. IBYE has proven to be a great success in all the regions and I would encourage young people with a business idea or currently running a business to apply for Irelands Best Young Entrepreneur.

With an investment fund of 50,000, Local Enterprise Office Laois will award six investment prizes to three category winners and three runners-up, before the Regional Finals early next year.

The local winners in the Best Start-Up and Best Established Business categories will receive 15,000 each and the two runners-up will each receive 5,000. The Best Business Idea winner locally will receive an investment prize of 7,000 and the runner-up will receive 3,000.

Evelyn Reddin, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Laois explains: The 50,000 investment fund for Laois winners is a very important part of the competition and will help more young entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and create more jobs here locally.

Other business supports, such as management training, networking and one-to-one mentoring are also at the heart of the IBYE competition.

450 young entrepreneurs benefitted from these business supports last year, so the rewards are there for participants, as well as for the winners.

Taking part in IBYE will help Irelands young entrepreneurs to move their businesses to the next level, whatever stage their business is at.

The competition is now in its third year and last years local winners were: Michael Casey/M.A.C. Developments] in the Best Business Idea category; [Noel Walsh, Walsh Agri] in the Best Start-Up Business category and [Stephen Dowling, Dunmasc Genetics] in the Best Established Business category.

The countys Best Young Entrepreneur for 2015 was Michael Casey, M.A.C. Developments.

To enter, young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 in Laois are being asked to visit the competition website at www.ibye.ie, to submit their entry online. The closing date to enter is Friday, October 14 and there is no entry fee.
Australian Government

Department of Defence

Defence Science and

Technology Organisation

Mr Denis Cox

28/8/09

Dear Mr Cox,

I would like to thank you for your letter we received on 20th Oct. 1957 regarding the design of your rocketship. I apologise for the late response to your letters. You will appreciate, that as you requested A Top Scientist that uses the WOOMERA ROCKET RANGE it took a little while for your letter to get to me and in addition, it took some time to provide due consideration to your ideas.

In any case, I have included a picture of our latest flight of a hypersonic vehicle under the HIFiRE Program, so that you may see that many of your designs have merit. The fins are a little smaller, and on our work, we havent advanced sufficiently to put people on board, as you clearly indicated we should. Curiously enough though, people are still toying with the idea of combining rocket engines with turbines as suggested in your letter. These engines are now called Rocket Based Combined Cycle Engines and seem to work about as well as they did back in 1957! I am also quite interested in the shape of the fuselage, it actually shows a lot of merit!

I think that the most interesting statement you made in your letter was YOU PUT IN OTHER DETAILS. You were clearly going to be an excellent Program Manager, by providing those that know best the freedom in the matter to get it right. Furthermore, you did have your priorities right as AUSTRALIAN MARKINGS are the most prominent feature of the design.

I remember as a boy designing rocket ships and planes at about the same time that you wrote your letter. I dont know why or how, but somehow I was lucky enough to get to a position where I now head a team that designs planes and engines that will soon fly at Mach 8, or around 9000km/hr. I am proud to tell you that these planes will have an AUSTRALIAN MARKING on them as you indicated they should have. My one hope is that we do a sufficiently good job that is worthy of the inspiration, dreams and hopes that you provided in your letter those many years ago.

Once again, thank you for your letter.

(Signed)

Allan Paul BSc PhD MEngSc

Research Leader Applied Hypersonics

Air Vehicles Division

DSTO-Brisbane
NEWCASTLE West councillor Michael Collins has accused his fellow councillors in the Municipal District of reneging on their support for the new Christmas lights scheme in the town.

And he warned that, without the financial support of the council, the future of the scheme in the county town was being put at risk.

When he proposed last month that 10,000 be awarded towards the cost of the lights this year, he said, the only councillor who supported him was Sinn Feins Cllr Seamus Browne.

Now, Cllr Collins intends bringing the matter up again at the next meeting of local councillors in ten days time.

Outlining the background to the issue, Cllr Collins said that last year the Newcastle West Business Association in association with the Chamber of Commerce, stuck their necks out and signed up to an ambitious Christmas lights programme which would transform the town at a cost of almost 150,000 over three years.

This was done, the Fianna Fail councillor said, on the understanding that the councillors were backing them. The former Limerick County Council, he explained, only gave a nominal contribution to the Christmas lights.

However, he continued, following the amalgamation of city and county councils in 2014, he discovered that the city was getting 180,000 towards the cost of lights. I have no difficulty with that, he said but he argued that something had to be done for county towns also.

In the event, last year, Newcastle West was granted 10,000 from the councilsl budget and an additional 10,000 was granted from the Newcastle West Municipal Districts fund with the support of all the councillors.

But, according to Cllr Collins, his proposal for a further 10,000 this year has now fallen on deaf ears. They are reneging. he said. I only got support from Cllr Browne who said we knew it was going to be a three year plan and it had to be supported by the local authority.

If it is not supported it is going to fall flat on its face, he warned.

There was huge positive public reaction to the new lights scheme when it was switched on last Christmas, chairman of the Newcastle West Business Association Seamus Hunt said this week. The cost of the scheme in the first year was 47,000, he revealed, but there is still currently a shortfall of 14,000 despite a mid-year appeal to businesses to contribute.

We got great support from all of the councillors and we are relying on them for their continued support, he said. If we dont get the support we will have to scale down.

The councillors meet again on September 7.
Limerick City and County Council has confirmed that it is to clean a pier in Foynes in the coming weeks after the local search and rescue group warned that the poor condition of the slipway was hampering its ability to respond quickly to emergencies.

The pier in the West Limerick village that is used by Foynes and District Search and Rescue is covered in a layer of slippery green algae making it difficult and potentially dangerous for the group to launch their rescue boats.

This is similar to the green algae that coated the Buncrana pier in Co Donegal where five members of the same family died in March after their vehicle slipped into the water.

The problem in Foynes is compounded by the fact that the channel from the pier into the deeper water of the estuary is heavily silted up, meaning that the the search and rescue team cannot launch their boats less than two hours either side of low tide.

We had a call out to an emergency in the past fortnight and the jeep [which tows the boat] was struggling coming up the slipway, explained Joe Moran, one of the search and rescue volunteers.

It is one thing having to go out in bad weather and dangerous conditions but knowing that youre going to have to deal with that as well when you get back doesnt help.

Joes son, Keith, another volunteer with the group says that the poor condition of the slipway, combined with the mud in the in the channel means that there are effectively 10 hours in the day when they cannot launch.

You cannot leave for at least two hours either side of low tide - thats up to five hours per tide which is 10 hours per day, he said.

When the tide is low, you cant come in over the mud.

Joe claimed that the slipway in question was previously maintained by the Foynes Port company but that in recent years this has not been the case.

From Galway to Waterford along the coast, every slipway is maintained but you have millions of euro in commerce coming through here and they do nothing, he said.

The slipway was originally part of the Monteagle Estate but there has been some confusion over who now has responsibility for the slipway, with locals unclear whether it is under the authority of Shannon Foynes Port Company, Limerick City and County Council or the Office of Public Works.

In the past, however, it was maintained by the Foynes Port Company.

Years back, when there was only one crane here and about two people working full time in the port, it was kept spotlessly clean, Joe said.

Following a query from the Limerick Leader, a spokesperson for Limerick City and County Council confirmed that it now has responsibility for the pier.

The council also loooks after those in Ballysteen and Glin.

A clean-up of the slipway at the pier in Foynes is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks, the spokesperson confirmed.

Staff will be applying a special algae removal spray onto the slipway at low tide.

Special signs alerting users of the slipway warning them that the surface may be slippy are also being erected.

However, he added: The water at the bottom of the slipway in the port is heavily silted up. Shannon Foynes Port Company would have cleaned this up previously and we would expect that to continue in the future.

A spokesperson for Shannon Foynes Port Company pointed out that: The pier in question is in public ownership and its maintenance does not come under the remit of Shannon Foynes Port Company.

Dredging to and from it is also not under our remit but we have dredged it in the past as a goodwill gesture.
A FRUITCAKE, made and posted from Banard, Abbeyfeale in late 1952 travelled more than 10,000 miles or 16,000 kilometres to arrive on the US frontline in Korea in perfect condition.

The cake was sent to Jim Riordan, who had emigrated from the family home in Banard in 1948 at the age of 19 and had been drafted into the US Army in 1951.

Recalling the family story this week, Mary Fitzgerald of Fitzgeralds Woodlands House Hotel explained that her mother was Jims sister, Nell. She was a great one for brainwaves, she said. She baked a fruitcake and sent it off in a cake tin.

The tin, with its precious cake, travelled to Chicago, then to the army depot and from there to the frontline where Jim was serving during the Korean War. It was a minor miracle. It arrived in perfect condition,

For Jim, posted on the frontlines in difficult conditions, the cake was a godsend which he shared with his army comrades in the trenches.

Over six decades later, Mary Fitzgerald sent her uncle another fruitcake, marking that extraordinary little event but also marking his honour flight from his home in Chicago to visit the US War Memorials in Washington DC.

The trip, earlier this month, was organised by Honor Flight Chicago, a non-profit organisation which flies World War II and Korean War veterans to see the memorials built in their honour.

It was the best day of my life, Jim Riordan told his niece Mary.

Huge numbers of Jims children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren met Jim at the airport to share in the occasion I can die happy now, he told them.

In the detailed story of his life prepared by his son Michael, Jim recalled the 10 months he spent on the frontline in Korea where he was promoted to the rank of sergeant.

He, and his squad of eight or nine men, spent most of their time in the bunkers built by Korean labourers or in sand-bagged foxholes.

In the trenches, they ate mostly rations, Michael writes. Jim remembers that the rations would be frozen in the winter and they would use their bayonets to break them up. He says his worst day in the war was Christmas Day on the front line, sitting in a foxhole, freezing, eating rations, awaiting the next wave of enemy fire, and knowing that back home he would have been enjoying family, friends, good food, comfort and safety.

The memoir also recalls an incident in which Jim saved a comrades life, another when he himself had a very near miss and also tells of humane interactions with local civilians.

The journey back to the US was also gruelling. It took seven weeks by ship, passing Japan and Hawaii, rounding Cape Horn in South America before eventually docking in New York.

The bunks were stacked six high with barely enough room in between for a man to lie , Jim recalled for his son and they were also hungry. We only got three small meals a day.

Back in civilian land and discharged from the army in November, 1953, Jim was automatically awarded US citizenship and settled in Chicago where he married Margaret, the woman he had become engaged to before leaving for Korea.

Jim worked nights for over 35 years as a fireman in the boiler room of Sears on the west side of Chicago and during the day, he worked full time at side jobs as a painter.

But speaking of his time in the army, he said: , It didnt do me any harm. The army never taught me anything bad, and I never caused them any problem. Im very proud of being in the army, and I put my American flag out every day!

Jim and Margaret have been happily married for the past 63 years and have nine children.

A large number of these children as well as grandchildren and great grandchildren gathered at the airport along to welcome Jim back from his Honor Flight to Washington.

Jim and other veterans were greeted by their families and with music and flags as a way of saying thank you for what you did, Jims son John explained.

Many Riordan relatives still live in and around Abbeyfeale while his sister Theresa Boylan is well known in Limerick as a B&B proprietor on Davis Rd. Jim will be 88 later this year.
GRIM, dark, inventive and with a twist at the end I never saw coming. This is how Hugh Howey, New York Times bestselling author of Wool has described Zero Hour, the science-fiction novel which has been serialised online by Newcastle Wests Eamon Ambrose.

Already, Zero Hour has clocked up over 250,000 individual page views on the Amazon Kindle Unlimited service and he has sold over 10,000 online copies.

For a first-time writer, these are serious, break-through figures which look set to be increased even further when the last of the six-part serialisations goes out online later this week. And while each serialisationl is also available in on-demand print, , Eamon plans to launch Zero Hour as a hard-copy book as well as an e-book next month.

There has been some interest from the film industry and from major publishers although for now Im happy being independent until the best deal comes along, he explained to the Limerick Leader this week.

Meanwhile, this father-of-three who now lives in Kilmeedy has already started on his second novel, which he says, will be more fantasy than sci-fi.

And, he revealed, he does most of his writing in his car during his lunch-breaks.

But it all began more as a hobby than anything else. A serious and voracious reader when he was young, Eamon returned to reading some years ago on the advice of a friend, RTE presenter Rick OShea who recommended Hugh Howeys Wool. which began as an e-book in various instalsments. and was blown away.

This propelled him into the relatively new world of e-books and on-line publishing and introduced him to a virtual community of writers. There is a big community out there of independent writers, especially in science fiction, Eamon explained. He began reviewing science fiction books, both e-books as well as printed books, and quickly became established as a reliable critic. This was copperfastened when he got an exclusive review of the last serial of Hugh Howeys trilogy. From there, he developed a connection with the best-selling author as well as with other writers.

In all, he reckoned, he reviewed more than 200 books over about two years.

From watching what they were doing, releasing books, I got interested in doing it myself.

Zero Hour began as a short story about a soldier who wakes up into a post-apocalyptic world, possibly the only survivor of a brutal attack by machines intent on destroying humanity. But all is now as it seems. Eamon sent the story to to Hugh Howey. I knew he would be honest. And he loved it.

Hugely encouraged, Eamon put Zero Hour for sale online, exactly a year ago last Saturday, and very quickly he noticed something was happening. Reviews, and good ones at that, were coming in very quickly and in surprising numbers for an unknown writer.

The initial plan was to write a few short stories and release them one by one, then put them in a book, Eamon explained. But not long after Zero Hour was out in cyber space, the emails began coming: What happens next, they all asked.

Eamon obliged and obliged and continued to oblige until his original short story had llengthened into a six-part serialised novel,l. It is written in the second person. That is what people liked about it. It is more immersive.

He continues to be a firm fan of online publishing and the immediacy and control it gives him over his own material but he is also hoping that his online success will open the way to a conventional publishing deal.

He isnt planning on giving up his office job just yet. It is early days as far as I am concerned, he said.

Go online for your copy at eamonambrose.com
A top Iranian judiciary official says the death penalty hasnt deterred drug trafficking, which is in fact on the rise.



"The truth is, the execution of drug smugglers has had no deterrent effect," Mohammad Baqer Olfat, deputy head of judiciary for social affairs, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on August 27.

Olfat said he had suggested to the judiciary chief that rather than the death penalty, traffickers should serve long prison terms with hard labor.



"We have fought full-force against smugglers according to the law, but unfortunately we are experiencing an increase in the volume of drugs trafficked to Iran, the transit of drugs through the country, the variety of drugs, and the number of people who are involved in it," Olfat said.



Iran carries out more executions per capita than any other country. Nearly 1,000 prisoners were put to death in 2015, most of them for drug trafficking.



The Islamic Republic seized 388 tons of opium in 2012, around 72 percent of all such seizures globally, but says it has lost many security personnel in skirmishes with drug traffickers in volatile regions bordering Afghanistan and also Pakistan.



The United Nations has repeatedly praised Iran's battle against narcotics trafficking but opposed its death penalty.



The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Iran urged Tehran on August 26 to halt the execution of 12 people on drug-related offenses scheduled for August 27.



"It is regrettable that the [Iranian] government continues to proceed with executions for crimes that do not meet the threshold of the 'most serious crimes' as required by international law," Ahmed Shaheed said in a statement.

With reporting by dpa and Reuters
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Michael Collins assassination took place just over 90 years ago this month.

Michael Collins assassination took place just over 90 years ago this month.

On that date, not only did one of Irelands legedary figures meet a fatal end, but also his connections with the county of Longford fell into the annals of history. These connections transcended his relationship with Kitty Kiernan of Granard, with the Big Fella visiting the area on numerous occasions.

Collins canvassed vehemently for Sinn Fein candidate, Joseph McGuinness, in the south Longford constituency during the 1917 election. McGuinness was a prisoner at the time, but Collins led the campaign under the slogan, Vote him in to get him out!

Originally, Eamon De Valera opposed the idea of McGuinness running, and as a consequence McGuinness decided not to run. Collins, however, convinced him to stand for election, and McGuinness was elected narrowly - winning by just 37 votes. Collins also had a close relationship with another Longford native: General Sean MacEoin.

MacEoin was imprisoned in 1921, charged with the murder of R.I.C. District Inspector T.J. McGrath. He was subsequently released, at the insistence of Collins. Michael Collins was arrested himself in 1918, for an after mass rally he gave at Legga, near Granard.

At the time, the Longford Leader described the rally as a big blow-out. Three hundred men, women and gossoons assembled to hear the new gospel preached. He was adjudged to be guilty of an inciting rally and cajoling volunteers to steal guns.

Reading from a script, Collins had read out a Volunteer General Order warning members not to raid houses for arms. He departed from his script however, and added when volunteers do raid for arms, they will go where they will find ones that will be of some use to them. As a result, an outrage report was filed with the Longford County Inspector.

A warrant for Collins arrest was obtained, and Collins was arrested on OConnell Bridge in Dublin on April 2 1918. Collins was transferred to Longford and put on trial, where he was found guilty and imprisoned in Sligo. Collins himself described the scene at the Longford Railway Station, where he was brought to be transferred to Sligo. He was met by a crowd of sympathisers [and] friends there with Republican flags, singing rebel songs.

Collins, after initially refusing the option, opted to be bailed for 40.
School & Education, Local News, Press Releases

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 28 2016

Suffolk County Community College will welcome back more than 25,000 students to its three campuses for the fall 2016 semester on Monday August 29.

Selden, NY - August 27, 2016 - Suffolk County Community College will welcome back more than 25,000 students to its three campuses for the fall 2016 semester on Monday August 29.



Community College President Dr. Shaun L. McKay will officially welcome the college community back at an afternoon convocation ceremony at 4 p.m. at the Ammerman Campus in Selden in the Brookhaven Gymnasium. There, students, faculty, staff and administration will gather to welcome new students and faculty as well as honor members of the college community.



Monday August 29, 2016 - Day classes begin

Tuesday September 6 - Evening classes begin

Sat.- Sun. September 10,11 - Saturday/Sunday classes begin
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

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The color of your parents refrigerator is. um, white.

You cant remember exactly because its covered in artwork: your school projects, your sisters drawings, your little brothers scribbles. Face it: youre an artistic family and your parents are proud. Maybe someday, youll be famous. It could happen, as youll see in Kid Artists by David Stabler, illustrated by Doogie Horner.

Ever since you can remember, youve always loved to draw. Lots of kids do, but while Not every kid grows up to be a great artist, says David Stabler, every great artist starts out as a kid.

That doesnt make things easy. Take, for instance, Louise Nevelson.

Born in Russia in 1900, Nevelsons trip to America when she was five years old was a long one: it took weeks, and the family was quarantined even before their steamship journey. But by then, Nevelson had begun to understand the use of color and, by age nine, she knew she was going to be an artist.

When America entered World War I, young Theodore Geisel was teased and bullied for his German last name and because his grandfather was an immigrant. Ted never let that bother him, though: he continued to draw and play with words, which made him famous. You probably, in fact, know him by the name on his books: Dr. Seuss.

Sparky Schulzs father loved the funny pages, and so young Sparky grew up with that same appreciation of the comics. Sparky was kind of a shy teen, until the day he sent a drawing of his dog to the editors of Ripleys Believe It or Not! and his cartoon was printed. That launched Schulzs career with a round-headed kid named Charlie Brown and a dancing beagle named Snoopy.

Yoko Ono grew up in luxury, but lost it during World War II. Pablo Picassos first word was pencil. Jackson Pollock was influenced by Native American cave paintings that he saw as a child. And African American artist Jacob Lawrence, renowned for his cardboard paintings, almost missed being famous because his family couldnt afford materials.

What happens when you give a kid a crayon? You get a drawing, of course, and in Kid Artists, the picture is clear: genius isnt easy.

Using the word artist to denote creativity, author David Stabler profiles seventeen people who didnt just become well-known artists overnight. For them, practicing their passion was a lifelong journey and, along the way, they were just like any average kid. Some were bullied, some moved around a lot, others overcame poverty or deprivation, and a few bucked convention to do what their hearts told them to do. Kids will appreciate accompanying artwork by Doogie Horner, and the fact that these short stories are guilt-free, skippable, and browse-able, if needed.

That adds up to an interesting, attention-holding collection of mini-biographies that any 7-to-14-year-old can enjoy for fun or for a school project. Or, if they need inspiration to persevere with their own creative genius, Kid Artists is a great book to draw from.
FOREST CITY  It should be functional, but look nice, too.

Thats how the proposed $9.3 million fine arts facility, officially now the Hanson Fine Arts building, in Forest City should be, I+S Group representatives Andy Brandel and Bob Mickelson said in two recent meetings.

Located at the intersection of I Street and John K Hanson Drive, the project is a joint venture between the city of Forest City, Forest City School District and Waldorf University. The project will receive $4.4 million from the Hanson Foundation.

We look to the usership of the building and that influences what we are trying to accomplish, said Mickelson, of the architecture, engineering and planning firm.

Glass at the front entrance of the 32,000-square foot building is designed to draw attention to the center and the events happening inside, Mickelson said. The back sides are kept dark and without (many) lights or windows for performance reasons.

The facility will have seating for about 620 people, Brandel said.

Located on the west side, the front entrance will face the YMCA and Hanson Fieldhouse. It will have a drop-off area and handicapped-accessible entrances.

The facility will include an art gallery and room for meetings as well as gatherings for up to 150 people, with a possible expansion to seat 200 total people, Mickelson said. The gallery is designed with glass doors to allow guests to see the artwork inside even when the gallery is closed.

The plan for the performance area includes dressing rooms, restrooms, a green room, a permanent performance stage and a second removable stage that sits over an orchestra pit.

The plan for the second level includes a catering kitchen and a larger meeting area for 150 people, but this is the area that could be expanded to hold 200, Mickelson said. The building has the flexibility to host more than one event at once.
WATERLOO  Many people in Iowas jails  as many as one-third  do not belong there, state law enforcement officials say.

Too many people are jailed when what they really need is mental health care.

The scenario has become all too common: A person with a mental illness does not get needed treatment or declines to take prescribed medication, then behaves in a way that gets law enforcement involved.

So, what weve got now is the jails have become the mental health institutions for the state, said John Miller, a Black Hawk County supervisor.

The states mental health care system is plagued, law enforcement officials and mental health advocates agree, by a lack of access because of a shortage of beds and a lack of available mental health professionals.

Iowa also lacks a unified mental health care model that involves hospitals, law enforcement and the community.

In Scott County, 38 percent of the individuals in jail have a diagnosed mental health issue, according to Sheriff Dennis Conard. Like many of his colleagues in law enforcement across the state, Conard thinks that number would drop dramatically  perhaps by as much as half  if a better system of mental health care were in place in Iowa.

The entire system seems to be broken, especially in our area, Conard said. And the jail is the location that the police departments have at their disposal to take care of the issues that theyre dealing with on a daily basis on the outside.

Theyre running into people who are under treatment, but for some reason, they make the decision that theyre not going to take their medicines anymore or they have a crisis of some sort. And theres no place else for them but jail.

Not enough beds





Iowa has the fewest state psychiatric hospital beds per capita in the nation  two beds for every 100,000 residents, according to a 2016 report from the Virginia-based Treatment Advocacy Center.

There are roughly 730 staffed psychiatric inpatient hospital beds in Iowa, according to state data. The number fluctuates daily by a bed or two.

Thats not enough, law enforcement officials and mental health care advocates say, especially because not all beds are open to all mental health patients. Some, for example, are designated for specific age groups.

There is a shortage of beds for certain populations. I dont know if theres overall a shortage, but there definitely is a shortage for certain kinds of people, said Peggy Huppert, executive director of Iowas state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstads administration in 2015 shuttered state-run mental health institutions in Mount Pleasant and Clarinda. Branstad said the move was made to better serve patients in community-based treatment and to save money for the state.

In early 2015, just before the closures, there were just more than 730 psychiatric beds, according to the state.

A state Department of Human Services spokeswoman said there still are roughly 730 beds in Iowa. She said the number of beds did not change drastically because, in the final years, Clarinda and Mount Pleasant housed only a handful of psychiatric beds each.

Two state-run mental health institutions remain operational, in Independence and Cherokee. Independence has 62 beds and Cherokee has 36.

Advocates and law enforcement officials say they agree that many individuals with mental health care needs are better served in community-based treatment, but not all. They say some people have mental health care needs that are too intense for such treatment.

I had one person from one of the MCOs (the managed care organizations that are now operating Iowas Medicaid program) tell me it doesnt matter how much I offer to pay a provider, theyre not going to take these people with intense mental health care needs, Huppert said. So there is a role for state beds, and it should be for the patients that nobody else wants. The state should take those people.

While the state data shows dozens of open beds  a new bed-tracking system showed more than 80 in early June  law enforcement officials and advocates insist the shortage is real, and they insist the mental health institution closures exacerbated the problem.

Difficult to place





They say some individuals are difficult to place and sometimes beds are open but geographically far from the patient, which then requires someone, often law enforcement, to make an hours-long round trip to transport the person.

I dont know the governors reason (for closing the mental health institutes)  but its killing a county like Woodbury, said Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew. And I know other counties have the same problem.

Branstad spokesman Ben Hammes rejected the suggestion the closures shifted the burden of providing mental health care from the state to local government and agencies.

State officials pointed to the open beds and said hospitals are not admitting some mental health patients. They also noted a shortage of psychiatrists, an issue Branstad has attempted to address by introducing a program that would encourage psychiatric medical students to stay and work in Iowa after graduation.

There are still two state institutions that are able to admit patients, Hammes said in an emailed response to questions.

We recognize the difficult job that mental health care advocates sometimes experience, he said. However, we are focused on providing a modernized level of care for mental health patients in their local communities whenever possible.

Hammes said that since returning to office in 2011, Branstad has approved more than $310 million in mental health care funding and signed into law the statewide redesign of the states mental health care delivery system from county- to region-based.

Hammes also said 150,000 Iowans have access to mental health coverage through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, a state and federal partnership health care plan.

The closures freed more than $8 million in the state budget. State records show the state appropriated $1.4 million for Mount Pleasant and $6.8 million for Clarinda in fiscal year 2015; that funding has since been eliminated from the state budget.

Jails as mental health institutions





When beds and other treatment options are not available, jails often bear the burden.

They cant get access to proper treatment, so theyre self-medicating with drugs or alcohol, Huppert said about some people experiencing mental health problems.

Its often the addiction that gets them into trouble or the behaviors coming out of that that lands them in the criminal justice system, she said. In Iowa, police and sheriffs are the mental health treatment providers of last resort.

Law enforcement officials say not only is that an inefficient use of their resources, it often is difficult to provide adequate assistance to someone with mental health care needs.

Once all the beds are full, whats the next best thing? Well, take them to jail. And thats not providing the services they truly need, said Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt.

Sometimes I feel like were really reactive, he said. If we get them the help beforehand and have it be long-term care instead of just short-term care, then we might avoid these situations.

Black Hawk County Sheriff Tony Thompson sees the same issue.

Way too often they end up in the criminal justice system because thats the path of least resistance. Thats the easiest option, Thompson said. Jailing them while theyre mentally ill, while convenient  it in no way, shape or form benefits them. It is a limitation of the system.

Law enforcement officials say people with mental health issues wind up in jail because often it is the easiest solution, but those officials say that is not what is best for the patient who becomes an inmate.

A lot of people in our custody are in for non-compliance, (not) taking their medication. They didnt do what the court ordered them to, the court has no place to put them, so they put them in our jail, Drew said. Dont you find that disturbing that someone ends up in our jail just because somebody didnt take their meds?

No funding coming





Although many advocates agree most mental health patients are better served in community-based settings, those same advocates say the problem is local governments and agencies received no additional help to make the transition.

There wasnt a subsequent shift of dollars into community health centers to help them manage those acute clients, said Chris Hoffman, executive director of Pathways Behavioral Services in Waterloo.

Advocates lament what they describe as insufficient state funding for mental health care resources, and groups that are trying to address the intersection of mental health care and law enforcement are doing so without expecting any new money coming their way.

We have to fund it ourselves, Miller said. We have to figure it out on our own, because were paying, one way or the other.

Working together





In Black Hawk County, individuals from county government, law enforcement, hospitals, mental health care advocacy and others have formed a group that meets once a month to discuss these issues.

It brings everybody to the table, not only to identify our various roles in the problem, but also brings to the table some potential solutions, said Tom Eachus, of the Black Hawk-Grundy Mental Health Center in Waterloo.

They can come together and say, This is something that we need to do differently, we need to address this problem, he said. We know what the needs are. Now the question is how do we change the process that might impact the problem that is there. Were all going down the same road together.

Thompson marveled at how much he has had to learn about handling people with mental health care needs since he became sheriff in 2009.

I didnt realize when I took office eight years ago how dramatic an issue this was. I ramped up my education very quickly, and thats unfortunate that we are under-recognizing this particular facet of the issue, Thompson said.

But in this last eight years, what Ive found is my vision for what the mental health funnel ought to look like, where it starts with day programming, routine interaction with a counselor, all the way down to those people who need permanent placement, a housing system, 24-hour monitoring, down to people who really arent suitable for placement in community care (but) need something more structured, more detailed to their particular affliction, he said.

We all recognize that the convergence of mental health and criminal justice needs to be addressed.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Killings Continue, Discontent, Anger Grow in Kashmir

MUSINGS

Killings continue in the Kashmir Valley. In just one day, on Tuesday (August 16), another five civilians were killed and 31 injured. Yet the political rulers in New Delhi and Srinagar insist on bypassing this reality. Instead they want to distract and dwell on the happenings in Balochistan and Gilgit.

Its not just the Kashmiris but even the non-Kashmiris are commenting that this blatant U- turn by the government of the day on the Kashmir crisis reeks not just of insensitivity but amounts to hoodwinking the masses. Also, these ongoing diplomatic games between India and Pakistan are deepening the crisis in the Valley. Provocative taunts and tactics from either side are worsening the ground realities in the Valley.

How can the latest round of diplomatic moves between India and Pakistan bring about some semblance of peace in the Valley? How can this strategic shift of dragging along the situation in PoK or Balochistan help lessen tension in the Valley? How is the wounded and bruised and dying Kashmiri going to survive amidst this war of words between India and Pakistan? How long can this blame-game camouflage the brutal violations taking place in the Kashmir Valley?

Kashmiris are fuming: what else could be expected when the Right-wing is in power, in control of our lives! The BJP-RSS is known for masks, for camouflaging the reality and putting up facades, for playing up non-issues to mask the actual issues.

PDPs alliance with the BJP has compounded the Anger in the Valley!

Till date the Kashmiris are in no mood to pardon the PDP leadership for paving the way for the Right-wing to make inroads into their territory and till date there is little acceptance of this alliance.

Kashmiris were angry when the late Mufti Mohammed Sayeed had decided to go ahead with the BJP. The PDP-BJP alliance widened the gap between the people of the Valley and the political rulers of the State. A widespread feeling of betrayal in the Valleyof getting sold out to outsiders. RSS cadres will be transported here to grab our homes and lands under various grabs and guises. ...I was taken aback to see cab drivers to roadside vendors to students to lawyers and engineers shaking their heads in dismal motions, quipping that the PDP should not have made this alliance with the BJP.

Anger was not just amongst the apolitical Kashmiri is but also amongst the political lot. In Srinagar I had interviewed Engineer Rasheed, a qualified engineer who turned a politician to escape police brutalities; in fact, he is the only independent MLA in J&Kand heard him voice his apprehensions with the RSS making inroads... of the RSS using ploys to drag along unrest in the Valley. This was just a couple of days before he was in the midst of the beef party controversy that had erupted at Srinagars MLA hostel. And within a short span of that, Right-wing goons had thrown petrol bombs on two Kashmiri truckers, Zahid Rasool and Showkat Ahmad; with Zahid Rasool succ-umbing to his injuries. Compounding the tragedy, ink and paint was thrown at MLA Engineer Rasheed and also on the relatives of Zahid Rasool and Showkat Ahmad, after they had held a press meet in New Delhis Press Club of India.

Whys to this Aversion...

A list of reasons for the Kashmiris anger against the Right-wing ruling them, directly or indirectly.

In contrast to those earlier years when old- timers in the Valley argued rather too earnestly that Kashmir was safer with India, this time the Kashmiris are throwing up a series of counter-arguments: Who is safe in India? Nobody is safe! Modi and his Ministers are provoking us... Muslims are getting killed with any possible excuse! How can Modis sarkar talk of a common civil code when Muslims and Dalits and Christians are treated like third-class citizens! The sarkar hangs Yaqub Memon and Afzal Guru but does not touch their own Hindutva terrorists flourishing all overfrom Mumbai to Karnataka to Uttar Pradesh to Madhya Pradesh! There has been an ongoing climate of communally charged atmosphere in the country. Surcharged mahaul in the country bound to leave imprints on the very mahaul in the Valley. Ironically, the Valley did not see a surcharged communal mahaul before this phase. No, not even during the Partition when hundreds of Muslim families were hounded out of Jammu and not even in 2002 when the Gujarat riots peaked.

Double-standards in Governance

Kashmiris point out double-standards in the very governance. The JNU episode was (mis) handled with Right-wing gloves. With that the expected offshoots. A twitter war had taken off between former Chief Minister of J&K Omar Abdullah and Censor Board member Ashoke Pandit, with the latter dragging along JNUSU Vice President Shehla Rashid Shoras fiery speeches and together with that rather too blatantly thrusting the Kashmiri Muslim angle to it! In fact, as CPI-M legislator M.Y. Tarigami commented on February 20, 2016This JNU incident had made it clear it was the handiwork of the RSS!

The JNU episode threw up double-standards in the very governance. JNU students targeted on the supposed evidence of chanting pro-Afzal slogans in the confines of doctored or morphed videos and planted evidence. But within a short span came up former Union Home Minister P. Chidambarams comments on the Afzal Guru case in the context of these supposedly pro-Afzal chants. Im quoting him from news report published in national dailies in February 2016Former Union Minister P. Chidambaram has said there were grave doubts about the involvement of Afzal Guru in the 2001 Parliament attack and that the case was perhaps not correctly decided. Chidambaram was Union Home Minister when Gurus mercy plea was rejected by the previous UPA Government in 2011. Guru was hanged two years later.

There were grave doubts about his involve-ment (in the conspiracy behind the attack on Parliament) and even if he was involved, there were grave doubts about the extent of his involvement. He could have been imprisoned for life without parole for (the) rest of his natural life,

Kashmiris also point out that the Right- wing seemed hell-bent on giving a communal slant to the entire Afzal case. They quote from The Indian Express dated September 23, 2007 Hanging Afzal first job if we come to power, says BJP...The first thing we will do when voted to power is to hang Afzal, BJP President Rajnath Singh announced here on Saturday. We wont waste anytime, thundered Singh, addressing a massive gathering at the Lal Parade ground...

Kashmiris are more than upset over the manner in which their local leaders are projected by vested political dictates coming from New Delhi. They point out one instance after another when the electronic media paints them in all possible shades of negativity. This when the Tsunami hit the coasts of India, Yasin Maliks JKLF had not just donated one lakh but even organised blood donation camps to raise 100 pints of blood and he was even ready to send volunteers to help those affected by Tsunami but nobody even bothered to report this... And even during the 2104 floods Hurriyat leaders and volunteers were in the forefront during relief operations yet the electronic media did not give due coverage. Some channels even questioned their motives!

Also, the RSS-BJP is seen tilted towards Israel. And with the political climate changing the world over this anger against Israel and the US is growing. Each time there are bombardments by Israel on the Gaza settle-ments, the Valley erupts. A few months back a major tragedy took place when the security forces killed an unarmed 14-year-old protestor in the Kashmir Valley. This boy was merely protesting against Israels brutal killings of those hapless Palestinians in the Gaza settle-ment. There was a massive outcry and Kashmiris burst out: At least this young Kashmiri boy had the guts and grit to protest against the on going genocide! And instead of honoring his spirit, he was killed! Dont we civilians have the basic right to protest and cry out!

To compound the situation there was an eerie quiet on this killing by the political rulers in Srinagar and also in New Delhi. Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, was rather too categorical in stating loud and clear that she will not react to the current Israel- Palestinian crisis. Even as Kashmiris asked Is Israel so very overpowering? Is Israel donating or selling arms to the Indian Government to kill us? Is the Indian Government aping Israels war tactics, to kill us with the same barbaric use of force thats used to crush the Palestinians? Are guns and other weapons got from Israel to be experimented on us Kashmiris? Are arms lobbies flourishing because of the killings here!
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2016 > Irom Sharmila ends her Historic Hunger Strike for Human Security in (...)

by Kadayam Subramanian

The young woman Irom Sharmila (30) went on an indefinite hunger strike on November 2, 2000 in protest against the killing of innocents by the paramilitary Assam Rifles (AR) under the protection of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958. After nearly 16 years, Sharmila announced recently that she would be ending her historic hunger strike on August 9, 2016 in order to pursue her objectives through other peaceful means. In recent judgments, the Supreme Court of India has come out in support of human security in Manipur. This would strengthen the hands of Irom Sharmila and others in their struggle for justice in conflict-torn Manipur.

On November 2, 2000, a column of the Assam Rifles (AR), the oldest paramilitary force in India, moving from the Imphal airport, resorted to indiscriminate firing near a bus stop at Malom killing ten innocent civilians. Irom Sharmila was at the bus stop but escaped unhurt.

The unprovoked firing by the men of the AR killing innocents led to the young Sharmila (30) going on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the removal from Manipur of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958, a repressive special legislation, which had been in force in Manipur since 1958 ostensibly for counter-insurgency purposes.

Intrepid Sharmila refused to give up her hunger strike for nearly 16 years despite appeals from family, friends and supporters. She has been medically kept alive by the nasal drip. The AFSPA has not been repealed.

Sharmilas indefinite hunger strike has not only been against the AFSPA but also in favour of the peoples right to live and, more recently, her own right to live and love.

The constitutionality and necessity of the AFSPA and its relationship to the historically unique paramilitary force, the Assam Rifles (AR), set up in 1835, has been debated. The AR continues to remain despite the creation of a multiplicity of other paramilitary forces in the subsequent period.

When the AFSPA was imposed on Manipur in 1958 for counterinsurgency functions, the AR was among the immediately available forces to implement the law. The distinguishing features of the AR are its military leadership and its command and control from New Delhi.

Manipur was a part of the then North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA), whose possession by India, was contested by China. The region became a Union Territory of India in the mid-1960s. The budget and administrative control of the AR was transferred to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India in New Dehi.

Under the Constitution of India, internal security is a State subject. The formation of several new States in the North-East in the early 1970s and the deployment of several new Central Para Military Forces (CPMFs) in the region tended to reduce the relevance of the AR, which developed an identity crisis. But it continues to exist and performs a largely negative role and enjoys immunity from prosecution under the provisions of the special law, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958.

AFSPA in Manipur

Manipur has been a conflict-torn State ever since its controversial integration into India in 1949. Many insurgent groups operate in the State demanding autonomy and independence. The means adopted by the Indian state to restore stability in Manipur are regarded as having led to instability and insurgency. Most controversial has been the use of the special law, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA), 1958.

The AFSPA was formulated by the British colonial regime in 1942 as an emergency law. In 1958, it was adopted by independent India to deal with disturbed conditions especially in North-East India. The 1958 Act was amended in 1972 and empowered any commissioned officer, warrant officer, non-commissioned officer or any officer of equivalent rank to use force even to the extent of causing death providing them immunity from prosecution. The AFSPA has been regarded asa truly nasty and terrifying piece of legislation.

When, in 1980, the Act was extended to the whole of Manipur, there were large protests and rallies by voluntary groups and other bodies including womens groups. Several women were injured or killed during actions by security forces. The imposition of the Act had the effect of increasing the violent attacks by underground groups against the security forces. The AFSPA was described as a national security tyranny since it violated the Indian Constitution as well as the international conventions and instruments to which India is a signatory. Significantly, the terminology employed in the Act conformed to the usage of the Army Act of 1950. The definition of the concept of disturbed area was considered vague.

In 1987, the atrocities committed by the Assam Rifles while dealing with underground activities at Oinam were castigated by the Guwahati High Court which said that the security forces charged with maintaining law and order and ensuring peace had acted contrary to the law and had become entirely unaccountable.

The Malom massacre by the Assam Rifles on November 2, 2000, in which many innocents were killed, led to Irom Sharmila embarking on an indefinite hunger strike demanding the revocation of the AFSPA.

The brutal rape and killing by the AR personnel of Thangjam Manorama in July 2004 acting under the AFSPA, led to a group of women parading naked in protest against the AR in Imphal, the State Capital. The Government of India was forced to set up the Justice Jeevan Reddy Committee, 2005. The five-member Committee, which had no woman, came out with a report castigating the AFSPA as a symbol of oppression and an instrument of discrimi-nation and high-handedness and called for its repeal. The report was ignored.

Nari Rustomji, a senior civil servant, stated that attempts to restore stability in the region, mostly based on colonial precedents, had in fact aggravated instability. The imposition of heavy administrative control since independence had largely led to violence and armed insurgency, which was accepted as a normal pattern of life in the region.

As of 2008, in addition to the whole of Manipur (excluding the Imphal valley), several other parts of the North-East were declared disturbed areas under the AFSPA. Some State Governors with military or police background and the officers who work under them, often acted against the interests of the State governments and even accused it of inaction and collusion with the insurgents. In effect, the State governments existed only under uneasy subjection to a hostile centralised controlling authority.

Despite the AFSPA, militant groups have flourished in Manipur and even grown in number. Officials argue that this justifies the law but others say that its continuance has led to the increase in the number of militant groups.

In November, 2009, a Manipur police commando was involved in the extrajudicial execution of a young woman named Rabina and a young man named Sanjit in the State Capital, Imphal. The police commando, when prosecuted, came out with a confession admitting that he had been responsible for the extrajudicial killing of over 100 people in the name of fighting insurgency.

Impunity of security forces, especially the AR, acting under the AFSPA, is the specific feature of conflict management in Manipur.

It is good news that the formidable woman activist Irom Sharmila is now free to lead her colleagues in civil society to fight for human security and peace in conflict-torn Manipur. Happily, the Supreme Court of India has recently come out with a judgment upholding the rule of law and human security in Manipur on the basis of a public interest litigation taken up by a voluntary agency. The Court has disapproved of extrajudicial killings by security forces such as the AR utilising the provisions of the AFSPA though they are performing a difficult but necessary duty.

The author was a Director General of police in North-East India and is the author of State, Policy and Conflicts in Northeast India, Routledge, 2016.
MASON CITY  Newman Catholic students and families spent Saturday morning giving back to North Federal Avenue businesses, homes and streets.

While students and their families find countless ways to give of their time and talents throughout the year, we have chosen to initiative an annual event, where we come together as a group to complete some major service projects in the community, Alanna Engels, Newman Catholic Foundation associate director of marketing and special events, said in an email.

During Newman in Action: Service in the City, more than 150 individuals representing the school partnered with the city of Mason City and Habitat for Humanity. Engels said Newman Catholic Schools prides itself on teaching students Christian values and the importance of service.

The day begins the schools annual Gods Portion Day campaign, which has events scheduled in October and November. All events benefit the fundraising campaign.

Oct. 29: Middle School Spooktacular Extravaganza  middle-schoolers and their families are invited to dress up for a Halloween dance, featuring a lip sync battle with local celebrities as judges.

Nov. 6: High School/Adult Dodgeball Tournament  students can register for $50/team and adults are $75/team. Teams must have at least three girls, and are limited to 10 people.

Nov. 12: Regular Gods Portion Day activities will take place 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with auctions in the south gym. The Newman Gala: Gather and Grow will be 6 to 11 p.m. in the high school gym, featuring dinner, drinks, games of chance, auctions and guest speaker Aaron Thomas.

Nov. 13: Pack the Mass  All Newman families are encouraged to attend the 11 a.m. Mass at Holy Family and wear school apparel. Lunch and raffle drawings will follow in the church basement.
MASON CITY  NIACC President Steve Schulz and other community college staff spent a few hours last week helping students move into its Campus View Housing Complex.

Every year since he became president in 2013, Schulz has encouraged staff to pitch in and chat with students, said North Iowa Area Community College spokeswoman Valerie Zahorski-Schmidt.

Its something that is important to him, she said.

NIACCs first day of school is Monday.
Keppel Offshore & Marine (Keppel O&M)'s wholly-owned subsidiary Keppel Shipyard Ltd (Keppel Shipyard) is on track to deliver a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel to Armada Kraken Pte Ltd (Armada Kraken), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bumi Armada Berhad (Bumi Armada).



The naming ceremony of the FPSO, Armada Kraken, was held at Keppel Shipyard yesterday.



Armada Kraken is a harsh-environment FPSO unit that is designed for operations in the North Sea under a stringent regulatory regime. The FPSO vessel, which has a design life of 25 years without dry-docking, will be deployed to produce the heavy oil (API degree 14) found in the Kraken field in the UK sector of the North Sea.



Mr Michael Chia, Managing Director (Marine & Technology) of Keppel O&M, said, "We are happy to be entrusted by our long-standing client, Bumi Armada, to deliver its first FPSO unit to operate in the North Sea. The Armada Kraken project has further strengthened our track record in converting sophisticated FPSOs that are designed to operate under harsh-environment conditions. With Armada Kraken, Keppel and Bumi Armada would have completed our 15th conversion/upgrading project together."



Mr Leon Harland, Chief Executive Officer of Bumi Armada, said, "Armada Kraken marks Bumi Armada's entry into the North Sea and it underscores our commitment to deliver a high quality bespoke FPSO, that is designed to meet the challenges posed by the North Sea's harsh environment using proven technology, and incorporates a number of unique features to ensure a safe, reliable and economical operation. The FPSO is built in compliance with the strict regulatory guidelines as defined by the UK Health and Safety Executive and Department of Energy & Climate Change regulations and is classed by DNV GL."



Keppel Shipyard's work scope for the Armada Kraken project includes refurbishment and life extension works, upgrading of living quarters to accommodate 90 personnel, installation of an internal turret mooring system as well as the installation and integration of topside process modules.



Armada Kraken is able to handle a peak fluid rate of 460,000 barrels per day (bpd) and 80,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd), 275,000 bpd of water injection, 20 million standard cubic feet (MMscf) of gas handling and has a storage capacity of 600,000 barrels.


An Indian cargo ship loaded with vehicles and food supplies destined for Yemen sank on Saturday off the coast of Oman but without loss of life, Omans ONA state news agency reported.

The ship, heading to Yemen's Al Mukalla port after it was loaded in Sharjah in the UAE, sunk off the coast of Jalan Bani Bu Ali province.

Omani fishermen and police rescued all 11 crew on board.

The vessel was carrying 69 vehicles, foodstuff, tyres and engine oils. The vessel sank due to damages caused by overloading, Gulf News reported.

Times of Oman reported the captain as saying: At around 2am, our cargo vessel was hit by something while sailing. As it was dark, we couldnt check what it was. Waited until early morning. At around 5am, two of our crew took a dive into water to check what has happened. But by then, the situation went out of control. The water was entering the vessel.

After they found that they cant fix the vessel, they took safety boats and waited for the rescue.

The port of Mukalla was liberated from Al Qaeda by Yemeni troops backed by the Saudi-led coalition, which is also fighting to restore Yemens internationally recognised president to power after he was overthrown by Houthi rebels and their allies.
Croatias largest national passenger shipping company Jadrolinija plans to expand its fleet with a new passenger ship, with the total cost of about 50 million euros, reports Poslovni.hr

At an international tender, the contract for designing the ship has been won by Polish company Remontowa Marine Design & Consulting (RMDC), said CEO of Jadrolinija Alan Klanac

The Croatian ferry operator has started implementing its development strategy, and one of the main elements of the strategy is further development of the fleet.

RMDC said the ship will carry 2,000 passengers and 206 cars, or 85 cars and 20 trucks. Passenger spaces located on two decks will include a restaurant, bars, buffet, childrens playroom and designated space for passengers on the open deck.

We and Croatian islands need such a ship, said Klanac.

A statement said: the ferry will be equipped with one pair of foldable fin stabilisers that ensure the comfort of passengers. It will be also equipped with two bow thrusters to enable precise manoeuvring in small and congested ports.

Transport of passengers between decks will take place using elevators and escalators. The ship will have two decks designed to carry cars. The statement added that the bow and stern of the ship will be equipped with ramps to enable efficient loading and unloading.

Jadrolinija annually transports 11 million passengers and 2.6 million vehicles and plans to invest 281 million euros in its fleet by 2027.

They plan to purchase 26 ships, including 23 new ones. At the same time, they will sell 32 ships, which means that the fleet will be reduced from the current 50 ships to 44. However, the total capacity of the fleet will be increased.
To stay above water by restructuring, South Korean Shipbuilder STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co. plans to lay off about a third of its workforce and sell a yard in France, says a report in WSJ.

The country's fourth largest shipyard filed for receivership in May. The court has been supervising the firms rehabilitation since June.

STX told a bankruptcy court in Korea that it has hired PricewaterhouseCoopers to help it sell STX France, a profitable yard in France specializing in building cruise ships.

STX said it plans to cut its 2,090 staff in Korea by 35% by the end of September.

The shipbuilder has been undergoing a court-led restructuring scheme, is revitalizing a plan to sell STX France by hiring a manager for its sale this week after two previous attempts failed, reports Korea Herald.

This is the third time STX is trying to sell STX France, which it took over in 2009. STX Offshore & Shipbuilding has a two-thirds stake through its subsidiary STX Europe.

Meanwhile, according to Pulse, the state-owned Korea Development Bank (KDB) is considering to provide fresh financial aid worth 60 billion won ($53.7 million) to STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co., which is under court receivership, in a bid to advance the ongoing restructuring process.
General Dynamics Electric Boat has delivered to the U.S. Navy an attack submarine that is sponsored by first lady Michelle Obama and will be named for her home state, reports AP.

The submarine will become the USS Illinois (SSN 786) after more than five years of construction. The first lady, who's from Chicago, will be involved in the life of the submarine and the lives of its sailors and their families.

The submarine will begin its active service at a commissioning ceremony on Saturday, October 29.

It took thousands of shipyard employees in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Virginia, and submarine supply businesses, nationwide to build the $2.7 billion attack submarine.

Electric Boat, based in Groton, has been designing and building submarines since 1900.

The Navy has ordered 15 more Virginia-class submarines, and 10 of those are under construction. The last of the 15 is scheduled to be delivered in 2023 as the 28th member of the class.
NASA has unveiled plans to send a submarine into the depths of the largest ocean of Saturn's biggest moon, Titan in a bid to explore the depths of its largest ocean.

The aim to find the chemical composition of the largest ocean of the moon, Kraken Mare and search for signs of life.

Jason Hartwig, a NASA cryogenics engineer has disclosed the idea while he was giving a presentation at NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium in Raleigh, reports inverse.com.

"There are really two big reasons why we want to go to Titan. Number one: to determine if hydrocarbon based life is possible on Titan," he said.

Number two: as the only moon in our solar system with clouds and an atmosphere, Titan is very similar to Earth  apart from the extreme cold and oceans of liquid methane. But hidden in the methane sea may be clues to how life evolved and potentially some weird extraterrestrial microbes.

The submarine will be about 6 meters long, equipped with a small plutonium engine in the back called a Stirling radioisotope generator (SRG). The heat from the engine keeps the electronics in the front of the sub warm. That's vital because the hydrocarbon seas are a frigid minus 180 degrees celsius.

And the sub also has a potentially retractable sail that runs along its length. After 8 hours under Kraken Mare, it would resurface, Hartwig says, "and have 16 hours to communicate and recharge and all that."

The ocean unlike the oceans on earth is not made up of water but is formed by liquid hydrocarbons. The pressure of the methane ocean that the submarine will go through will be very high and it will start to freeze at 400-500 meters below the surface.
Dr. Lindsay Jack Kirkham

BELLEVUE, Wash.  Dr. Lindsay Jack Kirkham, a former physician in Mason City, died Friday, Aug. 19, 2016. He was 92 and died with his wife at his side in Bellevue, Wash.

Kirkham, who lived in Mason City from 1952 to 1973 and in Clear Lake from 1973 until 1980, was born Sept. 11, 1923, to Lindsay Jack Kirkham Sr. and Abigail Lillis Kirkham. He spent his childhood in the greater Kansas City area and was a 1940 graduate of William Chrisman High School in Independence, Mo.

He completed pre-medical studies at the Virginia Military Institute and the University of Kansas. He enlisted in the Navy in 1942 but remained on inactive duty while pursuing medical training in an accelerated program for the Navy. In 1946, he graduated from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., only six years after leaving high school, and completed an internship at Harper Hospital, Detroit, Mich.

He immediately went on active status as a lieutenant and served as medical officer aboard the U.S.S. George Clymer. While the ship was stationed in the East China Sea off the coast of China, he was responsible for preventative medicine for more than 3,000 naval and marine personnel in the area. After his discharge in 1949, he continued in the Navy Reserve until 1954.

In 1949, he returned to Detroit to serve a residency in internal medicine at Harper Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospital. While there, he met Mary Ann Reynolds of Silver Spring, Md., on a blind date in Toledo, Ohio, where she was a social worker. They married in 1952.

Soon after the wedding, he joined a medical partnership in Mason City and practiced out of an office at 121 Third Street N.W. and Mercy Hospital until 1976. During these years he and Mary Ann raised seven children.

Unable to sit idle, Kirkham threw himself into hobbies, including woodworking and electronics, in the basement of the family home at 222 Sixth Street N.W. He was granted Patent No. 3,343,528 for an electrocardiographic switching system that improved the mobility of EKG machines.

He designed and built many pieces of furniture and installed an intercom system for the familys large house. He converted a retired school bus into a camper, which the family took on many vacations. In the 1970s, he mastered sailing and spent many hours at this beloved sport in Clear Lake and in St. Petersburg, Fla.

A lifelong Republican, he became a lifetime member of the NAACP and a great admirer of Martin Luther King Jr. after being moved by images of the civil rights struggle in the media in the 1960s.

From 1977 through 1980, he worked as an examining physician for the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, living with Mary Ann and their youngest child, Douglas, for short periods in Houston, Boston, New York City, Racine, Wis., Truman, Ark., Rock Hill, S.C., and Waianae, Hi.

In 1980, they moved to Honolulu, where Kirkham earned a masters degree in public health from the University of Hawaii and went on to work for the State of Hawaii as chief of Hospital and Medical Facilities and of the Research and Statistics Division.

After retiring to Sun City West, Ariz., in 1988, the couple moved to Lynnwood, Wash., in the late 1990s to be close to grandchildren. There, Kirkham volunteered at the Center for Wooden Boats in Seattle, where he taught woodworking, donated tools and supplies, and built custom furniture to be auctioned at the annual fundraising gala. He also built many award-winning pieces of furniture which he gave to friends and relatives.

In his 70s, he began researching historical rates of heart disease in the United States, and in 1999, published a book on his findings, The epidemiologic characteristics of a century of end stage atherosclerotic deaths: ischemic heart disease and cerebral thrombosis: a surprise, a disappointment, a new etiologic concept.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Ann of Bellevue, Wash.; children, Clifford of Seattle, Wash.; William of Elizabeth, N.J.; Richard of Bellevue, Wash.; Maura Taggart of Madison, Wis.; Jeffrey of Seattle, Wash.; Christine (Tina) of Helena, Mt.; and Douglas of Bothell, Wash.; son in-law Timothy Taggart; daughter in-law Eileen Garry Kirkham; and five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the NAACP, the Spina Bifida Association or Opportunity Village of Clear Lake. Messages of condolence can be made at the online guestbook at www.dignitymemorial.com by clicking on Obituaries at top center, and then typing Kirkham in the Last Name box.

A burial service will be at 11 a.m. Sept. 20, 2016, at Purdy and Walters at Floral Hills, 409 Filbert Road, Lynnwood, Wash.
In a demonstration of Indias commitment to its ties with Seychelles and maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region, Indian Naval Ships Kolkata, Trikand and Aditya under the Command of the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, Rear Admiral Ravneet Singh,NM have arrived at Port Victoria on a two day visit, says a government press release.

INS Kolkata is commanded by Captain Rahul Vilas Gokhale, INS Trikand is commanded by Captain Arjun Dev Nair and INS Aditya is commanded by Captain Vidyanshu Srivastava.

The ships are part of the Indian Navys Western Fleet based at Mumbai under the Western Naval Command and are on a two month long deployment in the Western Indian Ocean.

During the visit, the IN ships would engage with the Seychelles People Defence Force on professional issues.

In addition, calls on senior Government and military authorities, training and technical cooperation measures with Seychelles Coast Guard, sporting and cultural interactions, aimed at strengthening ties and mutual understanding between the two forces, are also planned.

The deployment adds another chapter to the strong defence and maritime cooperation between India and Seychelles.

The Indian Navy regularly undertakes surveillance missions in the Seychelles EEZ, by deploying IN ships and aircraft, based on request by the Government of Seychelles. The last such deployment was by Indian Naval Ship Trikand in July 2016.

India has a strong and longstanding relationship with Seychelles. Defence cooperation including training and cooperation in hydrography as well as Maritime Domain Awareness is a significant component of the bilateral relationship.

The current visit seeks to strengthen the strong bonds of friendship between India and Seychelles and contribute to security and stability in the Indian Ocean Region.
Bigotry and Racism in the Donald Trump Core

Donald Trump, who is commanding all of 1 percent of Black voters, according to an impartial Quinnipiac poll, says he could get as much as 95 percent of the Black vote in a second term. In June 2011, he had said, Ive always had a great relationship with the blacks. Its nothing less than political hyperbole in a campaign for a first term, and meant to get a few thousand more votes in key states. However, Trumps past actions dont mitigate whatever future plans he has.

In 1973, the Department of Justice sued Trump Management for civil rights violations for refusing to rent apartments to Blacks and Latinos who wished to live in complexes that housed mostly whites. Trump, who was the corporations president at the time, agreed he would drop a $100 million counter-suit, would provide lists of vacancies in the 14,000 apartments Trump Management owned, and would cease discriminating against minority applicants in exchange for the Department of Justice dropping felony charges. Three years later, the Department of Justice again filed against Trump for not fulfilling his promise.Trump previously had declined invitations to speak to conventions of the NAACP, Urban League, and the National Association of Black Journalists. However, with Hillary Clintons polling numbers rising and his decreasing, he has begun talking with Black and Hispanic groups.He is outspoken in his hatred for President Obama, and is a leader of the birther movement that claims the president was born in Kenya and, thus, unqualified to be president. But, the birthers, who clinging to the flimsiest of all evidence to discredit the nations first Black president, refuse to understand that Barack Obamas birth certificate was issued by a Hawaiian hospital and that his mother was an American citizen, making him an American citizen.Trump has called Black Lives Matter a threat, and vowed if he is president he would tell his attorney general to investigate the group. He didnt say if he would investigate White Lives Matter or numerous militant white nationalist groups that support his campaign. He never repudiated the support of Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke or of campaign contributions by white supremacists and racists.Trump claims, with no evidence, that Afghanistan is safer than living in some of our inner cities, and vowed if he were president he would eliminate crime in the inner cities. He didnt say how he would do that, but he may be hiding a team of magicians in his advisory cabinet.In a campaign appearance in Wisconsin last week, he told Blacks they should vote for him because, You live in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose? He might just as well have smeared burnt cork on his face and called himself Rastus.On June 16, 2015, the day he announced he was running for president, Trump declared, When Mexico sends its people [to the U.S.], theyre not sending their best. . . . Theyre sending people that have lots of problems, and theyre bringing those problems with them. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. And some, I assume, are good people. The first reality is that Mexico doesnt send anyone to the U.S.; they come without government assistance or sanction. The second reality is that most immigrants from Mexico and central America countries are not criminals, rapists, or those who have problems; most are hard-working people who wish to improve their lives and live on the fringes of American society, often working in low-wage jobs, trying to blend into American culture, without drawing attention to themselves. They dont receive welfare, food stamps, or free medical and hospital care. Thats because most dont apply for those benefits because they dont want to attract attention that could lead to their deportation. Theres a third reality. Trump and many of his followers dont recognize that Mexico has significant restrictions on gun purchases, and most guns used by the cartels come from the United States. The criminals who do come into the U.S. come with American-made guns.Nevertheless, Trumps solution to the immigration problem is to round-up and deport 11 million undocumented persons from many countries. To make sure the U.S. is safe from immigrants, he has trumpeted a call to build a 2555 foot tall wall stretching almost 2,000 miles on the U.S./Mexico border, and have Mexico pay for the $1525 billion construction cost. The estimate doesnt include the yearly cost of adding border patrol agents and equipment or the cost of sending the undocumented workers back to their native countries. He also hasnt addressed concerns about Mexican and central American workers digging vast and elaborate tunnels beneath the walls, nor illegal immigration by those who slip past the Coast Guard and enter the country by private plane or boats. Theres also no provision to fence off the northern border with Canada; apparently, Trump believes white-skinned Canadians are more acceptable than brown-skinned Mexicans. Of course, theres another realityCanadians, for the most part, have little desire to emigrate to the U.S.Trump said federal judge Gonzalo Curiel could not be objective in a case involving fraud charges against Trump University because hes a Mexican. Curiel, a former federal prosecutor, was born in Indiana. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) called Trumps statements racist. Other Republican politicians have begun distancing themselves from Trump. Nevertheless, trying to capture votes from the Hispanic community, on Cinco de Mayo this year Trump tweeted a photo of himself eating a taco bowl in a restaurant in Trump Tower, and said, I love Hispanics.The Mexican newspaper Milenio said Trump was the man who managed to make us miss the Bush clan.

[Dr. Braschs current book is Fracking Pennsylvania, which looks at the impact of fracking upon public health, worker safety, the environment, and agriculture. The book--available at local bookstores and amazon. com--also looks at the financial collusion between politicians and Big Energy.]

By Walter M Brasch PhD



http://www.walterbrasch.com

Copyright 2016 Walter M Brasch

Walter Brasch is a university journalism professor, syndicated columnist, and author of 17 books. His current books are America's Unpatriotic Acts , The Federal Response to Hurricane Katrina , and Sex and the Single Beer Can: Probing the Media and American Culture . All are available through amazon.com, bn.com, or other bookstores. You may contact Dr. Brasch at walterbrasch@gmail.com

Walter Brasch Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Stocks, the Era of Centralization is Ending

The most critical element of the BREXIT is that it is THE closing bell being rung on the period of Centralization from 2009 to today.

What do I meant by Centralization? I am referring to the era of Central Planning of the global economy by Central Banks.

In the US, weve seen the Federal Government/ Federal Reserve become involved in virtually every major industry in the economy including insurance, healthcare, housing/mortgages, banking, financial services, and even energy.

The US is not unique in this regard. Japan and the EU have also been in a period of Centralization, with their respective Central Banks becoming increasingly involved in their respective economies.

The BREXIT has ended this.



For certain, things were already becoming fractured due to Central Banks reliance on competitive devaluation.

In a world of fiat, all major currencies are priced against a basket of their peers. So when one Central Bank engages in a particular policy with the intent of devaluing its currency, that same policy inevitably puts upwards pressure on other currencies.

From 2008-2013, there was a degree of coordination between Central Bank. The best example would be when the Fed launched QE 3 in 2012, coordinating this policy with the ECBs OMT program. At that time, the economic data in the US was in fact improving and the Fed should have been tightening. QE 3 was as much a gift to the EU as anything.

However, starting with the Bank of Japans massive QE program in 2013, everything changed. At that point, Central Banks began employing more extreme policies policies that put tremendous pressure on other currencies policies like QE programs in excess of $1 trillion or NIRP.

At this point, Centralization began to come apart as Central Banks were now outright damaging each others efforts to devalue their currencies. However, it wasnt until BREXIT that we received a REAL nail in the coffin for Centralization.

Let me explain.

In the world of Central Planning, politics, not economics, drives policy.

Any sensible economist would have realized QE and ZIRP couldnt generate GDP growth around 2011. However, in the world of Central Planning, the political implications of admitting this (relinquishing control of the financial system and permitting debt defaults/ restructuring to begin) is akin to political suicide.

Put another way, if Janet Yellen or Mario Draghi were to stage a press conference to state my lifes work is incorrect, I have no idea how to generate growth, it is time for market forces to take hold and price discovery to occur not only they but EVERY other Central Banking economist/ academic would soon be unemployed.

For this reason, the end of Centralizaton was only going to come through one of two ways:

Politically (if voters finally revolted against the status quo). Financially if market forces became so intense that even the Central Banks lost control of the system.

With Brexit, weve already had #1. Were now on our way to #2.

Indeed, we believe that by the time the smoke clears on the next Crisis, the S&P 500 will have fallen to new lows.

The Tech bubble was a stock bubble: a bubble focused on stocks as an asset class.

The Housing bubble was a real estate bubble: a bubble focused on houses, and even larger, more significant asset class.

This current bubble is the BOND bubble: a bubble in the senior most asset class in the financial system

We firmly believe the markets are preparing to enter another Crisis. With over 30% of global bonds posting negative yields, the financial system is a powder keg ready to blow.

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Graham Summers

Phoenix Capital Research

http://www.phoenixcapitalmarketing.com

Graham also writes Private Wealth Advisory, a monthly investment advisory focusing on the most lucrative investment opportunities the financial markets have to offer. Graham understands the big picture from both a macro-economic and capital in/outflow perspective. He translates his understanding into finding trends and undervalued investment opportunities months before the markets catch on: the Private Wealth Advisory portfolio has outperformed the S&P 500 three of the last five years, including a 7% return in 2008 vs. a 37% loss for the S&P 500.

Previously, Graham worked as a Senior Financial Analyst covering global markets for several investment firms in the Mid-Atlantic region. Hes lived and performed research in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the United States.

 2016 Copyright Graham Summers - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

Graham Summers Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




The computer virus arrived as a stealthy impersonator.

It showed up in employee email inboxes at the Richmond Region Tourism office in May, lurking in an attachment to what looked like an email from Amazon.com.

Behind its innocuous disguise, however, was a high-tech hijacker.

We had several people in our office get the same email, and some people deleted it, said Jack Berry, president and CEO of Richmond Region Tourism, a nonprofit that promotes the region as a tourist destination.

One employee, however, recently had ordered something from Amazon and thought the attachment was an invoice. When she opened it, a vicious computer virus was unleashed on the organizations network.

This particular virus was a type of malware  malicious software  known as ransomware.

An increasingly common threat to individual and corporate computer users alike, ransomwares modus operandi is exactly what its name implies: It takes a computer network hostage and demands a ransom to release it.

Quickly, the virus encrypted the files on the employees computer, making it impossible to open documents.

Like a flu bug leaping from one person to another, it spread through the network. The employees computer was mapped to the hard drive where Richmond Region Tourism stored some of its important pictures and videos, and those got locked up, too.

I think everything was locked within 30 minutes, said Michelle Lovatt, vice president of administration for the organization. It took about an hour and a half for us to really realize what happened.

Any attempt to open infected files  documents, pictures, videos  was futile. Only a ransom message popped up on the computer screen.

The files had been encrypted, and the only way to unlock them was to buy a decryption code from the anonymous hackers who had sent the virus-infected emails.

As with most ransomware attacks, the demand to Richmond Region Tourism initially was a few hundred dollars.

But malware often comes with a countdown clock, which alerts the victim that the longer they wait to pay, the higher the price will go  from just a few hundred dollars to a few thousand, or more.

A $1 billion problem

The hijacking of Richmond Region Tourisms computers was not unusual.

Ransomware is not a new computer virus but, during the past few years, it has become more sophisticated and has emerged as a major threat to home computer users and small businesses  and even some large organizations.

For instance, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, a 434-bed hospital in California, made national news in February when it revealed it had paid $17,000 to hackers to obtain a ransomware code and restore its computer systems, which were inoperable for five days.

In March, the Horry County, South Carolina, school system reportedly paid $10,000 to restore computers that had been infected with ransomware.

Even law enforcement agencies have been hit. In 2014, the sheriffs office in Dickson County, Tennessee, paid $500 to hackers to unlock more than 70,000 police reports and other documents after an employee clicked on an online advertisement that installed ransomware.

When Richmond Region Tourism was attacked, the organization immediately called Synergy Technical LLC, a Richmond-based technology consulting company that has helped clients recover from virus attacks.

We see [ransomware] pretty routinely now, said Rohana Meade, president and CEO of Synergy Technical. It is the biggest threat at this point to small businesses. It is happening to people every single day.

The FBI said its Internet Crimes Complaint Center received 2,453 complaints in 2015 about ransomware attacks, though the number of infections certainly is far higher than what is reported to law enforcement.

The FBI estimated earlier this year that ransomware attacks could cost businesses and individuals $1 billion this year.

Some hackers are out to steal information, push political agendas, or just play pranks.

For the thieves who create and deploy ransomware, it is all about the money, said Terry Johnson, an engineer with Synergy Technical who responded to the crisis at Richmond Region Tourism.

They would not be doing this if they were not making huge amounts of money, with as little effort as possible, he said.

Ransomware started off targeting mostly home computer users. But the big prize is the businesses, said Chris Moschella, a risk management adviser at Keiter, a Henrico County-based accounting firm that has established a cybersecurity practice for clients.

If you can get into a business, the payout is going to be larger because they have got a fatter wallet, Moschella said.

If you can get into a business and shut them down, they might pay the ransom even if they have backups, because of the time it takes to restore.

Small businesses at risk

Richmond Region Tourism did not have to pay a ransom.

The organization had backed up most of its data on a separate server. Johnson was able to help restore the system from the backups, but it took three days to get everything back to normal.

The total cost of the attack to the organization was about $2,500.

Now, Richmond Region Tourism has added more layers of security and data backups, and it is emphasizing employee awareness of possible online scams. We are making lots of changes based on this one thing, Lovatt said.

For individuals and small businesses that do not have their essential documents backed up, a ransomware attack can be devastating, Johnson said.

Once this type of infection is in your network, you have two options: You either recover from your backups, or you end up paying the ransom, he said. I have worked with a number of clients who came really close to paying the ransom.

Small businesses often are most at risk because they may not have the resources to prevent or respond to such attacks, Johnson said.

These ransomware viruses are the worst combination of bad things, he said. If you are not prepared, they can really put a company out of business. Your typical small business might not have a dedicated IT person, so you end up with someone who does not have a lot of IT knowledge managing these things, and you get hit with something like this and you lose everything.

In the Richmond Region Tourism case, the ransomware attackers demanded payment in bitcoin, a virtual currency.

Thats typical now, said Darek Dabbs, chief information officer at Sera-Brynn, a Suffolk-based cybersecurity firm that has been ranked among the top 10 in the world in its field.

The reason why they are using bitcoin is because it is a completely anonymous online banking system, said Dabbs, who previously worked in information security for the Department of Defense and other government agencies.

With bitcoin, the bad guys can transfer money and move it all around the world, he said. It is nearly impossible to bridge that gap from the cyber, virtual world to who is sitting behind the screen.

Psychological ploys

Several varieties of ransomware exist. The two major flavors are the crypto variety, which selectively locks up certain files on a computer, and the locker version that seizes everything, Moschella said.

It is becoming, at this point, a very mature attack, he said. And the attackers are getting even smarter. They are using various degrees of social engineering to convince you to pay the ransom.

What the attackers are facing is that people are backing up their data more, Moschella said. So they have to use psychological ploys to obtain a payment.

In one type of ploy, the victim of a ransomware attack gets a message on their computer purporting to be from a law enforcement agency, accusing them of having illegal content on their computer and demanding that a fine be paid.

With the latest generation, [ransomware makers] are pretty upfront about what their goals are, Moschella said. A lot of times they bypass the smoke and mirrors and say, We are up to no good, and we are going to tell you that we are up to no good. 

A more recent ploy is to threaten an invasion of privacy, Moschella said.

The victim might get a message that says: Bad news. I am a ransomware attacker. We have collected all of your logins, all of your contacts, all of your emails, all of your passwords and your Skype history. We have uploaded it all onto our servers, and if you dont pay the ransom, not only do you not get your files back, but we are going to send all of that to everyone on your contacts list.

They are pushing the envelope, to really push people to pay the ransom, he said.

Ransomware works by exploiting both technical weaknesses in an organizations cybersecurity, as well as the biggest weakness in any security system: human error.

Experts say the best way that a business can avoid an attack is by regularly updating anti-virus defenses and educating employees on how to recognize suspicious emails or advertisements and to think before clicking.

Employees really need to be cognizant of the threats in the world, Moschella said. There is this mentality that the IT department will take care of it, the security people are going to watch it. People need to abandon that mindset and think of themselves as part of the companys security apparatus.

Backing up data also is vital because it may be the only way to restore lost data when an attack occurs.

Honor among thieves?

Most of the ransomware appears to be coming from Eastern Europe and former Soviet bloc countries, said Sera-Brynns Dabbs.

The really smart hackers will develop what they call a ransomware toolkit, which they can sell, he said. The less educated hackers will just go buy that toolkit.

The original smart guys just wrote the malicious code, which is only illegal when you use it for nefarious purposes, he said. You can make guns, but the bad guy is the end user who robs a bank.

While paying the ransom obviously is not preferable, Dabbs said about 85 percent to 90 percent of his clients who were hit with an infection and opted to pay the ransom did get a valid code to unlock their data.

Because hackers who deploy ransomware have a financial interest in the scheme, they do not want word to get out that paying a ransom is useless.

Johnson said none of his clients has ever paid a ransom, but from what I have read, if you pay, in most cases they will give you the key, he said.

In some cases, people even have gotten assistance from the author of the virus in getting back their files.

So there does seem to be some honor among thieves, he said.
HENRY COUNTY-Ridgeway resident Nira Penn is on a mission of pura vida, both professionally and personally.

Through the Peace Corps, Penn is on a one-year assignment in Costa Rica. She works with the Ministry of Public Education on the writing of the new English curriculum and the guides and lesson plans that go with it.

Pura vida, the term you will hear all over Costa Rica  is more than an expression, she said. The words translate to pure life, and that is what is experienced richly where she is, she said.

The saying is a common and enthusiastic greeting between people, no matter what theyre doing or what the weather. It signifies an enjoyment of and appreciation for the actualities of life, rather than just plodding through routine.

Penn said she realized she was finally indoctrinated into the culture when she was slogging through the rain one day, and when someone asked how she was, she replied pura vida with no hesitation  and meant it.

She lived in Cali, Colombia for six years, and she found many similarities in culture between Colombia and Costa Rica.

In both places, the person is more important than time, she said. It is very important to share time with your neighbors. Schedules need time for coffee or a tinto (a few sips of coffee, in Cali). Keeping a schedule is important, but if your friend needs you, you must also stop and take a moment.

Living in that environment has taught Penn to take it as it comes, and take full enjoyment in the good things that come my way. I am more present and I find more enjoyment in the simple pleasures of life.

She has learned that happiness is not about money, she said. It is about being appreciative of what you have and enjoying it right now.

Penn was a member of the first graduating class of Magna Vista High School in 1989. Her parents are David and Mary Penn, and her brother is D.J. Penn.

She worked with Martinsville City Public Schools for four years before moving to the metro Atlanta area, where she lived for seven years. She spent six years as a middle school teacher in Colombia, and then lived in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she worked as a teacher.

She is a response volunteer with the Peace Corps. A response volunteer is someone who has a significant amount of experience in a needed area or has served the Peace Corps before.

The service term is six months, but can last longer if that person needs to extend his or her service to finish a project. She has worked with national English advisors on writing and editing their new English curriculum. She helped write the guides, did some translating and editing on documents for the ministry and worked on teacher training materials.

She is working in San Jose. She lives in Heredia, a region north of the capital.

The host family with whom she lives is a father, mother and three sisters. Two are married; one just got married in July.

Her host family does not own a car, she said, but thats not important in Costa Rica. People use public transportation and walk to get around. To get to work, she walks 15 minutes to a bus stop for a 5:45 a.m. bus that takes her into the city.

She also is involved in a few activities. On Wednesday afternoons, she takes a music class at the local music school near the house. She played trumpet in elementary school and wanted to get reacquainted with it, she said. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she teaches an English class with another volunteer at a restaurant. The staff is learning English and having a great time, she said. We are using a combination of visuals and games. The students are amazing.

Penn learned Spanish, the language of Costa Rica, the hard way: trial and error, she said. With three years of Spanish class in high school behind her, I was able to order in Spanish at the local Mexican restaurant, and nothing more.

When she arrived in Cali, she carried her dictionary around for months. I made a lot of mistakes to get to my current intermediate speaking level, she said. I can understand almost everything, but speaking is still hard for me.  I can definitely communicate, but I know I am probably killing a few verb tenses in the process.

She laughed about one of the mistakes she made. She was feeling sick and was able to find ginger ale in the shop but not the saltine crackers. With her dictionary, she asked for hens (gallinas) with salt, instead of salted crackers (galletas). The ladies who were trying to help me had a good laugh and I made some friends, she said.

Penn was inspired to join the Peace Corps because she thought it would be a great way to obtain some practical experience in curriculum development, she said. She has taught for 19 years, and I want to see what the other side of education looks like.

The idea that this new curriculum would allow all children, not just the ones in private schools, the opportunity to learn another language to an intermediate fluency level was intriguing. Education has opened so many doors for me, and helping someone else obtain a quality one would be an honor.

She encourages others who may be interested in the Peace Corps or similar adventures to consider it seriously.

To be a part of this change was a once in a life time experience. Peace Corps Response and Peace Corps allows people to actively participate in communities and countries to promote positive change, Penn said.

Anyone who has been thinking about doing it should go for it, she said. The power of one persons desire to help can change a community, a city or even a country. Never let fear stop you.
OSAGE  Due to wet weather conditions, an engineer says new scrubbers at the Osage Industrial Pretreatment facility will be offline for two to three weeks, causing a delay in efforts to address odor concerns.

Tom Madden, of Short Elliott Hendrickson, told the Mitchell County Board of Supervisors earlier this month that custom parts had to be ordered for the air-scrubbing equipment.

He said water from rain and humidity was being taken in through the mechanical intake, which was damaging the scrubbers. To prevent further damage the equipment was turned off until the new mist separator arrives.

Madden said lead time was between two to three weeks, and it would take about one day to attach the water-removal equipment.

He said this type of plant does not exist anywhere else on the planet, and we understand the complications.

The plant, operated by Valent BioSciences Corp., is a unique facility in its structure and function, and therefore provided no background information on possible troubleshooting methods for problems.

Osage residents near the facility have complained for about a year theyve been unable to open windows or spend time outside, due to odors from the facility.

Progress on eliminating the odors was made this summer, but the unanticipated water problem has halted efforts.

Its important we do it right away, Madden said. If you thought two to three weeks was bad, if the larger equipment went bad wed be waiting four months.
MARTINSVILLE  A psychologist for the defense concluded that a man charged with second-degree murder in Martinsville isn't fit to stand trial, but the prosecution wants a second opinion.

During a hearing Thursday in Martinsville Circuit Court, lawyers discussed the case of Dennis Raymond Grant of 121 Belmont Street, who is charged with fatally stabbing his girlfriend -- Marcey Lynn Penn, 47, also of Martinsville -- at a home at 20 High Street on Nov. 13, 2015.

Dr. Jennifer Melerski, psychologist for the defense, argued Grant is incompetent to stand trial and needs to be committed to an in-patient mental facility in an effort to restore him to competency.

Robert Deatherage, Grants lawyer, asked Judge G. Carter Greer to order that.

However, Martinsville Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Andy Hall argued that he just had received Melerskis report, needed time to read and consider it, and he asked Greer to allow the commonwealth to retain a psychologist to do a mental evaluation of Grant.

Hall argued that this is a serious criminal case  that Penn was brutally stabbed to death.

Hall also argued that if Grant is committed to a mental institution in an effort to restore him to competency, and it is determined at some point that he is irreversibly incompetent, he potentially might have to be released back into society.

Under Virginia law, a defendant may be declared mentally incompetent to stand trial if he lacks substantial capacity to understand the proceedings against him or to assist his attorney in his own defense.

According to a Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services website, a person sent to a hospital to restore his mental competency to stand trial may be held in the hospital for only up to six months before the court that issued the restoration order must review the defendants competency. However, the hospital notifies the court immediately when it is believed that a defendant has been restored to competency. The majority of individuals require far less than six months of treatment

If the defendant still is incompetent to stand trial after six months, then the court may issue another order for restoration to competency. This may continue for up to five years from the date of arrest, or for the length of time of the maximum sentence the defendant would have received if he had been tried and found guilty, whichever is sooner. Then the charges must be dismissed, unless the defendant has been charged with a capital crime, in which case there is no time limit.

If the doctors at the hospital determine that the defendant cannot be restored to competency in the foreseeable future, the court is immediately notified with a report that recommends whether the patient should be A.) released, B.) kept in the hospital for further treatment as a civil (non-forensic) patient  C.) committed as a sexually violent predator  or D.) certified as mentally retarded to a training center. A hearing is held at which it is decided first whether the defendant is still incompetent, and, if so, whether the defendant is unrestorably incompetent, and , if so, what the disposition will be. Very few incompetent defendants are found unrestorably incompetent.

Deatherage asked Greer to rule that Grant is mentally incompetent to stand trial and commit him to a mental facility to begin the process of trying to restore him to competency. Deatherage said that if Greer also grants Halls motion to allow the commonwealth to get a psychologist to do a mental evaluation of Grant, the commonwealths psychologist could do that evaluation while Grant is in a mental facility trying to restore him to competency.

Greer decided to postpone the matter to allow Hall time to read the report, and for Hall and Deatherage to confer and set a date for another court hearing on the matter.
MARTINSVILLEA woman and her daughter facing 41 total charges linked to animal cruelty entered plea agreements Friday in Martinsville Circuit Court.

In May 2015, personnel found 27 neglected cats and 10 dead cats in the Starling Avenue home where Barbara June Ray and daughter Latrica Nichelle Yates had lived until a couple weeks before.

In Martinsville Circuit Court on Friday, Ray, 60, who had been charged with 27 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, entered an Alford plea to 14 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, and the commonwealth dropped the other 13 counts. In an Alford plea, a defendant maintains his or her innocence but admits the commonwealth likely could prove the charge.

Ray said, I dont think I am (guilty), but I think this is my best deal.

Judge G. Carter Greer sentenced Ray on each of the 14 cases to which she pleaded guilty to 12 months in jail, suspended for 12 months on condition of one year of supervised probation. He also ordered that Ray and anyone else convicted in the matter would be responsible for paying $10,400 in restitution to the SPCA of Martinsville and Henry County for services including medical attention rendered to the 27 surviving cats.

Greer heard Rays cases first, then he heard Yates cases.

Yates, 37, was charged with 27 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty (in connection with 27 surviving cats found in the home) and 10 counts of felony animal cruelty (in connection with 10 dead cats found in the homes basement). The commonwealth reduced the 10 felony charges to misdemeanor charges, and Yates pleaded guilty to 37 counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty.

On all but one of the counts of misdemeanor animal cruelty, Judge Greer sentenced Yates in each case to 12 months in jail, suspended for 12 months.

On the remaining count of misdemeanor animal cruelty, Greer sentenced Yates to 12 months in jail, with four months active and eight months suspended on condition of one year of supervised probation and five years of good behavior. Greer also ordered that Yates (along with her mother) will be responsible for paying $10,400 in restitution to the local SPCA.

Greer also ordered Yates to not possess companion animals  indefinitely.

Martinsville Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Andy Hall summarized the commonwealths evidence, alleging the following:

On May 9, 2015, Martinsville police officer Jason Vaughan conducted a well-being check on 800 Starling Avenue, after police had received complaints of a strange smell emanating from the house. No one had picked up the mail for several days, and though a car was parked in the driveway, the people who lived in the home had not been seen at the house for a while.

When Vaughan arrived, he was nearly overcome by the odor coming from the home. As he knocked on the door, he saw several cats rush to the windows of the house. Police found out that the residents of the home, Ray and Yates, no longer were living there. Officers were provided a key to the house,

The house was a flat-out mess, with feces covering the floors and much of the furniture. The floors were saturated with urine. The one or two food bowls for the cats had some food residue or dry food, and a small bowl contained water that had a milky tint to it. The litter box had not been cleaned out.

Personnel also found clutter in the house.

All 27 of the living cats in the house had injuries. They had not received medical attention for those injuries.

After they were removed from the home, some of the cats received treatment at the local SPCA, and the cats in the worst condition received treatment at an animal clinic run by Dr. Eric Lorens in Rocky Mount. (Prosecutor Andy Hall praised both the SPCA and Lorens in court Friday.)

In the basement of the home, Animal Control Officer E.C. Stone and SPCA workers found 10 dead cats, in various stages of decomposition. Only piles of bones remained from some of the cats. The bodies of some cats fell apart when they were picked up. Some cats appeared to be mummified. One cats body was found hanging from the rafters; one, in a small shopping cart, with its head hanging out the bars of the cart. Three cats were found in a crawl space; and five, on the basement floor.

Personnel who entered the home wore hazardous-materials protective gear with respirators, and the process of removing the cats took three days or so.

Officials condemned the home after the cats were discovered, and the home was condemned until recently.

The SPCA found homes for all 27 surviving cats, which Hall described as miracle upon miracle.

In comments made in court and in an interview, Hall described the situation that personnel found at the home as nightmarish, with cats in horrible, wretched condition.

Roscoe Reynolds, Rays lawyer, stated that she moved here from Tennessee, and when she started living in the home on Starling Avenue, she had good intentions of taking in stray cats in hopes of finding homes for them so they would not be put to death. Her health began to deteriorate dramatically. She could no longer go downstairs, and she basically was living on one floor. She uses a walker and has back problems.

Rays understanding was that Yates, who was living with her, was properly feeding and providing water for the cats in the basement, Reynolds said.

About two weeks before May 9, 2015, a water leak in the roof forced Ray and Yates to move out of the home, Reynolds said.

After that time, Ray had the understanding that the cats still were being provided water and food, and she was surprised to learn of the conditions that personnel found in the home.

Perry Harrold, Yates lawyer, said that Yates and her mother were doing what they could to take care of the cats and try to place the cats in other homes, but they became overwhelmed. He said Yates said she unsuccessfully tried to call the SPCA about the matter. Harrold said he asked Yates why she didnt go in person to the SPCA, and Yates said she didnt know what to do.

After Yates and Ray moved out of the home because of the water leak in the roof and water being cut off, Yates and her sisterwould come every two or three days to feed the cats, Harrold said.
MARTINSVILLE-Serendipity Metro Deli and Coffee House is open for business, and it isnt going anywhere.

Kathy Johnson, who is currently the sole proprietor of the business, said over the last week she received a number of phone calls asking if the restaurant is still open, and there has been a notable dip in business. She wants the public to know that Serendipity is here to stay.

There is, of course, a reason for those phone calls.

On Aug. 16, Johnsons son, Larry Goodman  known to area residents as Laurence Vanderwoods  was arrested by the Martinsville Police Department in connection with an outstanding warrant relating to a 2011 felony embezzlement charge in Virginia Beach. He is alleged to have embezzled $15,686 from the La Quinta Motel in that city. On Aug. 22, law enforcement transported him to Virginia Beach, where he remains in custody.

While Goodmans arrest came as a shock to the community, no one was more shocked than Johnson, she said. She initially assumed a mistake had been made, and it would surely be cleared up by the following morning.

It couldnt be real, she said. When this first came out, I was just as astounded as anyone. I didnt even know what to say to reporters. I didnt even know what happened.  There were ten million things going through my mind. Its not true, theyll find out and the matter will be cleared up. But I have to come out of the state of shock and get this business going.

There are several misconceptions that Johnson wants to clear up. The first, she said, regards the ownership of Serendipity.

While Goodman described himself as co-owner of the business in the past, Johnson said that she has been the sole proprietor since the restaurant opened nearly one year ago.

The confusion stems over the fact Goodman put up a portion of the money to open the restaurant. Her name,however, is the only one on the legal documentation relating to the restaurant.

Johnson chose to take a behind-the-scenes role at the restaurant, she said, using her 40-plus years of financial experience to run it from the back while Goodman was the public face up front. Because he is a people person, she said, he was the perfect choice to manage the marketing and public relations for Serendipity.

Another misconception, she said, involves her sons name. When Goodman moved back to Martinsville in fall of 2014, she said, he told her he was writing a book under the pen name Laurence Vanderwoods. He explained to her that he didnt like his birth name and wanted to go by Vanderwoods instead.

I said, Well, as long as your name isnt on anything legal, I guess you can call yourself anything you want to, Johnson said.

Mainly, she said, she wants people to know that Serendipity remains open. However, the ice cream shop next door  Serendipity Ice Cream Parlor and Candy Shop  has closed. Saturday was the last day of operation for the ice cream parlor.

Johnson said that she is afraid that when people see the ice cream shop has closed, they will assume Serendipity will be next. However, she said, she is closing the ice cream shop so that she can focus her full attention and energy on the restaurant.

In fact, she said, she re-signed the lease for the restaurant on Friday. Her goal is to make it better than ever before.

Im hoping getting that message out to the public is going to help rebuild the business and bring our customer base back, Johnson said. Serendipity is my livelihood.  I could apologize until Im blue in the face over what happened, but thats not going to change the fact that it happened. If Larry is found guilty for what he did, I will be the first to tell you that he should pay penance, because we should all own up to what we have done wrong.

Because of Goodmans sudden arrest, Johnson has had to postpone a few events at the restaurant, including a second Drag Brunch that was planned for today. Johnson plans to reschedule that event and introduce even more special events, such as a singles night.

I just need to take the time to regroup and digest this myself, she said. Its kind of like Im numb in a dream, and Im going to wake up and everythings going to be back the way it was.

Her sons arrest has been stressful on the entire family, she said.

Johnsons family is originally from West Virginia  she described herself as a small-town coal miners daughter. Johnson and her husband  a former coal miner  moved to Martinsville in 1986, when the mining industry began to dry up and the mines her husband worked at went bankrupt.

Goodman moved away from the area but returned in fall 2014, she said. While he was living in Virginia Beach, their relationship was strained.

He would go awhile and not call me or let me know anything, she said. At the time he was in Virginia Beach  it was just a period of time where he had very little contact with me.  When he decided to move back to Martinsville, I was very happy he was coming back home.  I was just thrilled for him. He seemed to finally have roots. He was where he wanted to be and doing a lot of good things.

The Goodman she knows, Johnson said, is a people person with a generous spirit. He would volunteer his time with the Salvation Army and other charitable organizations, and he was always up for a chat with anyone who came through the door.

He was always thinking of ways to help, she said. He was always thinking of some kind of charitable thing that he could do or be a part of.  That was the Larry I knew.

No matter what happens, Johnson said, she loves her son.

I will always stand behind him, as any mother would, she said. I hope that lessons are learned and that it makes him a better person. You love your children no matter what. Am I going through a million emotions? One minute, I might get really angry at him, and the next minute, I might feel really sad that hes not here. Its a lot to have to handle.

Johnson said that shes had a couple of brief phone conversations with her son since he arrived in Virginia Beach. He was appointed a public defender a few days ago, she said, and he seems to be in good spirits.

He has expressed concern for the people that he loves in Martinsville and the business, of course, she added.

In spite of the tumultuous week, Johnson is focused on making Serendipity the best it can be.

Serendipity will go on, she said. I will continue to be sole proprietor of Serendipity. Our business was based on our good food and our customer service, and we will continue to enhance that and to build our business back.
MASON CITY  At first glance, it is a sculpture, and a fine looking one at that.

But the piece of art commissioned by retired businessman Wally Smeby and donated to the city represents so much more.

Simply titled Hope, it is a touching testimony to Smebys love and devotion to his deceased wife, his love for his community and his personal commitment to providing hope for people struggling with mental illness.

Smeby, retired owner of Metalcraft, lost his first wife, Jan, in 1998 to multiple health issues, including depression that led to her suicide.

It was a tragic event that does not just fade away, said Smeby. In a Globe Gazette interview earlier this year, he told of its effects. It is a story I live with, a story of how she left this earth. It doesnt go away  it never will. But you have to find a way of going on, he said

Smeby, who has since remarried, set up a foundation, the Jan Again Foundation, for the purpose of bringing attention to mental health issues.

He hopes the sculpture will be another way of bringing attention  that people viewing it will think about people in their own lives who have mental problems. Hope and prevention are the keys, said Smeby.

The sculpture is nearly 4 feet tall and features two hands cast in bronze supporting a stainless steel powder-coated heart.

Mason City artist Jim Zach worked on the original design. The sculptor is Gregory Johnson of Cumming, Georgia, who already has several of his sculptures on display in Mason City through the River City Sculptures on Parade program.

Cost of the sculpture is $14,000 which Smeby is paying out of his own pocket because he wants foundation money to be used strictly to advance mental health research.

And it is his hope that it will bring hope to those who need it.
BOSTON - The Claypool Lennon Delerium, a collaboration between legendary bassist and frontman for the band Primus, Les Claypool, and Sean Lennon, guitarist and son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, packed the house at the House of Blues on Friday, Aug. 26.

This tour comes off the release of their first album "Monolith of Phobos," which is heavily comprised of songwriting techniques and playing styles from the 60s psychedelic era of rock and roll. Claypool brings his famous funky slap-bass to the new album as well as playful and never-too-serious lyrical contributions, a perfect contrast to Lennon's distant and dreamy vocals and crisp clean guitar that take the listener back to the days when radio waves were filled with the sounds of bands like Jefferson Airplane, The Kinks, The Animals and yes, of course, The Beatles.

Support for the Delerium was provided by California-based psychedelic rock band JJUUJJUU, who released their latest single "Bleck" back in March.

Check out photos from the show above, and for more information about The Claypool Lennon Delerium and JJUUJJUU, visit their official websites.
HOUSATONIC  The Sept. 4 canonization of a woman religious worshiped globally for her ministry to the poor has special significance for one small Roman Catholic parish in this Berkshire County village within the town of Great Barrington.

On that date, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish (pdf) at Corpus Christi Church on Main Street will become St. Teresa of Calcutta Parish.

The parish is the only one in the Springfield Diocese named after the founder of the Missionaries of Charity and winner of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, a distinction the Rev. William P. Murphy said his parish is "very proud" to have.

"The parish family of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta holds this soon-to-become saint in high esteem, as do many people around the world," said the pastor of the woman who ministered to India's most vulnerable - lepers, drug addicts, abandoned children - for 68 years, and established mobile health clinics and others ministries, that served millions around the world, before her death in 1997 at the age of 87.

"Her tireless effort to love and care for all those poor and marginalized people demonstrate her recognition of Christ's teaching to always reach out to those in need and treat them with mercy and afford them the dignity that every human being should be accorded."

Members of the parish, along with those of St. Peter Parish, of which Murphy is also the pastor, will celebrate their namesake's canonization with a 9 a.m. Mass on Sept. 4, followed by a brunch at the Housatonic Community Center.

Blessed Teresa was formed as a result of a merger here, in 2008, of the parishes of Corpus Christi and All Saints.

The new parish was named by now Bishop Emeritus Timothy A. McDonnell. McDonnell came to the Springfield Diocese from the Archdiocese of New York in 2004, where members of Mother Teresa's order minister, a year after the process to canonize Mother Teresa began.

"I had the privilege of both meeting and working with Mother Teresa in 1983-1984. A hand-written note she sent me back then is among my treasured possessions," McDonnell said.

"When in 2009 the opportunity arose to honor her by placing a parish under her patronage, I felt it was eminently fitting. I am delighted that on Sept. 4th Blessed Teresa of Calcutta will be named among the Saints. May she intercede for us all with God."

Mother Teresa visited the Pioneer Valley on June 22, 1985. Her appearance at the University of Massachusetts stadium in Amherst was at the invitation of the Newman Catholic Center there, the Fatima Apostolate and the Apostolate of the Suffering and Handicapped.

Later that fall, in her sandals and signature blue and white sari, the then petite 75-year-old spoke at the 40th anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, where her order has run soup kitchens, hospice for those with AIDS and served in parishes.

"I think that, in canonizing Teresa of Calcutta, what Pope Francis is saying is that here is a woman who has drawn the attention of the world, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, even non-believers, by what she did in her ministry. The world idolized her by what she did," said Springfield Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski about a woman who was known as the "saint of the gutters" for her work with the poor and who reportedly felt her own faith challenged at times.

"There is a tradition that goes back to the Hebrew Scriptures that the deeds that we do will well outlive us. I think for Mother Teresa her attraction for many people is the fact she radically lived the Gospel message and went out to live with the poor. "

He added, "Those men and women who we honor as saints we look upon as ordinary people who have done extraordinary things."

Rozanski's words echoed in the reaction of Lori Madison, administrative assistant at Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Parish, who called Mother Teresa "a wonderful human being."

"She was a wonderful human being and an amazing person in the things that she did for humankind," said Madison about a woman who was known as the saint of the gutters for her work in some of the world's poorest areas and who reportedly felt her own faith challenged at times.

Born Gonxha Agnes Bojaxhiu to an ethnic Albanian family in Skopje, in what is now part of Macedonia, in 1910, she went to India, in 1929, from Ireland, where she entered the Sisters of Loreto, and took the name Sister Mary Teresa after St. Therese of Lisieux, a 19th century nun known as the "Little Flower" who had her ow faith challenges. She had been inspired in her native country by the work of Jesuit and Irish missionaries.

She became an Indian citizen in 1947, after teaching in a girls' school there for 20 years, founded the Missionaries of Charity, in 1950, to minister to the poor, and died in the West Bengal capital of Calcutta, which was renamed Kolkata in 2001.

She was beatified, the first step toward sainthood, in 2003 by then Pope John Paul II.

Pope Francis will canonize Blessed Teresa, in Rome, on the eve of the 19th anniversary of her death in Calcutta, and the observance of Francis' Holy Year of Mercy at the Vatican by those workers and volunteers who perform similar ministries.

She is also being canonized during the year Hillary Clinton became the first woman to receive the presidential nomination from a major political party. The two women, on opposite sides of the debate on legalized abortion, were in attendance at the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast where Mother Teresa called abortion a "war against the child." The first lady did not applaud the speech, but did visit a Missionaries of Charity orphanage in New Delhi, at Mother Teresa's request, during a 1995 tour of South Asia. The tour focused on the needs of women and girls that was prior to her famous speech in Beijing that year, and Mother Teresa returned to D.C., in 1995, where Clinton was instrumental in the opening of the Mother Teresa Home for Infant Children that could accommodate eight women and was closed by the order in 2002.
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Boston police are searching for Niccokowan Pledger-Grant, 26, and Lisa Lewis, 24, who authorities believe were involved in the March killing of a man in Roxbury.

(Boston Police Department photo)

ATLANTA, GA  A man from Dorchester was taken into custody in Atlanta, Georgia, on Thursday and has been charged with a murder that occurred in Roxbury in March, according to The Boston Globe.

US Marshals arrested Dartanyan Pledger, 24. Pledger was subsequently charged with murdering Boston man Allex Bryant, 28, who was killed after being shot multiple times in front of an apartment building on 66 Humboldt Ave on March 21.

Pledger will shortly be transported to Boston where he is set to be arraigned on the murder charge.

Police believe that two other people  Niccokowan Pledger-Grant, 26, and Lisa Lewis, 24  were involved in the murder and are asking for the public's help in locating them.

Pledger-Grant is wanted on murder charges, while Lewis, 24, is wanted on charges of being an accessory after the fact.

Police have asked that anyone with any information as to the whereabouts of these individuals contact Boston police homicide detectives at 617-343-4470.
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Rescue workers are assisting an injured hiker at Mount Tom State Reservation.

(Republican file)

An update to this story was posted at 4:55 p.m.

HOLYOKE - Rescue workers are currently at the Mount Tom State Reservation trying to assist an injured hiker.

Holyoke Police and Fire officials were called to the park at about 1:30 p.m., Sunday, to help the hiker. Details about how badly the person was injured are not available yet.

Firefighters hiked up the T Bagg trail and have reached the hiker. They are now working to help the injured person out of the woods, officials said.

Rangers in the State Park are also assisting and AMR ambulance has responded.

This is a breaking story. Masslive will update as more information becomes available.
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A dozen fire departments from Massachusetts and New Hampshire helped battle a blaze that destroyed a three-story house and several vehicles on Plum Island on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016.

(WFXT-TV)

NEWBURY, Mass. -- A firefighter in Massachusetts suffering from heat exhaustion was taken to the hospital Saturday, and several others were being evaluated, after they battled a smoky fire that destroyed a three-story house and several vehicles on Plum Island.

A Newbury Fire Department captain who lives near the house saw the flames and alerted firefighters shortly before 1 p.m. The wood frame home burned for hours, causing heat damage to two adjacent buildings.

No one was at home when the fire started.

The condition of the firefighter suffering heat exhaustion wasn't released.

A dozen fire departments from Massachusetts and New Hampshire helped battle the blaze or provide local coverage for the Newbury Fire Department.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
Vermont State Police cruiser

(Photo courtesy of Vermont State Police)

WEATHERSFIELD, VT - A 79-year-old man died and his passenger broke her leg in a fiery crash on Interstate-91 Sunday morning.

Alexander Romanow, of Brick, New Jersey, was killed in the crash that happened at about 9:33 a.m. His passenger, Jane Romanow, was able to escape the vehicle despite suffering a broken leg, said.

Romanow was driving north in a 2006 Chevrolet Tahoe when his vehicle veered into the median, struck several trees and caught fire, police said.

"(Romanow) was trapped in the driver's seat and could not get out," police said.



Several other motorists stopped and tried to help Romanow, but the fire was too large and they could not rescue him. He was reported dead at the scene, police said.

Jane Romanow, also of Brick, New Jersey, was taken to Valley Regional Hospital in New Hampshire by ambulance and then transported to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Brattleboro, Vermont, police said.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation by Vermont State Police, but initial evidence shows the operator fell asleep while driving. Both people were wearing seatbelts, police said.

The passing lane of the highway was closed for six hours during the rescue and investigation, police said.

Agencies responding to the scene included Weathersfield Police, West Weathersfield Fire Department, Ascutney Fire Department, Thetford Fire Department and the Vermont Agency of Transportation.
SOUTHAMPTON - Southwick resident Patrick Kiendzior, an eight-year Marine veteran who was discharged in 2007, soon realized he was not adjusting to civilian life like he had planned. Visiting various veterans agencies proved the traditional programs were not working as intended.

While his life is currently adjusting well, he is enjoying the day-to-day activities with his three year-old daughter Camilla and his wife Andrea. In 2015, Kiendzior was searching the internet when he stumbled on an independent film by veterans Matthew 'Doc' King and Daniel Egbert of which the two produced a film that spoke of therapeutic resources.

The film explained alternative medicines and the holistic healing field, something that was not available through the traditional veteran support programs. Friday night, shortly after midnight, the Southwick resident was asked to pick up the films co-owner and creative producer Matthew "Doc" King at the airport, and a new friendship was born.

King lives 3,000-miles away in his Los Angeles, California home and the two had never met until 24-hours prior to the Saturday motorcycle rally. The five-hour event started in the parking lot of Harley-Davidson of Southampton and blossomed into a 58-mile ride with more than 100 riders filling the dealership's parking lot.

Members of the Westfield Fire Department used the Tower-1 truck to display a large American flag above College Highway near the dealerships exit where the riders would pass under. The noontime kickoff ended with a party at The Cove in Southwick where local veterans organizations and members of the holistic community explained the benefits of their products.

Saturday's Project 22 veterans ride was spearheaded by Kiendzior's wife Andrea and hosted by Harley-Davidson of Southampton.

Proceeds from Saturday's ride will benefit the local veteran organization One Call Away. For a free viewing of the 100-minute film, log into http://www.pbs.org/video/2365668749/
Massachusetts State Police cruiser

(Don Treeger / The Republican file)

BOSTON - Massachusetts State Police are continuing to investigate the cause of an accident that killed a 24-year-old man and left two other people seriously injured.

Dillon Cohen, 24, of Salem, New Hampshire, who is believed to have been a passenger, was killed in the single-car accident. A 24-year-old man from Brighton was taken to Tufts Medical Center and a 23-year-old man from Salem, New Hampshire as taken to Massachusetts General Hospital by ambulance following the crash, Massachusetts State Police said.

The crash happened at about 3:10 a.m., Friday, when the driver of a 2002 Dodge Ram truck lost control in the area of the ramp to Route 93 North, police said.

The tunnel was closed for a short time while emergency crews cleared the scene and police examined evidence. The exit ramp remained closed longer, police said.

The crash is being investigated by Troop E of the Massachusetts State Police with the assistance of the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction and Crime Scene Services Sections and the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit.
Prisoner rehabilitation rates better than the state and national averages do not come without significant investment at the Hampden County Sheriff's Department.

The department's 27-person administrative staff command average salaries of $116,746 and a total of 57 employees topped six figures in 2015.

Describing the 27-person administration as comparatively huge and excessively paid -- total salaries among the 27 amount to $3.15 million -- HCSD correctional employees union and officials in neighboring sheriff's offices deemed HCSD a "top-heavy" organization.

The HCSD administration supervise the department's main Ludlow jail, home to an inmate population that has hovered in the 1,400s in 2016 -- third largest in Massachusetts -- and four smaller facilities.

By contrast, Worcester County Sheriff's Office -- with 20 percent fewer inmates, roughly 1,100 -- employs a markedly smaller administrative, or "command," staff of 11, at a third the cost.

These staff in Worcester pull down a collective $1.09 million, or $99,420 per head, more than $15,000 less than at HCSD.

A source within the Worcester office who wished to remain anonymous said the large administrative staff at HCSD was the result of obliging superiors making superintendents of employees "who aren't doing corrections," boosting salaries and retirement packages.

"It's one of the things that pisses us off in other counties," the source said. "What do all these deputies do there? It costs the taxpayers."

Beyond administration, state earnings data released in 2015 show 57 employees of HCSD collected more than $100,000, also far in excess of comparable operations.

Twenty-three employees of the Worcester office earned that much, while in Bristol County Sheriff's Office, which also keeps roughly 1,100 inmates in custody, just three employees topped six figures.

HCSD Community Affairs Officer Steve O'Neil offered a different take: He said taxpayers' investment in HCSD is buying a corrections system on par with the best in the nation.

"Our current success rate is much better than the state and national rates. We accomplish this with dedicated, trained and focused leadership and staff," O'Neil said.

For support, O'Neil pointed to a recidivism rate within HCSD that is 33.5 percent and 12 percent lower than Massachusetts' average county jail and state prison recidivism averages and 33 percent below the national rate.

In recent comments, Sheriff Michael J. Ashe said, "First of all, let me put it simply: The Hampden County return to jail rate is the best of any urban county jail in the country. Of course, we can't rest until our return to jail rate is absolute zero, but it is important for us to know that our return to jail rate is closer to that goal than any urban county jail in the country. Corrections is an inch-by-inch battle, but we've been putting a yard-by-yard dent in the re-offending of those brought into our custody. Considering that folks are brought to us in shackles and handcuffs, with a lifetime full of social adjustment deficits -- addiction, dropping out of school, little or no employment record, etcetera -- and that we have them in our custody for an average of only eight months on the male side and six months on the female side, it is an unprecedented success that after we work with them, two-thirds become law-abiding citizens."

But it's the organization and compensation, not the results, that are being questioned by critics. Ashe, one of the highest paid members of HCSD, took home $157,500 in 2015.

"If you went around the state and looked at facilities comparable to our size, you would find that it's a top-heavy organization," said William L. Griffith, president of Local 105 of the National Corrections Officers Union in Hampden County. "The rank and file think it would be better spent on security."

In June, the union voted to endorse sheriff candidate Michael Albano.

Griffith said he's observed increasing administrative bloat during his 20-year tenure with HCSD. He said ballooning administration and administration compensation is "directly correlated" with a shrinking of the security staff, from roughly 450 correctional officers to today's 385, over the same time period.

To compare, WCSO employs 353 correctional officers to run its jail with 20 percent fewer inmates.

According to Griffith, the reduction in HCSD correctional officers came as the population of inmates has simultaneously grown more "defiant" and "violent" than in the past.

For example, Griffith said on Aug. 8 a prisoner who'd filed a shank stabbed two other inmates. Both received stitches at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. One suffered lacerations severe enough to require emergency transport by ambulance to the Chestnut Street hospital.

"Yet we're cutting security," Griffith said.

With more staff the incident may have been stopped -- less and it "could have been worse," Griffith said. As it was, he said, the officers who initially intervened to break up the fight did not see the weapon until they were well within harm's way.

Griffith also complained about the HCSD practice of hiring retirees as part-time consultants. Twenty-four such consultants remain on the payroll.

In fiscal year 2015, the retirees in question put in 12,184.89 hours collectively and were paid a total of $385,905.86. Both numbers dipped slightly in fiscal 2016, when total hours topped out at 11,411.69 and total payments at $351,283.07.

The highest paid consultant -- sheriff Ashe's brother, J. John "Jay" Ashe -- was paid $51,821.25 in fiscal 2015 and $41,717.64 in fiscal 2016.

"When I first started 20 years ago I don't think there were any consultants," Griffith said. "Most people look at consultants as being project-oriented, with a specific start date and a specific end date. Here, there's no start or stop date. These are permanent positions."

He added, "It leaves a bad taste in our mouths."

The compensation figures inform an debate on management of HCSD brought to bear by the ongoing race to elect Sheriff Ashe's successor.

Democratic hopeful Michael Albano has been vocal in criticizing the administration size and consultant practices, among other things, and was again in a recent MassLive interview.

"If you look across the state, this size and compensation of this administration is out of control," Albano said.

Albano received the endorsement of Griffith's union on the strength of such sentiments.

Meanwhile, Ashe's preferred successor Nick Cocchi, also a democrat and presently an assistant superintendent at the Ludlow jail, said he too will terminate all of the existing consulting contracts, if elected.

James Gill, an independent hopeful and deputy assistant superintendent at the jail who oversees vocational programming, described "employee morale" as "the lowest I've seen it in 25 years," not for reasons unrelated to such issues.

The other candidates for sheriff include Democrat Tom Ashe and Republican John Comerford.

All the candidates have expressed some level of criticism for the present compensation scheme.

O'Neil, though, said the successful results speak for themselves and those who have elevated their salaries earned it the old-fashioned way.

"Most of these administrators have been with the department for over 20 years having worked their way up the ranks and earning the respect of the sheriff who ultimately decides who his administrators will be," he said. "With one exception they all have worked their up through the ranks many starting as officers to achieve the positions they hold today."

Though polling data for the primary vote that is scheduled for Sept. 8 is unavailable the central issues on the campaign trail have included how each candidate will address the opioid crisis, the nationally recognized record of success during Sheriff Michael Ashe's tenure based on the rehabilitation of inmates and low recidivism rates, and staff morale at the jail.
LUNENBURG

 An 18-year-old Lunenburg man was killed early Saturday morning and a second man injured when the car they were passengers in went out of control, drove off Hollis Road and slammed into several trees. The driver faces drunk driving charges.

Lunenburg police said Austin Robbings was killed and 19-year-old Sean McNiff was injured when a car driven by 19-year-old Joseph Kapp ran off the road just after 3 a.m. Saturday morning, the Telegram & Gazette reported. Robbins was a 2016 Lunenburg high school graduate.

Kapp was arrested and faces charges of vehicular homicide by operating under the influence of alcohol and negligent operation of a motor vehicle resulting in serious bodily harm. He was ordered held in lieu of $10,000 bail pending arraignment in Fitchburg District Court Monday.

The crash remains under investigation by Lunenburg Police and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section.
Worcester Federal Courthouse

U.S. District Court in Worcester

(The Republican file)

WORCESTER -- A Worcester man authorities said used a clandestine online network to view and download child pornography pleaded guilty to a child pornography possession charge in federal court recently.

Robert Guglielmo, 44, of 50 Franklin St., Apt. 3, was placed in federal custody last week after he entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court. He will be sentenced in November.

Guglielmo was one of two area men busted on child pornography possession charges after authorities investigated an online network that hosted pictures of children involved in various sex acts.

The network, according to authorities, had several measures in place to try to help users from being detected. Worcester Detective Brian Bisceglia, a task force officer assigned to the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force out of the Boston office, said in a federal affidavit that investigators were able to trace the Internet Protocol addresses of both men and link them to the illegal network.

The server hosting the website was seized in North Carolina last year. Authorities found a total of 117,773 posts, 10,622 different topics, and 214,898 total members.

Federal records said Guglielmo admitted to downloading child pornography from the website. A search warrant was executed at his apartment in March. Investigators found roughly 50 images of child pornography on Guglielmo's computer, records said.

A plea agreement filed in U.S. District Court shows the government has agreed to recommend a sentence of 30 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
15-09-29 baker energy.jpg

Gov. Charlie Baker and Energy Secretary Matt Beaton testify in support of the administration's energy bills. [Photo: Antonio Caban/SHNS]

(SHNS)

The six New England governors and premiers of the five eastern Canadian provinces will meet in Boston on Sunday and Monday, with discussions about energy at the top of their agenda.

The co-chairs of the 40th Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers will be Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Wade MacLauchlan, the premier of Price Edward Island.

According to information provided by Baker's office, the goal of this year's conference is to "explore ways in which innovations in technologies, investments, and effective processes grow economic opportunities in the region."

The conference is occurring at a time when energy policy has become an important issue in Massachusetts. Baker recently signed a law that will require Massachusetts to solicit long-term contracts to purchase offshore wind and hydropower. Most of the hydropower is expected to come from Canada.

At the same time, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court recently struck a blow to the expansion of natural gas in New England and Canada when it ruled that Massachusetts electric companies could not charge customers for the cost of building natural gas pipelines.

The two public panel discussions at the conference both relate to energy. One features experts in energy storage, biofuels, building technology, clean energy and chemical engineering. They will talk broadly about emerging and innovative technologies.

The second panel is titled "The Benefits and Importance of Diverse Energy Generation." It includes representatives of utilities National Grid and Eversource, Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environment Matthew Beaton, the director of power systems engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Boston's chief energy official.

During the conference, the leaders will also meet with Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Norman Bay.

The conference opens Sunday night with an arrival ceremony at the Statehouse, followed by a reception and dinner. Massachusetts vendors and performers will be featured.

It runs all day Monday at the Hynes Convention Center with private meetings and public remarks and panel discussions.
Warren vs. Trump 2016.jpg

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, seen at Boston's annual St. Patrick's Day breakfast on Sunday, is shown in this composite photo with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, speaking at the Palm Beach County GOP Lincoln Day dinner in Florida Sunday.

(Associated Press)

hiPITTSFIELD - U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., took issue Saturday with Donald Trump's recent efforts to win over minority voters, contending that Republicans -- not Democrats -- have impeded efforts to enhance economic opportunities.

The Massachusetts senator, following a morning presentation on income inequality at Berkshire Community College, said she finds it "astonishing" that the billionaire businessman blames Democratic policies for "high crime and crushing poverty" in America's inner cities.

"The Republicans, for nearly 40 years have blocked every effort to expand opportunity so that it covered African-Americans, Latinos, more people who are struggling, and he says now 'Hey, it didn't work, so why don't you trust the Republican Party to try to steer the economy yet four years more?'" she said. "It really is either a complete lack of self-reflection or just a very cynical effort to try to figure out a path to get to the White House."

The senator, who has endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, further dismissed Trump's claims that he would represent "government of, by and for the people."

"Oh please," she told reporters. "I'm sorry, those are the only two words: Oh, please."

Warren's remarks came as Trump looks to lure African-American and other voters away from Democrats, who he contended have only hurt their communities.

The billionaire businessman, who made a direct appeal to minority voters during a stop in Dimondale, Michigan last week, has argued that "no group in America has been more harmed by Hillary Clinton's policies than African-Americans."

Trump continued his efforts Saturday, saying nothing would mean more to him than "working to make our party the home of the African-American vote once again."

"In so many communities under Democratic control, we have bad schools, no jobs, high crime, and no hope," he said. "It can't get any worse. To those suffering, I say: vote for Donald Trump and I will fix it. What do you have to lose?"

Warren, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump, told Berkshire County residents Saturday that the wealth gap between black and white families tripled between 1984 and 2013, despite a growing economy -- something she attributed, in part, to Republican-backed economic policies that benefit wealthier Americans.

Stressing the importance of a government that works for its people, the senator called on voters to speak out and demand that lawmakers work to represent them -- not special interests.

Warren, however, acknowledged that her concerns are not limited to Trump or Republicans.

"I worry about corporate influence all across the spectrum and as I said in the presentation: I worry about Democrats and Republicans," she told reporters. "The whole system has been turned on its head, that's why my pitch here is to remember, they may have concentrated money and power, but we've got our voices and we've got our votes."

The senator added that while Clinton has run on a progressive platform, voters must hold her accountable when it comes to implementing its policies.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic White House hopeful Hillary Clinton continued to wage negative attacks against each other this week as their respective campaigns looked to gain momentum heading into the fall.

Trump, who began to shift his tone and make his pitch to voters who have historically supported Democrats, slammed his opponent as a "corrupt" Washington insider while painting himself as the candidate best suited to represent the working class, as well as minorities.

Clinton, in turn, questioned the authenticity of the billionaire businessman's "rebranding" effort, and cautioned that voters have "everything" to lose if he is elected president in November.

Here's what happened in presidential politics this week:

Reports surfaced suggesting Trump raised the monthly rent his campaign pays for its Trump Tower headquarters by more than $134,000 since March.

A Huffington Post review of Trump's Federal Election Commission records found that the billionaire businessman paid Trump Tower Commercial LLC $35,458 in March -- the same his campaign had paid since August 2015.

In July, however, the campaign paid $169,758 for its headquarters' monthly rent -- a shift that came after he began fundraising from donors and no longer relied on self-funding his campaign, the news outlet said.

The rent increase came even though Trump was paying for fewer staff, according to the Huffington Post. The businessman's campaign reportedly employed 197 employees and consultants in March and 172 in July.

The businessman's campaign told McClatchy D.C. that the rent hike came as it expanded from the fifth floor to two additional floors.

Trump called for a special prosecutor to investigate Clinton's conduct as secretary of state.

Trump, during a Monday campaign rally in Ohio, accused the former first lady of using her influence at the U.S. State Department to garner donations to the Clinton Foundation in return for access.

Taking issue with FBI and Department of Justice investigations into Clinton's use of a private email server as secretary of state, Trump contended that a special prosecutor is needed to quickly and impartially "investigate Hillary Clinton's crimes."

Arguing that the U.S. Department of Justice has acted unethically in its investigation into Clinton's private email server use -- particularly in regards to a controversial meeting between Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former President Bill Clinton -- Trump said the agency "has proven itself to be a political arm of the White House."

Therefore, DOJ is required to appoint an independent special prosecutor, he said, adding that if it fails to do so "it will make it even clearer that a second of the four primary constitutional departments have been corrupted."

Clinton told Jimmy Kimmel she's not concerned about her unreleased emails.

Clinton, whose campaign has been dogged by controversies surrounding her use of a private email server as secretary of state, told the "Jimmy Kimmel Live" host Monday that she's not worried about the upcoming release of more of her State Department emails.

Contending that her emails are "so boring," Clinton questioned what difference the release of "a few more" could make at this point in the campaign.

"We've already released -- I don't know -- 30,000-plus, so what's a few more?" she said.

Nearly 15,000 previously unreleased emails that were collected by the FBI in its investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server could be released in October -- weeks ahead of the November general election, the New York Times reported.

Trump indicated that he may soften parts of his immigration policy.

The Republican presidential nominee told Fox News' Sean Hannity Tuesday that after having met with Hispanic leaders he may modify some of his hardline proposals on immigration.

"I had a meeting with great people, great Hispanic leaders, and there could certainly be a softening because we're not looking to hurt people," he said. "We want people -- we have some great people in this country. We have some great, great people in this country but we're going to follow the laws of this country and what people don't realize -- we have very, very strong laws."

Bernie Sanders launched 'Our Revolution,' discussed his movement's next steps.

Sanders, who exited the 2016 presidential race at the Democratic National Convention last month, laid out his campaign's path forward during a Wednesday evening live stream with supporters who gathered at organizing events across the country.

The discussion highlighted how voters can get involved to help promote Sanders' goals and policies both ahead of the November general election and beyond the 2016 cycle.

Trump accused Hillary Clinton of 'corruption,' doubled down on immigration policy at New Hampshire rally.

The billionaire businessman continued to accuse Clinton of engaging in so-called "pay to play" practices as secretary of state, as he doubled down on his hardline immigration policies during a Thursday afternoon rally at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester.

Borrowing from Sanders' playbook, Trump -- who is trailing Clinton in the important battleground state-- further painted himself as the candidate who represents working Americans.

Pointing to recent reports questioning the ties between the Clinton Foundation and U.S. State Department, the billionaire businessman contended that the former first lady ran the federal agency "like a personal hedge fund."

"It is hard to tell where the Clinton Foundation ended and where the State Department began," he told supporters. "Access and favors were sold for cash. It's called pay-for-play. Over and over and over, people who donated to the Clinton Foundation -- or who gave money to Bill Clinton -- got favorable treatment from Hillary Clinton's State Department."

Clinton accused Trump of embracing the so-called "alt-right" political philosophy.

The former first lady blasted her GOP rival during a Thursday speech in Reno, Nevada, contending that the businessman and his advisors have embraced a hate movement, known as the "alt right."

"Of course there's always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, a lot of it rising from racial resentment," she said. "But it's never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it and giving it a national megaphone. Until now."

Clinton further contended that while Trump is looking to "rebrand himself" by softening his tone on various issues, voters should not be fooled.

"But we know who Trump is. A few words on a teleprompter won't change that," she said. "He says he wants to 'make America great again,' but more and more it seems as though his real message seems to be 'Make America hate again.'"

A new national poll gave Clinton a double-digit lead over Trump.

A Quinnipiac University National survey released Thursday gave the former secretary of state a 51 to 41 advantage over the billionaire businessman among likely American voters -- a 9-point increase over June where Clinton led Trump by a 42 to 40 percent margin.

The former first lady's lead, which dropped to 45 to 38 percent over Trump when including third party presidential candidates, came despite low favorability marks and a majority of respondents saying they don't see her as honest.

Quinnipiac University Poll Assistant Director Tim Malloy attributed Clinton's surge, which is bolstered by support from women and minority voters, in part, to her opponent's recent campaign trail missteps.

"We are starting to hear the faint rumblings of a Hillary Clinton landslide as her 10-point lead is further proof that Donald Trump is in a downward spiral as the clock ticks," he said in a statement. "Trump's missteps, stumbles and gaffes seem to outweigh Clinton's shaky trust status and perceived shady dealings."

Clinton blasted Trump's record with minorities in a new television ad.

Clinton pushed back against the Republican presidential nominee's efforts to woo minority voters Friday, releasing a new television ad that claims they have "everything" to lose by supporting him.

The 30-second ad, which references legal challenges the billionaire businessman has faced over alleged discrimination, looks to paint Trump as "being out of touch with the African-American community," according to Clinton's campaign.

"Just last week, Donald Trump told the African American community 'what do you have to lose?' if you vote for him. The answer is: everything," campaign officials said in a statement. "Donald Trump has a history of not only demeaning and talking down to African-Americans, but he has been sued for discrimination against communities of color."

Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson and running mate Bill Weld rallied in Boston.

The Libertarian candidates, who are looking to compete against Clinton and Trump, held an afternoon rally at the Parkman Bandstand on the Boston Common.

The afternoon event marked their first campaign rally in the Bay State, according to campaign officials.

Speaking to hundreds of supporters who turned out for the rally, Johnson and Weld said they're on their way to gaining enough support to guarantee a spot on the presidential debate stage this fall, according to WCVB in Boston.
We know how much Montanans care about our schools. You can see it every day by how much parents care about the health of our schools and how many volunteers help out every year. We know that when we all work together our schools and community to thrive.

GUEST OPINIOn RACHEL SCHILLREFF MELANIE A.B. CARLSON and JANE SHAW

Full Story: http://billingsgazette.com/news/opinion/guest/guest-opinion-how-unfair-tax-code-cuts-montana-public-school/article_d35dd217-205d-54ad-9204-596676b57e2a.html
Heres a thought-provoking and compelling op-ed about how to accomplish positive change at our University of Montana! How can you and your business contribute to this necessary "critical yeast?" We at Big Sky Commerce https://bigskycommerce.com/ (comprised of several U of M alumni) are looking to serve as a mentor to U of M business students this fall. This year we promoted a U of M intern to a full-time position, and well continue to consider ways we may assist.

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A call for critical yeast at the University of Montana

We write as faculty members committed to both supporting and challenging the University of Montana. Here is why we do so.

Internationally renowned conflict expert John Paul Lederach refers to the concept of "critical yeast." His research has led him to observe that substantive change for the better often takes place not through a "critical mass" but through a critical yeast, a group  even a small one  of effective, committed, creative individuals willing to stick with their institution even as they may have challenging things to say about it.

TOBIN MILLER SHEARER and 14 CO-SIGNERS

Full Opinion: http://missoulian.com/news/opinion/columnists/a-call-for-critical-yeast-at-the-university-of-montana/article_17ccffa8-1bef-587d-91e8-f5cbd8ef9753.html
The Charles Koch Foundations $5.67 million grant to Montana State University to create an economic research center fits with the billionaires long-term efforts to influence not only academic research and government policy but also the "hearts and minds" of Americas next generation.

His foundation has already given more than $200 million to colleges and universities, and the 80-year-old Charles Koch plans to accelerate that giving in coming years, as he discussed in a June interview with the Washington Post, "Inside Charles Kochs $200 million quest for a Republic of Science." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/06/03/inside-charles-kochs-200-million-quest-for-a-republic-of-science/

By Gail Schontzler Chronicle Staff Writer

Full Story: http://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/montana_state_university/koch-s-million-to-msu-part-of-outreach-to-campuses/article_1dfe3269-8c6e-5b35-b456-d4db248853a4.html

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Weighing a Donors Philanthropic History: When Should a Recipient Say "No Thanks?" http://www.matr.net/article-71840.html

QSA students criticize Gianforte naming, MSUs Cruzado willing to talk http://www.matr.net/article-71793.html
Tourism alone cant turn around Wyomings economic fortunes. With some experts predicting the slump in oil, gas and coal production is here to stay, the state may find that attracting more visitors wont meaningfully boost the states sluggish economy.

Arno Rosenfeld 307-266-0634, [email protected]

Full Story: http://trib.com/business/energy/with-wyoming-s-energy-sector-struggling-tourism-unlikely-to-save/article_6194abde-730e-5a1b-b9b3-5f0bb732cd70.html
When a person is experiencing mental health problems, he or she needs help from mental health professionals. Unfortunately, in this country in general and in Iowa in particular, the person answering the call for help often wears a badge and a gun rather than a lab coat.

For a variety of reasons, including changes in state and federal rules, inadequate resources and a lack of enough people trained in the mental health professions, local police and sheriff departments are often called upon to address situations involving people with mental health issues.

Its not the officers preference, and they are as distressed by the situation as anyone.

Officials hope revamp improves North Iowa mental health care response options NORTHWOOD  More and more, Worth County sheriffs deputies are called to reports of a crime in progress only to find its a person with mental

In Cerro Gordo County, the number of people in the county jail who report previous treatment for mental health issues increased by almost 50 percent from 2009 to 2015. In Scott County, more than a third of the people in jail have a diagnosed mental health issue. The Worth County sheriff estimates that as many as 80 percent of the people in his jail face some sort of mental health problems.

Its a situation thats fraught with danger, for the law enforcement officers and especially for the people experiencing the mental health issues.

Because of a shortage of mental health resources  because those resources dont exist in specific areas; because those that do exist are already overburdened; or because some people dont qualify, cant afford or cant access care  some people with mental health diseases self-medicate by using alcohol or other drugs, according to Peggy Huppert, executive director of Iowas state chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI.

Its often the addiction that gets them into trouble or the behaviors coming out of that that lands them in the criminal justice system, Huppert says in part of a series of stories by Globe Gazette and Lee Enterprises reporters in todays newspaper.

In Iowa, police and sheriffs are the mental health treatment providers of last resort, she said.

Worth County Sheriff Jay Langenbau and other North Iowa police say it has become an ever-increasing part of their job responding to calls about people suffering from mental illness and trying to find a place for them to get effective treatment and support services to help them long-term.

Iowa sheriffs at the front lines of mental health crisis WATERLOO  Many people in Iowas jails  as many as one-third  do not belong there, state law enforcement officials say.

Its a problem that may have been increased or at the very least not adequately addressed by recent changes in Iowas public mental health care system.

Iowa is in the process of switching to a regional-based mental health care system. In theory, it sounds like a good idea. Regional systems can provide more local care than state facilities, but do a better job pooling resources and avoiding duplication that can occur in individual county-based systems.

Well-placed and adequately financed regional systems hold the promise of meeting the needs of people in a timely and efficient manner.

Unfortunately, so far the experiences have not met the promises.

Law enforcement as well as mental health professionals say adequate funding has not accompanied the changes. They also say the state simply does not have enough mental health care beds available to meet the needs of its residents.

A 2016 report from the Virginia-based Treatment Advocacy Center says Iowa has the fewest state psychiatric hospital beds per capita in the nation  two beds for every 100,000 residents. The problem was only acerbated by the decision last year by Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad to close the inpatient facilities at Mount Pleasant and Clarinda.

A Branstad spokesman said those facilities provided few beds and he points to a new bed-tracking system that shows mental health care beds are available in the state in community-based care centers.

But law enforcement officials and others say they are experiencing an increasing problem finding treatment beds for people who need inpatient care. The problem is that available beds may be too far away  requiring too much of a deputys time to transport and await processing  or they may be set aside for specific populations or the facility may be unwilling to accept patients with specific problems.

In the end, many of these people wind up in jails, where its even more unlikely they will be able to get the treatment they need.

Although Branstad says the state is making progress in meeting the needs of people with mental health problems, local officials say the problems do not appear to be decreasing, and some say they are increasing.

Gov. Branstad, if youre not part of the solution youre part of the problem. You need to take in the view from the community level where needs are not being met, rather than the view from the Statehouse.

Although greater resources will likely be required in some areas, in many cases addressing the problem proactively rather than reactively can save money.

Resources such as transitional housing, local drug courts and training for law enforcement officers to recognize and deal with mental health issues can address problems earlier, before they require supervised inpatient care, or worse, inappropriate time in the county lockup.

Earlier intervention will almost always be the more effective and efficient option.

Requiring that new jails in the state include holding areas for inmates with mental health diseases would make it more likely that inmates would receive treatment that will help them avoid repeat incarcerations.

And reimbursing law enforcement expenses to counties to transport people to regional facilities would more equitably spread the cost of accessing this care.

The bottom line is its unreasonable, expensive and dangerous to expect local law enforcement agencies to handle mental illness in our communities. Its also not effective.

In addition to continued efforts to reduce the social stigma attached to mental health problems, we need to better fund and better address mental health care needs.

We need to treat, not imprison, those who are suffering from these diseases.
MURRIETA, Calif., Aug. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dog rescue groups are crucial in helping abandoned and stray pets find new homes. One example is the Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue (SCGRR). "We believe in the wonderful work this rescue group is doing in finding homes for pets in need," says veterinarian Dr. Lenette Telles of Murrieta Family Pet Hospital, located at 23771 Washington Avenue, in #105/106. The pet hospital serves the Murrieta, Temecula, and surrounding areas and aids the retriever group by contributing medical services. It provides treatments necessary for rescued golden retrievers before they are placed in "forever" homes.



"Similar to other quality dog rescue organizations, Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue tackles many difficulties the dogs we treat may be dealing with," Dr. Teller says. As a child, Dr. Telles says, she wanted to "heal all the sick animals." But nowadays, her broader goal is to encourage preventive care that helps pets avoid illness and chronic health problems. She began helping the organization in 2014 because of its focus on stopping pet abuse and puppy mills, finding foster and permanent homes for homeless dogs and rehabilitating sick and injured Golden retrievers.

The hospital provides wellness exams, vaccinations and microchipping, as well as urgent and emergency care for the rescued dogs. They urge qualifying people to volunteer for SCGRR. At the SCGRR website, the organization lists a variety of ways volunteers can help, such as monitoring animal shelter websites online to search for golden retrievers that need help. The SCGRR website contains pictures of adoptable dogs it represents.

Other volunteer work entails transporting dogs, conducting interviews with prospective foster and adoptive families, fundraising and participating in projects including newsletter publication and database management. Completion of SCGRR training is necessary before volunteers can conduct adoption interviews and other independent tasks.

Families that foster golden retrievers before adoption may be inviting a dog into their home for a few weeks or many months. This is due to the time it takes to match each dog to a permanent home that is right for its temperament and needs. Dr. Telles says that she and her staff appreciate this careful intake protocol, because it keeps dogs that have already been traumatized from being abandoned or abused again. She adds that a detailed intake interview is particularly important when a potential foster or adoptive family has children younger than age seven.

Dr. Telles emphasizes that the rescue organization and its policies are independent of her clinic. Murrieta Family Pet Hospital is not the only animal clinic that works with SCGRR.

For more information about Murrieta Family Pet Hospital, or to set an appointment for a pet, they can be reached by calling (951) 595-7754. Further details about their veterinary services and partnership with the SCGRR can be found on their website at http://murrietafamilypethospital.com




DUARTE, Calif., Aug. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Although its peak season for fleas and ticks, these external parasites are causes for concern year round in warm regions. Another parasite that infects pets all year long, although less outwardly noticeable, is heartworm, reports Duarte Azusa Animal Hospital. Whether a pet lives indoors or outdoors, it is susceptible to bites from mosquitoes infected with heartworm larvae.



"Preventing heartworm illness is one of the easiest things a pet owner can do," Dr. Zabihi says. It involves monthly doses of preventative medications, some of which are topical and others oral. In contrast, advanced heartworm infection may require life-saving surgery.

Regarding flea bites, Dr. Rahim Zabihi of the Duarte Azusa Animal Hospital says, "You may notice your pet losing fur and developing skin infections in areas where it scratches flea bites." He adds that antibiotics may be necessary as well as collars, shampoos and powders that control ticks as well as fleas.

Tick bites are a major skin irritant easily encountered while outdoors, particularly on hikes in tall grass areas. The bites are especially dangerous due to carrying Lyme disease bacteria. "Pet owners should examine their pet's skin daily for fleas and ticks," Dr. Zabihi says. He notes that a veterinarian can demonstrate an effective procedure for checking parasite hideouts.

Dr. Zabihi recommends doing a quick search for ticks by running your fingers through a pet's fur and touching the skin to search for tiny bumps. Ticks are easier to see than fleas, because they are bigger and hardly move once they latch on for a blood meal lasting several days. When you find one, he explains, grasp it as close to the skin's surface as possible with fine-tipped tweezers and pull it straight out. "Crushing or twisting a tick can make it release bacteria into your pet's bloodstream," Dr. Zabihi warns.

Pet owners may feel helpless as they watch their dogs and cats chew on areas affected by a rash, rub against furniture, and constantly itch due to fleas and ticks. Or, unaware of heartworm, they may be mystified by pet ailments such as coughing and fainting.

All these symptoms are calls to action for pet owners who can seek solutions at Duarte Azusa Animal Hospital, 2714 East Huntington Drive in Azusa. They carry medications to protect pets from external parasites and the skin allergies they can cause. The veterinary clinic serves Azusa, Arcadia, Bradbury, Covina, Duarte, Glendora, Monrovia, the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas.

According to Dr. Zabihi, "Regular well-care exams can help prevent or alleviate parasite problems before they become serious."

From wellness care to surgery, Duarte Azusa Animal Hospital is a full-service veterinary clinic open Monday through Saturday. To schedule an appointment, call the animal hospital at (626) 357-2251, or visit their website at http://duarteazusaanimalhospital.com/ for more details.
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While mild cases of JE experience fever with headache, much like any other viral fever, severe infections are associated with neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions and spastic paralysis. Fatality rates for severe infections hover between 20 percent and 30 percent, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).Even with treatment, JE can leave significant neurological effects, especially in children. About 30 per percent to 50 percent of the survivors can struggle to walk or suffer cognitive disabilities. JE is caused by a virulent virus. Much like Manipur this year, the virus made a comeback in Odisha in 2012, after two decades, with 272 cases reported and 24 dead.JE has a tendency to invade new areas that host its traditional habitat -- stagnant water in paddy fields -- and even develop new habitats. "Sub-groups of the Culex species of mosquito have been found in vegetation growth along the Yamuna, from where they are infecting people," said A.C. Dhariwal, Director, National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP).In March 2016, IndiaSpend reported a 3 percent decline in allocations to the National Vector-Borne Disease Control Programme, which covers malaria, dengue, chikunguniya and JE, kala-azar and lymphatic filariasis, from Rs 482 crore in 2011-12 to Rs 463 crore in 2015-16. Over this time, JE -- so called because it was first reported in Japan in 1871 -- cases rose 210 percent, the death toll 181 percent.JE cases could be many times the officially reported data, according to a 2016 study in the Journal of Paediatrics, because the testing method popularly used to detect the virus infection in the patient's blood and cerebrospinal fluid may be missing cases of JE among patients of acute encephalitis syndrome, a brain fever."We estimated 626 symptomatic JE cases in Kushinagar, a district in Uttar Pradesh, in 2012, while the state reported 139 confirmed cases during the same transmission season," said Manish Kakkar, study leader, senior public health specialist, communicable diseases and adjunct associate professor with the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI).The global burden of JE could be 10 times the figures reported to the WHO, a 2011 study estimated. Traditionally, children were the most affected age-group by JE, said the NVBDCP's Dhariwal. Infection rates in children aged three to 15 were found to be 5 to 10 times higher than in adults, according to a 2012 study.Since vaccination offers significant protection against JE, in 2006, the government launched immunisation campaigns for children aged one to 15 in Uttar Pradesh's endemic areas."Campaigns are the first line of action against JE, the second being routine immunisation, after covering the vulnerable population group through campaigns," said Pradeep Haldar, Deputy Commissioner (Immunisation) at the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.The NVBDCP has declared 216 districts endemic for campaigns, 17 in the current transmission season alone. Immunisation against JE is part of routine immunisation (RI) in 197 districts. Two doses are administered, the first at about nine months, the second at 18 months."Good immunisation coverage has helped curtail the outbreaks of JE in south India like in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and some districts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, etc.," said Dhariwal.However, as we said, JE finds new targets. With children better protected, the virus is striking more adults. A 2015 study of 778 patients in Assam found adults more vulnerable, possibly due to exposure in paddy fields. Manipur alone recorded 19 adults and 12 children with JE in the ongoing season, according to the state's surveillance office.So far, adult vaccination campaigns have been implemented in 21 "high-burden districts" identified by the NVBDCP in Assam, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, with another 10 districts about to be declared endemic, said Haldar, who added, "There is no shortage of funds for immunisation."In Manipur, public awareness about the protective benefit of vaccination is high, said Thokchom Nandakishwor Singh, State Nodal Officer (Immunisation), Manipur. So, a vaccination drive in July for those under 16 was conducted with police support to manage the crowd that turned up, with adults clamouring to be vaccinated.No medicine exists to treat JE. As with other viruses, patients are treated for the symptoms they develop.Serious cases can be prevented from developing complications by the early management at the primary and secondary level, "but this pattern is often not followed in rural areas where outbreaks happen", said Kakkar of the Kushinagar study and the PHFI.For instance, in districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur division, classified "high endemic", the chances of death increase because people cannot afford transfers to better health centres.The lack of attention in remote areas spurs an influx of "serious" patients in urban hospitals sufficiently equipped to handle critical cases. This year, so far, five JE cases from smaller towns have sought treatment at the Shija Hospitals & Research Institute, one of Imphal's best private hospitals.When JE was detected in India, in 1955 -- 84 years after the first case in Japan -- the disease was confined to Tamil Nadu. In 1973, it struck West Bengal. The virus then invaded 22 rice-growing states, where its carrier, the Culex mosquito, breeds in stagnant water, acquiring the infection from feeding on infected domestic pigs, the amplifying host, and migratory birds, the natural host.Uttar Pradesh first reported JE in 1977. However, outbreaks in Gorakhpur and neighbouring districts have become more frequent after the late 1970s. In Haryana, the latest region to suffer JE outbreaks, the Culex mosquito has found a new habitat -- vegetation along the Yamuna.Back in the Northeast, Assamese doctors have blamed warmer temperatures for an extended transmission season, lasting up to November instead of July, and for the rising number of cases in the state.Source: IANS
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Due to the risk of arrhythmias and potential loss of consciousness while driving, patients with an ICD are temporarily restricted from driving following ICD implantation and/or ICD shock. However, contemporary data to support these recommendations are lacking and the restrictions have a negative influence on patients' quality of life.The study by Dr Bjerre and colleagues was conducted at The Cardiovascular Research Centre at Herlev and Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark. Using nationwide registers, the researchers identified all Danish residents who received a first ICD for primary or secondary prevention between 2008 and mid-2012. Motor vehicle accidents were recorded from nationwide registers on accidents and deaths.The study included 4874 ICD patients and a control group of 9748 subjects matched by age and gender. Participants were 63 years old on average.During an average follow-up period of 2.5 years, 2.3% of ICD patients were in contact with a hospital following a motor vehicle accident, compared to only 1.7% of the control population. Over time, this translated into a 51% increased risk of motor vehicle accidents in ICD patients compared to controls. There was no detectable difference in accident risk between primary and secondary prevention ICD patients.Although higher than in the control population, the overall rate of motor vehicle accidents in ICD patients was low (1.0 to 1.4% within the first year after implantation), and the researchers observed no deaths due to motor vehicle accidents in patients with an ICD. Dr Bjerre said: "To date, driving recommendations for ICD patients are based on data from small studies in a few highly selected patients. The Danish nationwide registers provided a unique opportunity to investigate the subject in a 'real world' ICD population.""Due to the retrospective nature of the study we are unable to conclude that ICDs cause traffic accidents," continued Dr Bjerre. "However, because the control population was generally healthier and took fewer medically prescribed drugs, we speculate that the observed increased risk of motor vehicle accidents in the ICD population is likely a consequence of the underlying cardiovascular disease, rather than the ICD device itself."Source: Eurekalert
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US President Barack Obama called on Congress Saturday, August 27, 2016, to step up funding to combat the Zika virus, warning that delay is putting more Americans at risk.Obama's latest appeal, in his weekly radio address, came the day after the US authorities expressed deepening worry about the spread of the mosquito-borne virus, urging that all donated blood be tested for Zika.The Congress has denied past administration requests for Zika funding, instead redirecting funds that had been earmarked to fight Ebola, cancer and other diseases."That's not a sustainable solution," Obama said. "The delay for more funds puts more Americans at risk. Congress should treat Zika like the threat that it is and fully fund our Zika response," he added. "A fraction of the funding won't get the job done. You can't solve a fraction of a disease."The Food and Drug Administration revised its guidelines for blood donations on Friday, August 26, 2016, recommending that all donated blood be tested for the Zika virus.Its previous guideline issued in February 2016 recommended active screening of donated blood only in "areas with active Zika virus transmission."Since there is "still much uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission," the recommendation for testing all donated blood "will help ensure that safe blood is available" for everyone, said Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.Stricter national safeguards are needed as evidence has emerged that Zika can be transmitted sexually, and those infected often show no symptoms, the FDA said.Donated blood is already being tested in Puerto Rico and Florida, where at least one unit of blood was found to contain the Zika virus and was intercepted, Marks told reporters on a conference call.Expanded blood supply testing "will be in effect until the risk of transfusion transmission of Zika virus is reduced," the FDA said.Zika is primarily spread by the bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito, but it can also be transmitted sexually.The US authorities on Friday announced the first known case of a man who had Zika but did not know because he showed no symptoms - and subsequently infected his female partner during unprotected sex.Four out of five people who get Zika do not show any of the common symptoms, which may include fever, rashes, joint pain and red eyes."As new scientific and epidemiological information regarding Zika virus has become available, it's clear that additional precautionary measures are necessary," the FDA's acting chief scientist Luciana Borio said.The World Health Organization says 53 countries around the world have reported Zika outbreaks since 2015.Source: AFP
PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 28, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pet owners looking for a trusted Portland veterinarian can turn to Peninsula Dog & Cat Clinic, recently recognized with the Best Veterinarians in Portland award from Expertise, reports Peninsula Dog & Cat Clinic. The Expertise team narrowed down their choices from a total of 284 Portland veterinarians to a top 20 of highly-qualified and attentive veterinary staff. There are a range of factors that are considered as Expertise makes their selection of top vets in the area. Pet owners can easily search and find the very best vets that Portland has to offer with the Expertise seal and designation.



Expertise is a resource that connects their audience with the best local experts. They took into account over 25 variables in six categories to arrive at their list of best veterinarians in Portland. Out of the 284 reviewed vets, 118 are curated and 20 top Portland veterinarians are finally selected. The six categories are reputation, credibility, experience, availability, professionalism and engagement.

Peninsula Dog & Cat Clinic has been praised by pet owners. Pet owners have commended that clinic for respectful, experienced and devoted staff. The owner of Peninsula Dog & Cat Clinic has over 30 years of veterinary experience. Becoming one of the top veterinarians in Portland for 2016 is a demonstration to pet owners that high-quality veterinarians are available at Peninsula Dog & Cat Clinic for preventative and wellness services. There are times when emergency treatment is necessary for a beloved pet and Peninsula Dog & Cat Clinic provides emergency care six days a week; referrals to a trusted nearby 24-hour facility will be given in situations that require after hours care.

Staff and residents at Peninsula Dog & Cat Clinic have always done their best to serve pet patients and owners, said Dr. Kenneth DeRemer. The Expertise award recognizes our efforts and the feedback from pet owners and makes it easy for new pet owners to find a trusted and reliable veterinary clinic in Portland for their pet wellness and healthcare needs. We want Portland pets to get quality treatment and attention and we are honored by the recognition from Expertise and Portland pet owners.

Dr. Kenneth DeRemer, small animal veterinarian at Peninsula Dog & Cat Clinic, serves residents of Portland and the surrounding communities. The staff are dedicated to meeting the needs of pet owners and providing a comfortable and well-rounded experience for every pet. Animals served are dogs, cats, pocket pets, small mammals and chickens. Services include pet vaccinations, spay and neuter services, dental care, cat or dog surgery, microchipping and check-ups as part of wellness programs for individual pets.

Call (503) 419-4230 to learn more about the Expertise Best Veterinarians in Portland 2016 award or visit http://peninsulapet.net/ for more details on the clinics veterinary services and hours.
Re: A company is considering changing its policy concerning daily working [ #permalink

5 Kudos 3 Bookmarks Expert Reply

Hey Everyone,



Great work on this. I just wanted to address the way that some people were leaning towards C, so I thought I'd take on all the answer choices in one swoop.



a) work without interruption from other employees.

PROBLEM: The time people come in should not have any effect on whether people get interrupted.



b) consult at least once a day with employees from other companies.

PROBLEM: Consulting with other companies once a day should be easy, as everyone will still be there for at least 6 hours of a typical work day.



c) submit their work for a supervisor's eventual approval.

PROBLEM: Notice the word "eventual". If this implied that the supervisor need to sign off on everybody's work THAT DAY, this might be the correct answer. But the implication here is that the supervisor could "eventually" approve it, which doesn't link it to any specific time.



d) interact with each other throughout the entire workday

ANSWER: Contrast with C. In this case, they use the word "entire". Well, obviously this is going to get in the way of interaction through the "entire" work day. This question really does revolve around the use of the qualifiers "eventual" and "Entire".



e) undertake projects that take several days to complete.

PROBLEM: They'll still be at work 5 days a week, so this shouldn't be a problem.



Hope that helps!



-t
N. KOTZIAS: It was with great pleasure that I received my friend Mevlut Cavusoglu, and together we saw one aspect of the islands many beauties. We had yet another opportunity to talk about the major problems developing in our region, to find ways in which we can work together and contribute the solution of these problems. Once again, I expressed the Greek peoples solidarity with the Turkish people who fought off the attempted coup in Turkey. We talked about our cooperation, which has entered a fast channel, especially following the meeting of the two governments in Izmir this year, and we decided to continue to explore the channels of understanding, dialogue and cooperation that we have in sectors such as economic cooperation, cooperation on transport, the confidence-building measures, and political dialogue.



Greek foreign policy continues its work unabated. We are developing our relations with neighbouring countries and throughout Europe and the wider region, but Turkey is a country with which we have special relations and special interests. This is why todays meeting is of great importance for both countries and, I think, for the wider region.



I thank Mevlut once again for his visit, and we will now go to see the place where Zeus was born, on the Lasithi Plateau. That is essentially where Europa was born, Zeus having abducted her from Libya. A myth that is profoundly antiracist and that no one in Europe should forget.



Mevlut, thank you very much for the visit.



. CAVUSOGLU: First of all, I would like to thank my friend Nikos for his invitation. I am overjoyed to be here in Crete. In the area where I live, in Antalya, there are many people with origins in Crete. I have spoken with them quite a number of times, but this is my first visit to the island.



I express my great thanks to the dear Prime Minister, Mr. Tsipras, and to my friend Nikos and the Greek people for the support they offered to us, to our government, to our democracy and to the Turkish people in the difficult moments we went through in Turkey during the recent attempted coup. The solidarity of the Greek people and the clear stance taken by the Greek government were received with great pleasure by the Turkish people, who say, in fact, that, in Europe, no one can understand the danger Turkey was in better than Greece and the Greek people.



Everyones efforts are focused on strengthening the relations between Turkey and Greece even further. As you know, our countries have the institution of the High Level Cooperation Council, and, apart from that, there are various mechanisms, such as the confidence-building measures, the political dialogue and the exploratory talks. Beyond that, at the suggestion of my friend Nikos, we have begun meeting in Turkey and Greece on an unofficial basis. At the beginning of this year, I hosted him in Istanbul for a dinner, and that is why I am here today, at his invitation. We expressed our will to improve our relations even further. As he said, we also assessed the developments in our wider region.



Our conversation was very constructive. That is why we support the efforts being made in the talks that are continuing in Cyprus for finding a solution. I hope that, this time, the two sides in Cyprus capitalize on this opportunity they have, and we, both sides, will give our support. My friend will now show me the most beautiful areas of Crete, and I think that we deserve this following the work we have done here. My great thanks for the invitation and the hospitality.
Waving a Russian flag in Moscow for victims of the failed coup in August 1991  a Russian version of a velvet revolution  that has been memorialized as the end of the Soviet Union.

Waving a Russian flag in Moscow for victims of the failed coup in August 1991  a Russian version of a velvet revolution  that has been memorialized as the end of the Soviet Union. Credit Dimitri Korotayev/Agence France-Presse

What happened a quarter-century ago? On Aug. 18, 1991, four top Soviet officials flew to Crimea, where President Mikhail S. Gorbachev of the Soviet Union was on vacation, and placed him under house arrest. The following day Soviet citizens awakened to the news that a committee of K.G.B., military and Soviet Communist Party leaders had declared a state of emergency. Then, over the course of three days, the coup crumbled.

On Aug. 21, its failure became evident, and Moscow authorities soon removed a giant statue of the founder of the secret police, Felix Dzerzhinsky, from its pedestal in the center of the city. A Russian flag  white, blue and red stripes  went up over the building of the Russian Supreme Soviet, the nominal legislative body, in Moscow. Only three people died in Moscow streets before the attempted coup was over.

Two years earlier, a series of popular protests led by young pro-democracy activists had brought down the Communist governments of several Eastern European countries. These became known as the Revolutions of 1989. Most had been peaceful; the Czechs called theirs velvet. The ruling parties had simply capitulated. In many books published in the West, and in the minds of some Russian intellectuals, the three days of August 1991 were the Russian version of a velvet revolution, and they have been memorialized as the end of the Soviet Union.

But they were neither the end of the Soviet Union nor a velvet revolution. Twenty-five years later, this is perhaps clearer than ever.

By the summer of 1991, the Soviet empire had been in agony for a couple of years. Each of its 15 constituent republics, including Russia, had popular pro-independence movements. Ethnic conflicts and border disputes were flaring up all over; blood had been shed. Mr. Gorbachev was zigzagging between military and peaceful solutions to the mounting crises. The Soviet state had used force in Azerbaijan, Georgia and Lithuania, killing scores of people and bitterly disappointing all who wanted change. Yet the hard-liners, who made up the majority of the Soviet leadership, saw Mr. Gorbachev as too soft. Like any leader who tries to appease everyone, Mr. Gorbachev was hated by many and disliked by most. But his fiercest struggle was with Boris Yeltsin, a former party boss who in June 1991 became the popularly elected leader of the Russian republic within the U.S.S.R.

The failure of the hard-liners coup created an opening for Mr. Yeltsin. While Mr. Gorbachev was a hostage in Crimea, Mr. Yeltsin was in Moscow. He spoke to the anti-coup protesters in the city  from atop a tank, no less. After the coup was over, he was widely seen as the leader of a victorious resistance. He was now in a position to tell Mr. Gorbachev what to do.

When Mr. Gorbachev returned to Moscow on Aug. 22 and began cleaning the ranks of the coups many supporters, Mr. Yeltsin annulled several of Mr. Gorbachevs personnel appointments. He named his own men. He also made sure the Soviet Communist Party, whose leaders had engineered the coup, was effectively shut down, while the Russian Communist Party continued to function. In other words, Mr. Yeltsin moved to take over all key Soviet institutions, from the K.G.B. to the command center of the planned economy.

Through the fall of 1991, constituent republics declared their independence from the U.S.S.R., one after another, while Mr. Gorbachev, who was still the Soviet president, scrambled to keep the union together. In December, Mr. Yeltsin and the leaders of Belarus and Ukraine met and agreed on the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Mr. Gorbachev was not invited. He was not even the first to know: He was informed by the Belarusian leader after Mr. Yeltsin had called President George H. W. Bush with the news. In the end, Mr. Gorbachev had to resign as president because his country was no more. Most of its institutions, along with its memberships in international organizations, passed to a new country called the Russian Federation.

Mr. Yeltsin and his aides believed that what happened in Russia was better than any revolution, even a velvet one. They were convinced that by taking over existing institutions they would bring democracy to Russia faster, and less painfully, than they would by destroying them. They gave little thought to the fact that these were the institutions of a long-running totalitarian regime: They did not doubt that they had the will and strength necessary to transform them.

But these institutions have turned out to be stronger than the men who had set out to reform them. They resisted change for nearly a decade, and once Vladimir V. Putin became president, they fell into place, easing Russias regression. Today, life in Russia  where everything is political, where the population is mobilized around leader and nation, where censorship and one-party rule have effectively been restored  is more similar to life in the Soviet Union than at any point in the last 25 years.

The monument to the three men who died during the failed coup of August 1991  a plaque that few people know exists  is in disrepair, and discussions about erecting a proper, visible monument in its place died down years ago. But the Dzerzhinsky statue, which is displayed in a park not far from the Kremlin, was lovingly restored this summer, for at least the fourth time in the last few years. There is also talk of putting it back in its old place.
Five years ago, Hurricane Irene made landfall in Coney Island at 8:45 a.m. on Sunday morning, August 28th, 2011. That weekend, New York York's state and city officials ordered hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes and shut down the subway system, as New Yorkers battened down the hatches, waiting for a storm of Biblical proportions that, luckily, never came.



Hurricane Irene on August 25, 2011 (NOAA)

In the city, Irene is mostly remembered as a false alarm, as it quickly turned into a Tropical Storm and people were able to ride bikes or Slip 'n' Slide in Times Square. Yet while the five boroughs escaped mostly unscathed, Irene inflicted an enormous amount of damage across New York State, with recovery costs approaching $3 billion. (The storm cost the MTA more than $100 million and the city more than $50 million, though of course much of that money was spent on preparations for the storm, rather than rebuilding.)



Photograph by focal matter on Flickr

In retrospect, Irene gave us the first glimpse at the vulnerability of our city, built on the tradition of shipping and trading, to the water around us. The damage to the Rockaways, the reality check on the perils of climate change and the mass-transit-shutdown-induced paralysis played out in miniature what happened the following year with Superstorm Sandy.

Some said the city overreacted, but the response, including the then-unprecedented decision to shut down all MTA operations, really wasn't unreasonable. The weather predictions looked bad and city and stated officials prepared for the worst. That's probably all they could have done at the moment.

Unfortunately, the perception that Bloomberg Administration had cried wolf on Irene led many to tragically ignore the dire warnings about Sandy.

If anything, the real blame should be placed on everyone in power who for years ignored the threat of a major storm (NYC and Long Island had been long overdue for a hurricane) and continued to ignore it after Irene.
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.
You may have heard that the government taking action against ITT Technical Institute, a nationwide chain of for-profit technical schools, the question is should you be worried? That answer is, of course, a difficult one but we will attempt to explain the situation here.

What is the Government Doing?

On Thursday August 25, the government banned ITT Tech from enrolling new students who use financial aid from the Department of Education. This DOES NOT affect GI Bill students, it only affects those who use Pell Grants and Federal Student Loans. Current students will not be affected, they are still eligible for federal grants and loans.

The next day, California imposed a separate ban on new enrollments at 15 ITT Tech locations in that state. This ban will affect ALL NEW enrollments effective September 1. New students paying with cash or GI Bill funds will also be prevented from enrolling in any classes at ITT Tech in California after that date. Existing students are not affected.

Why Did the Government Take This Action?

ITT Tech has been in the crossshairs of several state and federal investigations in recent years.

The federal government has been investigating ITT since 2014 when they alleged that some school employees persuaded students to take out high-interest private loans, often with high risk of default and high rates of interest, when their federal loans failed to cover all of their costs. In 2015, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged two top ITT executives with lying to investors in an alleged scheme to cover up losses, also, in 2015 California temporarily suspended enrollments at the school citing paperwork and administrative recordkeeping shortfalls. Earlier this year Massachusetts sued the school for overstating the success of its programs and presenting false information to potential students. The lawsuit alleged that ITT told prospective students that 100% of graduates obtained jobs in their related field of study, though the actual rate of placement was only 50% or less.

Just recently the Department of Education noted that an accrediting agency may revoke ITT's accreditation, essentially a killing blow to any school. Usually accrediting is done by nongovernmental agencies which conduct peer evaluations to ensure schools meet federal and state mandated quality, financial, and recordkeeping requirements. Accreditation is almost always necessary for a school to enroll GI Bill students.

Also ITT's enrollment has been falling dramatically for years now and will continue to do so according to the school itself. In a June 2016 SEC filing ITT estimated that new enrollments in 2016 will be nearly 60% less than they were in 2015.

Based on the ongoing investigations, threat of accreditation withdrawal, and financial weakness the government has placed ITT Tech on what is known as "Heightened Cash Monitoring" which is basically very strict oversight to prevent any possible loss to taxpayers in case the school closes.

What Exactly Was The Action Taken By The Government?

Taking all these factors into consideration, the Department of Education basically told ITT that they must post an additional $150 million cash or a letter of credit from a financial institution as an insurance policy with the government in case the school ends up closing. This would help to lessen the effect on taxpayers if thousands of ITT students suddenly defaulted on their student loans due to the school's closing. The school must also develop "teach-out agreements - arrangements that identify other schools where students can continue their education programs if that becomes necessary due to ITT closing.

I'm a Student at ITT Tech, What Should I Do?

Well, that depends, of course we don't have a crystal ball handy right now, but here are the facts: ITT Tech has 45,000 students enrolled on its 138 campuses nationwide, of those 45,000, over 5,000 are veterans. That means a lot of federal money is going into those schools, if the government cracks down harder ITT may be in for tough times. Of course, GI Bill money and Department of Education money are two different things, under current regulations, getting GI Bill money shut off to an accredited school would literally take an act of Congress.

ITT's cash flow has been dropping by nearly $100 million a year for the last 5 years, their enrollment has also been going down every year for those last 5 years. After Thursday's announcement their stock dropped over 60% in one day.

While ITT is one of the biggest chains of for-profit schools in the nation and it has been taking actions to improve its recruiting and financial issues for some time now, some may see similarities between ITT Tech and Corinthian Colleges. Corinthian was a for-profit chain that went out of business and shut down its 28 locations last year after being fined $30 million by the federal government.

Some say that ITT's situation is totally different, they are much larger and better off financially, and they are not being fined, just required to have more money, or a letter of credit, on hand with the government.

If you are close to completing your program with ITT, you may be fine to stay where you are and see it through. If you are risk-averse or just beginning your education, you may want to investigate further before making up your mind. Either way, being aware of the situation and your options is always a good thing.
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FireKeepers Casino 400

Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano celebrates after winning the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, June 12, 2016. (Samantha Madar | Mlive.com)

(MLive Media Group)

Please join us in the comments section below



Open thread: NASCAR Sprint Cup Pure Michigan 400

Who: NASCAR Sprint Cup

Where: Michigan International Speedway

When: 2 p.m.

TV: NBCSN, Sirius XM channel 90

Joey Logano took home the checkered flag when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rolled through Michigan International Speedway in June.

Can Logano do it again? He has the pole for today's Pure Michigan 400, so the Penske Racing superstar appears poised to do so, but there will be 39 other drivers trying to stop him.

Let's talk about it. MLive will be hosting a live chat throughout the race, and we will be getting underway around 2 p.m. Please join us.
Brandon Thomas.jpg

The Lions have reportedly traded for former 49ers third-round pick Brandon Thomas. He plays guard.

(AP File Photo)

BALTIMORE -- It was looking more and more like the Detroit Lions were going to cut Jeremy Kerley.

But now they've gotten something in return.

The Lions have traded Kerley to the San Francisco 49ers, according to ESPN. They'll receiver offensive lineman Brandon Thomas in return.

Thomas was selected in the third round of the 2014 draft, despite tearing his ACL during a pre-draft workout with the Saints. The 6-foot-3, 317-pounder played left tackle in college at Clemson, but has become a guard since turning pro.

He has yet to appear in a game.

Thomas joins an offensive line mix that appears set on the interior, with Larry Warford back for a fourth season at right guard and former first-round pick Laken Tomlinson back for a second season at left guard. Travis Swanson and third-round pick Graham Glasgow are competing in the middle.

Veteran Geoff Schwartz was signed this offseason to be the top interior reserve, while rookie Joe Dahl is assured a roster spot after being selected in the fourth round of the draft.

But Thomas does offer some depth while Detroit works through some injuries on the offensive line. Schwartz and tackles Michael Ola and Corey Robinson were all too banged up to play in the 30-9 loss against Baltimore on Saturday night.

Ola and Robinson have both missed more than a week of practice, which at one point forced first-round pick Taylor Decker to play on both the first and second teams at left tackle.

As for Kerley, he was signed this offseason to compete at slot receiver and returner, but looked as though he had been beaten out at both spots heading into cut week. Anquan Boldin is going to start in the slot, while TJ Jones is the preferred reserve at that position (and it helps he can play all the other receiver spots as well, plus has experience as a return man).

At returner, Jones and Andre Roberts have both done more, while Golden Tate (punt return) and Ameer Abdullah (kick return) have experience too.
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YPSILANTI, MI -- The annual DIYpsi Summer Festival is taking place at the Ann Arbor Brewing Company Brewpub at 720 Norris St. in Ypsilanti on Saturday, Aug. 27 from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on Sunday Aug. 28 from noon until 6 p.m., and features over 80 handmade vendors, live music, food and specialty craft brews.

The DIYpsi (pronounced "dip-see") indie art fair, which takes place once each summer and once each winter, was created by Ypsilanti residents Cre Fuller, Sherri Green and Marcy Davy in 2010.

The festival's website explains its goal - "to be one component of a thriving community of entrepreneurs, artists, organizations and events that serve to build it up."

Despite gray skies and heavy rains, hundreds of people attended the festival on Saturday, Aug. 20. Check out the fun in the photos above.
1--UMMA exterior, Photo by Leisa Thompson.jpg

The University of Michigan Museum of Art will illuminate its facade with artwork, performances and a family-friendly movie night over a week in early September. "Nights at the Museum," UMMA's first-ever exterior media art initiative, begins Friday, Sept. 2, during Artscapade!, a Welcome Week event for new U-M students, and concludes Friday, Sept. 9, at UMMA's twice-annual After Hours community celebration. Photo provided l Leisa Thompson

(Photo provided l Leisa Thompson)

ANN ARBOR, MI -- The University of Michigan Museum of Art will illuminate its facade with artwork, performances and a family-friendly movie night over a week in early September.



"Nights at the Museum," UMMA's first-ever exterior media art initiative, begins Friday, Sept. 2, during Artscapade!, a Welcome Week event for new U-M students, and concludes Friday, Sept. 9, at UMMA's twice-annual After Hours community celebration.



"Nights at the Museum" is open to the public and runs each night from 8:30 p.m. to dawn along its State Street-side facade, on the west side of the Maxine and Stuart Frankel and the Frankel Family Wing.



"This week-long event fulfills our goal of extending arts experiences beyond the galleries of the museum," said UMMA director Joseph Rosa. "'Nights at the Museum' has something for everyone to enjoy."



On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from dusk to dawn, UMMA will showcase a digital art installation by Quayola titled "Pleasant Places." Inspired by the work of Vincent Van Gogh, Quayola has returned to the same countryside of Provence 125 years later to create of a series of digital paintings exploring the boundary between representation and abstraction.



Monday, Sept. 5, features a family-friendly movie night with a screening of Pixar Animation Studios' "Toy Story."



Tuesday through Thursday, UMMA collaborates with U-M arts partners, including the University Musical Society, Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design and School of Music, Theatre & Dance. The museum invited each organization to showcase a related video performance or art installation.

Check out a full schedule of events here.
BAY CITY, MI -- Facing a housing market with an oversupply of lower value properties in a region of shrinking economic value, Bay City is at the end of its rope when it comes to making bold decisions to right a ship on the verge of sinking.

There are too many houses, too many are old and rundown, making them worth too little.

And while there's opportunity -- and plenty of hope -- that the market can one day be right-sized to accommodate a thriving population, it's going to require millions of dollars, decades of repair work and a drastic change by city leadership to not maintain the status quo that led to the problems in the first place.

A new housing study released by the city last week paints a dismal and bleak picture of Bay City's housing market.

"To truly understand Bay City's housing market in terms of 2016 and the future, it is important to realize that Bay City is now firmly in the middle of a fourth phase... characterized by long-outstanding bills that are now due and which will become larger unless dealt with aggressively," the study reads.

"Now comes the reckoning."

The 44-page, $50,000 study, prepared by Alexandria, Virginia-based urban planning firm CZB LLC, will be presented during a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 29, in room 317 at Bay City Hall, 301 Washington Ave. Time is allotted for public comment.

The 600 block of Grant Street has been described as a "war zone." Bay City was awarded a $250,000 grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority's Blight Elimination Program last year to tear down 18 structures, including at least two on Grant Street, in the city.

Problems

There are numerous problems facing Bay City's housing market, according to the study, but none are bigger than its over-supply of homes.

Before the 1950s, Bay City was a booming town nurtured by big industry. Officials predicted the population would reach 60,000 people and cheap land on the city's periphery made it prime for development. As a result, supply grew to more than what was needed (the population topped out at 53,600 in 1960), kicking off a decline in property values.

At the same time, Federal Housing Administration mortgages were making it easier for anyone to purchase a home.

As the years went by, "inner core decay," or blight, according to the study, pushed out households that could afford to leave the city. And over time, more blocks became blighted.

Instead of trying to right-size the city's housing market, city leaders focused too much on bringing back the growth it experienced before the 1950s. As a result, the city soon entered into an "era of coasting," according to the study.

"Coasting is a one-way journey: downhill," it reads. "And like so many cities across Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania, Bay City's population peaked between 1955 and 1965 -- and it has coasted ever since."

While any decline is always troubling, Bay City's decline has continued for 55 years:

"That's a long enough slide in the wrong direction for it to be clear that current ways of responding shouldn't be continued."

Socioeconomic issues likely played a large role in this decline. In 1960, a high school education was all that was needed to earn a living wage and afford a home mortgage, but that ended in the 1980s. According to the study, Bay City has not adapted to this reality.

* 16 percent of adults 25 years and older hold at least a bachelor's degree. A majority of those people live in the city's eastern neighborhoods. It's 22 percent in the Great Lakes Bay Region, 27.8 percent nationally.

* Bay City's poverty rate is 23.6 percent, compared to the 16.4 percent of the region made up by Bay, Midland and Saginaw counties.

* The city's median income is $36,179, compared to $45,715 in the county and $47,298 in the region.

In terms of home values, Bay City's is far from the markets in the county and across the region.

According to the study, 26 percent of homes are valued at less than $50,000; 57 percent are valued at $50,000-$99,999; and 11 percent are valued between $100,000-$149,999. A mere 6 percent of homes are valued above $150,000.

Bay City Hall, as seen from the top of the Crapo Building, 213 Center Ave., in Bay City.

Solutions

The study acknowledges that "turning things around" is possible, but "few communities have the grit" to get it done.

That's because it's not easy. There is not enough demand and way too much supply. The demand that is there is by people who are unable to take proper care of their homes. And the supply is largely made up of old and obsolete homes that are deemed unattractive by people who want to properly care for a home.

The study recommends a "robust public sector response" and offers some suggestions, specifically, intervening in Bay City's housing market in a "systematic way," neighborhood by neighborhood. Included is a five-year plan to do the following:

* Use Community Block Grant dollars to help homeowners with houses in the worst condition.

* Create a matching program for first-time home buyers and aging owner sellers.

* Invest in the Bay County Land Bank for interim ownership and potential demolition.

* Focus on bringing supply and demand into balance by demolishing homes in key locations.

* Provide incentives to owners of single-family homes to make capital upgrades.

* Develop resident leadership groups charged with building pride of home ownership in Bay City, similar to the Center Avenue Neighborhood Association.

The total estimated cost for the five-year plan is $7 million, according to the study.

Reaction

Bay City Manager Rick Finn says the housing study, which was paid for by the Bay City Housing Commission, is a jarring read at first, but after some reflection, "does a very good job at accurately describing what we have here."

Rick Finn

"No doubt, it's difficult to read," he said. "But I think it does a good job of pointing us in the direction we can move."

Finn said the suggestions at the end of the study are recommendations for improvements that need to happen as soon as possible, but are going to take as long as 15 years before the city sees "fantastic changes."

"But, it's up to the City Commission to decide what they want to do to implement it," he said.

Bay City Mayor Kathleen Newsham called the study "very shocking."

Mayor Kathleen Newsham

"It shows that the actual housing stock has not been kept up in the best of repairs," she said.

Newsham said steps have been taken to remedy some situations, like a more aggressive rental property inspection program and more blighted property abatement, but that's only one part of the problem.

"When you have lived in the community forever, you may not be blind to it, but it's become an everyday thing that you're used to," she said.

Bob Adamowski

Bob Adamowski, chief executive officer of the Bay County Realtor Association, admits that the city has some work to do, but added, "It's not all doom and gloom as some areas in that report refer to."

It's clear, Adamowski said, that some areas in the city limits need to have serious work done.

"These are properties where maybe someone moved out for health reasons and then the house isn't kept up as it should be," he said. "I like the idea of incentives to help fix up those properties. At first, you'll be fixing up homes one by one, but soon, you're fixing up neighborhoods and that's when it makes a big difference."

Doug Rise

Doug Rise, executive director of the Bay City Housing Commission, which owns and operates 562 individual public housing units and one tax credit property, said he interprets the study as saying there needs to be a limit on additional affordable housing.

"It's a double-edged sword," he said. "We have such an affordable housing market, but the downside is there's not a market driving value. For a city of our size, we need to do the opposite and drive prices in a positive direction."

Ryan Carley, chief executive of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that it's not going to just require action from local government to solve this housing crisis. It's also going to require residential leadership, which the study calls "the holy grail of stabilizing a weak market."

Ryan Carley

Carley said his organization can provide help to create those neighborhood councils.

"We live in a community where if we realize that something needs to be done, we get it done," Carley said. "But we need to organize and get everyone on the same page."

On this point, the study says:

"Underneath the need for new kitchens and second baths is the challenge of rebuilding owner confidence in Bay City, so they willingly invest their time, energy and money in taking care of their homes to a high standard."
HOMESTEAD TOWNSHIP, MI -- Truckloads of marijuana worth more than $1 million was seized in Benzie County last week.

Marijuana plants were part of $1 million in property seized in a Benzie County raid last week, police say.

Approximately 350 marijuana plants were confiscated from two homes, campers and adjacent properties in Homestead Township, along with $10,000 and several guns. According to the Traverse City Record-Eagle, the raid began Wednesday, Aug. 24.

Three people were arrested. The suspects claimed they were following Michigan's medical marijuana law, but Michigan State Police Det. Sgt. Randy Graham told the Record-Eagle that the amount of marijuana was greater than permitted by law.
BLAINE, MINN -- Authorities have released the names of two firefighters from the Upper Peninsula who died in a Minnesota crash.

According to the Associated Press, Alan Swartz, 25, and James Shelifoe, 23, died in a crash on Interstate 35W and 95th Avenue in Blaine, Minn. The firefighters were traveling to fight a Box Canyon wildfire in Utah.

At about 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27 the firetruck left the road, struck the median cable barriers and rolled.

The Beartown firefighters are based in Baraga in the Upper Peninsula near Keweenaw Bay. The crew specializes in fighting wildfires and are managed by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Seven others in the truck were injured.

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community posed several updates on their Facebook page this weekend.

"Our hearts are broken and our prayers are with the family members and those injured," the post read.
TI_VAndercookLakeGrad34

The audience takes photos during the Vandercook Lake High School graduation at Jackson College on June 2, 2016. (Taylor Irby | Mlive.com)

(Taylor Irby)

HOLLAND, MI -- Elzinga & Volkers, Inc. is giving its West Michigan employees an extra paid day off.

The only catch is they have to spend the free day with their children on a school activity, whether it is chaperoning a field trip, attending a graduation or going on a college visit. Workers without school-age kids can take the day to do the same thing with a grandchild, niece or nephew.

The Holland construction firm recently announced the new perk to its employees in anticipation of the start of the new school year.

"Instead of those employees taking a vacation day, we wanted to create a special program that really recognizes that we care about that time," said John Parker, the firm's vice president. "Most of those opportunities are once in a lifetime. There is only one kindergarten graduation."

John Parker

Mike Novakoski

The new perk, dubbed "Hall Pass," is for 8 hours, which can be taken in one day or divided up into two 4-hour increments.

It's primarily for the firm's 110 West Michigan employees, Parker said. The downtown Holland company, located at 86 E 6th St, employs another 65 workers around the country.

E&V isn't putting many restrictions on how the day off is used, other than workers need to reserve the time off in advance and share details of the event with their supervisor.

"We are a small family company," Parker said "We respect our employees and trust they are respecting us."

E&V is also counting on the perk to set the firm apart from the competition in an industry where the demand for qualified workers outpaces the supply. The region added 900 construction jobs in June, bringing the total to its highest level in a decade, according to state employment data.

Companies are getting creative when it comes to attracting and keeping employees, says Jennifer Owens, president of the economic development group, Lakeshore Advantage.

"We are seeing referral bonuses of thousands of dollars, employee profit sharing at all employment levels, and an overall increased focus on culture and employee engagement," said Owens. "Research shows that job satisfaction and engagement increase worker productivity and the likelihood they will stay at the company."

Owen-Ames-Kimball Co., another West Michigan construction company, is also flexible about time off for family obligations and school events. The Grand Rapids firm, at 300 Ionia Ave NW, doesn't track sick, personal or flex time, according to Josh Szymanski, O-A-K's business development director.

"Our policy is the honor system and as long as time critical work is being completed, we trust our employees' judgement," Szymanski said.

E&V, also employee-owned firm, is using hall pass to build flexibility into jobs that can require long days to meet project deadlines.

"We know people are missing special events in their kids, grand kids or nieces and nephews' lives because of the nature of our business," Parker said. "We don't think that an employee is being 100 percent productive anyway if they are feeling bad about missing an event."

The extra time off won't cover all the school events in parents' lives, but it will let employees pick the most important one or two, and be there for their families, Parker said.

The new perk is the idea of CEO Mike Novakoski. After sending his two children off to college, he thought about the important school events he attended -- and the ones he didn't.

"There were things he certainly missed, and now that his kids are away at college you don't have those times back," Parker said. "He wanted to extend the opportunity to the employees to make more of those moments."
ALLENDALE, MI -- Grand Valley State University police are investigating a reported roadside sexual assault near Lake Michigan Drive and 48th Avenue.

The university issued an alert to students on Saturday, Aug. 27, about the incident.

Police were contacted about 3:30 p.m. Saturday by a person who said they were assaulted the prior night.

The person was walking near the Burger King when a man approached. The victim was then assaulted along the side of the road.

Police did not give further details about the assault.

Anyone with information about the incident can call police at 616-331-3255 or Silent Observer at 1-877-887-4536.
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Algerian immigrant Houda Diaconescu

1. Acclimation: Helping immigrants adjust to a new identity

Coming to a foreign land, especially if the arrival takes place amidst traumatic circumstances, presents many challenges. Finding a community of individuals with similar backgrounds, who have been through similar transitions before and can help with practical and emotional support, is crucial for immigrants to adapt.

Dr. Sook Wilkinson has witnessed this challenge firsthand as a clinical psychologist and faced it personally when she immigrated to America from South Korea in 1970. She also recently

"You get cut off from everything that's familiar to you and lose the identity you had before," says Dr. Wilkinson.

In many close-knit immigrant communities, seeking the help of an outsider is not considered an option. And few doctors speak their native language.





An intense game of Uno at the Peaceful Picnic held at Dingell Park in Ecorse "First generation immigrants would only come to me when they couldn't go on any longer," she says. "In many communities, seeing a psychologist for treatment is not looked upon favorably."



As a result, much of the work of helping immigrants transition to life in America falls on nonprofits and volunteers.

As outreach coordinator for

Almost always, they are.

"They're determined," says Fouty. "It takes three years just to go through the process, to be given that refugee status and brought into U.S. through the State Department. So when they do get here, they work hard to knock everything off that checklist."

Self-sufficiency often extends far into the future for those Samaritas helps.

"Within two years, we usually find all our clients are off government assistance and dependent for themselves," says Fouty. "They have a very high success rate as far as getting employed and maintaining a job."

2. Learning English: Helping immigrants navigate their new country

The practicalities of life don't just halt while you're trying to understand yourself and your new country. The vast majority of immigrants still have to learn English, often from scratch. And without English, navigating the bureaucratic labyrinths of getting a green card, driver's license, or any other legal necessity are impossible to do alone. Even simple tasks like grocery shopping and filling out a job application become daunting.

"If you do not speak the language, you cannot be independent," says Diaconescu. "It doesn't matter how much money you have or how nice your car is. If you can't speak the language, you can't do even basic things."

Unfortunately, this is one of our region's greatest unaddressed needs for immigrants. Wayne State University offers an intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) course, but it's prohibitively expensive for most.

ACCESS, and other organizations like it, offers ESL classes. Some libraries and public schools have recognized this need, too. Diaconescu took advantage of

But these services are often not enough.

"There's definitely a shortage of ESL classes," says Sauve. "Sometimes it's because of a mismatch with when and where it's available and lack of transit. In general, classes are almost always full."

Models exist in other cities for how municipalities can assist. In 1998, Boston created the Office for New Bostonians (now the

3. Civic Engagement: Helping immigrants become a part of the community

Micheal Taylor, Mayor of Sterling Heights



A major task of A major task of Welcoming Michigan is improving relations between immigrants and established citizens through "welcoming" events and meetups. The goal is to reduce bias and make immigrants feel more accepted.

Sauve cites many examples of the kind of goodwill these events can engender, like when Morse Elementary School in Troy, partnering with Samaritas, organized a welcoming day for two refugee families relocating to the area. Attendees brought food for a potluck, had the families tell their stories of coming to America, and collected money to help them get started. It brought everyone in the community closer together.

"The Mayor and Superintendent and a lot of city officials were there. Lots of family and students," says Fouty. "It was a great opportunity for us to inform more people and tell stories. When you hear about what folks go through and what it's like to move to a place where you don't have to worry about personal safety anymore, it's transforming."

Sterling Heights, and Macomb County generally, has been proactive by investing in remote video interpretation for people of limited English proficiency.

"It's definitely a challenge to provide services to people who aren't used to receiving them," says Taylor. "It's a challenge to communicate with them, inform them about our regulations and ordinances. We're doing everything we can to figure out new ways to reach these populations."

Exacerbating this problem is that many immigrants feel disconnected from the political process, in part because there aren't a proportional number of leaders that represent them. To take one metric as an example,

Eric Chau, who immigrated from Hong Kong to Metro Detroit when he was 12, is working to counteract this disparity. He became a board member for the

Eric Chau



Chau majored in civil engineering at the University of Michigan, but left that field as he got older and more confident. He eventually worked his way up to become the first Asian branch manager for Wells Fargo, then started his own financial services business.

While Chau leads his own company, he finds that the Asian American community, in general, lacks leadership.

"I think the challenge is getting younger professionals involved," says Chau. "Making sure there's help available to advance their careers, to make connections, and let them know that we're here."

He also gives talks and mentors young Asian professionals in leadership skills and advancing their career. He's helping put together an event in October through the B3 (build, believe, breakthrough) Program for professional development and peer networking among Asian Americans.





All photos by "For us to really have a say, we need to make sure we are heard," says Chau.All photos by Nick Hagen

This piece is part of a solutions journalism series on Metro Detroit's regional issues, conducted in partnership with Metro Matters and guided by our Emerging Leaders Board

When Houda Diaconescu immigrated to Dearborn from Algeria in 2001, she didn't speak any English."I couldn't even say 'Hi, my name is Houda,'" she recalls.Diaconescu, trained as an engineer but unable to find work in Algeria, wanted to continue her education in America. But those plans never came to fruition. Between acclimating to a new culture, learning English, and becoming a mother, life was challenging enough. She eventually relocated to Sterling Heights and became a special education teacher."The main reason I came here was to get a Master's. Unfortunately, that never happened," she says. "But I'm working, making a living, surviving."Diaconescu's story is like so many who have immigrated to Metro Detroit in search of something better, whether it's security, financial prosperity, or education. The challenges she facedlearning English, acclimating to a new culture, engaging in the communityare nearly universal to newcomers, no matter their country of origin.First-generation immigrants are some of the most successful people in America. More often than not, they enter the job market and provide jobs for others as entrepreneurs at a higher rate than their native-born counterparts (SEE SIDEBAR). And that's despite the many inherent disadvantages they face as newcomers.Steve Tobocman has been making the case for the economic impact of immigrants since starting Global Detroit in 2009. That year, he authored a 164-page report that assessed how immigrants contribute to the region's economy.In the report, Global Detroit put forth a set of strategies Metro Detroit's governments, businesses, and institutions can take to better secure immigrants' prosperityand leverage them as an asset.Many of these strategies entail greater governmental support. To properly mobilize and address the various needs of immigrants, the report recommends the creation of a Mayor's Office of Global Affairs, which could work alongside many of the preexisting institutions currently doing the work of supporting immigrants.In 2014, Detroit launched the Immigration Task Force "to support existing and future immigrant communities." While their work is still just beginning, earlier this year they announced that the city will offer municipal IDs for people who can't get a driver's license. The IDs will enable users to access city services, open a bank account, get a library card, and do many other basic and necessary things they couldn't previously."The immigrant community has made significant contributions and been a strong point in the economy in Southeast Michigan," says Tobocman. "We have a unique opportunity to revitalize a depopulated, struggling city and a regional economy very much in transition into a new knowledge-based economy. Immigrants have been at the forefront in making those contributions in ways that produce benefits for everyone along the economic ladder."Indeed, immigrants can be a stabilizing force in neighborhoods."During the Great Recession, Little Baghdad was one area that was booming," says Welcoming Michigan senior program coordinator Christine Sauve. "There were vacant commercial properties everywhere, but that area was flourishing. Immigrants have real effects on the vibrancy of a community."Tobocman argues that immigrants can also help revive struggling regions through an infusion of people that bring their own vibrant culture while growing the tax base."No American city has rebounded its population without immigration growth," he says.Helping immigrants to be successful is critical to making sure that vibrancy is sustained in Metro Detroit. Here are three areas where governments and community organizations are stepping in. co-edited a book of essays written by Asian immigrants to Michigan, many of whom describe another issue in the transition to a foreign land. Samaritas , a social ministry affiliated with the Lutheran church, one of Pastor Ken Fouty's primary duties is refugee resettlement. He helps newcomers during an intense 90-day resettlement period when they must have their kids enrolled in school, get social security cards, medical assessment, state identification, start looking for a job, and more. The goal is to have them be self-sufficient at the end of those 90 days.plays a similar role for Dearborn's Arab American immigrant population. Their eight locations offer a range of services for employment, entrepreneurship, STD screenings and other medical services. They also offer classes on cultural competency, citizenship, digital literacy, and much more. Livonia Public School's ESL classes for adults, attending almost every weekday when she first arrived. She now speaks fluent English, and even tutors other immigrants. Office of Immigrant Advancement ), and one of its duties remains increasing ESL options and capacities, reducing waitlists, and maintaining a directory of institutions and companies that offer classes (currently, 56 locations).Sauve identifies Sterling Heights as a city that's been particularly welcoming to immigrants. Like Tobocman, Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor sees the value of immigrants to his city."When you have a community of people from different cultures and backgrounds you learn a lot more about the world," says Taylor. "It makes life more enriching, in same way that good literature or art is enriching." naturalized citizens vote at a lower percentage , 10 percent or greater, than their native counterparts. And while there are some notable second generation politicians in Michigan, like Rashida Tlaib, an Arab-American member of Michigan's House of Representatives, and Raquel Castaneda-Lopez, the first Latina voted to Detroit's City Council, first generation politicians are rare. Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote of Michigan to increase political awareness amongst immigrants.This work is funded by the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan . You can view other pieces in this series here
The organizers of the maiden diplomatic comedy show supposed to hit the Accra International Conference Centre yesterday, Friday, August 26th, have rendered an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for the cancelation of the program at a very latter hour of the evening.

The program dubbed Let Ghana Laugh is aimed at bringing Ghanaians from various angles, together with the Political heads from the over 20 political parties in a special night to laugh together, whiles easing the high tension mounting in the country due to the upcoming general elections in December.

Speaking at the scene of the event cancelation last night, the Head of the Organizing team; John Bosco Tieyiri stated that the unfortunate cancelation is due to some technical challenges beyond control.

I have just being informed that some key people expected to attend the event, including the President of the Republic and the Leader of the biggest opposition party; Nana Akufo Addo, among others wont be able to honor the invitation due to various reasons; and the main purpose of this event wont be achieved without their presence. We have therefore decided to reschedule the event to a later date, which will be announced soon, and all tickets sold will be valid on that date. We are so sorry for the inconvenience, he said.

On his part, the main comedian billed to entertain the audience; Klint da Drunk, expressed his profound apology for this unfortunate incident.

I have come all the way from Nigerian to join hands with all of Ghana to preach peace towards your elections, and I am very sad that this event couldnt hold today. My apologies to all my fans, friends and everyone who were going to be part of us tonight, but I want to assure all Ghanaians that I will be back for this event when the new date is set, and together, we can work towards maintaining the peace and stability being enjoyed in this country. I love Ghana very much and I wish you well, the top Nigerian Comedian said.

The management of the Ghanaian comedy King; DKB who was billed to stage alongside his 9ja brother, also added their voice in apologizing to Ghanaians and their fans for the unfortunate cancelation, and is assuring all to stay calm whiles a new and appropriate date is set for the show.
29.08.2016 LISTEN

The tertiary experience is kind of different and has the ability to be a bit overwhelming. Finding yourself, making friends, staying on track while making the most out of your social life are some of the things that come with it. However, the experience doesnt always come easy. As a freshman from SHS, your expectations and traits leave you more vulnerable and ripe for exploitation.

As some will take advantage of you and the naive state you find yourself in, there are always other options and that is what EchoHouse, the firm dedicated to making the school life as comfortable as it can get organized the first of its kind, Fresha Fair. A fair that brings together buyers and sellers of top and quality products within cool rates that each student be it continuing or freshman can afford.

For years, the life on campus has been you come home with all the things you will need because when you get to campus you actually dont know your way around and how things function. But last year, students got a different feel. They got to buy appliances, food items, mingled and jammed to the best of artistes in Ghana.

And the experience returns this year with a repackaged deal, beefed up with the best of the best experiences. The 3 campus affair starts from UCC on the 15th to the 17th of September as school is reopening, KNUST from the 22nd to the 24th of September and a finale at Legon from 29th September to 1st October.

The line-up of activities will start with an Inter-Schools game on Thursday, Friday is all about the style and fashion so a Fashion show and Saturday comes with all the goodies, All you can Eat and finishes with the BAR 3 concert with the artiste of the Year, EL.

And if its too good to be true, last year, Sarkodie launched his live album Mary at the Fresha Fair amidst guest performances from Efya, Akwaboah, Mr. Eazi and a host of other artistes. With an addition of a GH 10 shop experience, you get to buy and enjoy everything available at just GH 10.
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Sirte (Libya) (AFP) - Forces loyal to Libya's UN-backed unity government pushed Sunday into the last areas of Sirte held by the Islamic State group in what was the jihadists' coastal stronghold, a spokesman said.

"Our forces entered the last areas held by Daesh in Sirte: district number one and district number three," said Rida Issa, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

"The final battle for Sirte has started," said the spokesman for forces backing the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord.

About 1,000 pro-GNA fighters were taking part in the offensive, he said, adding a tank had destroyed a bomb-rigged car before IS jihadists could use it to target the forces at the start of the assault.

An AFP photographer saw several tanks and armed vehicles move towards district number one and heard gunfire and rocket explosions as they entered the northern neighbourhood.

The pro-GNA forces said on their Facebook page that the offensive came "after air strikes overnight by the warplanes of international support".

Islamic State group retreats in Sirte

Pro-GNA forces, backed since August 1 by US air strikes, began an assault in mid-May to expel IS from Sirte.

The jihadists seized control of the city, which had been the hometown of Libya's slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi, in June 2015.

The pro-GNA forces fought their way into Sirte on June 9 and seized the jihadists' headquarters at the Ouagadougou conference centre on August 10.

Since entering the city, they have faced a barrage of sniper fire, suicide bombings and booby traps, pinning down the jihadists in a downtown area near the sea.

More than 350 pro-GNA fighters have been killed and nearly 2,000 wounded in the battle, according to medical sources. IS casualty figures are unavailable.

Sirte lies 450 kilometres (280 miles) east of Tripoli.
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The people of Nyamoransa, a coastal community in the Central Region of Ghana, have built a multi-purpose Community Centre in their community to serve as a hub for ICT education, community durbars, a local library and a community space.

The EduLab by Techaide was commissioned by Alumni of the YALE University, USA. The EduLab is fitted with accessories to help students get equipped and familiar with how to use basic ICT hardware. TECHAiDE with funding from the YALE Alumni Association and community commitment, worked towards providing equipment for the ICT Centre. The Centre was commissioned on the 13th of August, 2016.

TechAid Team

The ceremony was graced by over 80 members of the YALE University's Alumni, the TECHAiDE team, community authorities and prestigious persons such as the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, the local and regional chiefs, and many more. The people of the community were very happy and expressed their gratitude to both the YALE Alumni and the Techaide team for equipping the center.

The CEO of TECHAiDE, Mr. Kafui Prebbie elaborated on the importance of EDULab to the community of Nyamoransa and the surrounding community. The Centre is equipped with EDULAB Gold, a product of TECHAiDE which provides hands on computer practice for students.

He mentioned that this product has many advantages which includes its robust nature which enables it to withstand dusty, humid and hot environments. It has a lab management software that maintains the systems integrity and also provides virus protection. It also consumes very low power, only one tenth the power consumption of a traditional computer lab would take. It contains the TECHAiDE bundle which consists of a set of free and open source software for instruction and learning, not to mention its genuine Operating System which is certified Microsoft software.

Mr. Prebbie stated that he knows this ICT resource with its numerous advantages will be of great help to the people of the community. He also mentioned that TECHAiDE will continue to monitor the progress of this Centre and will provide the necessary help when needed.

TECHAiDE is a tech social entreprise that specializes in the design, development and deployment of low voltage and rugged computing systems, ICT applications and IT project management.
28.08.2016 LISTEN

As Highway Africa, the continents most prestigious annual journalism conference, marks its 20th anniversary, MTN Group is proud to once again collaborate with Rhodes University on the event, which continues to drive conversation and debate around key issues related to the media and ICT on the continent.

Themed The Internet and Media  Celebrations, Reflections and the Future, Highway Africa 2016 will kick off this weekend in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, South Africa. The two-day event is set to explore the impact of the internet on journalism and media, including film, music and books.

This years theme is one that resonates with MTN. As an organisation that is extending connectivity and providing digital services across Africa, we know that ICT is changing how we consume media. In addition, it is enabling greater access to information and to services in our communities, which is part of the positive narrative around this continent. We believe that Africa has many good news stories to tell and that platforms like Highway Africa go a long way to boost the media sector so that these stories can be shared. We have been part of this conference for the past fifteen years and our continued support is based on our commitment to the development and advancement of journalism on the continent, says Xolisa Vapi, General Manager for Corporate Communication and Stakeholder Management, MTN Group.

As part of its support of Highway Africa 2016, MTN is sponsoring journalists from media houses in seven of its markets to attend the conference.

We are humbled and grateful that MTN is once again partnering with us on this journey of development for African journalism. We have seen many changes and immense growth of the conference over the years. However, it is thanks to the support of our partners, that Highway Africa has been so successful and remains relevant to our media stakeholders across the continent, says Chris Kabwato, Director, Highway Africa.

Using keynote addresses, plenary sessions, panel discussions, training workshops, book launches and networking dinners, Highway Africa 2016 will be at one level a celebration of twenty years of the existence of Africas premier journalistic assembly, and at another level an occasion for reflection on internet and society.
You may have been recruited from a top-notched school as an undergraduate or a postgraduate or better still through networking for a summer internship with Bank of America or Goldman Sachs, a contract with Citi bank, or perhaps a permanent role with HSBC. Whatever and however you get the job, you would intend to reach the peak of the corporate hierarchy and hence, you may be mirrored a monkey in the forest looking forward to becoming a king. There is some hazing, a natural hierarchy and some organizational rituals you may go through to advance the corporate ladder. The nature and complexity of your job varies as you progress through the ranks of the organization.

As a junior employee starting from the base of the hierarchy, I will refer to you as a monkey. Dont you like it? I dont expect an answer though.

Again, you are a monkey and your primary role is to plan, analyze, organize, and collect bananas for the bigger monkeys (that is your superiors) along the food chain in your organization. You would be faced with the daunting tasks of organizing business meetings, keeping superior calendar, filing of records, etc as per your Job description.

Minor jobs requiring the use of Microsoft suite-personal computer operation, word processing, and spreadsheet would form a cardinal part of your responsibility. You would be expected to manage and prioritize multiple tasks and work under demanding conditions with many interruptions as you continue to fetch more bananas for your superiors. In my part of the world, you may have to run the random tasks of buying roasted plantain and peanuts or pick up laundry for the bigger monkeys in the office.

In some years ahead, you become a senior employee if you are lucky to be promoted by the telling of your hard work and other considerations. As a better and well groomed monkey now, you`ll be tasked to manage the junior employees to ensure that they dont mess up in carrying out their responsibilities especially meeting clients orders.

You spend most of your time visiting and meeting clients outside the organization to persuade them to trade or transaction business with your firm especially if you have the business development executive tag in JP Morgan. Skills in customer relationship management, interpersonal communication, analysis, excellent judgment, and strong business acumen are typical of these bigger monkeys. Dont forget so soon, these monkeys are also equally not liberated in fetching a basket of bananas for the bigger monkeys above the ladder.

Assuming you dont press the exit button and rise through to a management position within the organization, and probably a CFO, you will be playing roles in financial strategy, treasury management, taxation, budgeting & forecasting, asset management, corporate finance and research. Beware we still get a lot more of the budding chimps below the ladder to revert to with some tasks to execute. Indeed, getting closer to the peak of the pyramid, it is quite challenging and brain exhausting to say the least. Chief among the responsibilities of these monkeys include building strong business relationships, and winning key clients especially from the grips of competitors, execution of deals and managing projects.

They ensure that decisions emanating from the meeting rooms meet the taste buds of the MD`s as well as seeing these decisions through. They interface the MD and the chimps below them to ensure that the latter dont deviate from the corporate goals and strategies. If you are the COO or in a similar position, you naturally become the third eye of the MD in getting the work done through the burgeoning chimps that are within their jurisdiction. Increasing the asset under management-AUM to a competitive level in a bank or the commercial discovery of mineral deposits in petroleum and mining industry are star achievements that could catapult you to the next level  Managing Director.

Advancing the ladder through to becoming a Managing Director resembles a monkey being a king of the forest. In this piece, the MD position is the apex of the pyramid though we may have other higher roles especially in other nations like VP-Global IT, in Google, in USA. All the other chimps down the ladder owe their loyalty and commitment to the MD. The MD plays critical roles in bringing in new businesses, executes major negotiations, seal deals and sustains the business. It is either `in` or `out for the role of the MD. The MD will often continue to have his head above the water as far as the bottom-line is remarkable or get kick out if the company hits a business Armageddon.
On August 1, 2016 the Daily Graphic reported President Mahama was at the eight congregation of the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) in Accra, and charged graduates of tertiary institutions to think outside the box by exploring the many job creation and business opportunities in the country. He said in order to become innovative and productive, graduates should make effective use of the knowledge and skills they have acquired to become independent citizens. Moreover, he added that by becoming independent and productive through innovative thinking, the youth, especially graduates, would become less dependent on government for jobs.

Recently, I read about the projector-phone, a cell phone with a built-in projector called the Hawk which can be used to make calls, watch movies, television shows and do business presentations using the projector and the flash.

What fascinated me about this device was what the inventor, Aasim Saied, the Chief Executive Officer of Akyumen Technologies Corporation in the United States said in an interview. When asked about what inspired him to produce the device, he stated: I came up with the idea when I was still in college (in 2004) in the United States. My college professor was tinkering with a big projector in the classroom. So I was thinking; how about putting a projector in a smartphone so you will be able to make presentations anywhere you are?

In 2008, he realized his dream by making a projector-phone. Here is the conclusion to that interview mentioned above: We decided that we can form a company based on this, and then we can literally go to the market with it.

Indeed, there are reported stories of young people around the world who began businesses during their university days or right after school. These were brave young people who through innovative thinking developed ideas and followed them through to the end.

Microsoft and Dell computers are hugely successful billion-dollar businesses that have become household names. Microsoft, built by the worlds richest man, Bill Gates, and Dell Computers by Michael Dell. Dell and Gates both began these corporations from their youth as either graduates or as drop outs.

Graduating students from our institutions of higher learning each year outnumber the number of new jobs created. Moreover, the high rate of graduate unemployment keeps rising as statistics on graduate unemployment by the Institute of Statistical Social and Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana states that graduate unemployment will hit 271,000 this year. Currently, there are about 1.6 million students in the countrys tertiary institutions with employment opportunities for only 70,000 yearly. The World Bank has stated that Ghanas economy needs about 300,000 new jobs yearly between now and 2020 if the country is to avoid increasing unemployment, as it is estimated that 48 percent of the youth between 15 and 24 years do not have jobs.

As a fact, there are only few avenues for government jobs. The only option left for graduates is for them to be innovative and entrepreneurial as well as creative in coming up with business ideas that can produce jobs. However, right here in Ghana, it is worrying to note that our educational system does not prepare students to a large extent to be entrepreneurs but to seek jobs and employment after school. Unsurprisingly, majority of our University and Polytechnic graduates seek for non-existent jobs after school.

This state of affairs must be a wake up call for our leaders and policymakers to sit up and re-evaluate our educational system. Our educational system has to be restructured from its current state where students study for grades to pass exams to focus more on practical training. This will give graduates the strategic skills they need to create their own jobs and employment. The restructured system will make students creative and imaginative in their thinking to develop business ideas. When this is done, students will begin to think outside the box on opportunities that will put money into their pockets and the pockets of others. This new system must encourage graduates to read wide outside the study outlines given in class, so they can generate ideas and become more creative. Policymakers must increase vocational and technical training which will produce graduates and youths with requisite skills to create and manage their own businesses and employ others.

Right from the primary to the senior high schools, our students must be exposed to the idea of entrepreneurship. Their individual talents and gifts must be tapped, nurtured and developed. They must be taught basic skills for running successful businesses and must be encouraged to set up small businesses and run them right in school. This preparation must also involve learning about successful entrepreneurs so as to inspire and motivate them.

One cardinal example is Paul, the Class 5 pupil I happen to know. Paul is a gifted artist and quite good at drawing human and cartoon figures. I regularly encourage him to draw and sell his art works to classmates and schoolmates to make some money for himself. Paul now draws for people and makes money for himself. With this ongoing lesson at entrepreneurship, he may soon grow to be an entrepreneur creating jobs.

When policymakers heed the call to restructure our educational system, that will be the dawning of a new day for our school system. Our graduates will leave school and be practically equipped and empowered to be at the frontline in invention and development of creative business ideas for job creation and employment.

As we wait for this restructuring of our educational system, our graduates must learn and be inspired by those who have created flourishing businesses. There are many young people in this country who are doing exceptionally great things with their lives who started in business and entrepreneurship in spite of challenges and limitations. Waiting for the government to give you a job might make you wait forever as it appears the government and the politicians to an extent have no solutions. Perhaps the solution now lies in your own hands. Young people must take responsibility for their lives and create a future for themselves and others.

Our graduates must become innovative and develop business ideas and translate them into products or services that will create value for society. It is only wise for people to create opportunities for themselves if they cannot find any.

The reality on the ground demands that Ghanaian graduates arise and defy the odds stacked against them, and make use of the knowledge and skills they have acquired. Aasim Saied and others have shown the way, and the rest should follow their example. Would the average Ghanaian graduate be bold enough to respond to this clarion call and rise up to his or her fullest potential and become a similar or better success story?
Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo, the 2016 Standardbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in June this year proposed a one district, one factory policy when he paid a campaign visit to the Central Region. He made this policy public at Ajumako Bisease in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam District.

Nana Akufo Addo stated that, the NPP government led by him will facilitate the establishment of a factory in each District. His statement has received mixed reactions from the public. Whilst some commentators say that the 1D1F policy is feasible, others think it is not but over ambitious.

As a development student and researcher, after hearing Nana Addo speak about the 1D1F policy, I had mixed feelings. On one hand I was happy because of my affiliation with the Polytechnic and as a lead advocate for Technical Universities in Cape Coast and other poor regions of Ghana. I therefore took my time to analyse his statement. After my analysis into the 1D1F policy I was convinced that with leadership (visionary), dedication and commitment, the policy is feasible and we must applaud Nana Akufo Addo for that bold pronouncement.

The 1D1F POLICY

Ghana's economy has been a primary one (Guggisberg economy). We have been preaching about the need to add value to our primary products in order to move away from the Guggisberg economy to a secondary one. We must understand that development is a process but not an event. It takes a bold attempt to pursue development. We will continue to be producers of raw materials if we fail to take bold decisions.

My interactions with people have revealed to me that, people say 1D1F policy is not feasible because of their understanding of the word 'factory'. In order to understand the term factory and to appreciate the policy, I want us to note two definitions from the Merriam-Webster dictionary. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary a factory is defined as:

1. a building or group of buildings with facilities for the manufacture of goods.

2.any place producing a uniform product, without concern for individuality:

They call it a law school, but it's just a degree factory.

From the definitions above, a facility to extract tomato paste or orange juice qualifies as a factory. For example, if this is done in the Offinso and Asebu Abura Asebu Kwamankese Districts respectively, we have solved farmers problems of post harvest loses which have been the most difficult headache of our farmers. Oil Palm Processing factory or Soap making factory for Adansi North District will give hope to our palm oil plantation farmers including my family members at Adansi Asokwa who sometimes store palm oil for months with a hope of good price which never comes because of lack of competition for the commodity among purchasers.

A factory could be small, medium or large scale. Nana Addo didn't give a detailed programme of the 1D1F. It is therefore fair to assume that with the said policy we can have either of the three depending on the resources of a particular district. Again, to facilitate the establishment of a factory in each district to my understanding means that, funding and ownership could be public, private or the combination of both (public private partnership).

1D1F AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) claims that the economy is ready for takeoff. Our takeoff is industrialization so what is the doubt about the D1F1 policy. We must support this great vision of Nana Addo. It must be noted that, the government's vision of converting Polytechnics to Technical Universities aims at producing highly skilled professionals in the area of technical and vocational education. To train highly skilled professionals means that, we want to produce innovators, technologists and technicians. The Universities and Second Cycle institutions train engineers and artisans respectively. If we don't industrialize now, what will become of products from the Technical Universities. Do we want to add to the unemployment rate?. Already because of the type of economy we have, we have destroyed the structure of technical education.

Inadequate job placement (industries/factories) for those at the base means that, each graduate wants to progress to become an engineer. The structure of technical education is like a pyramid. At the apex is engineers (University trained) and artisans at the bottom (graduates from Second Cycle Technical Schools). In between is Technologists and Technicians (Polytechnic trained). For example in proper jurisdictions, 1 Engineer is equal to 5 Technologists, 25 Technicians and 500 Artisans. 1D1F is a good policy and it can safe technical education so it must be supported.

1D1F AND UNEMPLOYMENT

Statistics have shown that, the rising rate of graduate unemployment in Ghana needs a holistic programme to arrest it. According to the Institute of Social Science and Economic Research (ISSER, 2015), there are over 200,000 unemployed graduates in Ghana. Currently, we do not have any programme to reduce graduate unemployment. 1D1F policy seeks to expand the economy. This will create opportunities for the youth. The linkages thereon will boost employment. For example, for every factory, there will be suppliers, workers at the management level, workers to operate the machines etc.

With this, it is prudent for a developing nation like us to have a well thought policy to industrialise. We must therefore invest resources on research to proffer development alternatives and to suggest ways to industrialize rather than our usual attitude of 'it is not possible'. With commitment and dedication, nothing is impossible.

I have travelled across the length and breadth of Ghana. Raw materials for either small, medium or large scale factory abound. Human resource for these industries will not be a problem. The challenge is got to do with ownership. With leadership, commitment and proper incentives to the private sector, I do not see why the 1D1F policy is not feasible. In that, with prudent fiscal management of government resources and the creation of enabling environment for the private sector to thrive, the 1D1F policy feasible.

Richmond Yeboah (Adansi Asokwa)

The writer was an MPhil Development Studies Student at the Institute for Development Studies, University of Cape Coast and a Senior Broadcast Journalist at Eagle FM, Cape Coast Polytechnic.
28.08.2016 LISTEN

Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthurs convoy and some journalists were involved in an accident on the Winneba-Cape Coast highway, Saturday afternoon.

Although Mr Amissah-Arthur was unhurt, the accident left four persons including journalists and presidential bodyguards injured.

The Vice-President was traveling to Dominase for the 20th anniversary of Nana Kwebu Ewusi and also to celebrate Akwambo festival with the people.

The accident occured at Gomoa Adams, near Nsakyire junction on the Winneba  Cape Coast highway.

Eyewitness said Mr Amissah-Arthurs motorcade tried to stop a speeding vehicle, which failed to slow down for the convoy.

As a result, the driver was unable to control the speeding car and crashed into one of the black SUV V8 vehicles in the convoy and summersaulted into the nearby bush.

The SUV involved in the accident is reported to be the emergency vehicle used by Mr Amissah-Arthurs security personnel to carry guns and other related security items.

Joy News gathers two journalists from Radio Gold and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as well as some security personnel of the veep were in the SUV when the accident happened.

-myjoyonline
Ms Antoinette Shor-Anyawoe, the Acting Country Director of WaterAid Ghana, has encouraged political parties to integrate Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) issues in their manifestoes and discuss same on their political platforms.

This, she said, was necessary to create awareness of WASH issues during the 2016 general election and awaken key stakeholders to take concrete actions.

Ms Shor-Anyawoe was speaking at the 56 National Level Learning Alliance Platform (NLLAP) meeting organised by WaterAid Ghana in Accra to brief stakeholders on the WASH campaign for national development.

It was on the theme: Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and Election 2016 in Ghana.

It aims at soliciting support for WASH implementation and collectively discuss the way forward in ensuring its success and prioritization in Ghana.

Ms Shor-Anyawoe said political parties in their previous manifestoes had drafted policies on sanitation but that was marginal hence the need to make it their centre piece and discuss it seriously to achieve the required change.

She said often times political parties saw sanitation issues as merely constructing toilet facilities and providing water but it moves beyond that to sustainability to ensure the amenities served for a long term.

She said Ghana had signed onto so many Sustainable Development Goals but their implementation was the problem and urged the political parties to show commitment by ensuring the programme worked for the benefit of all.

Mr Enoch Cudjoe, the Acting Policy Manager of WaterAid Ghana, said there was the need for communities and political parties to scale up the support now and after the elections.

He thus called for the necessary by-laws to be enforced to shape both political parties and communities as far as sanitation and health issues are concerned.


Five distinguish personalities in Ghana's banking industry have been honored with Lifetime Achievers Awards at the 15th Edition of the Ghana Banking Awards held at the Kempinski hotel in Accra.

They areAlbert Essien, former CEO of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated, Frank Adu Jnr. MD of CAL Bank, Joseph Nii Budu Tetteh, former MD of the then Merchant Bank, Prince Kofi Amoabeng, Founder of UT Bank, and Philip Kwasi Buabeng, a Chartered Banker and Lawyer.

The personalities were honored due to various contributions they have made to transform Ghana's banking industry.

Frank Adu Jnr

Frank Adu Jnr, is the longest serving MD in the industry, holding the position for over a decade and half.

Under Mr. Adu's leadership, CAL bank has earned various awards at the annual Ghana Banking Awards including IT and Electronic Banking,2011, Best Bank Trade Finance in 2010, Best Trade Deal of the year 2012, and Best Bank Medium Term Loan Financing in 2007 and 2008.

Albert Essien

On his part, Mr. Essien is seen as one of Ghana's best bankers contributing to the industry across the continent.

Albert Essien

Since retiring as Group CEO of Ecobank Transnational Incorporated in September 2015, Mr. Essien has been providing consultancy and advisory assignments to various entities, particularly in banking finance.

He is currently the Director on the Board of LMI Holding Ghana.

Joseph Nii Budu Tetteh

Mr. Tetteh has chalked over 40 years of active life in the banking industry after joining Standard Chartered Banking Group in 1971.

He worked for Unibank and the then Merchant Bank, now UMB.

Prince Kofi Amoabeng

Mr. Amoabeng has an extensive experience in managing businesses through excellent customer relations, strategic and tactical business planning as well as strategic partnerships.

Prince Kofi Amoabeng

He is the founder of the UT Bank, after he and other partners grew it from Unique Trust Financial Service in 1997.

Philip Kwasi Buabeng

Mr. Buabeng is Chartered Banker and Lawyer, promoting banking education in Ghana and beyond.

He pioneered the establishment of the local chapter of the Chartered Institute of Bankers in Koforidua in 1988.



By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
Libreville (AFP) - Gabon's President Ali Bongo and his only serious rival have both claimed victory in this weekend's presidential election, and accused each other of cheating.

Barely had the last ballots been cast Saturday evening before the incumbent's spokesman declared: "Bongo will win... we are already on our way to a second mandate."

Bongo, 57, has been in power since a disputed election held in 2009 after the death of his father, Omar Bongo, who had ruled the oil-rich Central African country for 41 years.

On Sunday, the campaign manager of Bongo's rival Jean Ping told reporters that the former head of the African Union Commission had won 60 percent of votes counted so far, just under half of the total, against 38 percent for the president.

Gabon presidential election

He also accused Bongo of "trying to push his way through," with the backing of the army.

"That's totally crazy," countered Bongo's spokesman. "It's tight, but we are ahead."

All of this was said in defiance of Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet Boubeya, who has insisted only results from the election commission validated by his ministry had any validity.

Before polling began Boubeya said everything was "in place to guarantee a transparent and impartial election".

The poll will be decided by a simple majority and results are expected on Monday.

African Union and the European Union observers said that aside from some delays, the poll itself, in which some 628,000 people were eligible vote, passed off without serious incident.

Gabonese President Ali Bongo Ondimba casts his vote at a polling station in Libreville during the presidential election on August 27, 2016

But the acrimony that had marked the campaign period continued into the weekend with each of the main rivals accusing the other of mischief.

"We have observed massive fraud, in particular in areas where opposition representatives arrived in polling stations first," said Bongo's spokesman.

As he cast his own ballot Saturday morning Ping told reporters, "We know the other side is trying to cheat. It is up to you to be vigilant."

His team had said that a Friday court ruling would allow soldiers, who tend to support Bongo, a former defence minister, to "vote several times in several polling centres".

- Streets deserted -

On Sunday, the streets of the capital, Libreville, were almost deserted.

Fearing a repeat of the violence that followed Bongo's victory in 2009, many residents, who had stocked up on food, stayed indoors.

Gabonese presidential candidate Jean Ping (C) speaks to journalists in Libreville before voting on August 27, 2016

Even those shops and stalls usually open on Sundays were shuttered.

"There is no trouble in this district for now but we want to get the results soon," said Honore, a watchman.

"We'll see how the candidates react. I hope it won't be like last time," he added.

In the clashes that followed the 2009 victory, several people were killed, buildings were looted and the French consulate in Port Gentil, which saw the words of the violence, was torched.

Until shortly before polling day, Bongo was the clear favourite, with the opposition split by several prominent politicians vying for the top job.

But earlier this month, the main challengers pulled out and said they would all back Ping.

A man watches a televised political debate in Port-Gentil ahead of presidential elections in Gabon

Both candidates have promised to break with the past.

Faced with repeated charges of nepotism, Bongo has long insisted he owes his presidency to merit and years of government service.

His extravagant campaign made much of the slogan "Let's change together", and of roads and hospitals built during his first term.

Ping described Bongo's attempts to diversify the economy away from oil as window dressing.

One third of Gabon's population lives in poverty, despite the country boasting one of Africa's highest per capita incomes at $8,300 (7,400 euros) thanks to pumping 200,000 barrels of oil a day.

There has been growing popular unrest in recent months, with numerous public sector strikes and thousands of layoffs in the oil sector.
Names and faces

Plastic surgeon, Sarah Evans, M.D., has joined St. Peters Hospital. Procedures she performs include, but are not limited to, breast reconstruction, body contouring, abdominoplasty, breast augmentation or reduction, and skin cancer resection and reconstruction.

Evans earned her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, N.C. Her residency includes plastic surgery from the University of Cincinnati Division of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Hand Surgery, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and general surgery from Duke University Department of Surgery, in Durham, N.C. Evans is board certified by the American Board of Surgery.

Her honors and awards include a Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons Research Grant. She has authored peer-reviewed publications and presented at national conferences including the American Association of Plastic Surgery 2014 Annual Meeting.

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Amy Carter, PE (WY), has joined Great West Engineering as part of the Billings Municipal group. Carter graduated in 2007 from Montana State University with a B.S. in civil engineering-bio resources engineering and has nine-plus years of experience working on a variety of civil projects. She has spent the last four-plus years working with municipalities in southeastern Wyoming.

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Dr. Kirstin Bull, a native of Corvallis, has joined the team at Valley Veterinary Hospital. She received a bachelors degree from Montana State University and attended veterinary school at Colorado State University. Bull will be practicing mixed animal medicine (equine, livestock and companion animals). Contact the clinic by calling 442-0188.

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Tyler Stuck, certified wastewater operator, has been hired at Integrated Water. Stuck is a Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq and also worked in law enforcement in Oregon. Along with plumbing skills, Stuck brings to the job an understanding of water and wastewater issues and the human components involved. Integrated Water is located at 3734 McHugh Lane and can be reached at 442-2949.

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Mary Cochenour, an assistant attorney general with the Montana Department of Justice, has joined the board of directors at Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, The Montana Coalition, Inc. Cochenour has prosecuted crimes against children throughout the state of Montana and has a proven commitment to working to protect Montanas most vulnerable child victims.

Newly elected officers for Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies are Brie Oliver, RN, BSN, board president; Bart Klika, PhD, University of Montana, vice president; Jana Garza, First Interstate Bank, secretary; and Kelly Minnehan-Galt, treasurer.

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The Lewis and Clark Humane Society has new leadership after President Dan Anderson and Vice President Richard Duane retired from their positions.

Pam Gosink was appointed to replace Anderson, while Kelly OSullivan will replace Duane. Jillian Dougherty will be the new secretary. All three were board members serving in other capacities. A new board member, Kristina Warren, was appointed treasurer.

As a result of the reorganization, two board member positions are now open. The board is seeking one person with experience in human resources and one with experience in small business administration. For more information and how to apply, visit www.mtlchs.org.

LCHS also welcomes a new full-time employee to the position of development director. Kelsee Dalton will be responsible for coordinating the shelters fundraising and public relations efforts. She replaces Kathy Miller.

Awards and honors

Mountain-Pacific employee receives honor

Mountain-Pacific Quality Health employee Marci Butcher recently received the national 2017 Diabetes Educator of the Year Award.

The American Association of Diabetes Educators names one recipient from across the United States as the Diabetes Educator of the Year. Butcher was nominated for the award by fellow Montana diabetes educators, based on her contribution to the field and her dedication, innovation and sensitivity in patient care. The announcement was made Aug. 13 in San Diego during an ADDE conference.

Butcher, a diabetes education adviser at Mountain-Pacific who supports the organizations health care quality improvement diabetes team in Montana, works with Medicare beneficiaries with diabetes or pre-diabetes to help them become empowered self managers of their diabetes and their health. In addition to her position at Mountain-Pacific, Butcher is also the Quality Diabetes Education Initiative coordinator/consultant for the Montana Diabetes Program at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services.

News and Notes

Mountain-Pacific Quality Health recently began work under a new contract with the Montana Department of Corrections to perform clinical pharmacy consulting services. Mountain-Pacific already provides drug utilization review and prior authorization pharmacy services for the State of Montanas Medicaid program. Mountain-Pacific is headquartered in Helena and has offices in Casper, Wyo., Anchorage, Alaska, Honolulu, Hawaii, and the island of Guam.

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Registration open for ag conference

Registration is now open for the 13th Annual Young Ag Leadership Conference. This conference takes place Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Holiday Inn in Great Falls. YALC is a collaborative effort between 10 of Montanas agricultural organizations, offering attendees a chance to discuss current ag issues, take part in various workshops, meet with industry leaders and network with fellow young people who live Montana agriculture. Anyone ages 18-40 who is interested or involved in agriculture is encouraged to attend.

The cost of registration is $40 for the entire conference, with all meals provided. After the pre-registration date of Sept. 23rd, fees increase to $50. To register, go to www.mfbf.org or contact Jesse Wallewein at 406-450-3429 or mtwga@outlook.com.

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RPA breaks ground for new offices

Robert Peccia & Associates officially broke ground for a new office complex at 3147 Saddle Drive in the Nob Hill Subdivision near the South Helena Interchange.

The new three-story 23,000 sf office will be LEED Certified and several notable features include: site development to maximize open space; water efficient landscaping; optimized energy performance; recycling more than 75 percent of construction waste; and use of regional construction materials. Construction completion is anticipated for August 2017, when Helena staff will move from their current office at 825 Custer Ave. SMA Architects designed the office and Dick Anderson Construction is the general contractor.

Guidelines

The IR welcomes reports of hiring, promotions, awards, recognition, learning opportunities and other news from local companies and nonprofits. We accept press releases and photos (digital images at 300 dpi or more are preferred, but we can also use regular photos; we dont guarantee return of these).

There is no charge for items appearing in the Business Briefcase. Items are run on a space-available basis, and we reserve the right to edit and use information as we see fit.

The deadline is Tuesday at noon to be considered for publication the following Sunday.
28.08.2016 LISTEN

A 50-year-old widow is at the mercy of a fetish priest who is demanding she makes good a commitment by her late mother- in-law to pay him a cow if she gave birth to a male child.

The spiritualist insists failure in fulfilling the promise is the cause of ill-health and disappearance of the now 30-year-old son who was born out of his supposed intervention.

He wants the mother to make available a cow worth GH15,000 to pacify the gods as a condition for finding her missing child and curing him of the sickness.

Josephine Ampiahs in-law, Afia Akyere, led her to consult the juju man for assistance to enable her to give birth safely.

The old woman who is now deceased made a commitment to compensate the gods with a cow if the baby turned out to be a male and a piece of land for a female.

Seven months later, pregnant Josephine left her matrimonial home in Cape Coast for Sekondi over allegations her husband had been cheating on her.

Nine and a half months into the pregnancy, Josephine had still not given birth.

She met a fetish priestess who claimed the baby in her womb had been spiritually tied to a stake and needed to be untied.

The spiritualist took Josephine to a cemetery deep in the night for rituals after which she left the pregnant woman naked on a grave for two hours under a linguists watch.

Four years after Josephine gave birth, her in-law reminded her of her promise to the fetish priest but she ignored her.

Thirty years down the lane, Josephine claims her son begun complaining of a strange condition and later disappeared.

Josephine suspects her sons plight had everything to do with her in-laws promise to the fetish priest but it is too late as Afia Akyere and her son (Josephines ex-husband) are dead.

Now, the spiritualist tells Josephine to find her son, she would provide a cow worth GH15000 a demand, according to her, she is unable to meet.
Dear Manasseh Azure,

I will do the usual Ghanaian thing by apologising first to you, knowing perhaps you are still enjoying your honeymoon days with Serwaa, then still go ahead and crave for your attention. And I believe on this very occasion, you will also feign 'OK' with my seemingly obstruction and at least lend me your ears for some few minutes.

Last weekend [August 20, 2016], you married Serwaa, a lady whose name is even more popular than a political party in Ghana. Her beauty with brains accompanied by character [from the confirmation we get from you and her associates] succeeded in convincing many that you, Manasseh Azure, can be sent to Madina market for 'goods' and they can be sure you will bring the best home.

Your wedding pictures got so many people praising you because the pictures were so nice to see. You can attempt reading the avalanche of messages if you haven't. Believe you me, you have a lot to read.But I can do you a favour by making it short for you. People are happy with your marriage between Serwaa and wish both of you well.

You may ask me, is this the reason I asked for your attention?, No, it isn't.The reason is that your marriage to Serwaa resuscitated the discussion of whether one can marry someone he or she meets on social media. You come into the picture because you made us understand how you met Serwaa. It all started with the 'I look you, you look me' thing you both did in a certain town at Western Region of Ghana, the next 30 minutes a message appeared on Facebook then the conversation started. Only God knows how you were going to be connected back if not for Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook when you both refused to exchange contact when you met face to face.You were candid when you mentioned the role Facebook, a social media platform, played in your connection with Serwaa. Such frankness deserves all the commendation.

By now, it should be clear to anyone that you got married to Facebook Serwaa. Therefore the question of can someone marry a person from social media should have been answered by your marriage with Serwaa.But there is more to the question than meets the eyeball. So, a simple answer of yes doesn't sufficiently address the question.With this question, people want to know whether it is also right to marry from social media? As a beneficiary of social media, I believe this discussion may interest you. This is the reason why I bring your attention on such a discussion.

Some people, since the advent of social media, have been against marriages from this medium. To the extent that, some preach against marrying a social media friend. Their reason is that of possible fear of marrying an imposter or people pretending to be something they are not.The ballooning divorce rate in our dispensation also doesn't favour marriages of people who meet on a virtual world.

Anthropological research has proven that a careful background check of a potential suitor is necessary condition for stability of marriage but not sufficient enough to guarantee that. It therefore stands to reason that, social media (virtual world) wouldn't have been a good means for people to study themselves before marriage if it were the only medium of interaction, for this reason, it is riskier compared to the traditional face to face interaction.

Frankly, these reasons are compelling and can't be swept under the carpet. But they can be addressed. I must say the possible way to go about them which I present here is no different from what happened exactly between Serwaa and you.

As a people, we need to come to terms with the increasing widening scope of our marriage market.We are in an era where social media is permeating in all aspects of our society.Stories about how couples meet have always been funny and so it shouldn't come as a surprise now when people have their point of meeting as social media.People need to disabuse their minds of the thinking that it is wrong to marry others they meet on social media.Our society too should desist from ridiculing such people.

Nonetheless, there is a caveat which must be made clear. It is not enough to hide behind the screens accompanied by some keys and be proposing marriage.Rather, social media presents us with yet an opportunity to connect with others,who, in most cases, wouldn't have come our way.

The meeting of a social media friend should be seen as a means towards an end determined and agreed upon by both parties. It is not an end in itself. In order words, the meeting of someone on social media doesn't stop with the interaction on that virtual world. As much as possible, there should be physical contact in addition to all other means necessary to know more about people. While people are encouraged to tread cautiously in this endeavour, in doing so, they should remember, as has been pointed out earlier, this is only necessary condition for stability of marriage but not sufficient enough to guarantee it.This couldn't have only worked because it involved the personalities of Manasseh and Serwaa. It is workable for all who want to take advantage.

Therefore, on any day, when the question is asked whether one can marry a social media friend, the answer for me is yes because there are more Serwaas who can get married to their Manassehs after having done due diligence to the process of marriage.

Once again, congratulations to both of you on your marriage.You have joined the league of 'Mr and Mrs'.The rest of us will follow sooner or later.Forgive me if I didn't ask how things are going so far? This is because I believe with Manasseh in charge and Serwaa supporting, everything is under control.

Your admirer

William Latsey

[email protected]
A woman revealed Bishop Dr. Daniel Obinim revealed himself and performed Angelic Miracle for her whiles he (Bishop) was in police cells.

She told International Gods Way Church congregation in Kumasi that someone was owing her some amount of money and has refused to pay.

She prayed and asked Bishop Obinim and his father Jesus Christ to retrieve her money for her. She said the next day she heard Bishop had been arrested, so she was worried.

She said Bishop cant retrieve it because he was in police cell. She slept and Bishop appeared in her dream and told her, am in cells but my spirit which has been made an Angel is not.

The woman reveals, she told Bishop Obinim to retrieve the money with interest. She narrates, Bishop told her he has given the money to a gentleman man called Wofa so he will bring the money to her the next morning .

Meanwhile this Wofa  in real life is someone who has been helping her physically to retrieve the money. The next morning Wofa brought some money to her, she checked and it was 1,200 ghana cedar even though the person owes her 800 Ghana cedis.

Bishop Dr. Daniel Obinim and Prophet Kinsley Bash Amuses were arrested when they reported at the Tema DOVVSU to answer questions about the flogging of two of his foster children in Church

Bishop and his Accra resident pastor were handed to the Police Headquarters by the Tema police to answer fresh fraud case levelled against him.

Scores of church members and Sympathizers besieged the Police headquarters and the Nima police station where he was kept over night

After a number of of ups and downs, the man of God was granted bail.
By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA Elmina (C/R), Aug. 28, GNA - The Central Regional Chapter of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged local and foreign investors to take advantage of the agriculture and tourism opportunities and invest in the region.

According to the chamber there are enormous investment opportunities but it requires major capital injection to explore and harness all the economic potentials for improved living standards.

Mr Anthony Pokoo-Aikins, the Regional Chairman of the Chamber, who was speaking at the Chief Executive Officer's breakfast meeting, said there was more than 680,000 acres of land available for use in the Central Region but only 10, 000 is being used, an indication that the region is being under-utilised.

The breakfast meeting was to create the platform for the business community to digest on social and economic problems facing the Central Region with emphasis on investment opportunities that could be useful and tapped by entrepreneurs.

It was on the theme: 'Creating Job Opportunities through Local and Foreign Investment in the Central Region.'

Mr Pokoo-Aikins said one of the core objectives of the Chamber was to bring on board all institutions to enable them to build the private sector.

He said the Chamber was working around the clock with the University of Cape Coast Business School and other stakeholders to put mechanisms in place to attract investors into the region.

Mr Harry Ebenezer Mensah, the National Treasure of the Chamber, urged small businesses to take advantage of the enabling environment created by the Government to enhance the growth of their business.

He advised small scale business entrepreneurs to register and join associations such as the Ghana Chamber of Commerce to enjoy the opportunities available.

He expressed the hope that with the steps being taken by the Chamber, the Central Region would be counted among the best regions in terms of development in the next five years.

GNA
By Stephen Asante, GNA Kumasi, Aug. 28, GNA - The Ghana Medical and Dental Council has inducted 176 newly-qualified doctors of the School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), at a ceremony in Kumasi.

The inductees, including 19 dental surgeons, had successfully undergone the certified medical training as required by the Council and as such licensed to practice.

They comprised 16 foreign students from Pakistan, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Benin, and this brings to more than 2, 300 the number of doctors trained so far by the School of Medical Sciences since its establishment some four decades ago.

Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso, the KNUST Vice-Chancellor, said the university had over the years worked assiduously to expand the scope of medical training to cover Dentistry and Veterinary, as well as Herbal Medicine, Allied Health Sciences and Public Health.

The development, he said, had contributed immensely to the advancement of healthcare in the country, noting that they were committed to producing highly-skilled health personnel for the benefit of the nation.

KNUST, per an agreement signed recently with the Ghana Health Service, had been mandated to mentor all the health training institutions of the Ministry of Health.

They encompass nursing and midwifery training colleges, community and environmental health training colleges, as well as health assistants' training schools across the country.

Prof. Obiri-Danso said the KNUST College of Health Sciences, in collaboration with the Department of Modern Languages, had launched a novelty Twi Medical Glossary for clinical students and health workers.

The booklet, funded by the Medical Education Partnership Initiative, a project of the university, is to facilitate learning by clinical students and also act as an aid for clinicians not conversant with the Twi or Akan language.

The Vice-Chancellor expressed optimism that the initiative would help improve communication between the doctors, nurses, pharmacists and related health workers with clients in their clinical practice.

Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, charged the inductees to demonstrate commitment to their work as mandated by the Hippocratic Oath.

He urged them to be selfless, committed and dedicated in their practice in line with the medical profession which demanded that practitioners must have an unquestionable sense of duty.

Professor Tsiri Agbenyega, the Provost of the College of Health Sciences, stressed the need for the newly-qualified doctors to be receptive to their clients to enhance the patient-doctor relationship.

GNA
By Paul Achonga Kwode, GNA

Tamale, Aug 28, GNA - The Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC), a human rights civil society organisation, has urged couples and the general public to respect each other's sexual rights to promote a healthy and responsible society.

Ms Wendy Abbey, the Technical Advisor to (HRAC), said the state must create the enabling conditions to enhance respect for sexual rights of all persons so as to prevent violence and associated deaths occasioned through disrespect for sexual rights.

Ms Abbey said this at a monitoring and evaluation workshop in Tamale organised by HRAC to strengthen civil society advocacy and monitoring on sexual and reproductive health rights in Ghana.

She said people had the rights to equality and to be free from discrimination on grounds of sex and gender and that the sexual life of a woman was taken into consideration in deciding the extent of her legal rights and protection.

Ms Abbey underscored the need for improved training for health workers as well as law enforcement agencies to respect the rights of victims of sexual violation and empathise with them during periods of distress.

She called for a total ban on female genital mutilation, child marriages and betrothal of boys and girls noting that such practices were at variance with modern standards of living.

She said measures must also be put in place to prevent workplace sexual harassments since it was an affront to workers' dignity.

Mrs Harriet Nottinson Asante, the Acting Executive Director of Ghana Coalition of NGOs in Health, said it was the prerogative of the Government to provide conditions for young people to promote responsible lifestyles for the sustenance of generations yet unborn.

She said sexual and reproductive health and rights were issues of global and national concern because they were core to human existence.

Mrs Asante urged the state to legalise abortion to enable people who got pregnant without their will to be able to terminate the pregnancy.

She said there were several circumstances that abortion was required explaining that in cases where the pregnancy occurred through rape and incest, abortion could be allowed because of the circumstances of the pregnancy. GNA
By Stephen Asante, GNA

Kumasi, Aug. 28, GNA - The Conference of Directors of Education (CODE) has advocated the release of the 20 per cent District Assembly's Common Fund meant for education to the Directorates of Education.

This, the CODE said, was needed for the running and management of education directorates in the country as the flow of government grants to those departments had been stalled for more than three years.

A communiquA issued by the Conference, signed by Mr Hayford Kwadwo Osei, the National President, and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, said delays in the release of funds such as the capitation and feeding grants were a disincentive to quality education delivery.

The Conference was of the view that contemporary issues bordering on education and its administration, particularly the expanding role of directors of education, required prompt redress.

The communiquA was adopted at the CODE's 23rd annual meeting in Kumasi, under the theme: 'Investing in Quality Education for Positive Transformation of the Youth for National Development'.

Issues that relates to the overall growth of the educational sector including motivation for teachers in deprived communities, the lack of continual support and guidance from parents to their wards and logistical support for education directorates was discussed at the meeting.

It also deliberated on the need for affordable, quality, holistic and inclusive education for all Ghanaian children of school-going age as well as progress of the nation's educational system.

The communiquA underscored the need for heads of schools to be encouraged in strengthening other management and supportive structures with more emphasis on the Board of Governors, Parent-Teacher-Associations and School Management Committees.

This would enable parents and other community members to give their all in support of the learning needs of children, it said.

The communiquA, touching on the on-going 200 community-based school projects, urged the Government to expedite action on their completion to ensure easy accessibility for equity in education.

Furthermore, when new schools are being established, accommodation for teachers should be factored for effective academic activities, the communiquA said.

GNA
28.08.2016 LISTEN

It would be just another Zuma Circus Act. And on the latter count, I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, the Chief Majority Whip and notorious statutory rapist, that it would be a total waste of time for Parliament to be recalled for the express, albeit decidedly ineffectual, purpose of considering a motion tabled by some one-hundred members of the New Patriotic Partys parliamentary minority for the impeachment of President John Dramani Mahama, for allegedly accepting a payola in the form of a 2010 edition of a Ford Expedition SUV worth the sum of $100,000 from Mr. Djibril Kanazoe, the infamous Burkinabe contractor and bosom friend of the then-Vice-President Mahama (See Parliament Recalled to Consider Mahamas Impeachment Motion Ghanaweb.com / MyJoyonline.com 8/27/16).

The movers of the motion need not to have followed the proceedings of the recent attempt to impeach South Africas President Jacob Zuma in order to arrive at the definitive conclusion that this emergency parliamentary recall by Speaker Edward Doe Adjaho will amount to naught. Indeed, were Ghanas parliament composed of honest and accountable men and women, moral and legal reprobates like Mr. Muntaka Mubarak would never have become bona fide members of the august House, much less be conferred with the quite significant authority of a Parliamentary Majority Chief Whip.

In the Zuma situation, which entailed the criminal misappropriation of millions of dollars in the renovation and reconstruction of President Zumas private palatial residence and his tribal neighborhood, the members of the South African parliament, predictably, voted strictly along party lines, thus enabling perhaps the most corrupt democratically elected leader on the African continent to literally walk on the Sea of Galilee. The ruling African National Congress (ANC) currently holds roughly two-thirds of South Africas parliamentary seats, but the other minority parties, especially those led by Black South Africans, are fast closing in; and it is only a matter of time, even if it takes another generation or two, for the ANC to become just another one of those parliamentary minority parties, unless drastic steps are taken to raise the moral standards of its leadership.

At any rate, the one benefit of the Zuma impeachment proceedings inheres in the fact that the ANC recently suffered massive losses in metropolitan and municipal elections, including heavy losses in towns and cities that not too long ago used to be the hermetic strongholds of the African National Congress. This is what the Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu-led New Patriotic Party ought to be scheming for, by strategizing along the lines of ensuring that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) suffer heavy casualties in the upcoming December 2016 parliamentary election, so as to enable an Akufo-Addo presidency to enjoy a comfortable parliamentary majority and be able to carry out most of its progressive campaign promises and policies without having to be heavily compromised by an NDC parliamentary majority.

The likely ineffectuality of the Mahama impeachment process notwithstanding, there is still a morally edifying aspect to this impeachment attempt, if also because it is likely to make it into the great history books on the countrys political culture for the long-term benefit of posterity and our enduring collective national memory. Needless to say, the Mahama-Kanazoe Scandal far transcends the mere offer and acceptance of a bribe; it also tragically reflects the insufferable promiscuity of Ghanaian and African politicians at large. For Mr. Kanazoes relatively negligible sum of investment money would enable the payola giver to earn undeserved and non-competitive contractual awards that may very well have been exploitatively inflated at the expense of the Ghanaian taxpayer, and thus regressing both the short- and long-term material development of the country.

This is the gist, or essence, of the treasonable criminality of the entire Mahama-Kanazoe Affair. As far as many of us avid students and observers of Ghanaian political culture are concerned, the best route to the impeachment of President Mahama is to first boot him out of the Flagstaff House and then initiate criminal proceedings against the Bole-Bamboi petty chieftain. Of course, the former Rawlings Communications Minister and Gonja-West NDC-MP fully appreciates this political gambit, thus his desperate attempts to rigging Election 2016 to ensure that those fearless and best qualified to deliver him his comeuppance are retired from the scene.

Whether he peaceably recedes from the political scene to relish his pelf with impunity or no possibility of sanctions, pretty much depends on how deftly and effectively the Akufo-Addo-led New Patriotic Party strategizes for an Election 2016 victory. So far, all indications point unnervingly towards an electoral tossup. Which couldnt be all that bad for the NDCs Abongo Boys and Girls. Of course, there is also the certain possibility of a preemptive issuance of a presidential pardon, irrespective of ideological divide, thus permitting the most criminal and culpable elements of Ghanaian society to get away with capital crimes. Trust me, dear reader, our leaders are this scandalously promiscuous and irresponsible.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
After three failed attempts to elect a Presiding Member (PM) for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA), the more than 70 members of the assembly have finally agreed on what they describe as a Compromise Candidate.

The failure to agree on a suitable candidate since last year stalled proceedings as the Assembly is unable to carry out its mandate. This is also compounded without a KMA chief executive.

Former KMA boss Kojo Bonsu resigned last month following a disagreement with the Kumasi Traditional council.

According to Luv FMs Prince Appiah, the elected member will now be presented to the general assembly for confirmation.

Since October last year, the KMA has gone through four rounds of voting without success in electing a PM.

Two candidates; Nana Kofi Senya and Adumhene, Baffour Agyei Kesse, have on each occasion failed to secure two-thirds majority required by law.

In the midst of the brouhaha, City Mayor, Kojo Bonsu, resigned following a clash with traditional authorities.

An earlier date proposed for selection of a Compromised Candidate was postponed due to a misunderstanding over the mode of election.

Last Fridays process saw two members; Abraham Boadi of Ridge Nhyiaeso and Assembly member for Ahinsan, James Okyere, coming up for consideration.

Mr Boadu polled 67 votes against his opponents 4 votes out of 71 ballots cast to clinch the ticket.

He tells Luv News he will ensure all factions at the Assembly patch up for the citys progress if confirmed.

Assemblyman for K.O electoral area, Alexander Kesse, who chaired the extraordinary session is optimistic the outcome will end the impasse over Presiding Member.

According to him, government appointees have agreed with the recommendation a candidate be elected from among the elected Assembly members.

A date will now be set for the general assembly to confirm or reject Mr Boadis nomination.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Prince Appiah |Luv News
Nine people are reported dead from a gas explosion at the Tinga market in the Bole district of the Northern region.

According to Starr News Northern regional correspondent Eliasu Tanko, several others have been injured in the explosion.

Tanko reports that the gas was contained in a long truck travelling to Wa in the Upper West region but the truck upon reaching the Tinga market exploded killing nine people including the driver and the conductor who were the only occupants of the truck.

The explosion which was fast spreading to houses in the area has been quelled by officers of the Ghana National Fire Service who arrived at the scene.

The injured were rushed to the Tinga Hospital but were later transferred to the Bole government hospital for treatment.

The explosion has caused massive damage to houses near the scene, according to Tanko.

Meanwhile, Security personnel have taken over the place.

The Police is yet to make an official statement on the incident.

-starrfmonline
Housing hoists timber higher

Sales of new homes exploded last month to the highest level since 2007. The US Census Bureau estimated that a seasonally adjusted 654,000 new homes sold in July, a jump of over 30 percent in the last year.

More active homebuyers have begun cutting into the inventories for existing homes, pushing prices higher across the board and incentivizing construction crews to hammer out more new homes to meet demand.

This wave of construction has helped to boost lumber prices, which are up by more than a third over the last year, trading Friday for $319 per thousand board feet.

Timber could see a further boost if a trade dispute between the U.S. and Canada isnt resolved soon. Canada is the worlds largest exporter, and U.S. homebuilders have been increasingly sourcing Canadian lumber, but trade could be restricted by import quotas or tariffs, which would hoist prices higher.

Wheat slices lower

Chicago wheat prices collapsed below $3.85 per bushel this week, the lowest level in almost a decade. Prices are falling after a bountiful U.S. wheat harvest adds to a record-high global grain stockpile.

For many farmers, the value of their wheat is far lower than the price traded in the Chicago futures markets. Due to oversupply in local markets, some farmers are being paid under $3.00 per bushel for wheat, a ruinous price for those farmers who didnt lock in higher prices earlier this year.

Natural gas rises

Prices for natural gas have risen for five consecutive trading days, gaining over 10 percent in just a week. Gas is gaining as weather watchers expect more demand and see supply threats looming.

Unusually hot temperatures are increasing demand for electricity to run air conditioning, and, in turn, natural gas fueled power plants.

Meanwhile, a storm is brewing in the Caribbean that could knock out energy production in the Gulf of Mexico. The storms track is uncertain, but some meteorologists are warning that the storm has potential to develop into a hurricane that would make landfall on U.S. shores.

As of midday Friday, September natural gas was trading for $2.88 per million British thermal units.
Wulomo Nii Akrong Praying

28.08.2016 LISTEN

The chief priest of Ga-Adangbe Association of Toronto in Canada, Wulomo Nunmo Nii Akrong [Dr.] has urged all Ghanaians living in Canada irrespective of their tribe or religion to unite as one people and live in peace.

According to the chief priest, in unity lies the great strength to achieve success and development in whatever field.

Wulomo Nunmo Nii Akrong [Dr.] urged the unity when pouring libation to pray for peace and development at the recently held Ga-Adangbe Homowo festival in Toronto-Canada.

Also, the Wulomo asked Ghanaians living in diasporan countries to pray without ceasing always asking for Gods guidance and counseling not forgetting asking God for the security of their wards outgoing and incomings.

As you pray for yourselves, do not forget your wards and the host country you are living in. Pray for Ghana as well as Canada for peace to prevail everywhere at all times advised receiving an applause for that.

Explaining Wulomo Nunmo Akrong, when peace prevails on the land both citizens and residents will live happily among themselves therefore wisdom demands that wherever one finds himself has to pray for peace for the land.

He prayed asking God to grant the request of those looking for marital partners and those, those who needs children, those who need jobs and even school going children to be granted scholarships to pursue their education in success to a bigger applause.

The atmosphere got charged when Wulomo Nunmo Akrong, after pouring the libation put his two hands together, raised them up and with open stretched arms of the chiefs lined up embraced each other to signify unity he preached about.

Afterwards, he officiated the sprinkling of the traditional food KPOKPOI by the Ga chief Nii Kwei Anku V which signified hooting at hunger by providing abundance of food.

The traditional and customary activity was crowned by dancing the Great Journey dance to the tune of the WOGBE DZEKE song which saw every one gathered taking to the floor and formed a moving circle as they took their steps two to the left and two to the right.

In pursuit of love care and protection for one another, Ghanaians living in foreign destinations have formed traditional and resident associations and Ga-Adangbe Association of Toronto is one of them.

What is interesting about these associations is that they are holding fast unto Ghanaian culture and tradition in foreign destinations to showcase Ghanaian heritage.

A typical example is when the Ga-Adangbe Association of Toronto in Canada held their annual Homowo festival on August 20, 2016.
Contractors working on the Wa airstrip say the facility will be ready next month for a commercial flight to start operation.

Skill Link limited was awarded a six-month contract to give a facelift to the Wa airstrip to enable commercial flight to use the facility the resident site engineer of the project, Kwao Solomon Ayeh has said.

He disclosed this when journalist visited the site with by the Wa Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Issahaku Nuhu Putiaha.

As part of its agenda to create an efficient transport system to open up the country for socio-economic activities, the government of Ghana embarked on the construction of aerodromes and airstrips in all the 10 regions in the country.

The Wa Airstrip was penciled to be given a major facelift to enable it to operate domestic commercial flights.

The Wa airstrip has been there for several decades and was only used for just domestic services.

Domestic airline operators have indicated that lack of insufficient terminal building and other ancillary facilities has led to poor flights operations from Accra to the Upper West regional capital.

The estimated distance between Tamale Airport, Wa and Bolgatanga is approximately between 194 miles and 100miles respectively via road.

This has brought about quite a number of traveling persons to connect to their destinations by road from Tamale via Upper East, Upper West Regions and Burkina Faso.

According to the resident site engineer, Kwao Solomon Ayeh, they began the project in March this year. The scope of work included construction of passenger terminal building, access road, fencing works to clearly define the airstrip boundaries, drainage works to control erosion and runway marking to improve visual aids at the runway.

Mr Nuhu Putiaha took a tour of the site to assess the progress of work and was taken around by Mr Solomon Ayeh.

''The progress of work is at 58%, it is a crushing programme meaning we are working on weekends to ensure that we finish on time, he assured.

The Wa MCE told journalists he was impressed with the work done so far.

Earlier, Mr Nuhu Putiaha visited the Wa Juice Factory which was on the brink of collapsing but has now been given a new lease of life.

The Wa Municipal Assembly ceded the management of the juice company to Ndaana Ghana Limited due to mismanagement and what almost became an albatross hanging around their necks.

The MCE also toured some ongoing road projects and the new Wa market located on the Charia road.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com |Rafiq Salam
Cairo (AFP) - Egyptian authorities on Sunday released a renowned human rights lawyer arrested after protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision to hand over two islands to Saudi Arabia.

Malek Adly had been held in pre-trial detention since being arrested by plainclothes police on May 5.

His defence team confirmed his release.

"The case has not been referred to trial yet," Tarek Khater, one of Adly's lawyers, told AFP.

Adly had supported protests in April against the decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, which provoked outrage in Egypt and accusations that Sisi "sold" them in return for Saudi investments.

Police arrested dozens of activists ahead of an April 25 protest, after more than 1,000 people had chanted for "the fall of the regime" in an earlier demonstration in Cairo.

The police dispersed the April 25 protest before raiding the Journalists' Syndicate to arrest two reporters who are part of the same case as Adly.

The three were accused of "attempting to topple the ruling system" and "spreading false news", a prosecution official had said.

Egypt later on Sunday also released one of the two journalists, Amro Badr, on bail of the equivalent of 500 euros, his lawyer Doaa Mostafa said.

Badr, editor-in-chief of the yanair.net news website, was arrested at the syndicate in early May, sparking a confrontation between the union and the interior ministry.

Three top members of the union are now standing trial for "harbouring fugitives", in reference to Badr and his colleague.

An Egyptian administrative court ruled in June that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, strategically situated at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, must remain under Egyptian sovereignty.

But the government has appealed the decision.

Sisi has defended the move, saying the islands were Saudi to begin with and were leased to Egypt in the 1950s.

The former army chief come to power after toppling his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013, unleashing a crackdown on his supporters that killed hundreds of protesters and imprisoned thousands.
Ghanas former Ambassador to Benin has expressed great worry about recent developments at the St. Anthonys Hospital at Dzodze in the Ketu North District of the Volta Region.

Modestus Ahiable also described as very unfortunate issues affecting the health institutions within the Keta-Akatsi Catholic Health Service in the Volta Region.

The Hospital is one of the major health facilities in the Region under the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) with a daily attendance of over 250 patients.

The past four weeks have witnessed some tension not only at the hospital but also across the entire Diocese over a number of allegations leveled against the Administrator of the hospital, Christian Akoto-Brown.

He also doubles as the Director in-charge of the Diocesan Health Services of the Keta-Akatsi Catholic Diocese was accused by staff and other stakeholders of the hospital.

A number of allegations have been made against him including abuse of authority, misuse of resources, nepotism and disrespect for all categories of staff of the hospital and the Diocese.

Some staff members who spoke to Joy News Ivy Setordjie last month accused the administrator of lording himself over both patients and staff for more than 15 years. They also made other allegations.

They claimed he has placed his personal telephone number and e-mail address on the Hospitals official letterhead to the detriment of the facility.

Also, he is said to be operating a personal foreign bank account in which he redirects all donor funds meant for the hospital and Diocese into.

Related: Tension brews at St Anthony Hospital at Dzodze

In an interview, Mr Modestus Ahiable observed that the dual role being played by the administrator for all these years have complicated matters.

According to him, the situation is bad, adding "most of the past medical doctors who worked under Mr Akoto-Brown had to leave because they did not understand how things could go on like that."

Mr Ahiable stressed the need for the appointing authorities to create an office for the Diocesan Director at Akatsi where such an office is supposed to be operating from.

"By so doing, the room would have been created for any appointed committee to investigate the allegations and the extent to which his actions have damaged the institution financially or administratively," he said.

Mr Ahiable, however, cautioned that this should be done in a meaningful way so as not to endanger the lives of the people.

He did not mince words when he has stated that the Hospital's cannot escape blame for current crisis the facility finds itself adding "the board members are supposed to protect the integrity of the hospital by being neutral have failed in their responsibilities."

Meanwhile, the Catholic Bishop of the Ho Diocese and Acting Bishop of the Keta-Akatsi Diocese in the Volta Region, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu has paid a one-day working visit to the Hospital.

The fact-finding visit was to enable the Bishop and his delegation to acquaint themselves with happenings at the Hospital and the Diocese over the past few weeks.

Bishop Fianu who met the Management of the Hospital including the Administrator at a close door meeting has called for calm as efforts are being made by the church to amicably resolve the issues. He promised to set up a committee to investigate the issue

The man at the centre of the controversy Christian Akoto Brown has declined to comment.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Abubakar Ibrahim | Email: [email protected]
Four people are feared dead following a gas explosion in Tinga in the Bole district. This brings to six the number of persons who are feared dead as a result of the incident.

Trailer of a fuel tanker is said to have caused the explosion. DCE for the area James Jaaga tells Joy News the police is yet to launch investigations to determine the cause and circumstances surrounding the explosion.

But the Ghana National Fire Service has been at the scene to ensure safety.

More soon...

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com
The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) says it would be suicidal for Ghanaians to vote for the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the upcoming election.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo says given the broken promises and worsening economic environment which have characterised the eight years of the NDC it would be a mistake to be given another four years.

The current administration and his leader the President is asking [Ghanaians] to renew his mandate to have another term. [When this happens] the NDC will be in power for 12 solid years effectively. It will be a mistake and I say so with all respect, he told traditional leaders in Bolgatanga.

The NPP leader believes it was about time Ghanaians put him to the test with exactly 100 days to the December polls.

He touched on sectors of the economy which he says have taken a nose dive due to the mismanagement of nations revenue.

So many of the important aspect of the national life today are all in retreat. Our economy is in poor shape. I dont think there is any honest person in this country today who can put the hand on the chest and say the Ghana economy is working well, he said.

He believes the increasing unemployment rate in the country is a consequence of governments poor handling of economy reflected in the corruption of functionaries.

Our agriculture is not working well, our industry is not working well, unemployment among our young people is reaching record proportion and all because there is no plan, there is no vision to address the problem of our people, he said.

Mr Akufo-Addo urged Ghanaians to vote for him because he has worked out the plans and programmes to revive the nations economy.

The most critical thing that all of us have to work on is how to improve the functioning of our economy, he called out.

According to him, if anything is not done to change the current situation of Ghanas economy many of the hopes of the youth would be dashed away.

If our economy is running well jobs will be created, income levels will rise and we will have prosperity, he said, adding, That is the only way we will have prosperity. An economy in decline, an economy in retreat means poverty for all of us.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected]
28.08.2016 LISTEN

The Hajj Village was thrown into a state of shock when one woman who had come to see a relative off died Sunday morning.

The deceased (name withheld) who is reported to be a resident of Kumasi New Town passed away when she was preparing to travel back home after her relative had flown on the 9th flight to Saudi Arabia.

According to the Communication Director of the Hajj Board, Mohammed Amin Lamptey, the deceased had gone to the washroom to freshen herself up for a possible return journey back to Kumasi when she slipped and fell in the process.

Mr Lamptey said unfortunately, she was pronounced dead by the Board's medical officers on their way to the hospital.

Some of her relatives whom she was traveling with made the necessary arrangement with the help of the Board and conveyed the body to Kumasi for burial processes.

Joy News learned she was buried later in the today.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Abubakar Ibrahim | Email: [email protected]
28.08.2016 LISTEN

It is a self-destruct to accept an alien interpretation of the same God that created you. The same God who created you has revealed Herself to you through your Divine Cultural Practices or African Cosmology. There is an adage that counsels us from instructing a child about God in African Cosmology. It implies that every child has the intrinsic awareness of God in his environment.

Any alien that insists on presenting his conception of God to you is actually presenting his own cultural practices to you. The acceptance of an alien interpretation of God renders you subservient to such a person. You ignorantly start to dress, speak his language, and you subconsciously accept his cultural practices as superior than yours. In fact, you have become his or her slave in all spectrum of human experience and have rendered your creative powers to such a person.

My people we are created in the image of the same God that created us. Indeed we share every particle with the One who created us in his own image. It then holds that human beings are part and parcel of God, The Cosmic Energy. It must be made emphatically clear that Africans have never worshiped our Ancestors, our planet ( Asaase Yaa), trees, rivers, mountains, the moon, the sun, stars, planets and the galaxies.

This writer vehemently insists that The Cosmic Energy, who you call God created the universe and became part and parcel of it. It implies that God is intrinsic in nature and that includes you. Africans have always tapped into the Cosmic Energy intrinsic in nature for our harmonious co- existence with nature. Unfortunately, the ignoramuses of African Cosmology label us nature worshipers, animists. We categorically reject their assertion and are always ready to educate them.

Africans have always tapped into the Cosmic Energy who is known as Ogya Mframa in the Akan language in Ghana. The current religious phenomena pervading in Ghana and Africa as whole is destructively alarming. The psyche of the African is confused and it does not augur well for the development of the continent. Anything alien is perceived as better than some of the excellent things he has. The sad news is that the African with a borrowed alien cosmology subconsciously hate herself/himself and buying his own disease by eating junk food such as fast foods that create diabetes, high blood pressure and many other diseases.

In fact, I do empathize with my people due to lack of knowledge on their part. I am assuring everyone who wants to free herself/himself from mental and spiritual bondage can start today. Your imagination and consciousness is your spiritual power; the astral entity you possess is your weapon and you can tap into the astral entities of the Cosmic Energy, Asaase Yaa, your Beneficent Ancestors, Rivers, Trees, Mountains, the Moon, Sun, Stars, Planets, and Galaxies. You can start pouring libation today using water and call the names of Rivers in your village, Ghana, and Africa as whole. Please, do not forget to mention the entities in the Ocean, Moon, Planets, Sun, Stars, and the Galaxies to overpower the elemental spirits and witches. I promise you by the Powers of The Cosmic Energy you shall experience spiritual liberation.

Your liberation from mental and spiritual bondage shall empower your astral entity to travel to anywhere in the universe in a split second to protect yourself and family by casting around them the aura of Cosmic Energy. Witches do not have access power to tap into astral entities in Rivers, Trees, Mountains, Oceans, Moons, Sun, Stars and all Galactic Powers. After the libation say Amen-Ra three times. Perform the libation in the open at home so that everyone can hear you. Do it in the morning and the evening before you go to bed and wait for miracles.

You shall see miracles in your life. This Divine Knowledge was given to me to freely and I have the moral and ethical obligation to share with every African. After timely death your astral entity retains your conscious mind to become two dimensional entity. In fact, you become energy beam to go back to the Source of life, the Sun where your ancestors welcome you home. Your departed Ancestors live in a Bliss in the Sun. Indeed, after life you join them as a family.

It must be made clear that Trees, Stones, Minerals, Metals, Oceans, planets, Moons, Suns have feelings like you and me and they appreciate your friendship. They are constantly yearning for your friendship. I will leave you here today. Amen-Ra!

REV. YAW OBENG-ADUASARE, M.DIV.

STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK

AUGUST 27, 2016
28.08.2016 LISTEN

Political Participation refer to activities or behaviors intended to directly or indirectly influence Public decision making and to secure a particular outcome (Brady 1999).There are various forms of Political participation. This include; participating in elections, strike actions, discussing public issues, participating in demonstrations, attending political rallies and many others. Election with reference to this article refer to the contest between individuals or political parties to select who will be in government and opposition.

This article discuss Ghanas 2016 election with emphasis on the role of stakeholders in ensuring massive participation and a peaceful election with focus on the Independent Electoral Commission, Media and Political parties

Ghana is a democratic State and hence upholds the various tenets of democracy; free and fair elections, respect for fundamental human rights (right to vote and to be voted for).These tenets are not only talks but backed by the Constitutional provisions. This is stipulated in Article 35 clause 1 of Ghana 1992 Republican Constitution; Ghana shall be a democratic state dedicated to the realization of freedom and justice; and accordingly, sovereignty resides in the people of Ghana from whom Government derives all its powers and authority through this Constitution. This indeed testifies that Ghana is really committed to the cause of democracy.

Elections have been organized in Ghana during and after colonial rule. Concomitantly, it is of no doubt that Ghana democracy has been a checked one with military regimes in 1966, 1972, 1979 and 1981 until the emergence of constitutional or democratic governance in 1992.

Elections in Ghana has been describe as free, fair and peaceful since the emergence of democracy by election observers both home and abroad. Even though there have been issues of violence and malpractices yet Ghana is attributed as beacon of Africas democracy by most comrades of Ghana.

Stakeholders mean persons who have interest or concern in particular activities. Stakeholders in Ghana election play a vital role in election. They are directly or indirectly affected by the outcome of the election. Stakeholders in Ghanas election include the electoral commission, electorates/citizenry, the media, political parties and civil societies and many others.

Electoral commission ; this is an independent constitutional establishment which is mandated to organize elections, compile voters registers and setup modalities for the conduct of any election in Ghana. It is argued that the Electoral commission has made very important strict towards its goal to ensure transparency and credible election. Nonetheless there are number of constrains and challenges that need to be address to enhance massive electoral participation in the upcoming election so as to sustain the gains chalked up in the democratic process. Education of the Public by the commission on the need to participate in election is key to ensuring massive participation.

The Commission not long ago was chastised for not adequately educating the public on the need for participating in the just ended voter exhibition exercise (July 18th to August 7th 2016) They also blame the commission for the low turnout and also not fully informing the public about the exhibition and new registration of names of persons deleted from the register as a result of using NHIS card. It was as a result that the commission had to give additional days for the registration. It would be better for much clarification on such exercise. The electoral commission should do its best to educate the people on the electoral process the need for participation so as to ensure massive participation

The Public/electorates are also major stakeholders in election. It is during this period that elected officials are held accountable hence they have a role to play in ensuring massive and peaceful participation. The good people of Ghana in the enjoyment of rights and freedoms is inseparable from the performance of duties and obligations. Hence voting is part of their responsibilities if only they are qualified voters. The public should do their best to avoid ethnic politics since it discourages people from participating fully in the electoral process. The influence and the power of ethnicity hinders participation.

The media; Ghanas democracy especially electoral process (voting) has been help by activities of the media. Newspapers, FM stations both public and private, televisions and recently the various social platforms (whassap, imo, Facebook etc.) should be used as a platform to echo frequently on the relevant of voting. This will influence and encourage people to vote. The use of indecent and intemperate language should be avoided, this will lower the political tension in the country. The media should serve as an instrument in safeguarding the setup rules by the Constitution and the Commission.

They should also expose attempts by individuals who attempt to intimidate and victimize people from voting. In addition the media can also disseminate information, create political awareness and also be a vehicle for political education in particular educating the public on the need to participate in peaceful elections. Furthermore the media should discuss vividly the manifestos of the various parties this will enable them to massively participate in the election and hold government accountable.

Political parties also play important roles in election. They provide candidates to be voted for. Elections can make them be in government or opposition. Political parties over the years have been sometimes adamant to electoral rules, intimidation and victimization which have adverse effect on electoral participation. The various political parties should stick by the rules. Political parties should bring out manifestos since it shapes voters choice. These documented policies influence the electorates to vote and hold government accountable.

Political parties should do their best to follow the laid down procedures in elections so as to enhance full political participation since Politics is all about conflict and resolution. Lets all and sundry do our best and participate massively and peacefully in the upcoming election.

Nana Akwasi Sarpong

[email protected]
A jury has convicted an Atlanta truck driver accused of pouring boiling water over two gay men as the couple slept in February.

The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes Wednesday before finding Martin Blackwell guilty of eight counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated assault, according to the Associated Press.

Blackwell was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

The 48-year-old wasn't charged with a hate crime because Georgia is one of five states that do not have hate crime statutes. An FBI spokesman told Reutersthat federal investigators are considering whether to charge Blackwell with a federal hate crime.

Anthony Gooden had told his family he was gay shortly before the attack, which happened as Gooden slept on a mattress in his mother's living room next to Marquez Tolbert, according to the AP. The men had been dating for about six weeks.

Blackwell, a long-haul trucker who stayed at the house when he was in town, came in and saw the two unconscious men lying next to each other.

He went to the kitchen, pulled out a pot, filled it with water and set it to boil. Moments later, he poured the scalding water over the men, The Washington Post reported.

I woke up to the most unimaginable pain in my entire life, Tolbert said, sobbing frequently during his testimony, according to the AP. I'm wondering why I'm in so much pain. I'm wondering why I'm wet. I don't understand what's going on.

Then Blackwell allegedly yanked him off the mattress and yelled, Get out of my house with all that gay, Tolbert recalled to WSBTV.

They were stuck together like two hot dogs  so I poured a little hot water on them and helped them out, he said to police, according to the incident report.  They'll be alright. It was just a little hot water.

Blackwell claimed the two men were having sex when he poured water on them. Vickie Gray, a friend of Tolbert's, told the news station that's not true; they were asleep after a long day of work  not that the alleged attack would have been justified in any case, she noted.

Marquez Tolbert cries as he testifies in the trial of Martin Blackwell on Tuesday in Atlanta. (John Bazemore/AP).

Tolbert must now wear compression garments 23 hours a day for the next two years, Gray wrote in an email to The Post, and is attending weekly counselling and physical therapy sessions to deal with his emotional and physical scars. It's difficult for him to go outside because sunlight exacerbates the pain of his burns.

Gooden, who was burned even more severely, was in a medically induced coma for several weeks, Gray said. According to his GoFundMe page, more than 60 percent of his body was burned, and he had to undergo skin graft surgery to repair damage to his face, neck, back, arms, chest and head.



By: washingtonpost.com
Craig residents have until Tuesday to decide whether the community should issue up to $1,091,000 of bonds to help finance installation of a wastewater system.

The result of the election will be available after 8 p.m. Tuesday, said Audrey Dufrechou, the countys election supervisor.

As of Thursday, 51.67 percent of the 51 ballots had been returned for counting, according to Dufrechou.

Because more than 40 percent of the registered voters are participating in the election, a simple majority is all thats needed for the ballot issue to pass, she noted in an email.

All but one property owner in Craig have addresses in Craig, she noted.

The vote is part of the overall $4,976,000 projected cost to install a wastewater collection and disposal system for the community.

Helping to fund the work will be a combination of grants and loans, said Holly Manning of Robert Peccia & Associates, who is the project manager.

The state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Renewable Resources Grant and Loan Program is slated to provide $100,000 toward construction costs, and the Treasure State Endowment Program committed $750,000.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development program is providing two grants, one is for $998,000 and the other amounts to $256,000, for a total of $1,254,000, Manning said.

Rural Development is also providing two loans totaling $2,391,000, she said and noted that one loan is for $1.3 million and the other loan is for $1,091,000.

The Craig County Water/Sewer District will provide $481,000 toward the projects anticipated cost, Manning said.

Funds from the community will involve 85 percent of the towns annual resort tax collection that adds 3 percent to the cost of services provided by lodgings, restaurants, bars and other destination recreational facilities.

A detailed list of 23 items and services that concludes with other necessities of life are exempt from the resort tax thats collected from April 1 through Nov. 15.

In fiscal year 2015, which began July 1 of the prior year and ended June 30, 2015, the town collected $123,000, said Nancy Everson, the Lewis and Clark County finance director.

In fiscal year 2016, the resort tax generated $119,000, she noted.

While Craig is a mecca for fly-fishing and has several shops and businesses that cater to anglers who come to fish the Missouri River, the nearby town of Wolf Creek also hopes to capitalize on its proximity to the river and to Holter Lake.

Wolf Creek voters approved a 3 percent resort tax in 2014 that took effect in 2015 that is intended to help pay for thier communitys new wastewater system.

During fiscal year 2016, the resort tax collected $24,000 in Wolf Creek, Everson said.

Should Craig voters approve issuing bonds, they would have monthly wastewater bills of $29.51 per wastewater connection for 40 years to repay debt on the project.

While a residence would typically have a single connection to the wastewater system, a business could be charged for additional connections because of its greater use of the system.

The monthly rate includes funds toward operation, maintenance and replacement of equipment, as required by the Rural Development loans, Manning said.

Money is also set aside for sampling and testing, as well as for a system operator, she added.

With passage of the ballot issue granting the sewer district authority to issue bonds, Rural Development will authorize the process to move ahead, Manning said.

The project could be offered for bids in September, with bids opened in late October or early November.

Of the $4,976,000 total cost, construction is projected to be $3,550,000, although that cost wont be known until bids are opened.

The difference between construction and the total project cost involves expenses that include a contingency fund, bond counsel, legal guidance, engineering, state Department of Environmental Quality fees, an audit, travel and training.

Once a contractor is selected, a notice to proceed would be issued followed by a notice of winter shutdown. Work on the 210-day project would begin in spring, Manning said.

The wastewater treatment plant will be located west of the Interstate 15 southbound on-ramp on land the district purchased. Capacity of the system will allow for future connections to vacant land.

Treated wastewater will go from the plant to a pond and then be allowed to spill into a wetland southwest of Craig, Manning said.

Land for disposal of the treated water is leased from Dearborn Ranch owner Tom Siebel, founder of the Montana Meth Project.

Treated water from the plant is clean enough to use in an ornamental pond, Manning noted.
28.08.2016 LISTEN

Dedicated to my Spiritual Father Prophet Emmanuel Badu Kobi, Glorious Wave Church Int., Sakumono, Tema, Ghana

GOD created the Earth by his Commanding Word so that it was. He has no arms, no wings, no head, no hands, and no body as he is a Spirit with a Vision and a Will to make his Vision come true. His weapons are his words to make us, brake, teach us, forgive us and promote us. How much more are Words important to us as Individuals and Societies?

Coca-Cola is one of the most expensive brand names in the world. A small Pharmacist in the urban USA invented Medication for his Patients that became the Symbol, during World War II, of American Life-Style to free the Spirit of people around the world. One third of Cola is sugar, the rest plenty of water and a bit of brown flavor giving Consumers the impression of another World to enjoy.

Their recent Marketing Slogan Open Happiness is a Masterpiece of Brainwashing Consumers and a lesson to learn for African Economies and Societies. In a Cola bottle is no Happiness to be found, only sugary water with flavor. "Taste the Feeling, their current Slogan, is another Excellent Marketing Brainwasher as in the clear designed Bottle there is no Feeling either inside, but sugary water with flavor only stimulating the Consumer by the sugar content to drink even more.

Red Bull, the Energy Drink from Switzerland, is another well studied example of successful Marketing by using powerful Words regardless about the truth of them and behind them. They entered the market in Germany by claiming, Red Bull would give someone wings, instead correctly wording the Slogan by saying that Red Bull would give someone the feeling or impression as if they WOULD have wings to fly. No Consumer of Red Bull has ever been spotted to have wings at his back to easily cross the world to land from Germany coming on the African continent saving money for Air Tickets.

Africans should be advised to study Propaedeutic and its meanings, the Science of giving a Thing a Word from its own language to name it.

Looking into History Adolf Hitler, the Bagger and Loser from Graz/Austria sleeping rough in the streets of Munich had only one weapon to gather followers behind him, the right words at the right time to the right people supported by Gestures on point and sustained over time by actions.

Made in Germany was forced by the British unto the Germans in order for their products to be identified as coming from Hitlers country not knowing that the products on which they wanted the three words to see by its quality created for Germans the Image and perception to produce high quality products at high cost compared to other Economies around the world. Keeping the standard and improving on it constantly ensures Products and Services will have a sustained success for Generations to enjoy its benefits.

The Image of Africa in the Western World is a troubled continent with vast amount of much needed natural resources, wars, corruption, the Big Five in Game Parks, exotic nature and colourful Traditions mixed with impoverished and starving children with big swollen bellies to feel ashamed of being rich themselves. Young, enthusiastic Volunteers from around the world see the need in Africa and injustice done by their own countries pushing comfortably the greater picture of self-inflicted misery aside.

Made in Ghana is an indication of the Origin of Products, it is not an Image the White Man can understand as it is not explained to him by the Black Man. What does it stand for? Every Territory has its own laws, so does have Heaven, Earth and in it in each country it is different. What does the Black Man know about the perception the White Man is having when he does not involve him into the translation of Made in Ghana into the Laws of his Territory and his understanding. African countries could easily trade all their needed goods among themselves, only the fact remains, they do not trust each other. Whatever comes from the White Man is seen as better as and more acceptable than from a neighboring country.

Companies with a sense of Marketing see the need of establishing Sales Promotion companies outside their Territory in the White Mans World for Consumers to be accepted as Buyers feel more comfortable to order and send money to a companys Bank Account in Europe or USA than to Africa.

Ghana has an Export Promotion Board teaching Ghanaian Companies the Rules and Regulations to export their products to the Western World. This Board cannot market aggressively -as needed- the various products produced in Ghana, determine and implement a successful Marketing Strategy for private Companies. Coca-Cola, Adidas, Puma, Apple and other success stories did not use the help of any Export Promotion Boards but their Innovation and Cleverness in marketing their products in various markets with the right attitude to be successfulby using the right words at the right time!

Government and Private Companies short sighting in Ghana prevents a promising success tool from implementation, to set up a Private Company in Europe/USA as a Cooperative of Enterprises that is not seen as a Governmental Institution and together in the Territory of the White Man sell their Products to Consumers and gain trust with Commercial Buyers like Supermarkets and alike sending their orders and money into a EU or USA Bank Account. What is simple to make and a Road to strategic success, becomes for African a hurdle as nobody trust anybody among the Blacks.

Africa: Do not fall over your own mistakes rather stand upright and tell us your storywe are listening to your WORDS!

Author: Dipl.-Pol. Karl-Heinz Heerde, Sakumono Estate, Block D10, Aprt. 9, Tema West, Ghana, phone +233(0)265078287, [email protected] , 25.08.2016
I was really taken aback when I perused through some of the comments posted by the discussants on my previous periodical, captioned: Mahama: A competent dictator is better than an incompetent and corrupt leader (See: ghanaweb.com; modernghana.com, 26/08/2016).

In fact, a critical assessment of the caption and the main body of the aforesaid article will reveal a hypothetical situation. Nevertheless, only a few discussants managed to grasp partially the import of the periodical.

Interestingly, some discussants stated audaciously: there is not such a thing like competent dictator; how can you have a competent dictator? You dont know who a dictator is; else you wont say a competent dictator.

To be quite honest, the discussants are partially right; because dictator like Jerry John Rawlings was incompetent. However, I would have liked them to tell me we cannot have dictatorship in a constitutional democracy like ours.

In any case, those discussants performed exceedingly better than a whole president who thinks Ghana could go back to the Rawlings era (dictatorship) if Ghanaians voted Nana Akufu Addo into power ; (see: Akufu Addo is a dictator, dont vote for him-Mahama ; classfmonline.com ; ghanaweb.com, 24/08/2016).

As a matter of fact, in a constitutional democracy such as ours, our presidents powers are guided by the constitution and their limits are clearly stated.

Needless to say, it is only when the other two arms of government - the judicial and the legislative arent functioning properly that a supposedly dictator could survive.

Moreover, a supposedly dictator can only exhibit his/her impishness in a constitutional democracy that has weak and dowdy laws such as the Criminal Libel and Seditious Laws which was used mainly by the founder of the NDC Party and former president, Jerry John Rawlings.

In fact, the NDC founder Jerry John Rawlings is a typical example of a dictator. Rawlings bamboozled onto the political scene through a series of coup detats.

In hindsight, the NDC Party was founded by a dictator. In other words, the NDC Party was born out of violence.

Unsurprisingly, therefore, Rawlings imposed himself onto Ghanaians and ruled like God. He had no respect for the rule of law. He even imposed the then flagbearer the late Mills on the NDC Party.

Yes, Rawlings defied all the opposition and enstooled the late Mills on the throne. That was a real dictatorship.

It is worth stressing that it was power intoxicated dictator Rawlings who managed to import the Article 72 into our constitution which allows our successive presidents to free convicted criminals.

Rawlings also took delight in the neanderthaloid laws such as the Criminal Libel and Seditious Laws and used them to silence his opponents and political analysts.

Rawlings actually hid behind the barbarous Criminal Libel and Seditious Laws and sent a large number of his opponents to prison.

Seasoned journalists like Kwaku Baako Jnr and Haruna Atta were imprisoned by the despotic revolutionary Jerry John Rawlings for voicing out their opinions.

Ironically, however, it was the supposedly dictator Nana Akufu Addo (former Attorney General ) who worked synergistically with the forward thinking President Kufuor and repealed the truculent and inhumane Criminal Libel and Seditious Laws in 2001.

A memorandum on the bill presented to the House by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, stated, "the purpose of the bill is to fulfil the promise of repeal, and thereby demonstrate the Kufuor government's determination to make good its promise to the nation.

The memorandum said these laws have come to symbolize authoritarian, anti-democratic impulses within Ghana's body politics which the media have been virtually and vociferously unanimous in demanding their repeal.

According to the memorandum, such laws are unworthy of a society seeking to develop on democratic principles on the basis of transparency and accountability in public life ( https://www.modernghana.com/news/.../criminal-libel-law-repealed.html , 30/06/2001).

It is, however, ironic that a historian like President Mahama could distort the facts and opine that someone who has worked in valence to repeal the Criminal Libel and Seditious Laws is a dictator. How bizarre?

The fact of the matter is Nana Akufu Addo spearheaded the fight against dictatorship. For example, in 1995, he led the Alliance for Change demonstration which was dubbed Kume Preko", which provided a platform for Ghanaians to express their dissatisfaction with what was going on in the NDC government led by the despotic Jerry John Rawlings (www.modernghana.com/news/172/kume-preko-on-cnn-bbc.html).

Nana Akufu Addo asserted after the demonstration: Ghana is still in the grip of people who have a very, very warped idea of a democratic system of government."

Do you call this person a dictator, President Mahama?

K. Badu, UK.
National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu

29.08.2016 LISTEN

Since Islam came into being, more than 1,400 years ago on the vastly desert land of Saudi Arabia, the religion has been growing in large numbers rubbing shoulders with Christianity in most parts of the world.

Independent research bodies have indicated that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world especially in Europe and the United States of America where many people are converting to Islam and turning many buildings into mosques. The religion introduced through Prophet Mohammed (pbh) has succeeded in attracting massive following in mosques to pray regularly and follow the five main pillars of the religion that include the belief in the supremacy of one God with prophet Mohammed as his messenger; offer of prayers as prescribed; payment of zakat; observance of the Ramadan fast and performance of the hajj pilgrimage once in a lifetime.

One thing that seems to be a bother to all those who admire the lifestyles of Muslims is the extremist behavior of misguided section of Muslims whose stock in trade is to attack non-Muslims and those Muslims who do not share their religious beliefs and schools of thought. These groups that go by various labels as Alshabab, Boko Haram, and Talibans have succeeded in wreaking havoc on innocent people as they use weapons to kill, maim and seize people in the Middle Eastern nations of Iraq, Syria, and African nations of Nigeria, Somalia, and Kenya. Although the international community led by the United Nations and developed nations like the US, Britain, Germany and the like are working hard to do away with these insurgents, who are not considered Muslims; there are indications that it will take some time to wipe them out completely due to some financial benefits that accrue to them and their sponsors in what they do. However we are thankful to God that there are many nations whose Muslim leaders and citizens are busy working in line with the Islamic doctrines that require all Muslims to adhere towards promoting peace in the world at all times. We can vouch for majority Muslim nations Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore whose people seem to be enjoying trouble free existence so far.

Perhaps this is so because these nations apply Islamic laws to whip their citizens to fall in line. What these nations must do urgently is to tone down on the laws they apply especially to non-Muslims who errand to extend their assistance to all nations to educate Muslims to learn to live peacefully with non-Muslims in secular states. We need to commend the leaders of these nations for keeping extremists at bay making it possible for their citizens to live in peace. However we must also shower praises on Islamic leaders such as imams and preachers (in multi religious nations such as Ghana and other peaceful nations) for working very hard to promote peaceful coexistence.

One of such leaders is the National Chief Imam of Ghana Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu who heads Muslims in Ghana where Muslims come next to Christians in terms of numbers. Since his choice as the National Chief Imam two decades ago he has worked so hard to get Muslims to continue relating peacefully and closely with all people in Ghana irrespective of their religious leanings. He has constantly given Muslims advice in sermons in mosques and during marriage, naming, and funerals sessions for them to learn to live peacefully with each other and with Christians as done by Prophet Mohammed in his days. He has often advised all Muslim factions to remain united or run the risk of getting overwhelmed by opposing groups.

This has led to Muslims living peacefully in almost all communities, schools (where the boarding system is helping matters), work places, markets and barracks. He has not left out politician who he has been admonishing to work for peace in Muslim areas. To this end the National Chief Imam has sent strong signals to politicians that Muslims in Ghana do not want to be pitched against any political party, therefore, attempts by some politicians to incite them against other parties ahead of this years elections should stop immediately. No wonder that the successes chalked by the National Chief Imam has won him many Muslims and non-Muslim admirers who pay homage to him daily and offer gifts and awards the latest being the Martin Luther King Jnr award for peace conferred on him by the government of the United States of America through its Ambassador in Accra.

After receiving a number of awards abroad the National Chief Imam has also won National Awards from succeeding governments of Ghana and has also been conferred with Honorary Doctorate award by the University of Ghana. Being an Arabic educationist himself the National Chief Imam has built and is running basic schools in Accra and other parts of Ghana and is about to run a higher school of learning at Kasoa near Accra. He is also a philanthropist who has been taking care of many school going children across Ghana and is also providing food and shelter daily at his home to needy people and travellers from the sub region.

The lifestyle and achievements of the National Chief Imam have been factors that influence many of his followers who are Imams, Preachers, writers and Educationalists. These men have established organizations that are running schools offering support to orphans, building mosques and digging wells across Ghana. One such person who is doing very well is Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim, Chairman of Islamic Council for Development and Humanitarian Services (ICODEHS). His outfit a leading NGO in Ghana, has since the past 20 years built many mosques, schools, clinics, and offered scholarships to students some of who are orphans.

Today due to his achievements in Ghana ICODEHS under has been given permission by donors in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar to supervise development projects such as mosques and schools in Togo, Burkina Faso and Nigeria among other nations of Africa. ICODEHS has also introduced a radio broadcast program on MARHABA Radio in Ghana through which Muslims and non-Muslims are being educated on the tenets of Islam including marriage, child care and how to offer Islamic prayers and payment of zakat among others. Through the programs and news items on Islamic activities by ICODEHS many people have come to understand Islam better.

Sheikh Mustapha is also the Chairman of an organization formed by the National Chief Imam known as Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu Education Fund (SUNSETFUND). Though this organization more than 900 students are currently being assisted to go through tertiary education in Ghana under The Education Trust Fund of Ghana. With the feats chalked by the National Chief Imam and his advisors and Imams there is no doubt that Ghana is likely to march on promoting peaceful coexistence in Ghana.

Executive Director

EANFOWORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

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HUNTLEY  Theres truth in advertising when it comes to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. Roundup: kills weeds to the root, goes the slogan for the kill-all herbicide.

It pretty much kills any plant, including trees in the right dosage, and when it didnt destroy a rogue wheat crop in the test fields of MSUs Southern Agricultural Research Center in Huntley, scientists were worried.

Roundup-Ready wheat was a genetically-modified food idea that didnt take root with consumers. The wheat, genetically modified to survive Roundup herbicide, was equated by opponents with herbicide-tainted food.

Its critics labeled it frankenwheat and easily won the message war with consumers weary of other Roundup-Ready crops like corn, sugar beets, soybeans and rice, all of which have been deemed safe by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Research on genetically-modified wheat in Montana and 16 other states abruptly halted a decade ago. The USDA never certified the wheat as safe for planting. MSU researchers destroyed their GMO wheat by turning it into the ground in 2003.

Then, 10 years later, Roundup-Ready wheat started unexpectedly turning up, or volunteering, as plant scientists say. First at an Oregon farm in 2013, where a farmer spraying his field into chemical fallow discovered Roundup-Ready wheat plants thriving as other plant matter slowly died.

Countries like Japan and South Korea began immediately blocking ships of U.S. wheat from unloading, as soon as the USDAs Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, the plant police of the federal government, announced the Oregon discovery. It was an economic disaster.

The banned wheat then turned up in Huntley at the Southern Agricultural Research Center in 2014.

In Oregeon, APHIS "ran rather roughshod, in my opinion, in releasing that information over to the industry, which resulted in a catastrophic crash of commodity prices for soft white wheat that lasted for weeks, maybe months, said Ken Kephart, the superintendent of MSUs research centers.

When his weed scientist told him there was wheat thriving among the dying weeds of the Southern Agricultural Research Center, Kephart told him to up the Roundup dose and try again. The second attempt failed, too, according to an APHIS report of investigation made public this month.

Monsanto, APHIS and MSU failed to immediately notify the USDA about the rogue Huntley plants, which numbered 1,000 or more. Monsanto told investigators it wasnt even sure the wheat was Roundup-Ready wheat.

Investigators reported that MSU officials  who alerted Monsanto, not the federal government  weren't sure sure the wheat was actually Roundup resistant and were concerned USDA would shut down the research center.

It should be noted that MSU disagrees that it should have notified the government first, the university said in a written response to The Gazette. Based on our contracts with Monsanto, it was our obligation to inform them. Monsanto was the link to USDA, APHIS, which regulated the trials.

MSU mowed down the rogue wheat crop as soon at it suspected the plants were from genetically-modified wheat. Researchers did so to prevent the plants from producing seeds. They ran their own tests and then called Monsanto, which did its own tests and contacted the USDA a week later.

Its questionable whether the USDA regulated any trials of genetically-modified crops. Kephart said the 30 to 40 APHIS investigators who showed up in Huntley in 2014 were the first to visit the center.

No one from the federal government inspected the Roundup-Ready wheat research while it was taking place from 2000 to 2003. And, no one from the federal government visited after the experiments were over to make sure the banned crop wasnt resurfacing.

In its report, APHIS said investigators couldnt tell how many years the Roundup-Ready wheat grew unnoticed. However, it is possible the genetically-engineered wheat laid dormant for 11 years or more and then sprouted, said Richard Bell, an APHIS spokesman.

Under the environmental conditions in this part of the country, low moisture, and temperature, and the agronomic practices being used, specific irrigation, tillage, and herbicide use, it is well documented in the scientific literature that wheat seed can remain viable for many years in the soil, Bell said. USDA concluded that these volunteers represented a small, persistent population of the GE wheat following the authorized field trials.

APHIS would have known for sure, had it been actively engaged in the research it regulates. But the government is fairly hands-off when it comes to GMO research, said Bill Freese of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Food Safety.

The Center is a national nonprofit public interest group that's had success suing the USDA for not thoroughly vetting GMO crops.

In these field trials, its pretty much the company can do what it wants. APHIS has performance standards. They dont prescribe rules, Freese said.

In 2007, the Center for Food Safety convinced a federal judge to block the sale of Roundup-Ready alfalfa because the USDA had approved the crop without doing a full study on the plants environmental effects. The ruling also blocked a Billings-area farmer from raising genetically modified alfalfa seed until the study was done.

The Supreme Court eventually lifted the ban, but the USDA still had to go back and complete the environmental study.

In 2010, the Center convinced a federal court that USDA broke the law by allowing Roundup-Ready sugar beets to be planted without a full environmental impact study. The lawsuit centered on the danger of cross breeding with non-GMO beets. Initially, the court considered blocking the beets from being planted until the study was done. The oversight nearly cost Montanas $100 million sugar beet industry an entire growing season.

The Center petitioned the court in 2004 to block approval of Roundup-Ready wheat until the USDA studied the effects of the crop on the environment and the economy. One of the Center's clients was an Eastern Montana farmer worried about GMO crossbreeding with his own wheat.

Imagine, if USDA was more interested in preventing things like this. It could have strong prescription methods that could be effective, Freese said. People at SARC would take them more seriously.

SARC in Huntley does takes APHISs authority seriously. But, after seeing the agency in action, Kephart questions its methods.

In the weeks APHIS spent on the ground at SARC, investigators focused on the research facilitys machinery as the likely cause of spreading the rogue wheat. According to its report, APHIS considered whether SARC farm equipment accidentally dredged up the buried GMO wheat and then tracked it across the research facility. Investigators even faulted SARC employees for not cleaning their equipment well enough after watching them clean a combine three times while leaving traces of plant matter behind.

But tests on 30 pieces of the research centers equipment tested negative for Roundup-Ready wheat.

Kephart offered a different source for the grain spread: animals. Standing with an APHIS investigator in a field where most of the Roundup-Ready wheat was found, Kephart noticed the highest concentration was beneath an overhead powerline. And on that powerline, a cadre of pigeons perched doing what pigeons are known for  pooping.

I repeatedly mentioned that I thought this had been moved by the intervention of some animal, whether it be rodents or birds, or deer or raccoons. We have stuff moving across the landscape here all the time, Kephart said. You watch a pheasant, theyll go down a row and theyll fill their craw with seed and then they fly off to who knows.

"So, I brought this up to the (APHIS) guy. And I mentioned, Why are you not considering this?' and he said, We simply don't have a protocol to evaluate that risk. Therefore, it doesnt exist.
WASHINGTON -- My recent columns on Donald Trump have generated a consistent response from his supporters:

"If ... that lying psycho b**** wins, there will be nothing left of this country. You better stock up on bullets to protect your house!"

"Keep preaching to the Hillary choir."

"Please notify me when you are going to write your column on the lies of Hillary Clinton. Oh, excuse me, that's not happening is it?"

These people are not defending the indefensible Trump but accusing me of being in the tank for Clinton. And I do support Clinton -- but only in the sense that I would support a ham sandwich for president if it were the only thing standing between Trump and the Oval Office.

Moderates and reasonable Republicans who are considering voting for Trump portray it as a choice between two unpalatable options. But it isn't. It's a choice between one unpalatable option and one demagogue who operates outside of our democratic traditions, promoting racism, condoning violence and moving paranoia into the mainstream. This presidential election is not about party or ideology. It's about Trump's threat to our tradition of self-government.

You'd be hard pressed, reading my coverage of Clinton over the years, to think me a fan. I mocked her 2008 campaign with comparisons to Monty Python's dead parrot and black knight sketches. I generated justifiable outrage with a video reference to Clinton in 2009 that was a failed attempt to play on a Tina Fey sketch. I've called Clinton obsessively secretive. Her handling of matters from Whitewater to her email server has encouraged doubts about her honesty. Though I'm excited about the United States electing a woman as president, Clinton is a poor retail politician and a too-cautious leader.

If Marco Rubio or John Kasich were the Republican nominee, I suspect we would now be writing Clinton's political obituary -- and I'd be content finding absurdities on both sides. Though I don't hide my center-left views, I prefer a pox-on-both-houses approach.

The singular danger of Trump makes this year different. Trump isn't really a conservative or a Republican. Voters know this, which is why Democratic efforts to tie down-ballot candidates to him aren't working well. When Trump (hopefully) is gone, these surviving Republicans need a reckoning to reclaim their party from the fringe.

This coming week, I'll be talking about Trump, and how we speak to children about Trump, to teachers at my daughter's school. The school is understandably wary about appearing to take sides in a political contest. But I'll say such reluctance should be set aside, because Trump stands opposed to the civic values we teach children.

He shows an autocrat's disregard for our constitutional system. He bans news organizations that he doesn't like. He wants to "open up" press laws to weaken the First Amendment. He claims an American-born federal judge can't be impartial toward him because of his Mexican heritage and threatens to use the presidency to go after him. He once said he would order the military, illegally, to torture detainees and target innocent civilians. He has talked of banning members of an entire religion from entry into the United States and forcing those here to register.

Trump invites violence as a political tool. He suggests "Second Amendment people" -- gun owners -- could stop judges Clinton nominates. He has spoken of paying the legal fees of supporters who assault hecklers at events, saying things like "knock the crap out of them" and "I'd like to punch him in the face." Trump has alleged the vote will be "rigged" against him, and those around him suggest violence could ensue. There have been dozens of incidents of violence at Trump events, including by his then-campaign-manager.

Trump brought racism and paranoia into the mainstream with his "America First" campaign and his leadership of the movement challenging Obama's American birth. He hesitated to disavow David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan. His tweets have included messages from white supremacists, a Jewish star atop a pile of cash, phony crime statistics that originated with neo-Nazis, a quote from Mussolini, even an image of Nazi soldiers superimposed on the American flag next to Trump's likeness. Trump has mocked Asian accents and the disabled. He has said "half" of the 11 million illegal immigrants are criminals.

So how do we talk to children about Trump? We tell them what Holocaust survivors have told me: that what Trump is doing reminds them of 1930s Germany, and that grown-ups are not going to let that happen here.

Dana Milbank is a columnist for The Washington Post.
There has been a surge in oil activity in the Delaware Basin over the past few years, and pollution concerns have crept up, but not in an obvious place.

Drilling rigs operate 24 hours a day in one of the darkest places on the planet, and their lights have hampered progress at the University of Texas at Austins McDonald Observatory, nestled in the Davis Mountains on the edge of the Permian.

We started seeing the glow from all of the oil and gas activity in the Permian Basin showing up around 2010, McDonald Observatory public affairs specialist and veteran astronomer Bill Wren said in a phone interview. We noticed that looking up the I-20 corridor northeast from where we are, the horizon was starting to brighten and realized there was a major boom going on.

Until recently, the only observable light was from El Paso and Juarez, Mexico, which are 160 miles away, well-beyond the visible horizon. Now it is dwarfed by the Permian Basin, Wren said.

Light pollution on the horizon has made peering into deep space difficult for the astronomers at the observatory, and a few years ago, they reached out to local municipalities and oil industry organizations in an effort to find a resolution. The Permian Basin Petroleum Association has since informed its 900-plus members and is working with the observatory.

Weve entered into a partnership and established an advisory group between members of the McDonald Observatory, the University of Texas at Austin and the PBPA to talk about ways to protect the dark-skies environment in West Texas, PBPA President Ben Shepperd said. We have an important asset in McDonald Observatory, but with the encroachment of not only oil and gas activity in the Delaware Basin, but the growth in population centers, were looking for ways that we can manage our activities that will decrease the lighting.

There is now an advisory group, and they met officially for the first time Tuesday at UT Austin to discuss the Dark Skies Initiative, which works to reach out to oil companies and inform them about light pollution and what steps can be taken to make life better for not only the observatory, but for rig operators and their crews.

Among solutions that already have been implemented are putting shrouds on lights and pointing them down below the horizon. By doing so, you actually gain light on the ground, Wren said. Its a win-win deal.

Shepperd said shrouding and re-aiming lights is already apparent in other applications.

If youve ever seen a drilling rig at night, theres light shining everywhere. Many of our companies have already taken steps to point their lights below the horizon. Youve already seen this in a Wal-Mart parking lot. If the light is pointing downward, it just shines on the store and the parking lot. If its aimed at 90 degrees, it lights up the sky.

Also suggested is replacing light fixtures with those using LED bulbs, which Wren said will have economic benefits in the long run.

If you modernize and you toss out your legacy fixtures -- old metal halide and high-pressure sodium lights -- and go to LEDs, youre saving 80-plus percent in terms of fuel consumption. It has a snowball effect. If youre consuming only 20 percent of the fuel you were before to light, you dont have to truck in as much fuel as often, which means you dont have to maintain the roads as much. You end up saving money in lots of ways that arent immediately apparent.

Wren said a lot of organizations are on board with the initiative. Culberson, Reeves and Pecos counties about three years ago issued letters to a few hundred operators who had drilling permits to inform them about McDonald Observatory and lighting ordinances designed to protect dark skies. The PBPA followed suit, as did the Railroad Commission in February.

The advisory group agreed to meet three times a year: at UT Austin, in Midland in November and at the observatory in the spring. In the meantime, all involved will formulate recommended lighting practices.

McDonald Observatory has about 45 employees, with about 80 people total when families are included. Its a satellite campus of UT Austin and even has its own campus police. There are currently four resident astronomers who run the Hobby-Eberly telescope, the third-largest in the world.

The observatorys first telescope was built it 1939. It was a 2.1-meter telescope that didnt have to compete much with lights in the Permian. The 10-meter Hobby-Eberly telescope, which came online in 1997, has greatly increased what astronomers can observe.

When it comes to cutting-edge astronomy, theres no substitute for aperture in terms of light-gathering ability, Wren said.

Dark skies are needed, however.

Were just trying to formally engage and work on these issues, Shepperd said, adding that the observatory and West Texas dark skies are a treasure worth saving.

Like Trevor on Facebook and follow him on Twitter at @HowdyHawes.
A new report suggests energy companies should to more to thwart attacks on critical control systems.

The oil and gas industry has long collected huge volumes of data, but it hasnt always known quite what to do with it all. Often, the terabytes arent even stored on computer systems that readily talk to each other.

Industry insiders are used to it, said Michael Jones, senior director of strategy at the oil and gas software maker Landmark. But its not OK, he said. So, about a year ago, Jones and some of his oil industry colleagues set about to fix it.

This week, at Landmarks Innovation Forum & Expo at the Westin hotel in northwest Houston, the company unveiled the beginnings of a collaborative its members called groundbreaking. In a move to drive technology further, faster  and, perhaps, take a bigger piece of the burgeoning big-data market  Landmark is pushing its main computing platform into the cloud, for all to use.

Moreover, it is going to allow members of the collaborative access to the very code that creates the platform, called DecisionSpace. Theyll be able to change the platform, use it, and add to it.

Everyone is going to use this code, said Harold Mesa, a vice president at Halliburton, which owns Landmark. Ten years from now, everyone will use DecisionSpace.

Landmarks annual Forum & Expo is both a company showcase and an industry event. Most of the conference speakers urged oil and gas explorers to shed old ways, digitize more of their operations, use data more effectively, and better streamline operations.

Big data is helping ConocoPhillips drill wells far more quickly, said Ken Tubman, Conocos subsurface vice president. What once took weeks now takes hours.

Its helping liquefied natural gas companies identify plant problems and avoid shut-downs that cost upwards of $25 million a day, said Johan Nell, who leads consultant Accentures upstream oil and gas practice. The key, Nell said, is actually analyzing the reams of data companies collect. And its imperative now, with oil prices half what they were just two years ago.

We have to find a way to do more with what we have, or even more with less, Nell told expo attendees. We dont have the luxury of inefficiency.

Wednesday morning, a panel of a dozen executives  from geoscience company CGG, oil explorers Anadarko and Devon Energy, integrated oil companies Shell, Statoil and Total, even sometimes-competitors like Baker Hughes and IHS Markit  spoke earnestly about the value of the Landmark collaborative, dubbed the OpenEarth Community.

David Hicks, senior vice president of IHS Markit, said when he started, years ago, he was given a set of colored pencils. Things have certainly gotten better, he told the audience. But, really, when I look at data quality and data management, we still have a lot of opportunities here.

Hicks said the industry spends way too much time managing data, and not nearly enough time analyzing it. Its an excellent time to finally bring this together, he said of the group.

The plan is far from accomplished. Even if many companies embrace OpenEarth, its unclear what Landmarks competitors will do. Schlumberger, for instance, was noticeably absent from the weeks conference. Nagaraj Srinivasan, the head of Halliburtons digital operations, which include Landmark, admitted that its chief competitor was not invited to the collaborative.

But we are open to having them participate, Srinivasan told the Chronicle on Wednesday.

Jones, Landmarks OpenEarth mastermind, figured the company had to do something bold. The industry has less money to spend to solve more complex problems, he said.

If you dont innovate, youll be gone in 10 years, he said. This isnt business as usual for us.

The collaboratives platform, he said, will be ready for the market in January.
SEPM to discuss SCOOP and STACK Plays

Members of the Permian Basin section, SEPM will meet at 11:30 a.m. September 8, in the Carrasco Room of Midland College.

Allen Donaldson, Vice President of Exploration for Newfield, will present SCOOP and STACK Plays  First Five Years and Beyond.

Cost is $20 with reservation, including lunch. Reservations are available by calling 279-1360 or by email at info@pbs-sepm.org.

Andarko makes senior management moves

HOUSTON  Anadarko Petroleum Corporation has named Darrell Hollek, formerly executive vice president, U.S. Onshore Exploration and Production, executive vice president, Operations. He will be responsible for the companys U.S. onshore exploration, production and midstream activities, along with its Gulf of Mexico and international operations. Hollek joined the company in 1980 as a field engineer.

The company also announced Ernie Leyendecker, formerly senior vice president, International Exploration, has been named executive vice president, International and Deepwater Exploration. Leyendecker has more than 30 years of experience and joined the company in 2002. He succeeds Bob Daniels, who will continue as an executive vice president and member of the companys Executive Committee until his retirement later this year. Jim Kleckner, formerly executive vice president, International and Deepwater Operations also is retiring.

Buffetts company buys more Phillips 66 shares

OMAHA, Neb. (AP)  Warren Buffetts company now controls more than 15 percent of Phillips 66 stock after buying another 414,065 shares of the oil refiner this week.

Berkshire Hathaway disclosed the latest purchases in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday.

Berkshire now owns about 79.5 million shares of Phillips 66, which represents 15.2 percent of the Houston-based companys stock.

Berkshire has been steadily buying Phillips 66 stock since 2012. After building up a sizeable initial stake, Berkshire traded about $1.4 billion of its Phillips 66 stock for one of the refiners additive businesses in late 2013.

It has continued buying Phillips 66 shares since that deal to build its current stake.

Besides investments, Berkshire owns about 90 subsidiaries in a variety of industries, including insurance, utilities, railroads, and manufacturing.

Railroad Commission sides with Eastman in pipeline dispute

By David Hunn

Houston Chronicle

State oil and gas commissioners on Wednesday ruled that Houston-based Westlake Chemical cannot charge a free-market rate for use of its Texas pipeline, concluding a 3-year-old dispute.

The state Railroad Commission, which has the power to set pipeline rates, set a price below what Westlake was charging a customer, Eastman Chemical, to use the pipeline. Eastman filed a complaint with the commission after Westlake nearly doubled its rate in 2013, to $3.50 per 100 pounds from $1.90. The Railroad Commission, on a 2-1 votes, set a rate of $2.45 per 100 pounds.

The dispute between Westlake and Eastman has has been carefully watched by pipeline, chemical and oil industry leaders. Some were anxious to see if the commission would award Westlake a market rate, something it has not yet allowed.

The dispute centers on the cost of shipping ethylene, a building block of plastics, 200 miles through Westlakes pipeline from Longview, near Dallas, to Mont Belvieu, near the Houston Ship Channel. In July 2013, Westlake not only increased Eastmans rates, but also removed a discount for shipping more than 320,000 pounds in a day. Eastman lodged a complaint with the Railroad Commission.

Eastman proposed a rate of $1.67 per 100 pounds. The commission staff recommended $2.45, which commissioners Christi Craddick and Ryan Sitton supported. David Porter voted for a $1.55 rate.

Sitton, despite his vote, penned a dissenting opinion that sided with Westlake and a market driven price.

We missed an opportunity in this case, Sitton said, to begin the process of setting market-based rates for common carrier pipelines.
Oil and gas is not only a big part of our states economy  it is a Texas way of life. In certain areas of the state, entire communities either work within or are connected to the oil and gas industry.

In fact, today, it is impossible to separate Texas from discussions about U.S. energy production and the prolific strides our nation has made as the top oil and gas producer in the world. Even through the downturn, more than 30 percent of both total U.S. oil and natural gas is produced in Texas and energy supports more than 30 percent of the Texas economy.

The oil and gas industrys significance to Texas is precisely why I have launched the Texas Oilfield Relief Initiative.

High-paying oil and gas jobs are important to the families who hold them and to the overall strength of our states expert workforce. The revenue generated by the energy industry in Texas supports every facet of our lives: public schools, higher education, childrens healthcare, infrastructure and economic development. The list goes on.

The success of our states relationship with energy production and the many benefits associated with it are the result of decades of hard work. The Railroad Commission provides the stability the industry needs for growth and world-renowned regulatory leadership that safeguards our citizens and resources.

As an extension of our commitment to best serve Texas, the Commission constantly reviews its rules to ensure we protect the public and environment, while at the same time taking care not to impede industry progress. The downturn makes these efforts even more critical today and for the long-term success of our states oil and gas industry.

With a growing list of needed efficiencies, and after a comprehensive review of our processes, the Texas Oilfield Relief Initiative builds upon the successes we have already achieved and makes the agency more effective in the way it regulates the production of energy. Most importantly, the initiative will save countless hours of staff time and tens of millions of dollars for oil and gas operators in Texas without hindering our ability to keep the state safe. We are making government work better, faster and more economically  for taxpayers and industry alike.

In streamlining the Commission, the initiative goes beyond speeding up our review processes. It eliminates unnecessary paperwork that costs oil and gas producers time and money without yielding any real benefits for Texas citizens. It restructures reporting and compliance conditions to save costs for both the state and industry. It adjusts the requirements for oil and gas wells with minimal production to allow every well in Texas to produce to its full potential. It makes better use of taxpayer resources by prioritizing drilling inspections in sensitive areas.

What exactly does all of this mean? It means we are applying common sense to reduce bureaucracy so that oil and gas companies can save costs they would have spent complying with over-burdensome rules and instead use those dollars to put Texans back to work in the oil field. Ultimately, it means business is easier to conduct in Texas, attracting more oil and gas producers to our state, creating more jobs and safely producing more energy. It means Texas can help move the U.S. that much closer to energy independence.

With 125 years of strong regulatory leadership at the Railroad Commission on the books, we have the tools we need to ensure Texas remains a top oil and gas producer for the benefit of our state and our nation.
School has begun again and we at the Midland County Public Libraries are excited about the coming weeks as some of the most anticipated and successful programming the library offers each year is scheduled for its annual return.

Project Literacy happens from Sept. 12-17 with an amazing slate of author visits and offerings presented this year. As in year's past, each first grade student in Midland County will receive a free book, compliments of Wells-Fargo. This year the library is pleased to present the 2016 Newberry Medal winning book The Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena.

Getting quality books into the hands of students they can take home is what this project is all about, and a Newberry winner is the ideal choice for such an ambitious undertaking. De la Pena will also be in Midland on that Monday to help kick off the week. He will be doing school visits during the day and a book signing is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. at the Centennial Library.

Three-time Caldecott winning illustrator and author David Weisner will appearn Tuesday for a day of school visits and will be signing books at the Centennial Library at 4:30 p.m.

On Wednesday, Texas Center for the Book coordinator Rebekah Manley will lead Picture Book Boot Camp a hands on workshop for high school students and adults. The workshop will explore what it takes to bring your own picture book to life. The workshop will run 4:30-6 p.m. but attendance is limited to 25 and will be on a first come-first serve basis. Middle school students can partake in the mini writing workshops Haikus in the Real World, and Writing Letters to your Favorite Authors from 3:30-4:30 p.m. preceding author signings on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Attendance will be limited to 15 for these workshops, and will also be on a first come first serve basis.

On Thursday, Bluebonnet Award MasterList author Corey Putnam Oaks who penned the Dinosaur Boy series will visit area schools with The Changelings author Christina Soontornvat. Both will be signing books that evening at the Centennial Library starting at 4:30 p.m.

Author visits will conclude on Friday with Don Tate, another Bluebonnet Award MasterList author. Following a day of school programs, Tate will sign books including his Bluebonnet nominee 'The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch at Centennial at 4:30 p.m.

All of these author visits we made possible with financial support from the Midland County Public Library Foundation. Don't miss this once in a lifetime chance to meet an incredible lineup of authors and illustrators responsible for shaping generations of readers.

After Project Literacy, Ther 2016 Permian Basin Writers Workshop opens Friday Sept. 16 and continue through Sept. 18. The PBWW will feature a variety of breakout sessions for writers from across West Texas. Panel discussions, lectures and hands-on workshops will provide opportunities for writers to hone their craft and successfully navigate the industry. The workshop will provide regional writers with the opportunity to pitch their work to publishers: BenBella Books, Fuse Literary, Crosshairs Press, Falkin Literary, and Brown Girls Books. PBWW venues include Midland College with our opening night event at the historic Yucca Theater in downtown Midland.

PBWW is presented by the Midland County Public Library and made possible with support from the Midland County Public Library Foundation, Wells Fargo, the Midland Reporter-Telegram, The City of Midland, Midland College, The Texas State Library and Archive Commission's Texas Center for the Book, and HEB. For more information visit www.PermianBasinWritersWorkshop.org

Keep up with library happenings online at our website at co.midland.tx.us/lib and follow us at facebook.com/tallcitylibraries.

John 'Mr.T' Trischitti III is the Director of the Midland County Public Libraries and is a former Texas Librarian of the Year. He reviews children's literature for School Library Journal and is a frequent speaker and program presenter across the state and nation on children's literature and best practices for public libraries.

Follow him on Twitter @MrTlibrarian.
FORT HOOD -- Rents start at $995 a month. The schools are good. And the neighborhood is safe -- after all, its on one of the largest U.S. military installations in the world.

In the mornings, residents driving along Tank Destroyer Boulevard or Hell on Wheels Avenue will see TROOP CROSSING signs and might come across columns of jogging soldiers. In the evenings, theyll be serenaded by taps playing from loudspeakers, and the occasional explosion in the distance.

Dealing with a low occupancy rate as the Army shrinks after the peak of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Fort Hood has, for the first time, opened rental units on the post to people unaffiliated with the military.

The shift, triggered by a provision in the Armys contract with a private company that runs the posts family housing program, has caused concern among some soldiers about whether the presence of outsiders will introduce a new security risk at Fort Hood, where two high-profile shootings took place in the past decade.

Brian Dosa, Fort Hoods director of public works, said the Army has received mixed reactions from soldiers.

We would prefer to have strictly military families living in our villages, Dosa said. But I dont think its a major impact ... that we now have some civilians. The numbers are pretty small.

Just like their soldier-neighbors in the family housing areas, the newcomers are allowed to keep guns in their homes, Fort Hood spokesman Chris Haug said. (Single soldiers living in the barracks cannot keep guns at home.)

Haug said the gun policy isnt a security risk because there are rigorous safeguards for the new residents, who must go through two layers of background checks -- one by the housing company and another by the Fort Hood Directorate of Emergency Services -- and register any firearms they bring on post with Fort Hood authorities.

Theyve had two background checks for everyone in their family over the age of 18. Thats more than your neighbor has, Haug said.

Thirty-four other U.S. military installations have already brought in nonmilitary residents, and there have been no major security issues, said Mack Quinney, project director for the housing company.

Two families who are currently unaffiliated with the military have already moved in at Fort Hood, Quinney said. Many more have applied and been rejected, mainly for financial reasons, he said.

Among the new tenants is a former service member who is a reservist, Dosa said. He expects that most civilians who are interested in living on the post will have some kind of indirect military connection.

In 2001, Fort Hood became the first U.S. military installation to hand over housing to a private operator, in a deal with the Australia-based Lendlease Group to form the Fort Hood Family Housing company.

The deal facilitated the building of hundreds of new homes on Fort Hood, where soldiers have complained about the quality of the housing stock, by allowing them to be financed with private construction bonds, Fort Hood and Lendlease officials said.

About 5,500 military families live in the family quarters that vary in size from two-bedroom townhouses to five-bedroom single-family houses. (Separately, an additional 14,000 single soldiers live in the posts barracks, which are still operated by Fort Hood.)

The contract allows the company to rent to nonmilitary residents once the occupancy rate falls below 96 percent. As U.S. military involvement in the Middle East has wound down, the total active-duty force at Fort Hood, which includes deployed soldiers based at the post, has fallen from 50,000 in 2011 to about 40,000, Dosa said. The current occupancy rate is now 88 percent, Quinney said.

In the meantime, new housing in nearby communities is luring soldiers off post. Only about 50 senior officers are required to live on Fort Hood.

The newer houses constructed by Lendlease are popular with the soldiers, and there is a waiting list for them. Consequently, the units that will be available to nonmilitary residents will be the older ones passed over by the soldiers and their families.

On a recent weekday afternoon, Shane Rohr, who spent nine years in the Army and has lived on Fort Hood, sat in Amazing Vapor across Fort Hood Street from the post and puffed on a vaporizer. The idea of nonmilitary residents moving into Fort Hood didnt sit well with him.

Theres a lot of places on Fort Hood that people shouldnt be going to, said Rohr, 28, who served in Iraq, Afghanistan and South Korea before retiring as a sergeant.

Rohr said the nonmilitary residents shouldnt be allowed to keep guns in their homes and should instead have to store them with the post, as the single soldiers in the barracks do.

He added that it is a bad idea to throw civilians into the military culture. Part of being on post is if you have a complaint about your neighbor, you can bring it through the chain of command, Rohr said. They have no incentive to live by the standards of the military.

Patrick Bransten, an Air Force staff sergeant stationed at Fort Hood, echoed Rohrs concerns about on-post culture and safety but said he thought the change was a good idea overall.

Im sure theyre doing it because of money, said Bransten, 28, a meteorologist who served in Afghanistan and has lived at other installations but not on Fort Hood.

When Bransten arrived at Fort Hood 4 { years ago, he said he found the on-post living options to be subpar and decided to live in Killeen.

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Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
When Dan Reedy and Mike Burke fly during the Commemorative Air Force High Sky Wing AirSho this weekend, they will be thinking about their fathers. The men are second-generation Tora Tora Tora pilots, who re-enact the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Theres a long legacy for us, Reedy said. Its an honor to fly with Tora. You get invited in the group to do what we do. Its a living history lesson.

The Tora Tora Tora pilots are one of about a dozen group of performers for this weekends show at Midland International Air & Space Port. The High Sky Wing, a branch of the CAF, presents the event.

This weekend marks the 26th anniversary of AirSho in Midland. Gates open 8:30 a.m. today, and performances start at noon.

The schedule includes more than 35 aircraft, including warbirds from World War II and Vietnam as well as foreign aircraft and replicas. Static aircraft will also be on display.

One of the highlights this year is an F-14 Tomcat, called Fast Eagle 102. The airplane flew during the Gulf of Sidra incident in 1981. It marked the first time since the Vietnam War that a Navy plane shot down an enemy airplane.

Im very excited about the F-14, said Greg Gutting, a volunteer with CAF High Sky Wing, before the planes unveiling ceremony. This is a piece of history. We want to share it with everyone who wants to see it.

But Gutting said it hasnt been easy for High Sky Wing to inform people about AirSho in recent years. After the CAF announced in 2013 it was moving its headquarters to Dallas, some people thought the air show was no longer in Midland.

Its a hill weve had to climb, Gutting said. Weve started to get it out there that were still here. The CAF supported the group before, and we are still doing it.

Last year, AirSho organizers decided to hold the show in August, instead of October, when it usually was presented.

It was the best show we ever had with the number of people here, Gutting said. It worked out. We decided to do it again because the weathers more consistent than in October.

Gutting said hes not sure if this weekends attendance numbers will rival last years because the lineup wont include the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. But he said event planners have made preparations to accommodate the estimated thousands of spectators in the August weather.

We have misting stations and a lot more water to be sold, Gutting said. Heat is an issue, but we have measures.

This years AirSho is also notable because it falls during the 75th anniversary year of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which prompted U.S. involvement in World War II. More than 25 planes scheduled to fly in the show are from the war.

Burke said the Tora Tora Tora pilots are dedicated to drawing attention to what happened at Pearl Harbor.

Its a reminder to everybody  dont take advantage of your freedom, Burke said. You always have to be prepared for war.

The CAF High Sky Wing hosted an AirSho preview Friday during a practice session. The organization invited local fifth-graders and people with special needs to attend.

Tracy Gomez, fifth grade ELAR and social studies teacher at Carver Center, said students enjoyed taking the field trip to end the first week of school.

Its a chance to see the air show ahead of time, Gomez said. Its a great introduction for when we study World War II later in the year.

Sabrina Kelly, supervisor at Permian Basin Community Centers, said she has brought her clients to the preview day for six years.

Theyre excited to be here, Kelly said. Our clients have been asking us for weeks now about going to the air show.

Besides performers, AirSho will have food vendors, a tradeshow and warbird rides. During the Friday preview, performers said they look forward to being in West Texas this weekend.

Midland is like a home show, Burke said. We enjoy coming out here. Theres Basin support for the air show.

Another performer, Chris Darnell, is the driver of Shockwave, a truck equipped with three jet engines that races airplanes. He said hes performed at air shows across the country and anticipates the one in Midland.

Its a great show with an awesome lineup of performers, Darnell said.
Inspired by Sen. Reams courageous story, I felt it was time to support him by sharing my story. I am a registered card holder and user of medical marijuana. My name is David Lewis, and I have chronic pain, depression and anxiety due to my service in the Vietnam War.

I am 68 years old and a fourth generation Montanan. Since 1985, I have had a heart attack, 12 stints, one nuclear treatment, five bypass grafts, and multiple surgeries to rewire and remove my sternum and muscles in my chest due to Agent Orange exposure. The only medicine that works and that I am not allergic to is medical marijuana.

Come Aug. 31, I will have no more legal access to cannabis. I registered to be my own provider but that is like asking someone to manufacture their own hydrocodone. I am just one patient that will be left behind by the government and people I fought so hard to protect.

I-182 is about patients, like me, who have real medical issues. Approach that ballot in November with the idea that medical marijuana is medicine that helps ease pain and brings relief to so many Montanans.

David Lewis

Clinton
We won't be seeing the Dance of the Dragons for quite a while. After that epic season one finale, HBO is making sure viewers don't expect a sequel to House of the Dragon in the new year. "Don't expect it in 23, but I think sometime in
It is in Ofori-Atta's own interest ...
Im a former special education teacher who has devoted much of my life to Montana children with special needs. Im appalled by the misinformation Americans for Prosperity is spreading about Gov. Bullock.

This dark money group expresses dismay because Gov. Bullock vetoed HB322, but I applaud Gov. Bullock for vetoing HB322. This unconstitutional bill would have taken local and state money out of Montana public schools, so some parents could send their children to private schools anywhere in the world. Not just children with special needs, either, but siblings and children of military personnel.

Parents have a right to send their kids to private schools, but not a right to fund them with my tax dollars. These schools would have no accountability to taxpayers under HB322.

How many private schools even accept all special needs kids? Greg Gianfortes private Petra Academy in Bozeman doesnt. Petras policy states the school wont admit children with severe disabilities or emotional/behavioral issues.

Americans for Prosperity doesnt care about children with special needs. AFP cares only about electing Greg Gianforte, who is one of their funders, hence their misleading campaign against Gov. Bullock.

Montanas public schools have a long history of providing outstanding services for children with special needs. Public schools welcome students with disabilities and allow specialists, families and educators to work together for each childs success with full taxpayer accountability.

Steve Bullock is a champion for all Montana children -- including those with special needs.

Diane Fladmo

Helena
Helena and East Helena voters have an important choice for the Legislature this election. Democrat Mary Ann Dunwell served our community well in her first term. She worked with Republicans and Democrats to expand health care to 50,000 Montanans and improve mental health services across the state.

Mary Ann Dunwell deserves our support again this election. She earned the endorsement of MEA-MFT with her strong support for public education. Mary Ann is also endorsed by the Montana Conservation Voters for her support of public access to public lands and by Carols List for her commitment to womens health and leadership.

Your vote matters. Democrats like Mary Ann Dunwell were able to form a coalition with moderates to pass important legislation including a law forcing disclosure of dark money in politics. Her votes mattered in the Legislature, and we need her continued leadership there. Please join me in supporting Mary Ann Dunwell in November.

Sen. Christine Kaufmann

Helena
Whether you remember it fondly as The White Rabbit, or as it is called today, Paper Tiger, one of San Antonio's most well-known rock venues celebrated 20 years with a huge live music bash that kicked off Friday night.

With more than 50 acts lighting up multiple stages through Sunday evening, The White Rabbit 20th Anniversary Weekend has been one for the books.
Prattsville

On Sunday, the Rev. Becky Town will set aside a planned homily on Corinthians in order to reflect on lessons learned five years after Tropical Storm Irene turned the normally placid Schoharie Creek into a raging torrent that roared down Main Street and upended the lives of Prattsville's 700 residents.

"We went through a lot of grief and post-traumatic stress. It tested our faith, but we never stopped worshipping," said Town, who is co-pastor with her husband, the Rev. Greg Town.

Their two dozen Dutch Reformed congregants, mostly senior women, meet for Sunday service in a small apartment behind the parsonage. They worship a couple blocks from the landmark white clapboard Prattsville Reformed Church, with peeling paint and a battered facade that has a look of defeat. Heavy water damage and a lack of funds have kept the worshippers out of their church, which is partially gutted and needs new wiring and a full restoration of its interior.

Congregants raised $100,000 to gut and renovate the water-damaged parsonage, with donations coming from as far away as California. But the church suffered more harm after torrential rains from an Atlantic hurricane that made landfall as a tropical storm and unleashed an unprecedented flood surge in Prattsville and other communities throughout the Catskills and the Capital Region on Aug. 28, 2011. From Rotterdam Junction to Schoharie to Keene in the Adirondack Mountains, Irene destroyed dozens of homes and businesses and left tens of millions of dollars in property damage in its wake.

In Prattsville, a grotesquely swollen creek knocked Victorian homes off foundations, peeled porches and decks off houses, transformed vehicles into pieces of bobbing flotsam and jetsam, filled stores with a fetid muck and challenged this hardscrabble Greene County town in profound ways.

"Prattsville's gone. The village is essentially gone. The buildings have fallen off their foundations," was how Greene County administrator Shaun Groden put it at the time, a quote widely circulated.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo deemed it the worst-hit community in the state and arrived with federal officials and a promise that Prattsville would be rebuilt "better than ever before."

Now, following years that townsfolk said felt compressed and surreal, a portrait of post-Irene Prattsville revealed pockets of prosperity laced with failure.

Roughly 20 houses were so badly damaged they had to be torn down  half of 40 homes that were originally condemned and faced the wrecking ball. Nobody has an exact number of how many residents did not return, but the consensus is that the number was small, perhaps less than 25.

Still, five years later several houses seemed to exist in a state of suspended animation: windows boarded up and abandoned with little sign that any repairs were attempted. A few folks appeared to be living in trailers behind their damaged structures, few of which carried flood insurance, residents said.

The most striking symbol of the improvements can be found along a central stretch of Main Street, where historic slate sidewalk slabs were swept away. The walkway was rebuilt with wide concrete sidewalks, graceful Victorian lampposts and disabled-friendly curb cuts that feature striking ornamental black, steel bollards that flank a couple of crosswalks.

There's a children's playground, paid for by the state and built by residents, near the gazebo on the town green.

Residents heaped praise on the catalyst for the improvements, Kevin Piccoli, chairman of the Prattsville Development Corp., who secured millions in grants for the town's long-term recovery. The part-time town resident worked in a low-key way, without seeking recognition. Piccoli was the recipient of the 2016 Levine Community Service Award, given annually by a statewide group, the New York Planning Federation, in recognition of achievement in planning and zoning.

Some residents also point to a contagious optimism, epitomized by brothers Jim and Jason Eisel. Jim's Great American grocery store is the town's heart and soul. Jim Eisel cleaned up the mess, repaired the store's damaged facade and had the shelves restocked and the market up and running quickly. The brothers financed development of Prattsville Plaza, a complex of buildings next to the store that includes an insurance agency, laundromat, car wash and liquor store that Jason Eisel runs. The two bought flower planters for the new lamp posts and filled them with colorful petunias. They water them daily.

That can-do spirit permeated the rebuilding effort, along with a wry sense of humor. The Prattsville MudFest  an irreverent daylong party of mud volleyball, mud dancing and rock music on the town green to mark the anniversary of the flood  was held for four years.

Organizers said this year's event for the fifth anniversary was canceled due to state insurance rules, the loss of vendors and financial difficulties among sponsors after a mild winter caused a decline in business for nearby Windham ski area.

Residents are divided on whether the state's rebuilding assistance was as robust as promised.

"Loads of promises were thrown around by the state. Those of us who succeeded have done it on our own. It took a miracle to collect anything from the state or the feds," said John Young, 33, manager of the three-generation, family-run Young's general store and Ace hardware on Main Street. Irene devastated the place. His father, Jim Young, decided to open a new store in Catskill and left the Prattsville operation to his son.

The first week was gut-check time for Young, whose grandfather opened the store in 1951. "We had serious discussions about whether we were going to try to put it back together or not," Young said. "It was too much for my dad, so he opted to go to the new store. It was very depressing. All of our houses got flooded, the store was destroyed and it was overwhelming."

Young came to a decision: He would rebuild, but make the store bigger and better. A skilled carpenter and designer, he developed a new building plan with computer-aided design and drafting software. He expanded the greenhouse, added a second story to the main store and expanded the facility by about 3,500 square feet  a 35 percent increase.

He took out a large loan to finance the reconstruction. "It was a big leap, but psychologically I couldn't face putting all that money into just getting back to where we had been before the flood," he said. "The idea of making it bigger and better was what motivated me and kept me going."

After three months of repair and cleanup, the store was up and running. The renovations and second-floor addition were completed in 2012. At the same time, Young oversaw the gutting and renovation of his parents', his and his brother's houses  all three of which suffered heavy flood damage.

"We all decided to stay put," he said, and his gamble on the store expansion has paid off. Sales increased each of the past four years. "We're breaking records now," he said. "It's been exhausting, but we're proud of how far we've come."

There was a similar sentiment a few doors down at the Prattsvile Tavern & Restaurant, where the Main Street mainstay was swamped with more than four feet of floodwater.

Owner Kenny Cox, whose father bought the business in 1977, did not receive any state or federal aid. Many friends and volunteers helped him tear the interior down to the studs and renovate the kitchen, bar, dining section and pool table area.

"It was a tough few months, but we worked very hard to bring it back," said Cox, 47. "It hasn't been easy, but I'd say business is back to where it was before Irene."

The Pratt Museum has not fared as well. The 1828 Colonial house built by town founder and leather tanning industry innovator Zadock Pratt was flooded with four feet of water, leaving its antique furnishings and artifacts heavily damaged. Waterlogged plaster walls had to go. With volunteer help and a gift of $25,000 from donor Nick Juried, they repaired and painted the walls. The small, cash-strapped, not-for-profit organization raised $14,000 to restore its most valuable artifact, a wall hanging diary map that depicts Pratt on horseback, with stages of development of the town during the 1800s, from hemlock forest to dairy farms and the beginning of a Main Street.

Another key piece of the collection, Pratt's writing desk, was damaged and required an estimated $1,500 in repairs. The desk sat in disrepair until eighth-generation descendants of Pratt arrived "out of the blue" from Paris and London two weeks ago and offered to pay for the desk restoration, said Susie Walsh, on-site coordinator. "They were moved to tears by seeing the old homestead and stepped up to help," she said.

In addition, 62 boxes of diaries, letters and documents related to the Pratt family were soaked with floodwater and were sent to a deep freeze storage facility. That dried out the moisture and halted any further disintegration of the archival material, but now funds must be raised for the next phase of restoration. Given the museum's paucity of funds, they are having an auction house appraise the value of Pratt's 1858 Steinway piano.

"The floodwaters lifted it up like a boat and floated it to another part of the living room before it came to rest fully intact," Walsh said. "I worked for three days with a toothbrush to clean it and remove mildew. It breaks my heart that we have to sell it, but it's the only way we can keep the museum going."

On the other end of Main Street, Town Supervisor Kory O'Hara rebuilt O'Hara's automotive repair station. A family business for 95 years, it was swept away by Irene.

"I woke up and we had nothing. Instead of complaining, we got to work," said O'Hara, 39, who has been town supervisor for the past nine years. "We had to rebuild from scratch and we're back to where we were in terms of our business."

O'Hara said all 21 businesses in town re-opened, but a small number of residents did not return.

"You'll still hear some homeowners grumbling, but there was a lot of grant money available for both homeowners and businesses if they bothered to apply," he said. "I think the town has come back very well and we're in good shape now."

His top priority as supervisor is to build a proposed medical center and senior housing complex. A $3 million state grant allowed the town to buy property and begin land preparation.

"It's up on the hill, above the flood zone," he said. They did not receive a $10 million additional state grant they applied for, but the town will re-submit their application.

A few blocks away, Bob Caiati used a radial arm saw to cut timber to build a new covered porch on an 1840 commercial building damaged by Irene, which hit just weeks before a delicatessen was set to move in. "I've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this," said Caiati, displaying a fresh cut on his left arm.

He lives on Long Island and comes up on weekends to work on the building, which housed a saloon, post office, bordello, boarding school and general store.

"It's been a frustrating, five-year struggle, but we're too far into it now to give up," his wife, Diane, said.

In her Sunday sermon, Town, the co-pastor, will not revisit the moments of terror when she and her husband saw a wall of water coursing down Main Street and fled in their car with their daughter (they now have three kids) and a pug named Zadock, named for the town's founder.

"It's too traumatic to dwell on the past," she said. "We'll acknowledge our loss and then we'll focus on the future. I have no doubt we are a better congregation and a stronger community because of the flood."

pgrondahl@timesunion.com  518-454-5623  @PaulGrondahl
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On his third orbit of the Earth, Ed White opened the hatch and floated out into thin air.

He remained aloft, tethered to his spacecraft by a golden umbilical cord, as the span of the United States passed, west to east, before him.

It was June 3, 1965 - a halfway point in the decade in which President John F. Kennedy promised to put a man on the moon - when White became the first American to "walk" in space. Houston-directed operations and an international audience watched the launch on satellite television and heard the spacewalk via radio.

Amid the feverish space race with the Soviet Union, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration wanted its astronauts to attempt the first extravehicular activity, known as EVA, a vital threshold in preparing for a lunar landing and exploration. The Soviet space program beat them to it by three months.

Still, the two-man Gemini IV launch marked several historic firsts. White was first to use a handheld jet gun to maneuver in space. He and Commander James A. McDivitt were the first Americans to undertake a multiple-day mission. And most notably for Earth-bound participants in the space program, Gemini IV was the inaugural flight overseen by Houston's cutting-edge Mission Operations Control Room, which cemented the city's name in the global vernacular as the center of human spaceflight.

The Gemini IV crew knew the voyage was a huge turning point for Houston. It was so monumental that the Bayou City's geography came up during the 20-plus breathtaking minutes one astronaut was in and the other out of the capsule.

"Ed," McDivitt said as White drifted past outside the spacecraft, "I don't know exactly where we are, but it looks like we're about over Texas. As a matter of fact, you know? That area looks like Houston down below us."

More Information BY THE NUMBERS Extravehicular activity, or EVA, has been a vital component of space exploration since Ed White left the Gemini IV capsule in June 1965. Since then, American astronauts have completed hundreds of spacewalks. Here are some key numbers and figures. 160 hours spent on the moon, all between July 1969 and December 1972. 7 of the 12 astronauts who walked on the moon are alive today and in their 80s. 166 hoursspent servicing the Hubble telescope, which has sent a million images from orbit, revealing the birth of galaxies, the age of the universe and the concept of dark energy. 193 EVAsat the International Space Station, 144 U.S. and 49 Russia. 8 hours, 56 minutes logged in longest spacewalk, by Susan Helms and Jim Voss in 2001. See More Collapse

Astronauts have made hundreds of spacewalks since that day, most recently involving the International Space Station. The tools and steering methods have revolved from rudimentary to precise, and the walks have become almost routine. And while spacewalks are necessary for astronauts to move from one vehicle to another, they primarily are necessary for installing and repairing equipment.

The first American spacewalk had been a long time coming.

The Soviets were already ahead in the space program by then, and Russian cosmonaut Alexei Leonov performed the world's first spacewalk on March 18, 1965. It was a feat motivated more by political brinksmanship than science, according to Walt Cunningham, an Apollo generation NASA astronaut who lives in Houston and has long been friends with Leonov.

Americans didn't know until years later that the mission had been perilous for Leonov, who soared outside his spaceship for 10 minutes on a 10-foot extension line. Leonov's visor fogged up and he became dangerously overheated as he tried to work his way, blindly, into the inflatable airlock.

The Soviets wanted to be first and were willing to take chances at the height of the space race to reach their goals, said Michael Neufeld, the senior curator of space history at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Completing the first spacewalk was par for the course.

By the 1960s, NASA engineers and astronauts began planning and training for a practice spacewalk. The original goal was for White to open the hatch and simply stand up in his seat, but a week after Leonov's spacewalk, a group of NASA engineers gathered in Houston to begin planning for White to venture outside the cabin, said Joe McMann, one of the engineers at the secret meeting.

The engineers rigged up a modified spacesuit with an insulated cover layer and a gold-coated visor to protect against infrared radiation. The 25-foot umbilical line contained a tube that delivered oxygen and ventilation to the spacewalker, with wires to monitor his vital signs and transmit communication between him and the pilot. He would move through space using a nitrogen gas propulsion gun that resembled handlebars. He'd have a camera to shoot what turned out to be the clearest images ever taken from space.

Edward Higgins White II was selected to make the walk.

White grew up in San Antonio, the son of a retired Air Force general. He was a star hurdler at West Point who studied aeronautical engineering and flew in the Air Force. He was selected to be an astronaut in 1962 along with Neil Armstrong.

Gemini IV was his first and only flight. He died with two others on Jan. 27, 1967, in a cockpit fire during a test for the Apollo I flight.

During the Gemini IV voyage, McDivitt, also an Air Force pilot and aeronautical engineer, was at the helm for the spacewalk and other projects.

Over three hours into the flight, White put on and pressurized his EVA suit and depressurized the cabin. Over Hawaii, he cranked open the hatch and stood in his seat. McDivitt then told him, "We just had word from Houston. We're ready to have you get out whenever you're ready."

White untangled his feet and separated from the spacecraft. Then he tested the propulsion gun in bursts, which sent him spinning at odd angles. He saluted his commander.

"It's just tremendous," White said. "Looks like we're coming up on the coast of California."

White was hovering above Florida when Houston CAPCOM - capsule communications - ordered him back to the cabin. White was reluctant, lamenting half-jokingly, "It's the saddest moment of my life." He struggled to get back into his seat, to movein his spacesuit, to yank the stiff tubing into the spacecraft and close the hatch, as night fell over the Atlantic.

The spacewalk was a success. And though the mission's attempt to rendezvous with its second-stage rocket failed, the crew completed nearly a dozen experiments during 62 orbits. The capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean four days after launch, on June 7.
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Beirut

Backed by Turkish tanks and reports of airstrikes, Turkey-allied Syrian rebels clashed with Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria in a new escalation that further complicates the already protracted Syrian conflict.

Turkey's military didn't specify what the airstrikes hit, saying only that "terror groups" were targeted south of the village of Jarablus, where the clashes later ensued. A Kurdish-affiliated group said their forces were the target and called the attack an "unprecedented and dangerous escalation." If confirmed, it would be the first Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish allied forces on Syrian soil.

On Saturday night, Turkey's official news agency reported that one Turkish solider had been killed and three wounded by what it said was a Kurdish rocket attack in Jarablus.
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Ascoli Piceno, Italy

Mourners in Italy prayed, hugged, wept and even applauded as coffins carrying victims of the country's devastating earthquake passed by at a state funeral Saturday, grieving as one nation after three desperate days of trying to save as many people as possible.

In the central town of Ascoli Piceno, they gathered to bid farewell to 35 of the 291 people confirmed dead so far after the quake that struck a swath of countryside early Wednesday at the foothills of the central Apennine mountains.

The caskets of 35 people had been brought to a community gym  one of the few structures in the area still intact and large enough to hold hundreds of mourners.

The local bishop, Giovanni D'Ercole, celebrated Mass beneath a crucifix he had retrieved from one of the damaged churches in the picturesque area of medieval stone towns and hamlets.

Emotions that had been dammed up for days broke in a crescendo of grief. One young man wept over a little girl's white coffin. Another woman gently stroked another small casket. Many mourners were recovering from injuries themselves, some wrapped in bandages. Everywhere people knelt at coffins, tears running down their cheeks, their arms around loved ones.

"It is a great tragedy. There are no words to describe it," said Gina Razzetti, a resident at the funeral. "Each one of us has our pain inside. We are thinking about the families who lost relatives, who lost their homes, who lost everything."

As all of Italy observed a day of national mourning, with flags at half-staff, Bishop D'Ercole urged residents to rebuild their communities.

"Don't be afraid to cry out your suffering  I have seen a lot of this  but please do not lose courage," D'Ercole said in his homily. "Only together can we rebuild our houses and our churches. Together, above all, we will be able to restore life to our communities."

President Sergio Mattarella and Premier Matteo Renzi joined grieving family members, stopping to speak to some of them.

When the caskets were brought out of the gym, the mourners applauded, a traditional Italian way of honoring people who die in tragedy.

The bishop recalled the heartbreaking story of 9-year-old Giulia Rinaldo, whose embrace apparently allowed her younger sister Giorgia to survive.

He said 15 hours after the quake struck Wednesday, he returned to the church in Pescara Del Tronto to recover its crucifix. Close by, firefighters were using their hands to dig out the two sisters.

"The older one, Giulia, was sprawled over the smaller one, Giorgia. Giulia, dead, Giorgia, alive. They were in an embrace," D'Ercole said.

Giulia was among those buried Saturday, while her younger sister had her fourth birthday at a hospital, trying to recover from the traumatizing ordeal.

"The melancholy grabs on to your heart. You feel a sense of weakness, of depression," said Fiore Ciotto, a resident of Ascoli Piceno who attended the funeral. "An event like this weakens you physically and mentally."

Across the area, a cool retreat for those seeking to escape Italy's hot summers, many of the dead were children and elderly people, some of them visiting grandparents before school resumed.

The magnitude 6.2 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. Wednesday and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, killing at least 291 people and injuring nearly 400. Nobody has been found alive in the ruins since Wednesday, and hopes have nearly vanished of finding any more survivors.

Before Saturday's mass funeral, the president visited Amatrice, which bore the brunt of destruction with 230 fatalities and a town turned to rubble and dust. Eleven others died in nearby Accumoli and 50 more in Arquata del Tronto, 10 miles north of Amatrice.

Mattarella arrived by helicopter and was shown the extent of the damage in Amatrice by its mayor, Sergio Pirozzi. The president thanked rescue workers who have been working around the clock, some barely taking breaks for sleeping.

Saturday's funeral involved most of the dead from Arquata del Tronto.

As deep as their anguish was, Saturday's mourners at least had coffins with bodies to honor and bury. Many of the dead from Amatrice are now in a refrigerated morgue in an airport hangar in Rieti, the provincial capital that is 40 miles away, awaiting identification.
Reviews: Train to Busan Review

Train to Busan (2016) 2016 | R | Horror, Thriller, Drama, Action

118 minutes / 1h 58min

 9/10  8.37/10 from 144,143 votes Related: [ Movie Details ]

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Train to Busan Plot Synopsis: Sok-woo, a father with not much time for his daughter, Soo-ahn, are boarding the KTX, a fast train that shall bring them from Seoul to Busan. But during their journey, the apocalypse begins, and most of the earth's population become flesh craving zombies. While the KTX is shooting towards Busan, the passenger's fight for their families and lives against the zombies - and each other.

Look here for more movies starting with T and here you can find 2016 movies to watch on your favorite streaming service. Also, you can find more thriller movies that start with T.

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Train to Busan (2016) Review

Train to Busan (2016) is a 1h 58-min South Korean zombie apocalypse thriller-action-horror film whose original title is Busanhaeng. Director and writer Sang-ho Yeon (The King of Pigs (2011), The Fake (2013), Seoul Station (2016)) is one of my new favorite directors when it comes to zombies as I was speechless after watching Busanhaeng (2016). Train to Busan/Busanhaeng is the first Korean film of (2016) that had over 10 million theatergoers on August 7 which breaks the record. I cannot praise this director enough as this is one of the best zombie films I have seen in about ten years. It was an adventurous, entertaining ride that I did not want to stop

Seok-Woo (Yoo Gong - Silenced (2011), The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince (2007), Shes on Duty (2005)) is a workaholic who is divorced, not home much and does not give his young daughter Su-an enough attention. Soo-an (Soo-an Kim - Sprout (2013), Mad Sad Bad (2014), Gyeongju (2014)) only wish for her birthday is to visit her mother which her father reluctantly agreed to after she persisted. Soo-an and her father boarded the train heading to Busan but things does not go the way they plan as an injured female with a bite mark on her leg enters the train at last minute. The injured woman started to show signs of illness as she appears blue with her veins bulging and her body twitching uncontrollably with her eyes looking like a crazy person. The infected female attacks another person, and we all know what happens as the carnage begins and takes the movie to another level - a must see for all zombie fans.

Train to Busan was creative with a typical storyline that was well-exploited as the zombies twitch differently from other movies and movies erratically move making this film disturbingly nerve-racking. As good as this film was, I was stressed because I did not know what was going to happen next and if the characters I like will survive or not as I was rooting for them and tense while they face danger. All of the actors gave us fantastic performances that were convincing, realistic and could not be better. It was a non-stop action film that I would like to see a few times more because it had over-the-top violence that was not excessive with a wonderful soundtrack that flowed well with the film. The gore was not needed but was not overdone, and the suspense level in this cringe-worthy movie was extremely high. See Train to Busan as soon as you can!

Train to Busan Rating Scores

Our Score: 9

9 Overall Score: 8.37

8.37 IMDB: 7.5

7.5 MetaCritic: 7.2

7.2 Rotten Tomatoes: 9.4

About Train to Busan 2016 Title: Train to Busan

Year: 2016

Runtime: 118 minutes

Type: Movie

Genre: Horror,

Train to Busan118 minutesMovie Thriller , Drama, Action Reviewer: Florita A. Score: 4.5 / 5 stars Avg. Rating: 8.37/10 stars from 144,143 users.

Total Avg. Votes: 144,143 MPAA Rating: R

Train to Busan Cast Starring: Yoo Gong, Yu-mi Jung, Dong-seok Ma, Su-an Kim, Eui-sung Kim, Woo-sik Choi, Sohee, Soo-jung Ye, Myung-shin Park, Gwi-hwa Choi, Seok-yong Jeong, Hyuk-jin Jang, Seong-soo Han, Do-im Woo, Hye-Yeong Moon, Jae-rok Kim, Chang-hwan Kim, Joo-sil Lee, Joo-Heon Kim, Min-Seok Kim, Min-sang Kim, Seong-min Park, Hyeong-Seok Kim, Yeong Jeon, Joong-ok Lee, Yool-ho Kim, Hyeon-Joon Choi, Choon-ho Jo, Ho-Yeon Kim, Yoo-joo Kim

Train to Busan Writers: Joo-Suk Park, Sang-ho Yeon

Joo-Suk Park, Sang-ho Yeon Train to Busan Director: Sang-ho Yeon Box Office: $2,129,768

Production: Redpeter Film

Website: http://wellgousa.com/theatrical/train-to-busan

Language: Korean, Hawaiian

Country: South Korea

$2,129,768Redpeter Filmhttp://wellgousa.com/theatrical/train-to-busanKorean, HawaiianSouth Korea

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A San Antonio Police Department detective accused of striking his wife in the face Friday turned himself in Saturday after leaving his home when she called 911.

Detective Xavier Martin Cordero, 47, was charged with assault causing bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor.

A Bexar County Sheriffs deputy responded to a call from a woman at a residence in the 11700 block of Iris Way saying she need police for domestic violence, according to Corderos arrest warrant affidavit.

Once at the home, Corderos wife said he struck her in the face with an open palm during a heated argument.

Cordero left the home after she called 911, the warrant states.

Deputies noted that Corderos wife has swelling to the right side of her upper lip, as well as a centimeter-long laceration under her lip in the same area.

Deputies said an investigator reached Cordero by phone, asking him to come back to the home. He refused stating he was not going back just so he could be arrested for something so dumb, according to the affidavit.

Cordero admitted he was involved in a physical altercation with his wife, but said she was striking him, which may have resulted in him hitting her as he was blocking.

Police confirmed Saturday that Cordero is a 17-year veteran of the force. He will be placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the departments investigation.

SAPD officials did not have any comment on the arrest.

According to county records, Cordero was released from the Bexar County Magistrates Office at about 3 p.m.

jbeltran@express-news.net

Twitter: @JBfromSA
Two years ago, an Ohio teacher was injured when teens threw a rock off a highway overpass in Pennsylvania. It crashed through the windshield of her familys moving car, crushing her skull and causing severe brain damage  a senseless act of violence with horrible repercussions. She survived but needed around-the-clock care.

Earlier this month, I was saddened to hear that her caregiver husband had committed suicide.

I wouldnt presume to guess what drove him to take his own life. I can only imagine the horror and shock he felt to see his wife of more than 30 years injured in that way, or the stress he felt as he shifted from husband to full-time caregiver.

An estimated 44 million Americans provide unpaid support to older people and people with disabilities, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance. Yet most are ill-prepared for this role or its emotional, mental and physical demands. Statistics show that 40 to 70 percent of caregivers have significant symptoms of depression, which can lead to anxiety, substance abuse and, in the worst cases, suicide.

Ive seen firsthand how stressful and exhausting caregiving can be. I work at Brooke Army Medical Center, one of the key returning points for combatants wounded from downrange.

In recent years, we saw miracles as rapid evacuation and advanced trauma care combined to create a combat survival rate greater than at any other time in history. Troops with complex traumas  severe burns and double, triple and even quadruple amputations  not only survived but thrived.

Their awe-inspiring service and sacrifice were lauded in the media. But less visible and less lauded were the caregivers  the husbands and wives, moms and dads, and even friends  who left everything behind to rush to their loved ones side.

Several years ago I met Saralee Trimble, whose son had been badly injured on a roadside in Afghanistan. Pfc. Kevin Trimble was just four months into his deployment when a soldier standing a few feet away stepped on an IED. The soldier was killed, and Trimble lost both his legs above the knee and his left arm above the elbow. Saralee left her job, husband and friends to stay at her sons side 24/7.

At the time, she said the toughest part of caring for her triple amputee son wasnt what I would have guessed  the strain of caregiving, the logistics of navigating appointments, the lack of time alone  it was seeing her son in pain. Knowing that hes suffering  thats very hard, she told me.

Closer to home, I watched my mom shift from wife and lover to caregiver in recent years as she shouldered the bulk of my fathers care.

My parents had smartly saved throughout the years and retired early with plans to travel and volunteer, but an unexpected diagnosis of Parkinsons disease put a crimp in their plans. In a few short years, this debilitating disease left my father, a brilliant doctor and retired Air Force colonel, nearly helpless. My mom now cares for him from sunup to sundown, feeding, dressing and bathing him without complaint. He always took care of me, she told me once. I am happy to do the same for him.

Still, I hear the strain and exhaustion in her voice. She worries about the mounting costs of health care and her ability to continue to care for him at home. Even worse, shes had to watch her lover and best friend of 40 years slowly slip away physically and mentally.

As a society, we need to turn our attention to family caregivers, and offer them our support, resources and appreciation. Together, we need to build a safety net so they never hit rock bottom.

If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. For veterans in crisis and their family and friends, call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1, send a text message to 838255, or visit www.veteranscrisisline.net. If you are in immediate medical crisis, call 911.

Elaine Sanchez is a Communications Division deputy at Brooke Army Medical Center.
Piling into the Ford LTD station wagon and hitting the open road was a tradition in the 1960s for millions of American families, including mine. Vacation thrills included hitting expressway speeds for the first time. Crossing state lines, keeping a running count of state license plates and teasing little sister to death were others.

Getting to eat out and order from menus also was special; we rarely dined away from home for 51 weeks of the year.

So, imagine our delight when we first laid our eyes on the orange-roofed landmark that was Howard Johnson's. We got the idea right away that this was fancier than anything we were used to. Sure, there were Golden Arches, but it wasn't a given that they'd be at the end of every exit ramp.

The second irresistible attraction was the notion of 28 flavors of ice cream. We wouldn't have been able to bet that that many even existed. We knew nothing of Baskin or Robbins at that point. Their superior 31 flavors may have been sold on Mars, for all we knew.

Can I recite every enticing entree on a HoJo menu? Heck, no: That was 50 years ago. Anyway, we probably were limited to hot dogs when we badgered Mom to badger Dad to turn into a HoJo parking lot. I believe the buns were toasted and the treat was served in a special cardboard sleeve. Couldn't tell you what else was on the menu or even how often we scored an ice cream cone.

Even though we found our way to a counter or booth at HoJo's now and then, I don't think we ever stayed at their "motor lodges." Apparently, they were too classy to refer to them as motels.

The vacation trips stopped about 1967, with the Expo 67 world's fair in Montreal. By then, the HoJo novelty had worn off, and the car now was filled with snotty teenagers. There were more than 600 Howard Johnsons by then, but Mickey D's and other chains had won our attention. Many, many other American travelers were feeling the same way: Between the increased fast-food competition and the 1970s gas shortages, Howard Johnson's took a real hit.

By the end of the 1970s, HoJo was sold to a British firm, and later to Marriott and then other distant corporations.

You probably noticed the news recently that the next-to-latest Howard Johnson, in Bangor, Maine, will close in September. The Lake George, N.Y., unit will be the only orange roof left. Photos show the signs reading "Last one standing."

I'm willing to bet no self-respecting, 21st-century pre-teen will be as wowed by the Lake George HoJo as we were back then.
VIA transit officials are seeking to raise local taxes to build exclusive bus lanes, and possibly light rail, in major corridors throughout San Antonio. This sounds a lot like the light-rail tax that voters defeated and the ATD tax that voters approved but hasnt delivered the advanced transportation or roads that were promised.

What VIA fails to see  or hopes taxpayers wont see  is that transit is not only irrelevant to most San Antonians today, it will be even more irrelevant in the years ahead.

VIAs Vision 2040 plan notes that San Antonios population may grow 80 percent by 2040, which means that the sales tax revenues that provide VIA with most of its funding will also grow by at least 80 percent. But VIA wants more so it can build its own network of transit routes and traffic signals to give its buses (and rail cars) priority over everyone else at intersections.

But before taxpayers invest millions or even billions in a system like this, we must understand that San Antonio transit carries less than 1 percent of the regions motorized passenger travel (and virtually none of its freight). Census data indicate that just 2.7 percent of the regions commuters take transit to work. Surprisingly, only about a third of workers who live in households without cars take transit to work  showing that transit doesnt even work for most people without cars.

VIA brags that it carries 42 million trips a year, which sounds impressive, but it isnt. San Antonio streets and highways carried 26.2 billion passenger miles of travel compared to VIAs 210 million passenger miles. Taxpayers could eliminate VIA tomorrow and no one would notice the slightest change in traffic congestion.

Exclusive busways (or rail lines) might give a few people an expensive alternative to driving in traffic, but they will make congestion worse for everyone else. This is especially true if they take lanes now used by general traffic, but even if they build new lanes, giving buses or trains priority at traffic signals would increase delays for both cross traffic and traffic parallel to the transit line. With transit carrying less than 1 percent of travelers, it makes no sense to make congestion worse for the other 99 percent.

Federal Transit Administration data indicate that VIA bus fares per passenger mile in 2014 were a third less than the national average and cover just 15 percent of operating costs, while San Antonio taxpayers pay most of the rest. Despite low fares, VIA buses are almost 20 percent emptier than the national average, carrying fewer than nine people on average at any given time during the day.

Because its buses are so empty, VIA is not as green as its boosters claim. Per passenger mile, VIA buses in 2014 consumed far more energy and emitted far more greenhouse gases than the average transit bus nationwide, which in turn used more energy and emitted more greenhouse gases than the average automobile.

Things are only going to get worse for VIA as shared, self-driving cars are likely to soon replace transit in most cities. Ford recently announced it would have fleets of completely self-driving cars in American cities by 2021. Even if that is optimistic, it is clear that self-driving cars will revolutionize urban travel long before 2040.

Per passenger mile, VIA spends almost four times as much moving people on buses as Americans spend on driving. When shared, self-driving vehicles can take people door-to-door for less than the cost of public transit, why subsidize transit? And if transits future is uncertain, why should San Antonians pay more taxes to build expensive transit infrastructure that 1 percent will use?

Randal OToole is a senior fellow with the Cato Institute.
The doom and gloom erupting after insurance giant Aetnas departure from the exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act is overblown. That doesnt mean, however, that there arent things that the administration and a sensible Congress can do to improve the program.

Insurance companies have been exiting the exchanges  citing losses  and others are asking for steep hikes in premiums. Texas passed on creating its own exchange (or expanding Medicaid as an option), but ACA consumers in Texas use a federal exchange.

There are problems in the ACA, but correctable ones.

We note that existing subsidies, even with premium hikes, reduce the costs of insurance for qualified applicants. The Obama administration reported that the average premium in the ACA rose to $408 in 2016, but 83 percent pay far less because of financial assistance. With tax credits, they pay $113 a month.

But even this amount can pose a problem, as deductibles factor in. The governments plans to create more ACA options with standard deductibles, maximum out-of-pocket spending limits and co-payments will help on the cost side. But increasing the subsidies altogether could help more.

The private insurance companies complain that consumers attracted to the exchanges are sicker than anticipated, not balanced out by the entry of healthier consumers into the system. But this is likely temporary, occurring at the moment because the federal government has not adequately marketed the responsibility to buy insurance or trumpeted the penalties for not doing so. It must.

Private health insurers are a necessary part of ACA. But in those areas where company departures from the exchanges result in no options, these consumers should be extended a public option. This would allow providers such as Medicare to compete in those area where competition is lacking.

Heres where a sensible Congress comes in. The present Congress has shown no interest in a public option. That, however, could change after the November election.

The administration estimates that 20 million people have gained coverage under the ACA. The uninsured rate has fallen to less than 10 percent. Scrapping the ACA is not an option. Making it better is.
The fresh field of candidates who filed for the South San Antonio School District board this week offers a glimmer of hope for the future of this dysfunctional school district.

Eligible voters in this election cant afford to sit it out. The district is in a downward spiral, and voter apathy could prove devastating to public education in this community.

The civic-minded individuals who filed for the four seats on the ballot are to be commended for taking on the political machine that has the district in a tight grip. School board political campaigns in South San have a notorious reputation for being nasty. The questionable tactics have intimidated many in the past from seeking public office.

This district is in dire need of change. It has been operating since February under a conservator appointed by the Texas Education Agency. Regrettably, there are no signs of improvement, according to the conservators latest report.

The board majority led by longtime board member Connie Prado continues to micromanage. Instead of working with the conservators recommendations, the majority has been publicly disrespectful of the conservator and chosen to challenge her authority.

Without a breath of fresh air on this board, a takeover by the state education agency appears inevitable.

Only two incumbents are on the ballot  Prado and Stacey Estrada, an associate of Prados. Trinidad Mata, who has served on the board for 18 years, filed but withdrew his candidacy. Part of the board minority, Mata said he filed for re-election reluctantly but felt comfortable dropping out when a respected member of the community stepped up to seek the position.

Carlos Longoria did not file for re-election, but his mother is seeking his seat.

As with most South San elections, the candidates in the single-member districts are divided down the middle. There are those who are aligned with the Prado camp and those who are not.

This is a high-stakes election, and voters will serve their community best by examining the candidates thoroughly.

The district needs a board that can work together  and one that takes the conservators recommendations seriously  if there is any hope of avoiding takeover by the state.
MONTICELLO  Tony Galbo spends most of his nights lying on the floor by pictures of his deceased 5-year-old daughter, Gabby, crying and thinking about what could have been done to prevent her death.

Tony visits Gabbys grave several times a day. He keeps count in his head of how many days its been since her death and still has a chocolate shake bought for Gabby in the freezer at his home.

Tonys wife, Elizabeth, replays the events that led to her death and a thought persists: What if I had done something else? Could I have saved my daughters life?

Four years after Gabbys tragic death from sepsis -- a progressive shutdown of the bodys organs and systems caused by inflammation following infection that enters the blood -- the Galbos are still grieving.

They're also angry. The couple sued Carle Foundation Hospital, which settled the case and paid out $4 million. But money isnt what the Galbos wanted.

My intention was never to sue for money, Tony said. I wanted prosecution, and I wanted their licenses. But thats not what my lawyer wanted. We had many arguments about it, but thats the way it was. He said I could take it up with a states attorney, but he highly doubted theyd do anything.

But there was no confidentiality agreement with the settlement, so were going to tell the story of what happened to our daughter.

Carle declined to comment, but released a statement on behalf of the hospital and physicians involved:

"Out of respect for the Galbo family, we will not discuss details of the litigation. We strive to provide the best care possible for all of our patients, all of the time. However, sometimes there are complicated health issues that result in unexpected outcomes. We always evaluate care and processes when concerns are identified, with the intent of continually improving care.

"The legislation, called Gabbys Law, has highlighted the issues surrounding medically complex patients and will add to the robust work already under way at Illinois hospitals."

The Galbos have found ways to channel their anger. They urged the Illinois General Assembly to draft a bill requiring hospitals to use evidence-based protocols for the early recognition and treatment of patients with sepsis. The bill, called Gabbys Law, was signed into law Aug. 18 by Gov. Bruce Rauner at Presence Hospital in Urbana.

But even Gabbys Law doesnt make the Galbos feel any better.

People hear our story and think it wont happen to them, Tony said. It happens, and its not OK. I cant accept it. Ill never accept it.

Biggest lullaby

On Monday, April 30, 2012, Gabby began complaining of chest pains.

She was laying in my arms and says, Dad, my chest hurts,  Tony said. I felt her chest, and her heart was beating pretty fast.

Gabby slept between her parents that night. She woke at 4:30 a.m. with a 102-degree fever and saying it hurt when she inhaled.

Over the next three days, Gabbys fever went up and down, spiking as high as 105. The Galbos took her to Carle Clinic pediatrician Dr. Jane Striegel twice, and once to Kirby Medical Center in Monticello. Striegel first tested her for strep (it was negative), then on the second visit diagnosed an atypical coxsackievirus -- hand, foot and mouth disease is an example.

(Striegel) told us Gabby would be fever-free by Saturday or Sunday, and in the meantime, just try to keep her comfortable, Elizabeth said.

The Galbos heeded Striegels advice the next two days. Gabbys fever continued and she began developing pain in her legs and abdomen, along with a rash. She became disinterested in eating and drinking.

By Saturday, May 5, Gabby wasnt feeling any better. When Elizabeth took her temperature at 9 p.m., it was 106. They rushed her to the Carle emergency room, where blood work was ordered.

Five-and-a-half hours after seeing the initial doctor, Dr. James Thomas entered Gabbys room at 3:30 a.m. and the Galbos asked about the blood work.

He said the blood work was fine, Elizabeth said. My sister-in-law (Paris) had come to the hospital and she asked him, What about the fever and the rash? He said it was going to take time. Its a virus. He told us fevers can reach 106, 107, 108 and even 110.

The Galbos were never shown the actual results of the lab, but after Gabbys death, they obtained the report. The numbers that stand out most to the Galbos now are Gabbys platelet levels. They were at 80,000. Normal is between 150,000 and 400,000. Her bands were at 23 percent. More than 10 percent is generally a sign of infection.

If you go through here and look at the 25 labs, 18 of them are flagged, Tony said. And the other seven are borderline. But the platelets and the bands, those were the big ones.

That blood work. That was our biggest lullaby.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

The following day -- Sunday, May 6 -- Gabbys fever had dropped under 100 for the first time in six days.

The pediatrician had said it may take until Sunday for the fever to go down, so I thought we were turning the corner, Elizabeth said.

But the next day, on Monday, a full week after first taking her to the doctor, the fever returned and Gabby showed no signs of improving. Elizabeth called Striegels office, and several hours later a nurse called Tony and told him to bring Gabby in the office to review her blood work from the weekends ER visit at Carle.

Dr. Striegel said it was a mess, Tony said.

The Galbos rushed back to the Carle ER, and Gabby was eventually admitted to the hospital, on the pediatrics floor. Overnight, Gabbys blood pressure dropped, and the Galbos began to panic.

The next day, on Tuesday, May 8, Dr. Ricardo Lema, the same doctor who first saw Gabby during her ER visit on Saturday and is Carles head pediatric intensivist, asked the Galbos if Gabby had played near any woods recently. They told her she had, near Elizabeths parents house.

Though no tick was ever found on Gabby, she was tested and found to have Rocky Mountain spotted fever  a tickborne illness that's considered rare and was never previously mentioned to the Galbos as a possible diagnosis.

The Galbos, though, didnt make the same mistake twice. Eleven months after Gabbys death, their daughter Nina, 8 years old at the time, found a tick on her leg. They took her to Kirby and Tony insisted Nina be given doxycycline and also demanded the tick be tested.

Most doctors agree that doxycycline wont work until symptoms develop, but the Galbos didnt want to take any chances. Seven days after the tick was removed, Nina developed a rash around the bite. The next day, the Galbos were told the tick tested positive for Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Though Nina was never officially diagnosed with the illness, the Galbos believe she had it and that the doxycycline cleared it up.

If Rocky Mountain spotted fever is so rare, and it isnt around here, how do two of my kids get it? Tony said.

Tragedy

The same day Gabby was finally tested for Rocky Mountain spotted fever -- Tuesday, May 8 -- Tony overheard a doctor say Gabby was septic.

At 12:45 a.m., Elizabeth was told Gabby was going to be sedated and intubated, placing a plastic tube into the trachea to maintain an open airway. That was the last time the Galbos saw their daughter awake.

After the intubation, Gabby was taken by helicopter to OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria, with Elizabeth and Tony driving there as fast as they could. Once there, they were told Gabby was in septic shock, and it was serious.

I asked about the prognosis and was told, She has a high percentage of dying,  Elizabeth said.

For the first time -- it was now Wednesday, May 9, eight days after her first doctors visit -- Gabby was put on doxycycline. But at that point, sepsis had done its damage. The doctors in Peoria tried everything. Her blood was filtered, requiring incisions in her neck and later her liver. Shed also developed compartment syndrome from internal bleeding and swelling, and the next morning, Thursday, May 10, a surgeon cut into her abdomen to relieve the pressure.

My daughter, at this point, is being violated, but Peoria had no choice, Tony said. I refused to leave her side. Im singing and screaming and telling her to get back in her body.

Gabby was in an induced coma, but when nurses checked her eyes, they were fixed. Her brain was dying. A test was performed the next morning, on Friday, May 11, and there was no function or brain flow.

That was the final nail in my life, Tony said.

Tony held Gabby after she died, blowing on her hands and feet to try to keep them warm.

For Gabby

No family just gets over the death of a child, but the Galbos keep the wound wide open. Tony isnt the type of person to hide anything. He says what hes thinking, even when he shouldnt, raises his voice when he gets angry and sheds tears when he talks about Gabby.

This is what they dont see, on a daily basis, Tony said, grabbing a tissue to wipe his eyes. Were just so angry. Nobody knows what it does to a marriage and your relationship with your family. Its horrible.

The night Gabby died, Tony said he slammed on a table and said, No parent should ever have to do this. There should be Gabbys law. Every doctor has to review the blood work in front of the parents, with the parents. And at a certain level of sickness, a kid should have to be transferred to a specialty hospital.

When the Galbos reviewed Gabbys hospital records, they found that while Carle had an established sepsis protocol, it had no pediatric sepsis protocol.

They had no business taking care of my pediatric sepsis patient with no protocol, Elizabeth said.

At the same time they contacted a lawyer, the Galbos began talking to politicians about getting laws passed to protect children and parents from going through what they did. After they were rebuked at the federal level, the Galbos went to state Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth, and state Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, who sponsored the bill.

The process hasnt been easy. Its taken years, and the Galbos havent gotten everything theyve wanted. But theyve been persistent.

What Tony had hoped for is a parents bill of rights, which would include, among other changes, requirements that doctors review lab test results with parents or caregivers before children are discharged from hospitals. Hes still hoping for more, but did succeed in getting a bill drawn -- Senate Bill 2403, also known as Gabbys Law -- that requires every hospital in Illinois to implement evidence-based protocols for the early detection and treatment of patients with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock. It further requires the Illinois Department of Public Health to establish a sepsis information collection and reporting procedure.

Sepsis kills more than 258,000 people in the United States each year, making it the ninth-leading cause of disease-related deaths. It accounts for more deaths each year than prostate cancer, breast cancer and AIDS combined.

This legislation requires hospitals to take that extra step that could save someones life, Rose said. Sepsis can happen to anyone, so Gabbys Law is also creating more awareness of it and changing hospital protocols to improve the early detection and treatment of sepsis. If we can prevent just one family from having to deal with the pain that the Galbo family has gone through, then this legislation will have honored Gabbys memory well.

The bill was passed unanimously by the House and Senate in the General Assembly.

We did this for Gabbys name. We want her name to live on and for everyone to know what happened to her, Tony said.
Brigadier General Charles Kaneta has died.

He was 64.

He collapsed and died while at his farm in Nyanga yesterday.

Brig Gen Kaneta was the Director General Logistics at the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Headquarters.

In a statement last night, Brigadier General Augustine Chipwere, the Director General Policy, Public Relations and International Affairs at Zimbabwe Defence Forces Headquarters, said: The Zimbabwe Defence Forces would like to announce the untimely death of Brigadier General Charles Kaneta who was the Director General Logistics at the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Headquarters.

General Kaneta, 64, collapsed at his farm in Nyanga and was ferried to Hauna District Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival at around 12 noon on 10 September 2022.

Mourners are gathered at Number 7 Married Quarters Cranborne West, Harare.

 Herald

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Jerri-Lynn here. The Department of Justice (DoJ) has stepped up to address one of the more egregious ways the criminal justice system discriminates against poor people who have been arrested. In a friend-of-the court brief filed before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit earlier this month, the DoJ averred that a bail scheme that mandates payment of fixed amounts to obtain pretrial release, without meaningful consideration of

an individuals indigence and alternatives that would serve the Citys interests, violates the Fourteenth Amendment.

In the overall context of the DoJs track record on criminal justice and other issues during the Obama administration, its worth examining the details to see how significant the move really is. This Real News Network interview with University of Maryland law professor Doug Colbert delves into details.

Its worth noting that the position the DoJ has taken here is relatively costless to the agency. The Bail Reform Act of 1966 changed federal law and abolished bail conditions that discriminated against poor people who had been arrested. Before that act was passed, defendants in federal court were routinely jailed for failure to make bail, without regard for their indigence.

The DoJs brief concerns the bail practices of the city of Calhoun, Georgia. Yet it is up to state legislatures to change state laws and procedures. As Colbert notes in the interview, to do so would require challenging the interests of the lucrative bail bond industry and their legislative supporters.

JAISAL NOOR, REPORTER, TRNN: Another example of inequity in the countrys justice system, which after decades of advocacy has finally caught the attention of the justice department: cash bail, a system of forcing indigent defendants to put up money in exchange for pre-trial freedom. The government says it routinely violates the constitutional right of the people forced to pay it. The DOJ is weighing in as a result of the case of Maurice Walker, a resident of Calhoun, Georgia who was held in jail for six days because he couldnt afford $160 bail. [To sort out] the implications of what this means, and if it will truly effect change in an entrenched system, were talking to University of Maryland law professor Doug Colbert, who is also a longtime advocate of reform of this pre-trial detention system.

Thanks so much for joining us, Doug.

DOUG COLBERT: Youre very welcome.

NOOR: So I wanted to start off by getting your response to what the city of Calhoun, Georgia, the states sheriffs association, and a lobby group for bail bondsmen said. MSNBC quotes a system of unsecured recognizance bonds greatly reduces the incentive for defendants to appear. It thus simply cannot be any defendant arrested for any crime must be immediately released based on a bare assertion of indigence.

So basically what theyre saying is you cant trust poor people to show up for court. There has to be some type of incentive. How do you respond to those kind of arguments?

COLBERT: Well, the bail bond business is a very lucrative industry in our country, and people do not want to spend time in jail before trial, before theyve been found guilty. So people, even the poorest, the lowest-income working person is going to do his and her best to pay the bondsmens 10 percent non-refundable fee. Its a very big moneymaker in terms of the amount of money thats collected by bondsmen.

NOOR: Its a billion-dollar industry.

COLBERT: And I think throughout the country its much bigger than that, even. Because the idea is, I think what you have to ask yourself is, why should freedom depend on how much money a person has? Obviously the people who have the money are very much advantaged, and the people who are working and making enough to pay their rent and feed their kids. They dont have any extra money to give away in order to get someone out of jail.

So theyre at a big disadvantagepoor people, of course. Many of whomand homelessmany of whom are veterans and people who serve this country. They have no chance of making bail at all.

NOOR: So the counterargument, the supporters of bail, would say this is how you keep people from committing those crimes again, and its a way to keep dangerous people behind bars. How do you respond to those kind of arguments?

COLBERT: Well, if the idea is that people wont commit crime when theyre in jail, then I suppose thats a good argument for incarcerating everyone. You know, I dont think we really want to do that.

So what the bondsmen are doing are theyre defending the profitmaking system and the power they have. Bondsmen have more power than police officers do. They can enter our home whenever they want. They can arrest us. If I dont like the way youre looking at me right now I have the power to put you right back in jail. Its an archaic system, the system that really grew out of our 200 years of slavery, where we valued people owning property in other human beings.

So what were looking at now is a system where the only people who should remain in jail before trial are the people who must be there either because they can be shown to be a significant danger to other people if theyre let out of jail, or if theyre a significant risk of flight, of leaving, of not coming back, of not appearing in court. And in those two situations theres probably a very small group, in most jurisdictions itll be about 10-15 percent of people who are arrested, who must be denied bail. But the other 85-90 percent, they should not be held in jail for long periods simply because they dont have the money.

NOOR: And whats the significance of the Department of Justice weighing in on this? Its the first time, from my understanding, they have made this argument that its unconstitutional to do this to poor people in a federal hearing, in a written federal brief.

COLBERT: Its a huge step towards eliminating money bail or replacing it with an objective risk assessment that will tell us who is more likely not to return to court, whos more likely to commit a crime. Money has no relation to public safety. You know, you can be charged with a very serious, a severe assault, against a member of your family, and if youve got the money to get out of jail you pay it, and then you go right back to the same person, and maybe inflict another beating or worse.

So in terms of public safety, money is shown to have no nexus, no connection, to keeping people safe.

NOOR: And will this move by the federal government in this one instance, do you think thats going to translate into larger policy shifts? And what could the potential impact of that be on cities like Baltimore, where hundreds if not thousands of people remain locked up every night in the city because theyre unable to pay a cash bail, which isand also talk about how thats established, because from my understanding its up to the discretion of a judge or another entity. And like you were saying, theres no sort of objective basis for how thats set.

COLBERT: So its a huge step that the Justice Department has filed an amicus brief arguing that poor and low-income peoples equal protection is being violated. You see, when we talk about equal protection were saying that people who are similarly situated, who face the same consequences, they should be treated the same. They shouldnt be discriminated against so that youre favoring people who have wealth and disfavoring people who are struggling and who are poor. For the Justice Department of the United States to step in and say this system is fraudulent, its rigged, its manipulative, it discriminates, thats a big step towards places like Baltimore, like our own state of Maryland, of saying we can do a system thats much fairer and that protects the community.

NOOR: And so talk about what the potential impact could be for indigent people in this city how could that help their, you know, help them just in their daily lives? Because right now if youre locked up for weeks, days or weeks at a time, theres a good chance youre going to be losing your job, youre going to have seriousyou could have serious problems with your family, a whole other host of problems that could come up if you lose your freedom, before your trial even happens.

COLBERT: The impact on families and on communities generally is huge, because the family loses a breadwinner, a caretaker, loses somebody who they depend upon. And just think, even for a relatively low bail, a $5,000 bond, the bail bondsman collects $500. Its non-refundable. So youre giving away $500. If you take somebody whos earning $9-$10 in an hour, and if you know that their takehome every week is about $250, so on a monthly theyre getting $1000 that theyre earning. Theyre paying $500 of it to a bondsman. Wheres the rent money going to come from? Wheres the food budget? Where are the utilities?

So eventually people can lose their homes. Theyre going to be put out on the street. And of course, the kids are never going to get the nourishment that they need. So in the long run were really supporting a very selfish industry, one thats quite antiquated and one that should really be replaced.

NOOR: And theyre certainly going to be putting up a fight as this moves forward. So well stay updated with you and on this story, Doug.

COLBERT: Yeah, the bondsmen are one of the most powerful lobbying groups in our state legislature, and theres already been two commissions that have called for the end of money bail, the bondsmen. But that bill has not even seen the light of day because of the extraordinary power of bondsmen and their legislative supporters.
Ralph Maccarone: Betty Jane France Humanitarian Award finalist Meet Ralph Maccarone and his cause, Who We Play For. Ralph is one of four finalists chosen for the Betty Jane France Humanitarian award for his dedication to helping children.
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Majority of corn and canola seed in the U.S. treated with neonics

Why neonics threaten both honeybees and humans

Using chemicals to fight mosquitoes erodes honeybee protections

(NaturalNews) A widely used class of pesticides implemented in the U.S. over the last 20 years continues to threaten the survival of important pollinator insects, including honeybees . Neonicotinoids, or neonics for short, closely resemble nicotine, and are biologically active at very low concentrations. They're used in monoculture or chemical-based farming to ward off insects. Neonics work by adversely affecting the central nervous system of insects, binding to receptors "of the enzyme nicotinic acetylcholine," which excite the nerves and eventually cause paralysis and death.The pesticides are applied as a seed coating or sprayed directly onto the crop. Because they are systemic pesticides, neonics are taken up by the plant and transferred to its leaves, flowers, roots and stems, as well as the pollen and nectar.Nearly all of the corn seed used in the U.S. is treated with neonics, as is more than 90 percent of canola seed. Seeds coated with neonics are known to "dust-off" and contaminate other plants.Mounting research shows that honeybees are greatly affected by the nicotine-like pesticides."Analysis of crop reductions over time indicates that the states with drastic honey crop declines in recent years are those in the Corn Belt with the most widespread use of neonicotinoid treated seeds, including, but not limited to, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska," according to theHoneybees are especially vulnerable to the harms caused by neonics because they have more receptors than other insects.As a result, bees exposed to these pesticides experience all sorts of complications including impaired learning behavior, memory loss, lowered fertility and problems with foraging and motor activity, according to a report by Washington State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Neonics not only affect bees, but hurt other pollinators including bats, birds, beetles and butterflies.The threat neonics pose to honeybees is transferred to humans due to the fact that we greatly rely on the insects for food production. The Natural Resources Defense Council explains that honeybees are responsible for pollinating more than $15 billion worth of food crops each year in the U.S.Without bees, we wouldn't have foods like carrots, apples, avocados, broccoli, onions and many others.This of course, is not new information. In fact, Albert Einstein once said: "If the bee disappeared off the surface of the globe, then man would have only four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man."While many municipalities have agreed to scale back use of neonics on city parks and landscapes, the chemicals remain widely used in commercial agriculture.Another obstacle standing in the way of honeybee conservation is the exaggerated threat of infectious diseases spread by mosquitoes . The moment a new disease is introduced as a threat to the public limitations on neonics immediately get thrown out the window.Dispensing harmful pesticides in an effort to combat mosquitoes also impacts pollinator insects, including honeybees.Pesticides don't discriminate because they're designed to kill everything, Dr. Bruce Blumberg, the developmental and cell biology and pharmaceutical sciences professor at the University of California Irvine told"Aerial spraying of this toxic pesticide over all of Orange County for mosquito control is likely to harm more than the intended target," said Blumberg. "Bees and aquatic life are particularly at threat."The chemical he's referring to is called Duet, an endocrine disruptor that is currently being dumped by Orange County to combat Zika, and like neonics, it's not only toxic to pollinators, but aquatic life, as well.Until America decides to scale back its use of these dangerous pesticides inway, the general public is at risk of starvation. Dispensing chemicals to fight a disease that may or may not cause birth defects is not a valid reason to erode important protections put in place to protect our honeybees.
Women hit the streets of San Francisco Sunday with a little less clothing attached to their chests.

In a gender norms switcharoo, men sported string bikinis while the ladies enjoyed an afternoon free of shirts and bras at San Francisco's "GoTopless" day in an attempt to give women the same right as men to go topless in public, according to SFGate.

Although some law enforcement officials have reportedly tried to cover women up at past demonstrations, living topless is completely lawful in San Francisco, according to SFGate.

California also does not prohibit a top-free lifestyle as long as it is conducted in a non-offensive manner, SFGate reported. Confusion ensues when cities or particular agencies get involved and implement stringent regulations, which sometimes limit a person's ability to remove certain articles of clothing.

"GoTopless" day is celebrated on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day, which fell on Aug. 26 this year, according to SFGate. San Francisco's event was just one of several to take place across the country.
Italian authorities are vowing to investigate whether negligence or fraud in adhering to building codes played a role in the high death toll in last week's earthquake in Italy.

They also called for efforts to ensure organized crime doesn't infiltrate lucrative construction contracts to eventually rebuild much of the picturesque towns leveled in the disaster.

Meanwhile, rescue workers pressed on with the task of recovering bodies from the rubble, with hopes of finding any more survivors virtually vanished four days after the powerful quake.

Over the past two days, they found six more bodies in the rubble of Hotel Roma in Amatrice, the medieval hill town in mountainous central Italy that bore the brunt of destruction and loss of life in the powerful quake. They recovered three and by late Sunday were still working to retrieve others that were hard to reach.

It wasn't clear if those six were included in the overall 290 death toll given by authorities. The Civil Protection agency, which combines the figures it receives from different provinces affected by the quake, said the number is lower than the previous toll of 291 dead due to a correction in the numbers from the province of Rieti, where most of the victims died.

The quake that struck before dawn Wednesday also injured nearly 400 people as it flattened three medieval towns near the rugged Apennines. Prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva, based in the nearby provincial capital of Rieti, said the high human death toll "cannot only be considered the work of fate."

"The fault lines tragically did their work and this is called destiny, but if the buildings had been built like in Japan they would not have collapsed," Saieva said in comments carried by Italian media.

Investigations are focusing on a number of structures, including an elementary school in Amatrice that crumbled despite being renovated in 2012 to resist earthquakes at a cost of 700,000 euros ($785,000). With schoolchildren's summer vacations in their final weeks, the school wasn't yet in use. Many were shocked that it didn't withstand the 6.2 magnitude quake.

After an entire first-grade class and a teacher were killed in a 2002 quake in the southern town of San Giuliano di Puglia, Italian officials had pledged citizens that safety of schools, hospitals and other critical public buildings would be guaranteed.

Questions also surround a bell tower in Accumoli that collapsed, killing a family of four sleeping in a neighboring house, including a baby of 8 months and a 7-year-old boy. That bell tower also had been recently restored with special funds allocated after Italy's last major earthquake, which struck nearby L'Aquila in 2009.

Italy's national anti-Mafia prosecutor, Franco Roberti, also vowed to work to prevent organized crime from infiltrating public works projects which will be eventually begun to rebuild the earthquake zone.

"This risk of infiltration is always high," he said in comments Sunday in La Repubblica newspaper. "Post-earthquake reconstruction is historically a tempting morsel for criminal groups and colluding business interests."

Deadly quakes that have led to criminal investigations of suspicions ranging from misuse of funds or corruption involving awarding of construction contracts include the 1980 temblor in the Naples area and a 2009 quake in L'Aquila, central Italy.

Roberti noted he wasn't involved in the local prosecutors' probes into last week's quake. But he added that if buildings are well-constructed according to regulations for earthquake-prone zones, "parts of buildings can be damaged and cracked but they don't pulverize and implode."

Italy's national museums, meanwhile, embarked on a fundraising campaign, donating their proceeds Sunday to relief and reconstruction efforts in the quake-stricken areas.

Besides homes and low-rise apartment buildings, Wednesday's quake badly damaged scores of churches, town halls, bell towers and other centuries-old cultural treasures. The idea is to use art for art  harnessing the nation's rich artistic heritage to help repair and restore other objects of beauty in the hard-hit towns.

"It's a way to rediscover our cultural heritage, to give our small but significant contribution so that endangered artwork that was gravely damaged may have a new chance, be restored and recovered," Cristiana Collu, the director of Rome's National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art Museum, said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Also Sunday, Pope Francis told faithful in St. Peter's Square he hopes to soon visit people in the quake-ravaged regions to bring them "the comfort of faith."

Amatrice bore the brunt of earthquake's destruction, with at least 229 fatalities and its medieval heart nearly obliterated. Eleven others died in nearby Accumoli and 50 more in Arquata del Tronto, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Amatrice.

On Saturday, a state funeral took place for 35 of the victims in the town of Ascoli Piceno, which escaped the heavy damage of other towns in the region. That funeral involved most of the dead from Arquata del Tronto. Some of the dead from Amatrice were still in the town's makeshift morgue. Identified bodies were being kept in refrigerated trucks in an airport hangar in Rieti, 65 kilometers (40 miles) away. On Tuesday, a memorial service  without the bodies  will be held for the dead of Amatrice on the town's outskirts.

The last survivor was extracted from rubble on Wednesday evening, and hopes have virtually vanished of finding any living in the ruins.

The number still missing is uncertain, due to the many visitors seeking a last taste of summer in the cool hill towns when the quake struck.

The quake left a few thousands of people without homes, with nearly 2,700 hosted in a total of 58 tent "towns" set up on the outskirts of the ravaged areas, or improvised shelters, like a gym with a basketball court in Amatrice. Countless more who fled damaged homes -- or even the ones without any heavy damage -- went to stay with relatives in Rome and other Italian cities.
Chicago poet and hip-hop star Che Rhymefest Smith was robbed at gunpoint in Bronzeville early Saturday. And while the mugging was bad enough, the two-time Grammy winner said he was nearly thrown out of a police station when he tried to make a report.

Smith, who ran unsuccessfully for 20th Ward alderman in 2011, was clearly pained as he pecked out a string of messages on Twitter after the mugging, even showing concern for the masked man who made off with his wallet, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

But the rapper turned indignant in a tweet sent after he left the Chicago Police Departments Grand Crossing district station  a Tweet that included cell phone video of desk officers trying to turn him away.

Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted back an apology a few hours later: disappointing to say the least. On behalf of CPD, I apologize for how you were treated. We will be addressing this today.

Guglielmi later said that Chief of Patrol Fred Waller called Smith to apologize on behalf of the department for how he was treated and to let Smith know that detectives would begin investigating the robbery immediately.

Saturday evening, Smith said he was still sorting out the events of the day.

I went from having a guy holding a gun to my head, telling me today is the day Im going to die, to being treated like a criminal when I tried to make a report, Smith said.

Smith said officers working the desk were in no hurry to take his report when he arrived. When he sat down with an officer, she insisted he keep his hands where she could see them, and questioned his story: why hadnt he gone to a station closer to Bronzeville? Why hadnt the gunman taken his phone? She didnt seem to be taking down his answers.

I asked her, maam, are you going to write this down? Is there a form you want me to fill out? Smith said. She said, You dont ask the questions. I ask the questions.

When Smith asked to see her supervisor, the sergeant told him to leave. So Smith pulled out his phone and began filming.

You wonder we don't report crimes? The police treated me disgustingly pic.twitter.com/fY9VQrqDpz  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

I dont feel comfortable, Smith said on the video, as officers shout at him to shut off the camera. When the camera goes off, you start telling me to get out, I cant make a report.

Officers continue trying to get Smith to turn off the camera, but do concede that before he started filming the sergeant had told him to leave without taking his report. Smith kept the camera running until an officer agreed to take a report.

Smith said his encounter with police grew more congenial before he left, and that he was touched  and concerned  that the officer that finally took down his report admitted police have been desensitized to crime victims.

Amid the tension in the city between police and minority residents, Smith said he has staunchly defended police officers. Shortly before getting in his car Saturday morning, hed engaged in an hours-long text-message debate with a friend about police tactics and community relations.

I have police officers that I ride motorcycles with, that are my good friends, he said. Im not a rabble-rousing activist screaming epithets at the cops. I work with the police.

I wanted to make a report... when I walked through the door, it was like (the officers) didnt see me.

Smith said he didnt give officers any hint of who he was until he was about to leave.

I said Oh, by the way, I have two Grammys and an Oscar. And thats not it. I teach young people, I teach creative writing, Smith said, referring to Dondas House, a youth charity started in honor of Donda West, the late mother of his frequent collaborator, Kanye West.

And it was like, Now I got your attention. But not when I told you I had a gun to head.

Im sure theyre thinking, We messed up, because that was somebody, Smith said. But thats not how it should be. How would they feel if somebody that doesnt have my resources was treated the same way?

For the record, Smith said he would like to talk with Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson about his ordeal, and about the culture within the police department. And hed like the man that mugged him to turn himself in.

To the young brother that put the gun to my head this morning & took my wallet. You don't know how you just damaged your community.  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

I would like to help him. I would like to get him a job, rather than have him hurt someone, he said. But there has to be accountability, but I want him to know he doesnt have to walk that alone.
Chicago Police have issued a warning about two separate incidents in which a woman was woken up by a half-naked man in her bedroom, as well as an additional home invasion in the city's Wicker Park neighborhood.

All three incidents occurred on Friday, August 26, according to a release from the Chicago Police Department.

In the first incident, a woman was asleep in her home in the 1400 block of North Greenview Ave at 12:45 a.m. when she woke up to an unknown man standing at the foot of her bed with his pants down, police said. She pleaded with the man not to hurt her when he then stole several items and fled. Police believe he may have used the window to enter and exit the home.

That night, at 10:45 p.m., police said the victims were in their home in the 1200 block of North Wood when they hear noises coming from the rear bedroom. One of the victims went to investigate the noise and discovered that the bedroom door was locked. The victim then forced their way into the bedroom and saw that the suspect had escaped through the window.

Around 11:10 p.m., a woman was asleep in her home in the 1800 block of West Evergreen Ave when she was woken up by a man, naked from the waist down, on top of her and covering her mouth with his hand. While pleading for help, she was able to break free and the offender then fled from the bedroom window.

No one is in custody, and the suspect from both the Greenview and Evergreen incidents was described as a black man, thought to be in his 20s, according to police.

Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to call Area North Detectives at (312) 744-8261.
City leaders are preparing to spray for mosquitoes in a southwest Denton neighborhood after a resident contracted the Zika virus while traveling abroad.

The Denton County Health Department alerted the city about the case late Friday.

City spokesperson Lindsey Baker said in a press release Saturday that the patient recently traveled to Puerto Rico and may have contracted the virus there.

As a result, City Environmental Services Director Dr. Kenneth Banks has contacted a company to spray for mosquitoes in the area around the 1600 block of Buena Vista Drive.

Unlike West Nile virus spraying events, which have trucks fogging the neighborhood from the streets, Zika spraying requires an up-close approach.

Banks said the particular mosquitoes that carry Zika breed close to homes and dont fly far from that area. In order to spray for the bugs, crews actually have to enter private property and spray using handheld systems.

Saturday morning, firefighters from Denton Station 6 went door-to-door in the affected area and began asking permission from residents to spray on their properties.

Weve met with about 60 percent, said Banks. So far we have not had a refusal.

The firefighters left information sheets and notifications on the doors of the homes where there wasnt an answer, and Banks said they would circle back with those folks to ask their permission.

City leaders are preparing to spray for mosquitoes in a southwest Denton neighborhood after someone living their tested positive for Zika virus after recently traveling abroad.

If they are able to get all of the proper permissions and if the weather continues to cooperate, Banks hopes they will be able to conduct the spraying early next week, hopefully starting mid-morning on Monday. The mosquito that carries Zika is present during the daylight hours and requires the spraying during that time, said Banks.

City leaders do stress that the spraying is a precautionary move and that there has been no local transmission of the virus by mosquitoes; something they hope to avoid with this action.

How to Protect Yourself From Mosquito Bites

Dress in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent.

in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent. DEET : Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent.

: Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent. Drain standing water in your yard and neighborhood: Mosquitoes can develop in any water stagnant for more than three days.

It has been recommended in the past that to avoid mosquito bites you should avoid being outdoors during Dusk and Dawn (the 4 Ds). While this is true for mosquitoes that commonly carry the West Nile virus, other types of mosquitoes that are more likely to carry Zika, dengue and chikungunya are active during the day. When outdoors, no matter what time of day, adjust your dress accordingly and wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus as your first line of defense against insect bites.
A murder warrant has been issued Sunday for a pawn shop employee who they say fatally shot a man on the street last week.[[391542081,R]]

Dallas police said they are looking for 32-year-old Gerardo Garduno, who is currently free on bond for an aggravated assault charge related to the shooting.

Garduno, police said, was standing in front of the P&J Pawn Shop with another employee when 37-year-old Grant Pavlis walked by. Both Garduno and the other employee followed Pavlis until he stopped in the street and turned around. The witness told police that's when Garduno raised a handgun and shot Pavlis one time.

Pavlis was hospitalized Wednesday at Baylor Medical Center Dallas, though police said Sunday morning Pavlis died from his injuries on Friday.

A motive for the shooting has not been revealed.

Police said Garduno was arrested on an aggravated assault charge for the shooting and was free after paying $25,000 bond. He's currently at large. When he's taken into custody, he'll face a $150,000 bond for the murder charge.

Anyone with information on Garduno's location is asked to call the Dallas Police Department at 214-670-6178.
A Harvard Law School study reports that racial bias, over-aggressive prosecutions and inadequate representation for poor defendants plagues Harris County's handling of death penalty cases.

Juries in Harris County, where Houston is, have imposed the death penalty more than any other county in the U.S. since the 1976 reinstatement of the death penalty, though the report by the school's Fair Punishment Project notes that the number of death sentences has fallen from 53 in 1998 through 2003 to 10 since 2010.

Harris County was named one of 16 "outlier" counties in the U.S. where five or more death sentences were assessed in 2010-15. In the eight counties examined by the study, 41 percent of the death sentences were given to black defendants and 69 percent to minorities overall. In Harris County, all defendants condemned since 2004 are from minorities.

"When you look at what the death penalty actually looks like on the ground in Harris County, you see things that should disturb you. There's a pattern of overzealous prosecution that dates back for decades but is still present in the time period for the study, and is matched by under-zealous (defense) representation in cases," Rob Smith, one of the researchers on the project, told the Houston Chronicle (http://bit.ly/2brIHX6 ).

Harris County District Attorney Devon Anderson said her office is judicious in its use of the death penalty.

"When we seek death, it's because we have a solid guilt/innocence case and a very strong punishment case. The death penalty is only appropriate for the worst of the worst," she told the newspaper. She also said she doesn't know the race of a defendant or victim when she and four top staff members meet to discuss whether to seek the death penalty.

"I think it's very important that it be `blind' in that regard," she said.

Juries across the country are proving to be increasingly reluctant to sentence defendants to death, the report said, choosing instead the option of life imprisonment without parole.

The last Harris County trial in which prosecutors sought the death penalty ended in November, when 28-year-old Johnathan Sanchez was given life without parole. The last Harris County jury to assess a death sentence was in 2014, when Harlem Lewis was sent to death row for the slayings of Bellaire police officer Jimmie Norman and "Good Samaritan" Terry Taylor.

However, the Harris County District Attorney's office is now seeking the death penalty in two cases. Ronald Haskell, who is white, is accused of killing two adults and four children from his ex-wife's family in spring of 2014. David Ray Conley, who is black, is accused of killing last year his ex-girlfriend, her husband and six children, including his son.
A formal "flag-lowering" ceremony was conducted at an Orange County university Monday to honor an alumni killed in Afghanistan.

Army Staff Sgt. Matthew V. Thompson was killed last Tuesday in Helmand Province. The Special Forces soldier was 28 years old, an Irvine resident, and an alumnus of Concordia University in Irvine.

The university lowered its flag to half staff as taps is played Monday morning at the school. Words of remembrance were delivered by Christ College Dean Steve Mueller, and prayers offered by campus Pastor Quinton Anderson, the school said.

He was remembered for his service and integrity.

"Because he was one of ours, we wanted to make sure that we served him well here," said Steve Leader, veterans resource center manager at the campus.

Thompson is the second American soldier to die this year in Afghanistan, where about 10,000 U.S. troops are assisting the local forces oust Taliban guerillas.

Milwaukee television station WTMJ reports that Thompson had spoken with his wife in Minnesota two nights before he was killed, and said he was going on a dangerous mission. Rachel Thompson had met him at Concordia, and they married five years ago.
Though no longer a threat to directly strike South Florida, the effects of Tropical Depression Nine are expected to be felt over the next few days as the storm continues to survive in the Gulf of Mexico.

The storm, with winds over 35 miles per hour, is still poorly organized according to forecasters as it moves away from the Florida Straits and Cuba.

As of 5 a.m. EDT, the depression was centered about 155 miles (245 kilometers) west-southwest of Key West, Florida, and was moving west near 9 mph (15 kph)

As of 5 AM, the depression was centered about 155 miles west-southwest of Key West and was moving west near 9 mph.

Even with that, the storm could still become a tropical storm in the next 24 to 36 hours and continue on a path that could have it hit the Big Bend region of North Florida later in the week, possibly Thursday.

For South Florida, betweetn one and three inches of rain is expected over the next 48 hours, with some areas possibly getting even more. The heaviest storms are expected to bring winds between 35 and 40 MPH, while the rip current risk remains high on the beaches across the area.

Meanwhile, another tropical depression that formed west of Bermuda was moving toward the coast of North Carolina. That depression is expected to become a tropical storm overnight and threatens to bring wind and rain to eastern North Carolina.

The depression was centered about 230 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and was moving west-northwest near 10 mph.

A tropical storm watch was in effect for North Carolina's coast from Cape Lookout to Oregon Inlet.

Farther east, Hurricane Gaston has weakened a little as it drifted northward in the middle of the Atlantic.
What to Know Anthony Nazaire, 19, an Ithaca College student from Brooklyn, was fatally stabbed during a brawl on the Cornell University campus

A second student was stabbed during the fight and survived his wound

Ithaca police are examining video taken by onlookers' cellphones in an attempt to identify those involved in the fight

An Ithaca College student is dead and another injured after they were stabbed in a brawl early Sunday on Cornell Universitys campus, police and school officials said.

Officers located two males suffering from stab wounds at College Avenue and Campus Road around 1:57 a.m., the Ithaca Police Department said. Both were identified as students of Ithaca College.

Anthony Nazaire, 19, of Flatbush, Brooklyn, was taken to Cayuga Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police and family confirmed to NBC New York.

Nazaire's cousin, Channelle Nazaire, told NBC 4 New York that he was a sophomore studying business administration. She said he was an honors student and had a full scholarship.



"He stood out a lot in our family," Channelle Nazaire said.



The other victim, whose identity wasn't disclosed by police, was flown to Upstate Medical Center where he was treated and later released.

Many people at the scene recorded the brawl on their cellphones, police said.

Police haven't said what prompted the fight, or how many people were involved, though both schools' announcements described the fight as large.

There is nothing more important than the safety of our community; as such, this incident is deeply disturbing, Ryan Lombardi, Cornells vice president for Student & Campus Life, said in a statement. "Support resources are available and details for how to access them can be found at the bottom of this message."

Meanwhile, Ithaca College said in a statement the institution is providing counseling assistance in lounges on campus. The school is also planning a larger community gathering.

Ithaca police are asking anyone who may have information about the incident to call 607-272-3245.
They took it off for equality.

Women around the country are taking off their tops on GoTopless Day, a day that promotes gender equality and women's rights to bare their breasts in public.

GoTopless Day is celebrated annually on the Sunday closest to Women's Equality Day, marking the day American women earned the right to vote.

A few dozen women, and some men, went topless as they walked down Broadway in New York City. Onlookers gawked and took photos as the parade participants went by.

A group of about 50 women and men were walking topless in the oceanside Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice, behind a giant, inflatable pink breast that had the phrase "equal topless rights" written on it. One marcher carried a sign that said: "My Body Is Not A Crime."

The events in New York City and Los Angeles were two of several planned for cities across the globe. Gatherings were planned in New Hampshire, Denver and more.

Nadine Gray, president of GoTopless, said she hopes the events will take away the shock and awe around seeing female breasts.

"This push for women to go topless in the 21st century is as strong as women wanting to vote in the 20th century," she said. "It may be sensual, but it's not illegal to be sensual."

The legality of women going topless varies by state.

Kia Sinclair is an event organizer for GoTopless Day at Hampton Beach in New Hampshire.

"It's in hopes to show people that it can be normal, that it's really not a big deal and it's not about getting attention or protesting," she said.

Sinclair was also part of a group of women who last year helped beat back an effort to criminalize toplessness in the state.
Friends and colleagues who knew two nuns killed in their Mississippi home are gathering Sunday to remember them, as authorities continue to investigate the harrowing crime that shocked people in the small communities where the women committed their lives to helping the poor.

Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, has been arrested and charged in the deaths of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill. The county sheriff said Sanders confessed to the killings although many people are struggling to comprehend why anyone would want to take the two women's lives.

A wake is scheduled to be held Sunday at the St. Thomas Church in Lexington where the women led Bible study. That will be followed by a mass Monday in Jackson.

The women's bodies were found in their Durant, Mississippi, home after they failed to show up for work Thursday at a health clinic in Lexington, about 10 miles away.

Willie March, the sheriff of Holmes County where the killings occurred, said Saturday that police work and tips from the community led police to Sanders. Authorities have said Sanders was developed as a person of interest early in the investigation.

He said he had been briefed by Durant police and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officials who took part in Sanders' interrogation and was told that Sanders confessed to the killings and gave no reason for the crimes. The sheriff said the investigation is ongoing.

Durant police could not be reached for comment Saturday. Warren Strain, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety which includes the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, said the organization would neither confirm nor deny that Sanders confessed.

Sanders had a criminal record.

He was convicted last year of a felony DUI, said Grace Simmons Fisher, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

He was later released from prison and is currently on probation.

Sanders was also convicted of armed robbery in Holmes County, sentenced in 1986 and served six years, Fisher said.

People who knew the nuns, known for their generosity and commitment to improving health care for the poor, have been grappling with why anyone would want to kill them.

Dr. Elias Abboud, the physician who oversees the clinic in Lexington where the nuns worked, said Saturday that Sanders was not a patient there.

The Rev. Greg Plata, sacramental minister at St. Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington where the wake is to be held, said he does not think people at the church knew Sanders.

Authorities said Sanders was being held in an undisclosed detention center pending a court appearance. They have not given any details on why they think Sanders killed the women or whether he knew them but they do say they believe he acted alone.

Strain said he does not know if Sanders has an attorney.

Merrill's nephew, David Merrill, speaking by telephone from Stoneham, Massachusetts, said Saturday the family was "thankful" Sanders is off the streets.

But the family still has to deal with the loss.

Merrill said he agrees with the idea of forgiveness and that is something his aunt would want for whoever killed her but he's not sure if he's capable of completely forgiving.

Merrill said he would not support the death penalty if Sanders were to be convicted but that decision will ultimately be made by the people in Mississippi. The capital murder charge leaves open the possibility Sanders would face the death penalty but that determination would be made by prosecutors later.

The order Held belonged to  School Sisters of St. Francis  thanked law enforcement officers working on the case and thanked people who offered prayers and support in the wake of the sisters' deaths.

In the poverty-stricken Mississippi county where the two nuns were slain, many people were still mourning their loss.

Jonell Payton, a Durant alderwoman, lives across the street and a few doors down from Held and Merrill's house. She said the nuns were "the most precious two people" and were known for helping provide medicine for those who couldn't afford it.

Both women worked at the clinic, where they gave flu shots, dispensed insulin and provided other medical care for children and adults who couldn't afford it.

The clinic and the nuns' home in Durant are in Holmes County, population 18,000. With 44 percent of its residents living in poverty, Holmes is the seventh-poorest county in America, according to the Census Bureau.

The nuns' death leaves a gaping hole in what was already a strapped health care system.

The clinic provided about 25 percent of all medical care in the county, Abboud said.

Associated Press writer Steve Karnowski contributed to this report.
A 28-year-old man has been charged with beating his mother and father to death inside the family's West Deptford, New Jersey, home, police said.

Ryan Coles faces homicide charges in the deaths of Edward and Rosemarie Coles.

A member of the family found the couple's bodies after stopping by their Pennfield Drive home Friday. Police said they went to the house after being unable to get hold of them over the phone Thursday night.

Police said Ryan Coles was in the house when they arrived. He was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation and later charged in the deaths. He was placed in Salem County Jail Saturday on default of $1 million bail. It's not clear if he has retained an attorney.

Family photo / West Salem Correctional Facility

An autopsy performed Saturday determined the couple died from blunt head trauma and their deaths were ruled a homicide.

Edward, 58, and 55-year-old Rosemarie Coles formerly owned a well-known music store  Coles Music Service  in the community.

"It's been a shock. It's been a rough day," said Lauralee Houghton, Ed's cousin. She bought the business from him in 2012, but he regularly worked in the store fixing instruments, she said.

"We have customers come specifically to us because of Ed's work and reputation," she said. "I'll just miss Ed's sense of humor."

Houghton said she didn't know Ryan well and that she never worked with him.
A man was killed while another is in the hospital following a double shooting in the Brewerytown section of Philadelphia.

The 25-year-old man and 45-year-old man were on the 1700 block of N. Newkirk Street at 9:24 p.m. Saturday when a gunman opened fire. The 25-year-old man was struck once in the chest and the 45-year-old man was struck once in the chest as well. They were both taken to Hahnemann Hospital.

The 25-year-old man was pronounced dead at 10:15 p.m. Officials have not yet revealed the 45-year-old mans condition.

The shooting occurred around the same time a 24-year-old man was shot in the head on the 1900 block of Colonial Street in West Oak Lane. He was taken to Einstein Hospital where he is currently in critical condition.

No arrests have been made in either shooting.




Debra Guedry has lived in her Denham Springs, Louisiana, home for 10 years. She didn't want to leave when the flood waters came knocking on her door.

"We watched it," she said. "The water was pouring into the neighborhood. You could just see it. But my daughter said, if we don't leave now, we won't get out at all."

The flooding devastated a swath of Louisiana near Baton Rouge, blamed for 13 deaths and displacing thousands, like Guedry and her husband.

Along with their daughter, they rushed around to place furniture up onto risers or chairs in hopes of saving it before a neighbor took them to safety in his boat.

Guedry had promised her elderly neighbors she wouldn't leave without them, and convinced the neighbor with the boat to rescue the older couple as well.

The six of them floated down the street of their immaculate 40-home community out over the 6-foot high wrought iron entrance gate and down the road until the boat couldn't go any further.

Sara Smith

When the family and their neighbors had to abandon the boat, Guedry, who stands a slight 5-foot-4 at best, said the water was up to her chest and she was worried about her elderly neighbors.

"All I could think was, the water was going so fast," she said. "How are we going to keep them standing?"



They interlocked arms and waded out.

"We're fortunate we all survived it," Guedry said as she stood on the back porch of her home, where the family has collected the items they think can be salvaged, including a gorgeous wooden king-sized bed frame, a wardrobe and a coffee table.

Guedry's newly married daughter Erin Cleveland said they were trapped because the interstates and roads leading to her home and any other relatives' homes were all blocked. The family, along with Cleveland's husband Ryan, camped out at Cleveland's photography studio on air mattresses for three days until they could get out.



On Saturday at dinner time, Red Cross trucks drove through the streets announcing hot meals. It's one of the many organizations providing help following the devastating flooding. Guedry had a bucket with a Red Cross on it, saying it was topped off to help them clean up. She's thankful for any help that comes by as the four of them work tirelessly to get the home ready for repairs.



"It's been a whirlwind of emotions," Cleveland said, holding two hot meals she just took from the truck. "It just came out of nowhere."

Cleveland said they really had no warning that the water would reach them the way it did.

Cleveland's home stayed dry and that's where the Guedrys are sleeping, on their daughter's sofa and chair until they find a more permanent solution.

While the family said they're working night and day, it could be a year before they're back in their home, and they know it will be a house without furniture.

Their flood insurance will only cover the structure, not the contents, which are piled over six feet high along the curb.



It's a story told over and over along the streets of so many towns in Louisiana reeling from a deadly and devastating flood.

Volunteers from our area are in Louisiana tonight helping victims after flood waters ravaged the state. NBC10s Sara Smith has been in the state documenting efforts to help people recover.
Say goodbye to your basic breakfast menu, and hello to a more gourmet one. A North Carolina-based "better breakfast" chain has inked a deal for its first restaurant in the Philadelphia region.

Charlotte, North Carolina-based Famous Toastery has multiple locations in the country, none of which are in Pennsylvania, although the company last November signed a franchise agreement to open multiple locations in the Philadelphia region.

And now we know where the first Famous Toastery in the state will be.

The company signed a lease to open its first location in the state and region at the Main Street at Exton shopping center in Chester County, which is not too far from the Exton Square Mall and the Whiteland Town Center.

The restaurant menus feature items consumers would find in a typical breakfast eatery but includes gourmet additions like avocado omelets and lobster eggs Benedict.

To read the full story, click here.

For more business news, visit Philadelphia Business Journal.
Authorities say a man and woman found dead in a central Pennsylvania motel room apparently died of drug overdoses.



The (Pottsville) Republican-Herald reports that officers were sent to the Pottsville Motor Inn just before 10 p.m. Thursday after the two were found unresponsive.



The Schuylkill County coroner's office said 31-year-old Charles Harig III and 26-year-old Brittany Guris were pronounced dead at the scene.



Police chief Richard Wojciechowsky said the two apparently died of an opiate overdose. He said security video indicated that no one else had contact with the pair after they checked in.



The chief said laboratory tests are pending and the investigation is continuing.
A former suburban Philadelphia judge has been sent to prison, ending her efforts to avoid incarceration while she is treated for breast cancer.

Rita Jo Ann Arnold, 60, was sentenced in October 2013 to 16 to 32 months in state prison, more than double the term called for under state sentencing guidelines.

The former Chester County district judge pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and records tampering after authorities said she concealed a harassment citation against her son.

A Philadelphia judge hearing the case denied motions Thursday to overturn the sentence, and Arnold was then taken into custody and taken to Chester County prison.

Defense attorney A. Charles Peruto Jr. said his client, who underwent a double mastectomy, was "very, very upset, mostly because of her health issues," fearing she wouldn't get proper treatment in prison. But he said she realized that there was "no other avenue" for appeal to avoid the prison sentence.

A state Superior Court panel upheld the sentence in November, and the state Supreme Court earlier this month declined to hear the case. Both Arnold and her husband testified that she had been told by her former attorney that she was likely to get only "a taste of jail," but the judge said her open plea left the sentence up to him.

The hearing was attended by several of Arnold's current and former colleagues, including retired judge Dawson Muth, who had represented Arnold before the Judicial Conduct Board and called her "one of the most compassionate and caring persons you would ever meet.

"I think the judge was trying to send a message with his sentence, but I don't think that message needed to be sent," Muth, now a defense attorney, said Friday. "She lost her job, she lost her reputation, she lost her pension, and she lost her health benefits. She lost everything. I think that is enough to send a message to other judicial officers."
An off-duty Trenton police officer's altercation with a man Saturday night ended with the man dead of a gunshot wound to the chest, New Jersey authorities said.

Officials with the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office said the incident unfolded about 9:50 p.m. on Roosevelt Street near West Ingham Avenue. Alfred Toe, 34, his brother Constantine Toe, 30, and the off-duty officer were attending a repast celebration following a funeral earlier in the day, according to witnesses.

"He was with us drinking," said James Alpha, Toe's friend. "Nobody knew he was an officer."

Officials say Alfred Toe got in a dispute with someone else at the party. He then allegedly went into his brother Constantine's car to grab a gun. That's when Constantine Toe confronted him and tried to wrestle the gun out of his hand, officials said. During the struggle, Constantine was shot in the hand but managed to get the gun away from his brother, according to investigators.

Witnesses say the off-duty officer then confronted Constantine Toe and took the gun away from him. He then pulled out his own service weapon and held Constantine Toe on the ground. Witnesses say that Alfred Toe, who did not know the man was a police officer, then jumped in and tried to grab the officer's gun. That's when the off-duty officer opened fire, according to the witnesses.

[NATL] Top News Photos: Pope Visits Japan, and More

"Next thing, pow! Everybody dropped!" Alpha said. "What's that for? How can I tell this man in sneakers is a regular police officer when you don't have your badge on? How can I tell?"

Alfred Toe was struck once in the chest. He was taken to the hospital where he later died from his injuries.

Friends of Toe told NBC10 they believe he would have acted differently if he had known the man was a police officer.

"Did you make it known to him that you were an officer? A peace officer in the city of Trenton?" asked George Weah. "You did not make it known to him. He sees you in civilian clothes on top of his brother. Mind frame? I have to get you off my brother. You have a gun at the back of my brother's head."

Officials have not identified the officer. Toe's friends are demanding a full investigation and want to know whether or not the officer was legally drunk during the incident.

"It's not only when a white cop shoots a black guy that everybody's eyes should be all over the place," said Michael Blidi, a friend of Toe's. "This is a black on black thing."

The Mercer County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the shooting.
As Seen On
A construction worker is recovering after falling into a 7-foot trench in Montgomery County.

The worker was operating a Bobcat machine while doing excavation work at a building on Taft Court in Rockville, Maryland, on Sunday.

Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman Pete Piringer said on social media the Bobcat suddenly lurched forward, falling into the hole.

The heavy piece of machinery fell on top of the man inside the trench, Piringer said.

It took two hours for rescuers to get the man out. Piringer said the worker sustained non-life threatening injuries during the accident.
Washington, D.C., officials say they know what caused the city's 911 system to fail late Saturday night, but they are still trying to find out why it happened.

Chris Geldart, director of the District of Columbias Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, said Sunday the system was down for about 90 minutes due to an equipment failure inside the system.

We know exactly what in the system failed, Geldart said. We want to know why it failed.

Power failed after 11 p.m., and was back in service by about 1 a.m., officials said, including Mayor Muriel Bowser, who tweeted updates during the outage.

Geldart said power from Pepco flowed normally into the system and was not the source of the failure. Once the power came into the system, all the power boxes failed at the same time.

Geldart said it was not a normal type of failure, but there was nothing nefarious about it, and there was no hacking into the system. He said his agency will conduct a review to find out what caused the failure.

Officials did not have an accurate number of missed calls during the outage. The fire and EMS department said they received 30 EMS calls and five fire calls to the 10-digit backup number used during the outage. The police department said they had five dispatch calls.

The system is fully functional, both primary and backup.
A tropical system has formed off in the Atlantic Sunday and may have North Carolina in its sights.

The National Hurricane Center reported at 5 p.m. the storm had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was moving west at 9 mph. It is officially called "Tropical Depression Eight," but the projections have it gaining in strength and becoming a tropical storm sometime on Monday.

The NHC potential track has the storm brushing up against or overwhelming the Outer Banks in North Carolina before turning to the northeast sometime on Tuesday. Part of the potential track has the storm reaching some inland parts of North Carolina.

By Wednesday morning, the storm is expected to be well away from land, in line with the opening of the Chesapeake Bay. Wind projections indicate parts of Virginia and Maryland could get tropical storm force winds sometime on Wednesday.

On Thursday morning, it is expected to steer well clear of any land in the north Atlantic.

Hurricane Gaston also grew in strength, becoming a category 2 with sustained winds of 105 mph. However, it is not expected to come anywhere close to the United States, staying well east of Bermuda before heading off to the northeast.

The NHC is also keeping an eye on a disturbance in between Florida and Cuba. While it isnt in a good spot for formation, the projections have it continuing into the southern Gulf of Mexico, where it could gain strength.
Police in Waltham, Massachusetts, have located a woman who had been missing since Saturday.

Authorities said 79-year-old Elaine Libertini, who suffers from memory loss and dementia, was last seen driving in Boston's Seaport District.

She was located in Belmont late Sunday afternoon.

Police are thanking the public for sharing social media posts so that they could bring Libertini home.
One teenager was killed and another was hospitalized early Saturday morning in an alleged drunk driving crash in Lunenburg, Massachusetts.

According to Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr., the driver of the car, Joseph Kapp, 19, of Gardner, lost control of a Mitsubishi Lancer and struck several trees on Hollis Road.

Authorities said Austin J. Robbins, 18, of Lunenburg, died at the scene. A second passenger, Sean McNiff, 19, of Lunenburg, was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

The principal of Lunenburg High School, Brian Spadafino, released a statement on Robbin's death:

"The Lunenburg School Community is deeply saddened by the loss of Austin 'AJ' Robbins. AJ had an infectious personality and a smile that could light up the room. He was passionate about football and cared deeply for his teammates and coaches. AJ had a big heart and a beautiful spirit. He will be missed by his classmates, friends, and the faculty and staff of the Lunenburg Public Schools. Our deepest sympathies go out to the Robbins family."

Kapp was not hurt in the crash. Authorities said he was later arrested and charged with motor vehicle homicide by operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation causing serious bodily injury and operating under the influence of alcohol. He is being held on $10,000 bail pending his arraignment Monday in Fitchburg District Court.
An arrest warrant has been issued for a Massachusetts woman wanted in connection with a hit-and-run in West Yarmouth earlier in the week.

Police said after posting a picture on the department's Facebook page that the victim was able to take of the driver and her passenger, the image was shared more than 2,000 times. Authorities were then able to identify the driver as Erica Lopes, 31, of Yarmouthport.

Police said Lopes has a suspended license and an outstanding warrant for her arrest on prior motor vehicle charges.

At this time, police said there are no charges for her passenger, Patti-Ann Pond.

Lopes is facing charges of operating without a license and leaving the scene of an accident.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to call Yarmouth Police at 508-775-0445 ext 2340.
Firefighters spent much of Sunday afternoon battling a massive blaze at a building in Southbridge, Massachusetts.

The fire started in a 13-unit rooming house on the two upper floors of the building on Central Street and quickly reached 6-alarms.

Fire officials said the nature of the building made it a difficult fire to fight.

"You can see from the building there's not a lot of space," said Fire Chief Mark DiFronzo. "The alleys are very narrow. The building has been modified and remodeled a number of times. There's three or four different ceilings, void spaces, there's rooms that were created after room. So it's a very difficult job for the firefighters to even get inside."

One firefighter was transported to an area hospital with non life-threatening conditions.

More than a dozen people who lived in the apartments were displaced.

Jackie Szymczak, who works at the coffee shop on the bottom level of the building said she saw the first flames in the alley.

"It went right up the electrical wiring, right to that building," said Szymczak.

At least 8 businesses damaged by the fire.

"I've been here for 9 years and now I can't even get in to get to work," said Szymczak.

The cause of the blaze is still under investigation but authorities believe it may be suspicious.

Later in the day, another fire broke out at a 3-story home on Benefit Street, a short distance away. The blaze displaced 8-10 families. Officials are now investigating to see if the two fires are related.
A Massachusetts man is being held without bail in connection with the fatal shooting of a man last week in Dorchester.

On August 20, police responded to a call for a person shot in the area of 6 Dudley Terrace at 12:05 a.m. When officers arrived, Ailton Goncalves, 35, was dead and a woman was suffering from life threatening injuries.

Authorities said Saturday that they arrested Aaron Almeida, 22, of Hyde Park, in the area of Morrissey Boulevard and Neponset Avenue at 10:45 a.m.

Almeida appeared in Dorchester District Court Monday on charges of murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was ordered held without bail and will return to court on October 5.

Police said they are actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident.
A New Hampshire man was arrested after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in a vehicle, according to the Hooksett Police Department.

Police received a report of a man in a Toyota RAV4 hitting a female passenger at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Officials found the vehicle on Riverside Drive.

An investigation reveals the driver, 23-year-old Raymond Smith, and his girlfriend got into an argument over a text message at Regal Cinema. When the woman refused to get into Smith's vehicle, he picked her up and put her in the passenger's seat. Smith took the woman's phone and slapped her leg, according to police.

Medical attention wasn't needed.

Smith was arrested and charged with false imprisonment, two counts of domestic violence related simple assault and two counts of simple assault.

Smith was released on $6,000 personal recognizance bail and ordered to appear in court Monday.
Is Wisconsin really in the cellar when it comes to new business creation?

Some local entrepreneurs say a study that shows startup activity in the state lags behind every other state in the U.S. just cant be true while others say politics and outdated attitudes are indeed holding back progress.

Wisconsin remains dead last in business startup activity, for the second year in a row, a report by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation says, even though nationwide, entrepreneurial activity grew for the second straight year.

The Milwaukee area  the only Wisconsin metro area on the list  is second to last among the 40 cities ranked, ahead of only Pittsburgh.

The gloomy analysis for the state persists even as Madison wrapped up the eight-day Forward Fest celebration of entrepreneurs, and even as new business accelerators were announced in Madison and Beloit.

Im surprised. You dont see Wisconsin ranked dead last in any other category that I can think of, said Pitt Fagan, vice president of data engineering for Earthling Interactive, who commented after Forward Fests closing social gathering Thursday evening on the Capitol Square.

But Fagan said Madison residents may have a skewed view.

Theres a tremendous amount of action in Madison, specifically, and a mixed bag elsewhere in the state, he said.

Preston Austin, a co-founder of Forward Fest, said he thinks Wisconsin deserves to get a black mark.

Wisconsin political leadership is obsessed with issues not related to economic growth, said Austin. He said the state Legislature has preempted the rights of local communities to make their own decisions on issues ranging from lodging to wage-and-hour laws.

The Republican Legislature needs to get out of the way, Austin said.

Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming were the top three states in the U.S. for entrepreneurship; Texas was No. 1 among the 25 largest states (including Wisconsin) and fifth, overall.

The figures are based on three metrics:

Rate of new entrepreneurs  the percent of the adult population that started a company in a given month. In Wisconsin, thats 0.19 percent, the Kauffman report says, compared with 0.5 percent in Montana.

Opportunity share of new entrepreneurs  the percent of new entrepreneurs who opened a business because they saw a market opportunity, not because they were unemployed and needed work. That was 74.19 percent in Wisconsin compared with over 90 percent in Ohio, Nebraska and North Dakota.

Startup density  the number of startups per 1,000 businesses. Startups are identified as companies less than one year old, with at least one employee in addition to the owner. Wisconsins startup density is 57.9 per 1,000 companies while the figure for Nevada and Florida was over 100 per 1,000 companies.

Some government and business leaders say the analysis is far too limited.

Mark Maley, communications director for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC), said startup activity is not the only relevant measure.

(The report) is overlooking other aspects of startup success, such as wages, employment and, most importantly, the long-term success of startups in each state, Maley said.

He said Wisconsin was seventh highest in the number of companies started in 2007 that survived at least six years and the state was No. 10 in the 10-year survival rate of businesses that started in 2003, according to 2013 figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Similarly, a report by the U.S. Small Business Administration shows 41 percent of companies that opened in Wisconsin in 2002 were still operating 10 years later, Maley said.

Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, said longevity is important to the economy.

Would you rather have 100 startups with an average lifespan of two years or 80 startups with an average lifespan of five years? said Still.

He said Wisconsin has at least 68 business accelerators, incubators and co-working spaces that give companies a stronger start. In the Milwaukee area, they include energy-based WERCBench Labs and the Water Councils The BREW.

The amount of resources available to entrepreneurs in Wisconsin is at an all-time high, Still said. There are lots of places for entrepreneurs to go and find help.

Bunker Labs and gBETA add accelerators

Madison already has a variety of programs to help would-be entrepreneurs get their business ideas off the ground, including gener8tor, Madworks, and the UWs D2P Discovery to Product program.

Now, Bunker Labs will add to the mix with its Innovator Academy in Madison. The 14-week program is aimed at veterans of the U.S. military and will start its first class in mid-September.

Our program is focused on providing veterans with world-class mentorship, access to investment capital and assistance in acquiring paying customers, said Michael Ertmer, executive director of Bunker Labs Wisconsin.

WEDC is providing a $95,000 grant to match private-sector contributions including those from JPMorgan Chase & Co.; ATT Wisconsin; and UW-Madisons University Research Park.

According to the Institute for Veterans and Military Families at Syracuse University, when World War II veterans came home, 49 percent started their own business. Among todays veterans, 25 percent say they want to start a company but only 6 percent do, Bunker Labs said.

Bunker Labs is a nonprofit based in Chicago with 12 affiliates nationwide, including the one in Madison.

The Innovator Academy is taking applications through Sept. 6 and is free for veterans and $955 for others.

Ertmer expects to start with 10 startups. It will be the first Bunker Labs program to get any public/taxpayer financing, he said, and the first to offer grants or investments in companies that complete the program.

Other Bunker Labs chapters are eager to build on the success of (the Wisconsin affiliate) breaking the seal for obtaining city/state/federal financial support, he said.

Meanwhile, gener8tor  with full-scale accelerator programs and an early-stage gBETA version in Madison and Milwaukee  says it will expand gBETA to Beloit, with meetups this fall toward a full gBETA offering.

Gener8tor co-founder Troy Vosseller said the accelerator, founded in 2012, has invested in 42 companies that have since raised more than $80 million and created more than 400 jobs.

But Vosseller said its time for Wisconsin to change our culture of risk aversion and non-compete agreements trapping talented, would-be entrepreneurs inside established corporations.

Cuts to the University of Wisconsin budget are also damaging, said Kelly Hiser, CEO of Madison music startup The Rabble.

A Pittsburgh native, Hiser came to the UW-Madison to get her doctorate in musicology and stayed, starting her business with help from introductions gained through UW and other local connections.

Budget cuts that cause faculty members to flee hurt not just UW but the entrepreneurial community, she said.

Stories like (mine) are not going to happen, Hiser said.
Plastic surgery required after horrific incident

A MOTHER has spoken of her horror after believing that her little girl had been killed before her eyes at Newbury Racecourse.

What was supposed to be a happy family day out and eight-year-old Ruby Graces first ride on a pony as an attraction at the Dubai Arabian International Raceday nearly ended in tragedy.

Ruby was repeatedly kicked in the chest and face after being thrown from a pony and dragged behind the animal after it reared up.

Her face and chest were left with bruising and lacerations, which required plastic surgery.

Rubys mother Donna said that her daughters screams still haunted her a month after the terrifying incident.

She said: I stood there watching her being kicked and thought oh my goodness this is it.

I really did think that was the end of my daughter occurring in front of me.

She was very, very lucky.

Although she has got injuries, I think they are really minor compared to what they could have been. Someone was looking after her without a doubt.

Mrs Grace said the week after the incident had been difficult for Ruby and the family and that Ruby had become quiet and withdrawn.

She didnt want to look at herself. Shes a dancer, so its all about presentation and smiling, said Mrs Grace, but she added that Rubys extended dance family had looked after her and made her feel better.

She added that Newbury Racecourse had been excellent in dealing with the family.

West Berkshire Council has launched an investigation into the incident, but the family say they have been saddened at the lack of response from the Arabian Racing Organisation and the Dubai International Arab Races.

Mrs Grace said that video footage shows that Rubys foot was placed in a loop above the stirrup, which she believes contributed to her daughter being unable to free herself.

A small piece of plastic flying in front of the pony is also believed to have spooked the animal.

We are quite disappointed that for an eight-year-old girl we have not received any well-wishes at all.

I think thats quite sad.

At this moment we are not taking any legal action; we are just a family trying to deal with this trauma and getting through it.

The family, from Swindon, had planned to holiday in Turkey this week, but cancelled following the surgeons advice.

This time next year it will be a memory but here and now its a living nightmare, said Mrs Grace. Its ruined the summer for us. What we want is that no other family has to endure this.

A spokesman for West Berkshire Council, Martin Dunscombe, said: Were investigating the circumstances of this incident to establish whether any health and safety offences were committed.

However, at this early stage we dont have a definitive timescale and will be led by our enquiries.

A spokesman for Newbury Racecourse said: This event is held at the racecourse but the organisation of the non-racing activities, both in advance and on the day, is handled by the DIAR committee, with the Arabian Racing Organisation largely responsible for the racing activities.

On the day itself, our in-house operations team handled the immediate aftermath of the accident and kept in touch with the girls family over the following few days.

On the same day that the accident happened, we contacted the Health and Safety Executive and informed our local environmental health officer early the following day.

The EHO visited the premises later that week as part of an investigation into the incident, which is ongoing, as a result of which we cannot make any further comment at this time.

The ARO and the DIAR did not respond as the went to press.
MOUNT HOREB  Cutting meat and making sausage are what Dan Palzkill does for his livelihood. It would seem natural he might get interested in some of the daily tools he uses, including knives.

Palzkill has done some hunt guiding, however since getting married he long ago chose to focus on his work at Metcalfes Market on Madisons West Side.

Still, when hes hunting with friends and relatives, hes one of the most popular guys in camp.

Palzkill, 59, doesnt claim to know any more about big game hunting than his friends, but if there is a deer to be field dressed, boned or made ready for the freezer, Palzkill is all business.

They keep inviting me back saying I can hunt with them any time, said Palzkill, who lives in Mount Horeb.

He wants to put most game parts to good use  and that got him thinking about all those shed antlers hunters pick up. They often end up in a pile. The same is true of many buck racks, particularly those too small to pay to get mounted.

I first thought of making knives with wood handles, but why not cut off a piece of an antler as a knife handle? Some of those shed antlers can be put to good use, or a childs first buck might be a great memento of a lifetime and always be there on future hunts, Palzkill said.

It takes this meat cutter about 10 hours to go from a shed antler (or a deers rack) to a knife handle. He likes to do as much of the work by hand as he can, but did invest in a vise, he said.

Once the blade type is selected by a client and an antler section is cut, Palzkill drills a series of holes in the antler to fit the knife base in and fixes it there with strong glue. The antler is coated with polyurethane, but otherwise its natural.

A leather sheath is handmade, too, sewed by Palzkill. Instead of a regular hanging sheath, Palzkill makes a cross-draw so it doesnt interfere with sitting on an ATV or truck seat.

The blades are the best he can find, from Norway, purchased from a dealer out West. Even though they come sharpened, he spends time putting an extra edge on them so they last longer without sharpening. These are not the knife blades Palzkill uses at work because they are somewhat difficult to sharpen. In addition, he could not use knives with antler handles in a meat market. Its a precaution so as not to transfer deer diseases to meat sold to the public.

The knife hobby started five years ago and Palzkill estimates hes made 50 knives, but has not marketed them at craft shows. He just doesnt believe it would be right to have a knife at a Mount Horeb Art Fair booth.

While marketing has not been a problem, hes figured out a technique to add interest, curiosity and sales.

I deliver the knives to customers at places where men often gather; Ill deliver one knife and come away with orders for three others, he said.

Palzkill is experimenting with impregnated corncob and pine cone handles, but that would require a vacuum chamber. Maybe someday.

All knives, regardless of size or where the antler originates, cost $125. For inquiries or orders, contact Palzkill at 608-437-4608.
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Reporter

Debra Pressey is a reporter covering health care at The News-Gazette. Her email is dpressey@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@DLPressey).
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Wisconsins U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson knows his memes. Or maybe its the meme creators who know Johnson.

Either way, Johnson exemplified todays social media-driven politics of division and simple-mindedness when he declared a little more than a week ago that riots in the wake of a fatal police shooting in Milwaukee are proof the War on Poverty didnt work.

Admittedly, its a savvy bit of political triangulation. Republicans who cant seem to buy a vote in black and urban communities say its really Democratic social welfare programs that are to blame for enduring poverty and social dysfunction in black urban communities.

And if thats not exactly true, well, it doesnt seem to be hurting its popularity, either.

The War on Poverty is a catchall term for a series of programs launched in the mid-1960s by a Democratic president. Included among them are such sacrosanct and politically popular programs as Medicare and Head Start  so it probably makes sense that Johnson and other conservatives arent going around blaming riots on health insurance for little old ladies and preschool for 4-year-olds.

The programs appeared to be successful in the years immediately after they took effect, according to a 2015 paper by researchers including UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank. Poverty rates for every at-risk group they tracked, from rural folks to elderly urban blacks, dropped between 7 percent and 16.3 percent between 1965 and 1972.

After that, as the study shows, things got complicated. There were ups, downs and structural changes in the national economy and a shift away from cash-based welfare assistance to in-kind assistance and tax credits, and an emphasis on making recipients work in order to be eligible for help.

What didnt change, though, is the formula the federal government uses to measure poverty. Its based on a familys cash income and has remained more or less unchanged since 1965, in part because many federal programs use it as a way to measure eligibility.

This official measure of poverty holds, for example, that a family of four with a household income of $25,000 living in New York City in 2016 is not poor, and is so widely seen as flawed that even the federal government itself regularly sets eligibility for need-based programs at some level above 100 percent of the poverty level.

Its also the reason Johnson can say in a National Review article published online Thursday that there were 29 million poor Americans when the War on Poverty started, now there are 46 or 47 million. Adjust for population growth and you find the percentage of people in poverty hasnt changed, and that suggests the trillions of dollars spent on the War on Poverty and other government anti-poverty programs have been wasted.

But the notion that non-cash assistance such as federally funded health care, subsidized child care, food stamps and the earned income tax credit dont impact a poor familys budget is ridiculous, which is probably why researchers look to measures of poverty that take such factors into account.

Under the Census Bureaus supplemental poverty measure, for example, the rates of poverty among all Americans is down from about 19 percent in 1967 to 16 percent in 2012, according to the Blank study, although even under the official poverty measure, the poverty rate for black people was down from about 33 percent in 1968 to 28 percent in 2012.

Johnson spokeswoman Paige Alwood said the senator is not contending there would be less poverty if the War on Poverty never happened.

All he is saying is that, by the evidence, the war on poverty did not succeed in what President Lyndon Johnson said its goal was, she said, and cited a line from his 1964 State of the Union address: Our aim is not only to relieve the symptom of poverty, but to cure it and, above all, to prevent it.

She declined to name any War on Poverty programs Johnson would end because the first step in solving a problem is to admit you have one. After that you can define the problem, analyze root causes and then consider solutions.

Defenders of the war on poverty sometimes cite the federal governments newer supplemental measure of poverty, she said. Simply sustaining the poor in the long term with public benefits is what Americans rightly agreed should not take place.

Johnsons office sent me the Thursday National Review article, which details an employment program Johnson helped create in Milwaukee called the Joseph Project.

The Joseph Project partners with a Milwaukee church to provide support and job training to unemployed black people who often have criminal records or other barriers to employment. It then helps them find and apply for jobs in the Sheboygan area, even providing van transport to interviews and work sites. So far, some 60 people have found jobs through Joseph, according to the article.

It sounds like a great program, and maybe if there enough such programs 50 years ago and today, there wouldnt be any reason for the federal government to go to war in the first place.
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).
Korba (C'garh): At least 60 students of a government primaryschool were taken ill after allegedly consuming food under mid-day meal programme at a village in Chhattisgarh's Surguja district.



The students were admitted to Ambikapur district hospital with symptoms of food poisoning by the school authority on Saturday afternoon, Surguja Collector Bhim Singh said on Sunday.



As per the information, the students started vomiting and complained of nausea after eating the mid-day meal at the government primary school in Sundarpur village, about 5 km from Ambikapur town and nearly 350 km from Raipur, he said.



When the teachers and school Principal Indraprasad Sarathi noticed the deteriorating condition of children, they immediately admitted 60 students to Ambikapur, he said.



"The condition of children was (later) said to be normal and most of them have been discharged this morning," the Collector said.



According to doctors, prima facie it appears that the food served to children at the school was raw and not completely cooked that led to food poisoning, he said.



The food samples have been sent for testing and the exact reason behind the incident will be known only after the reports are out, Singh said, adding, further action will be taken accordingly.



Meanwhile, the Collector has asked to withdraw the services of Durga Self-Help Group which was tasked with preparing mid-day meal at the school.
Patna: Stating that the Centre will provide all kind of help to Bihar to deal with the flood situation, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Sunday asked the state government to submit a memorandum at the earliest on the damages caused by floods in the state.



"Bihar government should get the survey done and send its memorandum at the earliest to the Centre on damages caused by floods in the state. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has said the government will act immediately after getting the memorandum in this regard," Prasad told reporters here.



The memorandum should have details of crops and houses damaged, list of flood-affected persons and damages caused to bridges, culverts and roads due to the floods, he said.



The Union Law and Justice Minister was talking to reporters after visiting flood affected areas and relief camps in Patna and was accompanied by party MLC Sanjay Mayukh, MLAs Nitin Navin and Sanjeev Chaurasia during the visit.



Stating that the Centre gives Rs 479 crore every year to Bihar for disaster related work, Prasad said the first instalment of Rs 262 crore has already been released in June, while the remaining amount, which is due in December, would be released soon if the Bihar government makes a formal request.



The Prime Minister, who has already expressed profound grief over the loss of lives in the floods, is quick and active vis-a-vis taking action in times of disasters. He has acted swiftly when there was floods in Jammu and Kashmir and earthquake in Nepal, the Union Minister said, adding "Government of India took proactive role in rescuing people in Bihar floods."
Mumbai: An MNS corporator has complained to police that a construction firm allegedly refused to sell him an apartment in a western suburb because of his food preferences.



However, the construction company has denied the charges.



Santosh Dhuri, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) corporator from Dadar area, on Friday gave a complaint to Dadar police, seeking an FIR against the Shreedham Group.



In the complaint, Dhuri said he had enquired with the city-based Shreedham Group to book a flat in its project Shreedham Classic in Goregaon (west).



"The project of the builder offers two and three BHK flats in Goregaon West. However, when I contacted the firm on phone to book a flat, the woman sales executive first asked me if I was a vegetarian," he said.



"When I told her that I am vegetarian as well as non-vegetarian, she told me that the flats were exclusively being sold to vegetarians, because a Jain temple is also being constructed in the complex," he said.



"I felt very awkward and my religious sentiments were hurt. Then I filed a complaint with the senior inspector of Dadar police along with a CD attached to the complaint which has recording of the conversation with the customer executive," Dhuri said.



He expressed hope that police will take appropriate action over his complaint.



Meanwhile, a Dadar police official said they were going into the merits of the complaint and action would be taken accordingly.



However, Shreedham Group denied the allegations and said some people were deliberately spreading false rumour that they were selling flats to only vegetarian people.



"Shreedham Group strongly condemns such allegations and clarifies that we have already sold the flats irrespective of caste, creed or community. We once again confirm that we always were and are open to sell the flats to all the communities and people from all castes and religions are welcome to buy flats from us," the company said in a statement.
New Delhi: Gold worth at least Rs 25 crore seized from smugglers has mysteriously disappeared from customs vaults at Indira Gandhi International Airport, prompting the authorities to order a CBI probe.



A huge haul of over 80 kg gold, both in form of bullion and jewellery, has gone missing in the last over four years from the customs warehouse. In all the cases, it was replaced with non-precious yellow-coloured metal, official sources said.



The seized gold was valued at Rs 25 crore as per current market rates, they said.



The cases of disappearance of gold had earlier been reported to Delhi Police. As the pilferage continued, the Finance Ministry decided to recommend a CBI probe following approval of Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, official sources said.



The CBI has been asked to register a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) into the matter and find out as to how the gold was replaced with the non-precious metal inside the heavily guarded vault, they said. The cases of missing gold related to period between 2012 and June this year.



The vigilance wing of the Finance Ministry is also looking into the suspected role of customs officials, they said.



Earlier, replying to an RTI query filed by PTI, the Delhi customs had said over 23 kg of gold worth more than Rs six crore had gone missing from its warehouse.



In June last year, the customs officials had lodged an FIR in connection with disappearance of 11 kg of gold worth Rs 2.92 crore from its vault. The gold was seized in five incidents from passengers at the international airport.



Another case was registered in 2014 to probe similar instances of theft.



Similar cases were also reported to the Delhi Police on January 16, 20, April 30 and December 23, 2014 in which gold worth lakhs of rupees was replaced by a yellow metal.



An FIR was registered in June this year by Delhi Police on the complaint of customs officials who said two gold chains and bangles, together weighing 298 gm, valued at about Rs 8.83 lakh, were replaced with yellow coloured non-precious metal.



The incident came to light when packets containing 1.27 kg gold, including the stolen gold chains and bangles, duly sealed at the instance of a court, were opened by the customs officials before a departmental committee as part of inventorisation proceedings.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed ISRO scientists on the successful testing of scramjet rocket engine, saying they have again made India very proud.



"Successful testing of scramjet rocket engine is a testimony to the hardwork & excellence of our scientists. Congratulations to ISRO," he tweeted.



"We have seen time and again how our scientists & space programme has made India very proud," he added.



India joined a select club of nations by successfully test firing its futuristic Scramjet Rocket Engine using oxygen from the atmosphere that could cut the cost of the launches several fold and help in ISRO's bid to design advanced air breathing engines.



The first experimental mission of Scramjet Engine was successfully conducted from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 6 AM, Indian Space Research Organisation said.



It described the mission as a "modest" yet important milestone in its bid to design and develop advanced air breathing engines, including ones for its future space transport system.



India is the fourth country to demonstrate the flight testing of Scramjet Engine after the US, Russia and European Space Agency.
Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's office does not maintain records of his visits abroad, the CMO has said in response to an RTI query.



"According to the Chief Minister's residential office, no coordination of his foreign trips is done," the Officer on Special Duty in the CMO P C Sakya said in response to the RTI query filed by transparency activist Ajay Dubey, without giving any details.



Dubey had sought details of the Chief Minister's visit to China in June this year through a Right To Information application. The query was filed with the General Administration Department of the state government which transferred it to the Chief Minister's Office.



"The CM's office has declined to share details of his foreign tours. As per the central government's directive, all public authorities should suo motu disclose such details on their websites as part of a mandatory obligation under RTI Act. But the state government is yet to act on it," Dubey said.



He demanded that such details be put in public domain immediately.



Chouhan is on a five-day tour of the US from Sunday onwards. He will meet potential investors in the US and apprise them of "favourable" investment climate in the state, according to an MP government press release.








Mangalore: Protests have erupted in Mangalore after the Srinivas group of colleges banned the hijab on campus.



The college administration has sent out circulars to its students asserting that they cannot wear headscarves in class denying a basic religious rights.



"We have a uniform in our college. Second, third and fourth year students are following this. Present education year also we mentioned the same rules and regulations to students by the time of admission. But now first year students are opposing it. We have already discussed with parents that, we are not allowing head scarf. Parents agreed at the time of admission, but now they are protesting. We will solve this issue within 15 days," the Director of the college said.



Students have protested against the ban.



"Wearing hijab according to me does not affect our academics at all. I know he has issues with some people listening to music below the hijab. They disobey our religion. I want to request him to give us one chance and we will prove him wrong by obeying our religion because everyone is not like that," a student said.




Vadodara: Worried over the health conditions of their spouses languishing in Pakistan jails, the wives of three Indian fishermen have requested to be granted visa to visit their husbands.



The three women - Gangaben, wife of Bhagwan Solanki from Tad village in Gir Somnath district; Amritaben, wife of Amritlal Vaishya from Wanakbara of Union Territory of Diu, and Vanitaben, wife of Dipakbhai Bamania from Kotda village in Gir Somnath - have written a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought his help in getting them visa on humanitarian grounds to go to Pakistan.



In the letter signed by the three women, they have pleaded with the PM to take up the issue with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and request him to grant visas to them so that they can visit their husbands and enquire about their health.



The women alleged in the letter that the Pakistani authorities were not providing proper medical treatment to their spouses because of which their health condition was deteriorating in the jails where they are lodged.



In the past three years, nearly four fishermen had died in Pakistani jails due to alleged negligence by the authorities.



"So, we are worried about the health condition of our husbands," the women said in the letter.



Gangaben mentioned in the letter that her husband Bhagvanbhai Solanki was severely ill for more than a year which she learnt from other fishermen released from Pakistani jail in March this year.



She alleged that the Pakistani authorities had not communicated to her about her husband's deteriorating health which makes it obvious that they were hiding something.



Besides, the two other women alleged they had been dispatching medicines in registered covers to their ailing husbands which were never delivered to them.



Meanwhile, Gujarat Fishermen Association's senior vice president Veljibhai Masani said that 70 women, including the three who have written the letter, met him in Magrol town of Gir Somnath today, requesting him to take up their issue with the Prime Minister.



The women also requested Masani to facilitate their meeting with the PM when he comes to Jamnagar on August 30.
Wally Meyer of Madison is this weeks You Toon winner.

Congrats, Wally! His caption about back-to-school liquor shopping beat out more than 70 entries.

Meyer wins publication of his line with todays finished cartoon. He also will receive a signed print by artist Phil Hands.

Runners-up and their suggested captions include:

Paul Johnsen of Hartford: Is this what they mean by the Wisconsin Idea?

Amy Snyder of Janesville: Im glad someone is helping with the rising cost of college.

Don Pierce of Mauston: My roommate is a party major with a drinking minor.

Thanks to all participants. Well play again next Sunday with a fresh cartoon.
Belting out a cult hit for confused tourists in Switzerland. Just because. #JustBefikre  A video posted by Ranveer Singh (@ranveersingh) on Aug 27, 2016 at 8:41am PDT

Ranveer Singh is known for his quirks and the actor is leaving no stone unturned to keep his fans entertained with his goofiness even on a vacation.The actor who is currently touring Switzerland, posted a hilarious video where is seen serenading the popular track, Pardesi Pardesi from Raja Hindustani, for a 'confused audience'.You can't stop yourself from laughing while watching the video. Ranveer Singh wearing black sunglasses and holding an accordion, sings the song in the most goofiest way possible.Keep entertaining us like this Ranveer and we promise to keep loving you for all your goofs!
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced a new housing scheme for journalists, a move seen as wooing the media ahead of Assembly elections in the state.



The announcement comes days after more than 500 journalists living in government quarters were told to vacate them within 15 days, and will, in the words of the chief minister, fulfill their dream of 'Ek Ghar ho Apna'. It's the first of its kind in more than four and half years of his government.



Journalist organisations have been demanding this scheme for long saying it will help many journalists who are battling low wages and job insecurity. Housing schemes for journalists have been announced by previous chief ministers Mulayam Singh and Rajnath Singh - other states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh too have them - but it is the timing that has raised eyebrows.



Opposition parties see this as an attempt to strike a chord with journalists ahead of the state polls, with BJP's state general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak saying," before housing, comes concerns about law and order".



Journalists however welcomed the move. The "debate on timing of the scheme is not relevant, Better late than never," says member of UP Accredited Journalists Committee Mudit Mudra, who also quickly point out that it will not however help the hundreds of journalists who have been asked to vacate government accommodation citing a recent Supreme Court order.



K Vikram Rao, president of the Indian Federation of Working Journalists (IFWJ) says he had apprised the CM that the SC order is not applicable to journalists and that the government order should be cancelled.



UP officials however claim that the government is keen on welfare of journalists and that a Bill is being introduced in the ongoing session of Vidhan Sabha to regularize allotment of government houses to individuals, trusts and societies.




An emotional Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has hit out at Pakistan for the unrest in the valley for the last 51 days. Her comments came after her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence in the national capital to discuss the situation in the valley. While addressing the media, Mufti was however silent on her plan of action to normalise the situation in the state.




Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking up the Kashmir situation in his radio address, saying it was "good to see" him continuing from where he left after meeting the opposition parties from the state.



"Good to see @narendramodi ji continuing where he left off after meeting opposition parties in Delhi last Monday," the NC leader said on Twitter after the Prime Minister's radio address.



Reacting to Modi's observation on youth being pushed towards stone-pelting, Omar said it was due to "our collective mistakes".



"Unfortunately sir a lot of these youngsters have been pushed there by our collective mistakes and mishandling of J&K," situation, the National Conference working president said.



In his 'Mann ki Baat' radio address, the Prime Minister said, "Those pushing youth towards stone pelting in Kashmir will someday have to answer them."



Omar in the past had criticised Modi for not making mention of the Kashmir situation in his earlier 'Mann Ki Baat' addresses.



"How I wish my Prime Minister had found a few reassuring words for my state which has seen almost 50 deaths & countless injured #MannKiBaat," Omar wrote on Twitter on July 31.



Kashmir has been witnessing unrest for the past 51 days triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in an encounter with security forces on July 8.



As many as 68 persons have been killed and thousands others injured in violent clashes between protesters and security forces.
New Delhi: Winning over the poor was at the heart of Saturday's meeting of Bharatiya Janata Party chief ministers with the party forming a committee to finalise a "garib kalyan agenda" and Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking them to work in "mission mode" to make their states a model for execution of his government's schemes, mostly aimed at benefiting the poor.



Modi exhorted them to work on multiple fronts to develop their states at a fast rate, saying they should not just move to one project after finishing another and instead take up several programmes together without showing any lapse.



Chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Jharkhand-- Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Devendra Fadnavis, Raghubar Das respectively-- besides party vice president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe will prepare the poor's welfare agenda that will fix a few common goals for the party-ruled states besides identifying schemes which they could give special focus.



The day-long meeting deliberated over six subjects, including welfare of the poor and farmers, woman empowerment, youth and employment besides good governance, with Modi speaking about a host of schemes covering these sectors.



"The Prime Minister asked us to work in mission mode; to take up several works at once and show no lapses. Then we can develop fast," Chouhan told a press conference after the conclusion of the meeting.



With the party and its governments facing attack from the opposition over issues concerning Dalits and minorities, it believes that a stronger emphasis on welfare schemes, especially targeting the poor, can firewall it against adverse political outcome and instead help it reach out to the weaker sections.



Chief ministers also gave a presentation of their government's works in line with the party's welfare agenda and how some of the schemes can be adopted by others.



Party leaders said good governance, development and pro-poor measures were the focus of the exercise and politics and coming elections in several states, including Uttar Pradesh, found no mention in their deliberations.



Modi also touched on the fact that the two medals won by India in the Rio Olympics were claimed by women as he underlined the need for woman empowerment.



"Our daughters have proved how capable they are," he said.
Drones were used for the first time on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway today to monitor vehicular traffic and 15 drivers were fined during the exercise for cutting lanes."After receiving directives from the Maharashtra government, we conducted the demonstration for the first time and used two drones in ghat section (between Lonavala exit and Khalapur toll plaza) to monitor vehicular traffic on both the sides," said Amol Tambe, Superintendent of Police (Highways), Pune Region.Fifteen truck drivers were fined for cutting lanes after aerial pictures of lane-cutting by these drivers were captured by the drones "They were given challan either at the Urse toll plaza or Khalapur toll plaza," Tambe said. The SP said the demonstration was carried out between 12 noon and 4 PM and the same will be continued tomorrow.Recently, Maharashtra Minister of State for Home (Urban) Deepak Kesarkar had said initially, drones would be put in place on a pilot basis on the Mumbai-Pune expressway.The Shiv Sena Minister had termed the Mumbai-Pune expressway as a "death trap" with a large number of road casualties reported lately."Incidents of road accidents have increased due to the indiscipline of vehicles and their rash driving. We do not have control over rash driving as the length of the expressway is long and there is insufficient police staff for surveillance," Kesarkar had said.He had also said while there is a need to control vehicular traffic, using a CCTV cameras for the purpose has its own limitations and so the idea of using drones was mooted.
Beirut: Turkish shelling and air strikes killed at least 40 Syrians on Sunday, a monitor said, in the first significant civilian casualties in Turkey's intensifying campaign in northern Syria.



Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said the army had killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" in air strikes as part of its unprecedented operation inside Syria.



The bombardments came after Ankara suffered its first military fatality since it launched the two-pronged offensive against the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurdish militia inside Syria on Wednesday.



At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded in Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on the village of Jeb el-Kussa early today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.



Another 20 were killed and 25 wounded, many seriously, in Turkish air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, it said.



The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in Turkish bombardment of the two areas.



A spokesman for the local Kurdish administration said 75 people had been killed in both villages.



The Britain-based Observatory said the bombardment targeted an area south of the former IS border stronghold of Jarabulus, which Turkish-led forces captured on the first day of the incursion.



Fighting has since intensified south of the town, where clashes erupted between Turkish troops and forces belonging to the Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) party, which Ankara considers a terrorist group linked with Kurdish militants in Turkey.



US-backed Kurdish forces have also been fighting IS in Syria but Turkey fiercely opposes any move by Kurds to expand into territory lost by the jihadists.



The latest fighting is likely to raise deep concerns for Turkey's NATO ally the United States, which supports the Kurdish militia known as the People's Protection Units (YPG) as an effective fighting force against IS.



A Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded in a rocket attack by Kurdish militia on two tanks taking part in an offensive against the pro-Kurdish forces south of Jarabulus on Saturday.



Turkish media named the dead soldier as Ercan Celik, 28, and said a funeral for him would be held in Gaziantep. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was due to visit the city to express condolences for last weekend's suicide bombing there at a Kurdish wedding that left 54 dead.



Turkey's NTV television reported that Turkish artillery had struck YPG targets throughout the night and that Turkish warplanes had carried out new bombing sorties this morning.



Turkish forces carried out their first air strikes on pro-Kurdish positions yesterday as part of what Ankara is calling "Operation Euphrates Shield".
CHICAGO  Like millions of children across the country, Im heading back to school.

After 10 years of being away from the classroom, Im teaching high school students the same age as my own children. Lots of things are the same as when I last taught, and others are quite different  such as the technology used to teach, plan lessons, give assessments and enter grades.

But what is most surprising by far is something I hadnt anticipated: the diversity of the Hispanic students at my school.

In 2012, the Pew Research Centers Hispanic Trends Project reported that about a quarter of all pre-K through 12th-grade public school students were Hispanic. But I hadnt seen with my own eyes what that really looks like.

Im teaching in a middle- to upper-middle-class community in a suburb of Chicago that saw an approximate 30 percent increase in its Latino population since the 2000 census. And within the cohort of Hispanic students, most of whom have dark hair, olive skin and parents of Mexican descent, large numbers of kids are from Hispanic and non-Hispanic white (and black and Asian) families who seem to come in two types: the semi-visible and the hidden.

Though the school is about 43 percent Hispanic, my classes include semi-visible Hispanic students. What I mean by this is that they have names such as Kevin Gonzalez, Todd Chavez, Madison Vargas or Kaylee Escobar (these are not real names) and have a wide variety of features  sometimes even blond hair and blue eyes like the actress Cameron Diaz  and speak little, if any, Spanish.

The hidden ones have names like Tyler Warner and Jenna Lee who are half-Hispanic. But because they may have features associated with other races and dont have typically Hispanic-sounding names, they go through life with deep cultural ties to the Hispanic community, yet no visible ones.

The misperception about what a majority-minority school district looks like was silly of me. Of course, not all of the Latino students are brown-eyed Diegos or Marias  I should have known that from my own family.

Like myself, my two cousins are half-Mexican, half-Ecuadorean. One married a woman from the Philippines and their two boys take after their moms side of the family. My sons look like my husbands white family and carry clear-as-day Scots-Irish first and last names. My other cousin married an African-American woman, and their daughters are mixtures of both their backgrounds.

I imagine all our kids teachers eyebrows went up when they looked at our clans demographic data. I know mine did when I compared my rosters to the kids sitting in my classrooms.

For a decade, Ive been writing about how Americas racial tensions will ease as the children of interracial and interethnic marriages become a larger share of the population. The Pew Research Center says that in 2010, regardless of when they married, the share of intermarriages reached an all-time high of 8.4 percent. In 1980, that share was just 3.2 percent.

Its obviously not that simplistic, but its still neat to see such a transition play out in real life. There will always be social stratifications in high schools, but when groups of young people who have parents from a mixture of ethnic and racial groups gather, they seem to tend toward being able to relate to each others similarities, not their differences.

Throughout the course of the day, kids who look like they might be completely white break out native-level Spanish language skills when immigrant parents walk into the room.

When we talk about news items involving racial issues, students will chime in with tidbits about their diverse demographic family constellations that inform discussions that might otherwise veer into taking sides or us-versus-them mentalities. Even the cafeteria tables are pretty well integrated.

This is all unscientific observation, but its still uplifting.

Demographic shifts often are characterized sensationally  news headlines typically shriek about rising minority populations with thinly veiled terror about reverse-supremacy and The End of White America. But if the rest of the countrys shift to majority-minority is as cosmopolitan as it is in just one American suburb, things are looking up.
I have learned the hard way not to put my personal life on the Internet. But suffice it to say that, God willing, things should be pretty much back to norm...

2 weeks ago
New group promotes Merikin history

According to the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS), The story behind the arrival of the Merikins in Trinidad goes back to the American War of Independence, 1775  1783 when runaway slaves were first encouraged to join the British fighting forces. A major enticement for their enlistment was the promise of freedom by Lord Dunmore, the then Colonial Governor of Virginia. At the end of the war these ex-soldiers were granted their freedom and taken to Nova Scotia in Canada, Sierra Leone, Jamaica and the Bahamas. The story of the Merikins is one that should be made more available to the wider TT public, says secretary of newly-formed group ,The Merikin Commission, Curtis McNish. The group was registered last month and one of its initial objectives is to bring together all of the Merikins in the North. The Merikins who settled in Trinidad originally settled in the southern part of the island, including New Grant, Princes Town.

But, McNish noted that there were hundreds of Merikins in the north and the groups mandate was to coral and galvanise those people. He is puzzled as to how the role of the Merikins -- as the group celebrates its bicentennial anniversary this year -- has been left out of the countrys history books. The history of the Merikins is an integral part of our history, Mc Nish said.

Asked about the impact of the history of the Merikins on the youth of TT , Mc Nish said he was uncertain of that.

However, he believes its impact could be a positive one if the wider society was more aware of the Merikins history and contributions. Mc Nish said he too was unaware of this history for a long time. Although he had made several trips to Princes Town and even though his parents were Merikins themselves, he was unaware of what that meant and its significance.

My great, great grandfather was a part of the original 1816.Part of their payment for fighting along the British in 1812 was freedom and occupancy in one of the British ColoniesIn the West Indies it was only Trinidad, and our forefathers chose Trinidad.

As a young man my dad would take us to Princes Town. My dad was born in Princes Town and take us down there. He never mentioned the word Merikin. I never knew about Merikins at that pointIn 2004 I got involved in it when aunts friend, who was a historian began doing some research. He came to the US and invited me to come to a lecture. Truth be told, I did not want to goI went but had no desire. Several years after I started to read this book and really became interested in it. Last year when I retired, I really took it up, he said.

The group has some events planned in commemoration of the Merikins bicentennial anniversary, among them a youth convention and an award ceremony. The youth convention would focus on young people between the ages of 18 to 35. The convention, he added, is aimed at giving them a better perspective on life. He said that the convention would allow for the youth to have role models and to receive guidance. At the award ceremony Merikin Medals of Merit will be given to members of the Merikin Community in four categories -- Service to Community, Service to Country, Youth Development and Promotion, and Open Selection.

The recipients could be either living or dead. The ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 24 at the Central Bank Auditorium.

The group McNish said plans to make MerIkins more visible to wider TT , giving a voice and presence to the community.
CCC head lauds bpTT for young adult math experience

On behalf of everyone at the CCC, I want to offer our heartfelt thanks to bpTT for continuing its support of this mathematics workshop and for extending it to CCC Tobago as well. This is a golden opportunity for our young people to study the subject in a student-friendly environment and use it as a stepping stone to pursue it at the examination level, Major Richardson-Mark told the participants, CCC officials and bpTT representatives at the graduation function at CCC Headquarters, Beetham, Port-of-Spain, last Thursday.

Noting that former graduates have gone on to pass mathematics at CXC level, Richardson- Mark pointed out that math, along with English, was a pre-requisite subject for young people to progress in life. Twenty-two young men and women, drawn from communities representing the various Civilian Conservation Corps regions across Trinidad, completed an intensive two-week training course which covered a comprehensive review of the fundamentals of mathematics. They all received Certificates of Achievement.

Rachael Caines, corporate Responsibility advisor, told the audience that bpTT prides itself in making strategic interventions along the education value change, from early childhood to tertiary level education.

Mathematics is one of the foundational building blocks of society and mathematical formulae and theorems have led to many ground-breaking discoveries that are improving our quality of life. By giving math a chance, you are giving yourself a chance at successfully navigating life. Ask for help when you need it and always choose to learn even beyond the confines of the classroom. Use the skills you have gained in this Adult Math Experience to unlock the potential inside of you, Caines urged the graduates.

Graduate Preta Ramnath said she was grateful for the opportunity to continue her studies in mathematics, especially consumer arithmetic which would be useful in her small business as a market vendor. Our tutor made the session very interesting and somewhat exciting for us to grasp the subject. I always knew that Math was important in everyday life and I am really glad to get this chance. I intend to take to the examination level, Premnath added.

Enjoying its sixth year, the bpTT Adult Math Experience is open to mature students who want to continue their studies in the subject.

The Math initiative was designed top de-mystify the daunting realities they had of the subject. The classes at CCC Headquarters were conducted by Nicole Lord, tutor with training agency Cross & Associates.
Birdsong resumes classes

Students must be accompanied by a parent.

New students fall in different categories. Beginners with little or no music training between the ages of nine to14 years, will be sent to the After School Music Programme.

Students with previous knowledge of music and/or exposure to birdsong Academys vacation programme, will join the Saturday Programme, entry to which is by invitation only. Now in its 16th year, Birdsong Academy trains youth in a structured music education programme focused on music literacy and performance techniques.

All students are instructed in music theory and performance techniques of the Steelpan plus a second orchestra instrument.

Students write the Associated Boards of the Royal School of Music (ABRSM) theory and practical exams and are exposed to opportunities to perform and develop excellence in musicianship.

Returning students in the Birdsong Academy After School Music Programme will resume classes on Tuesday September 06 and Wednesday September 07. Returning students in the Birdsong Academy Saturday programme resume classes on Saturday September 10. For more details call 792-6506 or 328-4147.

Resumption of classes come amid a recent court ruling to evict the band from its premises, which will revert to its land-owner.
UWI students worried after deadly shooting

In a media release, The UWI stated that a shooting did indeed take place near the eastern quadrant of the compound, but no student or staff member were involved.

Sunday Newsday spoke to several UWI students who said that they heard the sound of gunfire while inside the compound. The students who asked not to be identified, said that the incident left them shaken, as it took place so close to the compound. We were in the Administration building when we heard something like firecrackers. It was only after when we came out the compound we saw that there were police in one of the side street behind the campus, a student said. She added that while they were relieved that no students were involved in this shooting, the incident has caused concern among much of the student body.

Its not something that were used to around here. Of course were advised not to walk in lonely or secluded areas after dark on campus, but to know that this took place in broad daylight, literally just across the road from us, it really changes things. Sunday Newsday contacted President of the UWI St Augustines Student Guild, Makesi Peters, who said that mere hours after the shooting took place an emergency meeting with members of administration was held, to discuss the incident and the necessary security measures to be implemented.

Peters added that students who occupied living quarters just adjacent to the scene of the shooting were particularly concerned.

Even before this shooting took place, there has been a reinforced presence of campus security. All of the main points of entry are adequately manned to ensure the safety of students, staff and visitors.

This is the first time in a long while something like this has happened in the area and it is indeed cause for concern among the student body, Peters said.

According to reports, the shooting took place at 10.30 am. Police said Andre Lizard McGregor was liming with three other men at the corner of OKeefe and Dass streets in Monte Grande, Tunapuna, when a silver-coloured panel van and a white Nissan Tiida drove near the group of limers.

Occupants alighted from the vehicles and shot the limers. All four men were rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EW MSC) in Mt Hope where they were warded in critical condition.

Early Friday morning, 19-year-old Kadeem Griffith succumbed to his injuries. Officers of the Tunapuna Police station are conducting further investigations into the shooting.

No arrest has been made.
Girl Who Had to Leave Cat

in Ukraine Has Joyous Reunion
Frank Ocean Just Proved: Direct To Fan Works, Labels Mean Less Than They Think, Exclusives Suck But Still Matter

Frank Ocean has just shaken up the music industry, probably forever. His dual exclusive releases via Apple on Friday and Saturday ignited a long overdue debate about exclusive streaming releases; and hidden in the details are lessons that should be sending shockwaves through the executive suites at Universal, Sony and WMG.

______________________

Yesterday, Universal Music Group chief Lucian Grainge sent a memo to his executive team ending the practice of streaming release exclusives. His decision was caused, at least in part, by Frank Ocean's latest dual Apple Music exclusives, alongside other recent Apple and TIDAL exclusive releases by major artists.

Spotify, which has long shunned exclusives calling them bad for fans, is certainly celebrating; even though Grainge will likely make exceptions when superstar artists make demands or big checks waived. Still, Ocean and Grainge have ignited a long overdue debate over the power and the potential damage of all exclusive releases.

Ocean Splits With Universal

In addition to a difference of opinion over streaming, Ocean's two back to back full length releases also appear to mark a major split with Def Jam and Universal Music.

Metadata attached to the release on Apple Music show that the second release. "Blonde," is out on the artist's own indie label Boys Dont Cry, which is not affiliated with Def Jam or parent Universal Music Group (UMG). A source familiar with the situation confirmed the split to Forbes.

So even without a major label, "Blonde" is headed for #1 in both the US and UK, according to Billboard, with 225-250,000 album equivalent streams exclusively from Apple.

Just in case anyone at UMG, Sony and WMG missed the irony:

Frank Ocean's ability to connect directly with fans and press driven by social media has all but guaranteed a #1 debut on at least two continents.

Yes, UMG invested millions in his marketing, but now he does need them anymore. All that Frank Ocean needed to hit #1 was Apple and social media.

__________________________________________________

Agenda For Next UMG Board Meeting

1) Direct to fan marketing and sales work.

2) When artists get big they don't need us anymore. Our value is now almost entirely on the front end of their careers.

3) Artists need Apple, Tidal and Spotify more than then need labels or radio.

PS: Streaming income has a long tale. Reversion clauses that return ownership to artists after 5 -7 years further guarantee our demise.

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(Newser)  For years Wanda Witter, an 80-year-old retired machinist wandered the streets of Washington, DC, with three suitcases crammed full of Social Security paperwork that she insisted proved the government owed her a lot of money. People called her crazy and a hoarder, especially because she slept in shelters or on the streets. But when a social worker began looking into the case last year, she concluded Witter was correct, reports the Washington Post. That social worker got an attorney to investigate, and this week, the feds deposited $99,999 into Witter's bank account. She may be getting more. "I wasnt crazy," says Witter.

The Post first covered Witter's 16-year predicament last week. She began collecting Social Security in 2006, but the check amounts varied wildly from month to month. Knowing something was wrong, she refused to cash them and instead returned them with the word "void" written across the front. In the meantime, she ran out of money and ended up homeless. Now she's found a $500 apartment, indulged in a pillow, and hopes to reunite with her four adult children and grandkids, whom she refused to let see her on the streets. (Read more Social Security stories.)
(Newser)  An incredible tale of bravery may have surfaced thanks to new "pixel signature" technology applied to 14-year-old videosbut it's a complicated revelation. The New York Times reports those videos, shot by overheard aircraft on March 4, 2002, may show Air Force Technical Sergeant John Chapman fighting al-Qaeda militants and killing two while alone on a mountaintop in Afghanistan. What's so shocking about the footage is not just the bravery. It's that Chapman was supposed to be dead. He was originally there with members of SEAL Team 6, providing support as their radioman. In the midst of a fierce and disastrous operation, Senior Chief Petty Officer Britt Slabinski determined the men needed to get off the mountain. Slabinski couldn't verify the wounded Chapman was dead, but he was nearly certain. So a "dead" Chapman was left behind.

The Air Force now suspects Chapman was alive for roughly another hour and tried to provide cover for a helicopter carrying Army Ranger reinforcements (three Rangers were among seven Americans to die that day; some say blame rests at the SEALs' feet). The conclusion comes thanks to technology that assigns those on the ground a pixel signature that can be tracked even when ground cover blocks a man from view. The Air Force secretary wants Chapman given the Medal of Honor; SEAL Team 6 has no issue with that, but hasn't taken a stance on whether Chapman was alive. Slabinski is outwardly skeptical, and suggests the Air Force would welcome a Medal of Honor, which it hasn't seen one of its own get since Vietnam. But a fresh look at Chapman's autopsy may provide further proof he was alive. Read the full story at the Times. (Read more Afghanistan stories.)
(Newser)  Mylan CEO Heather Bresch has taken her fair share of scrutiny lately over EpiPen's soaring price, her own soaring salary, her dad, and even a since-rescinded MBA from West Virginia University. But even as her company's controversy grew, Bresch did something else that's getting scrutinized: She unloaded about 100,000 shares of stock on August 9, to the tune of a $5 million profit. Bresch did so under a 10b5 plan, which spans a certain waiting period and are set up to avoid the appearance of insider trading, reports the Guardian. "Yet," as the Guardian writes, "Bresch did not need insider information to know that trouble lay ahead."

The grumbling about the price of EpiPen goes back to at least last September, when Bloomberg reported on EpiPen's marketing success story while noting the price had gone up 400%. Mylan subsequently hiked EpiPen's price again. In June, Wells Fargo noted in a report that Mylan had jacked prices on seven products by at least 100%, and on 24 products by at least 20%, hikes it said "could bring greater regulatory scrutiny and headline risk." Mylan shares went from $49.20 per share on August 19, 10 days after Bresch's sale, to $43.11 on August 24a $3 billion loss in value, notes Raw Story. Bresch, however, didn't completely dodge that hit: She still holds about 925,000 shares, adds the Guardian. (Bresch, meanwhile, says she's no Martin Shkreli.)
(Newser)  The Anglo-Franco bickering over a ring believed to have belonged to French national hero Joan of Arc is perhaps done for the moment: As the Guardian reports, has gone on display at a historical them park in France almost 600 years after she was burned at the stake, and it may have been the current British monarch who put the controversy to bed. The ring, which spent those 600 years in Britain, was bought by a group of French donors for $425,000 earlier this year; it returned home to France, only to have Britain demand its return over a permit issue. The president of Puy du Fou, the theme park, tells the Guardian there was never any question of returning the artifact.

"The request made us laugh," says Nicolas de Villiers. We wrote to the Queen asking her if she could help sort things out quickly. Clearly Buckingham Palace spoke in the right persons ear because we then heard we could keep the ring. Its a symbol, a relic, that has been held prisoner in England for 600 years." Puy du Fou hopes to build a chapel to house the ring, where the public will be able to view it for free. "It will never be a business for us," de Villiers says. "That would be a very serious betrayal of the promise we made to donors. This is a relic and to make money from it is out of the question." (Read more Joan of Arc stories.)
(Newser)  An undercover bust at a hotel in a small Upstate New York town would be unremarkable, if not for the woman arrested: Mariah Carey's older sister. The Daily Freeman reports Alison Carey was arrested Friday on prostitution charges in Saugerties, which is home to about 20,000 residents. The 55-year-old had allegedly posted three ads online promising a "world of pleasure"; Saugerties Police Chief Joseph Sinagra said Alison Carey had been operating out of an unnamed hotel for roughly a week and was busted by an undercover officer who pretended to be seeking her services.

Sinagra says sister Mariah's name surfaced because Alison Carey dropped it upon her arrest, and the connection was verified via Internet search. The Times Herald-Record cites "numerous" reports since 2015 that suggest Alison Carey is HIV-positive; those who had a sexual encounter with her are being advised to visit their doctor. US Weekly reports the sisters have been estranged for some time; they have a third sibling, brother Morgan Carey. Alison Carey has a Tuesday court date. (Read more celebrity stories.)
(Newser)  Sudden death apparently sounded better to Jason Binkiewicz than 13 years in prison. The 42-year-old Dillonvale, Ohio, man had in July been found guilty of attempted murder and felony assault after shooting a man in the face on Nov. 27, 2015; he was handed a 13-year sentence Friday morning, reports WTOV. What followed were screams, but not his own: Prosecutor Jane Hanlin says a deputy escorted Binkiewicz out of the courtroom per procedure, but as they approached the elevator the convict took off running and threw himself over the banister of the Jefferson County Courthouse's third floor, reports the Intelligencer. Binkiewicz fell roughly 30 feet to his death.

Jefferson County Sheriff Fred Abdalla says the deputy managed to catch Binkiewicz by the jumpsuit, but had he held on, "most likely [the deputy] would have gone over with him." Abdalla says Binkiewicz wasn't wearing ankle shackles as he had previously complained about swollen ankles; his hands were cuffed. But Abdalla tells WTOV that even if he had been shackled, "there's enough movement that he could have still made it to the railing and jumped over." Said Hanlin, "We certainly had no idea this would happen." (This man killed himself in court in June after hearing his sentence read.)
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (August 28) addressed 23rd edition of his popular monthly radio show Mann Ki Baat.



Highlights:

#11:40am

Any life lost in Kashmir, whether of a youth or of a security personnel, is a loss for us as a nation: PM Modi



#11:39am

People who are putting innocent young boys forward to disrupt peace in Kashmir, one day they will have to answer to these boys: PM



#11:37am

Concerned over unrest in Kashmir, PM Modi said unity is the key.



#11:35am

When this came to the knowledge of the village head, he arranged Rs 18K and got a toilet constructed in 7 days: PM Modi



#11:32am

A 16-year-old girl launched a Satyagraha, gave up food, demanding a toilet in her home in Karnataka: PM Modi



#11:30am

Students of 1,700 schools wrote to their parents urging them to construct toilets in their homes, in Chhattisgarh: PM Modi



#11:25am

Mother Teresa's canonisation as saint to happen on September 4th. Her life was dedicated to work for the poor: PM Narendra Modi



#11:21am

Why should we not go back to our tradition of using clay for making idols?: PM Narendra Modi



#11:19am

Lot of people are writing about Ganesh Chaturthi & Durga Puja vis-a-vis the environment showing their concern over pollution: PM Modi



#11:17am

My handwriting is not that good. I have immense respect for people with good handwriting: PM Narendra Modi



#11:12am

Teachers are as important as mothers in our lives. They spend their lives caring for their students: PM Modi



#11:11am

For me, 5th September is not only Teachers Day but a day of learning as well: PM Narendra Modi



#11:10am

It is very good to know that our nation wants us to focus on extracurricular activities: PM Modi



#11:06am

Dipa Karmakar did wonders at Rio Olympics 2016 as she took 4th place in artistic gymnastics vault finals.



#11:04am

We have to go a long way when it comes to focusing on Sports. Sports needs motivation and public is the best entity to do it: PM

#11:03am

We won Rio Olympics medals, our daughters proved themselves once again, that they are not less than anyone: PM Modi



#11:01am

On the occasion of major Dhyanchand's birthday, India will celebrate National sports day on Monday: PM Modi



He spoke about India's performance in recently concluded Rio Olympics 2016. He may also speak over unrest prevailing in the valley from past 51 days. The death toll in the incident has reached over 70.



On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to discuss the security situation in the valley.



In the last edition of his radio show, he had shared his ideas and thoughts on Rio Olympics, dengue, floods, innovation and climate change.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Kolkata:

Chairman of Multi-Disciplinary Expert Group of state and former West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on Saturday said the fire at Murshidabad Medical College Hospital was a conspiracy.



The incident of fire is a conspiracy to malign the image of government and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and halt her good work for the state, Bhattacharya told media here.



In a sharp retort, WBPCC President and Baharampore MP Adhir Chowdhury said Bhattacharyas statement was an inept bid on behalf of the government to hide the failure of its own.



This regime smells conspiracy in everything, Chowdhury said in his response. Two persons died and seven others were injured in a stampede after a fire broke out in the hospital today triggering panic among patients and their relatives.



Two women - a nursing aide and a relative of a patient died in the stampede following the incident of fire which broke out at 11.50 AM at the hospital. Seven others are injured, Director of Health Services Biswaranjan Satpathy said.



Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is monitoring the situation from Kolkata, while a four-member high power team from the state capital led by Bhattacharya has been asked to rush to the spot to assess the situation.



Bhattacharya, who is also managing director of West Bengal Medical Services Corporation, earlier told PTI that she would submit a report to the chief minister after reviewing the situation and making a detailed assessment.



A departmental inquiry has already been ordered into the incident, Satpathy said.













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New Orleans, :

Authorities say a woman has been rescued and two men remain missing after a small plane crashed into a lake near a New Orleans airport.

New Orleans Police Department spokeswoman Dawne Massey says in a statement early Sunday that department officials responded at 8:53 p.m. Saturday to a report that a Cessna aircraft carrying three people had crashed into Lake Ponchatrain near New Orleans Lakefront Airport.

The airport is located about 10 miles northeast of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana.

Massey says one female passenger was picked up by a private yacht and transported to Ochsner Hospital. Her medical condition was not immediately known.Massey says NOPD divers were preparing to deploy in an effort to locate the additional two male passengers and the wreckage.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Washington:

NASA is planning to send a submarine to Saturn's moon Titan in a bid to explore the depths of its largest ocean and search for signs of life.

Researchers proposed that the submarine would carryinstruments to measure the chemical composition of the ocean the currents and tides and the structure of the ocean floor.

The mast at the top would allow the submarine tocommunicate with Earth when it resurfaces. Since it would not be able to communicate when underwater its search for life is planned to be fully autonomous.

"There are really two big reasons why we want to go toTitan," says Jason Hartwig a NASA cryogenics engineer at the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Symposium in the US.

First is "to determine if hydrocarbon based life ispossible on Titan," Hartwig was quoted as saying by'Inverse.com'. Also as the only moon in our solar system with clouds andan atmosphere Titan is very similar to Earth apart from theextreme cold and oceans of liquid methane.

The hidden in the methane sea may hold clues to how lifeevolved and possibly even extraterrestrial microbes. The mission is still in its conceptual stages.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beirut:

Turkish shelling and air strikes killed at least 40 Syrians today, a monitor said, in the first significant civilian casualties in Turkeys intensifying campaign in northern Syria.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency said the army had killed 25 Kurdish terrorists in air strikes as part of its unprecedented operation inside Syria.

The bombardments came after Ankara suffered its first military fatality since it launched the two-pronged offensive against the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurdish militia inside Syria on Wednesday.

At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded in Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on the village of Jeb el-Kussa early today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said. Another 20 were killed and 25 wounded, many seriously, in Turkish air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, it said.

The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in Turkish bombardment of the two areas. A spokesman for the local Kurdish administration said 75 people had been killed in both villages.

The Britain-based Observatory said the bombardment targeted an area south of the former IS border stronghold of Jarabulus, which Turkish-led forces captured on the first day of the incursion.

Fighting has since intensified south of the town, where clashes erupted between Turkish troops and forces belonging to the Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) party, which Ankara considers a terrorist group linked with Kurdish militants in Turkey.

US-backed Kurdish forces have also been fighting IS in Syria but Turkey fiercely opposes any move by Kurds to expand into territory lost by the jihadists.

The latest fighting is likely to raise deep concerns for Turkeys NATO ally the United States, which supports the Kurdish militiaknown as the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) -- as an effective fighting force against IS.

The Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded yesterday in a rocket attack by Kurdish militia on two tanks taking part in an offensive against the pro-Kurdish forces south of Jarabulus. Turkish media named the dead soldier as Ercan Celik, 28, and said a funeral for him would be held in Gaziantep.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was due to visit the city to express condolences for last weekends suicide bombing there at a Kurdish wedding that left 54 dead.

Turkeys NTV television reported that Turkish artillery had struck YPG targets throughout the night and that Turkish warplanes had carried out new bombing sorties this morning.

Turkish forces carried out their first air strikes on pro-Kurdish positions yesterday as part of what Ankara is calling Operation Euphrates Shield.

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Chandigarh:

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today requested Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to initiate a probe into the funding of AAP allegedly by extremist elements abroad which aims to destabilise the state ahead of assembly elections next year.

Sukhbir, in a letter to Singh, requested him to launch an immediate investigation into the huge amount of money being received by AAP from radical elements residing in North America, Europe and Australia.

Sukhbir, who also holds the Home portfolio in the state claimed, A thorough investigation into the money trail would unravel and expose those trying to disturb the hard won peace of Punjab through incidents of sacrilege and violence.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had virtually revived the radical groups who had been completely marginalised in the state by initiating a dialogue with them, he alleged in the letter.

According to our information, an understanding was reached that AAP would hand over SGPC to radical Sikhs in lieu of support from them to win the polls, Sukhbir alleged, adding under this understanding radical elements collected under one fold to organise a so called Sarbat Khalsa conference to open a front against SAD.

Asserting that AAPs Delhi MLA Naresh Yadav is an accused in a sacrilege incident in Malerkotla, the Deputy Chief Minister claimed the state government has intelligence that radical elements were behind a number of other sacrilege incidents in the state.

Sukhbir said he had conveyed this information to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval earlier and is following up this with this letter as there is a real threat to Punjab due to the support being given to the radical groups and their cause by AAP leaders.

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Dhaka:

Bangladesh police said today they were hunting more extremist leaders after shooting dead the suspected mastermind of a deadly cafe attack, on the eve of US Secretary of State John Kerrys first visit.

Security forces stormed a militant hideout outside Dhaka on Saturday, killing three suspected Islamists including the Bangladesh-born Canadian accused of organising last months attack that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners.

Authorities say that after returning from Canada in 2013, Tamim Chowdhury led a faction of the banned militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), blamed for a series of recent attacks on religious minorities.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the July 1 seige of the upmarket Dhaka cafe in which gunmen held hostage mainly Western diners including one American, before killing them.

But police say the homegrown JMB, which has pledged allegiance to the IS group, was behind the raid. They deny the presence of international jihadist groups.

Were hopeful we can now capture and eliminate other extremists including Zia, assistant inspector general of police, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, told AFP.

Police suspect Zia, a former army major whose full name is Syed Ziaul Haque, heads another local extremist group called Ansar al Islam, blamed for the machete murders of a dozen secular writers and two gay activists.

Kerry is set to arrive in Bangladesh tomorrow on his first official visit to try to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism and other issues.

He will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and hold talks with his counterpart Mahmood Ali on a broad range of issues including democracy, development, security and human rights, a senior State Department official said.

Kerry will then head to India to co-chair the regular US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bangladesh police hailed yesterdays raid as a major blow to extremists in the Muslim-majority country, which has been reeling from the recent killings.

The cafe attack has prompted foreigners, including potential investors, to leave Bangladeshsparking worries for its garment industry, the worlds second largest after China.

A series of police raids on suspected militant hideouts have killed at least 24 extremists since the cafe attack.

Police have announced a reward of USD 25,000 for information leading to the arrest of Zia, who was sacked from the army in 2011 for an aborted coup bid against Hasina.

Experts welcomed yesterdays police raid but said the country, with its history of political instability, faces a long fight against Islamist extremism.

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Amman:

The US will reach its target this week of taking in 10,000 Syrian war refugees in a year-old resettlement program, the US ambassador to Jordan said on Sunday, after meeting families headed to California and Virginia.



The resettlement program has emerged as an issue in the US presidential campaign, with Republican nominee Donald Trump alleging displaced Syrians pose a potential security threat.



Alice Wells, the US ambassador to Jordan, said on Sunday that keeping Americans safe and taking in some of the worlds most vulnerable people are not mutually exclusive.



Refugees are the most thoroughly screened category of travelers to the United States, and Syrian refugees are subject to even greater scrutiny, she said.



Wells said the target of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees in the US in the 2016 fiscal year will be reached tomorrow, as several hundred Syrians depart from Jordan over 24 hours.



The Jouriyeh family, which attended todays short ceremony, is headed to San Diego, California.



Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh, 49, a former construction worker from the war-ravaged Syrian city of Homs, said he feels fear and joy, fear of the unknown and our new lives, but great joy for our childrens lives and future.



Jouriyeh, who suffers from heart problems, will be traveling with his wife, Rajaa, 42, and their four children. Their oldest son, 14-year-old Mohammed, said he is eager to sign up for school in San Diego and hopes to study medicine one day.



The resettlement program focuses on the most vulnerable refugees, including those who were subjected to violence or torture or are sick.

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Melbourne:

The newspaper The Australian is expected to publish the documents regarding the weapons system of the submarine on Monday. Over 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company were leaked a few days ago.

Embattled French defence firm DCNS has approached the Supreme Court in Australia seeking an injunction against The Australian from further publishing the leaked documents of Indias Scorpene submarine project.

The DCNS has also sought a court order to the newspaper to hand over the documents in its possession and removal of the contents from its website. The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation, The Australian quoted an affidavit by DCNS lawyer Justine Munsie.

The move by DCNS comes after a former commander of US Pacific fleet Submarine Force warned that the leaks would undermine the confidence in the ability of French companies to protect classified information.

Rear Admiral (Retd) John Padgett, who is also the president of the US Naval Submarine League, has said that aggressive action needed to be taken to probe the leak and that France should share the outcome with Australia.

The secret data included details of the capabilities of SM39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the Scorpene And classified information about the number of targets the missile was capable of processing. Explaining the implications of the leak, Admiral Padgett Said,It is never good for an opponent to have your playbook.

As a member of NATO, the French government and French military demonstrate that they enforce effective security controls and have a solid reputation with their allies, he said.

He said the investigation had to determine exactly how the breach occurred and what aggressive action would be taken to correct deficient security controls. His comments came as a French public prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation into the data leak, with DCNS filing a complaint for breach of trust.

We filed a complaint against unknown persons for breach of trust with the Paris prosecutor, said a DCNS spokesman. The DCNS has won a contract to design Australias new $50 billion submarine fleet.

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DANBURY  Maybe manufacturing isnt dead in Connecticut.

Although modest in scale and far from historic peaks, manufacturing employment in the state has seen steady gains over the last year, reversing a decades old trend of job losses in the industry.

This past years slight gain may point to a turnaround, said Tom Dubin, president of Manufacturers News, an industrial information company.

Brightening the news even more, the Connecticut Department of Labor projects the upward trend to continue. In its Industry Projections for 2014-2024 report, the state DOL predicts that manufacturing employment in the state will increase 2.8 percent, from 159,604 to 163,997 jobs.

This is a major turnaround after decades of decline, Patrick Flaherty of the DOLs Office of Research and Information said.

Even the 164,000 jobs projected for 2024 is a long way off from historic highs. As recently as 1990 there were more than 300,000 people with manufacturing jobs in Connecticut. With the changing face of manufacturing and fierce competition from other states and countries, those historic numbers are not likely to be reached any time soon, if at all.

Thats true for many industries, though, with automation and robotics, U.S. Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty, D-5, said. Theres just a higher amount of automation now, whether its financial services, health care, manufacturing or any other industry.

The recent gains and predictions that the increase will continue are cause for optimism, she said.

Im thrilled, but not surprised we are seeing increases. Connecticut is a high-value state, Esty said. In many ways we are returning to our roots with advanced manufacturing. There is a lot of innovation going on in this state.

According to the 2017 Connecticut Manufacturers Register, an industrial database published by Manufacturers News, there were 811 new jobs added between June 2015 and June 2016 in the industry. The year-over-year job increase in manufacturing was the first for Connecticut in more than a decade, according to the report. From June 2006 to June 2015, the state lost 35,543 factory jobs.

The database shows that Connecticut has 5,023 manufacturers that employ 205,284 people. Manufacturers News uses a broader definition of manufacturing than the state to include industries such as information services and certain energy companies.

Hat City outlook

In Danbury, manufacturing remains a strong and a vital part of the citys diverse economy. Although the number of manufacturing jobs has not increased in the Danbury Labor Market Area this year, the number has remained steady.

The Danbury Labor Market Area includes Danbury, Bethel, Brookfield, Newtown, Redding, New Milford, New Fairfield, Sherman and Bridgewater. In March, the last month for which data was available, the area had 270 worksites and 8,559 workers in manufacturing.

Stephen Bull, president and CEO of the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce, said the Danbury area per capita has the highest percentage of manufacturing in the state. Bull is a board member of the Housatonic Industrial Development Corp., a Danbury-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping small businesses create and retain jobs.

This area has been able to attract the gold standard of manufacturing. Belimo, the air conditioning company, just built a multimillion-dollar facility in the city. Thats a great testament to what this area has to offer for manufacturing, Bull said. We distinguish ourselves by having a strong, competent workforce to draw from. When you look around Danbury, the manufacturing base is still there.

Praxair, one of the worlds largest suppliers of industrial gases, is also renovating an existing space in Danbury for its new headquarters. Praxair confirmed earlier this month that it is in merger talks with German company Linde.

The city features several large, mid-sized and small manufacturers that produce goods for a wide variety of industries. Among the products produced in the Danbury area are: toys, cardboard boxes, lubricants, ball bearings, HVAC systems, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and rubber tubing.

It is that diversity that keeps manufacturing in Danbury moving forward, Bull said.

We are very fortunate to have one of the most diverse and healthy business bases in the state. Thats always protected us from economic downturns, he said. I do worry about globalization and where the jobs might go.

Danburys manufacturing roots run deep and in the 1800s the city earned the nickname Hat City, a moniker that still stands. At one point, more people in Danbury worked in the hat industry than all other jobs combined.

If you didnt work in the hat industry you worked for a collateral company or for Danbury Square Box, which made boxes for the hats, Bull said.

The fall of the hat industry led to the formation of the Danbury Industrial Corp., which combined with the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce, led a charge to attract and retain manufacturing companies to the area. The organization is now known as the Housatonic Industrial Development Corp. and is still based in Danbury.

Changing face of manufacturing

Manufacturing is not necessarily the low-skilled, low-paying job done in a dirty, large factory, which is the image that still comes to mind for many people. In fact, these days its more likely to be a high-tech, highly skilled and clean job.

It used to be people talked about manufacturing and the three Ds: dark, dirty and dangerous, Esty said. Its simply not true anymore.

The trick, Esty said, is getting young people excited about a career in manufacturing. She would like to see shop class returned to all middle schools and mandatory for all students, not just boys.

We need more hands-on learning at a young age. Our classrooms have been extremely focused on teaching to the test. Thats detached learning, she said. Everybody learns better with hands-on experience. There are skills you learn by making things.

Many Connecticut high school students are engaging in apprenticeships and co-op arrangements with local companies. At the college level, Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centers have been created and prepare students for high-tech, hands-on positions in fields such as aerospace, biomedical technology and defense. The jobs board on the Advanced Manufacturing Technology Center webpage advertises positions with starting salaries ranging from $38,000 to $59,000.

Back in the day manufacturing was looked upon as dirty and low-skilled. Today manufacturing is clean, well-paying, high-tech. Its a wonderful career, Bull said. Its an excellent way for people to move up in a job where they are actually creating something. These are really good jobs.
Jessica Coraizaca moved to Danbury from Ecuador at age 12. At Rogers Park Middle School and in her first semester of high school, she was in the English as a second language (ESL) program and had teachers who came from diverse backgrounds and spoke her language.

I felt more comfortable and wanted to learn, like they were a role model, said Coraizaca, who is now 24.

But when she moved out of the ESL program and into the regular classroom in the second semester of her freshman year, few teachers looked like her, spoke her native language or shared her background.

Coraizaca went on to become a teacher herself, the type of job candidate highly sought after by Danbury and other school districts with rapidly diversifying student bodies.

Danbury has been described as the most diverse school district in the state. It has a majority minority student body - 60 percent are Latino, black, Asian or multiple races. Its teaching staff is 88 percent white.

The biggest bloc of students are Latino - 42.6 percent of the total - while the teaching staff is only 6 percent Latino.

Kimberly Mango Thompson, director of human resources and legal counsel to the board of education in Danbury, said the district struggles to get enough minority candidates for teaching position job openings.

Were making some progress, she said. But I dont think well ever get to a point where our teacher population is an exact mirroring of the student population.

Danbury is not the only district faced with this issue.

About 7 percent of public school teachers and 2 percent of administrators in Connecticut come from minority backgrounds, while more than one-third of students in the state are minorities, according to the Capital Region Education Council.

Danbury makes diversity a priority when hiring teachers, which is helping to increase the number of minority educators, Thompson said. The school has advertised for bilingual and English-as-a-second-language teachers, which tends to attract minority applicants, she said.

Im very happy with the progress weve made, Thompson said. I think we have a lot of work still to do, but Ive seen our numbers go up, particularly in that Hispanic/Latino group.

The school district added 11 more Latino teachers from the 2009-2010 academic year to the 2013-2014 academic year, bringing the total from 42 to 53, out of 881 total teachers.

Jonathan Costa, the assistant executive director at EdAdvance, said Danbury is one of the most diverse districts the organization works with, both in staffing and student body. EdAdvance, formerly known as Education Connection, is a nonprofit with offices in Danbury and Litchfield that supports school districts throughout western Connecticut.

Danbury has been an example of how diversity can work in a public school setting, Costa said. And Danbury as a city looks a lot more like the entire country than many single towns do that have a more skewed demographic profile.

Bethel Superintendent Christine Carver said that while her district is not as diverse as Danbury, the minority student-to-minority teacher ratio is still out of whack.

Bethel ranks No. 38 on Niches list of the 100 most diverse schools districts in the state. In the 2013-2014 academic year, 25 percent of students were minority while 97.9 percent of the teachers were white, according to statistics from the State Department of Education and the National Center for Education Statistics. About 13.8 percent of students were Latino, while les than half of 1 percent of teachers were.

Carver said the district has talked about ways to increase diversity within the teaching staff.

We want to make sure students have similar role models and obviously theres cultural aspects that come in, she said.

Recruiting minority teaching candidates is the first step. Keeping them when other districts and organizations are looking for the same thing is the next challenge.

Coraizaca worked at Danbury Westside Middle School Academy for close to a year, but now works for Western Connecticut State Universitys pre-collegiate program for low-income students.

Coraizaca said it is beneficial for minority students to have a teacher with a similar background. For example, their classmates may not know what it is like to have parents who have not gone to college or do not speak English well.

There is a connection [with a teacher] who has a diverse background or has gone through the same challenges the students are going through, she said.

She spoke of one student in the pre-collegiate program who came to the United States from Ecuador as a baby. While this student grew up in American culture, her parents did not speak English well, Coraizaca said. The two talked about Ecuador together, and Coraizaca said the student said she wanted to be like Coraizaca. Now the student is in her second year at University of New Haven and hopes to work for the United Nations.

Im so happy that I can go back and try to help my own people or the Hispanic community, Coraizaca said.

Coraizaca said attracting Latino young people to a career in teaching is a challenge. Students would rather go into a profession where they would make more money, she said.

I dont think we give enough respect to teacher education, she said. So thats why people dont want to be teachers, and also, coming from different backgrounds, youre pushed to do better, to make more money.

New Milford Superintendent Joshua Smith said fewer minority students become teachers because they did not have minority educators growing up.

I would say many of our teachers are entering the field in part because of experiences they had as children, Smith said. And minority students have fewer role models where they said my teacher looks like me. It becomes a cyclical process.

This creates difficulties for students and teachers in the classroom.

I think we like to talk about compassion and empathy, Smith said. But until you walk in the shoes of someone who has lived in a minority situation, then I think its hard to relate to the challenges of being in that place.

Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a bill last year to create a minority teacher recruitment task force and require cultural competency trainings for teachers going through a certification program. U.S. Education Secretary John B. King Jr. also visited Hartford earlier this month to discuss diversity in schools.

Thompson said Danbury teachers have done cultural competency trainings through EdAdvance. Costa said these programs help educators see how students perspectives may vary based on race or background, as well as how students who are new to the United States may interpret cultural norms.

In some cases, if a teacher is truly wonderful, the color of his or her skin does not matter, Costa said.

However, if youre a child of color and you see no teachers of color or administrators of color, its likely youll never see yourself as that, Costa said. If you have an African-American president, you give people the understanding that you can do that, too. Its the same for teachers, administrators, doctors.Quality matters, but so do role modeling and giving people the opportunity to see others who look like them be successful in a variety of different contexts.
DANBURY  About 400 motorcyclists took off from Harley-Davidson/Buell heading to Farmington on Sunday morning as part of the 16th annual Dream Ride Experience benefiting Special Olympics.

The Danbury riders met a group that traveled for seven days from Florida to the Farmington Polo Grounds, as well as groups that rode from locations in Connecticut, the Eastern Seaboard and Canada this weekend. Volunteers estimated the Danbury riders raised $12,000, while the Florida riders presented checks ranging from $5,000 to $10,000 to local Special Olympics committees on their 14 stops.
Experiments confirm the existence of 1-micrometer-sized molecules made of two cesium atoms by showing that their binding energies agree with predictions.

Strongly bound diatomic molecules such as H2H2or O2O2 are less than a nanometer across. Surprisingly, scientists have been able to create two-atom molecules more than a thousand times larger by using exotic atoms that attract one another only very weakly. Now, a pair of physicists have calculated what makes these macrodimers stable, and they have verified their predictions by creating micrometer-sized molecules containing two cesium atoms. The macrodimers could have applications in quantum computing.

Interest in these macromolecules stems from the challenges they pose to conventional understanding of molecules and bonds. More than a decade ago, physicists predicted that molecules with interatomic distances as large as 1 micrometer might be created by using a pair of atoms in so-called Rydberg states. These are atoms in which a single outer-shell electron has been excited to a high quantum state so that it orbits far away from the nucleus. Although Rydberg atoms are unstable, they can live as long as tens of microseconds, and experimenters have succeeded in creating macrodimers from them, confirming their existence indirectly by destroying them and detecting specific spectroscopic signatures

Distant partners. In this sketch, two cesium atoms in high Rydberg states form a weakly bound molecule about 1 micrometer across, comparable to the size of typical bacteria.

However, physicists Heiner Samannshausen and Johannes Deiglmayr of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich, Switzerland, say that the earlier theoretical argument for the existence of macrodimers included some significant assumptions. To examine the argument more rigorously, they developed a sophisticated model of the interaction of Rydberg atoms and used it to predict in more detail the properties of stable macrodimers, such as the amount of energy binding them together. They then tested their model by creating the predicted molecules.

The physicists performed detailed quantum calculations of the force between two cesium atoms in specified Rydberg states. The interatomic force could be attractive or repulsive, they found, depending on the distance between the atoms. For some pairings of Rydberg atoms, the force vanished at certain distances, meaning that the two atoms could remain at rest in the form of a macrodimer with an expected lifetime of some tens of microseconds.

Physical Review Letters  Observation of Rydberg-Atom Macrodimers: Micrometer-Sized Diatomic Molecules

For their experimental studies, Samannshausen and Deiglmayr chose a stable macrodimer consisting of cesium atoms with electrons in the 43rd and 44th excited energy levels. They began with an ultracold gas of cesium atoms with average separation about 1 micrometerroughly the size of the macrodimer they wanted to make. They used a pulse of laser light to excite a small fraction of these atoms into the 44th Rydberg state. They then pulsed the gas with a second laser whose energy was less, by an amount delta, than the energy needed to excite cesium atoms into the 43rd Rydberg state. The value of delta represents the so-called binding energy of the macrodimer and is the amount by which a pair of cesium atoms in the 43rd and 44th Rydberg states can reduce their total energy by joining together as a macrodimer.

To verify that this procedure indeed created a few macrodimers, Samannshausen and Deiglmayr detected ions created when one of the atoms in a macrodimer decayed to a lower Rydberg state, releasing energy that ionized the other atom. The physicists found strong signals for several values of delta, each one corresponding to the binding energy of a distinct macrodimer state predicted by their calculations.

Our model showed that many of the macrodimer states predicted earlier do not exist, says Deiglmayr, but that other macrodimer states should exist. The direct measurement of the macrodimers binding energies, he adds, goes beyond previous work in establishing the reality of these unusual states.

As Deiglmayr points out, other physicists have already proposed using Rydberg macrodimers as the basis of logical gates in a quantum computer. If two quantum bits (qubits) were encoded in the states of a pair of Rydberg atoms constituting a macrodimer, the absence of any force between the atoms could improve the precision of operations carried out jointly on those qubits.

This work really goes a long way towards providing an understanding of macrodimers, says James Shaffer of the University of Oklahoma in Norman. I think it will help people trying to design experiments that use these types of atom-atom interactions for quantum optics and other quantum information applications.

Abstract

Long-range metastable molecules consisting of two cesium atoms in high Rydberg states have been observed in an ultracold gas. A sequential three-photon two-color photoassociation scheme is employed to form these molecules in states, which correlate to np(n+1)s dissociation asymptotes. Spectral signatures of bound molecular states are clearly resolved at the positions of avoided crossings between long-range van der Waals potential curves. The experimental results are in agreement with simulations based on a detailed model of the long-range multipole-multipole interactions of Rydberg-atom pair states. We show that a full model is required to accurately predict the occurrence of bound Rydberg macrodimers. The macrodimers are distinguished from repulsive molecular states by their behavior with respect to spontaneous ionization and possible decay channels are discussed.

SOURCES  Physical Review Letters
Dr. Patrick M. Cronin, Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), believes new US military technology like railguns will debut far earlier than expected and will nullify North Koreas missile regime.

South Korea will get boosted defense against North Korean nuclear threats on its three current lines of efforts: deterrence through preemption, interception, and retaliation.

There is an $18 billion annual budget for the Pentagons Third Offset.

The main focus is AI and autonomy which will lead to a new era of human-machine collaboration. There is also the emergence and development of combat lasers and railguns.

The Strategist has a summary of the railgun, High velocity projectiles and other new large naval and land gun related weapons.

The LRLAP (Long Range Land Attack Projectile) is almost ten times the cost of a railgun hypervelocity projectile (HVP), but doesnt match the railguns expected range. The HVP can also be made compatible with both the AGS and the 5-inch guns on USNs cruisers and destroyers.

The HVP is a 10kg kinetic energy round, which means that the damage it does depends on its impact speed. A Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile packs a 450kg high explosive warhead, has a range in excess of 1,500km and costs about US$1.1million apiece.

The USNs new-generation anti-ship cruise missile (LRASM) is stealthier than a Tomahawk, has a ship-penetrating warhead, and still has a range in excess of 900km.

The Hypervelocity Gun Weapon System is investigating the possibility that even 5-inch cannons will be able to shoot down missiles using the HVP. By the time the railgun is actually operational, it might be less of a game changer and more of an incremental upgrade.

Improved Conventional system LRLAP

Lockheed is developing the rocket assisted 155mm Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP). It is the primary projectile of the Advanced Gun System (AGS), the main armament of the U.S. Navys next-generation DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyer. It provides long-range off-shore precision fire support to Marine Corps and Army forces engaged in expeditionary assaults or littoral urban operations.

The 155mm LRLAP is both the most accurate and longest-range guided projectile in U.S. Navy history, with a maximum range in excess of 63 nautical miles. Its precision and near vertical angle of fall enables the Warfighter to defeat targets in the urban canyons of coastal cities with minimal collateral damage.

The LRLAP system provides high-volume fire support at a rate of 10 rounds per minute through the depth of the magazine. It uses the worlds most advanced, g-hardened electronicsincluding a global positioning system and inertial measurement unitto withstand the punishing gun-launch environment.

155mm LRLAP provides single strike lethality against a wide range of targets, with three times the lethality of traditional 5-inch naval ballistic roundsand because it is guided, fewer rounds can produce similar or more lethal effects at less cost. LRLAP has the capability to guide multiple rounds launched from the same gun to strike single or multiple targets simultaneously, maximizing lethal effects.

Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP)

SOURCES  National Interest, The Strategist, Lockheed Martin
Neil Jacobstein Chairs the AI and Robotics Track at Singularity University headquartered at the NASA Ames Research Park. He is a former President of Singularity University. Jacobstein is a Distinguished Visiting Scholar in Stanfords Media X Program. He was a Senior Research Fellow in the Reuters Digital Vision Program at Stanford University. He has served as an AI technical consultant on projects for leading business, government, and defense organizations including Deloitte, XPrize, GM, Ford, Boeing, ING, Wells Fargo, FMC, P&G, Hershey, Coca Cola, Loews, Harman, GE, Wipro, Dow, Genentech, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Applied Materials, NSF, DARPA, NASA, NIH, EPA, DOE, the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force. Jacobstein was CEO at Teknowledge Corporation, an early AI company. He chaired the 17th Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligences (AAAI) Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence (IAAI) Conference. Jacobstein is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. He was a Graduate Research Intern in Alan Kays Learning Research Group at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, and a consultant in PARCs Software Concepts Group. Jacobstein was appointed by the United States National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to their Division on Earth and Life Sciences Committee for the period 2015-2018. He became a founding Editorial Board Member of AAAS Science Robotics in 2016. Neil advises corporations, governments, and startups, and speaks internationally on AI, Robotics, and the Implications of Exponential Technologies.

Seven factors driving the AI revolution

Summary of 7 factors driving AI

1. Money and funding of AI  1st quarter 2016 deal activity is up seven times from 2011

2. Algorithms driving the AI revolution [he suggests downloading RStudio]

3. Hardware

4. DATA  used for training AI

5. Talent

Data science competition at kaggle [website], to offer prizes for AI problems (but requires posting data publicly)

Experfy [website] lets you have AI people bid to solve your AI problems (Neil is an investor in this company)

6. Applications

Apple Siri

Google Assistant

Microsoft Cortana

Hound app for iOS and android

More than 1000 people are working on Amazon Echo and Alexa

Alphabet home

VIV Global brain

7. Responsibility

Seven factors in more detail

1. 1st quarter 2016 deal activity is up seven times from 2011

$2.4 billion invested in 2015

The race of AI

What is AI ?

A. Pattern recognition techniques

B. Software agents

C. a vision of superhuman intelligence that has not happened yet

D. A computer science that accelerates other exponential technologies

Synthesis of AI and human intelligence

2. Algorithms is the next big factor driving the AI revolution

Deep learning is making huge gains

850 stage deep learning image recognition at Microsoft

Download RStudio

RToolkit

3. Hardware

Alphabet Google TPU Tensor Processing Unit

Used in search and streetview

Qualcomm Zeroth NPU  4K and DSP signal processing

Nvidia- deep learning chip

IBM truenorth neuromorphic computing platform, 16 million neurons, 4 biilion synpases, 2.5 watts

4. DATA

All kinds of data, big data, genomic data, market price data, wikipedia, 500 million tweets per day, webfeeds,

patient data, relational data

a lot publicly available

Tensorflow integrate algorithms and data



5. Talent

Companies are acquiring companies for talent and targeting key people

Facebook new deeptext and deepface programs

Google acquired Deepmind for more than $500 million

South Korea promised $3 billion for AI R and D after the Alphago shock

Data science competition at kaggle, to offer prizes for AI problems (but requires posting data publicly)

Experfy lets you have AI people bid to solve your AI problems (Neil is an investor in this company)

6. Applications

AI applications

AI value adds

Augments human skills

etc

Machine learning applications  AII website

IBM Watson

Watson is moving into different domains with any credible partners

IBM investing $1 billion in 2014 and setup $100 million venture fund

We will extend our capability with assistance systems

Apple Siri

Google Assistant

Microsoft Cortana

Hound app for iOS and android

More than 1000 people are working on Amazon Echo and Alexa

Alphabet home

VIV Global brain (architects of SIRI came out of stealth mode) want to create intelligence as a utility

VIV allows you to delegate work to your computer

7. Responsibility

AI impacts human resources

AI is here now with practical problem solving

AI will blow the lid on education and will enable powerful one on one tutoring

Ai comes with tradeoffs

Trust will be important

AIRBnb is using AI to reduce risk to customers and hosts

AI Open Letter

The signatories ask: How can engineers create AI systems that are beneficial to society, and that are robust? Humans need to remain in control of AI; our AI systems must do what we want them to do.[1] The required research is interdisciplinary, drawing from areas ranging from economics and law to various branches of computer science, such as computer security and formal verification. Challenges that arise are divided into

verification (Did I build the system right?),

validity (Did I build the right system?),

security, and

control (OK, I built the system wrong, can I fix it?

OpenAI $1 billion

Reverse engineer the brain eventually

Eureqa = virtual data scientist
Navy leaders now say it will be possible to build more Virginia-class attack submarines at a faster pace than currently planned as part of an aggressive move to address and counter Russian and Chinese submarine expansion.

In a special exclusive interview with Scout Warrior, former Navy Director of Undersea Warfare said the Navy and its industrial partners to have the ability to build 2 Virginia-class submarines per year once production of the Ohio Replacement Program nuclear-armed submarines begins in the 2020s.

Without the proposed change the US would complete 1 Virginia class submarine each year starting in 2021 (see procurement below as currently planned). Sustaining Virginia submarine construction at 2 per year would mean 10 more submarines in 2030.

Of the worlds 300 submarines that are not part of the U.S. Navy (which has 73), two-thirds are in the Indo-Pacific region.

China is shifting away from the small, short-range subs it used in the Cold War. The Chinese navy has at least 70 subs, and over the next decade its looking to add as many as 20 boats capable of traveling long distances submerged in deep water for days at a stretch.

According to Defense News, James Fanell predicted by 2030 the Chinese Navy will have ninety-nine submarines, four aircraft carriers, 102 destroyers and frigates, twenty-six corvettes, seventy-three amphibious ships and 111 missile craft, a whopping 415 ships in total, to approximately 309 in the U.S. Navy of 2030. This would put China in a solid position as the worlds largest navy by number of shipsthough not by total ship tonnage.

China already has over 300 surface ships, submarines, amphibious ships, and patrol craft. In 2030 many of Chinas warships are likely to be more advanced.

There were 200 submarines in East and South Asia in 2010. By 2030 that number will rise to about 300.

India plans to build 24 submarines over the next 30 years in a bid to keep up with Beijings undersea prowess.

Indonesia ordered two Russian-made Kilo-class submarines and is awaiting the delivery of three South Korean-built subs ordered in 2012.

Vietnam has bought six Russian-made Kilo-class submarines worth $2.6 billion since 2009 for deployment at Cam Ranh Bay

Australia has ordered 12 new submarines from France at a cost of $39 billion.

SOURCES- Defense News, Scout Warrior, Bloomberg
Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state has renamed the popular Baga road in Maiduguri Metropolis after Alhaji Aliko Dangote following his...

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno state has renamed the popular Baga road in Maiduguri Metropolis after Alhaji Aliko Dangote following his immense contribution and support to victims of Boko Haram especially the over 1.6 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) spread across various resettlement camps in the state.Metropolis after Alhaji Aliko Dangote following his immense contribution and support to victims of Boko Haram especially the over 1.6 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) spread across various resettlement camps in the state.Shettima made this know during Alhaji Aliko Dangotes visit to the Dalori IDP Camp in Maiduguri which is currently being occupied by 37,000 IDPs from Bama Local Government Area of the state.In his address, Shettima expressed gratitude to Aliko Dangote Road for his sympathy to the people of the state who had suffered untold hardship in the hands of insurgents in the last seven years.I want to this opportunity and on behalf of the good people of Borno state to extend our appreciation to Dangote Foundation. In the last Ramadan season, 230 trucks of assorted food items were donated to our people by Dangote.Dangote Foundation has also donated the sum of N2 billion to our dear state for reconstruction and rehabilitation of our destroyed communities, in addition to N400 million donated to us by the same Foundation to assist our people.We in Borno are ever grateful and pray that Allah will continue to guide and protect Dangote and his family and that peace will return to our dear state. We also want to call on well to do individuals and corporate organizations to assist Borno in this our trying moment.Shettima said. The governor during the visit also took his August visitors to Bakassi camp which had 152,000 IDPs from Nganzai, Monguno, Gwoza and other local government areas, after which, the visitors paid a sympathy visit to families of Boko Haram combatants that were rescued by troops and now taking refuge at a secular place in Maiduguri.Addressing the rescued women and their children, both Dangote and the popular musician, BONO advised the families especially the women to support government policies and programmes as Dangote Foundation will do everything possible to ensure safe upbringing of their innocent children educationally.Dangote also called on the rescued victims to continue to pray for Allah to grant peace not only in Borno, but the country as a whole.We are here in Maiduguri with this popular world musician to sympathize with you over the unfortunate crisis of Boko Haram, I came with this musician so that he can see things for himself and see how best he could do with his talent to tell the whole world your predicaments and how best to assist you be reintegrated back into the society. Dangote
A former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, has warned that Boko Haram terrorists will likely regroup, becoming more r...

A former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, John Campbell, has warned that Boko Haram terrorists will likely regroup, becoming more radical, violent and may attack Kano and Lagos states.The former diplomat noted that the division in the terrorist group might not degrade its ability to launch deadly attacks.Campbell said, It should be anticipated that attacks on government and Western facilities will continue but not necessarily centred in the North-East. Instead, the two factions are likely to carry out attacks further afield, in Kano, possibly Lagos, and almost certainly in Cameroon and Niger. There may well be greater cooperation with the various criminal networks that are active across the Sahel.The paradox is that a splintered Boko Haram with rival leaders may pose less of a threat to the Nigerian state in the short term but a greater one to the broader region and to Western individuals and interests. Up to now, (Abubakar) Shekaus ties to the Islamic State do not appear to have been operationally significant, while al-Barnawis link with al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb appears to have been limited to specific operations. That could change in the future.According to Campbell, if a faction of Boko Haram should fall under greater operational control of Islamic State or AQIM, there is more likelihood that it will carry out terrorist attacks beyond Nigeria or even the Sahel.This, he stated, could pose a direct threat to American interests, which are centred around Lagos and the South-South.Kidnapping has been an Ansaru specialty in the past, often in cooperation with jihadist or criminal groups based elsewhere in the Sahel. Kidnapping of Westerners, highly lucrative, may also spike with Ansarus re-emergence, the former ambassador to Nigeria added.The leadership struggle between Abubakar Shekau and Abu Musab al-Barnawi, he said, indicated that violent extremism was evolving and far from being defeated in Nigeria.The focus of the struggle against the secular state is moving away from the occupation of specific bits of territory concentrated in the isolated North-East towards a more general assault on non-Islamic institutions and practices. Even if the Nigerian security services are able to destroy Boko Haram in the short term and kill Shekau and al-Barnawi, an extremist Islamic movement would likely soon re-emerge. If the previous pattern persists that each cycle is more radical, violent, and outward looking than its predecessor, there is also a good chance that it could have even stronger links with jihadist movements outside Nigeria, especially AQIM and Islamic State, Campbell said.
Femi Falana, one of Nigeria's foremost rights lawyer has spoken against the prosecution of Joachim Chinakwe, a Nigerian who named his ...

Femi Falana, one of Nigeria's foremost rights lawyer has spoken against the prosecution of Joachim Chinakwe, a Nigerian who named his dog Buhari.According to reports, Falana said that Chinakwe's ordeal had no place in the Nigerian statute, adding that labelling his dog with his desired name was in exercise of his fundamental rights to free speech which should not be curtailed by the Nigerian state.''I am going to request the attorney-general of Ogun State to discontinue the frivolous charge. It is against Section 36(9) of the Constitution to charge a man for a criminal offence that is unknown to law, Mr. Falana said.It is also illegal to use the machinery of government to harass any citizen. If the president is aggrieved by the naming of dog after him, he is at liberty to sue for libel. But the police cannot invoke criminal proceeding to intimidate the fellow.
Niger Delta Avengers, NDA has denied reports that it has nominated nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka to head its dialogue team with the f...

Niger Delta Avengers, NDA has denied reports that it has nominated nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka to head its dialogue team with the federal government describing it as a lie of the century.The group also accused the Okah brothers both of whom are serving time in Nigeria and South Africa prisons of using disorganised characters from the Niger Delta region to impress the powers that be at Abuja.NDA in a statement Sunday by its spokesperson, Brig Gen Mudoch Agbinibo while reiterating its support for the Chief Edwin Clark-led Niger Delta Elders and Stakeholders conference committee to lead the pan Niger Delta negotiations/dialogue team, stated that it is ready for talks whenever the federal government is ready.The NDA cannot be teleguided by Mr Charles Okah and Henry Okah from their respective prison cells using disorganised characters of the All Progressive Congress (APC), from the Niger Delta to impress Abuja, the group said.Speaking further, the group said: We are not unaware of the creations of the Nigerian intelligentsia community and security apparatus to sustain the Niger Delta struggle to bloat their pocket and credibility. We are amazed that Prof.Wole Soyinka, has been taken on the jugular by enemies of the Niger Delta because of his belief that the government of the day should understand the need to restructuring and listen to the Niger Delta agitation positively.That if, we the NDA have named Prof Wole Soyinka and some incredible names to advise and lead any group is the Lie of The Century!They says, when an handshake goes beyond the elbow it has turned to another thing; amazingly, the handwriting are so clear that our noble laureate name is going the infamous way, as he is being named along as an adviser with some unscrupulous characters as Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) dialogue team with the government of Nigeria.Putting the records straight; the name/names parading as factions of the Niger Delta Avengers are just the figment of some persons protecting their jobs and hell bent on derailing the wheel of progress in the history of Nigeria and the Niger Delta agitation.Our strike teams and command structures have not at anytime contacted these Nigerians at any time to advise or lead any contact with the government of Muhammadu Buhari on the Niger Delta agitation.We have shown our respect and restraints to personalities that have been too fixated to impress Abuja in the name of the Niger Delta struggle since the beginning of Operation Red Economy  ignorantly or willingly.
Raymond Dokpesi, aspirant for the position of national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Nigeria is more polarised in t...

Raymond Dokpesi, aspirant for the position of national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says Nigeria is more polarised in the current reign of the All Progressives Congress than during the civil war.Speaking with journalists at a PDP rally in Marmara, Nasarawa state, on Saturday, Dokpesi said unlike PDP, APC has failed to hold the country together.He described PDP as the only party capable of uniting the country and resuscitating its ailing economy.We must be very very hopeful, we must look to the future with a lot of prayers, he said at the rally, held at the behest of Walid Jubril, chairman of the PDP board of trustees.I believe that PDP is the only party that can provide the support, that can provide a rejuvenation of the Nigerian economy, that can really deal with the issues of unity and stability.This country is more divided now than it was during the civil war.He told the crowd that Nigerians would have a better country when PDP returns to power in 2019.Also speaking, Jubril called for unity within the party. He said the party needed to come to terms with its current situation, and work towards achieving peace and re-positioning itself for future election victories.To achieve this, Jubril said the party must eschew its culture of impunity and imposition of candidates. He urged members to subject themselves to the will of the party.Our party needs to run away completely from impunity, he said.We have to be able to accept the reality of the situation that we are in today and forget about all our differences and ensure that this party remains the unbeatable party.
There is no plan to launch offensives in Niger Delta communities, the Chief of Army Staff, General Yusuff Buratai, has declared. He de...

There is no plan to launch offensives in Niger Delta communities, the Chief of Army Staff, General Yusuff Buratai, has declared.He described fears over the likelihood of military actions in the region as unfounded and unnecessary.Buratai stated this during a courtesy call on the Olu of Warri, His Royal Majesty, Ikenwoli, in his palace on Ajamimogha Road, Warri.He allayed fears of invasion, saying the special military drill codenamed Operation Crocodiles Tears in Sapele is a routine exercise focused on training for military personnel.According to the army chief: The exercise is training routine and not designed to witch hunt anyone.To this end, I urge all law abiding citizens to go about their normal daily activities without fears.The Olu of Warri said Nigeria remained indissoluble, stressing his subjects and all Deltans believe in one Nigeria.In the logistics build-up to commencement of the exercise, the military embarked on a free medical outreach for Sapele communities in Delta State.Medical personnel from the Nigerian Army Medical Corps were deployed to attend to medical needs of community residents free of charge.
President Muhammadu Buhari says the Federal Government will sustain concrete measures to diversify the economy by devoting more resources ...

President Muhammadu Buhari says the Federal Government will sustain concrete measures to diversify the economy by devoting more resources to agriculture in the 2017 budget.Speaking to reporters in Nairobi, Kenya at the weekend on the margins of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), President Buhari said African countries had a lot to learn from Japan on developing agriculture.This year, in Nigeria, we started an aggressive farming programme that entails organising farmers into cooperatives in the second and third tier of government.We intend to put more resources in our 2017 budget, especially in the procurement of machinery for land clearing, fertilizers, pesticides and training of less-educated farmers, as farm extension instructors.We have already registered some success this year in a number of states, we identified some 13 states that will be self-sufficient in rice, wheat and grains before the end of 2018.We are very positive that soon we will be able to export these food products. We are also lucky that the farming season in the northern part of the country has been very good and we are expecting a bumper harvest this year, the President said.On his expectation for TICAD, President Buhari said Japans story of rapid economic growth, hardwork and advanced technology should encourage Africans to strive harder and solve its development challenges.Japan has greatly advanced in technology, particularly in solar power, infrastructure to spur growth in medium and small-scale industries.Because of the advanced use of technology, farming and agriculture can become competitive.Japan has the knowledge, technology and capital to assist African countries to develop and Japanese firms are in a very good position to successfully compete for the development of infrastructure in Nigeria, he said.The President then requested for increased participation of the Japanese government and the private sector in the Nigerian economy.
CAMDEN -- A particularly lethal brand of heroin marked with a Batman stamp is responsible for at least 49 non-fatal overdoses in the last six days, according to New Jersey State Police.

Heroin packaging stamped with 'Batman.'

Police warned drug users that while all heroin is potentially lethal, the kind stamped with Batman is causing overdoses by the dozens and should be avoided.

Cooper University Health Care's ambulances treated at least 49 suspected overdoses in the county area between Tuesday and Saturday morning, police said.

When patients were revived after overdosing, the only kind of heroin that they reported using had the Batman stamp.

The Courier-Post reported that the Batman stamp was found on free samples of heroin believed to be coming from Camden over the past two weeks.

The newspaper reported that an alert from the New Jersey Regional Operations and Intelligence Center stated that the heroin is so lethal that emergency responders may have to use extra Narcan to stop the overdose.

The State Police shared the information about the Batman-stamped heroin on its Facebook page and asked others to do the same.

"We're asking you to share this because it may save a life," the post said. "Not all addicted are too far gone to recover."

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
WINSLOW TWP. -- A one-car accident on Chews Landing Road Sunday killed one person and split the car in half.

Police told 6abc that the vehicle struck a utility pole near Sicklerville Road early Sunday. The force of the crash split the car.

While the cause of the crash is still under investigation, police told the television station that it appears the driver lost control of the car.

The identity of the driver has not been released. Fox29 reported the driver was ejected after the vehicle's roof was ripped open in the crash.

Winslow Township Police referred comment to the Camden County prosecutor's office. A spokesman for that office did not return messages Sunday morning.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
BRIDGETON -- A man was injured in an all-terrain vehicle accident in the area of Reeves Road Sunday morning.

He was airlifted to a hospital. A New Jersey State Police Trooper said his injuries were not life-threatening and the helicopter trip was more "precautionary."

The accident happened in a field off of Reeves Road around 11 a.m., the trooper said.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The trooper said he could not release details about the type of crash, including whether or not the ATV rolled or collided with something.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
UPDATE: Shooting of 5 may be connected to earlier fight, police say





BRIDGETON -- Police are seeking a teenager they say opened fire on a group of people sitting on a porch, injuring five of them.

Brian Pineda

Brian Pineda, 18, is wanted on aggravated assault and weapons charges.

Pineda fired numerous times at a home on Marion Street Thursday, according to a statement from Bridgeton police.

He then fled through an alleyway and left the area in a tan Nissan Quest with Pennsylvania registration, police said.

Five people on the home's porch were injured. A police sergeant on Sunday said he could not release any details about their conditions.

In a Facebook post, Bridgeton police asked the public to help them locate Pineda.

They also warned people not to approach him because he is "considered armed and extremely dangerous." He is 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighs approximately 250 pounds.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Lt. Rick Pierce at (856) 451-0033. An anonymous tip can also be texted to TIP411 (847411) with BRIDGETON in the subject line.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- On August 28, 2011 the future of what was then known as Somerset Christian College was up in the air. The school's staff had spent a few days moving everything they could carry from the first floors of the four buildings on its Franklin Township campus to upper floors, where they might be saved from a storm forecast to hit that weekend.

Five years ago, Hurricane Irene decimated the campus, with floodwaters filling the buildings. Furniture and other items were destroyed. When the flooding finally subsided, it left six-foot tall water stains and mold in its wake.

Though the college was only renting space in the building, it was condemned after the storm, leaving the school homeless a week before classes for the Fall 2011 semester were set to begin.

"It couldn't have happened at a worse time," said David Schroeder, the school's president.

"But, we didn't have time to let it paralyze us."

In the immediate, the college used space at a nearby church to hold classes. But, school leaders took the storm damage as a nudge toward a new future.

Since 2008, the school had envisioned becoming an urban college, with small satellite campuses in cities throughout New Jersey. By the time Irene hit, it already had a small satellite location in Newark, where it offered nighttime adult education classes. Eventually, the plan was to find a location in the city that could serve as the school's main campus.

"The hurricane fast-forwarded our plans by a few years," Schroeder said.

The college had already been renting some space in the Military Park Building on Park Place in Newark. School leaders decided it would become the school's main campus. It planned to open a permanent satellite in Somerset County, and look for additional locations in other cities across New Jersey.

In 2013, Somerset Christian rebranded to reflect its new identity, and became known as Pillar College. It has led to new locations in Paterson and Somerset. There is a new program starting up in Irvington this semester, and the school is looking to open new mini-campuses in Jersey City and elsewhere.

In addition to night and adult education, the school focuses on helping subsidize tuition for city students who cannot pay, programs geared toward teaching non-English speakers, and remedial classes geared toward bolstering students' reading and writing abilities.

Pillar College President David Schroeder.

"We have a very strong desire to serve the underserved," Schroeder said. "That's why we're here."

The shift in focus has led to expansion.

According to Amy Huber, the assistant vice president of academics who tracks student enrollment, the school has nearly doubled in size since Hurricane Irene.

During the 2009-10 school year, Somerset Christian has 346 students. Now, Pillar has 638 enrolled, with aggressive plans to double that number by 2020, she said.

"Relocating helped open doors of opportunity," Huber said. After overcoming Irene, she said, "we were more determined than ever to grow."

The storm was responsible for some losses, the staff said. Though the loss of property was minimized, the move cost the school almost a third of its staff. Space restrictions caused the school to convert its library to one that is mostly digital, so it donated about 16,000 books from its previous collection.

But, staff members say the costs are dwarfed by the strides it has made.

And, they said, the college has remained true to its core values. Pillar is still a Christian college that requires students take theology-based courses, and that weaves religious values into its philosophies. But, it also targets needy populations of learners and offers to them degree programs in professional fields varying from psychology to elementary education.

Pillar is one of only a handful of private colleges in the state in which enrollment has consistently grown. The future, Schroeder said, looks even brighter.

"We are theologically conservative, but socially progressive," he said of the school's mission.

"We want to be open and available to students of all different cultures, faiths, and backgrounds. ... This is our home."

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at

. Follow her on Twitter

. Find

.
jersey city police car.JPG

A 28-year-old man was arrested last night after police were notified of a man walking through a Greenville neighborhood with a loaded gun, police said.

(Journal File Photo)

JERSEY CITY -- A 28-year-old man was arrested last night after police were notified of a man walking through a Greenville neighborhood with a loaded gun, police said.

Shortly after 11 p.m., a resident called police and said a man wearing an all black jumpsuit was walking near Seaview and Ocean avenues with a gun. Police arrested Ryan "Fessy" Harris, of Yale Avenue, a short time later near the intersection, according to a police report.

One of the officers heard a noise just before Harris' arrest and believed it was from a handgun hitting the street. Police canvassing the area recovered an Interarms Amadeo Rossis .357 magnum firearm loaded with 6 hollow point rounds near a parked car, the report stated.

Harris was charged with possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon, certain persons not to possess a weapon, and possession of prohibited weapons and devices, police said.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
On the job, talk is hardly cheap.

Especially for younger workers, talk with their boss is scarce, yet highly valued, according to Gallup research.

One recent Gallup survey of some 7,000 workers born between 1980 and 1999 -- millenials -- finds that they would like more discussion with their superior about their job performance, as well as topics outside of work.

While she doesn't like making generalizations about all workers in the same generational category, M. Tamra Chandler, chief executive officer of PeopleFirm, observes that, "Millennials tend to want more frequent, real-time job feedback."

Workers of all ages value feedback, according to a 2015 Gallup survey of 7,715 U.S. adults. Those who reported that their managers have regular meetings with them were three times more committed and enthusiastic about their job.

Millennials, however, also value talk on nonwork matters, with 62 percent of those who did have conversations about life outside the job with the boss telling Gallup that they will probably be at the same job in a year.

Problem is, there's not much chatting about anything between boss and underling. Gallup found 56 percent of millennials and 53 percent of other age workers report meeting with their manager less than once a month.

Bosses should take initiative from the employee, who might be reluctant if he or she has experienced overly critical job performance reviews in the past, Chandler said.

Although an employee may crave casual conversation, asking for scheduled meetings, perhaps prefaced by an email outlining what the worker wants to discuss, gives managers "time to prepare what they want to say," Chandler said.

Given the link between conversations and job satisfaction, is there any way for job candidates to gauge whether a manager will be amenable to talk?

Simply ask during the course of an interview, Chandler said. "A simple, 'How do you characterize your feedback style?' could go a long way to determining if this is the boss and job for you."

-- CTW Features

For more advice on the job market,

.
HessSuspect.jpg

The suspect (captured on surveillance camera) is alleged to have to have beaten and robbed a Ewing gas station attendant.

(Greg Wright | Times of Trenton)

EWING -- Police have released surveillance images of a man who attacked a gas station worker during a robbery last weekend and are asking for the public's help in identifying him.

A 47-year-old employee of the Hess gas station on Princeton Avenue was left bleeding from multiple wounds to his face in the robbery on Aug. 21 at around 4 p.m., police said.

The robber is described as a man with a beard and dreadlocks, wearing a white T-shirt and dark jeans. The man waited inside the gas station's store until the worker came inside.

"When the attendant entered the store area, the suspect began punching him in the head area, knocking him to the ground," police said. "The suspect then stole cash from the cash register before assaulting the attendant again punching and kicking him about the face and body."

The attendant was taken to Capital Health Regional Medical Center for treatment, police said.

If anyone has information pertaining to this robbery or can identify the suspect, they are asked to call Detective William Wolverton at 609-882-1313 ext. 5577 or the Ewing Tip Line at 609-882-7530.

Greg Wright may be reached at gwright@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregTheWright. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Imagine for a moment how you would respond if you passed by a car on a hot summer day with a dog inside.

You look around for the cars owner, but find no one. The windows may or may not be rolled down a bit to allow for some air flow, but the dog inside is clearly in distress, panting or even left motionless by the heat.

Would you consider it right to break a window to save the dogs life?

If you are on Facebook, you may have seen videos of others doing just that and then receiving all kinds of accolades and praise in the comment section below.

Well, 49-year-old Anita Krajnc of Toronto is on trial in Canada and faces six months behind bars, not for breaking a window, but for simply offering water to animals she said were overheated and severely dehydrated.

If this is tough to believe, let me elaborate. The animals she was helping were not dogs or cats, but rather pigs that were on their way to slaughter.

The 49-year-old is part of the group Toronto Pig Save, which were holding a vigil outside a pork processing plant on the day in question  June 22, 2015. She is charged with criminal mischief.

These are not humans, you dumb frickin broad, the driver is reportedly heard saying to Krajnc in a video of the incident.

The case goes right to the heart of how differently we treat different animals.

I mean, few in this country would argue it a crime to break a car window to save a dog or cat in real distress.

But simply offering water to an animal we call food rather than a pet or companion is considered a crime punishable by jail time, fine, and the emotional and financial cost of defending ones self in court.

Certainly the agricultural industry has an interest in keeping everyone thinking this way, and this case illustrates the levels it will go to combat dissent. Remember the Oprah Winfrey case?

But this Canadian case also sheds an uncomfortable light on societys conflicted way of thinking about animals. The roots of this thinking are multiple and complex, and I dont have an easy solution. (See carnism.org)

I do think a good place to start is to take a serious look at this case and ask ourselves if it makes sense. If the answer is yes, I would love to hear why.

If the answer is no, the next question is what do you do about it?
Sometimes things go great, most of the time they go OK, but then there are those occasions when things, no matter how hard you try, go awry.

There is the customer who you just couldnt satisfy; the shipment you sent to Portland, Oregon that somehow went to Portland, Maine; the alarm you thought you set for 8 a.m. but somehow managed to set for 8 p.m.; the employee who volunteered to come in early but forgot and left the company shorthanded; the sticky note that got unstuck and ended up falling off unnoticed then became forgotten. It happens.

Some people make excuses trying to avoid responsibility, some people point fingers at others trying to avert responsibility, and some people remember reading that President Truman had a plaque on his desk that said, The buck stops here. They accept responsibility for things that go awry because, if it happens on their watch, whether it was their fault or not, ultimately it is their responsibility.

Those with The Buck Stops Here attitude work extra-hard to avoid misteaks (sorry about that!). Their written and verbal communications are clear, unambiguous, and concise. They get confirmation their communications are understood. They create feedback loops so they are apprised of progress (or lack of progress) rather than wait for a project to unsuccessfully fall apart or be successfully completed. They create metrics and charts to monitor progress, goals, and performance. They know what is going on. Since they know they are responsible, they do as much as possible to insure it all works as well as possible.

But they also know that it is impossible for everything to work perfectly and that, on the rare occasion that something does go awry, they have the gumption to fix it as fast as possible with as little fallout as possible. It might take giving a refund; sending a duplicate shipment by next-day-air; sending an irate client a gift basket, flowers, candy, and/or a hand-written note of apology. When The Buck Stops Here they work to ensure it is right before that buck ever gets to them.
St. Mary Medical Centers Cancer Care Center, in Hobart, has welcomed Patty Higgins, RN, OCN as its new oncology nurse navigator. Higgins will assist oncology patients through treatment, education and coordination of care. She will help patients develop a survivorship plan after treatment concludes. Higgins most recently served as a nurse in the oncology unit at St. Mary Medical Center.

Todd Avery will open a State Farm insurance agency at 2300 Ramblewood Drive, in Highland, on Thursday. Prior to becoming a State Farm Agent, he worked For Ossur Americas in Sales Management. He is a lifetime resident of Northwest Indiana, currently residing in Crown Point.

The American Optometric Association has recognized Dr. Richard Ireland, of Valparaiso, with a 2016 Continuing Recognition Award for completing 50 credit hours of continuing education. He was one of 69 optometrists nationwide receiving the award.

The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards has authorized Wesley M. Kotys, president and wealth adviser at The Kotys Group, Valparaiso, to use the Certified Financial Planner certification marks. He has met the experience and ethical requirements of the board, completed financial planning courses, and passed certification exams.

The Board of Lower Extremity Surgery has granted Dr. Armand Gasbarro certification in lower extremity medicine and surgery and the title of Diplomate after he passed written and oral exams and submitted examples of his surgical cases. He practices at the Lansing Foot & Ankle Center.
MERRILLVILLE  When Gino Iussig fell in his home and broke his leg recently, his family didnt know what to do.

Even before the accident, it was difficult for the World War II veteran, 93, and his wife, Joyce, to go outside of the home theyve shared for more than 50 years.

In one day, this group of guys with wings on their backs come in and solved the problem, said Iussigs daughter Karen Kuzma, of Lowell.

The guys with wings on their backs are Chicago UAW/Ford Community Service Team.

The five team members are from UAW Local 588 at the Ford Chicago stamping plant and UAW Local 551 from the Ford Chicago assembly plant.

Together for the past 18 months, they travel from Valparaiso to Joliet helping people in need.

Theyve completed about 100 projects from building handicapped-accessible ramps at homes like the Iussigs to renovating the Down Syndrome Association of Northwest Indiana in Highland, said project manager Jeff Hall, of Lowell. He said the team is supported by the UAW and Ford Motor Co.

We are giving back to the communities within a 60-mile radius, Hall said.

Pete Iussig, of Lowell, and Ginos son, said after his fathers accident, he contacted Jim Chancellor, a Lowell friend who is very active with veterans. Chancellor, in turn, contacted Jason Gootee, a Lake County Veterans Service officer. Gootee contacted the team.

In 20 minutes, this guy (Hall) was calling us up, said Pete Iussig, adding that the team came out the next day to take measurements and make plans for the construction of the ramp.

Without cost to the Iussigs, the men spent three days at the Merrillville home constructing the ramp.

If you go from 1 to 10, theyre a 10-plus, said Gino Iussig as he watched the men work from his front window. What they are doing here is first class. It cant get much better.

Gino Iussig, who was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 following his graduation from Lew Wallace High School in 1942, said he and his wife now will be able to get outdoors without assistance.

If I wanted to go outside, I need a wheelchair, said Gino Iussig, adding his wife, who uses a walker, can now get outside with ease to walk the driveway and get the mail.

What the men are giving them, he said, is more than a ramp, it is their independence.

It is pretty gratifying to see the recipients faces when the work is done, said team member Geoff Butler, of Valparaiso.

A WWII vet needed to be acknowledged in a positive way, said Hall, adding they work with various agencies, from Habitat for Humanity to Catholic Family Services, to receive referrals on who needs help.

The team, which also includes Steve Conner, of St. John, Matt Reils, of Homewood, and Lance Olson, of St. John, have each worked for Ford for 18 years or more before becoming members of the Community Service Team.
VALPARAISO  The Altogether Valpo task force has officially completed its year-long assignment and will send its recommendations to the City Council by mid-September.

Mayor Jon Costas formed the panel last year and charged it with conducting research to promote the values of inclusiveness and diversity in the city.

The task force focused on three issues: inclusion, affordable housing and minority hiring for city jobs.

Beth Wrobel, chair of the inclusion subcommittee, said her group is recommending the city create and fund the full-time, management-level position of a housing and community relations director.

The director would enforce the citys recently adopted human rights ordinance and oversee related human relations initiatives, she said.

We think this sends a message that Valparaiso is an inclusive community and willing to invest in someone, Wrobel said.

Bruce Berner, who chairs the Altogether Valpo steering committee, said the City Council will have to make the ultimate decision on whether to create the position.

It has cost issues, so this is where the mayor and council are going to have to take a hard look, Berner said. They will have to make the tough political decisions.

Tim Daly, chair of the housing subcommittee, presented his groups report which contained nine recommendations.

One of the recommendations calls for forming a community housing committee that reports to the City Council and will explore solutions to affordable housing challenges in Valparaiso.

The housing subcommittee also recommends the need to increase the incomes of residents, Daly said.

Flint, Michigan is considered one of the nation's cities with the highest concentration of "housing burdened" residents, not because housing prices are high, but because incomes are low, he said.

The housing subcommittee also noted that any efforts to promote affordable housing should preserve the character of Valparaisos neighborhoods, and integrate affordable housing units seamlessly into those neighborhoods."

Mike Baird, chairman of the hiring subcommittee, said his group interviewed various city department heads and found no evidence of discrimination in hiring.

The hiring subcommittee noted the need to continue to develop programs to enhance diversity and inclusion and promote Valparaiso as a community that is welcoming to minorities.

The subcommittee also recommends that diversity in hiring and recruiting should be strongly and consistently promoted from the top.

We think the opportunity to develop action plans and goals should be given to the leadership team, Baird said.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called on his supporters last week to not only get out and vote Nov. 8, but also to watch.

Whether his concerns about rigged elections pertain to Northwest Indiana has yet to be seen. But having observers in local polling places in the Region is nothing new and is expected to continue in various forms on Election Day.

Its a good measure to just keep the order, said Lake County Sheriff John Buncich, who also serves as chairman of the countys Democratic Party.

Buncich said he intends to use some observers in polling places on Election Day.

The heads of the local Republican and Democratic parties have the power to grant access to the polls to one poll book holder, one watcher and one challenger per precinct, said Dale Simmons, the Republican co-legal counsel within the election division at the Indiana secretary of states office.

Poll book holders are there to see who casts ballots and relay that information back to party officials in order to get key voters out, he said. The watchers and challengers are looking out for suspected wrongdoing.

None of these observers are allowed to watch how someone votes and they would actually be committing a felony if they tried, Simmons said.

Porter County Republican Chairman Michael Simpson said he intends to use poll book holders, but was unsure about watchers.

If the county were still using the electronic poll books that were shelved as a result of a primarily partisan dispute following last years elections, Simpson said it would allow remote access to who has voted. The electronic poll books, which are signed by voters before they are issued ballots, collect no information on how anyone votes, he said.

Lake County Councilman Dan Dernulc, who serves as chairman of the countys Republican Party, said he mostly leaves it up to individual candidates to request an observer at the polls.

We just dont have enough volunteers, he said.

Even without an observer on site, any concerns that arise at a polling place can be reported back to election officials and an investigator will be sent out, Dernulc said.

Porter County Democratic Party Chairman Jeffrey Chidester said he takes a similar approach by relying on a team of volunteer attorneys, who respond to legal questions that arise on a case-by-case basis at polling places.

Having folks standing around at polling places watching for problems can interfere and potentially disenfranchise voters, he said.

So Im hesitant to give carte blanche credentials, Chidester said.

An example of this threat came during the November 2014 general election when state Rep. Michael Aylesworth, R-Hebron, was found inside a polling place working as a poll book holder while also a candidate on the ballot.

He was accused of breaking a law prohibiting candidates from being inside polling places for any reason other than to vote. But a special prosecutor opted against pursuing a criminal case against him, saying it is doubtful the alleged violation is reckless as specifically required for the offense.

Thats why I am very careful, Chidester said.

Chidester said he plans to check in with campaigns at the federal and state levels before deciding whether to use poll book holders this year.

Were going to do a coordinated effort, he said.
"We believe in cherishing the life of our patients in the limited time they have with us. We help them live their last days and cherish the times they still have with their friends and family."
Jim and Susan Colias, of Highland, held a pie and coffee fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis earlier this month.

Team Gross, captained by Dr. David Gross and his team will participate in Bike MS Cruisin the Crossroads, for the MS Societys Indiana Chapter on Sept. 10. This years ride will take participants across 125 miles in Central Indiana. This will be the 15th year that Team Gross will ride together, now raising more than $550,000 for MS research, education and support.

We are all honored as a group to come together to help support the MS Society and those who are afflicted with this disease, Gross said. The team rides rain or shine. People with MS have no umbrella or shelter from their disease; therefore, we keep riding for a cure.

I continue to help because I know how big of an impact the funds have on MS patients living in our community and elsewhere, Gross said. It is incredibly rewarding.

This years ride for Team Gross will be dedicated in memory of Marlene Rothenburg, a great lady and friend who recently passed away from MS.

Contact www.facebook.com/bikeMSindiana and donate to Team Gross.
VALPARAISO  The United Way of Porter County AmeriCorps program is seeking members and full-time host sites for their 2016-17 program year.

AmeriCorps provides the opportunity to get things done in Northwest Indiana. AmeriCorps members gain new skills and experiences while meeting critical needs in Lake, Porter, LaPorte and Marshall counties. AmeriCorps members serve as kindergarten to 12th grade tutors in area schools, high school career advisers and nonprofit capacity builders.

These opportunities are ideal for individuals looking to make a big impact, said Kim Olesker, president and CEO of United Way of Porter County. AmeriCorps members serve in a variety of capacities that support community programs that could not be done without them.

The program runs from September through June or July depending upon placement.

Applicants must be 18 years or older and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. There is no upper age limit and all ages are encouraged to apply. Full-time, part-time and minimum-time positions are available. Full-time AmeriCorps members receive a stipend up to $12,530 and a $5,775 education award. Part-time AmeriCorps members receive a stipend up to $6,050 and a $2,887 education award. Minimum-time AmeriCorps members receive a $2,000 stipend and a $1,222 education award. The education award can be used to pay for current and/or future educational expenses or to pay back qualified student loan debt. AmeriCorps members with qualifying student loans are eligible for student loan deferment during their term of service.

Nonprofit organizations interested in becoming a full-time host site must provide a 40 hour a week placement. There is agency cost share for each AmeriCorps member placement.

To apply to become a member or host site, contact United Way of Porter County AmeriCorps Program Director, Christine Rumbaugh, at (219) 464-3583 or christine@unitedwaypc.org.
WINFIELD  Its August and the temperatures are in the 80s and 90s, but snow is always in the long-range forecast for Northwest Indiana and the town is looking for a way to prepare for it.

Public Works Director Mitchell Floyd told the council recently he needs a double axle truck because all the department trucks are smaller and arent heavy enough to move the snow. He also said he needs a front-end loader, and Council President Gerald Stiener said the town needs at least two trucks for the department to replace aged and rusted vehicles.

Those were just the top priority items. Now the town will try to develop a plan to pay for it. Clerk-Treasurer Rick Anderson said he is almost done preparing the towns 2017 budget and has tentatively increased the public works budget by $55,000, which would include the $36,000 cost of adding an employee.

Anderson said the town has budgeted $37,500 a year for the lease/purchase of equipment, but continuing that amount for the needed trucks and front loader would stretch the payments out for 15 years, long past the expected life of the equipment. The trucks the town wants to replace are 1999 and 2000 models. The new equipment is priced at about $340,000.

Anderson said the town could afford one truck and agreed the equipment is needed, but added he is constrained by the towns revenue. When Winfield was founded, the council set the tax rate at the lowest possible amount, and the tax caps limit how much additional revenue can be raised. Meanwhile the town has grown from about 1,200 to about 6,000 since then.

Several options were discussed to get the other items needed. Town Attorney David Austgen said the town should talk to its bond counsel to see if any of the road bond money can be used for the equipment because it will be used to maintain the roads. Sewer board member Tony Clark said the board probably would agree to share in the cost of the equipment since it also would be used for the sewer department when not plowing the streets.

Councilman Dave Anderson said public works also needs a building to store the equipment to get it out of the weather to preserve it longer. Stiener said a $500,000 building isnt going to happen with the towns total budget being only $2.7 million. Other more cost effective solutions need to be found, Stiener said.

Councilman Jim Simmons said the employees need a place where they can eat lunch rather than the 100-degree facility they are in now. They need air conditioning and a shower room, he said, so they are a little more eager to come to work.

Council members agreed to meet with Rick Anderson to look for ways to fund the equipment. The budget will be ready for a public hearing in September and approval in October.
KOUTS  Police Chief James Smith was practicing his pucker Saturday afternoon at the 40th annual Kouts Pork Fest.

Visitors to the festival donated money to make sure the chief would be the kisser in the Kiss the Pig challenge at the festival, a contest that benefited nonprofit Bris Race to End Domestic Violence.

The popular pig, named Dirty Harry, also was the subject of the Guess the Pigs Weight contest.

Its for a good cause, so Ill take a hit for the team, Smith said. Hopefully he doesnt bite my face off.

The festival, which ushers in the wave of fall festivals in Porter County, also featured a barbecue contest, a parade, a beanbag tournament, live bands and food vendors, most of which had a version of pork on their menus.

Heidi Freyenberger, proprietor of The Remade Kitchen, a food truck vendor, won third place in the barbecue contest with her Porkle sandwich  barbecued pork, American cheese and pickles on Texas toast.

We take traditional food and put a twist on it, said Freyenberger, of Kouts. These are things people know and love  remade.

Also on Freyenbergers menu was a Moo & Oink Bomb  a Vidalia onion stuffed with ground beef and wrapped in bacon.

Coleen and Dan Davis, of St. John, wanted to try the delectable dish, but didnt leave room after eating pork belly sliders and loaded pierogis.

But I think it would be good for you, Dan Davis joked.

Jeremy Homeier, of Kouts, won the pork burger eating contest by downing five pork burgers in seven minutes and 38 seconds, faster than seven other contestants.

Homeier, who felt just full after the event, said it wouldnt be the last time he ate Saturday.

Im having Chicago-style pizza for dinner, Homeier said.

Kelli Duttlinger and Stephany Lockett, of Kouts Festivals and Events, said this years events boasted more live music and family friendly activities, including an antique tractor show, kids inflatables, arts and crafts and carriage rides.

We wanted to revitalize the festival this year, Duttlinger said.

This year was the first time the Davises attended, as they camp nearby with their two dogs, Miller and Bandit.

Its fun, said Coleen Davis. Its a nice hometown fest.
EAST CHICAGO  Weeks after being told they are living on top of toxic soil, West Calumet Housing Complex residents are learning more about the city housing authoritys plans to relocate families out of the lead-contaminated complex by a Nov. 30 deadline.

But as they reach out for answers, residents are reporting little guidance on housing options. They also said they are receiving misleading and confusing information about how much moving assistance is available.

Fatin Muhammad said she hit the ground running when she first learned about the vouchers. She found a place but cant afford to pay the security deposit. The mother of four said housing authority staff told her they do not know if moving expenses will be covered.

And then, last week, she was told she would get a security deposit before Sept. 1, the day the vouchers become valid.

My mom advised me to get it in writing, she said. You cant really go off what theyre saying, because they say one thing and then they go back and say a different thing.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has provided $1.9 million to the East Chicago Housing Authority to relocate residents, but housing authority officials are still in the process of seeking additional dollars to offset residents moving expenses, according to Carla Morgan, city attorney. NIPSCO has agreed to waive deposit fees and any past due balances for residents who relocate.

I dont understand why theyre still trying to come up with funds, Muhammad said. The press said they got $1.9 million. How much more do they need?

Morgan did not respond to a subsequent email Thursday asking for more details about how the $1.9 million is being spent. Housing vouchers are being distributed based on a priority system developed in partnership with EPA.

The most vulnerable populations, including pregnant women and young children, have been the first to receive vouchers. Officials also will consider whether anyone in the households has tested positive for lead.

Its been trying

Akeesha Daniels, a 40-year-old mother of three and longtime resident at the complex, has been too worried, too busy, too stressed to even begin packing up the place shes called home for the past 12 years.

The stack of cardboard boxes in Daniels living room has grown over the past week but remains largely untouched.

The day to start packing will come soon enough, she said.

Its been trying. Ive had a couple of breakdowns. Days where Im just crying, Daniels said. Ive never planned on being homeless, and to me, with everything being thrown at us all at once, it seems like some of us are going to end up homeless.

Last week, HUD officials arrived in East Chicago to provide technical assistance, according to Morgan, the city attorney.

Daniels believes the housing authority is not capable of managing the relocation process. She said she was scheduled to attend a briefing last week, but when she arrived, staff tried to turn her away.

When I got there, my name wasnt on the list. They tried to make me come another day. I had to show them a paper showing I was on a list to have a briefing today, Daniels said. They asked if I could come next Thursday, and I said no.

Daniels attended the Aug. 18 meeting, along with more than 100 other residents. They were given a list of 50 landlords with available units. The list, obtained by The Times, states it was last revised March 28, 2014, and two names are crossed out.

They dont know what theyre doing. They have no idea, Daniels said.

They gave that to us at the meeting, so the people with any sense probably did the same thing I did. They came home and started calling because were all looking for somewhere to go. (These landlords) are probably getting calls from all of us.

On Wednesday, the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority board of directors allocated $100,000 to the East Chicago Housing Authority to help West Calumet residents with the financial burden of immediate relocation.

Its unclear to residents if that means there will be financial help with the move, such as moving transportation and security deposits. Its also uncertain when the initial security deposits they paid to move to West Calumet will be returned. The ECHA has up to 45 days to return the deposits.

While residents said they remain in the dark about moving assistance, Daniels said ECHA staff have stated they will conduct a walk-through of units to assess damages before they leave. Residents are expected to do their homework in finding a new unit.

Timelines have been accelerated

The Times sent an email on Aug. 17 to Tia Cauley, executive director of East Chicagos housing authority, and Jewel Harris Jr., attorney for the agency, requesting the ECHAs Section 8 demolition application, including a required section that outlines the agencys relocation plan for residents. The request went unanswered.

The citys attorney sent an email Wednesday, stating it was on behalf of Cauley. Asked to respond to residents allegations the housing authority is not handling the relocation properly, Morgan said while HUDs normal guidelines provide for up to a year for relocations, because of health concerns, ECHA and HUD are accelerating the process as much as possible while providing support for residents to relocate them as quickly as possible.

Timelines have been accelerated in order to move residents quickly, she stated in the email.

Voucher values, according to Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher documents distributed to Daniels and residents at the Aug. 18 briefing, are based on a number of factors. Some of those include HUDs fair market rent values, which vary from community to community, and family needs, such as the number of bedrooms and other special requirements.

The East Chicago Housing Authority can subsidize rent and utilities up to a certain amount, according to documents, meaning residents venturing to the private market will have to pay more in monthly rent.

According to documents provided to Daniels at the briefing, vouchers are valid for 60 days from the time residents receive them, but extensions can be granted under certain circumstances.

Daniels is worried she and other residents wont be able to find a new place in time.

To me, they want all of us to just disappear. They thought that when we got those letters from the mayor, they were expecting all of us to just pack up and leave, Daniels said.

They didnt want us to worry about no deposits. They didnt want us to worry about no lead results.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, Jackie Moss watched her 3-year-old son Gabriel run barefoot through the front yard, chasing after his older brother. An hour earlier, heavy rainfall dampened the neighborhood, her children cooped up inside.

Unlike some of the families that have close, personal ties to East Chicago and the West Calumet neighborhood, Moss is originally from Chicago. And shes ready to go.

I want a home with stairs. And a basement. I want a place where my kids can safely play in the yard, she said.

Like Daniels, Moss said she was turned away from the Aug. 18 briefing, and plans to attend one as soon as possible.

Moss said she never received a letter in the mail from EPA spelling out her individual test results, as some residents have reported, so she doesnt know how toxic the levels are. Theres a lack of communication, it seems, she said.

As for Muhammad, They treat us like our lives dont matter, she said, and our kids lives dont matter, and I believe they do that because were in public housing.

At least three attorneys have either filed suit or put the city on notice their clients intend to sue based, in part, on claims the East Chicago Housing Authority failed to notify residents of the lead and arsenic in the soil.

Kate Walz, housing justice director for the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, sent a letter Aug. 17 to the head of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the East Chicago Housing Authority alleging relocation efforts of the federal agency and local housing authority are dysfunctional and a recipe for disaster.

Walz said she has yet to receive a response from either HUD or the ECHA.

Its been trying. Ive had a couple of breakdowns. Days where Im just crying. Ive never planned on being homeless, and to me, with everything being thrown at us all at once, it seems like some of us are going to end up homeless. Akeesha Daniels, mother of three and

longtime West Calumet complex resident
On Wednesday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, a bigot, saying she is treating minorities as potential votes. She fought back Thursday, saying, "He's taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of America's two major political parties."

Clashes between white police and minorities in some cities have drawn the nations attention, with the reactions further polarizing Americans. The downtown Chesterton sign proclaiming all lives matter no doubt irritates the Black Lives Matter folks, who see their point as being lost by all lives matter campaigns  and vice versa.

Thats the modern backdrop for a national controversy that erupted 100 years ago in Northwest Indiana.

The birth of a controversy

D. W. Griffiths film, The Birth of a Nation, was released in 1915. The nations first real blockbuster film remains as controversial today as it was then.

That film, which glorified the Ku Klux Klan, hardened the lines in the civil rights battle. It gave white supremacists a symbol to rally behind, and it helped the black civil rights movement coalesce.

Just days before The Birth of a Nation played to record crowds at the Orpheum Theatre in Hammond on Aug. 28, 1916, two black men visited Hammond Mayor John Smalleys office. They wanted to implore the mayor to prohibit the showing and said they represented the 500 black people who lived in Hammond at the time.

The mayor wasnt in his office when they visited.

I was in Peoria when The Birth of a Nation showed there, and it created a feeling between blacks and whites which was unjust. The picture stirs up that feeling wherever it is seen, one of the men said. We object to its being shown here. We intend forming a colony and having our own church and theater in Hammond, said the story in The Lake County Times.

Cara Caddoo, assistant professor of history and media studies at Indiana University in Bloomington, is an expert on the topic. She was fascinated when I read that quote to her Thursday.

Black Americans were exhibiting and attending movies at their churches during that era of segregation. The revenue from the films went toward building bigger churches and paying for their operations.

Results of film

Those black churches would spawn civil rights leaders some 50 years later, when people such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. brought more protests and successes in ending segregation.

The movie's 1915 release came during an era of Jim Crow laws, when segregation was the rule of the land in the South. It also was an era of great migration, with blacks heading to the West and to the North, where they found work in factories.

The Aug. 17, 1916, article about the film being shown in Hammond mentioned that two years before then, there wouldnt have been a protest against the film because there wasnt a significant black population in Hammond.

They are being imported by industries, and there are at least 500 in the city now, the story reported.

The film also was shown at the Memorial Opera House in Valparaiso, with a 20-piece orchestra, on Dec. 14-16, 1916. Theres no recorded protest in Valparaiso that I could find, but Valparaiso wasnt integrated until 1969.

The Hammond protest, however, was by no means unusual. The NAACP branch in Los Angeles protested the movie, and the demonstrations spread around the country and to other nations. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, formed a new NAACP branch to protest the movie and other racist films, Caddoo said.

All of these people were communicating with one another, she said. We can call it the first mass black protest movement of the 20th century.

These protests were by the first freeborn generation of black Americans. One poignant quote said they needed to revive the spirit of the 60s  the 1860s, not the 1960s. In the 1860s, blacks fought for freedom in the Civil War, Caddoo said.

For white supremacists, The Birth of a Nation offered a template for a revival of the Ku Klux Klan. The white robes and hoods KKK members wore were the result of the film, not of careful study of the Reconstruction era, Caddoo said.

They saw that movie as a statement on the ideal condition of America, she said.

Klan in Indiana

Indiana was a center of KKK resurgence. At one point in the 1920s, the Klan exerted control over the Indiana General Assembly and some state officeholders.

On Sept. 30, 1922, The Lake County Times reported on the Hammond appearance of KKK principal Dr. L.A. Brown of Atlanta, Georgia, resulting in a monster meeting that filled Harrison Park. The crowd was estimated at 12,000 people.

It was agreed that the turnout was the largest ever drawn to a gathering in Hammond, the story said.

The KKK, Brown said at the time, is a Christian, benevolent, beneficial order that has an educational platform in which it attempts to teach Americanism throughout America.

The Klan took a hard line on immigration.

No man not born in America can join, Brown said.

The Klan was a Protestant organization that attacked Catholics and immigrants as well as blacks.

A changed nation

After The Birth of A Nation, the country changed, as did the world.

The United States joined in World War I and then in World War II. That helped solidify the nations position as an international powerhouse, with a military now scattered across the globe.

But the world changed, too. Formerly colonized countries were gaining independence, and they were primarily populated by black, brown and Asian people. The United States started to pay more attention to black protestors in the 1960s as a result, Caddoo said.

Theres a long way to go, as a July 14 Gallup poll acknowledges. Gallup said 57 percent of Americans expressed hope that a solution will be worked out to improve black-white relations. Another 40 percent said theres no hope.

Its a long struggle that has continued through the ages, Caddoo said.

People are asking many of the same questions about equality as they did during the Civil War and the Reconstruction era. Bernie Sanders failed campaign to earn the Democratic nomination for president nonetheless succeeded in bringing national attention to issues of parity.

Thomas Newsome is third vice president of the Gary chapter of the NAACP. Since The Birth of a Nation came out a century ago, Why sure, theres been progress. Theres been quite a bit of progress, he said.

We still have a ways to go. We can always be better. We have to start respecting all people for who they are and what they are."

So how do we make this happen?

People need to have blinders, Newsome said. We need to look at other people as though color didnt exist.

If that finally happens, it will be the birth of a nation far different from the one D.W. Griffith portrayed in 1915.
As the fall semester begins, parents, students, taxpayers and donors should be made aware of official college practices that should disgust us all.

Hampshire College will offer some of its students what the school euphemistically calls "identity-based housing." That's segregated housing for students who  because of their race, culture, gender or sexual orientation  have "historically experienced oppression."

I'd bet the rent money that Hampshire College will not offer Jewish, Irish, Polish, Chinese or Catholic students segregated housing. Because there is no group of people who have not faced oppression, Hampshire College is guilty of religious and ethnic discrimination in its housing segregation policy.

University of Connecticut administrators think more black men will graduate if they spend more time together. According to Campus Reform, they are building a new residence hall to facilitate just that. Erik Hines, the faculty director for the program, said the learning community "is a space for African-American men to ... come together and validate their experiences that they may have on campus ... It's also a space where they can have conversation and also talk with individuals who come from the same background who share the same experience."

By the way, Hampshire College and the University of Connecticut are not alone in promoting racially segregated student housing.

Then there's an effort for racial segregation in classes. Moraine Valley Community College attempted it in a class titled "College: Changes, Challenges, Choices." It mandated some class sections be "limited to African-American students." The college defended racially segregated classes by saying they make students "feel comfortable."

After facing massive national notoriety, the college just recently abandoned its racial segregation agenda.

Suppose a student at Ripon College enrolls in a chemistry, math or economics class. What do you think ought to be the subject matter? Zachariah Messitte, Ripon's president and a professor in the politics and government department, has encouraged fellow professors to disparage Donald Trump, arguing it's "fine" for professors to "acknowledge Trump's narrow-minded rhetoric" in class.

For professors to use their classes to proselytize students  and for a college president to urge it  is gross academic dishonesty. I've been a college professor for nearly a half-century. I challenge anyone to find a student who can say anything other than microeconomic theory, with a bit of physics and biology now and then for good measure, was discussed in my class.

Adding to campus lunacy are classes such as "Lady Gaga and the Sociology of the Fame" at the University of South Carolina. Cornell University's physical education department offers a class titled "Recreational Tree Climbing." At Georgia State University, the English department offers a course called "Kanye vs. Everybody."

That these and other nonsense classes exist may reflect several things. There is the notion of shared educational governance, wherein presidents and boards of trustees have little say about what passes for college education.

College administrators like to keep campus barbarism under wraps. One of the best means to throttle their hideous agenda is for students to use their electronic devices to expose it to public scrutiny.
Marc Chase Editor Marc Chase is a veteran investigative reporter, columnist and editor of more than two decades. He currently leads The Times news staff as local news editor. He can be reached at 219-933-3327. Follow Marc Chase Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Regionites frequently hear the words "economic engine" bandied about by Northwest Indiana planners in their quest for the next big money-making holy grail.

Regional airports, commuter trains, freight lines and trash-to-energy plants are frequent central themes in this vernacular, not just in our Region but abroad.

Some of these ideas hold true merit as driving forces for the future of Northwest Indiana's economy. Some, like the Lake County trash-to-ethanol proposal, have been debunked as boondoggles and pipe dreams.

But too much focus on the theoretical often distracts us from the bona fide economic engines already functioning at our doorstep  and continuously ripe to drive more economic growth if we just realize it.

A reminder of such assets should come with the birthday of one of our nation's oldest and best ideas for the celebration of our most hallowed sites of outdoor wonder and historic significance.

Our National Park Service turned 100 years old Thursday.

Beyond celebrating the majestic views of the Grand Canyon National Park or the stories of American heroism at national battlefields, we really ought to be celebrating the money these parks drive into their gateway communities.

And Northwest Indiana is no exception.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, under the park service umbrella, drew an estimated 1.6 million visitors to the Region in 2015, park service reports show.

Those visitors spent an estimated $64.9 million in the park's "gateway communities."

And they're coming from all over the place to see us.

A recent visit to Kemil Beach, a National Lakeshore beach near Beverly Shores, revealed just as many Michigan and Illinois license plates as Hoosier ones in a park service parking area. My sons and I also noted plates from Arkansas, New York and Connecticut.

Unlike the frequently parochial nature of our local communities and their politics, national lakeshore visitors see little difference between eating at a TGI Friday's in Valpo or a Five Guys in Schererville. Lakeshore visitors paid for lodging from Michigan City to Munster.

In fact, when the National Park Service calculates the economic impact of parks, they view the effect on "gateway communities," defined as being within 60 miles of the attraction.

In addition to the $64.9 million in 2015 spending, Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore tourism is credited with sustaining 913 jobs and generating $34.6 million in labor income  the salaries of anyone who served park visitors.

Our own local component of the 100-year-old park service has "economic engine" written all over it.

Whats best is its an actual natural attribute experienced by humans for about 15,000 years and isnt going anywhere. It doesn't exist in theory, on a blueprint or via pie-in-the-sky prognostications.

If there were ever a reason for Region units of local government to forget about their borders and share ideas for building upon prosperity, the sandy landscape of the Dunes is it.
Ive got the greatest urge to sneak into St. John under the cover of darkness and spread political yard signs all over town.

Such a dastardly deed would be in violation of municipal and county sign ordinances that prohibit the posting of such signs more than a month before an election.

The controversy originated in St. John a year ago when signs urging voters to fire town manager Steve Kil and Councilmen Mike Forbes and Mark Barenie were removed from three locations on public property.

The issue in St. John wasnt about the timing of the signs but rather the placement  yes, brought on by the message  on public property.

But what happened in St. John has political circles abuzz all over the county, including with John Dull, a legal scholar and attorney for the Lake County Board of Commissioners.

Dull said the ordinances regulating signs are a violation of the First Amendments protection of free speech. Hes right.

Dull pointed to the Fire Mike Pence signs that have dotted the landscape for more than a year before the governors election. Theres been no outcry to remove those.

Fortunately, Pence did Hoosiers a favor and fired himself. The rest of America likely will do the same Nov. 8.

If you asked the people of Lake County  or any other county for that matter  theyd probably prefer ordinances limiting political signs.

But, hey, we all have to live with things we dont like.

Lets get back to the yard signs and strip away all restrictions.

If Candidate A puts his signs up a year before the election, so be it.

If Candidate B thinks 30 days is plenty of exposure, good for him or her.

Just as we shouldnt make it harder to vote, we ought not make it more difficult to run for office.

If a candidate wants his or her signs up several months or a year prior to an election, then he or she might have to endure the wrath of voters who may get tired of seeing the signs.

If a candidate thinks constant exposure is the best option, thats the chance he or she takes.

A fresh yard sign can be attractive. One that has been through a storm or two becomes an eyesore.

I have been through elections in which the guy with the most yard signs received the fewest votes.

This yard sign thing is kind of like water. It will seek its own level in time.

Government doesnt do a lot of things well. Having politicians regulating political yard signs isnt something we should entrust them to do  especially when it comes to messing with the Constitution.
Compassion shouldn't just be on display when it's politically expedient.

And people who profess a desire to lead should step into the fray, even when they have nothing political to gain.

These lessons are apparent right now as we consider how current and prospective Hoosier leaders are  or more accurately are not  responding to the lead crisis in East Chicago.

Some 1,200 East Chicago residents are in the midst of being relocated from the city's public, low-income West Calumet housing complex because of toxic lead and arsenic levels in the soil.

The EPA and city leaders are working to fund the move, a school has been evacuated and deemed unfit for use and people's daily lives  and possibly long-term health  have been put at risk.

Yet you wouldn't know it on the campaign trails for some of the Hoosier state's highest offices.

This woeful showing of compassion for East Chicago is a true bipartisan effort.

Former and prospective future Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh was all too happy earlier this summer to grip and grin for the cameras with Lake County political allies in Hammond.

We even captured a photo of him embracing disgraced East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick, the subject of one of the most corrupt political reigns in Region history.

But has Bayh rolled up his sleeves and publicly offered help, compassion or understanding for the residents in crisis in East Chicago? Why hasn't a visit to East Chicago's troubled neighborhood been a part of his campaign itinerary?

We were touched this week to see Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, now the Republican nominee for vice president, visiting, embracing and helping downstate Kokomo residents after horrific tornadoes tore through their community.

Equally powerful were images of Pence and his presidential running mate, Donald Trump, passing out supplies in flood-ravaged Louisiana.

But East Chicago is also part of the Hoosier state, and we're talking about a public health crisis displacing more than 1,000 people and an entire elementary school.

What message does it send when a sitting governor will visit a downstate disaster nearer to his power base but not a Northwest Indiana city experiencing its own major crisis?

We haven't seen Democrat John Gregg visiting East Chicago's crisis zone  or GOP gubernatorial contender and sitting Lt. Gov. Eric Holcomb, either.

Nor have we seen the GOP's U.S. Senate candidate Todd Young, who faces Bayh in November.

Good leaders don't pick and choose their compassionate responses based on political expediency. They respond, in good times and bad, to their entire constituency because it's the right thing to do.
A small but vocal group of people organized a pro-Donald Trump rally in Manhattan on Saturday.

The Midtown rally of about 30 people began around 4 p.m. The Trump supporters said they gathered outside Trump Tower to show that the Republican presidential candidate has a solid base of support in the city.

Organizers said they also wanted to show the diversity of Trump supporters, especially in the wake of recent headlines waged against Trump about his views on minorities.

"My top priority was to prove to the liberal media, that bashes him every day, that there are a lot of Trump supporters in New York," one woman said as she held a sign outside the tower. "And we got people here from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, upstate."

"He's a business man, of course, and he's also good for the, you know, economy. He creates a lot of jobs," one man said. "He employs all kinds of people, so how can a person discriminate when he employs all kinds of people?"



"I believe that Donald Trump is honest," another Trump supporter said. "I believe that he wants to help America and that he wants to help Americans. He wants to bring jobs back to our country, which we so sorely need."



Not everyone at the rally supported Trump, however. At least one counter-protestor was at the rally site, joined by average spectators who voiced different views on the Queens-native.

"Trump, to me, is irrefutably racist," the counter-protestor said. "He refused to rent to black people 40 years ago, and for those who say people can changed  the whole birther thing is nothing but racism."

"I am afraid for the world," another man said. "I cannot believe it could possibly happen. And it's scary to think that of all the people who could lead this country that it would come down to Donald Trump."



"I don't like the way he treats people," another spectator said. "I don't like the way he talks. I don't like the way he expresses himself.I don't like feel like he's going to be a good president."

Organizers said they hoped to hold similar rallies in the future.



On the campaign trial Saturday, Trump took his message to the heartland, stumping at the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

Trump said his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, plans to open the borders and keep illegal immigrants with criminal records in the United States.

"These international gangs of thugs and drug cartels, will be  I promise you, from the first day in office, the first thing I'm going to do, the first piece of paper I'm going to sign, is we're going to get rid of these people, day one, before the wall, before anything," Trump said at the rally in Des Moines.

Trump lost the Iowa Caucuses to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

Trump is polling neck-and-neck with Clinton in the state.



His next rally is scheduled for Tuesday night in Washington state.

Trump's runningmate Mike Pence is slated to attend two campaign events in Georgia on Monday.
A pair of early-morning shootings in Brooklyn has left two 26-year-old men dead, according to the city police department.

Police said one of the men was shot multiple times in the torso around 2:11 a.m. Sunday at a house party on Conklin Ave. near East 95th Street in Canarsie.

The victim later died at a local hospital.

About 90 minutes later, another man was killed in a separate shooting in Crown Heights.

That one happened in front of a building on Prospect Place near Schenectady Ave., when the gunman got into some kind of argument with the victim before he shot him several times in the torso, according to police.

No arrests have been made in either case and neither victim has been identified.

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
Caitlin Taylor Landy and Brandon Travis Ponder were married Aug. 27 at the Westchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. The Rev. Robert Sturdivant, a Methodist minister who is a cousin of the groom, officiated.

Mrs. Ponder, 35, works in New York for Cantor Fitzgerald, the financial services firm, where she plans meetings. She graduated from Gettysburg College, and is a daughter of Catherine H. Landy and Brian R. Landy of Rye.

Mr. Ponder, 37, works in New York as a senior fund-raiser, managing a portfolio of corporate donors for the American Red Cross. He graduated from the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, from which he also received a masters in public administration. He is a son of Martha B. Ponder and J. Milton Ponder of Nashville.

The couple were introduced through Tinder in July 2014. On his profile, Mr. Ponder was wearing a sweater with a cat in a Santa hat, and Ms. Landy was intrigued by his sense of humor.
Jennifer Michelle Harris, a daughter of Karen N. Youngblood and Kenny D. Harris of Lawton, Okla., was married Aug. 27 to Alexander Jacob Post, the son of Fran A. Layton of Berkeley, Calif., and Robert C. Post of New Haven. Sarah S. Stillman, a friend of the couple who was ordained through the American Marriage Ministries for the occasion, officiated at a property rented for the occasion in Boonville, Calif.

Ms. Harris, 34, will keep her name. She is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, and is a co-author of War by Other Means: Geoeconomics and Statecraft. Until 2014, she was a member of the Secretary of States policy planning staff in Washington. She graduated summa cum laude from Wake Forest and received a masters degree in international relations from Oxford, where she was a Rhodes scholar. She also received a law degree from Yale.

Her father is a special district judge in Lawton. Her mother retired as a staff lawyer at the Fort Sill Legal Assistance Office, which provides civil legal services to Army soldiers stationed at Fort Sill, which is near Lawton.

Mr. Post, 33, is known as Sasha. He is the director for policy planning at FWD.us, an organization that promotes immigration reform. He works in the New York office. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard and received a law degree from Yale.
Kathryn Jane McCabe and Samuel McNeely Boyce were married Aug. 26 in Brooklyn. Mark R. Dwyer, an acting justice of State Supreme Court in Manhattan, officiated at the My Moon restaurant.



Ms. McCabe, 31, is keeping her name. She is the head of operations for Brooklyn Prospect Elementary Charter School. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis and received a masters degree in education from Hunter College.

She is a daughter of Joan Griffin McCabe and James J. McCabe Jr. of Bethesda, Md. The brides father, who is retired, managed American Universitys online learning software. Her mother, who was a member of the New York City Council from 1992 to 1997, now teaches fourth grade at Brent Elementary School in Washington.

Mr. Boyce, 32, works in Manhattan for Pypestream, a messaging app, where he does programming applications for iPhones. He graduated from the University of Rochester. He served five years in the Army, reaching the rank of sergeant, and went to Iraq from 2010 to 2011, where he intercepted and translated enemy communications.
A federal appeals court said Friday that Washington State has the authority to hear a trademark lawsuit by Trader Joes against a Canadian store called Pirate Joes that resold the grocery chains products.

The ruling by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit overturned a decision by a district court to dismiss the trademark case against Pirate Joes and its owner, Michael Hallatt. The district court had said that the violations occurred in Canada, where Trader Joes has no stores, and that the company failed to prove that Pirate Joes affected business in the United States.

In its ruling, the appeals courts said the lawsuit could proceed because Mr. Hallatts actions  setting up a facsimile storefront in Vancouver, British Columbia, with knockoff branding and online merchandising  could devalue the American-held trademark. The case will return to a federal district court in Washington State.

Were here to see it through, and that means doing this for the people who want this stuff, Nathan Alexander, Mr. Hallatts lawyer, told The Associated Press.
A man suspected of stabbing two nuns to death in their rural Mississippi home confessed to the killings on Saturday, according to the police.

Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, was arrested on Friday and charged with two counts of capital murder in connection with the deaths of Sister Margaret M. Held and Sister Paula J. Merrill, 68, whose bodies were discovered on Thursday at their shared home in Durant, a town of 3,000 people that had gone years without a murder.

Sanders was developed as a person of interest early on in the investigation, Lt. Colonel Jimmy Jordan, the director of the states Bureau of Investigation, said in a statement.
Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists. And some, I assume, are good people. Donald Trump started his presidential campaign with a warning: that undocumented immigrants were bringing mayhem, crime and drugs to the United States. I want to build a wall. And its a real wall. This is a wall thats a heck of a lot higher than the ceiling youre looking at. He even said that if necessary he would use a deportation force. There will be a deportation. But its going to be done in a very humane fashion. Last December, Mr. Trump also shook the political world with another provocative policy. Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. Many Republicans thought those ideas were too harsh, unworkable or unconstitutional. And for what purpose? Muslim terrorists would only have to lie about their religion to enter the country. Mitt Romney Former Republican presidential nominee And it would take decades to do that, and gazillions of dollars. Bill OReilly Fox News host But Mr. Trump stuck with them, and they helped him win the Republican nomination. Now that hes facing more moderate general election voters, he appears to be changing his mind. The Muslim ban? Nobodys done it. This is just a suggestion. And Mr. Trump is changing his tune about who he wants to deport, saying these days that the focus should be on criminals  We have these killers in this country, theyre heading up gangs ...  not nice families who have been living in the country for years without causing problems. These were great people. These are highly respected people within the community. So you have somebody thats been in the country for 20 years  do we tell these people to get out, number one, or do we work with them and let them stay in some form. The shift puts Mr. Trump in an awkward position with less than three months until the election. He hasnt changed his position on immigration. Hes changed the words that he is saying. What he has always said from the beginning is that he does not  that he, no, that he does not ... Even Trumps biggest boosters in conservative media have been scratching their heads and expressing worry that the Republican nominee is now in favor of amnesty. The only thing that can cause Trump any trouble whatsoever is if he flip-flops on abortion or on immigration and goes amnesty  and it looks like hes getting close to it. Rush Limbaugh Radio host No, Im not flip-flopping. We want to come up with a really fair but firm answer  it has to be very firm. Trump supporters have stuck with him through pretty much everything in the last year. So its hard to say if going back on an issue thats been so central to his campaign will matter. The big question is whether his base will be turned off, or if a suddenly softer tone will help him attract new voters. [Crowd: Build the wall! Build the wall!]
TORONTO  Canadas prime minister, Justin Trudeau, is due in China on Tuesday for a much anticipated visit, hoping to reset what had been an up-and-down relationship under the previous government. Closer ties, Mr. Trudeau says, would release untapped prosperity at home and promote Canadian values like good governance and the rule of law in China.

But many Chinese-Canadians say the opposite is happening. They say the growing economic clout wielded in Canada by China, Canadas largest trading partner after the United States, is leading to an erosion of their own freedom  specifically their freedom to speak openly about Chinas authoritarian state. Journalists who write for the many Chinese-language publications in Canada, along with activists and others, say they are under increasing pressure to promote the interests of the Chinese government.

Its gotten worse and worse, said Jonathan Fon, 67, a Toronto paralegal, freelance writer and critic of Chinas Communist rulers. Mr. Fon, who emigrated from China in 1992, said publications that had once printed his opinion articles now routinely rejected them because of worries about political and financial fallout. They will not take my contributions, even though were friends, he said.

In the past decade, China has embarked on an ambitious effort to promote its image abroad, including a multibillion-dollar overseas expansion by Chinese state media and a network of Confucius Institutes, which teach Chinese language and culture while disseminating the Communist Partys viewpoints. In Western countries, analysts say, the party exerts influence over Chinese immigrants and students through embassies, consulates and community organizations, as well as business interests with the financial leverage to shape local Chinese-language media coverage.
This mixing of genres has been prominently tested at Christies themed sales, which include works from many different time periods.

Perhaps they would rather put their resources into other, potentially more profitable departments, said Nicholas Hall, the former co-chairman of old master paintings at Christies, who left in July, along with Benjamin Peronnet, Christies head of old master and 19th-century drawings.

While the Frick is eager to reach todays audience, the museum is also wary of straying from its mission of showing classic European art and sculpture.

A lot of museums are focused on a false dichotomy  if they get young people in through contemporary exhibitions theyll stay and get interested in old masters, said Ian Wardropper, the Fricks director. I just dont believe it. The point is to try to reach them in an intelligent way on their own terms and make it interesting  and thats not easy; were all struggling with that.

In light of these developments, old masters have become a collecting opportunity. Printings and engravings can go for $4,000 to $5,000. While Orazio Gentileschis 17th-century Danae sold at Sothebys in January for $30.5 million, that is less than a Christopher Wool and half the price of a Warhol, Mr. Sainty said. You can buy a really good Rembrandt for $40 to $50 million. Thats not a lot of money when you think about how many Rembrandts there are  and how many Jeff Koons.

Old Master Bargains to Be Had

Even as the collecting world continues to obsess over contemporary art, there are bargains to be had in the category of old masters, both at auction and in galleries, particularly if youd be happy with a print or engraving. A few examples follow of old master works, currently  or coming up  for sale.
The Treasurys schedule of financing this week includes Mondays regular weekly auction of new three- and six-month bills and an auction of four-week bills on Tuesday.

At the close of the New York cash market on Friday, the rate on the outstanding three-month bill was 0.32 percent. The rate on the six-month issue was 0.47 percent, and the rate on the four-week issue was 0.27 percent.

The following tax-exempt fixed-income issues are scheduled for pricing this week:

MONDAY

Florida Board of Education, $175 million of debt securities. Competitive.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection, $160 million of revenue refinancing bonds. Competitive.

TUESDAY

Louisiana, $169.2 million of general obligation unlimited tax bonds. Competitive.

THURSDAY

Essex County, N.J., $80 million of general obligation unlimited tax bonds. Competitive.
They saw the truck moving, a company service manager named James recalled last week, declining to give his surname. My mechanic got into his personal vehicle, he said, and drove to where the van had stopped, on East 179th Street in the Belmont section of the Bronx.

The mechanic, driving slowly along the street, said he could not find it.

Hector, youre on the same block, James replied. How can you not see it?

Hector saw a van with fresh black paint. His union bumper sticker was on the back. James had called the police and directed them to the location. When officers arrived and looked inside the van, they found a broken door lock, a damaged ignition, a screwdriver and, sitting in the drivers seat, a man. It was Mr. Velazquez, according to a criminal complaint.

Mr. Velazquez gave the police his version of events. He lived nearby, on Crotona Avenue, he said. I was buying breakfast and I saw the door was open and the car was running, he said, according to the complaint. I decided to get in the car and look around. I didnt steal this car.

Tools and equipment worth about $37,000 were missing from the van, the police said. Mr. Velazquez was charged with auto theft, among other things, and pleaded guilty in 2013. He went to prison and served nearly three years before being released in February.
MADRID  On Jan. 2, 1492, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon  known as the Catholic Monarchs  occupied Granada, completing their conquest of Moorish Spain. Ever since, Spain has always had a government  and occasionally two, when Napoleon invaded in 1808, and during the 1936 to 1939 civil war that split it. But never during those more than five centuries was it ever without any. That is, until Dec. 20 last year, when elections failed to give any party the majority needed to form a government and all attempts at a coalition failed.

For those of us accustomed to more direct suffrage, it is not easy to understand how democratic representation works in Spain. A Spaniard votes for diputados, who elect the prime minister. With a parliamentary majority, the winning party proclaims its leader; without a majority, it needs to negotiate. This means that a voter may end up supporting positions he normally never would. Nowadays, for example, voting for the Socialist Party can mean a leftist coalition between the Socialists and Podemos, the anti-establishment party, or a center-right one among the Socialists, the center right Ciudadanos and Partido Popular; a vote for Ciudadanos may yield a right-wing alliance with the P.P. or a centrist one with the Socialists. In the parliamentary system the vote is a blank check But Spanish politicians cannot manage to rule even with that.

Elections had to be repeated; the second attempt, on June 26, ended with very similar results, hence the continuing uncertainty. Negotiations carry on, without much hope. For exactly 253 days Spain has been unable to elect a new government and, as time goes by, more people wonder if it really is that serious.

Obviously, a provisional, caretaker government is in place; but it has limitations. For instance, it cannot appoint new ministers. From its original 13-member cabinet, 10 are left: Its minister of development is heading Congress, the minister of health is now a candidate for the local Parliament in the Basque Country, and the minister of industry is busy explaining his Panamanian bank accounts. The caretaker government has no authority to approve next years budget, a basic tool for governing that should be in place this October; experts are poring over legal texts in search of a line that suggests authority. The government takes advantage, however, of the (most likely unconstitutional) opinion that acting government ministers are not subjected to parliamentary control. It has been nine months since Parliament enacted any laws: Its members are too busy campaigning and negotiating.
In 1983, guerrilla fighters from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia murdered Alberto Uribe in a botched kidnapping attempt. Two decades later, Alberto Uribes son, Alvaro, would serve as Colombias president, from 2002-10, leading the government in a civil war against the rebel group he held responsible for his fathers death.

Alvaro Uribes merciless kill-or-capture campaign weakened the guerrillas, known as the FARC, enough to force negotiations. Talks began in 2012 under Mr. Uribes successor, President Juan Manuel Santos. Last week the Colombian government and the FARC announced a peace agreement to end what was one of the worlds longest armed conflicts.

Mr. Santos said the agreement will be put to a public referendum on Oct. 2. Mr. Uribe, now a popular senator, is one of the accords most prominent critics.

The opponents of the deal must be resisted. A nod in favor of the peace initiative from Colombian voters would end an era of death and suffering that took some 220,000 lives and uprooted more than five million people over 52 years.
Cairo  I paused for a second as I packed for a last-minute break on Egypts North Coast, known as Sahel in Arabic. Should I take my bikini? Or a one-piece? Or what?

I hadnt been to the beach in Egypt for years and was unsure of what now passed for acceptable attire. The pendulum of social mores here has swung in a resolutely conservative direction over the past three decades, and perhaps its most visible impact has been the trend toward veils and an obsession with womens modesty. As a young adult, I myself wore the hijab for nine years, covering everything except for my face and hands.

As a child in the 70s, the idea of a seaside dress code never entered my head. When I was growing up, my middle-class family, like many others, decamped to the Mediterranean city of Alexandria for relief from Cairos unbearable summers.

Some of my happiest memories are of Alexandria evenings spent eating candy made sticky by the days heat, together with my younger brother and my aunt, who, just four years my senior, was more like a sister. In between ruining our teeth, we would tease one another by poking the spots of our shoulders burned from hours in the sun.
God of Vengeance, a drama from the early 20th century and the inspiration for Paula Vogels Indecent, a possible addition for the coming Broadway season, will be revived in December by New Yiddish Rep.

The play, which is widely credited with presenting the first lesbian kiss on Broadway, in 1923, is scheduled to run from Dec. 22 through Jan. 22 at La MaMa  next door to where it had its premiere in 1907.

This revival  under David Mandelbaum, the troupes artistic director  will be performed in the original Yiddish; a reading was presented in June at the 14th Street Y.

An English-language version of the play came to Broadway in the 1920s after productions in New York and in Europe (including one in Berlin directed by Max Reinhardt). It courted scandal  and obscenity charges  with its depictions of Jewish culture and homosexuality. Its New York producer and cast members were arrested and found guilty, but the show remained open.
LEESBURG, Va.  Emboldened by Donald J. Trumps struggles in the presidential race, Democrats in Congress are laying the groundwork to expand the list of House Republicans they will target for defeat as part of an effort to slash the Republicans 30-seat majority and even reclaim control if Mr. Trump falls further.

Mr. Trumps unpopularity, which has already undermined the partys grip on the Senate, now threatens to imperil Republican lawmakers even in traditionally conservative districts, according to strategists and officials in both parties involved in the fight for control of the House.

Democrats are particularly enticed by Mr. Trumps dwindling support in affluent suburban areas  including those near Kansas City, Kan.; San Diego; Orlando, Fla.; and Minneapolis  where Republicans ordinarily win with ease. Mr. Trump is so disliked among college-educated voters, especially white women, that he is at risk of losing by double digits in several districts that the 2012 Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, carried comfortably.

Its a remarkable situation. We, the Republicans, ought to be in a much stronger position in many suburban areas, said Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania, whose district includes both suburbs and small cities. Because of the nature of the nominee, its going to be a lot more competitive than it ought to be.
Mike: We actually saw him drive with Jerry Seinfeld [in a December episode of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee]. Theres the way that he casually hangs his hand on the top of the steering wheel. I think they got that right.

What you also never see, and its hard to even imagine, is Barack Obama or Michelle Obama being anonymous. In the movie, you see them going in and out of a theater or a bar, and nobody pays them any mind. That doesnt exist for them anymore.

Julie: The filmmakers plant these seeds of foreshadow or backshadow  Im not even sure what to call it  where youre hearing and seeing things that will become part of their public lives. Theres that scene where theyre walking in the park and they come upon a drum circle and Michelle starts dancing with the crowd, and that is something she does so often in public now that she even has that mom-dancing bit she does with Jimmy Fallon.

Mike: Or that moment when Michelle asks about his religious beliefs and Obama says, Lets just say Im still evolving, which of course is an echo of the way he described his development on gay marriage.

Julie: Theres lots of exploration of race here, too. She talks about going from her home on the South Side of Chicago into the Loop to go to work at this fancy law firm, and she feels like shes leaving Planet Black and entering Planet White. That resonates with him. Then she asks whether he prefers dating white women or black women, and he tells the story of his white girlfriend at Columbia, who he was very happy with but decided that he couldnt be with because he felt like an outsider in her home. These are stories weve heard before  hes written about them himself  but the movie resurrects them. And of course, part of the date is seeing Do The Right Thing, which is this movie that conjures up all those issues.

But also, I wonder if you think its too soon to make a movie like this? I found myself at various moments feeling uncomfortable watching some of it.

Mike: You just didnt like the kissing scene!

Julie: The making out, yes, not something you associate with the commander in chief. But in the beginning of the film, shes walking around in her bra. Hes in this tank top getting dressed. Its a way of seeing the president and the first lady that feels a little wrong.
The first person I wanted to call when I heard that Colombias government and the countrys largest leftist rebel group had reached a peace deal last week was my father.

In 1999, my father, Jaime Correal Martinz, was kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. He was captured by a gang on his way home from work; driven high into the mountains outside Bogota, the capital; and turned over to the rebel group, which held him for ransom for more than eight months.

While my stepmother, Samantha, negotiated with the rebels and took care of my younger siblings Nicolas and Lorena in Bogota, and I finished my sophomore year of college in the United States, my father was moved from camp to camp, hidden under the jungle canopy as military planes swarmed above. He slept in 38 different places.

He wasnt targeted for any particular reason. At the time, kidnapping for ransom was rampant in Colombia, one of the ways the rebels financed the insurgency, along with trafficking cocaine, and he was presumed to be wealthy.
MOSCOW  The Uzbekistan government issued an unusual statement on Sunday announcing the hospitalization of President Islam Karimov, who has ruled the former Soviet republic for more than a quarter-century.

The statement gave no details about the nature of the illness suffered by the 78-year-old president or his condition. It said only that in the opinion of the specialists, a full medical examination and subsequent treatment will require a certain amount of time.

The Regnum news agency reported from Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, that the police and security forces had formed a cordon around the government hospital where Mr. Karimov was being treated, in an apparent indication of the unease caused by his hospitalization.

Mr. Karimov, who tolerates no dissent, has ruled Uzbekistan since the Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev made him the republics Communist Party chief in 1989. In December 1991, just days after the Soviet Union ceased to exist, Mr. Karimov was elected president of the newly independent nation.
In Sweden recently, that has meant a series of bizarre forged letters and news articles about NATO and linked to Russia.

One forgery, on Defense Ministry letterhead over Mr. Hultqvists signature, encouraged a major Swedish firm to sell artillery to Ukraine, a move that would be illegal in Sweden. Ms. Nyh Radebo, his spokeswoman, put an end to that story in Sweden, but at international conferences, Mr. Hultqvist still faced questions about the nonexistent sales.

Russia also made at least one overt attempt to influence the debate. During a seminar in the spring, Vladimir Kozin, a senior adviser to the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank linked to the Kremlin and Russian foreign intelligence, argued against any change in Swedens neutral status.

Do they really need to lose their neutral status? he said of the Swedes. To permit fielding new U.S. military bases on their territory and to send their national troops to take part in dubious regional conflicts?

Whatever the method or message, Russia clearly wants to win any information war, as Dmitry Kiselyev, Russias most famous television anchor and the director of the organization that runs Sputnik, made clear recently.

Speaking this summer on the 75th anniversary of the Soviet Information Bureau, Mr. Kiselyev said the age of neutral journalism was over. If we do propaganda, then you do propaganda, too, he said, directing his message to Western journalists.

Today, it is much more costly to kill one enemy soldier than during World War II, World War I or in the Middle Ages, he said in an interview on the state-run Rossiya 24 network. While the business of persuasion is more expensive now, too, he said, if you can persuade a person, you dont need to kill him.
Iran said on Sunday that a person close to the government team that negotiated its nuclear agreement with foreign powers had been arrested on accusations of espionage and released on bail.

The disclosure, reported in the state news media, appeared to be the latest sign of the Iranian leaderships frustration over the agreement, which has failed so far to yield the significant economic benefits for the country that its advocates had promised. Iranian officials have blamed the United States for that problem.

Despite the relaxations of many sanctions under the accord, which took effect in January, Iran faces enormous obstacles in attracting new investments and moving its own money through the global financial system.

The Iranians are still blocked from using American banks, an important transit point for international capital, because of non-nuclear-related sanctions imposed by the United States.
On Aug. 31, 1986, Bill Richardson stood in the Huntington Beach lifeguard headquarters building, gripped a 9mm handgun and braced for the worst.

Rioters were surrounding the building, and a few were already inside. Looters seemed ready to destroy a place the lifeguard captain considered a second home.

Outside, police cars were being overturned and set on fire. And the mob was shaking other cars, chanting One more, one more. Glass bottles were being thrown; blood was flowing.

Officers temporarily retreated from that stretch of beach near downtown. They advised the lifeguards to do the same.

But that day, 30 years ago this week, Richardson loaded a gun hed used only in training.

Then he came face to face with the rioters.

They met someone crazier than they were, Richardson recalled recently.

Now 72 and the chaplain for the Huntington Beach Marine Safety Department, Richardson doesnt recall being afraid during the biggest riot in the long history of riots near Huntington Beach Pier.

He remembers a different emotion.

I was pissed.

BIG HAIR, SMALL BIKINIS

It was the mid-1980s and MTV was still playing music.

Neon was big. So was everybodys hair. For women, Ocean Pacific ruled the beach with high-on-the-hip, skimpy bikinis.

For anyone who wanted to party hard, Huntington Beach was the place to be.

The Op Pro surf contest was a big deal, too. About 100,000 people turned out to watch the event in 1986.

Ian Cairns, a former pro surfer, ran the contest back then, as well as the series of contests leading up to the event in Huntington Beach. He said the crowds grew bigger that summer. And the parties got rowdier.

They were bad guys, Cairns recalled recently. Like, rock-and-roll crazy, you know.

What sparked the riot remains a point of debate. Some say women and girls in the crowd removed their bathing suit tops, around 2 p.m., and the mostly male crowd reacted.

Others say some men were aggressors, attacking some women.

Whatever the cause, witnesses agree that the mob soon was out of control.

Cairns remembers standing on scaffolding built over the crowd, watching surfers in the contest out in the water. But as the unrest began, he looked behind him and saw black smoke billowing skyward.

It just erupted, Cairns said. The  massive crowd was burning police cars and tearing doors off them, Cairns added. It was gnarly. It was mayhem.

Meanwhile, the surf contest wasnt done.

Surfers Mark Occhilupo and Glen Winton were in the water, finalists competing in the best of three heats. After two heats, Occhilupo should have taken the win, but with the unrest growing, Cairns called both surfers to the scaffold to ask them for a favor.

We have to protect the crowd in the bleachers, the surfers, he told them. What do you think about going back in the water?

Cairns then declared a tie and directed the surfers back into the water for a third heat. He was hoping to buy some time and gambling that by the time the contest formally ended, the rioting would be over.

It wasnt.

A SINGLE SHOT

Mike Baumgartner, now Marine Safety Division chief in Huntington Beach, was just 18 that day, but he was already a lifeguard. He watched the rioting in disbelief from another spot, Tower Zero, on the pier.

He saw a mob of about 1,000 people surround the lifeguard headquarters building, where Richardson remained inside, alone.

Baumgartner called Richardson. He told him the doors on the north end of the building had been lifted and people were looting, taking away rescue boards used for lifesaving.

It was a sense of sadness, more than anything, Baumgartner said recently.

Nobody in the mob knew that a parking attendant had brought the days receipts  about $10,000 in cash  and placed them on a counter in the lifeguard building.

The violence grew. Some rioters used metal rod railings to beat others. Several police cars were tipped over and set ablaze, as was a Jeep used by the lifeguards. Somebody pushed an ATV into a fire, and a police explorer van was burned to a crisp.

Rioters threw flares into the lifeguard headquarters, trying to burn it down.

Police, hoping to tame the crowd, called in a helicopter and asked it to be lowered toward the mob. They hoped the wind from the chopper would kick up enough sand to break up the melee. Instead, rioters were enraged, and they threw bottles at the hovering copter.

Richardson walked down to the headquarters garage, where he said he found about 50 people pulling off cabinets, jumping on the cab of a truck and breaking windows.

Im the chaplain now, so I cant say exactly what I yelled at them, Richardson said.

I told them to get the blank out of here.

They didnt respond. Instead, two men started toward him. Richardson raised his 9mm pistol and fired a shot toward the ceiling.

The noise drove away the two men  and the mob.

Everyone ran, he said. It was like someone started the 100-meter dash.

Minutes later, police from around Orange County showed up in riot gear.

Richardson noted that a video from that day  a video now used for police training  shows a man who chucked a bottle at a police officer.

The man filed a complaint, that he was arrested and beaten for no reason, Richardson said.

Except, we got you on tape, dude.

At least 12 people were injured in the hourlong riot, including five police officers. About 50 people eventually were arrested, though only 13 during the melee.

A retired highway patrol officer snapped photos of people as they exited the lifeguard building with their loot and offered to send them the photos. All he needed was their address, and after he developed the film hed send them a copy, he told them.

Many fell for it.

They (thought theyd) be holding it like a trophy, Richardson said with a chuckle.

Instead, the photographer took his film to the Huntington Beach police, complete with names and addresses of the looters.

FLASH FORWARD

The date, Aug. 31, 1986, remains historically significant for two events: a midair collision over Cerritos in which 83 people died in the air or on the ground, and the Op Pro riot.

The crash changed the way air traffic is monitored in Southern California.

The riot  the biggest but not the last melee connected to a surf contest in Huntington Beach  shaped the city in ways that still resonate.

The contest was moved from Labor Day to early August. And, these days, its got new sponsorship and is known as the U.S. Open of Surfing. It remains a key driver of tourist revenue for the city.

But the city bans bikini contests and alcohol as part of the surf contest. It also wont allow free music concerts in conjunction with the surf contests.

Three years ago, a smaller riot broke out in the downtown area after the end of the U.S. Open of Surfing. Several businesses reported broken windows, and portable toilets were tipped into the street. Police wore riot gear as they tamed the crowds.

There was a fear the surf contest had again swelled into an out-of-control event.

Since then, police presence has been increased during the contests, and cameras are used to track the action on the beach and downtown. Event organizers have added a family-friendly vibe, too, offering cartoon movie nights and arts and crafts geared toward youth. Last year was the most mellow event in years, with fewer arrests and citations.

Richardson, who started as a lifeguard in 1962, retired eight years after the 86 riot. He says the incident isnt his favorite topic, but he knows its part of the citys history.

That event had been great for the community. It helped pay a lot of bills, and it still does, Richardson said.

I think the lessons learned were the value we got out of it, he added. Thats part of the advantage and disadvantage of having something like that happening in your community  you learn from it.

Baumgartner said he never wants to see a repeat.

A lot of the people werent from here, he said. They went home at the end of the day. (But) the city still is fighting that reputation and image as the place where the riot happened.

Contact the writer: lconnelly@ocregister.com
An old Marines mission and a mothers wish were seen through on Saturday when a 118-year-old tank house got a new home in Heritage Park.

The 30-foot tank house was split into two pieces  the first two floors in one piece and the third floor in another  then hoisted onto two trucks for the 2-mile journey.

The trucks made their way from the Courreges Ranch to the park at the end of a lengthy star-spangled parade of supporters riding in convertibles. Along the way, onlookers cheered and waved American flags as the tank passed by.

Saturday marked the culmination of Ron Courreges quest to save the tank house, once used as a water tower and the oldest structure in Fountain Valley. Courreges spent years raising money together with the Fountain Valley Historical Society to have the building moved to Heritage Park. All told, he will pay about $75,000 for moving and reconstructing the building.

Aside from its history, the tank house holds sentimental value for him and other longtime residents.

Rons mother, Hazel, was a founding member of the Historical Society, and wished before her death in 2011 that the tank be preserved for the community. Now, with the familys homestead about to be sold to developers, Courreges has poured himself into seeing that his mother got her last wish.

Jim Tone, 72, moved to Fountain Valley more than four decades ago. Its really neat to see a part of that time preserved, said Tone, holding an American flag and eagerly awaiting the parades arrival outside City Hall.

As the tank became visible at Slater Avenue, Fountain Valley Highs Royal Regiment announced its arrival with music and flags, welcoming it to Heritage Park.

In the end, Courreges had mixed emotions.

Todays been an emotional day in two ways  Im sad to see it leave, but Im happy to see it going where its at, he said. I know the relatives are looking down and I think theyre going to be happy  I know my mom is.

Contact the writer: jwinslow@ocregister.com
They say theres no honor among thieves  a truism that now refers broadly to the propensity for infighting among people or organizations in the habit of breaking the rules. Its a principle proven out anew this past week, as Iran debuted a historic new military basing arrangement with Russia that just as swiftly collapsed thanks to overweening arrogance out of Moscow. But American and Western officials shouldnt settle for smug satisfaction over the ungainly episode. Along with China, the interests of Russia and Iran lie far more in parallel than they do at cross-purposes  not just toward the Islamic State, but in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond. The result is a full-spectrum challenge to U.S. and U.S.-allied objectives stretching across the broad and dangerous frontier of the rule of law, from Libya (at least) in the west to the South China Sea (or beyond) in the east.

The Russo-Iranian basing row illustrates the scope of the problem, as well as Americas pronounced inability to understand the evolving nature of the threat. U.S. officials were caught by surprise  sadly, these days, standard operating procedure in and around the region  when the Russians began running bombing missions into Syria out of a new Iranian base. The unprecedented deal, which saw foreign troops in the country for the first time since the Anglo-Soviet invasion of 1941, augured fresh disaster for the White Houses stop-and-go Mideast policy. But policymakers played it cool because they were unsure what exactly Teheran had in mind by the agreement. As luck would have it, just days later, Russian state media touted the deal in terms strong enough to strike Irans defense minister as an ungentlemanly betrayal of trust. Zap: the deal was off. Moscow packed up and left. But the runaround revealed yet again how sharply limited and reactive American policy has become, even when catastrophes large and small are averted. This time we were lucky. Next time? Dont count on it.

Nerves  not just this administrations, but the presumptive next  should be well jangled by the broader context of relations between Russia and Iran. China, another strong and revisionist U.S. adversary comfortable projecting power, has shifted from tacit to overt support for the Assad regime in Syria. As the Irish Times reported, Beijing not only agreed to help target regime foes in addition to ISIS, such as Jabhat al-Nusra and affiliates; it promised direct training by select military advisers and sent its chief of international military cooperation, Admiral Guan Youfei, to meet Assads defense minister one on one in Damascus.

These moves are unique and, like Irans basing attempt, without modern precedent. And they come at a moment when aggressive Chinese policy has ramped up in its naval backyard. Hoping to conquer the South China Sea in a fait accompli, Beijing has forged ahead with an artificial island scheme devoted to helping seize the ocean territory it needs to station nuclear-armed submarines and lift itself from a second- to first-tier strategic nuclear power. Gone are the days of the (first?) Clinton White Houses hopes of a peaceful rise for China. Here are the days of a general push against American interests that straddles the whole continent of Asia.

Adding to the Wests misfortune, Chinese, Russian and Iranian strategic planners enjoy a target-rich environment to pursue and exploit more opportunities to weaken Americas hand and strengthen their own. Top U.S. strategists have already warned that, above and beyond the challenge of defeating and destroying ISIS, Americas missions in Iraq and Afghanistan face even more daunting obstacles in the aftermath. In Iraq, especially, Shiite militias enjoying Iranian support, training and sometimes even staffing are busy purging the Iraqi national army  and traditionally Sunni lands and cities  of religious and ethnic rivals. Small wonder that some beleaguered borderland Sunnis have begun to contemplate the once-unthinkable: accepting a minority role in a future Kurdish regime. In Afghanistan, meanwhile, Americas stubborn enemies continue to strike at the very heart of the U.S. effort to ensure a safe and free regime  attacking the American University in Kabul just this week, and ratcheting up attacks in Helmand province, where a U.S. service member was killed for the first time since January.

Despite these and other glaring disadvantages, the West can still count on the institutional and popular support necessary to stay in its global game and play to win. Its not as if theres any confusion among Americas top brass, for instance, as to what the dominant difficulties are and who are the key players. In a recent address to students at the National Defense University, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford was explicit: along with North Korea and the worlds terroristic jihadis, China, Iran and Russia present an interlocking  if not always seamlessly coordinated  threat. The George W. Bush administration received a lot of criticism for portraying an earlier version of this eastern counter-alliance as an axis of evil. But as the original Axis powers demonstrated, our adversaries dont have to march in perfect lockstep to create a perfect storm.

James Poulos is a columnist for the Southern California News Group.
As a former social worker, I believe in giving people second chances. But allowing felons to vote while still behind bars? That makes no sense.

Yet Democrats in the state Legislature recently approved Assembly Bill 2466 by Assemblywoman Shirley Weber, D-San Diego. It would allow convicted felons serving their sentences in county jail to vote while behind bars. The bill is now with Gov. Brown and Californians should urge him to veto it.

AB2466 follows the states public safety realignment law that the governor signed in 2011. Realignment is designed to reduce the states prison population by sending inmates with lower-level felonies to county jails. Under AB2466, these inmates would vote in the district where they are incarcerated. For example, an inmate whose home residence is in San Clemente would be able to vote for local races affecting Santa Ana, since that is where Orange Countys Central Jail is located.

Why should criminals behind bars have the opportunity to affect local elections? Many felons spending time in county jail are not residents of the city in which the jail is located. These individuals who are in a county jail may have zero connection to any of the issues going on in that city, have no vested interest, or perhaps a negative one. Given that we have seen local elections determined by a handful of votes in recent years, it is not right to potentially have felons determine the outcome in close races.

AB2466 presents some interesting scenarios: Imagine jailed inmates participating in the election of the same Superior Court judge who is hearing their case. Will future jail bookings now include fingerprints, mugshots, and dont forget to fill out your voter registration card?

Those who support AB2466 also contend that it will help enhance the civic participation of all eligible voters. Indeed, the bill is the latest in a series of efforts to increase voter turnout in California. In recent years, proposals have included reducing the lead time to register before voting to 15 days, same-day voter registration, permanent absentee voting, automatic registration at the DMV, automatic voter registration for college students, pre-registration for high school students and even extending registration and voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds.

But these efforts have not been effective. Despite decades of making it easier to vote and public officials imploring citizens to go to the polls, a 2015 report issued by the Public Policy Institute of California regarding state voting trends shows that turnout has slightly declined since the 2000 elections. The November presidential election that year saw turnout among voters at just above 75 percent. Turnout for the 2012 November election was about the same. And voter turnout during June elections has plummeted from just above 50 percent in 2000 to less than 30 percent over those same 12 years. Making it easier to register and vote simply has not resulted in more Californians casting ballots.

I can understand the desire to encourage voter turnout. When eligible citizens do not register and do not exercise their right to vote, the very legitimacy of our elected representative form of government can be called into question. But the PPIC also tells us that, based on public opinion surveys, the No. 1 reason voters do not register to vote is their low trust in government. Do we really think allowing felons to vote while serving their sentences in county jail will increase trust in government?

AB2466 is a solution in search of a problem, and deserves to be vetoed.

Senator Patricia Pat Bates, R-Laguna Niguel, represents the 36th Senate District in the California Legislature, which covers South Orange County, North San Diego County and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
A North Tustin senior housing project got derailed. Affordable housing for low-income residents in Orange was waylaid for several months. A water pipeline for south Orange County has been held up for four years.

And a Santa Ana homeless shelter ended up going elsewhere.

All four projects  serving the elderly, the poor, the homeless and the thirsty  ended up in court facing accusations they were potential environmental threats.

The would-be environmentalists in these cases included neighboring businesses, neighborhood associations and a mining company serving the oil and gas industry.

They are just some examples of how so-called NIMBYs and businesses use the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, as a pretext to block housing and other types of needed development, the co-author of a recent study maintains.

Because this keeps getting fought in the name of the environment, all bets are off, said San Francisco attorney Jennifer Hernandez, who has reviewed hundreds of environmental suits filed in the past six years as part of the study. Never mind about common decency.

Not true, say CEQAs defenders, which include environmentalists and civic and public health groups.

Because of CEQA, Californias air is cleaner, theres less congestion, living here is more desirable and places like Newport Harbor are sewage-free.

In a competing study, a pro-environmental group pushed back at the notion that CEQA is impeding growth and driving up home prices.

There have been a lot of assertions. There has not been a lot of robust, quantitative research to back that up, said Jessica Hitchcock, vice president of BAE Urban Economics, which conducted the rival litigation study released this month.

We found that the litigation is quite low. Its fewer than one in 100 projects in which lawsuits were filed, Hitchcock said. I would say CEQA is not the reason why the cost of housing is so high in California.

Californians have been skirmishing over CEQA reform for over a decade.

The states signature environmental law was back in the limelight this year after Gov. Jerry Brown sought to spur affordable-home construction by allowing certain projects to win approval by right, bypassing local reviews.

The plan sparked protests around the state, with opponents maintaining it would bypass CEQA. Demonstrators appear to have won the day.

A spokesman for state Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said that negotiations over Browns proposal are deadlocked.

While Browns by right proposal may be dead for now, past calls for reform have been rampant and are likely to continue  perhaps for years to come.

Here are answers to five key questions about the measure Gov. Ronald Reagan signed into law 46 years ago.

1. What is CEQA?

The law requires state and local agencies to identify significant environmental impacts of major construction and other projects and avoid or mitigate those impacts.

But those reviews can be lengthy and complex.

Reviewing government agencies are required to determine if a project could have significant environmental impacts and conduct further levels of review if it does.

If the agency finds that significant effects may occur, then an environmental impact report, or EIR, must be prepared to determine what those impacts will be and how to reduce or eliminate them.

2. Whats wrong with CEQA?

Detractors  including developers, business leaders and economists  complain that CEQA increases the time, cost and uncertainty involved in getting housing projects approved, so that homebuilding failed to keep up with growth. The housing shortage, in turn, leads to California having some of the highest home prices and rents in the nation.

In a March 2015 report, the states nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office said Californias 10 largest cities averaged 2  years to approve housing projects that required an EIR.

Only four other states have comparable requirements, the state report said.

Critics say CEQA is used by NIMBYs (not in my backyard forces) to block unwanted construction, by businesses to block competition and by unions to gain pay concessions.

3. Are CEQA lawsuits frivolous?

Two reports by international law firm Holland & Knight  which represents CEQA defendants  found that CEQA is responsible for frivolous litigation thats harming rather than protecting the environment  a conclusion CEQA supporters dispute.

After reviewing 575 CEQA lawsuits filed from 2010 through 2012, the law firm concluded that nearly half target taxpayer-funded projects and that transit is the most frequently challenged type of infrastructure project.

Eighty percent of the suits aimed at construction targeted urban projects (rather than those that consume open space outside cities). The most commonly targeted industrial developments were renewable-energy projects.

CEQA litigation abuse by parties seeking to advance non-environmental interests is widespread, the report said.

In one case, an anti-abortion group invoked CEQA to block a South San Francisco Planned Parenthood clinic, arguing that its movements protests would have a disruptive impact. The suit delayed the clinic by at least 18 months.

In another, a mining company used CEQA to block the Cadiz Valley Water Project, a San Bernardino County water venture in which the Orange County-based Santa Margarita Water District is a lead partner.

The mining firm  which needs the water to dissolve minerals it sells to the oil and gas industry  lost its case in May after delaying the water project for about four years.

4. Whats right with CEQA?

The BAE Urban study, sponsored by Oakland-based Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment, found that CEQA lawsuits are rare.

An average of 195 suits a year were filed since 2002, involving fewer than 1 percent of CEQA reviews, the BAE Urban study said. Direct costs of CEQA reviews amount to less than 0.5 percent of a developments total budget.

The study also concluded theres no evidence CEQA curbs prosperity.

Despite CEQA, the study said, Californias job growth ranked fifth in the nation, manufacturing added 38,000 jobs in the past three years and California had the ninth-highest median household income.

Is it really true that were doing really worse than other states? The answer is, no, were not, said Sean Hecht, a UCLA environmental law professor who participated in the study.

Hitchcock, BAE Urbans vice president, also disputed that CEQA alone accounts for Californias high housing costs.

Prices are derived from a lot of inputs, she said, noting that excessively high land costs are a factor, as are the costs of labor and construction. A state cost study of low-income housing found that construction accounted for 69 percent of development costs, she said.

While CEQA can be abused, thats true with all litigation, Hecht added. Theres always a cost-benefit tradeoff.

I think CEQA also has played an important role in preserving the environment, he said. Obviously, without it it would be easier to build in California. But is it worth it considering all the benefits of CEQA?

5. What reforms are sought?

The pro-reform CEQA Working Group maintains that the law is outdated as it was passed before a number of other environmental laws took effect.

Its time to modernize CEQA so that it is used to protect the environment, not to protect hidden agendas that have nothing to do with environmental protection, the groups website says.

A number of reforms have been adopted in recent years, while many other attempts have fallen by the wayside.

The Holland & Knight report backs three proposals:

 Eliminate anonymous lawsuits: Under CEQA, suits can be filed anonymously, the report said. Disclosure of whos funding a lawsuit is not required. The report says that an anonymous filer could be a bounty hunter seeking a quick financial settlement.

State Sen. John Moorlach, R-Costa Mesa, authored one of two bills this year to end anonymous filings. Both died in committee.

The anti-reform CEQA Works website argued that forcing organizations to disclose their members and donors violates the First Amendment.

People must be free to exercise their legal rights and associate freely without the chilling threat of public disclosure, the website said.

 Eliminate duplicative lawsuits for which an EIR has been certified: Some projects require approval from multiple agencies, and each review can spawn a separate lawsuit. Hence, some projects face the same legal issues over and over.

Playa Vista, an aircraft factory redevelopment in Los Angeles, has been sued under CEQA over 20 times, the study said.

 Dont halt projects without proof theyll cause irreparable harm to the environment or public safety: This is needed to curtail lawsuits aimed at stopping projects rather than protecting the environment.

Its hard for me to see that any of those gut CEQA, Hernandez said. I think CEQA is a great law and has a great purpose, and we should get back to its original purpose of protecting the environment, and not for extortion and delay.

But UCLAs Hecht  who represents groups filing CEQA lawsuits  disagreed that lawsuits need to be curtailed.

Without the publics right to sue, CEQA would not have any teeth at all, Hecht said.

Its a remedy for everyone, Hecht said.

***
FULLERTON  A Fullerton firefighter who fell while battling a fire at a two-story condominium early Sunday is expected to make a full recovery.

The firefighter was involved in a roof operation for ventilation when he fell 12 to 15 feet from the roof of a second story building at 1524 Welldow Lane onto the adjacent roof of a single-story building around 2:15 a.m., Fire Department Battalion Chief John Stokes said.

The fire, reported around 2 a.m. and out within half an hour, started in the kitchen and spread into the bedroom upstairs and remains under investigation, Stokes said. No one in the single-family home was injured.

The firefighter suffered soft tissue injuries and cuts.

He should have full recovery, Stokes said.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7762 or jkwong@ocregister.com or on Twitter: @JessicaGKwong
Re: The continued importance of conventional fuels [Opinion, Aug. 26]: Thanks to the Register for continuing to follow the important discussion of energy. Ronald Stein is right that there are complex energy and transportation challenges, but he is wrong when he says there are no easy answers.

A simple solution is for everyone to pay for the pollution they create, just like we all pay for trash collection and sewage. The Carbon Dividend Plan does that with a fee on fossil carbon extraction and a dividend to return the fee on a per-person basis.

 James A. Martin, Huntington Beach

Dangers of climate change real

Mr. Steins assertion that we need more fossil fuels ignores the stark reality of climate change. The dangers posed by rising sea levels and increasing occurrences of extreme weather events are omitted from his analysis. He argues that its reckless to move away from fossil fuels but whats actually reckless is ignoring these dangers.

Meanwhile, his arguments defy logic. He mentions the powerful anti-oil lobby but he has this exactly backwards. Its the oil lobby which is in the drivers seat.

He points out that producing more fossil fuels here in California would increase our energy security. But he misses the point that renewables would do the same thing. And we wont ever run out of them.

He says that increased oil production would be good for our local economy while ignoring the fact that renewables would be, too.

Mr. Steins thinking is mired in the 20th century but we need forward-looking thinking to envision and attain a future with a safe, stable climate.

 David Salahi, Laguna Niguel

Okay to change mind on climate change

I had no idea that Chad Myers, the respected and longtime CNN meteorologist, was a climate change denier at one time. To be correct, he was a skeptic and for a valid scientific reason. In the past six years his views have evolved as more and more information supported the evidence and predictions made by the vast majority of climate scientists.

He has just written an article on CNNs website explaining that he is no longer a skeptic. He states, I write this article not to change your mind about global warming, I simply want to show you why I changed mine. He added, As I tell my 11-year-old, its OK to be wrong as long as you learn from your mistakes.

I recommend readers on both sides of the argument, and especially the undecided, Google and read the article. Perhaps the Register can publish a report as well.

 Roger Iles, Rancho Santa Margarita

Remember to share the road with cars too

Re: Motorcycle lane-splitting gets green light in California, but rules still unclear [News, Aug. 23]: Gov. Jerry Brown has signed Assembly Bill 51, making lane-splitting legal for motorcycles. Now I would like to say this to motorcycle riders: The space between my car and the car next to me does not belong to you.

If there is room you can use it but please be patient. Dont yell at me, honk at me, rev your engine at me, slap my car or flip me off. (All these things have happened to me.)

When there is enough room you may use it. But please do so safely. You might get where you are going a little later but you will have a better chance of getting there alive.

 Bob Holzer, Cypress

Vergara case shows who pulls strings

Re: California Supreme Court decision keeps teacher tenure protections [News, Aug. 22]: Well, in case nobody realized it, now we know who really holds the power in California; particularly with regard to our childrens education.

I already knew the Legislature was in the pockets of the unions, but the Supreme Court as well?

The California Supreme Court decision to not hear the Vergara case is rank with union arm-twisting  or should I say bullying?

 Matt Kelley, Yorba Linda

Overpaying for Crystal Cove cottages

Re: New leadership in place for Crystal Cove nonprofit [Local, Aug. 21]: As a semi-regular patron of The Beachcomber restaurant I read with some interest Laylan Connellys article about the hiring of Alix Hobbs as the new CEO and president of the Crystal Cove Alliance.

The part that really caught my attention was the statement that the Alliance was going to spend $26 million repairing and sprucing up 17 deteriorating cottages for public use. Thats about $1.5 million per cottage. I love that area and the cottages, but am I the only one who thinks $26 million is about three or four times what it should cost? Something smells fishy at Crystal Cove.

 Bill Hezzelwood, San Clemente

Save Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre

Last Sunday night I sat at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre listening to the next-to-last concert before the Irvine Company bulldozes this outdoor concert hall to build a few more condos. Like so many around me, I thought what a shame it is  after all Orange County has done for the Irvine Company  for them to destroy our Hollywood Bowl, our Tanglewood.

Yes, I truly mean: After all Orange County has done for the Irvine Company. Its the people of Orange County who have bought thousands of Irvine homes, put the Irvine Company on the map, made UCI a great university and patronized the stores and restaurants of central Orange County. From all this the Irvine Company has made hundreds of millions of dollars.

During the past few years they could have easily modified their 100-year plan to accommodate Irvine Meadows in perpetuity. But they didnt, and for some unfathomable reason, those in the know have remained strangely quiet as the bulldozing date got closer and closer.

So, we will now lose our Hollywood Bowl. The Pacific Amphitheatre is too small and lacks the ambiance to replace Irvine Meadows. The Great Park people cant seem to get anything done, much less build a 16,000 seat replacement. Live summer music in Orange County will take a giant step backward to the mid-1900s  perhaps to rise again someday, perhaps not.

Goodbye Irvine Meadows, we will miss you.

 James T Mansfield, Costa Mesa

Put amphitheatre fate to a vote

Having recently attended one of the last Pacific Symphony performances at the Irvine Amphitheater, I share the frustration of the thousands of attendees who mourn the loss of this near-irreplaceable concert venue.

To Donald Bren: Please reconsider. Rather than adding hundreds of people and their cars to the morning commute, why not deed the venue to the county in return for naming rights: The Donald Bren Amphitheater. Then you will be honored in perpetuity, rather than scorned.

If Bren wont budge, let the county dismantle and move the stage and seats to a new bowl location elsewhere. Fund the move with a new Measure A, a modest price for us residents to pay in return for survival of this landmark venue.

 Tim Shevlin, Anaheim

Where is that kinder, gentler Trump?

Whatever happened to a more presidential Donald Trump? This past weekend he admitted some of the words and phrases he has used on the campaign trail have been hurtful.

With that thought in mind, both Trump and his new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, have said he wont be smearing people any longer.

Oops. Welcome to Monday morning. Thats when Trump took on MSNBCs Joe Scarborough and his on-air partner Mika Brzezinski. According to Trumps tweet, Brzezinski is off the wall, a neurotic and not very bright mess! He also implied that the two hosts, whom Trump called clowns, have been secretly dating. If this is being presidential, then Id hate to see what a Trump vice presidential remark would look like.

As Im fond of telling my three kids, Words matter. I just wish candidate Trump would remember that.

 Denny Freidenrich, Laguna Beach

Getting angry at words over deeds

A wise person summed up this years election pretty well. He said: The Democrats go nuts over what Donald says. The Republicans go nuts over what Hillary has done.

 Steve Fleming, Chino Hills
Once upon a time, when Bill and Hillary Clinton enjoyed a more modest lifestyle while living in public housing in Little Rock, Ark. (i.e., the governors mansion), a former Texas senator named John Tower was nominated to serve as secretary of defense.

Although Tower was highly qualified, problems soon arose. Tower could be difficult with colleagues. He was an unreconstructed Cold War hardliner. He ran after women, it was whispered. He did such things when he drank, and he drank too much.

The twice-divorced nominee didnt apologize for what critics called his womanizing. (Im a single man, he explained. I do date women. Whats your definition of womanizing? But the drinking couldnt be finessed  the job was too important  although Tower tried. If confirmed, he vowed, he would not consume beverage alcohol while heading the Pentagon.

Everyone with an alcoholic family member immediately recognized that this was a man with problems. Drinking was one; denial was another. Tower was acknowledging an issue with liquor, but said he could control it. Fifty-three of his fellow senators disbelieved him, and he was not confirmed.

Twenty-seven years later, in hopes of fending off ethical questions about their $2 billion family foundation, the Clintons are offering the voting public a similar deal: Send us back to the White House and well stop accepting donations from foreign dictators and other sketchy individuals and institutions.

They didnt exactly phrase it that way, which is understandable. The first person an addict must fool is himself  or herself  so the language of addiction entails euphemism and obfuscation. But this kind of bargaining reveals the underlying pathology, in this case a level of material greed perhaps unmatched in American political history.

Getting filthy rich by holding public office is commonplace, but usually in non-democracies. Any number of foreign potentates have skimmed hundreds of millions of dollars off the top of their nations economies by various methods. Most of these kleptocrats are unknown to the average American.

World leaders who become notorious in the U.S. usually do so because they have direct relevance to American public life. Panama strongman Manuel Noriega partnered with traffickers who brought cocaine into Miami. Donald Trumps pal Vladimir Putin dealt himself into lucrative Russian government-controlled monopolies. The Saudi royal family that the Clinton Foundation treats as a piggy bank takes huge annual stipends originating in the kingdoms oil revenues.

In the 1980s Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, the first couple of the Philippines, were caught siphoning billions in direct U.S. aid intended to fight communism and poverty, in that order. Marcos and his wife owned Picasso paintings, New York real estate holdings, and expensive jewelry  although whats best remembered is Imeldas 3,000 pairs of shoes. When Marcos was finally ousted from power, with a timely shove from the Reagan administration, he was represented by recently resigned Trump adviser Paul Manafort, and apparently planning to funnel millions of dollars into U.S. elections.

This kind of corruption is called crony capitalism. Its an entrenched malady that Bernie Sanders sporadically railed against, but not loud enough to actually hurt the Clintons. No longer the province of Third World tinhorns, it has been practiced by both political parties  and perfected by the Clinton political machine.

Speaking on her own behalf midweek, Hillary Clinton claimed that the foundation did much good in the world. Perhaps, this is so, but its a superficial defense. Did the money it raised do more good than if it had been funneled into an existing charitable effort with expertise, a track record and no political agenda  say, the Gates Foundation? Hillarys case would be easier to make if half the foundations budget wasnt spent on travel and salaries with some of those salaries going to Clinton political aides with no expertise or interest in charity.

It was Charity Navigator, a group that rates nonprofits, not the Republican National Committee, that put the Clinton Foundation on a donor watch list after determining that it spends far below the 75 percent benchmark on its stated mission. It was the liberal Sunlight Foundation that concluded that the foundation operates like a slush fund for the Clintons.

Moreover, their co-mingling of money, personnel and purpose has an unseemly whiff of gluttony. When the Clintons arrived in Washington in 1992, they didnt own a home. Today, their net worth exceeds $100 million, almost all of it derived from selling books and access  the access coming in the form of obscenely high speaking fees.

Last week, the Associated Press revealed that more than half of private individuals who met with Secretary of State Clinton were Clinton Foundation donors. In damage-control mode, Clinton phoned CNN anchorman Anderson Cooper and said it was absurd to think shed instituted a pay-for-play system at State. Meanwhile, using the predictable Clinton playbook, Democratic Party surrogates and Clinton-friendly journalists have attacked the AP investigative reporters.

Although it seems axiomatic that true liberals would detest crony capitalism, these partisans fancy themselves progressives. Are they hypocrites  or have they simply made a calculation that Trump is worse? Either way, theres a word in the addiction community for such people. That word is enablers.

Carl M. Cannon is executive editor and Washington Bureau chief of RealClearPolitics.
Waves crash on the rocks below San Onofres tsunami wall, but its the only sound.

The pipes that roared when they sucked in 1.8 billion gallons of ocean water a day  pipes as wide as a Cadillac Coupe de Ville is long  are silent. The catch pools that once teemed with fish are still and dark. A cage for errant sea lions rests in a far corner, empty.

Theyd chase the fish in here, Jim Madigan said of the sea lions and the catch pools.

Wed put them in the crates and take them to Laguna Beach to be checked out and returned to the ocean, added Madigan, who has worked at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in one capacity or another for 35 years.

There was more than one repeat visitor.

Once, San Onofre was a marvel of modern engineering  splitting atoms to create heat, boiling water to spin turbines and creating electricity that fulfilled 18 percent of Southern Californias demand. Now, its a demolition project of mind-boggling proportions, overseen by a dozen government agencies.

Its expected to cost $4.4 billion, take 20 years and leave millions of pounds of spent nuclear fuel on the scenic bluff beside the blue Pacific until 2049 or so, because the federal government has dithered for generations on finding a permanent repository.

In this vacuum, contractors from Holtec International  one of only a handful of companies licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to do dry-cask radiation storage in the U.S.  are at work. Construction of the controversial concrete monolith to protect San Onofres stranded waste has begun, over the protests of critics who decry a beachfront nuclear waste dump.

THE MONOLITH

The reinforced concrete pad that will support the monolith is finished.

Last week, Holtec workers used cranes and trucks to maneuver the first of 75 giant tubes into place atop it. When those tubes are bolted in, concrete will be poured up to their necks, and theyll be topped off with a 24,000-pound steel-and-concrete lid. Earth will be piled around it so that it looks something like an underground bunker.

Southern California Edison, which operates the plant, would not share the Holtec contract or reveal its price tag, but San Onofres owners have recovered more than $300 million from the federal government for its failure to dispose of nuclear waste, which is why dry-cask storage must be built in the first place. San Onofres decommissioning plan sets aside $1.27 billion for future spent fuel management.

This is one of the first newly licensed Hi-Storm Umax dry-cask storage systems Holtec is building in the United States. Once its complete  expected to be late next year  workers will begin the deliberate and delicate dance of removing all spent fuel from cooling pools beside each reactor.

The iconic twin domes you see from the highway and the beach dont reveal their enormity. They stand as tall as a 13-story building, and the adjacent pools holding their spent fuel are 25 feet wide, 60 feet long, about 40 to 50 feet deep and hold a half-million gallons of water.

When Southern California Edison begins removing the 2,668 fuel assemblies chilling there, bays to those enormous pools will open. Holtec storage canisters will be lowered in. Underwater, 37 spent fuel assemblies will be loaded into each canister and capped. The canister will be slipped into a transfer cask, lifted from the pool and drained.

Then it will be loaded onto a truck, driven a few hundred yards to the Umax and lowered into one of those 75 tubes. The waste-filled canister will remain inside. The transfer cask will be removed. The tube will be capped.

This will be repeated more than 70 times, until all the fuel in the more vulnerable pools is entombed in more stable dry-cask storage. Thats slated to be done by mid-2019.

TECHNOLOGY

The system will become something of a real-time experiment: Edison is partnering with the Electric Power Research Institute to develop inspection techniques to monitor the casks as they age. The casks integrity over time, while holding hotter high burn-up fuel, is a major concern of critics.

Burn-up  i.e., the amount of uranium that undergoes fission  has increased over time, allowing utilities to suck more power out of nuclear fuel before replacing it, federal regulators say. It first came into wide use in America in the latter part of the last century, and how it will behave in short-term storage containers (which, pending changes in U.S. policy on nuclear cleanup, must be used for longer-term storage) remains a topic of debate.

Tom Palmisano, chief nuclear officer at Edison and vice president for decommissioning, leans over a picture on a computer screen.

The image is a cut-away of a storage cask, and inside the casks ventilation ducts is a tiny, motorized camera. One version of the robot can attach to metal surfaces via magnets; another can attach to nonmetal surfaces via suction.

The tooling to go inside and inspect these things is being developed  its an industrywide effort, Palmisano said. Weve got visual inspection capability, and were working on other quantifiable inspection capabilities.

But dry-cask technology is not new, he said. Nuclear power plants in the U.S. have used it since 1986, and an analysis by the Electric Power Research Institute found that it would take at least 80 years before a severe crack could form in a dry storage canister.

The Umax uses the most corrosion-resistant grade of stainless steel; its design exceeds California earthquake requirements, and it protects against hazards such as water, fire or tsunamis.

Critics cast skeptical eyes on those claims.

They dont disagree that dry storage is safer than the spent fuel pools, but activist Donna Gilmore says officials gloss over the potential for serious cracking  a bigger risk in a moist, salty, oceanfront environment such as San Onofre.

Once a crack starts, it would continue to grow through the wall of the canister, undetected, until it leaked radiation, Gilmore said.

Other countries use thicker-walled casks than those licensed in America, and she believes we should, too.

EYES FORWARD

What everyone wants is to remove the ensconced stranded waste from San Onofre as soon as possible, and the only way that can happen is if the federal government takes action.

Palmisano said energy is best expended pushing that forward, not arguing over canisters.

On that front, he is cautiously optimistic.

In January, the U.S. Department of Energy launched a new push to create temporary nuclear waste storage sites in regions eager for the business, currently in West Texas and New Mexico. Several of those could be up and running while the prickly question of coming up with a permanent site is hashed out.

There could be a plan, and a place, for this waste within the next 10 years, Palmisano said  but that would require congressional action, which in turn would likely require much prodding from the public.

We are frustrated and, frankly, outraged by the federal governments failure to perform, he said. I have fuel I can ship today, and throughout the next 15 years. Give me a ZIP code and Ill get it there.

END TIMES

San Onofres heavily protected control room was built in an airtight envelope so that nothing outside would affect the people running the reactors. It once glowed with a dizzying array of lights and screens and switches. Now, its mostly dark.

The containment domes that protected the reactors are patched where holes were made to install enormous new  some say souped-up  steam generators that were the plants undoing. Labyrinths of metal, seven stories high  which once pulsed as high-pressure pipes funneled steam heated to 1,000 degrees  are now cold.

Diablo Canyon, the states only other nuclear plant, is slated to close in 2025. An era has come to an end in California.

Whether youre for or against nuclear power, its really a shame for investors and ratepayers and employees that this facility had to be shut down prematurely, Palmisano said.

It was a very viable facility.

Contact the writer: tsforza@scng.com
SACRAMENTO  Wildlife officials say the northern spotted owl has been listed under the California Endangered Species Act.

The states Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously on Friday to add the threatened bird to the list, ending a four-year process by the Environmental Protection Information Center, or EPIC.

EPIC Program Director Tom Wheeler called it a small step toward recovery.

Scientists say that owl numbers are now dropping at an annual rate of 3.8 percent. Five years ago, the rate was 2.8 percent.

The northern spotted owl was labeled as a threatened species under the Federal Species Act in 1990 but the owls population has continued to decline. Experts say changing the owls status from threatened to endangered could lead to efforts to increase owl habitat on federal lands.
Without making a single mean-spirited decision, but with a series of well-intended and popular decisions over time, it is possible to create a racial dynamic on our university campuses that is repugnant to our societal goals. This appears to be how many of our state univerities have found themselves with racially segregated student housing. Our societal goals of inclusion and diversity are gaining success in the classroom and being lost in student housing. This segregation of the races in student housing may be voluntary, but it is being facilitated by university administrators  and that is a violation of the universities moral and legal responsibilities.

Whether it be UC Irvines new Black Scholars Hall for freshman or similar efforts at UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara, many of our universities are promoting and facilitating racially segregated housing. At best, it is axiomatic that segregated housing achieves nothing good for society. It is immaterial that segregated housing is desired by any racial group.

A visit to many university websites in search of black or Latino student housing directs students to themed housing which is, essentially, a synonym for segregated housing. On many campuses, segregated housing is available for a veritable laundry list of ethnicities.

These university websites are not shy about their segregated housing opportunities. Websites include pictures of residents of a single race living on a single floor of a dormitory. Berkeleys housing website includes a picture of black students with the quote: I enjoy being around peers who look like me. UCSBs housing website features a housing opportunity in its Santa Rosa residence hall with a heading of Black/African American Scholars and the quote: We are family; I got all my brothers and sisters with me.

Many of Californias universities inability to make proper legal and moral decisions with respect to segregated housing are not about ignorance of the right path. The right path, the legal and moral path of not permitting a segregation of the races, is, apparently, just too hard for university administrators. When campus Black Student Union leaders and other leaders of specific racial groups demand segregated housing, our universities are ignoring the law and their moral responsibilities by building and facilitating such segregated housing.

The impact of self-segregation is two-fold. For the self-selected segregating students, they will miss significant opportunities to build strong multiracial bonds during their college experiences. The remaining students will be more segregated by the withdrawal of self-segregating students from general housing. For every minority student self-segregating, that is one less minority student living in multicultural housing.

Segregation was a terrible wrong when it was demanded by a white majority. It was a disgrace. If we change the race of those demanding segregation and facilitate it on college campuses today, it is no less wrong or disgraceful. Society cannot accept our finest institutions taking any role except trying to implement programs that make segregation in their housing stocks impossible. Universities that are properly promoting diversity and inclusion in the classroom should not be promoting segregation in campus housing. However well meaning, we should not accept institutionally promoted and facilitated segregation.

Hank Adler is an assistant professor of accounting at Chapman University.
LONG BEACH  An impressive defensive effort by the duo of Kerri Walsh Jennings and April Ross in the semifinals earned them a spot in the gold-medal match of the ASICS World Series of Beach Volleyball at Alamitos Beach for the third year in a row.

After defeating fellow Americans Lauren Frederick and Brooke Sweat in the quarterfinals on Friday, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalists swept the German team of Chantel Laboureur and Julia Sude, 21-17, 21-16, to find themselves back in todays final.

This is a really big deal, Walsh Jennings said. The energy was so high today. I got goose bumps. It was just insane.

We felt really good today, she added. We put pressure on them with our serve and April covered every inch of the court. It was really hard to put the ball down on her.

After a back-and-forth start to the opening set, the Americans dominated defensively, led by Ross highlight reel digs and Walsh Jennings presence at the net. Ross had four digs and 10 kills in the set and Walsh Jennings came up with a crucial block to extend the lead to 13-9. The Americans pulled away late thanks to Ross power from the service line.

My serve felt great today, Ross said. I love jump-serving at this event because of the energy.

Im one of her biggest fans, Walsh Jennings said about Ross. The timeliness of her aces have been great for us.

Both Walsh Jennings and Ross pressed the attack in the second set. Ross added another four digs to her tally, including a one-hander, leading to a kill that put the Americans up 17-14. Ross had six kills in the set to go along with another two aces. Walsh Jennings finished with eight kills.

Unforced errors from the German duo gave the Americans some easy points. Laboureur put a match-point serve into the net to seal the deal.

The American duo has been to the final four in every event this season, including the Olympics. Today, theyll face Spains Liliana and Elsa, 22-24, 21-16, 15-12 semifinal winners over Germanys Katrin Holtwick and Ilka Semmler.

We have to keep doing what weve been doing, Walsh Jennings said. We need to take care of the ball and live with what we do best.

On the mens side, after U.S. Olympians Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena cruised through Spains Pablo Herrera and Adrian Gavira in the quarterfinals, they rode that momentum into the semis. There they defeated the Italian team of Alex Ranghieri and Marco Caminati, 21-15, 17-21, 15-6.

The Americans seemed to be in control after an easy first set, but the Italians used a 7-0 run to take the second set and force a deciding set.

Dalhausser and Lucena went on a run of their own in the third set. Dalhaussers serve sparked a 10-0 spurt..

The Americans will play Pedro Solberg and Evandro in todays final. The Brazilians defeated Latvias Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins, 14-21, 21-14, 15-11.
Britt Slabinski could hear the bullets ricochet off the rocks in the darkness. It was the first firefight for his six-man reconnaissance unit from SEAL Team 6, and it was outnumbered, outgunned and taking casualties on an Afghan mountaintop.

A half-dozen feet or so to his right, John Chapman, a U.S. Air Force technical sergeant acting as the units radio man, lay wounded in the snow. Slabinski, a senior chief petty officer, could see through his night-vision goggles an aiming laser from Chapmans rifle rising and falling with his breathing, a sign he was alive.

Then another of the Americans was struck in a furious exchange of grenades and machine-gun fire, and Slabinski realized that his team had to get off the peak immediately.

He looked back at Chapman. The laser was no longer moving, Slabinski recalls, though he was not close enough to check Chapmans pulse. Chased by bullets that hit a second SEAL in the leg, the chief said, he crawled on top of the sergeant but could not detect any response, so he slid down the mountain face with the other men. When they reached temporary cover, one asked: Wheres John? Wheres Chappy? Slabinski responded, Hes dead.

Now, more than 14 years after that brutal fight, in which seven Americans ultimately died, the Air Force says that Slabinski was wrong  and that Chapman not only was alive, but also fought on alone for more than an hour after the SEALs had retreated.

The Air Force secretary is pushing for a Medal of Honor, the militarys highest award, after new technology used in an examination of videos from aircraft flying overhead helped officials conclude that the sergeant had killed two fighters with al-Qaida before dying in an attempt to protect arriving reinforcements.

If approved by the president, the award will be the first of the more than 3,500 Medals of Honor given since the Civil War to rely not on eyewitness accounts but primarily on technology.

A RETREAT UNDER FIRE

Slabinskis team was ordered to establish an observation post on top of the mountain, Takur Ghar, during Operation Anaconda, an effort to encircle and destroy al-Qaida forces in the Shah-e-Kot Valley in eastern Afghanistan, about 25 miles from Pakistan. The battle occurred less than three months after Osama bin Laden had escaped at Tora Bora, and U.S. commanders still hoped to capture or kill senior al-Qaida leaders.

Slabinskis plan was to land by helicopter near the base of the 10,000-foot mountain at about midnight and climb up stealthily, but a series of delays involving aircraft left no time to do that before dawn. Under pressure from superiors, he said, he reluctantly flew to the peak about 3 a.m.

Unbeknown to the SEALs, al-Qaida forces were already there, and they hit the helicopter with heavy fire. One of Slabinskis men, Petty Officer 1st Class Neil C. Roberts, fell out about 10 feet above the ground, and the pilot could not retrieve him before the stricken aircraft crash-landed a few miles away.

Shortly before 5 a.m., the five remaining SEALs and Chapman returned to the top on another helicopter to try to rescue Roberts. They did not know that enemy fighters had already killed and tried to decapitate him.

The Americans were again met by a withering barrage. Chapman charged ahead of Slabinski, and they killed two fighters in a bunker  a hole dug in the ground under a tree  before Chapman was wounded. Under fire, the SEALs retreated about 15 minutes later.

Soon after, the military opened an investigation to determine what had gone wrong. The chief investigator, Lt. Col. Andrew Milani of the Army, wrote later that an Air Force gunship had failed to detect the militants on the mountaintop and the SEALs had violated a basic tenet of reconnaissance by landing directly on their observation post instead of hiking up to it.

Milani also looked into footage captured by a Predator drone about 50 minutes after the SEALs had left the mountaintop. The grainy images showed someone in the bunker defending himself against two attackers and killing one with a rifle shot, prompting the question: Who was that?

Milanis investigation remains classified, but an unclassified paper that he wrote in 2003 offered two possible explanations: The al-Qaida fighters had become confused and were firing at one another, or Chapman, still alive, had resumed fighting.

A briefing prepared by Air Force special operations officials dismisses as not viable Milanis suggestion that the gunfight caught on video by the CIA Predator might have involved militants fighting one another, according to people who have received it. That Chapman was alive and fighting is fully supported by the evidence, the briefing slides state.

The use of the imagery-enhancement technology to scrutinize the Predator video was central to the findings, particularly when combined with footage from an AC-130 gunship that had not been available to Milani.

LINGERING QUESTIONS

A team led by the Air Forces 24th Special Operations Wing commander, Col. Matthew Davidson, briefed Slabinski on the findings late last year.

I didnt see anything new, Slabinski said. It was just presented differently.

Davidson said the Air Force could see Chapman moving in and around the bunker where he and Slabinski had killed the two enemy fighters, the chief said.

But because the bunker was under a tree that largely obscured it, this was not clear to Slabinski watching the video.

The chief, who is now 46 and retired, acknowledged that he might have made a mistake under intense fire in thinking that Chapman was dead. What stays with him the most is that morning he led his team into battle to try to save one man, only to be told later that he had left another fighting for his life.

Is it within Johns character to go on and do this? Without a question, the chief said. If John did this stuff, I want him to get recognized.
LAKE FOREST  Firefighters rescued a miniature poodle that was hiding in a storm drain after being attacked by a coyote on Saturday.

At about 6:30 a.m., Sparky somehow got out of his home in the 24000 block of Paseo Sombra before a coyote attacked him on a greenbelt just outside the house, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. William Lackey said.

A neighbor saw the coyote running away with the 18-pound dog in its mouth and shouted at them, Lackey said. The coyote dropped Sparky, and the dog ran into a nearby horizontal storm drain through a grate. The coyote was too big to get through the grate.

The OCFA responded at 9 a.m. after Sparkys owner and neighbors couldnt get the dog to come out of the storm drain, where he was whimpering.

(Sparky) could have come out, but he was just too frightened, Lackey said.

Equipped with breathing equipment, two firefighters from the technical rescue team entered the four-foot- wide drain through a nearby manhole. They caught Sparky about 200 feet away from where he entered the drain and handed him back to the owner, Lackey said.

Sparky appeared to be in good condition, but the owner took him to a nearby veterinarian for evaluation, Lackey said.

Contact the writer: 949-445-6397 or tshimura@ocregister.com
BEIRUT  Backed by Turkish tanks and reports of airstrikes, Turkey-allied Syrian rebels clashed with Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria in a new escalation that further complicates the already protracted Syrian conflict.

Turkeys military didnt specify what the airstrikes hit, saying only that terror groups were targeted south of the village of Jarablus, where the clashes later ensued. A Kurdish-affiliated group said their forces were the target and called the attack an unprecedented and dangerous escalation. If confirmed, it would be the first Turkish airstrikes against Kurdish allied forces on Syrian soil.

Late Saturday night, Turkeys official news agency reported that one Turkish solider had been killed and three were wounded by what it said was a Kurdish rocket attack in Jarablus. It is the first reported Turkish fatality in Syria.

The new escalation highlights concerns that Turkeys incursion into Syria this week could lead to an all-out confrontation between Ankara and Syrian Kurds, both American allies, and hinder the war against the Islamic State group by diverting resources.

It also underscores Ankaras determination to push back Kurdish forces from along its borders, and curb their ambitions to form a contiguous entity in northern Syria. Kurdish groups have already declared a semi-autonomous administration in Syria and control most of the border area.

Jarablus, and Manjib to the south liberated from Islamic State fighters by Kurdish-led forces earlier this month, are essential to connecting the western and eastern semi-autonomous Kurdish areas in Syria.

Turkish officials said they will continue their offensive in Syria until there is no longer any terror threat to Turkey from its war-torn neighbor. Ankara backed Syrian rebels to gain control of Jarablus last week. They are now pushing their way south.

On Saturday, the Syrian rebels said they have seized a number of villages south of Jarablus from Islamic State militants and Kurdish forces. Clashes were fiercest with the Kurdish-allied forces over the village of Amarneh, 5 miles south of Jarablus.

The media office of the Turkish-backed Nour el-din el-Zinki rebel group said the Syrian rebels were backed by Turkish tanks. A report on ANHA, the news agency for the semi-autonomous Kurdish areas, said local fighters destroyed a Turkish tank and killed a number of fighters in an attack by the Turkish military and allied groups on Amnarneh.

There was no immediate comment from Turkish officials.

The clashes were preceded by Turkish airstrikes against bases of Kurdish-affiliated forces and residential areas at Amarneh. The Jarablus Military Council, affiliated with the U.S-backed Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces, said the Turkish airstrikes marked an unprecedented and dangerous escalation that endangers the future of the region.

It vowed to stand its ground. Other groups which are part of the SDF promised their support, calling on the U.S.-led coalition to explain the Turkish attacks on allied forces.

Turkeys state news agency, citing military sources, said the Turkish Military Joint Special Task Forces and coalition airplanes targeted an ammunition depot and a barracks and outpost used as command centers by terror groups south of Jarablus Saturday morning.

The Anadolu Agency did not say which group or village was targeted.

U.N. still seeks aid plan for Aleppo

Meanwhile, the U.N. special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, appealed to the opposition to approve plans to deliver aid to rebel-held eastern Aleppo and government-held Aleppo through a government-controlled route north of the city during a 48-hour humanitarian pause.

Aleppo has been caught in a bloody circle of violence, with rebels and government forces each promising to unite the divided city. The U.N. said it has positioned aid ready for delivery into Aleppo, to reach 80,000 people on the rebel side and some on the government side. But the opposition, whose fighters have opened another route in the south, were wary of the use of the government-controlled route.

People are suffering and need assistance. Time is of the essence. All must put the civilian population of Aleppo first and exert their influence now, de Mistura said in a statement, urging an approval by today.

But violence raged. Suspected government helicopters dropped two barrel bombs on a wake held for children killed a few days earlier, killing at least 15, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Aleppo Media Center, an activist group in the city, and volunteers on the scene put the death toll at 24.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service, inspired by a desire to conserve places like Yosemite for public enjoyment. We take a look at the features that draw millions of visitors there each year.

LANDSCAPE

Yosemite owes its stunning rock formations to water and ice shaping the landscape over millennia.

BECOMING A PARK

Mariposa Indian Encampment, Yosemite Valley, California by Albert Bierstadt, 1872

Before 1850: The Ahwahneechee Native Americans called the valley home for thousands of years.

1850: The Mariposa Battalion entered the valley and met the Ahwahneechee Chief Tenaya. They recorded the name of the valley as Yosemite.

1855: The first tourists visited Yosemite on an expedition and published descriptions of its beauty in the local newspaper.

1864: The Yosemite Grant passed in Congress, reserving the valley and Mariposa Grove as state-owned land for public enjoyment.

1890: Yosemite was established as a national park.

1906: The federal government took over ownership of the land from California.

1914: Civilian rangers replaced military running the park.

1916: Congress established the National Park Service to protect areas of public value.

CANT-MISS SIGHTS

Top 10 things to see:

1. Yosemite Falls

2. Half Dome

3. Mist Trail to Vernal Fall

4. Bridalveil Fall

5. El Capitan

6. Glacier Point

7. Merced and Tuolumne Groves

8. Tuolumne Meadows

9. Tenaya Lake

10. Tunnel View

Entrance fees: Seven-day pass is $30 per vehicle. Kids under 16 are free. Annual pass is $60.

Visitors per year: 4.14 million (2015).

Be safe: Keep your distance from wildlife. Bears are known to scavenge for food, even breaking into locked cars. Visitors must secure all items in food boxes, found near parking lots and lodging.

Campgrounds: Seven of the 13 campgrounds can be reserved online months in advance. The others are first-come, first-served and fill up early each day. Hikers can camp in the wilderness with a permit.

Lodging: There are six facilities operating throughout the park. Some offer the option to spend the night in framed tents or cabins.

Sources: National Park Service; U.S. Geological Survey; Yosemite Conservancy
Agricultural News

After Their Crop Tour- Pro Farmer Calls US Corn Crop 14.7 Billion Bushels and Soybeans 4.09 Billion Bushels

On Friday afternoon, Pro Farmer released their latest estimates on the US Corn and Soybean crop- based in part on the work of the crop scouts that participated in their 2016 Pro Farmer Crop Tour that moved across seven key midwest states. Here is the report released by Pro Farmer on Friday afternoon. In addition, at the bottom of this story- you can click on the audio play button and listen to farm broadcast colleague Todd Gleason of Illiniois Ag Extension, who talked after the report was released by Pro Farmer with Brian Grete about the tour results and the these estimates which were developed in part from the tour. (As Pro Farmer offers their estimate- corn harvest is already underway south of the US Corn Belt- Sam Knipp of AFR posted this picture of corn harvest on the farm of Jon Leeds, Webbers Falls,Okla. in the fertile Arkansas River Valley- this was irrigated corn making close to 200 bushels per acre.)





Pro Farmer Estimates for the 2016 US Corn and Soybeans Crops- as of August 26, 2016







Corn: 14.728 billion bu.; Average yield of 170.2 bu. per acre

Corn /- 1% = 14.875 billion bu. to 14.581 billion bu.; 171.9 bu. to 168.5 bu. per acre



Soybeans: 4.093 billion bu.; Average yield of 49.3 bu. per acre

Soybeans /- 2% = 4.175 billion bu. to 4.011 billion bu.; 50.3 bu. to 48.3 bu. per acre



Note: These estimates are based on assumptions for normal weather through September. With a normal finish to the growing season, the soybean crop stands to benefit more from weather than corn. Rains rolled across the Corn Belt during Crop Tour. When we get our boots wet when sampling fields on Crop Tour, it's typically a good thing for the soybean crop. Much of the corn crop is too advanced in maturity to benefit much if late-season weather is favorable. We made no adjustments to harvested corn or soybean acres.







Corn

Ohio: 154 bu. per acre. We didn't find as much corn in Ohio as USDA did with its August survey work. The northwestern portion of the state showed the impacts of too much water in the spring, followed by a dry June.



Indiana: 174 bu. per acre. We found the Indiana crop vastly improved from year-ago. Portions of eastern Indiana have some "problem" areas, but yield prospects are strong in the western portion of the Hoosier state.



Illinois: 194 bu. per acre. Illinois has a great corn crop, but it's not as good as 2014 when the state yielded 200 bu. per acre. This year's crop isn't as uniform as two years ago through the areas we sampled and southern portions of the state will pull down the statewide yield, unlike 2014.



Iowa: 193 bu. per acre. The Iowa corn crop is also very good, but not quite as good as its neighbor to the east. Yields were more variable in Iowa than in Illinois. Plus, stalk quality concerns could cost some producers yield.



Minnesota: 175 bu. per acre. The Minnesota corn crop was a disappointment. The crop showed impacts from the May 15 frost and three weeks of heat in late June/early July.



Nebraska: 179 bu. per acre. We found irrigated corn disappointing in the Husker state. South-central and southeastern areas are dealing with a lot of lodging and green snap.



South Dakota: 142. bu. per acre. Southeastern portions of the state got their crop planted late due to excessive spring precip. Once the crop was finally in the ground, conditions turned dry. Crop maturity has been pushed.









Soybeans

Ohio: 50 bu. per acre. While the crop has moisture to finish, pod counts were down 6.2% in our Tour samples. With the crop done flowering, what you see is what you get for pods.



Indiana: 55 bu. per acre. Pod counts in Indiana were up 7.8% from year-ago. The crop has plenty of soil moisture to fill pods and finish strong.



Illinois: 58.5 bu. per acre. The soybean crop in Illinois was exceptionally tall. While tall beans don't always produce big yields, the Illinois soybean crop has plenty of pods and moisture to push above USDA's August estimate.



Iowa: 58.5 bu. per acre. Iowa has potential to have a very big soybean crop. But Sudden Death Syndrome and other diseases will be an issue for some producers in eastern Iowa. That could keep yields from creeping higher.



Minnesota: 48 bu. per acre. We found a relatively consistent soybean crop in southern Minnesota. Unlike many other areas of the Corn Belt, Minnesota's soybeans aren't exceptionally tall, but they podded well.



Nebraska: 59 bu. per acre. The soybean crop in Nebraska is really tall, but is also heavily podded. In a change from recent years, water hemp is not a major problem across the state and shouldn't be a yield robber this year.



South Dakota: 42 bu. per acre. The South Dakota soybean crop was tall and the distance between nodes was wide. That kept the crop from being heavily podded. On a positive note, the South Dakota soybean crop is free of disease or weed pressure.















Todd Gleason talks with Brian Grete of Pro Farmer about their latest Corn and Soybean Estimates

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Omaha is home to thousands of houses, but a new kind of house is quietly drawing in musicians and other music lovers.

The Hi-Fi House, at 38th and Farnam Streets in the Blackstone District, is a nondescript brick structure that in recent times housed a barber college. Long ago it was a Hinky-Dinky grocery.

People come and go, by invitation only. Others wonder: Whats going on in there?

Well, its an innovative center of music, and its founder  Kate Dussault, a former Omahan who has returned home  hopes that its just the first of many Hi-Fi Houses around the country, all appealing to varied musical tastes.

Its all types of music, everything you can imagine, she said. Jazz, blues, classical, big band, pop rock, punk rock, hard rock  we just keep building all the time.

As the Hi-Fi House name suggests, the place is primarily focused on vinyl records, once considered old-fashioned but now the rage. Fans of those discs say they hear more warmth from vintage vinyl than from digital.

What the Hi-Fi House is not: a music store. And only occasionally is it a live-performance venue.

What it is: a dues-paying, members-only music club dedicated to  listening. Yes, to listening, usually with others.

In other words, not solitary earbud or headphone listening, and not chatting away at a table with friends while music plays in the background, but instead focusing intently on the music  and then, perhaps, discussing it.

With all of our technology, we keep isolating ourselves, Dussault said. People really want to come back out of that. This is about social listening.

Dussault has nurtured the Hi-Fi House idea for about seven years. Its just getting off the ground in Omaha, but she also has an even bigger idea:

In the next five to seven years she wants to make Omaha home to the largest vinyl-music library in the nation.

***

Omahas reputation as a music city is on the rise. Livability.com named it one of the top 10 live-music cities in the nation.

And in 2013, an MTV website named Omaha No. 2 among the worlds most up-and-coming cities for music.

It features the Maha Music Festival, Saddle Creek Records and the Omaha sound of indie-rock music, plus a wide range of live-music venues, from the Slowdown and the Waiting Room to the Orpheum and the Holland Performing Arts Center  as well as the CenturyLink Center for big, national touring acts.

But will Omaha support a listening-focused Hi-Fi House, let alone a national vinyl-music library? And how would they work financially?

Dussault said about 300 people have experienced the Hi-Fi House in advance of its opening sometime soon, and she is confident that the club will succeed. Revenue will come from membership dues of $300 to $1,000 a year (for separate categories) and from occasionally renting out the club.

Greg Eklund, a nationally touring drummer who moved here because his wife took a job at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, formerly lived in Portland, Oregon. He said he loves the idea of the Hi-Fi House.

Its absolutely incredible to have something like this here, he said. Portland is a hip city at the moment, but it doesnt have anything like this.

Besides the Hi-Fi House, Dussault is eager to see if Omaha embraces the idea of the library. It would be set up as a nonprofit entity, overseen by a board of directors.

The two ideas  Hi-Fi House and the national vinyl library  would be separate but related.

Our idea and goal is to build other Hi-Fi Houses around the country, she said, with 10 percent of membership revenues coming back to support the master library in Omaha.

The cost and site of such a library, which would include listening rooms, have not been determined.

Dussault said the library would be unique.

There is no state-of-the-art, playable vinyl-record library anywhere, she said, and we have a chance to make Omaha home of the first. If we can build to my full-dream status, well create a music destination that will rival some of the greats around the world.

Rick Carson, owner and audio engineer at Make Believe Studio, has visited the Hi-Fi House and is impressed with Dussaults vision.

This is a great space, a great thing for Omaha to enjoy, he said at the club. But helping to accomplish the library is something Ive made a personal task of mine.

Kate Dussault says it can happen.

***

Kate who?

She grew up in Omaha as Kathy Armstrong, and her late father, George Armstrong, was an executive with Storz Broadcasting.

Owner Todd Storz of Omaha was credited in the 1950s with creating Top 40 radio in America, but George Armstrong, a graduate of Creighton Prep and Creighton University, helped develop the format.

After living elsewhere, he returned to Omaha with his family in 1967. In his business travels he would bring home vinyl records, which the family saved.

Kathy graduated from Omaha Westside High in 1974 and later from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In the 1980s, she worked as producer of The World-Heralds short-lived newsroom TV operation.

She left for Los Angeles and enjoyed a successful career in radio and music marketing around the country, including on both coasts. She is divorced; Dussault (Du-SO) was her married name.

She returned three years ago to Omaha to be with her mother, who since has died.

After a local search, she found the building that formerly housed Josephs College of Barbering and is leasing it. She estimates that she has spent $200,000 converting it to the Hi-Fi House.

The 4,700-square-foot space has thousands of vinyl records and various turntables and speakers, with couches and easy chairs spread around the large carpeted room, living-room style. Walls are decorated with large black-and-white pictures of local musicians, each mimicking a famous photo in popular-music history.

Kate also obtained the large exterior lettering from the Music Hall at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, which is being demolished. MUSIC and HALL each stand in front of interior walls.

The Hi-Fi House is also what Dussault calls a musicology lab by day. In the past year, she and local musicians have worked with students at a middle school and with people in an assisted-living home.

Music is intergenerational, she said. Everybody loves music, and there are different ways to share it. This is one, and its more social.

She also sees the Hi-Fi House as a soft-landing spot for touring musicians, who could stop by rather than wait all day in their Omaha hotel rooms or at venues.

While they visit, Hi-Fi folks might interview them on videotape about various kinds of music that they love, from the perspective of being fans of other peoples music.

***

In recent months, Kate Dussault privately has rolled out the Hi-Fi House, mainly to the local artistic community  this column, she said, is the first time she has spoken publicly about it.

The only sign at the building, in the parking lot on the north side of Farnam Street, says merely, Blackstone District.

Kate is impressed at how Omaha has changed artistically since she last lived here.

Everything is thriving, she said. A much more thriving food scene, a lot more in music and in the arts overall. Im amazed at what Omaha has invested in the arts. And the refurbishing east of 72nd Street is really exciting to me.

The website, she said, will be up soon: www.hifi.house.

She believes that enough people will join the Hi-Fi House to make it viable. And the vibe from her music-business contacts in other cities only encourages her.

Al Risi of New York, founder and head of music supervision and licensing at the Groove Guild, has visited Omaha and believes in Kates plan.

When she talked to me about Hi-Fi House at least three years ago, I wasnt sure about it initially, he said. But now this is something I really believe in. Its easy to rush to market, but Kate has done an amazing job of pacing this.

Risi, with nearly a quarter-century in the music business, worked at Universal Music Group in California where, his bio says, he helped develop the careers of such stars as Beck, Eminem, Counting Crows and Weezer.

Kate later hired him in New York at Elias Arts, where he became director of business development in 2004.

Now with his own company, he is working with her on a possible Hi-Fi House at a brownstone in Harlem. Her friends in other cities, he said, also are interested in the concept.

Music is a tough business. Why does Risi think the Hi-Fi House model would work?

There is more of a sharing culture today, he said, and we live in an experience-driven world.

More and more so, he said, people are looking to pay for great experiences. Over time, that is where businesses can win  by creating great and unique experiences that people themselves cant replicate.

***

Hi-fi stands for high fidelity, not high finance, but the Hi-Fi House and a national vinyl music library would both require money. Kate Dussault smiles and says she has financial sources.

Still, at 60, why start such an untested venture?

Because I love music, she said. I love recorded music, and I miss listening to music with other people. With the exception of going to concerts together, weve lost the whole social aspect. I grew up sharing records with my brothers and my friends in the basement.

Many in the local music community are cheering her on.

When Kate told me about this place quite a while back, I couldnt believe it, said longtime Omaha musician Dereck Higgins. The idea was too good to be true.

Having a place dedicated to the art of listening is wonderful. I really hope this can work.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1132, michael.kelly@owh.com
From rubber heart models that guide surgeries at Childrens Hospital & Medical Center to prosthetic hands produced by an Omaha researcher, three-dimensional printing for medical purposes is exploding.

The technology is popping up in numerous ways in the region, benefiting education, practice and treatment. Among the highest aims for 3-D printing is the creation of human organs, which remains a long way from reality.

I think right now theres a lot of optimism for 3-D printing. Well see where things actually settle out, said Dr. Justin Cramer, an assistant professor of neuroradiology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

Local researchers are exploring the use of 3-D printers for safely degradable surgical screws and plates and models of skeleton and blood vessel systems for practice and guidance during procedures. Children around the world have benefited from prosthetic hands made less expensive by 3-D printing.

One way local physicians have already deployed 3-D printing is by mapping out a body part so they can see what they are up against.

Physicians at Childrens Hospital in Omaha this spring wanted to see  and touch  a precise replica of 6-year-old Caid Loose-Ives deformed, defective, repaired and re-repaired heart. This time the heart had a small hole in it that had to be fixed.

Using a CT scan, the appropriate computer technology and their new 3-D printer, Gabe Linke produced a rubbery copy of Caids heart. Linke, a radiologic technologist, had recently been hired as 3-D printing coordinator at Childrens.

We print the specific patient heart, said Dr. Scott Fletcher, a pediatric cardiologist involved in Caids care. In this case, the 3-D model certainly helped guide us as we went to block off the hole, he said.

Caid and his parents marveled at the model of the complex organ that has given the boy so much trouble. Caid, of Council Bluffs, held it and looked it over.

I just thought it was amazing, said Caids mother, Jamie. Its so futuristic, you know?

Childrens typically prints models of hearts that are unusually complex. Doctors there also have created some replicas of conventional cases so they can use them for the education of medical students, doctors and families.

The printer cost the hospital about $75,000, which was supplied by a foundation. Linke said it costs about $300 to print a normal-size heart and less for a small one, such as a newborns strawberry-size heart.

At Childrens, the computer converts a CT scan or MRI of a heart to a 3-D model, which can be manipulated and turned on the screen. Then its imported again to software that connects to the printer. The printing process can take hours to complete  one of the drawbacks of 3-D printing.

Linke recently created a heart model for educational purposes, and it required putting down 2,300 layers of rubberized material and five hours to print.

Dr. Chris Wilkinson, an orthopedic surgeon in Kearney, is one of several surgeons in Nebraska and Iowa who in some cases use a total knee replacement implant from a Massachusetts company that relies in part on 3-D printing.

By using a CT scan of a patients knee, the company, ConforMIS, creates a 3-D-printed wax mold to build an implant that is supposed to fit the patient precisely.

Wilkinson, who does about 150 total knee replacements a year, said he uses the ConforMIS knee half the time. Other patients go with a conventional device, from which one of about 10 available sizes is selected.

The idea is that a better-fitting device will be less likely to cause discomfort. Wilkinson likes the ConforMIS knee but isnt certain yet that it produces better outcomes. The cost of both options is about the same and health insurance reimburses both, Wilkinson said.

It looks very promising, but we dont have 20 years worth of results, he said.

A University of Nebraska at Omaha professor designed a prosthetic hand three years ago that can be made for as little as $50 with a 3-D printer. The professor, Jorge Zuniga, said he heard a National Public Radio story about South African inventors dabbling with 3-D printing for prosthetics and went to work on a hand for kids who cant afford conventional prosthetic devices.

Initially Zuniga, whose Ph.D. is in human physiology, wanted to make a flesh-colored lifelike hand. But his son, Jorgito, who was 4 at the time, suggested children would prefer a colorful hand that looked like one from Transformers.

Zuniga, who recently moved from Creighton University to the UNO Biomechanics Research Building, developed the hand on his computer, then converted it to a file from which it could be printed.

He wrote a manual for how to make the hand, called the Cyborg Beast, and put it online two years ago, free for anyone to use. The Cyborg Beast was named by MSN.com one of the top inventions in 2014.

An organization called e-NABLE, which strives to get 3-D-printed prosthetics for free to people in need, said through an email that there are a few hundred folks out there in the world using the Cyborg Beast.

Zuniga said he also has worked with a physical rehabilitation organization in his native Chile to begin producing the 3-D-printed hands for children there.

The 3-D printers can cost as little as a few hundred dollars and as much as hundreds of thousands of dollars. Depending on the machine, 3-D printing can use plastics, metals and other materials.

Fletcher and others wonder about the possibility of bioprinting, in which human cells are used for 3-D-printed heart valves, ears and organs.

UNMCs Cramer said its early in the process and that scientists are trying to figure out how to lay down tissue, keep it alive, and then put it in the body. Institutions such as Wake Forest University are working on the concept. The universitys school of medicine cautioned that its still experimental.

A group of students at UNMC last year started a club, UNMC Makers, to explore the potential of 3-D printing. With the support of UNMC and its McGoogan Library, the club has a room and three small printers.

Among other projects, they have made their own research lab equipment, such as small racks for lab tubes and microscope slide racks at a fraction of the cost they would pay a company for those items.

Tyler Scherr, a doctoral student from South Dakota who founded the club, said they can build their own microscope with a 3-D printer for about $2, many times less than it could be bought at a store. Scherr said the club hopes to do demonstrations at some point and give microscopes to local schools.

Childrens Hospitals Fletcher said he hopes his hospital can collaborate with other organizations to create models of kidneys or bladders or facial abnormalities and injuries. Were at the early stages of 3-D printing and its early application, Fletcher said.

UNMCs Cramer said the potential seems great. Everybody is dazzled by it right now, too.

********

Researchers go 3-D

Other medical enterprises using 3-D printing in Nebraska and Iowa include:

Dr. John Cote of CHI Health in Omaha has made 3-D faces of fetuses from ultrasounds, primarily as keepsakes for parents at this point. Cote, an OB-GYN specialist, said he can envision using the technology to prepare parents for newborns with cleft lips and other deformities.

Michael Sealy, assistant professor of mechanical and materials engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is doing research on safely degradable surgical screws and plates made of magnesium and printed by 3-D technology.

Dr. Jason MacTaggart, associate professor of surgery at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said he will print whole systems of blood vessels to test with plastic replicas whether a balloon procedure can be used without the benefit of X-ray guidance. He will test whether the balloon can be inserted by combat medics and paramedics in remote locations to prevent a patient from bleeding to death.

A University of Iowa program for medical, law, engineering and business students used a 3-D printer to make prototypes for a pump and belt needed to treat a collapsed bowel in children. Biomedical engineering student Claire Castaneda, a senior from Dubuque, Iowa, said the students in the Iowa Medical Innovation Group hope to license one of their inventions.

Dr. Michael Wadman, associate dean for graduate medical education at UNMC, is producing portions of skeletons with 3-D printing so students and professionals can practice splinting and fracture care.

Reagan D. Pufall, a volunteer mentor at Do Space in Omaha, is refining a prosthetic leg for a goat named Manny from Firth, Nebraska, by using a 3-D printer. Pufall said the plastic leg cost about $90 to make but broke during the first week Manny used it. Pufall now is putting a metal rod into a new plastic prosthetic for Manny. Do Space is a free digital workshop and technology library at 7205 Dodge St.
A new study has determined something many parents are already hip to: YouTube is the most-loved brand with their young kids.

The Alphabet-owned digital video service scored highest with kids ages 6 to 12 for the first time in market research firm Smarty Pants eighth annual Brand Love study. YouTube beat out more traditional kid-friendly brands such as Oreo, Disney and Toys R Us, and also bested its online TV counterpart Netflix, which ranked 11th.

Based on kids attention spans now, (YouTube has) the type of content they really crave, said Blair Fischer, who analyzed data for the Smarty Pants study. They can operate in isolation, and enjoy two- to three-minute, snack-sized videos, versus watching long-form movies on Netflix.

Smarty Pants surveyed a representative sample of U.S. households over a three-month period, asking 8,125 children and their parents to evaluate 285 consumer brands.

YouTube is becoming a brand that parents are getting more comfortable with, Fischer said. And kids are getting mobile devices at earlier ages.
A man who stopped traffic by walking on Interstate 80 Friday afternoon injured a police dog with a metal pole before authorities were able to apprehend him, police say.

Officers were called to the eastbound lanes of Interstate 80 near 36th Street about a man walking on the inside shoulder holding a metal pole and broken bottle. When officers arrived, they saw the man walk across lanes of traffic to a grassy embankment east of 42nd Street on the south side of the Interstate.

The 24-year-old man was throwing large rocks at officers and threatening them with the metal pole. He refused commands to drop his weapons and get on the ground.

Officers first tried a taser gun on the man, which did not subdue him. K-9 Tye was then sent to the man, who struck the dog on the side of the head. The animal appeared disoriented and returned to officers.

When the man continued to throw rocks and swing the pole at officers, Tye was sent again. While the man was distracted by Tye, and continued to strike the dog with the pole, officers used another taser, which was successful.

The dog was bleeding from the mouth. The man was transported to the University of Nebraska Medical Center and charged with assault on an officer and four counts of attempted assault on officers, said Officer Jessica Swanson.

The department posted an update about Tye's condition on its Facebook page Saturday, along with photos.

"OPD K-9 Tye was injured while assisting several of his human counterparts in the apprehension of a party on Interstate 80 last night. We are very happy to report that he is home with his handler and taking a few days off to recover. He will continue followup appointments to make sure he is in the best of health before returning to work."
Mary Ann Mulhall is just one voter, but the Omaha woman represents the Republican Partys worst nightmare in this years presidential election.

Mulhall has voted for Republicans most of her life. But this year, with Donald Trump at the top of the GOP ticket, she is planning to vote a straight Democratic ticket, from top to bottom.

Mulhall is angry with her party and angry with her partys presidential nominee.

I find him untrustworthy. I dont believe a word he says. And when he says (inflammatory or false) things, the whole Republican Party is quiet, said Mulhall, 52, who talked about the presidential race last week outside a Bed, Bath & Beyond store in west Omaha.

For Trump and the Republican Party, women like Mulhall may end up playing a key role in this election. To be sure, a majority of Republican women back Trump, but a significant number tell pollsters they may abandon their partys presidential nominee in November, widening the gender gap between Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

Overall, Clinton holds a 58 percent to 35 percent lead over Trump among registered female voters, according to a poll taken this month by ABC News and the Washington Post.

In that same survey, 72 percent of Republican women said they supported Trump  a large majority, but well below the 93 percent of female GOP voters won by Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race.

Trump has tacitly acknowledged his women woes in recent weeks, most notably by hiring Kellyanne Conway as his new campaign manager. Conway is a Republican political consultant whose career has been focused on helping GOP political candidates talk to women and win their support.

Its obvious the gender gap among women for Trump is huge. (And) it could play a role in the election, said Kevin Smith, a political scientist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Several registered Republican women expressed either angst or anger with Trump in interviews with The World-Herald in west Omaha areas such as downtown Elkhorn or the Village Pointe shopping center. However, this wasnt all good news for Clinton; a majority of those interviewed also said they could not vote for Clinton.

Most had no idea what they would do on Election Day. If they stayed home, several acknowledged, they could be helping Clinton.

There is no good choice, said Dianne Petersen, 51, of Omaha. I have wavered between not voting because of my concerns (with Trump), but my family says that would help Clinton.

Petersen said Clinton lacks both integrity and morals, and she could never vote for her. Yet she also questioned whether Trump is presidential material.

I dont know if I can vote for him. I dont know. Im a conservative Christian woman  a born-again Christian  and hes not acting very presidential, she said.

Petersen said she doesnt know enough about the third-party candidates to support them. And she also said staying home is not an option, because she believes it is her civic duty to vote.

The gender gap is nothing new. There have always between some differences between the two political parties in the support each gets from men and women. Men typically skew slightly more Republican, Smith said, while Democrats have traditionally had a slight edge among women.

This year, however, the gap is considerably larger because of the controversial nature of the Republican presidential nominee.

Trump has a history of using inflammatory language that can alienate women. He has described women with whom he has sparred publicly as bimbos and fat. He once strongly implied that Republican rival Carly Fiorina was not good-looking enough to become the nations first female president.

Trump has a gender gap problem that is more like a gender canyon problem, Smith said. Republican suburban women who can typically be counted on to vote for the Republican candidate are not a given this year.

One thing that Republicans have to worry about, he said, is whether Trump could damage the Republican brand in the long term, especially among women.

If Gwen Aspen is any indication, that is a legitimate concern.

Aspen once was a rising star in the Nebraska Republican Party. She ran for the State Legislature in 2014 and came within 10 percentage points of unseating State Sen. Burke Harr, a Democrat, in a central Omaha district considered not-so-friendly territory for Republicans.

However, Aspen switched her party affiliation to independent this summer. The tipping point, she said, was Trumps continued talk about banning Muslim immigrants and the fact that many Republicans seemed to agree. That came after a long election season during which Aspen said she began to question exactly what her party stood for if it could back a candidate like Trump, whom she believes is not a true conservative.

When I saw that a majority of people in the Republican Party were for (the ban), I went online and switched my party affiliation, Aspen said. He has said a number of inflammatory things about Muslims, and I have Muslim friends. And (this country) actually relies on many Muslims to help with our involvements abroad.

Republican leaders acknowledge that some GOP women may have problems with Trump, but they note that nearly three-quarters of Republican women tell pollsters that they plan to back him. Many of the holdouts will come around by November, they say.

Jon Tucker, chairman of the Douglas County Republican Party, said he believes few Republican women will vote for Clinton on Nov. 8. Even women who have problems with Trump believe that the Republican nominee would be better than Clinton, Tucker said.

Hes not losing those women to Hillary, Tucker said.

Jan Schuemann was one woman interviewed last week who described herself as an unabashed Trump supporter.

I love him. Love, love, love him, said the 66-year-old Republican from Papillion. Hes our last chance to give our grandchildren a future in this country.

She said shes never been offended by anything Trump has said in connection with women, arguing that he makes those comments for effect. I think he says whatever hes got to do to get everybodys attention, Schuemann said.

Other women interviewed varied in their dislike of Trump.

Amanda Thelen, 38, of Omaha called him a loudmouth whom she could not support. The building-the-wall stuff and the stuff he says about women, its derogatory, Thelen said.

But Thelen doesnt like Clinton, either.

I dont know. I might not vote, Thelen said when asked what she planned to do on Election Day.

Colleen Fitzpatrick, an Omaha nurse, said it was hard to support a candidate who acts in such an unprofessional manner. She said she fears the worst about how Trump would interact with leaders of other countries.

When I see him at a table with other countries, I worry he will not have any tact, said Fitzpatrick, 53.

Still, she wasnt convinced Clinton was the answer, saying the Democrats email controversy was a concern. She planned to make her decision closer to the election.

Its a crazy election year, Fitzpatrick said. Ive never seen anything like it.

Finally, one older woman who identified herself as a Republican appeared to sum up the problem facing many GOP women in this years election.

The woman, who declined to give her name, said she doesnt like Trump or Clinton.

He scares me. But, right now, I would probably vote for him. He scares me, but I dont want to see Hillary Clinton in there, either.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1309, robynn.tysver@owh.com
Cong, BJP workers clash over disruption of Tiranga Yatra

India

oi-PTI

Surat, Aug 28: BJP and Congress workers today clashed over alleged disruption of 'Tiranga Yatra' in Varachha locality, police said.

Both BJP and Congress have lodged cross FIRs against each other following the incident. In its FIR, the BJP alleged that Congress workers stopped the yatra, led by BJP MLAs Kishore Kanani and Ajay Choksi, by showing black flags when the procession was passing Varachha area here.

However, Congress claimed that Kanani, Choksi and others attacked its party workers with the baton of police personnel present there. Kanani and Choksi represent Varachha Road and Surat (North) constituencies, respectively, in the Legislative Assembly. "When the yatra, with around 100-odd participants, led by Kanani, was passing by the office of Congress corporator Dinesh Kachhadiya in Varachha locality, around 50 Congress supporters allegedly stopped them and soon they started attacking each other," a police spokesperson said.

In his FIR, Kachhadiya alleged that Kanani, Choksi and BJP corporators attacked Congress workers, including two women corporators, when Congress workers approached them with a list of problems faced by local residents. "Kanani, Choksi and others attacked us with the baton of police personnel present there. They also held the hands of our women corporators Harshaben and Dakshaben and pushed them violently. A BJP corporator even used a tiranga stick to beat us," Kachhadiya alleged in his FIR.

However, Kanani alleged that Kachhadiya, along with some corporators and supporters of Congress, stopped the yatra by showing black flags, and started fighting. Kanani claimed he was hurt in head and hand.

Cross FIRs were lodged under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (rioting), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 507 (2) (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code. Police said they were investigating the matter though no arrests have been made so far.

PTI
Former CVC Thomas' plea for discharge in graft case dismissed

India

oi-PTI

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 27: A vigilance court here today dismissed the discharge petition filed by former chief vigilance commissioner P J Thomas in the decades old palmolein import deal case.

Dismissing the petition, Vigilance Court judge A Badaruddin observed that Thomas could be discharged from the case only if the investigating officers conclude that there was no evidence of his involvement in the case.

In his petition, Thomas, who was former state Food Secretary at the time of the import in 1992, pleaded for discharge saying the allegations levelled against him were baseless and politically motivated.

Claiming that he was innocent, he said he had only executed his job that was entrusted by the then government.

The court posted the case for further proceedings to October 5. An IAS officer of 1973 batch of Kerala cadre, Thomas has been arraigned as the eighth accused in the palmolein case that pertains to alleged corruption in import of 1,500 tonnes of palm oil from Malaysia without floating global tenders when Congress stalwart late K Karunakaran was the chief minister.

The deal allegedly caused a loss of Rs 2.32 crore to the state exchequer. Karunakaran was also an accused in the case.

Thomas had to step down as CVC in 2011 in the back drop of the the case. A Vigilance probe into the deal was ordered by the LDF ministry led by then Chief Minister E K Nayanar in 1999.

PTI
An Islamic organisation hacks, defaces official website of University of Mysore

India

oi-Shreyas

By H S Shreyas

Mysuru, Aug 28: The official website of one of the country's prominent varsities, University of Mysore (UoM) was hacked and defaced by an Islamic organisation in the late night hours of Saturday. However, IT team of the UoM restored the site in an hour on Monday morning.

The hackers claimed to be a Tunisian cyber resistance, Al Fallaga also left a message - Islam is the only religion. Besides, hackers urged to stop the killings of Burma Muslims and end Buddhist terror. They also posted four graphic images of killings.

The sources in the varsity tell OneIndia that the website might have been hacked in the late night hours of Saturday. The officials of the university, however, noticed the hacking in the morning hours of Monday.

As soon varsity learnt about hacking, the IT team of the university started working to restore the website. Registrar of University of Mysore, C Basavaraju said: "We have restored the website in an hour."

Basavaraju added, he has directed the technical team to figure out what went wrong. The IT team is working towards it and will submit a report in a day or two to Registrar. After studying the report UoM will lodge a complaint with the police, he informed.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Sunday, August 28, 2016, 14:11 [IST]
Modi asks BJP CMs to implement schemes in 'mission mode'

India

oi-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, Aug 28: Asking BJP Chief Ministers to work on "mission mode" for better implementation of central government schemes in their states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday set up a party committee to prepare a road map of a uniform agenda for "welfare of poor".

"The Prime Minister appealed us to work on 'mission mode'. The pace of work should not be slow. We have to move forward with a good pace and have to work on all fronts," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan quoted Modi as saying in his concluding remarks at the day long meeting of BJP Chief Ministers.

Modi also warned the Chief Ministers that he won't allow negligence in implementation of schemes.

"It was direction, or you can say, an appeal from the Prime Minister that no negligence will be allowed in implementation of schemes or even in governance," Chouhan said at a press conference after the meet.

A committee was also formed, under Chouhan's chairmanship, to prepare a uniform road map for the welfare of poor.

His Maharashtra and Jharkhand counterparts Devendra Fadnavis and Raghubar Das and party national vice-president Vinay Sahastrabuddhe are the members of the "Garib Kalyan Agenda Committee, which could focus on basic necessities of common man like 'Roti, Kapada aur Makaan, Padhai, Dawai aur Rozgar ke Intezam' (food, clothing, housing, education, medicine and employment opportunities).

"A common agenda will be formulated and a road map will be prepaered by the committee in coming weeks so that basic necessities of poor would be fulfilled. This agenda will be implemented by all the BJP-ruled states," Chouhan said.

The meeting was attended among others by nine Chief Ministers and three Deputy Chief Ministers, except Rajashthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje who was pre-occupied.

Earlier, BJP President Amit Shah said that his party has ushered in an era of "politics of performance" in the country and asked the states to play a big role in the implementation of schemes and to bring in good governance.

He also urged BJP Chief Ministers to replicate schemes which are running successfully in other BJP-ruled states.

"The BJP has started an era of politics of performance in the country and our target is to give a decisive, transparent and corruption free government, besides providing welfare schemes to the downtrodden," Shah said in his inaugural address.

Shah said it is the joint responsibility of the central and state governments to build a pro-poor welfare state and change the life of the common man, adding that states play an important role in the development of the country.

Noting the BJP-ruled state governments are those which got re-elected time and again on the basis of performance, he also hailed the party-led NDA government saying it "has brought greater esteem to Indian culture and taken it to new heights. The way the world looks at India has changed".

Later talking to reporters, Fadnavis said the meet was focused on the welfare of the poor, middle class, marginalised sections, farmers and labourers.

"States play an important role in the development of the country. There are more than a thousand BJP MLAs all over the country, (and) more than 300 MPs," Fadnavis said at a press conference quoting Amit Shah.

He said 37 per cent of India's population resides in BJP-ruled states, which also account for about 52 per cent of the country's geographical area and 41 per cent of its GDP.

"If BJP ruled states can succeed in bringing change, a big part of the country will be developed. The states would play a key role in the success of the Modi government's welfare policies as they are responsible for executing 65 of the 80 such schemes launched by it," he said.

Fadnavis said having rapid development and change in BJP-ruled states would contribute to good governance of the country.

In the first session of the meet, the Chief Ministers gave presentations on the prominent schemes they are running in their respective states with regard to the party's vision of "Antyodaya".

IANS

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Story first published: Sunday, August 28, 2016, 12:11 [IST]
Narendra Modi to honour babus for implementing government's priority programmes

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 28 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will honour civil servants of both the Centre and states for excellence in implementing NDA government's priority programmes like 'Start Up India/Stand Up India', among others.

Five priority programmes-- Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Start Up India/ Stand Up India and e-National Agriculture Market (National e-Mandi)-- have been chosen for this purpose by the Personnel Ministry.

The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana is for extending the coverage of irrigation and improving water use efficiency for agriculture and the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana aims at rural electrification. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana provides crop insurance and the Start Up India/Stand Up India is for fostering entrepreneurship.

The e-National Agriculture Market is a pan-India electronic trading portal which networks the existing Agricultural Produce Market Committee mandis to create a unified national market for agricultural commodities. Selected bureaucrats will get the Prime Minister's awards on April 21, observed as Civil Services Day, for their contribution to effective implementation of these schemes, the Ministry said.

In addition to this, the awards shall also be given to organisations of central or state governments and districts for innovations in environment conservation, disaster management, water conservation, energy, education and health, women and child centric initiatives etc, it said. The awarded district or organisation will be given an incentive of Rs 10 lakh which would be utilised for implementation of project or bridging resource gaps in any area of public welfare.

The Centre gives away "Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Public Administration" annually to acknowledge and reward the extraordinary and innovative works done by civil servants or organisations of the central and state governments. A two-member team of officers of central government, not below the rank of Deputy Secretary, will conduct 'on the spot study' of the implementation of priority programmes.

An expert committee chaired by Secretary, Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances will consider the spot study reports and further shortlist the districts and organisations before making recommendations to the empowered committee chaired by the Cabinet Secretary. The empowered committee would then make its recommendations to the Prime Minister for final selection of awardees.

PTI
Par panel slams changes in pension calculation criteria

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 28: A Parliamentary panel has rapped the government for abruptly amending the formula for calculating pension, which resulted in "substantial" decrease in the amount of benefits received by employees who retire after September 1, 2014, saying it amounts to "breach of contract".

The Committee on Subordinate Legislation has said in its 12th report that the amendment is "adversarial and arbitrary in nature" as the persons who retire up to one day before September 1, 2014 will get higher pension on account of calculation based on 12 month average salary, while those who retire after that will get substantially lower pension calculated on 60 months' average salary.

At the time of joining the pension scheme both categories of employees were entitled to receiving pension based on the same formula, the report tabled in the monsoon session said.

The Committee has now "strongly" recommended restoration of the earlier formula in case of "at least all such employees who became members of Employees Pension Scheme prior to the August 22, 2014 notification effective from September 1, 2014".

"The criteria of 60 months for calculation of pension, could be made applicable to only those employees who had joined Employees Pension Scheme after the notification after suitable modifications as the committee find little justification for such a drastic change in the criteria," the panel said.

The report said the government had contended that the amendment was made on the basis of recommendation in the actuarial valuation reports of the Employees Pension Scheme with a view to curtailing deficit in the Employees' Pension Scheme Fund.

"Having considered the background and the aims and objects of the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952, the Committee are of the considered view that the extant amendment made by the government towards calculation of the pension is totally against the principles of natural justice and contrary to the spirit of the original Pension Scheme.

"It is definitely prejudicial to the interests of those employees who are attaining the age of superannuation after 1 September, 2014. The amendment is adversarial and arbitrary in nature," the committee observed.

PTI
PM assures Sonowal of all central assistance for floods

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today assured the Assam government of all central assistance to the flood-ravaged state and said that a central team would visit Assam in a week to assess the actual damage.

This was conveyed by the Prime Minister to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal who brief him about the damage caused by the floods and sought central assistance to provide relief and rehabilitation of affected people, an official statement said.

Sonowal briefed the Prime Minister on the state government's efforts towards relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction works in the aftermath of the recent wave of floods which has caused havoc.

The chief minister, who met Modi, informed him about a series of steps that the state government has taken to bail the state out of the scourge of floods and sought the Centre's help to fast-track the rehabilitation and reconstruction works. He also outlined the immediate and long-term measures undertaken by the Assam government to mitigate the effects the flood and erosion.

He drew the attention of the Prime Minister that a report has already been submitted to the Centre, stating the real picture of the extent of damage caused the floods in terms of lives, properties and live stocks.

Modi assured the chief minister all central support and assistance to the state and said that a central team would visit Assam in a week to assess the actual damage, the statement said.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister told Sonowal that henceforth, all central and state government schemes would be synchronised and coordinated to enable the people of Assam to derive optimum benefits on a real-time basis. Sonowal was accompanied by state Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

PTI
PM, LG have sought file related to power subsidy: Kejriwal

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 28: Making a string of fresh allegations, Chief Minister Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said Lt Governor Najeeb Jung has sought the file related to power subsidy on the instructions of the Prime Minister, even as he cautioned against a hike in power tariff in the city.

Addressing a gathering at outer Delhi's Kirari, he also expressed apprehension that his government's proposal to increase minimum wages by up to 50 per cent could be shot down by Jung and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He exhorted people to "gherao the Prime Minister" if any such step is taken.

Separately, in a series of tweets, Kejriwal said plans were afoot to remove DCW chief Swati Maliwal who, he claimed, will be "arrested" soon for her "good work".

"In elections, we had promised to cut power tariff by half and provide free water. We fulfilled our promises. Sadly, Modiji has summoned the files related to power and water by phoning the Lt Governor.

He is threatening to increase power tariff in Delhi. "I challenge Modiji that if he does the same, the people of Delhi will give him a befitting reply. PM is creating hurdles by telephoning the LG," Kejriwal said, adding that Jung has already called for the files even as he wondered if the subsidies will be withdrawn.

He also accused the Centre of not clearing the Delhi government's proposal to regularise hundreds of unauthorised colonies in the capital. Kejriwal said if the proposal is approved, such colonies will be regularised within 24 hours. "We cannot wait for Modiji's nod.

I have directed my ministers to carry out development works in all unauthorised colonies which include construction of roads, laying of water pipelines etc," he said. The Chief Minister said officials involved in flagship projects of the AAP government such as mohalla clinics and construction of school buildings were being transferred by the LG.

"The way the Centre is creating hurdles, it has never happened in the Indian history. I and Manish Sisodia had requested the LG not to transfer officers involved in projects to set up mohalla clinics and construction of school buildings till March 31," he said.

"I appeal to people of Delhi to call up their relatives, family members residing in other states to work towards defeating Modiji across the country," he said.

PTI

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Story first published: Sunday, August 28, 2016, 12:05 [IST]
Sri Sri Ravishankar meets Burhan Wani's father- Peace in the Valley discussed

India

oi-Vicky

Srinagar, Aug 28: The meeting between Art of Living founder, Sri Sri Ravishankar and the father of Burhan Wani has raised several eyebrows.

The Hurriyat Calendar: Aug 14 Pray for Pakistan; Aug 15 Black Day, block I-Day; lock down J&K!

Wani's father Muzzafar Wani maintains that he was in the AOL, Bengaluru to seek treatment. However, AOL sources say that the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir was discussed.

Burhan Wani the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist was killed in an encounter on July 8 following which the Valley erupted in protest.

How Kashmir's separatists used Burhan Wani to stay relevant

The government of India has been trying to find a solution to ensure that peace returns in the Valley which has been under curfew for the past 50 days.

The meeting between Sri Sri and Muzzafar Wani was not a government initiative sources say. However, it is an important one and Sri Sri did discuss ways of finding a solution to restore peace in the Valley.

A home ministry official told OneIndia that such a meeting was welcome.Although it was not a government initiative, we welcome such meetings which could ensure the restoration of peace in the Valley, the official also said.

Wani's father however says that the meeting with Sri Sri lasted barely 3 minutes. He says that he had visited AOL for treatment and stayed in Bengaluru for two days.

He tells Kashmir Reader that Sri Sri met him for 3 to 4 minutes and asked about how his two sons were killed. We did not discuss anything regarding the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir. I only went to the ashram for treatment and returned with medicines, he also said.

OneIndia News
40 dead as Turkish shelling, raids hit Syrian civilians

International

oi-PTI

Beirut, Aug 28: Turkish shelling and air strikes killed at least 40 Syrians today, a monitor said, in the first significant civilian casualties in Turkey's intensifying campaign in northern Syria.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said the army had killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" in air strikes as part of its unprecedented operation inside Syria. The bombardments came after Ankara suffered its first military fatality since it launched the two-pronged offensive against the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurdish militia inside Syria on Wednesday.

At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded in Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on the village of Jeb el-Kussa early today, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Another 20 were killed and 25 wounded, many seriously, in Turkish air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, it said. The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in Turkish bombardment of the two areas.

A spokesman for the local Kurdish administration said 75 people had been killed in both villages. The Britain-based Observatory said the bombardment targeted an area south of the former IS border stronghold of Jarabulus, which Turkish-led forces captured on the first day of the incursion.

Fighting has since intensified south of the town, where clashes erupted between Turkish troops and forces belonging to the Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) party, which Ankara considers a terrorist group linked with Kurdish militants in Turkey.

US-backed Kurdish forces have also been fighting IS in Syria but Turkey fiercely opposes any move by Kurds to expand into territory lost by the jihadists. The latest fighting is likely to raise deep concerns for Turkey's NATO ally the United States, which supports the Kurdish militia -- known as the People's Protection Units (YPG) -- as an effective fighting force against IS.

The Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded yesterday in a rocket attack by Kurdish militia on two tanks taking part in an offensive against the pro-Kurdish forces south of Jarabulus.

Turkish media named the dead soldier as Ercan Celik, 28, and said a funeral for him would be held in Gaziantep. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was due to visit the city to express condolences for last weekend's suicide bombing there at a Kurdish wedding that left 54 dead.

Turkey's NTV television reported that Turkish artillery had struck YPG targets throughout the night and that Turkish warplanes had carried out new bombing sorties this morning. Turkish forces carried out their first air strikes on pro-Kurdish positions yesterday as part of what Ankara is calling "Operation Euphrates Shield".

AFP
'India, US indispensable partners in promoting peace in region'

International

oi-PTI

Washington, Aug 28 Confident of further advancement of partnership between India and the US, a top official of the Obama administration today said every future US government should continue with the joint strategic vision of the two countries being "indispensable partners in promoting peace, prosperity and stability in the region".

Jeff Zients, Director of the National Economic Council, said the US-India partnership has never been stronger but the two countries still need to do much better given the size of their economies.

"With President (Barack) Obamas visit to India during Indias Republic Day celebration and Prime Minister (Narendra) Modis visit to the White House last June and historic address in Congress, its easy to see the strong friendship between our two countries. "Over the past seven-and-a-half years, our cooperation has strengthened in every field  from developing life-saving solutions for infectious diseases to strengthening humanitarian and disaster relief," Zients told PTI in an interview ahead of his visit to India.

He said the leadership from both the countries has helped galvanise global action to support clean energy solutions and combat climate change, including the historic Paris Agreement. Zients also serves as Assistant to the US President for Economic Policy. Previously, he was appointed by the President to a newly created position of United States Chief Performance Officer. Prior to joining the Administration, Zients spent 20 years in the private sector as a CEO, management consultant and entrepreneur.

Asked about his assessment of the progress made by India and the US in trade and commerce in the seven-and-half years of the Obama administration and the message for his successor, Zients said the two-way trade between the two countries has reached USD 109 billion and investment is generating new jobs and healthier economies.

"Our conversations this week will include government-to-government discussions, as well as opportunities to hear from business people and entrepreneurs who rely on good government policies. "It is undoubtedly in both of our interests to find solutions to economic challenges together, remove impediments to growing our economies, and contribute to a sustainable, balanced global economy. "I am certain that every future US administration will continue to move our strong partnership with India forward, advancing the joint vision that President Obama and Prime Minister Modi set out in 2014 of 'chalein saath' -- Forward together we go -- and capturing the benefits of our Joint Strategic vision as indispensable partners in promoting peace, prosperity, and stability in the region," he said.

PTI
A dream, a call and some courage: How a 15-year-old stopped her marriage

Hospital fire is a conspiracy: expert group chairperson

Kolkata

oi-PTI

Kolkata (WB), Aug 27: Chairman of Multi-Disciplinary Expert Group of state and former West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya tonight said the fire at Murshidabad Medical College Hospital was a conspiracy.

"The incident of fire is a conspiracy to malign the image of government and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and halt her good work for the state," Bhattacharya told media here.

In a sharp retort, WBPCC President and Baharampore MP Adhir Chowdhury said Bhattacharya's statement was an inept bid on behalf of the government to hide the failure of its own. "This regime smells conspiracy in everything," Chowdhury said in his response.

Two persons died and seven others were injured in a stampede after a fire broke out in the hospital today triggering panic among patients and their relatives.

"Two women - a nursing aide and a relative of a patient died in the stampede following the incident of fire which broke out at 11.50 AM at the hospital.Seven others are injured," Director of Health Services Biswaranjan Satpathy said.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is monitoring the situation from Kolkata, while a four-member high power team from the state capital led by Bhattacharya has been asked to rush to the spot to assess the situation.

Bhattacharya, who is also managing director of West Bengal Medical Services Corporation, earlier told PTI that she would submit a report to the chief minister after reviewing the situation and making a detailed assessment.

A departmental inquiry has already been ordered into the incident, Satpathy said.

PTI
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Opalesque Industry Update - Using data from its Hedge Fund Online product, Preqin estimates that there were net outflows of $34bn over the first half of 2016; the majority of outflows ($20bn) occurred in Q2 2016. As a result, as of 30th June 2016 the hedge fund industry represented a total of $3.11tn in assets under management, down from $3.14tn at the end of 2015. Among leading hedge fund strategies, credit and equity strategy funds suffered the greatest outflows in H1, totalling $26bn and $25bn respectively. By contrast, CTAs increased their AUM by 11% over the first half of the year, recording the greatest inflows of any strategy ($17bn). Additionally, a surge of investor capital committed to multi-strategy funds in Q1 helped the strategy offset small net outflows in Q2, to register overall H1 inflows of $11bn. Other Key H1 2016 Asset Flow Facts:  Investor Appetite: 17% of investors plan to increase their exposure to discretionary CTAs in H2 2016, the highest proportion of any strategy, while just 3% plan to invest more in event driven strategies and funds of hedge funds. Only 9% of investors plan to cut their exposure to activist funds, the lowest of any strategy.  Impact of 2015 Performance: Those funds that performed better in 2015 were more likely to see inflows in Q2 2016; 43% of funds that made gains of more than 5.00% in 2015 recorded Q2 inflows, compared to less than a quarter (23%) of those that suffered losses of 5.00% or more through the year.  Asset Flows by Fund Size: A higher proportion of hedge funds larger than $1bn recorded inflows (35%), than those smaller funds (32%). However, a higher proportion of larger funds also recorded outflows, with 44% recording losses compared to 40% of smaller funds.  Asset Flows by Location: The greatest proportion of funds based in Europe saw inflows over Q2, with 35% seeing net inflows and 38% recording outflows. In contrast, only a quarter of firms based in North America registered inflows, while 44% saw net outflows of investor capital. Comment:

Growing concern from investors regarding the recent performance of the hedge fund sector has manifested as two consecutive quarters of net outflows, taking the total size of the industry to approximately $3.1tn as of the end of H1 2016. Despite most leading hedge fund strategies witnessing outflows over the course of the first half of 2016, there were some bright spots, notably CTAs and multi-strategy funds, indicating that investors are seeing value in some areas of their hedge fund holdings in 2016. Performance, along with fees, looks set to be a key driver of change in the industry over the rest of 2016. Managers will be hoping that the recent run of better performance from March - July 2016 may help win back the favour of investors, and help the industry gain fresh capital inflows in the second half of the year. Amy Bensted  Head of Hedge Fund Products, Preqin Article source - Opalesque is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
There are "huuge" differences between Donald Trump's acceptance of largess from foreign and moneyed interests when compared to how the Clinton Foundation uses foreign donations. Unlike Trump's self-interested deals, eighty-nine percent of the Foundation budget is spent on programming (or "charity"), higher than the 75 percent industry standard.

What effect will Trump's rarely mentioned real estate loans from The Bank of China, and Wells Fargo have on his policy toward bank regulation and China? How will that help workers already disadvantaged by Republican suppression of labor rights? Contrast the partially obscured big bank ties that have long benefited Trump to the Clinton's micro-lending programs for poor entrepreneurs who do not qualify for traditional loans.

Organizations controlled by Nobel laureate, Muhammad Yunus, Hillary's friend since 1983, have donated between $125,000 and $300,000 to the Foundation, mostly as annual fees to attend Clinton Global Initiative meetings. Yunus originated Grameen Bank microcredit and microfinance programs which the Foundation uses as a model. He was being suppressed by pressure that traditional banks were bringing to bear through his Bangladeshi government. He was also a winner of the Congressional Gold Medal and Presidential Medal of Freedom. Therefore, it was not unusual for Secretary of State Hillary to meet with him.

Since its inception in 1997, the Clinton Foundation has raised approximately $2 billion to fund more than 3,500 projects in 180 countries. Trump-surrogate demands to immediately disband the Foundation would leave many of those projects stranded. But then leaving people in need holding an empty bag is Trump's style, evidenced by most of his four bankruptcies. The Clinton Foundation is pledged to restructure its financing, projects, and leadership in a responsible fashion. How would Trump liquidate his interests involving lenders he owes $2 billion to?

Trump advocates compelling Mexico to finance his off-the-wall boarder barrier. The Clinton Foundation's use of foreign donations is different. It helped 105,000 farmers in East Africa increase their crop yields so fewer of them will have to migrate from parched lands already hard hit by the human-caused climate change Trump refuses to acknowledge.

Trump's self-inflated "charity"--while "apparently" laudable--pale when compared to Clinton Foundation accomplishments. We don't know for certain because Donald won't release his tax returns and information from his Foundation is scarce. Bill Clinton released a list of more than 200,000 donors before Hillary became secretary of state. Until Trump releases his tax returns, we won't know what additional potential conflicts his business dealings have created.

Clinton (Foundation) Health Access Initiative includes renegotiating the cost of HIV drugs to make them accessible to 11.5 million people. The Foundation also helped bring healthier meals to more than 31,000 US schools. There is no foreign money quid pro quo benefit to Hillary or anyone else in that.

Los Angeles taxpayers are saving $9.1 million a year on street lighting, partly because the Clinton Climate Initiative provided seed money to help Angelinos replace 170,047 high pressure sodium street lights with LEDs. It cut LA's street lighting energy use by 63.1%. The demonstration incentivized thousands of cities to follow suit.

When political opponents intensify the rotten things said about you, your best defense is to have lived so that no one will believe them. Hillary and Bill have done that, personally donating millions to the Clinton Foundation. Trump rants contending Hillary doesn't care about us cannot besmirch the Foundation's "A" rating from CharityWatch. Compare that to the "F" that CharityWatch assigned the Foundation for American Veterans that Trump gave $75,000 to--only about 30% of which went to benefit veterans.

Her history of caring is clear. As Secretary of State, Hillary met with Estee Lauder CEO Fabrizio Freda. In 2013, Estee Lauder committed with four other organizations to support the Clinton Global Initiative to assist survivors of sexual slavery in Cambodia.

So, you decide. Hillary Clinton with her record of helping sexual slavery survivors, micro-loan borrowers and so-many others in need; or Donald Trump "negotiating" egocentric deals with the Bank of China and his other undisclosed lenders.
Reprinted from Sputnik

For at least two years, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been pushing to set up "safe zones" in northern Syria. This week, as Turkish tanks, warplanes and special forces commandeered Syrian territory, the Ankara government seems at last to be fulfilling this objective.

Not only that, but the Turkish president managed to get Washington on board, while appearing to circumnavigate any obstacles that Russia or its Syrian ally might have been expected to mount in opposition to such an unprecedented intervention.

US warplanes provided air cover as Ankara-backed Syrian militants took over the border town of Jarablus from Daesh. US Vice President Joe Biden in Ankara on the first day of the assault vowed Washington's full support to Operation Euphrates Shield.

Erdogan said that the operation had a two-prong aim of "cleansing" the border area of Daesh terrorists as well as pushing anti-Daesh Kurdish fighters back east across the Euphrates to their stronghold in northeastern Syria.

The Kurdish militia mainly comprising the People's Protection Units (YPG), also referred to as Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have up to now been supported by Washington. American patronage seemed to be in doubt this week, as Biden issued a stern warning that US support would be terminated if the Kurds did not retreat eastwards.



Russia and the Syrian government in Damascus were not passively watching the unfolding events. The Russian foreign ministry stated that it was "very concerned" by Turkey's military escalation. The Syrian authorities went further and condemned the cross-border deployment was a "flagrant violation of sovereignty."

Russia and Syria have every right to be alarmed. Despite Erdogan's rhetoric claiming that the retaking of Jarablus was "to defeat terrorists" and "to protect the territorial integrity of Syria," the inescapable fact is that Turkish forces with US support have installed their proxy militants in control of a Syrian town and surrounding territory.

Turkey says that it wants to establish a "safe zone" along the Syrian side of the border stretching 100 kilometers and 30 kilometers deep. It is not clear if the Turkish military will stay on Syrian territory to enforce this zone. They might withdraw and designate the task to Ankara-backed Syrian militants comprising the so-called Free Syrian Army and Turkmen fighters.

These militants are supposedly in opposition to Daesh jihadists, but their primary objective is to wage war against the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad and his foreign allies -- Russia, Iran and Hezbollah.



The carving out this week of a safe zone around Jarablus by Turkish and American military has to also be coupled with the declaration by the Pentagon last week warning that its warplanes would shoot down any Syrian or Russian aircraft approaching the more easterly town of Hasakah, where US special forces are said to be fielded.

Taken together, this is tantamount to the setting up of two US, Turkish-controlled "safe zones" over the past week. That is a dramatic development in the nearly six-year Syrian conflict, whereby foreign forces are now actively commandeering swathes of Syria's territory without any legal mandate.



One may well ask: how did it come to this? Where Turkish and American military -- both NATO members -- are conducting combat operations on the ground and in the air on Syrian territory. And moreover these foreign forces are assigning what are in effect no-go areas to the Syrian government and its Russian allies.



A Reuters report gives this context to the US-Turkish operation: "A Turkish official said the ground incursion had been in the works for more than two years but had been delayed by US reservations, resistance from some Turkish commanders, and a stand-off with Russia which had made air cover impossible."



The stand-off with Russia refers to the deadly shooting down of a Russian warplane last November by Turkish F-16s over Syrian territory. Due to Moscow's anger over that "stab in the back," as President Putin called it at the time, Turkish warplanes had not dared enter Syrian territory since then.

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Reprinted from Reader Supported News

I recently wrote about the trouble getting necessary medical attention that CIA whistleblower Jeffrey Sterling was encountering in prison. Sterling, who has a history of atrial fibrillation, had collapsed twice and was being denied both routine medical tests to determine if he had a heart blockage or other cardiac problem and a visit to an outside hospital or cardiac specialist. I asked readers to contact the warden of FCI Englewood, the prison where he is being held, and demand that Sterling be given the appropriate medical attention.

Our united strength and action is pushing this case in the right direction.

A day after my original piece was published on August 10, I received a call from a well-known Hollywood documentarian whose father had been a federal judge for 37 years. A Carter appointee, the judge had read the article and wanted to convey the fact that federal judges take complaints like those Sterling was making very seriously. He asked his son to suggest that Holly Sterling send a letter to Judge Leonie Brinkema, who sentenced Sterling to prison in the first place, telling her about her husband's medical predicament. Holly Sterling wrote that letter and sent it immediately.

Meanwhile, Arn Menconi, the Green Party's candidate for U.S. Senate in Colorado, began a vigil outside the prison, demanding that Sterling be allowed to see a private cardiologist. Initially chased off federal property by the angry corrections officers on perimeter duty, he set up shop across the street and refused the polite and not-so-polite requests from the local sheriff's office to just leave quietly. The entire thing was live-streamed on Facebook. Menconi soon attracted five or six like-minded individuals to help him keep up the vigil 24-hours-a-day for three days.

Finally, dozens of people wrote on Facebook, Twitter, and in the comments section of the original RSN article that they had called the warden's office and demanded that Jeffrey Sterling be given appropriate medical care. I can tell you from firsthand experience that there is nothing that a prison administration office hates more than outsiders tying up its phone lines making demands for prisoners.

The pressure may have worked, although we're not home-free yet. Holly Sterling emailed me earlier this week to say that Jeffrey had been called to the prison medical unit, where he was told that the warden had reversed her decision and would recommend to the Bureau of Prisons Regional Office in Denver that he be taken to an outside cardiologist for testing. (He will also undergo a preliminary exam by the prison doctor on Monday, August 29.)

What this means is that the warden will send a letter to the regional medical officer (RMO) asking that Sterling be taken to the outside cardiologist. The RMO will review the medical file and determine whether the appointment is a medical necessity and whether money exists for it in the budget. The RMO has the final word.

As an aside, the reason that it's so important that Sterling see an outside cardiologist, rather than just the prison doctor, is that prisons are notorious dumping grounds for failed doctors. When the BOP finally attracts a decent doctor, he or she invariably leaves because the BOP leadership won't let him actually treat prisoners the way they should be treated. That happened when I was at FCI Loretto. A good doctor was then replaced by a failed pediatrician.

Without getting ahead of myself, Sterling's current situation looks to me like an at least preliminary success of broad action. Sterling is halfway to a cardiac specialist. The final decision will come down in the next three or four weeks. In the meantime, we have to continue to stand up and make sure that the BOP does the right thing.

Reader Supported News is the Publication of Origin for this work. Permission to republish is freely granted with credit and a link back to Reader Supported News.


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The Coalition For Change, Inc. ( C4C ) is a volunteer group of present and former employees who seek an end to workplace abuse in the federal government.

On May 3, 2016, the C4C organizational leaders met with Mr. Carlton Hadden, the Director of the Office of Federal Operations, United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The office provides oversight for the government-wide Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaint adjudication, appellate, and affirmative-employment functions.

The C4C met with the EEOC to address the pervasive problem of federal-workplace discrimination. During the meeting, the C4C formally introduced its eight accountability and transparency measures for transforming the federal-EEO process and thereby improving the retaliatory federal-workplace culture.

Many of the C4C solutions presented to the EEOC at the May 3rd meeting were also presented earlier to Representative Elijah Cummings, ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Representative Cummings introduced the C4C recommendations in bill HR 1557- Federal Employee Anti-discrimination. The HR 1557 bill was overwhelmingly approved by the House of Representatives and awaits further senate action.

The C4C plans a follow-up meeting with EEOC officials to further discuss the full list of measures and EEOC's timeline for implementing the measures to address the persistent problem of federal-workplace discrimination that woefully injures civil servants, harms American citizens, and threatens our nation's domestic security.
by Walter Brasch(part 2 of 2)

Donald Trump says he watched the destruction of the World Trade Center, and saw "thousands and thousands of people [who were] cheering as that building was coming down." Every non-partisan fact-checking site and news medium debunks Trump's faulty recollection. But 9/11 burnished an image in his mind of terrorism by Muslims. His solution is to issue an unconstitutional moratorium against Muslims who wish to emigrate to the U.S.

He plays to the fears of Americans by declaring President Obama has plans to bring 250,000 Syrian refugees into the country, and says, "We don't know anything about them." But, we do know about "them" because the vetting process for admitting persons to the U.S. is about two years; the U.S. in fiscal year 2016 plans to admit only 10,000 Syrian refugees.

The extreme right wing denounce President Obama for attending an elementary school in Indonesia where, they claim, he was indoctrinated in anti-American propaganda and became a Muslim. For the past 12 years, the right wing has referred to the president as Barack HUSSEIN Obama, emphasizing his middle name. What they don't emphasize is that the Founding Fathers were adamant that there is a separation of church and state, and that no one religion is included or excluded from persons running for any office. Nevertheless, the President was baptized in the United Church of Christ and is a Protestant.

On the last day of the Democratic National Convention in July, Khizr Khan, the father of Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was killed in combat in Iraq, asked Trump if he "even read the United States Constitution. I will gladly lend you my copy. In this document, look for the words 'liberty' and 'equal protection of law.'" After pulling a pocket-sized Constitution from his suit jacket, he then asked, "Have you ever been to Arlington Cemetery? Go look at the graves of brave patriots who died defending the United States of America. You will see all faiths, genders, and ethnicities. You have sacrificed nothing--and no one."

Some of Trump's advisors claimed the Khans, who are Muslims who emigrated from Pakistan, could have been terrorists--Trump himself didn't rebuke them for their comments--and then insensitively said he also sacrificed because he "created thousands and thousands of jobs, tens of thousands of jobs, built great structures. I've had tremendous success. I think I've done a lot." He also challenged Ghazala Khan, Capt. Khan's mother who, he said, had stood mute besides her husband and had "nothing to say. She probably--maybe she wasn't allowed to have anything to say." Ghazala Khan responded in a commentary in the Washington Post that she told her husband she could not overcome her grief to speak because "hearts of pain can never heal as long as we live. Just talking about it is hard for me all the time. Every day, whenever I pray, I have to pray for him, and I cry. The place that emptied will always be empty."

There is also a strain of anti-Semitism in the base of Trump's hard core supporters. With Hillary Clinton increasing her lead over Trump, according to several polls, Trump replaced campaign chair Paul Manafort with Steve Bannon, who had been CEO of Breitbart News, an extreme right-wing online news site that promotes white nationalism and opposes immigration of individuals who would be part of minority cultures in the United States. Bannon's ex-wife, Mary Louise Piccard, accused him of anti-Semitism during a child custody fight in 2007. In a sworn statement to the court, she said Bannon opposed sending their twin daughters to the Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles. "The biggest problem he had with Archer is the number of Jews that attend," Piccard said. She also testified that Bannon said "he doesn't like the way they [Jewish parents] raise their kids to be 'whiny brats' and that he didn't want the girls going to school with Jews." A spokesman for Bannon denied the truth in Piccard's statements.

An individual created a print ad of a picture of Hillary Clinton, with a red Star of David over a stack of $100 bills; inside the Star in white lettering was "Most Corrupt Candidate Ever!" That anonymous person, who regularly posts anti-Semitic material, then posted the graphic on Twitter. Trump never disavowed the anti-Semitism of that graphic, and re-tweeted it to his 11 million followers. He later said it wasn't a Star of David but a depiction of a sheriff's badge, but sent out another tweet, this time with the words in a circle instead of the Star of David.

Several Jewish journalists who have covered the campaign and have written stories about Trump and his campaign report they have received anti-Semitic email from Trump supporters; Trump himself, while insensitive to Jews, may not be anti-Semitic.

A few of Trump's advisors are Jews, and his daughter, Ivanka, converted to Judaism in 2009. However, most Jews are liberals who are willing to stand up for the rights of all minorities and are strong advocates of social justice. They see in Trump personality traits that that remind them of more than four millennia of anti-Semitism from numerous rulers, demagogues, and masses who believed their own problems were caused by Jews and other minority religions and cultures.

Hillary Clinton said Trump "is taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party." She accuses him of being "xenophobic, racist, misogynistic," and asked, "If he doesn't respect all Americans, how can he serve all Americans?" Trump's response was to criticize Clinton and the Democratic party for using race-baiting and fear mongering tactics. At a campaign rally this past week in Jackson, Miss., he blurted out, "Hillary Clinton is a bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human-beings worthy of a better future. She's going to do nothing for African Americans. She's going to do nothing for the Hispanics. She's only going to take care of herself, her husband, her consultants, her donors--these are the people she cares about. She doesn't care what her policies have done to your communities. She doesn't care."

Most of the 13.4 million Americans who voted for Trump in the primaries are White middle-class individuals who believe they are alienated from the political and business worlds, and are willing to follow a billionaire businessman running for the presidency who can channel their bar-room hate. Of the 2,472 delegates to this year's Republican National Convention, only 18 were Blacks. Trump never protested or even discussed how the Republicans should be doing more to get diversity within the party. Trump's campaign rallies are dominated by Whites. No matter what he says or does, that isn't likely to change.

When many of the extreme right-wing look into mirrors, they see Donald Trump.

[Dr. Brasch, an award-winning journalist, has covered government and politics at all levels for four decades. His latest book is Fracking America: Sacrificing Health and the Environment for Short-Term Economic Gain.]
Hillary Clinton is a neoconservative whose credo is world domination. Her stay at State is a string of wars in Syria, Libya, Yemen, etc. Wrongly convinced that these wars had been won, she advocated "pivoting" American forces to Asia to bully China. It's Theodore Roosevelt's stick without the carrot. Not sure the Chinese appreciated it. Putin is a new Hitler -- an accusation which would be laughable if it did not come from one of the most powerful politicians. Let's get the record straight: Putin is a chess player carefully calculating each of his moves. Hitler was an impetuous and unpredictable leader. On the domestic front, Hillary Clinton's friends are on Wall Street not on Main Street. He who believes in her "liberal" message is in for a big surprise.

Donald Trump is a phony. He owes his fortune to banks' greed as much as his own. Plastering his "success" as he does to claim he is fit to lead the United States is a scam. There are thousands of corporate leaders more capable and better prepared than he is. He is on an ego trip, a narcissist who long passed his level of incompetence. He is a full member of the American oligarchy. His "America First policy" is nothing more than a slogan. His economic policy is unrealistic and his fiscal policy is a gift to his class in disguise. When the white middle class finds that out, if it ever does, it will be too late. His foreign policy statements are full of contradictions and imprecisions. No one knows what he will do, if elected. Having no political experience in Washington, he is likely to be manipulated by his inner circle. Who will that be? Who knows?

Voting for Hillary is voting for the policy of the last sixteen years. Voting for Donald is voting for the unknown. This is unacceptable in today's volatile world. Both candidates are dangerous and therefore disqualified for the job. There remains two outsiders: Jill Stein and Gary Johnson. The first one runs for the Green Party, the second for the Libertarian Party. Together they account for 15 percent of the votes. Neither will be selected by the Commission on Presidential Debates. Their voices won't be heard. Jill Stein might have had a chance had Bernie Sanders join forces with her. Instead, he has betrayed the cause he was fighting for by siding with Hillary Clinton. In this context, the only rational choice is to abstain. Under normal circumstances, abstaining is a fault. But these are not typical times.

Abstention is a growing phenomenon, reflecting Americans' discontent with the political elite. It has risen from a low 37 percent in John Kennedy's 1960 election to a high 51 percent in Bill Clinton's 1996 reelection. The abstention vote is higher than the total of the two outsiders. Therefore, it makes more sense to abstain than vote for either of them. The chance to be heard is greater. If abstentions were to reach 60 percent on November 8th, an American president elected with 51 percent of the votes would end up running the country with the support of 20.4 percent of the voters. The message would be clear: the country faces a major political crisis. A Continental Congress, akin to the Philadelphia Congress of 1776, would be in order.

The United States is no longer a democracy. Main stream media are controlled by six corporations. Voting machines leave no paper trail and blacks are discouraged from registering in several states. In 2006, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said the US is in danger of edging towards dictatorship. In 2013, Jimmy Carter declared: "America has no functioning democracy at this moment". This year, colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell's former chief of staff while at State, said the Americans must unite against the Establishment, even at the cost of a "Revolution".


Keep Cannabis Legal

(Image by Brooks Allman) Details DMCA







Thanks to legal cannabis Pueblo, Colorado is undergoing an unprecedented green revolution. Legal cannabis has brought more jobs, businesses and investment to Pueblo than this community has seen since the industrial revolution. Legal cannabis is a clean, green industry that is helping Pueblo become a more vibrant, safe, healthy and wealthy community.

Colorado's legal weed market: $700 million in sales last year, $1 billion by 2016. Washington Post, February 12, 2015.

Everyone benefits from legal cannabis. Millions in new tax revenues have pumped vital lifeblood into Pueblo's public institutions. And this is just the beginning. As legal cannabis continues attracting new businesses and creating more jobs Pueblo could soon become the cleanest, greenest, healthiest and wealthiest community on the front range.

A Brief History Of Medical Cannabis: From Ancient Anesthesia To The Modern Dispensary. Medical Daily, January 21, 2016.

Some worry that legal cannabis is unhealthy. Nothing could be further from the truth. For thousands of years, people have relied on cannabis as one of nature's best medicines. Research has demonstrated that cannabis is a non-addicting medication that provides miraculous relief from the ills of PTSD, seizures, fibromyalgia, cancer, Dravet Syndrome, epilepsy and many more life-threatening illnesses. In case after case, cannabis has literally made it possible for the chronically ill to reclaim their lives.

Legalizing Medical Marijuana May Actually Reduce Crime, Study Says. Huffington Post, March 28, 2014.

Some worry that legal cannabis creates more crime. Actually, the reverse is true. The legal cannabis community deplores the illegal drug trade. Legal cannabis fights crime by cutting off business to international drug cartels. Legal cannabis applauds and supports all efforts by law enforcement to combat the illegal drug trade.

Prioritizing alcohol prevention: establishing alcohol as the gateway drug and linking age of first drink with illicit drug use. Journal of School Health, 86.1 (2016): 31-38.

Some worry that cannabis is a gateway drug. That is not true. Decades of studies have demonstrated that the most dangerous drug in America is alcohol. The vast majority of Americans who abuse drugs begin their downward spiral with alcohol. By a wide margin, alcohol is responsible for more crimes and deaths than any other drug. The second most dangerous drug in America is tobacco. Cannabis barely makes the list. Sadly, the national epidemic of opioid addiction is driven by abuse of prescription drugs and drug-dumping by international drug cartels. In stark contrast, cannabis kills no one. In 2015 and 2016, the number of overdose deaths due to cannabis is zero. Alcohol and opioids kill, but cannabis heals.

Marijuana is Not, Repeat Not, a Gateway Drug . Newsweek, April 25, 2015.

Please keep all of these facts in mind when you cast your vote for legal cannabis in November. If you want Pueblo to become the cleanest, greenest, healthiest and wealthiest community on the front range, then vote no on Question 300 and Ordinance 200.

Tim McGettigan, PhD

Professor of Sociology

CSU-Pueblo

proftim@mail.com


war

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In his latest article, Kristof makes an emotionally powerful appeal for Obama to take in Syrian refugees. However, in doing so he compares the violence in Syria with the Nazi attempt to conquer the Western world. The truth is that the Syrian conflict, though often called a "civil war," is actually a case of a sovereign nation defending itself against an invasion of foreign terrorists sponsored by the US, Saudi Arabia and their allies.

The US government claims the right to topple the government of Syria for its own purposes, regardless of the effect on the civilian population. The claim of "humanitarian intervention" is unjustified either by the facts or international law. The effort is being led by a known al Qaeda affiliate, a fact not well concealed by claims about a mythical "moderate rebel" faction. It makes no sense to blame the resulting carnage on a government that is defending its sovereignty against a ruthless and brutal enemy.

Kristof's implied comparison of Assad to Hitler might be written off as a bad analogy, except that, almost as an afterthought, he chides Obama for not doing "more to end the slaughter." Since taking in more refugees would do nothing to ease the conflict, he must be referring to his previous arguments for a no-fly zone (here and here).

"Establishing a no-fly zone" means attacking the Syrian military. That's an act of war. Since neither we nor any NATO ally has been attacked by Syria, it would constitute another illegal war of aggression, much like Iraq. Vietnam might be a better comparison, since both involve baiting the targeted country, as the US did in the Gulf of Tonkin. There, as in Iraq, we went to war based on lies. Or perhaps Libya is the closest comparison, since the NATO attack on the Libyan people and government forces started with a no-fly zone. Although that war used the legal fig leaf of a UN resolution, a Syrian no-fly zone would not. Having been fooled into supporting one illegal NATO war, Russia and China will not support such a resolution again. If NATO acts unilaterally, it will be even more blatantly illegal than the attack on Libya. The results would be at least as disastrous.

A major difference between Vietnam and Syria is that Russia has combat troops in Syria. An attack could be construed as an attack against Russia, which is legally in the country at the request of the Syrian government. The US recently threatened to do just that when the Syrian Army bombed separatist Kurdish forces, with which US Special Forces were illegally embedded.

Clinton and other neocons seem unconcerned with the possibility of sparking a war with a nuclear-armed power. They are calling for a no-fly zone or even more aggressive actions. Trump would be under intense pressure to abandon his no-regime-change position and do the same. No one in the foreign policy establishment appears willing or able to question the groupthink under which it is operating.

Few in Congress seem to understand that most of the official statements coming from the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department and the intelligence community reflect a distorted, one-sided view of the conflict that ignores the facts, international law and common sense. It's our job to educate them and demand that the government attack the real roots of the terror in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel and Washington itself.



This article originally appeared on the website of Soldiers For Peace International. It may be reproduced, unedited and with attribution, 48 hours after it appears on this site.
The feral tabby cats Mary Ann Bors rescued sure lucked out. They now romp around a specially designed room inside Bors' Lake Oswego house, and they can take an elevated, screened walkway to a protected enclosure outdoors.

The tricked-out cat patio, also known as a catio, lets them breathe in fresh air while keeping them safe. They can't bother birds, and dogs, cars and other outdoor hazards can't harm them.

They slink through a catwalk, climb up trees and bounce around a hay bale hideout. The inside enclosure, about the size of a single car garage, is insulated and has heat in the winter and a fan for warm days. For more fun, there's even artwork on the walls depicting birds.

"The cats are well taken care of," says Bors.

Although she hired builders from Stoneridge Custom Development to create the indoor space and another contractor to erect the outdoor metal-and-wooden structure, a screened-in balcony was a DIY project. "A dedicated place for cats doesn't have to break the bank," she says, "and the cats just love it."

See for yourself. Bors' cat-centric spaces will be on the Portland Catio Tour, which takes place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10 ($10 donation, register at feralcats.com).

The eight catio stops were selected to inspire pet owners to build or buy an enclosure so felines can exercise and soak up the sun safely, says Alyssa Gillon of the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, which organized the fourth annual catio tour with the Audubon Society of Portland.

More catio coverage

Shading, aging in place ramps and stuff just for fun

View a photo gallery of

.

Here are cool features for your

. A suggestion: Just like you, cats like ventilation and their Cat TV (aka a view of the outdoors). Add toys, a litter box and monitor the weather: You might need a fan in the summer or a heater in the winter.

You and your cat can watch this together:

(photo gallery, video).

People will hear that free-roaming cats can get into a lot of trouble and housebound cats can get bored. In a catio, they can run, play out hunting instincts and snooze outside while staying out of harm's way from slobbery neighborhood dogs, distracted drivers and other potential predators.

The screened spaces can be elaborate, freestanding structures with sunbathing perches, ramps and spiral staircases, or a simple series of inexpensive wire cubes.

One catio on the tour was created entirely from salvaged bricks and repurposed materials from Goodwill and the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

As one owner says (which we find hard to believe): "Cats aren't too picky, they just like being outside."

This year's self-paced tour stops in Southeast Portland and the Lake Oswego area. There's even a catio on a floating home moored at the Oregon Yacht Club in the shadow of the Sellwood Bridge.

The catio tour is part of Portland Audubon's and the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon's Cats Safe at Home campaign, which addresses cat overpopulation and the need for cats to have a safe home.

--Janet Eastman

jeastman@oregonian.com

503-799-8739

@janeteastman




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In this Nov. 23, 2015, file photo, Sen. Jeff Flake, left, R-Ariz., speaks during a field hearing in Phoenix.

(The Associated Press)

By Jonathan Bernstein

One of the most encouraging signs in this often depressing election year is that more Republicans are stepping up to try save their party. Not only is Donald Trump the wrong choice for conservative Republicans, some are saying, but the reason Trump happened to the party in the first place is that the party has some serious problems.

These Republicans don't just write Trump off as a fluke of a nominee -- one who is hugely unpopular and has little or no commitment to party issues. They accept that he's part of a pattern of embarrassing candidates such as recent Senate nominees Todd Akin in Missouri, Christine O'Donnell in Delaware and Sharron Angle in Nevada.

Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse are among those who have faced up to the bigotry that Trump exploits and to the closed information loop that allows myths to flourish within the party. These and other voices hint at the possibility of a healthier Republican Party emerging from this debacle.

Another welcome sentiment comes from Steve Deace, a #NeverTrump talk-show host and author of a recent column titled "Conservative Media Needs To Do Its Job and Start Telling People the Truth." He's right that Republican-aligned media have spread too much misinformation. Unfortunately, he falls far short of arguing for the truth.

Instead, before making his strong indictment of Trump, he starts by repeating the myth that Republicans in Congress haven't opposed Barack Obama. Except for blocking Obama's Supreme Court nominee, he said, "it's tough to pinpoint exactly how things would be substantively different if Nancy Pelosi were speaker and Harry Reid the majority leader."

This is exactly the kind of mythology that makes Republican voters willing to support Trump.

If congressional Democrats had retained the majorities they held back in 2009-2010, they almost certainly would have passed comprehensive immigration reform, a climate change bill and even some sort of gun safety legislation. Democrats on appropriations committees would have spent more on domestic programs (no one would ever have heard of a sequester), and Democrats on the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance committees would probably have paid for that additional spending with additional taxes on the wealthy. The minimum wage would be higher. Obama's preschool and community-college initiatives would be law.

And not only would Democrats have confirmed a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia -- and Obama would likely have nominated someone younger and more liberal than Merrick Garland - but most of the current 11 vacancies in circuit courts and 72 vacancies in district courts would have been filled with confirmed judges. Instead, Deace makes the preposterous claim that Republicans "rubber-stamped all of Obama's administrative and lower court judicial appointments."

Granted, Democrats would have needed very large majorities to do all of the things I mentioned. And maybe one or more of the party's initiatives -- gun control? -- would have been derailed anyway. But can you seriously make the argument that the Republicans have not succeeded in shutting down Obama's legislative agenda? Or that Obama hasn't been just as successful at preventing Republicans from achieving all that they campaigned on?

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg View columnist covering U.S. politics. For more columns from Bloomberg View, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/view.

(c) 2016, Bloomberg View
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Fire pits, chairs, tents and garbage bags are common items found along some campground in the Springwater Corridor. Hundreds of people live along the 21-mile Springwater Corridor that stretches from downtown Portland through portions of Milwaukie and Gresham before ending in Boring in Clackamas County.

(Tony Hernandez/Staff)

Dan Floyd, chief operating officer for the Hood to Coast Race Series, explains in a recent Daily Astorian/Associated Press story that eliminating the Springwater Corridor from the race showcases Oregon in the best way possible because that portion of the trail "doesn't show who we are."

Unfortunately, it shows exactly who we are.

Mary Promisloff

Northwest Portland
Kevin Hart said while he still can't feel his legs, he can't wait to come back to Oregon next year for the 36th annual Hood to Coast Relay.

The actor and comedian posted a video to his Facebook page following the 198-mile relay, where he heaped praise on the event, the Pacific Northwest and the city of Portland.

"These people were about it," Hart said of the thousands of runners and race supporters in the 13-minute video. "These people were about that run life. I've never seen people more encouraging and more supportive of one another in my life."

Hart tells some interesting, and bizarre stories from the relay. For some reason, he took his sleeping bag into a Porta Potty "to stay warm." He said although he trained for the race he didn't understand how difficult it would be.

Comedian Kevin Hart makes celebrity appearance at Hood to Coast Relay https://t.co/v1KGvTQ65v pic.twitter.com/z47uI8fQAS  World Runners (@WorldRunners) August 28, 2016

Hart described the relay as "my Olympics."

At the end of the video, Hart continued to praise race organizers and the state, and said he "can't wait" to run again next year.

"This is the first of many," he said.

Check out the video: (Disclaimer: includes profanity)

A quick Recap of Hood To Coast Posted by Kevin Hart on Saturday, August 27, 2016

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister today visited Safdarjung Eye Centre at in Delhi to enquire about the welfare of Insha, a young Kashmiri girl who is undergoing treatment for pellet injuries.

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti requested doctors to make all possible efforts to restore the eyesight of Insha. (Photo: Ashraf Wani)

By Ashraf Wani: After 51 days of unrest in the Valley, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on yesterday reached out to a pellet gun victim in a Delhi hospital.

Mehbooba Mufti today visited Safdarjung Eye Centre at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi to enquire about the welfare of Insha, a young Kashmiri girl who is undergoing treatment for pellet injuries.

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The chief minister, while interacting with the doctors at AIIMS, requested them to make all possible efforts to restore the eyesight of the girl. "Even if she requires an eye transplant to make her see the world around again, the state government would provide full support for the same," she told the doctors.

CM PROMISES ALL POSSIBLE HELP TO INSHA

She assured the parents of Insha that the government would ensure best possible treatment, within or even outside the country, for their daughter.

Mufti also enquired about the welfare of a policeman, who was grievously injured during ongoing unrest and is undergoing treatment at AIIMS.

Fifteen-year-old insha, a 9th class student, got pellet injuries in her both eyes during clashes between protesters and security forces on July 9, 2016. Insha was hit by pellet when she was in her home in Sedew Village of Shopian district in South Kashmir.

Family lost all hopes when doctors in Srinagar said that her eyes had got completely damaged by pellet injury and it is difficult if she could ever get her eye sight back.

After the girl's pictures got viral on social medi,a Jammu and Kashmir government decided to help her family to get girl treated in AIMS, Delhi. Currently she is being treated there.

SOME PEOPLE ARE USING CHILDREN AS SHIELD DURING STONE PELTING: MUFTI



Mufti on Saturday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi to discuss Kashmir unrest. During her meet with the prime minister, Mufti said that some people are using children as shield during stone pelting incidents to fuel unrest in the Valley.

She visited one seriously injured eye patient in a Delhi hospital during her visit to the Capital city on Saturday.

More than 9000 people have been injured, including 4000 security personal, in the last 51 days of unrest and violence across Kashmir. Out of these hundreds of injured, about 500 have got injuries in their eyes and some of them are believed to be at the verge of losing their eye sight. Few critically injured persons where shifted to Delhi for special treatment by the state government.

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In her Independence Day speech, Mufti had made an emotional appeal to agitating youth to not to be misled and maintained that dialogue is the only way to resolve issues.

ALSO READ:

Mehbooba Mufti makes emotional appeal, says talks only way to resolve issues

Kashmir unrest: CM Mehbooba Mufti takes on Pakistan, separatists



--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Dubai, Aug 28 (PTI) Moved by reports of a man carrying his wifes body on his shoulder for burial in Odisha, the Bahrain government has reportedly offered to extend financial help to the grieving family.

The Indian embassy in Bahrain is, however, yet to receive an official confirmation from the office of Bahrain Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa about the amount.

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"The (Bahraini) prime minister responded to media reports on the episode and has made an offer for humanitarian assistance. He has decided to make a contribution but we have not yet received any official confirmation regarding the amount of money or when it will be made," sources in the Indian embassy in Bahrain said.

They said that should such a contribution be made, it will be channeled through the Bahraini embassy in Delhi.

A report in Gulf Daily News earlier said that the premier was upset by the news and he felt "he had to do something to help".

The report did not mention the sum the Bahraini premier plans to contribute.

On August 24 in Odishas backward Kalahandi district, Dana Manjhi was forced to carry his wifes body on his shoulder for 10 kilometres due to alleged lack of an ambulance.

Majhis 42-year-old wife died of tuberculosis a day before at the district hospital at Bhawanipatna. PTI CORR ABH SC ABH

--- ENDS ---
Its hard to believe some what was thought to be good medicine in the old days: bloodletting, a shot of whiskey to control pain, radiation treatment for controlling acne, radical mastectomies for small breast cancers, and many more. T

ime and science have led to better evidence-based exams and treatments to improve outcomes. Now many are questioning some longstanding practices we are currently using. Here are five that are under scrutiny.

Are pelvic exams needed during routine Ob/Gyn visits? The United States Preventive Services Task Force just issued guidelines saying there is insufficient evidence to recommend the routine use of pelvic examinations in asymptomatic, non-pregnant women. They found no studies evaluating the benefit in reducing morbidity (illness), mortality, or quality of life except for cervical cancer screening and the evaluation of infections. The American College of Physicians stated that theres no evidence the pelvic exam is useful in screening for malignancies (other than for cervical cancer with the pap smear) and may generate unnecessary discomfort which could lead to future delays in evaluation of significant symptoms in women. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology agrees about the limitations of the exam but still sees value, especially with genital tract problems, menstrual disorders, vaginal discharge, urinary incontinence, infertility, and pelvic pain.

When should cardiac stress tests be done to evaluate possible heart disease? In 2012, the USPSTF determined that low-risk (thats an important word) asymptomatic adults should not be regularly screened for coronary artery disease with either a resting or exercise electrocardiogram. There was insufficient evidence for them to comment on those who are intermediate or high risk patients. Although stress tests arent foolproof, they can help assess chest pain and also evaluate the effects of exercise on high risk patients, especially in sedentary patients desiring to start an exercise program.

Should you have a chest x-ray before a surgical procedure? Even the American College of Radiology recommends against it for average-risk patients since only 2% of those studies result in a change in treatment. As with all of these recommendations, each case must be evaluated individually. For chest and heart surgeries, smokers, or for those with symptoms, preoperative chest x-rays are still of value.What about CT scans for headaches and concussions? Sure seems logical that they would be of value, right? A study published in JAMA (2014) identified head CTs for headaches as one of the top five emergency medicine practices with little clinical value. Other groups concur that unless there are other neurological complaints or findings, there isnt much value. This includes The American Academy of Neurology, The American Headache Society, and The European Federation of the Neurological Societies. Unnecessary head CT scans cost almost $1 billion per year. CT scans are also greatly overused for mild head injuries. There are now templates for clinical decision making for doctors, but even these over indicate the need for a CT scan. The American College of Emergency Physicians and the CDC state that CTs are indicated with mild head trauma if there was loss of consciousness or memory and if headache or vomiting has occurred.

Weve all seen the postcards offering a variety of screening studies in one visit. Carotid artery ultrasound is always one of them. It evaluates narrowing of the carotid arteries that supply blood to the brain and tries to predict stroke risk. Should it be done? Not according to the USPSTF. It generates too many false-positives when the prevalence of significant disease is only 0.5-1 percent of the population. This leads to unneeded and invasive tests which can have severe consequences. Its a different story if a patient has symptoms. But, remember here (and with most of these recommendations), we are talking about asymptomatic patients. The American Heart Association and The American College of Cardiology still recommend screening for those at risk even without symptoms.

In the future (and not so far future) will we look at these five approaches to care as being totally unacceptable and a bit crazy? Maybe. But remember that we can only function with the best evidence available. We need to change as research indicates better ways. As technology has progressed, the art of medicine may have indeed regressed to our overdependence on procedures.

Another consideration is that Call Sam and Feiger Law are in the back of every clinicians head. We caretakers do not want to miss anything. We do care contrary to what the lawyers want you to believe. We do remember too when we missed the one-in-a-million diagnosis. When it comes to one-on-one, doctor to patient, sometimes we have to cover all the bases. The patient is placing his/her life in the doctors hands. The patient wants an all-out effort. Yet, sometimes, more might not be better. Guidelines are guidelinesand the art of medicine will bend them as needed.

Dr. John L. Pfenningers column appears on Sundays. His office, Medical Procedures Center, is located in Midland.
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce estimates 110,000 homes were damaged during the heavy flooding in Louisiana.

That means a lot of families are in need of help  and a lot of volunteers are also needed.

However, traveling to the Deep South isnt something that everyone can do. The American Red Cross is trying new a new method to meet the needs of those suffering from the heavy flooding.

The situation in Louisiana remains critical and so does our need to adapt by recruiting a new breed of volunteers  virtual volunteers, said Kimberly Burton, American Red Cross of Michigans Regional CEO. Im urging Michiganders to please consider becoming a new virtual volunteer. People desperately need help right now. By working from the comfort of your own home here in Michigan, you can make a real difference for people in Louisiana who have lost theirs.

Volunteers can support efforts from Midland (or anywhere connected) and provide much-needed services. Opportunities include virtual case worker and call center positions. More than 17,000 calls from people seeking information and help have already been handled.

To join this effort, visit redcross.org to learn about virtual and traditional volunteer opportunities and submit an application.

In addition, monetary donations are needed.

Lets use technology to help those suffering from this flood. It is a great way for support to reach all the way from Michigan to Louisiana.
Not exactly sure when it all started, but it is quite apparent that Republicans have had a long-standing problem with what only can be described as political cannibalism.

They are experts in devouring their own kind. Chew them up, spit them out.

Not behind the scenes stuff. Its public humiliation. The whole world is able to witness their in-fighting, name-calling and political distancing like its a prime time television show.

The Tea Party.

Donald Trump.

Ted Cruz.

Sarah Palin.

The list goes on. Republicans are tougher on their own than they are on their political opponents, and that just doesnt make sense.

Do you see that coming from Democrats? Youre never supposed to say never, but its pretty darn close to never.

Look at whats been happening to Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Partys presidential candidate. Shes got more dirt on her than a West Virginia coal miner, but Democrats stay mum and dont criticize her publicly over her email scandal, issues with the Clinton Foundation and her disconnect with the public about being an honest person. If you listened to Democrats talk about her, youd think shes Mother Theresa.

Can you think of one Democratic politician whos gone public with complaints or concerns about Clinton ever since she won the partys nomination? Youd be hard-pressed to come up with a name. They stay unified  and save their most critical comments for the opposition.

Now, lets turn our attention the Republican Partys nominee  Donald Trump.

Where do we begin? The list is incredibly long. Lets start with Mitt Romney, a fellow Republican, who ran against President Obama in 2012. Romney was roundly criticized for taking it easy on Obama during their campaign, but when it comes to The Donald, Romney is a bare-knuckled brawler. In an interview this summer, Romney said about a Trump presidency: I dont want to see trickle-down racism. I dont want to see a president of the United States saying things which change the character of the generations of Americans that are following.

Ex-Republican presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush wont publicly endorse Trump.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has publicly rebuked Trump over comments that hes made about immigration. Cruz, of course, famously dodged endorsing Trump at the Republican convention.

A group of 50 senior national security officials, all alums of Republican presidential administrations, wrote a public letter warning that Trump would risk our countrys national security and well-being. All of the letters signatories said they will not vote for him.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced in a Washington Post op-ed that she will not vote for Trump, either. Shes the sixth GOP senator to take that stand.

Ex-Michigan Republican Gov. William Milliken  along with former New Hampshire Sen. Gordon Humphrey  backed Clinton for president.

This Republican mindset is not just about Trump, either. They squabble over whos more conservative, whos a moderate and whos an establishment candidate. Democrats hardly ever have that type of public argument. They rarely characterize or scrutinize how liberal-minded their own candidates policies are (that is until Bernie Sanders arrived on the scene).

This Republican loathing is not just reserved for the partys high-profile members. Ive encountered local Republicans who get very aggressive when criticizing one of their partys own candidates. Would they be this aggressive in attacking a Democrat? Probably not.

Truth be told, Republicans make themselves an easy target because they show great political courage in rebuking their own, but when it comes to confronting the opposition, they have a tendency to back off and appear weak-willed. They just dont have the same feistiness or tenacity in taking on Democrats. Maybe thats another reason why Trump makes so many Republicans feel uncomfortable. Hes a brawler. He wont back down  from in-party attacks or from Democrats. For all his faults, thats a trait that many Republicans probably secretly admire.

What Republicans have lost sight of is Ronald Reagans famous comment about criticizing a fellow Republican, the so-called 11th Commandment.

To quote Reagan: The personal attacks against me during the primary (when I ran for governor of California) finally became so heavy that the state Republican chairman, Gaylord Parkinson, postulated what he called the Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican. Its a rule I followed during that campaign and have ever since.

You know who practices the 11th Commandment? Democrats.

Indeed, Republicans have strayed mightily from Reagans political rule, and, as a result, it could end up costing them another presidential election in November.

Chris Stevens writes columns for the editorial page. Email him at stevens@mdn.net
NORMAL  Illinois State University students returned last week to find uptown Normal very different than it was this spring.

Since March, one business has moved in, one has remodeled, one has left, one has closed and two apartments have opened. This fall, a business will move, a pop-up store will open and another business will close.

New store

Gavina Graphics, a Charleston-based screenprinting company, opened an ISU retail store at 202 W. North St. Suite 106 in the last week of March, and business is booming, said manager Kristen Clark.

The store has six employees, not including Clark. It's the first satellite location for Gavina, which started at Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, more than a decade ago.

"Being on a larger campus is pretty exciting," she said. "Our location is perfect."

Remodeling

Chain calzone restaurant D.P. Dough at 121 E. Beaufort St. has a much bigger and more attractive dining room after closing for five separate weeks over three months to remodel, said owner Ryan Fiala.

"We gutted the whole location and redesigned it," he said of the $300,000 investment. "We added at least 10 seats."

The restaurant reconfigured its kitchen and added a second cash register, which Fiala said is crucial because of late-night university customers. He estimated the restaurant loses a third of its business over the summer.

"We custom-built a lot of the furniture and bolted it to the floor," he said of remodeling. "It's been a fun process."

Left uptown

It just made sense to change North Street Tattoo Co. to Illinois Tattoo Co. when it moved from 112 W. North St. to downtown Bloomington, said owner Chad Ramsey.

We doubled the square footage here, said Ramsey of the move, from 1,400 square feet to 3,000. We were just outgrowing that spot.

The move happened by chance. Ramsey, a former North Street employee, was planning to spin off his own studio when North Street owner Steve McClintock decided to close his studio. Ramsey now employs McClintock and the former North Street team at 109 W. Monroe St.

Closed

It's Poppin' Gourmet Popcorn. 120 E. Beaufort St., shut down in March.

Sylvester Davis and Christoper Gratkins started the business at 1520 E. College Ave. in 2012. It moved to uptown in 2015 and had six part-time employees.

Davis and Gratkins could not be reached for comment.

"They just couldnt make it go, said Joe Tulley, who works for the town of Normal as uptown manager.

New apartments

Above what will be the new Beyond Normal store at 112 W. North St. are two new apartments owned and renovated this summer by Jason Barickman, a real estate investor and state senator, and his brother, Joel.

Several hundred thousand dollars in renovations wrapped up last week, and tenants moved in a few days later. At least one tenant is not a student.

"There is an opportunity, primarily with young professionals but not exclusively, to provide housing opportunities in uptown, said Jason Barickman. Lots of people would want to live right in the middle of all of this.

Upcoming move

Gift store Beyond Normal is beyond thrilled to move from 112 E. Beaufort St. to 112 W. North St. next month, said owner Joyce Hightower. The current location will close Sept. 6; the new one is expected to open Sept. 10.

"We'll be able to expand quite a bit," she said of the new store  1,800 square feet, versus 920 at the current location. "We'll have the opportunity to have more vintage furniture pieces, and we're going to kick off an estate sale business."

The store will expand its hours to seven days a week, open from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, and will add one part-time employee.

Pop-up store

Products from HGTV's "Fixer Upper" reality show will be sold at a temporary store called Magnolia on Beaufort starting next month.

The storefront at 112 E. Beaufort St. will be vacant after Beyond Normal moves. Fabulous Affairs, a locally owned bridal and gift shop at 110 E. Beaufort St., will operate Magnolia on Beaufort through mid-January with four part-time employees.

Tulley said the building's next long-term tenant has not been finalized.

Upcoming closure

Acme Comics, 115 W. North St., will close Oct. 31 after 23 years in business. Owner Jim Schifeling is retiring from comic book sales, and he's not interested in passing on the store to a successor, he said.
NORMAL  A center that's become a home away from home for active seniors will become a home Monday for two organizations that try to keep older adults living independently.

Faith in Action and Illinois State University's Speech and Hearing Clinic are opening at the Activity and Recreation Center (ARC), 600 E. Willow St., Normal. Faith in Action is moving from 705 E. Lincoln St., Normal, and the speech and hearing clinic, in ISU's Fairchild Hall, is adding a second location.

"It's such a blessing to be able to work inside the Activity and Recreation Center," said Faith in Action Director Doretta Herr. "We will increase our visibility to potential volunteers and potential care receivers. It's just a good fit."

Kelly Pyle, the clinic's director of clinical experiences for audiology, called the expansion "a win-win for the university and the community."

"It's important to be sure people have access to hearing health care and we'll be near people of the population who might have hearing loss," Pyle said.

"It should be beneficial to all of us," added Rich Farr, supervisor of Normal Township that owns and operates the ARC.

Pyle is excited to offer services including hearing examinations and hearing aid fittings and repairs in a more visible location than Fairchild Hall. Services will be available two days a week by appointment. The phone number is 309-438-8641.

Even people who aren't sure they're experiencing early signs of hearing loss  ringing or buzzing in the ears, difficulty hearing over background noise and frequently asking others to repeat themselves  can benefit from a hearing exam, Pyle said.

"People on average wait eight years from noticing signs of hearing loss to actually acting and hearing loss leads to more social isolation, which can be linked to other health conditions," Pyle said.

For Faith in Action, the move comes as ARC and the agency are growing.

The ARC, which opened in April, includes a fitness center, walking track, group exercise classes, art programs, a coffee shop, and recreation activities.

"It's kind of become a one-stop place for senior services," Farr said.

When the township operated its senior programs at 1110 E. Douglas St., Farr estimated that 500 to 600 older adults were involved. Four months after moving into the ARC, the center has 2,200 members, Farr said.

Meanwhile, Faith in Action has grown from 484 care receivers in February  when it announced the move to the ARC  to 539 care receivers.

Faith in Action volunteers drive seniors to medical appointments and grocery shopping in the Bloomington-Normal, Heyworth, Hudson and Towanda areas.

"We're trying to cover more of the rural areas," Herr said.

Meanwhile, the number of volunteers declined from 340 in February to 317, Herr said.

"Some volunteers started with us a decade ago and are stepping back," Herr said. "Some have become care receivers. We always are in need of volunteers.

"Being in the ARC will increase our visibility."

Faith in Action raised $25,990 for the move and to cover rent for six years. The agency, with a yearly operating budget of $150,000 and four part-time employees, receives no state or federal money, instead relying on donations  especially from church congregations  along with grants from United Way of McLean County and Illinois Prairie Community Foundation.

Faith in Action will have an open house at its new location from 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 22.

Derek Beigh contributed to this report.
The resolution, tabled by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Muhammad Khan Lehri, was supported by all political parties, Dawn online reported.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Balochistan Assembly has adopted a unanimous resolution condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his statement about the Pakistani province during his Independence Day speech on August 15.

The resolution, tabled by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker Muhammad Khan Lehri, was supported by all political parties, Dawn online reported.

Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri signed the condemnation resolution.

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THE RESOLUTION



"Modi's statement about Balochistan has proved that terrorism in the province was clearly sponsored by India," the resolution said.

Commenting on the resolution, Lehri said: "Modi has violated the sovereignty of Pakistan and the United Nations charter in this regard."

"Modi gave such statement to divert world's attention from Kashmir," Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said.

National Party leader Sardar Aslam Bizenjo condemned the statement and urged all political forces to get united to foil designs of the enemies of Pakistan.

"We stand united for Pakistan," he said.

The house had earlier adopted a condemnation resolution against Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain with regard to national institutions and against the stability of Pakistan.

ALSO READ:

PM Modi's Independence Day speech: Top 10 quotes

Independence Day: Unity in diversity essence of Indian culture, no place for violence or atrocities, says PM Modi



--- ENDS ---
PONTIAC  Steps to improve mental health care in Illinois prisons may be happening too fast and putting correctional officers at risk, according to Pontiac Correctional Center workers who are angry about a recent incident that sent six officers to the hospital.

"We have not been trained to deal with those types of inmates. It's a more dangerous place to work now," said corrections officer Tracey Nodine during an informational picket Friday in front of the prison. "The inmates let us go home every day. They could take over any time."

New policies mandated by a lawsuit settlement reached in federal court in January between the Illinois Department of Corrections and mentally ill inmates have changed the procedures officers use on a day-to-day basis to control and discipline the inmate population.

IDOC also has a $100 million plan to build four mental health residential treatment units and add hundreds of mental health workers  a plan developed without input from officers who work closely with inmates, said Tim Bowden, secretary of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 494, which represents about 600 Pontiac prison workers.

Substantial cuts in the segregation time for some inmates, for example, has put some inmates into general population where they are hard to manage, Bowden said.

"I don't agree with the big segregation cuts for inmates with a history of violence. Something needs to change or what happened Aug. 21 will happen again," said Bowden, who said he has been assaulted by inmates eight times this year.

Lt. James Boland suffered a contusion on his head during the Aug. 21 incident involving five inmates in the east cell house where about 400 inmates are housed.

Boland said he was injured when while trying to assist another officer by restraining the inmate who started the altercation. The officer said the inmate was transferred to Pontiac's maximum-security prison from the now-shuttered super-maximum Tamms Correctional Center, which housed the state's most violent offenders, including many who were seriously mentally ill, until its closure in 2013.

In a letter to prison supervisors obtained by The Pantagraph, IDOC Director John Baldwin repeated a claim made earlier last week by his administration that the Aug. 21 altercation was caused by an officer failing to follow safety procedures.

He said the incident began because an officer chose the wrong place and wrong time to tell an inmate he was in trouble for having contraband in his cell.

The contraband reportedly was found and removed from an inmate's cell while he and other inmates were in the yard.

"The lieutenant, who was struck first, told investigators that the offender was confronted while in line entering the cell house and given the shakedown slip cataloging various items of contraband seized from the offender's cell. The offender reacted by striking the Lieutenant," said the letter.

The delivery of such negative messages to inmates should be done in a secure environment and not when they are being moved in a line, said Baldwin.

Joe Lewis, president of the union local, called Baldwin's characterization of the incident as "false beyond belief" and challenged the director's statement that there is a procedure requiring the delivery of negative news in an inmate's cell.

Alleged policy breaches aside, "an inmate never has the right to assault an officer," said Lewis.

Baldwin said reports from the incident have been referred to the Livingston County state's attorney's office for possible charges against the inmates.

Union workers acknowledge that the cultural change mandated by the lawsuit settlement has not been easy for staff in the massive prison system that includes 1,900 inmates in Pontiac.

Victoria Zimmerli, a guard for more than seven years at Pontiac, said carrying for mentally ill prisoners is a challenge.

"They are very unpredictable. We've been turned into a mental health unit," said Zimmerli.

Bowden supports reopening Tamms for violent offenders.

Tom Shaer, IDOC director of communications in 2013 when Tamms prisoners were integrated into Pontiac, said Friday that data collected two years after the prison closure showed Tamms' inmates were "no more likely to be involved in trouble that others - in fact, they were proportionately less involved."

Union members have called on IDOC administrative staff members to come to Pontiac and see firsthand the challenges faced by officers.

"I want them to come down here and walk with an officer for a day. They need to see what we deal with," said Nodine.
NORMAL  Improvements to bus crowding and scrambled routes in McLean County Unit 5 will begin Monday, according to Superintendent Mark Daniel and First Student Area General Manager Bob Rutkoski.

Also starting Monday, the district will implement a new after-hours phone answering system, available until 6 p.m., to take questions or concerns. The number is 309-557-4800.

These will be Unit 5 people who are familiar with busing and working with families, said Dayna Brown, Unit 5 director of communication and community relations.

Rutkoski asked for parents to not expect perfection come Monday, but improvement.

Our message to the community as a whole: We hear you," he said. "We know they didnt get the start up they deserved. We are working hard for them."

Daniel told a room of frustrated parents Wednesday that improvements would begin Thursday afternoon, but said Friday, We delayed any routing changes until Monday. It takes 24 hours for Skyward to upload any changes and we wanted to make sure parents were aware far enough in advance.

District officials said they were assured by First Student that the original plan would be sufficient prior to the first day of school.

We spent many months working on this project in partnership with the district," said Rutkoski. "We routed phantom routes with assumed ridership. Those plans were then checked by a third party, VersaTrans, who confirmed the assumptions.

He said the changes to start and dismissal times formed the perfect storm because the adjustments changed assumed ridership.

We immediately had to figure out how to utilize the same fleet to fix overcrowding issues and late buses, said Rutkoski.

First Student employees have been working overtime this week, said Rutkoski, to clean up routes by Monday. The improved routes should be posted in the online system for parents to view by the weekend.

When you have 40 students in a 73-passenger bus, you route it to pick up more students at one stop and relieve a bus at another. Thats what we are doing. Were looking at known ridership now, he said.

Daniel said the first step was to address overcrowding issues on buses because of the safety concerns. He said administrators have been checking buses to ensure everyone has a proper seat. The next item of importance is limiting the amount of time students, especially elementary students, ride a bus.

Late bus arrivals will be announced over a building intercom, said Daniel, and teachers are expected to be understanding of students late to class.

On Friday, Rutkoski said that 21 First Student bus drivers for Unit 5 called in sick.

If the district was operating these routes on their own and 21 drivers called in sick, they would be dead in the water, he said. The footprint from First Student means we can bring in substitute drivers from other locations so we dont have a total stop of work.

He said the company called in drivers from Bartonville, Joliet and even Wisconsin to help.

Our drivers are professionals. I have total faith in them, he said.
A new state law taking effect in January will give a big price break to emergency response agencies that will be able to treat patients with severe allergic reactions with a syringe, rather than the widely used EpiPen, whose sudden rise in cost has caused outrage across the country.

The measure, sponsored by GOP state Sen. Chapin Rose of Mahomet, comes as Mylan, the maker of the EpiPen, is facing increased scrutiny from the federal government over the sticker-shock price hike.

The cost of a two-dose package of EpiPens  there were 3.6 million prescriptions filled last year  has jumped from less than $100 nine years ago to more than $600 in May.

While the new Illilnois law is certainly good news for first responders, families and others who need EpiPens available at a moment's notice are victims of Mylan's price gouging.

And, Congress  Democrats and Republicans alike  are rightfully demanding answers. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., has asked the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to hold a hearing on the issue.

That's at least a start because the skyrocketing price could mean some families who rely on the product to ward off potentially fatal allergic reactions cannot afford it any longer. We're talking about millions of adults and kids, who suffer from severe allergies to bee stings, spider bites and foods like nuts and eggs.

Mylan is feeling the hit. At one point last week, its stock fell $2, or 4 percent, following the growing discontent.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has written Mylan, citing the cost to parents whose children need EpiPens, and also to schools that keep EpiPens on hand.

He said the school costs are being passed onto taxpayers.

In response, the company said most customers have insurance that covers the cost, or most of it, that it was doubling eligibility for a patient assistance program and offering a savings card for eligible patients, who could save money by ordering medicine directly from the company.

It stopped short, however, of actually lowering the price.

And, that's really the point.

In the U.S., drug manufacturers charge what they think the market will bear. Unlike other countries, the U.S. government doesn't regulate drug prices, though the Veterans Affairs and Medicaid negotiate big discounts. Mylan hasn't answered questions about how it justifies its price hikes, including for the EpiPen that has virtually no competition in the U.S.

The simplest reason is to make more money, which only fuels the widespread belief that drug companies are only interested in turning massive profits. After all, the EpiPen is basically the same product it was when it came on the market. No doubt, EpiPens are a valuable product, likely saving millions of lives over the years.

But Mylan shouldn't be allowed to jack up its price just because it can.

We urge Congress, and particularly our area lawmakers, to get answers to the questions being asked.
Iran Arrests a 'Spy' Who Helped Negotiate a Landmark Nuclear Deal

08/28/16

Source: VOA

Iran has arrested a member of a team that played a role in negotiating a milestone nuclear agreement with world powers. According to IRNA, Iran's state media, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said Sunday that a "spy who had infiltrated the nuclear team" was released on bail after being held in jail for a few days.



FILE - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (2nd left) with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (2nd from right) at the nuclear negotiations in Vienna, Austria in July 2015.



The negotiator's identity was not disclosed but Ejei said he is still under investigation.

Last year Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from most global economic sanctions. The deal is opposed by many hardliners who view it as a concession to the United States.

On Wednesday, hard line news organizations reported Iranian officials apprehended dual Iranian-Canadian national Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani. He was a member of a team that negotiated the lifting sanctions against Iran under one of the primary negotiators of last year's nuclear pact.

In response to Wednesday's hard line media reports, Iran's state media quoted Ejei Sunday as saying, "The report is correct. He was released on bail. Yet, his charge is not proved."

Why Esfahani is being investigated is not clear. But people with dual nationalities have been more frequently targeted by Iranian security forces since the nuclear deal was reached last year.
Iranian Official Admits Executions Haven't Slowed Drug Trafficking

08/28/16

Source: RFE/RL

A top Iranian judiciary official says the death penalty hasn't deterred drug trafficking, which is in fact on the rise. "The truth is, the execution of drug smugglers has had no deterrent effect," Mohammad Baqer Olfat, deputy head of judiciary for social affairs, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency on August 27.



cartoon by Firoozeh Mozaffari, Iranian daily Etemad



Olfat said he had suggested to the judiciary chief that rather than the death penalty, traffickers should serve long prison terms with hard labor.

"We have fought full-force against smugglers according to the law, but unfortunately we are experiencing an increase in the volume of drugs trafficked to Iran, the transit of drugs through the country, the variety of drugs, and the number of people who are involved in it," Olfat said.

Iran carries out more executions per capita than any other country. Nearly 1,000 prisoners were put to death in 2015, most of them for drug trafficking.

The Islamic Republic seized 388 tons of opium in 2012, around 72 percent of all such seizures globally, but says it has lost many security personnel in skirmishes with drug traffickers in volatile regions bordering Afghanistan and also Pakistan.

The United Nations has repeatedly praised Iran's battle against narcotics trafficking but opposed its death penalty.

The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Iran urged Tehran on August 26 to halt the execution of 12 people on drug-related offenses scheduled for August 27.

"It is regrettable that the [Iranian] government continues to proceed with executions for crimes that do not meet the threshold of the 'most serious crimes' as required by international law," Ahmed Shaheed said in a statement.

With reporting by dpa and Reuters

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
As we get closer to the Championship, see how the action will take place!
Businesses in California should check employee contract arbitration language that forbids class-action lawsuits, after the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled such agreements violate labor law if signed as a condition of being hired.

The Ninth Circuit panel ruled 2-1 in Morris v. Ernst & Young that signing an arbitration agreement waiving pursuit of claims collectively or in a class action as a condition of employment violates the National Labor Relations Act.

That Aug. 22 ruling applied a controversial 2012 National Labor Relations Board decision, known by the case name of D.L. Horton. It has not done well with other federal appellate circuits, notes Robin E. Largent, a Sacramento-based attorney with the Carothers, DiSante and Freudenberger law firm.

Efforts to apply the Horton ruling have failed in cases before the Second, Fifth, and Eighth Circuit courts of appeal, with only the Seventh Circuit recently issuing a favorable ruling.

Largent said that split among circuits will likely take at least one of the cases to the U.S. Supreme Court, which has given extra time to review petitions to be filed in the cases from the Seventh and Second districts.

She noted that Horton also has not found friendly territory in California state courts, which have turned aside challenges based on it and upheld the class-action waivers, saying they do not violate the NLRA.

But while the Ninth Circuit has the minority view among circuits, its rulings always land with a bigger impact. The nations largest circuits decisions affect federal courts in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii.

The case involved two employees of the Ernst & Young accounting firm. Each had signed agreements not to join with other employees in bringing legal action against the company  concerted action  and to pursue any disputes with the company only through arbitration.

But the two employees did join in their claim that Ernst & Young had misclassified them, and similar employees, to avoid paying overtime. And they took the action to federal court, not an arbitrator.

A ban on the pursuit of concerted work-related legal claims interferes with a core, substantive right, the court majority ruled. It also said an employer may not condition employment on the requirement that an employee sign such an agreement.

One member of the three-judge panel dissented, calling the ruling breathtaking in its scope and in its error.

Attorneys for Ernst & Young can seek a rehearing by a larger panel of Ninth Circuit judges, or also petition the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the meantime, businesses in California and other affected states will have to check where they are in the midstream of this legal high water, Largent said in a phone interview.

Among the things she said to consider:

 While untested in court, make the arbitration and collective action contract voluntary rather than mandatory for employment. There is some potential that if employers change their practices and allow employees to opt out of the agreement, that may be enough to get around the ruling, she said.

 If an action that could be affected by the Ninth Circuit ruling happens to be in state court, see what can be done to keep it there, rather than have it removed to federal courts.

 If a plaintiff took a complaint based on Horton to the NLRB and prevails, take the appeal to a friendlier circuit, if the business has the geographic breadth to do so.

With the dissent (in Morris v. Ernst & Young), it increases the possibility of an en banc review by a large panel of Ninth Circuit judges, Largent said. And then theres what the Supreme Court might dobut thats reading a lot of tea leaves.

Contact the writer: rdeatley@scng.com or 951-368-9573
In perhaps a sign Hemets downtown is building economic muscle, a sandwich and coffee shop that opened two years ago not only has survived but also just doubled in size.

Following an opening that exceeded expectations, Steve and Karen Covington decided to knock down a wall at their Downtown Deli & Coffee Co. at 113 N. Harvard St. and expand into the suite next door. On Aug. 19  two days after the shops anniversary date  they unveiled a 2,500-square-foot eatery with twice as many tables and chairs.

It was a smart business move as far as Sierra Leuty of Hemet is concerned.

Standing in line to order lunch last week at an establishment accented by a fireplace, red-brick wall and Starbucks-like seating arrangement  tables interspersed with couches, easy chairs and rustic wooden benches  the 20-year-old math aide for Springs Charter School said the extra space clearly was needed.

There were days when it was out the door with people lined up, Leuty said.

Boyfriend Oscar Maria, 25, an English teacher at the school, gave a thumbs-up, too. The restaurant is special to the young couple; thats where they had their first date in March.

Dream come true

The expansion isnt the only sign of life in the historic commercial district.

Other shops  including a bakery, Mexican restaurant and upscale salon  are flourishing. Its hard, if not impossible, to find a parking spot on Harvard Street. And the Covingtons arent the only ones who decided recently to set up shop there rather than lease newer space elsewhere in the San Jacinto Valley.

Just over a year ago, Robyn Wilder moved her RK Salon next door to the sandwich shop. In April 2015, the Diamond Valley Arts Council moved two doors down.

I love it, love it, love it down here, Wilder said the other day after freshening up a young womans hairdo. This is like a dream come true for me.

Wilder said it was a risk to locate downtown. But she is confident the business gamble will pay off and is encouraged by the citys commitment to making the area vibrant again.

Weve seen businesses open and close, she said. Were all hopeful that this is going to stay open.

Foot traffic

Theres no question the arts council made the right decision, said Elena Kern, treasurer for the Diamond Valley board. At its former home in San Jacinto, she said, no one seemed to know the group was there.

Now we have all kinds of foot traffic, Kern said. And the street is really beginning to blossom.

Long discussed in the community at the base of the San Jacinto Mountains, downtown revitalization has become a focus of late as the city pursues a downtown specific plan.

A draft blueprint for a wide area extending beyond the traditional downtown, from Oakland Avenue to Acacia Avenue and from Gilbert Street to Santa Fe Street, came out in the spring. Mayor Bonnie Wright said a final plan should arrive by late fall.

There is talk of making downtown more conducive to walking by widening sidewalks, eliminating some parking and adding one-way streets. Harvard Street, the center of activity, is already a one-way street.

Picture on the wall

And Wright said its encouraging that revitalization is already underway on Harvard, thanks to the commitment of entrepreneurs.

Were excited about it, Wright said. We were surprised that the Downtown Deli was expanding so quickly, but were pleased by that.

It seemed like the eatery pulled off the expansion in record time, she added.

Steve Covington said he was determined to limit the construction impact. He closed three hours early on a Wednesday, operated normal hours on Thursday with an area roped off, then unveiled the new Downtown Deli the next day.

Bonnie Wright, the mayor, was actually our first customer that morning. She was out there at 6:55, Covington said.

The pictures on the new red-brick wall caught the attention of Bob and Carol Wyatt last week  especially one of the historic downtown theater.

We used to go to that theater, said Carol Wyatt, 75. We dated at that theater, until the drive-in got going. Thats all there was to do in Hemet  go to the movies.

The Hemet High School sweethearts dine at the Downtown Deli regularly. But for the first time they were joined by Bob Wyatts younger sister, Becky Atilano, 76, of Idyllwild, and brother, Richard Wyatt, 58, of Hemet.

I love the decor, Atilano said. This is my kind of atmosphere. Its really eclectic.

The big picture

As for Covington, the expansion wasnt only about creating a more inviting atmosphere  it was an absolute necessity.

When we opened, we didnt expect to have the crowds that we had, Covington said. At lunchtime, it would be an absolute madhouse in here. People would just walk out the door because there was no place to sit. We have outdoor seating, but who wants to sit outside when its 115 degrees?

At the same time, Covington is glad to do his part to boost his beloved hometown.

I see what the big picture is, and downtowns going to be a big part of it, he said. Im in it for the long haul.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9699 or ddowney@scng.com
Modi's statement on Balochistan has only led political forces in the province to close ranks against the insurgents.

India has always denied allegations that it is engaged in a covert war in Pakistan's troubled western province of Balochistan. But in Pakistan's view, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day statement has negated India's claim of innocence.

The Indian prime minister had upped the ante by accusing Pakistan of committing atrocities in Balochistan, and promising to raise the issue at international forums. Imagine that: a serving Indian prime minister raising human rights issues about the very part of Pakistan's territory that it alleges India is interfering in.

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This perceived diplomatic indiscretion, seen as meddling in Pakistan's internal problems, inevitably provoked strong reactions from both the civil and military leadership. Most observers believe it was a calculated move by Modi to deflect growing international concern over the ruthless use of force by his government in the parts of Kashmir under Indian control.

"Perhaps Mr Modi should have considered the dismal path he has ventured down. When Balochistan is raised by India, Pakistan can counter with the instability and state-inflicted violence in northeast India. It is a path of senseless accusations and recriminations. India and Pakistan surely deserve better," reads an editorial in Dawn, the country's most respected liberal newspaper.

A Baloch militant in custody. Photo: Alamy

Interestingly, India had, until now, refused to even discuss the allegations of fuelling trouble in Balochistan, allegations that Pakistan had often raised in bilateral meetings. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh was even castigated by the Opposition when he agreed to his Pakistani counterpart's request to include the issue in the dialogue process. No wonder Modi's statement has taken Pakistani officials by surprise.

Pakistan's allegations have become louder over the past few years, despite the success of security forces in containing the insurgent violence and political instability in the province. Earlier this year, Pakistan claimed to have arrested an Indian spy in Balochistan. Kulbhushan Jadhav, a suspected RAW agent, was alleged to have been involved in subversive activities in that province and in some other parts of the country.

Modi's statement came days after a deadly suicide bombing in Quetta that killed more than 75 people. One of the most gruesome terrorist attacks in the city, it wiped out almost an entire generation of lawyers. The attack took place when the lawyers had gathered at a hospital where the body of the president of the provincial bar association-who had been assassinated that very morning-had been brought.

An obscure militant group, the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), claimed responsibility for the attack. Most of the group's militants and its leaders are believed to have taken sanctuary across the border in eastern Afghanistan after fleeing a military operation in FATA. Within hours of the attack, security officials, as well as members of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's party were pointing fingers at India, alleging that attempts were being made to derail the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

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Quetta has been drenched in blood many times over in the past 10 years, leaving thousands of people dead. Most of the previous terrorist attacks had targeted the Hazara Shia community. Although there has been a marked decline in incidents of sectarian violence in the city following a crackdown on some extremist groups, targeted killings and IED attacks on security forces have spiralled in recent months. Most of these incidents are blamed on Balochi separatist groups.

What makes Balochistan's terror maze more complex is the presence of all kinds of militant groups, ranging from sectarian to separatist. The footprints of Al Qaeda and IS have also been spotted here: these global terrorist networks have found natural allies among local Sunni extremist groups. In fact, the province has become a major recruiting ground for IS.

Whatever the Indian prime minister meant, soon after his statement, Brahmdagh Bugti, the Baloch rebel leader who currently lives in self-imposed exile in Switzerland, thanked Modi for his support on Balochistan.

Until recently, Brahmdagh (whose exile followed the 2006 killing of his grandfather Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, one of the most powerful tribal chieftains and a former governor, in a military operation) was willing to talk with the Pakistani authorities in order to seek an end to bloodshed in the province. Pakistani officials view the manner in which the separatist leader hurriedly thanked Modi as evidence of a choreographed move.

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The separatists have reason for desperate measures: they have recently lost a lot of ground because of the return of Balochi nationalist groups to the political process. The provincial government was until recently led by the National Party, the most powerful nationalist group, led by former chief minister Abdul Malik. The party is part of the coalition governments both in the province as well as at the centre.

Now with a democratically elected nationalist government seeking a political resolution of the Balochistan crisis, it is certainly not a happy situation for the 'rejectionists'. The separatists tried to disrupt the 2013 elections, which they believed would damage their cause. But they failed to stop the people from voting.

Two women activists of the Baloch nationalist movement during a protest rally

In this context, the recent escalation in terrorist attacks is clearly meant to sabotage the government's offers of dialogue. Such terrorist actions may create problems for the nationalists and strengthen the elements within the security agencies advocating the use of brute force to crush the insurgents. There appears to be no connection between the Islamic militants and the Baloch separatists. But both groups seek to destabilise the democratic process and embarrass the nationalist-led provincial government.

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It is true that Balochi people have genuine grievances toward Islamabad but most nationalist leaders believe India's meddling will only complicate matters.Since Balochistan became part of Pakistan some 70 years ago, Baloch nationalists have led four insurgencies-in 1948, 1958-59, 1962-63 and 1973-77-which were suppressed by the state with some severity. The killing of Akbar Bugti in 2006 triggered another insurgency. Although, like in the past, the separatist movement is led mainly by tribal leaders, it draws support from among the educated middle-class youth.

The end of General Zia-ul Haq's 10-year-long military rule and the revival of the democratic process in 1988 brought the Balochi nationalists into the political mainstream. Although their major demands relating to gas royalties and the allocation of federal resources remained unfulfilled, democracy provided the Balochi population with at least a sense of political participation.

But the return of military rule in 1999 ended that relative calm. Tension mounted when the government launched a military operation against Akbar Bugti. The move was seen as a means to further tighten federal control over the province.

An overwhelming majority of Balochi nationalists had rejected secession, and struggled for autonomy within the framework of the Pakistani federation. But state repression blurred the division, pushing many moderates to ally themselves with the radicals. A large number of nationalist parties' cadres joined the armed struggle. As Balochistan descended into anarchy, the state's authority eroded. The infamous 'kill and dump' policy, which saw the murder and disappearance of many political activists, pushed increasing numbers of people, particularly the younger generation, into the arms of separatists.

Although the military operation has been halted for the past few years and the insurgency has been contained, there is still a long way to go before the political situation in the province stabilises and the writ of the state is fully established. It is now a battle between the moderates, who have chosen to return to the democratic path, and the hardliners, who refuse to give up armed struggle. Growing differences among various groups often erupted into fierce fighting, but this has further weakened the separatist movement. While non-Balochi settlers have long been the target of attacks by the armed groups, the factional fighting has killed hundreds of political activists often labelled as collaborators and traitors.

The conflict has even divided political families. While Akhtar Mengal, a former chief minister and head of the Balochistan National Party, is back in the country and is a member of the provincial assembly, his younger brother Javed Mengal has cast his lot with the insurgents.

Similarly, Changez Marri, brother of Hyarbyar Marri, leader of the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), was elected on a Pakistan Muslim League (N) ticket and is now a member of the provincial government.

Whatever his intentions, Modi's statement on Balochistan has only led the political forces in the province to close ranks against the insurgents. There is a growing realisation that an uninterrupted democratic process is the only way to restore the confidence of the people of Balochistan in the federation. Balochistan is not Kashmir.

The writer is an author and award-winning journalist

Also read:

India's new rules of engagement

Corridor of Uncertainty





--- ENDS ---
Ghanas vice president, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, has narrowly escaped an accident, which has left four persons, including journalists and presidential bodyguards injured.



A saloon car which failed to heed to the signal of the veeps motorcade, crashed into one of the black SUV V8 vehicles causing it to somersault about four times before it rolled and landed upside down in a bush, TV3s Komla Klutse reports.



The vehicle is the emergency car for the vice president, and is said to contain the guns and ammunitions of his security detail. It directly follows the one in which the veep sits.



The accident happened at Gomoa Adams, near Nsakyire junction on the Winneba  Cape Coast highway.



Two journalists from Radio Gold and the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation together with some security details of the vice president were in that car at the time of the accident, Komla reports.



About four were injured but not so severe. They had cuts on the arm. Some are complaining about bodily pains.



The driver was very tactful otherwise it would have been disastrous, Komla who was part of the convoy reports.



How it happened



According to our correspondent, the veep was on his way to Dominase for the 20th anniversary of Nana Kwebu Ewusi, as well as to join the people for the celebration of the Akwambo Festival.



He reports a pick-up that was heading towards Accra from Mankesim area, refused to heed to the signal of the police motorcade to stop and veered into the lane of the vice presidents convoy.



According to Komla, the vice presidents vehicle managed to swerve the pick-up vehicle, noting that the unregistered Daewoo which had also defied the motorcade signal, crashed the second vehicle, which followed Mr Amissah-Arthurs.



The pick-up driver, according to our correspondent, did not stop. The vice president was quickly surrounded by his security detail and within seconds, was whisked away, our correspondent reports.

Source: 3news.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
The 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has stated that it would be a grave mistake on the part of Ghanaians to retain President Mahama for another 4 years in office, as the nation prepares to head to the polls in December.



According to the NPP flagbearer, the problems confronting our nation, be they in the form of the rising cost of living, rising levels of unemployment, high utility tariffs, decline in agricultural and industrial output, amongst others, is because President Mahama has no plan, vision or action to address the problems of our people.



Nana Akufo-Addo, therefore, stressed that it would be a mistake to continue with where we are now. So many of the important aspects of our national life, today, are all in retreat. Our economy is in poor shape, and I dont think there is any honest person in this country, today, who can say Ghanas economy is working well. It is not working well. Our industries are not working well, our agriculture is not working well, and unemployment amongst our young people is reaching record proportions.



In spite of these, the NPP flagbearer is assuring Ghanaians that an NPP government under his leadership has a programme and plan of how Ghana could be, if given the chance, to serve Ghanaians.



Nana Akufo-Addo was addressing the Bolgatanga Traditional Council, on Sunday, August 28, 2016, when he made these remarks.



The NPP flagbearer explained that the partys programme of developing Ghana, and returning her onto the path of progress and prosperity is hinged on the twin-track of industrializing Ghanas economy as well as increasing agricultural productivity.



This, he added, are the means by which his government, God-willing from 2017, is going to create jobs for the teeming masses of unemployed Ghanaians.



The most critical thing that all of us have to work on is how to improve the functioning of our economy. If our economy is working well, jobs will be created, income levels will rise and we will have prosperity in the country. That is the only way we can guarantee prosperity. An economy in decline or in retreat only means poverty for all of us. The economy that is working means all of us will be in a better place that where we are today in Ghana, he stated. The spectre of young men and women trooping down-South from the North, to find non-existent jobs, he said, is because there are virtually no opportunities for them in Northern Ghana.



We can reverse all of that with proper planning and serious policy. We are determined to do so in the interest of Ghanaians. What is important for us to do in Ghana is to make sure that every part of the country becomes its own centre of wealth. This situation whereby all wealth is concentrated in Accra and Kumasi is dangerous for the future of the country, he said.



He continued, It means that these two poles have everybody rushing there. We want evert part of Ghana to be its own growth pole and area of wealth creation. That is why we are talking about 1-District-1Factory, so that in every area there is an activity ongoing which will engage them and improve their living circumstances.



Nana Akufo-Addo, thus, appealed for the support of the people of the North in this years elections, assuring that we have got, without any reservation, the best team available in Ghanaian politics today to develop our country. We have high quality men and women, who when given the opportunity, can turn Ghana around in a short period of time can put smiles on their faces, money in their pockets and prosperity in every region. It is possible for us to do it.



It is being done next door to us in Cote dIvoire  a smaller country, less population, less resources. But, because of the quality of the leadership there, they are makes big leaps and bounds there. I believe that it is possible on the back of the elephant to rebuild our nation and bring prosperity back to Ghana.

Source: Peacefmonline.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
Chris almighty.

A 62-year-old man has been charged after allegedly filling a lubricant dispenser at a north-west Sydney gay and bisexual club with goddamned hydrochloric acid last night.

The Age reports no-one was seriously injured as a result of the unconscionable incident. Just as well, because hydrochloric acid is totally capable of causing horrific chemical burns in high enough concentrations.

via Aarows Sydney.

Fortunately, security at Aarows club in Rydalmere were alerted to the alleged tampering by an alarm installed on the dispenser.

Unfortunately, that security system was installed because this isnt even the first time someone has attempted to sabotage the clubs facilities.

In a statement, NSW Police say the man has been charged with administering a poison with the intent to injure, along with a slew of other offences.

On its website, Aarows markets itself as a secure, relaxed environment where gay and bi people can meet and socialise.



The man who allegedly attempted to ruin that environment will face Parramatta Local Court on Tuesday 20 September.

Source: The Age / ABC / NSW Police.

Photo: Aarows Sydney.
When Parliament finally resumes on Tuesday, there will be a slew of new faces in the Senate, many of whom are all too eager to remind Malcolm Turnbull of the horrific mistake he made by calling a double dissolution election. Pauline Hanson is certainly not one of those new faces, but given her 18-year leave of absence from Parliament, she may as well be.

Now, in an attempt to bring the Australian public up to speed on what we can expect from the Hansonaissance  and to find out what, if anything, has changed since she last held sway in Canberra  60 Minutes sat down with the One Nation leader and held her to account for her numerous bigoted and objectively racist claims.

via Channel 9.





JK. The segment demonstrated Hanson to be one of the most genuinely persistent, hardy and bloody-minded political figures in living memory, but wasted the opportunity to test her mettle with some of the the most meekly-lobbed softballs youll see gifted to a political figure for the duration of her six-year term.

And thats a bloody shame. Liz Hayes interview with Hanson readily painted Hanson as a bulletproof political operator who admits criticism is like water off a ducks back, but did frustratingly little to test that claim.

via Channel 9.

Early in the piece, Hansons maiden speech in the House of Reps was mentioned  specifically, her claim Australia was being swamped by Asians. Hanson said that statement was never meant to offend, but the seemingly obvious response of, uh, how could that not offend Asian Australians? was never produced.

More material from her past helped to build the perception that Hanson is a true blue battler. And, fair enough, a former chip-shop owner ascending to federal office twice over a two decade period is remarkable. However, the program also showed a segment from her home life, including a clip in which her mother rallied against the yellow race taking over Australia.

60 Minutes simply typified that view as old school and moved on, seemingly ignoring a telling kernel of xenophobia.

That segment came after footage of Hanson, present day, gallivanting in her backyard lemon orchard. Hayes said shed be down for a G&T garnished with some of Hansons citrus. You can be damn sure the urge to have a drink permeated through the screen.

via Channel 9.



Of course, Islam is the cause du jour of the modern right-wing populist, so conversation turned to her latter-day disapproval of Muslims immigrating to Australia. She was asked if she hated Muslims  a punch telegraphed from a kilometre away  and answered in the same way her One Nation colleague Malcolm Roberts does when confrontoned with climate change evidence: she asked these Muslims that are not the radicals to work with me to find the answers, like that very community hasnt voiced its real concern with her hardline stance before.

Then, there was a moment where the senator was actually just given a soapbox  Hayes offered Hanson the opportunity to hold forth on any message she believed the Australian public should hear. A pregnant pause morphed into a dense silence, before Hanson admitted there was flat-out nothing on her mind that she could produce to answer Hayes question.

She eventually offered a claim shed always be upfront, honest and accountable to the public, which she has largely proven to be  but that doesnt make her upfront and honest statements any less troubling.

via Channel 9.

Hayes closed the piece by saying Hansons upcoming speech to the Senate demonstrated a light and shade that the Australian public hadnt seen before, and even a softness that some might not expect. And thats the thing: it is apparent that Pauline Hanson cares deeply about her community. She genuinely wants the best for her constituency, and for Australia. Its just that so many of her beliefs, and the ways she plans to enact them, are fundamentally wrong  and they went uncontested.

Watch the full piece here.



Source and photo: 60 Minutes / Channel 9.
Donald Glover has a fair bit going on right now, what with his FX series Atlanta kicking off in early September, and the launch of his upcoming Childish Gambino album PHAROS, which he plans to premiere during a three-day camp-out in the California desert.

Glover might be busier still in years to come, with rumours that Disney and Lucasfilm are eyeing him off as a potential young Lando Calrissian, the role originally made famous by Billy Dee Williams, in the upcoming Han Solo prequel film.

In an interview this week with Time, Glover was asked about the rumour, and while he refused to confirm or deny it (not wanting to be crushed by the weight of Disneys legal team and so on), he did at least acknowledge it.

He told the publication:

Yep. There are rumors. I mean, I grew up on [Star Wars]. My dad was a big fan. I had all the toys when I was little. I had a Darth Vader with the lightsaber he has. It was cool. Its a dynasty. Its like the bible. I love that franchise.

Theres nothing more than that to go on at this stage, but Donald Glover totally has the charisma to pull it off, and were pretty excited to hear how this turns out.

The as-yet-untitled film will feature Alden Ehrenreich in the lead, and will tell the story of how young the Han Solo became the smuggler, thief and scoundrel who encountered Like Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Mos Eisley cantina.

It is due for release in 2018, and will be the second stand-alone Star Wars film on Disneys watch, after Rogue One.

Meanwhile, in case you missed it, heres Donald Glover talking about the time a dog bit his butt, and explaining how the launch of his new Childish Gambino album is going to go down:

Source: Time.

Photo: Neilson Barnard / Getty.
Pharmaceutical bro Martin Shkreli, who became the object of the internets scorn in 2015 when he jacked up the price of HIV medicine Daraprim while serving as CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, has been back in the headlines this last week.

Amazingly, this time around, its not because of any act of douchebaggery on his behalf  instead, hes been doing the evening news circuit, commenting on pharmaceutical company Mylan, who are under fire for drastically raising the price of life-saving Epi-Pens.

A two-pack of the pens went for a wholesale price of $US56.64 in 2007  since then, the price has jumped 544.77%, to an eye-watering $US365.16, leaving uninsured and under-insured patients in the US with high out-of-pocket costs.

Even Shkreli took the opportunity to pile on Mylan during a recent appearance on NBC News, telling the network:

These guys are really vultures. What drives this companys moral compass?

After calling Mylan vultures, however, Shkreli has somewhat walked back his criticism, telling CBS that important medicine should be expensive, and arguing that their profit margin is actually not high enough.

With renewed media interest in Shkreli, Late Show host Stephen Colbert took the opportunity to roast him in an opening monologue, joking about the very serious medical complaint of douche allergies.

Shrkeli didnt take too kindly to this, and cordially invited Colbert to maybe suck a dick:

The Late Show host zinged right back:

Depends, how much are you marking them up? https://t.co/tWMc3aRvVy  Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) August 27, 2016

Well played, Stephen Colbert, well played.

Source: Uproxx.

Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez / CBS Photo Archive / Getty.
Dwyane Wade

In this July 29, 2016, file photo, Chicago Bulls player Dwyane Wade speaks during a news conference in Chicago. A family spokesman says a cousin of Wade's was fatally shot Friday, Aug. 25, while pushing a baby in a stroller on the city's South Side. Wade posted on Twitter: "My cousin was killed today in Chicago. Another act of senseless gun violence. 4 kids lost their mom for NO REASON. Unreal."

(AP Photo/Tae-Gyun Kim, File)

CHICAGO -- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took to Twitter on Saturday politicizing the shooting death of Bulls star Dwyane Wade's cousin on the South Side -- suggesting that such crimes are the reason African-Americans will vote for him in November.

He tweeted: "Dwyane Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!"

Dwyane Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2016

He initially tweeted the message, misspelling the athlete's name; he later pulled that tweet down and put up the same one with the correct spelling.

Then about two hours later, Trump sent another tweet with condolences to the family.

My condolences to Dwyane Wade and his family, on the loss of Nykea Aldridge. They are in my thoughts and prayers.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2016

On Friday, Nykea Aldridge, 32, and a man were walking in the 6300 block of South Calumet Avenue about 3:30 p.m. when two men approached and someone began firing at the man, authorities and a family spokesman said.

Aldridge, Wade's cousin, was hit in the head and the arm and taken to Stroger Hospital, where she died, police said. The baby was not hurt, and a relative came to the scene and took the child, police said. Aldridge leaves behind four children.

Trump has shined a spotlight on Chicago's violence -- criticizing everyone from Police Department leadership not being tough on crime to President Barack Obama, who got his start as a community organizer on the South Side -- on the campaign trail, including during the Republican National Convention.

"In the president's hometown of Chicago, more than 2,000 people have been the victims of shootings this year alone. And almost 4,000 have been killed in the Chicago area since he took office," Trump said during the speech.

"Decades of progress made in bringing down crime are now being reversed by this administration's rollback of criminal enforcement."

A Tribune review of shooting incidents in the city showed more than 2,200 people had been shot this year as of July 20 -- the time of the convention. The number of deaths since Obama took office on Jan. 20, 2009, was not available.

Homicides in Chicago are up 49 percent, according to Chicago Police Department figures, with 441 total as of Monday. In comparison, Chicago recorded 473 homicides for all of 2015. So far this year, at least 2,702 people have been shot in Chicago, according to data kept by the Tribune. All of last year, there were 2,988 shooting victims.

In an interview Monday night on the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor," Trump reiterated comments about Chicago violence being "out of control" and added that the Chicago police force does not have "the right people in charge."

Show host Bill O'Reilly asked Trump how to solve the city's crime problem, with homicides up nearly 50 percent.

"How? By being very much tougher than they are right now. They're right now not tough. I could tell you this very long and quite boring story. But when I was in Chicago, I got to meet a couple of very top police. I said, 'How do you stop this? How do you stop this? If you were put in charge -- to a specific person -- do you think you could stop it?' He said, 'Mr. Trump, I'd be able to stop it in one week.' And I believed him 100 percent," Trump said.

A Chicago police spokesman said Trump has not met with top brass.
Gov. Tom Wolf regularly touts historic increases in state education funding among his successes, but NAACP leaders say the extra $260 million in the 2016-17 is not enough.

However, they're pointing fingers at the General Assembly, not the governor.

The NAACP Pennsylvania State Conference of Branches "remains deeply aggrieved at the failure of the state Legislature to adequately and equitably fund" public education, said Joan Duvall-Flynn, president of NAACP PA.

Along with the 2016 election, education funding was one of the top concerns during NAACP PA's quarterly meeting Saturday in Lancaster.

In Wolf's first two years as governor, the state has added about $540 million in childhood education funding and another $98 million in higher education funding.

The latest budget dictates the 2016-17 money will be distributed using the fair funding formula.

It's not enough, according to Duvall-Flynn.

But there's no set asking price in William Penn School District vs. Pennsylvania Department of Education - a lawsuit that claims the state's public education funding "is so inadequate and unequal" it violates the state constitution and equal treatment under the law.

The state Supreme Court will hear the case Tuesday, Sept. 13 in Philadelphia.

"Let our children have their day in court to fight for their fundamental right to a high-quality public education," Duvall-Flynn said.

The suit was filed in November 2014 by six school districts: Lancaster, William Penn, Panther Valley, Johnstown, Wilkes-Barre and Shenandoah Valley. Co-plaintiffs are the Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools and NAACP PA.

These schools and groups are being represented in court by the Education Law Center and Public Interest Law Center.

"We are all asking the state's highest court to send our case to a full trial so that we can prove just how broken the system is in meeting the constitutional guarantee," Duvall-Flynn said.

Wolf's office did not immediately return correspondence about the issue, and state lawmakers couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine Campaign Stop in Pittsburgh

Democratic vice presidential nominee U.S. Sen Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks at a campaign stop for the Clinton/Kaine ticket at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center on July 30, 2016 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Justin Berl, For PennLive.com

(Justin Berl)

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine will make three campaign stops in Pennsylvania this week.

Kaine, a U.S. senator from Virginia and Hillary Clinton's running mate, will start his Pennsylvania tour in Erie.

He will hold a rally at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Bayfront Convention Center, 1 Sassafras Pier. Doors open at 11 a.m. Go here to register for the event.

Kaine will then make a local stop at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Boys & Girls Club of Lancaster, 231 W. Lemon St. Doors open at 4 p.m. Go here to register for the event.

After that, he will move on to the Lehigh Valley to campaign at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Hanover Township Community Center, 3660 Jacksonville Road in Bethlehem. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Go here to register for the event.
By Mustafa Shaikh, Vidya : Women's group Bhumata Brigade led by activist Trupti Desai visited the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai today and offered a chadar at the mazar. Desai had earlier this year in May done exactly the same stint of reaching that very portion of the Dargah until which women are allowed and returned.

Desai also expressed her hope that with the Bombay High Court ruling now in place the trustees of the famous Dargah will abide by law and will let women enter the sanctum sanctorum of the revered Dargah.

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The Bombay High Court had on Friday lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Dargah on Mumbai sea shore.

However, on request from the trustees of the Dargah, high court stayed its order for six weeks for the Haji Ali trust to approach the apex court. Women cannot enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Dargah at least for the next six weeks or until the Supreme court passes an order on this issue.

NO BENDING RULES

Desai met the managing trustee of the Dargah, Abul Sattar Merchant on her way back from Dargah.

"Since islam does not allow social mingling of men and women, a man cannot enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Dargah of a woman while it's the same for a woman who cannot enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Dargah of a man. I myself alone cannot change all this," said Merchant.

Desai said that she nevertheless still requested him to look into the issue as it was contrary to laws.

She is expecting that the Supreme Court will soon rule in favour of equality for men and women and that Haji Ali sanctum sanctorum will be thrown open soon. As for her future plans she said, "this week I will be going to Shani Shignapur as I had prayed there for women to be allowed in Haji Ali. Now in the next fortnight we will be strategising about how to deal with the Sabarimala temple case."



TO SEEK EQUALITY IN SABARIMALA

Sabarimala is a Hindu pilgrimage centre located at the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Western Ghat mountain ranges in Kerala. Lakhs of devotees visit the southern temple every year but women between ages above the age of 10 and below the age of 50 are banned from offering worship at Sabarimala Shrine.

Supreme Court of India is currently hearing the issue but Trupti says that they will soon approach the trustees of the Sabarimala Shrine and if they do not yield will start protests there as well.







ALSO READ:

Trupti Desai exposes expired saline packets at Pune's Army hospital



Bombay HC allows women's entry into inner sanctum of Haji Ali dargah







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Governor Wolf signs Medical Marijuana Bill

Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Wolf signs the Medical Marijuana Bill. The Medical Marijuana Bill known as Senate Bill 3 was approved by the Pennsylvania House on Wednesday and was signed into law on Sunday, April 17, 2015. Daniel Zampogna, PennLive

By Ted Flowers and Justin Moriconi

Most Pennsylvanians supported the recent legalization of Medical Marijuana. Most law enforcement agencies are opposed to the legalization, in general, of that controlled substance.

In particular, the federal government actively prosecutes cases involving the production and sale of marijuana, which is still classified as a Schedule 1 substance.

Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Health took the next step toward the implementation of Pennsylvania's Medical Marijuana Program, by issuing temporary regulations to aspiring growers/processors in the Commonwealth.

Under the guidance of Gov. Tom Wolf, the department is staying true to its promise to move forward with great speed, and care, in getting this program up and running.

However, there is still a clear and significant conflict between what most Pennsylvanians want, and the ever-present shadow of the illegality of marijuana at the federal level.

In a ruling which may have a profound impact on Pennsylvania's emerging Medical Marijuana Program, a federal appeals court in California barred the Justice Department from prosecuting medical marijuana cases where no state laws were violated.

On Aug. 16, in United States v. McIntosh, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the Justice Department to show that individuals under indictment for violating the Controlled Substances Act had actually violated state medical marijuana laws before continuing with the prosecutions.

Given the breadth of the law, and the zeal with which federal prosecutors pursue alleged violations of the Act, this is an extremely important development for local growers and distributors of medical marijuana.

In United States v. McIntosh, the defendants allegedly ran marijuana stores in the Los Angeles area and indoor marijuana grow sites in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas. They were indicted for conspiracy to manufacture, to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute more than 1000 marijuana plants in violation of the Controlled Substances Act ("CSA").

Rejecting the DOJ's arguments, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that federal legislation prohibits the Department of Justice from spending funds from relevant appropriations acts for the prosecution of individuals who engage in conduct permitted by state medical marijuana laws and who fully complied with such laws.

In laymen's terms, this means that if a state law permits the production and sale of marijuana, the federal government cannot go after an individual who has complied with those laws even if that violates the Controlled Substances Act.

The DOJ may continue to prosecute those individuals who do not strictly comply with all state-law conditions regarding the use, distribution, possession, and cultivation of medical marijuana.

However, Judge Diarmuid F. O'Scannlain, writing for the panel, stated "[I]f DOJ wishes to continue these prosecutions, [defendants] are entitled to evidentiary hearings to determine whether their conduct was completely authorized by state law, by which we mean that they strictly complied with all relevant conditions imposed by state law on the use, distribution, possession, and cultivation of medical marijuana."

Judge O'Scannlain underscored the difficulty those legally working in the medical marijuana industry confront, referring to "the temporal nature of the problem with these prosecutions."

The judge also noted that previously the government had authority to initiate criminal proceedings, but that subsequent legislation deprived it of the funds to continue those prosecutions.

However, "Congress could reinstate the funds for such prosecutions tomorrow."

Furthermore, the manufacture, distribution, and possession of marijuana is strictly prohibited under federal law; thus, "anyone in any state who possesses, distributes, or manufactures marijuana for medical or recreational purposes (or attempts or conspires to do so) is committing a federal crime."

Indeed, the federal government can prosecute such offenses for up to five years after they occur.

Regardless of the uncertainty of federal law and its inherent conflict with ongoing legalization efforts at the state level, McIntosh should come as a boost to the morale of those shaken by the DEA's recent refusal to reschedule marijuana under the CSA. Schedule 1 covers substances like heroin, LSD and ecstasy which have a high potential for abuse, and no currently accepted medical use, unlike marijuana.

Under the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act (the "CARERS Act"), Congress is now at work on a bi-partisan effort to remedy the state-federal conflict over medical marijuana laws.

Specifically, in part, the bill would allow state medical marijuana programs to continue without federal inference, create access to banking services for legal marijuana businesses, end the Public Health service review process and the National Institute on Drug Abuse monopoly that blocks research, and allow VA doctors to write recommendations in states that have a medical marijuana program.

As for Pennsylvania, and despite the obstacles at the federal level, McIntosh should provide patients, advocates, and aspiring medical marijuana entrepreneurs encouragement as the Department of Health ramps up its program.

Ted Flowers (tflowers@smsm.com) and Justin Moriconi (jmoriconi@smsm.com) are attorneys at Segal McCambridge in Philadelphia.
Denver Broncos Ryan Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

Denver Broncos-turned-Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Ryan Harris, left, began last season at right tackle, a position he may have to play again following Marcus Gilbert's left elbow injury. He is shown here in drills during practice at the Broncos' headquarters Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016, in Englewood, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

(David Zalubowski)

PITTSBURGH -- Though he was signed to compete with Alejandro Villanueva at left tackle, Ryan Harris could find himself in the same spot he did last September -- starting on the right.

First-choice right tackle Marcus Gilbert left the Pittsburgh Steelers' 27-14 preseason win over the New Orleans Saints with a left elbow injury Friday night. And Harris, in addition to trading first-team reps on the left with Villanueva, had filled in for Gilbert at right tackle in training camp on days when the starter didn't practice.

If he has to do so in game action, he'll be used to it. The switch between sides of the line comes with its technical and mental difficulties, Harris said, but he's played more of his career on the right than the left, where Villanueva started Friday.

"You go home and wipe with the other hand and see how it turns out," Harris said. "I mean, there's a lot of familiarity, but it can get messy quick if you're not focused."

Marcus Gilbert (hyperextended left elbow) is just resting and icing the joint. He's day-to-day, he said. #steelers @pasports  Jacob Klinger (@Jacob_Klinger_) August 28, 2016

Harris spent three of his first four seasons in the league playing right tackle for the Denver Broncos and started the first three games of last season for them in the same position. In the 15 games he started for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014, Harris was the team's top right tackle.

At the line of scrimmage, the biggest adjustment, Harris said, is just remembering what side of the field he's on and how it fits with the play call he's hearing.

"So if you're used to being on the left and the play is run to the left, you don't want to be doing that if you're on the right side," Harris said. "You got to switch that in your mind."

His body, he said, just has to perform the same blocking techniques, but with the opposite limbs.

Harris said he doesn't know what the Steelers' plans are for him during Gilbert's recovery, but wherever Pittsburgh puts him on the field, he has been there before.

Said Harris: "I've had a blessed time and a fun time playing for 10 years and I can do both."
FILE - In this June 22, 2014, file photo, Charles Osgood arrives at the Daytime Emmy Awards Afterparty at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. Osgood, who has said "good morning" to his audience every Sunday, will say "goodbye" as host of "CBS News Sunday Morning." He announced his Sept. 25, 2016, departure on the Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016, edition. (Photo by Katy Winn/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, file photo, Dominique Alexander poses for a photo at his apartment in Dallas. Alexander, a leader of the protest where a sniper killed multiple law enforcement officers in Dallas was ordered to prison Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, for unrelated probation violations. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)
Heather Mogg to take plea deal in murder case

Heather Mogg is scheduled to make a plea deal with Emmet County prosecutors for the murder of her boyfriend, Jonathan Tippett.
US today said that the bilateral trade had reached USD 109 billion and that it would get a further boost with reforms like GST.

By Press Trust of India: Bullish on expanding economic ties with India, the US today said bilateral trade has reached USD 109 billion and it will get a further boost from new reforms including GST even as it flagged persisting concerns American firms have on issues related to business climate in the fast-growing economy.

US Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker, who will be on a three-day India visit from tomorrow, also said that travel and tourism and sub-national engagement have been identified as two new areas of focus to drive commercial cooperation between the two countries in 2017, under which the focus would shift from India and the US to Chennai and Charleston.

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She said the Obama administration in the past seven-and-a-half years has made significant progress toward realising the potential of what could be one of the largest commercial relationships in the world.



THRIVING TRADE AND INVESTMENT RELATIONSHIP

"Our two countries enjoy a thriving trade and investment relationship. US-India bilateral trade reached USD 109 billion in 2015, up from USD 37 billion in 2005.

"US and Indian companies are also investing in each other s economies at record levels. In 2015, US investment in India reached more than USD 28 billion and Indian investment in the United States reached more than USD 11 billion. In fact, US affiliates of Indian-owned firms now employ more than 52,000 workers in the US," Pritzker told PTI in an interview.

She exuded confidence that "India is a rapidly growing economy and the Modi government's ambitious reform agenda, including the landmark Goods and Services Tax, passage of the recent national bankruptcy law, and liberalised foreign direct investment limits in key sectors, point toward a deeper economic relationship in the years ahead."

Asserting that there is a tremendous potential for the US and India to achieve even more together, the Secretary said she is particularly excited over two new areas of focus that will drive their cooperation in the coming year -- travel and tourism and sub-national engagement.



OVER A MILLION TRAVEL BETWEEN INDIA, US

She described increasing the number of travelers who move between the US and India as a significant commercial opportunity. More than 1 million people travel between the two countries each year.

"While that figure is strong, there is certainly potential for growth," she added.

On sub-national engagement, Pritzker said: "Both US and Indian states play a vital role in driving economic growth and setting business climate policy. Companies choose to invest in Charleston, South Carolina or Chennai just as much as they select the US and India." .

REFORMS TO BOOST TRADE RELATIONSHIP

Pritzker said Prime Minister Narendra Modi s commitment to host the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit will highlight India s strong culture of innovation on the global stage and provide Indian entrepreneurs with an exceptional opportunity to meet with top investors and network with their international peers.

Pritzker, who has been the US Secretary of Commerce for over three years and is a key member of President Barack Obama's economic team, will be travelling to India for the second US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and the US-India CEO Forum.

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During the visit, she will meet Indian entrepreneurs and participate in an event celebrating US-India cooperation on travel and tourism. India and the US have decided to be Travel and Tourism Partner Countries in 2017.

CREDITS TO MODI GOVERNMENT'S EFFORTS

On whether the Modi government has delivered on its target of improving ease of doing business score and the feedback from the US companies operating in India, she said: "We welcome Prime Minister Modi's ambitious efforts to improve India's business climate and enable greater trade and investment. The recent passage of the Goods and Services Tax, for example, is a truly historic accomplishment with potentially far-reaching benefits for the Indian economy and our expanding bilateral trade and investment partnership with India."

She added: "However, the GST is just one in a series of steps the Indian government has taken to improve the ease of doing business in India. Since taking office in 2014, the Modi government has passed the national bankruptcy law, raised foreign direct investment caps in sectors including defense and insurance, established commercial courts, and ratified the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.



LAUDS REFORMS BY INDIAN GOVT



"On infrastructure, the Modi government has established Special Purpose Vehicles for smart cities, promoted municipal bonds for urban development, and launched a National Infrastructure Investment Fund. We applaud these reforms and urge the Government of India to prioritise their full implementation."

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She further said that while the US companies have responded positively to these efforts, they also continue to raise concerns about persistent business climate issues that impede greater trade and investment between our two countries.

Pritzker said: "These include unclear tax policies, burdensome regulations, inadequate protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, and onerous localization requirements. Companies seek a more transparent and predictable policy environment, including consistent notice and comment procedures in the rule-making process, in order to plan investments and inform long-term business decisions.

"Industry also sees promising opportunities to facilitate trade further through streamlining complex and cumbersome customs processing procedures, implementing a single-window approach to government licensing, and increasing predictability and efficiency in government approvals and inspections related to cross-border trade."

Also read:

Modi, Obama embrace history as India, US ink defence, counter-terror pacts: Highlights





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By India Today Web Desk: Hizbul Mujahideen's slain commander Burhan's father, Muzaffar Wani has contradicted spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar over their meeting at the Art of Living ashram in Bengaluru. Muzaffar Wani denied discussing "several issues" as claimed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in a tweet.

Wani said that he had gone to the ashram for treatment, where Sri Sri asked him for a photograph. "I am a principal, a common man and no leader. I am diabetic and had gone there for treatment. He (Sri Sri) took a picture with me. I took pictures with 500 people," Wani was quoted as saying.



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Wani also said that he met Sri Sri for a few minutes only during which he asked about his children. "He (Sri Sri) did not ask me anything else. He just talked to me for five minutes or so at the most. I came back with some medicines for myself. That is all," Wani said.

WHAT DID SRI SRI SAY?

Earlier on Saturday, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tweeted a photograph of himself with Muzaffar Wani. His tweet said, "Muzaffar Wani, the father of Burhan Wani was in the ashram for the last 2 days. We discussed several issues."



Muzaffar Wani, the father of Burhan Wani was in the ashram for the last 2 days. We discussed several issues. pic.twitter.com/IDyyxJSG83 Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) August 27, 2016

Later, the Art of Living issued a statement confirming meeting between Sri Sri and Muzaffar Wani at Bengaluru ashram. "Muzaffar Wani was in the ashram for two days. Certainly, Sri Sri and Wani discussed about the current situation, about the suffering and how peace and normalcy can be restored in the Valley. It was purely on a personal and humanitarian angle," AOL statement read.

Kashmir Valley has witnessed turmoil following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani by security forces on July 8. About 70 people have lost their lives in the clashes with security forces in the Valley, where curfew entered 51st day on Sunday.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday to discuss the ways to bring normalcy in the Valley. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Srinagar last week to hold consultation with political parties. He had said then that the Centre was open to hold talks with all the stakeholders.



ALSO READ:

Sri Sri Ravishankar meets Burhan Wani's father, says discussed several issues

Top Hizbul commander Burhan Wani killed in Kashmir encounter



--- ENDS ---
As I stand here in a bustling tapas bar in the old town of Granada, southern Spain, my head is working hard to process the adventure thats just passed. Riding through the rich fabric of this tantalising country that revolves entirely around spending time with family and friends, sharing great food and a glass of wine at every opportunity its an experience not to be missed. Over the past eight days weve circumnavigated the Sierra Nevada mountain range; eaten tapas in Granada town; had dinner with a local family in their hotel, washed down with wine grown on the hotel grounds; climbed to the highest town in Spain; pedalled through whitewashed mountain villages; slept in a luxury cave; and ridden some of the most sublime singletrack in Europe.Our first day started with the perfect introduction to Spain, as we rolled out of town at around 9am in the shadows of the Sierra Nevada mountains, weaving our way through almond groves, until we turned uphill, and - BOOM! - the sun had breached the ridge to bathe us in the deep glow of morning sunlight. We climbed through the trees on singletrack, punctuated by the occasional short descent, for around two hours until we popped out above the tree line, where we all stopped and took in the view without saying a word to each other.After a short lunch on the ridge, consisting of local sausage, bread, oranges, and chocolate, we set about tackling our first real descent of the tour. I could go on about this, but instead I'll let your eyes go to work on the pictures and video and allow your imagination to fill in the detailsThat first unforgettable day set the tone for what was to come, and day after day of this adventure, Andalucia continued to deliver the wide-eyed and big grin moments that mountain biking gives you when youre exploring new territory.Riding is only half the story of any new destination and this mountain biking adventure is certainly no different. Along the way we enjoyed a healthy slice of cultural experiences, food journeys and encounters with friendly locals.With such rich experiences to be savoured, we stretched out each day on the hills late into the evening sun. On the last night before returning to Granada we couldnt pull ourselves off the hill before the very last sliver of light was left in the sky - which made for an interesting descent!So after a great week of trails, cultural interactions, food, and vistas, it was time to head home to share so many stories of an unforgettable mountain biking adventure in southern Spain.Hasta la proxima!
"Sixteen bodies were found in a room, four injured were brought to hospitals in Moscow. The fire was completely put out by 0953 (0653 GMT)," an Emergencies Ministry official said.

By Reuters: A fire in a warehouse at a Moscow printing works killed at least 16 people on Saturday morning, an Emergencies Ministry official told Rossiya-24 TV station.

"Sixteen bodies were found in a room, four injured were brought to hospitals in Moscow. The fire was completely put out by 0953 (0653 GMT)," he said.

The ministry said on its website that 12 people were rescued. The TV station said the people, who lived and worked at the depot, were mostly from former Soviet Union countries.

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The reason for the fire has not immediately been disclosed. Lax fire safety standards have often been blamed for such incidents in Russia.

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2016 EPT Barcelona Main Event Day 5: Uri Reichenstein Leads Final Seven

August 27, 2016 Christian Zetzsche Contributor

The penultimate day of the PokerStars.es EPT Season 13 Barcelona 5,300 Main Event saw 24 hopefuls return to the tables of the Casino Barcelona, all guaranteed at least 33,300 for their efforts.

Sebastian Malec held a sizable lead over his opponents and the PokerStars qualifier reached the final table as well, securing the biggest payday on his poker resume thus far.

After six levels of 90 minutes each, Uri Reichenstein (11,330,000) edged out Thomas De Rooij (11,180,000) by less than one big blind. Mixed game specialist Adam Adamyid Owen follows in third place with 9,800,000 and the Brit set up the unofficial nine-handed final table with players from nine different countries by eliminating Morten Mortensen in tenth place with ace-ten versus ace-king.

They are joined by start-of-the-day leader Malec (7,330,000), Zorlu Er (7,090,000), Andreas Chalkiadakis (5,015,000) and Harcharan Dogra Dogra (1,700,000). Dogra Dogra is the last Spaniard in the field, hoping to keep the title on home soil, but will return with the shortest stack when play resumes in level 32 at blinds 100,000 / 200,000 and a running ante of 25,000.

Seat Draw for the Final Day

Seat Name Country Chip Count 1 Uri Reichenstein Germany 11,330,000 2 Thomas De Rooij Netherlands 11,180,000 3 Andreas Chalkiadakis Greece 5,015,000 4 Zorlu Er Turkey 7,090,000 5 Harcharan Dogra Dogra Spain 1,700,000 6 Adam Owen UK 9,800,000 7 Sebastian Malec Poland 7,330,000

2016 November Niner Vojtech Ruzicka was among the biggest names left in contention at the days start. The Czech exited in 24th place after first losing a big pot to Andrea Cortellazzi. He then got his stack in with middle pair and a straight draw only to see Dogra Dogra look him up with the flopped straight.

Other early casualties included Day 2 chip leader Anthony Chimkovitch (20th, for 49,170) and Michael Addamo (18th, for 49,170), while the last two tables were set with the elimination of Nuno Capucho in 17th place.

Mikahil Molchanov's run in the Main Event came to an end in 14th place after a cruel beat saw his pocket kings cracked by Pavel Plesuv's pocket nines, when the king-high board gave the Moldovian a runner-runner four-card straight. Konstantin Puchkov, who holds the record for most EPT cashes with 82 scores, followed in 13th when his king-queen failed to improve against the ace-king of De Rooij.

Cortellazzi and Alexandru Baron fell in 12th and 11th place respectively and Mortensen then fell short of the final table after getting busted by a brutal three-outer.

Owen started the nine-handed final table with a strong lead and stayed in the top spot until the last few hands of the night. Stephen Malone chipped up right away when the field was combined to the last table only to see his hopes getting crushed when his pocket kings were met by Er's ace-king and a cruel ace on the river.

Only two hands later, Plesuv fell in a three-way pot with pocket jacks after his straight draw and overpair could not improve against Reichenstein's flopped set of eights.

No further players would join the rail until the end of the sixth level of Day 5 and the remaining seven finalists have 230,950 locked up. However, all eyes are set on the first-place payout of 1,122,800, and a spot in the history books of poker by taking down the record-breaking Main Event with impressive 1,785 entries.

Action resumes at 1 p.m. local time, and the live stream with hole cards will be on a security delay of one hour. The PokerNews live reporting team will be on hand to provide the action until a winner is crowned.

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Sharelines Who takes down the EPT Barcelona Main Event for 1,122,800? Still 7 players in the running!
Evgueny Ievkov Leads Final 16 in Unibet Open Copenhagen Main Event

August 27, 2016 Frank Op de Woerd

Day 2 of the Unibet Open Copenhagen started with 134 players in contention. With only 53 players in the money, a guaranteed 81 players would go home empty handed.

Two-time Unibet Open champion Mateusz Moolhuizen would be high on everyone's list to make the money before the event started. He wouldn't get the same vote of confidence looking at the chip counts going into Day 2 as he started out the shortest with just four big blinds. In true Moolhuizen fashion, though, he spun that up to a whopping 170,000 before seeing it disappear just as quickly. The roller coaster ride ended with Moolhuizen losing a flip with ace-queen, leaving him headed for the door.

With the elimination of Moolhuizen, it was certain there wouldn't be a three-time champion this time. However, there still were players in contention for their second title but they too would trip before the money was reached. Unibet Open Glasgow champ Daniel Chutrov lost all of his chips early on and so did last years Unibet Open Glasgow winner Theis Vad Hennebjerre. The latter made a wheel on the turn but was drawing dead against a higher straight, as his opponent held six-seven.

The march for the money continued with players busting left and right. The bubble only took a handful of hands as short stack Thomas Jespersen got it in with sevens against the ace-eight of British pro Ian Simpson. An ace on the flop and Jespersen made his exit as the last player not getting rewarded for their hard work.

The initial goal for the day was to play down to a final table but that stage of the tournament could not be reached. Around 1 a.m. tournament director Kenny Hallaert announced the final 3 hands to be played. By that time there were still 16 players remained.

One-time chip leader Jasper Van Vlasselaer was amongst them, but he by no means brings to Day 2 the same stack he once had. A big bluff with a missed flush draw set him back considerably and handed the position of tournament commander to Evgueny Ievkov who called on the aforementioned hand with second pair to get there.

Another familiar face still in the running was Johan Goslings. The Dutchman stone bubbled in the last Unibet Open event in Malta but survived without any hiccups this time around.

Besides a slate of Nordics and players from the lowlands and other parts of Europe, one American is still in it. Patrick Coughlin can become the first player from the United States to win an Unibet Open. He's in an excellent position to do so, with 1,061,000 in chips (44 big blinds) good for second in chips.

The tournament resumes at noon local time and will play down to a winner. As soon as the final table is reached, the live stream switches to cards up coverage on a delay. PokerNews will, of course, again be on the floor for updates from the start.

Seat Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Jasper Van Vlasselaer Belgium 346,000 14 2 Evgueny Ievkov Finland 1,389,000 58 3 Mudassar Khan Denmark 1,017,000 42 4 Rune Thomsen Denmark 603,000 25 5 Lasse Haagensen Denmark 929,000 38 6 Johan Goslings Netherlands 477,000 20 7 Daniel Wittikko Sweden 973,000 41 8 Petri Vesa Jiuutilainen Finland 122,000 5 1 Alexandru Dan Nistor Romania 912,000 38 2 Joni Liimatta Finland 696,000 29 3 Tutku Halim Kara Denmark 142,000 6 4 Patrick Coughlin United States 1,061,000 44 5 Robin Sevastik Sweden 600,000 25 6 Soren Blanner Denmark 738,000 31 7 Srdan Andric Serbia 662,000 28 8 Aidan Ball United Kingdom 309,000 13

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*Photos by Tambet Kask, Unibet Open
Urmo Velvelt Wins the 2016 888Live Tallinn $30,000 Guaranteed Main Event

August 27, 2016 Jason Glatzer Editor

After two days of play, Estonia's Urmo Velvelt finished on top of the 80-player field to win the 2016 888Live Tallinn $30,000 Guaranteed Main Event.

Many notable players entered and exited the $440/400 on Day 1, including 888poker Ambassador Kara Scott, Estonia's Maret Komarova, and PokerNews qualifier Cristian Placinta.

Scott, who on top of playing in both the Main Event and the $5,000 Bounty Freeroll, loved Tallinn and participated in both the welcome drinks and the city tour.

"Tallinn is a beautiful city," shared Scott. "It's my first visit to Estonia and I've been excited to get here ever since the 888Live event was announced! For me, the format of playing a bit of poker somewhere new and interesting, while also getting to do some site seeing or group activities is perfect. Poker is a great way to travel! We had a city tour on one of the days, which meant we were able to listen to all the history of the city while also trying out some local delicacies like moose sausage, breakfast beer, and schnapps."

Despite no success on the felts, Scott also enjoying the action. "I had a lot of fun in the main tournament although I was out fairly quickly. I played in the freeroll bounty event as well and that's always a bit of fun." Scott explained. "It's a turbo but the prizes are good, so although everyone is laughing and having a good time, they also have one very serious eye on taking the top spot with added money."

Cash Game Festival co-founder Martin "Franke" von Zweigbergk was the first player eliminated on Day 2 after his was unable to out flip Rauno Tahvonen's king-jack after a king spiked the flop. Tahvonen, however, was also unable to make it to the final table and eventually exited the tournament in 16th place.

Also out early was another Cash Game Festival co-founder Enri Orav who began Day 2 in second place. However, he did have reason to celebrate as they announced that 888poker is going to sponsor their second stop in London this year at Aspers Casino Westfield Stratford City from September 28 to October 2.

The final table was reached after Andrey Belokopytov was eliminated in tenth place when his ace-queen was unable to hold against Kristjan Rausberg's king-jack. Belokopytov didn't walk away empty-handed as 888poker awarded him a GoPro for being eliminated on the official bubble.

Fredrik Zitting (9th - 1,300) and Dmitri Gaskov (8th - 1,600) were both eliminated within 10 minutes of the final table beginning. It took an hour before the next players were eliminated with Dennis Lindmark (7th - 1,600) losing a flip when his nines were unable to beat Eduard Kruglov's ace-jack and Vjacheslav Kovaljov (6th - 1,900) exiting when his king-jack was unable to outgun Viacheslav Novoselov's queens.

Another hour went by when Viacheslav Novoselov, who was low on chips, went out in fifth place for 2,300 when his six-five was unable to improve against the king-nine held by Kristjan Rausberg.

Rausberg was the next to exit in fourth place for 2,800, after he found himself low on chips and got it in with jack-seven against two players holding high pocket pairs.

At this point, the action went back and forth for awhile before Eduard Kruglov was eliminated in third place for 3,800 when his ace-three didn't get there against Urmo Velvelt who was holding ace-ten of spades.

Heads-up play began fast and furious with both Urmo Velvelt and Sergei Oganesjan starting about even in chips. It didn't stay that way for long, as the duo was all-in rather quickly. Velvelt with king-queen was able to pair up and win the hand against Oganesjan who held ace-jack.

Not too long after that, Velvelt eliminated Oganesjan when his sevens were able to hold against Oganesjan's queen-nine. Velvelt shared that he was really happy about the win. He added; "I got really lucky and all my flips held."

Final Result

Place Winner Country Prize 1 Urmo Velvelt Estonia 9,000 2 Sergei Oganesjan Estonia 5,200 3 Eduard Kruglov Estonia 3,700 4 Kristjan Rausberg Estonia 2,800 5 Viacheslav Novoselov Russia 2,300 6 Vjacheslav Kovaljov Estonia 1,900 7 Dennis Lindmark Sweden 1,600 8 Dmitri Gaskov Ukraine 1,300 9 Fredrik Zitting Finland 1,000

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By Emily Stephenson

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  Democrat Hillary Clinton called on Friday for voters to reject the bigotry of Donald Trumps White House campaign, releasing a television ad criticizing his efforts to appeal to black voters and saying she was reaching out to people from all parties who are troubled by his candidacy.

The ad shows video of Trumps controversial pitch to black voters, in which the Republican candidate urges them to support him by asking, What do you have to lose? It also shows headlines about a racial discrimination lawsuit the New York real estate mogul faced in the 1970s.

Clintons presidential campaign said the ad, released a day after she gave a speech accusing Trump of fueling Americas radical fringe, would air in the hotly contested states of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Polls give Clinton a wide margin over Trump among Hispanic voters, but he is on a pitch to reduce her advantage by stressing he would create jobs for all.

Trump pressed on with trying to broaden his appeal to minority voters on Friday, as he met with Hispanic business leaders at his signature hotel in Las Vegas.

Weve been doing very, very well with the Latinos. Weve been doing amazing, far, far greater  than anyone understands. They want to see jobs come in, were going to bring jobs. They want to see things happen, Trump said.

He said the countrys GDP growth rate of 1.1 percent in the second quarter was not a good sign for the U.S. economy. The country has some very, very serious problems, he said.

Clinton, meanwhile, followed up on Thursdays tough speech by saying that Trumps temperament and divisiveness made him unfit for the White House.

I am reaching out to everyone, Republicans, Democrats, independents, everyone who is as troubled as I am by the bigotry and divisiveness of Donald Trumps campaign, she told MSNBC, adding she was asking fair-minded Americans to repudiate this kind of divisive demagoguery at the Nov. 8 election.

Clinton attacks came during a difficult week for her campaign, as the release of new emails from her time as secretary of state revived criticism of her decision to use a private address and server rather than a government one.

The emails also stoked scrutiny of her familys charitable foundation, including accusations that major corporate and foreign donors gave money in hopes of securing more access to then-Secretary Clinton. Her campaign says no donors received any special favors.

Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer told MSNBC Clinton was only talking about Trump and race this week to deflect attention from that controversy.

Trump countered her rhetoric on Friday by releasing a video showing Clinton in the 1990s discussing a crime bill and referring to super-predators, or at-risk youth she said needed to be brought under control. The video also shows U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Clintons main opponent in the Democratic primary this year, calling that phrase a racist term.

CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS

In targeting what she terms Trumps bigotry, Clinton hopes to remind voters of controversial statements he has made over the course of the campaign. Those include describing some Mexican immigrants as criminals and rapists, suggesting a judge could not be fair because of his Mexican-American heritage, and proposing a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to combat terrorism.

Trump has tried to sidestep these dust-ups by saying Democrats have failed minorities with their economic policies, leaving them living in poverty and attending failing schools.

Jennifer Hochschild, a professor at Harvard University who focuses on race and immigration, said she did not think Trump could fix his relationship with black and Hispanic voters.

General cluelessness about racial dynamics will diminish any possible black support that comes from Trumps emphasis on job creation, Hochschild said in an email. And Clinton has a lot of deep roots among black politicians.

Trump also has been criticized for vowing to deport millions of people living in the United States illegally. In recent days, he had appeared to hold out the possibility of toning down his hardline stance, although his precise plans on immigration have been harder to pin down.

On Thursday, he denied he would loosen his proposed immigration restrictions.

(Reporting by Emily Stephenson and Susan Heavey, additional reporting by Ginger Gibson in Washington and Steve Holland in Las Vegas; editing by Frances Kerry and Alistair Bell)
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By Chris Kahn

NEW YORK (Reuters)  U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton leads her Republican rival Donald Trump by 5 percentage points among likely voters, down from a peak this month of 12 points, according to the Reuters/Ipsos daily tracking poll released on Friday.

The Aug. 22-25 opinion poll found that 41 percent of likely voters supported Clinton ahead of the Nov. 8 presidential election, while 36 percent supported Trump. Some 23 percent would not pick either candidate and answered refused, other or wouldnt vote.

Clinton, a former secretary of state, has led real estate developer Trump in the poll since Democrats and Republicans ended their national conventions and formally nominated their presidential candidates in July. Her level of support has varied between 41 and 45 percent during that period, and her lead over Trump in the tracking poll peaked this month at 12 percentage points on Tuesday.

During the past week, Clinton has been dogged by accusations by Trump, which she has denied, that donations to her familys charitable foundation influenced her actions while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Questions have also surfaced again about her use of a private email server and address rather than a government one during her period at the State Department.

Meanwhile, Trump and Clinton also sparred over who would be a better advocate for African Americans and other minorities, and Trump hinted he could soften his hard-line stance on immigration. [nL1N1B714Z]

In a separate Reuters/Ipsos poll that includes candidates from small, alternative parties, Clinton leads the field by a smaller margin. Some 39 percent of likely voters supported Clinton in the four-way poll, compared with 36 percent for Trump, 7 percent for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and 3 percent for Green Party nominee Jill Stein.

Both polls were conducted online in English in all 50 states. They included 1,154 likely voters and have a credibility interval of 3 percentage points.

The results may differ from the Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project, which includes a separate weekly tracking poll that measures support for the major party candidates in every state and Washington D.C.

The States of the Nation, released on Wednesday, estimated that if the election were held now Clinton would have a 95 percent chance of winning by a margin of about 108 votes in the Electoral College, the body that decides the election through a count of the candidates wins in each state.

(Editing by Richard Valdmanis and Frances Kerry)
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So conservatives are claiming their God will use Trump to stop Obama from doing something he doesnt plan to do anyway, or could even if he wanted to.

It is truly astonishing how much of what conservatives hold against President Obama and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, are based on nonsense they themselves have invented. The presidents plan to take away white peoples guns is just one example.

In almost eight years it hasnt happened, but they still say it will. Theyve been saying it for years and years, and it never happens, but that hasnt stopped them from all believing its true.

Another is Jim Bakkers claim that Obama wants to federalize the local police. This is ridiculous, of course, but for Bakker, saying it makes it true.

His guest, Ramiro Pena, said that was too much of a reflection of Nazi Germany and the takeover, federalizing everything, its just too spooky and its just wrongheaded all the way around.

Watch courtesy of Right Wing Watch:

Yes, that would indeed be Nazi-like in its scope, but of course, the problem for both men is that Obama has no such plans. Early in August, Snopes looked at the claim that There is a secret Obama administration plan for a federal takeover of local police forces via Justice Department consent decrees.

This was a talking point pushed by Bretibart, which claimed,

President Barack Obama is harnessing the increasing attacks on police  and the periodic shootings of people by stressed cops  to push his agenda to federalize state and local police forces.

And Laura Ingraham, who warned, Glenn Beck-like, Somehow nobody noticed.

Well, that would be because it isnt happening, except inside your head.

What is truly spooky is blaming somebody for things that exist only in your head. Even spookier, even creepy, is Penas claim that Trump is to be compared to the Persian King of Kings, Cyrus the Great, who freed the Jews from their captivity in Babylon, in the sixth century B.C.E.

If God was to choose Donald Trump to raise up and hes the one He wants to use, then who am I to say no?

Well, if. If doesnt count. Because Pena thinks his god could choose Donald Trump does not mean he has. If wishes were horses. But theyre not.

Still, its a win-win for conservatives who like these crazy musings of their paranoia: Obama will not try to federalize the police and then they can claim, win or lose, God still stopped Obama. After all, theyve already pushed the idea that God is using Obama.

This makes you wonder why he needs Trump, and doesnt just use Obama again, but that would be asking questions, and the age old cry of the conservative Christian is, do not ask questions, just believe!

Keep in mind this is the same God who chose Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and others for the White House. Just sayin.

And not ask questions? Sorry, but that aint gonna happen.
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In a new 30-second ad, Hillary Clinton goes after Donald Trumps outsourcing, weighing it against his claim to Make America great again.

In a press release, Hillary for America says the ad, entitled Hat,

[S]potlights the contradiction between Donald Trumps Make America Great Again hat and Trumps career-long record of outsourcing jobs to manufacture Trump-branded products in at least 12 countries. Dont believe the hat, the ad intones. You cant make America great again if you dont make things in America.'

Watch courtesy of Hillary for America:

He wears it like a crown  Make America Great Again  but Trump made his shirts in Bangladesh, his ties in China and his suits in Mexico. In fact, the real Donald Trump outsourced his products and jobs to 12 different countries.

The Washington Post reported in March that Donald J. Trump Collection shirts  as well as eyeglasses, perfume, cuff links and suits  are made in Bangladesh, China, Honduras and other low-wage countries.

Ivanka Trump has items in her jewelry and clothing lines made in China as well.

It is interesting that while it has been pointed out that Trump said that as president, he would impose a huge tax on Ford vehicles and parts manufactured in Mexico and shipped to the U.S., he has so many of his own products made in other countries. He has not explained why it is wrong to make car parts in Mexico, but not his ties.

Trump has no problem enriching himself at the expense of American jobs. He just doesnt want anyone else to do it, apparently.

Funny thing is, as Talking Points Memo reminds us, back in 2005, Trump told his now defunct university that Outsourcing Creates Jobs in the Long Run.

We hear terrible things about outsourcing jobshow sending work outside of our companies is contributing to the demise of American businesses. But in this instance I have to take the unpopular stance that it is not always a terrible thing. I understand that outsourcing means that employees lose jobs. Because work is often outsourced to other countries, it means Americans lose jobs. In other cases, nonunion employees get the work. Losing jobs is never a good thing, but we have to look at the bigger picture.

Not what hes saying now. Hes as wishy-washy on outsourcing as he is on immigration.

Trump broke the hypocrisy meter long ago. What remains is to demonstrate to the American people that Donald Trump has no interest in making America great again. Or rather, as the map demonstrates, he will make great anyone who will fill his pockets. And that takes place anywhere but in the United States.
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The Left has been warning about the threat of the Religious Right for years, and assuming repeatedly that the threat was past, only to see it arise again. In state after state we have seen violations of the First Amendment as religion is established through one piece of legislation or another.

We have seen laws against abortion, against contraception, marriage equality, against religious diversity in schools, against education, evolution, and even global warming on religious grounds  not to mention against religions other than Christianity (like anti-Sharia laws or not letting atheists run for office).

Theocracy has not come to pass, but not for want of effort by the Religious Right. In The Christian-Fascist Fantasy, Kevin D. Williamson writes at The National Review that the feared theocracy did not come to pass, and that therefore the threat never existed.

Williamson mocks Sirius XM host Thom Hartmann for claiming earlier this year that a Christian Taliban had taken over the Republican party, but this is no new news. Evangelicals long ago proclaimed their intention to take over the GOP and then proceeded to do just that. I suppose, however, it is a lot easier to debunk history if you simply ignore it, a time-honored tactic of the Religious Right and its historian, David Barton (though hes hardly alone).

He attacks Chris Hedges, author of American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America for issuing a warning against he dismisses as a conspiracy theory, a rich accusation coming from any conservative after almost eight years of tinfoil-hat attacks on President Obama, and now Hillary Clinton, including numerous invented scandals.

She surely was not so ignorant as to be unaware that she was glancingly making an argument for censorship, the violation of religious liberties, and the suspension of civil rights in response to an anti-American conspiracy that, viewed from a decade down the road, kinda sorta seems to not quite exist, much less to present a clear and present danger to our precious and fragile republic.

What is remarkable is that Hedges is accused of supposedly wanting to do precisely what the Religious Right has been trying to do since Goldwaters defeat in 1964. Studiously ignored are the so-called Religious Freedom laws (Indianas spectacular crash and burn, for example) which sprang up all over the country, arguing that limiting the religious freedom of non-Christians was somehow religious freedom.

Failure doesnt mean no effort went into the push for theocracy. It was just this year that Ted Cruz, the Religious Rights candidate of choice, said hed block access to contraception on religious grounds.

He said he called on the clergy to Awaken and energize Christs body into the White House.

In 2013, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said the Republican Party is a religion.

In 2014, the American Family Associations Bryan Fischer wanted an Evangelical conclave to choose candidates for president. Tough luck, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, and others.

Somehow, for Williamson, things like this arent threats to the rest of us.

The Evangelicals thought they had done it when George W. Bush, an evangelical, won the 2000 election. They thought they were going to do it again in 2008 with McCain/Palin, when the former Alaska governor promised God would do the right thing. Namely, put her and McCain in the White House. Their hopes were disappointed in 2012 but though their candidates fell one by one to Trump, many of them have now placed their hope in the former reality star.

Trump has promised to violate the First Amendment at the federal level for Christianity, saying,

Youll have great power to do good things and religion will start going instead of this way [downward motion of his hand]. Christianity, when you think of whats happening, when you look at the numbers. I talk about Sunday School, people dont even know what Im talking about anymore. When you look instead of going this way [downward motion].

Youre gonna go this way, he said, now raising his hand upward.

Obviously, the First Amendment bans laws establishing religion, but this is exactly what Trump has promised to do, as have other Religious Right candidates in the past. Williamson can mock Trump as a not-real Christian, and as evidence that the threat of the Religious Right is not real.

Ignored is what the Religious Right has done to itself, selling a program of hate and intolerance Americans increasingly reject. Each time it is rejected, rather than re-evaluate and moderate their tone, they double-down. The Republican platform in 2012 was the most theocratic we had seen until this years, which the Religious Right brags about having crafted.

The evidence is all around us. The threat was real then and it is real now. The Religious Right has publicly and repeatedly endorsed their goal of imposing a Christian theocracy on America and Trump has at least paid lip-service to that goal. If Williamson wants to ignore the mountains of evidence all around him in favor furthering the Christian myth of persecution, he is welcome; it is a free country after all.

At least until Williamson and his crowd take over.
For 57-year-old Kunjupanicker Vijayan, Jeddah is a more familiar place than his native Elavumthitta village in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala. He has lived in this Saudi Arabian city for most of the past 35 years, working initially as a cook, one of the many jobs he's tried in his time here. He's currently a security guard with Electro Industries Company, a leading advertising and decoration products manufacturing firm. Vijayan, though, isn't too keen to stay any longer. "The Lebanese management has not paid salaries for the past 10 months. I have to get 53,288 Saudi rials (Rs 9.5 lakh) in final settlement," rues Vijayan, who is among the 650 workers from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines stranded in a camp in Jeddah, some 25 km away from the airport.

There are countless others like him, desperate to collect their dues and return home. The irony is that the Indian embassy suggests they collect their exit visas and leave. "This is a trap. Once we take the exit visa and leave, there'll be no way of getting back our dues. I can't return home without the money, I'd rather stay here and die. All this time, when I was toiling here, the only consolation was my salary and bonus. Now I'm left with nothing," he told India Today over the phone.

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Tens of thousands of blue-collar workers are finding their dreams turning sour, as several private companies (most of them Lebanese-owned) operating in the kingdom are downing shutters following government cutbacks on projects. Sliding oil prices and a profligate welfare economy have only exacerbated the deep economic crisis. A small consolation for victims like Vijayan is that employers continue to feed them at the common mess facilities. He and others like P. Bhaskaran (from Koilur in Kannur district) are determined to rough it out till they get their salary arrears.

Bhaskaran did get a compensation award of 71,000 riyals (Rs 12.6 lakh) from a Saudi labour court, but has yet to see any of the money as his employers have filed an appeal. That has been pending for the past two months. "The only saving grace is that my iqama (residence permit) is valid till November. Most others do not have this choice as their iqamas have expired. They have to remain confined to the camp and hope that they get the money and then take the exit visa," he explains. "It's a boon for the companies. They take advantage of Saudi laws to deny us our dues."

The apprehensions have only increased since one company sacked 50,000 workers and issued exit visas (in April). Some enraged workers set the company vehicles parked in the labour camps on fire. "They are at their wits' end. The government of India and the diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia have to take steps to assure them that their dues will be paid. How else can these workers go back home?" asks Nawas Vembayam, a businessman and social activist in Jeddah who has helped many stranded Indian labourers recover their dues. "King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud's government has decreed that they will help the workers. It has also sanctioned a hundred million Saudi riyals to pay off workers' dues. It's a generous move and the Indian government should take the initiative to present our workers' cases properly."

Back home, K.V. Abdul Khader, the CPI(M) legislator representing Guruvayur, a haven of non-resident Keralites, says, "More people are going to return as more companies opt for layoffs. Kerala will be the worst hit by the Gulf meltdown." The general secretary of the NRI organisation, the Kerala Pravasi Sangam, fears that "this could even become a cause for social unrest in Kerala?reverse migration is a complex issue that may ruin the state forever. The Gulf returnees went out as breadwinners, but are now returning virtually as liabilities."

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Former diplomat T.P. Sreenivasan, though, is a bit more optimistic. "This seems to be a temporary phenomenon," he says. "They will tide over the crisis even if oil prices stabilise at 30 dollars a barrel. I think the Gulf countries will be a dream destination for Indian unskilled and semi-skilled workers for at least another 20 years." Not too many are sure any more. A Kerala-based businessman with interests in Saudi Arabia, says, "Things are changing for the worse. The nitaqat law (mandatory hiring of locals) has wiped out the small business ventures run by expats. Most of these shops were run by Keralites. And now mega construction companies are bursting like bubbles and sacking workers. It's an indication that things are not moving in the right direction." The fact that the businessman didn't want to reveal his name shows how cagey the Indian community has become in the Arab kingdom.



--- ENDS ---
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By Lawrence Hurley

WASHINGTON (Reuters)  When President Barack Obama entered the White House in 2009, the federal appeals court based in Virginia was known as one of the most conservative benches in the country.

Two Obama terms later, Democratic appointees hold a 10-5 majority on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a panel of which issued a groundbreaking ruling this April backing transgender rights.

The shift to the left on the court, which hears cases from Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina, highlights a widely overlooked aspect of Obamas legacy.

His appointments of dozens of judges to the countrys influential federal appeals courts have tilted the judiciary in a liberal direction that will influence rulings for years to come and be further entrenched if Democrat Hillary Clinton wins this Novembers presidential election.

A Reuters review of rulings by the courts over the last two years shows Obamas appointees to the appeals courts have influenced major legal battles likely to ultimately reach the Supreme Court.

Obama-appointed judges have voted in favor of broad civil rights protections, major Obama administration regulations and gun regulations and against Republican-backed voting rules.

(Graphic showing the changes under Obama http://tmsnrt.rs/2blUhmV)

When seeking to appoint judges, the White House has said it is looking for highly credentialed lawyers reflecting the diversity of U.S. society. Conservative critics say he has picked judges who are willing to circumvent the law in order to reach preferred outcomes.

Theres no question President Obamas nominees have absolutely been part of his effort to transform the country and move it dramatically to the left, said Carrie Severino, a conservative legal activist.

White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement that Obamas appointees all share impeccable qualifications, unquestioned integrity, and a steadfast commitment to equal justice under the law.

The appeals courts are the first stop for any case appealed from the lower U.S. district courts and often have the last word. The next and final destination is the Supreme Court, but it hears fewer than 100 cases a year. The appeals courts handle 35,000 a year according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Of the 13 appeals courts, nine now have a majority of Democratic appointees, compared with one when Obama took office, according to research carried out by Russell Wheeler, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank.

In addition to appointing two Supreme Court justices and dozens of district court judges, Obama appointments now make up 55 of the current 168 appeals court judges, according to the judiciary. Obamas current total of 323 district and appeals court appointments, most of them district court judges, is similar to the tallies achieved by other recent two-term presidents.

The regional appeals courts are currently more powerful than ever because of the vacancy on the Supreme Court caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, which has left the court divided equally between liberals and conservatives. If the ideologically divided court splits 4-4, the appeals court ruling is left intact. Such an outcome occurred four times in the Supreme Court term that recently ended.

Scalias seat is unlikely to be filled until next year due to political opposition from Republicans in the Senate, which has the job of confirming nominees.

COURTS TRANSFORMED

One of the most dramatic transformations has been on the 4th Circuit.

In July 2007, 18 months before Obama became president, Republican appointees held a 7-5 majority. Through a mix of seven Obama appointments and retirements, Democratic appointees now hold sway.

In April, a three-judge panel featuring two Obama appointees ruled in favor of a transgender student seeking to use a boys restroom. The two Obama appointees were in the majority, with a Republican appointee dissenting.

Three months later, a three-judge panel featuring two Obama appointees and one judge appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton struck down North Carolinas strict voter identification law on a 3-0 vote, saying the state legislature had enacted it with discriminatory intent.

It is one of several recent court rulings pushing back on Republican-led efforts to impose new voting regulations, which Democrats say is intended to deter minorities from voting.

Caroline Fredrickson, president of liberal legal group the American Constitution Society, said Republican-appointed judges are generally less likely to rule in favor of broad interpretations of civil rights. The transgender case would very likely have come out differently with a more conservative panel of judges, she said.

The federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. is another where the balance of power has been flipped. Often known in legal circles as the second highest court in the land because it hears important cases concerning the federal government, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was dominated by conservatives 6-3 when Obama took office.

Obama was able to force through four appointments after a major showdown in the Senate. The court now has a 7-4 split in favor of Democratic appointees.

In June, an Obama appointee, Judge Sri Srinivasan, cast the deciding vote as a three-judge panel upheld the Federal Communication Commissions so-called net neutrality regulation. Srinivasan joined a Clinton appointee in the majority. A judge appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan dissented. The regulation is widely opposed by the telecommunications industry and backed by digital rights advocates.

Obamas appointees do sometimes vote in favor of conservative outcomes. Paul Watford, a judge on the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has on several occasions reached a different conclusion to his more liberal colleagues. In one recent decision from Aug. 15, he dissented along with conservative judges when the court ruled that a death row inmate should be able to file a new appeal.

When announcing three of his nominees to the appeals court in Washington at a White House press conference in June 2013, Obama rejected any notion that they were political pawns, emphasizing their strong credentials.

These are no slouches. These are no hacks, he said.

(Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; editing by Stuart Grudgings.)
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Donald Trump is fixated on Hillary Clintons appearance and gender.

During his speech at Joni Ernsts Roast and Ride Event in Iowa, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said of Hillary Clinton, She doesnt even look presidential to me. She certainly doesnt.

Video:

Right, because:

A) Shes not a man, which is why Clinton winning the White House would make history. Welcome to 2016.

B) Hillary Clinton is not a cheerleader for whatever self-described alpha male is in the room, and Donald Trump holds women who dont worship him in deep contempt. (Much evidence of this.)

C) Hillary Clinton wont dress herself up like a doll to please men like Donald Trump and this seems to offend him and the entire alt-right movement, which loves to criticize Clinton for the clothes she wears. Apparently, women should only be allowed (fake) power if they are dressed in a way that pleases men. Which means the men are still in power and the women are subservient helpers/cheerleaders/agreeable dolls.

And on that note, weve come full circle.

The bottom line is that Hillary Clinton makes Donald Trump nervous. In his world, he is above her because hes the Big Man and she, like all women, should seek his approval. But Clinton seeks no ones approval.

And soon Donald Trump will be up against Hillary Clintons brain and experience. He will not be a match for her, and so he will take refuge in mocking her appearance, showing contempt for her daring to be someone without his approval. His contempt will go over with the people who are already supporting him, but its not going to fly as a response to Clintons intelligence during a debate.

Donald Trumps knuckles might as well graze the floor, hes that far regressed.

Just like Trumps racist dog whistles are actually screaming sirens, so too his misogyny is a screaming siren to women everywhere. He doesnt get it, and thats half the problem. Hes so clueless, he expects people to agree with him when he knocks Hillary Clinton for being a woman and running for president.

Its 2016. I never thought Id say this, but Donald Trump makes Mitt Romneys 1950s version of women look progressive.
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Knowing he needs to do some work to start getting back the suburban white women who should have been his bread and butter, Donald Trump decided to get debate help from Roger Ailes  the alleged serial sexual predator who was recently ousted from Fox News based on an internal investigation into numerous sexual harassment claims against him.

Trump doing debate prep today w help from Roger Ailes and Laura Ingraham per @KellyO  Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) August 28, 2016

Nothing says surrounding himself with the best people like bringing on yet another low brow person in deep legal trouble.

Donald Trump is polling down with white women. NPR reported on a NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll that while Romney won white women by 14 points  56-42 percent, according to national exit polls, Donald trump is down a point with the group, 43-42 percent. Thats a 15-point shift. No Republican can afford that.

So what does he do He brings in Roger Ailes.

While Trump has been speaking to his mostly white audiences about African Americans to offer his supporters some kind of plausible denial of his racism to hang their hats on in public, he hasnt done anything about his problem with women. He just keeps on digging the political misogyny grave.

Even with his new hire of Kellyanne Conway, who was touted as the person who could fix his problem with women (based on her past comments and positions, I never understood this reasoning and it seems for good reason), Trump doesnt have a clue how to appeal to women. And hes running against a woman, and continuing to say really insulting things like she doesnt look like a president.

Many of Ailes alleged victims were conservative women too, reportedly including Fox News star Megyn Kelly. And at least one of them is reported to have a very damaging recording of Ailes.

This is not the sort of person a presidential candidate should be standing next to, let alone a person from whom a presidential candidate should be seeking debate advice.

For a debate against a woman, no less.

The media has drastically lowered their standards for Trump, perhaps in a sign of exhaustion, but its a dangerous road to go down. The man is running to be president. Standards matter.

This is the new presidential, Republican style  pallin around with an alleged serial sexual predator.
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Donald Trump is so far out of touch reality that Fox News Sunday busted the Republican nominee for lying about African-American poverty statistics.

Video:

https://youtu.be/0ViidgZ1OyU

Transcript via Fox News Sunday:

WALLACE: All right. Lets move on to another one. Donald Trump has also been reaching out to African-Americans this week, asking, what do you have to lose after decades of Democratic neglect? Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: Poverty, rejection, horrible education, no housing, no homes, no ownership, crime at levels that nobodys seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: But, Kellyanne, that totally misrepresents what blacks face in this country. Trump says black youth unemployment is 58 percent. Its actually 19 percent. Twenty-six percent of blacks live in poverty. Thats not good. But the vast majority do not.

How can Trump address the problem when he doesnt seem to understand what it really is?

CONWAY: So as I understand it, Chris, the 58 percent refers to the number of African-American youth who are not working.

But youre right. Were also taking our message to African-Americans who are concerned about other things like lending, like housing, like discrimination. They may be unsafe. They may live in safe neighborhoods with fine schools, but it certainly isnt what their children deserve. They deserve the same high-quality education as other children. And thats his point.

A program that airs on the Fox networks is calling out Donald Trump for not understanding African-American economic issues. Fox has been showing signs for weeks that outside of Hannity and OReilly much of the programming is off of the Trump train.

One of the staples of Trumps stump speech has been the statistics about African-American poverty, but even Fox News Sunday is saying that is Trump is lying.

Even worse, Trumps own campaign manager didnt mount much of push back when called out on the misrepresentation of African-American poverty. Donald Trump has taken the Republican Party so far away from reality that Fox News is fact checking him.

By debunking one of the Republican nominees main arguments to African-American voters, Chris Wallace and Fox News Sunday shoveled another scoop of dirt on to Donald Trumps political grave.
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Democrats are delivering the blunt truth about Trump. On Meet The Press former Obama senior adviser David Plouffe said that Trump is basically a psychopath running for president.

Video:

David Plouffe was asked by Chuck Todd why he thought that Clinton would struggle in Virginia and Colorado.

Plouffe answered, Those are two tough states. I think they were uniquely suited to Barack Obama. When we had that conversation, I think the assessment was that Donald Trump would do some things to appeal to the middle of the electorate, to appeal to suburban college educated women. Hes not. Basically, you have a psychopath running for president.

Todd asked if it was fair to diagnose people on the air?

Plouffe continued, Well, listen, he  the grandiose notion of self-worth, pathological lying, lack of empathy and remorse. So my point was I think he does. I dont have a degree in psychologyHeres where the race sits today. I think Hillary Clinton is guaranteed two hundred and sixty-nine Electoral votes because Virginia and Colorado I think both campaigns believe are put away.

Plouffe may not have a degree in psychology, but my colleague Sarah Jones does, and she is of the opinion that the Republican nominee has some issues.

Polling consistently demonstrates that Donald Trump doesnt pass the eye test for what voters want in a fit and competent president. It doesnt take a psychologist to see that Donald Trump lacks the mental and emotional tools needed to lead the United States of America.

Plouffes main point was that the mistake election experts made when they assessed Trumps chances was that they assumed he would behave rationally, and that Donald Trumps irrational behavior has likely left Republicans with minimal odds of winning back the White House.

Trump may not be a clinically diagnosed psychopath, but his unstable behavior has cost Republicans dearly in 2016.
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Its Sunday, time for Donald Trump surrogates to flood the airwaves to dodge questions about Donald Trumps vacillating immigration policy. Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway claimed there is no mechanism for Trumps immigration policy while Mike Pence explained that there is no policy, its a mechanism. Yikes.

On Face the Nation, Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway couldnt explain how the undocumented immigrants would actually leave the country. Sopan Deb tweeted, Conway asked how undocumented immigrants would leave: thats really the question here, John. (Yes. Yes it is.)

Video:

Conway, asked how undocumented immigrants would leave: "thats really the question here, John." (Yes. Yes it is.) pic.twitter.com/eUYv9voNPr  Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) August 28, 2016

So, there is no mechanism.

But over on State of the Union, Republican Vice Presidential nominee Mike Pence got out of explaining Trumps policy of mass deportations by claiming it was a mechanism, not a policy:

Asked about Trump's Nov. pledge to set up a deportation force & remove the 11 million, Pence calls it "a mechanism  not a policy" #CNNsotu  State of the Union (@CNNSotu) August 28, 2016

Pence gets points for distraction technique, but taken as a whole in terms of Trump responses, its clear the campaign has messaging problems.

Remember, we started with building the wall, making Mexico pay for it, and Donald Trump as one-man boy wonder John Wayne going after all Mexicans because they are rapists, etc. Then the Republican establishment saw how Trumps anti-Hispanic rhetoric was turning formerly red states into possible purples and they put their foot down. Trump must pretend to be compassionate or else.

So we got Trump the Compassionate for a day.

Then Saturday we took another hard turn back to Visions of a SuperHero Policies, with Trump promising that within his first hour of being President, the deportations would begin.

Trumps immigration policy is neither a policy nor a mechanism, for many reasons. Its not a policy because its so unrealistic and his claim that Mexico would pay for it is unlikely. So its more of a bedtime fairy tale for conservatives than a policy.

Trumps policy is also not a mechanism because they dont even know how they would implement the most basic part of the policy  that is, how they would deport people.

The biggest irony here is that when called out for these logic fails, Trump surrogates like to claim that no one is enforcing our laws currently. They claim we have open borders. We do not have open borders. President Obama does enforce the law and he chooses to focus it on dangerous criminals instead of deporting DREAMers. Because logic and compassion.

Republicans are reacting oddly to President Obamas 2011 policy of prioritizing the deportation of criminals who are here illegally. It makes sense to focus our limited resources (yes, it costs money) on those who have committed crimes, and thats what Obama has done. Which is sort of the opposite of the Trump vision that Obama is doing nothing to enforce the law and not focusing on law and order.

This old canard bandied about by Republicans was ironically used by Trump foe Ted Cruz in the GOP primary, who used fudged numbers to make his inaccurate point that Obama was releasing criminal illegal aliens.

Heres an awkward endorsement of Obamas enforcement: Even immigration policy expert with the libertarian Cato Institute Alex Nowrasteh told PolitiFact that the Secure Communities program, which focuses on deporting dangerous criminals, is the most effective immigration enforcement tool to date and was used in about 3 percent of U.S. jurisdictions when Obama took office and is in about 97 percent today.

So Obama is doing more to focus on enforcing the deportation of dangerous criminals. Huh.

Dont expect such sensible policies from Donald Trump, who cant even articulate what his policy is and whose surrogates are now denying his policy on one network while on another they cant explain how it would be implemented.
MINNEAPOLIS  A former employee has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for embezzling about $1.7 million from a Brooklyn Park medical supply company.

Stephanie Davis, 37, of Maple Grove, was sentenced Thursday in Hennepin County District Court. County Attorney Mike Freeman said Davis received the highest amount of time called for under state sentencing guidelines.

Davis also was ordered to pay more than $1 million in restitution.

Davis had worked as the accounts payable clerk at Reliable Medical Supply Co. since 2000. Prosecutors say she began embezzling about 2005 by setting up fake vendors in the company's payable system with names that were nearly identical to real, approved vendors.

Davis' fraud was discovered in January.
ST. PAUL  Minnesota officials unveiled a last-ditch proposal Thursday to fund the state's share of a proposed light-rail line to southwestern Minneapolis suburbs, tapping a mix of state and local funds as they scramble to meet a funding deadline for the controversial project.

The proposal was presented during a public meeting called by Gov. Mark Dayton to discuss funding options for the Southwest Light Rail project.

The Legislature adjourned this year without approving funding needed for the project, leaving a $144 million gap to fill in order to unleash federal funding to build the $1.8 billion system. The mass transit debate has divided Minnesota lawmakers for years, most recently when special session talks surrounding that project and other priorities petered out earlier this month.

Thursday's proposal could go forward without the Legislature's sign-off by piecing together the needed sum with money from county and regional rail authority sources and some limited state borrowing. But without the Legislature's help, Metropolitan Council Chairman Adam Duininck said, the only other option is shutting down planning altogether, a process that would start at the end of the month without final funding.

Transportation officials have struggled for years to nail down funding for the Minneapolis metropolitan area's latest light-rail initiative amid resistance from GOP lawmakers, who call the project wasteful and unnecessary. The last-minute funding plan could increase pressure on Republicans who control the House to get on board as they seek to revive a $260 million tax break bill and a massive public construction package in a special session.

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But top GOP lawmakers who attended Thursday's public meeting weren't buying it.

Rep. Tony Albright, R-Prior Lake, questioned the funding mechanism, saying project backers had vowed to get the Legislature's approval and calling it an "end run on the legislative process." He and fellow Republican Rep. Linda Runbeck questioned the urgency to finalize funding, noting a federal lawsuit against the project that won't go to trial until next year.

"I sense that we're being led down a path that we were told wouldn't happen," Albright said.

Light-rail funding was the major hurdle in months of special session negotiations after the Legislature adjourned in late May. The governor and Democrats insisted that any deal to pass tax and construction bills fill the light-rail initiative's funding gap  a non-starter for Republicans.

Project proponents repeatedly made their case at Thursday's meeting, saying the Minneapolis area faces decades of worsening traffic congestion on roads and highways.

"Give us the chance to move forward," Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin said. "These projects are never easy."
MINNEAPOLIS  A Maple Grove man is charged with fatally stabbing another man during an argument near the University of Minnesota.

Twenty-three-year-old Brandon Bockoven is charged with second-degree murder. He makes his first court appearance Monday.

The victim was found wounded in a car in the Dinkytown neighborhood Thursday night. A police spokesman said the victim was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center where he died. Bockoven was arrested at the scene.

Authorities say the two men knew each other. Two other passengers in the car told police the men were arguing over money the victim owed to Bockoven for some auto parts before the stabbing happened.

University students have started moving into the area for the fall semester. But, police say the two men involved are not believed to be students.
The practice of breastfeeding has gone through an evolution of perspective --- from being romanticized as a natural act between mother and child, treated as a mark of a mothers lower socioeconomic strata, to a more positive synthesized view linking the practice to womens choice, child and maternal health, and achieving sustainable development.

On island, efforts promoting breastfeeding received a big boost with the enactment of Public Law 32-098 also known as the The Nana Yan Patgon Act or The Mother and Child Act, which protects a woman's right to breastfeed. Former Senator Aline Yamashita penned the original legislation, Bill 153-32, almost three years ago, noting in the legislative intent that Guam lacks any laws addressing potential obstacles a woman may face should she want to breastfeed her child.

When the bill was introduced several federal policies have already been in place, including amendments to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which provide reasonable break time for an employee to express breast milk for her nursing child for one year after the childs birth each time such a need arises. The provision also requires employers to provide a place --- other than a bathroom ---- for such purposes. However, the bill underscored the need for both private and public sector action to ensure nursing mothers exercise this right in comfortable facilities.

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Those who have breastfed their child/children before the implementation of facilitative programs and policies know the difficulty of finding a safe and comfortable space to express their milk while at work or doing business. The Nana Yan Patgon Act opened doors to mothers. The law allows a woman to breastfeed their baby or express breast milk in any location, public or private, except the private home or residence of another, where the woman is otherwise authorized to be.

Moreover, the law states that it is a discriminatory practice to deny, or attempt to deny, the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, and accommodations of a place of public accommodations to a woman because she is breastfeeding a child.

The benefits of breastfeeding to the mother and child have been repeatedly endorsed. According to the Guam Non-Communicable Disease Consortiums Breastfeeding Committee in The State of Breastfeeding on Guam:

Challenges and Successes of the Nana Yan Patgon Act through breastfeeding, the child receives a highly nutritious and healthy source of food direct from the mother. There is no need to purchase, measure, mix or warm up anything for the baby. There is no added salt, sugar, fat or preservatives to be concerned about. The child can be fed just about anywhere at any time by the mother. Breast milk can also be expressed and stored for later consumption, making this very convenient. Breastfeeding also helps to strengthen the bond between mother and child, they said, citing a study from the U.S. National Institute of Health.

The consortium is made up of representatives from government agencies, nonprofit organizations and the private sector. They described their group as a collection of community-driven partnerships to address chronic diseases such as heart disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes.

The consortium also noted that while the Guam Department of Public Health & Social Services (DPHSS) is a strong proponent of breastfeeding as the standard for baby nutrition, the department also understands that some mothers are unable to produce breast milk or may produce too little for the child. There are also cases where the child does not latch on, or is unable to connect with the breast to start feeding. In other cases, some mothers may find breastfeeding to be exceedingly painful.

They said that within the DPHSS there is the Women Infant and Children (WIC) Program for eligible pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women, infants and children up to age 5. They must meet income guidelines, a State residency requirement and be individually determined to be at nutritional risk by a health professional. Formula is made available because some mothers are unable to breastfeed, the consortium said.

With its passage, crucial steps had been taken to promulgate the provisions of the law. According to the consortium,a consistent education campaign of the Nana Yan Patgon Act was undertaken for the community and government leaders to understand and support the need for compliance and for the other Government of Guam agencies to identify and operate breastfeeding rooms in the workplace.

Under The Nana Yan Patgon Act, the executive, legislative and judiciary branches, and all autonomous and semiautonomous agencies, public corporations and other public instrumentalities of the government of Guam, shall provide a safe and clean room or private designated area, in close proximity to the work area, other than a toilet stall, where a nursing mother, who is an employee of the government of Guam, can express her milk in private.

Additionally, the law requires the A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority to identify an area, other than a restroom, within its facilities as a Family Room where traveling families may nurse young children in privacy and safety.

The airport has done more than comply with the law. According to

Rolenda Lujan Faasuamalie, marketing administrator A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority, they had invested around $1.6 million to expand facilities and add nursing and family rooms. The airport has nursing rooms in all its public restroom facilities. Weve had them available since the renovation of public restrooms were completed as early as November 2015, she said.

For the comfort of nursing travellers and employees, the airport built a total of 10 nursing/family rooms throughout the airport --- four in the concourse, two on the ground level, one in the arrivals lobby, one near the US Customs and Border Protection Hall, and one on the second level.

The nursing/family rooms are equipped with a counter, lounge chair and private lock option and are accessible by both male/female parent or guardian, according to Faasuamalie. She said airport management is also looking at adding artwork in the nursing and family rooms.

The NCD consortium also reported progress with some of the GovGuam entities, such as the Guam Department of Labor which opened a breastfeeding room for employees and public use through the assistance of their federal counterpart at the USDOL. According to the consortium, the federal DOL also helped ensure that the airport is in compliance with the law.

Under the statute, GDOL is responsible for recording data and addressing allegations of discrimination against nursing women in the workplace of both the government and nongovernment of Guam entities, and to ensure that women are aware of breastfeeding rights.

The consortium also reported that the University of Guam (UOG) designated a room in the Health Science building for breastfeeding use by students, staff and faculty. Other departments on campus have also designated areas where mothers can breastfeed or pump in privacy. Additionally, they said UOG has drafted a written statement supporting breastfeeding.

According to the consortium, there is now a breastfeeding room nearing final touches of completion at the Mangilao Public Health office. The room comfortably seats up to two nursing mothers in safe, clean, private surroundings. Meanwhile, they also reported that the Guam Memorial Hospital Authority (GMHA) recently expanded their Labor and Delivery (L&D) sections.

As part of their ongoing improvement of quality services, GMHA provides educational breastfeeding information to expectant mothers. The L&D staff also strengthened their promotion of breastfeeding and support to nursing mothers, the consortium said.

The consortium noted that some of the continuing challenges in the implementation of the statutes on island are in the compliance of private businesses to create spaces for breastfeeding rooms. This often requires renovations and reallocation of retail or operating space to make the breastfeeding rooms. Many businesses occupy spaces that may require costly reconfigurations to meet the requirements of the law, the said.

To address this, the consortium said they are working on solutions that are no-cost to low-cost for businesses to feature breastfeeding rooms to be in compliance with the Nana Yan Patgon Act.

DPHSS and the Guam NCD Consortium have not experienced vehement objections or protests to the implementation of the Nana Yan Patgon Act. The majority of businesses and Government of Guam agencies actively seeking for information and what expectations are in place to be in compliance of the law are generally very supportive and understanding. There are businesses and community-based organizations that are particularly strong advocates of the Nana Yan Patgon Act implementation, the consortium noted.

They added that these groups are highly visible in outreach campaigns and public education efforts such as the most recent 3rd Annual Breastfeeding Health Fair where community partners worked in solidarity to promote and extol the many benefits of breastfeeding to Guams highly diverse multi-cultural and multi-ethnic communities.Just recently, the consortium also organized, in collaboration with DPHSS and Sagan Dinana, the 3rd Annual Big Latch On at the Neni and Me, Pure Studio in Tamuning.

Overall, the consortium felt positive with the passage of the law and with the increasing support for the practice on island. There is definitely a groundswell of new support and awareness around breastfeeding on Guam. In the past, nursing mothers have been known to use the public toilet stalls to breastfeed their children. There have been instances where nursing mothers breastfed in hot vehicles, storage rooms, fitting rooms in stores and under stair cases because there were no welcoming, safe places available. These barriers were enough for some expectant mothers to decide not to breastfeed their children, the consortium said.

The consortium noted that increasingly, men and boys on Guam are being included in breastfeeding awareness and education efforts as part of a holistic approach to promote and normalize breastfeeding. Multi-generational local family testimonials of breastfeeding mothers help showcase the cultural roots of the island population where breastfeeding was nearly universally practiced. In a time of poor nutritional choices, compromised food security and the resultant chronic diseases that currently adversely impact Guam, breastfeeding emerges as a compelling way to help ensure healthy generations and healthy futures for the island, the consortium noted.

Aside from the local movement, advocacy for promoting the practice of breastfeeding has a broader, global reach, with United Nations specialized agency World Health Organization promoting the annual commemoration of world breastfeeding week every August. This year, WHO adopted a theme highlighting the practice as a key to sustainable development. A joint statement from UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake and WHO Director General Margaret Chan on the occasion of World Breastfeeding Week stated that breastfeeding is not only the cornerstone of a childs healthy development; it is also the foundation of a countrys development.

According to the WHO and UNICEF, supporting breastfeeding is one of the smartest investments countries can make in the wellbeing of their citizens -- and thus, in their own long-term strength. In low-, middle- and high-income countries alike, the benefits for individuals, families and societies include ending preventable child deaths, improving maternal and child health, boosting educational attainment, and increasing productivity.

The two agencies --- in their joint statement --- also cited conclusions from The Lancet Breastfeeding Series (Vol. 387, No 10017, 30 January 2016), a peer-reviewed medical journal which they said argues that improving breastfeeding practices makes the world healthier, smarter, and more equal.
By PTI: Panaji, Aug 26 (PTI) The Goa bench of Bombay High Court has quashed an FIR against Bollywood star Hrithik Roshans ex-wife Sussanne Khan in connection with a complaint of forgery by a real estate firm.

A division bench comprising Justices F M Reis and Nutan Sardesai quashed the FIR filed against Khan by real estate firm Emgee Properties accusing her of cheating it to the tune of Rs 1.87 crore.

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The company had alleged that Khan falsely projected herself as an architect to secure a contract with it for a project at Goa.

The court in its verdict yesterday said that the FIR did not disclose any offence of cheating against Khan or that she had made any misrepresentation in the alleged case.

Panaji Police had filed the FIR against Khan acting on the complaint of the real estate firm.

In the petition filed before the high court bench at Goa on July 1 this year, Khan had also sought a direction to the police not to initiate any coercive action against her till the final disposal of the plea.

She had pleaded that the court should stay all the proceedings/investigation in the FIR till the final disposal of the petition.

Khan had said that the criminal proceeding is manifestly attended with malafide intention and had been instituted maliciously with ulterior motive.

Soon after the court verdict, Khan took on to Twitter to break the news.

"I have never made any misrepresentation and have always maintained the highest standards of ethics while discharging my work. Truth be told," she tweeted. PTI RPS DK SC RDS

--- ENDS ---
This past week, Turkey entered the fight in Syria against ISIS to much ballyhoo from the mainstream media. But according to Christoper Caldwell, who quotes the German weekly Der Spiegel, ISIS is a pretext, the Kurds are the target.

Says Caldwell, Turkeys strategic objective is not to crush ISIS. It is to crush the most effective part of the anti-ISIS coalition: the Syrian-Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and Peoples Protection Units (YPG). Thus, when the Istanbul daily Sabah ran a headline about the Turkish incursion into Syria, it said nothing about ISIS. Rather it said: Turkish forces shell YPG positions. . . .

From the Turkish perspective, this may well make sense. Kurdish nationalism has led frequently to terrorism in Turkey over the years and is a national-security obsession for the Turks.

But what about Americas perspective? As noted, the Kurds have been the most effective part of our (oversold) anti-ISIS coalition. Indeed, they have been the only consistently effective anti-ISIS force in the Middle East, says Caldwell. If the U.S. is serious about defeating ISIS, one would think that a Turkish incursion to attack Kurds in Syria would run counter to our interests.

But thats not how the Obama administration sees things. It is backing Turkey. Following the Turkish incursion, Vice President Biden said that the U.S. will cut off all U.S. support for our Syrian Kurd allies unless they comply with Turkish demands that they withdraw to the east of the Euphrates River.

Why is the administration taking this hard line stance against the only consistently effective anti-force in the Middle East? Caldwell suggests its because President Obama wants Turkey to keep cooperating in stemming the flow of Syrian refugees into Europe.

Caldwell may well be right. Its certainly true that the administration is desperate to stay on the good side of President Erdogan.

Indeed, Biden issued his threat against the Kurds during a visit to Turkey in which he all but begged President Erdogan to believe that the U.S. had no hand in, or prior knowledge, of the failed coup against him. Erdogan almost certainly knows that this is true, but hes milking the coup (which some say he orchestrated to consolidate power) for everything its worth.

If Caldwell is right, then Obama is putting Europes interest in stemming the refugee problem (for which Obamas failed Syria policy is partly responsible) ahead of Americas interest in defeating ISIS.

Both interests are important and the flood of refugees into Europe is not without potential consequences for the U.S. However, it should be up to Europe to put together a package of bribes that will keep Turkey playing its part in coping with the refugee crisis. Alternatively, it should be up to Europe to find other ways to limit the flow of refugees.

The fight against ISIS should not be compromised in the name of the refugee crisis; nor should the U.S. betray its Kurdish allies.
At the New York Post, Carl Campanile and Danika Fears make a good point: Hillary, Trump too busy insulting each other to focus on Obamas weak economy.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are too busy trading barbs on hot-button topics like race and immigration to discuss the economy, which has slowed to a crawl under President Obamas watch. The numbers are bad. There should be a concern about the weakness in the economy, said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the Congressional Budget Office. I would have thought that the economy would be at the center of the presidential campaign. Instead were hearing about which candidate is more racist. Its crazy. Its sad.

How bad is the Obama economy?

Commerce Department figures released Friday show that real GDP increased by a mere 1.1 percent annualized rate in the second quarter of 2016.

Barack Obama will leave office as the only president never to have witnessed a single year in which GDP growth hit 3%. Democrats tell us this is the new normal, that we should forget about the kind of growth that until Obama came along, we regarded as routine.

In 1992, Bill Clinton announced that Its the economy, stupid. That was pretty much the sole theme of his campaign. He ludicrously claimed that the country was then experiencing the worst economy since the Great Depression, a lie that the press, to its everlasting shame, not just allowed but often endorsed. So what was the level of GDP growth that Clinton relentlessly denigrated?

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the quarterly growth numbers for 1992, in chained 2009 dollars, were 4.8%, 4.5%, 3.9% and 4.1%. Thats rightthe growth that Bill Clinton derided as the worst economy since the Great Depression was around four times what we are now seeing under Barack Obama. And Hillary Clinton promises to continue Obamas anti-growth policies.

By rights, the election should be over. The Democrats chronically lousy economy should guarantee that the next occupant of the White House will be a Republican. Unfortunately, that isnt the way things are turning out.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday night strongly assured existing and prospective foreign investors that their investments in Nigeria will be fully secured and protected.

Speaking at a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, Kenya, President Buhari outlined several steps taken by his administration to secure the country and ease doing business in Nigeria.

He told the Japanese leader that with the defeat of the Boko Haram terrorists by the military, the attention of the administration is now focused on stopping the destruction of the countrys economic assets by militants in the Niger Delta region.

He said the militants must dialogue with the Federal government or be dealt with in the same way like Boko Haram.

We are talking to some of their leaders. We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us.

As a government, we know our responsibility, which is to secure the environment. It is clear to us that lenders wont fund projects in insecure environments.

We realize that we have to secure the country before we can efficiently manage it, the President said.

President Buhari told the Japanese Prime Minister that security in the Gulf of Guinea, which is greatly affected by piracy and armed robbery at sea, was a priority for the Nigerian government.

We have provided funds to our Navy to buy new platforms, train and effectively organize the personnel to protect the area. We are looking forward to support from developed nations for satellite surveillance covering the Gulf, the President said.

Recalling his audience with G7 leaders in Germany, which was attended by the Prime Minister, President Buhari thanked Japan for responding positively to the requests by Nigeria for the rehabilitation of victims of Boko Haram and rebuilding of infrastructure in the North Eastern part of the country.

The President however said there was still more to do on education, health and other infrastructure to ensure quick and voluntary return of displaced persons to their native communities.

On the United Nations Security Council reform, President Buhari agreed to work with Japan for the reforms, stressing that the case for a permanent seat for Africa on the Council was a moral one.

He equally expressed Nigerias support for Japan in their bid for a UN resolution on the problems in East China and South China as well as the uncontrolled nuclear tests by North Korea.

The UN system is sufficient for the resolutions of all disputes and no nation should be above the United Nations.

This has to be made absolutely clear and I assure the Prime Minister that I will meet as many leaders as possible at the forthcoming UN General Assembly concerning the issues.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Abe congratulated President Buhari for courageously tackling Boko Haram terrorism.

He said Nigeria and Japan must work together to improve the investment climate in view of the many Japanese companies wishing to invest in Nigeria.

He reaffirmed Japans commitment to rapid development in Nigeria through quality delivery of ongoing projects in the country, including Jebba hydro power scheme and the Lagos railway project.
President Muhammadu Buhari says the Federal Government will sustain concrete measures to diversify the economy by devoting more resources to agriculture in the 2017 budget.

Speaking to reporters in Nairobi, Kenya at the weekend on the margins of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), President Buhari said African countries had a lot to learn from Japan on developing agriculture.

This year, in Nigeria, we started an aggressive farming programme that entails organising farmers into cooperatives in the second and third tier of government.

We intend to put more resources in our 2017 budget, especially in the procurement of machinery for land clearing, fertilizers, pesticides and training of less-educated farmers, as farm extension instructors.

We have already registered some success this year in a number of states, we identified some 13 states that will be self-sufficient in rice, wheat and grains before the end of 2018.

We are very positive that soon we will be able to export these food products. We are also lucky that the farming season in the northern part of the country has been very good and we are expecting a bumper harvest this year, the President said.

On his expectation for TICAD, President Buhari said Japans story of rapid economic growth, hard work and advanced technology should encourage Africans to strive harder and solve its development challenges.

Japan has greatly advanced in technology, particularly in solar power, infrastructure to spur growth in medium and small-scale industries.

Because of the advanced use of technology, farming and agriculture can become competitive.

Japan has the knowledge, technology and capital to assist African countries to develop and Japanese firms are in a very good position to successfully compete for the development of infrastructure in Nigeria, he said.

The President then requested for increased participation of the Japanese government and the private sector in the Nigerian economy.
Shipping companies in Niger Republic are to return to Nigerian ports in October for cargo clearance, 10 years after they pulled out of Nigeria.

A Representative of the national shipping council of Niger Republic, Idi Hamissou, made the disclosure in an interview with a correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ikeja on Sunday.

Mr. Hamissou spoke to NAN on the sidelines of a forum with media executives, hosted by the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shipping Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, to announce the unveiling of reforms at Nigerian ports.

The envoy said that shipping companies in his country had resolved to return to Nigeria to do business, following the latest reforms being implemented by the NSC.

Nigerian ports have for years been notorious for imposing a regime of taxations and sustaining a legacy of under-hand activities.

The development forced many shipping companies to relocate to neighbouring countries, especially Benin Republic, which now handles over 40 per cent of cargo meant for Nigeria, analysts say.

We had used Nigerian ports since 1958 but the concessioning of the ports drove our shipping companies out of Nigeria in 2006.

But going to Togo, Ghana and even Cameroon has not been easy for our shipping companies, so were returning to Nigerian ports next month, to be fully on ground in October.

Mr. Hamissou said Niger Republic and Nigeria shared a strategic land border, spanning some 1,600 km, making it imperative for the two nations to take advantage of business opportunities existing between them.

Mr. Bello said the NSC had spent about one billion naira in the past one year on ICT infrastructure to ease the stress of doing business at the ports. He noted that agencies at the ports would eventually be pruned from 10 to 2.

He said the trucking system at the ports had also been overhauled, explaining that every truck operator would have no fewer than six trucks to be allowed to operate at the ports.

Were working with the National Automotive Council on the matter because having 7,000 trucks daily on the Apapa-Lagos axis is unimaginable.

We have to increase the efficiency of the ports to boost business at Nigerian ports; we are asking for a review of the Act establishing the NSC to give us teeth to bite, Mr. Bello stated.

The executive secretary disclosed that the NSC was also working with the governments of Kogi, Kaduna and Enugu States for the development of parks for trucks conveying cargo as part of efforts to remove articulated vehicles from highways.

He expressed his optimism that the port reforms would boost businesses in Nigeria and make various agencies at the ports to increase their revenue targets.

(NAN)
The Indonesian Ambassador to Nigeria, Harry Purwanto, said the volume of trade between Nigeria and his country reduced to 1.75 billion dollars in 2015 from four billion dollars in 2014.

Mr. Purwanto made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja on Sunday.

He said the signing of economic and technical agreement in 2001 had been of benefit to both countries, but added that interactions between the countries were slowing down.

From 2001 till now is some period of time and I think up till 2014, there are many things we have done in following up our technical and economic agreement.

However, after 2014, because of difficulties in the global economy, both countries have focused on their domestic affairs and it looks like the interaction between our countries is slightly slowing down.

And what we have seen are more explorations rather than manifestations of real and concrete cooperation between two countries.

It is rather discouraging because in 2014, our trade with Nigeria was almost four billion U.S. dollars.

In 2015, it went down to about 1.75 billion U.S. dollars because of, perhaps, the oil prices and the global difficulties in economic and financial times.

From January to June last year, trade on both sides was about one billion U.S. dollars, but this year from January to June, it is going down to less than 800 million U.S. dollars.

The other thing is perhaps the transition in Nigeria, the change of government, and in Indonesia we did have our new government in late 2014 and we also transitioned; we already have two cabinet reshuffles.

The new administrations need to learn and see what is on the files before they leap forward, he said.

The envoy said that the Nigeria-Indonesia Commercial Association facilitated investment opportunities among businessmen of both countries.

He also explained that both countries shared similarities that formed the background of mutual relations between them, and added that efforts were being made to sustain existing relations.

He, however, called for more collaboration that would promote stronger business ties for both

Before 2013, there was a Nigeria-Indonesia Chamber of Commerce in Lagos which was very active but the Nigeria-Indonesia Commercial Association was formed when our president visited Nigeria in 2013.

This year, we have brought Indonesian trade missions to Nigeria twice to get new partnerships and also to see possibilities of increasing our trade balance between our two countries.

We share many commonalities  the youth potential between our two countries economically and we both share ideas on political outlook.

We put our focus on the high potential of the two countries and we want to transfer these modalities into mutual progress and prosperity for both countries and also find solutions for international challenges.

That is why, on our part, we try to encourage more interaction between the business communities of the two countries.

We want to see a stronger organisation or forum of Nigerians who can be vehicles and motivators to encourage more of the Nigerian business community to see opportunities in Indonesia and explore more businesses bilaterally, he said.

Mr. Purwanto said that the provision of the Memorandum of Understanding for a Joint Commission of Cooperation established in 2013 between both countries was already adequate.

He said that the first meeting of the joint commission was held in 2013, adding that the next meeting was expected to have held in Nigeria in 2015.

Patiently we will wait until there is a hint from Nigeria to host the second joint commission because in the commission, we are not only represented by the government side but the private sector, he said.

The envoy expressed Indonesias interest to enhance cooperation in the areas of science and technology, agriculture, and industry.

(NAN)
Aisha Wakil is a lawyer with the National Human Rights Commission and wife of a judge in Borno State. But the emergence of Boko Haram compelled her to abandon her primary assignment for a peaceful resolution of the insurgency that has inflicted untold damage on the country since it broke in 2009.

However, Mrs. Wakils intervention did not come without its challenges. The most recent being the recent decision by the Nigerian military to declare her wanted alongside two others on allegations they were aiding Boko Haram.

PREMIUM TIMES Samuel Ogundipe sat down with her in a location she said should be kept private for her first exclusive interview since regaining freedom.

When you first heard that you were declared wanted, what ran through your mind?

First of all, what ran through my mind: I said devil is at work. Devil is a liar. I was a little bit taken aback. Because I left Maiduguri that very day but I didnt hear anything of such. So when I heard it, I went through whatever their statement said. I read it all over and over and over again. I said, well, that is it to do good things in Nigeria you have a price to pay. You can just sacrifice your life and get a proper burial. When you carry Ghana-must-go, some people clap for you. But when you want to restore something good in Nigeria, you become a target.

So all these things flashed through my mind, and I now said I was weak but I said God, into your hands I commit myself. Take control of me and dont let this thing disturb the peace Ive been building for the past seven years when this thing first started.

What was your experience after you turned yourself in?

When we got there, we spent several hours at the Defence Headquarters. But I have never been there before. I just saw a big house and I walked in to say I want to see Buratai. So someone told me: no, you go round there.

I now went to the reception and I told the lady I am Aisha Wakil, I am wanted.

She asked me which newspaper and I said you should know. Then she asked me to write my name on a paper and I did and she went inside. Then one tall and fair man later came out to ask for my passport. Few minutes later, he came back with some military personnel. From there they put me inside a vehicle and they took me to the military command guest house. That was where I spent the night.

I wrote a lot of things for them. A lot of questions and what I know. They asked me to write everything I know about Boko Haram. After I wrote everything they became very impressed. Honestly. The room they gave me, I was treated like a queen.

For so many years youve been dealing with the Nigerian government, no one ever asked you these questions? They didnt know you?

They didnt ask me about my life. I was telling my story to them. It was Ahmed Bolori that introduced me to the Director of Military Intelligence, Abubakar Saad, who later linked me up with now Chief of Army Staff, Buratai.

They were coming to my house to pick me for extensive meeting and after the meeting they would bring me back home. They were very impressed.

You said they treated you like a queen, but they still confiscated your phones and passport?

When I asked them for my phones, they said they wont give me. They said thats the process and my own was not going to be different.

Are you on administrative bail or you were just allowed to go?

Somebody bailed me out. Somebody signed my bail from SSS headquarters. I was transferred to the SSS on Tuesday, a day after I turned myself in.

What of the allegation that you were aiding Boko Haram? You could be charged under the anti-terrorism laws.

It is a misconception. Whoever did the announcement. I dont think the Chief of Army Staff knew about it before the thing was aired out.

Its been a long time youve been pursuing this road. How did the Nigerian authorities approach you or were you the one that reached out to them?

When I approached the government. I met first, Brigadier General Bello Sarkin-Yaki. The person that took me to Bello Sarkin-Yakin was Defence Minister, Bello Haliru. He was the one. When he came, I narrated the story to him and I told him these children they have listening ears. They are human beings like all of us. They can be handled.

You should stop bombing and killing, let them also stop what they were doing. He now said okay I should go to Bello Sarkin Yaki in the morning. So in the morning they took me there and I narrated the whole story. He was also very impressed. He now linked me up with Colonel Suleiman I dont know the surname. He was residing in Giwa Barracks. From then, Ill be with Col. Suleiman and well put the boys on the phone. Then the boys were so scared to go and meet any military man because they believed they were going to kill them. So when I call, I will connect them on the phone without them knowing I was with a military man. They would talk and talk. Then Suleiman would preach to them then they became shocked that a military man could quote Quran for them because Col. Suleiman was highly learned in Quran.

Sometimes they would come to my house and say they wanted to go and do something and I would preach to them not to do so.

What year was this?

2012.

Okay, the ones that informed you beforehand about attacks, what did they do after you preached to them?

They never returned to it. They swore not to kill again. But were later killed because they renounced Boko Haram.

You were involved in a series of negotiations with the Jonathan administration, apparently it all fell through?

When this thing initially started, they wanted it to finish immediately. But later, they said people were paying them to start killing people like politicians and businessmen and to destroy businesses. So they became divided later. So those that were used to bad activities they were using them freely and they then ran out of control.

But all the while I continued pleading, begging.

Did you ever meet Shekau while you were going to the bush?

No, Ive never met Shekau before. But I knew him face to face. Before the war when I went to greet Mohammed Yusuf, he would block me and not allow me to go in because I had a police orderly then.

So when I returned home, Yusuf later came to my house and started pleading and begging. He used to be a simple, humble person. But I dont know what happened and everything became like this.

One day I called Yusuf to my house and asked him if truly there was going to be a war, but he said no. Shekau and Abu Qaqa were on his entourage. Then Yusuf entered my sitting room.

Who do you think has control of the sect now? The original leader of the sect now?

Habib.

Im sorry?

Barnawi, I know him as Habib. When he changed to this name, I sent him an SMS to tell him I wont be calling him that name. I know you as Habib son of Mohammed Yusuf.

So, you believe hes the one in charge?

Yes, he is.

What do you think is the prospect of rescuing the rest of the Chibok girls?

Assuming I had a clue that they were going to kidnap the girls, I would have been in Chibok sleeping. Then I would have been in that hall and everybody would be kidnapped. I didnt know about it. When I heard about it, I told the government to calm down. They should keep quiet. I was able to pass the message across. I said please start releasing them. It did not take time before some of the girls were released. So by the time I knew it, the whole thing was in the media. Boko Haram now called me and said mama we are no more releasing. The Chibok girls have become diamond and gold. I asked why? They said even Obamas wife is carrying Bring Back Our Girls. They now knew they were very important as attention was focused on them.

After that I became really disturbed. I started tracing them in the bush to see whether I could get to where the girls were. I slept in the bush. Then later they told me where to come and pick 50 of them. I was heading there with Dr. Steven Davis and one general. We slept in that bush. So by the time we got there, civilian JTF alerted them in the bush and was chasing them in the bush and they now took off. I went there with the ambulance. They called me in front of the general and requested that I should come to a certain location the following day and pick 50 girls. They said we should have 14 ambulance buses on standby. I said okay. They also told me to come with shai which means tea with milk and put plenty sugar. This is because some of the girls were very weak and one with a broken hand.

So Dr. Davies and that high-ranking general now decided to go with University of Maiduguri vans and some doctors and nurses. They warned me never to come with a military and if I do they would slaughter me in front of the military.

So we were making the preparation. The general with us received a message on his telephone: Chibok girls sighted. So we rushed. By the time we got there civilian JTF had seen them and gave them a hot chase.

By the time we got there they had driven them too far. I was calling on the telephone but their lines were switched off. It was later in the night I got them and they asked me: mama what happened? Did you tell anyone? I said no I did not. Civilian JTF chased them and there was a massacre.

They killed so many of them up to 400 that time. We lost them, We slept in that bush with the military and commander of the military know me and everything. They were so happy that I could take this risk.

Early morning, they called me and asked mama where are you? I said I am somewhere. They now said the roads were dangerous that we should pass through Monguno on our way back to Maiduguri. That was how we lost that one. If they had not chased them. If they had not sighted them we could have just finished this thing. Those 50 girls would have been in our custody. everything would have been over by now.

What do you make of President Obasanjos comment that the girls could not longer be rescued?

It was exaggerated. When he made that statement, they called me. You know they read everything they read a lot. They go on the Internet and read a lot of things. They called me and said mama go to the newspapers. Tell them they are alive. I said why dont you come so that two of us will say that they are alive? He said no mama. Please do this. Nigeria will curse us. So I now came out in the newspaper and narrated story saying they are alive. Nobody believed it. Now I kept on pushing them. What they want is proof of life. So when we get there, I will cross the bridge of showing the proof of life. So it is very easy, What are they doing with them? Even though they are married come out with your wives we will settle you.

Still a bit more on the issue of peace. Ahmad Salkida, Ahmed Bolori, what is your relationship with them, especially as theyre tied to the release of videos from the sect? Can you please tell us how you work together?

Yes. Ahmed Salkida, I have not seen him eye-to-eye. I spoke to him on the phone once after Abu Qaqa mentioned my name in the newspaper that they were going to kill me because the money I was spending was not from me. That I collected money from the federal government, state government and the United Nations. That they brought money in dollars. He did not know I was using my money. So when I now got him and I said if you know you are clean come and meet me. And when I met him he shed tears.

Abu Qaqa cried. I put my hand on his head, this is what I normally do as a mother and prayed for him and he left. He later said they did their research and found that I was not being paid by the federal government or the United Nations. So that was all and he said I should keep up with what I was doing.

So I now talked to Salkida on the phone. I said I knew there was a time Mohammed Yusuf mentioned you to me briefly. Are you still the one and he said yes. Okay, we have to join hands and bring back these children. He was ill-treated also by security. If they had handled him properly I think with me and him together this thing would have been over. I dont know the reason why they did that to him. He is a very strong person.

Ahmed Bolori is a Kanuri guy. He realised that I was alone doing everything. He now said he was going to give me moral support. He was the one that organised my meeting with the DMI Saad and Buratai.

Okay, what would you say is the best approach now to rescue the girls? Do you think it is the military or diplomatic approach that is the solution? Would Boko Haram release the girls to you?

They will release everybody to me or you. If they find you worthy, they will release to you. They can release to anybody. What they wanted before was that they said they were going to send thirty commanders to me. If those thirty commanders can come meet the security, they would discuss and they need trust. If they trust them they go back to their bush and the next thing they will bring two girls.

Then, they will now make their demand during the meeting and bring some more girls.

The controversy between you and the SSS and a former aide of Borno State governor in 2014. I think you were accused of taking money to surrender Boko Haram operatives that were later found to be fake. Do you remember?

No, I was not a part of that. That was during Ali Sheriff something. In that allegation, they said Steven Davis and Ali Sherif were instrumental to Boko Haram.

Thank you. Were going to get to your personal life in a bit, but lets quickly touch on the situation in Maiduguri and the rest of the Northeast. What is your assessment? What do you think of the situation with the IDPs?

The situation in Borno is partially okay. It is not 100% because from time to time you hear bomb exploding. At least, one can move a little bit freely but you cannot avoid looking over your shoulder even till now. So, yeah, I think the military is trying with the support of the Civilian JTF some of whom I know very well.

Then the issue of IDP is a pity that such a thing is happening. I wont go deep into that.

Madam, Nigerians would like to hear about the situation of the IDPs because it is of national and international interest.

It is hazardous. IDPs situation there is bad. Honestly, it is zero. The Nigerian government is trying but things are not circulating. That is the problem. Because some of the IDPs are communities. Some are living near my house. Some of the IDP camp people I have employed to come and do my hair so that we can be giving them things: money, clothing, feeding you know. I am doing that one personally. I do a lot of things which I dont like everybody to know. I am doing it for God. I am not a very loud person.

Are you hopeful about the Nigerian government response to the IDP crisis?

I cannot say because there is this NEMA. NEMA is for Nigeria. Government officials are trying their best. But those in the field are not coordinating properly. That is why you see kwashiorkor kids because if they are giving them exactly only what government of Nigeria is bringing, that would have been more than enough. And with that, we also have USAID, Red Cross, and other organisations bringing help. It would be more of a surplus.

But there are people that are born to be evil. They are devil incarnate. Because they are not hurt. Because their family are not part of this IDPs. They are in their house comfortably. They work there and they are the ones to take the food to them. So they dont care how they live, how they eat or whether they eat, whether they sleep outside or not. The government should get people who have a heart and that is why I am now thinking of coming out with my own organisation to see how I can help because I want to do more. These are our people and children. It is not their fault.

When you mentioned those on the field, are you talking about NEMA officials?

It could be the officials, but I dont know people on the field but NEMA is there with all the food stuff. There are people who take it from NEMA to the field. There was a time somebody was caught with all the IDP food.

When should we look forward to seeing your organisation?

By the special grace of Allah, you will see it.

Do you feel that your fundamental rights were violated given the circumstances under which you were declared wanted?

Yes, my fundamental rights were violated. There is no doubt about it. But right now, they have released me and I am here. They gave me my passport but my telephone is still with them. They said its part of their routine. That that is what they do and that my own was not gonna be an exception. My privacy has been violated. With time, time will tell me what to do. They said they would get back to me. So let them get back to me and we will see the situation.

Immediately after the news went out that youve been declared wanted, your name must have been the most searched that day and people feel you are a mystery woman because you are from the Southeast and an Igbo woman and now you are Aisha Wakil from Maiduguri. Would you like Nigerians to know who you are?

You are from the West, Christian can be in Bendel. When she is in Bendel, what if her husband is a Muslim?

Okay, so you converted because you married a Muslim?

Yes.

How about your family members? What do they make of the whole thing?

What would my family do? They know me. These boys, just as I said, some of them lived with me when they were young, when Borno was just perfect. They were in my house. They are from Sheguri North. My relationship with them started long ago. It started since I came to Maiduguri in 1989. So they grew up to see me. I am a very humble person. If I go to a place I relate a lot with the tradition.

I happened to win the hearts of all the elders, their wives, their children and when they were growing up they called me yanjunmai which means loved mother. So from this yanjunmai, they were with me. I keep them in my house. Some of them were going to school. Then when Mohammad Yusuf came to Borno, they started going there to learn Islam.

All of us were happy that our kids were no more idle. So Mohammed Yusuf was helping them, building them up. So Mohammed Yusuf won the heart of all the youth in Borno State and beyond Borno State. Because when somebody is giving you without collecting anything from you, you become part and parcel of that person and whatever he says you obey. So that was what happened,

I became their yanjuma. So when this thing came up, I did not stop and my family cannot tell me to stop.

Till today, in my house, if you go, you see a big pot that we use in cooking food for people. People that are not in my family, when the time comes, they come and eat. And that till today that is what we call nakowa. So, my family cannot stop me from doing it. And I am a very peaceful person. Right from my childhood I like to mediate between husband and wife when there is a crisis. It is inborn for me. They tried to stop me and I said no. If I dont know them from day one, I wont try it. I dont speak the language. I dont speak Hausa or Kanuri. But we understand ourselves.

Its a perilous position when you play the negotiator between the government and a terror group, how did you manage to earn the trust of both parties without being frustrated with suspicion by either or both parties?

If you see white, you know it is white. If you see black you, you know it is black. And if you are pretending, three days anybody can detect you. So this is 7th year now and I am still where I am. So that trust is there because I am the type of woman that carry gulma from this one to this one. If this is what I discuss with you, that is what I discuss with you. If she asks me, I will say you are not supposed to know. If you must know, you go and ask yourself. I dont discuss military is here, Boko Haram is there. And the military officers know it. If they ask me where they are? I say I dont know where they are. If Boko-haram asks where? I say I dont know where they are. So, it is like that. When they arrest them, my name is straightforward. They say go meet this woman, she is the only one we trust.

I know you are a lawyer, do you still practice law?

No, I am into this business of a mediator. In law, you know we have mediators and I work with the National Human Rights Commission. My husband is also a judge in Borno State High Court.

Would you mind giving us an idea about your age?

I am 48 years old.
By PTI: (Attn.editors: The following press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire. PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same). Huawei Reaffirms Commitment to ?Make in India? Vision

BENGALURU, India, August 28/PRNewswire/ -- Huawei Inaugurates Largest Global Service Center in India - India GSC will be Huaweis largest GSC globally - It will service over 350 million subscribers worldwide - 50 projects supporting over 30 countries

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Huaweis largest Global Service Center (GSC) in Bengaluru was today inaugurated by Sh. Manoj Sinha, the Honorable Minister of State (I/C) for Communications and Minister of State for Railways of the Government of India. On the occasion, Sh. Manoj Sinha said, "I would like to congratulate Huawei on their commitment to pursue their Make in India vision. The ICT landscape in India is growing every day and such initiatives by technology majors like Huawei will accelerate the growth of the ICT industry in India. Huaweis Global Service Center at Bangalore, will be one of their four GSCs globally. (MORE) PRN AKG

--- ENDS ---
Faced with intense criticism of his governments inability to free scores of teenage girls held captive by the Boko Haram, President Muhammadu Buhari has restated his governments willingness to negotiate with the terrorists to free the girls.

Speaking a few days after the families of the over 200 girls, kidnapped from their school in Chibok, Borno State in 2014, asked him to resign if he could not secure their release, the president also indicated that he was willing to do a prisoner swap with the Boko Haram.

The terror group recently released a video showing some of the kidnapped girls. A masked Boko Haram member in the video asked that the groups members held in various prisons by the Nigerian government be released before the girls could be freed.

In an interview with journalists in Nairobi, Kenya at the weekend, Mr. Buhari said the Nigerian government is ready to dialogue with bonafide leaders of the terror group who know the whereabouts of the girls.

If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognised Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), convince them that they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know, he was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesperson Garba Shehu.

Read the full statement below.

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the preparedness of the Federal Government to discuss the release of the Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram terror group since 2014,

In an interview with journalists in Nairobi, Kenya at the weekend, President Buhari said the Nigerian government is ready to dialogue with bonafide leaders of the terror group who know the whereabouts of the girls.

I have made a couple of comments on the Chibok girls and it seems to me that much of it has been politicised.

What we said is that the government which I preside over is prepared to talk to bonafide leaders of Boko Haram.

If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognised Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), convince them that they are holding the girls and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, which they are supposed to know.

If they do it through the modified leadership of Boko Haram and they talk with an internationally recognised NGO then Nigeria will be prepared to discuss for their release, he said.

President Buhari, who spoke to the media on the margins of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI), warned that the Federal Government will not waste time and resources with doubtful sources claiming to know the whereabouts of the girls.

We want those girls out and safe. The faster we can recover them and hand them over to their parents, the better for us.

The President maintained that the terror group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS, has been largely decimated by the gallant Nigerian military with the support of immediate neighbours from Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin.

Some of the information about the division in Boko Haram is already in the press and I have read in the papers about the conflict in their leadership.

The person known in Nigeria as their leader, we understand was edged out and the Nigerian members of Boko Haram started turning themselves to the Nigerian military.

We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he was wounded. Indeed their top hierarchy and lower cadre have a problem and we know this because when we came into power, they were holding 14 out of the 774 local governments in Nigeria. But now they are not holding any territory and they have split to small groups attacking soft targets.

On the militancy in the Niger Delta region, the President said the Federal Government is also open to dialogue to resolve all contending issues in the area.

We do not believe that they (the militants) have announced ceasefire. We are trying to understand them more. Who are their leaders and which areas do they operate and other relevant issues, he said.
The Nigerian government will treat Niger Delta armed fighters as terrorists and deal with them in a similar manner to Boko Haram unless they agree to negotiate, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

Mr. Buhari, whose government has succeeded in taming the Boko Haram insurgents and largely limited their activities to Borno State, said this in Kenya according to his spokesperson, Garba Shehu.

Armed militants in the Niger Delta region have claimed responsibility for several attacks on oil and gas installations that have reduced Nigerias oil output by half and worsened the electricity situation in the country.

A group, the Niger Delta Avengers, which claimed responsibility for most of the attacks, recently indicated its willingness to negotiate with the government. It asked that an elder statesman from the region, Edwin Clark, be part of the negotiation team that should also include officials of relevant multinational oil companies.

While speaking at a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on the sidelines of the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) in Nairobi, Kenya, Mr. Buhari indicated his government would use maximum force to deal with the militants if peace efforts failed.

We are talking to some of their leaders, he said. We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us.

As a government, we know our responsibility, which is to secure the environment. It is clear to us that lenders wont fund projects in insecure environments.

We realize that we have to secure the country before we can efficiently manage it, the President added.

Speaking at another interview with journalists in Kenya, Mr. Buhari expressed doubt in the unilateral ceasefire recently announced by the Avengers.

We do not believe that they (the militants) have announced ceasefire, he said.

We are trying to understand them more. Who are their leaders and which areas do they operate and other relevant issues.

The Nigerian military has continued its offensive against the militants, whose demand include local control of oil resources, despite the ceasefire announced by the avengers.

On Saturday, Army spokesperson, Sani Usman, announced some successes against the armed militants.

The 133 Special Forces Battalion of Nigerian Army troops have carried out a precursor operation to Exercise CROCODILE SMILE aimed at getting rid of all forms of criminal activities in the Niger Delta geo-political region of Nigeria.

In the course of the operation, five militants that attacked the troops were killed in action, while numerous others were injured and 23 suspects were arrested, Mr. Usman, a colonel, said of the attack that happened on Friday.
Some Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in Maiduguri on Sunday expressed unwillingness to return to their communities, saying they had found greener pastures in the Borno capital.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the desire to remain in Maiduguri was more with IDPs that had taken to some trade.

Kabir Musa, from Bama, said that he had found a better life in Maiduguri with his cap-knitting business and was no longer wishing to go home.

Mr. Musa said that he made at least N20,000 per week from the knitting business.

Another IDP also from Bama, Baana Ali, said there was nothing for him to do in the village.

We have found a better source of income, better than farming; I have nothing to go back and do in Bama.

I have made caps worth about N400, 000; I have many customers who usually come to town to buy in large quantity.

I have already rented an apartment where I and my family are now living. My wife is now selling Akara and we are comfortable here, he said.

Alfred Sunday, a retiree from Gwoza, said he lost everything he had worked for to the Boko Haram insurgency.

I invested my benefits on agriculture and a pure water production industry but I have lost all to the Boko Haram.

I am now living with my son in-law in the city and I do not want to go back to Gwoza because I dont even know where to start from, he said.

However, Goni Zarami, an IDP from Baga, who expressed a different view, said that he was eager to return home to continue his fishing business.

Mr. Zarami decried the continued closure of the Baga road, and said that it had negatively affected the buoyant fishing and socio-economic activities of the state.

It is hard to believe that Baga used to be a lively trading centre of 200,000 people, where merchants travel to sell cattle, leather goods and trade fresh produce.

Borno state was one of the largest producers of fish in Africa because its fishermen get fish from Niger, Chad, Cameroon and some other countries.

Before the insurgency, more than 300 lorry-loads of fish are transported to Maiduguri and other parts of the country every two weeks, but now, no single truck comes from Baga.

Borno gets its fish from Damboa Dam, Aloa Dam, River Yobe, others from Chad Republic and there is no access road leading to these places anymore, Mr. Zarami said.

He, therefore, urged the government to reconsider reopening of the roads since normalcy had returned to the area.

(NAN)
The International Organisation for Migration, IOM, on Sunday in Abuja said that it is installing e-border facilities in 10 Nigerian border posts as a way of ensuring better management of Nigerias porous borders.

The IOM Nigeria, Chief of Mission, Enira Krdzalic, disclosed this at the end of a technical workshop on migration for journalist in Nigeria.

She explained that the hi-tech border facility termed Migration Data Analysis System (MIDAS) allows for better collection, processing, storage and dissemination of travelers information when entering and exiting border points.

She said that the project is being carried out in six strategic border posts and four Immigration State commands in the country.

She said that the border posts include Seme, Jibya, Illela, Mfum, Idiroko and Kamba while the immigration commands include that of Ogun, Birnin-Kebbi, Seme and Calabar.

She said that the IOM had also trained personnel of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on the use and installation of MIDAS at the different border posts to ensure efficient service delivery.

Given the global security, economic, political and environmental challenges, it is imperative to apply technological innovation to tackle the important task of efficient border management.

MIDAS has been developed to support states to collect, process and record migrants information for the purpose of identification, data collection and analysis. It can collect biographic and biometric data which is useful for monitoring migration patterns, she said.

The IOM boss said the organisation was working closely with the Nigerian government and its agencies such the NIS, NAPTIP and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure better migration management in the country.

Earlier, Krdzalic said that the workshop was organized by the IOM for journalists in Nigeria as part of its sensitization and awareness campaign on migration issues in the country.

She called on the media to report on the plight of migrants, IDPs in Nigeria and the need for them to get humane treatment in line with international protocols on migration.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the workshop with the theme: The Media Coverage on Migration: For a Human and Positive Approach was attended by journalists in Abuja.

(NAN)
The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, has called on unemployed Nigerians to register at the online job portal of the Social Intervention Scheme of the Federal Government.

Ngiges call is contained in a statement issued by Samuel Olowookere, the Deputy Director, Press in the ministry on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister made the call over the weekend, while inaugurating the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) School-to-Work Programme in Calabar.

He said it was imperative for all unemployed Nigerians to register at the online job portal in order to benefit from different categories of programmes which government was offering.

You must register to benefit from the Social Intervention Scheme. Unfortunately, as we speak, by last week, the portal has only recorded about 1.2 million persons.

We expect more persons to have been registered in the portal before our screening exercise; the registration on the portal is Npower.ng.org. The portal closes Aug. 31, which is just few days away.

For those who are not computer literate, we advise state governments to encourage them by using local government chairmen to move into local government areas to register the unemployed persons there.

So that they can qualify to be considered for the scheme. Each state of the federation is expected to recruit about 1, 500 persons, he said.

Ngige, however, said that the School-To-Work programme was a renewed vigour by the ministry to catch them young.

The minister said it was also a bold attempt to build a future Nigeria where white-collar jobs would be unattractive.

We are building a generation of Nigerians where creative thinking, self-confidence and dignity of labour will challenge the prevailing unemployment scourge.

We are building a generation of Nigerians who will not only create wealth with their hands, but are proud employers with skills from hands that God has given them, he added.

Mr. Ngige said the programme which was a two-month vacation creative job learning scheme, was organised for students in JSS 1 to SSS 2 classes in order to provide them with early skills.

He added that this set of students would graduate to higher skills training during the next vacation, while others succeed them.

By this, we are re-thinking a university education system where graduates fold hands and wait for food on their table, Ngige said.

He said 150 persons would be trained yearly from each of the states of the federation under the scheme.

He said the headquarters for the six zonal training centres were Calabar, Anambra, Bauchi, Katsina, Kogi and Ondo.

The minister said the programme was built with enough provision for decent work in line with the International Labour Organisation to foreclose the possibility of child labour.

Earlier, Kunle Obayane, the Acting Director-General, said the NDE was constantly preoccupied with providing initiatives that would address the ever changing forms and patterns of unemployment in the country.

Mr. Obayan said the programme was designed to provide diverse vocational, agricultural and entrepreneurial skills training for secondary school students during long vacations.

He said the age grouping was the best peak to tackle youth unemployment with acquisition of skills.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ngige had earlier paid a courtesy visit to the State Governor, Ben Ayade, who commended the minister on his innovative approach to tacking unemployment.

(NAN)
The Lagos State Government on Sunday issued a 14-day ultimatum to owners of illegal structures, shanties and street hawkers in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki areas.

The Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello, who gave the ultimatum in a statement ordered that they should remove them or face the law.

It also ordered those who had converted walkways into commercial use in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and the Lagoon Front of Lekki area of the state to remove such them.

Mr. Bello warned that after the expiration of the ultimatum, the state Special Task Force on the cleanup of the areas would move in to enforce the laws.

He said that owners of all abandoned buildings in the areas harbouring prostitutes, miscreants and unwanted elements must clear such structures immediately.

He urged the owners of all illegal structures, shanties, abandoned buildings and all those who have converted road median to commercial uses to comply.

This is, especially, meant for those in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki, and they have between today and two weeks time to comply or have the Special Task Force to contend with, Bello said.

He specifically warned owners of property on the Lagoon fronts of Lekki Phase 1 who had littered the areas with compactors and dead weight equipment to remove them immediately.

According to him, the state government is concerned about the conversion of the frontages of property and abandoned houses to kiosks and trading points by maids and guards.

He said the state government was also concerned about unregulated activities of horticulturists who had turned setbacks to hide outs and selling points.

Mr. Bello said the government was determined to restore the original master plan of the areas by checking the activities of roadside automobile repairers who had converted the dual carriage to single lanes through indiscriminate parking.

He said the state government would no longer tolerate unauthorised parking of vehicles, trucks, among others on drainage infrastructure.

He said owners of such vehicles and property with unkempt drainages would be prosecuted.

Mr. Bello said it was totally unacceptable for people to stockpile and display wares such as bags of charcoal on major roads like the Ahmadu Bello Way and the Federal Secretariat Road in Ikoyi.

He said that henceforth such goods would be confiscated and the owners prosecuted.

We are using this medium to sensitise members of the public and residents of the affected areas who are involved in these illegalities to immediately take the right action and do the needful.

The state government will take the necessary steps to enforce its environmental and sanitation laws forthwith, he said.

(NAN)
The Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the Peoples Democratic Party is set to hold its primaries for the Ondo State governorship election on Monday.

Rather than hold the primary in Ondo, it is scheduled to hold at the zonal headquarters of the party in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The move, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, followed the inability of the faction to get the state executive committee of the party to host the event. The state governor, Olusegun Mimiko, belongs to the rival Ahmed Makarfi faction of the PDP.

The National Working Committee of the party has taken over the organisation off the primary and it will now hold in Ibadan, spokesman of the faction, Yemi Akintomide, said on Sunday.

It was the decision of the committee on the Ondo State governorship primary headed by Ahmed Gulak that the primary be moved to Ibadan, the zonal headquarters of the party.

Mr. Akintomide said the move did not offend any section of the Electoral Act or the partys constitution as it would be held at the zonal office of the party.

Those contesting on the factions platform are Olusola Ebiseni, Niran Sule-Akinsuyi, Abiye Ademuyegun, Bamiduro Dada and Jimoh Ibrahim.

The aspirants had gone through a screening exercise chaired by Yunusa Mohammed which held at the partys national secretariat on Thursday.

The Ahmed Makarfi faction had already produced Eyitayo Jegede as candidate of the PDP which is the ruling party in the state.
Every coin has two sides, so does a story. The online media has been awash recently with a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari over alleged corrupt practices in the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). The said petition on alleged Cancer of Corruption started making rounds in some WhatsApp groups of journalists and media practitioners about a month ago and was signed by one Umar Khalid Maru who, in the petition seemed to indicate he is a staff of NAHCON. Attempts to reach the petitioner by many after a response was made by a staff of the Commission proved abortive. Yet, the petition kept surfacing on different media platforms.

It would help to tackle corruption if petitions are properly authored and backed with supporting documents both of which the petition lacks. To begin with, One should always be weary of write-ups filled with more adjectives than necessary as the petition is laden with. Terms like corruption personified, top ranking officials, power play, monumental scam, phantom project, etc, all appeal more to the emotions than intellect of readers and say a lot about the intentions of the author. Now to the allegations made.

The power play that led to some top ranking officials who supposedly threatened going public, is at best, a figment of the petitioners imagination. Otherwise, he should provide proof of such threat. Hajj 2015 was the first conducted under the Chairmanship of Barr. Abdullahi Mukhtar and it is also the first that refunds for such un-rendered services, in such magnitude, in the year immediately following the operations were made.

The allegation that there was..an attempt to short change pilgrims as commonly done before.. is an attempt to taint the good image of the preceding board headed by the present Minister of the FCT, Mal Muhammad Musa Bello, who is known for being forthright and incorruptible. If this faceless petitioner has grudges with the current leadership of the Commission, he should not drag the former leadership into it.

It is important to mention that Barr Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad joined the Commission in 2011 and was the Commissioner in charge of Operations Inspectorate and Licensing between 2011 and 2015. During the period, he initiated and perfected a system of reconciliation of accounts for many services enjoyed by pilgrims through the Inspectorate and Compliance Unit under his Department. Various service tracking tools were put in place as a result of which services such as airlift, pilgrims accommodation, services to Tour Operators pilgrims, were not only guided by executable agreements but were monitored using such tools. The introduction and gradual enforcement of these, which were aimed at ensuring pilgrims get value for money, gathered momentum in 2011. The culmination is what the public is witnessing today.

One would wonder why the petitioner seems concerned with the publicity given to the refunds. The transparency exhibited by the Commission should be appreciated and not condemned. The Commission published details of the refunds on national dailies, television and radio stations to notify affected pilgrims and mandated State Pilgrims Welfare Boards to make such refunds and report back to it with details of how such refunds were made. It also formally invited the relevant Government Agencies to monitor the refunds. Condemnations by the petitioner or any other person will not cajole NAHCON into doing otherwise.

Interestingly, another saving made by the Commission which was not mentioned to the media was the sum of $ 2,376,908.89 from the Commissions off-shore operation of the 2015 Hajj. If Barr. Abdullahi Mukhtar was what the petitioner portrayed him to be, he would have devised methods and reasons under the stampede to siphon funds and not protect them as he did. For the avoidance of doubt, in about 20 years that Barr. Abdullahi Mukhtar spent in Public service, he has never been found guilty of corruption despite being investigated by many government security agencies including legislators as a result of similar petitions in the past.

The petitioner is right that the e-wristband was a project introduced by the Chairman especially in view of the 2015 stampede. The reason was to be able to know the whereabouts and also address problems of missing pilgrims. What the petitioner does not know is that this idea of introducing the wristband was adopted by Commissions Executive Committee Members, ratified by its Board and approved by Government. Records of meetings and the decisions taken have been fully documented with the Commission. One would then wonder, which management opposed and rejected the initiative.

At a certain point, the Saudi Authorities mentioned their intention to do something similar. However, at the occasion of the meeting to discuss the M.O.U. for Hajj 2016, held in February, the Chairman specifically asked the then Saudi Minister of Hajj if they would introduce the wristband as announced earlier because NAHCON planned on introducing same. The Minister said it was not certain at that time that they would but Nigeria could go ahead with its project.

It was only after going through the whole procurement process and award letters issued to successful companies and the whole acquisition process had been in full swing that the Saudi announcement came on the 29th of June, 2016. The formal communication on the Saudi wristband was signed by the present Minister of Hajj and Umrah on the 28/10/1437 equivalent to 2nd August 2016 and was received by the Commission on the 3rd of August 2016! Obviously, Nigeria does not need to wait for another country to solve a problem it is very capable of solving for itself.

Among other things, the petitioner told a blatant lie that each pilgrim was charged N25,000 instead of N14,350. The actual cost of the wristband is $43 (N8,741) as contained in the breakdown of Hajj fares by announced by NAHCON. The details are public documents available on NAHCONs website for all to see.

The claim that the selected companies were fronts for the SGF, the Chairman and NAHCON Director Procurement is laughable. The petitioner may avail himself the instruments of the Freedom of Information Act and the law to establish his claims of the ownership or fronting of the approved companies as alleged. Until that is done, his claims remain as good as beer-palour rantings. Anybody who knows the structure of the Commission and how open the entire bids and procurement process were carried out, will find the petitioners allegations highly improbable. Bids were opened in public with observers from NGOs such as the Centre for Transparency Watch and the Chartered Institute for Purchasing and supply.

The cost for the device was appropriately done by a Committee comprised of membership from the Commission and State Pilgrims Welfare Boards. Verifications were sought and obtained from relevant government agencies like, CAC, FIRS and PenCom, after which the report was presented to NAHCON Tenders Board, received and recommended by NAHCON Executive Committee, and Board. The contracts involving sums above the approval threshold of the Commissions Tenders Board were approved by the Ministerial Tenders Board. How then, could an individual single-handedly beat all these processes?

The petitioner also alleged that the Saudi bracelet is a better version of NAHCONs e-wristband. A little comparison of the two bracelets will be in order at this point. While the NAHCON e-wristband is a waterproof electronic device with a GPS tracker, sim card, USB access / charging port with call reception capabilities, the Saudi wristband is a plastic apparel with a barcode and pilgrims data printed on it. In terms of functions, while the NAHCON wristband contains all personal, passport, medical, next-of-kin and contact data of pilgrims that is accessible to Hajj officials, the Saudi wristband contains the basic pilgrims personal and passport and Hajj group data, part of which is visible but most of which may only be accessible to Saudi officials. Again, While pilgrims can use the device to call the attention and even communicate with the NAHCON Control Room, the Saudi wristband does not have that capability. In addition, the Saudi wristbands need to be printed with special printers that are not available in Nigeria at the moment. Below are pictures of both wristbands:

How the writer came to the conclusion that (1) The Chairman saw an opportunity to make hundreds of millions, (2) NAHCON management rejected the project, (3) various companies were fronts for the SGF, the Chairman and the Director of Procurement, (4) the companies accepted to do the job at N14,350 while N25,000 was charged and (5) That the Saudi wristbands are better, are allegations best left for the writer to prove.

Interestingly, The EFCC invited officials of NAHCON as a result of the petition to which they responded and visited the EFCC office on the 4th of August, 2016 but were told to leave as the petitioner(s) did not show up or forward any evidence in support of their allegation. The Commission is of the view that the allegation be thoroughly investigated by any Agency of Government as it is ever ready for any probe on this and other activities it carries out. However, it strongly believes that there should be consequences for peddlers of frivolous allegations and petitions.

It is pertinent to mention here that supporting documents mentioned above were sighted by groups of Investigative reporters from The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Leadership and Blueprint Newspapers, Premium Times and Liberty Radio/TV and other organizations when they visited the Commission recently in an attempt to balance their stories. Similarly, on the 16th of August 2016, the Chairman granted audience to a civil society group, Civil Society Group for Good Governance, which formally requested for the meeting in exercise its Freedom of Information (FOI) rights. The Chairman and some of his management staff engaged the group in a thorough discussion on the allegations where all facts mentioned above were presented and samples of the wristband in question was sighted and its use practically demonstrated.

The day the Chairman (for the first time) and his management team met with the four companies which was covered on video, he announced that, He (Abdullahi Mukhtar Muhammad) has not mandated, sent, discussed or requested anybody to meet any company and discuss anything on his behalf. He also warns that if it came to his knowledge that any of the companies did such, he would not hesitate to ensure that the contract is revoked but will also institute criminal proceedings against it.

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria hopes that this clarification puts to rest the unfounded controversy and deliberate attempt to smear the good image of its past and present leadership. This faceless petitioner by all intent and purpose seems bent on distracting the Commission from consolidating and improving on its modest achievements since its inception in 2007.

Ishaq Ibrahim Jae

Special Assistant to the Chairman/CEO

17th August, 2016
Some officials of the Sardauna Foundation on Friday visited the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, where they condoled the family of late elder statesman, Shettima Ali Monguno, who died last month.

Led by the chairman of its board of trustees and former governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, the foundation, named after the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, also paid a courtesy call on the Borno State government.

It donated N20 million to the government to assist people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency that has ravaged Borno and other north-eastern states.

Presenting the cheque to the governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, Mr. Aliyu said it was imperative for the foundation to make such donation to the displaced persons, IDPs.

Mr. Aliyu who was accompanied by the former governor of Kano State and ex-Minister of Education, Ibrahim Shekarau, among other officers of the foundation, commended the federal government, international and local donor agencies and NGOs for supporting the displaced persons.

We are quite aware that the task is not a simple one and government alone cannot provide all the needs of the IDPs as well reconstruct the communities destroyed.

Thats why we are calling on well meaning individuals and organisations to give more in the support of the IDPs and to help the state government overcome the predicaments.

Specifically we commend the Aliko Dangote Foundation, the Bill Gates and Melinda Foundation for their generous support to the IDPs and the Borno state government.

Governor Shettima, who thanked the leaders of the Sardauna foundation for the visit, assured them that the donation made will be judiciously used for the purpose it was meant.

Extolling the virtues of Ahmadu Bello, Mr. Shettima assured them that with the efforts being made by the federal government and Nigerian military in seeing that the insurgency is brought to an end, peace will soon return to the state and region and Borno will regain to its rightful accolade as the home of peace.
Uhi community in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo has urged the state government to provide electricity to it, saying the community had been in darkness for two years.

Residents of the community told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Uhi on Sunday that aside electricity, they also lacked portable water, healthcare facilities and other amenities.

They said their children travelled five kilometres daily to Ehor, a neighbouring community, to attend primary school, while the only secondary school in the area had just two blocks of three-classrooms each.

One of the residents, Gabriel Imasuen, said the level of governments neglect of the community was high.

According to him, in these days, it is hard to believe that there still exist a community without functional primary and secondary school in Edo, but our community is an example of that.

It is no joke, and it is very painful that I have been spending about N300 daily as transport fare for each of my kids to attend primary school in the nearest community, Ehor.

As if that is not bad enough, the only secondary school here cant pass for one. This is because the grammar school has only six classrooms without desks and chairs.

The school which was established in 1970 doesnt have facilities to aid teaching and learning, he said.

Blessing Ehigie, another resident, said the people relied on water from a stream to survive.

Mr. Ehigie recalled that the only period they had some relief on the water problem was when Samson Osagie, a former member of the House of Representatives, sank a borehole in the community.

She, however, said the borehole had long broken down, and that the community had gone back to its years of lacking portable water.

The borehole got bad and none of our representatives at the State Assembly or National Assembly has deemed it fit to assist us in fixing it.

We talk about water and it is also sad that the community does not have a commonplace called market. Most times, we ask ourselves whether we are truly part of Edo.

On his part, Osazua Imafidon, noted that another challenge the people faced was lack of access to a primary health facility.

There is no health centre here; whenever there is an emergency we have to travel to Ehor to get treatment and that is if the unexpected does not happen on the way.

It is sad that as indigenes of the state and Uhunmwode Local Government Area, we have been left to fend for ourselves.

We are not asking the government to put food on our table. What we are simply asking for are basic amenities that make life meaningful.

We want access road, water, school, especially primary school and a health centre, he stated.

(NAN)
By PTI: Bangkok, Aug 28 (PTI) A 49-year-old Indian businessman was today robbed of cash by two motorcycle-borne women in Thailands beach resort town of Pattaya.

Two knife-wielding women on a motorcycle robbed me of 7,000 baht, 2,000 rupees and USD 200 and some documents before speeding away when me and my friend were walking in Soi 9 off Pattaya Beach road, Hussain Qureshi, a leather businessman, told police.Indian businessman robbed by women in Thailand

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Bangkok, Aug 28 (PTI) A 49-year-old Indian businessman was today robbed of cash by two motorcycle-borne women in Thailands beach resort town of Pattaya.

Two knife-wielding women on a motorcycle robbed me of 7,000 baht, 2,000 rupees and USD 200 and some documents before speeding away when me and my friend were walking in Soi 9 off Pattaya Beach road, Hussain Qureshi, a leather businessman, told police.

Police said they radioed checkpoints to intercept the women but failed to find them, adding the investigation is on. PTI JB

Police said they radioed checkpoints to intercept the women but failed to find them, adding the investigation is on. PTI JB AMS

--- ENDS ---
The police in Lagos have arrested two members of a 7-person gang who specialize in breaking of shops at Idumota/Balogun and some other markets in the state.

The police zonal public relations officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, told PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday that the suspects, who are foreign nationals, were arrested on Thursday at about 3.45 a.m. immediately after their operations at Idumota/Balogun markets.

The arrest of two members of the gang was as a result of the swift response of the police operatives to a tip-off on the regular criminal acts (shop breaking) of the syndicate that have caused untold hardship and worries to the owners of some affected shops in the markets, Mr. Adejobi said.

He gave the identities of the suspects as Yakubu Aadamu (21) from Niger Republic and Issa Musa (48),a father of 5 with no fixed address.

The spokesperson said ladies cloth worth over a million naira and an unregistered Toyota Corolla were recovered from the suspects.

Also, due to thorough search conducted on their operational car,2(two) cultlasses,2 chisels and one heavy cutter were recovered at the bonnet of the car where they were concealed after their operation, he said.

The police are still in the hunt for the other members of the syndicate.
A 20-year-old apprentice, Rasaq Animasaun, is in coma at a hospital after suffering from electric shock.

Mr. Animasaun unintentionally stepped on a fallen and abandoned electric pole in Ifo town of Ogun State on Sunday.

He lost consciousness after the electric shock, a witness said.

He was subsequently rushed to the General Hospital in Ifo.

Residents of the area blamed the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, for not attending to the fallen pole.

This so-called electricity company are aware of the danger associated with such development yet they feign ignorance, Adedayo Kolawole, a resident, said.  If they want to distribute bills and collect money, nobody will ever remind them.

Another resident, Shehu Aina, said an official complaint had been made to the electricity company without any response.

Mr. Aina suggested that the residents sue the company.

The spokesperson for the IBEDC could not be reached for this report.
The operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested a self-acclaimed Chairman of pickpockets in Oshodi, the police said in a statement Sunday.

Ibrahim Kasali and 20 others alleged to be involved in robbing members of the public in the area were nabbed during a routine police raid in the early hours of Friday.

The police said the suspects, who were arrested between 4.30 a.m. and 6.35 a.m. around the Mosafejo, Bolade, Oshodi Oke, and Oshodi Under Bridge areas, were waiting for the morning rush hour to pick the pockets of passers-by and passengers.

The suspect who is popularly known as Ibrahim Babangida of Oshodi was nabbed during the operation while being chased by passengers of a bus which he boarded to pickpocket, the police said.

The police said Mr. Kasali is feared by his colleagues due to his ruthlessness and popularity.

Some of his colleagues earlier arrested gave him out as their leader, and that he is the one that goes around to collect items stolen or snatched from passers-by to sell and share the proceeds to all of them, the police quoted a source as saying.

Mr. Kasali, the police noted, had been to prison four times while one of his accomplices, Ibrahim Yusuph, 18, who also arrested, was just out of prison for the eighth time.

Upon completion of preliminary screening, four out of 21 arrested suspects, who could provide satisfactory information about their identity, were released, the statement added.

Among the suspects arrested include Bello Fatai, Oladimeji Ajisafe, Hassan Adeyemi, Jubril Olamilekan and Babalola Ahmed.

Others are Junior Vincent, Rilwan Oyinsola, Sadiq Taofeek, Kazeem Taiwo, Mutiu Rasheed, Ayodele Adeeko and Sola Omonije.

While confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmus, re-assured Lagosians of the maximum security in place in the state, adding that the suspects would face the law soon.

The police said the suspects had been transferred to the Lagos State Taskforce on Environment for prosecution.


Pobierz zdjecie Przeczytaj o zasadach pobierania zdjec Polish president meets Jordanian king (photo by Andrzej Hrechorowicz / KPRP) (1)

The situation in the Middle East and Poland-Jordan cooperation in the economy and security were in the focus of a meeting of Polish President Andrzej Duda with King Abdullah II of Jordan on Sunday.

The King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is on an unofficial visit to Poland.

The meeting of the Polish president and the Jordanian king in Gdansk (northern Poland) confirmed good bilateral relations, the President's Office reported. Earlier the two heads of state met during last year's UN summit in New York.

The President's Office wrote in a statement that Jordan was closely cooperating with the EU and was among NATO's most significant partners.

Earlier in the day, King Abdullah II laid a wreath at the Monument of the Coast Defenders at Westerplatte. The Battle of Westerplatte marked the beginning of World War Two which broke out on Sept. 1, 1939 when Schleswig-Holstein battleship suddenly opened fire on the Polish garrison at Westerplatte. (PAP)
Two Cursed Soldiers, Danuta Siedzikowna and Feliks Selmanowicz, were buried with military honours at a cemetery in Gdansk (northern Poland) on Sunday, 70 years after they had been executed by Poland's communist-era authorities.

The funeral ceremonies were attended by President Andrzej Duda, Sejm (lower house) and Senate Speakers Marek Kuchcinski and Stanislaw Karczewski, PM Beata Szydlo, government ministers, MPs, senators, military commanders, representatives of local authorities, and thousands of local residents and people from all over Poland. Present were also Siedzikowna'a and Selmanowicz's relatives.

Before the funeral mass at St. Mary's Basilica in Gdansk Siedzikowna and Selmanowicz were posthumously promoted to a higher military rank, and Selmanowicz was decorated with a state distinction.

President Duda said that the funeral of Danuta Siedzikowna and Feliks Selmanowicz "was restoring dignity not to them since they had never lost it, but to the Polish state, which for years - even after 1989 - had not honoured its heroes".

Addressing the gathering at the cemetery, PM Szydlo said that thanks to Inka and Zagonczyk we could live in a free Poland. "Thanks to your ideals we are Poles and it is our duty to preserve them, "the PM said.

"Glory to the heroes," the PM stressed, adding that "we are obliged to find those who are still not found and honour them".

On August 28, 1946, Poland's communist authorities executed Siedzikowna and Selmanowicz. At the time of the execution Siedzikowna, codename Inka, was 17. She was a nurse of the 5th Vilnius Home Army (AK) Brigade, and Selmanowicz, codename Zagonczyk, was a commander of one of the brigade's platoons. During the war the two fought the Germans and after the war they continued their pro-independence activity.

Arrested in June and July 1946, they were tortured, sentenced to death, executed and secretly buried in an unmarked pit at a cemetery in Gdansk. Pavement tiles were put on top to conceal the site. Their remains were found in 2014 and identified through DNA tests. In 1991, a Gdansk court ruled that Siedzikowna and other soldiers of the 5th Vilnius Home Army (AK) Brigade had been fighting for Poland's independence.

The Cursed Soldiers were underground organisations fighting against the communist regime, which seized power in 1944, after World War II. Most had ceased to exist by the late 1940s and 1950s. The last known 'cursed soldier', Jozef Franczak, died in an ambush as late as 1963. (PAP)
Many women say theyre out, while men say theyre in. You either love them or hate them. There is no middle ground.

Were talking about cargo shorts. And judging from the national media, apparently so is everyone else.

Yet despite what seems like a national campaign to rid Americas closets of the clothing item that may be more pockets than pants, theyre as common in South Jersey in the summer as gulls on the boardwalk.

An Aug. 1 Wall Street Journal story zeroed in on the baggy shorts as a central issue in relationships. Wives and girlfriends confessed to hiding or throwing out their significant others cargo shorts, only to often find them somehow back. According to a market-research firm quoted in the story, sales of cargo shorts fell last year for the first time in a decade, but about $700 million worth were still sold.

So why do the shorts cause so much friction in relationships?

Many women simply find the bulky, oversized style ugly. But the men wearing cargo shorts have a simple, overpowering reason for keeping them in their wardrobe: They just dont care what they look like.

Its pretty hard to win a fashion argument with someone armed with that attitude  and enough room to carry half their possessions.

Even National Public Radio took notice of this love-hate cargo phenomenon. An Aug. 3 Morning Edition segment references Craig Ferguson discussing cargo shorts with Matthew McConaughey on The Late Late Show in 2014 in which Ferguson says, Who are you trying to kid, man? Youre not doing any maintenance. You dont need pockets for tools.

In a recent informal survey in Atlantic City, where a large portion of the summer population is made up of visitors, the shorts were ubiquitous. The men wearing them may not have actually been carrying tools, but they were traveling with a lot of electronics.

I keep my phone and wallet in the lower pockets. Theres a pocket for everything, said Al Mortensen, of Staten Island, New York. I even have pants like this. Its convenient. Its a little safer to keep things in the other pockets. I didnt want one of those fanny packs!

Michael Toub, of Philadelphia, shared a similar concern for electronics and dignity.

It makes me mad that more manufacturers dont make device-friendly designs. I used to have dress pants with interior cargos for work and my last pair got trashed, he said. I have my iPod, iPhone, and Im middle-aged now and wear glasses. I dont want to hang glasses or sunglasses on my shirt like a goofball. I refuse to carry a murse. No murse, he said, referring to a mans purse.

The female opinion generally carries a different tune. Cindy Guzman, of Atlantic City, didnt sugar-coat the garments fashion deficit.

I personally dont think its cute. Its not fashionable at all. But the style in this area is very casual, and for a lot of guys I think its just easy to throw them on, she said. All I know for sure is my boyfriend doesnt have any, she said.

Off the Clock: Don't be ashamed of stay-at-home dads Here is what they don't tell you when you quit your career to stay home with children: When 

Angela Davenport, of San Diego, has a much more forgiving opinion. I feel that beauty is from within, so when I look at a man, I dont care what hes wearing, she said. Im interested in his mind and heart, and he could be wearing a potato sack.

Justin Lee, of New York, said that as a traveler, you cant be too careful.

Im a big fan of them. I carry a lot of stuff. For instance, battery chargers. Youre not going to put that in a back pocket. I always have gum, lip balm, whatever. I dont carry a wallet because I dont believe in them. Wallets you lose, he said. I keep what I need wrapped in a hair tie in a pocket. And you dont want to keep it in your back pocket, A, youll get pick-pocketed. B, it doesnt feel great on your butt.

Lee said hes heard rumblings that cargo shorts have fallen out of style, but he had an argument ready for that.

I saw a Facebook article about how theyre out, but I was thinking, What are you talking about? Ill wear them for the rest of my life, he said. And good brands are making them, like these are by Polo (Ralph Lauren). Im not here for sophistication. Im here to be comfortable.

So, ladies, you can argue against them all day, but if theres one thing for sure, its that the main arguments for cargo shorts comes down to utility, safety and manliness. All of which are very difficult to argue against.

Contact: 609-272-7209

Twitter @ACPressSchweder
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CAPE MAYThe family of 11-month-old Gavin Ditzel has been attending Seafarers Weekend at Historic Cold Spring Village for years, but the infants first encounter with pirates came Saturday afternoon.

He only cried at the first initial gunfire, said mother Caitlyn Ditzel, 23, of Port Elizabeth in Maurice River Township.

Other than that, Caitlyn and her parents, Lynn and William Bartleson, said Gavin loved the show. He was clapping and staring up at Valhallas Pirates as they prepared for their routine.

Its a good show, said William Bartleson, 63. He (Gavin) seems to like it.

Hes just amazed, Caitlyn Ditzel added.

Seafarers Weekend, an annual celebration of piracy, kicked off Saturday at Cold Spring Village. Valhallas Pirates, a group of performers who travel up and down the East Coast, performed skits and stunts, and even taught a few youngsters how to handle a sword.

The kids love it, said Matthew Imparato, 63, of Clearwater, Florida, a member of the pirate troop. Most of them just want to find out if that swords real, if that pistols real.

Marjorie and Raymond Paschuck, frequent visitors to the old-fashioned village on Route 9, said they try to make it to Seafarers Weekend every year. Its a Cape May tradition, Marjorie said.

Right here in Cape May County, we have all this history of sea and pirates, she said.

Lynn Bartleson, Gavins grandmother, said she and her husband used to bring Caitlyn Ditzel to the village when she was a child for Seafarers Weekend, but also for other activities.

We like it (Cold Spring Village) because it reaches them how it was in the old days, said Bartleson, who added the younger members of the family are more interested in the pirates.

The event continues from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Contact: 609-272-7411

Brewery coming to former Middle Township plumbing warehouse A former plumbing-supply warehouse in Middle Township is about to start handling liquids of 
PLEASANTVILLE  It was all about sharing culture Saturday afternoon for the 20th annual Latin Music Festival.

In addition to a line-up of live performers, the event included food, dancing and camaraderie at the site of the former high school on Franklin Boulevard.

This is our 20th year with the mission of uniting not only the Puerto Rican community, but the Latino community to celebrate our heritage, said event organizer Yvette Soto.

She said the proceeds raised Saturday will benefit the Atlantic County Puerto Rican Parade scholarship research program.

We want our kids to be the leaders of tomorrow, Soto said.

The program guides students through the college application and financial aid process, as well as to attain their GED.
By PTI: Bangkok, Aug 28 (PTI) A 49-year-old Indian businessman was today robbed of cash by two motorcycle-borne women in Thailands beach resort town of Pattaya.

Two knife-wielding women on a motorcycle robbed me of 7,000 baht, 2,000 rupees and USD 200 and some documents before speeding away when me and my friend were walking in Soi 9 off Pattaya Beach road, Hussain Qureshi, a leather businessman, told police.

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Police said they raided checkpoints to intercept the women but failed to find them, adding the investigation is on. PTI JB AMS AJR

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NORTHFIELD - Officials have identified the woman who died in a house fire that collapsed the roof of a one-story rancher on Bay Drive on Saturday.

Julia Eisenhardt, 91, of 2200 Bay Drive, was found dead in her home after firefighters extinguished the blaze. Her cause of death is under investigation and the fire does not appear suspicious, according to a statement from the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office.

Craig Dennis, who lives three houses away on Yorkshire Avenue, said he came outside when he heard sirens and saw only large clouds of black smoke covering the home. He said that eventually the roof collapsed from the fire.

Neighbor Dennis Gitsas said he was alerted to the blaze when he heard an off-duty Atlantic City firefighter calling for assistance. Gitsas went outside and quickly smelled the smoke and saw the flames pouring from the windows. He said that soon after, Northfield police arrived on the scene.

"The policemen were unbelievable. You can never ask for them to do more than they did," Gitsas said. "You just can't thank them enough."

Fire units from Northfield, Linwood, Somers Point, the Atlantic County Fire Marshal's Office, the prosecutor's Forensic Unit, EMS units from TriCare and AtlantiCare, and South Jersey Gas responded. The Northfield Fire Auxiliary provided food and water to first responders.

Contact: 609-272-7251

Twitter @clairelowe
New Jersey struggled for a dozen years to make reasonable rules ensuring the public's access to beaches and waterways. It finally succeeded at the start of this year, when the Legislature erased a legal oversight that prevented the state from implementing a good compromise on access regulations.

The state Department of Environmental Protection was officially authorized to enforce regulations and issue permits, and everyone was relieved that a cloud had been removed from shore communities and the public's interest ahead of the summer season.

Well, not quite everyone. A couple of legislators from North Jersey want to start the fight with shore communities, businesses and private property owners all over again. They're pushing, again, to require endless access to beaches and waterways, and taxpayer-funded restrooms and parking even where there's no demand for them.

If this sounds sadly familiar to people at the shore, that's because such features were part of a DEP plan that incited outrage more than a decade ago.

Local governments were incredulous that they would have to ensure safe, unrestrained use of their beaches all night, every night. Marina owners were shocked at the prospect of admitting anyone and everyone 24/7.

A state Superior Court struck down that plan in 2008, saying the DEP had overreached. The agency started over and developed a program of working with each municipality on its own plan for beach access.

A lawsuit sidetracked the DEP program last December, with a state appellate panel finding state law never formally gave the DEP authority to oversee, regulate and ensure water and waterfront access. The Legislature and Gov. Chris Christie quickly responded in January with a law doing just that.

Yet state Sen. Bob Smith, D-Middlesex, says he doesn't know whether the DEP program can proceed. So he and state Sen. Christopher Bateman, R-Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Somerset, have introduced a bill to bring back the unworkable access mandates.

The DEP told a legislative hearing in Toms River last week that the bill would require marinas to provide round-the-clock access, owners of single-family waterfront homes to provide access if they have made improvements, towns to provide restrooms and parking at their expense, and businesses to provide access if they add a bulkhead or expand. The bill isn't needed, the DEP said.

We agree. Let the state and municipalities work together on providing reasonable access, balancing the public's right and need for access and the interests of municipalities and property owners. If the result seems insufficient, adjustments can be made then.

The attempt by Smith and Bateman to throw away a decade of progress on the issue and return to a dead end is irresponsible.

Our view
Some may find it surprising that most of the Atlantic City casino industry's increase of 1.5 percent in total revenues during the first six months of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015 was generated by online gaming.

This development is very interesting and warrants discussion. But first let's review the numbers, all of which are from financial reports recently released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.

During the first half of 2016, online gaming win jumped 31.7 percent while onsite gaming win (aka, "brick and mortar" win) was up only 0.6 percent. Admittedly, the significant increase in online gaming win was on a much smaller base, approximately $72 million in the first six months of 2015 vs. nearly $95 million this year. But it amounted to a net increase of almost $23 million in new revenue while the onsite gaming win was only about $7.3 million more in 2016 compared to the same period last year, $1,151,748,761 vs. $1,144,476,848 in 2015, a 0.6 percent increase.

Total casino revenues from all sources, including third party sales, increased from $1,750,124,000 in the first six months of 2015 to $1,776,095 this year, an increase of approximately $26 million, or 1.5 percent over last year. Thus, the nearly $23 million contribution from online gaming was the primary driver of new casino revenues so far in 2016.

At least three major conclusions can be drawn from these numbers. First, online gaming has become a "virtual" ninth New Jersey casino. But unlike the eight existing Atlantic City casinos, the ninth casino has no walls, no restaurants and few employees. It is now contributing welcome new dollars to the casinos that have it - the Borgata, Golden Nugget, Caesars, etc. - and probably at a much more lucrative return on investment than its onsite, or brick and mortar, counterparts that have the major operating and maintenance costs of a labor intensive, fixed site, industry.

With nearly $95 million in win through the first six months of 2016, online casino operations generated more gaming win than the onsite operations at Resorts ($79.7 million) and the Taj Mahal ($85.2 million) during this period. And the onsite gaming win through the first six months this year at the Golden Nugget ($99.3 million) and Bally's ($101.7 million) may be overtaken by the second half 2016 online gaming numbers.

These numbers suggests two other issues. On the revenue side, as noted above, online gaming certainly helps the bottom line of the casinos that have vigorously implemented it. But the significant 21 percent jump in gross operating profits for the first half of 2016 apparently resulted not from the 1.5 percent increase in revenue but from major cost controls such as personnel reductions and benefit cuts.

Certainly, online gaming can grow revenues while reducing labor and maintenance costs associated with brick and mortar casinos, resulting in future higher operating profits that please shareholders. But most online players can gamble without visiting Atlantic City. So while shareholders benefit, non-casino establishments in the resort seem minimally impacted.

The third issue to consider is that since online gaming win is taxed at 15 percent instead of the 8 percent rate on onsite gaming win, the state gets a better share of gaming win from its new ninth virtual casino. That raises a question about gaming in North Jersey, which is on the November ballot. Still to be decided is the actual tax rate on those proposed casinos, with rates of 25 percent to 50 percent being debated.

Perhaps, with online gaming racking up double digit increases monthly and its ability to reduce costs and boost profits, the Legislature should consider raising the online gaming tax rate to 25 or 30 percent and the onsite rate to 20 percent in Atlantic City. Then voters would have the choice to raise more state revenues for senior citizen programs from the existing online and onsite casinos based here in South Jersey rather than from new ones up north.

Anthony Marino, of Egg Harbor Township, is a local market analyst and former executive of South Jersey Transportation Authority.
Reshma Qureshi was attacked by her brother-in-law who splashed her face with acid in 2014, will walk the catwalk after she was invited to take part in New York Fashion Week in September.

By India Today Web Desk:

Reshma Qureshi from Mumbai, 19, was attacked by her brother-in-law and his friends who threw acid on her face in 2014, after which her face was brutally disfigured. But this tough and determined acid attack survivor will beat all odds and model at New York Fashion Week next month.

In the horrible accident, she lost sight in one eye and her face was severely damaged.

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DON'T LET THEM SAY YOU AREN'T BEAUTIFUL

Reshma will walk the catwalk in New York in her very first trip overseas. When she was told by the charity -- Make Love Not Scars -- that she would be flying to New York, a few tears rolled down her face but soon she was smiling, according to a Gulf News report.

A fashion production company, FTL Moda, invited Reshma to take part in New York Fashion Week, which brings together models, fashion editors, buyers and designers from around the world.

Reshma is also the face of a campaign to end the open sale of acid in India and also appears in YouTube videos talking about beauty tips.



BRUTALITY OF IT

The acid burns off the eyelids and lips completely and the nose also melts. The skin, the skull bone, forehead, chin and cheekbones, they all dissolve if it's a severe case of an acid attack.

Each surgery costs around Rs 2-4 lakh and it goes upto Rs 6 lakh depending on how severe the case is.

It's hard to gather the proper stats of these attacks but according to a report, Indian government confirmed the number of female acid attack victims as 98 in 2011, 85 in 2012 and 80 in 2013.

A campaign -- Stop Acid Attacks -- claims, there have been 386 cases of acid attacks from 2013 to 2014.



CHALLENGING NORMS

FTL Moda is committed to challenging norms of beauty in the fashion world when last year they invited Madeline Stuart, an Australian teenager with Down syndrome, to grace the runway.

Photo: Twitter - @EndangeredBodys





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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.




Situated in southern China, at the heart of the Pearl River Delta region, the city of Enping is renowned for its microphone and audio equipment manufacturing industry, building its reputation from strength to strength over the last three decades. With the municipal government supportive of the long-standing entrepreneurial spirit of the local population, the city now hosts over 400 manufacturers who have recently decided to ally themselves under the banner of the Enping Advanced Microphone Manufacturing Hub .

To commemorate this milestone, Enping's Electro-Acoustic Industry Association will be releasing a series of short films to introduce the manufacturing environment, the entrepreneurial culture, the creative talent and generally what makes Enping so unique.

An acknowledged epicenter for audio technology production in China, the first short film will focus on the historical development and future potential of the Enping Advanced Microphone Manufacturing Hub. The video introduces the city of Enping, the products it makes, the international partnerships forged, the vision of Enping Microphone and some of the Enping Microphone companies involved.

Whilst companies in Enping previously worked on their own, the formal corporate alliance under the Enping Microphone banner brings the local audio equipment industry a further competitive edge and many other advantages. Together with a strengthened, more dynamic trading environment and a larger production capacity, the new alliance will make it far easier for overseas companies to engage and forge partnerships with the Enping audio equipment manufacturing industry.

This video series will embody the identity of Enping Microphone's industry, and provides multinational companies with a full view of both the capability and potential of its manufacturing hub.

The president of Enping Electro Acoustic Industry Association, Mr. Zhonghuo Wu said, "We will support and lead more Enping companies to produce a higher quality of products. This video is made under our supervision and will help our potential clients to learn more about us.

"Anyone involved in the professional audio industry and currently looking for effective new business partnerships, from preferential distribution agreements to reliable product suppliers, Enping Microphone really is your best choice. Keep an eye out for the video to see why," added Wu.

Contact:

Vicky Fu

+86-21-6295-3191

[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401641

SOURCE Enping Administration for Industry and Commerce
The gang used to procure sophisticated semi-automatic pistols from Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh and sell them further to criminal elements in Delhi and NCR.

By Tanseem Haider: The special cell of Delhi Police today busted an inter-state gun trading racket and recovered 20 improvised semi-automatic pistols from the possession of a person known as Ajay Bhardwaj.

The gang used to procure sophisticated semi-automatic pistols from Dhar district in Madhya Pradesh and sell them further to criminal elements in Delhi and NCR.

HOW COPS BUSTED THE GANG

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An in-house study into the growing use of sophisticated firearms in commission of robberies and dacoities, extortions and other heinous crimes in Delhi and NCR over the past few years revealed that in most of the cases illicit weapons manufactured in Khargone, Sendhwa and Dhar districts of Madhya Pradesh are being smuggled into Delhi NCR.

A team of special cell was entrusted the task to curb the illegal arms trade in Delhi and NCR, Mewat and Mathura region. Once entrusted with the task, the team collected data pertaining to these gangs operating in Delhi and NCR.

The police team travelled to almost whole of UP West, UP East, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh region. During this period, vast data was collected about the modus operandi and area of operation of each gang. The team prepared road plan of their movements in rural belts and synchronised the same with technical details. This team worked diligently and relentlessly by deploying informers in and around Delhi, UP West and Madhya Pradesh.

On 26th August 2016, a specific information was received that one Ajay Bhardwaj would again come near Gurudwara, East Vinod Nagar, Delhi at about 5 pm to deliver a huge cache of Dhar-manufactured semi-automatic weapons to his contact. Accordingly, a trap was laid on NH-24, near bus stand, East Vinod Nagar, Delhi.

At about 5:15 pm, one suspicious person holding a bag on his shoulder was tracked near the bus stand. The suspicious person was waiting for someone. After some time when no one turned up and he was about to leave, at about 5:30 pm, he was overpowered and apprehended. Cops identified him as Ajay Bhardwaj, resident of Firozabad.

On being interrogated, Bhardwaj revealed that he has been working for his brother Prashant Bhardwaj, who is main receiver of these illegal arms from Dhar (MP). This consignment of illegal arms was to be supplied to the contact of Prashant, who is resident of Pandav Nagar, Delhi. Interrogation further revealed that the accused has previously supplied 5-6 consignments of illegal weapons in Delhi-NCR to the contacts of his brother Prashant.

ALSO READ:

Kachcha banian gang terror: Dacoits break into house, rape 2 women, murder couple in Mewat

Notorious criminals arrested after brief shootout at Delhi's Bhati Mines area



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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
Phnom Penh, Aug 23 : Cambodian Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn will visit Thailand this week to meet his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai and discuss ways to enhance bilateral ties and cooperation, a Foreign Ministry statement said on Tuesday.

The two ministers will co-chair the 10th meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between Cambodia and Thailand on August 25-26, Xinhua news agency quoted the statement as saying.

"Both sides will discuss a wide range of issues of mutual interest to enhance and expedite the on-going bilateral cooperation as agreed by the leaders of the two countries," it said.

Prak Sokhonn will pay a courtesy call on Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-Cha, said the statement.
Mumbai, Aug 24 : His first collection showcase back in the 1990s earned him the title "Guru of Minimalism" and later on he pioneered the concept of "resort wear" and "eco-friendly" garments in Indian fashion. After over two decades in the fashion industry, designer Wendell Rodricks has said goodbye to the runway and handed over his label to his prodigy Schulen Fernandes.

His collection at the opening day of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016 on Wednesday was his last runway presentation and he very proudly handed over his hat to Fernandes on the ramp itself.

Talking to IANS, Rodricks said: "It's an emotional day for me as from now on, she will represent me. Schulen was working with me since she passed out from college, she was my student."

"I think it's very essential that every designer plans to move. No point reaching at the crisis stage and then decide who is going to take over your label.... Because we don't want the label to die when the designer goes... So we want to actually put somebody in place. Schulen is the one for me."

Looking proud and confident, the Padma Shri awardee also pointed that there are many designers who have handed over their business to family members. But for him, Fernandes was the right choice.

"Some of them (designers) are older than me and they had in a way passed on their businesses and brands to their family members. Like Ritu Kumar did that with her son, but we didn't want to do it that way," Rodricks said.

"We wanted to give it to someone who knows our philosophy and Schulen knows it very well. She knows what my philosophy is, so it was an easy transition for me to leave the label with her because I know I am leaving it in trusted hands," he added.

So was the LFW stage actually his last fashion runway presentation?

"Yes, technically. Now you will see me as Wendell Rodricks for books and my museum (in Goa) from October," he said, and added that he will keep sharing his creative ideas whenever the brand needs him.

"Fashion is there and I will keep the passion for fashion very much alive in my head. If I get any ideas, I will share it with her (Schulen). I will still go to the studio and do one or two sample fits... To enjoy," he shared.

At the fashion gala, Rodricks along with Fernandes showcased a collection titled Trapezoid. The fabrics used in the collection were primarily linen, paper silk, silk crepe, malkha cotton, stripe chanderi silk dyed mul and more handloom ones.

The designer showcased sheer layering, distorted sleeves, structured pintucks, tulip pants and lots of other free-flowing outfits.

Fernandes for Wendell Rodricks also addressed the lack of a uniform sizing standard in India and launched a size chart at the fashion gala, which is taking place at St. Regis here.

"There is no size chart in the country. We are supposed to be the biggest, youngest economy and consumer in the next five to 10 years and we don't have a standard chart," said Rodricks.

"Every designer comes with different size chart... There is too much of confusion for clients, buyers or for the retailer... So that needed to be sorted out. Models also said that you should have model size chart as that will help fashion students who are doing clothes for models. They needed this chart very badly, so next time we will put out a model chart as well," he added.

The size chart is available at the ongoing fashion gala for anyone to grab a copy.

(The writer is in Mumbai at the invitation of LFW organisers. Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)
Cape Town, Aug 28 : Implicated in a corruption scandal, the wealthy Indian Gupta family on Saturday announced its intention to sell all of its shareholding in South Africa by the end of the year.

"We are already in discussions with several international prospective buyers and will soon be in a position to make further announcements," Xinhua quoted the family as saying.

"We believe that this decision is in the best interests of our business, the country and our colleagues," said a statement by the family.

With huge business interests in South Africa and close ties with President Jacob Zuma, the Gupta family has been accused of "state capture" by influencing Zuma in the appointment of cabinet ministers. The family, however, denied the accusation.

Following the scandal that rocked South Africa, the family decided to step down from all executive and non-executive positions in all their South African business in April 2016.

Ever since, the local management team has grown the Gupta's businesses from strength to strength, with turnover and profits showing good growth and more jobs created, said the statement.

"As a family, we now believe that the time is right for us to exit our shareholding of the South African businesses which we believe will benefit our existing employees and lead to further growth in the businesses," it said.
Damascus, Aug 28 : Kurdish fighters said they had confronted an attack by the Turkey-backed rebels in northern Syria on Saturday, marking the first clash between the groups, following Ankara's military intervention in northern Syria last Wednesday.

The Military Council of Jarablus, a part of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the encounter occurred in the village of Amarneh south of the city of Jarablus, which has recently been captured by the Turkey-backed Free Syria Army (FSA), Xinhua reported.

The SDF said they destroyed three Turkish tanks, a claim that proven right by many Turkish media outlets.

Stopping the SDF advance was the main target of the Turkish military campaign in northern Syria.

On Wednesday, a group of the FSA accompanied by Turkish tanks and special forces crossed the borders from Turkey into Syria, capturing Jarablus from the Islamic State (IS) group.

The operation cut the road before the Kurdish fighters of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the allied SDF could take that city, as it was the Kurdish groups' next target, following a series of successful operations against the IS in northern Syria near the Turkish borders.

Meanwhile, the Nour Addien Zinki group, part of the FSA, said it had succeeded with the help of other factions of the FSA of capturing Amarneh after clashing with the SDF.

On Saturday, Turkey sent more tanks to back up the FSA in the battles against the Kurdish-led groups.
Caracas, Aug 28 : Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Venezuela on Saturday to boost the two countries' bilateral cooperation.

In a brief interview with the state-owned Venezolana de TelevisiAn, Zarif said that the two countries' central banks would sign an agreement to boost their joint cooperation, Xinhua reported.

"This agreement to be signed by the central banks of both countries will help to broaden bilateral relations and open the path of participation in our joint development," he was quoted as saying.

Iran and Venezuela collaborated in the creation of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1960. They became closer after President Hugo Chavez came to power in Venezuela in 1999 and during the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013).

This is the last leg of Zarif's Latin American tour, which also took him to Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Chile and Bolivia.
London, Aug 28 : The chief executive of the French power giant EDF has called on British Prime Minister Theresa May to give a go-ahead to the proposed nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point.

Vincent de Rivaz on Saturday pointed to the risks caused by some critics "losing sight of the bigger picture by overlooking the positive impact and importance of this investment for Britain", Xinhua news agency reported.

One month ago, May ordered a review of the 18 billion British pound ($23.6 billion) Hinkley Point C project, which will be built and mainly funded by the EDF. China also agreed to take a third of the investment.

De Rivaz said the project brings the benefits of a 30-year partnership between the EDF and its nuclear construction partner in China, a country with the largest civil nuclear programme in the world.

"We know and trust our Chinese partners. Beyond that, British independent nuclear regulator has only granted Hinkley Point a nuclear site license after being satisfied that security has been properly addressed," the EDF chief said.

According to De Rivaz, all staff of nuclear projects are rigorously vetted. As is standard practice, the control systems at Hinkley Point C will be isolated from IT systems and the internet, he said.

"The cost of Hinkley Point C's electricity is frequently compared with today's depressed wholesale prices. The correct comparison is with future prices. Hinkley Point C is competitive with all other future energy options, even including fossil fuels like gas when the cost of carbon is taken into account," he added.

De Rivaz said that neither battery storage nor small modular reactors are viable or competitive as compared with the nuclear technology applied the Hinkley project which will alone supply seven per cent of Britain's electricity demand.

Hinkley Point will benefit the British economy by creating thousands of jobs and hundreds of apprenticeships and billions of pounds will be invested into the economy of England, said the EDF chief.

"Across Britain, dozens of companies and our own workforce are ready to deliver this project. Their motivation remains high and they are looking forward to getting on with the job," he said.
The accused had allegedly offered the fellow student a copy of a movie she had been looking for and took her to his room where he gave her a drink spiked with sedatives.

By Press Trust of India: JNU has suspended a PhD scholar, accused of rape by a fellow student and declared the campus out of bounds for him pending an enquiry. The decision has come following protests from students and teachers.

A 28-year-old research student has alleged that a fellow student, Anmol Ratan, raped her after offering her a spiked drink in his hostel room in the university.



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Ratan, an activist of the left-affiliated All India Students Association (AISA), has also been expelled from the student outfit and police have also booked him.

ALSO READ:

Protests in JNU over student's rape, accused AISA leader Anmol Ratan absconding



While he evaded arrest at first, Ratan subsequently surrendered on August 24 and was sent to 14 days in judicial custody.

"Considering the seriousness of the case and in conformity with zero tolerance against sexual assault on women, Anmol Ratan is suspended from the university with immediate effect during pendency of the case," the suspension order read.

"The entire JNU campus shall remain out of bounds for Ratan during his suspension. Anyone found giving shelter to Ratan in any hostel residence in the campus shall invite disciplinary action against him or her," it added.

The action came after the students and teachers staged protests demanding action against Ratan to ensure safety of women on the campus and send out a strong message of intolerance towards such incidents.

University administration, has also asked the Gender Sensitization Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH), to investigate the matter. GSCASH is the university's panel to deal with complaints of such nature.

The rape case has become a centre of political agenda at JNU campus where student union polls are scheduled to be held in the next fortnight.

Student wings of various political parties are trying to encash the issue ahead of the keenly contested polls.

ALSO READ:

Rape in JNU puts AISA and ABVP at loggerheads, protests kick off





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Mumbai, Aug 28 : Actress Kriti Sanon says "Raabta" is really close to her heart and she hopes the film gets is appreciated by the audience.

"We have two really great long schedules. And whatever I have seen, it came out really well. I am really excited because this is one script that is really close to my heart. So I am just hoping you guys love it," Kriti told IANS at the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week(LFW) Winter/Festive 2016.

Kriti was the showstopper for Label Ritu Kumar on the fourth day of the fashion gala on Saturday.

The film, which also stars Sushant Singh Rajput, marks the directorial debut of producer Dinesh Vijan.

Kriti, who was a model before becoming a Bollywood actress, says that its nostalgic to be back on the runway.

"Its nostalgic to come back to same venue to the same ramp that I used to work on. Even when I was a model, I used to feel that one day I will walk as a showstopper... Also now people know who you are so you can't make mistakes and there is lot of responsibility on you for the garment you are presenting," she said.

Is there any pressure to look good whenever she steps out?

"Of course, and I think it's crazy nowadays. Everyone has a phone camera, so you get clicked anywhere you go. Airports spotting is so much, but yes I think we need to balance it out. Looking good and presentable is my priority and just be comfortable in whatever you are wearing," said Kriti.

The actress, who made her Bollywood debut with "Heropanti" and later on went on to do films like "Dilwale", says Deepika Padukone, Kangana Ranaut and Sonam Kapoor are the best dressed ladies in the business.
Mumbai, Aug 28 : Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra, who recently toured the US for Dream Team dance tour, is more than overwhelmed by the positive feedback he received. He says it was a memorable experience.

His performance and dance moves made waves in the six cities -- Houston, Oakland, Orlando, Hoffman Estates, Inglewood and Newark -- he performed in along with others like Alia Bhatt, Parineeti Chopra and Varun Dhawan. The tour was held earlier this month.

His performances with Katrina Kaif and Alia made his fans slay and groove to the hit dance numbers "Kaala chashma" and "Kar gayi chull".

Sidharth said in a statement: "It was a wonderful experience performing for the audience. The energy level rose with each city. The love I have received has been a memorable experience. My interactions with them have been tremendous. I feel extremely fortunate to receive so much affection from the fans."

The actor will next be seen showcasing his chemistry with Katrina in "Baar Baar Dekho", to be released on September 9.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : An "identity crisis" looms before the Baloch people as Pakistan is killing their intellectuals and strategically suppressing their history, says a Baloch freedom activist, adding that they will "not let Pakistan take our cultural identity from us".

According to prominent Baloch freedom movement activist Mazdak Dilshad Baloch, the lullabies of Baloch mothers "are the only source of history lesson for the new generation" of their people.

"As per Pakistani text books, Balochistan is a barbaric nation and Baloch people are barbarians who fight among themselves. That's what they (Pakistan) teach their kids, a manipulated history of Balochistan," Mazdak told IANS.

The issue of manipulated history in text books was also raised in the Pakistan Parliament earlier this year, after the 12th standard sociology books defined Baloch as "uncivilised people who engage in murder and looting".

"There is total crackdown on journalists, lawyers, doctors, engineers, students. The figure of missing people has crossed 25,000 and about 25 Baloch journalists have been killed. They are killing our intellectuals, educated ones who could take us forward in the future," said Mazdak, who was in the Indian capital.

He said most of the Baloch leaders and intellectuals are either dead, underground or have fled Pakistan fearing for their life.

Terming the Pakistani media a "puppet" and Pakistan an "artificial nation", the young activist who was in Delhi to garner support of Indians and Baloch people, said, "Our history is being suppressed and this is part of their strategy. Baloch people are voiceless and Pakistani media can't help us".

"They are confining our 700-year-old history to 70 years which is not even ours. Our children are told that Jinnah was our founder, while it was Mir Miro Baloch who founded the kingdom of Balochistan in 1410," Mazdak said, adding that while Baloch people love education, they resist the Pakistani syllabus.

"They teach us about Ahmed Shah Abdali. He was a great person in history and should be celebrated by Afghans. We have nothing to do with him, Sher Shah Suri, Mahmood Gaznavi or Mughals. You can't just snatch someone else's history and make it your own.

"We have our own history, culture and lifestyle. You can see our clothes and carpets -- they have the same pattern and geometry as were in Mehergarh (an ancient site in Balochistan). Our historic finger prints are still intact. Our culture and language is never dying and we will not let Pakistan take it from us," Mazdak said.

He also speaks of Hindu shrines in Balochistan including the famed Hinglaj or Nani Mandir.

"Hindus in Balochistan are not Indian or Pakistani, they are Baloch Hindus. We have been protecting and celebrating the centuries-old legacy. The town of Mastung, where I come from, has a Mahadev temple. We protect and respect them because it's part of our heritage," he said.

"All around the world mothers would tell their children a fairy tale. But a Baloch mother while putting her child to sleep tells about how the forefathers got this land, this is how they fought and got martyred. So this is how the children there are brought up. This is how a sense of sovereignty is inherited in their blood," he explained.

Asked why he opposes the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a project that allows China to access the Gwadar Port in Balochistan from its western province of Xinjiang, the activist in exile called it "a conspiracy to loot our resources".

"We are not against economic activities or anything that would uplift the economic condition of the region, but for this they have to talk to Baloch, not the people in Lahore. It is a conspiracy to loot our resources as with this move there is no economic benefit to the Baloch people," he said.

"Army and government of Pakistan only want our land and our resources."

Saying that while they want to nurture a free Balochistan as a "democratic", "secular" and "gender-balanced" nation, Mazdak calls Pakistan an "artificial country".

"If they (Pakistan) teach correct history then people will ask why it even got separated from India, with which it shares history. Even ethnically and genetically they are same. This shows how ignorant Pakistan is and what kind of artificial country it is," he said.

(Kushagra Dixit can be contacted at kushagra.d@ians.in and Ashish Mishra at Ashish.m@ians.in )
Mumbai, Aug 28 : Actress Ruhi Singh, who shot some intimate scenes with Karan Kundra for the music video of the song "Do Chaar Din", believes actors shouldn't have inhibitions.

She has especially praised actress Radhika Apte for making bold choices in Bollywood and for setting an example.

Asked if she has any limitations as an actress, Ruhi said: "One thing an as actor you have to keep in mind is that you can't have qualms not just about intimate scenes, but about every scene."

"Radhika Apte is the biggest example right now. Why is she called a brilliant actor? Because she doesn't limit herself. She is brilliant actress," Ruhi added.

Having worked in "Calendar Girls" and "Ishq Forever", Ruhi says: "If a particular scene requires it (intimacy) and if it's justified in the script, then why not?"

"Radhika didn't get typecast... Times are changing," she added.

"Do Chaar Din" is a song penned by Manoj Muntashir and sung by Rahul Vaidya. Jeet Gannguli has given music to it. Its video features Ruhi and Karan sharing some cosy moments.

Ruhi hails from a non-film background. She admits it gets a bit difficult for an outsider to make a name in the industry.

"It's a big thing when you not from here (Bollywood) and when you don't have film background. Having said that, I also feel success is fun when you work hard.

"I don't have control over my films but I have learnt that it is important to choose right scripts."
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Actor Boman Irani is open to the idea of going to Hollywood to explore a "different world of acting" -- albeit only when a "substantial" opportunity comes knocking at his door.

A wave of Indian talent with names like Priyanka Chopra, Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur, Anupam Kher and Deepika Padukone, has hit foreign shores. While Boman, 56, is not averse to the idea of working in the west, he says he won't jump onto the bandwagon with a run-of-the-mill role.

"If something substantial comes my way, I will (explore Hollywood). An actor will always like to explore different mediums, different styles of acting and different world of acting," Boman told IANS over phone from Mumbai.

"If something comes, sure enough. If not, then I am content in whatever I do," he added.

The actor, who is the brand ambassador for Ambi Pur India and is busy urging people to take a 'Smelfie Challenge' to rid their homes of odour, is known for films like "Happy New Year", "Housefull 3", "Student of the Year" and "3 Idiots".

As far as Bollywood is concerned, Boman says he is going through a few projects, but refrains from spilling any information about them.

He said: "There are three projects but I have not signed for it. So, it will be stupid of me to mention it ... you will know about them soon."
Ankara, Aug 29 : Turkish President Recep Erdogan pledged on Sunday to fight all terrorist groups including the Islamic State (IS), the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) with its Syrian offshoots.

The Turkish army's operation in Syria was aimed at giving people, who fled the IS-controlled areas, a chance to return home, Erdogan told a rally of his supporters in the Turkey's Gaziantep province, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said the government "had enough" of recent mortar attacks targeting the Karkamis district of the border province of Kilis, which ultimately provoked the launch of the Euphrates Shield operation.

Last week, the Turkish army launched a cross-border operation with the help of the US-led coalition forces to drive out the IS terrorists from its border following the Gaziantep suicide attack that killed at least 55 persons and series of mortar attacks targeting the Karkamis district.

"People's demand for the reintroduction of death penalty should be debated in parliament, I will sign it if it comes to me," Erdogan added.

Meanwhile, Turkish forces killed 10 PKK militants in the Turkeys' Hakkari province, the local media reported.
Brahman Cattle for Sale - Moreno Ranches We are just weeks away from this important Brahman cattle sale.

Moreno Ranches, a top producer of Brahman cattle for sale at http://www.morenoranches.com/, is excited to announce details of their 4th annual Catalyst Brahman cattle sale to be held in Venus, Florida, on September 3, 2016. The sale is a much-anticipated event in the Brahman cattle industry, with Brahman bulls and heifers for sale as well as interests in Brahman embryos and genetic products such as Brahman semen. A stunning, full-color catalog can be downloaded in PDF format at the ranch website, or requested in print format.

"We are just weeks away from this important Brahman cattle sale, explained Kelvin Moreno, head of Moreno Ranches. "Anyone interested in attending is strongly urged to visit our website or call the Ranch for a catalog. Demand is anticipated to be very strong, and interested persons are urged to preview available cattle beforehand so they can make the most of their time during the sale."

Fourth Annual "Catalyst" Brahman Cattle Sale

Among the details released on this important Brahman cattle sale are the following. First, the sale schedule explains that on Friday, September 2, all cattle will be available for viewing. The sale begins on Saturday, September 3, at 9:00 am with cattle viewing and an 11:00 am brunch. The sale begins at 12:00 pm, sharp, with a post-sale reception at 3:00 pm. In addition, those who cannot attend in person can watch online. (For details, contact Moreno Ranches). In addition to scheduling information, the catalog contains detailed information on various red and gray Brahman bulls and heifers for sale at the event. For example, Ms. Lady Romy 994 is described as "an amazing female sired by the leading sire JDH Sir Stratton Manso 823/4 and is one of his very first progeny ever sold in the United States. Stratton is currently only used by Moreno Ranches and the J.D. Hudgins-Locke Division, and results at Moreno Ranches are highlighted here as Lot 1. She is one of the finest the Moreno team has created to date. She is the result of the blending of the outcross genetics of Stratton and from the leading donor BB LP Enchanted Moment 910." Full details on this incredible Brahman female and other cattle for sale are available in the catalog.

To learn more about Moreno Ranches and their top-rated Brahman cattle for sale, please visit the website. To request a catalog, click on the red 'Request Catalog' button. In addition, interested parties are urged to browse the website by category. For example, those interested in Red Brahman cattle for sale can visit http://www.morenoranches.com/red-brahman-cattle-for-sale/, and those interested in Gray Brahman cattle for sale can visit http://www.morenoranches.com/gray-brahman-cattle-for-sale/.

About Moreno Ranches

Moreno Ranches is a top producer of Brahman cattle for sale. Customers come to the company for genetically superior Brahman bulls for sale and Brahman semen (seed stock) as well as Brahman embryos. The company produces both Brahman heifers and calves for sale, including for use as show cattle or to produce Brahman F1 hybrids. Visit the company's website to browse stock. The company is a trusted source of Brahman cattle whether a buyer is in Florida, Texas, or Louisiana - Latin America, or anywhere in the world.

Tel. 305-218-1238
Bay Area Jewelers As part of our website upgrades, we have focused on improving our online presence among customers in San Jose and Santa Clara, where we have an incredible jewelry store experience for customers in the Valley Fair mall.

Davidson & Licht, one of the top-rated jewelers in San Jose and Santa Clara, is proud to announce an early success as part of it ambitious website upgrades for Summer, 2016. The Santa Clara / San Jose store has just topped three reviews on the Google review system.

"As part of our website upgrades, we have focused on improving our online presence among customers in San Jose and Santa Clara, where we have an incredible jewelry store experience for customers in the Valley Fair mall," explained Jason Licht, marketing manager for Davidson and Licht. "Having just topped the three review milestone on Google is a small, but significant, proof of concept in our online strategy."

THE IMPORTANCE OF ONLINE REVIEWS IN THE JEWELRY BUSINESS

Silicon Valley consumers are known for wanting the best and latest in everything, and that desire extends to jewelry decisions such as purchases of engagement or wedding rings, quality Swiss watches such as Rolex or Breitling watches, or jewelry from top designers. Davidson and Licht operates a flagship store in the prestigious Valley Fair Shopping Center, located at the border between Santa Clara and San Jose. That said, many customers turn first to the Internet in their quest for the best Bay Area jewelry stores, especially those with South Bay locations. In addition to optimizing the Santa Clara jewelry store page at http://www.davidsonandlicht.com/santa-clara/, Davidson & Licht is rolling out new website upgrades to better serve customers who toggle between an online and an in-store experience. The idea is that a strong online presence via an upgraded website, a robust review presence on sites such as Google and Yelp, and an in-store experience that is second to none will create a unified, positive experience in both the digital and real worlds. Amongst these strategies, nothing is more important than successfully acquiring local reviews with quality-conscious Bay Area consumers. By achieving the three review milestone, Davidson & Licht is showing early progress towards its goal of improving its online presence and crossing the boundary between an incredible online jewelry experience and an incredible in-store experience. It should be noted, as well, that the company has forty reviews of its jewelry store on the popular Yelp system at https://www.yelp.com/biz/davidson-and-licht-santa-clara.

About Davidson & Licht Jewelers

Davidson & Licht (http://www.davidsonandlicht.com/) is one of the San Francisco Bay Area's top jewelers, with jewelry stores in Walnut Creek and in Santa Clara / San Jose in the Valley Fair mall. With a storied history, the company boasts the Bay Area's finest selection of engagement rings, wedding bands, and other fine jewelry for weddings and anniversaries. Besides carrying the best jewelry designers from Marco Bicego to Hearts on Fire, Mikimoto to Roberto Coin and everything in between, the company also offers in-house Rolex watch repair.

Media Relations. 925-935-0940
A 15-year-old girl in Koppal district of Karnataka went on a three-day fast protesting against the dearth of toilets in her village.

By Pratiba Raman: Imagine the plight of a 15-year-old girl who has to go out in the dark to defecate. This is the situation of a majority of families in Karnataka. According to the UNICEF in 2015, about 4.7 per cent gram panchayats in the state were declared open-defecation free.

Even though 50 per cent of the population in Karnataka has access to toilets, this problem persists due to lack of awareness. It took three days of hunger strike for Mallamma Bagalapur to help her family realise the need for a toilet in their home. Studying in class 10 in Koppal, some 350 kms from Bengaluru, Mallamma thanks her school for educating her about the importance of having a toilet.

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'TOILET IS ONLY FOR THE RICH'



She helped her family literally flush out the perception that "toilet is only for the rich". While Mallamma was on a strike in July, Koppal zilla panchayat CEO R Ramachandran visited the spot and promised the family to clear both the issues related to space and funds.

With government's subsidy of Rs 1,500 for Dalit families, Mallamma's long-term dream transformed into reality within a week. This young girl has now become a role model to all in the rural sections of the country to the extent that she holds a prominent place even in the PM's 'mann'. No wonder, Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, quoted her in his 'Mann Ki Baat' today.

Also read:

In this Karnataka village, sarpanch begs people to build toilets by falling at their feet





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Burhan Wani's father Muzaffer Wani told India Today that few days after the death of his son, he got a call from Sri Sri and he expressed condolences and sympathies over Burhan's martyrdom.

By Naseer Ganai: With the opposition National Conference asking questions about the meeting between Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Muzaffer Wani, father of Hizbul Mujahideen commander, Burhan Wani, Muzaffer Wani today said that when his son was killed Sri Sri expressed condolences to him and said if he ever visits Bengaluru he should meet him.

Muzaffer Wani, who is Principal of a government School, told India Today, "Few days after the martyrdom of my son Burhan, I got a call from Sri Sri. He expressed condolences and sympathies over Burhan's martyrdom. And he desired for a meeting if I visit Bangalore." He said he had seen Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on Dr. Zakir Naik's show and had known him as a person who was for peace and upholding of spiritual values. He said he talked to Sri Sri on someone elses phone, who knew him.

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READ: Burhan Wani's father contradicts Sri Sri Ravi Shankar over Bengaluru meeting

However, he didn't mention the name of person from whose phone he had talked to Sri Sri in July.

He said his meeting with the Sri Sri this week should not be construed as any involvement in direct or indirect political process under track-II diplomacy. He said he had sought an appointment at Sri Sri Rama (Ayurvedic) hospital Bengaluru three months ago and during his short meeting at the hospital this week, he urged Sri Sri that he should ask the central government to initiate a tripartite dialogue with Pakistan and Hurriyat Conference to settle Kashmir issue.

He said he informed Sri Sri Ravi Ravi Shankar that national media was not projecting the real picture of Kashmir before Indian masses.

He said he preferred to spend time in Ashram rather than at the hospital for safety and security reasons. "Sri Sri Ravi Shankar also condoled about the death of Burhan on the very first day of my visit," he added.

He said Sri Sri Ravi Shankar asked him to suggest something for restoration of peace in Kashmir. "I in my individual capacity insisted that he should impress upon the central government to initiate a tripartite dialogue with Pakistan and Syed Ali Geelani of Hurriyat Conference," Muzaffar Wani said.

National Conference spokesman Junaid Azim Mattu said he was not sure what happened in the meeting. He said, it was sufficient to say if anyone from mainstream might have met Sri Sri, it would have raised many eyebrows given his closeness to the establishment. He said the parties in the meeting should reveal what transpired in the meeting and what was it all about.

ALSO READ:

Sri Sri Ravishankar meets Burhan Wani's father, says discussed several issuesTop Hizbul commander Burhan Wani killed in Kashmir encounter



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Home Minister Rajnath Singh and top leaders from the BJP party reviewed the situation in the Valley.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Even as unrest continued in the Kashmir Valley for the 51st consecutive day, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday reviewed the situation in the state with top BJP and government functionaries. This is seen as an effort by centre to take the issue head on.

The home minister went into a huddle with BJP president Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh discussed with them the prevailing situation in the Kashmir.

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The meeting which went on for more than an hour had discussions on the impending visit of the all-party delegation to Kashmir and possible dates, sources indicated.

Sources said that the all-party delegation is likely to visit the state in the first week of September. Though there is still no clarity as to whether separatists (Hurriyat) would be called in for talks.



HOME MINISTER APPROACHED FOR GUIDANCE

When asked about what transpired at the meeting, Jitendra Singh refused to divulge details. However, post the meeting he told India Today that Rajnath Singh is a senior leader and that they have come for 'Margdarshan' (guidance).

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the Kashmir situation in his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on All India Radio and after that Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met him.

The Prime Minister in 23rd edition of his 'Mann Ki Baat' address that any life lost in Kashmir, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is country's own loss.

UNITY, AFFECTION CRUX OF INTERACTION

"Ekta (unity) and Mamata(affection)was the crux of all interactions I had recently on Kashmir situation," he said.

Modi said those pushing the youth towards stone pelting in Kashmir will someday have to answer them. He also said that all political parties spoke in one voice on Kashmir, sending out a strong message to the world as well as separatists.

Unrest has continued in the Kashmir Valley for the 51st consecutive day on Sunday, ever since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.

Pakistan has been upping the ante sending 22 of its Member of parliament to different nations to highlight alleged atrocities by Indian security forces. India has blamed Pakistan for fomenting trouble in valley.

Also read:

Kashmir unrest: Mehbooba meets PM, seeks credible, meaningful political action





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When trying to sort out the relationship between individual rights and the common good, it is useful to look at two contrasting models of how this relationship might be envisioned.

The social engineering model focuses primarily on the common good. In this approach, individual rights take second place to promoting what is believed to contribute to the common good. In contrast, the individual rights and compelling public interest model starts with affirmations of individual rights and is supportive of intervention only if there are compelling reasons for doing so.

Stripped to their essentials, these two models differ primarily with respect to where the burden of proof lies. The social engineering model starts with some sort of understanding of the common good and places the burden of proof on those who would defend individual rights in the face of what is judged to contribute to the common good. The individual rights and compelling public interest model begins with an affirmation of individual rights and supports intervention in the lives of private citizens only if there are compelling reasons for intervening, an approach that is more libertarian than the social engineering model.

The two models can lead to different conclusions about policy issues. For example, the U.S. and a number of other countries have phased out, in part or entirely, the use of incandescent light bulbs in favor of more energy-efficient bulbs. If one takes the social engineering approach, this makes sense since it contributes to the common good by conserving energy.

Those who place stronger emphasis on individual rights have a different view on this matter. In a piece that ran in this newspaper a couple of years ago, Scott Reeder observed with respect to the U.S. ban, So we are stuck with what the government says we can have -- not necessarily what we want.

The social engineering model, which is widely followed in Europe and supported by many liberals in the United States, can be defended if it is the policy of a democratically elected government with voters having the opportunity at periodic intervals to replace their elected officials, should they be dissatisfied with their policies. The downside of the social engineering model, however, is that it can result in diminished emphasis of individual rights, stifle the freedom and creativity of individuals, and undercut the vigor of a market economy by imposing excessive regulations on businesses and other entities.

In contrast, the individual rights and compelling public interest model, which I find preferable, has the salutary effect of affirming both individual rights and the common good, though it can result in undervaluing the common good when strident defenses of property rights and other individual rights obscure the importance of the common good, resulting in the model morphing into a simple self-interest model.

There is a case to be made for saying that both individuals and society as a whole might be best served if the social engineering model and the individual rights and compelling public interest model were to function in creative tension with each other. This would provide checks and balances that could minimize the risk that the weaknesses of either model might end up carrying the day (inadequate defense of individual rights in the case of the former, inadequate recognition of the importance of the common good in the case of the latter.)

The countervailing tendencies of this creative tension, though, come into play only if there is respectful dialogue between those on both sides of the table, dialogue characterized by civility and recognition of where those on the other side of the table are coming from.

Regrettably, in this country today, civility and mutual respect are in desperately short supply, with polarization and harsh words of criticism, rather than openness and willingness to listen, being the order of the day.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti left her stand on the Kashmir unrest in no doubt, as she accused Pakistan of fuelling the ongoing unrest in the Valley.

By Siddhartha Rai: As Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) continues to reel under relentless curfew with the body count increasing by the day, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti seems to have emerged as the new face of Indian nationalism in the Valley. She attacked Pakistan, accusing it of prodding the ongoing turmoil in the Valley.

MUFTI FIGHTS OPPOSITION WITHIN PDP, TAKES ANTI-PAKISTAN STANCE



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Sources within Mufti's Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) told Mail Today that the anti-Pakistan stance that Mufti has assumed had not come easy to the chief minister. Mufti battled a whole band of detractors within her own party to take the hard line against Pakistan and to echo the sentiments of her ally.

"The new Mehbooba Mufti has in a single stroke and in a few days' time changed the narrative of the political scene in the Valley. She put her foot down in the face of strong opposition from certain quarters within the party. She made it clear to us: 'I am not going to put up two faces - one here in the state and the other to the Centre'. Those opposing the move had to toe her line as she is the supreme leader of the party," a highly-placed PDP source told Mail Today.

REASON FOR MUFTI'S STANCE

PDP sources also told Mail Today that Mufti fully understands the compulsions of her political situation. She can rein in or pacify or engage the separatists only with the help of the Union government, where the ruling party happens to be her ally in the state. Meanwhile, those in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) camp maintain that Mufti's nationalistic stance reflects her comprehension of the real political situation of the Valley.

"She is now actually talking to the majority of those who elected her and not just the separatists. The chief minister is echoing not just her feeling about the situation but that of the majority living in the Valley. We have always said that only five districts of the Valley are disturbed and not the whole state as is made out to be. Now, she has also accepted that only five per cent are pro-Azadi," said Abha Khanna, director of Jammu Kashmir Study Circle (JKSC), an RSS-supported research group working in the state.

While BJP leaders denied commenting on Mufti's stand in general, national secretary Shrikant Sharma said it was a welcome step.

Meanwhile, a senior BJP leader hailing from J&K said Mufti has finally woken up to the ground realities. "When you become the ruler, it is then that you are accosted by hard realities. It is matter of political survival for her now. PDP is in a precarious crisis."



MUFTI COULD HAVE LOST CREDIBILITY WITH THOSE WANTING PEACE

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"If violence continues Mufti will in the same proportion lose her credibility and face with the peace-loving majority. If the government falls, she will be the biggest loser. But, the larger thing is that if she can take on the secessionists, we are with her," he added. Another explanation for Mufti's Pakistan bashing and her support to the curfew and law agencies in the state was that she was feeling betrayed by the separatists. "Mufti tried hard to resolve the crisis, but the separatists did not support her. In fact, the level of violence this time reflects that they have crossed a vital and thin line which Mufti can no longer afford to let them," said a J&K BJP leader.

On Sunday, Mufti called on PM Modi and attacked Pakistan. "Our Prime Minister took bold initiatives of inviting Nawaz Sharif for oath-taking ceremony and later flew to Lahore. This was unfortunately followed by the Pathankot terror attack," she said after the hour-long meeting.

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Also read:

Pakistan has no right over Kashmir: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti



Kashmir unrest: Respect jawans, we are deliberating use of pellet guns, Rajnath tells Kashmiri youths





--- ENDS ---
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!
Last month in Warsaw, Poland, NATO leaders vowed to make the alliance stronger in defense and deterrence. While progress was made, there is reason to doubt its adequacy.

America continues to decline to provide Ukraine and Georgia with advanced defensive weapons or to challenge Russia's airpower supporting the Syrian regime's siege of Aleppo.

Is the West doing enough to dissuade and deter Russian misbehavior?

In a series of war games, the RAND Corporation examined the shape and probable outcome of a possible Russian invasion of the Baltic States. RAND found that as currently postured, NATO cannot successfully defend them. Russian forces would reach the edge of Riga, Latvia, and Tallinn, Estonia, in 60 hours or less.

RAND found that as currently postured, NATO cannot successfully defend the Baltics from Russia.

Gaming also showed that a NATO force of about seven land force brigades (three armored), backed by airpower and other enablers, could avert a rapid overrun and force Moscow to weigh the risks of a prolonged and serious fight.

How is NATO addressing this risk? In Warsaw, NATO leaders opted for a tripwire response short of what RAND's analysis would recommend. Yet, as President Barack Obama correctly noted, it will be NATO's most significant reinforcement since the Cold War.

In support of its mission of collective defense, the alliance will deploy four rotating battalion-sized units to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, buttressing their forces. (A brigade has two to five battalions.)

Reinforcing them at a remove, America will add the equivalent of an armored Army brigade to two existing Army brigades in Europe. In addition, equipment for a U.S. Army division will be stored there. These steps send an important signal of commitment but are insufficient to present an adequate conventional deterrent to aggression.

Georgia and Ukraine, not being NATO members, receive less support. America has provided over $600 million in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia's invasion in 2014. Among its purposes are battalion-level training and the provision of critical non-lethal equipment, such as counter-artillery radars, secure communications and tactical drones.

At a more modest level, Washington is beginning to train Georgian forces in territorial defense. Both countries seek advanced lethal defensive arms, such as the U.S. Javelin anti-armor missile. To date, Washington declines to supply it.

Some who oppose arming Ukraine say that doing so would only cause Russia to inject more military force. However, there appear to be limits to Moscow's willingness to raise the stakes.

In the summer of 2014, Russia's insertion of conventional forces to shore up rebel allies prevented their defeat, but Moscow eschewed escalating further. President Vladimir Putin stopped talking about Novorossiya, all of eastern and southern Ukraine.

In recent weeks, however, Russia has again built up forces in and near Ukraine and conducted exercises that it could use as a cover for surprise attack. This again raises the issue of the West's providing additional aid to Kiev to help it deter and defend against aggression.

U.S. aversion to a military role in Syria except against ISIS has kept the West on the sidelines as Russia's airpower helps Assad's forces lay siege to Aleppo. America's restraint also imperils the partial cessation of hostilities in Syria agreed to last February by Russia and America, and robs the West of leverage to promote negotiated outcomes.

By committing only to a light special forces footprint in Syria, the West has far less clout than Russia. U.S. pledges that attacks on Syria's civilian population are never to be tolerated have lost meaning.

The West may be doing less than it should to dissuade Russia from undermining Western interests.

Perhaps Moscow is already deterred from expanding aggression in Europe and supporting Assad's brutality. Perhaps the Kremlin is heightening military pressure only to strengthen its diplomatic hand. Perhaps Russia will exercise restraint because of its weak economy, isolation from the West, and armed forces that are far smaller than NATO's.

Nonetheless, renewed military pressure on Ukraine and stepped up bombing in Syriaalso now staged from Iransuggest that the West may be doing less than it should to dissuade Russia from undermining Western interests.

A key reason is that Russia is more willing to use military power even though it has less of it. Despite the decisions in Warsaw, the West ought to take another look at whether its efforts to deter Russian military interference are sufficient.

William Courtney is an adjunct senior fellow at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and was U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan, Georgia, and a U.S.-Soviet nuclear testing commission. David Shlapak is a senior defense researcher at RAND.

This commentary originally appeared on Newsweek on August 27, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
By India Today Web Desk: Calling for putting in place an institutionalised mechanism to address the Kashmir issue Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today stressed the need for initiating a credible and meaningful political action on the ground to make peace and stability a reality in the state.

Talking to media-persons after her 45-minute long meeting with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, the chief minister called for reviving the reconciliation and resolution process which was initiated by the then NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee between 2002 and 2005.



She said the intra and inter-state CBMs initiated during that time had helped transform the situation in the state and the region. "We shall have to pick up the threads from where we left in 2005 and revive the reconciliation and resolution process with fresh resolve," she said and added that the present prime minister has the mandate to take bold political initiatives on Kashmir as was done by Vajpayee.

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THREE-PRONGED ACTION PLAN



Mehbooba said that she outlined a three-pronged action plan before the prime minister for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, including involvement of separatists and Pakistan in substantive dialogue, to work out a solution to the problem in light of the contemporary geo-political realities.

Expressing anguish over the continued violence and killings, the chief minister sought involvement of all the stakeholders for resolution of the issues and improving situation in Kashmir. She said the focus of the state government, government of India and all other parties in the country is to reach out to the majority of the peace-loving stakeholders in Kashmir who want peaceful solution of the problem.

"Every political party wants the bloodshed in Kashmir to end and a political process to begin, sooner the better," she said and added that all the parties, cutting across the divide, including the Hurriyat leaders shall have to come forward and help in saving innocent lives and also engage in a meaningful dialogue process for the peaceful resolution of the issue.

ALL-PARTY DELEGATION MEET SOON

She said an 'All Party Delegation' will be visiting the state soon to reach-out to the people "and I hope they will meet different shades of political opinion to elicit their views on how to find a way out of the present imbroglio."

Maintaining that the aspirations and the interests of people of Jammu and Kashmir are supreme for her government, Mehbooba said that the people of Kashmir have been living a life of pain, suffering and uncertainty and they yearn for peaceful resolution of the problems confronting the state.

Underlining the fact that she has just been in power for the last two months, Mehbooba asked the people to help her resolve the crisis. "I appeal to all those protesting in the streets. You may be angry with me, I may be angry with you, but please give me a chance to address your concerns and aspirations," she said.

INVOLVE ALL SHADES OF POLITICAL OPINION

Calling for greater focus on the resolution of the problem by adding substance to the peace process through substantial confidence building measures, Mehbooba said; "We should not mislead ourselves about brushing the issue under the carpet as was done on earlier occasions like in 2008 and 2010. The country's political leadership must commit itself to address all the dimensions of the problem in a manner that balances and promotes enduring political and economic stability in the state and the region." She added that the government of India must involve all shades of political opinion in meaningful deliberations for realistic and just resolution of the problem.

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Urging Pakistan to reciprocate with open mind and in good faith to the peace initiatives for permanent settlement of the issues, Mehbooba said unfortunately Islamabad lost out on an opportunity for reconciliation when Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Lahore December last year and when Home Minister Rajnath Singh visited Islamabad recently for the SAARC ministerial meeting.

"Pakistan also has to take a step forward in the interest of peace and stability in the region," she said.

IMPLEMENT THE AGENDA OF ALLIANCE

Stating that not enough has been done to implement the 'agenda of alliance' between her party PDP and the BJP, the chief minister said that the prime minister reiterated his commitment that the political, economic and developmental initiatives enumerated in the 'agenda of alliance' will be implemented with sincerity of purpose.

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In her meeting with the prime minister, Mehbooba discussed in detail the prevailing political and security scenario in the state and the region and also the working of the PDP-BJP coalition government in the State.



Also read:

After 51 days of unrest in Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti reaches out to pellet victim in Delhi

Kashmir unrest: CM Mehbooba Mufti takes on Pakistan, separatists



--- ENDS ---
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said that the government is ready to hold talks with anyone, who rejects violence in Kashmir.

By Press Trust of India: Whosoever is ready to reject violence and help in restoring peace should be engaged in a dialogue to address the Kashmir problem, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said today while not being averse to involving the separatists if they are looking for a peaceful resolution.

At the same time, she said a "conducive atmosphere" needs to be created for a dialogue to take place and the "bunch of people" provoking youth to "gherao and attack" security camps should stop abetting violence.

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Mehbooba, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Saturday to discuss the future course of action, also emphasised that the format of dialogue should be better than in the past when the central governments had nominated interlocutors and set up working groups.

'NEED TO PICK UP THREADS'

She told PTI in an interview that "threads" need to be picked up from where these were left by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had made a "very serious effort" by having dialogue both on external front with Pakistan and on internal front with Hurriyat and Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit.

"What I am concerned about and told the Prime Minister is that people have lost faith in dialogue. So first dialogue as an institution has to be restored," Mehbooba said amid the unrest which has been going on in Kashmir for the last 51 days resulting in the killing of 68 people.

"We need to put people who have very credible backgrounds and can communicate with the other side," she added while noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh have expressed readiness for talks for "some kind of solution to this problem".

'DO WE WANT OUR BOYS TO BE KILLED?'

Emphasising that "whosoever wants a solution to the Kashmir problem should understand that solution is not going to come in days or months", she said "do we make life so miserable for all that time the solution comes? Do we want our boys to get killed? Do we want them to do something which is going to have retaliation and injuries? That is something for everyone to think."

Asked who all should be engaged in the dialogue, the Chief Minister said the central government should talk to "whosoever is ready to reject violence and not support violence and helps in restoring peace."

On being asked whether talking to Hurriyat will help, she said that dialogue should be held with "everybody who wants peaceful resolution and is ready to contribute in containing the situation."

'NO TALKS WITHOUT PEACE'

Suggesting that there should be peace before talks are initiated, she said, "Today there is no alternative to dialogue but for dialogue (to happen), you need to have conducive atmosphere."

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Mehbooba said the "bunch" of people, who are "motivated" or "influenced" and take to streets in a "very violent manner" "are not causing only injuries to themselves but they are also hijacking and making things very difficult for the rest of the population who are for peaceful resolution (of Kashmir tangle)."

On whether an interlocutor should be appointed for talks, she said, "It is for the Prime Minister and the NDA government to see how to go about in a better manner than has happened in the past. You tried interlocutors, working groups etc but the people with whom dialogue has to happen, they also need to use their influence, whatever they have, to calm the situation."

'KASHMIR IS BIGGEST CHALLENGE FOR PM'

She described Kashmir problem as "the biggest challenge for any Prime Minister" since Independence when the state took the decision of acceding to India by rejecting the two-nation theory.

"Then why did things go in the reverse direction? Kashmiri people were the ones who drove out (Pakistani) invaders and stood up against Pakistan whenever there was a chance. But somewhere something happened... there was a lot of distrust," she said.

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"I think every government has tried to restore that confidence, may be sometimes half-heartedly, sometimes not in the right way," Mehbooba said.

'PM MODI IS TRYING HIS BEST'

Noting that Vajpayee made a serious effort, she hoped that Modi will carry forward that process.

"The Prime Minister understands his strengths, his authority. After a long, long time, we have a Prime Minister who has come with such a huge mandate and he understands that. With such kind of mandate, he can use it to find some kind of way out to this human problem, this human tragedy," Mehbooba said.

"I think he is trying his best. He went to Lahore... Here is a Prime Minister who walks into there (Lahore)..But unfortunately, you had Pathankot (terror attack)," she said.

She said former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also wanted to find some solution to Kashmir and wished to go to Pakistan but could not go there "for whatever reasons".

The previous UPA government as well as the NC-Congress government in the state "could not pick up the threads where Vajpayee had left and then there was vaccuum and disillusionment", she said.

--- ENDS ---

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The owners of From the Hearth Cafe are still working on opening their newest downtown Redding location.

But partner John Dix took some time out last week to talk about his groups next endeavor.

The group is in escrow to purchase the former Tri Counties Bank building at 1845 California St., between Sacramento and South streets, where it plans to open The Citadel. They had been looking at the former Bert & Ernies on Industrial Street, but that didnt work out.

The Citadel will be a gastro pub with 22 local and regional beers on tap, a food menu, outdoor seating with a covered patio and fire pit, as well as bocce ball and corn hole courts.

But theres more.

Dix told me they also want to open an upscale coffee shop downtown. They have looked at the former Johnnys Cathouse space in Cascade Square.

I love the downtown area, Dix said, adding that recent news about Final Draft Brewing opening in the former Maritime Seafood building was good to hear. We really want to see downtown come alive and with the (Sheraton) hotel going in at Turtle Bay (Exploration Park), I just think its a good time to really invest in downtown.

Indeed, Dix and company are ready to do their part to keep the momentum going downtown as the Redding Chamber of Commerce is moving to the White Building on Butte Street, joining Wildcard Brewing and Sierra Pacific Windows; Woodys Brewing opened on Oregon Street; the aforementioned Final Draft Brewing; Riverfront Playhouse purchased the old RIOH building on California Street, where it wants to open a performing arts venue; and theres Armandos Gallery House, which opened last November in Market Street Promenade.

Dix points to Bend, Oregon, where he enjoys vacationing.

They have created a destination place. Its got a lot of really cool pubs, breweries and restaurants. So we are hoping that will happen in Redding, Dix said.

From the Hearths new downtown location, in the former Grilla Bites space in Market Square, will open later this fall.

We have three billboards going up in town Oct. 3 and I think we will be open by then, Dix said.

Reimagining downtown, reimagining From the Hearth will be the message on the billboards.

This will be From the Hearths fifth location. The restaurant opened in 2010 at College View Drive and Churn Creek Road in Redding. There is a restaurant on Churn Creek Road in the Enterprise area and a drive-thru that shares space with Fuel Good on Pine Street in downtown Redding. There is also a location in Red Bluff on Washington Street.

The new Redding location will offer nightly dinner specials, specialty burgers and other fare-like grilled chicken sandwiches.

Actually, From the Hearth already has debuted some of these selections at its other locations as a preview of whats to come downtown.

There will be beers on tap and a wine bar, which will share space with an espresso bar.

And From the Hearth also is taking the spot next door. It used to be a bike shop. The restaurant will use the space as a coffee roasting room.

From the Hearth downtown will be open 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
First things first, I have a correction. In my last column, I discussed the two different "play or pay" penalties that an employer of 50 or more employees might pay if they did not comply with the Affordable Care Act. In 2016, those fees have been increased as follows: $2,000 = $2,160 for 2016 and $3,000 = $3,240 for 2016, which is that much more reason to be sure your group is in compliance.

The CBS news show "60 minutes" recently aired a segment titled "Not Paid," where it covered investigations of multiple life insurance companies that alleged that the companies had intentionally not paid claims on life insurance policies. It was a disturbing article because it painted a picture that alleged these were intentional schemes.

I started my career in 1978 with Mutual of New York, which at the time was the oldest mutual life insurance company in the country. As a new agent, one of my "opportunities" was to reach out to what were known as "orphan" policyholders. These are people who bought life insurance from an agent that was no longer in the business.

The theory was that by providing service to these folks, the agent would have an opportunity to make new sales. We were given a checklist of issues to cover with the insured, one of which was to review beneficiary designations. I would also ask about their coverage with other companies to help them to update information with all the companies.

One of my favorite stories is about a man I met in Red Bluff who was in his late 50s. He shared a horrific story about how he had been caught in a tire shredder as a young man. His face was greatly disfigured and he also opened his shirt to show me the rats nest of scars that extended from his face down to his waist from the event. In reviewing his contract, I noticed that he had a waiver of premium benefit on his policy. This provision states that if he is disabled for six months or longer, the company will refund his premium payments and pay the premium for him the extent of the disability.

When I explained this feature was incredulous. I explained to him that they had no way of knowing he was disabled and he had to make the claim, and that I would do that for him. He was still unconvinced.

"If you get this paid, I will dance on the table at Denny's," he said.

I completed the form for him to sign, obtained the appropriate physician information and submitted the form. After about 45 days, he received a check for thousands of dollars. The company continued to pay his premiums. He had no need for additional insurance, but I left him my card.

As I was listening to the "60 Minutes" story, I thought of him. I never heard from him again. Of course, this was decades ago, so I expect he has since passed. Did anyone in his family find the policy and make a claim? I have no idea. At this point, I do not even remember his name. He was not my client. He was an "orphan client." But I was sure proud of the fact that the concept of "Promises Made, Promises Kept" held true for this man.

"60 Minutes" talked about death claims that were processed canceling annuities, but ignoring the life insurance. In my experience, different departments simply do not communicate without some sort of request. So, that did not surprise me.

When my mother died in 2003, she had a brokerage account with my company. I was the trustee of her estate, so responsible for handling all the funds and distribution to my siblings. I dutifully closed out the accounts, submitted her life insurance claims and distributed funds among the seven children.

A few years later, a cousin called and said they saw my mom's name in an unclaimed property list from the state of Illinois. Upon inquiry, I found that after we liquidated the stocks, dividends had been paid to the brokerage account, held for the allotted time and then returned to the state. I submitted the claim and used the $383 to take all my siblings to dinner. But, frankly, I was embarrassed.

It has not been my experience that life insurers try to avoid pay claims, so this report was upsetting. But it also reinforced the importance of a relationship with an agent, as well as how important it is for each of us to have a list of our important documents and insurance policies available for our beneficiaries. Be sure your family knows where these are located. Humans have a 100 percent mortality rate, so it is not a topic that needs to avoided.

Margaret R. Beck is a licensed insurance broker. She can be reached at 225-8583.
Patricia and Donald Beaudoin

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Patricia and Donald Beaudoin

70th Anniversary

Patricia and Donald Beaudoin celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary Aug. 24, 2016, with a party hosted by family at Anselmo Vineyards in Shingletown. They were married on Aug. 24, 1946, at St. Mary's Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. They moved to Redding in 1969. They have six children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
This picture taken on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016 shows the crumbling hulk of the Hotel Roma in Amatrice, central Italy, where a strong quake had hit a few hours earlier. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors from Italy's earthquake. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

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By PAOLO SANTALUCIA and NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press

AMATRICE, Italy (AP)  Rescue workers acknowledged Friday they might not find any more survivors from Italy's earthquake as they confronted a new obstacle to their recovery work: a powerful aftershock that damaged two key access bridges to hard-hit Amatrice, threatening to isolate it.

Mayor Sergio Pirozzi, warned that if new roads weren't quickly cleared to bypass the damaged ones, Amatrice risked being cut off at a time it needs as many transport options as possible to bring emergency crews in and some of the 281 dead out.

"With the aftershocks yesterday but especially this morning the situation has worsened considerably," Pirozzi told reporters. "We have to make sure Amatrice does not become isolated, or risk further help being unable to get through."

The biggest aftershock struck at 6:28 a.m., one of the more than 1,000 that have hit the area since Wednesday's quake. The U.S. Geological Service said it had a magnitude of 4.7, while the Italian geophysics institute measured it at 4.8.

It left one key access bridge to Amatrice unusable, and damaged another one. Crews began clearing trees to create an alternate bypass road to avoid the nearly 40-kilometer (25-mile) detour up and down mountain roads that they were forced to use Friday, slowing the rescue effort.

Even before the roads were shut down, traffic into and out of Amatrice was horribly congested with emergency vehicles and dump trucks carrying tons of concrete, rocks and metal down the single-lane roads.

Multiple ambulances were also bringing the dead to an airport hangar in the provincial capital of Rieti, where four big white refrigerated trucks created a makeshift morgue to which relatives came in a steady stream Friday.

Premier Matteo Renzi declared a state of emergency and authorized 50 million euros ($56 million) for immediate quake relief. The Italian government also declared Saturday a day of national mourning and scheduled a state funeral to be attended by President Sergio Mattarella.

Thirty-four caskets were lined up in a gym in Ascoli Piceno ahead of Saturday's Mass. A memorial service for the Amatrice victims is scheduled for next week.

The first private funeral took place in Rome on Friday for the son of a provincial police chief who was honored at one of Rome's most important basilicas. One of Pope Francis' top advisers celebrated a funeral Mass for seven other victims south of Rome.

Rescue efforts continued, but by nightfall, two full days had passed since the last person was extracted alive from the rubble.

"There is still hope to find survivors under the rubble, even in these hours," Walter Milan, a rescue worker, said Friday. But he conceded: "Certainly, it will be very unlikely."

The head of the firefighting squad, Bruno Frattasi, said there was always hope of finding someone alive. But by Friday he was talking more about time running out and recovery efforts.

"We hope to recover all the bodies," he said. "It's necessary because even if they didn't make it, they must be returned to their families."

He said the toll had stabilized in the Arquata area of eastern Le Marche region, with 49 dead and no one else unaccounted for. In Amatrice, the situation was more uncertain; Mayor Pirozzi has estimated there could still be 15 people unaccounted for.

The vast majority of the dead were found in leveled Amatrice, the medieval hilltop town famous for its bacon and tomato pasta sauce. On Friday, three more bodies were pulled from the rubble in Amatrice, bringing the death toll there to 221.

On Friday, Pirozzi insisted the historic center of the town would be rebuilt as it was  not left to rubble and a "New Town" built. That was the strategy used in L'Aquila in nearby Abruzzo, where the historic center was demolished in the 2009 quake and modern housing built miles away for residents.

"I don't want  and this is shared by everyone  a ghetto," Pirozzi said of the widely criticized "New Town" model. "Each community must remain where it is because what is needed is a sense of belonging."

He said local and regional leaders also agreed that temporary housing for the homeless will involve pre-fab Alpine-style villas in the places where existing communities were, complete with schools, saying the important thing was to give residents hope and keep their sense of community.

"I'm convinced Amatrice will be reborn, because no night is long enough to prevent the sun from rising," he said.

___

Winfield reported from Rome. Associated Press writers Frances D'Emilio in Rieti, Italy, and Francesco Sportelli in Amatrice, Italy, contributed to this report.
SHARE Tiffany Steven Weisz Date of birth: Oct. 14, 1978 Vitals: 5 feet, 11 inches; 180 pounds; brown hair, blue eyes Charge: Prohibited to own ammunition Sherry Roselene McIntosh Date of birth: Oct. 9, 1967 Vitals: 4 feet, 10 inches; 114 pounds; brown hair, brown eyes Charge: Possession of controlled substance for sale Steviee Renee Slepicka Date of birth: Feb. 19, 1995 Vitals: 5 feet, 5 inches; 110 pounds; brown hair, brown eyes Charge: Violation of probation Gabriel Lee Gomezesparza Date of birth: July 24, 1994 Vitals: 5 feet, 7 inches; 157 pounds; brown hair, brown eyes Charge: Burglary

By Staff Reports

Shasta's Most Wanted, featured in the Record Searchlight in cooperation with local law enforcement agencies, targets people who have failed to show up in court for sentencing after being convicted.

As of Friday a total of 674 arrests had been made through the Most Wanted program since it began in September 2013. Authorities say they have seen an increase in criminals failing to appear in court since the onset of Assembly Bill 109. Also known as prison realignment, the state program shifted certain state prison inmates to county supervision.

Redding Police Chief Robert Paoletti said court appearances have been going up since the rollout.

Five new people are added each week. Those caught will be held until at least their next court appearances. Shasta County Secret Witness is offering a reward of up to $250 for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be provided anonymously at 530-243-2319 or at www.scsecretwitness.com/home/submit-a-tip.

Anyone with information also can call SHASCOM at 245-6540. The feature appears Sundays in the Record Searchlight's Northern California section and on Redding.com.
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Pamela McCurdy, Redding

If Americans have a problem with Hillary and Bill Clinton's conflict of interests, shouldn't they have the same problem with Donald Trump's potential conflict of interests? If we don't, isn't that a double standard?

If Americans have a problem with Clinton's emails, whether they are ethical or legal, should we not also be concerned with Trump's business communications whether they are ethical or legal? If we don't, isn't that also a double standard?

If we review one candidate's financial papers, should we not also press to review the other candidate's financial papers? If not, isn't it a double standard to turn our heads the other way if someone refuses?

As voters, shouldn't we be asking for fair and equal scrutiny of all candidates, including Gary Johnson, the Libertarian? Otherwise, it is a double standard and we have to ask the question why.

Is it gender-based? Is it based on career politicians versus outsider businessmen? Is it biased media outlets that we passively allow to choose what information we receive?

Be an active voter. Seek out information. Ask questions. It's our responsibility as citizens to look at candidates equally and fairly, make an informed decision, and then vote.

Don't abdicate your thinking for this election to others because, I guarantee you, you will be the beneficiary of this decision.
Shantanu and Nikhil showcased a separate line of menswear and women's wear at the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week.

By India Today Web Desk: Shantanu and Nikhil showcased a separate line of menswear and women's wear at the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016 and it was a double dose of ultra-glam fashion when Riteish Deshmukh and Malaika Arora turned showstoppers for the designers.

Drama, sensational colours and mind-blowing embellishments were the mainstay of the collection that was romantically titled "The Matador's Mistress". Their were couture ball gowns, wafted down the runway leaving the women in the audience speechless with shades of flame red, burnt blue, emerald green and dark plum played with the stunning intricate tonal and rich gold embroidery.

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Full flared skirts of floor kissing gowns swirled around the models teamed with Matador jackets were the highlights. Delicate ruffles, lace and abundant sheer additions came alive in the signature drapes that Shantanu and Nikhil are known for.

Jacqueline to Lara: Showstopper spotting on Day 3, Lakme Fashion Week

The fabrics were a rich choice of tulle, velvet, silk and satin all perfectly apt for the 20 creations that the designer duo exhibited.

Malaika glided down the ramp in a cut-out at the waist, long-sleeved black mermaid style gown with gold bead work that was totally mesmerising.

Malaika Arora in an outfit designed by Shantanu and Nikhil. Photo: Yogen Shah Malaika Arora in an outfit designed by Shantanu and Nikhil. Photo: Yogen Shah

If the women's wear show was full of feminine, glamorous, seductive, elegance; then the men's wear offering by Shantanu and Nikhil was a high octane, totally masculine, regimental offering inspired by history.

Turbaned and bearded dashing handsome models with a stylish demeanour strutted down the ramp in their masculine glory.

Creating a fashion mutiny on the ramp, Shantanu and Nikhil presented their very Avant Garde men's wear line with the provocative title "The Mutiny 1919". For their label 'SnN Man' Couture line Autumn/Winter 2016/17, the designers concentrated on rich handlooms, woollens and leather in masculine hues of ecru, black, navy, and grey with a hint of maroon.

Riteish looks dashing in this new avatar. Photo: Yogen Shah

Lakme Fashion Week: Day 1 high on star power with showstoppers Sushant, Shraddha and Arjun



Double breasted Jodhpuri jackets, wide floppy pants and shaded angular draped kurtas looked stylish with churidars. Discreet contrast embellishments appeared on the hemline and armholes of Nehru jackets and the military touch was evident in angular flap pockets, four patched flap pockets and epaulets for sherwanis.

Closing the segment was Riteish turbaned and bearded in a black textured jacket, flared kurta and churidars.

Genelia looks sweet and simple as she poses for the shutterbugs. Photo: Yogen Shah

Supporting him from the front row was his wife Genelia along with other family members.



(With inputs from IANS)



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IMAGE: Villagers wade though the flooded area in Katihar district of Bihar on Sunday. Photographs: PTI Photo

With three more deaths reported on Sunday the toll in Bihar rose to 156 as there was no let up in the flood situation in the state while in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh the Ganga continues to flow above the danger level.

In Bihar, the three deaths were reported from Samastipur while a twin was born on an National Disaster Response Force rescue boat in Patna.

The Ganga is flowing above the red marks in four districts.

In the national capital it was a sultry day and maximum temperature settled three notches above normal at 37C. The minimum was 27.5C.

An NDRF release said they got a request from the family members of Rekha Devi, 25, for help. Within 50 minutes, an NDRF team reached Bihars Chandrapura village to shift the pregnant woman to Mohanpur primary health centre but she gave birth to twins on board

The newborns and the mother were admitted to the Primary Health Centre.

IMAGE: Union Minister of Law Ravi Shankar Prasad having food with flood affected women at a relief camp in Bakhtiyarpur on Sunday.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inspected relief camps in Bhagalpur. He later reached Purnea where he held a meeting with top officials. He will visit Katihar on Monday.

5.56 lakh people have been rescued so far from the 12 flood-affected districts. The government is plying 2,821 boats for evacuation.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Ganga and Yamuna rivers have been receding with no fresh rainfall but they are still flowing above their respective danger marks at several places.

8.7 lakh people in 987 villages in Varanasi, Allahabad, Ghazipur and Ballia remain affected due to floods. The state government has alerted the health department for outbreak of any disease.

According to a Central Water Commission report, river Ganga is receding everywhere in the state but is still flowing above danger mark at Varanasi, Ghazipur and Ballia.

The flood situation in West Bengal's Malda district remained unchanged with the Ganga water level standing static at 48 cm above the extreme danger level.

Additional District Magistrate Kanchan Chowdhury said over 5,550 families in 45 villages are affected.

In Rajasthan, heavy rainfall occurred at isolated places in Kota, Udaipur and Jodhpur divisions. Light to moderate rains at many other areas in the state.

Keshoraipatan in Bundi recorded maximum of 14 cm rains followed Pirawa in Jhalawar (at 11 cm) till Sunday morning since Saturday while Kota registered 10 cm precipitation.

IMAGE: RJD Chief Lalu Prasad with Deputy Chief Minister Tejaswi Yadav makes an aerial survey flood affected areas in Buxar district on Sunday.

The MeT department has issued heavy rainfall warning at isolated areas on Monday.

Several places in Himachal Pradesh received heavy rains with Dharamshala being the wettest (106 mm rains) while Jogindernagar received 80 mm rains.

Meanwhile, most parts of Punjab and Haryana faced their maximum temperatures up to three notches above normal, barring few places where it was one notch below normal.

In Chandigarh, the joint capital of the two states, the maximum settled at 36C, three notches above normal.
The Jammu and Kashmir government has already identified 36,348 families for distribution of the package under which each family will get around Rs 5.5 lakh.

Amid Prime Minister Narendra Modis overtures to people of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan region, the government is all set to announce a Rs 2,000-crore package for displaced people of PoK living in the country.

The Union Home Ministry is expected to place the details of the package before the Union Cabinet for approval soon, a senior official said.

The Jammu and Kashmir government has already identified 36,348 families for distribution of the package under which each family will get around Rs 5.5 lakh.

Balochistan assembly adopts resolution against PM Modi The Balochistan assembly has adopted a unanimous resolution in which it has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the issue of alleged human rights violations in the province during his recent Independence Day speech. Tabled by Pakistan Mulsim League-Nawaz lawmaker Muhammad Khan Lehri and supported by all political parties, the resolution was signed by Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri and other legislators, reported the Dawn. Lehri was quoted by the Dawn as saying that the Indian prime minister has violated the sovereignty of Pakistan and United Nations charter in this regard.

We hope that within a month, the package will get approval from the Union Cabinet and the funds could be distributed among the beneficiaries, the official said.

The refugees from West Pakistan, mostly from PoK, got settled in different areas of Jammu, Kathua and Rajouri districts. However, they are not permanent residents of the state in terms of Jammu and Kashmir Constitution.

Some of the families were displaced during partition in 1947, and others during the 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan.

The displaced people can cast their votes in Lok Sabha polls but not in the elections to Jammu and Kashmir assembly.

Jammu and Kashmir Sharanarthi Action Committee, an organisation representing the displaced people of the PoK has been maintaining that the package should not be seen as final settlement as Rs 9,200 crore was required to settle all of them.

The Modi government had in January 2015 approved certain concessions for the refugees from West Pakistan settled in Jammu and Kashmir after considering the problems being faced by them.

The concessions include special recruitment drives for induction into paramilitary forces, equal employment opportunities in the state, admission for the children of refugees in Kendriya Vidyalayas, among others.

The PM had for the first time talked about the plight of people of PoK, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan at an all-party meeting convened to discuss the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir on August 12.

Three days later, while addressing the nation on Independence Day, he again referred to the three regions under the control of Pakistan.

In its latest diplomatic gambit, the government has said that PoK and Gilgit-Baltistan are part of Jammu and Kashmir. There have been reports that government is planning to invite the diaspora from PoK, Gilgit-Baltistan for the next Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas to be held in Bengaluru.

With inputs from ANI.
Reaching out to 14-year-old girl Insha Malik who has been blinded by pellet gun firing, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday visited her in the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi and promised to do everything to restore her eyesight, including eye transplant.

The chief minister later said that she was horrified after seeing the girl. I thought what wrong has my Govt done that within 3 months such a situation arose post an encounter where a young girl, who wanted to become a doctor, became a victim, she said.

Mehbooba assured Inshas parents that the state government would ensure best possible treatment, within or even outside the country, for their daughter.

The chief minister visited the Eye Centre at Safdarjung Hospital and enquired about the welfare of Insha, who is undergoing treatment for pellet injuries.

While interacting with the doctors, Mehbooba requested them to make all possible efforts to restore the eyesight of the Kashmiri girl, according to a statement issued by her office.

Even if she requires an eye transplant to make her see the world around again, the state government would provide full support for the same, she told the doctors.

Insha, a Class IX student, has lost vision, after suffering pellet gun injuries during a clash between stone-pelters and security forces in Shopian several days back.

The chief minister also enquired about the welfare of a policeman, who was grievously injured during ongoing unrest and is undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

IMAGE: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti visits 14-year-old Insha Malik, who was blinded by pellet gun firing, at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi on Sunday. Photograph: J&K Information Department
Two days after the Bombay high court lifted the ban on womens entry in the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah, activist Trupti Desai on Sunday visited the shrine and offered a chadar, while announcing she would now fight for womens right to pray at Keralas Sabarimala temple.

Last time, when we came here at Haji Ali Dargah, we prayed for the verdict of the high court on our side. Since our prayer was heard and fulfilled, we came here to seek the blessings of Haji Ali Baba and offered him a chadar, Desai told reporters outside the shrine, located on an islet off the coast of Worli in Mumbai.

One of the most recognisable landmarks of the city, the Indo-Islamic architectural structure contains the tomb of Sayed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.

Thanking the people of the country, including Muslims, for their support, Desai requested the Dargahs trust to not move the Supreme Court against the HCs judgment, but exuded confidence that the apex court would rule in womens favour if such a step was taken.

I request the trustees with folded hands to follow the verdict of the high court and not go to the Supreme Court to challenge the order as this was in favour of the all the women in the country.

If the trustees prefer to knock on the Supreme Courts door, then nothing is going to change because the apex court too would uphold the constitutional right of the women and I am fully confident about it, she said.

If the trustees give a serious thought over the merits of the high courts verdict, then it is possible that the doors of Baba can be opened in next two days only for the women devotees, said the womens rights activist.

The activist also said that she wanted to meet the trustees, but no one was available since it was a Sunday.

In a landmark judgement, the Bombay high court had on Friday lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, saying it contravenes fundamental rights and that the trust has no right to prohibit womens entry into a public place of worship.

The court, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

In April this year, Desai had unsuccessfully tried to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah.

Today, I went only upto the permissible limit of the Dargah, as I did not want to flout the courts ruling in any case, Desai said, adding that she had no intention to hurt the religious sentiments of anyone but was only trying to make sure that women are given equal rights to pray in all places of worship.

When asked what would be her next destination in her quest for womens right to pray, Desai said, I think that in the backdrop of the high courts verdict, the trustees of the Sabarimala temple ought to open their doors for women discriminated on the basis of gender.

And if they dont, then I would launch a similar agitation and would speak to the management of the temple in next few days, she said.

The Haji Ali Dargah Trust had in 2012 imposed the ban on womens entry citing religious traditions.

The Maharashtra government had earlier told the HC hat women should be barred from entering the inner sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah only if it is so enshrined in the Quran.

The ban on womens entry cannot be justified if it is on the basis of an experts interpretation of the Quran, the then Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney had argued.

The Dargah trust had defended its stand saying that it is referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity to the dargah of a male saint is a grievous sin.

Earlier this year, the Bhumata Brigade led by Desai had managed to win their fight for womens right to pray at the famous Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district and Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik district.

Image for representation only.
The accused, identified Satyendra Singh and Ravi Tiwari, levelled the charges of shoplifting against the victims- Ram Karan Patel and Manish Patel.

By Rahul Noronha: In yet another case of caste- based violence, two youths of a backward class community were beaten up and their heads were tonsured by upper caste men, today in Nagan village of Satna district in Madhya Pradesh.

The accused, identified Satyendra Singh and Ravi Tiwari, levelled the charges of shoplifting against the victims- Ram Karan Patel and Manish Patel.

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Satyendra has a small shop in the village and he suspected Manish and Ram Karan of stealing from his shop.

According to SP Mithelesh Kumar Shukla, after thrashing the youth, they also tonsured the heads of the youth.

While the accused tried to run away after the victims lodged a complaint, police nabbed them within few hours.

ALSO READ:

India Today Expose: Why Dalit persecution is rampant in Gandhi's Gujarat





--- ENDS ---
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The bus conductor defended himself by saying that the other passengers had a problem with the body, so they asked the man to leave.

By Indo-Asian News Service: In an inhumane act, a man and his five-year-old daughter were thrown out of the bus they were travelling in after his sick wife died on board in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday.

The shameful incident took place, when Ram Singh, a resident of Chhatarpur District, was taking his ill wife Malli Bai to the Damoh district hospital along with his daughter.

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FORCED OUT IN HEAVY RAINS

After Ram Singh's wife died on her way to the hospital, the bus conductor forced him to move out of the bus in the middle of a forest along with his wife's body and daughter, even though it was raining heavily.

When bus conductor Sharda Sen was asked about his action, he said other passengers had problem in travelling with the body; so, they asked Singh to move out of the bus.

Malli had given birth to a daughter on Thursday, after which she fell sick and Ram Singh was taking her to the hospital for treatment.

TWO LAWYERS COME TO HIS RESCUE

However, two lawyers - Mrityunjay Hazari and Rajesh Patel - who were passing through the forest area saw Singh trying to feed his daughter, while his wife's body was lying on the ground.

They stopped there to help him and one of them called police for help.

POLICE DID NOT HELP, ALLEGES MAN

Patel alleged that police came to the spot, note down the details and returned without helping them.

Later, the lawyers called a private ambulance to send the body to Ram Singh's home.

When questioned about the incident, P.D. Minj of the Batiagarh police station said no such incidence was reported.

A few days back, in Odisha's Kalahandi district, a man was forced to carry his wife's body on his shoulders after failing to get help from a government hospital.

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photos by Nellie Doneva/Reporter-News Chris Lopez, left, and Ira Mendez, right, work on the inside of a wind turbine tower section at Broadwind Energy Aug. 8, 2016.

By Dan Carpenter, Special to the Reporter-News

The towering wind turbines prevalent across the West Texas countryside continue to grow in number thanks, in part, to an Abilene company that is shipping them as fast as they can manufacture them.

Broadwind Towers, whose Abilene plant is at 1126 Arnold Ave., in Five Points Industrial Park on the city's far northwest side, has been cranking out the 80- to 100-meter (262-328 feet) towers at a rate of 150 per year since opening in Abilene more than eight years ago.

A recently announced expansion in Abilene will increase capacity by up to 30 percent, said Steve Marak, plant manager.

"The expansion is a wonderful opportunity for Broadwind, the Abilene facility and the community," said Marak. "There is nothing more rewarding than the opportunity to provide growth for the hardworking team members of our operation and the ability to strengthen the community."

The Development Corporation of Abilene and the City Council last week approved assistance of $715,000, or 10 percent of the approximate $7.2 million cost for the expansion. DCOA had previously funded $4.9 million for job creation, capital investments, land, railroad service, welder and leadership training.

The company, now a subsidiary of Broadwind Energy, came to Abilene in 2008 as Tower Tech Systems. It constructs monopoles, used as the base of wind turbines.

Eric Blashford, president of towers and heavy industries for Broadwind, said the expansion has been on his radar for a while.

"I started working on the idea of an Abilene expansion about six months ago," said Blashford, who noted that "strong orders from a major OEM (original equipment manufacturer)" drove Broadwind to look for ways to keep up with the demand.

"There continues to be a wind energy boom, especially in the south and along what we call the 'wind corridor' (along I-35); companies are laying in new transmission lines to get power from towers to points of use, and a five-year extension of the production tax credit  which provides a government subsidy to generators of electricity  is significant," Blashford said.

Broadwind saw revenues of more than $199 million in 2015, and even though that figure is down 12 percent from 2014, Blashford and the leadership at the company believe the nearly $4 million expansion in Abilene is timely.

"We ... expect to complete the buildout by the end of Q2 (second quarter of) 2017," he said. "We will still be operating at full capacity while the expansion is being built."

Broadwind employs 170 people in Abilene; most of them are line staff made up of welders, metal fabricators, assemblers and material handlers. About 20 are administrative staff.

Average wage is $43,626 annually with a total payroll of $7.3 million, according to DCOA documents.

"The Abilene workforce, especially over the last 12 months, has worked together to become a high-performance team," said Matt Boor, Broadwind's program manager for Abilene. "They are a highly regarded team of providers to our customers, and everyone  from engineering, supply chain, operations, quality, and logistics, and human resources  has become a showcase for our customers; so much so that our end users like to tour the facility."

Kevin Dugan, A-shift supervisor, joined the Broadwind team in December 2010. He is responsible for all "black (unpainted) tower" operations, which includes rolling the flat sheets of steel into the round tubes that are then welded and eventually moved down the line to be blasted, painted and assembled.

"Our quality has improved significantly in the last two years," said Dugan, who started as a roll operator, and then worked in the circular welding department for three years before being promoted to his current position. "We function as a team  and I regularly do team-building exercises with my shift  and we all take tremendous pride and personal satisfaction in producing a great product."

Robert Shook, one of the newer members of the Broadwind team, gave up an oil field job to come to work with the company in March.

"I see a long-term future with Broadwind, something I didn't necessarily see with the oilfield, especially when the bottom fell out a while back," said Shook, who grew up in Clyde. "I'm happy to have a great job, be home every night, and make a competitive wage."

Shook is currently the pre-assembly lead for Broadwind; he is responsible for making sure all of the thousands of parts that go into assembling each tower meet specifications, and are ready for the assembly team when the tower section gets to them.

"I'm particularly excited about the expansion," he added. "We've been a little cramped and having to share space in the assembly area. With the new building, the assembly process will be moved, and pre-assembly will have its own, dedicated space."

Marak, who joined Broadwind in December 2014, came to Abilene from his previous position in New Braunfels. He said Abilene is "a big city with a touch of small-town feel," and appreciates Abilene's  and Broadwind's  commitment to their employees.

Whether the expansion will include additional employees remains to be decided, said Blashford. "I believe we will have additional employment, but we're waiting to finalize that decision at this time."

In addition to the towers that Broadwind manufactures in Abilene, a smaller Abilene plant, on Wall Street, provides heavy fabrication support to the operation.

"One of the most rewarding things about what we do is that this is USA manufacturing at its best," said Blashford. "We are creating U.S. jobs here at home; and because of our people, we are building an industry that helps with our energy  clean energy."
Federal regulators believe 'there is a significant possibility' that recent earthquakes in North Texas are linked to oil and gas activity, even if state regulators won't say so.

That's according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's annual evaluation of how the Texas Railroad Commission oversees thousands of injection and disposal wells that dot state oilfields  underground resting places for millions of gallons of toxic waste from fracking and other drilling activities.

'In light of findings from several researchers, its own analysis of some cases and the fact that earthquakes diminished in some areas following shut-in or reduced injection volume of targeted wells,' the Aug. 15 report states, 'EPA believes there is a significant possibility that North Texas earthquake activity is associated with disposal wells.'

Scientists have known for decades that injecting fluid deep underground could trigger earthquakes, and a growing body of research has linked disposal wells to seismicity in Texas and other states, which has grown more frequent.

Jim Bradbury, a Fort Worth-based oil and gas attorney who has closely followed the earthquake saga, said he could not recall the EPA explicitly tying Texas earthquakes to industry activity.

'It's a big deal they said that,' he said.

Texas, home to thousands of such wells, is the third-most at-risk state for man-made earthquakes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey  behind only Oklahoma and Kansas.

Several Texas drilling regions have recently felt more earthquakes, most of them small. But temblors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have drawn the most attention, particularly those that struck in the past two years.

'EPA is concerned with the level of seismic activity during 2015 in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area because of the potential to impact public health and the environment, including underground sources of drinking water,' the agency wrote.

The shaking has created political challenges for the Texas Railroad Commission, which oversees the powerful oil and gas industry.

Since 2014, the agency has added a staff seismologist and approved regulations requiring disposal well operators to submit more geographical information. But the agency, which has conducted its own investigations, has not publicly tied any of the shaking to industry activity  even as regulators in other petroleum states acknowledge a connection. The Railroad Commission has pushed back against conclusions of some outside studies.

Responding to the EPA report Monday, the commission told The Texas Tribune that it 'takes the issue of induced seismicity very seriously and has in place some of the most stringent rules on disposal wells.'

Since approving those 2014 rules, the commission has received 56 disposal well applications in historically seismic areas, spokeswoman Gaye McElwain said in an email. Of those, the agency has issued 28 permits with 'special conditions'  those related to injection volumes and pressures, for instance. Eleven applications were withdrawn or returned, while three were protested and sent to hearings. 'Ten permits were issued without special conditions, and four applications are pending,' McElwain said.

In its assessment, the EPA 'commended' the Railroad Commission for establishing new regulations on disposal wells and clarifying its authority to shut down certain operations it ties to earthquakes. But the federal agency recognized that its own findings about North Texas seismicity run counter to what the Railroad Commission has publicly stated.

Earthquakes are generated by slipping faults, or fractures. Experts say that injecting fluids at high pressures can relieve pressure in some faults, causing them to slip. And 'naturally fractured injection formations may transmit pressure buildup from injection for miles,' the EPA assessment notes, highlighting one such formation in North Texas  the Ellenburger  which is a popular disposal zone.

Luke Metzger, director of the advocacy group Environment Texas, suggested the EPA was simply 'stating the obvious' about the cause of the quakes.

'EPA should insist the (Railroad Commission) accept the scientific evidence and take action to protect Texans from earthquakes,' he said.

But Bradbury, the North Texas attorney, found something more remarkable in the federal agency's message to the Railroad Commission  particularly because the EPA had previously said little publicly about quakes in Texas.

'It is obvious to everyone that (the Railroad Commission) is intentionally avoiding the reality that the larger scientific community has embraced and is working on,' Bradbury said in an email. 'I think it reveals that EPA is troubled by that reality.'

In its report, the EPA recommended, 'close monitoring of injection activity' going forward, coupled with 'appropriate data analysis methods, in a coordinated effort to detect possible correspondence with seismic activity.'

Bradbury noted the EPA has the power to revoke the commission's authority over disposal wells.

'It's the EPA's program, and they can cause the (commission) a lot of grief,' he said.
SUNDAY

Volunteers sought

Zion Lutheran Church, River of Life Church and Global Samaritan Resources, in partnership with the Children's Hunger Fund, are seeking volunteers to assist with packing approximately 2,000 packages of food from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 2801 Antilley Road. For more information, email shuerta@childrenshungerfund.org. Monetary donations will also be accepted at www.Childrenshungerfund.org/OneHeartOneCity.

'After Zoey'

A production of the musical 'After Zoey' will be presented at 2 p.m. in Fulks Theatre at Abilene Christian University. Tickets are $15.

Fantasy pool tour

The Abilene Preservation League will conduct its Hidden Fantasy Pool Tour, featuring backyard landscapes around Abilene, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. For tickets, call 325-668-9436 or 325-665-3717.

MONDAY

Street dedication

A ceremony to mark the completion of the West Lake Road project will be 11 a.m. near the intersection with Anson Avenue. The project was part of the 2015 city bond package.

Other ...

Overeaters Anonymous, noon, Hinds Square Building, 100 Chestnut St., Room 112.

Schizophrenia Support Group, 1-2 p.m., Mental Health Association of Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 5:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Anorexics Bulimics Anonymous, 6 p.m., Shades of Hope, 402A Mulberry St., Buffalo Gap. 800-588-4673.

Central Texas Gem & Mineral Society of Abilene, 7 p.m., 7607 Highway 277 South. 325-692-0063.

Abilene Toastmaster's Club 1071, 7 p.m., Conference Center, Texas State Technical College, 650 E. Highway 80. 325-692-7325 or abilene.toastmastersclubs.org.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1501 N. Broadway, Ballinger. 817-689-2810 or 325-977-1007.

Mid-City Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First Christian Church. 325-670-4304.

Memory Men (4-part a cappella singing), 7 p.m., Calvary Baptist Church, 1165 Minter Lane. Park on east side, enter through kitchen. 325-676-SING.

Abilene Community Band rehearsal, 7:30 p.m., Bynum Band Hall, McMurry University. 325-232-7383.

South Pioneer Al-Anon Group, 8 p.m., 3157 Russell Ave.

Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Avoca United Methodist Church. 325-773-2611.

Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Group. 325-676-1400.

TUESDAY

Mental health program

The Alzheimer's Association  North Central Texas Chapter will present 'Understanding & Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors' from 2-4 p.m. at the Abilene Regional Office, 301 S. Pioneer Drive, Suite 105. Admission is free, but space is limited. To register, contact 800-272-3900 or mbannister@alz.org.

Public meeting

CLYDE  TxDOT will conduct a public meeting regarding possible safety enhancements to the Interstate 20 corridor from 4-8 p.m. at the Clyde Auxiliary Building, 2515 S. Access Road West.

OSHA workshop

Texas Tech Small Business Development Center Abilene will conduct an OSHA 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses Workshop from 6-8 p.m. in the Texas Tech Training Center, 749 Gateway St., Suite 301. To make a reservation, call 325-670-0300.

Square dance workshop

TYE  The Key City Squares will conduct a square dancing workshop at 6:30 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel.

Other ...

Mission on the Move Soup Kitchen, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Southwest Drive Community United Methodist Church, 3025 Southwest Dr.

Abilene Southwest Rotary Club, noon, Beehive Restaurant, 442 Cedar St.

High Noon Al-Anon, noon, Southern Hills Church of Christ, 3666 Buffalo Gap Road (south end; follow the yellow signs).

Blood drive, 1-6 p.m., Haskell County Courthouse.

Stroke/Aphasia Recovery Program support group, 1:30-2:30 p.m. West Texas Rehabilitation Center boardroom, 4601 Hartford St. 325-793-3535.

Dystonia Support Group, 5:15-6:15 p.m., Not Without Us, 3301 N. First St. Suite 117.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS), 5:30 p.m., Brook Hollow Christian Church, 2310 S. Willis St. 325-232-7444.

Legacies Al-Anon Family Group, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Open Door Building, 3157 Russell Ave. 325-280-7584.

Family (of Mental Health Consumers) Support Group, 6-7 p.m., Mental Health Association in Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

MHAA Bipolar/Depression Peer Support Group, 6-8 p.m., Ministry of Counseling & Enrichment, 1502 N. First St. 325-673-2300.

Free certified nurturing parent class (pregnancy to toddler), 6-8 p.m., Mission Church, North Third and Mockingbird streets. 325-672-9398.

Abilene Star Chorus, 6:15 p.m., Wisteria Place Chapel, 3202 S. Willis St. 325-829-1470.

Overeaters Anonymous, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Exodus Metropolitan Community Church, 1933 S. 27th St.

Al-Anon Parents Group, 7 p.m., Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler Ave. Use Church Street entrance.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., Doug Meinzer Activity Center, Knox City. 940-658-3926.

Abilene Society of Model Railroaders, 7-8:30 p.m., 2043 N. Second St.

Unity Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St.

WEDNESDAY

Coffee with CASA

Big Country Court Appointed Special Advocates will conduct a 'Coffee with CASA' informational meeting at 9 a.m. at The Birdhouse Coffee Shop, 500 Chestnut St., Suite 101. For information, call 325-677-6448.

Flying Fortress salute

The B-17 Flying Fortress Texas Raiders will present tours of a B-17 bomber from noon to 5 p.m. at Abilene Aero, 2850 Airport Blvd. Tours are $10 for adults, $5 for children and $20 for families of up to five. A limited number of flights will be available. For flight reservations, go to b17texasraiders.org or call 855-FLY-A-B17.

Dog Days at the Mall

Dog Days will continue from 5-8 p.m. at the Mall of Abilene. Participants are encouraged to bring their dogs. CJ Photography will be present to take photos of pets.

Square dance workshop

TYE  The Wagon Wheel Squares will conduct a square dancing workshop at 6:30 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel.

Other ...

Overeaters Anonymous, 8 a.m., Hinds Square Building, Room 112, 100 Chestnut St.

Blood drive, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., First Financial Bank, 400 Pine St.

Abilene Cactus Lions Club, 11:45 a.m., Cotton Patch Cafe, 3302 S. Clack St.

Abilene Wednesday Rotary Club, noon, Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway. $12 for lunch. Jo Ann Wilson, 325-677-6815.

Kiwanis Club of Abilene, noon, Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway Blvd.

Clearly Speaking Toastmaster Club, noon, Westgate Church of Christ, 402 S. Pioneer Drive. 325-795-5570.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 5:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Veterans Peer Support Group, 6 p.m., 765 Orange St. 325-670-4818.

Mid-week Al-Anon Family Group, 6-7 p.m., Open Door Building, 3157 Russell Ave. 325-698-4995.

Advanced Square Dancing, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wagon Wheel.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1501 N. Broadway, Ballinger. 817-689-2810 or 325-977-1007.

DivorceCare support group, 7 p.m., Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler Ave. 325-691-4200.
Longview author Lottie Guttry's fast-paced historical novel "Alligator Creek" (Brown Books, $24.99 hardcover) is based on the story of her great-great-grandmother during and after the Civil War.

Set in Florida and Texas, the story focuses on Sarah and Alex Browning and their young family  a boy, a girl, and one on the way  as hostilities between the North and South heat up in early 1862.

Able-bodied men like Alex Browning are expected to do their duty and go to war for the "cause." Sarah is opposed to having her husband leave their Florida farm and their family for a "foolish war" she doesn't believe is worth the probable cost.

But Alex feels compelled and signs up, fully anticipating that the South will win quickly and he will be home in a few months.

Of course, the war drags on for three more years and the toll in human suffering is catastrophic. While Alex fights overwhelming odds to survive, Sarah struggles to keep the farm solvent and the family hopeful in the face of increasing turmoil and hardship.

When the war finally ends, the family's trials and tribulations do not, and eventually the Browning family joins a wagon train headed for Texas.

Guttry attributes the idea for the book to a graduate class she took at Stephen F. Austin University in which the professor assigned students to learn and write about a family legend.

The story, told from Sarah's and Alex's points of view, is a real page-turner. I literally picked it up one morning and read the whole 350-page saga in one day, certainly a rarity for me.

Mystery Writer: Prolific author Bill Crider of Alvin has a new mystery featuring small-town Texas Sheriff Dan Rhodes, one of the more laid-back and likable peace officers you'll come across.

"Survivors Will Be Shot Again" (Minotaur, $25.99 hardcover) is the 23rd title in his Sheriff Rhodes series. As always, Crider keeps the reader entertained with his collection of local characters and the various major and minor crimes the sheriff must investigate.

Learn more about Crider and his wide range of interests on his website, billcrider.com.

Practical Advice for Musicians: Syndicated radio host D. Grant Smith of Clyde has written a practical guide for independent musicians  "The DIY Musician's Radio Handbook" (Clear Fork Publishing, $17.50 paperback, $2.99 e-book).

Chapters cover such topics as "Maximizing the Benefits of Radio," "Getting Your Music Radio Ready" and "The Process of Getting Radio Airplay."

"This book is not intended for people who treat music like a hobby," Smith writes, but rather "to teach you fundamental aspects to how radio airplay can be used to help boost your music career."

For more, see the author's website, dgrantsmith.com, or contact him at dgrantsmith@gmail.com.

Glenn Dromgoole's newest book is West Texas Stories. Contact him at g.dromgoole@suddenlink.net.
Critics say Donald Trump's campaign is too cozy with Russia, but Hillary Clinton may have problems of her own. Critics charge that foreign governments gained access to Clinton when she served as secretary of state by making donations to a charity, the Clinton Foundation, overseen by her family. Clinton says the foundation will stop taking foreign donations if she's president, but Republican critics have called for the organization to be shut down entirely.

Is the Clinton Foundation a problem for Clinton?

Joel Mathis. With Bill and Hillary Clinton, as always, there's a thin line between 'kind of gross' and 'clearly wrong.' And so it is with Clinton Foundation.

Hillary Clinton's defenders say the Clinton Foundation does tremendous, lifesaving work  and they're right. But that doesn't mean the charity isn't a problem for her.

Why?

It's pretty well accepted that appearances of a conflict of interest can be just as bad in public life as actual conflicts. So if you're secretary of state and foreign countries  standing to benefit in a variety of ways, financial and otherwise, from U.S. policy  are pumping millions of dollars into your husband's charitable foundation, well of course it looks like a potential problem. And if you're running for president and all these foreign countries, as well as big corporations, keep being eager to donate, well of course that looks like a potential problem as well.

Here's the thing: The Clintons, fair or not, have to walk a much, much tighter ethical line than everybody else. Because the public is primed to see them as acting unethically. And while they're not as bad as Republicans make them out to be, it's also the case that they legitimately screw up now and again, giving new life to all the rest of it. Bill really did lie to a grand jury about his sex life; Hillary really did handle her emails poorly and then really did exaggerate in suggesting the FBI had exonerated her.

Now: Damon Linker, a writer at The Week, points out that Hillary Clinton's critics haven't actually found a smoking gun in all of this, no evidence of a quid pro quo in which money was exchanged for services.

But Americans have the right not to have to guess whether or not that's the case, and have the right to expect a potential president to go far above and beyond the minimum necessary to keep his or her house in order.

The funny thing is: She's still the better presidential candidate this fall. Donald Trump is just that dangerous. The temptation is to give her a free pass as a result  but that wouldn't be right. We need accountability from all our candidates.

Ben Boychuk. She's crooked, you know. Donald Trump, for all his terrible bluster and braggadocio, is surely right about that.

Hillary Clinton was reckless with national security secrets when she was secretary of state and has been utterly shameless when it comes to telling the truth. And little by little, voters are learning that she likely used her family's foundation to trade access to the State Department for hundreds of thousands and in some cases millions of dollars in donations.

Trump is a bit more cavalier than responsible journalists would be in describing what Clinton allegedly did as secretary of state. Then again, supposedly responsible mainstream journalists have been far behind the curve when it comes to investigating the Clinton Foundation.

Well, they're catching up now. The Associated Press recently reported, 'At least 85 of 154 people from private interests who met or had phone conversations scheduled with Clinton while she led the State Department donated to her family charity or pledged commitments to its international programs.'

'Combined, the 85 donors contributed as much as $156 million,' the AP story continued. 'At least 40 donated more than $100,000 each, and 20 gave more than $1 million.'

Did those donors get anything for their gifts other than access? We don't know yet. But access to the secretary of state isn't trivial.

One of those donors, Gilbert Chagoury, has pledged $1 billion to the Clinton Global Initiative. Chagoury is a Nigerian billionaire who was forced by the Nigerian government to pay nearly $300 million in 1998 to avoid prosecution for his allegedly corrupt ties to former dictator Sani Abacha. He's also a business partner of Marc Rich, a fugitive who won a pardon from President Bill Clinton on his last day in office in 2001 for his business deals with America's enemies in Iran, North Korea and Cuba.

By the way, it's unclear just how much 'lifesaving work' the Clinton Foundation does. Charity Navigator doesn't offer a rating, positive or negative, citing the foundation's 'atypical business model.' According to the group's IRS disclosures, however, nearly 60 percent of the foundation's expenditures in 2014 went toward salaries, benefits, travel and conferences.

'It is impossible to figure out where the Clinton Foundation ends and the State Department begins,' Trump said in Austin, Texas, this week. Let's hope voters have a better idea before Election Day.

Joel Mathis an award-winning writer in Kansas. Ben Boychuk is managing editor of American Greatness. Email them at joelmmathis@gmail.com and bboychuk3@att.net.
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Headlines proclaiming that oil and gas drilling are directly linked to earthquakes in North Texas are dominating energy news this month. You may have even read a few:

EPA Tells Railroad Commission that Fracking Is Causing Earthquakes in North Texas

EPA Sees Link Between Fracking & Earthquakes

Fracking and Earthquakes Linked, E.P.A. Tells Texas, In Rebuke of State Rules

EPA: North Texas Earthquakes Likely Linked to Oil and Gas Drilling

EPA links oil and gas drilling to Texas quakes

EPA Tells Railroad Commission that Fracking Is Causing Earthquakes in North Texas

EPA Sees Link Between Fracking & Earthquakes

Fracking and Earthquakes Linked, E.P.A. Tells Texas, In Rebuke of State Rules

None of those headlines are accurate.

On Aug. 15, the Environmental Protection Agency published an end-of-year evaluation of the Texas Underground Injection Control program administered by the Railroad Commission.

One sentence in the 61-page document forms the basis of the inaccurate headlines above:

"In light of findings from several researchers, its own analysis of some cases, and the fact that earthquakes in some areas diminished following shut in or reduced injection volume in targeted wells, EPA believes there is a significant possibility that North Texas earthquake activity is associated with disposal wells."

It is true that in a small number of cases with the right set of conditions  disposal wells located in close proximity to critically stressed faults that are properly oriented  disposal wells can cause earthquakes.

However, despite the clear language in the EPA report that disposal wells, and not other oil and gas activities, may be correlated to seismicity, the public has been misled to believe that hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and/or drilling cause earthquakes. The media needs to be more accurate when they report highly technical news.

To be clear, oil and gas drilling does not cause earthquakes. Drilling is as simple as it sounds  the act of drilling a hole into ground to reach the oil below. It is a widely known fact in the scientific community, including EPA and U.S. Geological Survey, that drilling and fracking does not typically produce the amount of pressure necessary to cause a felt seismic event.

At this point, we cannot definitively say that there is or is not a direct causal relationship between disposal wells and earthquakes in Texas. It is absolutely possible  and that is why we at the Railroad Commission are studying it and have taken concrete steps to strengthen our disposal well rules.

In fact, the EPA in its report recognized the Railroad Commission's diligence in ensuring that the environment and the public are protected during disposal operations in Texas, stating:

"These values reflect an outstanding enforcement monitoring program."

"The RRC testing and surveillance program exceeds the testing requirement."

"The RRC is also commended for establishing new regulations specific to seismicity, including solidifying RRC authority to take appropriate action related to injection well operations."

In regard to the seismic activity in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in 2015, the EPA recommended "the close monitoring of injection activity through daily recording and reporting of accurate injection pressures and volumes from area disposal wells. " The Railroad Commission already does this and will continue to do so. This report ultimately validates what we are doing at the Railroad Commission to ensure public and environmental safety.

As an engineer with 20 years of experience in oil and gas, and a Railroad Commission member, it's my job to make sure that the 27 million people of our state are accurately informed about the energy industry, and feel confident in how oil and gas is being produced. Fear tactics and attention-grabbing headlines don't serve anyone, and it's important Texans know that the very same industry putting thousands of people to work, millions of dollars into our schools and roads, and money into our economy, is the same one working to keep them and the environment, safe.

Ryan Sitton is a Texas Railroad Commissioner and mechanical engineer from Friendswood.
In case anyone is wondering whether any other high-level election is filled with as much drama and general dislike of the top candidates as the 2016 U.S. presidential race  the answer is yes!

This summer, the members of the United Nations began the process of choosing the next leader of the organization. Unlike the presidential race, the 'rules' for choosing the U.N.'s next leader (called the secretary-general) are less formalized and much murkier.

According to the U.N. charter, the secretary-general is appointed (not popularly elected) by the U.N.'s largest body  the General Assembly. The appointment is qualified further to reflect the recommendation of U.N.'s most powerful body  the Security Council. In other words, a few powerful countries on the council decide which candidate's name will be submitted to the assembly. And, within the Security Council, those five countries with veto power (i.e., the power to say no) will determine who that single candidate will be.

The five veto-wielding countries in the Security Council (also known as the P5) are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the 1980s, the General Assembly endorsed regional rotation in the office of the secretary-general. So far, there have been three European, two Asian, two African and one Latin American secretaries-general. One would have expected Latin American candidates to lay claim to the top post during this selection cycle.

Two competing 'camps,' however, have dominated this year's process  and the candidate pool. The first camp insists that Eastern Europe (as a subregion of Europe) be given the top position. To date, all European secretaries-general have hailed from Western Europe, and Eastern Europe is fighting for its turn.

The second camp insists that regional rotation be replaced by gender considerations. All secretaries-general to date have been male, and there is a growing call for a female to lead the largest international organization that promotes women's rights.

Currently, there are 10 contenders for the top U.N. position.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called for a female to succeed him, but only one of the top four candidates is female. Recent straw polls conducted in the Security Council show the top candidate to be a former prime minister from Portugal who has a decade of experience working with refugees. However, his vocal support for enhancing human rights protections for refugees may ultimately derail his chances with at least one P5 country, given recent terrorist attacks in France and across Europe.

In second position is a former Serbian politician who is rumored to be supported by Russia. However, his efforts to prevent international recognition of Kosovo (an autonomous province within Serbia) during his stint as foreign minister, may cost him support from France, the U.K. and/or the U.S. In third place is an Argentine politician whom the U.S. supports; however, given Argentina's continued grousing over the decades-old Falklands War, it is possible that the U.K. (another veto-wielding country) will knock her out of the running.

In fourth place is a former president of Slovenia, and he may be a dark horse candidate if no P5 member opposes him. The math suggests that the other six candidates are unofficially out of the running, given that they each have received more discouraging votes than encouraging ones in recent straw polls.

If, however, the top four are nixed by P5 vetoes, then one of these remote contenders may wind up being selected by virtue of their ability to not annoy any of the P5. This has happened in the past. In fact, the first U.N. secretary-general  Trygve Lie from Norway  was no one's first choice, but he eventually won as a compromise candidate.

Of the bottom six candidates, four are female, and four are Eastern European. So, while the ultimate winner may not be anyone's first choice, the two camps fighting for their preferences may both 'win' after all. The Security Council tentatively is scheduled to hold its third straw poll Monday. Traditionally, this is when the P5 cast their vetoes (the earlier straw poll votes were anonymous).

Of course, given the dearth of formal rules about this process, we may not know the final result for some time.

Dr. Tina L. Bertrand is professor of international relations and chairwoman of the Department of Political Science at McMurry University. She has been designated an Oxford Roundtable Scholar for her research on international organizations.
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Today in history: On Aug. 28, 2006, the leader of a polygamist sect of Mormons is arrested by the highway patrol during a traffic stop in Nevada. Warren Jeffs was facing charges in Arizona and Utah of facilitating marriages between men and underage girls. He had made the FBI's most-wanted list. His radical group, which had 10,000 members, promoted polygamy, which the greater Mormon church had banned in 1890. In 2009, his Yearning for Zion compound in Eldorado, Texas, was raided.
By Manjeet Negi: Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar left for Washington DC today for talks with the US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter. Terrorism and the signing of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) is likely to top the agenda of Parrikar in the US.

Parrikar is also expected to bring up Pakistan's inaction against the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and the instability that Pakistan's involvement is creating in Jammu and Kashmir. Afghanistan situation, Taliban and ISIS is also on the agenda for the bilateral meeting.



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TECHNOLOGY



In terms of technology, India and the US will discuss the unmanned systems. India will also request for the Predator, an unmanned armed drone, used effectively in the Af-Pak region by the US while drones used for surveillance will also be discussed. Protective kits to be used during chemical and biological warfare is also on the agenda. The two will also discuss the deal for the ultralight howitzers that is in its last stages.



INDIA'S EXPECTATIONS



Any such acquisition during the meet will bolster India's offensive options along some of its porous borders. While in the past, Washington has shied away from offering its armed predator drones that have considerable combat experience in Afghanistan and Pakistan, India is hoping that its entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June would make a difference this time.

India will push for easier licensing procedures and better access to technology with less restrictive export controls. This is in an effort to jumpstart the 'Make in India' procedures and allow the production of US military equipment including fighter planes, primarily for export, in India.

--- ENDS ---
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Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov plans a rare visit to Berlin on August 29, where the head of one of the world's most closed countries is expected to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

As both sides look likely to discuss ways to increase trade, it remains unclear whether Merkel will also use the opportunity to press Berdymukhammedov to improve Turkmenistan's poor human rights record despite demands for a tougher stance toward the gas-rich Central Asian republic.

Merkel and Berdymukhammedov last met in Berlin in 2008 during the Turkmen leader's swing through Germany and Austria. More recently, they talked in Astana, Kazakhstan, during a meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2010.

Announcing Berdymukhammedov's visit on August 26, the German Foreign Ministry gave no details of the agenda. But a German official speaking on condition of anonymity to RFE/RL's Turkmen Service said the meeting was at Merkel's invitation and they would discuss economic and political cooperation.

Germany is Turkmenistan's principal foreign trading partner in the European Union, with bilateral trade worth $466 million in 2014, the most recent figure available. That is up from $448 million in 2013.

Much of the trade focuses on Germany exporting machinery and other industrial products to Turkmenistan -- Berlin's third-largest trade partner in the region after Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

At the same time, German companies have played a role in developing Turkmenistan's energy sector, including exploring for new natural-gas fields on the Caspian Sea shelf. They are reported to want access to Turkmenistan's onshore fields as well.

However, German business activity is complicated in Turkmenistan by reported difficulties in getting permits and nontransparent administrative procedures. Germany's DEA Deutsche Erdoel last year gave up its concession on the Caspian Sea shelf due to reported frustration over bureaucracy and corruption.

The German government official told RFE/RL confidentially that "human rights in Turkmenistan is always a priority but until the meeting takes place [on August 29], I cannot say in what form they will be discussed."

Secret Prisons

International rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Berlin to challenge the Turkmen leader to end its secretive imprisonment of political opponents, free a prominent jailed journalist, and eliminate arbitrary bans on people leaving the country.

"This is one of those rare opportunities for a world leader to stand up for those in Turkmenistan who cannot engage their own government," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at HRW in Berlin. "Chancellor Merkel should not miss this opportunity to speak directly and forcefully about the need to end repression in Turkmenistan."

The rights group says dozens of people, mostly arrested in the late 1990s and early 2000s, have simply disappeared into the Turkmen prison system, with no information of their whereabouts given to relatives. In addition to those secretively imprisoned, Ashgabat has used fabricated drug charges and other allegations to publicly jail many other dissidents, including RFE/RL Turkmen Service contributor Saparmamed Nepeskuliev in 2015.

Thirteen media and human rights organizations sent a joint letter to the Berdymukhammedov in July this year calling for the release of Nepeskuliev, who has been kept incommunicado since his detention.

The Turkmen government also blacklists many individuals, including students hoping to study abroad and activists, from leaving the country -- a practice rights groups call political intimidation.

"During the communist era, many people in East Germany were similarly banned from leaving the country, as in Turkmenistan [today], so this practice should resonate with Chancellor Merkel, who is from the east [of Germany]," Williamson said. "People inside and outside Turkmenistan are counting on her to tell Berdymukhammedov that this practice should end."

Berdymukhammedov removed some of the most egregious aspects of the cult of personality cultivated by his predecessor, the late dictator Saparmurat Niyazov, after the latter's death in late 2006. But he has never dismantled the autocratic system he inherited and has arguably expanded presidential powers in the past decade and continues to ruthlessly stamp out any public expressions of dissent.

With contributions from RFE/RL's Turkmen Service
Mohammad Nayeb-Zehi was among the hundreds of worshippers who gathered on September 30 at the Great Mosalla, a religious site in Iran's southeastern city of Zahedan, for Friday Prayers.

Just hours later, the 16-year-old's family learned he was dead.

Nayeb-Zehi was among the scores of people gunned down by security forces in a brutal crackdown following anti-government protests in Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchistan Province, which is home to the country's Baluch minority.

"He was a simple laborer and not political," Nayeb-Zehi's brother, Ahmad, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda in a telephone interview from Zahedan, adding that his sibling had been shot in the heart. "We're in pain, and we cannot accept it."

The crackdown in Zahedan came amid weeks-long nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died on September 16, days after she was detained by Iran's morality police.

In Sistan-Baluchistan, public anger at the authorities escalated amid reports that a 15-year-old Baluch girl had been raped by a police official in the province's southern port city of Chabahar.

The violence erupted soon after protesters gathered outside a police station near the central mosque in Zahedan. Members of the crowd chanted anti-government slogans, and some threw rocks. Security forces responded with deadly force by firing on the crowd from the station, according to witnesses.

Security forces also raided the central mosque and the nearby Great Mosalla and opened fire on worshippers using live ammunition, rights groups said, adding that many were shot in the head, heart, neck, or torso, revealing a clear intent to kill or seriously wound.

At least 94 people were killed and 350 wounded on that day, referred to as "Bloody Friday," according to the U.S.-based Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. At least 13 minors were among those killed, including Nayeb-Zehi.

The victims were overwhelmingly Baluch -- a mostly Sunni ethnic group that has long faced disproportionate discrimination at the hands of the Iranian authorities.

"He was martyred inside the Mosalla while holding his prayer mat," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi.

Nayeb-Zehi's family first visited Zahedan's Khatam al-Anbia hospital, hoping he was among the wounded. They later found his body in a seminary at the Great Mosalla.

"We entered a room there and saw about 10 bodies," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi. "[Mohammad] was among them."

He said the authorities prevented the family from filming the scene. "I told them this has to be documented, it has to be published by international media," he said, adding that footage later emerged on social media showing the gruesome scene at the seminary.

The family refused to send Nayeb-Zehi's body to the morgue. Instead, his body lay in the living room for around 24 hours before he was buried.

"We said he was martyred and there was no need for an autopsy," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi.

The authorities accused Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group, of attacking the police station. The group is recognized as a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States and has previously claimed deadly attacks in Sistan-Baluchistan targeting Iranian security forces.

But local and independent sources have rejected the authorities' claims.

The authorities have also reported a much lower number of fatalities, announcing that only 19 people, including several members of the security forces, were killed.

Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi said the authorities were "rubbing salt into the wounds of the people" by claiming "terrorists" were involved.

He said he witnessed a military helicopter shooting at civilians near the Great Mosalla. "I haven't even seen such scenes in Hollywood movies," he said. "A helicopter was shooting at people. A lady was shot in front of my eyes."

RFE/RL could not verify his account. But activists have accused security forces of shooting at protestors from helicopters.

"I don't know what the intention of this crime was," he said. "Our only demand from the establishment is for the murderers of our [family members] to be punished."

The killings have led to widespread anger in Sistan-Baluchistan, one of Iran's poorest provinces.

Anti-establishment protests have been reported in Zahedan since the crackdown, including on October 14 and October 21, when protesters took to the streets after Friday Prayers and chanted "Death to the dictator."

During his Friday Prayers sermon on October 21, influential Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi said senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were "responsible" for the September 30 killings.

"We are surprised by the silence of the high-ranking officials," he said in his sermon, which was posted on his website.

"Scores were killed here without any reason. I don't have the exact number. Some have reported 90, some say less, some say more," Ismaeelzahi added.

He also said people will not be satisfied until "those who killed the people" are brought to justice.

The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center said the events of September 30 amounted to "a massacre of protesters by security forces."

"The government's total denial of responsibility for the massacring of citizens by its security apparatus is consistent with similar past denials and is evidence that internal calls for investigation of such crimes are insufficient," said the rights group, which documents human rights violations in Iran.
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."
Turkey has extradited five Macedonians for attempting to join the extremist Islamic State (IS) group.

The Macedonian Interior Ministry said on August 27 that the five were arrested by Turkish police, in collaboration with their Macedonian counterparts, two weeks ago in Istanbul.

The five were aged between 18 and 24 years old.

The ministry said several other people were also caught in the raid in Istanbul.

It added that those who were extradited were charged by Macedonian authorities and remain in custody.

It is illegal in Macedonia to join foreign armies or paramilitary groups.

Over the past year, Macedonia has sentenced 11 people attempting to join IS and has charged seven others.

Macedonian authorities said 25 of its citizens have been killed fighting with IS militants in Syria or Iraq and estimate that another 50 are still there fighting.

Predominantly Muslim ethnic Albanians make up more than 20 percent of Macedonia's population of some 2 million people.

Based on reporting by dpa and AP
By Rajat Rai: Launching a scathing attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Sunday said that the party has no options but to depend on 'rejected maal'.

Mayawati, who was addressing a rally in Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's constituency Azamgarh said, "Like in Bihar, the BJP does not have any candidates (to file) for the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections of the state. They (BJP) are depending on the `rejected maal' of the BSP and other parties."

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They are trying to cash on leaders who were either rejected by us (BSP) or were shown the exit door, she added.

MINORITIES NOT SAFE

Maya went ahead to attack the ruling SP government by saying that even the upper caste and the minorities are not safe in Uttar Pradesh. "UP me dehshat, danga aur crime ka maahaul hai?. Muslim aur other minorities UP me surakshit nahi hain... (There is an atmosphere of crime and riot, even Muslims and minorities are not safe in UP)," she said.



The BJP and the SP are working hands in gloves. Even the upper caste and other related communities are not safe in UP, she added. "Only mafias and gundas rule in UP. Only BSP can run this state", Mayawati said.



There is not a single day when a crime (against women) is not reported from the 80 districts of UP. "Crime was at its lowest, when we (BSP) were in power", she added.



MODI NOT FULFILLING PROMISES

Attacking the Modi government, Mayawati said, "Central government has adopted a step-motherly attitude towards the Muslims and other minorities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on August 15 from the Red Fort was totally political. Yeh PoK aur Pakistan par yudh kara ke he maneige". (He is forcing the country into another battle with Pakistan on the PoK issue)

Attacking Modi further, Mayawati said that the promises he made in 2014, are yet to be fulfilled.

"He (Modi) is only diverting us (people of the country) by making false promises. Have you got money in your accounts? Pulses, petrol and all the things of daily need are getting dearer. Does he have any response to the questions of a common man," Mayawati questioned.



ALSO READ:

BJP, SP have ganged up against BSP in UP, says Mayawati's confidant Satish Mishra

--- ENDS ---
Uzbek President Islam Karimov has been hospitalized and is receiving "necessary medical treatment" in Tashkent, according to the country's Cabinet of Ministers.



In a statement published on August 28 in the official state newspaper, Gazeta, the cabinet said Karimovs stay in the hospital would "require a certain amount of time for medical assessment and treatment."



The statement did not elaborate on Karimov's medical condition or provide a reason for his hospitalization.



Karimov, 78, is the oldest of the Central Asian presidents. He has been ruling the former Soviet republic with an iron fist for more than 25 years.



He is known to have health issues -- including previous reports of a heart condition and respiratory ailments.



But the government has never previously issued a statement about his health.



RFE/RL's Uzbek Service began receiving unconfirmed reports on August 27 that Karimov had been seriously ill for several days.



Reports about Karimovs ill health are difficult to verify, since information in the country is very tightly controlled.



The president was last seen on state television on August 17 meeting South Korea's interior minister.

No Obvious Successor

He had been scheduled to make a public appearance in Tashkent on September 1 at celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Uzbekistans independence from the Soviet Union.



Karimov has no obvious successor, raising questions about the long-term stability of the landlocked country that has never held an election judged free and fair by international monitors.



Uzbekistan -- which borders each of the other Central Asian states, as well as Afghanistan -- is the most populous country in Central Asia with some 30 million people.



Karimov rose to power in 1989 when he was elected first secretary of the Communist Party of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic.



He declared Uzbekistan an independent nation in August 1991, as the Soviet Union headed toward collapse, and subsequently won the countrys first presidential election. He was reelected three times with around 90 percent of the votes, according to official results.



Karimov has used referendums to extend his term in office, while neutralizing the secular political opposition and eliminating all opposition media from the country.

Based on reporting by RFE/RLs Bruce Pannier, RFE/RL's Uzbek Service, and Gazeta.uz
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DUMFRIES  Running about 3 miles east from U.S. 1 along the lush, bucolic bank of Quantico Creek, Possum Point Road more resembles a remote country byway on the Northern Neck than a two-lane blacktop about 33 miles from the White House.

That convenient combination of quiet, waterside living and quick access to the hustle and bustle of Northern Virginia convinced Dan Marrow, who runs a custom hot-rod shop in Woodbridge, and his wife, Patricia, to settle down here more than two decades ago to raise their son and two daughters.

Yet for much of the past year, Marrow and other homeowners on Possum Point Road have been embroiled in a dispute with another neighbor: Dominion Virginia Powers Possum Point Power Station, which has operated at the end of the road since 1948 and is in the process of draining and closing its coal-ash ponds on the 650-acre site.

Concerns about water quality have Marrow thinking about leaving the house where he and his wife have invested time and money to fashion into a dream home.

We built this house really to never leave, said Marrow, 60. I love where I live. But theres so much doubt going on.

Marrow and other neighbors have subjected their drinking water wells to testing by an environmental group, the state Department of Health, the Virginia Cooperative Extension and, most recently, a contractor hired by Prince William County.

The latest round of testing in June was an attempt, Prince William officials said, to provide some clarity to residents closest to Dominions ponds in the face of results that in some cases have varied widely.

For Marrow, however, whose well is less than 1,400 feet from a now-drained Dominion ash pond, the county-sponsored report by Resource International, an Ashland engineering, scientific and surveying firm that has done contracting work for Dominion in the past, provided little in the way of answers.

Among potential toxins discovered in the most recent test were antimony, lead and hexavalent chromium. But the spots where the metals were detected and their concentrations raised some puzzling questions for the contractor and Marrow, who has retained a lawyer and is losing patience with state and local officials, whom he characterizes as reluctant to identify what he sees as the obvious source of his well contamination.

Theyre all like deer staring in the headlights, Marrow said. They dont want to see the truth, because then theyll have to do something about it.

Dominion says it has hydrology and geology on its side, neither of which make it possible for water from its ash ponds or the water body known by locals as the Beaver Pond to contaminate private wells.

The Beaver Pond, a creek that separates Marrows house and other properties from the power station property, is where Dominion last year dumped about 27.5 million gallons of water that had been sitting on top of ash in one of its ponds for years. That move prompted calls for an investigation by local government officials and environmental groups.

All I can say on that is that our water that was discharged met all the permit requirements, was safe to be released to the surface water, and the data that weve got shows that theres positive flow into the Beaver Pond, not into the aquifer, said Jason Williams, a Dominion environmental manager.

I cant really speculate on whats going on on their property because I have not done this sort of geologic evaluation on their property because its not our property. But what I can tell you is nothings leaving our site.

Im not disregarding it

In the latest round of tests, hexavalent chromium, a substance often linked to industrial contamination, was found in a sample drawn directly from Marrows well, though not in draws from an exterior spigot and his kitchen.

The same heavy metal has become a flashpoint in a debate over coal-ash infiltration of private drinking water wells in North Carolina that has roiled that states health and environmental agencies.

The sample level of 9 parts per billion in Marrows well exceeded the total chromium measurement of 1.41 parts per billion, a discrepancy that Resource International called an impossibility in its report.

Resource International also found hexavalent chromium in the drinking water well of one of Marrows neighbors, Brian West, at a concentration of 5 parts per billion. But a test for total chromium, which would include hexavalent chromium, found nothing.

After contacting the lab that conducted the test, Air, Water and Soil Laboratories in Chesterfield County, Resource International was told that the test employed for hexavalent chromium has limitations at low levels and that results could be misleading.

Per AWS, it is safe to conclude that when total chromium is ND (non-detect), then hexavalent chromium is also ND, the report says. Accordingly, Resource recommends that the hexavalent chromium results for the residential wells be disregarded and the total chromium results be considered to apply to hexavalent chromium.

Marrow says hell pass on that recommendation.

Im not disregarding it, he said.

A previous test by the state Department of Health at the well of William Alvey on Possum Point Road also found hexavalent chromium at 5 parts per billion. Alvey since has connected to public drinking water, as has Marrow.

And the Southern Environmental Law Center commissioned a test on behalf of Frances Kerr and her husband, James Tinker, at their home in Bremo Bluff, near Dominions Bremo Bluff Power Station in Fluvanna County, that found hexavalent chromium at a concentration of 1.2 parts per billion. Dominion later purchased the home as a construction buffer.

I think its concerning that these wells have hexavalent chromium, said Greg Buppert, a Charlottesville-based attorney with the law center, which has challenged Dominions plans for treating wastewater and capping ponds as it closes coal-ash impounds across the state.

Buppert also questioned the Resource International reports conclusion.

You have to use a specific procedure to sample that metal at the levels that its showing up there, he said. You dont disregard that; you test it again.

Multiple attempts to reach West for comment were unsuccessful.

But both Marrow and West previously have blamed Dominions discharge into the Beaver Pond for the well contamination. The Potomac Riverkeeper Network and the Southern Environmental Law Center said Dominion did not test the discharge for toxic heavy metals and did not notify the state Department of Environmental Quality in advance, as required by its permit.

The only thing we were able to determine is there was no permit violation when they did that. They reported it to us after the fact, which was within their permit, said Bill Hayden, a spokesman for the DEQ.

Hayden said the DEQ has not conducted any enforcement actions at the Possum Point site related to Dominions Virginia Pollutant Elimination Discharge System permit in the past decade.

Unsatisfied with the DEQ response, the Dumfries Town Council, the Sierra Club, the riverkeeper group and the law center have requested a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigation of the Beaver Pond discharge, which Potomac Riverkeeper Dean Naujoks says has remained in the waterway during the past year and a half, because the culverts under Possum Point Road that connect it to Quantico Creek are clogged.

Despite requests from Prince William County, DEQ has not conducted sampling in the Beaver Pond and does not intend to do so, Hayden said.

Dominion has agreed to conduct twice-yearly samples from the creek and upstream from the creek after its Pond E closes, said Robert Richardson, a Dominion spokesman. The utility is excavating ash from four ponds on the site and consolidating it into a fifth pond with a clay liner.

The EPA confirmed to the Richmond Times-Dispatch this month that it is looking into the 2015 discharge.

EPA is reviewing the discharges from the Possum Point facility to determine if the discharges were in compliance with the Clean Water Act, spokesman Roy Seneca wrote in an email. We do not have a time frame on when our review will be completed.

Williams, the Dominion environmental manager, said the company has provided information to the EPA.

The water released in March and April 2015 was monitored to ensure that the water released was safe for Quantico Creek. While discharging, we conducted all required sampling with compliant results for water safe to release, Richardson said.

The most recent tests of both Marrows and Wests homes also showed elevated levels of lead, though the Resource International report pointed to the waters high acidity and plumbing components as the likely cause.

In Wests case, where the samples were only drawn from the well, the report acknowledged the possibility that lead in groundwater exceeds the federal drinking water standards cannot be ignored.

It just ate all the pipes

Tom Smith, Prince Williams head of solid waste and a point person for the county government in dealing with Dominions coal-ash pond closures, said the county wont be conducting additional tests for well owners, though he acknowledged the report left some questions.

My biggest concern with their water is how low the pH is there, Smith said. With that low of pH, anything in the plumbing, anything in the soil, it will bring it out.

Marrow said the pricey copper plumbing he installed eight years ago started failing when subjected to the higher pressures of the public water system he recently paid to have routed to his house.

It literally just ate all the pipes up, he said.

The low pH of the wells also confounded Resource International, which found pH levels in the well samples ranging from 3.78 to 5.77. The federal Safe Drinking Water Act standard for pH is 6.5 to 8.5 and, though not a health standard, is meant to address corrosion, staining and scaling in plumbing equipment.

The report indicates that a typical pH range for the Virginia Coastal Plain is 5.6 to 8.1. Monitoring wells at the power station show that pH levels in water upgradient from the station ranged from 4.29 to 5.98 in 2014 and 2015, while downgradient wells showed pH levels ranging from 3.96 to 6.02.

In the absence of other information, there is no clear explanation why local pH levels in groundwater are lower than what is typical for the Coastal Plain of Virginia, the report says.

And though Marrow and West have pointed to Dominions discharge into the Beaver Pond as the likely source of their well woes, monitoring reports from Dominion show that the pH of the 27.5 million gallons of water released in the spring of 2015, more than half of the coal-ash ponds wastewater, was between 6 and 9, within state requirements.

I dont see a direct connection between the ash pond and whats going with these homeowners on the other side of the beaver creek, Smith said, though he noted the power plant had been in operation for nearly 70 years. Possum Point stopped burning coal in 2003.

Typically groundwater impacts happen over a very long period of time. Id be more concerned with the overall long-term impacts of burning coal for 50 years and the impact on the region, he said. Theres very limited data on the groundwater in the whole area.
Petersburg is fighting the Second Battle of the Crater.

With a $19 million hole in its books, its credit rating collapsing and tax base caving, Petersburg is the fiscal equivalent of the battlefield that transformed the city into a blood-soaked symbol of despair in the closing days of the Civil War.

More than 150 years later, desperation has descended again on Petersburg  this time, a consequence of its long-neglected finances.

Petersburgs problems have unfolded slowly against a backdrop of enduring racial tension and continuous economic turmoil, accelerating in 2009 with its first deficit.

Many in Petersburgs African-American majority have been consigned to poverty as its traditional industries, most notably tobacco and manufacturing, have died off, hollowing out a once-dignified red-brick city overlooking the Appomattox River.

It is easy to fault Petersburgs governing class. Its miscues, muff-ups and mistakes are numerous and well-documented. But there are, too, obstacles to Petersburgs financial stability  and its possible recovery from this crisis  that are rooted in the way that government works in Virginia. Or doesnt.

To help pay its creditors and balance its budget, Petersburg, facing a $12 million deficit and $7 million in unpaid obligations, is imposing painful economies. Among them: layoffs, a 10 percent reduction in municipal salaries, and higher taxes. More dramatic steps taken by similarly benighted localities elsewhere in the U.S. are off-limits to Petersburg. That includes bankruptcy.

Municipal bankruptcies are becoming commonplace; there have been more than 50 since 2010 and include the largest  Detroits, at $18 billion  as well as those of Stockton and San Bernardino, Calif., and Harrisburg, Pa.

But Virginia will have no part of this for reasons cultural and constitutional.

Since 1934, the midpoint of the Great Depression, federal bankruptcy law has allowed financially distressed cities, counties, towns, tax and school districts, and public utilities to seek protection from creditors while putting in place a plan to pay all or some of their debts. However, such steps require state approval.

Virginia never has folded into state law a general provision freeing a local government to file for bankruptcy. That would be a stain on Virginias sterling record of fiscal discipline. Virginia has had the highest-possible bond rating, AAA, since a grading system for debt-backed state paper was established about 90 years ago.

But Virginia, while historically averse to federal intrusion, also is a state that strictly controls local government.

Under a mid-19th century legal principle known as the Dillon Rule, Virginia is preeminent to its cities and counties; their powers are derived from the state. And one power they are unlikely ever to have is the authority to skip out on their debts.

Fiscal conservatism long has been an article of faith for Virginia politicians. The states hostility to debt reaches back hundreds of years. There were long and bitter struggles in the legislature and the courts between those who saw bond-backed projects as a way to move the state forward and those who believed such progress threatened the control of the white oligarchy.

Virginia law includes a provision  apparently never invoked, according to lawyers and public finance experts  under which the state can seize dollars it directs to localities for services, such as schools, police and welfare, and use them, instead, to make scheduled payments on bonds to avoid default.

This so-called intercept provision  North Carolina, another AAA state, also has one  not only keeps localities mindful of their finances, it props up the confidence of bondholders by obligating tax dollars and boosts the credit-worthiness of smaller jurisdictions financing improvements through the debt markets.

The loss of public dollars to pay public debts would be a draconian penalty for a local government, diminishing its autonomy, making it even more beholden to the state and imperiling local service. Petersburg still is managing to make payments to bondholders, but its credit rating by Standard & Poors has fallen from A+ to BBB, the agencys lowest.

Stabilizing the citys finances is the first order of business, if only to ensure continued access to the credit markets, though perhaps at the cost of higher interest rates.

Across the state, in the Blue Ridge city of Buena Vista, that localitys default on $9.2 million in bonds sold in the early 2000s to build a golf course  it was touted as an antidote to a shrinking industrial base  has spawned a dispute with the insurer of the bonds. It threatened to seize the collateral for the debt: City Hall and the police station.

Its an example, writ small, of the chaos that Petersburg is facing. Earlier this month, a vendor repossessed more than $390,000 in new firefighting equipment because he had not been paid. And citing non-payment of $1.1 million, a contractor is breaking an agreement to maintain city vehicles.

This might require another form of state intervention, one thats apparently not clear in the Virginia law. It might strike some as bankruptcy lite.

There are discussions among lawyers and state officials about seeking legislation that would allow Petersburg to do what financially beleaguered private businesses in Virginia have done for years: organize their finances under the supervision of a circuit court. Its called receivership.

A case that went to the Virginia Supreme Court in 1898 might provide an outline for such legislation. A man who purchased bonds issued by the city of Radford in Southwest Virginia successfully forced the locality into circuit court, where it was directed to make interest payments on which it had balked.

Another option mentioned for Petersburg  one that could threaten black political control  is for the city to reconstitute itself as a town and then attach itself to one of three surrounding counties  rural Dinwiddie and Prince George or suburban Chesterfield  whether they like it or not. That would shift to the parent county the cost of services that Petersburg cant afford.

Such shotgun marriages have occurred previously. Halifax County was forced to absorb South Boston in the 1990s. Its a complicated process that requires the approval of the courts, which could set as a condition for consolidation a requirement that, for Petersburg, is pretty daunting: paying its bills.
The Hurriyat said humanity teaches to respect and honour human beings irrespective of their caste, creed or culture but Mehbooba Mufti through armed forces and police have turned "Kashmir into the hell".

By Naseer Ganai: A day after ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appealed to senior separatist leader, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, asking him to give Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti a chance and consider her as a daughter, the Hurriyat Conference has called the appeal as "emotional blackmail" and asked Mehbooba that she has been silent over the killings of youths in Kashmir.

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The Hurriyat said humanity teaches to respect and honour human beings irrespective of their caste, creed or culture but Mehbooba Mufti through armed forces and police have turned "Kashmir into the hell". The Hurriyat said that every household in the valley was mourning the killing of their loved ones in Kashmir.

READ: After 51 days of unrest in Kashmir, Mehbooba Mufti reaches out to pellet victim in Delhi



HURRIYAT WANTS MEHBOOBA TO JOIN PEOPLE'S STRUGGLE



Hurriyat demands Mehbooba to be at least on the side of people and join their just struggle and refrain from competing in "killing and maiming her own people."

The Hurriyat Conference said after killing of eight Centre Reserve Police Force persons in June, Mehbooba expressed that she was ashamed of being Muslim. However, the Hurriyat said, killings of nearly 70 youths have failed to appeal her conscience. "Geelani sahab is the leader of this nation and he treats every woman as his daughter but what about a daughter who feels happy to confine her fatherly figure in his house for years together," the Hurriyat said alluding to long house arrest of Geelani. The Hurriyat called the PDP's appeal as emotional blackmail and said that whenever Mehbooba's position is threatened, she resorts to such calls and appeals.

On Saturday evening the PDP issued a surprise statement asking Geelani to consider Mehbooba Mufti as her daughter and give her a chance to bring change.

"Geelani sahab must think of Mehbooba Mufti as his daughter, who also happens to be the first Kashmiri Muslim woman to lead our state. She is not the conventional politician that we deal with most of the times, in-case she does not bring about a change, she will be the first to own up and make way. I appeal to Geelani sahab to give her a chance, she understands the pain and pulse of the people as she has risen from the grass roots," PDP spokesperson Mehboob Beg said in a statement.

ALSO READ:

Mehbooba Mufti makes emotional appeal, says talks only way to resolve issues

Kashmir unrest: CM Mehbooba Mufti takes on Pakistan, separatists

--- ENDS ---
Higher education in Virginia dates to Colonial times. William and Mary is the second oldest college in the United States; Harvard opened first. Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia, which boasts the nations most celebrated academic patrimony. The commonwealth has an enviable mix of public and private institutions. Virginia Military Institute has produced heroes in war (George Marshall, for instance) and martyrs for peace (Jonathan Myrick Daniels). Washington and Lee and Richmond belong to the elite. Virginia Tech has served the state with distinction. Virginia Commonwealth University is earning national recognition for the excellence of its arts program. Today The Times-Dispatch salutes Mary Baldwin.

The Staunton school is celebrating its 175th anniversary. It was founded in 1842 as Augusta Female Seminary with the support of the Presbyterian Church, a denomination that always has valued scholarship. In 1863, a remarkable woman became its leader. Mary Julia Baldwin eventually gave her name to the college when it became a four-year institution. The school honors her and its own transformations as it officially renames itself Mary Baldwin University. The name change recognizes its range of academic offerings. The undergraduate college for women remains its heart.

Mary Baldwin also offers the Virginia Womens Institute for Leadership, the countrys only all-female cadet corps. Its Program for the Exceptionally Gifted, an accelerated system for girls who enter college as young as 12, enables precocious scholars to flourish in supportive surroundings. Mary Baldwin stresses adult education, too. It operates the Shakespeare and Performance program with the American Shakespeare Center. In 2012, the Heifetz International Music Institute moved to Staunton. The hills are alive. Music reaches humanitys innermost regions. Merely to read Heifetzs name is to hear Bachs partita for violin. Creation was a triumph after all, the strings sing.

In 1992, we attended a seminar at Mary Baldwin about the 1912 presidential election in which Democrat (and Staunton native) Woodrow Wilson defeated Republican William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt, the Bull Moose. Historian Arthur Link led the discussion amid an atmosphere of intellectual curiosity. The experience made us long to frequent the lecture hall.

In her State of the University Address last week Pamela Fox, Mary Baldwins most excellent president, said:

(The schools namesake) is our Thomas Jefferson, our James Madison. We aspire not to be like those other great institutions, but to bring to prominence the synergistic advantages of our deliberately small university that serves the entire spectrum of higher education in age, religion, (and) ethnicity through a series of inclusive, innovative programs that no one else ever dreamed of, let alone brought into existence and raised to excellence as Mary Baldwin has done. To claim the public space to demonstrate why institutions like Mary Baldwin matter in the commonwealth and in the nation.
Editors note: This is the first of a four-part series based on August Wallmeyers forthcoming book The Extremes of Virginia, examining Southwest, Southside and the Eastern Shore  and the differences in those regions compared to the commonwealth as a whole.

***

Come on a journey with me. Start at the westernmost point of Virginia atop Tri-State peak in Cumberland Gap National Park, 1,990 feet above sea level, with your heels in Kentucky, right toes in Tennessee and left toes in Virginia. Youre closer to seven other state capitals than to Richmond and farther west than Detroit.

Here Appalachia stretches far and wide. To the east, beyond these mountains, hollers, rivers, skies, and towns lay the rolling hills and flatland of Southside Virginia, home to red soil tobacco fields and former furniture and textile manufacturing industries.

Farther east still is the Chesapeake Bay. Spanning that wonderful estuary is a man-made engineering marvel, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. It connects the mainland to the Eastern Shore, an area so remote it is sometimes accidentally left off state maps.

Travel north on the Shore until you reach Wallops Island and the Atlantic Ocean. Youve gone 612 land miles and descended more than a third of a mile in elevation. Youve gone from the mountains to the sea, through the Extremes of Virginia, part of our state unknown to many, separated by distance, culture and economics, and unequal in opportunity and education.

People in the Extremes areas earn about two-thirds of what Virginians statewide do. People here are older and much poorer. The average poverty rate in the Extremes is 67 percent higher than Virginias. Many more are unemployed, one reason the young people are fleeing the Extremes at alarming rates: 65 percent of Virginians are in the civilian labor force. In the Extremes, 54 percent.

Fewer people in the Extremes have graduated from high school, fewer still from college, where matriculation rates are less than half the statewide average.

Suicide rates in some pockets of the Extremes are double  some more than triple  the statewide average. The rates of fatal prescription opioid drug overdoses in the Extremes is 56 percent higher than Virginias. Tazewell Countys rate is nearly five times the state average.

While Virginia as a whole is growing and prosperous, population in the Extremes is shrinking. In the first four years of this decade, Virginias population grew 4.1 percent, while the Extremes population declined by 2.3 percent.

The two-thirds premise

My premise, and one major reason for my book, is that about two-thirds of Virginias legislators and top officials have never spent any real time in the Extremes, and know the area only through conversation, newspaper articles, and anecdotes.

I believe this is true not only for the current crop of legislators and state officials, but also for those whove steered Virginia for the past several decades, since the rural-to-urban shift began. (In fairness, more than a few legislators do think and act regionally and on behalf of the entire state. Still, with only 9.3 percent of the states population in the Extremes, most governmental concerns are elsewhere.)

Lets look closer.

Southwest Virginia

Southwest Virginia is rugged, wild, beautiful, rough and mellow, rich in natural resources and drowning in poverty. Its a land of beautiful contradictions. But many young people in Southwest Virginia are forced to leave, seeking jobs, opportunity, education, and advancement elsewhere.

Southwest Virginias ways and culture are unfamiliar to most other Virginians; its history and traditions unknown and unappreciated. One lawmaker, claiming some knowledge of the area, said, Ive been to Southwest Virginia, Ive been to Lexington! (Far Southwest is nearly 300 miles away.)

It was here in poor, rural Appalachia more than 50 years ago that President Lyndon Johnson famously declared war on poverty. Poverty won. After spending more than $22 trillion (not counting social Security or Medicare) on anti-poverty programs, the national poverty rate is essentially unchanged.

Coal, once king, is barely clinging to life, thanks to decreased demand, stricter governmental regulations, ecological awareness, and environmental advocacy. Theres not much charm in starving to death in a pristine ecology, but nobody appears to give a damn, is how George Pedro Hunnicutt Jr., the Pepsi bottler in Norton, puts it.

Since 1989, Virginia has attempted to stimulate the coal industry by use of a tax credit set to expire at the end of 2016. The General Assembly voted to extend the tax credit but Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed the legislation, saying it was ineffective.

Republican state senators, especially those from Southwest, fought to override the veto. Sen. Ben Chafin appealed to his colleagues, saying the people in Southwest Virginia are in dire straits. Things are going downhill quick.

The Senate debate indicated a strong belief that the governor vetoed the tax credit for political, not economic or policy reasons. Sen. Tom Garrett of Gum Spring named what he thought to be the reason: Because the governor didnt get his way on one judgeship (the selection of a state Supreme Court judge), were going to compromise 2,900 (coal mining) family incomes and an entire way of life in a decision based on retribution? Wow!

Illegal drug use is a huge problem. Yesterdays mountain moonshine stills have given way to shake and bake methamphetamine production, the new family business. And the meth epidemic is spreading like a cancer eastward into the Shenandoah Valley, central Virginia and beyond. Prescription drug abuse, especially opioids, is also a rapidly growing and spreading problem.

Poor and sick in Southwest Virginia? Thank a nun and her 1968 Volkswagen beetle for starting a caring ministry that today may be your only option for health care. Or thank Teresa Gardner of The Health Wagon, a nurse-managed stationary and mobile clinic. Ninety-eight percent of its Appalachian patients are uninsured and 70 percent make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to pay for health insurance. Gardner is blunt: Theres a great social injustice here in the mountains.

Del. Terry Kilgore of Gate City is chair of the Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission, which has invested heavily in new infrastructure improvements and job creation ventures for Southwest and Southside Virginia. But, he says, its a generational problem, itll take a while. Its about revitalizing or reinventing a whole economy, and thats tough.

Southside Virginia

Southside was once the economic engine of Virginia, where profits and taxes flowed freely to help support less fortunate areas of the commonwealth like Richmond, Northern Virginia, and Tidewater.

It was where the Northern industrialists came in the early 1900s, enticed by cheap land and cheap labor, to build their textile factories; where tobacco flourished as the major cash crop; where furniture manufacturing once prospered, but now has mostly fled overseas.

In a single century, Southside changed from an economic powerhouse, became complacent, de-emphasized the need for education, failed to foresee changes in global commerce, discounted the effects of reduced tobacco consumption and slid into decline, where it is today.

Southside stretches from Franklin to Franklin. Thats the county of Franklin in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the city of Franklin on the edge of Tidewater, some 190 miles east. From the Piedmont to the southern coastal plain, it is largely rural and agricultural.

Southside once mattered to the economy of Virginia. Now, more than one resident says, theres a feeling that were forgotten, especially by the urban areas. Tony Marques, a Catholic priest who served in the area, said, Southside is just not considered as important as other, more affluent, areas.

The Eastern Shore

Travel northeast on the Bay Bridge-Tunnel from Virginia Beach and 17.6 miles and $13 later youve arrived at a place with immense natural beauty, where the pace of life is a little slower, more genteel. James Michener called Virginias two counties on the Eastern Shore the most neglected poor orphans in America.

Remote and unknown to many, neglected still describes the Shore today. It is still sometimes accidentally left off state maps. Lt. Governor Ralph Northam says many legislators dont recognize the unique problems and possibilities of the Shore.

For a lot of them, its out of sight, out of mind, he says. State Sen. Lynwood Lewis aptly calls the Shore a political island, because were attached to another state.

One bright spot of the Shore is aquaculture. Wec Terrys family has been farming the water for well over a century, starting as a little oyster business. Now, the company raises and sells both oysters and clams, cultivating them literally from embryos to your dinner plate.

Is aquaculture one of the few hopes for more commerce and jobs on the Shore? It could be, Terry says, but the cost of getting into it is probably prohibitive for young people. And wealthy people dont want to see oyster cages in their front yard.

Drive north on the Shore and youll eventually find yourself at the threshold of outer space at NASAs Wallops Flight Facility. Locals point to the spaceport with pride and hopes for future growth and jobs.

Wallops is offering us a lot of opportunities, says Lynwood Lewis.

At launch pad 0A, theres virtually no trace of the major accident that happened in 2014, when an Antares rocket destined for the international space station rose above the pad, faltered, exploded and was destroyed, causing more than $15 million in damages. The pad has now been completely rebuilt, and a newly designed Antares rocket engine was successfully tested this summer.

Future of the extremes

In the past 50 years, Virginia has become more urban, more diverse and wealthier. Different regions have adapted in different ways, faced with evolving circumstances, growing or shrinking populations, boom-or-bust business conditions. Now, though, Southwest, Southside and the Eastern Shore languish, trailing far behind Virginia in joblessness, education, wealth, and health.

Moreover, many people in the Extremes dont see any real hope for change on the horizon. The overwhelming majority in the Extremes is extremely pessimistic and believes conditions for themselves and their families will worsen in the near and longer term.

This, I suggest, is something important for policymakers to know and consider, and I hope will be a focal point for their further consideration.

Next Sunday in Part Two: Do It Yourself heroin, prescription opioid abuse and our unmanageable social services system.
Investment firms usually make their statements easy to understand. Theres a line indicating the current balance of the account, another showing the previous balance at the time of the last statement, and then a third indicating what one has invested since the last statement.

Beyond that, there are generally a few pie charts and some other pages with a bunch of words on them that I am sure some people look at, but most are satisfied with knowing what their investment is yielding.

The same can be said of investments in other areas, such as land conservation.

Virginia made some significant investments in land conservation between 1999 and 2014. The Trust for Public Land, in partnership with VIRGINIAforever, a group on whose board I serve, and the Nature Conservancy, recently released the results from an economic analysis that quantifies and summarizes the economic benefits of these investments in land conservation.

According to the report, As of February 2015, more than 3.95 million acres, or 15.6 percent of Virginias land area, have been permanently conserved, including lands owned and managed by federal agencies, such as the National Park Service, state and local parks, forests, wildlife areas, and nature preserves.

The total also includes lands conserved through conservation easements held by public and private groups throughout the state. The economic analysis conducted for the report focuses on lands that have been conserved through fee simple purchase and purchase of conservation easements using state dollars. It doesnt include lands that have been donated outright or conserved through a donation of a conservation easement by landowners who have received a Virginia Land Preservation Tax Credit.

Within these parameters, the study found that from 1999 to 2014, Virginia paid for the conservation of 89,400 acres. The cost was $119 million.

Spending on land conservation is fairly easy to determine. Return is a little more complicated.

The study focused on the benefits from natural goods and services, the ability to attract other federal, local, private and nonprofit money, the generating of jobs and growing local economies through the support of outdoor recreation, tourism, forestry, farming, and commercial fishing as well as improving both physical and mental health.

In order to determine the natural goods and services provided by the 89,400 acres of protected lands, The Trust for Public Land mapped out the different ecosystems in those lands, identifying whether they were cultivated crops, mixed forest, grasslands, wetlands, etc. They then considered such values as protecting clean drinking water, flood protection and air pollution removal.

As for leveraging additional money, the study found that for every dollar spent by the state conserving land, they were able to generate at least one dollar of additional money from federal, private, or non-profit sources, lessening the burden on the state.

Outdoor recreation in Virginia generates $13.6 billion in consumer spending, $923 million in state and local tax revenue, creating 138,000 jobs and $3.9 billion in wages and salaries per year, according to the study.

With visitors to Virginia spending $21.5 billion each year and a quarter of those visitors participating in outdoor activities while they are here, the value of conserved lands such as state parks cant be overstated. Incidentally in 2014, Virginia State Parks set an attendance record with more than 9 million visitors.

Plenty of Virginians use the conserved lands. About 46 percent of Virginians participate in outdoor recreation during the year, according to the study.

An area where perhaps it is more difficult to quantify value is quality of life. But quality of life does have economic value in attracting businesses to the state as well as a workforce to fuel growth.

Can you put a value on a sunrise over a protected marsh? Maybe not a specific number of dollars and cents, but there is no doubt it increases the quality of life, and that in turn increases value.

Kent Whitehead, director of the Trust for Public Lands Chesapeake Bay field office, stated: in addition to Virginias strong outdoor recreation economy, natural goods and services like water quality protection, air pollution removal, preservation of wildlife habitats and carbon sequestration are all direct results of land conservation. The results of this new study demonstrate that land conservation is incredibly valuable to the Virginia economy.

Overall the study found that for every $1 invested by the state in land conservation, $4 is returned to Virginias economy.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
With Mister Chai at Shangri-la's Eros Hotel proving to be a runaway hit, and with restaurants devoting quality space on their menus to specialty teas, our favourite brew has finally emerged from the shadow of coffee.

By Sourish Bhattacharyya: When Shangri-la's Eros Hotel inaugurated its much-applauded F&B makeover with Mister Chai, the idea of a five-star establishment serving tea stall delicacies with a twist found immediate takers and transformed the hotel's lobby into a beehive of tea-centred activity. The city's food and beverage trend-setters have gentrified the poor man's tea and overnight, those who drank only Darjeeling, and the First Flush, no less, are asking for Kali Mirch Chai with the Colaba Fish Fry Sandwich, or Cutting Chai and Bun Maska when they are at Soda Bottle Opener Wala.

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In the same way as regional cuisines have staged a comeback, tea has become the flavour of the year. Tea bags are oh-so yesterday; so is artificial flavouring. Tea connoisseurs today insist on their leaves coming packed in muslin pouches with the flowers of their choice adding natural flavours. Gone too are the days when you asked for just a green tea or a tulsi tea. Why not go for a green tea, pomegranate flowers and Himalayan basil combination? The creator of this combination, Anamika Singh of Anandini Tea, the daughter of a planter who has put Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) on the world tea map, confirms that "though people are on the learning curve, their interest is being stoked to phenomenal levels by hotels and gourmet restaurants".

She was taken by surprise when the new Connaught Place restaurant, Niche, asked for white tea, which is handpicked only in the early morning hours in certain months, sun-dried and then hand-packaged. You don't get such demands from restaurants operating in a market that caters essentially to underaged whisky drinkers. ITC Maurya's rooftop Pan-Asian restaurant, Tian, some time back asked Singh to work with its chef de cuisine, Vikramjit Roy, to put together a tea-paired menu. Efforts such as these put the excitement back into tea.

The tradition of serving tea and snacks at the lobby lounge took off many years ago at the Emperor Lounge, The Taj Mahal Hotel.

It was BD Mittal who introduced the culture of leaf teas in the city when he converted his all-purpose store on Barakhamba Road, which he had opened in 1954, into one dedicated to selling tea from 1974 onwards. His son Vikram, an engineer trained at IIT-Delhi, made a career switch and took to tea, raising the profile and reputation of his family business to the level that it is now regarded as the Capital's foremost purveyor of fine teas. Thankfully, it is not the only one.

Giving it competition is Sanjay Kapur's Aap Ki Pasand 'tea boutique' in Daryaganj, which has been around since 1981, when its owner, who has a Master's in Management and Marketing from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, Mumbai, switched from being a tea taster to becoming a tea entrepreneur. His Sancha brand is today one of the country's top packaged tea export brands, but more than just seeing his cash registers ring, Kapur has been a passionate tea educator and his greatest moment came in 2005, when the French government paired him with a wine sommelier to understand the similarities in the flavours found in French wines and Indian teas.

Giving the Mittals and Kapur company is Devan's, the city's oldest coffee shop and roastery at Khanna Market, Lodi Road, opened in 1962 by D Vasudevan. Under the leadership of his son Keshav Dev and grandson Siddhant Dev, this venerable shop now stocks a selection of teas, but its coffees are still most sought after. At The Oberoi Gurgaon's threesixtyone all-day dining restaurant, you can invite friends and family to the Gourmet High Tea, where you can pair your favourite teas with an array of savouries and desserts for a reasonable Rs 1,500 plus taxes for two. ITC Maurya has a teatime service delivered at the room by designated butlers exclusively for those who check in at the womenonly Eva Floor of the hotel. And for its Executive Floor guests, it has a dedicated tea lounge named Samaya, where the house blends are particularly popular.

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The tradition of serving tea, coffee and snacks at the lobby lounge took off many years ago at the Emperor Lounge, The Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road. Originally, it was a showcase for Lavazza coffee, but it has evolved as the haute centre for high teas. Its menu today has 26 tea varieties, from Panch Dhatu Tea to Rooibois Apple and Vintage Pu-Erhh.

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If you dig the high tea at Radisson Blu Plaza Mahipalpur's lobby-level lounge called R, for instance, you'll be paying Rs 675 plus taxes per person and Rs 1,000 plus taxes for two. And the menu stretches from scones with preserves and bagels with smoked salmon and cheese to finger sandwiches, crostini, petit fours and macaroons. It's time we raised a toast to tea.

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By the slimmest of margins, leaders of the Republican Party of Virginia on Saturday voted to select their 2017 statewide candidates in a primary rather than at a convention  a nominating change that could have significant implications for a host of Republicans planning runs for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general next year.

The 41-40 vote by the GOPs State Central Committee effectively upended a compromise agreement reached last year by factions within the state party that called for a primary in the 2016 race for president to be followed by a nomination convention for statewide offices in 2017.

It was a victory for the partys more moderate, establishment wing, whose leadership was unseated by conservative grass-roots and tea party activists in 2013. Establishment Republicans have spent the past couple of years working to regain control of the State Central Committee at the district level. They emerged with a slight majority among the 40 new members elected to the committee earlier this year, helping put them over the top.

It shows the voters were more inclusive and want to reach out to as many as possible, said Jerry Kilgore, a former Virginia attorney general and Republican gubernatorial candidate, who advocated for the move to a primary. Kilgore said the past few conventions left Republicans bitter at each other.

The vote followed a civil but strident hourlong debate that featured more than two dozen GOP leaders from across the state, and reflected the evenly split sentiment of the meeting room at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

Supporters of a convention spoke of the need to respect the agreement reached last summer for the sake of party unity, and to ensure that Republicans alone select the partys nominees.

We had a gentlemans agreement, said Morton Blackwell, a Republican national committeeman. I would hope we would honor that agreement, he added, warning that in a primary Republicans would have large numbers of hostile Democrats participating in our primary, and we shouldnt let it happen.

No one has clean hands in this situation, said Daniel Webb, chairman of the Virginia Young Republicans, referring to recent discord within the party. Webb, who helped broker the primary-convention compromise last year, said sticking with a convention would be an opportunity to show good will again.

Im really tired of losing, he said during his speech, added that the most common denominator is how united or divided we are.

Advocates for holding a primary said doing so would expand the Republican base; would allow greater participation from members of the military, students and seniors; and would advance candidates who could win a general election against Democrats.

We need to grow our party. We need to grow our base, said Clara Belle Wheeler, a Central Committee member from Albemarle County who serves on the state Board of Elections. We need to get people out of their cubbyholes and voting in primaries.

Committee member David Foster of the 8th Congressional District said a primary would help the party identify supporters based on the voter lists it generates. We are losing the database battle to the Democrats, he said.

Republicans have not won a statewide election in Virginia since 2009, when Bob McDonnell led a GOP sweep for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.

Primary campaigns are longer and more costly for candidates to run, but they provide greater opportunity for participation by registered voters throughout the state, regardless of their party leanings.

Conventions are typically one- or two-day affairs, less expensive and tend to attract more candidates. But they draw significantly fewer attendees, though those who show up are among the most passionate and engaged party boosters.

Candidates who had supported party officials keeping the 2017 convention included gubernatorial hopeful Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors; and state Sen. Bryce E. Reeves, R-Spotsylvania, a hopeful for lieutenant governor.

Supporters of a primary said the time was right to make the switch. They pointed to recent losses and the level of participation in Virginias Republican presidential primary, in which more than 1 million voters cast ballots. A typical convention draws 10,000 to 12,000 attendees.

I believe in inclusiveness, said Del. Jimmie Massie, R-Henrico, a primary supporter and possible U.S. Senate candidate in 2018.

To deny a million people that right (to participate)? Virginia is a purple, 50-50 state, he said. Theres no margin for error.

Dennis Free, a newly elected State Central Committee representative from the 2nd Congressional District, agreed. One million people is a far better way to energize, he said, adding that primaries test candidates mettle better than conventions.

Republican Party of Virginia Chairman John Whitbeck said the primary will allow the candidates to expand our partys outreach as they campaign, as well as build our ground game and test out our general election strategy.

This will be the first primary to nominate our state-level candidates since 2005, Whitbeck said. Our 2016 presidential primary was the highest turnout in the history of Virginia for either party. Enthusiasm for Republican candidates is at an all-time high, and we expect this to continue in 2017.

Meanwhile, Democratic Party of Virginia Chairwoman Susan Swecker said the same nominating method that gave Republicans Donald Trump as its presidential nominee will make it hard for the party to escape their years of pandering to the far right, and their candidates will reflect that strategy.

Virginia Republicans will be engaged in a bitter race to the right until primary day, while Virginia Democrats will continue to lay critical groundwork for 2017, she said.

Seeking the GOP nomination for governor are Ed Gillespie, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee who nearly beat U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., in 2014; Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st; and Stewart.

While Stewart had supported a convention, Gillespie and Wittman, who have substantial war chests capable of waging a primary battle, had stayed out of the fight.

Del. Robert B. Bell, R-Albemarle; Richmond attorney John Adams; and attorney Chuck Smith from Newport News are expected to run for the nomination for attorney general.

Democrats will choose their statewide nominees in a primary. Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam is the lone candidate to have announced a run for governor, while Attorney General Mark R. Herring is seeking re-election. Former federal prosecutors Justin Fairfax and Gene Rossi, and Del. Eileen Filler-Corn of Fairfax are among the Democrats interested in running for lieutenant governor.

Republicans said Saturdays decision also makes it likely that a primary would be used to decide the nominee for a special election for U.S. Senate, should it be necessary.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., has been chosen as Hillary Clintons vice presidential running mate. A Clinton victory would mean a special election in 2017 to fill Kaines Senate seat.

Regardless of the outcome of the presidential election, after Saturdays vote Republicans on both sides of the primary and convention debate were confident that the factions within the party would unify to support a strong GOP slate against Democrats next year.

Were going to go forward and win, said Webb, the Young Republicans chairman. Winning, he said, is about the quality of the campaign and the quality of the candidate.

Earlier in the meeting, committee member Eric Herr of the 1st Congressional District argued for a convention, saying it helps build active participants in the party. Afterward, he said that he pledged unity and said he hoped for a civil primary season in 2017 that avoids the ugly aspects of this years Republican presidential primary.

Im not happy about losing, he said. But I look forward to winning in November.
By PTI: London, Aug 28 (PTI) Moderate physical activity is associated with a greater than 50 per cent reduction in cardiovascular death in over-65s, a new study has claimed.

The 12 year study in nearly 2,500 adults aged 65 to 74 years found that moderate physical activity reduced the risk of an acute cardiovascular event by more than 30 per cent.

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High levels of physical activity led to greater risk reductions, researchers said.

"The role of physical activity in preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in people of working age is well established," said Professor Riitta Antikainen from the University of Oulu in Finland.

"But relatively little is known about the effect of regular physical activity on CVD risk in older people," said Antikainen.

The study assessed the association between leisure time physical activity and CVD risk and mortality in 2,456 men and women aged 65 to 74 years who were enrolled into the National FINRISK Study between 1997 and 2007.

Baseline data collection included self-administered questionnaires on physical activity and other health related behaviour, clinical measurements (blood pressure, weight and height), and laboratory measurements including serum cholesterol.

During a median follow-up of 11.8 years, 197 participants died from CVD and 416 had a first CVD event.

When the researchers assessed the link between physical activity and outcome they adjusted for other cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, smoking and cholesterol) and social factors (marital status and education).

To minimise reverse causality, where worse health leads to less physical activity, patients with coronary heart disease, heart failure, cancer, or prior stroke at baseline were excluded from the analysis.

The investigators found that moderate and high leisure time physical activity were associated with a 31 per cent and 45 per cent reduced risk of an acute CVD event, respectively.

Moderate and high leisure time physical activity were associated with a 54 per cent and 66 per cent reduction in CVD mortality, researchers said.

"Our study provides further evidence that older adults who are physically active have a lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and death from cardiovascular disease," Antikainen said.

"The protective effect of leisure time physical activity is dose dependent - in other words, the more you do, the better. Activity is protective even if you have other risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as high cholesterol," she said. PTI SAR SAR

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The Indian diamond industry was fairly active, given that the preparation for the IIJS 2016 was in full swing throughout the month of July. With both the JCK Las Vegas as well as the HongKong June Show was below expectations for the Indians, they were looking forward for their own countrys major Show IIJS 2016.

According to market watchers, polished prices in India has softened due to high inventory levels in the Surat and other smaller cutting centres. Rough prices too are said to have declined in the secondary market. To reduce inventory and improve cash flow, manufacturers are said to have offered heavy discounts.

Indias cut & polished diamond exports for June 2016 amounted to $1.846 bn as against $1.853 bn in June 15, a drop of 0.38 percent, according to provisional data announced by the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) of India. Rough imports recorded a drop of 20.21 percent to $ 1.20 bn for June 16 as against $ 1.50 bn in June 15. Rough exports showed an increase of 26.59 percent, registering $129.74 mn for June 16 as against $102.49 mn for June 15. For the month of June 16, cut & polished diamonds imported increased by 5.16 percent, recording about $252.31 mn as against $239.93 mn in June 15. A correction of sorts happening in the Indian industry a step to consolidate and effect a price correction of polished goods.

In a first, a stir resulted in the Indian industry when an amount of $715000, which was wire transferred by the GJEPC to the JCK show organizers bank account in US was reported not traceable. Cyber-crime cell of Mumbai police, CBI and ministry of finance had been intimated. The bank is investigating on its part to trace the money wire transferred to the US account.

To mention a more constructive event, the leaders of the Indian gem & jewellery industry gathered in New Delhi recently to felicitate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the event, the industry members asked for reduction of gold import duty to 5 per cent besides other demands.

Gold sector request seems legitimate going by the performance of the sector over the years. Even in the latest data from GJEPC, the overall exports from the gem and jewellery sector during June 2016 stood at US$ 3.51 billion, a growth of 4.03 per cent over the US$ 3.37 billion exported in the same month the previous year. Gold jewellery exports for June 2016 rose by 27.24 per cent to US$ 769.09 mn as against US$ 604.43 mn a year earlier.

However, physical demand for gold in India has struggled this year amid high prices and a running dispute with the government over new taxes and proposed reforms to the industry. India consumed almost 1,000 mt of gold in 2015, but with gold bar imports at only around 215 tons so far this year, just under half the 2015 level, many are expecting a much lower total for full-year 2016.

But a sense of relief came over the jewellery industry when the Finance Ministry of India on 13 July, said no excise audit will be carried out for the first two years for units whose duty payment is less than $0.15mn (that is turnover of manufactured goods less than $15.03 mn). The government has also decided, independent of committee's recommendations, to increase for jewellery manufacturers "the SSI eligibility limit from $1.80 mn to $2.25mn and the SSI exemption limit from $0.90mn to $1.5mn in a financial year and $0.12mn for the month of March, 2016". Small mercies indeed

Self-help is the best help and who else but the Indians to know that the Gemmological Institute of India (GII) - a GJEPC project co-sponsored by Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB) - has introduced a new instrument which detects synthetic diamonds in a few seconds. The instrument, named as "Quick-Check", has been designed by the in-house research team of the Gemmological Institute of India and Arotek. India is one of the largest hubs for diamond processing and this initiative will build more confidence in the industry.

The Indian governments gold monetisation scheme (GMS) is slowly picking up steam as can gauged by official data which claims that 3,000 kg of gold has been deposited under the Temples in India trust. The Tirumula Tirupati Devasthanam being the top contributor, depositing 1,311 kg of gold with Punjab National Bank in April. The GMS aims to mobilise around 20,000 tonnes of idle gold lying in the country by encouraging institutions and people to deposit it with the government and earn interest on it.

Will Indias rough imports show an increase this year, given the slow demand for polished goods in overseas consuming markets? One has to wait and see, but for the present India is the largest importer of rough in terms of volume, according to the Annual Global Summary report of the trade in rough diamonds in 2015 published by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). India has recorded a 37.77% share in global rough imports in 2015, which is slightly up from 37.55% in 2014. However, in value terms the countrys share rose to 31.69% in 2015 as against 30.40% in 2014.

India wants to be self-sufficient with regards to raw material for the gem & jewellery industry. Though the diamond project of Rio Tinto has been deferred due to environmental issues, the industry hopes gold and other minerals mining will get a boost from the government. The new National Mineral Exploration Policy (NMEP) by the government, was for the acceleration of exploration activity in the country, through enhanced participation of the private sector. Estimated budgetary expenditure for implementation of the policy has been pegged at about $ 319 mn over five years, over and above the annual plan budget of the Geological Survey of India under the Ministry of Mines.

The domestic jewellery sector did fairly well during the month of July but not as expected, which can be attributed to the high gold prices. Tanishq brand of Indian company Titan of Tata Group registered improvement in sales. During the quarter, Titan opened five Tanishq stores and closed two Gold Plus stores.

Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




Mozambique confirmed last month the discovery of diamonds in the Massangena district of the Gaza province.

The country had been working, with the help of Angola, towards the certification of its diamond mining by the Kimberley Process.

The certification would allow Mozambique export its diamonds.

A committee from the diamond watchdog visited the southern African country last month to review progress in meeting its requirements.

More than 30 companies were licenced to explore for diamonds in the country not only in the Massangena district, but also in the in Niassa Province.

Rough & Polisheds Mathew Nyaungwa spoke to a Mozambican mines official Ordelio Desousa on the prospects of diamond mining in the country among other issues and below are the excerpts of the interview.

What is the state of diamond mining in Mozambique?

First we have many requests for diamond mining licences in the Massangena district of the Gaza region and some companies have since found diamonds, but alluvial and they want to export their diamonds. However, we are yet to be certified by the Kimberlite Process. Other companies will declare the amount of diamonds that they have found after the certification by the Kimberlite Process.

How many companies are currently exploring for diamonds in Mozambique?

In the southern region its between 10 and 17 companies, while in the northern zone in Niassa Province, its around 17 as well.

What sort of indications have they given to the government regarding their findings so far?

In the southern zone, they have found diamonds of good quality. Personally I have seen some of the diamonds found in this region and in the northern area they found kimberlites, but they didnt prove if they were [economical to mine].

Are you hopeful of being certified by the Kimberley Process?

We are working on it and we have already sent proposals to KP a committee from the KP [came to Mozambique in July] to review the countrys progress in meeting its requirements.

What are you doing to ensure the country gets the KP certification?

The government has set up a supervising agency, came up with a decree which regulates diamonds, as well established the Kimberley Process Management Unit. We are also receiving training on the diamond pipeline, personally I was in Belgium with my colleagues where we received training. Soon we will go to Angola and Namibia to learn how to deal with diamonds for example on security issues, etcetera.

Have you recorded incidences of illegal diamond mining in the country?

No! No! So far no!

But there were reports of diamonds from Zimbabwe being sold as Mozambique diamonds some few years ago, can you confirm this?

You know in Mozambique there are illegal markets; I dont know how they smuggle the gems from other countries. So we want every diamond mined in the country to be declared so the government can create a trade centre and anyone who wants to buy and sell must do so through the centre.

What is your resource estimate of diamonds in Mozambique?

For security reasons, we cannot declare the diamond resource estimate, because everyone wants diamonds. Even the companies exploring for diamonds in the country are not declaring any figures to the public, rather they are only sending the figures to the government.

Are the companies exploring for diamonds junior or large entities?

They are big companies.

Can you name some of the companies?

The information is confidential at the moment.

Lets talk about ruby mining in the country. I understand there had been reports of illegal ruby mining. What is the government doing to stop this?

Its very difficult because of corruption and even the police are easily corrupted, but the government is studying the best way to stop this illegal mining.

What was your annual ruby output in 2015?

I dont have the production figures with me at the moment.

Where do you export your ruby?

The main market is Thailand but other countries like Singapore and Belgium are buying our ruby. However, we dont have the database to establish the amount gemstones taken out of the country. The only company that declares its exports is Montepuez (75-percent-owned by Gemfields) and we expect other companies to do the same.

Which other gemstones do you have in Mozambique for commercial production?

We have beryllium, corundum, aquamarine, tourmaline, emeralds, garnets; in fact, we [have many] in terms of coloured stones, we have almost all of them.

Mozambique had been witnessing a resurgence of rebel activities. Does this not affect your ruby exports as some buyers might think they are emanating from conflict zones?

Thats a big problem, because some say ruby from Mozambique has a story, but thats not true because they know very little how the gems from Mozambique are mined.

Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




An Iranian man has been arrested on suspicion of informing about Iran's nuclear deal with the West, according to reports.

The reports noted that man was held for several days, before being released on bail.

Last year's nuclear deal was widely celebrated in Iran and internationally, but some Iranian hardliners saw it as a capitulation to the US.

The deal with the US, UK, China, France, Germany and Russia resulted in the lifting of sanctions against Iran imposed over its nuclear programme.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Iraq asked Saudi Arabia on Sunday to recall its ambassador in Baghdad, stressing that his presence in Iraq would hamper the development of bilateral ties.

Ahmed Jamal, spokesman of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, told the state-run Iraqiya channel that Iraqi senior officials sent a request to Riyadh to take appropriate measure and replace its ambassador Thamer al-Sabhan.

"The presence of Sabhan is an obstacle to the development of relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia," the channel quoted Jamal as saying.

Previously, media reports said that Sabhan, 49, spoke on his Twitter account about a "terrorist plot" to assassinate him by powerful Shiite militia, led by Aws al-Khafaji, which is part of the government-backed Hashd Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization units.

According to Jamal, Sabhan's information about assassination plot was "inaccurate allegations, and such claims are only meant to damage relations between Baghdad and Riyadh."

Sabhan is the first Saudi ambassador appointed in his country's embassy in Baghdad, which was only reopened in last December since 1990 when Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Political News
In response to media queries, The Presidency wanted to correct the erroneous impression created by a Johannesburg newspaper that Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa has met "with officials from the Chinese Communist Party, who allegedly raised concern about the political and economic instability in South Africa," according to south African president website.

The facts are that the Governor of Guandong Province, Mr ZHU Xiaodan, paid a courtesy call on Deputy President Ramaphosa in Johannesburg on Friday 26 August 2016.

The Presidency feels obliged, in view of the media reports, to make it clear that the courtesy call was directed at consolidating existing bilateral relations between South Africa and the People's Republic of China.

Specifically, the exchange focused on the prospect of a twinning agreement between Guandong and KwaZulu-Natal to enhance cooperation in a number of economic sectors.



The suggestion that a Chinese delegation had raised national developments within South Africa is wholly incorrect, and may arise from the conflation of the courtesy visit with other meetings held on the same day on the South African .

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Ruth Jebet with Emma Coburn, photo by PhotoRun.net

RUTH JEBET SMASHES STEEPLECHASE WORLD RECORD IN PARIS

By Chris Lotsbom, @ChrisLotsbom

(c) 2016 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission.

PARIS (27-Aug)  The Meeting de Paris IAAF Diamond League here was a distance runners dream, with records falling left and right. Ruth Jebet smashed an eight year-old 3000m steeplechase world record by a country mile; Laura Muir startled many by eclipsing her British record over 1500 meters in a world-leading time; Yomif Kejelcha set a world under-20 record for 3000m; and Alfred Kipketer clocked the third fastest 800m time of 2016.

Fantastic. Just fantastic, was the way IAAF President Sebastian Coe described the evening, shortly after congratulating Jebet and Muir on their times. Fantastic, in reality, was an understatement when looking at results as a whole. They were remarkable.

It was only a matter of time before Jebet broke Gulnara Galkinas world record of 8:58.81, having twice run within two seconds of the time this season. The shy 19-year-old, born in Kenya but now representing Bahrain, said on Friday she was not going to chase the mark here, tired from her run to an Olympic gold medal earlier this month. Whether Jebet was playing mind games with her competitors or simply downplaying her fitness level, we can only guess.

I am happy. I am happy to be a record holder and a winner, Jebet said. I recovered the energy. You know, sometimes you can become weak and not realize you are strong.

Hitting one kilometer in 2:56.36, Jebet joined pacemaker Caroline Tuigong at the front just ahead of Hyvin Kiyeng. Jebet soon left the designated pacers, Tuigong and Aisha Praught as well as Kiyeng behind, running full steam through 2000m in 5:54.16.

Jebets form began to falter slightly over the final two and a half laps, though her 50 meter lead would never be in jeopardy. On the infield, Tuigong yelled encouragement as the crowds roars increased with the announcement that Jebet was well under world record pace.

The clock stopped at 8:52.78 as Jebet raised her hands and jumped into the outstretched arms of Tuigong. Shed slashed more than six seconds from Galkinas world record and bettered her lifetime best by nearly seven seconds.

I tried many times to beat the world record and today we decided to push each other to go for a good time. The pacemaker was very strong, she said. I was not expecting such a big difference with the record.

Jebet was expected to try and run under 8:58 at the Herculis Meeting on September 1, in Zurich, the IAAF Diamond League final for the womens steeplechase, but now she does not plan to race there.

I am not planning to run. Me, I am tired. I tried my best, she said. I am happy to close my season with a world record.

Kiyeng was second in 9:01.96 followed by American Emma Coburn in 9:10.19. The top three places were an exact match from the Olympic final in Rio de Janeiro.

Im happy for [Jebet] and I hope that over the next few years I can close the gap to her because shes setting new barriers for herself, so I hope to join her there, said Coburn. Im pleased with my race. I ran 9:10, which other than Rio would have been an American record. Im really happy with it.

American steeplechasers had a strong breakthrough in this race. Coburn led the chase pack for the better part of two kilometers, finishing within three seconds of her American record time (9:07.63). She helped lead Stephanie Garcia and Colleen Quigley to new personal bests (9:19.48 and 9:20.00, respectively), making them the fourth and fifth fastest Americans ever at the distance.

Australias Genevieve LaCaze set an Oceania Area Record with her 9:14.28 sixth place time.

If Jebets world record wasnt enough, the womens 1500m that followed 20 minutes later was filled with nearly as much excitement. Britains Laura Muir and Olympic gold medalist Faith Kipyegon stuck close to pacers Tamara Tverdostup and Judy Kiyeng through 800m (2:09.24), setting up a quick run for home while Americans Jenny Simpson and Shannon Rowbury sat back in the pack.

Racing aggressively in the Rio 1500m Olympic final, Muir wound up fading to seventh and missed a medal because she couldnt kick hard in the final 400. Tonight shed duplicate her aggressive style early, while at the same time, conserve enough energy to kick at the end. Kipyegon and Sifan Hassan both were charging hard in the final lap.

With 200m to go Muir maintained form and shut the door on any thoughts shed tie-up in the homestretch. On the strength of a sub-60-second last lap, shed take home her second Diamond League victory of the year in 3:55.22, break her own British national record, record a world-leading time, and break the meet record.

I really didnt know what to expect today. I would have been happy to run four minutes, but to run 3:55, Im so shocked there, Muir said. IAAF President Coe would come over to Muir and personally congratulate her on the run, saying that he was happy it turned out better than the disappointment in Rio. Its a bit bittersweet I guess cause its great to be in such phenomenal shape while at the same time I wish it was a week ago!

Kipyegon was second (3:56.72); Hassan third (3:57.13); Rowbury fourth (3:58.00) and Dawit Seyaum fifth (3:58.09). Simpson (sixth, 3:58.19) and Besu Sado (seventh, 3:59.96) rounded out those whod dip under four minutes.

Nothing lights a fire like the Olympic Games, both before and after, Simpson said. [Muir] is a tough runner. She was great before and Im not surprised she was great today.

I think in a way it was probably fun for Laura to be able to go out and show how fast she was, and same for me, to get a seasons best, said Rowbury. I know Im in shape for [an American record]. In retrospect I think today probably would have been a good day to try and get it but I didnt anticipate it being that quick.

The mens 3000m was fast from the gun, with an opening kilometer of 2:29.7. Moroccos Abdelaati Iguider would be all alone out front once the two rabbits stepped off, in no mans land some five seconds up on the field.

Yet surprisingly, Iguider kept the lead strong through the second kilometer and found himself five seconds ahead at the bell.

That bell spurred on Ethiopian teenager Yomif Kejelcha to begin tracking down Iguider little by little. Iguider glared at the stadiums video boards and seemed to know his demise was coming.

Kejelcha made the winning move with 110 meters left, opening a nearly two second gap to win 7:28.19 to 7:30.09. Kejelchas time is a new world U20 record, taking down Augustine Choges 7:28.78 time by half a second. It is also a world leader for 2016. In his euphoria, Kejelcha ran through the mixed zone not stopping long enough for a comment.

Olympic 5000m bronze medalist Hagos Gebrhiwet was third in 7:30.45. American Ryan Hill took fourth (7:30.93) after moving up well in the final two laps. Paul Chelimo, sporting the U.S. Army kit in his first race since securing Olympic silver, faded to eighth (7:37.98).

Hill was within two seconds of Bernard Lagats American record 7:29.00, a mark he wants badly.

I probably just needed a little more of an exceptional performance to get to that American record level, he said. Its one of those [races] where Ill be happy with the way I ran it. If it was just a different race I maybe could have had a 28 in me the last 200.

Alfred Kipketer, 19, broke 1:43 for the first time with a 1:42.97 winning performance in the 800m. The race came down to a sprint in the last 20 meters, with both Jonathan Kitilit and Ayanleh Souleiman fading. That opened the door for hard charging Kipketer and Taoufik Makhloufi to run for the top spot.

It would be Kipketers by a tenth of a second, 1:42.87 to 1:42.98. Kitilit (1:43.05), Ferguson Rotich (1:43.43) and Souleiman (1:43.52) finished out the top five.

This is my first time running 1:42 and I can say this is a good place where I can run a fast time, said Kipketer. My hopes were to improve my time. The weather was so nice and I really enjoyed it. That was so nice for me.

American Boris Berian stepped off the track just over 400 meters in after a nagging Achilles injury flared up. Berian said that the injury has been bothering him since March, yet hes been able to run through it for a long while.

Ive been kind of having issues with it, nothing where its affected me race wise or too much in training. But today I felt it for the first time in a while. Its not bad but it worried me a little bit, he said. I maybe should shut it down. Ive had a good year. Im happy with it.

A total of 24,421 spectators attended the Meeting de Paris, filling the Stade de France to roughly 30-percent of its capacity.

PHOTO: Ruth Jebet of Bahrain after breaking the world record in the womens steeplechase at the 2016 Meeting de Paris (photo by Chris Lotsbom for Race Results Weekly)
By PTI: Washington, Aug 28 (PTI) NASAs solar-powered Juno spacecraft has successfully executed its first flyby of Jupiter, passing just 4,200 kilometres above the gas giants swirling clouds - the closest contact ever achieved by a man-made probe with the king of planets.

The flyby on August 27 was the first time Juno had its entire suite of science instruments activated and looking at the giant planet as the spacecraft zoomed past, NASA said.

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During the closest approach with the gas-giant world, Juno passed about 4,200 kilometres above Jupiters clouds, travelling at 208,000 kilometres per hour with respect to the planet.

This flyby was the closest Juno will get to Jupiter during its prime mission.

"Early post-flyby telemetry indicates that everything worked as planned and Juno is firing on all cylinders," said Rick Nybakken, Juno project manager at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US.

There are 35 more close flybys of Jupiter planned during Junos mission scheduled to end in February 2018.

"We are getting some intriguing early data returns as we speak," said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

"It will take days for all the science data collected during the flyby to be downlinked and even more to begin to comprehend what Juno and Jupiter are trying to tell us," said Bolton.

While results from the spacecrafts suite of instruments will be released down the road, a handful of images from Junos visible light imager - JunoCam - are expected to be released the next couple of weeks.

Those images will include the highest-resolution views of the Jovian atmosphere and the first glimpse of Jupiters north and south poles.

"We are in an orbit nobody has ever been in before, and these images give us a whole new perspective on this gas-giant world," said Bolton.

The Juno spacecraft launched on August 5, 2011, from Florida, and arrived at Jupiter on July 4 this year. PTI MHN SAR MHN

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Amritsar, Aug 27 (PTI) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said it will not welcome leaders like Sucha Singh Chhotepur, who has been removed as AAPs Punjab convener, into party fold.

"The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has lots of committed workers and a dedicated cadre so there is no need for people like Sucha Singh Chhotepur to be brought into the SAD fold," SAD President and Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said while interacting with the media here.

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Attacking AAP, he said that this party is "on the verge of getting finished" and only the "last rites" needed to be performed, looking at its present state of affairs.

Describing AAP as a "bunch of no do-gooders" who are only interested in "money minting", he said that its "hastily assembled conglomerate" of so-called leaders managed to "lure" people of Punjab with their "guiles" during the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 but now the people have seen their "real faces" and wont fall into their "trap" anymore.

Taking a jibe at Punjab Congress President Capt Amarinder Singh, Sukhbir said he didnt "care to show his face" to the people of Amritsar, despite being the elected representative from here.

He alleged that both AAP and Congress did not care either for the interests of Punjab or the rich cultural and religious traditions of the state.

Coming to the development of Amritsar, he said the city underwent a transition for the better during the previous nine years era of SAD-BJP government with Rs 3,000 crore being spent on various progress oriented infrastructural projects.

Elaborating his plans to turn Amritsar into a hub of Tourism, Sulhbir said that the beautification of area around Golden Temple, besides the current beautification of Shri Durgiana Mandir and the focus on Rs 250 crore project of giving facelift to the Gobindgarh Fort, would further strengthen Amritsars status amongst the tourist destinations.

He said that the state government would hold talks with the Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to hold a summit in Amritsar for hosting more than 30 ministers of various countries in December.

The Deputy Chief Minister also met officials of various departments and took stock of the various development centric projects concerning the city. PTI COR CHS FAR ZMN FAR SG

--- ENDS ---
By SA Commercial Prop News

Lanseria International Airport has been sold to a consortium of investors, it was announced on Thursday 15th November.



A group of private investors who have owned and developed the Lanseria International Airport over the past 21 years have sold 100% of their shares in Lanseria International Airport.

Lanseria International Airport has been sold to a consortium of investors, it was announced on Thursday 15th November.

"A group of private investors who have owned and developed the Lanseria International Airport over the past 21 years have sold 100% of their shares in the airport," said one of the new owners, Sandton-based Pan African infrastructure development fund manager Harith.



The other investors were a Black Economic Empowerment consortium which included the women's empowerment company Nozala; and the Government Employee Pension Fund (GEPF), through the Public Investment Corporation (PIC).



"The transaction is subject to certain conditions, including regulatory approval," Harith said in a statement.



The airport's CEO Gavin Sayce said, in the statement, that its management team and philosophy would remain unchanged.



"In addition, our capital expenditure programme for the next three years has been accepted, committed to and funded by the new owners."



The airport offers general aviation and scheduled passenger services.



"This is a landmark transaction for private sector infrastructure deals in South Africa," said Harith CEO Tshepo Mahloele.



"We are very pleased to have been involved with the financing of this very important growth project and envisage that it will continue to foster regional interaction and convenience for the [Southern African Development Community] region, [the] rest of Africa, as well as the local business and tourism sectors."



Describing the airport as a successful and strategic infrastructure asset in the highly-specialised and competitive aviation sector, he said Harith would play an active role in ensuring it continued to sustain and deliver value to its customers and partners.



Harith envisaged the continued development of the airport and the entrenchment of its role as a low cost alternative to OR Tambo International Airport.



The deal gave Nozala an opportunity to invest in the country's only privately-run airport which offered a significant upside in the future, said its COO and acting CEO Rampa Rammopo.



Nozala was looking to be a significant player in the aviation and infrastructure sector and saw Lanseria as a key entry into the sector, she said.



GEPF's principal officer and investments and actuarial head John Oliphant, said the investment ensured that public servants and pensioners increased their ownership of strategic assets in the South African economy.



"The long term infrastructural development opportunities emanating from the acquisition and expansion of the airport will create jobs and facilitate the expansion of critical infrastructure in Gauteng and thus contribute to the economic transformation endeavours of the country," said PIC chief investment officer Dr Dan Matjila.
Statement on the Presidents campaign versus illegal drugs, criminality and corruption

By Ecumenical Bishops Forum

August 22, 2016

We laud President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on his serious campaign versus illegal drugs, criminality and corruption, his election campaign promise which he will do in three to six month-time of his term. The promise is getting fulfilled.

Even before President Rody formally assumed office, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has started rounding up known illegal drug users and pushers in Metro Manila. Today, more than one month after the Presidents inauguration on June 30, hundreds had been killed, hundreds more were arrested and jailed, and thousands voluntarily surrendered. All of them are said to be small time users and pushers, and, as human rights advocates say, are poor people.

However, on July 5, the President unexpectedly named five former and incumbent police generals who are illegal drug protectors. This was followed by an announcement on August 7 of 159 local government officials (mayors, former mayors, and former vice mayors) incumbent and former police and military officers, and incumbent and former judges who are linked to illegal drugs trade. He claims more names will follow.

The big time drug lords, the President says, are in other countries like China and Mexico from where they direct their operations, and it is difficult if not impossible to run after them.

The PNP chief, Police General Ronald Bato dela Rosa, claims that crime have gone down, indicating that most crime are drug related. Thus the war on drugs is also a war against criminality.

This may be true as far petty crime such as bag-snatching, child molestation, rape, rape with homicide and murder, akyat bahay theft, hold-ups and the likes are concerned. Big crimes such as bank robberies, pyramiding scam, illegal recruitment, cyber-crimes, break-in in malls and the likes continue unabated.

Steps in curbing corruption in government have been started. Among the measures are the signing of the Executive Order on Freedom of Information which covers the executive department and the order to shorten the processing of applications in government offices. More serious and lasting measures still have to be done.

Given the number of days in office of the new administration, its campaign against illegal drugs, criminality and corruption may be considered a success thus far. We congratulate the President for this, and pledge our support for his sincere efforts to address the present situation.

While we believe and support President Dutertes war on drugs, there is a need for deeper analysis why the drug problem is thriving and who benefit from this. There is also need for the present administration to examine the correctness of its approach in eliminating this menace. The extra-judicial killings that are happening, we believe, wont solve that problem but exacerbate it as most of those killed are small time and poor people. The suspected five police generals and government officials seem to be getting a special privilege; they remain very much alive.

We wish to caution the President, then, to respect the human rights of the people. Life which came from the Creator is precious; it has to be preserved as much as possible. The campaign can continue without violating peoples rights and keeping all actions within the parameters of the law.

We bid the President success in his drug campaign in particular, and in his administration in general. His success is the Filipino peoples success.

Issued and signed this 22nd day of August, 2016:

Very truly yours in Christ,

BISHOP ELMER M. BOLOCON, UCCP

Executive Secretary

MOST REV. DEOGRACIAS S. INIGUEZ, JR., D.D.

Co-chairperson

BISHOP FELIXBERTO L. CALANG, IFI
On Friday, August 26, 2016, Gataivai Primary School officially opened their Creative Learning Center.

The center aims to provide a much-needed dynamic and vibrant space that improves rural youths ability to compete academically.

The idea is that this initiative will hopefully set the standard for other Samoan communities to establish creative learning centers within their primary schools.

These centers will provide a wonderfully rich opportunity for students in underserved, rural communities to thrive, becoming future leaders not only in their local communities but nationally.

The centers provide students with access to dynamic learning resources that foster critical thinking and leadership skills, spark creativity, and build English literacy capacity.

In addition, the Gataivai Creative Learning Center aims to provide teachers with resources and necessary training to utilize the center to enhance teaching and create dynamic lesson plans.

Gataivai Primary Schools Creative Learning Center is one of two centers, the second located in Gataivai, funded by the U.S. Embassys Regional English Language Office (RELO). The total grant funding for both centers was approximately WST$50,000.

The spark for the Creative Learning Centers came from two Peace Corps Volunteers, one located at each school, each of whom worked with their schools to bring the project to life.

Gataivai Primary School allocated the centers funds towards establishing a computer lab with educational software, building an English library, providing art supplies, and expanding available resources for teachers.

The main goal of the Gataivai Creative Learning Center is to equip students and teachers with creative resources and a dynamic space to improve literacy.
The young girts, Lasi Vise, 14, and Ruth Tasese, 8, were spotted yesterday waving hand-held fans along the road at Siumu.

Asked what they were doing, they said they were trying to sell their fans to help out with their families.

The girls said they attended the Tafitoala Primary School during the week, and on Saturdays they sold fans.

We started selling these fans after school, they told the Sunday Samoan.

They also said they did not mind selling them, and that they were quite happy with the little money they were making to help their families.

The girls say they are given eight fans each and they sell them for $5.

The money they make go towards the food.

We do this to help with the food, they said.

We finished selling all our fans last week and we made $75.

We were then rewarded with $2 each from our uncle.

The said: We have a big family.

We like selling these fans because we want to do our part to help out the family.

So our uncle makes these fans and then we walk along the road and sell them.

Asked how life in the village was, they said: Life in the village is great.

Everything is simple and easy. We go to school, we do our homework, we do our chores, and then we go on he street on Saturday and sell sell fans.

Life is great.

We are happy to help.
34 years old, Salome Mulipola, wants Samoa to know that there is nothing wrong with living a simple life.

Hailing from the village of Nuusuatia, Safata, with her husband and children, Salome is happy with the peaceful life she has in the village.

Life here in the villages is great, she tells the Sunday Samoan.

The truth is, there is no one in this village causing trouble and I know we have the village council to thank for that.

Our village morals are very strong here in Nuusuatia.

People always feel like fancy cars and big houses will make them happy but Salomes joy for the simple things shows you dont need to live and extravagant life to be happy.

Our way of life here in the rural areas is very simple, she says.

We dont rely too much on things like those in Apia do and that helps us to appreciate what we have no matter how little it may be.

Those in the town area rely heavily on people who have jobs but over here we rely on the land; our plantation is our source of money as well as our source of food.

And when it comes to the ongoing debate of whether Samoa has poverty or not, Salome says that poverty is only there when people are lazy.

There is no poverty in Samoa, she says.

People are only poor because they are very lazy, they dont want to work to live and that causes a lot of problems. Sitting around will not get anyone anywhere.

My family is a big on and no one works; I have to tend to my plantation every day to be able to provide for them all.

With the little money we get at times, we use it for village and church activities and nothing goes.

Salome also feels that people are also poor because they do not know how to manage their money properly.

Even though we make little with our plantation we still manage to put our children through school, she says.

We also have a plantation for Nonu where we supply Skyline with the fruit and that gets us a bit of extra money.

Life is only hard if you make it hard. But if you want to live a simple life then always be grateful with what you have.
Muliaumaseali Neemia is a matai of Vaovai, Falealili.

He owns and operates a grocery store and runs a taro plantation.

He thinks the government is doing a fantastic job helping those who help themselves.

And he praises the government for all it has been doing over the years to help develop Samoa.

He told the Sunday Samoan during an interview at Vaovai last week, he had no sympathy for those who just complained and complained.

He dismissed their complaints where they blamed the government for their struggles as nonsense.

Our government is bringing in a lot of help and assistance from other countries to develop our country, said Muliaumasealii.

It is doing a really great job in developing Samoa, he added.

There have been a lot of improvements over the years in terms of development.

How do we know this?

Take a look at the town of Apia and its development. We did not have those tall and high glass buildings ten years ago.

Today we have a lot of cars and nice smooth roads in Apia.

We have new school buildings and improvements in infrastructure. That is a sign that there have been a lot of development and improvement over recent years.

Muliaumasealii went on to say: Many Samoans who have been living abroad for years are often surprised when they visit today.

They see a lot of improvements and are happy seeing how this country is progressing well at the moment.

But in the midst of all these developments, he pointed out, there are those who are continuing to point their fingers at the government whenever there are problems in their lives.

Instead of being grateful, they always complain and look at the negative sides.

Muliaumasealii is of the opinion that everyone has a part to play in the development of Samoa.

Its not just the government, he said.

Development starts from home. If you develop your own family well, you will not be dependent on others and especially the government, to do things for us.

There is no government anywhere in the world where you can find government leaders going from house to house giving out money for every family in the country.

There is nothing like that happening anywhere else at all.

You are responsible for earning a living for your own family and feed your children. Your future is in your own hands.

A lot of people are depending too much on the government and are expecting too much from our government without even doing anything to help their own families.

If you work hard, you will reap the fruits of your effort. You will get back whatever you will put in whatever you do, if you work hard and make good use of Gods talent and gift for us.

We are all blessed with different talents and callings from God.

Muliaumasealii said our people need to understand that we are responsible for our own future.

A lot of people dont understand that your future is in your hands, he said.

Some of us depend on our families living overseas to provide for us. Thats all right because we all need help sometime.

But we cant just sit around and wait for them to keep sending us money all the time.

They also have their own problems and things to do, and they will not be able to provide for us every time we ask them for help.

Look around us. We have a green environment, prefect for plantations and farms. We are very fortunate to have these lands and natural resources with us.

Muliaumasealii said people need to stop coming up with excuses and blame others for their struggles.

He also said: For instance, when the roads are not in good condition and there is no water supply, people will always blame the government

But the truth is this is not the governments fault.

For example, I have mentioned the conditions of the roads that we have.

Yes, our government is paying for the construction of the roads, and as a matter of fact, those are our money.

But the money is then given to the construction companies or the people who are building the roads for us.

Not the government. But whenever there is a problem with our roads, people always turn around and point their fingers at the government, saying they are not doing this and that.

I am a witness of the careless work done by some of these construction companies who are in charge of fixing our roads. They are so dishonest and careless with the way they do their work.

One of the issues that I have noticed and a lot of people are complaining about, are the children hawking goods for sale on the streets of Apia.

We often ask, why are they out there when they should be going to school? Most of them say that their parents do not have enough money to send them to school.

But the thing is, our government has made education free so that they can go to school even if their parents do not have enough money to send them to school.

Its my belief, the main reason these children are out on the streets earning money for their families is because their parents are lazy.

Most of these people are the ones who migrated from the rural areas to the urban areas and when they moved there, they did nothing but sat at home and sent their children to earn money for the family.

But thats not how it should be. And once the children get home with the money, they use it on other silly things.

The escape from being part of the village because of village and church contributions saying they need to move in order to find a better future for their children, but thats a different story when they move to Apia.

And they keep blaming the government about it.

He also thinks people should stop blaming the culture and the church for whatever problems theyre facing.

Muliaumasealii is of the opinion that people are blaming our culture for the struggles and hardships we face in life.

Culture has become a part of us. We cant turn our backs on our culture because it is part of our identity.

We all have faalavelave; its just that we have different ways of handling our problems. Some people suffer because they keep comparing themselves to other people.

Some even use church contributions as an excuse. The Bible is clear that the more you give, the more you receive. And I believe and I have faith in that saying because it happens to me all the time.

If you give something to the Church whole-heartedly, God will provide another way to reimburse what you have given away. But if you give something for God and then complain, whats the use of giving it in the first place?

The problem is that people are not thinking ahead and are not looking at the long term run.

I have noticed back here in the village that some people, once they get $100, they think and act like millionaires spending all that money in just one day, wasting it on alcohol and other things.

Some of them drink starting from the morning till night, he said.

But like Ive said, everything starts from each individual family. If you develop your family well, you will never depend or rely on others to do things for you.
Congratulations to the cultural and church leaders from Vaimoso for coming up with a plan to try to address the problems caused by youth. The formation of gangs and lawless behaviour has been well documented in the media over the past months and at one stage it looked as though there had been a total loss of control.

The police were called in and many opinions were offered as to why this behavior was occurring. It should be noted that youth from Vaimoso were not the only perpetrators, there were others from villages in and around Apia as well.

As to why the bad behavior and the urge to be part of gangs had arisen, we were told it was a desire to belong and be accepted in a group; the breakdown of families; youth unemployment and the urban drift which has seen families moving to town from villages for schooling and jobs.

And there was probably truth in most, if not all the reasons that were offered.

Then there was the blame game which ensued as it often does when there is a problem.

So who caused this and what should be done?

Many people wanted to bring back corporal punishment (has it ever gone away?), new technology was said to be the cause, the clash of traditional and modern lifestyles were also offered up.

Amongst the finger pointing taking place, the issue of leadership  or a lack of leadership came up and matai and church ministers and clergy copped some flak.

Judging by the defensive stance taken by some of them, it was obviously a sore point and stirred up anger in some cases.

Father Mikaele Fonoti of the Vaimoso Catholic Church sounded particularly peeved being under the spotlight.

Why would you want to waste your time on that gang when you can go get a job and help out with your family? he asked the trouble makers.

Instead you went and created these problems and then people criticised us, the leaders of the church asking what were we doing?

But wait, why should these leaders not be looked to for some action and not just words and endless laugas?

Come to think of it, one group has the power in the Village Councils, backed with stipends from government and the other, is able to thunder from the pulpit every Sunday as well as have contact with church youth groups.

So again, it was certainly not out of place to look to them for leadership which they are apparently loaded with.

Its true that both groups see themselves as leaders in the community and have no compunction about telling families what they should and shouldnt do.

At about the same time as Vaimoso came up with their plan to reintroduce Boys Brigade for youth and the unemployed, the Observers Village Voices feature had begun with some fascinating and diverse opinions about life in the rural areas.

In particular on page 20 in todays edition, you can read about one mans take on what the Village Council is and isnt, responsible for. Otemai lives in the village of Nofoalii but he also offers an opinion on Village Councils in urban areas.

In the meantime, we sincerely hope that everyone in the Vaimoso village gets behind the plan the leaders have come up with.

With support, it could turn out to be new beginnings for the youth and unemployed.
As the blockbuster Tamil film Thani Oruvan completes one year since its release, director Mohan Raja and actor Jayam Ravi took it to Twitter and thanked fans for the film's success.

By India Today Web Desk: Last year on this day, director Mohan Raja delivered a sensational hit with the Tamil film Thani Oruvan. After the stupendous success, the film is now remade in Telugu, Hindi and Bengali.

As Thani Oruvan completed its first anniversary today (August 28), director Mohan Raja has thanked the audience for making the film what it is.

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Mohan Raja took it to Twitter and wrote, "Thanks to each and everyone out there for gifting the best year of my life till now." Raja also thanked his brother(Ravi) for being part of the film.



#1YearOfBlockbusterThaniOruvan A big thanks to press, media, reviewers critics, online world, award committees..Can nvr forget yr support??? Mohan Raja (@jayam_mohanraja) August 28, 2016

Actor Jayam Ravi, who played ASP Mithran in the film, also thanked his fans on Twitter. He wrote, "#1YearOfBlockbusterThaniOruvan proud and blessed to have been a part of this movie."

#1YearOfBlockbusterThaniOruvan proud and blessed to have been a part of this movie ??? Jayam Ravi (@actor_jayamravi) August 27, 2016

The film tells the story about the battle of wits between a suave, conniving entrepreneur and an IPS officer. The film featured Arvind Swamy playing the suave villain in the film.

Thani Oruvan emerged as one of the biggest blockbusters of last year. Now, Tollywood star Ram Charan is reprising Jayam Ravi's role in the Telugu remake titled Dhruva while the makers have retained Arvind Swamy in the Telugu version as well.



In the Bengali remake, the project will have Prosenjit Chatterjee and Jeet.

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Asoau Lolesio, 52, and his wife, Tautitina Peala of Lotofaga, Safata, have nine children.

For them, life is tough.

They do not have electricity in their home but thats not all. Asoau says they never have enough money to pay for their basic needs, whcih means they struggle all the time to keep their family fed.

Asoau has been living at Lotofaga with his family for some ten years now.

We have lived here for 10 years. I used to live with my family at Fusi, Safata, but we moved here when my parents passed away.

And for 10 years, they have been living at Lotofaga without electricity.

At the moment, we dont have enough money to get electricity to our home.

But in terms of water, we have access to it.

He told the Sunday Samoan that life in the village is not always easy but hes gotten used go it.

Its not the same every day, says Asoau.

Sometimes its good and sometimes it gets really tough. But then thats life.

What I mean is that, life back here is good in the sense that people live on their own land and are free to do what they want to do with it. Our lives here depend on the land - our plantation for a living.

But he also says that a lot of families also struggle in the village.

Some families do not earn enough money to raise their family. Thats why we look for other jobs back here in the village like helping out with the building of houses to earn extra money.

But Asoau said the plantation is their main source of income.

Aside from that, we also sell salulima (brooms), Samoan oil, tauaga (coconut fibre sinnet) and other items to earn money.

Having no access to some of the basic things we need in life is a sign of poverty says Asoau..

The thing is, some people dont have enough money to satisfy the needs and wants of their family, says Asoau.

And thats why they say that they are poor. And thats why we look at other things to earn money with for a living.

But other than that, life here is easy and simple.
The judging of Star Search 2016 went right down to the wire before a winner was declared on Saturday evening.

Fifteen year old Eliziuritabeth Fanueli from Toomatagi took out this years award beating her nearest rival by a slim 1.5 points.

Held at Gym 1 at Tuanaimato, the final night saw friends, families, supporters and sponsors listen as the five finalists vied for first place.

The representative of the major sponsor of the competition Anufesaina Chan Mow congratulated the competitors for this years competition.

In reaching the final hour of this competition, as a representative of Chan Mow and Company Ltd the major sponsor for Star Search 2016, I welcome you all who are here tonight as well as those tuning in from home, she said.

A special thank you goes out to friends and families of all our contestants who have helped prepare them from the very first day of this competition until the end.

This would not have been possible if it wasnt for your support.

Thank you also to the judges for giving great advice to the contestants for the betterment and improvement of their God-given talents.

The five finalists who were vying for first place were Tuau Maauga Motu of Vailele, Desmond Rokeni of Nuu, Mona Lio of Vaimoso, Eliziuritabeth Fanueli of Toomatagai and Lanuola Kesa of Tufulele.

They competed in two categories, the Samoan song and their personal choice of English songs.

At the end, the people of Samoa and the judges selected 15 year old Eliziuritabeth Fanueli.

She also won the Peoples Choice while Mona Lio of Vaimoso was the first runner up.

Ms. Fanueli won by just 1.5 points from Mona Lio so it was a close competition.

The winner took home the grand prize of $6,000, two round trips to New Zealand and vouchers from different co-sponsors.

The rest of the competitors each received cash prizes of $1,000 and other consolation prizes.
The matais and church leaders of Vaimoso have taken the criticism of their lack of assistance to their young people seriously and have come up with a plan.

They have revived the Boys Brigade in a bid to provide useful skills and activities for their youth.

But they have also included those in their village who are currently unemployed.

The mayor of the village, Faleafa Mataia said, As we all know the young ones of our village were involved in gangs and so a lot of the people were questioning what the matais are doing about it. So today, this is the answer.

We have decided to revive the Boys Brigade to make sure that all the young ones of the villages are occupied and in this group, said Faleafa.

Falefa said as well as those who are young, it will be mandatory for those who are unemployed, to join as well.

It is a must for them to join the Boys Brigade, he said.

He said the matais and church leaders are confident that this will help because there are a lot of activities that have been put together.

We will make sure they will always be occupied with activities and that is what we are here for, he said.

We will be helping them to ensure that they will not get in trouble again.

Faleafa said Boys Brigade was originally started by the Congregational Christian Church in 1940.

After a while it was then passed on to the village. Now it is no longer the C.C.C.S. Boys Brigade but the villages so this is a way of ensuring that our young people stay out of trouble.

Father Mikaele Fonoti of the Vaimoso Catholic Church admonished those who had been in trouble and spoke of the opportunity to make a fresh start for themselves and for the village.

Your life is a gift from God so make use of it, he said.

Why would you want to waste your time on that gang when you can go get a job and help out with your family?

Instead you went and created these problems and then people criticised us, the leaders of the church asking what were we doing?

But we never told you to go and do all of these things. We told you to make use of your lives and do something so your future would be better but instead you went and did the opposite.

We hope today is the beginning of something fresh and I hope you will become better people because the whole village is working together now to ensure that you will.

So make use of the opportunity and make use of your time and your life.
Satuimalufilufi Village held an annual and very special thanksgiving service yesterday. The combined service for five churches at the Methodist Church was well attended by members of the village.

As well as being grateful for their past and present blessings, the service acknowledges each year that after 72 years, they were finally given freehold title to the land they live on.

This special service was started in 2014, said High Chief, Peipeiga Sola.

That was when the government signed an agreement with our village to give us the authority to use this land as freehold.

Prior to that, in 1942 the government told us to relocate to this area called Satuimalufilufi and vacate the land to build the airport at Faleolo.

Although we relocated to this area, the government still owned it until 2014. Then they agreed to give this land to the Alii and Faipule of Satuimalufilufi.

This land no longer belongs to the government, but to us now.

Todays service is when we remember all the good works of our past ancestors. We also remember our people of today for their continuous prayers and their belief that they are serving a mighty God who closes doors no one can open and opens doors no one can close.

This is the third year since we started this annual service and its all about giving back the glory to God for His faithfulness in answering our prayers.

The churches in the village include; Catholic, Methodist, L.M.S., Voice of Christ, Assembly of God and the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa.

Though circumstances may be difficult, but God doesn't give up on our prayers; peace and blessings to our village, Rev. Iakopo Falefitu of the Methodist Church.

The first service was held at the C.C.C.S., then at the Catholic Church in 2015, and for this year it is at our church. Our next thanksgiving service in 2017 will be held at the Voice of Christ Church.

God is truly the greatest and He is truly the way to all that is good.
By PTI: Ghaziabad, Aug 27 (PTI) Around 34,606 criminals have been sentenced in last one year in Uttar Pradesh, DGP (Prosecution) Surya Pratap Singh said here today.

"The number of people who have been sentenced in last one year is more than one lakh. Leaving out the shorter sentences, this number stands at 34,606," he said.

6,244 people have been sentenced for more than 10 years in jail of which 33 for committing serious crimes, he added.

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In Ghaziabad during this period, he said, 736 criminals were sentenced for less than 10 years and 162 for over 10 years.

Singh also hailed the role of witnesses in expediting the trial process.

"The witnesses also play an important role in expediting the trial process. In a case in Hapur, the trial process took mere 13 days, which is exemplary," said Singh. PTI CORR CHT SMJ

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Research shows that the Zika virus does not concentrate on pregnant women alone. A recent study finds that it can also affect ordinary adults. Another major discovery was that the effect of this virus could also result in Alzheimer's disease.

In February 2016, the World Health Organisation has declared a Zika outbreak in the country. This mosquito-borne infection usually affects pregnant women and spreads out in their unborn child. The infection causes microcephaly on the fetus, which triggers brain malformation and other birth defects.

Experts have been concentrating on pregnant women alone, but several studies show that ordinary adults are at risk of being infected, too.

A new research revealed that the effect of Zika can be more dangerous. A study on mice engineered to mimic the human zika infection showed that the virus attacks immature cells in the adult brain. These cells are important for learning and memory. Scientists said that the loss of 'proginator' stem cells may lead to the shrinking of the brain and a type of cognitive decline usually seen in people with Alzheimer's disease.

Professor Sujan Shresta, a member of the team from the La Jolla Institute of Allergy and Immunology in California, USA, said: "Zika can clearly enter the brain of adults and can wreak havoc. But, it's a complex disease, it's catastrophic for early brain development, yet the majority of adults who are infected with Zika rarely show detectable symptoms." She also added that the virus' effect is only subtle among adults and at least, people now know what to look for.

Professor Joseph Gleeson, from Rockefeller University, stated that adults infected by Zika may not be as safe as people think. He suggested that the enterprise for public health will not only monitor pregnant women but also adults that are exposed to the virus. With the use of biomarkers, the study is the first to look at the way zika attacks the adult brain. The fluorescent biomarker tags would indicate which area of the brain was invaded by the virus. Researchers noticed that the attacks are mostly centered in parts of the brain that are responsible for learning and memory.

According to independent.co.uk, professor Gleeson described the team's result as dramatic. "In the parts of the brain that lit up, it was like a Christmas tree," he said.

"It was very clear that the virus wasn't affecting the whole brain evenly like people are seeing in the fetus. In the adult, it's only these two populations that are very specific to the stem cells that are affected by the virus. These cells are special, and somehow very susceptible to the infection. Based on our findings, getting infected with Zika as an adult may not be as innocuous as people think," he continued.

Meanwhile, though experts still do further research on how findings in the mouse are applicable to humans, scientists are still open for the possibility that exposure to the virus has long-term effects on the adult's brain. Gleeson also shared, "In more subtle cases, the virus could theoretically impact long-term memory or risk of depression, "but tools do not exist to test the long-term effects of Zika on adult stem cell populations" as reported by The Telegraph.
For a little over a year now, wildlife sleuths in Madhya Pradesh have noticed that the chatter in the poaching world revolves around an innocuous animal whose conservation numbers no one really saw earlier as a cause for concern. But the male obsession with aphrodisiacs and applications in traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine have ensured that the Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata), a largely nocturnal mammal that measures 3-5 feet and weighs 8-12 kg, lies firmly in the crosshairs of poachers in the central Indian state.

The August 2015 arrest of Laltlen Kunga, a middleman in the pangolin trade, from Kolasib in Mizoram was when the enormity of the trade first came to light. Subsequently, Amir Husain Laskar, another middleman, was arrested from Silchar in Assam. Laskar has since jumped bail. Kunga's sustained interrogation helped wildlife wing detectives zero in on two more smugglers from across the border in Myanmar. A waiting game between the smugglers and sleuths led to a meeting with decoy traders in Aizawl. When wildlife wing detectives from MP went to Aizawl, they were surprised to find that the head of the poaching syndicate was a woman-Lua Goddin, from Myanmar. She is presently in jail in Balaghat in eastern MP, and has proved to be a mine of information. Apparently, poaching syndicates have rented out houses along the India-Myanmar border and a large part of the animal merchandise from India reaches Mong La market-a large drug and contraband market in Myanmar, from where it is distributed to other countries in Southeast Asia.

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A 2015 Interpol report terms the pangolin the most smuggled and traded mammal in the world. Besides India, Africa is another centre for pangolin poaching, with seizures reported on a regular basis. There are no estimates of pangolin numbers with the MP forest department though it is an endangered animal, which features on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red list of animals threatened with extinction.

So why is this animal under siege? "Rhino poaching has been controlled to a large extent in India in the past few years," says a wildlife sleuth on condition of anonymity. "Pangolin scales and rhino horn are chemically the same-both are rich in keratin-and have the same applications in traditional Chinese and Tibetan medicine. When poachers found it difficult to get to the rhino, the pangolin emerged as an easier alternative." The animal's scales are crushed to make medicines, besides being used as an embellishment in fancy coats, bags etc. The medicine prepared from the scales is used as an aphrodisiac and purportedly even to treat cancer.

There are eight species of pangolin in the world, of which two are found in India. The Chinese pangolin is found in the northeast and the Indian one in the rest of the country. The pangolin is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and accorded the highest level of protection. Those found poaching or trading in its parts are liable to be jailed for seven years and fined Rs 10,000.

But that hasn't been much of a hindrance. Seven major cases of pangolin poaching came to light in MP in the past two years. Two seizures-in Balaghat in September 2014 and in Chhindwara in April 2015-were so serious that the forest department set up a special task force (STF) to check the poaching. Since then, five more major seizures have taken place across the state-in Gwalior, Hoshangabad and in Seoni-and a total of 97 people have been booked, of which 10 are still absconding. An estimated 90 kg of pangolin scales were recovered in these raids. Last summer, in the Satpura Tiger Reserve in Hoshangabad district, pangolin poachers also confessed to killing a tiger. The skin was recovered from a baba in Chhindwara, but by the time the syndicate was uncovered, the pangolin consignment had already crossed over to China.

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It's not as if pangolins are not protected wildlife there. China's laws specify heavy fines and jail time for smuggling (not less than five years and fines the equivalent of Rs 10-20 lakh. For trades of higher value, it could be life imprisonment or even the death penalty). But enforcement is an issue. In November 2015, customs authorities in southern Guangdong province seized the biggest haul in five years, intercepting a fishing boat carrying 2,674 dead pangolins.

Much of the smuggling into China is via Myanmar, which shares a notoriously porous border with the southwestern province of Yunnan. Despite trade being banned by both governments, business is booming in the open markets near the border. A December 2015 study by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and others focused on just one border market, Mong La, over a period of nine years. In just one visit, researchers observed trade in excess of Rs 75 lakh.

At the Indian end, even the methods use to kill the pangolin are crude. When threatened, the pangolin dives into a burrow or curls up in a ball (a defence that works even against tigers). "During interrogation, we learnt that the curled up pangolin is either opened up with a crowbar or boiled alive to retrieve the scales," says a wildlife wing detective.

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The economics of the trade reveal why pangolins have caught the poachers' fancy. At the village level, the local poacher who does the killing usually gets about Rs 4,000 a kg for the scales. Between the village poacher and the entity delivering the contraband across the border into China, there are as many as eight to 10 middlemen. "No link in the chain knows much beyond the next two levels. This is so by design, to insulate the top levels from the lower links in case of a police bust-up. It also protects the profits of each operative," says a wildlife crime wing official. By the time the contraband makes the crossing, the value of the scales is up to about Rs 80,000 a kg.

Two major routes have been identified by the wildlife wing (see graphic: Poachers' Ports). "The task force has taken steps to stop pangolin poaching and it is yielding results. In fact, it has also helped control poaching of other species. But we also need to sensitise people against the use of medicines based on animal body parts to reduce demand," says additional principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), MP, R.P. Singh. That's easier said than done even in India, not to say too much of our neighbours across the border.

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with Ananth Krishnan in Beijing

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Scientists who have been observing Antarctica have observed the progression of a large crack in one of the world's great ice shelves, the Larsen C. The crack is threatening to break off an iceberg with a size as big as Delaware. Since the crack is spreading quickly, the collapse could happen real soon.

According to Huffington Post, Project MIDAS, a United Kingdom-based project has been monitoring a large rift in the Larsen C ice shelf, which can be found on the northern end of the Antarctic Peninsula, for two years already. And if the project's findings are correct, Larsen C could undergo the same fate like that of its neighbors Larsen A and Larsen B, both of which collapsed and fell apart in 1995 and 2002, respectively.

Scientists from Project MIDAS have been checking the initial outburst since 2011 and said that the crack has expanded 22 kilometers, or 14 miles since March of this year. It was observed that the entire Antarctic Peninsula has been warming quickly over the years that has led to several devastating effects for wildlife and the destabilization of remaining shelves. However, it was found that even if the iceberg breaks free, sea levels would not be affected since it's already floating in the ocean.

Martin O'Leary, one of MIDAS' researchers, told Mashable, "The ice shelf loss icebergs like this naturally every few decades, but we're concerned that this one might extend far enough back that it breaks the 'compressive arch' which is holding the ice shelf in place." The Larsen C Shelf already had a chunk of ice separate from it in 1988, although it poked quite far into the ocean.

Scientists have predicted that the event would consume the main shelf that will leave the rest of the area vulnerable to new calving events. Last year, scientists reported that the crack "is likely in the near future to generate the largest calving event since the 1980s and result in a new minimum area for the ice shelf."

Meanwhile, Project MIDAS previously estimated the breakaway would remove between 9 and 12 percent of the ice shelf. According to an article by The Boston Globe, the MIDAS team wrote in its post last week: "The trajectory of the rift now implies that the higher of these two estimates is more likely. Computer modeling suggests that the remaining ice could become unstable and that Larsen C may follow the example of its neighbor Larsen B, which disintegrated in 2002 following a similar rift-induced calving event."
President Barack Obama has created the world's largest protected marine area on the planet. On Friday, the POTUS expanded a national marine monument northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands as he tries to secure his environmental legacy a few months before his term ends.

The New York Times reported that Mr. Obama will go to Midway Atoll, a remote strip of land within the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. This is to observe the designation and highlight the importance of protecting untouched lands and waters as the dangers of climate change continue to affect mankind.

The monument was first established by former US President, George W. Bush a decade ago. However, it was President Obama's action on Friday that highlighted how he placed the issues of conservation and climate change as those in the top priorities during his second term. The president's move to expand the size of the land, that has been supported by conservationists, scientists, and native Hawaiians, is his first move at using his executive authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to protect more than 548 million acres of federal land and water, more than twice the number set-aside by those before him.

According to The Washington Post, Sarah Chasis, director of the oceans program at the Natural Resources Defense Council explained: "This act, to build resilience in our oceans, and sustain the diversity and productivity of sea life, could usher in a new century of conservation for our most special, and fragile, ocean areas."

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who helped broke a compromise with groups including Native Hawaiians and day-boat fishermen, also said: "The oceans are the untold story when it comes to climate change, and we have to feel a sense of urgency when it comes to protecting the ocean that sustains.us."

President Obama's move will permanently protect coral reefs and underwater habitats, which are home to over 7,000 species like the rare whales and sea turtles included in the Endangered Species Act. Meanwhile, commercial fishing and drilling are strictly not allowed and the designation also has suggestions for navigation, along with voluntary restrictions on travel through specific areas and a requirement that ships notify the U.S. Coast Guard when they enter, as well as exit the area, USA Today reported.

UNESCO named the area as a world heritage site in 2010. In addition to its environmental, geologic and scientific value, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization pointed out the "deep cosmological and traditional significance for living Native Hawaiian culture."
Rumors about Microsoft's alleged Surface Phone 2016 release date, specs and pricing details are floating ablaze. If new reports are to be believed the highly anticipated Microsoft Surface Phone will get unveiled at the IFA 2016 event which is scheduled to happen in the first week of September in Berlin.

According to iTechPost, Microsoft will release its Surface Phone 2016 right in time when Apple is expected to unveil its next gen iPhone 7. It is expected that the upcoming Surface phone will come loaded with a host of impressive specs and features to compete with the highly popular Apple iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S range of smartphones. There are also reports which claim that the upcoming Microsoft Surface Phone may get announced at the company's technical event in October. It remains to be seen whether or not the handsets will get a 2016 release date.

Previous reports suggest, the Redmond will roll out three high end Surface smartphone variants with superior hardware configurations and new features. The entry level model is rumored to feature 3GB of RAM, the midrange model is expected to get 6GB of RAM, and the high-end variant is rumored to feature a massive 8GB of RAM and 512GB of built-in storage. All the three handsets are reported to run Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processors and come preinstalled with Microsoft Windows 10 mobile OS. However, according to Ecumenical News, this time Microsoft made handsets, which will be primarily targeted at the business sector, might run Android OS and not Windows.

It is reported that the three Microsoft Surface Phone 2016 variants will come packed in an aluminum and magnesium body featuring a 5.5-inch AMOLED display, a 20-megapixel Carl Zeiss rear camera coupled with Surface Pen functionality, a fingerprint reader, accelerometer, gyro, compass, a barometer and proximity sensors. Continuum support, USB Type-C connectivity and liquid cooling technology are also expected to be on board. The price range of the Microsoft Surface Phones 2016 is expected to remain between $700-$1100.

Stay tuned to SWR for more updates on Microsoft Surface Phone 2016 release date, specs and price details.
By PTI: arbitration

New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) As India seeks to develop into a hub of international arbitration, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today lamented that only a "small fragment" of members from the Indian judiciary are part of the international dispute resolution mechanism.

Terming it as a "sorry state of affairs", he wondered why very less number of arbitrators are from non-Western countries.

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"I am proud of my judiciary. It has given some of the best judges. But why do they not get adequate representation in international arbitration?," he said addressing a conference on International Arbitration in BRICS here.

He also questioned the presumption that resolutions should come from arbitrators who are either trained in Western system or who are from the developed world. "It is an important issue and well have to articulate (on this)," he said.

The Law minister said according to one estimate, 69.8 per cent of the arbitrators are from the developed or first world countries.

Prasad, also lamented a lack of appellate mechanism in dispute resolution system and said there is a need to consider "some kind of very limited appellate mechanism" so that there is way to challenge the arbitration award by parties involved in arbitration.

Referring to the quantum of penalties imposed in arbitration awards, he said when as the Law Minister, he goes through such orders, the first thing he looks for is the penalty.

"My eyes get wide open...I have rarely seen such penalities... should ten investments and the dispute arising therefrom should lead to a dispute redressal with penal consequences that is designed to unsettle the economy of the country (where investments have been made)," he questioned.

International arbitration must also appreciate the social constraints of investment in a country, he said asking why only "a few world centres" should always remain the "hubs" of international arbitration.

Successive governments have been trying to make India into a hub of international arbitration on the lines of London and Singapore.

The 1996 Arbitration law has recently been amended keeping in mind the Narendra Modis governments push for "ease of doing business". PTI NAB RCJ RCJ

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Janhit Morcha along with other organisations will continue the protest until the DND flyway is made toll-free.

By India Today Web Desk: The Janhit Morcha has started its indefinite protest at the DND flyway, connecting South Delhi to Noida, demanding the removal of the toll tax.

Spearheaded by ex-BJP minister Nawab Singh Nagar, the indefinite protest is being held against the irregularities of Noida Toll Bridge Company Limited (NTBCL) and its consequent victimisation of the residents of Noida.



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The former minister has accused the authorities of misrepresenting facts regarding the money spent on the project and demanded that the toll be made toll-free. The minister said that the DND organisation has made more money than was spent.

Nagar also blamed the Samajwadi Party government for not taking any action as most of the tolls have been removed across the country where the builders of the toll roads have collected their value.



Other organisations including Crime-Free India Force, Noida Entrepreneurs Association, several residents' welfare associations, Kisan Union, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, Noida Transport Association, Indian Industries Association, Punjabi Samaj, Deed Writers Association and Noida Vyapar Mandal are participating in the protest.

Janhit Morcha has said the indefinite protest will continue until the DND is toll-free.

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Earlier this year, a Hague tribunal rejected China's claim to exclusive rights to the South China Sea. The decision prompted interested parties in the region to stake their own claims to the waterway, including Taiwan, which sent a warship to the area.

It was a provocative move. How powerful is Taiwan? Laura Ling counts the ways in today's Seeker Daily report.

Economically, Taiwan is a global powerhouse and one of the Four Asian Tigers, along with Honk Kong, South Korea and Singapore. After rapid industrialization in the second half of the 20th century, the country shifted its focus from farming to manufactured exports -- especially electronics and machinery. Today, Taiwan's economy is industrial, capitalist, and highly export-driven.

RELATED: What if China and Taiwan Went To War?

However, due to its unique relationship with China, Taiwan is not recognized as a sovereign state by most countries and is not a member of the United Nations. China claims that Taiwan is part of their country, and has blocked the island's attempts at independence. Taiwan, on the other hand, prohibits reunification with China without a public referendum and legislative support. It's complicated, as the young people say.

That hasn't stopped the country from building up its own military, however. The country boasts an army of nearly 2 million, and a defense budget of more than $10 billion dollars. Proportionally, that's about the same as the U.S., which is famous for prioritizing defense.

Taiwan is certainly on the upswing in recent decades and its economic power can't be denied. Its poverty rate is among the lowest in the world, and the country ranks exceptionally high in terms of press freedoms, health care and quality of life. Even during recent global economic slowdowns, Taiwan has thrived. No wonder China is doesn't want to let go. For more on that highly dysfunctional relationship, check out our earlier coverage on the issue.

-- Glenn McDonald

Learn More:

Bloomberg: China Finds Ally in Taiwan's Leader in Rejecting Sea Ruling



CIA World Factbook: Taiwan

Britannica: Taiwan

Taiwan Today: Poll finds most happy with quality of life in Taiwan
In other words, the new research does not support the assumption that if there are more men in an area , there will be more unmarried men.

For example, the data showed that a county composed of 55 percent men had about a 10 percent increase in the percentage of adults married, a 13 percent decrease in the percentage of children born out of wedlock and a 10 percent decrease in households headed by single women when compared with a county that was 55 percent women, Schacht said.

In the study, the researchers looked at U.S. Census data from 2,800 counties in all 50 states, focusing on the relationship between each county's gender ratio (the number of men relative to women) and certain markers of family stability that researchers commonly use in research like this, such as marriage rates and the percentage of households with children who were headed by single women.

"There's this numerical expectation that, as men increase in numbers, that means that there are fewer women available, so men are less likely to get married," said Ryan Schacht, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral researcher in anthropology at the University of Utah. But in reality, human behavior is "flexible, and responsive to context," he said. [ I Don't: 5 Myths About Marriage ]

The research showed that counties in the U.S. with more men than women generally had higher rates of marriage , fewer births outside marriage and fewer single female heads of household - all of which are generally signs of greater family stability, according to the researchers.

In places where men outnumber women, it might seem like science would suggest that more testosterone and fewer available females might lead to less stability in relationships. But a new study shows that's not the case.

Schacht said these results can be explained through the so-called mating market theory, which applies the principles of supply and demand to partnering.

"If you're the rarer sex, you have more bargaining power; you have greater leverage in terms of what you demand out of a partner," Schacht said. So in places with more men, the men are more responsive to women's desires, in order to find a partner, he said. The researchers think that in places where there are fewer women than men, men become more focused on marriage and, therefore, more likely to marry than men in places where there are plenty of women.

The new findings agree with other research on this topic, said Therese Hesketh, a professor of global health at University College London who was not involved in the new study. "A lot of the arguments around excess males are that they create a more stable society within the married groups of people," she told Live Science.

RELATED: 10 Gender Differences Backed Up by Science

In other words, a higher ratio of men to women benefits the families of these men. However, Hesketh noted that, in places with very unbalanced ratios, having a large number of men who are unable to marry may still lead to societal problems.

One of the main theoretical concerns is that greater numbers of unmarried men will cause an increase in societal problems through their aggression. Men, in general, are more likely than women to be both the perpetrators andvictims of violence. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 80.1 percent of people arrested for violent crimes in 2012 were male. Some experts have theorized that, due to greater sexual frustration and psychological vulnerabilities (such as low self-esteem and depression), unmarried men might be more aggressive than their married peers.

However, there is little evidence to support this theory. Hesketh has studied this specific theory, and hasn't found that unmarried men present a particular threat to their societies. "Many of these men, who aren't ever going to marry - they're really no different than any other guy," she said. "They're not interested in committing crimes. They're just not very happy." [Macho Man: 10 Wild Facts About The Male Body]

RELATED: Why Do Men Think Women Like Them When They Clearly Don't?

The authors of the new paper caution that culture, education and socioeconomic factors could alter the interplay between sex ratio and relationship outcomes. This new study was inspired by Schacht's previous research in the South American country Guyana, and there, he also found that in villages with more men than women, men were more likely to prefer committed, long-term relationships than men in villages with more women than men. However, sex ratio may not have the same impact in India, where the caste system forbids certain men from marrying, the researchers noted in their paper And the measures of family instability, such as out-of-wedlock births, could carry different weight in other countries. For example, more than 50 percent of babies born in London are born to unmarried women, but these women are often in committed partnerships, Hesketh said.

Most places in the United States have relatively imbalanced sex ratios, Schacht said. Men tend to outnumber women in the rural West, but women outnumber men in urban areas and in the South. These gender-ratio imbalances may be subtle, but "this idea about sex ratio imbalance influencing individuals, influencing your relationship options, is very real," he said.

Original article on Live Science.

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Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
ANGARA WANTS PAGASA ISLAND TO BE DECLARED AN ECOTOURISM DESTINATION

Senator Sonny Angara has filed a bill that seeks to declare Pag-asa Island as a special ecological tourism zone to promote and develop the island cluster as a tourist destination while protecting its natural resources.

"With its impeccable beauty, the island is an ideal tourist destination. The government should provide the necessary support to promote the island's rich biodiversity and Philippine heritage that our country should be proud of," Angara said.

Thus, Senate Bill 944 seeks to create and mandate the Pag-asa Island Ecotourism Cluster Governing Board, in coordination with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), to prepare an ecotourism master plan to ensure the island's tourism promotion, employment generation, livelihood development, and the protection and preservation of its environment and ecosystem.

The Pag-asa island and its adjoining islands of Parola, Kota and Panata, collectively referred to as the Pag-asa Island Cluster, are located in the Municipality of Kalayaan in the province of Palawan.

The proposed measure aims to declare the islands of Parola, Kota and Panata as protected areas under the National Integrated Protected Areas System (NIPAS).

The Pag-asa island is the second largest island in the whole of Kalayaan Island Group (Spratlys) in the West Philippine Sea, and is the only Philippine-occupied island in the Spratlys that is inhabited by civilians.

Just recently, the Philippine Coast Guard has completed a humanitarian mission to Pagasa Island, delivering provisions including clothes, rice, canned goods, cooking oil, condiments, other grocery items, and fuel and various supplies to the Filipinos residing there.

The bill highlights the recent ruling on the West Philippine Sea of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague.

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, a member of the legal team that prepared the Philippines' case before the PCA, believes that "the government should push for a peace agreement with China and other claimants in the Spratlys by declaring the area as an international marine park and protected area, as originally suggested by American marine biology professor John McManus."
Koko favors postponement of barangay, SK elections

Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III today said he would propose to the Senate to reset this year's October 31 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections for at least one year.

Pimentel, president of the administration party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino Lakas ng Bayan (PDP Laban), said he would call the Senate to pass a resolution to postpone the village polls.

The proposed Senate resolution would complement a similar move in the House of Representatives, led by Speaker Pantaleon Alavarez, to reset the scheduled elections for next year, said Pimentel.

He said among the urgent measures that President Duterte has to accomplish this year is the appointment of new government officials to man sensitive posts that would be temporarily shelved because of an election ban.

"The President cannot appoint officials during the election period. Movement of personnel is also prohibited," said Pimentel, adding the election ban would invariably affect the intensified fight against the drug menace.

The President earlier issued Memorandum Circular No. 4 ordering the appointees in the cabinet and various government agencies of former President Aquino to vacate their posts within a seven-day period starting August 22.

In a statement, Pimentel also cited the favourable position of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to reset the election because of its proximity to the last national and local polls held only in May this year.

He said Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate local government committee, also favoured the postponement of the village polls after conducting a hearing with stakeholders and other government officials recently.

"The consensus is to postpone the elections. I believe there are valid reasons to do so," said Pimentel, citing several pending bills filed in both chambers of Congress to reschedule the polls.
Press Release

August 27, 2016 Truce with Reds should allow Digong to concentrate on Abu Sayyaf Government should seize its ceasefire with communist guerillas as an opportunity to shift men and material to its fight to bring the resurgent ISIS-affiliated Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) to its knees, Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said. "If the truce with the New People's Army (NPA) will relieve the military of fighting a war in one front, then perhaps they can concentrate in finishing off the Abu Sayyaf," Recto said. "I think this is one dividend we would like to see--for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to have its undivided attention on Abu Sayyaf," Recto said. He said some units tied up in checking NPA activities could now be redeployed to areas where the Abu Sayyaf has grassroots support or within the reach of "Abu Sayyaf's long arm of terror." Recto made the statement following a breakthrough in the Oslo talks between government and National Democratic Front representatives where they agreed to negotiate a longer, mutually-agreed ceasefire, among other signed pacts, to end Asia's longest insurgency. On the campaign trail last summer, Recto called the "wiping out of the Abu Sayyaf "as the "Artikulo Uno" of the urgent things the next president should do. As the fifth president the Abu Sayyaf has battled with, President Duterte should not pass on this inherited problem to his successor, Recto said. "Tuldukan na niya. If he is drawing up a list of criminals who must be neutralized, then without doubt the Abu Sayyaf occupy the number one spot," Recto said. "These terrorists have been beheading people for 25 years now. If the President will defeat them, only then does he deserve the moniker 'The Punisher,'" he said. The senator described the ASG as the "most violent criminal syndicate" in the country today, saying that its "barbarity" has already made it among Asia's most brutal groups. "This gives us the regional obligation to stamp them out and wipe clean this blot on our national image," Recto said. "Abu Sayyaf's victims are not just counted by the number of body bags, which are already in the hundreds since it began its bloody business a quarter of a century ago," Recto said. "What must be tallied too are losses they have inflicted on our economy. Lands are idled by farmers too afraid to till, vacation plans are cancelled by tourists who are discouraged by bad publicity, investments are aborted," he added.
Press Release

August 27, 2016 Using P40 B gaming income is good Rx to boost anemic gov't

budget for meds Earmarking all state gambling income for the purchase of medicines "is the shot in the arm" that will boost anemic government purchases of essential drugs, Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto said. Recto said about P40 billion in Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) income next year could be added to the Department of Health's (DOH) allocation for medicines of P16.4 billion, raising its 2017 budget for drugs purchases to almost P57 billion. "If this happens, then it is as if the DOH has won the lottery. Using gaming income for medicines, however you look at it, is a winning combination," Recto said. The net effect is that DOH will be getting an additional P110 million a day to buy drugs, the senator said. "This is a good prescription from Digong." Recto said PAGCOR's forecast income for 2016 is P45.4 billion, less P14.7 billion in operating expenses, or a net income before tax of about P30 billion. "If this is the formula used in computing what will be remitted to the DOH, then it is a sizeable amount," Recto said. To be added to this is the PCSO Charity Fund, representing 30 percent of its gross revenue. This reached P9.6 billion, on total sales of P37.4 billion last year. "So combined, that's easily P40 billion in additional money for health," Recto said. "This will bump up the gross DOH budget to P181.6 billion next year." Under the 2017 national budget, the DOH is proposed to receive P90.9 billion plus P50.2 billion for the payment of PhilHealth premiums to cover poor families and senior citizens, and P500 million for calamity aid. If part of the "gambling dividends" will be distributed to local government-run hospitals, "then it doesn't matter, because we are merely diversifying the conduits; the beneficiaries--the people--remain the same," Recto said. Local government-run hospitals number 777 nationwide, ten times more than the 71 DOH-run facilities. If, as President Duterte had proposed, the PCSO and PAGCOR income will be used to stock up Botika ng Barangay outlets, whose network will have to be expanded after many have been shuttered during the Aquino administration, "then the people win also," Recto said. The senator recommended that these botikas and the 3,074 town and city health centers officially known as Rural Health Units (RHUs), be tapped as frontline dispensaries of needed medicines. "Clearly, there are multiple delivery platforms that can be used," Recto said. Whatever the means, the important thing is the fast procurement and distribution of medicines, the lawmaker stressed. In 2014, the DOH budget for drugs and medical supplies was P10.2 billion, but a Commission on Audit report revealed that total DOH direct spending for said items only reached P4.3 billion that year. Recto said tapping PCSO and PAGCOR funds for medicines will narrow the "huge government deficit in cancer drug spending." "One in every 10 deaths in the country is due to cancer. Chemotherapy per session is in the six figures, more than the annual income of a poor household. Yet PhilHealth can only extend help to a few," Recto said. In Senate Bill 60, Recto wants the PCSO Charity Fund earmarked for universal healthcare and improvement of PhilHealth's benefit packages. Recto said PAGCOR's charter, Presidential Decree 1869 as amended by Republic Act 9847, will have to be revised if its revenues with be rechanneled to health. "The amendments must be done with utmost consideration of other national programs PAGCOR is funding such as sports, culture and arts, and early childhood care," Recto said.
Press Release

August 28, 2016 Cut expenses, red tape first before imposing new taxes Save and simplify - these the government must first do before it imposes new tax measures that will bring in two-thirds of a trillion pesos in fresh revenues annually. Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto urged the administration to scout for frivolous and unnecessary expenses which can be cut or totally done away with before jacking up tax rates. To encourage more people to pay taxes, Recto said government must also "simplify, shorten and streamline" procedures in revenue offices. Cutting red tape is an effective tax administration measure, he said. "The tax program must be predicated on eliminating red tape first." Recto believes "many taxpayers are willing to pay their dues if only revenue processes are not cumbersome and complicated." "The Income Tax Return is 11 pages long. A small business has to undertake 36 tax-related transactions annually. Because of complicated tax rules, a small trader has to put in his payroll an employee whose sole job is to liaise with government offices full-time," he said. Recto said "steep penalties, high fines, short compliance period, and arbitrary levying of surcharges" should be reviewed and tempered as these prevent individuals from coming forward to comply. "Tax payment is always by confession. 'Yung iba, ayaw na kasi natatakot sa laki ng multa kaagad. Gustong magbayad ng tama, pero discouraged sa parusang nakaabang na agad," he said. Citing a report issued by the World Bank last October, Recto noted that red tape costs the country P140 billion in opportunity losses annually. The same report ranked the Philippines at a low 95th among 189 economies in overall ease of doing business. He said savings, on the expenditure side, and simplifying tax-paying rules will combine to raise money that will lessen the pain of the new taxes the Duterte administration is mulling. "Let us first conduct an inventory of our expenses. Saan pwede magbawas? In short, savings, not of the brutal austerity kind, but operating overhead," Recto said. "If we cut utilities and communications expenses, meaning power and cellphone use by just ten percent, will we save P2.3 billion annually," Recto said. "If we will renegotiate office rent of government offices, and bring it down by 15 percent, we can save P2 billion a year," Recto added. The Duterte administration is readying a tax package, which, when fully implemented over a period of years, is projected to rake in P566.4 billion a year. This, Recto noted, is almost three times the P193.8 billion in annual collections that will be foregone once individual income and corporate tax rates are reduced.
Press Release

August 28, 2016 Trillanes encourages whistleblowers with additional benefits and protection In order to encourage more whistleblowers to come out and participate in the government's campaign in curbing out corruption and other illegal practices, Senator Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV has filed Senate Bill No. 290, or the bill seeking additional protection, security and other benefits for whistleblowers. According to Trillanes: "Several laws have been created to encourage whistleblowing; however, the existing legal framework barely meets the need for whistleblowers' protection and support, and fails to provide them attractive incentives, considering the risks whistleblowers face when they surface." Under SBN 290, Trillanes seeks to further uplift the welfare and protection of whistleblowers by giving them allowance sufficient for their daily basic financial requirements, housing and personal security. They are also given adequate protection by imposing penalties to employers, firms, companies or corporations that reject qualified applicants, on the ground that they are qualified whistleblowers or when a retaliatory act is committed against them in the workplace. All government agencies will also be required to conspicuously display salient points of the law, including the rights and protections whistleblowers. Further, to support the government's campaign against graft and corruption in the government, the bill seeks to encourage witnesses to divulge the erring practices of public officials and employees by providing them additional monetary reward equivalent to at least ten percent of the amount which may be recovered as a result of their disclosure or the amount of One Million Pesos, whichever is lower. "Many potential whistleblowers are discouraged from surfacing due to the risks it involves, including the security threat it entails, which sometimes completely destroy their future and prevent them from having a normal life. It is my hope that through this measure we can address the needs and promote the welfare of our whistleblowers, in exchange of the information relevant to our campaign in promoting good governance in the country," Trillanes further explained.
By Pankaj P. Khelkar: Social media was flooded with tweets and posts after an electronic advertising LED sign board displayed a porn web site. The picture that went viral shows a man holding an umbrella standing at the Nal stop chowk in Pune and watching the LED sigh board that displays a porno website on the huge LED screen at a busy street in Pune city.

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In order to verify the picture that went viral, India Today visited the Nal stop square in Pune. The people working in the adjacent show room confirmed about the incident that such an obscene website was actually displayed on the LED advertising board.

"Yes we did hear such a shocking incident did happen , it was weekly off day, and our customers actually informed us , as to an obsene pic being displayed on the web site," manager KTM show room Praful.



PUBLIC UPROAR

Local leaders of MNS - political party were annoyed as the police failed to take action against the people at fault and the Pune Municipal Corporation should cancel the license of such a vendor who indulges in the display of porno clips on its website that is installed in the busiest area of Pune City. The investigating officer of Deccan police station has assured of stringent action and said that police have already initiated an enquiry.

LED SCREEN OWNERS TRY TO JUSTIFY

Justifying their stand, the owner of the display board said its a purely technical mistake as their technical team was testing the signal of the LED board. It was on Wednesday when this accident happened. The owner and his partner were firm on their stand that they are not at fault.



"This is not an obscene film it is just a photograph, you can see it again and again, it is just an accident that happened. It has been hyped by social media, you can come there and watch it again, it was just a mere picture of a website that popped up automatically, we don't know how. It might be possible that somebody hacked our computer," said Gautam Balwada owner of the display board.

The owner of the display board Gautam Balwada and vivek Limaye claimed that they themselves approached the police to consult the police what they should do when such a thing has happened by accident. The owners said they are ready to seek apology from pune public for whatever has happened but it was just a technical error.

The Deccan police of Pune city assured that they are investigating the whole issue and will take appropriate action once the inquiry is complete.



WHAT DOES THE LAW SAY

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As per the information from a cyber expert in Pune police department , section 292 of IPC says obscene picture or video screening at public places in India is strictly prohibited and who so ever found indulging in such an act is liable for prosecution that amounts to punishment of five to seven years with a fine up to Rs 10 lakh.



Section 67 in The Information Technology Act, 2000 penalizes cyber pornography. The Section 67 makes publishing or transmitting of sexually explicit act or conduct illegal with a punishment of imprisonment upto five years and with fine which may extend to ten lakh rupees for first offence and seven years for subsequent offences.

Also read:

Chennai techie couple earned Rs 2 crore from child porn sites, arrested



--- ENDS ---
Donald Trumps recent pronouncements about wanting to help blacks and immigrants are not really aimed at blacks and immigrants. Neither was Hillary Clintons speech the other day accusing Trump of pandering to bigots.

Instead, both candidates messages were aimed at voters in the suburbs, most of whom are white.

Trumps softening of his stand on deporting immigrants who are in the U.S. without documentation is about making these folks feel more comfortable about voting for him. Its about trying to halt his slide in the polls by showing that hes more open to discussion on immigration and race than he appeared to be during the Republican primaries.

For Clinton, the idea is to remind those same suburban voters of all the things Trump wants them to forget. Of course, it doesnt hurt that calling Trump an enabler of bigots pushes stories about her email issues and the Clinton Foundation way into the background.

Its all noise. The fact is, Trump is never going to build his wall on the Mexican border, and his supporters know it. He doesnt need to anymore  just the fact that he said for months that he wanted to do it will be enough for the Trump true believers.

Besides, he could do the job by erecting a line of naked Trump statues from Calexico to the Rio Grande. One look at that and everyone would turn and run the other way.

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Everywhere you go in this town, people are talking about the sinking Millennium Tower.

The Matier & Ross scoop that the luxury condo high-rise has sunk 16 inches (and counting) taps into whats been swirling around the backs of peoples minds for some time: Just how safe are all those skyscrapers going up around downtown?

Plus, were talking about a big-money screwup here, and thats always a fun topic.

One prominent architect suggested that you might have lop 20 stories off the top of the 58-story building to make it light enough so that it will stop descending into the landfill. Another suggested to me that they might have to take the whole building apart and put it back together with a new foundation.

And they were both serious.

Michael Noble Jr./The Chronicle

A commercial real estate guy called me the other night to say hes recommending that investors snap up any Millennium condo that comes on the market. He figures they can be had for pennies on the multimillion dollars, and that one way or another, the building is going to be shored up and saved  and that when it is, the value of the units there will skyrocket.

When I pointed out that given all the uncertainty, it would be impossible to get financing for such a deal, he said, I know, youve got to pay cash. We pitch it to the Asian market.

The port has an old San Francisco business as a new tenant at Pier 80. Pasha Automotive Services, which started out as a garage down by Fort Mason before World War II and grew into a huge car importer, is back on the waterfront.

Among the officials who greeted the return was former district Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, fresh from her election to the Democratic County Central Committee.

Sophie was termed out a few years back and replaced by Supervisor Malia Cohen.

My bet is that Maxwell is following the footsteps of her friend and ally Aaron Peskin and is making tracks to run again when Cohen is termed out.

She sure had the look of someone running.

Movie time: War Dogs. Two high school buddies reconnect years later and decide to go into the Middle Eastern arms business, with the U.S. government as their silent partner.

There are a lot of comedic moments to keep you entertained, and Bradley Cooper is great. But overall the story is serious. While theres no outright violence, the implications of what happens after the arms are delivered to our secret allies will give you pause.

Florence Foster Jenkins. Here we go with another Academy Award nomination for Meryl Streep. I wish I could say the story line about this rich, tuneless, delusional singer matches the performances of Streep, wayward husband Hugh Grant and the rest of a very talented cast, but it doesnt.

If youre interested, see it fast. I dont think its going to be in theaters for very long.

On the other hand, Woody Allen hits a home run with Cafe Society.

I caught this one by accident, when I mixed up the showtimes for Florence Foster Jenkins. Im glad I did. Its the same period piece Allen has done a dozen times or more, set during the golden age of Hollywood and New York. But in Woodys hands, it never gets old.

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.

What a show at the Herbst Theatre the other night. It was called On the Red Carpet, a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels.

The lineup featured Paula West and the cast from the Carole King musical, Beautiful, but the show stealer was Dame Edna, a.k.a. Barry Humphries, singing Hello Dolly.

One verse was delivered in perfect imitation of Carol Channing. The next was perfect-pitch Louis Armstrong. By the end of the song, it was one line of Channing to one of Armstrong.

Im not sure what restroom the Dame uses, but she could fit in either way.

Kevin Fagan and The Chronicle did all San Franciscans proud on Warren Hinckles exit. Above the fold and extended coverage, with photographs reflective of a larger-than-life character.

In Hinckles words, Tuesdays funeral at SS Peter and Paul will be a three-priesta  thats how much help Hinckle is going to need with the Lord.

An organized mob will be there, headed by ex-Police Commission member Wayne Friday. After all, he and Jack Davis are practically the only ones left from the old gang.

An eye patch on all attendees would be appropriate.

Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com
Steve Miller, 72, the man whose songs like The Joker and Fly Like an Eagle are playing on thousands of radio stations around the world at this very moment, is coming back to where it all started. The Dallas native returns to the Bay Area, where his career ignited in the late 60s, for a one-night-only concert billed as San Francisco Fest 2016 at AT&T Park on Sept. 4. Modeled on Bill Grahams famed Day on the Green shows, the lineup also includes Santana, Journey and the Doobie Brothers. Miller talked to us from his home in New York.

Q: Im looking at the lineup for this concert, and youre basically the only band that hasnt lost its front man.

A: Im still around. Thats true. The thing thats really interesting about these guys is, having been what weve all been through, you realize these are great professional musicians and theyre still performing at a real high level. I think its amazing that were still on our feet. Its a pretty big package of San Francisco talent.

Q: I assume theres a little less ego involved now than at the original Day on the Green concerts.

A: Its almost 45 or 50 years later. Everything was different. I remember having Day of the Green shows with the Eagles where it was really rough and ugly. But Ive always been friendly with people. Ive known all these guys a long time. Earlier, there was a lot of competition. You didnt know if you were going to have a career in three years.

Q: Youre playing up to 80 shows a year on your own. Do you foresee a time when you will want to cut back?

A: Ive been doing it since I was 12. Im still doing it. I dont know if you go on like B.B. King until you drop dead or you just stop. The thing I love about what Im doing is Im doing it a level where my audience is big enough and strong enough and its OK. The hotel rooms suck  it doesnt matter if its the Four Seasons or the Holiday Inn  but the actual playing and audience part is great. I like working.

Q: B.B. King sounds like a solid role model.

A: I really enjoyed his three funerals. It changed my mind about everything. I always thought I would be cremated somewhere and no one would notice. F that! I want five parades. I saw B.B.s life being a great life  how far music had taken him and how beloved he was when they put his body in a wagon and drug it all over the States. Before he was buried in Mississippi, his body had been paraded in Vegas and New Orleans. Thats what I want. I want an open casket and to look like The Walking Dead and scare everybody.

Q: You have to leave behind fossils for people to discover in 5 million years.

A: With a big diamond skull ring with the S.M. initials on my finger. Christ, people in my family were dying at my age, and I feel like Im 29. It doesnt make much sense. As long as I can stay healthy and keep doing it, Im going to do it.

Aidin Vaziri is The San Francisco Chronicles pop music critic. E-mail: avaziri@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MusicSF

San Francisco Fest 2016: 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4. $25-$250. AT&T Park, 24 Willie Mays Plaza, S.F. www.ticketmaster.com
As a senior policy adviser to Donald Trump, I get more questions about whether Im offended by the latest remarks of the candidate than I receive about the economy, trade or national security. Im also asked how someone who would fit right in anywhere in San Francisco or Silicon Valley  registered Democrat, University of California professor, Harvard Ph.D., gay rights supporter, strong environmentalist  can possibly be supporting Trump?

My journey to Trumpland began at the UC Irvine business school. Around 2004, I began to notice many of my MBA students, who were enrolled in our night and weekend programs for the fully employed, were losing their jobs. I wanted to know why, and all roads quickly pointed to China.

In 2001, China joined the World Trade Organization and immediately began flooding American markets with its exports. Many of Americas multinational corporations  including those in Orange County  also began moving facilities to China.

While my research confirmed cheap labor was a factor driving the Made-in-China boom, I also uncovered the widespread use of sweatshops and pollution havens  neither of which are banned by WTO rules. I also discovered Chinas real competitive edge was driven by a set of unfair trade practices  from illegal exports subsidies and currency manipulation to intellectual property theft.

My world would intersect with Trump after I wrote my first book on China, The Coming China Wars. Trump put this treatise on Chinas cheating on his Top 10 list.

I began a correspondence with him, and he was kind enough to provide testimonials for my follow-up book and film, Death by China, and my most recent book about the rise of Chinas military, Crouching Tiger. From these interactions, I learned Trump clearly gets it on the trade issue.

To Trump, while free trade is good, it must also be fair trade. Otherwise, we will get what we have gotten  a massive erosion of the U.S. manufacturing base, stagnant wages for the last 15 years, and more than 20 million Americans who cant find a good job at a decent wage.

What offends me here is not that Trump wants to renegotiate bad trade deals such as NAFTA or that Trump wants to slap a 45 percent tariff on China if it refuses to stop its widespread and pervasive cheating. These are exactly the right policies.

What offends me is that Hillary and Bill Clinton have had their hands in every bad trade deal the United States has signed. In 1993, first lady Hillary Clinton was an ardent advocate for the North American Free Trade Agreement and President Bill Clinton signed it, promising us 200,000 jobs. According to the Economic Policy Institute, weve lost more than 850,000 jobs.

In 2000, lame-duck President Clinton and a Republican Congress worked hand-in-glove to grant China permanent normal trade relations status. This paved the way for Chinas 2001 entry into the WTO  arguable the most destructive trade event in U.S. history.

Meanwhile, in 2012, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton promised us 70,000 new jobs for her South Korea trade pact and to date, weve lost 75,000 jobs and seen our trade deficit with South Korea double  with our auto industry the hardest hit.

Beyond trade, I share Trumps foreign policy antipathy toward using our military to bring about regime change or to nation build. What offends me here is President George W. Bush invading Iraq under false pretenses  and the resultant loss in both blood and treasure. Trump opposed that war, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton voted for it.

What offends me, too, is when Secretary of State Clinton expends more than $5 billion of taxpayer money to topple Moammar Khadafy in Libya and winds up turning the country over to the Islamic State in the resultant power vacuum  or when President Obama draws a red line in Syria over the use of chemical weapons and then does nothing when such weapons are used. Because of such inept foreign-policy decisions, I was certainly not offended when Trump referred to Clinton and Obama as the founders of the Islamic State. True that  at least in a figurative sense.

Of course, you might wonder whether Im offended by Trumps call for a temporary ban on Muslim immigration. I would if U.S. State Department vetting procedures could prevent Islamic extremists from slipping into our country disguised as refugees. But thats clearly not the case.

Trump speaks in a language that talks directly to the American people  crude though it may be to some. The far greater offense lies in Hillary Clintons constant short-circuiting of the truth and her monumental ethical lapses.

She has lied about her destruction of thousands of emails, lied to the families of the diplomats killed in Benghazi, mistreated Monica Lewinsky and other of Bill Clintons fallen women, and tried to scapegoat former Secretary of State Colin Powell for her own mishandling of classified information.

She has also racked up obscene speaking fees that she failed to properly disclose, and, according to Judicial Watch and others, appears to have used the State Department as a favor dispenser to raise hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign governments and corporate interests for her campaigns and the Clinton Foundation. Thats exactly why a special prosecutor is now warranted.

For all these reasons, Im a Trump Democrat  abandoned by my party on trade and national security and appalled at the prospect that someone as corrupt and untrustworthy as Hillary Clinton might ascend to the Oval Office. In the end, the voters will decide; and the only thing certain I will continue to be offended by is every time your Giants beat my Dodgers.

Peter Navarro is a business professor at UC Irvine and the author of 13 books. His online economics courses have reached more than a half million students in almost 200 countries. To comment, submit your letter to the editor at http://bit.ly/SFChronicleletters.
Actress Ruhi Singh says that an actor should not have qualms about shooting any kind of scene.

Karan Kundra and Ruhi Singh in a still from Do Chaar Din. Picture courtesy: YouTube/T-Series

By Indo-Asian News Service: Actress Ruhi Singh, who shot some intimate scenes with Karan Kundra for the music video of the song Do Chaar Din, believes actors shouldn't have inhibitions.

She has especially praised actress Radhika Apte for making bold choices in Bollywood and for setting an example.

Asked if she has any limitations as an actress, Ruhi said: "One thing an as actor you have to keep in mind is that you can't have qualms not just about intimate scenes, but about every scene."

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"Radhika Apte is the biggest example right now. Why is she called a brilliant actor? Because she doesn't limit herself. She is brilliant actress," Ruhi added.

Also read: Karan Kundra shares a steamy kiss with co-star Ruhi Singh in Rahul Vaidya's new single



Having worked in Calendar Girls and Ishq Forever, Ruhi says: "If a particular scene requires it (intimacy) and if it's justified in the script, then why not?"

"Radhika didn't get typecast... Times are changing," she added.

Do Chaar Din is a song penned by Manoj Muntashir and sung by Rahul Vaidya. Jeet Gannguli has given music to it. Its video features Ruhi and Karan sharing some cosy moments.

Ruhi hails from a non-film background. She admits it gets a bit difficult for an outsider to make a name in the industry.

"It's a big thing when you not from here (Bollywood) and when you don't have film background. Having said that, I also feel success is fun when you work hard.

"I don't have control over my films but I have learnt that it is important to choose right scripts."

Watch video: Karan Kundra and Ruhi Singh in Do Chaar Din song



--- ENDS ---
Lots of Grateful Dead songs were played over the public-address system before Saturdays game, but the Giants noted Deadhead was scratched from his scheduled start.

The team said Jake Peavy had a lower back strain that flared up Thursday in Los Angeles and worsened Friday, prompting an MRI Saturday.

Peavy was placed on the disabled list, creating an opening for Albert Suarez to get called up from Triple-A Sacramento for the start.

He cant pitch with the way his back is right now, manager Bruce Bochy said of Peavy. We had to do this.

It was to be Peavys first start since July 30. Two days later, the Giants acquired Matt Moore from the Rays, and Peavy was demoted to the bullpen. He made eight relief appearances but hasnt pitched more than two innings since his last start, when he lasted four. He has a 5.55 ERA.

Pence update: Hunter Pence (right hamstring tightness) missed a second straight game and also had an MRI, and Bochy said the right fielder could return to the lineup Tuesday after the off day.

Outfielder Jarrett Parker could be added to the roster if the Giants see Pence missing more time. A roster spot could clear if the Giants option Suarez.

Parker left the Sacramento team and, on the so-called taxi squad, took batting practice with the Giants but didnt suit up. The Giants have until 2 p.m. Sunday to determine whether to put Parker on the roster or return him to Triple-A.

Looking ahead: The next time the Giants need a fifth starter is Friday in Chicago, and Bochy said Matt Cain would pitch that day if he comes out of Saturdays rehab start with Sacramento OK.

In the four-game series against the Cubs over Labor Day weekend, the Giants tentatively plan to start Jeff Samardzija, Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Johnny Cueto.

John Shea is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jshea@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnSheaHey

Leading off

Streaking: Madison Bumgarner, Sundays starter, is 6-0 with a 1.75 ERA in his past seven starts against the Braves. In his first four starts, he was 0-3 with a 4.30 ERA.

 John Shea

On deck

Sunday

vs. Braves

1:05 p.m. CSNBA

Blair (0-5) vs. Bumgarner (12-8)

Monday

Off

Tuesday

vs. Diamondbacks

7:15 p.m. CSNBA

Greinke (11-4) vs. Cueto (14-4)
John Krasinski was still toiling away for the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Co. on the acclaimed sitcom The Office when he became attached to the dysfunctional family dramedy feature The Hollars.

He would go on to direct it, his second movie after his 2009 adaptation of David Foster Wallaces Brief Interview With Hideous Men, but when he first signed on, it was only as an actor. He was seeking to expand his reach past The Office and was blown away by the quality of James C. Strouses screenplay.

I come from a very tight-knit family and a very loving family, and yet at the end of reading this script about a dysfunctional family, I thought, Oh my God! Thats my family, says Krasinski, 36, during a recent phone chat.

Margo Martindale, whom Krasinski met on his first professional acting job while he was in college  a featured extra to her star in a Marshalls TV commercial  is Sally Hollar, the family matriarch whose sudden illness brings her wayward son (Krasinski) back to his suburban hometown. Hes a struggling graphic novelist with a day job in publishing and a pregnant girlfriend, Becca (Anna Kendrick).

His older brother Ron (Sharlto Copley, District 9) is unhappily divorced and living at home with their parents. Dad Don (Richard Jenkins) is in denial about the financial condition of his failing heating-and-plumbing business and terrified that he might lose his partner of 38 years.

I attribute so much to Jim Strouse, who is able to write hairpin turns between emotion and comedy, says Krasinski. When youre able to do that, it becomes real. ... Theres no swelling music behind the sad parts, theres no big openings for these giant laughs, and other things. Thats not how life is. Bad things will happen without you being prepared. And good things will happen without you being prepared.

The Hollars almost didnt happen. The project fell apart, and it looked as if the film would never be made, but the financier thought to call Krasinski to ask if he wanted to buy the script outright and take on the project himself. The actor admits to feeling pressured to make a decision, but when he reread the screenplay, he was once more struck by its quality. He decided it was a movie that needed to be made.

And what a difference six years makes. Krasinski didnt just take on directing duties in the interim, he also became a father when his wife, actress Emily Blunt, gave birth to their daughter, Hazel  the couple had a second daughter, Violet, in June  4 months before he started shooting The Hollars. Mirroring John Hollars situation in having a child changed the project.

Having kids resonated with me 1,000 percent. The way I see it is had I made this movie five months earlier, it would have been a completely different movie, I promise you that, says Krasinski. To say that it was a different experience for me than from when I signed on as an actor would be the understatement of the year. ... All those big existential questions came into play, Are you ready to be a parent? Are you a good enough person?

In a way for Krasinski, John Hollar and his career frustration represents the road not taken. As an actor and now, on various projects, a director, writer and producer, hes been able to live the dream and reach a level of success denied to many who aspire to an artistic life.

He remembers making a promise to his mother when he announced he wanted to pursue acting that he would give it his best shot for 2 or three years, but if it wasnt happening for him in that time, he would pursue other opportunities.

Based in New York, Krasinski worked as a waiter, a daytime bartender, a theater ticket taker; he showed apartments, and in exchange for classes instead of pay, he cleaned a yoga studio. But he wasnt getting anywhere as an actor. Two and a half years in, he called his mother and said he was giving up. It was September, and she advised him to give it until the end of the year. Three weeks later, he got The Office.

Ive been so lucky. Its been such a lottery-ticket existence that I put myself into. ... This is what I want to do with my life. To not be given that would be extremely hard, he says.

Pam Grady is a San Francisco freelance writer. Twitter: @cinepam

The Hollars (PG-13) opens Friday, Sept. 2, at Bay Area theaters.

To see a trailer: http://sonyclassics.com/thehollars
Its not easy to admit, but Mumford and Sons recently released an album that might change the way you feel about Mumford and Sons. Actually, its just a mini-album, and the shift in the bands likability might barely register. But heres Johannesburg, a set of songs primarily written and recorded over two days while the band was touring in South Africa. With collaborators like Senegalese pop icon Baaba Maal, the South African group Beatenberg and London Afro-pop producer the Very Best, the bands grayscale sound suddenly bursts with colors as new rhythms and voices pulse through standout tracks like There Will Be Time and Wona. There are heavy shades of Paul Simons Graceland and, by extension, a slight stench of Vampire Weekend. Either way, whatever is happening here is a vast improvement over the stiff electric folk of the Mumfords last proper release, Wilder Mind. Well take it.

 Aidin Vaziri

MUMFORD

AND SONS

JOHANNES-

BURG

GLASSNOTE

$6.64
By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: A school girl, who was stabbed by miscreants in Kakrail area of the city on August 24, died of her wounds at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) on Sunday morning.

The deceased Suraya Akhter, 14, daughter of Mohd Ramzan Ali, was a resident of Bangshal of old Dhaka and 8th class student at Willes Little Flower School and College.

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Sub-inspector Bacchu Miah, in-charge of DMCH police camp, quoting the witnesses said miscreants stabbed Suraya in front of the school while she was returning home, leaving her critically injured.

Later, she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of DMCH where she succumbed to her injuries around 8.30am today.



Quoting her mother Tania, Ramna police on Wednesday had said that a youth named Obayed working in a tailoring shop at Eastern Mollika Shopping Complex, had been 'disturbing' Suraya over phone for some months.



"She suspected that Obayed was the one who stabbed Suraya," Rahman said.



Police later found out that Obayed had quit his job two months ago.



Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka police, Maruf Hossain Sardar said that Risha's mother had filed a case against Obayed with Ramna police on Wednesday.



Police questioned four staff of the tailoring shop, but they are yet to catch Obayed, he added.

--- ENDS ---
ISRO today test launched its own scramjet engines, becoming the third nation in the world to have this technology.

By India Today Web Desk: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today successfully tested its own scramjet engines from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

"The mission was successful. Two scramjet engines were tested during the flight. The finer details about the test will be known later," an official said.

WHAT IS SCRAMJET

Rockets usually carry both fuel and oxidiser for easy combustion, scramjet engine uses the oxygen from atmosphere to compress fuel, thus reducing the weight of rocket and increasing the efficiency.

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The ISRO official said that the two air breathing engines were as if hugging the rocket on its sides. He further explained that when the rocket reaches a height of 11 km the scramjet engines would start breathing air.

We are the fourth country to do such a thing, the test (scramjet engine) was very successful: ISRO chairman pic.twitter.com/edCteXbFnQ&; ANI (@ANI_news) August 28, 2016

DELAY IN LAUNCH

According to reports, the scramjet was supposed to be launched on July 22. There was a delay because ships and aircrafts were looking for missing Indian Air Force craft AN 32.

With this launch, India becomes the third nation, after America and Australia, to have this technology.

(With inputs from IANS)

10 things to know about scramjet engine The modern rocket technology harnessed by ISRO could bring down launch costs by up to 10-fold. The scramjet engine will help in bringing down the launch cost by reducing the amount of oxidiser to be carried along with the fuel. Scramjet takes the oxygen from atmosphere as fuel, thus reducing the weight of rocket and increasing the efficiency. The engine is used only during the atmospheric phase of the rocket's flight. India joins the elite club with the successful test. Only America and Australia have tested such engines. The rocket has lift-off weight of 3,000 kg. The engines were tested for only six seconds The scramjet engines were ignited 55 seconds into the rocket's flight. The engine can be used in the ascent and descent of the Resuable Launch Vehicle (RLV) when the vehicle is in the atmospheric phase where oxygen would be available. The scramjet engine will be tested on a full-scale RLV, while the vehicle will be tested for its ability to land on a runway, reports said.

--- ENDS ---
Shah Rukh Khan's photos from the sets of Imtiaz Ali's The Ring is keeping us in suspense about the film's story.

By India Today Web Desk: Shah Rukh Khan seems to be having a gala time shooting in Prague for Imtiaz Ali's next film, tentatively titled The Ring. The film which also stars SRK's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi co-star Anushka Sharma reportedly revolves around the character of a Sikh tourist guide played by Shah Rukh. However, no official confirmaiton on the film's story has come from its makers.

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ALSO READ: Pakistani man jailed for making deer skin sandals for Shah Rukh Khan

ALSO READ: Vishal Dadlani to Shah Rukh Khan, Salman to Rajinikanth, no celeb was spared for speaking their mind



Shah Rukh however shed some light on the film's content a few days ago. He was quoted by The Indian Express as saying, "The Ring isn't a young, upbeat love story because I want to play my age. Imtiaz has an interesting take on the love story and hopefully the audience will appreciate it."

On Sunday (August 28), the Dilwale actor once again shared a new picture from the Ring's sets. As is usual of Shah Rukh, the picture had a rather philosophical quote:



Tripping..."People don't take trips, trips take people." Steinbeck. A photo posted by Shah Rukh Khan (@iamsrk) on Aug 27, 2016 at 6:54pm PDT

Two days ago, on Friday, he shared a picture featuring him with his director Imtiaz Ali. The caption for that read, "'I am a cage, in search of a bird.' Kafka in Prague. In our case we're only trying to discover characters in our film."

SEE PIC: Shah Rukh Khan in this new pic with Imtiaz Ali from the sets of The Ring is uber cool



But before the Ring hits the theatres, Shah Rukh will be seen in Gauri Shinde's Dear Zindagi starring Alia Bhatt and Rahul Dholakia's Raees. While Dear Zindagi is scheduled to release on November 25 this year, Raees will release in theatres next year on Republic Day.

--- ENDS ---
Shahid Kapoor who became a dad on Friday (August 26) is reportedly keeping aside all work to pay full attention to his wife Mira Rajput.

By India Today Web Desk: Shahid Kapoor and his wife Mira Rajput became parents to a baby girl on Friday (August 26). Not only the cute couple but all of Shahid's fans and well-wishers, and of course, paparazzi across the country were awaiting Shahid and Mira's bundle of joy. The baby was finally born on Friday at 7.56pm at the Hinduja hospital in Khar. Shahid was recently spotted at the hospital.

Shahid Kapoor at Hinduja hospital

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The Haider actor will reportedly not work till October in a bid to look after Mira who will need all the time and rest in the world. For the past few weeks, Shahid had indeed kept aside all work for Mira and their child. Now, it seems like he will continue his short sabbatical for a few more weeks.

ALSO READ: Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput become parents to a baby girl!



ALSO READ: Riteish-Genelia, Alia-Anushka, B-Town celebs congratulate Shahid and Mira

In a report in Hindustan Times, a source was quoted telling the newspaper, "They are extremely excited about welcoming their firstborn. Shahid is ensuring that Mira stays healthy and is safe. He will resume work only in October."

Shahid is presently involved in the post production work of Vishal Bhardwaj's Rangoon. The film set around the time of World War II also stars Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan and will release next year.

While Shahid could not be reached to comment on his work plans, his spokesperson confirmed the source's comment and said, "As a caring husband and an expecting father, Shahid is always by Miras side."

--- ENDS ---
Speaking Exclusively to India Today, Modi said that Lalu's comments exhorting people to feel fortunate that Ganga had come to their doorsteps in form of flood was insult to the flood victims.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Former Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP leader Sushil Modi has slammed RJD President Lalu Prasad and his minister sons Tej Pratap and Tejaswi for failing to provide adequate relief material to the flood victims in Patna and rest of the affected parts of the state.

LALU'S 'GANGA AT DOORSTEP STATEMENT



Speaking Exclusively to India Today, Modi said that Lalu's comments exhorting people to feel fortunate that Ganga had come to their doorsteps in form of flood was insult to the flood victims.

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"Lalu has through such shallow comments not only insulted flood victims but also destroyed Bihar during his 15 years tenure", said the BJP leader.

TEJASWI YADAV EXTENDS HIS FOREIGN TOUR



Modi also criticised Lalu's deputy CM son Tejaswi Yadav for extending his foreign tour despite people from his constituency Raghopur suffering in the floods. Raghopur is one of the worst affected areas in the floods in Vaishali district.

"Tejaswi should have cut short his foreign visit and come back to Raghopur. He had gone to Europe to study how how to build better road, was that necessary ? Tejaswi is not bothered about his constituency. Instead of the Tejaswi, his father was visiting flood affected areas in Raghopur and making mockery of people's distress", said Modi.

The Bihar BJP leader also took a jibe at Lalu's Health Minister son Tej Pratap for not visiting flood affected areas in his constituency Mahua and instead enjoyed a cultural event that was organized in Mahua on the day of Janmashtmi.

"It's useless to comment on Tej Pratap. He does not have basic understanding of difference between flood and cultural program. For him, there is no difference between flood and cultural events".

LALU IS NOT SERIOUS: SUSHIL MODI



Modi said when Lalu himself makes light of serious things, what can be said about his sons.

Modi said the manner in which both Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Lalu were visting flood affected areas and relief camps indicated that there was a race going on between the two leaders to take credit for providing relief to affected people hit by floods.



"There is a fight going on to take credit for providing relief to flood victims between Nitish and Lalu but the fact remains that there is complete mismanagement at the relief camps and people are suffering", said Modi.

ALSO READ:

Ganga is furious as Centre is selling gangajal at Rs 80: RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav



--- ENDS ---

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A Central Texas man is accused of murder after his wife's head was found inside a freezer.

According to news station KCEN, Davie Dauzat, 23, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Natasha.

HOUSTON TRAGEDY: Details on grisly Houston decapitation emerge

Bellmead police were called to the home on Thursday around 11 a.m. after getting reports that a man was assaulting his wife, KCEN says

RELATED: Man found decapitated in San Antonio was from Houston

Two children, ages 1 and 2, were also in the home, but were not injured, according to the report.

Police told KCEN that Dauzat was covered in blood when he voluntarily came out of the house. Police secured the children.

Dauzat is jailed in McLennan County on $500,000 bond.

Bellmead is near Waco.
A 15-year-old son was left to beg on street after his father's death, because an administrative officer asked for a bribe to sanction his money under state farmer's social security scheme.

By Pramod Madhav: A 15-year-old boy ended up begging on the streets to pay bribe to an officer who would help him avail the benefits he was entitled to after his father's death in Villupuram.

Ajit, had nobody else after his father Kolanji died in February last year, but he was entitled to a compensation of Rs 12,500 under the state farmer's social security scheme.

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However, when he approached the administrative officer, the VAO demanded a bribe of Rs 3,000. Ajit having nobody to help him with that money decided to take an awe inspiring action.

He began to beg on the streets and bus stands of Villupuram, but not without shaming the officer who asked for bribe.

Ajit carried with him a banner stating the reason why he was begging. People from the vicinity applauded his cause and determination to expose the level of corruption.

The embarrassed district administration relieved the alleged VAO Subramaniam, pending an inquiry.

--- ENDS ---
The state Capitol is the heart of Downtown Sacramento. Taking up a sizable 37 acres of real estate and featuring a huge assortment of trees from around the world, Capitol Park is a destination unto itself. Its wide lawns are dotted with memorials and monuments. Walk Capitol Parks meandering paths and youll find many more points of interest, nearly all of them suffused with California history. Downtown, which starts at Third Street, stretches east to 16th Street and is contained mostly between S and I streets, is also home to the hip R Street Corridor, a former warehouse district.

 Eric Gustafson

Spend your day

Art appreciation: Combining a grand old mansion with a sleek modern building, the Crocker Art Museum alone is worth a trip to Sacramento. The highlight of the museum is the Californian and American Art collection on the third floor of the Teel Family Pavilion. Stretching from the Gold Rush era to the present, these works chronicle the states cultural and industrial emergence while celebrating its natural beauty, from Maynard Dixons renderings of Tuolumne Meadows meandering streams to Thomas Hill depictions of Yosemite Valleys grandeur. Also filled with artwork, the Italianate Crocker Mansion, built in 1868, is fun to explore. Its ballroom is particularly impressive, with exquisite wood paneling, dazzlingly ornate trim and fine china on display. The sleek, airy Crocker Cafe, on the modern side of the museum, has an enticing, though pricey, menu. 216 O St., (916) 808-7000. www.crockerartmuseum.org. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday. Adults $10; youth $5.

R Street Corridor: From the Crocker, head east along Q Street to 10th, then over to R Street. Here youll find a tall gate arching over the street emblazoned with the words R Street Historic District. Once industrial, with a train spur delivering goods to the Waterfront, this area, usually referred to as the R Street Corridor, is now Downtowns hipster central. For lunch, head straight to Fish Face Poke Bar, on the ground floor of the Warehouse Artists Lofts building. Its founder and chef is Billy Ngo, the man behind Midtowns celebrated Kru Contemporary Japanese Cuisine. Fish Face is part of the WAL Public Market, which includes a collectible-record store (right), a custom shoemaker (left) and a heavily curated vintage clothing shop. Youll find a rotating collection of art on the markets wall, mostly generated by the upstairs neighbors. Fish Face Poke Bar, 1104 R St., No. 100, (916) 706-0605. www.fishfacepokebar.com

Cocktails and curios: The same R Street block houses Bottle & Barlow, a craft cocktail bar cum barbershop. If youre a fan of San Franciscos Bourbon & Branch, youll probably like Bottle & Barlow; it is owned by Jayson Wilde, formerly of the Tenderloin district establishment. Though more brightly lit and modern than the speakeasy-styled Bourbon & Branch, Bottle & Barlow had the same emphasis on fresh ingredients. The adjoining barbershop has a similarly classy interior; dont expect to get a drop-in cut, though; this trendy spot is booked for weeks out. Just down the block on 10th Street is Arthouse, which features artists studios upstairs and a funky assortment of retail shops downstairs. Check out M.A.R.K. (Midcentury Atomic Retro Kitsch); it has an eclectic assortment of curios. Bottle & Barlow, 1120 R St. (916) 379-7719. www.bottleandbarlow.com. Arthouse, 1021 R St. www.arthouseonr.com

Capitol tour: The California State Capitol is just a few blocks north of the R Street scene; be sure to give yourself plenty of time to visit it. More than just the seat of power, the Capitol is a strikingly handsome building. Resplendent in white, it features a broad portico held up by muscular columns and a tall, majestic dome. The sheer scale of the structure takes you aback, especially when viewed from the Capitol Mall, the broad promenade that leads dramatically up to the building from the west.

From this perspective, you are looking at the front of the Capitol. To enter it, however, you need to go around to the northern side on L Street. Once past the metal detectors, take in the ornate beauty of the place: the colorfully tiled floors, the dark wood trim, the high ceilings, the numerous statues and paintings. Make your way to the California State Capitol Museum in the basement, near the center of the building. The museum is free, as is the guided tour of the whole Capitol building, which takes about an hour (given on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.). Be sure to visit the California Senate Chambers. This is where your elected officials earn their keep. The public area is perched high above the Senate floor, offering a commanding view of the proceedings. 1315 10th St., (916) 324-0333. www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free admission.

Dine and unwind: Cafeteria 15L is close to the Capitol building at the corner of 15 and L streets. If its not too hot, sit outside in the restaurants spacious, tree-shaded courtyard. The couch seating makes it a particularly comfortable place to unwind from your busy day of sightseeing. The full-service bar can help in that regard, too. Ostensibly down-home American cuisine with a farm-to-table emphasis, Cafeteria 15Ls menu offers a little bit of everything, from pulled-pork sliders to grilled rib-eye steak, as well as mac and cheese for the kids. 1116 15th St., (916) 492-1960. www.cafeteria15l.com

Toast your day: Like Washington, D.C., and other seats of political power, Sacramento is a drinking town. Downtown is overflowing with bars, with a huge concentration of them on K Street near the Capitol. K Bar has an industrial-chic vibe, with lots of exposed concrete, graffiti-like murals and antique ephemera squirreled away in various nooks and crannies. As with most establishments in Sacramento, it has outdoor seating. Nearby Dive Bar takes on a nautical theme with a huge aquarium over its main bar. Mermaids, and mermen, swim its waters on a regular basis. Dim lighting and various maritime bric-a-brac round out the Jules Verne schtick. Classic movies and the occasional live music act can be seen at the Crest Theater across the street. If youre looking for live music, R Street has arguably the best music venue in town, the Ace of Spades. Well-known acts like Fitz and the Tantrums perform at this intimate venue. K Bar, 1013 K St., (916) 446-9800. www.kbarsacramento.com. Dive Bar, 1016 K St., (916) 737-5999. www.divebarsacramento.com. Crest Theater, 1013 K St., (916) 476-3356. www.crestsacramento.com. Ace of Spades, 1417 R St. www.aceofspadessac.com
ISTANBUL  Two separate blasts in the Turkeys Kurdish-dominated southeast killed one Turkish soldier and wounded eight others, and Kurdish militants launched a rocket-propelled grenade at a civilian airport, officials and the state-run news agency said.

One soldier was killed and three were wounded after a roadside bomb was triggered remotely by rebels linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in the Hakkari province, the Anadolu Agency said. In the ensuing firefight that included army helicopters, 10 militants were killed, the private Dogan news agency said. The report couldnt be independently verified.
AMATRICE, Italy  Italian authorities are pledging to investigate whether negligence or fraud in adhering to building codes played a role in the high death toll in last weeks earthquake in Italy.

They also called for efforts to ensure organized crime doesnt infiltrate lucrative construction contracts to eventually rebuild much of the picturesque towns leveled in the disaster.

Meanwhile, rescue workers pressed on with the task of recovering bodies from the rubble, with hopes of finding any more survivors virtually vanished four days after the powerful, magnitude 6.2 quake.

Over the past two days, they found six more bodies in the rubble of Hotel Roma in Amatrice, the medieval hill town in mountainous central Italy that bore the brunt of destruction and loss of life in the powerful quake. They recovered three and by late Sunday were still working to retrieve others that were hard to reach.

It wasnt clear if those six were included in the overall 290 death toll given by authorities. The Civil Protection agency, which combines the figures it receives from different provinces affected by the quake, said the number is lower than the previous toll of 291 dead due to a correction in the numbers from the province of Rieti, where most of the victims died.

The quake that struck before dawn Wednesday also injured nearly 400 people as it flattened three medieval towns near the rugged Apennines. Prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva, based in the nearby provincial capital of Rieti, said the high human death toll cannot only be considered the work of fate.

The fault lines tragically did their work and this is called destiny, but if the buildings had been built like in Japan they would not have collapsed, Saieva said in comments carried by Italian media.

Investigations are focusing on a number of structures, including an elementary school in Amatrice that crumbled despite being renovated in 2012 to resist earthquakes at a cost of $785,000. With schoolchildrens summer vacations in their final weeks, the school wasnt yet in use. Many were shocked that it didnt withstand the 6.2 magnitude quake.

Questions also surround a bell tower in Accumoli that collapsed, killing a family of four sleeping in a neighboring house, including a baby of 8 months and a 7-year-old boy. That bell tower also had been recently restored with special funds allocated after Italys last major earthquake, which struck nearby LAquila in 2009.
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines  Muslim extremists supporting the Islamic State group freed eight fellow militants in a daring attack that also allowed 15 other inmates to escape from a provincial jail in the southern Philippines, police said Sunday.

About 20 heavily armed fighters of the Maute militant group stormed the Lanao del Sur provincial jail in Marawi before nightfall Saturday, disarmed the guards and retrieved their eight comrades. The attackers also seized two rifles from guards, police said.

The eight who escaped were arrested a week ago when they were caught with a homemade bomb in a van at a security checkpoint.

The others who escaped, apparently to divert the attention of authorities, were facing murder and illegal drugs charges.

The Maute group is a new band of armed Muslim radicals who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and use black flags with logos of the Middle Eastern extremists.

Based in Lanao del Surs Butig town, the militants have attacked army troops, beheaded a soldier and kidnapped two workers earlier this year. Before being killed, the two workers were made to wear orange shirts similar to beheading victims of the Islamic State group.

A number of Muslim armed groups in the southern Philippines, including some commanders of the violent Abu Sayyaf, have pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group. The military has tried to play down their actions, saying there has been no evidence of an active collaboration between the foreign extremists and Filipino militants who are aiming to burnish their image and secure badly needed funds amid years of battle setbacks.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office in June, has pursued peace talks with two large Muslim rebel groups, but has ordered troops to destroy the Abu Sayyaf and other hard-line militants.

Troops have continued on-and-off offensives against the Maute militants in Lanao del Sur, a predominantly Muslim province, about 520 miles south of Manila.

A major offensive against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu provinces mountainous Patikul town, also in the south, has killed at least 19 militants, including an influential commander, Mohammad Said, who used the nom de guerre Amah Maas, his two sons, and another ranking fighter, military officials said.

Said had been implicated in the kidnappings of several Filipinos and foreigners.
1 Deadly fire: A fire swept through a Moscow printing plant warehouse on Saturday, killing 17 migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan, Russian officials said. A representative of the Kyrgyz community said the victims were all young women trapped in a dressing room while changing into their work clothes. The fire was caused by a faulty lamp on the first floor of the warehouse, where many flammable liquids and paper products were stored, and it spread quickly through an elevator shaft to the dressing room, said Ilya Denisov, who heads the Moscow branch of emergency services. Denisov said the dead were all from Kyrgyzstan, a former Soviet republic in Central Asia.

2 Border tensions: North Korea on Saturday threatened to fire at the lighting equipment used by American and South Korean troops at a truce village inside the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas. The Norths Korean Peoples Army accused U.S. and South Korean soldiers of deliberate provocations by aiming their lights at North Korean guard posts at Panmunjom since Friday evening. Tensions at the border are high due to last Mondays start of annual joint military drills between the U.S. and South Korea that Pyongyang says are an invasion rehearsal.
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BEIRUT  Turkey-backed Syrian rebels seized a number of villages and towns from Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria on Sunday amid Turkish air strikes and shelling that killed at least 35 people, mostly civilians, according to rebels and a monitoring group.

Turkey sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels drive the Islamic State group out of the frontier town of Jarablus last week in a major escalation of its involvement in the Syrian civil war.

The operation, labeled Euphrates Shield, is also aimed at pushing back U.S.-allied Kurdish forces. The fighting pits a NATO ally against a U.S.-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling the Islamic State in Syria.

Turkeys military said its warplanes killed 25 Kurdish terrorists and destroyed five buildings used by the fighters in response to attacks on advancing Turkish-backed rebels in the Jarablus area.

A Turkish soldier was killed by a Kurdish rocket attack late Saturday, the first such fatality in the offensive, now in its fifth day.

Various factions of the Turkey-backed Syrian rebels said Sunday they had seized at least four villages and one town from Kurdish-led forces south of Jarablus. One of the villages to change hands was Amarneh, where clashes had been fiercest. Rebels posted pictures from inside the village.

Ankara is deeply suspicious of the Syrian Kurdish militia that dominates the U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces, viewing it as an extension of the Kurdish insurgency raging in southeastern Turkey. Turkish leaders have vowed to drive both the Islamic State and the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, away from the border.

Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State, but the air strikes that began Saturday marked the first time it has targeted Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bombing killed at least 20 civilians and four Kurdish-led fighters in Beir Khoussa, a village about nine miles south of Jarablus, and another 15 in a village to the west.

Syrian state news agency SANA reported that 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded in Turkish artillery shelling and air strikes, calling it Turkish encroachment on Syrian sovereignty under the pretext of fighting the Islamic State. Turkey is a leading backer of the rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad. But both Ankara and Damascus share concerns over Kurdish ambitions for autonomy.

An Associated Press reporter in the Turkish border town of Karkamis spotted at least three Turkish jets flying into Syria amid heavy Turkish shelling from inside Syrian territory on Sunday morning.
AMMAN, Jordan  The U.S. will reach its target this week of taking in 10,000 Syrian war refugees in a year-old resettlement program, the U.S. ambassador to Jordan said Sunday, after meeting families headed to California and Virginia.

The resettlement program has emerged as an issue in the U.S. presidential campaign, with Republican nominee Donald Trump alleging displaced Syrians pose a potential security threat.

Alice Wells, the U.S. ambassador to Jordan, said Sunday that keeping Americans safe and taking in some of the worlds most vulnerable people are not mutually exclusive.

Refugees are the most thoroughly screened category of travelers to the United States, and Syrian refugees are subject to even greater scrutiny, she said.

Wells said the target of resettling 10,000 Syrian refugees in the U.S. in the 2016 fiscal year will be reached Monday, as several hundred Syrians depart from Jordan.

The Jouriyeh family, which attended Sundays ceremony, is headed to San Diego. Nadim Fawzi Jouriyeh, 49, a former construction worker from the war-ravaged Syrian city of Homs, said he feels fear and joy, fear of the unknown and our new lives, but great joy for our childrens lives and future.

Jouriyeh, who suffers from heart problems, will be traveling with his wife, Rajaa, 42, and their four children. Their oldest son, 14-year-old Mohammed, said he is eager to sign up for school in San Diego and hopes to study medicine one day.

The resettlement program focuses on the most vulnerable refugees, including those who were subjected to violence or torture or are sick.

Close to 5 million Syrians have fled civil war since 2011. Most struggle to survive in tough conditions in neighboring countries, including Jordan, which hosts close to 660,000 Syrian refugees.
The New Zealand dollar tumbled after Federal Reserve vice chairman Stanley Fischer indicated September was still a possibility for a rate hike, although dependent on upcoming economic data.

The kiwi traded at 72.26 US cents at 8 am in Wellington from 73.26 cents in New York on Friday before Fischer and his boss, Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen spoke. The trade-weighted index fell to 76.94 from 77.54.

Yellen's speech at the Jackson Hole central bankers retreat was the most anticipated event of the past week but after an initial flurry on her comments that the case for an increase in the federal funds rate "has strengthened in recent months" the market deemed the overall intent of her speech was still relatively dovish, with no clear guidance on timing. By contrast, the market reacted strongly to comments Fischer made to CNBC that Yellen's view was consistent with two hikes this year, depending on how economic data plays out.

"Markets were kicked into life following Fed Chair Yellens speech, but it proved to be Vice-Chair Fischers subsequent comments that resulted in a sustained market reaction, namely a stronger USD," said Jason Wong, a strategist at Bank fo New Zealand, in a note. "The outlook for US monetary policy remains the key driver of the NZD and an assumed Fed hike later in the year, most probably December, is required to get the currency back down towards the 0.70 mark."

The views of Fed officials will have heightened interest in US jobs data due on Friday. Fridays Labor Department report is expected to show that US employers added about 180,000 jobs in August, while the unemployment rate fell to a three-month low of 4.8 percent, and worker pay rose, according to a Bloomberg survey.

The kiwi fell to 95.49 Australian cents from 95.60 cents on Friday and fell to 4.8157 yuan from 4.8856 yuan. It declined to 64.57 euro cents from 64.87 cents and fell to 55.03 British pence from 55.48 pence. The kiwi slipped to 73.62 yen from 73.67 yen.

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Brian Roche will step down as chief executive of New Zealand Post in April 2017, having led the state-owned postal service's drive to adjust to shrinking mail volumes with a combination of cost cuts, asset sales, modernisation and expansion of new businesses.

The Wellington-based company will embark on a CEO search to replace Roche, who has held the position since January 2010, said chairman Michael Cullen. The former senior partner at PrivewaterhouseCoopers said he was retiring from full-time executive positions to pursue other business interests.

NZ Post and its banking subsidiary Kiwibank both reported reduced profits in the 12 months ended June 30, with NZ Post's result bolstered by one-off benefits from an Australian asset sale and Kiwibank experiencing a difficult second-half to the financial year.

The Kiwibank group, which includes savings, insurance and investment products, saw profit fall 0.8 percent to $131 million while NZ Post reported net profit after tax of $141 million for the year the June 30, down 1.4 percent, a result Roche described as "confirming a steady year-on-year financial performance for the group overall".

A major contributor to the profit result was the $43 million net proceeds from the sale of NZ Post's Converga subsidiary in Australia, for A$75 million generating a gain of NZ$43 million, and freeing up capital funds for investment.

During Roche's tenure, "costs have been lowered across the group and the business re-sized to recognise the reality of the decline in letters and the growth in parcel volumes and financial service", Cullen said in the statement. "A programme of divestment of assets has also allowed the Group to focus on its core businesses."

At the same time, NZ Post has invested in modernising its parcel and mail processing operations, the introduction of electric delivery vehicles, while Kiwibank acquired Gareth Morgan Investments (GMI) and developed a new core banking system.

Cullen said Roche was also instrumental in developing a new ownership structure for the group, which will see it divest 45 percent of its holding in the Kiwibank group to the NZ Superannuation Fund and the Accident Compensation Corp, which will take 25 percent and 20 percent respectively.

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Chorus, the telecommunications network operator, said lower regulated pricing for access to its copper services were to blame for full-year profit stalling, although it sees a resumption of growth in 2017. It separately announced that chief executive Mark Ratcliffe will step down in the middle of next year.

Profit was $91 million in the 12 months ended June 30, unchanged from a year earlier, the Wellington-based company said in a statement. Operating revenue barely budged at $1.008 billion from $1.006 billion.

Both profit and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation of $594 million exceeded forecasts by brokerage Forsyth Barr, which also anticipated an uplift in 2017 earnings because of the Commerce Commission's more favourable review of its regulated pricing decision last December. While that provided "a better price path to 2020" than was initially proposed, the latest annual results still included 5 1/2 months at the lower rates, it said today.

While the final copper pricing outcome was an improvement on the benchmarked pricing, it has not restored our financial position to demerger levels, and the regulatory framework that may apply from 2020 remains far from clear," Ratcliffe said. "We are therefore continuing to take a measured approach to ongoing investment."

Ratcliffe became CEO in 2011, having led the business when it was an operationally separate business unit within Telecom. That meant he was Telecom's lead executive for the ultra-fast broadband initiative and oversaw the demerger of Chorus.

The copper network still represents 73 percent of Chorus's revenue and reflected just six months of the commission's final copper pricing determination. Basic copper fell to $489 million from $491 million while what it calls enhanced copper fell to $242 million from $268 million. Fibre revenue climbed to $133 million from $98 million.

Valued added network services and field services were little changed at $35 million and $83 million respectively.

Total fixed-line connections fell to 1.73 million at June 30 from 1.79 million a year earlier. Total broadband connections rose to 1.23 million from 1.21 million.

Chorus gave ebitda guidance for the current year in a range of $625 million to $645 million, even while raising its projected capital expenditure forecast to a range of $610 million to $650 million, from $593 million in the year to June 30.

The compare declared a final dividend of 12 cents a share, making 20 cents for the year, after it resumed payments for the first time since the original commission ruling on regulated pricing forced it to slash costs and seek changes to its broadband rollout contract with the government. Its guidance for 2017 is 21 cents.

The stock last traded at $4.63 and has climbed 18 percent this year.

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A team of Thane police and Bajrang Dal raided the vice president of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Yusuf Sheikh's slaughter house in Ambernath and nabbed five people.

By Vidya : Thane police arrested five people today for allegedly slaughtering cows in the Ambernath area of Mumbai.

A team of Thane police and Bajrang Dal, a militant Hindu organization, raided the vice president of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Yusuf Sheikh's slaughter house in Ambernath and nabbed five people.

All five accused have been arrested under section 5C and 9 of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act and under section 429 of Indian penal code which is 'mischief by killing or maiming cattle etc of any value. They will be produced in court on Monday.



HOLY COW

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According to police, they managed to save two calves from getting slaughtered, while a carcass, suspected to be of a cow, lay inside the slaughter house.

While one calf was of a cow, the other was of a buffalo, police added.

DCP Sunil Bharadwaj who was briefed about the raid said that five people have been arrested in the case while, "the flesh has been sent to the lab for testing."

The Bombay High Court had upheld the beef ban imposed by the state government after the enactment of the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act banning the slaughter of bulls and bullocks, besides cows.

However, the High Court had struck down few sections of the Act and stressed that mere possession of the meat cannot invite criminal action. This order against slaughter has been challenged in the Supreme Court but is yet to be heard.

ALSO READ:

Beef row: US asks India to check rising intolerance, communal violence

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--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Malda (WB), Aug 28 (PTI) Left Front chairman Biman Bose today alleged that the ruling Trinamool Congress is trying to destroy democracy in the state.

Commenting on the way the TMC gained control of Malda Zilla Parishad by defection of opposition party members, Bose claimed the party is using police and general administration officials in this job.

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Opposition party leaders are being framed in false cases, he alleged while addressing the condolence meeting of CPI(M) leader Jiban Maitra.

Congress on August 22 received a jolt in its stronghold Malda it lost control of the Zilla Parishad with 14 members belonging to Congress and the Left Front defecting to the TMC.

Bose also appealed to the people to make the countrywide strike strike called by central trade unions on September 2 a success.

Congresss district president and MP, Mausam Benazir Noor, also echoed Bose and said Congress and Left workers of the state are going through a crisis due to TMCs torture.

"We have won the Zilla Parishad but they usurped it," she said and alleged this was being done by horse trading.

People are not taking it lightly and this will backfire, Noor said. PTI COR NN

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: From Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Aug 26 (PTI) United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon willvisit a resettlement site in Jaffna in Northern Province of Sri Lanka and meet President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during his trip to the island nation later this month.

Ban will leave for Singapore later this week, on the first leg of the trip that includes visits to to Myanmar and Sri Lanka for official visits, to China for the G20 Summit and the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic for the annual ASEAN-UN Summit.

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On August 31st, he will travel to Colombo to meet Sirisena and Wickremesinghe as well as other members of the Lankan government and Parliament.

Ban will also deliver a keynote speech at a public event on the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 16, dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

"While in Sri Lanka, the Secretary General will also visit a resettlement site in Jaffna in north of the country and participate in an event on the role of youth in reconciliation and coexistence in Galle, in the south of the island," Bans spokesperson StAphane Dujarric told reporters here yesterday.

In Singapore, the UN chief is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as other government officials.

He will be conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the National University of Singapore.

In Myanmar, Ban will meet President U Htin Kyaw and Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as well as other political and civil society leaders. He will also meet State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

OnSeptember 3, he will be in Hangzhou in China for the G20 Summit, which will also be attended by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama.

For the concluding visit if his trip, Ban will travel Vientiane in Laos, for the eighth ASEAN-UN Summit meeting onSeptember 7 and the 11th East Asia Summit on Spetember 7. PTI YAS ASV

--- ENDS ---
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In observance of the 53rd Anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the NAACP, as well as presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, addressed issues of systemic racism and voting rights for all.

On Aug. 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Dr. Martin Luther King called for action in his iconic, "I have a dream" speech in which he stated, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

In a written statement, the NAACP noted there is still much work still left to do, particularly in areas such as employment discrimination, economic inequality, police brutality, voter suppression, and segregated schooling.

"With white supremacists surrounding our Houston offices with M16s, a presidential candidate who fuels his popularity with flagrant bigotry, and discriminatory laws that keep people of color and youth away from the polls, we seem farther from King's dream of unity than ever," the NAACP said in a statement.

Noting the upcoming election, the NAACP emphasized the importance of "restoring the voting rights of youth and people of color."

Said the NAACP: "A communal commitment to getting out the vote is exactly the sort of invigoration we need to propel us into a 2017 where we'll keep on marching, keep on voting, keep on lobbying until, as Dr. King put it, we can finally, fully claim the riches of freedom and the security of justice."

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton also noted the importance of the election, saying in a statement late Saturday while "we've come a long way since the days of Jim Crow," there are still many battles to fight.

"Something is profoundly wrong when decades after Dr. [Martin Luther] King [Jr.] addressed the nation, so many Americans still feel that their country values them less, simply because of the color of their skin," said Clinton in a statement on Saturday.

"That's just one reason why the stakes in this election are unlike any we have faced before. Those brave men and women who marched, and sat, and bled for civil rights in America must not have done so in vain," she added.

Clinton vowed to stand up to "bluster and bigotry" as president and "fight back against efforts to restrict access to the ballot."

"Let's make it easier for people to vote, not harder," she stated.
suicide illustration

The year with the most recorded suicides was 2012 with 33 suicide-related deaths.

(Shutterstock)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In one decade, 290 Staten Islanders took their own lives -- an average of 29 people per year.

Since 2004, the Department of Mental Health and Hygiene (DOH) has recorded at least 20 suicide-related deaths per year until 2014, the last year that data is available.

The year with the most recorded suicides was 2012 with 33 suicide-related deaths.

The rate of suicide in New York state also peaked in 2012, with 8.4 deaths per 100,000 New York state residents.

The incidents are intentional suicides, such as self-inflicted gunshot wounds, jumping from a bridge or hanging, for example, as opposed to accidental suicide, such as an unintended drug overdose.

The Office of Chief Medical Examiner (ME) reports that depression, history of schizophrenia and anxiety are common factors that lead to suicide, and that many children of suicide victims deal with at least one mental illness.

Additionally, 23 percent of individuals who have committed suicide made a previous suicide attempt within the past year.

In comparison to the rest of New York City, the raw number of Staten Islanders who took their own lives is the lowest.

Queens had the highest number of suicides in 2014, with 141 suicide-related deaths, followed by Manhattan with 138, Brooklyn with 125 and Bronx with 66.

However, Staten Island had the second highest death rate per 100,000 residents in 2014 at 6.1 residents. Queens' death rate per 100,000 residents was also 6.1.

Manhattan was first, with a rate of 8.4 per 100,000 residents; Brooklyn with 4.8 residents and Bronx with 4.6 residents.

DEATH BY HANGING MOST COMMON

Almost one-third of suicides are from hanging and 18 percent result from jumping from a high place, according to a report from the city DOH.

New York City's firearm suicide rate is the lowest among large metropolitan areas, according to recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Suicide methods in New York City vary by gender, the city DOH reports; 93 percent of firearm-related suicides are among men, but 45 percent of women's suicide are by intentional poisoning.

MEN MORE LIKELY THAN WOMEN

Recent data from the state Department of Health shows that men are more likely to commit suicide than women.

In 2014, 7.1 Staten Island men per 100,000 residents committed suicide, compared to 4.3 women per 100,000 residents.

SEVEN SUICIDES SO FAR IN 2016

Seven Staten Islanders have taken their lives so far this year, according to Staten Island Advance records. Those reports are of suicides that occur in public places, so the actual number is likey higher.

The year started off with an unusual case: A Staten Island man caught fire, in what investigators with knowledge of the incident believe was a suicide attempt.

The victim was identified as John Quattrocchi, 57, of Westerleigh. He was found in flames on a North Shore street on January 17.

He died five days later as a result of injuries from the fire.

Just two days later, a Bay Terrace man took his life in a wooded area of Great Kills.

According to the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information, Richard Thompson, 52, was found hanging dead from a tree in Jack's Pond Bluebelt between Cleveland Avenue and Hillside Terrace on January 19.

In April, Charles Miller, 44, was found in Gateway National Recreation Area in Great Kills with a gunshot wound to the head.

The former Corrections captain penned a 10-page letter to his wife, Alana Miller, which included instructions on the suit he wanted to be buried in.

Miller was set to retire for the Department of Correction next year.

Two months later, an 84-year-old Great Kills man jumped from the upper-level of the Staten Island Mall.

Francesco Colina used a chair, which he dragged from a nearby store, to jump from the second floor on June 28. He landed in front of the Gap on the lower-level of the mall.

Colina was rushed to Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze in stable condition and was pronounced dead a short time later.

August has been a particularly devastating month on Staten Island; there have been four suicides so far, with three in just one week.

On August 4, 27-year-old Joshua Milinazzo, of Bulls Head, jumped from the span of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

Milinazzo's disabled vehicle was found on the span of the bridge at 4:30 a.m. that Monday morning, shortly before the morning rush hour.

A suicide note was found on the front seat of the vehicle.

The father of two was reported missing the same day, however, his body wasn't discovered for four days, when a New Jersey fisherman found his body floating in Raritan Bay.

Aracelis Abreu Leung was found unconscious in the back seat of a Buick SUV at 7:42 p.m. on August 10, in the rear parking lot at 66 Old Town Road in Dongan Hills, according to a law enforcement source.

Her lifeless body was discovered by her husband.

Authorities found multiple suicide notes in the back of the Buick, as well as a compressed tank of nitrogen.

The next day, August 11, 13-year-old Daniel Fitzpatrick hanged himself in the attic of his family home. Daniel's older sister discovered his body around 5:30 p.m. that evening.

Fitzpatrick penned a note in July, more than a month before the suicide, stating that he was bullied relentlessly and his school ignored his complaints.

"The teachers [at Holy Angels Catholic Academy] ... they didn't do ANYTHING!" he wrote of being bullied at the school.

City teens who reported attempting suicide also reported additional mental, physical, and social health risks. For example, 27 percent of teens who attempted suicide reported being bullied online in the past year, according to the city DOH.

A close call came eleven days later, on August 22, when authorities rescued a 17-year-old male bicyclist from the span of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge shortly after midnight.

The Brooklyn teen was threatening suicide at the time, according to a spokeswoman from the NYPD.

The emotionally disturbed teen was found wandering on the catwalk on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

He was transported to Staten Island University Hospital for evaluation.
By PTI: Melbourne, Aug 28 (PTI) Scientists have discovered a vast reef behind the familiar Great Barrier Reef, unveiling great fields of unusual donut-shaped circular mounds, each 200-300 metres across and up to 10 metres deep.

Scientists from the University of Sydney and Queensland University of Technology worked with high-resolution seafloor data provided by LiDAR-equipped aircraft.

"Weve known about these geological structures in the northern Great Barrier Reef since the 1970s and 80s, but never before has the true nature of their shape, size and vast scale been revealed," said Robin Beaman from James Cook University.

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"The deeper seafloor behind the familiar coral reefs amazed us," said Beaman, calling it an astounding revelation.

The fields of circular donut-shaped rings are Halimeda bioherms, large reef-like geological structures formed by the growth of Halimeda, a common green algae composed of living calcified segments.

These form small limestone flakes on death, looking much like white cornflakes. Over time these flakes build up into large reef-like mounds, or bioherms.

Mardi McNeil from Queensland University of Technology said their extent is vast.

"Weve now mapped over 6,000 square kilometres. Thats three times the previously estimated size, spanning from the Torres Strait to just north of Port Douglas," said McNeil.

"They clearly form a significant inter-reef habitat which covers an area greater than the adjacent coral reefs," McNeil said.

Associate Professor Jody Webster from the University of Sydney, said the revelations about the extent of the bioherm field make questions over its vulnerability to climate change even more pressing.

"As a calcifying organism, Halimeda may be susceptible to ocean acidification and warming. Have the Halimeda bioherms been impacted, and if so to what extent?"

Beaman said the discovery also opened up many other new avenues of research.

"For instance, what do the 10-20 metre thick sediments of the bioherms tell us about past climate and environmental change on the Great Barrier Reef over this 10,000 year time-scale?" he said. PTI MHN SAR MHN

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By PTI: Melbourne, Aug 28 (PTI) An 18-year-old looks-conscious Australian woman wanted in connection with property-related offences has asked a TV channel to use a better photo of hers while reporting on her, according to a media report.

Amy Sharp fled the police custody after breaking out of a police station in Sydney last week.

In a bid to catch the woman, police issued a statement along with two of her photographs which were aired on TV channels.

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The manhunt, however, took an unexpected turn when the womans pictures and police statement were uploaded onto TV channel Sydneys 7 News Facebook page, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Sharp herself was the first person to comment on the story and the photos.

She uploaded a more flattering picture of hers in the comments section with a request, saying: "Can you use this photo please, and thank you. Yours truly Amy Sharp XX", the report said yesterday.

Apparently, Sharp was unhappy with how she looked in the picture provided by the police, in which she wore a glum expression and a red blanket draped over her shoulders, it said.

The incident triggered a social media storm as netizens liked Sharps comment, which was accompanied with a smiling emoji with a halo, more than 47,000 times and attracted numerous reactions.

A Facebook user Bec Sackville commented, "Haha thats a classic. Think the cops have found a new way to catch crims. Just put out an ugly photo and the crim will be in touch to give you a better one lol".

Police said they did not consider her a risk to the public, saying she was in custody for property offences. She was later arrested in Wentworth Park, close to the area from where she escaped, the report added. PTI CPS SAI CPS

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The ACT government has revealed a new bus network that will deliver 80 new bus drivers and seven new rapid routes over the next four years.

The network, which goes head to head with a new rapid network drawn up by the Liberals in March, includes a rapid bus service running directly from Belconnen to Gungahlin starting next year. Another will connect Woden to the city via Barton. The existing blue rapid from Tuggeranong to Belconnen is being extended to Lanyon in the south and Kippax in the north.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr and Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris on the new "city loop" bus service. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The government, like the Liberals, are promising to run a public bus service to the airport.

In 2020, two rapid buses will go directly to the Canberra Airport  one from Belconnen via the city, and the other from Lanyon, at the far end of the Tuggeranong Valley, Transport Minister Meegan Fitzharris said.
Glencore boss "Aussie" Ivan Glasenberg has more reason to feel humble despite the commodities trader recovering from last year's near-death experience which forced it into a humiliating capital raising to stay afloat.

While local companies attracted all the reporting season attention last week, Glencore reported its worst half-yearly profit since it became a publicly listed company and announced fresh plans to reduce debt to $US16.5 billion ($A21.8 billion) by year's end.

The Swiss commodities trader signed a $880 million deal to sell future output from its gold operations in Australia to Evolution Mining as it winds back its disastrous foray into mining.

But the really embarrassing news came from its core trading business.
Mining magnate Andrew Forrest has lost another attempt to stop a company run by Perth Glory owner Tony Sage from drilling for uranium on the Forrest family cattle station in Western Australia's Pilbara.

The Supreme Court of Western Australia on Friday dismissed an application by Mr Forrest and his wife Nicola's company Forrest & Forrest for a review of a ministerial decision allowing Cauldron Energy to explore parts of the Forrest family's Minderoo Station.

Andrew Forrest has lost another fight to prevent mining on his Minderoo Station. Credit:Philip Gostelow

The decision by Justice Paul Tottle comes after nearly four years of legal wrangling between the Forrests and Cauldron Energy, which counts Mr Sage as its executive chairman.

A spokeswoman for Minderoo Station said: "We do support mining as long as it respects environmental management and is fully compliant with the law."
German supermarket Aldi is enjoying good profits in Australia, new figures show.

The privately held chain, one of the world's biggest retailers, has released some eagerly awaited detail about its local operations.

Aldi is structured as a limited partnership, meaning it is not required to be audited nor to disclose its accounts to the corporate watchdog, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.

But in addition to Aldi stores (limited partnership), Aldi has two Australian companies: Aldi Pty Ltd and Aldi Foods. These are wholly owned subsidiaries of Hofer KG (Austria).
Twenty-five-year-old Australian fashion label Seduce has collapsed, amid tough competition in womenswear and after several attempts to wind it up by landlords in recent years.

Seduce targeted women aged 25 to 35 and supplied department store chain Myer and website The Iconic. It also expanded overseas.

Twenty-five-year-old Sydney fashion chain Seduce has collapsed Credit:Margaret Zhang

But Deloitte was appointed administrators of the Sydney-based company in mid-August. It's unclear how much money is owed and to whom.

Seduce was founded in 1991 and described its product as "quality Australian clothing for women".
You only have to look at the best-by dates on the range of ready-to-eat meals on sale in Australia to get a sense of the quality of this slice of the food market, according to David Jones chief John Dixon.

The former boss of Marks and Spencer's 5 billion ($9.7 billion) food business said there was an appetite for high quality, ready-to-eat food in Australia and the existing supermarket chains, including our grocery duopoly, was not servicing it.

David Jones will sink about $100 million into building an Australian food business over the next three years, a big investment, which the department store chain has warned will see the food operation post losses out until 2019.

But it's an investment in delivering a world-class food product, according to Mr Dixon including fine dining, food halls and restaurant-quality take-home meals in partnership with celebrity chef Neil Perry.
Australia's top spy thinks ASIO shouldn't have to bother convincing a judge to lock someone up for interrogation, someone who isn't doing or plotting anything bad but might know someone who is.

ASIO can already ask to have someone detained if it thinks he knows something about a terrorism offence. That it now has the nerve to seek to dispense with judicial oversight shows the state of liberty in Australia today.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull greets ASIO director-general Duncan Lewis earlier this month. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

It's part of a disturbing tendency of law enforcement when given new powers with safeguards, to quickly want either more powers or fewer safeguards.

Basic protections against the security state are blithely dismissed as an irritant to be made more "efficient", or in the misappropriated words of the Attorney-General's Department, more "agile".
The Turnbull government's plan to hold a same-sex marriage plebiscite may be thrown a lifeline by Senator Nick Xenophon, who has left the door open to he and his two senators backing the controversial public vote.

And Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has lashed the Labor opposition, who have all but confirmed they will join with the Greens and vote against the bill, warning that doing so could potentially "delay same-sex marriage for a very long time".

"There is no question that the fastest way, the way to guarantee that there is a vote in the parliament on gay marriage in this parliament, is to support the plebiscite. Personally, I have no doubt the plebiscite will be carried and the same-sex marriage legislation will then sail through the parliament," the prime minister said.

Despite his oft-stated personal conviction that the matter should be resolved by a vote in the parliament, Senator Xenophon told Fairfax Media on Sunday his party of four (including Rebekha Sharkie in the lower house) had not yet decided whether to support the plebiscite but that a speedy resolution of the issue was paramount.
A man was killed and nine policemen were injured during a protest over power cuts in West Bengal's Murshidabad district on Sunday.

By Manogya Loiwal : A national highway connecting North Bengal to South Bengal in Murshidabad turned into a violent battlefield with people protesting on streets demanding electricity and cops opening fire to disperse them.

The NH 34 was full of hundreds of protestors in Jigreer More an important junction near Farakka demanding a solution to the regular power cuts in the area.

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The mob started protesting loudly and soon the police force present in the area was outnumbered. Realising that the situation was going out of control the police opened tear gas shells then resorted to lathicharge and finally opened several rounds of fire to disperse the mob.

One person was killed and nine police personnel were injured including the inspector in-charge of Farakka Police Station.

A CONGRESS BASTION

Murshidabad has been known for being dominated by Congress and even the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee President Adhir Ranjan Choudhury hail from the district.

Murshidabad has given tough time to the TMC Chief to make inroads in the area in the past also with Congress enjoying support of the voters with a major of them belonging to the minority community.

"NH 34 under Farakka police station due to electrical issues. The police went and talked to them. But some protestors started pelting stones and threw bomb on the police. The people also fired at the police. These extremists attacked the police and also destroyed some public vehicles. In order of self defence and preservation of public property, the police fired 3 rounds of bullets in air. The police was restrained and after firing 3 rounds of bullets the people dispersed and the traffic became normal," clarified Anuj Sharma, Additional Director General of Police (law and order).

LOCALS CLAIM MORE ROUNDS WERE FIRED



The locals, however, claimed that they heard more rounds of firing and it was police firing that killed one of them. Senior IPS officer Anuj Sharma, who rarely addresses the Media in Bengal, addressed a press conference following the incident.

"A body was found 200 metres away from the spot. The man had severe back injuries, which must have been caused during the attacks. Nine police men were injured which included the IC of Farraka, who is now admitted in the hospital. About 17 vehicles were damaged which included two police vehicles. We recovered two live bombs from the spot. Till now 21 people were arrested. We will take strict action against the peoples and we are starting a specific probe for this case," said Sharma.

DAMAGE TO GOVT PROPERTY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED

Answering a volley of questions on the reasons of one death he said, "The dead body found had back injuries which is supposed to be caused when the people attacked but the investigation is on. The post-mortem will be held tomorrow. The family is not identified yet but will inform as soon as we get to know about it. But our point is very clear that we will not spare anyone who is into such things of harming public and government property."

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Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claims that the deceased was identified as Sheikh Barkat, a 38 year old Congress supporter.

The politics has already begun with the Congress calling a 12 hour Bandh in Murshidabad on Monday and CPI (M), another opposition party in the state supporting it.

Also read:

2 dead, 7 injured in stampede after fire in Murshidabad



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Pauline Hanson went on 60 Minutes and said she didn't "hate" Muslims and carries the Koran in her handbag "for reference." Former Peter Slipper aide James Ashby also put in an appearance  he's Hanson's chief of staff  and says her greatest strength is social media. The interview was packed with interesting information, including a form of repositioning on her harsh anti-Asian and migrant comments. For me, the most interesting part was her firm declaration that she didn't want to end up like Clive Palmer as a one-term wonder and that she will make leadership decisions. [Watch] Liz Hayes' interview on Sunday was a bookend to the 1996 "please explain" interview and was reminiscent of when the program was a hard-hitting current affairs show. [Neil McMahon/Fairfax] There is a prevailing view among Labor MPs that the government won't last the full term, with Malcolm Turnbull unlikely to last 18 months. [Sky News] Final point, when a new parliament opens in Canberra, there's usually a mood of excitement and hope. The mood today? Subdued, brittle and, if you're a Liberal reading the writing on the wall, probably depressed and demoralised, as political analyst Paul Williams notes. [Jason Scott/Bloomberg]

2. French in court to try and stop sub leak The French company DCNS, which failed to protect its highly classified information about its Indian submarine build, is heading to the NSW Supreme Court to try and stop The Australian from publishing any further information from the documents and remove those uploaded to the internet. [Cameron Stewart] 3. Turkey pushes into Syria Turkish troops heading towards the Syrian border. Credit:Ismail Coskun Turkish troops are moving deeper into Syria as part of Turkey's offensive against Kurdish and Islamic State positions. At least 35 people were reported dead. [Umit Bektas/Reuters]

The Kurds are backed by the United States, so Turkey's operation pits a NATO ally against a US-backed proxy that so far has been the most effective ground force battling Islamic State in Syria. [AP] 4. Still no idea what Brexit means German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May. Credit:AP The UK media reports there is a split within Theresa May's Brexit-dominated Cabinet about how to bring about the Brexit. One proposal suggests Britain will ask to stay on in the single market on a 'sector by sector' basis focusing on financial services  a completely understandable priority given London's status as a global financial capital. Trouble is, the cost of the single economic market is free movement of labour and this was the part that the Brexit brigade said had to go.

It seems some in the government believe Europe will accept Britain staying in the single market while curbing migration. An incredibly unlikely, too-good-to-be-true prospect, as even Prime Minister Theresa May's own top advisor thinks. [Laura Hughes/The Telegraph] And on cue, Germany's Vice-Chancellor Angela Merkel said, "we need to make sure that we don't allow Britain to keep the nice things." [Alexandra Sims/The Independent] But Sigmar Gabriel fed the Brexiteers further when he announced that three years of talks between the EU and US to establish a trade deal had failed. [Deutsche Welle] Gabriel, Merkel's second-in-command, was asked if he regretted flicking the middle finger to a right-wing protest group a few months back. He only regrets not using both. [BBC] Meanwhile, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage says Donald Trump was his warm up act at that recent rally and says the Republican nominee is the new Ronald Reagan. I'm just going to leave that there. [Daily Mail] 5. Sarkozy demands Jungle move to Britain

A migrant watches as a hut burns as police officers clear part of the 'Jungle' migrant camp. Credit:Getty Images Immigration will dominate next year's elections in France. Former president Nicholas Sarkozy, who is hoping to make a comeback, is demanding the 'Jungle' migrant camp in Calais be moved to Britain. [Reuters] 6. Dubai workers late for work, miss ruling leader's surprise visit Whoops. Talk about a bad day to be late for work. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum decided to do a spot check at two government departments on Sunday, where he encountered a lot of empty chairs.
Prestige in the rankings tends to translate broadly into student demand, which gives unis resources to attract and retain higher quality staff and facilities too. Still, the Herald spoke to experts in rankings at several universities and all agreed you should take rankings with a grain of salt. Understand what they are measuring "If you're a student, you need to figure out what the intent of the ranking is and what it is they are measuring, and how it applies to you," says Dr Natalie Mast, the associate director for performance analytics at the University of Western Australia. If one university shoots up 30 places in a list, for example, it's more likely to be as a result of a change in the rankings methodology than some rapid boost in quality.

The global rankings put more emphasis on the number of superstar academics at a uni instead of, say, graduate employment rates, which might be more important to you. And they struggle to accurately measure things like teaching quality. So just because a uni ranks in the top 100, you may not necessarily get a great learning experience. But Professor Merlin Crossley of UNSW says "to ignore the rankings, or deny their impact is a mistake. Definitely consider the data." Which are the important global rankings? 1. The Academic Ranking of World Universities

To use a sporting analogy, the ARWU ranks university performance by tallying gold medals, says Professor Crossley. Previously known as the Shanghai Jiao Tong index, after the Chinese university that invented it in 2003, the ARWU list is dominated by huge universities with large science and engineering departments that are mostly in the US. This is because 30 per cent of the score is based on having Nobel Prize or Fields Medal winners on staff; and another 20 per cent is based on having academics who are highly-cited researchers  people in the top 1 per cent of their field. But the fields counted are only in science and engineering, not in the humanities. (Melbourne, Australia's highest ranked at No.40 this year, has a large biomedical research cohort.)

Nor is the student experience - teaching quality, graduate outcomes, even staff-student ratios - factored in. Professor Merlin Crossley says the ARWU is still a reasonable measure of quality. "The logic goes that if you're good at biomedical sciences, you're probably good at music too and other things that are harder to measure. My experience is that is true." 2. The QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) World Ranking of Universities

Tracey McNicol from ANU, who is on the QS rankings international board, explains that unlike the ARWU, the QS and Times Higher Education rankings use surveys as well as quantitative measures. QS measures the average citations per researcher at a university, not the number of highly-cited researchers. QS also make an effort to judge teaching quality using staff to student ratios and by surveying academics. Some 77,000 academic staff around the world rank the institutions in their own country and globally for research and teaching quality in their own disciplines. QS also do an employer survey, which counts for 10 per cent of the score, to see whether people like to hire a uni's graduates or not.

ANU does really well in QS, easily beating Melbourne uni to make the Top 20 (it is ranked 77th by ARWU). QS also does subject rankings, which Ms McNicol says are more useful for students than the overall rankings. "Everyone wants to go to a top institution, so they'll look and see 'well ANU is a Top 20 in QS, and it is eighth in the world for archaeology'. That helps them narrow it down further," she says. 3. The Times Higher Education World University Rankings Like the QS system, this UK-based ranking system relies on reputation surveys completed by academics (about one-third of the score) as well as a measure of research citations per academic.

It attempts to judge teaching quality by incorporating metrics such as the number of doctorate students to bachelor students. But the Times surveys fewer academics than QS - more like 11,000, making it a much smaller sample size. It comes up with the same top 10 Australian unis as QS, but shuffles some of the places around. UNSW, for example, does not make the Top 100 globally in ARWU, but it is 46 in the QS and 82 in the Times. Where can I find information about Australian unis?

The Good Universities Guide This covers Australia only and has been criticised in the past for its star system which some unis complain is misleading. But unlike the global rankings, it is geared at judging unis by the student experience they offer, not by the quality of research output.

And it doesn't provide an overall ranking, but rather rates Australia's 39 universities in a series of categories - quantitative, such as salaries and graduate employment rates, and qualitative and survey based, like "overall education experience". Ross White, Head of Product at the Guide, says it presents a "holistic view". "A student may gain a high-level view of a university's global reputation or research quality from the ARWU or the Times," he says, "yet unlike in the Good Universities Guide, they will not gain specific insight into indicators such as the student experience, graduate outcomes or the characteristics of the student cohort." The Group of Eight, research-intensive universities which dominate the global rankings, don't do that well in the Guide. But the University of Notre Dame, for example, a small private institution in Sydney and Perth which has a non-ATAR entry system and no global research reputation, rates highly.

Professor Hayden Ramsay, Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor at the Sydney campus says "In its early years Notre Dame made a strategic decision to build on teaching and learning excellence, focus on the individual learner's needs and personal contact with lecturers in face to face teaching. "Research rankings do not focus on the undergraduate student experience which is integral to our mission and to our students' experience and success." The Guide has its detractors, with Central Queensland University last year saying its methodology was "flawed" and "sensationalist". "It graded universities into bands into groupings," explains Tony Sheil, rankings expert at Griffith University. "Therefore only eight universities could receive five stars, eight four stars and so on. In research terms this means that a well ranked university on the ARWU would by virtue of the method used be rated as three stars in the Guide. "The bluntness of the star rating system gives the appearance of a wide degree of separation of performance against a given indicator, when in fact there might be very little difference."
Rally car driver Bruce Garland was happy with the results of his prostate surgery but was left with a feeling he had been ripped off.

The costs associated with the surgery were listed to show the fees for the equipment and the surgeon, but a disclaimer said there may be other fees for assistance.

"We looked at it and said, 'Maybe at worst it's $12,000'," Mr Garland said. "It ended up being $18,000 after everyone else charged their fees as well.

"There was nothing wrong with the job, but it was just the cost of it, and we had to pay upfront."
It's a long way from the depths of a Canberra winter to the iron harvest of Flanders' fields but that's the journey that will be on Merrin Boyer's mind when she speaks at the national launch of Legacy Week at the Australian War Memorial on Monday.

The 24-year-old Canberra Institute of Technology student from Coombs lost her father, Brigadier Rohan Boyer, in 2010.

Merrin Boyer, 24, is to speak at the launch of Canberra's Legacy Week at the Australian War Memorial on Monday. She was assisted by Legacy following the death of her father in 2010. Credit:David Ellery

Legacy came to the party in the wake of his death, assisting Ms Boyer and her younger brother, Matthew, with practical and emotional support.

In July this year Ms Boyer was one of 76 junior legatees from across Australia who travelled to France and Belgium to reflect on the Australian sacrifices on the Western Front in 1916, 1917 and 1918.
The Baird government's failure to deliver on a promise to push public service jobs to Sydney's far west is under attack, following the announcement of more job movements to Parramatta.

The government promised two years ago it would relocate 3000 public sector jobs to western Sydney. Before the last election, it also promised more detailed job breakdowns, including sending 300 jobs to Penrith.

But the government's success in consolidating jobs around Parramatta has not been matched by moving jobs to other western centres.

"We were promised these 300 jobs in the lead-up to the election but they've never materialised," said Karen McKeown, the Labor mayor of Penrith.
A majority of NSW voters say the controversial "lockout" laws in Sydney's centre should be extended across the state and three-quarters of young people support existing laws, an exclusive Fairfax poll has found.

Nearly 60 per cent of NSW voters support extending the 1.30am "lockout" and 3am last drinks in force across Kings Cross and parts of the CBD to the rest of the state, according to a Fairfax-commissioned ReachTEL poll of 1600 voters.

The findings come as the state government prepares to receive a review of the 2014 laws, which have this year continued to draw protests of up to 10,000 people and criticism they have neutered Sydney's night life. Most voters, and especially younger voters, say core elements, including a 1.30am lockout, should be retained.

Only one-quarter of voters are opposed to extending the lockouts statewide; the balance are undecided.
Police are seeking the public's help after the search for missing Baulkham Hills girl Melissa Borg enters its second week.

The family of the 15-year-old high school student reported her missing to police last Sunday, August 21.

The Baulkham Hills teen was reported missing in April last year when she disappeared for four days, triggering widespread concerns about her welfare.

Concerns are held for Melissa and she has been known to frequent the Baulkham Hill, North Rocks and Northmead areas, police said on Sunday.

Officers from the Hills Local Area Command were contacted after Melissa failed to return home, sparking a search across northwestern Sydney.
Headwinds may be emerging for the NSW budget with stamp duty revenue down sharply last month.

Receipts from residential stamp duty in July were 12 per cent lower than the same month last year, analysis by investment bank RBC Capital Markets shows. Year-on-year changes in monthly NSW stamp duty receipts were at the lowest mark in nearly five years.

The sluggish stamp duty data comes as polling shows support for the Baird government has waned in the wake of hospital scandals and controversial policy decisions including a greyhound racing ban and forced council mergers.

Residential stamp duty accounts for nearly 10 per cent of the state government's revenue so a sharper than expected slow-down could erode budget surpluses forecast over the next four years.
The identical twin brother of a school cleaner who murdered Leeton school teacher Stephanie Scott has attempted to take his own life in jail and repeatedly self-harmed since he was charged with being a murder accessory, according to a forensic psychology report.

Marcus Stanford, 25, was sentenced to a jail term of one year and three months on Wednesday after he pawned Ms Scott's engagement and graduation rings for $705.

A detailed 17-page report obtained by Fairfax Media has outlined how Stanford abused alcohol, had a chronic cannabis addiction and smoked up to eight joints and several cones each day prior to his arrest.

During an assessment with forensic psychologist Dr Katie Seidler, Stanford spoke openly about how he believed his murderous brother Vincent was "peculiar".
A Sydney teenager said he was looking for a "slice of attention" but police believe that what he did amounted to planning a terrorist act.

On June 14, the 17-year-old allegedly posted an "attack map" online, outlining four locations in Sydney's CBD, accompanied by a series of chilling messages.

The boy, 17, charged with a terrorism offence

"[I will] whip out my blade and start slashing every man and woman, even a child, around me," and "its going to happen tomorrow morning, 10-11am AEST," he allegedly posted on Facebook.

He then allegedly wrote he would take his own life "but as long as it's over 25, 50 than Ill be happy".
A 47-year-old Malaysian woman working in the city-state was confirmed with the virus, but was "well and recovering." As she had not travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, she was likely to have been infected in Singapore, the ministry said in a statement.

By Reuters: Singapore has confirmed its first case of a locally-transmitted Zika virus, which has been linked to microcephaly, a rare birth defect, in Brazil, the health ministry said.

A 47-year-old Malaysian woman working in the city-state was confirmed with the virus, but was "well and recovering." As she had not travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, she was likely to have been infected in Singapore, the ministry said in a statement.

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Three other cases have tested positive in preliminary tests on their urine samples and are due further checks.

INTERNATIONAL HUB

Zika was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked to more than 1,600 cases of microcephaly in Brazil.

Singapore, one of the world's largest financial centres and busiest travel hubs, said it expected more cases of the mosquito-borne virus which has wreaked havoc in Latin America, the Caribbean and beyond.

"With the presence of Zika in our region and the volume of travel by Singaporeans as well as tourists, it is inevitable there will be imported cases of Zika into Singapore," the ministry said.

"There is also risk of subsequent local transmission. we expect there may be further cases, as most infected persons may display mild or no symptoms."

The ministry said it was screening the patient's close contacts and carrying out tests on others living or working nearby. Clinics have been told to be on the lookout for more cases.



MISTING, FOGGING

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has carried out "vector control" operations to control the mosquito population and deployed 100 officers in the area, the statement said.

Such operations include "ultra-low volume misting of premises and thermal fogging of outdoor areas to kill adult mosquitoes," increasing frequency of drain flushing and oiling to prevent breeding, and public education outreach and distribution of insect repellent.

"NEA may need to gain entry into inaccessible premises by force after serving of requisite notices, to ensure any breeding habitats are destroyed quickly," the statement said.



EFFECTS

US health officials have concluded that Zika infections in pregnant women can cause microcephaly, a birth defect marked by small head size that can lead to severe developmental problems in babies.

The World Health Organization has said there is strong scientific consensus that Zika can also cause Guillain-Barre, a rare neurological syndrome that causes temporary paralysis in adults.

Zika is carried by mosquitoes, which transmit the virus to humans. A small number of cases of sexual transmission have been reported in the United States and elsewhere. A case of suspected transmission through a blood transfusion in Brazil has raised questions about other ways that Zika may spread.

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There is no vaccine or treatment for Zika, which is a close cousin of dengue and chikungunya and causes mild fever, rash and red eyes. An estimated 80 percent of people infected have no symptoms, however.

ALSO READ:

Acute Zika infection can damage nerves: study

Hong Kong confirms first case of deadly Zika virus



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The project team charged with converting Sydney's Bankstown Line to take driverless metro trains is considering pre-fabricating standardised stations at factories before shifting them to their final locations to "bolt together".

The conversion of the 110-year-old Bankstown Line presents one of the larger challenges for the project builders because of the need to close it for more than six months, forcing tens of thousands of commuters onto buses.

The 13.5-kilometre line from Bankstown to Sydenham also services freight trains, while heritage buildings are located alongside it.

Tim Parker, the project director for the second stage of Sydney's $20 billion-plus metro line, told a transport conference on Friday it was looking at standardising the 11 stations.
Before the fall, she was a healthy mother of two who planned on working as a hairdresser when her children reached school age.

Afterwards, she was unable to work or carry out simple domestic chores.

A woman was awarded $660,000 after falling in a fruit shop. Credit:Eddie Jim

Meng Khim Heang, 36, was walking in a Sydney fruit shop when she slipped and fell heavily on the right side of her body.

As a result, she suffered soft tissue damage to her neck, shoulder, arm and lower back and was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.
Queensland bikies would be banned from wearing club colours anywhere in public under Labor reforms to anti-gang legislation.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk revealed the plan on Sunday, saying it would ensure bikies weren't able to intimidate people.

"This is not just a Queensland first, this is a national first," she said in Brisbane.

The existing Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment (VLAD) Act, introduced by the former Newman government following 2013's now-infamous Broadbeach bikie brawl, made it illegal for colours to be worn in pubs and clubs.
Regional universities in Queensland are outperforming their metropolitan counterparts in graduate salary and employment opportunities, a national university guide has found.

The Good Universities Guide 2017, released Monday morning, gives students the chance to compare undergraduate degrees and institutions.

Graduate employment and salary opportunities are higher for regional university students. the guide found. Credit:Robert Peet

The guide criteria is broken down into quality of educational experience, overall employment rates of graduates and the median salary of graduates from different universities across Australia.

All data from the guide has been sourced from the Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT).based on results from Graduate Careers Australia's biannual survey.
Police have charged a man in relation to a number of alleged armed robberies across the Gold Coast overnight.

The 24-year-old man was found by police driving a vehicle along Nerang-Murwillumbah Road at Springbrook just after 5.30pm on Sunday evening.

The moment police arrest a man allegedly involved in number of armed robberies. Credit:Nine News Brisbane

It is alleged he had carjacked the vehicle from the driver, who was still in the car at the time of arrest.

Just minutes before, police had declared an emergency situation under the Public Safety Preservation Act, encompassing a large geographical area of the Gold Coast hinterland, including Numinbah Valley, Springbrook and forestry down to the New South Wales border.
Police have praised the efforts of staff at Toowong Private Hospital after a patient was stabbed there on Saturday night.

A 28-year-old woman, who was not a patient at the hospital attacked a 38-year-old man by stabbing him a number of times.

It is believed the pair had a prior relationship.

Acting Inspector Tom Armitt described the actions of staff who held the woman until police arrived as brave.
It wasn't that nagging voice in the back of her mind speaking this time. It was a doctor. He was saying that if she wanted any hope of having a baby, she had better get on with it. And soon. Then he told her how much it would cost.



Lisa Mahar and her husband had already depleted their savings on less invasive fertility interventions. Now, at 36, she was faced with a choice. Come up with $11,000 for an initial cycle of IVF or risk staying childless.

The Perth couple could never save that sort of money in time. So they did what a growing number of Australians are doing and cashed in some of Ms Mahar's superannuation.

Lisa Mahar has dipped into her superannuation to pay for IVF treatments. Credit:Tony McDonough

They did it through a company called SuperCare. Respected fertility clinics are now promoting the service, which charges about $900 on a "no win no fee" basis to lobby the Department of Human Services on behalf of clients for early access to their retirement savings.

SuperCare started focusing on the IVF market about 18 months ago and also advertises to help people get into their super for plastic and cosmetic surgery, obesity, orthopaedic, dental and funeral expenses.



With more than $100,000 sitting in her super account, it made sense to Ms Mahar. She picked up the phone.
When Debbie Faifer was studying to be a librarian in the early 1980s, she would travel into Melbourne's city centre and wonder to herself, "Why isn't there a public lending library here?".

People had wanted a city lending library for 40 years or more, says Ms Faifer. "The state library had lent, but they stopped, I think in the late 1950s."

Librarian Debbie Faifer in City Library last week. Credit:Wayne Taylor

So when Melbourne City Council decided to open just such a library on Flinders Lane with the Centre for Adult Education, it was only logical Ms Faifer should apply. She started work in 2004 when City Library opened. It was instantly busy. Few could have foreseen how busy it would become.

Today, City Library is Melbourne's busiest lending library, with 810,000 visitors last year (the State Library, which does not lend, had 1.7 million). "We open and we have 30 people at the door waiting to come in," says Ms Faifer, today the library's bibliographic services team leader.
A fugitive who allegedly committed a violent robbery in broad daylight has photos on social media of large wads of cash.

Police are hunting for Keiarhn Carter and Lachlan Mitchell, both aged 20, who they believe have been swapping cars in a bid to avoid arrest over the incident in Victoria's south-west.

Fugitives Keiarhn Carter and Lachlan Mitchell.

The pair were allegedly involved in an armed robbery at a 23-year-old man's motor home on Koroit Street in Warrnambool on Thursday.

Police said three men, two armed with guns, pushed open the victim's door at 7.30am and demanded cash. They stole the victim's wallet and a cash tin, and fled in a red Holden station wagon. The victim was not injured.
By Tyler Durden on 28 August 2016 for Zero Hedge -

Image above: Germans protest TTIP trade deal. From original article.

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SUBHEAD: They failed because we Europeans did not want to subject ourselves to American demands. Thank God!In the latest blow for Obama's global trade agenda, German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said that free trade talks (Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP) between the European Union and the United States have failed, citing a lack of progress on any of the major sections of the long-running negotiations."In my opinion the negotiations with the United States have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it" ZDF quoted the minister , according to a written transcript of the interview to be aired on Sunday. [They] have failed because we Europeans did not want to subject ourselves to American demands.He added that in 14 rounds of talks, the two sidesout of 27 chapters being discussed. Among the stumbling blocks is a US objection to opening public tenders to European companies. For me, that goes against free trade," Gabriel previously commented regarding the issue.But more than just disagreement on general principles, Gabriel singled out the US as the party making strong demands with no concessions: "We mustn't submit to the American proposals," said Gabriel, who is also the head of Germany's center-left Social Democratic Party.Gabriel accused Washington of being "angry" about the deal that the EU struck with Canada, known as CETA, because it contains elements the U.S. doesn't want to see in the TTIP.Despite strong misgivings among many EU member states over the TTIP, especially by farmers in the European block, both Washington and Brussels had pushed for a deal by the end of the year.As AP reports , Sigmar Gabriel compared the TTIP negotiations unfavorably with a free trade deal forged between the 28-nation EU and Canada, which he said was fairer for both sides.As AP adds, Gabriel's ministry isn't directly involved in the negotiations with Washington because trade agreements are negotiated at the EU level.But such a damning verdict from a leading official in Europe's biggest economy is likely to make further talks between the EU executive and the Obama administration harder. Surprisingly, Gabriel's comments contrast with those of Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said last month that TTIP was "absolutely in Europe's interest."European critics of the TTIP have claimed that the treaty is dangerous as it could place the interest of international corporations above those of the nations they operate in, and undermine European standards for labor and environmental protections. Germany, where support for the TIIP has plunged over the past year, has seen a number of popular protests demanding that the TTIP never be implemented.A recent survey, conducted by YouGov for the Bertelsmann Foundation , showed that only 17 percent of Germans believe the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership is a good thing, down from 55 percent two years ago.Even in the US, support for Obama's trade agenda has tumbled, with only 18% supporting the deal compared to 53 percent in 2014.The European public has been unhappy with TTIP as the contents of the deal remain largely secret. However, recent leaks suggest that it will affect food safety laws, environmental legislation, banking regulations and open the EU for GM crops.Opponents of the deal have been staging protests in a number of European cities. The most recent one took place in Berlin last weekend, with activists calling for a nationwide demonstration on September 17th.With Gabriel saying the TTIP is effectively dead, Germany joins France, whose president Hollande said in early May that the "TTIP is doomed" adding that France "will never accept" challenges to its farming and culture in exchange for better access to U.S. markets."That's why at this stage, France says no," the Socialist leader said at a conference on left-wing politics. French Trade Minister Matthias Fekl then said that negotiations "are totally blocked" and that a halt to talks "is the most probable option.""Europe is giving a lot ... but receiving very little in return," he concluded. Which, incidentally, is precisely how the US wanted it. It remains to be seen if the US will offer concessions to Europe now that the TTIP debate is all but finished, or if the US will demand strict adherence to rules that now clearly benefit mostly US corporations.
A Perth man who ran over and killed a 22-month-old boy in a stolen car and fled has avoided jail.

Karel Christopher Lucien Kivits, 30, pleaded guilty in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday to stealing a car, breaching bail, driving without a licence and failing to report an incident occasioning death.

Karel Christopher Lucien Kivits was handed a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

He was handed a 12-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, fined $1400 and will lose his license for one year.

Kivits was also fined $5000 for six stealing offences.
Based on a book by a Fremantle author, shot in the state's south west and starring Hugo Weaving, the movie Jasper Jones just had its world premiere in Busselton but missed out on a $100,000 cash prize for excellence in film.

Promoted as an Australian coming of age story, Jasper Jones tells the story of Charlie Bucktin, a bookish boy of 14 who strikes up a friendship with the titular character Jasper Jones, a mixed race outcast who discovers the dead body of young woman: an event that will expose the racism and division within their country WA town in the summer of 1965.

WA author Craig Silvey (third from the right) has seen his 2009 novel adapted for both stage and screen. Credit:Busselton-Dunsborough Mail

Set in the fictional town of Corrigin, Jasper Jones was written by author Craig Silvery and a stage adaptation was brought to Perth's Barking Gecko theatre in 2014 with two more productions hitting the stage in Melbourne and Sydney.

Momentum for a film version gathered and Director Rachel Perkins helmed a production supported by ScreenWest shot in the south west town of Pemberton, with Hugo Weaving, best known for his role in The Matrix trilogy, playing the character of a hermit and fellow A-lister Toni Collette cast as Charlie's mother.
Karkamis, Turkey: Turkey's incursion into Syria is deepening tensions between two major US-backed groups, potentially setting up a conflict that could undermine Washington's efforts to eradicate Islamic State's presence in Syria.

The current focal point of those animosities is the strategic Syrian town of Manbij, nestled on the western side of the Euphrates River. The Kurds wrested it from IS earlier this month. On Thursday, under US pressure, Kurdish forces known by the acronym YPG declared that they had pulled out of the predominantly Arab town.

But in interviews on Friday, Syrian Arab and ethnic Turkmen rebels backed by the US and Turkey said the Kurds were still in control of Manbij, and they vowed to liberate it. The Turkish military has bombed targets around the town, located 40 kilometres south of Jarablus, apparently convinced that the Kurds have not followed through on their promise to leave or that they seek to return.

"Our concern has been the fact that the YPG has a proven track record of forcibly displacing non-Kurds," a senior Turkish official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Donald Trump's doctor finally spoke out in an interview that aired Friday night. But his comments aren't likely to end the questions about the strange letter he drafted last year declaring Trump would be the healthiest president in history.

NBC News tracked down Dr Harold Bornstein, who said in the interview that he crafted Trump's doctor letter in only about five minutes - declaring his patient healthier than all 43 American presidents - while a limousine waited impatiently outside for him to finish.

Donald Trump has used the killing of a young mother as a campaign opportunity to push the black vote. Credit:AP

"I thought about it all day and at the end, I get rushed, and I get anxious when I get rushed," Bornstein said. "So I try to get four or five lines down as fast as possible so that they would be happy. Credit:The Washington Post

"I've got five minutes to sit right at this desk and write that letter while the driver waited for me."
Reward:--- On Saturday, August 27th, the K1 Britannia Foundation took part in the St. Dominic High School annual volunteer fair.

The volunteer fair was geared towards third and fourth formers with the aim to increase their service learning awareness through education and action.

The K1 Britannia Foundation was present alongside various other organizations in the community enabling the students to learn about the causes and issues they tackle. Roughly 40 students signed up during the fair and are excited and ready to start giving back to the community.

The K1 Britannia Foundation's volunteer program provides challenging opportunities for teenage students to be active in community service in the areas that are of interest to them. This is a part of training them to be the right kind of leaders of the future with a heart for others and a conviction that they can help to change things.

The foundation is happy to see so many teenagers sign up and look forward to seeing them active and changed through their good works in the community.

Others interested can sign up in a few minutes at the foundation's website at www.k1britanniafoundation.org/volunteer.
Most people pay their bills online, so no need to pay the rent on retail space

The interior of the Southern California Gas company office. In a story as old as the internet: Most people pay their bills online, so there's no need to pay the rent on retail space. So Cal Gas will close it's SM office permanently on 11/01/16. No worries, you can still pay at a couple retail stores in Santa Monica, or online at www.socalgas.com

Southern California Gas Company has announced that they are closing their Santa Monica storefront payment location after 40 years. The location at 1300 6th Street, allowed you to pay your bill "Low tech" way, i.e. with cash. It will close on November 1, 2016.

Those who wish to pay their Gas Co. bills in cash in Santa Monica, may still do say at Patton's Pharmacy, 734 Montana Avenue; at Mike's Liquor Store, 2402 Wilshire Blvd, or at Ocean Park Pharmacy, 2731 Ocean Park Blvd.

These days of course, most people mail in a check or pay their bill online at http://www.socalgas.com, which So Cal Gas company still welcomes you to do.

Natural gas is a fossil fuel used as a source of energy for heating, cooking, and electricity generation. It is also used as fuel for vehicles and as a chemical feedstock in the manufacture of plastics and other commercially important organic chemicals. It is a non-renewable resource.

The Southern California Gas Company (referred to as SoCalGas) is the primary provider of natural gas to the region of Southern California. Its headquarters are located in the Gas Company Tower in Downtown Los Angeles.

Can anyone else remember standing in line with their mom or dad to pay the gas bill?

This gas company's roots trace back to the 1800s when new settlers arrived in Los Angeles in search of a new frontier. In 1867, Los Angeles Gas Company, the forerunner of today's Southern California Gas Company, installed 43 new gas lamps along Main Street, making the city safer at night. The gas lighting business was run by five entrepreneurs who manufactured the gas from asphalt, a tar-like substance, and later from oil.

The company was enjoying modest success until Thomas Edison introduced his electric light in 1879.

With the future of the gas lamp business uncertain, the company began looking for other uses for gas, and Los Angeles soon had its first gas stove and heater. Meanwhile, Pacific Enterprises was looking to expand its gas business. Founded in San Francisco in 1886 as Pacific Lighting, the company bought several small gas manufacturing and distribution companies in the area, including the Los Angeles Gas Company in 1890. These companies ultimately became Southern California Gas Company.

By the early 20th century, natural gas-a colorless, odorless gas found in association with oil underground-was starting to gain attention. The breakthrough came with the discovery of the Buena Vista Oil Field near Taft, California in 1909, which included a huge reservoir of natural gas. Since natural gas had twice the heating value of manufactured gas, the company took the bold step to convert its system to natural gas and build pipelines throughout the state. Natural gas was soon found throughout the country, and demand for the fuel was rapidly growing. To meet customer demand, the company began storing gas in large holding tanks.

In 1941, the company introduced a new system to the Southwest United States: underground storage of natural gas. By 2016, the company had four separate underground storage facilities, all of them depleted oil and gas fields repurposed as gas storage. The four are, in order from largest to smallest, the Aliso Canyon field, north of Porter Ranch; Honor Rancho, near Newhall; the La Goleta Gas Field adjacent to Goleta; and the Playa del Rey storage facility, north of Playa del Rey, near the Los Angeles International Airport.

It is a story as old as the internet: Most people pay their bills online, so there's no need to pay the rent on retail space.
Julian Assange Investigates the Mysterious Murder of DNC DC Staffer Seth C. Rich

Seth C. Rich was fatally shot on July 10, 2016. He was a 27-year-old employee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). His mysterious murder followed the DNC Email hack. The timing is frankly suspicious. Or just coincidental.

Tonight on FoxNews, Megan Kelly talked about the mysterious murder of Seth Rich, 27, a DC Democratic Party Staffer with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. At the time of his death, Rich was Deputy Director of "Data-for-Voter Protection/Expansion" at the DNC, where he had been employed for two years. He developed a computer application to assist voters in locating polling stations.

Assange has mention Rich's name before, in reference to the dangers of working for Wikileaks.

Rich was gunned down in an intersection in Georgetown, DC at 4 am. He had been seen drinking just hours before. 19 minutes before he was shot, Rich spoke to his girlfriend.

Police say they have no motive, but are looking at attempted robbery. Rich's watch and wallet however were not taken.

Sources involved with the Newsweek investigation, say Rich had been ruled out of responsibility for the DNC email leak and hack. Kelly asked Assange, "Was your source Seth Rich who was shot in a robbery last month?" he said:

"The police in DC offered $25,000, and Wikileaks offered $20k for information leading to the arrest of his killer. We're not saying his death necessarily is related to our publications, but if there's any question about a source of Wikileaks being threatened, this organization will go after whoever may have killed our source."

"We've received some information, but we don't think it's enough for an indictment. That type of allegation is very serious, and is taken seriously by us."

Kelly: Are you in favor of Trump in this election?

Assange: No. We would publish information about Trump or Clinton. I like to think that any good organization would've published Hillary's e mails. I don't think MSNBC or the NYTimes would have. The allegation by Clinton, who has positioned herself as the security candidate, has accused everyone of being a Russian agent. The Turmp campaign are not Russian agents. It's really hard for us to release anything worse than anything that comes out of DT's mouth every second day. "

Wikileaks released footage of an apache helicopter of the military killing journalists and children in Baghdad. "The US Government had to release that not a single person was hurt by our disclosure. In court in 2013," Assange proudly added.

Rich left the Lou's City Bar in Columbia Heights at 1:45 am and told the bar manager he would go to a nearby bar.[6] The bar manager stated that Rich was not drunk or even tipsy.

An intersection in Columbia Heights. At the time of his death, Rich was Deputy Director of "Data-for-Voter Protection/Expansion" at the DNC, where he had been employed for two years. He developed a computer application to assist voters in locating polling stations.

Police were alerted to gunfire at 4:20 am by an automated gunfire locator called ShotSpotter.[8][9] Rich was shot[7][10] about a block from his home[11] in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C. in the vicinity of Howard University.[12][8] His father believes that his son engaged his assailants before he was killed.

He was found conscious but later died in the hospital. Although his belongings were not taken, DC police stated that Rich may have been killed in an attempted robbery.[5] According to police, the neighborhood had been 'plagued' by such robberies. The Metropolitan Police Department posted a customary reward of $25,000 for information about the death.

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued a statement mourning the loss and praising Rich's work "to protect the most sacred right we share as Americans - the right to vote." Hillary Clinton spoke of this fatality during a speech advocating limiting the availability of guns.
Claim: A farmer who attempted to rope a deer described the hilariously painful experience. Rating: About this rating Legend

While the view of deer held by urban dwellers posits these creatures as big-eyed cute critters that are all grace and gentleness, those who actually deal with them know these animals to be incredibly strong and at times vicious, a reality far removed from the "Bambi" image cherished by so many. Deer, especially when enraged or terrified, can be quite dangerous to deal with: they're fast, strong, agile, and armed with sharp hooves (and sometimes antlers). Usually only the foolhardy or those unwittingly trapped in enclosed spaces with them attempt to wrestle deer; the rest choose to stay well away, lest they come to harm. Even those faced with the difficult task of rescuing deer from where they've become trapped accord them respect, knowing all too well that a terrified deer attempting to free itself from whatever is holding it in place can quickly cause serious harm to those looking to afford it assistance. (In January 2007, police in Oregon found a novel solution to that problem: they resorted to using a stun gun on a deer whose antlers had become tangled in a rope swing at a rural home because the several hundred pounds beast was thrashing wildly and could not otherwise be safely approached. The zapped buck was subsequently freed and shortly thereafter "took off happy as a clam," said the officers on the scene.)

While we can't yet confirm or dismiss the "roped deer" story (its author remains unknown to us), there isn't much reason to doubt the tale, in that deer can and do act as described when detained. Even the bit about the deer's not immediately leaving the scene once freed but instead continuing to pummel its former captor fits what is known about deer, some of whom have been known to repeatedly ram cars that have hit them.

Our earliest sighting of this tale dates to February 2007, when it circulated as a much longer version that placed the incident in Kansas. Around February 2008, someone thought to shorten the original by clipping off all the wording that followed "I finally managed to crawl under the truck and the deer went away," then adding in its place the piece's current completing line of "So now I know why when people go deer hunting they bring a rifle with a scope so that they can be somewhat equal to the Prey."

The author of the roped deer tale still remains unknown, for reasons he explains very well in the excised paragraphs:
That the North American media is dominated by corporate monopolies serving capitalist interests and squeezing out critical voices is to state the obvious. The state media in Canada  nationally the CBC and provincially organizations like TV-Ontario (TVO)  provide only the slightest respite from pro-business reportage; the CBC has been equally a key ideological support for neoliberalism, particularly in its news coverage of public policy and economics. Media concentration in Canada is now the highest for the major capitalist countries. The same corporations who control TV and radio also own the major newspapers, but they have also bought up the smaller local media scattered across the country as well. The digital media technologies have added a huge number of new outlets and sites, but they have not broken the media monopoly at all. The various social media platforms arguably have even compounded the problem.

The need for a vibrant, radical media democracy movement has never been more imperative in Canada. The main forces here  represented largely by the Council of Canadians, the Canadian Media Guild, Unifor, and the various campaigns for a democratic media  are a beginning. But these forces all remain isolated from rebuilding the socialist movement in Canada  the only realistic foundation for a democratic media.

Resources and Commentary:
Noie: Sophomore J.R. Konieczny believes he's on right basketball path

J.R. Konieczny sat and watched last basketball season more than he can remember, and might have to do the same this season on a veteran Notre Dame team
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Black lava rocks dominate much of the landscape in certain areas of the island of Hawaii. This alien landscape is what makes Hawaii an ideal location for a mock Mars mission.

Aug. 28: Arriving in paradise

The area surrounding Kona International Airport on the island of Hawaii isn't necessarily a tropical paradise. The ground looks like it was recently scorched by fire  there is no soil or dirt, just made of black, crusty rock. Almost no vegetation grows there, except for pale yellow tufts of grass that manage to spring up between the cracks.

While "lush" isn't exactly a word that describes this landscape, it's still beautiful and fascinating. This black crusty rock is, of course, the cooled lava that created this island chain.

I don't know if some travelers are disappointed when they see this burnt landscape, but it is an extremely fitting start for my trip here. I've arrived in Hawaii to see six people emerge from a year-long mission of isolation that is meant to imitate what it might be like for humans to live on another planet, like Mars.

This is the end of the fourth and longest isolation mission to take place in Hawaii as part of a program called HI-SEAS (Hawai'i Space Exploration Analog and Simulation). The habitat where the crew have been living for a year (with limited contact to the outside world) is on the slopes of Mauna Loa, one of the active volcanos on the island, and the barren landscape has a distinctly Martian vibe.

The crew can't go outside, except during science excusions, when they have to wear space suits. They have access to email and can talk to the Mission Specialists "back on Earth," but only with a 20-minute delay. These people have been just a few miles from paradise, but for the last year they might as well have been on Mars.

Later today (Aug. 28) the crew will exit the habitat, eat some fresh food for the first time in twelve months, and then talk with members of press about their experience. Seeing and hearing how those people coped with that exhausting psychological exercise will illustrate just how harsh this landscape can be.

The solar panel array that services the HI-SEAS isolation habitat. (Image credit: Calla Cofield/Space.com)

Aug. 28: A trip to Mars

I'm riding up to the HI-SEAS isolation habitat on Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano, in a van with about eight other journalists. The habitat is about an hour's drive from our carefully landscaped hotel on the beach, and as we drive away from the manicured lawns, the vegetation becomes extremely patchy. As we climb higher up the mountain, the trees and grass become sparse, and at some point, all signs of life fade away. All that's visible are jagged lava rocks. A cloud descends on us, and the fog reduces visibility to perhaps 100 feet (30 meters). The murky alien landscape can only be described as "spooky."

A cloud reduces visibility on Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii. Vegatation is sparse on the mountain slopes. (Image credit: Calla Cofield/Space.com)

We reach a parking lot about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from the habitat and realize the vans can't go any farther. The road is unpaved here, and steep. So we hop into a pickup truck driven by one of the HI-SEAS volunteers  four of us in the cab, and four in the truck bed. The air is no longer humid and tropical, but dry and desert-like. The temperature has dropped 20 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius).

The unpaved road leading up to the HI-SEAS isolation habitat. (Image credit: Calla Cofield/Space.com)

Our driver, Arthur, is one of about 40 volunteers who make up HI-SEAS Mission Support. At least one member of this team is online at all times (each takes a 4-hour shift), so someone is always available to help the crew or answer any questions. However, there's a 20-minute communication delay (to simulate the time it would take to send a message from Earth to Mars), so it takes at least 40 minutes to answer a yes-or-no question. On this day, though, Arthur is driving journalists up the mountain.

When we finally reach the dome, it's smaller than I expected, although the crewmembers will later tell us that they were surprised at how spacious it was inside. I talked with one of the designers of the habitat; he stressed that they put a lot of thought into the layout  after all, six people were going to live there for a year.

Behind the dome, and to the right side, the rocky, Mars-like landscape appears to go on forever. The rocks look treacherous  they're extremely sharp and uneven. There are lava tubes all over  they literally look like pipes formed in the rocks. But these lava rocks are also very brittle, and the lava tubes can break under your feet suddenly.

Looking down the mountain and to the left, it's possible to see some greenery, the ocean and, at night, the lights from a nearby military base. Someone living here would have that beacon reminding them that they're still on Earth.

Looking down the mountain from the HI-SEAS isolation habitat. (Image credit: Calla Cofield/Space.com)

The crew emerged at about 9 a.m. (see our full story here), greeted by family members, Mission Support and the mission scientists. They all seem extremely nonchalant.

"We're all incredibly well adapted people," Sheyna E. Gifford, the chief medical and safety officer for the mission, tells me. "When you say, 'The best of humanity goes to space,' we mean that in the physical and mental sense, but also in the psychological sense. We're just terribly well adapted. I have literally been air dropped into other countries, and I just kind of walk it off  We're very sort of relaxed people, and we can deal with just about anything, including jumping 100 million miles in a matter of seconds."

Editor's note: Calla Cofield is visiting Hawaii and the HI-SEAS mock Mars habitate on a trip paid for by the National Geographic Channel's "Mars" miniseries.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield.Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Brittanee Drexel, a missing 17-year-old student from New York, may have been raped, shot to death, and thrown into an alligator pit by a father and son duo.

However, there is no evidence of what truly happened to the young girl; it is a very bizarre case of he said, she said. During spring break 2009, Drexel, of Rochester, vanished while visiting Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.

The teenager took the trip against her parents wishes because she wanted to vacation in Grand Strand. Since her disappearance seven years ago, her parents and local authorities never stopped searching for her. The police received random tips and what they call tidbits and secondhand information that all say the teen was abducted and murdered.

However, they never found her body or any evidence that proved her death. Moreover, no suspects had been named in the case. Earlier this year, for the first time, South Carolina authorities and the FBI announced that their investigation had determined that Drexel was indeed murdered.

A court document revealed FBI agent Gerrick Munozs detailed account describing what happened to the teenager. Munoz told the court that an inmate by the name of Taquan Brown told investigators he went to a stash house in the McClellanville area around the same time Drexel went missing.

Brown told Munoz he saw then 16-year-old Timothy DaShaun Taylor sexually abusing Drexel along with several other men. Brown was recently sentenced to 25 years on a manslaughter charge. Asked what happened to the girl after she was gang-raped, the FBI agent said the inmate told him:

He spotted others also in the room with the girl and DaShaun Taylor, and he kept walking through the house to the backyard to give some money to DaShaun Taylors father, Shaun Taylor. As the two talked, Drexel ran from the house. She was pistol-whipped and taken back inside. Two shots rang out and the inmate assumed Shaun Taylor shot the girl. Then the girls body was wrapped up and taken away.

According to the jailhouse confession, Shaun Taylor put Drexels body in a gator pit so it would be eaten. Several other witnesses whose identities have not been revealed confirmed to investigators that Drexels body was dropped into a gator pit. Munoz said they have searched most of the 40 alligator ponds in the area, in vain. Munoz testified:

That another inmate corroborated Browns account, and told investigators that Taylor had picked Drexel up in Myrtle Beach and took her to McClellanville where she ended up in a sex trafficking situation.

The content of the FBI agents testimony was made public during a bond hearing for DaShaun Taylor. Taylors attorney, David Aylor, characterized the transcript as clearly nothing but a squeeze-job designed to pressure him into confessing and helping the government.

The judge ordered Taylor be released on a $10,000 bail, which his family posted later in the day. At the press conference in McClellanville, South Carolina, Brittanees mother, Dawn Drexel, said:

Brittanees life was stolen from her in a brutal and senseless fashion.

Her father, Chad Drexel, explained:

We need everyones help to bring something from her home to us. We need your help.

Dawn Drexel added:

We need your help so we can find Brittanees remains and bring her home to lay her to rest and make sure that monsters like this can no longer victimize this community or kill anyone elses child.

Taylors mom, Joan Taylor, slammed the confession and the FBI agent, who obtained it. She claimed that the government is out to get her son whom she described as a good kid. She also defended her husband by saying he is a hardworking man, who would never commit such a horrendous crime. She said:

The government is unjustly trying to pin something else on him based on a bogus jailhouse confession. I wanted to just scream and yell. The inmates story and the fact that the government is running with is craziness. The crimes my husband and my son have been implicated in are not in our nature.

The community is outraged by the gruesome suspicions and revelations.
Israelis in Germany spearhead anti-BDS movement

on Thursday

The groups goals are to counter one-sided and wrong information about Israel in the German media, as well as to combat BDS, Gaby Spronz, an Israeli engineer working in Germany and one of the founders of Action Forum, told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday The group has 1,500 members, most of whom are in Germany, Spronz said.



Action Forum (Aktionsforum Israel) jump-started its activity with 20 activists distributing flyers against BDS at Alexander Square in front of the Galeria Kaufhof department store on Thursday.



BDS is against Israels right to exist and for a Jew-free Palestine from Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea, the Action Forum flyer read.



They are anti-Semites who are calling for a ban of Jewish products, activist Jan Zimmermann told the Post at the demonstration.



Zimmermann was referencing a group of roughly 20 BDS supporters who circulated flyers in front of Galeria Kaufhof calling for people to boycott the Israeli carbonated drink maker SodaStream.

Like the World Conference Against Racism in 2001, aka Durban I, from which BDS originated, rather than fulfilling its stated goal of fighting racism, the movement itself is peddling lies and racist ideology masked as the good fight. Though supporters have been led to believe that they are advocating for the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians living side-by-side, thats not what BDS leaders appear to have in mind. By including the Right of Return  an often-invoked misnomer, as the language in UN General Assembly Resolution 194, established in 1948, states that Arab refugees should be allowed to return to their homes, not must  as one of their objectives, theyve made it clear that they envision Palestinians living by themselves. Just listen to BDS founder Omar Barghouti:



If the refugees were to return, you would not have a two-state solution. You would have a Palestine next to a Palestine, he once said. He also wrote, A return for refugees would end Israels existence as a Jewish state.

The obvious conclusion: BDS is not about human rights, and Barghouti has acknowledged as much by saying the movement would continue even if the occupation were to end. BDS is rather a shrewd public relations strategy designed to draw intelligent, honorable individuals into the movements racially motivated struggle to forcibly dissolve the Jewish state.

The Action Forum equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. BDS is widely considered to be anti-Semitic in Germany among experts on modern anti-Semitism. The prominent German political scientist Samuel Salzborn said BDS is an influential anti-Semitic campaign against Israel.



The student council at Leipzig University approved an anti-BDS resolution in early August. The resolution states: BDS connects seamlessly to the anti-Semitic boycott campaigns of decades past and explicitly to the National Socialism and to the Nazi slogan Dont buy from Jews. The student council document noted: In light of the Hamas, Hezbollah and Iranian regimes open and relentlessly expressed threats to destroy not only Israel, but Jews worldwide, the BDS campaign presents an existential threat to the Jews.

I'm about three quarters of the way through Tuvia Tenenboim's Catch the Jew , in which, among other things, he uncovers anti-Israel activity by Europeans - especially by Germans - in Israel. Because of what I have read about the Germans, I was especially pleased to read this article by Benny Weinthal about an anti-BDS group operating in Germany.Israelis along with Germans launched the Action Forum group, which included a protest against BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) activists targeting Jewish state products in front of a Berlin department storeSodaStream has moved its plant from Mishor Adumim to the Negev, costing over 500 'Palestinians' their jobs . But that's not enough for the BDS movement. If any of you think the Action Forum is exaggerating the threat, please consider this from an editorial in the New Jersey Jewish News (New Jersey outlawed BDS last week).Meanwhile, ordinary Germans are wising up to what's really behind BDS. This is from Weinthal's article:Having experienced anti-Semitism, ordinary Germans are probably better able to identify it than anyone else. Too bad their government buries its head in the sand.

Labels: BDS, Benjamin Weinthal, German anti-Semitism, Germany, New Jersey
Shaheed El Hafed, August 27, 2016 (SPS) The National Secretariat of the Polisario Front called on the United Nations to take the necessary measures for the immediate cessation of the work carried out by the Moroccan occupying state in the buffer zone of Elgagarat in Western Sahara and the withdrawal without delay of civil and military elements on site.

Meeting Saturday in an extraordinary session chaired by President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Polisario Front, dedicated to the study of the serious situation caused by the Moroccan violation of the agreement of cease-fire in the buffer zone of Elgargarat, south of the Saharawi Republic, the National Secretariat of the Polisario Front warned of the repercussions of this aggressive approach of the Moroccan State and its devastating consequences for peace, security and stability in the region.







The National Secretariat exhorted the UN Security Council to "urgently intervene" to put an end to this situation and assume its responsibilities in the face of Moroccan violations of the ceasefire in force since 1991, signed by both parties to the conflict, the Polisario Front and Morocco under the auspices of the United Nations, pending the completion of the decolonization process in Western Sahara through a referendum on self-determination for the Sahrawi people.







"The actions taken by the Moroccan State reflect deliberate and dangerous intention to impose colonial fait accompli, the expansion of the occupation, the provocation of the region and creation of more tension, which is part of the Rabat rebellion against international legitimacy, the United Nations, its Secretary-General, his Personal Envoy and special representative and MINURSO ", until the competence of the Security Council", estimated the National Secretariat.







Moreover, the National Secretariat reaffirmed that the Saharawi people and its sole legitimate representative, Frente Polisario, cannot "what so ever " accept "such aggressive practices", calling the Saharawi people to be more vigilant to thwart the plots of the Moroccan enemy. (SPS)

062/090/TRA
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STAMFORD  Developer Building and Land Technology has gotten its way, and it appears that, despite a 300-year history, there will never again be a boatyard on the peninsula that juts into Stamford Harbor.

Up in Brownfield, Maine, Bob Wallstrom is absolutely, grossly, disappointed.

I just hate it when people evade their responsibilities, especially to get rich, Wallstrom said of BLT, which in 2011 ripped out Stamfords last boatyard, the largest and one of the few remaining in the region, in defiance of a city zoning regulation and a state coastal protection act.

BLT earlier this month reached an agreement with the Zoning Board, ending a five-year battle for the right to develop the peninsula.

BLT has not revealed its plan for the land, but it will likely be something much more lucrative than a boatyard  high-end office space, perhaps, or luxury residential high-rises with views of Long Island Sound.

It bothers Wallstrom because he once worked at Luders, the marine construction company that operated from the peninsula for generations and put Stamford on the maritime map.

Known for the quality of its work, Luders built racing yachts, commercial vessels, and military craft of wood and steel that helped the country fight both world wars and Korea. By most reports, it was the largest shipbuilder in the state.

Wallstrom respected the operation so much that he has become a Luders historian, compiling construction records, photographs and other research.

It was a good yard, said Wallstrom, who worked in the drafting room. It was a great asset to Stamford.

Hidden history

Much of Luders story is lost, said Ron Marcus, resident historian with the Stamford Historical Society.

Boatyards, by their nature, had a lot of fires  they contained lots of wood and varnishes, and people worked with heated tools, Marcus said. Luders lost a lot of their records in fires. Bob is preserving the history of probably the largest marine construction company in Stamford history. There were many small boatyards and marine industries, but nothing compared to Luders.

It was a yard very much able to handle just about anything, Wallstrom said. They could repair engines on large vessels, haul small ships, fashion masts and booms out of aluminum tubes, do big-engine work. Sailmakers who worked for them even made mattresses and upholstery to finish off a yacht.

During wartime, some 1,500 people worked at Luders, Wallstrom said. The company built about 270 vessels for the Navy, Army and Coast Guard, he said.

When World War II broke out, workers made a large sign for one of the boat construction buildings. It said, Remember Pearl Harbor, Wallstrom said. That should have been preserved for antiquity.

At the start of the Korean War, the U.S. military had no vessels to sweep the ocean for mines, Wallstrom said. They were so badly needed that the military borrowed some from the Japanese.

Shipyards on the East and West coasts started building them, including Luders, he said. They used these massive timbers to build the minesweepers, which were well put together and lasted a good number of years.

Minesweepers had to be made of wood, Marcus said.

The mines would float, partially submerged, and they were magnetic, Marcus said. If an iron-hulled ship came near  kaboom.

Peninsula with a past

So, from the point in the harbor, Stamford did its part for several war efforts. But the area had been a boating hub since the 1600s, when farmers and tradesmen loaded goods to ship to New York City for sale. In the 1700s, Patriot whaleboats launched from there to protect the Sound from the British. In the 1800s, Stamford became an important port, spurring industry along the harbor.

Luders arrived in 1908.

When I was doing my research, I heard from people who worked there and they would say, My father worked there, too, and my grandfather worked there,  Wallstrom said.

Luders closed in 1968. Yacht Haven and Brewers operated a boatyard there until BLT ripped it down in 2011.

Zoning officials obtained a court order prohibiting BLT from developing the peninsula until it presented a viable boatyard replacement plan. That took five years, and much contention.

BLT came up with a convoluted proposal  a boatyard smaller than the original on Southfield Avenue, with boat storage on Magee Avenue and boat slips around the peninsula.

The Harbor Management Commission and Planning Board rejected the plan. So did the Zoning Board. The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection refused to weigh in, and Mayor David Martin struck a deal with BLT CEO Carl Kuehner that the city will have the right to take over the land if boatyard services fail to meet requirements, but only for 15 years.

The Zoning Board ended up approving it after fighting for improvements and amenities, which will include public access to the peninsula. SoundKeeper, a nonprofit organization that works to protect Long Island Sound, has appealed the boards decision, saying BLT should build another boatyard there.

But it appears BLT largely will do what it wants with the peninsula.

I wish they had been able to kick those guys out of the picture, Wallstrom said of BLT. It was scandalous that they tore down the Luders office building. It would have made a perfect maritime museum for Stamford.

angela.carella@scni.com; 203-964-2296; stamfordadvocate.com/angela

carella
NY Times worries Israel will make peace with Saudi Arabia and leave the 'Palestinians' in the cold

The Israelis and the Saudis have reasons to work together. They share antipathy toward Iran, the leading Shiite-majority country. Both are worried about regional instability. Both are upset with the United States over the Iranian nuclear deal and other policies, including those dealing with Syria. For some time, Israeli and Saudi officials have been cooperating covertly on security and intelligence matters.

...

Its hard to tell sometimes whether and through whom the Saudi royal family is speaking, and some analysts do not view General Eshki as a serious interlocutor. But his visit to Jerusalem , which included a meeting with members of Parliament, suggested a new Saudi openness to testing how the public in both countries would react to overt contacts.

Significantly, Saudi Arabia has also begun a media campaign in the kingdom, apparently to prepare its citizens for better relations with Israel.

In recent years, Israelis and Saudis have encountered each other often at academic and policy forums. In addition, Israel has established separate official channels of communication with Saudi Arabia, as well as with the United Arab Emirates, and these channels are considered real and significant, according to Daniel Levy, president of the U.S./Middle East Project.

Egypt has also been pursuing warmer ties with Israel. A week before the Saudi delegation arrived, Sameh Shoukry became the first foreign minister of Egypt to visit Israel in nine years . Although the two countries signed a peace treaty in 1979, the relationship never fulfilled its promise. However, ties have improved since Abdel Fattah el-Sisi became Egypts president in 2014, enabling greater security cooperation against Hamas in Gaza and the militants battling Egyptian troops in the Sinai.

Where does this leave the Palestinians? Both the Saudi and Egyptian visits were ostensibly aimed at promoting peace between Israel and the Palestinians, who have relied on the Sunni Arab states to advance their interests. General Eshki, for instance, talked of reviving the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which promised Israel normalized relations with the Arab League countries as part of a deal to end the Palestinian conflict.

Unfortunately, neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians show interest in serious peace talks. And there are reasons to doubt that the Palestinians are the Arab countries real focus. Mr. Netanyahu, in fact, has made clear his preference for improving relations with the Arab states first, saying Israel would then be in a stronger position to make peace with the Palestinians later on.

Of course, improved relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors do not preclude a Palestinian peace deal. The danger is that these countries will find more value in mending ties with each other and stop there, thus allowing Palestinian grievances, a source of regional tension for decades, to continue to fester.

In an interview given by Zuhair Mohsen to the Dutch newspaper Trouw in March 1977, Mr. Mohsen explains the origin of the 'Palestinians':

The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism. For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.

In an editorial in Sunday's editions, the New York Times worries that Israel will make peace with Saudi Arabia (and Egypt, with which we made peace nearly 40 years ago) and leave the 'Palestinians' out in the cold It's long past time to acknowledge reality: There aren't going to be two states - a Jewish state of Israel and an Arab state of 'Palestine' living side-by-side in peace - unless the Arab state is the one known today as Jordan. The 'Palestinian grievances' can never be satisfied, and even the Arab states recognize today that they have more important things to do with Israel than try to dismember it by creating a 'right of return' for 'Palestinian refugees' who are non-citizens in weaker Arab countries like Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. There will be no 'right of return.'The 'Palestinians' who live within Israel (including Judea and Samaria) will either learn to accept reality and economic and political conditions in the State of Israel that are far better than those anywhere in the Arab world outside of the royal families of the Gulf, or they will leave for Western countries that are willing to have them (Frau Merkel?). And Israel will eventually have relations with Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, and maybe even Qatar (which today is Hamas' biggest supporter) because economic realities dictate that those relationships will happen.And the New York Times will go off crying into the sunset. Speedily and in our times.

Labels: our friends the Saudis, Palestinian state, Saudi Arabia, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, two-state solution, United Arab Emirates
A London teenager has been charged with murder after a man was killed in a knife attack outside a a newsagent in Birmingham.

Samuel Simret, 26, was stabbed to death outside RK Wines in Newtown on Tuesday.

Now 19-year-old Alexander Habte from Highgate has been accused of murder and detained by West Midlands Police.

Police investigating the attack said the victim was a local man and confirmed he had died from a single stab wound.

Habte, of Conybere Street in north London is due to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Detective Paul Joyce, said: Clearly the decision to charge a man over the murder is a significant development  however we are still trying to piece together the circumstances that led up to the incident.

"I would urge anyone with information who has yet to contact police, or any witnesses, to call my team on the 101 number."
M ore than 1,000 rapes and sexual assaults have taken place at schools and nurseries across London in the past four years, it can be revealed.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show 83 rapes alleged to have taken place in schools or nurseries in London were reported to police.

This was coupled with 921 other sexual assaults that were also reported as taking place in schools and nurseries  meaning 1,004 sex attacks in total were recorded by police.

Of the rape allegations, more than 15 per cent were reported in the borough of Croydon, where 13 rapes were recorded.

There were also eight rapes reported in Haringey and a further seven in Lewisham over the period spanning four school years.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman stressed that although the crimes had taken place in schools, the victims were not neccessarily pupils.

They could also be parents, teachers, caretakers, or even trespassers, police said.

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The spokesman added that some crimes that happened just outside a school building, or within the vicinity of a school, could also be included in the data.

Police said they were unable to break the information down by school year, or provide any information on the age or gender of the victims, as this may lead to victims being identified.

As well as the 83 rapes, police received reports of more than 900 other sexual assaults at London schools and nurseries.

Of these, the highest number was Lewisham, where 50 assaults took place, followed by Greenwich, which saw 46 reports, and Newham and Lambeth where there were 45 apiece.

In response to the figures, an NSPCC spokesman said: Schools should be safe places where pupils can fulfil their potential, so its disturbing that so many children have been victims of sexual crimes.

These figures should be a wake up call to all schools to review their safeguarding procedures and ensure all pupils feel able to speak out and seek help whenever they need it.

And all children need to be educated about what sexual abuse is and how to get help immediately if they or someone they know has suffered an attack at school.

A Department for Education spokesman said that sexual offences take into account a large range of incidents, including things like sexting.

He added: Incidents of crime in schools are very rare. Any offence, however, must be reported to the police. No young person should feel unsafe or suffer harassment in any circumstance.

We regularly issue safeguarding guidance to schools and Ofsted checks that schools have robust procedures in place to ensure the safety of children as part of its inspections."
T he final BHS store in the UK has closed after the Wood Green shop shut its doors today.

The branch closed for the final time at 2pm, after trading on the north London high street for more than 40 years.

The store closed three hours earlier than planned after running out of stock on its final trading day.

The 88-year-old department store chain, which was founded in Brixton, failed 13 months after Sir Philip Green sold the business for 1 to a firm led by serial bankrupt Dominic Chappell.

Many of the chains 163 shops have already closed since BHS entered administration in April, with the shutters coming down on its flagship Oxford Street store earlier this month.

Shut down: the last BHS stores in the country have closed / John Stillwell/PA Wire

The business collapsed with a 571 million pension deficit and left some 11,000 jobs at risk, and leaving its high-profile former owners potentially facing a criminal investigation.

Many of the Wood Green store's regular customers flocked to the shop today in the hope of picking up a bargain.

Joan McLeish told the Guardian she had been shopping at the Wood Green there for more than 30 years.

Its a shame it is closing. Its a loss to us, the community she said.

News of the store's failure sparked a lengthy parliamentary inquiry, with retail billionaire Sir Philip Green branded the "the unacceptable face of capitalism" by furious MPs.

Sir Philip has been criticised for selling the company to a man with no retail experience, and for taking more than 400 million in dividends from the chain, leaving the business with a 571 million pension deficit.
A man who fled war-torn Iraq after losing an arm and a foot in a missile attack has been named as a finalist in a national award for brave Britons.

Ahmed Hamza, 27, who now lives in Kingston, was one of just four people to be named in the 'Against All Odds' category of the Charles Holland Awards for Brave Britons.

Mr Hamza was just 12 when he was left fighting for his life after losing an arm and a foot when his house was hit by a missile during the bombings in Iraq in 2003.

Shortly after he was injured, Mr Hamza met Ali Abbas from Baghdad, a fellow amputee who lost both arms and 16 family members during the bombing.

During their recovery the pair became close, with Mr Hamza taking on the role of Mr Abbas' carer.

Mr Hamza selflessly took on the role of caring for his friend, who he described as "more than a brother."

The men have just one arm between them, with Mr Hamza helping his friend to eat, wash, and use the toilet.

After treatment in Kuwait, the pair were airlifted from Iraq and brought to London, and both are now British citizens who embrace London life.

The two men live in Kingston, and Mr Hamza is now married to wife Alaa and has a two-year-old daughter, with another daughter on the way.

He is also in the process of setting up a charity called Limbless Children International with his friend, in order to give something back because of the help he has received.

Hearing specialist Amplifon launched their search to find The Best Of British in memory of its founder and Second World War hero Charles Holland who was honoured for his bravery by Britain and America.

The company says the awards were designed to "celebrate truly remarkable people who are an example to the nation", and recognise both members of the public and serving and ex-military personnel who have shown who have demonstrated "remarkable acts of courage, bravery and incredible selflessness."

The Against All Odds Award goes to a member of the public who has overcome adversity to take on an exceptional challenge.

Falklands veteran Simon Weston led the judging panel and said: I was honoured to be asked by Amplifon to be one of the judges for the Charles Holland Awards for Brave Britons because all the finalists had truly remarkable stories. It was a very tough decision.

"When I read Ahmeds story it was truly touching. Hes shown a great deal of courage and selflessness.

Its wonderful to see the unsung heroes in our midst  the truly remarkable people who are an inspiration to us all  finally given the recognition they deserve.

However, Mr Hamza was pipped to the post for the award by a former solider from South Wales who lost the use of his legs through a neurological disease.

Jamie McAnsh, 35, was named the winner at a ceremony at the Churchill War Rooms earlier this week.
T he London Taxi Benevolent Association for War Disabled charity has been crowned the UK's best voluntary organisation, following a public vote.

The charity is made up of volunteer taxi drivers and has been running trips for veterans since 1948, including an annual seaside visit to Worthing.

Last year, the charity used National Lottery to fund a five-day trip to the Netherlands.

More than 90 London taxi drivers and volunteers took 120 Second World War veterans and their carers to Arnhem, where they received heroes welcomes on the 70th anniversary of the Liberation.

The charity received took the title in this years National Lottery Awards  the annual search for the UKs favourite Lottery-funded projects.

The project has been awarded a 3,000 cash prize, an iconic National Lottery Awards trophy, and representatives will attend a star-studded Awards ceremony, broadcast on BBC One in September.

Fred Glover, a 90-year-old Second World War veteran who recently undertook two parachute jumps to raise money for the Taxi Charity, said: "I'm over the moon that this magnificent charity has won a National Lottery award.

"The cab drivers and committee members are all volunteers. They look after us so well on our trips and outings. I'm proud to be associated with them."

Strictly Star and broadcaster Katie Derham presented the veterans and taxi drivers with their National Lottery Award at a tea dance at the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

She said: I have been bowled over by the special bond between the London taxi drivers and the veterans.

"It is great that projects like this receive funding, thanks to National Lottery players who raise 36 million every week for good causes across the UK.

Dick Goodwin, event organiser for the Taxi Charity, added: "We are absolutely delighted to have won a National Lottery Award.

"We'd like to say a sincere thank you to everyone that got behind us - veterans, cab drivers, family, friends and the British public - this award sends a great message to our veterans that people genuinely care about them and what they went through."
P olice hope to have a section of the M20 open again by lunchtime after a footbridge came crashing down on top of vehicles on the busy motorway.

A motorcyclist, aged in his 50s, was rushed to hospital after the bridge collapsed on the motorway in Kent after it was hit by a lorry on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year.

Emergency services raced to the scene between junctions three and four after the structure collapsed shortly after noon on Saturday. The lorry driver was also treated for shock.

The 170 tonne bridge came down when a digger being transported on the back of a lorry crashed into it, Kent Police and Highways England said.

Aftermath: The crash scene on the M20 / PA

A major incident was declared on the main route to the Channel Tunnel and the Port of Dover, with images on social media showing remains of the footbridge and damaged vehicles on the carriageway.

Alex Magaisa was driving past the lorry involved just as the bridge collapsed, with his wife and two young sons in the car. They were on their way to Gatwick Airport to catch a flight to Belfast to see family for the bank holiday weekend.

The University of Kent lecturer, 41, said: "My instinct was just to drive through. My wife saw the bridge falling and there was a big noise. I had to manoeuvre through the debris.

"We stopped afterwards for about 30 minutes, and there was another car with a family behind us. Luckily no-one seemed to have been hurt.

"It was a big shock. It's only just starting to sink in now what might have happened. We were right in the line of fire and we could have been crushed."

Highways England said that the part of the M20 between junctions two and four will remain closed until at least noon on Sunday, with crews working through the night to clean up the scene.

The adjoining M26, which was closed eastbound between the M25 junction 25 and the M20 J3 to "assist management of traffic" following the incident, is also likely to stay closed until the area is completely cleared.

Andy Sunnucks, 24, who also saw the incident, said: "We were about 15 cars back on the same carriageway as the collision.

The bridge collapsed onto cars between junctions 3 and 4 / Twitter / @Tweet1MoreTime

"It looked like a lorry had jackknifed, and I could see half the bridge was missing. We went to have a look and the back end of the lorry was in pieces."

The graphic designer, a passenger travelling from Maidstone to Sevenoaks, said: "The motorcyclist was laying down underneath his bike."

An estimated 13 million drivers are expected to take to the road for a holiday or an outing between Friday and Monday, according to the AA.

Saturday was expected to be the busiest single day for motorists embarking on leisure journeys, with 10 million drivers predicted to be getting behind the wheel.
D etectives believe churchgoers could hold vital clues to the whereabouts of a vulnerable teenager who is believed to be in London, it was revealed today.

Moses John and his mother Pauline Watson disappeared from their home in Northamptonshire in the summer of 2015 and are thought to be in the capital.

In May, a judge based in the Family Division of the High Court in London made a public appeal for help.

Mr Justice Keehan said Moses was 14, had special educational needs and had been at the centre of the family court litigation.

The judge said he was gravely concerned and said it was imperative that Moses was found.

Mother of Moses John Pauline Watson / Northamptonshire County Council/PA Wire

Police now say it is likely that Ms Watson, who is in her 40s, has attended a church - and they want church ministers or members of congregations to come forward if they have information.

Officers say Moses is black and about 5ft 9in tall. His mother is also black and around 5ft 7in.

They say Ms Watson is from Jamaica and is thought to have links to areas of London including Croydon, Islington, Merton, Sutton, Southwark and Lambeth.

"It is likely that Moses' mother has attended church services," said Detective Sergeant Nickie Deeks, who works for Northamptonshire Police.

"It may even be that she has asked a clergyman for help or advice."

Detective Sergeant Deeks added: "We would urge all clergymen, church ministers and churchgoers - particularly in the London area - to think very carefully about whether they might have seen or had contact with Moses or his mother.

"They may have been faces in a congregation, they may have been at church events, they may have needed help.

"We would urge anyone who thinks that they might have any information to please get in touch. It is vitally important that Moses is found."

Mr Justice Keehan had said in May that Moses was vulnerable and that he was gravely concerned for his welfare.

Social workers say they have concerns about the way Moses' mother has behaved towards the youngster.

They say she is thought to have mental health difficulties and has spoken of how she "hates" Moses and considers him a disappointment.



Additional reporting by Press Association.
F our men have been stabbed on the first day of Notting Hill Carnival, with one victim left fighting for his life in hospital.

The man was knifed in Wornington Road just before 4.30pm today, police said.

He was rushed to hospital, where his condition is described as critical.

A Scotland Yard spokesman said a man had been arrested on suspicion of GBH in relation to the incident.

Just minutes later a second stabbing took place on Portobello Road, at the junction with Munro Mews.

Police said the victim was taken to hospital, and officers were awaiting an update as to the extent of his injuries.

The violence continued with a double stabbing in Ladbroke Grove, at its junction with Treverton Street, which happened just after 5pm.

Notting Hill Carnival 2016

Police said two men were taken to hospital suffering from stab wounds, and officers were awaiting an update on their condition.

By 7pm today, on what is known as the carnival's "Children's Day", police had arrested 71 people, and seized 20 knives.

Police said some suspects had been detained for more than one offence, with 50 drug arrests having been made, and 20 people detained for carrying knives.

Notting Hill Carnival 2016 - In pictures 1 /24 Notting Hill Carnival 2016 - In pictures Street festival: Thousands of people headed to Notting Hill for the second day of the carnival Getty Snap: Performers in identical blue outfits pose for the cameras Getty Big turnout: Hundreds lined the streets for the procession Getty Caribbean culture: A woman dances her way down the street in the final day of the carnival Getty Festival of colour: A performer dances in front of the crowds during the Grande Finale on Monday PA Drummers filled the streets as Monday's event got into full swing PA Police presence is high following complaints about security last year PA Revellers take part in the Children's Day parade after a paint fight party EPA Revellers take part in the Children's Day parade EPA/WILL OLIVER Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Revellers take part in the Children's Day parade after a paint fight party EPA/WILL OLIVER Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Revellers enjoy the Notting Hill Carnival after joining a paint fight party in the early morning Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Performers dressed in flamboyant costumes for the Children's Day parade EPA/WILL OLIVER Dancers perform during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Police Officers during the Children's Day parade Isabel Infantes/PA Wire Revellers enjoy a paint fight party Isabel Infantes/PA Wire

Three people had also been arrested during the celebrations for public order offences, one person for going equipped for theft, and two people had been detained on suspicion of sexual offences.

Police had also made two arrests for GBH, four for ABH, and eight for other unspecified offences.

London Ambulance said staff on duty had treated 345 patients by 8.45pm, including the four stab victims, with 43 patients taken to hospital.

The service tweeted a picture of paramedics setting up extra beds along the street as its treatment centre got busier into the evening.

Thousands of other partygoers avoided the violence, and flocked to enjoy the carnival in a surge of colour and music.

More than a million visitors were expected to attend the celebrations today, the day dedicated to children and families.

Children in fancy dress and face paint claimed the best view of the parade by sitting on parents' shoulders, and some even joined the dancers following the parade floats.

Annuar Aziz, a businessman from Malaysia, stumbled upon the event by accident with his wife and four young children while on holiday.

He said: "It's excellent. We are loving the free spirit of everyone and we have all been dancing.

"We didn't even know it was happening," Mr Aziz, 41 explained.

"We just arrived to London after visiting the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh.

"We heard the music from where we are staying in Bayswater and just followed the sound."

At least 60 bands will perform and 38 sound systems will be in place over the two-day event, which continues over the bank holiday.

It will end with its Grand Finale day on Monday.

There is a heavy police presence in place as the Met has introduced advanced security measures, including a facial recognition system.

The "super-recognisers" will be inside a CCTV control room seeking out both offenders committing crimes and anyone with bail conditions which ought to stop them from attending the event.

It is one of a number of measures the Met will be taking to ensure visitors from all over the country can stay safe and enjoy themselves during the carnival, which is marking its 50th anniversary year.

The Carnival, celebrating Caribbean culture in London, was first held in the 1960s and now attracts visitors from all over the world.
P olice searching for a missing elderly man have recovered a body from the River Thames today.

Officers searching for Oswald Henderson Mapp, 76, who was reported missing on Friday said the body of a man was pulled from the water this morning.

Emergency services were alerted at 7.05am after a body was spotted in the river near Barnes Bridge.

Mr Henderson Mapps family have been informed but formal identification has not yet taken place, police said.

Search teams have been desperately looking for him since he disappeared from the Fulham area.

His family and police grew increasingly concerned for his welfare and said he suffered from dementia and Type 2 Diabetes.

He was known to frequent the Alperton area, Fulham and Putney.
T heresa May has ordered her Cabinet ministers to Chequers on Wednesday to discuss her plans for Brexit.

The Prime Minister has charged her top team with setting out the opportunities that leaving the European Union will create in each of their portfolios.

The Cabinet will meet at the Prime Minister's country retreat to discuss the next steps in the process.

The move comes amid speculation that Mrs May will implement Article 50 - triggering the two-year period leading to Brexit - without seeking the backing of Parliament.

A Downing Street source said Brexit was "top of the in tray" for Mrs May as she begins her first full week back at work in Westminster after her summer holiday in Switzerland.

The UK's future outside the EU will also be an issue as Mrs May travels to the G20 summit in China at the weekend.

It will be the Prime Minister's first international trip outside Europe and Mrs May will "use this opportunity to highlight the wealth of opportunities that will arise from Brexit", Downing Street insiders said.

Number 10 hopes the meeting with leaders of the world's richest nations will build on conversations Mrs May has already had with many of them about future trade deals.

Despite reports of a feud between the ministers in charge of the main Brexit departments - Boris Johnson, David Davis and Liam Fox - Mrs May will use the Cabinet meeting to compare the unity in Tory ranks with the chaos in the Labour Party.

Almost 50,000 people have joined the party since she became PM and the Tory conference in October has seen a record number of registrations.

Mrs May has resisted calls to take advantage of the disarray in Labour ranks by calling an early election, and a source insisted the Tory party was "ready to get on with the work of governing for the whole country".

Despite the pressing issue of Brexit, Mrs May is keen to ensure her administration is not defined by the European question.

She has already announced an audit of public services to root out racial disparities, ordering Whitehall departments to identify and publish information showing how outcomes vary for people of different backgrounds in a range of areas including health, education and employment.

On Thursday Mrs May will chair the first meeting of a new social reform committee, with housing and racial disparity on the agenda.

Ministers will also discuss the new industrial strategy, with Mrs May expected to set out her ambition for the UK to become the best country in the world for innovative firms and transforming scientific discoveries into successful businesses.
T he mother of murdered British backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung has said her daughter's ashes will be scattered around the world so she "can visit places" she will now never discover.

Rosie Ayliffe, from Derbyshire, also discussed coming to terms with her loss, after her 21-year-old daughter was stabbed to death in Australia on Tuesday, allegedly by 29-year-old Frenchman Smail Ayad.

Writing in a daily blog for The Independent as she prepares to head for Australia to collect the ashes, Ms Ayliffe said her daughter will be cremated there.

Ms Ayliffe said: "I know some of her friends are struggling with that, because they wanted her body brought home and a cremation or burial here in the Wirksworth area, but she has friends all over the place.

"Hence the plan to create a place of remembrance here, but also to give various people vials of Mia's ashes to scatter in places dear to her or to them. That way she can visit places she hasn't visited yet. Canada, New Zealand, Singapore."

Killed at hostel: Mia Ayliffe-Chung

She added: "I've been told by the family liaison police that I'm at the beginning of a journey and that I'll experience many emotions. For the past few days the emotions have been at bay, to the extent that I was starting to question yesterday whether I was grieving at all.

"At the moment the only way I can really cope with our loss is to think Mia's time had come and what happened in that hostel on Tuesday was her fate. It was always going to happen like that."

Backpacker: Mia Ayliffe-Chung / Facebook

She said of the alleged killer: "Smail Ayad ... is not an Islamic fundamentalist, he has never set foot in a mosque."

Ayad has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

He did not appear in court on Friday but was remanded in custody and his case has been adjourned until October 28.

Police are investigating reports that the Frenchman had an unrequited romantic interest or an "obsession" with Miss Ayliffe-Chung.
T he brother of Olympic star Mo Farah has issued a desperate plea to authorities as he faces being deported back to Somalia for crimes.

The 27-year-old and his gold medal-winning brother Mo moved to the UK from the war-torn country 25 years ago.

Now Ahmed Farah, from west London, has been threatened with deportation after being jailed for his part in a knife raid.

Talking to the Mirror, he said: "I can't go back to where Mo and I were born - it is too dangerous.

"I'm scared I would end up dead. I feel there's no hope for me.

"I am afraid for my life. I have no roots in Somalia. People would kill me, because I'm different. They would not class me as their own."

Double gold: The athlete become the the second in history to defend the 5,000m and 10,000m in two successive Olympics ((DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images)) / AFP/Getty Images

Ahmed told the newspaper that him and his athlete brother, who is now based in the US, lost touch and do not speak any more.

"Of course I am incredibly proud of what he has done and I am sure he will go on to achieve even more," he said. "But I've no idea what life holds for me."

The former warehouse worker received a four-and-a-half year prison sentence for false imprisonment over his involvement in a knife raid.

He was released early but was later informed that he faces deportation and, due to delayed legal hearings, he has no idea how or when he will be sent back to Somalia.

He said of his past: "I wasn't a horrible person. I made a hell of a mistake and now I'm paying with my life.

"Right now I'm putting on a brave face, but at times I can't sleep."

Mo Farah has become the most successful athlete in British history after winning double gold in Rio.

Fans are calling for the GB star to be knighted after he became only the second athlete in history to defend both the 5,000m and 10,000m gold medals in successive Olympics.
A man attempting to cross the English Channel has died just a mile short of reaching France, organisers have said.

The cross-channel swimmer, named in reports as Nick Thomas, 45, from Ellesmere in Shropshire, was pulled unconscious from the water as he neared the end of the 21-mile endurance feat.

A spokesman for the governing body, the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, confirmed a man had died.

He said: "A swimmer was taken from the water less than a mile from the finish in France.

"There was an extremely experienced support team on board the support vessel. He was given CPR and taken to Calais where he was sadly pronounced dead.

"It is an extreme sport, we know the risks. He was doing what he loved doing. Our thoughts are with his family."

Enduroman Ultra Events, which was tweeting his solo progress since leaving the UK early on Saturday, wrote: "Our friend Nick Thomas left us whilst doing what he loved - he just kept going.

"He'll always be a part of what we do and who we are."

The organisation said Mr Thomas was treated in hospital in Calais before he passed away.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are offering assistance to the family of a British national following his death in Calais, France."
T he family of a British man injured as he tried to save a backpacker stabbed to death in Australia today told of how they are "immensely proud" of him.

Tom Jackson, 30, is fighting for life in hospital after trying to save the life of Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, as she was stabbed to death, allegedly by 29-year-old Frenchman Smail Ayad.

His father Les Jackson issued a statement praising his son and the work of medical staff at Townsville Hospital in Queensland where he is being cared for.

He said: "There are many and varied reasons why we are, and always will be, immensely proud of Tom.

Victim: Mia Ayliffe Chung was killed in a knife attack / Facebook

"His actions in response to this horrific attack only add to that sense of pride.

"As a family we have been comforted by the help and support offered by our friends and family at home and in Australia who have been wonderful."

Les Jackson said the many offers of support they had received had not been ignored, but they were simply focusing on their son's condition.

He added: "We are in awe of the medical and support staff at The Townsville Hospital who are providing the greatest care Tom could hope to receive and keeping me informed of his ongoing treatment every step of the way.

"Finally, and most importantly, our hearts go out to Mia and her family and friends at this dreadful time."

Miss Ayliffe-Chung, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, was killed at the Shelley's Backpackers accommodation in Home Hill on Tuesday.

Ayad has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

He did not appear in court on Friday but was remanded in custody and his case has been adjourned until October 28.

Police are investigating reports that the Frenchman had an unrequited romantic interest or an "obsession" with Miss Ayliffe-Chung.
A coronet worn by Queen Victoria and designed by her beloved husband Albert could go overseas unless a UK buyer can be found for the multi-million pound piece of jewellery.

The item has been sold to a buyer who wants to export the coronet, but the Government has imposed a temporary bar in an attempt to find a person or institution to meet the 5 million asking price, plus 1 million in VAT, to keep the sapphire and diamond crown in the UK.

The coronet, which is decorated with 11 sapphires set in gold with diamonds set in silver, is considered one of the most important jewels of Queen Victoria's long reign.

It was designed for her by Prince Albert in 1840, the year of their wedding.

The jewels matched the sapphire and diamond brooch that Albert had given to Victoria on the day before they wed.

The piece was finally made by goldsmith Joseph Kitching in 1842 at a cost of 415, using stones from jewellery given to Victoria by her uncle and predecessor William IV and his queen Adelaide.

Victoria is depicted wearing the coronet in a famous portrait painted that year by Franz Xaver Winterhalter.

She also wore the coronet for the state opening of parliament in 1866, the first time she had attended the ceremony since the death of Albert in 1861, possibly as a reminder of her late husband.

The coronet was given by George V and Queen Mary to Princess Mary on her marriage to Viscount Lascelles in 1922 and was later sold to a dealer in London, who subsequently sold it to the overseas buyer who has applied for an export licence.

The decision to defer the export licence until December 27 was made following a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA).

It may be further deferred until June 27 next year if an alternative British buyer emerges with the serious intention to raise the 5 million asking price plus VAT.

RCEWA member Philippa Glanville said: "Key to the self-image of the young Victoria, this exquisite coronet was designed by her husband Prince Albert.

"Worn in her popular state portrait by Winterhalter of 1842, the year it was made, its combination of personal meaning and formality explains why she chose to wear it in 1866, emerging from mourning for the state opening of Parliament.

"It evokes vividly the shared romantic taste of the time, and its form has become familiar through many reproductions. Its departure would be a great loss, given its beauty, its associations and its history."

Culture Minister Matt Hancock, who imposed the temporary export bar, said: "Queen Victoria's coronet is stunning. It is one of the most iconic jewels from a pivotal period in our history and symbolises one of our nation's most famous love stories.

"I hope that we are able to keep the coronet in the UK and on display for the public to enjoy for years to come."
MATTOON -- An early flying lesson helped Adam Hutchinson on his way to a U.S. Navy career in which he ended up being the one giving the lessons.

The Charleston native who's been in the Navy since 2010 was at the air show at Coles County Memorial Airport on Saturday to answer questions about the plane he uses to teach new pilots.

Just before he graduated from Charleston High School in 2003, his grandmother bought him a beginner's flying lesson. He gave that a lot of credit for the path of his career.

"It turned the light bulb on," Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson also graduated from the flight program at Southern Illinois University, then flew helicopters and other aircraft after he joined the Navy.

Now, he's a flight instructor and the plane he had with him Saturday, a T-6 Texan, is the starter for every Navy pilot, he said.

"Students get their first look," he said of the plane. "They've never flown before and it teaches them everything."

And that's regardless if the pilot eventually flies helicopters, jet fighters or whatever else the Nayy has, he added.

"No matter what they end up flying, everybody touches this," he said.

Hutchinson is currently based on Corpus Christi, Texas, but said he still considers Charleston his home.

His father-in-law, Mike Vaughn, is on the county Airport Authority board and told him the air show was returning to the airport this year. He said his training schedule made it work out that he could be at the show Saturday.

Though Hutchinson's training leads the pilots to be able to fly aerobatics and in formation, he said he leaves that sort of flying to them now.

"I stay pretty close to one 'G' as I can," he said.

In fact, his plane stayed on the ground Saturday as one of the displays visitors could see close up.

Of course, there was plenty to see in the air, too. Saturday's crowd was treated to performances by aircraft that traveled at high speeds as well as ones that at time flew no faster than a car on a highway.

Florida pilot Jerry Conley showed the audience the de Havilland Vampire jet that was in military use at the end of World War II. The top speed he reached in one pass during his performance was more than 400 mph.

Meanwhile, veteran aerobatics pilot Gene Soucy and wing walking partner Teresa Stokes of Henderson, Texas, returned to the air show, having last performed here in 2009.

For 25 years, Soucy has flown a bi-plane and Stokes has ventured out on its wings, at times standing on her head. Soucy said he has to fly at speeds as low as 55 mph to keep the act under control and visible to the audience.

"It's big, slow and graceful," he said. "It's because the the show stays right in front of the crowd."

Saturday's event ended a two-year absence for air shows at the airport and officials say the current plan is to have them every other year.
A teenage would-be suicide bomber has attacked a church in Indonesia during Sunday Mass, injuring a priest with an axe before being restrained, police said.

The 18-year-old assailant left a bench and ran toward the priest at the altar, but a bomb in his backpack failed to detonate, said national police spokesman Maj. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar.

The man managed to take an axe from his rucksack, which only burned without exploding, and attacked the Rev. Albert Pandiangan, causing a slight injury to the 60-year-old priest's hand, Amar said.

The teenager was restrained by members of the congregation until police arrived.

Officers said the motive for the attack at the Roman Catholic St. Yoseph Church in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province, was not clear, but the perpetrator carried a symbol indicating support for the Islamic State group.

Bombing attempt: An Indonesian plainclothes policeman detains a terrorist suspect / EPA/DEDI SINUHAJI

Police were interrogating the man, who told them he was not working alone, but did not provide details of any accomplices.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has carried out a sustained crackdown on militant networks since the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.
A couple who were stranded on a desert island for a week have been rescued after a plane spotted their 20ft SOS message written in the sand.

Linus and Sabina Jack, believed to be in their 50s, were on a sailing trip around the Pacific islands in Micronesia when they disappeared.

They were discovered a week later surviving in a makeshift shelter built from driftwood and leaves.

When the Jacks did not arrive at the island of Tamatam on August 17 a search operation to find them and their 18ft boat was launched.

Sailing trip: Linus and Sabina Jack were sailing around the Pacific islands / U.S. Navy

But Micronesias maritime authority, cost guards and local volunteers could find no trace of them.

Authorities were losing hope of finding the pair until a British ship noticed someone attempting to signal with a light on Wednesday, a week after they had gone off the radar.

A search plane was sent over the uninhabited Fayu Atoll island on Thursday morning and found the missing couple and their boat on the beach.

Search plane: The couple were found by a plane on Fayu Atoll island / U.S. Navy

They had drawn the letters SOS 20ft high in the sand and were frantically waving to the aircraft from the shore.

The first ship sent to rescue Mr and Mrs Jack could not get close enough due to shallow water.

But two more boats were sent on Friday and they were eventually rescued.

A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Kolonia said the rescue operation has been successfully completed adding: They are found and are waiting for a ship to take them home.
C lassic British sitcom Porridge is back  but not as you know it.

Fletch is back to revel in the little victories in a new one-off special with a 21st Century twist.

Its not Norman Fletcher this time around, but Nigel  his grandson.

Kevin Bishop takes up the mantle of Fletch this time around, although his crimes are a far cry from Normans.

Serving five years for hacking, expect a hefty haul of technobabble as Fletch uses his skills and trademark charm to score a win against the system.

Catastrophes Mark Bonnar serves as a worthy adversary for our hero as the brittle Officer Meekie, and plays off well against Bishop and Dominic Colemans Officer Braithwaite.

The series was a launching point for several classic comedians of the 20th century, and a seminal display of Ronnie Barkers talent.

BBC sitcom revivals 2016 1 /8 BBC sitcom revivals 2016 Steptoe and Son BBC/Alan Peebles Young Hyacinth BBC/Colin Hutton Hancock's Half Hour BBC/Alan Peebles Are You Being Served? New faces: the cast of the 2016 one-off Are You Being Served? reboot BBC/Kieron McCarron Till Death Do Us Part BBC/Alan Peebles Porridge BBC/Scott Kershaw

While this fresh serving of Porridge is new on the face of it, its still old under the hood  with the original creators back in the clink once again.

Both Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais have returned to pen this revival, bringing along the warmth, wit, and prison lingo that was a staple of the original three-series run.

Porridge: The Original TV Series 1 /9 Porridge: The Original TV Series Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher with Mackay in Porridge (1979) BBC Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher with Richard Beckinsale as Godber in Porridge (Series 1) BBC Ronnie Barker, Richard Beckinsale and Fulton Mackay shooting the television series 'Porridge' Porridge with Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher BBC Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletche during filming of the feature length film 'Porridge'in Chelmsford surrounded by real prison officers Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletche filming the christmas edition of Porridge with Richard Beckinsale as Godber and Brian Wilde (1979) Associated Newspapers Ronnie Barker as Norman Stanley Fletcher starring in the 1976 Christmas special of the classic comedy set inside 'Slade' prison BBC

Just one of many planned sitcom reboots on the BBC this year, marking 60 years of TV comedy, this Porridge special will hopefully appease fans that have been waiting for a revival since a mockumentary follow-up in 2003.

Sunday, BBC One, 9.30pm
E ver since Downton Abbey came to an end last year  constantly-rumoured feature film notwithstanding  audiences in the UK and abroad have been waiting for a successor to the period drama throne.

Arise, Victoria  a lavish new series delving into the early years of Queen Victorias infamous reign.

With a stellar cast, impressive production values, and literally decades of history to pillage, Sunday nights just got cosy again.

Heres what you need to know.

1) Jenna Coleman takes the lead role

Fresh from travelling through time and space with Doctor Who, Jenna Coleman has taken on the role of the queen who reigned for 65 years.

The series concerns an 18 year-old Victoria as she ascends to the throne, and the start of her relationship with (soon-to-be-Prince) Albert, played by Tom Hughes.

Theres also her close friendship with Prime Minister Lord Melbourne, here portrayed by Rufus Sewell, with the pairs bond quickly becoming a source of gossip.

Victoria - ITV trailer

2) Dont expect Albert to pop up straight away

Calm down, Rufus Sewell fans  youll have to wait until Episode 3 for the man who will be Victorias husband down the line.

With the pair notably having a passionate and love-filled romance  this was no awkward arranged coupling  itll definitely be worth the wait.

3) It cost millions to make

Hey, telling the story of the royals isnt cheap. The series reportedly cost 10 million to make eight episodes, and you see a lot of that money on-screen.

The sets and costumes are, of course, dazzling  though theyre not all as expensive as they look.

[Michael Howells, Production Designer] spent a lot of money on very expensive chandeliers from Croatia, Coleman told The Telegraph. But in order to counteract that, hes driven up to Scotland and got 22,000 seashells for free, and bought swords from the pound shop, all sprayed in gold.

ITV's Victoria Premiere 1 /13 ITV's Victoria Premiere Leading lady Jenna Coleman arrives for the premiere screening of ITV's Victoria at The Orangery Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Sophie Cookson joins Adrian Schiller who plays Penge, the Household Steward Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Rising star Margaret Clunie plays the Duchess of Sutherland Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Husband and wife Tom Hughes and Jenna Coleman play Prince Albert and Queen Victoria in the drama Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Duchess Nichola McAuliffe plays the Duchess of Cumberland Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Lady in red Nell Hudson turns heads in a revealing red dress Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Suitably dressed Peter Bowles dresses for the occasion in a black suit Tristan Fewings/Getty Images In support World War Z actress Aggy K Adams steps out to support the cast Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Up and coming Tommy Lawrence-Knight plays Brodie the hall boy Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Joining the cast Eve Myles of Torchwood fame Tristan Fewings/Getty Images

4) Its going up against Aidan Turners torso

Put your fan-fiction notepads away  youre not about to see Queen Victoria nip off to Cornwall for a bit of sweaty scything.

Victoria and Poldark are going head-to-head in a less literal sense  as of September, the Sunday 9pm slot will see the two shows vie for an audience.

Poldark has the advantage of a massive fanbase thanks to its acclaimed first series  but Victoria will be two episodes in by the time Turner returns.

5) It was mostly filmed in Yorkshire

Recreating the opulence of royalty was achieved by a mix of locations and studio shoots.

Lots of Victoria was filmed in Yorkshire, with various sections shot in Harewood House in Leeds  doubling up for both Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace.

Beverly Minster, also in Yorkshire, was used as Westminster Abbey and St James Palace for the hugely impressive coronation and wedding scenes.

On the red carpet at the premiere of new television drama Victoria.

6) The opening episode is feature-length

If youre planning your tea breaks for the first episode already, be aware that its a 90-minutes opener on Sunday August 28.

Also make sure youre tuning in for the second episode on Monday August 29  an extra treat on the Bank Holiday.

ITV, Sunday, 9pm
Emails, emails, emails! How can Hillary Clinton forget that she forgot to release 33,000 emails? I got to thinking; how many emails do I get and it turns out I get about 100 a day, sometimes more, sometimes less, so over the course of a year that too is over 30,000 of those sometimes important, sometimes pesky little things.

I get a lot of emails from readers (I like those) and even more from customers and co-workers (I like those too). I dont seem to get those African emails any longer, you know, the ones that say they have a rich uncle in Nigeria that has umpteen million dollars and they need help getting it to the U.S. Nowadays, I seem to get more clever scams saying an invoice payment is due, click here. I dont click anywhere but the delete button.

But Hillary, she apparently hit delete on tens of thousands of emails she housed on a private server in her house. She tells us General Colin Powell told her to do it, which turns out that isnt exactly true, although we have come to expect that from Hillary who often times struggles with the truth.

Did you ever stop to wonder why Clinton didnt want to use the government email servers? Could it be she didnt want to be suspect to freedom of information requests, which would reveal the content of those emails? Could it be she wanted to keep some of her business dealings secret? Sure, she said she was arranging Chelseys wedding and such and those were private. Ill giver her that, but now as these deleted emails of hers continue to surface we see more clearly why she chose to not conduct her business on the government provided email servers. Seems many of her emailers were also Clinton Foundation contributors.

I have no doubt the dealings of the Clinton Foundation and Hillarys Secretary of State work crossed paths. You might, but I dont. Just too many coincidences for me. Is it illegal? Ill leave that for the army of attorneys that will be involved. Is it unethical? That is a matter of opinion and my opinion is  of course, it is unethical! For crying out loud, she was in charge of our nations foreign affairs first and foremost and I believe the two, the Foundation and the State Department should never have crossed paths. Maybe they didnt, but the excuses are wearing pretty thin.

My advice to Hillary (and I am sure she has been anxious to get advice form me!) is to go e-free for a while. Dont email, dont get email, dont look at email. I did that for a few days a couple weeks ago while on vacation. It was freedom! It was hard for the first half day or so, but then I realized all those messages would be there once I chose to go look at them. No text messages, no Facebook, no Twitter  all e-free! What a relief!

My advice to you (and I an sure you are as anxious as Hillary to get advice from me too!) is to try it if you havent already. Go e-free for a weekend. Shut off the TV, too. Heck, I dont even care if you refuse to read the Star-Herald for a couple days while youre at it! Talk to people. Talk to your family, talk to your relatives, talk to your friends and see how invigorating it can be to not be chained to a ringing, dinging, buzzing, vibrating little obnoxious device we cant get away from.

Now, if only I would learn to take advice from me, as I am about to hit send on my email so I can get this column in before deadline.

(I usually ask readers to email me your thoughts, not this week. Drop me a note. Star-Herald, 1405 Broadway, Scottsbluff, NE 69361.)
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24 million: The 2013 estimate of how many people would buy coverage through federally and state-operated online exchanges by this year.

11.1 million: The actual number of people who signed up by the end of the last enrollment period in January.

________

Enrollment in the insurance exchanges for President Barack Obama's signature health-care law is at less than half the initial forecast, pushing several major insurance companies to stop offering health plans in certain markets because of significant financial losses.

As a result, the administration's promise of a menu of health-plan choices has been replaced by a grim, though preliminary, forecast: Next year, more than 1 in 4 counties is at risk of having a single insurer on its exchange, said Cynthia Cox, who studies health reform for the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Debate over how perilous the predicament is for the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, is nearly as partisan as the divide over the law itself. But at the root of the problem is this: The success of the law depends fundamentally on the exchanges being profitable for insurers  and that requires more people to sign up.

In February 2013, the Congressional Budget Office predicted that 24 million people would buy health coverage through the federally and state-operated online exchanges by this year. Just 11.1 million people were signed up as of late March.

Exchanges are marketplaces where people who do not receive health benefits through a job can buy private insurance, often with government subsidies.

"Enrollment is key, first and foremost," said Sara Collins, a vice president at the Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan foundation that funds health-care research. "They have to have this critical mass of people so that, by the law of averages, you're going to get a mix of healthy and less healthy people."

A big reason the CBO projections were so far off is that the agency overestimated how many people would lose insurance through their employers, which would force them into the exchanges. But there have been challenges getting the uninsured to sign up, too.

The law requires every American to get health coverage or pay a penalty, but the penalty hasn't been high enough to persuade many Americans to buy into the health plans. Even those who qualify for subsidized premiums sometimes balk at the high deductibles on some plans.

And people who do outreach to the uninsured say the enrollment process itself has been more complex and confusing than Obama's initial comparison to buying a plane ticket.

"This exchange will allow you to one-stop shop for a health-care plan, compare benefits and prices, and choose a plan that's best for you and your family," Obama said in a speech in 2009. "You will have your choice of a number of plans that offer a few different packages, but every plan would offer an affordable, basic package."

In some markets, a shortfall in enrollment is testing insurers' ability to balance the medical claims they pay out with income from premiums. In an announcement curtailing its involvement in the exchanges this month, Aetna cited financial losses traced to too many sick people signing up for care and not enough healthy ones.

The health-care law has been a political lightning rod from the beginning, and Republican legislators have used insurance companies' withdrawals from the exchanges to reignite calls for the law's repeal.

Kaiser tracks public data on insurer participation in the exchanges to project how many options counties will have, but the numbers are not final. This year, exchanges in about 7 percent of counties had just one insurer. Earlier this month, Aetna announced that it will pull out of 11 of the 15 states where it offers coverage on the health-care exchanges. Humana made a similar decision weeks earlier, planning to exit several states. And last spring, UnitedHealth Group said it would remain in three or fewer exchanges next year.

Obama has used the health-care law's challenges to issue a new call for a public insurance option.

"Congress should revisit a public plan to compete alongside private insurers in areas of the country where competition is limited," he wrote in an essay published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Adding a public plan in such areas would strengthen the Marketplace approach, giving consumers more affordable options while also creating savings for the federal government."

Chicago resident Eva Saur, 32, is exactly the kind of healthy person insurers would like to have on their rolls. Saur hasn't had coverage in nearly a decade, but she takes good care of her health. For the handful of times she has been sick, a walk-in clinic at a pharmacy has been sufficient.

"I was raised  not against the system  but we had a doctor who would prescribe us herbs before a prescription" medication, Saur said. "For me, monetarily, it makes way more sense to do this."

Saur's tax penalty for being uninsured was a bit more than $600 last year, while the cheapest health plan she examined cost about as much for three months in premiums  and came with a $7,000 deductible.

The penalty for not signing up is increasing. Still, some policy experts insist it is not enough motivation to buy insurance.

"It was basically no stick at all. This is the classic case of where Johnny marked crayon on the wall, his mother said, 'Don't do that' and then slapped his hand a day later," said Joseph Antos, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. "The connection between the offense and the penalty is a little remote."

The health-care law has had unequivocal successes. In some areas, lots of insurers compete on the exchanges, which helps keep premiums low. In Cleveland and Los Angeles, the average premium for a benchmark health plan declined in 2016. The number of uninsured Americans continues to shrink, hitting 9.1 percent last year  the lowest level ever.

The average premium for the people who receive tax credits  85 percent of the people signed up through the exchanges  is $106 per month. People who qualify for the income-based tax credits are largely sheltered from premium increases.

The first people to sign up for insurance through the exchanges were expected to be those with chronic diseases and high medical costs. Because insurers could no longer discriminate against those people, the law built in three mechanisms for the government to redistribute money from plans with healthier patients to those with sicker ones. Two of those programs expire at the end of the year. The third, called the "risk adjustment" program, transferred $4.6 billion between insurers in 2014.

Critics say there's a fundamental problem with the system, and the risk-adjustment program needs to be fixed. But supporters of the law argue that the problem is temporary, the natural evolution of a nascent free-market system. Some of the first companies to enter the market made bad bets on how healthy customers would be, resulting in unprofitable health plans. Proponents say it's natural for new entrants to replace them, with better information and more competitive plans.

Cigna, for example, has said it has filed to enter exchanges in three new states next year.

"There's no bottleneck; this is just the natural growth pains of a new market," said Jonathan Gruber, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "What happened is they set up this new market where insurers didn't have experience; insurers made an estimate as to what people would cost, and their estimate turned out to be too low."

Supporters point to a recent government analysis that suggests the "risk pool"  the number of high-cost sick customers relative to healthy ones  is not worsening and could even be improving. Medical costs per enrollee in the marketplaces fell by 0.1 percent in 2015, while medical costs for people in the broader health-insurance market grew by at least 3 percent. In states with strong enrollment growth, there were greater reductions in members' costs.

Everyone agrees that more healthy people need to sign up.

In June, the Obama administration unveiled its plan to target younger and healthier adults, including direct outreach to individuals and families who paid the penalty. It also released new guidance, encouraging insurance companies to communicate more with young adults being kicked off their family's plan when they turn 26 years old.

Even older adults are taking their chances without health-care coverage.

Donte Fitzhugh, 55, of Charlotte was laid off last year from a job as a call-center operations manager. COBRA, which allows former workers to extend their employer-provided health insurance if they pay the full premium, was expensive, and Fitzhugh didn't sign up for the exchanges for very human reasons: He figured he would find a job faster than he did. He thought every penny counted when he was unemployed. He didn't have major health problems, and he got a coupon to help cover the costs of his hypertension medicine.

As the window to sign up for health insurance passed without a new job, he kept procrastinating. Although health insurance from a new job will begin in October, he faces a penalty that will cost him hundreds of dollars.

"I believe in Obamacare. As an American, it's my responsibility to have health insurance," Fitzhugh said. "Since I didn't have it, it's going to impact me financially."

Such are the barriers to insurance: Remaining uninsured can be more attractive or just easier than signing up to pay hundreds of dollars a month for something that many people don't think they need.

Judy Robinson, a health insurance support specialist at the Charlottesville Free Clinic in Virginia, has counseled hundreds of patients who are eligible for subsidized insurance on the exchanges but ultimately decide not to sign up. She said the subsidized insurance on the marketplace tends to be a good deal for those who make between 100 and 150 percent of the poverty level. But those who make more often are faced with large deductibles that don't seem like a good deal to many people.

Beyond the sticker price, she said it can require a lot of paperwork to demonstrate the annual income required to qualify for tax credits if people are juggling multiple part-time jobs. And sometimes, people are simply mistrustful.

"There's a lot of people that live sort of off the grid, sort of semi-off the grid, and they just don't go to the doctor," Robinson said. "The hospital is the place where you go to die, and doctors are just going to try and make you do procedures and get money out of you. That's how they think."

There are also those who want insurance but are struggling  and find themselves trapped by the high cost of health care.

Donna Privigyi, 49, of Charlottesville has looked into insurance through the exchanges a few times. But over the past few years, much of her modest child-care salary and effort went toward trying to help support her adult son, Mark, who hadn't been the same since the death of his younger brother. Donna was focused on trying to support her son. Health insurance  even rent  was an afterthought.

"With supporting my son, it didn't matter," Privigyi said. "I was just like, I can barely get by, just juggling the bills and taking care of him."

Late last year, Mark died of a drug overdose, and Privigyi  consumed by grief  wasn't thinking about insurance when the window to sign up opened and closed.

Then, in June, she got appendicitis. Her bills from two hospitals were $33,000.

The argument for having health insurance is the pile of bills she has been collecting  now with late fees added. The obstacle to getting health insurance is that same stack of bills.

"It's such a gamble, you know, until I figure out what to do with these medical bills," Privigyi said. "They're just adding on late fees. How can I even afford to sign up?"

The Washington Post's Juliet Eilperin contributed to this report.
If youve tried to book an international flight using your rewards miles recently, you might have noticed something strange.

Two round-trip flights on the same route that require the same amount of miles can turn out to have starkly different price tags at checkout, with the gap amounting to hundreds of dollars.

That can be confusing, if not utterly disappointing, for people who have finally earned enough miles to book a round-trip flight to Europe or Asia or any other far-off destination.

The difference is due to a fee that many travelers may not fully understand: the fuel surcharge that some airlines include on international flights, sometimes referring to it as a carrier fee.

Take a recent search on the American Airlines website for a round-trip flight from New York City to London taking off Oct. 5 and returning a week later. One flight turning up in the search had a total cost of 60,000 miles plus $171 in taxes and fees. But a similar flight that is chartered by Americans partner airline British Airways would cost more than three times as much for the same dates and the same amount of miles: $729.

After clicking through to get a detailed breakdown of the taxes and fees being charged, travelers can see that the difference is due to a carrier fee. As the image below shows, the flight chartered by British Airways included $211 in taxes and $518 in carrier-imposed fees. The flight through American Airlines charged $171 in taxes and zero carrier-imposed fees.

The charge, which is usually baked into the total airfare, is not typically an issue for travelers until they are redeeming rewards miles. Thats because rewards miles apply only to the base fare of the flight, not the taxes and fees. For example, both of the flights mentioned above were priced at $1,119 for people not using their miles. Its not until travelers try to book them with rewards miles that the different prices appear.

The fuel surcharge, or carrier charge, became more popular several years ago when oil prices were increasing and airlines added them to help offset the rising cost of fuel. But to make things more confusing, it turns out the fee hasnt always been pegged to the cost of fuel, analysts and consumer advocates say. Some airlines are still including the charge as part of their total airfare, even as those fuel costs have fallen dramatically, and they arent required to disclose what goes into deciding the fee.

A spokeswoman for British Airways said that the charge does not apply to flights within Europe. We always quote fares inclusive of all taxes, fees and charges, which apply to all our tickets, including redemption tickets, she wrote in a statement, adding that the company does not comment on the details of its fares.

The surcharges dont necessarily make flights more expensive overall. At the end of the day, airfare is determined mostly by supply and demand, even during periods like now, when fuel costs are dropping, says Darryl Genovesi, an equity analyst covering U.S. airlines for UBS.

Still, people booking flights with rewards miles should be aware of which airlines tack on the surcharges and on which flights so that they can avoid the fee, says Charlie Leocha, president of Travelers United, a travel advocacy group.

Just by being careful about what flights you pick you can save hundreds of dollars, Leocha says.
CHICAGO  Insurance companies will be required to locate beneficiaries of unclaimed life insurance policies in Illinois and pay them money theyre owed under legislation that Gov. Bruce Rauner has signed into law.

The Republican approved the politically popular measure Friday over the objections of business and industry groups, which said it opened them up to overreaching audits and would make what they call the states already bad-for-business legal climate even worse.

Democratic Treasurer Michael Frerichs has been pushing the measure in hearings across the state that featured people who didnt know theyd been named as beneficiaries testifying that insurance companies never alerted them after the policyholder died.

Frerichs said his office has identified more than $550 million in unpaid benefits owed to Illinois residents since 2011, and that $7.4 billion has been identified nationally.

The legislation, which the General Assembly unanimously approved in May, requires insurers to use federal death records to identify deceased policyholders whose life insurance proceeds remain unpaid. The companies must conduct the initial check after the law takes effect Jan. 1, then twice each year after that.

Rauner also said Friday that the state insurance department is launching a website to help residents find out if they are a beneficiary of an insurance policy or annuity left by someone who died.

Business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, argued against a provision that allows a private audit firm to search insurance company files and earn a contingency fee for finding money owed to beneficiaries.

About a dozen states already have similar laws.
Bob Dixon wanted to be governor.

The Republican state senator from Springfield, Mo., entered the crowded race for the GOP nomination last summer but dropped out fairly quickly. He was underfunded and not very well-known. He never had a chance.

But last week, Dixon was downright gubernatorial.

In an opinion piece circulated around the state, Dixon asked Gov. Jay Nixon to call a special session of the Missouri Legislature to address the states public defender crisis.

Leadership finds a way, Dixon wrote.

In Missouri, the failure to fund the public defenders office has been boiling over for more than a decade.

Since at least 2009, the office has been the second-lowest-funded in the nation. The result is that justice is delayed for indigent defendants charged with various crimes. The Missouri Constitution guarantees those citizens a proper defense, but with public defenders across the state carrying ridiculous caseloads  some as high as 200  providing an adequate defense is but a dream.

In Missouri there is little political will to help poor people accused of crimes.

As far back as 2010, St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch, a Democrat like Nixon, was calling the public defender caseload issue contrived.

Dixon begs to differ.

They really need to get the caseloads under control, he told me Friday. Its a legitimate issue. The numbers bear it out.

In the special session he wanted Nixon to call, Dixon was hoping legislators would create a pilot program that would allow judges in two counties to appoint private attorneys to represent indigent defendants. He doesnt expect Nixon will accept his request. In fact, he fears that the governor is now making moves that would get the states head of the public defender system, Michael Barrett, fired.

Last month, in a move that garnered national headlines, Barrett assigned Nixon a case, citing a state law that he believes gives him the authority to do so. Nixon refused and last week got a court to agree with the governor. Then he appointed three new members to the Public Defender Commission and suggested that he hopes the new appointees will help return to its focus of providing proper legal representation to indigent Missourians.

In fact, thats precisely what Barrett was trying to do with sharply worded letters to the governor in each of the past two years criticizing him for withholding funds from the deeply underfunded office.

If anybodys playing politics here, Dixon says, its the governor.

I understand that the governor doesnt want to be embarrassed, Dixon said, but theres a better way to handle this. Michael Barrett is excellent. You have to have somebody in that position who is willing to speak truth to power.

Dixon took an unusual route to his position as a key legislative defender of the judicial system in Missouri and its role in protecting constitutional rights.

Hes not an attorney, but after the former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Jack Goodman, R-Mount Vernon, left because of term limits, Dixon, who had served on the committee, was asked to take it over.

He went to school on understanding the judicial system, leaning on both Democrat and Republican lawyers. Hes received high marks from people in the legal community on both sides of his aisle for protecting the judicial system from attack.

To Dixon, the public defender issue should be a higher priority for both the governor and for members of his party. The Sixth Amendment rights to a fair trial are every bit as important as other constitutional issues that members of both parties tend to elevate, he says.

The courts are a core constitutional function of government, Dixon said. Its not political.

Dixon thinks Nixon should have taken the case Barrett assigned him.

It would have elevated the issue even further and brought necessary attention to the fact that in Missouri poor citizens dont have the access to their court system that the constitution requires.

Instead, the governor chose to take Barrett to the metaphorical woodshed. Then he added two law-and-order ex-sheriffs to the board, which, Dixon notes, had vacancies the entire time this controversy about underfunding had been raging.

The senator hopes the governor isnt orchestrating a petty purge with the intent of Barrett being fired. This is the biggest game of manipulation Ive seen, Dixon said. Its really unfortunate.
WASHINGTON  A super PAC run by one of Sen. Roy Blunts closest friends and lobbyist allies is launching an advertising campaign on Blunts behalf in Missouri.

The ads, which will begin airing Monday in the Springfield and Columbia markets, are illustrative of how Supreme Court decisions in 2010 opened the doors to a greater intersection between power and money in American politics.

The campaign attacking the Republican Blunts Democratic opponent, Jason Kander, is likely to rekindle Democratic attacks on Blunt as a Washington insider with powerful friends whom he favors. Blunts allies say those attacks are hypocritical because Democrats do the same thing.

The ad asks Who is Jason Kander? and attacks the Missouri secretary of state as just another liberal politician and supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Its paid for by Heartland Resurgence, a super PAC run by longtime Blunt ally Gregg Hartley, who already is a target of criticism from the Missouri Democratic Party.

Hartley said he hopes to expand the $120,000 early ad buy in central Missouri to a high-six-figures statewide campaign to run into early October.

He said Heartland Resurgence has taken on the role in Missouri elections once handled by state parties and candidates. He said the change was sparked by Supreme Court decisions that allow super PACs like his to exist.

The Citizens United ruling and a subsequent 2010 free-speech decision by the Supreme Court allowed the proliferation of such super PACs to receive unlimited donations from corporations, individuals and unions to engage in political activity, as long as it is not coordinated with campaigns.

Meanwhile, candidate campaigns or political parties have strict limits on the amounts they can raise. For instance, while Heartland Resurgence can raise any amount from an individual or corporation, Blunts campaign is restricted to taking $2,700 from individuals and $5,000 from political action committees per election, and it cant take money from corporations or unions at all.

Heartland Resurgence is one of a growing constellation of outside groups expected to flood airwaves in Missouri and other states this fall.

Among the donors to Heartland Resurgence, which has raised roughly $350,000 so far in corporate and individual donations, are August Busch III and St. Louis consultant Roy Pfautch, each of whom has given $50,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The Chickasaw Nation of Ada, Okla., gave $25,000. Hartley himself and his Cloakroom Advisors lobbying firm has given more than $65,000 in direct or in-kind donations.

Heartland Resurgence also has been running digital billboards in the Springfield, Mo., area that praise Blunt and U.S. Rep. Billy Long for, among other things, opposing illegal immigration. Hartleys super PAC also has sent targeted messages  30,000 to 50,000 at a time  to the mobile devices of swing voters or GOP leaners. One portrayed Kander and President Barack Obama as drum majors leading in the wrong direction.

Heartland Resurgence also added the email or cellphone contacts of about 6,800 dependable Republican voters in Missouri to the Republican National Committees DataTrust voter identification files, Hartley said. The contacts will now be available to Blunt and all other Republican candidates.

Nonetheless, Hartley says that he and Blunts campaign have a firewall barring any communications. He depicted his efforts as independently helping any Missouri Republican.

The U.S. Senate race is a great top-of-the-ticket driving force in electing Republicans, Hartley said.

He added: We have clearly seen the kind of leadership that Roy Blunt has given the party and the leadership that he has given Missourians, both when he was in the (U.S.) House and as a United States senator.

But Missouri Democrats say the Blunt-Hartley relationship typifies precisely what is wrong with Washington.

Democratic opposition researchers have prepared a document labeling Hartley a super lobbyist and Blunts alter-ego, the latter from a several-years-old quotation in a Washington Post article.

In the document, Democrats charge that Hartley has been in the thick of a number of scandals involving Blunt and lobbying, starting with allegations that when Blunt was running for governor in 1992, Hartley demanded campaign contributions from two Arkansas businessmen who had received a loan from a bank where Blunts brother worked.

Hartley told the Post-Dispatch at the time he never demanded but did suggest that the two brothers make donations to Blunts campaign.

Democrats also point to Hartleys behind-the-scenes role in the GOPs K-Street Project, an effort to get more Republicans into lobbying firms and tied into GOP campaigns.

Democrats also pointed to statements that Hartley, who spent roughly a decade with the prominent firm Cassidy & Associates before launching his own shop, has made about the transactional nature he has as a lobbyist with elected officials.

Hartley told the Post-Dispatch he launched the super PAC three years ago to cover niches that the Missouri Republican party or campaign committees cant afford to do because so much political money is now flowing elsewhere.

Of the effort to identify 6,800 Republican voters for the GOP database, Hartley said: The only reason we did that was the Missouri (Republican) party wasnt in a position to do it.

I have been connected to Roy Blunt for a couple decades before I ever got into the lobbying world, Hartley said. That criticism of me probably carries less viability than it might with a lot of other people that lobby people.

Hartley also pointed out that Missouri Democratic Chairman Roy Temple worked with him at Cassidy & Associates.

Temples LinkedIn profile says he was a senior vice president at Cassidy, which Temple describes as Washingtons leading government relations firm which has successfully represented clients from large institutions and corporations to nonprofits and small businesses for more than 30 years.

Its a small, complicated, and interrelated world, Hartley said.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  At the same time that Kathryn Harris, president of the Abraham Lincoln Association, was meeting with the associations board, a rare Lincoln biography was being sold at a Chicago auction house.

By the end of that day in May, members of the association had bid on and won the three-volume biography that was published in 1888.

We were talking about, now that wed (won the bid), how are we going to pay for it on behalf of the ALA? Harris said.

Twenty-five ALA members and Lincoln history buffs donated $26,250 to purchase the book.

On Aug. 10, Harris and the ALA formally donated the biography of the 16th president to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

Ive very pleased were going to preserve (the biography) right here in the museum for this and future generations, said library and museum executive director Alan Lowe.

The biography, by Isaac Arnold, a Chicago anti-slavery leader and congressman from Illinois elected in 1863, was first published in 1885 as a single volume. A few special editions with additional illustrations were issued for collectors, according to the museum. Most of these special editions were two volumes.

Though Arnolds biography is still in print today, the edition donated to the library is unique for the additions it contains, said James Cornelius, the Lincoln Collection curator at the museum.

Only the Lincoln Financial Collection in Fort Wayne, Ind., is known to have a similar set, and that version does not include any manuscripts.

The presidential librarys three-volume version was issued with fine illustrations as well as original, handwritten documents. They include two written by Lincoln and 17 written to him. It also contains items by Mary Lincoln, the Lincolns son Robert, political rival Stephen A. Douglas, other politicians and high-ranking military officers.

It is called an extra-illustrated set that is only meant for a private collectors edition, Cornelius said. We had no idea it existed.

Former Illinois Gov. Frank Lowden, a Republican elected in 1916, requested the collectors edition of the biography with illustrations and manuscripts of letters, Cornelius explained.

Its the mystique of Lincoln collecting that this tells us about, he said.

The three volumes also include letters from Presidents John Quincy Adams, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield and Chester Arthur.

I think its so unusual there are so many presidential signatures in here in addition to some of Lincolns, said Wayne Temple, a Lincoln scholar who made a donation to the ALA to help purchase the biography.

The biography will be a part of the museums archives and available to researchers. But, as artifacts rotate through exhibits in the museum, the volumes could go on display in the future for the public to see, said museum spokesman Chris Wills.
ST. LOUIS  Gracie, 7, thinks the samosa at the Ethiopian booth at the Festival of Nations is good, but her moms is better.

That makes Tandra Taylor, the dubbed go-to samosa chef, laugh.

Taylor and her daughters were among the thousands who flocked to Tower Grove Park Saturday to enjoy the food and music of dozens of cultures at the Festival of Nations.

Were eating our way through the festival, she said.

Thats exactly what festival organizers want attendees to do  eat, drink and learn something.

Taylor, a doctoral student at St. Louis University focused on food studies among cultures, is a foodie. Her children are by proxy. They drove in for the festival from East St. Louis.

At one point, (Gracie) asked while we were walking what the difference is between Chinese food and Japanese food, and shes 7, Taylor said. So they talked about it.

The conversations among her family during the festival are refreshing, she said, but Taylor is disappointed in how few people of color are at the festival.

This event offers respite for what St. Louis is on a regular basis, she said. The other 51 weeks out of the year, Taylor feels the city lacks widespread cultural diversity.

Festival organizers are excited to bring the novelty of dozens of cultures together for another year, in hopes it turns into an eye-opening experience about St. Louis immigrants.

Festival director Anna Crosslin said with immigrants making up 6.7 percent of the city of St. Louis and 4.5 percent of the St. Louis region, you really have to work to come into contact with a lot of diversity on a day-to-day basis.

Crosslin is the president of the International Institute of St. Louis, which hosts the annual festival.

She said the Institute is lucky to break even each year putting on the event, she said.

That doesnt faze Crosslin, who said the importance of exposing people to new cultures trumps the cost  especially children.

Leo and Alma Perez-Moreno brought their toddler to the event for that exact reason.

I love to see kids in shows carrying the messages of their cultures, Alma Perez-Moreno said. Living in the Midwest often complicates exposure, so she thinks the festival, while fun, is also important.

Crosslin thinks a fun environment with live performances and food helps take the mystery out of the unknown for people who might be uncomfortable learning about other cultures.

At this time when the rhetoric associated with the political environment both at a state and at a national level includes awful lot thats anti-immigrant, we think that its important to try and relieve the fear that some people have about people who are different, she said.

Its too soon to tell, but Crosslin thinks the 2016 festival is on track to be one of the largest the Institute has organized since 2000.

The Festival of Nations continues 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Sunday.
In choosing Stephen Bannon to be the CEO of his campaign, Donald Trump has accomplished the extraordinary: He has found somebody as outrageous as he is.

Bannon, who had been publisher of the far-right website Breitbart, has called the pope a commie and said Catholics are trying to boost Hispanic immigration because their church is dying. He called Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman who was shot in the head, a human shield, and the mayor of London a radical Muslim. Hillary Clinton, in Bannons telling, is a grifter who would take the country to the last days of Sodom.

The new Trump adviser calls himself a populist nationalist  his hiring has been cheered by white supremacists  and calls his fellow believers a small, crazy wing of the conservative movement. He has referred to the Civil War as the war of Southern Independence fought over economic development. He found zero evidence of racial motives in the Trayvon Martin shooting and warned that cities could be washed away in an orgy of de-gentrification.

The Trump campaigns chief executive believes the Obama administration is importing more hating Muslims and asks whether Clinton is complicit in a fifth column. He doesnt think Huma Abedin, a Muslim aide to Clinton, should have a security clearance, and he has alleged that Clintons vice presidential nominee, Sen. Tim Kaine, has an affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. He argued that Gretchen Carlsons sexual harassment case, which forced the ouster of Roger Ailes at Fox News Channel, was a total dud, and he alleged the existence of a militant-feminist legal wrecking crew.

Fox News, in Bannons view, is a centrist outlet  and compared to Breitbart, it most certainly is. The site, which was closer to the mainstream under its late founder, Andrew Breitbart, has run these headlines under Bannons leadership:

Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.

Political Correctness Protects Muslim Rape Culture.

Suck It Up Buttercups: Dangerous Faggot Tour Returns to Colleges in September.

The Solution to Online Harassment Is Simple: Women Should Log Off.

Two Months Left Until Obama Gives Dictators Control of Internet.

Theres No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews.

Trannies Whine About Hilarious Bruce Jenner Billboard.

Khizr Khan Believes the Constitution Must Always Be Subordinated to the Sharia.

Bannons Breitbart said the gay-pride flag is viewed as a symbol of anti-Christian hate and said birth control makes a woman into a slut and a hideous monster, arguing: Your birth control injection will add on pounds that will prevent the injection you really want  of man meat.

Trump echoes conspiracy theories proposed by Breitbart, and Breitbart has relentlessly promoted Trump. In short, Trump found in Bannon a character like himself: a bully who targets racial and religious minorities, immigrants and women. In his writings and broadcast commentary, Bannon, a veteran and former banker, has argued that immigrants  legal as well as illegal  are to blame for crime, terrorism and disease. He disparages anchor babies and says FBI Director James Comeys recommendation not to prosecute Clinton is inextricably linked to anti-police violence. He speaks of Megyn Kellys blonde ambition and alleges that the military is trying to eradicate Christianity.

Breitbart has a tag for black crime and stokes fear of race wars with headlines such as Race Murder in Virginia, Black Suspects Stalk Robbery Victim in Philadelphia, Career Criminal Accused of Assaulting Victim, Calling Her White Bitch, Black Rape Gangs Violate Two Detroit Women and Black Mob Swarms Georgia Walmart to See How Much Damage They Could Do.

The Southern Poverty Law Center protests that Breitbart has been openly promoting the core issues of the Alt-Right, introducing these racist ideas to its readership. Breitbart had a lengthy defense of white nationalists that ignored their openly racist views, the SPLC said.

Breitbart likened Pamela Gellers Muhammad Cartoon Contest to the Selma-to-Montgomery march. The outlet has gone after the big gay hate machine and suggested that the next step for marriage equality is likely polygamy.

Breitbart ran a doctored photo showing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in a bikini on all fours with her tongue out. It reported that Planned Parenthood was comfortably surpassing Hitler in its body count. It said Trumps bogus claim that thousands of New Jersey Muslims celebrated the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, had been 100 percent vindicated, and it alleged a smoking gun connecting the 9/11 hijackers to a Bush family friend.

There is more, but you dont need to read it here. Just wait for Trump to say it.

Dana Milbank

Copyright The Washington Post
Updated Sunday:

The Missouri Department of Transportation Twitter account said at 12:13 p.m. that Interstate 44 and Grand are now open in all directions.

Previously:

ST. LOUIS  A number of road closures this weekend will make access to events such as Cardinals games and the Festival of Nations challenging for drivers.

The Missouri Department of Transportation announced Thursday that construction crews will close all lanes of Interstate 44 at 8 p.m. Friday between Jefferson and Vandeventer avenues. The ramp from Vandeventer to eastbound I-44 and the ramps from Lafayette and Jefferson avenues to westbound I-44 will also close at that time.

The agency has advised drivers to use Vandeventer, Chouteau and Jefferson as alternate streets to avoid the road closure.

Also on Friday, Grand Boulevard will be closed in both directions beginning at 7 p.m. South Grand will be blocked at Lafayette, and westbound I-44 and North Grand will be closed at the eastbound ramps of I-44. Drivers can use Gravois instead.

People interested in visiting the Festival of Nations at Tower Grove Park can use a few alternative routes including the Arsenal Street exit on Interstate 55 and the Kingshighway exit on Highway 40 (Interstate 64).

In spite of wide-ranging highway construction challenges, Festival of Nations will open again even bigger and better, the International Institute said in a news release Thursday.

Festival organizers are expecting more than 100,000 people at the event. Organizers have also created a map to help direct visitors to the festivals location.

The highway closures are expected to end by 5 a.m. Monday, but ramps on the east side of the I-44 bridge over Grand will be closed for two more weeks.

Weather could cause delays in construction. For additional information, visit the Missouri Department of Transportation website, modot.org.
Catastrophic computer outages that paralyze an entire airline are few and far between. Except this summer.

Last month, Southwest Airlines canceled 2,300 flights after a router in one of its data centers failed, delaying hundreds of thousands of passengers. And earlier this month, Delta Air Lines suffered a massive computer failure, which triggered the cancellation of 451 flights in a single morning.

A rare look behind the curtain at Southwests meltdown offers several important customer-service lessons for passengers who experience similar delays in the future. And in an industry that depends on finicky information systems, these incidents are bound to repeat themselves. Theyve left customers wondering how to avoid getting stuck in another IT collapse, and what, if anything, an airline can do to make up for such an event.

Jack Russell, who was scheduled to fly from St. Louis to Las Vegas last month, had a front-row seat for Southwests IT issues, which an employee euphemistically blamed on a software problem. The airlines proposed fix: Fly him to Vegas four days later.

As the executive vice president of a software company in St. Louis, Russell knows a thing or two about computers that go on the blink. But hes less understanding about Southwests IT implosion, which he says left him with little choice but to pay an extra $1,800 to reach his destination.

I spent twice as much money as I thought I would to get to Las Vegas, Russell says. If my customers had an outage created by my company and I said, Sorry, it was a freak occurrence, they would be waiting at my doorstep with their lawyer.

The Southwest systems problem suggests how fragile even the best-run airlines can be. It started in the early afternoon of July 20, when one of its small Cisco routers, out of about 2,000 such pieces of hardware that direct the airlines network traffic, failed.

This router broke in an unusual way. Instead of registering the error, which would have allowed network administrators in Southwests Dallas data center to take it offline immediately and replace it with a working router, it behaved as if it was still operating normally. Only, it wasnt directing any traffic.

Although network administrators spotted the error within half an hour, enough traffic had backed up that critical systems needed to be rebooted  a process that took a full 12 hours and affected critical functions, including the airlines website, its smartphone app and several internal systems used by Southwest employees to handle reservations. It was as if someone had turned off the lights for half a day.

When the systems flickered back to life, the problems continued. The airline still didnt have enough information to restart all flights. Because its systems had been down for so long, it couldnt be sure whether some of its crews had taken enough rest, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration. That forced Southwest to cancel more flights on July 21 and 22.

Brandwatch, a social-tracking service, charted a corresponding tsunami of anger on Southwests social media channels. The airline drew 36,905 mentions in a single day on July 21, an almost 20-fold increase from normal levels.

The spike in incoming volume that this received was incredible, says Joshua March, the chief executive of Conversocial, which offers customer-service software to travel companies. But the really significant piece in this instance was the inability to effectively scale the response.

Southwest had no script for handling an event of this magnitude.

It was really rough, says Robert Jordan, the airlines executive vice president and chief commercial officer, who describes the IT catastrophe as a thousand-year flood. The airline sent 50-percent-off vouchers to passengers affected by the outage, and in some cases paid for them to fly to their destinations on other airlines. All told, he says Southwest spent tens of millions of dollars trying to make amends.

We know we messed up, he adds. We know we have to work really hard to regain our passengers trust.

Southwest is still cleaning up. Russells delayed flight to Las Vegas is among the thousands of cases still being processed. Under most circumstances, a full refund for a replacement flight would be a tall order, but these are not normal circumstances.

IT disasters of this scale are unusual. Back in 2012, United Airlines experienced several days of delayed flights and sluggish customer service as it struggled to integrate the IT systems of United and Continental Airlines. Last July, United also suffered an outage that made it cancel hundreds of flights after a network router stopped working.

Asked if passengers could have done anything to get to their destinations faster during such a systems collapse, Jordan paused. So many things went wrong during the event that the normal tricks didnt work.

There just isnt a good answer, he says.

Thats the consensus of the customer service experts, too.

Elaine Allison, a former flight attendant and on-board service manager who now offers training courses in customer service, says passengers are powerless to negotiate their way around a total systems failure. She happened to be in Las Vegas during the week of Southwests outage, but was lucky enough to be flying on another airline.

Pack at least one day of clothing and small amenities, plus all medications, in a carry-on, in the event luggage is checked and immediately not retrievable, she says. Russell handled the situation correctly by re-booking his flight on another airline, she says. Southwest must refund a ticket when it cancels a flight.

The trick, says customer service expert Teri Yanovitch, is to look forward and not back. Southwest needs to figure out how to say its sorry without losing its shirt, and customers need a game plan should they get caught in a future systems failure.

Southwest needs to explain the situation and how Southwest will prevent it from happening again, she says. As a customer, the best you can do when all critical IT systems are down is to keep calm, dont take it out on the employee  it is not their fault  and consider your options for alternate transportation based on the situation.
CALGARY, ALBERTA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/27/16 -- Trident's previously announced recapitalization and financing transaction (the "Recapitalization") described in its management information circular dated as of July 20, 2016 (the "Circular") has now received approval from Trident's debtholders, shareholder and from the Alberta Court of Queen's Bench (the "Court").

Excluding the $5,700,000 of senior unsecured notes held by Trident for its own account, holders of the Company's senior unsecured notes representing $146,225,000 of the aggregate principal amount of the senior unsecured notes voted 98.6% in favour of the Recapitalization. In addition, the Recapitalization was supported by the sole holder of the Company's $22,000,000 debenture. Approval from Trident Resources Corp. ("TRC"), Trident's parent company, as the sole shareholder of Trident together with 99.9% of TRC's shareholders was also received.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Canada Business Corporations Act, the plan of arrangement effecting the Recapitalization also required the approval of the Court, which was received yesterday.

The Recapitalization provides for the exchange of the Company's $169.3 million of senior unsecured notes and its $22.0 million debenture for equity in the Company, elimination of the Company's accrued interest obligations for the senior unsecured notes and debenture, and a reduction of drawings under the Company's amended revolving credit facility (in aggregate, a liability reduction of over $215 million). Following closing, which is expected to occur on September 6, 2016, the Recapitalization is anticipated to reduce Trident's cash interest payments by $16 million per annum.

Forward-Looking Information

Certain information regarding the Company contained herein constitutes forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively "forward-looking statements") under the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact, including statements regarding the anticipated benefits of the Recapitalization, including the reduction in debt and interest expense, the financial position of the Company after giving effect to the Recapitalization, and other risks and uncertainties described from time to time in the Company's reports and other disclosures to investors. The forward-looking statements contained herein are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company, including expectations and assumptions concerning the timing of closing for the Recapitalization. Although the Company believes that the assumptions underlying, and the expectations reflected in, such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such assumptions and expectations will prove to be correct. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties and the difference may be material. There are many factors that could cause forward-looking statements not to be correct, including, but not limited to, risks associated with market conditions, the ability of Trident to satisfy the remaining conditions to complete the Recapitalization and the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern if the Recapitalization is not implemented, the risks associated with the oil and gas industry in general including operational risks in development, exploration and production, delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration or development projects, capital expenditures, health and safety considerations, reserves and other estimates and projections of production, revenue and costs. The Company is subject to several influencing factors that increase the variability of potential outcomes and may impact forward-looking statements including uncertainty as to the availability of labour and services, commodity prices and exchange rate fluctuations, weather conditions, general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties, capital market conditions and changes to laws and regulations.

The forward-looking statements contained herein are made as of the date of this release solely for the purpose of disclosing the above information regarding the Recapitalization and prospective activities. Trident may, as considered necessary in the circumstances, update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, however, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement except as required by law. Trident cautions readers that the forward-looking statements may not be appropriate for purposes other than their intended purposes and that undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking statement. Trident's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

Contacts:Trident Exploration Corp.Alan WitheyPresident & CEO403-770-0333Trident Exploration Corp.Jason BairdVice President, Finance403-770-0333

Source: Trident Exploration Corp.
A visitor rests next to a billboard showing the signs of Chinese Air Force's fighters and helicopters, which are made by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), at the Aviation Expo China 2015, in Beijing, China, September 16, 2015. REUTERS/Jason

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has set up a state-owned aircraft engine maker with registered capital of 50 billion yuan ($7.5 billion), state television said on Sunday, in the latest effort to develop home-grown, high-tech businesses to compete in international markets.

The government's overhaul of state-owned enterprises to push Chinese products and services up the value chain has prioritized aircraft engines, high-speed rail and nuclear power as areas in which it wants China to excel.

China's cabinet, Beijing municipal government, the Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) and Commercial Aircraft Corp of China are investors in the new Aero-Engine Group of China, combining a number of smaller businesses and their 96,000 employees to focus on designing, manufacturing and testing of aircraft engines, the report said.

President Xi Jinping called for the company to accelerate independent research, development and manufacturing of aircraft engines and gas turbines that will help China to achieve its goal of becoming an aviation power, Xinhua news agency said.

State-owned AVIC said in March that it was finalizing a 129 billion yuan merger of its aircraft engine businesses in a move to create a giant that could eventually compete with the likes of United Technologies Corp's (NYSE: UTX) aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney.

(Reporting by Kevin Yao; Editing by Christian Schmollinger and David Goodman)
DUBAI (Reuters) - The death penalty has failed to reduce drug trafficking in Iran, a senior Iranian judiciary official said on Saturday shortly before the scheduled execution of 12 people for narcotics-related offences.

His criticism was unusual in a judiciary that has long been a bastion of the hardline security establishment in the Islamic Republic, which carries out more executions per capita than any other country. Nearly 1,000 prisoner were put to death in 2015, most of them for drug trafficking.

Most narcotics are smuggled into Iran along its long, often lawless border with Afghanistan, which supplies about 90 percent of the world's opium from which heroin is made.

"The truth is, the execution of drug smugglers has had no deterrent effect," Mohammad Baqer Olfat, deputy head of judiciary for social affairs, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

"We have fought full-force against smugglers according to the law, but unfortunately we are experiencing an increase in the volume of drugs trafficked to Iran, the transit of drugs through the country, the variety of drugs, and the number of people who are involved in it," Olfat said.

He said he had suggested to the judiciary chief that rather than the death penalty, traffickers should serve long prison terms with hard labor.

Mohammad-Javad Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Human Rights Council and a brother of the powerful judiciary chief, said in 2015 that more than 90 percent of executions in the country were for drug-related crimes.

He said the death penalty has not led to a significant fall in drug-related crimes and that the policy must be re-evaluated.

The Islamic Republic seized 388 tonnes of opium in 2012, around 72 percent of all such seizures globally, but says it has lost many security personnel in skirmishes with drug traffickers in volatile regions bordering Afghanistan and also Pakistan.

The United Nations has repeatedly praised Iran's battle against narcotics trafficking but opposed its death penalty.

The United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Iran urged Tehran on Friday to halt the execution of 12 people on drug-related offences scheduled for Saturday.

"It is regrettable that the (Iranian) government continues to proceed with executions for crimes that do not meet the threshold of the 'most serious crimes' as required by international law," Ahmed Shaheed said in a statement.

Given Iran's large number of executions, some countries including Britain and Denmark have stopped providing funding for the United Nations drug control program in Iran.

(Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; editing by Mark Heinrich)
WEIMAR, Germany (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Poland agreed on Sunday there should be greater international efforts to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told reporters.

He said there had not been sufficient progress in implementing the Minsk ceasefire agreement. Western officials were talking with Russia and Ukraine to encourage them to implement measures already agreed in the Minsk process, including communal elections, he said.

"We have to work for a de-escalation of the situation," he told reporters after a meeting with his counterparts aimed at reinvigorating the Weimar Triangle trilateral group.

Steinmeier said the group also wanted to reassure Europeans about the continued importance and relevance of the European Union after the June 23 vote by Britain to exit the bloc.

"The Weimar Triangle can plan an important role ... It is a format where we can discuss progress or the lack of progress on issues such as the Normandy format aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict," Steinmeier said.

The Normandy group comprises Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.

Steinmeier said fresh efforts began in recent days to revive talks between Russia and Ukraine and pressure both sides to honor agreements they had already made.

The leaders of Russia, Germany and France have agreed to meet to discuss the situation in Ukraine on Sept. 4-5 in China on the sidelines of the G20 summit, the Kremlin said last week.

A recent surge in fighting in eastern Ukraine, where Kiev is fighting pro-Russian separatists, and fresh tension in Crimea have raised concern that a fragile ceasefire agreed in Minsk in February 2015 could collapse.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said last week he did not rule out introducing martial law and a new wave of military mobilization if the separatist conflict worsened.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Andrew Roche)
An armed man loyal to the Houthi movement holds his weapon as he gathers to protest against the Saudi-backed exiled government deciding to cut off the Yemeni central bank from the outside world, in the capital Sanaa, Yemen August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Mohamed

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Yemen's Saudi-backed exiled government said on Saturday it welcomed a plan agreed by the United States, Gulf Arab states and the United Nations to restart peace talks with a goal of forming a unity government.

U.N.-sponsored negotiations to end 18 months of fighting in the impoverished country on Saudi Arabia's southern border collapsed this month and the dominant Iran-allied Houthi movement there resumed shelling attacks into the kingdom.

In talks in Jeddah this week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said the conflict in which Saudi Arabia has launched thousands of air strikes in favor of the exiled government had gone on too long and needed to end.

On Saturday, a statement from the exiled government carried by the Saba news agency said: "The government is prepared to deal positively with any peaceful solutions...including an initial welcoming of the ideas resulting from the meeting in Jeddah that included the foreign secretaries of the U.S.,the United Kingdom and Gulf states."

The Houthis are yet to respond to the proposal.

Kerry said on Thursday the Houthis must cease shelling across the border with Saudi Arabia, pull back from the capital Sanaa, cede their weapons and enter into a unity government with their domestic foes.

Yemen's internationally recognized government, based in Saudi Arabia, has made similar demands but insisted that the Houthis fulfill all those measures before any new government was formed. However Kerry suggested they could move ahead in parallel.

The Yemen war has killed more than 6,500 people and displaced some 3 million.

Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally, has come under stiff criticism from rights groups for air strikes that have repeatedly killed civilians in Yemen.

The United Nations human rights office said in report on Thursday that the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for 60 percent of the 3,799 civilians killed in the war.

(Reporting By Maha El Dahan; Editing by Ros Russell)
Audit New Zealand is demanding Tauranga City Council take urgent action over a host of security issues with its computer network.

The audit received by the Finance and Risk Committee notes computer security issues and points to the lack of a number of management systems.
The new Sheep  Horizon Three PGP programme aims to develop a market driven, end-to-end value chain generating annual revenues of between $200 million and $700 million by 2030.

MPI will be investing $12.56 million (40 per cent) into the new programme with Spring Sheep Milk Co investing $18.83 million, representing a total investment of $31.39m over its six year life.

Spring Sheep Milk Co Chief Executive Scottie Chapman says with PGP support, sheep milk represents a unique opportunity for New Zealand to build a high-value sheep milk industry. Spring Sheep Milk Co is a 50/50 partnership between Landcorp and a number of New Zealand investors through SLC Ventures LP.

Internationally, there is significant and growing demand for sheep milk, especially from Asia, where consumers like its nutritional value, flavour and digestibility. With the right approach, New Zealand is in an ideal position to develop the sheep milk products to meet this demand. Our PGP programme with MPI allows us to do that in a planned and systematic way so we create a high-value, sustainable industry from the get-go, says Scottie.

Establishing an end to end value chain will ensure that these returns are generated, and retained in New Zealand at every stage  on farm, through processing and then into marketing.

The Sheep  Horizon Three PGP programme provides real opportunity for those people already involved in sheep milking, and those who want to enter the industry.

To achieve a sheep milk industry delivering domestic and export returns at the upper range of $700 million, New Zealand will need up to 55 farms managed by farmers with specific sheep milking expertise. The current farming model in New Zealand wont achieve this, which is why this joint investment between ourselves and MPI is so critical.

Spring Sheep Milk Co currently operates one farm of around 4000 East Friesian sheep near Taupo.

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy has welcomed the programme. This is an exciting and comprehensive programme aimed at boosting New Zealands sheep milk industry which has huge potential.

It will involve new genetics, new farming systems and developing high premium niche products. New Zealand operators will be involved in all parts of the value chain.

As part of the contracting process MPI and Spring Sheep will agree how other sheep dairy operators will be able to benefit from the programme, including the supply of milk to Spring Sheep and open access to improved dairy sheep genetics and knowledge.

Through the Sheep  Horizon Three PGP programme, Spring Sheep Milk Co will be able to help drive sustainable industry growth by investing in a number of important areas, says MPI Director-General Martyn Dunne.

This includes market intelligence to guide a programme of high-value product development and establishing a research farm to increase the genetic merit of the sheep. It also includes developing farming and environmental systems, and building the right capability and skills required for successful sheep milk farming in New Zealand.

Were very excited about the benefits the Sheep  Horizon Three PGP programme will bring for our wider sheep milk industry and the high value products it aims to deliver for consumers in New Zealand and overseas.

Scottie says the Sheep  Horizon Three PGP programme will establish another important industry that will provide a real economic boost for New Zealand that is environmentally and socially sustainable.

Were pleased MPI shares our vision for ensuring from the outset that New Zealands sheep milk industry has the right structures and processes to achieve the highest value returns through demand-driven growth, high value product development, best practice farming systems and high performance dairy sheep.

MPI and Spring Sheep Milk Co are now negotiating a contract so the programme can formally begin.
Wellington is doing it  Tauranga should be doing it too. Dr Liza Schneider of Holistic Vets is talking about compulsory microchipping of cats.

Its not a magic bullet but its the first big step in helping us define what is an owned and what is an un-owned cat.
Update:

Ithaca College released a statement saying the two victims were Ithaca College students.

ITHACA, N.Y. - The Ithaca Police Department is investigating a homicide that occurred early this morning on the Cornell University campus.

Police said they responded to a large fight at 1:57 a.m. at the intersection of College Avenue and Campus Road in Ithaca, where they found two men suffering from several stab wounds.

Police said one victim was flown to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse for treatment and has since been released. The other victim was taken to Cayuga Medical Center and later died, police said.

Police said they are currently investigating the homicide, processing the crime scene and interviewing witnesses. Names of victims have not yet been released.

Ithaca police asked anyone with information that would aid the investigation to call the police department at (607) 272-3245.
HarrowCourtFire (1).JPG

The Onondaga County Sheriff's Department and the Moyers Corners Fire Department were called to 3828 Harrow Court for a house fire.

(Onondaga County Sheriff)

CLAY, N.Y. - Moyers Corners volunteer firefighters battled a blaze that left a home in Clay in need of significant repairs, officials said.

Authorities received a call at 1:24 p.m. Sunday about a fire in a two-story town home at 3828 Harrow Court, Clay, said Sgt. Jon Seeber of the Onondaga County Sheriff's Department.

The call came in from a neighbor who saw black smoke coming out of the house and heard the fire alarms going off, Seeber said.

It took firefighters about 25 minutes to put out the flames, which were visibly coming out of the windows of the building, Seeber said.

Authorities said the fire started in the kitchen after a 14-year-old fell asleep while making French fries in a deep fryer. The teenager was the only one home at the time, Seeber said, and did not sustain injuries.

One Moyers Corners firefighter was taken to the hospital after suffering chest pains, Seeber said. The firefighter's condition is unknown.

Neighbors were evacuated during the fire, but Seeber said the fire did not spread and adjacent homes only sustained water and smoke damage.

The main house, however, suffered significant damages.

The local Red Cross will be working with the family to discuss relocating, Seeber said, and further investigations will be done on the home to assess the damage in more detail.
airsupply2.jpg

Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply performed for free at Chevy Court on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 2 p.m.

(Katrina Tulloch)

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Long before people hooked up phones to car speakers, my mother kept three "greatest hits" CDs in the glove compartment of her little Honda Civic: The Beatles, ABBA and Air Supply.

She blasted Air Supply for errands to the grocery store, to the bank, everywhere. As a result, I knew every word to Air Supply's 70-minute set at the New York State Fair on Sunday, and it seemed most people in the audience did too. Thanks Mom.

Crowds squished into Chevy Court for the concert, filling almost every bench and spilling out onto the grassy sides. The audience skewed older, with plenty of parents and young kids singing along together. Many wore Air Supply T-shirts, or shirts from other bands like The Beatles and Keith Urban.

The dangerous heat index didn't seem to affect the band much. Longtime vocalist Russell Hitchcock and guitarist Graham Russell sweated through their satin pink and black button-downs, but still made a point to hop offstage to play amidst the packed crowd. When onstage, Hitchcock couldn't make it through a song without blowing kisses or throwing up peace signs.

I grew up thinking the Australian duo included one woman, because of the way Hitchcock's voice soars into high, magnificent ranges. He hasn't lost that ability in 2016, keeping majestic control even during pivotal key changes in "Just As I Am."

It's no wonder Air Supply songs have become popular karaoke hits, thanks to their memorable lyrics, distinctive opening bars and opportunities to belt out impressive notes.

The music brought me back to a simpler time, when my ideas of relationships were much more pure and hopeful than they are today. Every single song focused on unconditional love and adoration of another, except for "Shake It," a dance encore. The only sad lyrics Hitchcock sang were about loneliness when loved ones went away. Love isn't so binary, but you wouldn't know it from an Air Supply show.

In retrospect, these kinds of songs set pretty unrealistic, gooey expectations for love and commitment for young listeners. But hey, so do Disney movies.

All I'm saying is, if aliens landed in Syracuse this week, seeking to learn more about the human race, the effervescent Air Supply show would make us all seem like love-struck dreamers. But it balanced out the darker, pushier content of last night's Dashboard Confessional or Korn and Rob Zombie shows.

The Air Supply duo is now in their mid-60s, but their backing band kept their material fresh. Young, eager musicians manned the keys, bass and drums. Russell even backed off to let the young Aaron Mclain shred ferociously on guitar, with his neck veins throbbing as he played.

After "All Out of Love," a recording of The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love" played the band off. Hitchcock lingered onstage to lead the crowd in a singalong of the first verses. He engaged the audience from beginning to end, and thanked them for coming out to see them play. Russell said it may have been 50 years since they last performed in the area.

Both bandmates met fans after the show. After changing into T-shirts, they signed autographs and took photos with the crowd. Hitchcock stayed out past 4 p.m., chatting sunnily with fans and introducing himself to their babies.

For men who sing so optimistically about love, they do follow through on showing it to their fans.

A large crowd filled Chevy Court for Air Supply on Sunday, Aug. 28 at the NYS Fair.

Air Supply

NYS Fair's Chevy Court | Aug, 28, 2016.

Sweet Dreams



Even the Nights Are Better



Just As I Am



Every Woman in the World



Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)



I Adore You



The One That You Love (performed in audience)



Lost in Love



Making Love Out of Nothing at All Encore:



Shake It


SHARE

Sally O'Connell, Stuart

Letter: My priority is the River, and I choose candidates who are on the side of the River

At election time all the candidates swear they are on your side. But there's nothing like looking at campaign finance reports to find out which side they are really on.

The River is my priority. So if you care about the River you want to vote for candidates who refuse campaign contributions from Big Sugar. Go to bullsugar.organd see who is really on the side of the River.

For the River, I'm voting for Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch, Donna Melzer and Anne Scott.

If you care about protecting your neighborhood, and keeping Martin County different and livable you want to vote for candidates who are knowledgeable about Martin County's Comprehensive Plan. Besides being our blueprint for growth, it is the law, and it legally protects our neighborhoods and our county from overdevelopment. So you want to vote for candidates who have a record of defending neighborhoods, and the county from rapacious developers.

If you care about your tax dollars and responsible government spending you want to vote for candidates who understand budgets, and who won't waste your taxes to subsidize development.

On Aug. 30, all registered Martin County voters  Democrats, Independents and Republicans  can vote for Donna Melzer. On Aug. 30 only registered Republicans can vote for Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch and Anne Scott.

Please vote, and vote with our future in mind.
Q.: I have an HP Pavilion laptop with Windows Vista. Lately, when I try to log in (as an administrator, I should note) I get the following message: "The User Profile Service failed the logon. User profile cannot be loaded." Because of this, I am not able to access any of my data and can only use my email via webmail on another computer. Any ideas what to do?

 Deborah Price, Jensen Beach

A.: According to the Microsoft Support website, this is a common problem for Vista and Windows 7 users. It tends to happen because of one of two reasons: (1) A task begins working before Windows starts, which prohibits Windows from loading your profile correctly; or (2) you have a corruption with your System Registry.

The first reason usually happens when your anti-virus starts scanning your system before you have completed the Windows login process. This can sometimes make Windows block the login because your anti-virus is blocking it as well.

For this, Microsoft suggests restarting the computer repeatedly until you are allowed access to your profile. Once allowed into Windows, check which processes are set to start when Windows boots (click Start, then type "msconfig" into the blank command line, hit enter and then in the window that appears click on the "Startup" tab) and disable any processes that may launch before the login process.

If this doesn't work and you still find yourself blocked, then chances are the problem is the result of a System Registry corruption. How the corruption started is difficult to determine, as there are dozens of potential causes for something like this to happen. However, fixing it can be done by editing the System Registry per the specific instructions found on this URL on the Microsoft Support website: https://goo.gl/3toCKR

Similarly, the following video on YouTube also provides the same fix (albeit visually): https://goo.gl/Nuyvyj

Please note: The System Registry essentially serves as the nervous system of your computer, and changes made to it should not be done lightly, as any mistakes in the editing process can impact other parts of system operation. If you do not feel comfortable conducting the steps described at the URLs above for fear of making a mistake, please take the system into a shop so a professional technician can perform the repair.

Untangling the web

grillgirl.com

Looking for some unique ideas and some healthy meal suggestions for your next cookout? Then make a point to visit this fun destination, which serves as the virtual home of grill fanatic and competitive barbecue fixture Robyn Lindars. On any given day, you will find recipes for main dishes, sides, desserts, drinks and more, as well as equipment reviews, travel stories, cooking videos and more. A must visit for any fan of cooking over fire.
Dear Judie: Mom's (87) advanced Alzheimer's prevents her from communicating in English or her native Portuguese. She makes sounds and I think she's trying to tell me something, but I have no idea what she's trying to say. How do I crack her code?

 Jean, PSL

Dear Jean: You're right. Mom's likely trying to communicate with you in a new language. Fortunately, it's one you already know. Alzheimer's destroys the part of the brain governing word finding/understanding and speech. It does not destroy Mom's ability to derive pleasure and warmth through her five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. When properly engaged, each can bring forth endorphins that facilitate loving sensory communication. Start with these examples:

Touch: Nothing compares to warm hugs and gentle touches for eliciting feelings of safety and joy.

Taste: Sweet treats or the familiar taste of Mom's favorite dinner can increase feelings of safety and comfort.

Sight: Photos of family and friends decades earlier can trigger-happy memories.

Hearing: music from decades ago may bring forth memories Mom can re-treasure.

Smell: The smell of Mom's perfume she wore years ago and food smells from the past can help reduce anxiety.

Dear Judie: Mom's (82) arthritis specialist prescribed pain pills for her back. We've always relied on this wonderful doctor's skill and kindness. When I reviewed the safety information on the pharmacy's insert, I saw the medication was not recommended for patients with COPD or asthma  Mom has both. I read your column and I'm aware of the dangers of adverse medication reactions. Shouldn't the doctor have known this? Should we change doctors?

 Paula, Stuart

Dear Paula: It's unwise to dismiss a doctor who's helped your family for years without asking him why he prescribed this medication. Call him, discuss the information you read and your concern about adverse medication reactions and give him the opportunity to explain his prescription or correct his error. Then congratulate yourself on being an informed family member and keep reading inserts!

Dear Readers: Never accept a new medication without asking your doctor to review your current medication list. Always bring a list of current medications with you to update the doctor on medications prescribed by other physicians.
Forecast tracks for Tropical Depression 9 Aug. 28,2 016, 5 p.m.

SHARE Aug. 28, 2016, 11 a.m. Tropical Depression 8, Aug. 28, 2016 11 a.m. Tropical Depression 9, Aug. 28, 2016, 5 p.m.

By Elliott Jones of TCPalm

The tropical wave that kept the Treasure Coast on its toes last week, until it steered southward, strengthened into a tropical depression by 5 p.m. Sunday.

The system is expected to bring heavy rains to the Treasure Coast, forecasters said.

MORE | Live satellite view of Atlantic systems

On Sunday, the former tropical wave was moving west through the Florida Straits, between Cuba and the Florida Keys. It has a broad east side that could bring widespread showers, and possibly some thunderstorms, to the Treasure Coast beginning Monday, according to National Weather Service forecasters.

Rain chances are 60 percent Monday, 80 percent Tuesday and 70 percent to 60 percent Wednesday and Thursday, forecaster Matt Volkmer said Sunday.

The depression is predicted to move into the Gulf of Mexico and then steer to the northwest toward the western Florida Panhandle. It is given a 60 percent chance of strengthening in the next five days, in part because of the warmth of the Gulf of Mexico's waters, according to the National Hurricane Center, Miami.

The low pressure system's heaviest rains are expected to hit Florida's west coast, Volkmer said.

However, moisture on the system's east side should extend to Florida's East Coast.

Along the Treasure Coast, an estimated two inches should fall between Monday and Tuesday. Some areas may get up to three inches. Another one to two inches are forecast on Wednesday and Thursday.

The tropical wave's future "has a lot of uncertainty," he said. "It could weaken or it could strengthen into a weak tropical storm."

Throughout the week, winds along the Treasure Coast winds are predicted to vary from 10 to 15 mph.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION 9

MORE | Live satellite view of tropical wave

Tropical Depression 9 has formed south of Key West.

At 11 p.m. advisory, the center of Tropical Depression Nine was about 100 miles southwest of Key West and 25 miles northwest of Havana, Cuba.

The depression is moving toward the west near 9 mph and this motion is expected to continue through Sunday night. On the forecast track, the depression will be moving away from the Florida Keys and Cuba and into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico Sunday night and Monday morning.

A turn toward the west-northwest and a decrease in forward speed are expected by Monday afternoon, followed by a turn toward the northwest on Tuesday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours. Wind gusts to 45 mph were reported in the lower Florida Keys Sunday afternoon and evening.

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Rainfall: The depression is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 1 to 4 inches over the southern half of the Florida peninsula and the Florida Keys through Wednesday. Isolated maximum amounts of 6 inches are possible over coastal areas of southern Florida and the Keys. This rainfall may cause flooding and flash flooding.

Wind: Gusts to tropical storm force are possible in a few squalls in the lower Florida Keys through Sunday night.

NEAR TEXAS

8 p.m.: A weak area of low pressure located near the upper Texas coast is producing disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity over the northwestern Gulf of Mexico and adjacent coastal areas of southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas.

Surface pressures remain high in the area and the system's proximity to land is expected to limit significant development while it moves slowly southwestward during the next couple of days.

Formation chance through 48 hours: 10 percent.

Formation chance through 5 days: 10 percent.

TROPICAL DEPRESSION 8

A Tropical Storm Watch may be required for the Outer Banks of North Carolina later today. https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/fjtTcYQDVN  NHC Atlantic Ops (@NHC_Atlantic) August 28, 2016

At 11 p.m., the center of Tropical Depression 8 was located 285 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and a tropical storm watch was issued for a portion of the North Carolina coast from Cape Lookout to Oregon Inlet.

The depression is moving toward the west-northwest near 10 mph. A turn toward the northwest and a decrease in forward speed are expected on Monday, with a slow northwestward motion forecast on Tuesday. On the forecast track, the center of the cyclone will pass near the North Carolina Outer Banks late Tuesday or Tuesday night.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph with higher gusts. Slow strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and the depression could become a tropical storm on Monday.

OFF AFRICA

8 p.m.: A tropical wave is expected to move offshore of the west coast of Africa on Tuesday. Conditions are expected to be favorable for development of this system later this week while it moves westward at 15 to 20 mph over the tropical eastern Atlantic.

Formation chance through 48 hours: near 0 percent.

Formation chance through 5 days: 50 percent.

HURRICANE GASTON

At 11 p.m, the center of Hurricane Gaston was 575 miles southeast of Bermuda. Gaston is stationary, but a slow northward motion is expected overnight Sunday and on Monday. A turn toward the northeast or east-northeast with some increase in forward speed is forecast on Tuesday.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to near 120 mph with higher gusts. Gaston is a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some slow weakening is forecast during the next 48 hours.
A new Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10 tablet is expected to make its debut next week at the IFA 2016 trade show in Berlin, and a new leak hints at mixed specs.

If the latest leak turns out to be accurate, the slate, which runs on Android, will combine the midrange with the high-end segment in an intriguing, yet not very impressive package.

More specifically, German site WinFuture reveals that the refreshed Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10 will rock a 10-inch IPS display with a high resolution of 2,560 x 1,600 pixels, which would suggest a high-end device. Under the hood, however, the tablet falls into the midrange with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor clocked at 1.8 GHz.

This means that, although the display should deliver impressive visuals, the processor will not be able to back it up properly when it comes to more demanding scenarios that require some raw power. The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10 should perform decently as a media device, but more horsepower would certainly help handle that neat screen and make the most of it.

The tablet is also expected to pack a large 9,300 mAh battery, which should provide up to 18 hours of usage on a single charge. Other specs reportedly include 32 GB of native storage, microSD support for additional memory, a 13-megapixel rear camera and a USB Type-C port.

Based on the leaked images, the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10 will sport a mixed design as well, combining metal with what looks like a grainy leather back, and of course, that familiar hinge system. The tablet is expected to run Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, but it will likely get an upgrade to 7.0 Nougat sometime in the future.

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10 is also expected to come bundled with JBL speakers, which have pretty much become the standard for the series. On the downside, no built-in projector seems to be in the mix.

As for pricing, the slate will reportedly start at $390 for the base Wi-Fi version, going up to $450 for the LTE variant.

Lenovo will reportedly unveil several other new products at IFA 2016, including new smartphones, laptops and tablets. If you're interested in the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10 or other upcoming Lenovo devices, stay tuned for more information as soon as it's official. In the meantime, take all leaks with a grain of salt.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Sprint is now launching a "real" unlimited data plan, calling it Unlimited Freedom Premium.

To clear things up, the carrier put up a similar offering just recently, but it had a lot of restrictions across the board. For starters, video streaming was limited to 480p, music quality capped at 500 kbps and gaming topped out at 2 Mbps. In other words, it wasn't so unlimited after all.

This time around, the Unlimited Freedom Premium bumps up those numbers by quite a lot  the price as well, of course. Video streams can now go at 1080p, music at 1.5 Mbps and gaming at 8 Mbps. While those are pretty significant boosts, the fact of the matter is that it's still not what someone would call limitless, but at any rate, it's one step closer to that.

In a word, Sprint is still throttling subscribers with the new plan, but at least the caps have been raised. That means customers will definitely get an improved experience out of it.

"For those customers who want to watch video, listen to music and stream games in higher resolution on their mobile devices, and for those wireless users who would like to stream movies and games on their HD TV, Sprint introduces Unlimited Freedom Premium," the carrier says.

As a little refresher, Unlimited Freedom costs $60 a month per line, $40 for an extra second line and $30 for each additional one up to 10 lines in total. On the other hand, Unlimited Freedom Premium will hold back users by $80 a month per line or $140 for two lines.

To have more people get in on the action, Sprint is offering a limited-time deal. Anyone who signs up for Unlimited Freedom now will get a free upgrade to Unlimited Freedom Premium until Oct. 31.

It's also worth mentioning that this is likely the carrier's response to the unlimited data plan that T-Mobile recently launched called T-Mobile One. Taking shots at other competitors, it even detailed how its pricing and services stack up against them on the website linked above, pointing out that AT&T's plan is more expensive and that Verizon doesn't even have a similar offering.

Long story short, Sprint wants to dominate the unlimited data space, and with the Unlimited Freedom Premium, it's taking its game up a notch.

What do you think of this new option? Drop by our comments section and let us know.

Also, to get a closer look at how T-Mobile One and Unlimited Freedom fares against each other, hit up our comparison of the two.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Microsoft is taking further steps toward combating online hate speech by rolling out resources to counter sexist, racist or otherwise abusive content on its services.

This is not the company's first rodeo trying to fight online abuse. Back in May, for instance, Microsoft vowed to crack down on terrorist content across its services, updating its terms and services to ban any posts related to terrorist content. The following month, in June, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and Google pledged to fight hate speech across the European Union, abiding to a new "code of conduct."

Continuing such efforts, Microsoft has now introduced a new web form on Aug. 26, offering tools and resources for people to report content instigating violence or promoting hatred based on race, gender, sexual identity or other factors. At the same time, the company is offering a different web form for requests that should be reconsidered and content that should be reinstated.

"Microsoft is committed to creating safe online communities where our customers can learn, play, grow and interact without the threat of violence or hatred," says the company.

Further highlighting that it has been making efforts in this regards for many years now, Microsoft notes that it's not changing its principles or policies, it's merely "refining" some processes and making it easier for users to report hate speech or make requests for content to be reinstated if they feel it was wrongfully removed.

The company reiterates its commitment to providing a safe and civil environment through its services, which is why it will never tolerate any content promoting hate speech based on age, gender, disability, national or ethnic origin, religion, race, sexual orientation or gender identity.

"We will continue our 'notice-and-takedown' approach for removing prohibited content on hosted consumer services, and the new form aims to improve the quality and speed of our reviews," adds Microsoft.

The company will evaluate each complaint regarding potential hate speech and take various factors into account, including context, before determining appropriate action. This means that simply having someone report a piece of content is not enough to have it removed, the request will be thoroughly reviewed in order to minimize the potential for wrongful takedowns.

Beyond these tools that facilitate reporting, Microsoft is also working with governments, other technology companies, safety advocates and the online community to counter online content that may be hateful or offensive.

The new resources should help reduce online hate speech across Xbox Live and other Microsoft services, but it's also important that users get involved and report hateful content.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Samsung announced it would release a Pink Gold color option for the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge back in April. The company has announced the brightly colored smartphones are now available from Best Buy.

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, it also introduced a new color option for its flagship smartphone duo. Rose Gold quickly became the most in-demand color choice when the smartphones went on sale. Part of its appeal was instantly recognizable, as it was only available as a choice for Apple's latest iPhone, allowing users to quietly brag they had the latest and greatest.

This wasn't a new play from Apple, as it made the same move with the Gold iPhone 5s in 2013 and it's expected to repeat adding a new color when it launches the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in a Space Black color choice that will be exclusive to the next-generation iPhones.

Samsung has also put focus on adding new color options. Its just released Galaxy Note 7, which is available in a new Blue Coral color, is currently sold out and new customers face up to a 3-week wait for the phablet.

Samsung followed in Apple's Rose Gold footsteps when it announced the Pink Gold Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge in April but the color choice has not been available to customers in the United States, until now.

If you've been holding out purchasing a Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge because you desired the Pink Gold hue, the company has announced that Best Buy will be the exclusive seller of the color option.

Best Buy is now offering the Pink Gold Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge with 32 GB of internal storage. The retailer is only selling AT&T, Verizon and Sprint variants of both smartphones, sorry T-Mobile customers.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 features a 5.1-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad HD display, while the Galaxy S7 edge packs in a 5.5-inch dual curved edge screen with the same resolution. The handsets include the same specs: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage and microSD expansion slot.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge boast 12-megapixel rear cameras and a 5-megapixel front-facing snapper. The handsets feature a premium glass and metal design with wireless charging built in and its cases are also waterproof and dust resistant. The Galaxy S7 includes a 3,000 mAh battery, while the S7 edge packs in a larger 3,600 mAh battery.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Scientists in Japan have detected a series of tremors that reverberated through the ocean from the other side of the globe and quietly shook the seafloor in the region.

However, these tremors were not caused by an earthquake. Instead, they were caused by a rare phenomenon known as a "weather bomb," according to a new study.

Weather Bomb

In a new report, a team led by professors Ryota Takagi and Kiwamu Nishida of the University of Tokyo explained how they detected an amplification of a noise that hummed across the interior of Earth.

With the use of seismometers, researchers were able to pick up these vibrations that are likely caused by ocean waves, tidal forces, deep-lying earthquakes and other disturbances. As it turns out, the hum was produced by a specific weather bomb that formed just off the coast of Iceland and Greenland in 2014.

A weather bomb is a powerful cyclone during which strong waters beat against the seafloor. The cyclone unleashes seismic energy known as microseisms that reverberate through the interior and surface of Earth, scientists said.

Here is what happened: the atmospheric pressure quickly dropped as a storm system hovered over the North Atlantic Ocean. The weather bomb triggered pressure waves to move from the surface of the ocean to the ocean floor. Because of this, vibrations were absorbed by the seabed and tremors were felt even in Japan  the opposite side of the North Atlantic.

What's most fascinating about the report is that the Japanese scientists recorded P-waves and S-waves. The latter, which are also called transverse waves, are rare and feature side-to-side vibrations that are perpendicular to the direction in which they travel.

Uncovering Earth's Secrets

Authors of the new research believe that studying the microseismic waves produced by the weather bomb can help gather a collection of data that opens up a different perspective in exploring the deep interior of the Earth, particularly in the absence of earthquakes.

Seismologist Peter Gerstoft of the University of California, San Diego said detecting both S-waves and P-waves can provide experts more information. Because S-waves contain shorter wavelengths than P-waves, different lateral and vertical variations in the structure of our planet can be imaged, he said.

Geophysical oceanographer Peter Bromirski, co-author of a Perspective on the report, said the discovery of S-waves gives scientists a new tool to uncover the secrets of the Earth.

"New discoveries of any kind are always exciting," said Bromiski.

Details are published in the journal Science.

Photo: Graham Cook | Flickr

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
On Thursday, Aug. 25, scientists announced the discovery of a galaxy with the same mass as the Milky Way but contains 99.99 percent dark matter, which is an elusive and undetected substance.

Known as Dragonfly 44, the newly identified galaxy was first detected through the Dragonfly Telephoto Array in Toronto. Afterward, scientists used the world's most powerful telescopes, the Gemini North telescope at the Gemini Observatory and the Keck II telescope at the W.M. Keck Observatory, to monitor it further.

Although the galaxy is not the first to be identified with presence of dark matter, its discovery is special because it is the only average-sized galaxy nearly dominated by dark matter.

Pieter van Dokkum, an astronomer from Yale University, says soon after the galaxy's discovery, they realized there was more to it than meets the eye.

Undetected Dark Matter

Dragonfly 44 is located about 300 million light-years away from our planet and is considered a dim galaxy with very few stars. According to van Dokkum, the dim galaxy has so few stars that it would be rapidly ripped apart unless it was being held together by something.

Scientists believe the galaxy is likely made up of dark matter because the velocities of stars within it are much higher than what they had expected, indicating that it has a mass greater than what can be detected through telescopes.

Furthermore, although Dragonfly 44 has the same mass as our own galaxy, it's actually the "Dark Twin" and is different from our galaxy by a factor of 100.

How The Discovery Changes Everything

The dim galaxy is such a novelty in the line of research that astrophysicists currently study. According to van Dokkum, the discovery of Dragonfly 44 challenges existing notions on the formation of galaxies.

He says that prior to the research, they thought the ratio of dark matter was something they already understood.

For instance, dark matter is thought to outnumber regular matter  ordinary matter composed by atoms  by 5 to 1 in the universe.

Additionally, scientists thought the formation of stars was related to how much dark matter is present. However, Dragonfly 44 turns this last idea around.

It means we dont understand, kind of fundamentally, how galaxy formation works," says van Dokkum.

Meanwhile, the race to detect other galaxies similar to Dragonfly 44 is on. Because dark matter is believed to emit a faint ultraviolet signal, experts hope a neighboring galaxy with dark matter can provide the first evidence of the elusive substance's existence.

Details of the report were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
On Friday, former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took advantage of the last debate between candidates before Sunday's presidential elections to accuse the current president,... | Read More
US Ambassador Ted Osius (center) and his husband Clayton Bond (2nd L) join Vietnamese government officials and celebrities to demonstrate how to do the HIV self-test in Ho Chi Minh City on August 26, 2016. Photo credit: Phuong Nguyen/USAID

Vietnamese health officials and the US Embassy on Friday launched the HIV self-testing service, the first of its kind in Vietnam, in Ho Chi Minh City.

The service helps users know their HIV status 20 minutes after using the test kit to take their sample of saliva or blood.

US Ambassador to Vietnam Ted Osius said: HIV testing has never been as simple as it is with a self-test. Anyone at risk can learn their HIV status confidentially, privately, and in a safe way.

Nguyen Hoang Long, director of the Vietnam Administration for HIV/AIDS Control, said the service will increase access to HIV testing and normalize it as other over-the-counter rapid tests such as for diabetes or pregnancy.

The HIV self-testing service is part of the Healthy Markets project, which has been supported by the US Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by PATH, a non-profit organization, and Vietnams Ministry of Health since October 2015.

Dr. Vu Ngoc Bao, deputy director for the project at PATH, said that initial results from the service have been very promising.

Since the end of May, over 377 individuals have opted for HIV self-testing.

Of the seven percent confirmed HIV positive, all (100 percent) were successfully enrolled in HIV treatment services.

Vietnam has committed to the United Nations 90-90-90 targets toward ending the HIV epidemic. Accordingly, by 2020, 90 percent of people living with HIV will know their HIV status; 90 percent of people who know their status are on HIV treatment; and 90 percent of all people on treatment will have undetectable levels of HIV in their body, known as viral suppression.

There were an estimated 260,000 people living with HIV in Vietnam as of 2016.

Although the country has seen a reduction in new HIV infections over recent years, there is low annual uptake of HIV testing among key populations at high risk of transmission. This includes people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, transgender women, and female sex workers.
The website The Essence of Vietnam was launched Friday to promote tourism in Quang Nam, Da Nang and Thua Thien-Hue in the first joint campaign among the favorite localities.

It was part of a well-coordinated project backed by the EU to boost tourism in the central coast destinations, known for the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Hue Citadel, Hoi An Ancient Town and My Son Sanctuary, as well as tropical beaches and national parks.

We chose the name The Essence of Vietnam because the area is located in the central region and is home to world heritage sites and beautiful beaches, Tran Chi Cuong, deputy director of Da Nang Tourism Department, was quoted by The Saigon Times as saying.

Da Nang, Quang Nam and Thua Thien-Hue have been sharing stalls at several travel fairs recently, he added.

Cuong said the new project will also connect nearby localities and promised there will be "new and diverse tourism products."

According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, the country attracted nearly 900,000 international visitors in August, up 34.4 percent from a year ago.

Nearly 6.5 million visitors have come to Vietnam so far this year, an increase of 25.4 percent from the same period last year. Significant increases were reported from major source markets including Hong Kong, China, South Korea, Thailand, Laos, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden and Japan.
Security personnel are seen inside a house where police says militants were killed after a gunbattle on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 27, 2016.

Bangladesh security forces killed three Islamist militants on Saturday, including a Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen accused of masterminding an attack on a cafe in Dhaka last month that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners, police said.

The militants were cornered in a hideout on the outskirts of the capital and, having refused to surrender, were killed in the ensuing gun battle, Monirul Islam, the head of the Dhaka police counterterrorism unit, told Reuters.

He initially said four militants had been killed but later revised the number to three.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is due to visit on Monday to discuss security after a series of killings targeting liberals and religious minorities in the mostly Muslim country.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the assault on the cafe in a posh neighborhood where militants singled out non-Muslims and foreigners, killing Italians, Japanese, an American and an Indian.

The government has consistently denied the presence in the country of any transnational militant organization such as al Qaeda or Islamic State.

But police believe that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, was involved in organizing the cafe attack.

The scale of that attack and the targeting of foreigners has cast a shadow over foreign investment in the poor South Asian economy, whose $28 billion garments export industry is the world's second largest.

"This operation definitely will uphold confidence and the image of Bangladesh," said Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

Security personnel enter a house after a gunbattle with militants on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 27, 2016.

She told a news conference: "With this killing one curse has been removed from our shoulders."

Mastermind's death

The suspected mastermind killed in Saturday's raid was identified as Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, a 30-year-old Canadian citizen born in Bangladesh. Analysts say Islamic State in April identified Chowdhury as its national commander.

"According to our evidence we are now sure that Tamim was among the three killed," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters. "So the chapter of Tamim has ended here."

Khan said Chowdhury was one of the main suppliers of funds and arms for several recent attacks. He had returned to Bangladesh in October 2013 via Abu Dhabi, A.K.M. Shahidul Hoque, the inspector general of police, said.

Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign department, said in a statement it is aware of reports of Chowdhury's death.

"Canadian officials are in contact with Bangladeshi authorities to gather additional information," a spokeswoman said. "No further details can be provided at this time."

The raid followed a tipoff from the landlord of the house where the militants were staying, Hoque told reporters. The landlord said the militants had described themselves as businessmen in the medical trade.

Police spokesman Masudur Rahman said the fingerprints of two associates of Tamim who were also killed on Saturday have been sent to the election commission to confirm their identity.

"Police collected evidence from the house though they (the associates) destroyed a laptop and some other documents," he said.

Security personnel walk on a road leading to the site of a gunbattle with militants on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, August 27, 2016.

They rented the house earlier this month and police recovered several grenades, arms and bullets.

Last month police offered a 2 million taka ($26,000) reward for information enabling them to detain Tamim.

Police have also detained two men who had been among the survivors of the July 1 restaurant attack.

Hasnat Karim, who holds dual British and Bangladeshi citizenship, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, a student of Toronto University and a Canadian permanent resident, had been dining separately in the restaurant.

A lawyer for Karim, a 47-year-old engineer, has said his client is innocent. Relatives of Khan, 22, say he is innocent too.

Global Affairs Canada said officials are in contact with their Bangladeshi counterparts about the matter, but the assistance they can offer is limited as Khan is not a citizen.

Earlier this month, security forces arrested four women suspected of being members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh.
An ARJ21-700, China's first domestically produced regional jet, arrives at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport after making its first flight from Chengdu to Shanghai, China June 28, 2016.

China has set up a state-owned aircraft engine maker with registered capital of 50 billion yuan ($7.50 billion), state television said on Sunday, in the latest bid to develop home-grown, high-tech capacities to compete in international markets.

The government has been overhauling its state-owned sector to push Chinese products and services up the value chain. Under that drive, it has prioritized aircraft engines, high-speed rail and nuclear power as areas it wants China to excel.

China's cabinet, Beijing municipal government, the Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) and Commercial Aircraft Corp of China are investors of the new company, it said.

The new company, called China Aero-Engine Group and with 96,000 employees, will focus on designing, manufacturing and testing of aircraft engines, the report said, adding that it will be of "great significant for the future development of China's aviation industry".

In March, state-owned AVIC said it was finalizing a 129 billion yuan merger of its aircraft engine businesses, in a move to create a giant that could eventually compete with the likes of United Technologies Corp's aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney.
An activist hold a banner in front of the Philippine National Police headquarters during a protest condemning extra-judicial killings in President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign against drugs, in Manila on August 24, 2016

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is waging a bloody war on crime, has justified the large-scale killing of drug users by suggesting the victims were not human.

Duterte, who has seen about two thousand people killed since he was elected in May, made the remarks late Friday as he shrugged off the United Nations' concerns over human rights in his country.

"Crime against humanity? In the first place, Id like to be frank with you: are they humans? What is your definition of a human being?" he told soldiers while visiting an army camp, according to transcripts of his speech released afterwards.

"Human rights? Use it properly in the right context if you have the brains," he added.

"You cannot wage a war without killing," Duterte said, adding that many drug users were beyond rehabilitation.

His remarks came after various UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June condemned his apparent support for extra-judicial killings.

The UN special rapporteur on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, said earlier this month that his directives "amount to incitement to violence and killing, a crime under international law".

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa speaks following a flag raising ceremony inside Camp Crame in Quezon City, east of Manila, Philippines, 04 July 2016.

Duterte's comments come after his national police chief Ronald Dela Rosa on Friday urged drug users to kill their traffickers and burn their homes.

"Why don't you give them a visit, pour gasoline on their homes and set these on fire to register your anger," Dela Rosa said.

He later apologised for his remarks.

But Duterte defended Dela Rosa, saying "that's my style. He is following it".

Duterte also taunted the United Nations, saying "they want me to go prison? Do those idiots think I will be captured alive. My God, we will be together in hell."

Earlier this week, Dela Rosa told senators that over 750 people had been killed by police in anti-drug operations while more than a thousand had been slain by shadowy figures. Since then, even more people have been killed.

Duterte, 71, won May elections in a landslide on a promise to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals to prevent the Philippines from becoming a narco-state.

He has vowed to protect policemen who may be charged as part of the campaign.
Police are seen outside Saint Joseph catholic church after a suspected terror attack by a knife-wielding assailant on a priest during the Sunday service in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia August 28, 2016 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Irsan Mulyadi/via REUTERS

Indonesian police were investigating a suspected terror attack by a knife-wielding assailant on a priest during the Sunday service at a church, and a bomb squad had been deployed to determine whether the attacker's backpack contained explosives.

There were no serious casualties, though the priest and his attacker suffered minor injuries, according to police in Medan city, northern Sumatra.

"A terrorism act was carried out on Sunday morning at the Saint Joseph catholic church," said Rina Sari Ginting, spokeswoman for Medan police in a statement. "Police are interrogating the perpetrator... and will search his house for any bomb-making materials."

A witness present in the church told Reuters the attacker had sat with other worshippers before running toward the priest.

People are seen outside Saint Joseph catholic church following a suspected terror attack by a knife-wielding assailant on a priest during the Sunday service in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia August 28, 2016 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Irsan Mulyadi/via REUTERS.

There was a small explosion like fireworks and he also took out a knife as he ran toward the priest, said Timbas Ginting.

A bomb squad was sent to the site to check whether the assailant was carrying explosives, in case the attack was a failed suicide bomb attempt.

Whats clear is that the pastor was threatened, and (there was) an attempt to hurt the pastor, Fahrizal, the head of criminal investigations for police in Medan, said.

Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population and the vast majority practice a moderate form of Islam. But there has beeb a resurgence in fundamentalism during recent years, inspired in part by Islamist militant groups like al Qaeda and Islamic State.
Turkey's army and its allies thrust deeper into Syria on Sunday, seizing territory controlled by Kurdish-aligned forces on the fifth day of a cross-border campaign that a monitoring group said had killed at least 35 villagers.

Turkish warplanes roared into northern Syria at daybreak and its artillery pounded what security sources said were sites held by Kurdish YPG militia, after the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported fierce overnight fighting around two villages.

Turkey's military said 25 Kurdish militants were killed in its air strikes. There was no immediate comment from the YPG, but forces aligned with the Kurdish militia have said it withdrew from the area targeted by Turkey before the offensive.

Turkey, which is also battling Kurdish insurgents on its own soil, sent tanks and troops into Syria on Wednesday to support its Syrian rebel allies. The Turkish-backed forces first seized the Syrian border town of Jarablus from Islamic State militants before pushing south into areas held by Kurdish-aligned militias. They have also moved west towards Islamic State areas.

Turkish officials have openly stated that their goal in Syria is as much about ensuring Kurdish forces do not expand the territory they already control along Turkey's border, as it is about driving Islamic State from its strongholds.

However, Turkey's offensive has so far focused mostly on targeting forces allied to the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition that includes YPG, an Observatory source said.

The SDF has support from the United States, which sees the group as an effective Syrian ally against Islamic State. So Turkey's action against SDF-allied forces puts it odds with a fellow NATO member, adding a further twist to Syria's complex war that began in 2011 with an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and has drawn in regional states and world powers.

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group with a network of sources in Syria, said Turkish-allied forces had seized two villages south of Jarablus, Jub al-Kousa and al-Amarna, that were held by militias loyal to the SDF.

The fighting killed 20 civilians in Jub al-Kousa and 15 in al-Amarna, while scores more were wounded, the group said.

Heading south

The Observatory said rebels backed by Turkish tanks fought until dawn against rival militias allied to the SDF around al-Amarna. SDF-allied militia damaged three Turkish tanks, it said.

Turkish security sources said warplanes and artillery had hit Kurdish YPG militia sites south of frontier town of Jarablus and towards Manbij, a city captured by Kurdish-aligned SDF this month in a U.S.-backed operation.
September appears to be shaping up as the month for art in Lincoln with notable shows set to open or just opened at many of the citys museums and galleries -- most of which will be ready for the First Friday art walk this week.

Most of the just-opened exhibitions are at the Sheldon Museum of Art, where Uncommon Likeness, an exploration of identity through portraiture is one of the best-ever shows there and a lock for the museum show of the year in 2016.

Nebraska Wesleyan Universitys Elder Gallery has an on-going show of note -- In Progress: Illusions and Delusions by artist Anne Harris.

Harris, a drawing and painting instructor at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, has been re-inventing her self-portrait for the last 25 years, creating a catalyst for invention. Harris will be at Elder in the Rogers Fine Arts Building for an artist talk on Sept. 9.

Friday, the Great Plains Art Museum will open Contemporary Indigeneity: Spiritual Borderlands its third biennale exhibition of Native artists who reside in or make art about the contemporary Native experience on the Great Plains.

The Great Plains First Friday opening reception will run from 5 to 7 p.m. as will the First Friday event at the Sheldon Museum of Art.

The Lux Center for the Arts also holds it First Friday openings early, from 5 to 8 p.m. It will open two shows Friday.

Lost & Found Again is a selection of object-filled boxes and still life photographs by veteran Lincoln artist Michael Farrell, who has extensively exhibited his work in museums and galleries, with this show marking the 25th anniversary of showing this kind of work, which he has been making since 1968.

Snacks on the River is a show of works on paper by Steve Snell, an assistant professor at the Kansas City Art Institute who formerly taught at Hastings College. The pieces in Snacks on the River were created earlier this month by adventure artist Snell recording his experience and the landscape as he floated down the Missouri River between Nebraska City and Kansas City.

In May and June, Jay Kreimer and Wendy Weiss filled the Lux main gallery with They Gave Us Directions, a multiple medium installation based on and reacting to their time living and working in India that was one of the best exhibitions in Lincoln this year.

Friday, Kreimer and Weiss return with Theres Always an Apex Predator, a show that will run through September at the Tugboat Gallery.

The show, which was triggered by Kreimers fathers experience as a prisoner of war in World War II and Weisss fathers interest in the Holocaust explores crocodiles, prisoners of war, vinyl, the holocaust and more, according to a Tugboat release.

Finally, on Sept. 16, Kiechel Fine Art will open what will be the gallery show that will rival Uncommon Likeness as Lincolns best exhibition in 2016. It is an exhibition of drawings by Francisco Souto, about which I will have much more later.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO -- Volunteers unload one of six large trucks filled with food, cleaning supplies and clothes donated by Ain't Life Grand Investments, which operates 20 restaurants in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Sam McAlister, with Ain't Life Grand, said the supplies were delivered Monday to The Church in St. Amant, which has been serving as a distribution center for supplies for flood victims in Ascension Parish.
I am writing in response to the Advocate article of Aug. 22 about the American Red Cross response in Louisiana.
Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser is settling into a new role  one that other state leaders say he's uniquely qualified for  as Louisiana prepares for what is expected to be a long recovery from catastrophic flooding that has left 13 people dead and thousands displaced.

Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, has tapped Nungesser, a Republican, to serve as a consultant of sorts for the 20 parishes that have received federal disaster declarations.

Nungesser knows a thing or two about disasters. He led Plaquemines Parish, at the state's southeastern tip, through five hurricanes and the BP oil spill crisis.

"I've been there before," Nungesser said recently of the new efforts he'll be undertaking. "Unfortunately, we've been through it in Plaquemines so many times."

In the coming weeks, Nungesser is planning stops in each of the flood-affected parishes to meet with local officials and give them one-on-one advice about better and faster recovery efforts.

"Hopefully, I can minimize the learning curve for officials who maybe haven't dealt with disaster recovery in the past," he said.

One of his goals will be helping local government navigate the often complex bureaucratic process and secure as much federal assistance as possible to aid the recovery efforts. Through his office, he'll also help coordinate volunteer efforts when federal assistance is not available.

"I'm more than happy to step up and help with anything," Nungesser said. "If I can be an asset, then I will be."

Louisiana's lieutenant governor typically serves as the head of the state's tourism efforts but has few other responsibilities, unless given them by the governor.

In the days since the flooding, Nungesser has set out with Edwards and other leaders on helicopter tours of flood-ravaged areas, visited shelters and joined regular briefings at the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness.

He was front and center when President Barack Obama arrived in Louisiana on Tuesday to see the flood damage firsthand, as well as when GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump visited Louisiana a few days earlier.

Edwards said he specifically reached out to Nungesser to take on the new role because of his track record of working with the federal government on disaster recovery efforts.

"Billy is an expert on that," Edwards said with a laugh during a recent meeting with local leaders from Iberville Parish. "If anyone knows how to get money out of the federal government, it's him."

Nungesser, who rode out Hurricane Katrina with his wife on their cattle ranch in Plaquemines Parish, was prompted to run for local office after he grew frustrated with the slow response to the 2005 storm  one of the nation's worst natural disasters.

The fallout from Katrina also spawned a near mythological story of how Nungesser, after he was elected parish president, fought FEMA for money to rebuild Port Eads, at the southern tip of the Mississippi River, after the storm. The federal agency reportedly offered less than $500,000. Nungesser repeatedly appealed and eventually traveled to Washington, D.C., to make his case. In the end, FEMA agreed to spend $12 million on the project.

Nungesser, who was sworn in as lieutenant governor in January, said he has been impressed by the quickness with which federal leaders responded to Louisiana's flood crisis over the past week  a stark contrast to the slow response in Katrina's wake.

Obama issued a federal disaster declaration and within days FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and Department of Homeland Security head Jeh Johnson were on the ground in Louisiana to see the flood-affected areas firsthand and begin a coordinated response.

"I've seen a whole change in working with FEMA," Nungesser said. " It's working a lot smoother now."

Nungesser said he has been using his experience to provide insight for local leaders.

During a meeting with leaders in Iberia Parish, New Iberia Mayor Hilda Curry expressed concern over a privately owned levee that was compromised by the flooding. She lamented that it likely wouldn't qualify for federal support because it wasn't a government-owned levee.

Nungesser said he spoke to her after the group discussion. He said he had gone through the same thing and figured out a way to get assistance for repairs. "Because it protects homes from flooding, it will be eligible," he said.

Nungesser said he also has been stressing the need to document roads that have flooded.

"A lot of (officials) don't know there is money available for submerged roads because they will break up and crumble a lot sooner" after being flooded, he said.

An independent analysis of the flood damage estimates that more than 145,000 homes, valued at $30.4 billion, could have been affected by the floods in the Baton Rouge area. Just 15 percent of homes in the affected areas carried flood insurance.

The Advocate's analysis of payouts in high-profile disasters found that although a federal disaster aid program can provide as much as $33,000 per household, grants typically were a fraction of that amount, averaging $8,000 or less.

Nungesser said that may come as a shock to some flood victims. But he has experience with that as well. When Hurricane Isaac flooded Plaquemines' east bank in 2012, few people had flood insurance.

Nungesser said more people will need aid in the form of volunteers. He said his office will be working with groups to put together lists of people and properties that need help as volunteers from across the state and country look for ways to help.

"We'll have the volunteers out there to help gut homes and help rebuild," Nungesser said.
Gov. John Bel Edwards crouches down to talk to 5-year-old Jessica, one of the thousands of people who have evacuated their homes in Louisiana due to flooding, at the Red Cross shelter that has been set up at Southern University's F.G. Clark Activity Center.
Congressman John Fleming last week scratched his chin for a moment, wondering who Rahm Emanuel was paraphrasing when the presidents then-chief of staff said, You never let a good crisis go to waste.

Emanuel, now Chicagos mayor, said it a couple times but importantly when he was talking about an effort to aid the victims of Superstorm Sandy. Fleming ultimately opposed the effort  a now-uncomfortable position as Louisianas delegation puts together a similar congressional request to aid the approximately 140,000 victims of the flood with no name.

Some internet commentators nodded to Winston Churchill as a source of the quote. But, other than a bunch of readers liking it, the sourcing on Churchill is rather scarce for a quote that has come to mean that a disaster could be exploited to find money for projects that otherwise wouldnt be approved.

The Freakanomics website tracked the quote down to a 1976 Medical Economics journal article, in which M.F. Weiner argued that a health crisis should be used to motivate healthier habits in the patients lifestyle.

Thats an origins story that Fleming and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, both physicians who opposed the Sandy supplement, might appreciate.

Fleming, a Minden Republican, was using the quote to explain why he voted in 2013 against the final bill that provided Superstorm Sandy victims more financial aid than was set aside for regular disasters. He's being pummeled by opponents in the U.S. Senate campaign about the vote. Public Service Commissioner Foster Campbell said Flemings political orthodoxy might haunt Louisianas congressional delegations efforts to find additional funding for south Louisiana flooding victims.

Fleming said he backed the bill when it was just for Sandy victims. He opposed the final measure because it was chock-a-block full of projects that, while tangentially related to disaster mitigation, had little to do with getting New Jersey and New York homeowners and businessmen back on their feet.

For instance, Fleming tried to strike as unrelated the $1.55 million for upgrading the emergency generator backup system at the National Conservation Training Center in West Virginia.

Disaster funds must go directly to needed areas with no added pork, Fleming said.

+4 Gov. John Bel Edwards asks president for wide range of flood relief Gov. John Bel Edwards asked President Barack Obama for a wide range of flood relief Tuesday,

So last week when Obama arrived to tour north Baton Rouge neighborhoods, Gov. John Bel Edwards pressed the president with his ask. The four-page letter included all the expected stuff  please lower the portion the state would have to pay, and would you mind covering the full cost for temporary shelter and shelter-in-home assistance?

Perhaps under the theory of asking for the stars in the opening gambit, down there near the bottom of page three, Edwards requested that Obama forgive the states portion to improve the levees around New Orleans after the 2005 Hurricane Katrina.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is putting the finishing touches on a $14.5 billion storm protection system that installed pumps and improved levees. Under a complex formula, the state this year had to start paying $100 million a year until 2048 as Louisianas match.

These obligations are crippling to the state as we attempt to fund Master Plan projects designed to save the Louisiana coast, Edwards wrote the president. A full waiver will allow Louisiana to spend these needed funds on coastal projects to prevent future disasters.

U.S. Sen. David Vitter said that Louisianas congressional delegation always had argued for the federal government to pick up the tab.

Its not particularly related (to this disaster), but it is and has been a priority for the delegation, Vitter said.

As the longest-serving member of Louisianas delegation to Washington, Vitter is leading the effort to gather the statistics that support a request for federal appropriations above what is set aside for disasters. Louisianas congressmen already are putting together ideas for the supplemental bill and Edwards hopes to meet with them this week or next to cobble out the details.

Forgiving the $100 million debt is a big ask, Fleming said. I dont think the president can do that without support from Congress.

He agreed that the Katrina levees protect a population not directly affected by this months flooding. But he gamely argued that this request has a better link to the problem at hand than, say, relocating damaged roads in unspecified wildlife refuges or development projects in cash-strapped Puerto Rico  both in the Sandy supplemental legislation.

Grace Notes: Superstorm Sandy vote highlights Senate candidates' philosophical divide Asked this week about a contentious 2013 vote to provide aid after Superstorm Sandy, U.S. Re

Every time south Louisiana gets hit hard by Mother Nature, and it happens frequently, new pain comes on a variation of the same theme  levees breaking, coastal erosion, water backing up, etc. So, in that sense its all part of the same problem, just a different verse of the same song, Fleming said.
If the Federal Emergency Management Agency dealt itself a black eye with the poor job it did responding to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the horror stories that came out of the flood insurance claims process after Superstorm Sandy gave the agency another nasty shiner seven years later.

And for tens of thousands of victims of this month's Louisiana floods who actually had flood insurance coverage, the reports of widespread denials and low-balling of claims, altered engineering reports and a Kafkaesque appeals process that came out of New York and New Jersey after Sandy are hardly encouraging as they begin trying to collect for damages.

FEMA, however, points to new leadership at the National Flood Insurance Program and a series of reforms either enacted or underway as evidence that it has learned valuable lessons from the experience that still has some Sandy victims seething.

We are working closely with survivors to make sure they are paid and that every dollar that is owed is paid out, FEMA spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said. We are committed to that, and that applies to Louisiana as well.

The NFIP, which is now part of FEMA, was created in 1968 after decades of flood losses caused private insurers to exclude flood coverage from the typical homeowner's policy and later drove them out of the market almost entirely.

About 80 percent of the countrys 5.1 million flood insurance policies are so-called write your own policies that originate with and are serviced by private insurers, who were kicked out of the program in the 1970s but came back in in the 1980s. Even those policies that are purchased directly from the NFIP are farmed out to contract companies.

Essentially, the government holds the bag and is responsible for the program, but it uses the private sector to market, write and service the policies.

But the underlying economics of flood insurance remained deeply flawed, and the NFIP took a giant hit from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, forcing it to borrow $17 billion from the U.S. Treasury.

Then Sandy cost the program another $7 billion, and as the claims process for that storm began, consumer complaints and news reports about problems began to emerge.

Adjusters were invoking an obscure clause in flood policies known as the earth movement exclusion and using it to deny claims based on cracks in foundations and in basements that they said were evidence of structural problems before the storm.

Some adjusters reports were found by an NPR "Frontline" investigation to have been edited by managers who simply inserted the word not before covered in their conclusions, and some former adjusters spoke of pressure to deny claims to keep the losses down.

Exasperated policyholders said they filled out the same forms multiple times and repeatedly had to start over with the various representatives who took their calls. Thousands of cases ended up in court.

FEMA has avoided publicly getting into the reasons why there were problems with the program, but it denies they were as widespread as news reports suggested.

Roy Wright, who was promoted to director of the program in June 2015, has only gone so far as to characterize some of the work by Sandy adjusters, who report to the private insurers, as sloppy.

FEMA spokesman Lemaitre stressed last week that most of the Sandy claims were handled fairly, a point he said was validated by a review by the Senate Banking Committee.

He also said the programs financial straits are neither a threat to policyholders chances of getting paid what theyre entitled to nor an incentive to underpay claims.

The answer is unequivocally 'no,'  Lemaitre said about that question, noting that FEMA has $3 billion cash on hand to deal with disasters. There is a $23 billion debt. But that does not preclude FEMA from paying every dollar of every claim.

Nevertheless, Lemaitre said FEMA is clear-eyed about the fact there were problems after Sandy.

People were underpaid, yes, he said. Ill leave the legal stuff to the courts, but what I can tell you is that after Hurricane Sandy, there were people who were underpaid by their insurance company.

Lemaitre said FEMA has stepped up its efforts to make changes to the program and make sure the private insurance companies that participate in the program share our values and put policyholders and survivors first.

When Wright came in as director, allegations of wrongdoing were referred to the appropriate state attorneys general, and the agency began settling the more than 1,500 lawsuits it was still facing for underpayment of claims.

FEMA set up a claims review process to invite any of the 144,000 flood insurance claimants to challenge their awards. About 20,000 came forward, and FEMA has worked through about 91 percent of those reviews and has paid out another $93.8 million.

It has settled 1,618 of the 1,632 suits and paid out another $163.9 million, though some Sandy victims have complained they still dont have enough to rebuild and resent that FEMA paid the legal bills of insurers but not of policyholders.

Lemaitre said FEMA has taken several steps to right those wrongs.

He said it has increased its scrutiny over contract engineers, whose bills used to be paid automatically but now must first be reviewed and approved. It launched a hotline for policyholders who had issues with their insurer, and it hired a full-time flood insurance advocate who works directly with private insurers to make sure they share our values, Lemaitre said.

In May, FEMA overhauled the appeals branch and separated it from the claims branch in order to make it more independent and transparent, he said.

Wright also has begun the process of trying to make FEMAs arrangements with private insurers easier to alter, add oversight provisions and generally keep up with changes since private insurers came back into the system in 1983.

However, Amy Bach, director of the consumer advocacy group United Policyholders, said that while FEMA has instituted some reforms since Sandy, there have not been any of the kind of deep reforms that are needed to make the flood program more fiscally efficient.

She said the flood insurance advocate is a good idea but should be far more than a single position, and that there should be penalties for companies that underpay claims.

Lemaitre pointed to the response to floods in Texas, West Virginia and South Carolina since Sandy as evidence that things have gotten better. We have not seen widespread challenges with regard to flood insurance claims in those disasters, he said.

In South Carolina, the states Department of Insurance and its Department of Natural Resources, which includes the agency that handles flood mitigation, said they didnt hear many complaints of denied or low-balled claims stemming from the major flooding around Columbia last fall.

Im usually the first one who is skeptical about federal involvement, and I know about the debacle and the experiences (people had) with Sandy, state Insurance Commissioner Ray Farmer said. I was prepared for that. What I was not prepared for was the excellent service we got for our consumers. As far as the NFIP, there were no coverage issues that arose, and whatever was a covered claim was a covered claim.

Lemaitre said that for the March flooding that hit more than 30 Louisiana parishes, the NFIP has paid 5,000 claims a total of $228 million, an average of about $46,000.

Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, who said he remembers watching a particularly damning post-Sandy report on "60 Minutes," said he has met with NFIP Director Wright and was assured claims here would be handled properly. He said he asked whether backwater flooding might not be covered and was told that it would be.

Call me naive, he said, but I just dont believe that our federal government would take advantage of victims of these events for the alleged purpose of diminishing the costs of the program.

Donelon said that while his department doesnt regulate flood insurance, if we find there are any violations, we will certainly report them.
Thousands of people waited in lines Monday in across Baton Rouge  some in the sweltering heat  to qualify for disaster food stamps after the
R. Glenn Miller of Elmwood passed into the loving arms of Jesus on August 26, 2016, surrounded by members of his family. He was born on June 11, 1920, to Rollin J. and Edith (Johnson) Miller on the family farm near Elmwood. His life was an example of honesty and integrity, with great love for his family, the land and his country.

A 1937 graduate of Elmwood High School, Glenn served in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II, flying 77 missions as the pilot of an SBD Dauntless dive bomber in the Philippines. After the war ended, he returned to the farm where he was born and began a lifetime of caring for the land. Glenn married his high school sweetheart, Mary Jo Pool on June 4, 1944, and they celebrated 66 years of marriage. They raised three children in their happy home.

Glenn was active in the St. Paul United Methodist Church and served on many committees, leading the procession to the new church by carrying the cross out of the old church and into the new one. He was one of the founding leaders of the Stove Creek Rustlers 4-H club, which is still in existence today. He served on the Elmwood School Board when the new school was built in 1961.

In later years, he began the hobby of woodworking and shared many clocks and pieces of furniture with family and friends, as well as creating many frames for Mary's art work. Each of his seven grandchildren was recipient of a beautiful hope chest when they graduated from high school.

Glenn is survived by his daughters, Nancy Anderson of Waverly and Nina (Ric) Landwehr of Lorton; son, John (Pat) Miller of Murdock; seven grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mary; two sisters and an infant twin brother.

Memorial services will be held 11 a.m., Tuesday, August 30, at St. Paul United Methodist Church Elmwood . Burial will precede the service at 10 a.m. in the Elmwood Cemetery. Visitation is 4-8 p.m. Monday, August 29, with family 6-8 p.m., also at the church. Memorials suggested to St. Paul UMC 400 West C St., Elmwood or the GAR Veteran's Museum Elmwood. Condolences or tributes: www.hammonsfs.com.
For the third time this summer, Baton Rouge's mayor-president race has a new issue at its forefront as residents look to rebuild from recent flooding and search for a vision of how the city-parish can heal after multiple tragedies over a short time span.

The flooding in East Baton Rouge parish alone is estimated to have swept through nearly 55,000 homes and leaves a long list of questions about how to rebuild when at least half those homeowners were not required to have flood insurance.

The city-parish's next mayor will have to address underlying infrastructure and drainage problems that some have blamed as part of the reason floods became so widespread. Some are already worrying that people will flee Baton Rouge permanently unless leaders act quickly to prevent future flooding.

The floods have presented new challenges for candidates on the campaign trail seeking to become the next mayor.

Mayoral candidates have seen their campaign headquarters flood, canceled fundraisers and been forced to rethink how they can get people to show up at the polls.

"A local mayoral race is heavily dependent on people having a mailbox," said Martin Johnson, a political communication professor at Louisiana State University, who pointed out the physical and geographical implications the floods will have on the mayoral race. Campaign mailers are usually one of the most widely used tools to reach prospective voters.

"The idea that you're going to door knock on somebody in high boots and gloves taking their stuff out to the door  that's just not a practical vision," Johnson said.

Further complicating the campaign dynamic are the other tensions and tragedies that have arisen in Baton Rouge this summer.

The campaigns had already switched directions twice in the past few months  first when Baton Rouge Police Department officers killed Alton Sterling and protests began in early July; second when a gunman killed three Baton Rouge law enforcement officers and critically injured a fourth later that month.

Questions about inequality, race, police distrust and other emotional topics were laid bare on Baton Rouge's table before the floods rushed in.

"In spite of what has happened with the flooding, we can't lose sight of those issues that were before us before the flooding happened," said Rev. Lee Wesley, pastor of Community Bible Baptist Church and one of the leaders of faith-based community group Together Baton Rouge.

Johnson said it's also possible the disaster will inspire residents to vote en masse because they are especially worried about the future of Baton Rouge. But he said such a dynamic often occurs when an incumbent is in the race.

Term-limited Mayor-President Kip Holden is running for U.S. Congress, leaving a crowded field of 12 trying to succeed him. Many of the leading candidates have already been especially visible helping in their communities, trying to distribute aid and more.

They've mostly said the city-parish will need to lean on Congressional and state leaders to tap federal funding for rebuilding. They also hope Congressional leaders can help lower the city-parish's match for FEMA reimbursement from 25 percent to 10 percent at the most.

Xavier University pollster and sociologist Silas Lee said the role of local government right now is to advocate for the resources to help people that local government cannot provide itself.

CANDIDATES CHART NEW TERRITORY

Mayoral candidate and former Democratic State Sen. Sharon Weston Broome is among the thousands of residents whose homes flooded. Around 18 inches of water entered her home in Baton Rouge's Park Forest neighborhood. She did not have flood insurance, and is staying with family while she rebuilds.

Since then, Broome has been volunteering around Baton Rouge and trying to make people aware of the resources available for them when they try to recover and rebuild.

"I don't see a mass exodus because of the floods," Broome said. "What I see are many people who paid for their homes and they say, 'I didn't have flood insurance before but I'm going to get some now.' And I hear people saying they want to stay in their homes as they rebuild. It could be for many of us the worst times in our lives, but most of the people I talk to see the end of the rainbow."

Republican State Sen. Bodi White, who lives in the especially hard-hit city of Central, is more worried about whether people will flee and he wants incentives for them to stay. White sent a letter to President Barack Obama earlier this week requesting help with finishing the Comite River Diversion Canal, which advocates say could have prevented floodwaters from reaching many homes.

Along with the Comite River Diversion Canal, White said he's interested in projects that would divert floodwaters from Bayou Manchac, Wards Creek, Jones Creek and other sources of backwater in East Baton Rouge.

Earlier in the week, White held the first of what he said could be several briefings on the flood recovery through the Senate Select Committee on Homeland Security that he chairs in the state Legislature. The committee received updates from FEMA, GOHSEP, law enforcement, the Louisiana National Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Transportation and Development.

"So far, this mayor-president race, you have so many different things that happened that kind of shaped the race to me," White said. "The Sterling shooting and then the assassination of police officers, and then the education and the crime and the streets, which are still major issues. But another big issue now is bringing East Baton Rouge back together and keeping our citizens here."

+8 East Baton Rouge mayoral candidate Bodi White takes huge fundraising lead State Sen. Mack "Bodi" White has taken a commanding fundraising lead in the upcoming Baton R

Republican Metro Councilman John Delgado also said local waterways need to become a major priority. Delgado said the city-parish needs to tap its "rainy day" funds to help pay for rebuilding.

"That's something the local government has to get on the stick about, is the maintenance of these water ways in the parish that are within our control," he said.

Delgado predicted that Baton Rouge will not see a mass exodus of people but that jobs created by the need for construction in the city-parish will attract some new residents.

Democratic State Rep. C. Denise Marcelle said she is especially worried about the FEMA cap of $33,000 to help people without flood insurance rebuild their homes. Marcelle said she is afraid it will feed into blight problems that already affect the city-parish.

Marcelle said she's already seen a sign advertising six houses that flooded off Winbourne Avenue being sold at $90,000 for the batch. She expects that more will pop up if people cannot afford to gut and rebuild their homes, exacerbating the blight problem.

"If we don't get that funding, we're going to see a lot of people walk away from these houses and leave a lot of blighted houses," Marcelle said. "I'm hearing the same thing in all of these neighborhoods  how do I survive for this? This is not going to be enough money for me to repair my house. A lot of people have spent a lifetime building their homes and (acquiring) all of the stuff that's inside of their homes."

Independent mayoral candidate Darryl Gissel is a realtor, and he is already seeing the real estate implications the flooding has created. Experts have predicted major shifts in Baton Rouge's real estate market because a low number of homes were on the market before the floods and demand for new homes and rental housing has skyrocketed.

"It's going to change the direction in which we build," Gissel said. "Should we rebuild some of these inner city neighborhoods that are high and dry?"

Gissel said Baton Rouge needs to look closely at the successes and failures in rebuilding New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and that those can instruct how the city-parish should bounce back.

Lee, the Xavier University pollster and sociologist, cautioned about buying into any candidate who says they could have responded better to the natural disaster than the existing government leaders.

He said New Orleans voters gave their former Mayor Ray Nagin, later convicted on corruption charges, the benefit of the doubt when he ran for re-election after Hurricane Katrina because Nagin was trying to manage an unprecedented disaster.

"You can't try to exploit it because nobody can predict what impact it will have, a natural disaster," Lee said. "The minute someone tries to exploit it, that's seen as a cheap method of campaigning because you are exploiting people's misery."

None of Baton Rouge's mayoral candidates were ready to commit to asking for a bond issue or tax plan to pay for major drainage and infrastructure projects, though none of the candidates ruled it out, either.

HOW LONG WILL UNITY LAST?

The mayoral candidates have insisted that the unity seen across Baton Rogue in recent weeks should carry through in the future, despite analysts and academics predicting more fights over how flood relief aid is distributed and about how the city-parish is rebuilt.

"Baton Rouge held together as a community better than anyone could have expected given where we were just a month ago," Delgado said.

Marcelle and Broome both said the barriers in Baton Rouge have fallen to the side since the storm, and that people have rallied together. Marcelle said the storm put residents "on an equal playing field," while Broome said the same mentality of "oneness" in the city needs to be carried into the future.

The candidates all pledged to distribute any storm aid to where it is needed the most, regardless of the ZIP code or the demographics there.

"A fair distribution of resources is what we have to do," White said. "You can't forget Baywood, you can't forget Pride, you can't forget north Baton Rouge and you can't forget south Baton Rouge."

As people rebuild, Wesley said, the mayoral election should become even more important in people's minds. But Johnson and political consultant Roy Fletcher both predicted that voter turnout could drop.

From a physical standpoint, Johnson said people who are not in their homes and in their communities will not be as easily able to vote. But the elections could be affected from a psychological standpoint as well.

"They're not paying attention, they're not going to pay attention and they shouldn't pay attention," Fletcher said of Baton Rouge voters who are rebuilding their homes. He said the mayor's race is far from many of their minds.

"Too many people are fighting for the lives and their futures."
Drop the phrase Road Home around New Orleans and other parts of southern Louisiana, and you're likely to hear groans, followed by horror stories about interacting with the suits who ran a homeowner-aid program that became synonymous with government inefficiency.

But dig deeper, and many people will tell you the money that flowed through the Road Home  even if it was too little and very late  was the difference between rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina or walking away.

The Road Home was the key to the regions recovery, says former Gov. Kathleen Blanco, who traveled to Washington nine times to seek money for the program and then opted not to seek a second term in the wake of its frustrating launch.

Now, after historic flooding in Baton Rouge and other areas of the state, Louisiana may have arrived at another moment where a decision by lawmakers in Washington on how generously to respond will be make-or-break for a whole region.

Its no stretch to say that the Road Home, warts and all, saved New Orleans after the disaster that struck 11 years ago this week. In the months after the storm, the scale of the damage, the realization that many devastated homeowners lacked flood insurance and the fact that many of the hardest-hit survivors were among the regions poorest led to a surreal debate about whether New Orleans would ever recover, or whether parts of it should simply be abandoned.

In the end, Congress and the George W. Bush administration doled out $13.4 billion to underwrite the Road Home program. Affected homeowners, about 130,000 of them, got an average of $70,000 apiece.

Were it not for the Road Home, most experts believe the New Orleans of today  not to mention Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes  would look very different.

Vera Triplett, an educator who after Katrina led the Gentilly Civic Improvement Association, shudders to think about it.

Even now, you see blocks and blocks of homes that are unfinished, or where more work still needs to be done, Triplett said. I imagine wed have that on a much more massive scale had it not been for the infusion of those funds.

Theres no guarantee the great flood of 2016 will attract a federal care package. It will be up to Congress to decide that.

But in New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieus view, getting Congress on board with a program that bridges the huge gap between the losses suffered by property owners and the amount theyll receive from their insurance claims is more than crucial. It's the whole ballgame," the mayor said in a recent interview.

Going beyond the basics

For now, Louisiana is receiving the basics that come with every federally declared disaster: temporary housing assistance and help with debris removal and other short-term needs, including individual assistance grants handed out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency that top out at $33,000 but are usually a fraction of that amount.

But larger bailouts of affected property owners have become increasingly common in recent years, starting with a special package aimed at helping lower Manhattan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001 and continuing four years later with grant programs for those whose homes were ruined by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma.

Congress sent a similarly massive pile of money to help the Eastern seaboard recover from 2012s Superstorm Sandy, but even more modest disasters, such as last years devastating floods in Texas and South Carolina, have been deemed worthy of special appropriations.

Typically, money to support homeowners' recovery comes through a supplemental appropriations bill that is passed by Congress, allocated to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and then sent to the affected state in the form of block grants. Its up to the state to design the program, though HUD must sign off on the rules.

Not surprisingly, theres a consensus among Louisianas largely Republican congressional delegation and its Democratic governor that plenty more aid will be needed this time. The Obama administration is also showing clear signs of support.

Julian Castro, the HUD secretary, said Thursday after touring the flooded region that the administration sees a real need for significant investment in getting people back to where they were before.

U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, R-Baton Rouge, called the standard off-the-shelf aid wholly insufficient and said a much bigger aid package will be needed.

So did U.S. Rep. John Fleming, R-Minden, one of three members of Louisianas delegation who voted against the omnibus bill for Sandy victims in 2013  a stand that has drawn criticism recently as Louisianas delegation prepares to rattle the cup for money for the Pelican State.

Several members of New Jerseys delegation have said they still have a sour taste in their mouths over the Sandy votes, but they promised not to hold it against Louisiana in 2016.

Edwards will meet with Louisianas entire congressional delegation Monday in Baton Rouge to make sure everyones on the same page, according to a spokesman. U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Metairie, who as majority whip is the third-ranking member of the House, is expected to carry the ball on an appropriations bill.

No one has yet begun to float specific amounts of aid that will be needed, in part because damage estimates  and estimates of uninsured losses  are still all over the map.

Theyve been changing steadily as the floodwaters slowly recede. Some reports  such as one by the Baton Rouge Area Chamber  have estimated there could be as many as 145,000 flooded homes across the region, a number that would put this unnamed rainstorm within an order of magnitude of Katrina. (The federal governments final estimates for Katrina damage in Louisiana were 515,000 housing units damaged, 204,682 of them severely or totally.)

In a letter delivered to the president during his visit to Baton Rouge on Tuesday, Edwards said he expects to provide the Obama administration with clear information about the damage assessments and specifics about the necessary federal assistance by Sept. 2.

Worse than Katrina?

The numbers that have emerged so far suggest that a request for several billion dollars could be in the offing.

While the scope of damage is certainly less, the insurance picture could be much worse, at least proportionally, than it was after Katrina. Whereas only about one-quarter of the owner-occupied homes ruined in Katrina lacked flood insurance, early estimates are that at least two of every three homes inundated in the 2016 storm were not covered by flood policies.

Many of those who got swamped had good reason to think theyd never see water in their homes  another reason there could be broad support for an aid package.

New data released by East Baton Rouge city-parish officials, for instance, indicate that about half of the homes inundated in this month's floods were not considered to be in high-risk areas, meaning their risk of flooding was less than once per 100 years  and their banks therefore didnt require the owners to carry flood insurance.

Most of the people affected by this disaster received advice through their lenders that they didnt need insurance, said Walter Leger, a lawyer and native of St. Bernard Parish who headed the Housing Committee for Blancos Louisiana Recovery Authority after Katrina. And that advice was given indirectly by the federal government through the development of the (federal) flood maps.

You cant accuse homeowners in these areas of being irresponsible. The federal government basically said, Dont worry about it. Does the federal government now have an obligation to help? A legal obligation, maybe not. But a moral obligation? Probably yes.

In such large-scale events, refusing to help the uninsured punishes the insured as well, Blanco pointed out. Their properties are devalued when theyre living next to blight, she said. Theres a common good here we need to look for.

If theres a consensus that a homeowner-aid program is needed for the Baton Rouge region, that doesnt mean the lamented Road Home model must be re-created exactly.

Theres no reason to think it would be. The Road Home was the first such effort of its kind and thus presented a raft of unique challenges. There was endless debate over rules: how much money was required; how to give it out; what steps homeowners should be forced to take to reduce future risk.

Then, an entire bureaucracy had to be built from the ground up to oversee the dispensing of the money and make sure it was being spent as intended. The rules were constantly being rewritten as problems arose.

Most significantly, the program was changed at HUDs insistence from one based on reimbursements for completed renovations to straight-up grants.

The Blanco administration had designed the program so that homeowners would be reimbursed as they rebuilt, figuring that more people would actually renovate that way, and that it would be harder for unscrupulous contractors to take advantage of unwary homeowners. The Bush administration wanted to get the money moving more quickly, and it forced the change to a lump-sum grant.

Learning from experience

That dust-up was one of many signs of partisan tension between the Blanco and Bush administrations  tension that appears to be mostly absent so far in this disaster, with Edwards and Obama belonging to the same political party.

Also in the plus column for Louisiana this time: Residents and officials now have a much better idea about what to do, and what not to do, after such an event.

Thats been obvious even in the immediate response to the storm, with volunteer gutting crews from around south Louisiana ripping out sodden drywall and insulation as soon as the waters receded.

As Leger put it: Unfortunately, we have gained a tremendous amount of experience and expertise.

Leger, who has been involved in discussions about what a new homeowner aid program might look like, said Louisiana will benefit both from its history with the Road Home and from the experiences New York and New Jersey have had with dispensing Sandy aid.

We have the benefit of both the achievements and the failures of various programs, he said. Certainly there are things that well model.

In Sandy, for instance, the aid programs that policymakers built managed to avoid the accusations of built-in racial discrimination that dogged the Road Home, according to James Perry.

Perry, a New Orleans fair housing advocate who successfully sued the Road Home over its practice of awarding grants based on a house's pre-storm value rather than the cost of rebuilding it  effectively punishing people in poor neighborhoods  said HUD has since universally agreed that the cost of rebuilding should govern the size of the grant.

All of this was uncharted territory 11 years ago, when Leger recalled acquiring a copy of the Marshall Plan  the American blueprint for reviving Western Europe after World War II  because there didnt seem to be another prototype.

Id put it under my pillow at night, hoping Id learn by osmosis, he said.

One common element among all large-scale disasters, in Legers view, is that people will be reluctant to reinvest in their communities without robust government intervention. Thats especially true in the most damaged areas, like Livingston Parish this time.

Leger said: I used to tell people all the time, When a house burns down, its a terrible tragedy. But when a whole community floods, you lose everything that makes a community your home: your dentist, your favorite restaurant, the grocery store. Until you know theyre coming back, its hard to come back, and until they know youre coming back, they might not come back. 
Denham Springs residents, anxious to rebuild their homes and lives after the devastating floods earlier this month, packed a church sanctuary Saturday to find out whether they will have to elevate their homes before they set about getting permits to make the needed repairs.

The answer they received was as unsettling as the question: That is one of the issues we are trying to address, Mayor Gerard Landry told an audience of about 250 people at the New Covenant Baptist Church.

Homes built before latest flood hazard maps were adopted in 2012 largely avoided having to comply with federal and local requirements that they stand at or above the Federal Emergency Management Agencys most recent base flood elevations. Existing structures were grandfathered in, and homeowners were allowed to make minor improvements without triggering the new standards.

But that all changes when a home sustains damage equal to half or more of its value.

Then it must be built at or above the base flood elevation, according to minimum standards set by the federal government and adopted by local governments in order to participate in the National Flood Insurance Program.

How obscure East Baton Rouge building code throwing wrench in rebuilding plans As thoughts turn from mucking out flooded structures to rebuilding following the recent floo

In a city like Denham Springs, where more than 3,000 of its 4,200 homes saw 18 inches or more of floodwater this month, the number of people who may now be required to elevate their homes or find somewhere else to live has put city officials on edge.

Landry said he has talked to numerous officials at the state and federal levels  including Gov. John Bel Edwards, Louisianas congressional delegation and the U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

That issue has to be solved at the federal level, Landry told residents, but we here in the city of Denham Springs are going to do whatever we can to get you back into your homes.

Similar concerns were expressed Friday night in Central at a FEMA town hall at Zoar Baptist Church that Mayor Jr. Shelton said more than 1,200 people attended.

+5 'It hit everywhere': Denham Springs devastated by record flooding Deanna Welch, her hair up and shoulders bare, sat out on the steamy sidewalk in a soggy offi

There are citizens coming to me literally with tears in their eyes, Shelton said. Theyre helpless. And we cant get anybody other than (U.S. Rep.) Garret Graves or (U.S. Sen.) Bill Cassidy to acknowledge a problem on the federal level.

Shelton said widespread house raising would cost more than most Central residents can afford. He said FEMA needs to allow people to rebuild at the level their house currently stands, with the understanding they will have to pay more for flood insurance. We cant have whole subdivisions raised, he said.

Shelton said if people walk away from their homes because of rebuilding costs, it will hurt the local and national economy. What will happen to the mortgage companies and the finance companies? he said. People are so frustrated. Im begging for the federal government to come through and come through quickly.

In Denham Springs, the answers were less than soothing to Paul Wesley, who said his neighbor recently received a permit to rebuild but was told by FEMA that he would have to raise the home 6 feet. Newer homes in the subdivision also were built up 6 feet, he said.

Us having to raise our houses 6 feet off the ground to rebuild them would undo any help we would get from anybody to rebuild, Wesley said. We need something done before we can rebuild our houses.

FEMA representatives at the meeting avoided similar questions about elevation requirements by punting back to the city and parish.

They lay out those ground rules, said Carl Ray, a mitigation specialist. Youll have to be in line with the city or parish ordinance. Contact your floodplain manager for requirements.

Landry said after the meeting that the city adopted its flood prevention ordinance, which mirrors federal regulations, out of necessity.

They kicked it back to us, saying, Its not our standards. Its the citys standards, but guess what? If we didnt adopt those standards, they wouldnt be able to get flood insurance, Landry said.

Landry urged residents to remain calm, register for federal assistance and work with the citys permits department as he and other officials worked on possible solutions.

+6 From curb to landfill, flood debris pickup is a laborious process and, well, messy The sight of a garbage claw is one of the more reassuring bits of scenery these days in Bato

In the meantime, Landry said debris removal efforts continue. Ceres Environmental had 16 trucks on city streets, as of Friday, and had covered about 25 percent of the city so far.

The contract says they will make two or three passes, but in all reality, it will probably be eight, nine or 10 times because it takes time to get everything out of your homes, Landry said.

Debris removal is expected to continue for about 45 to 60 days, he said.

The citys contract covers only city streets, with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development being responsible for state highways, Landry said.

The contract also does not address commercial debris, which has caused problems in the citys Antiques Village, where waterlogged furniture and other items are stacked in precarious piles that tumble out onto Range Avenue anytime someone picks through the trash, Landry said.

The mayor said he is working with Mark Harrell, the parishs emergency preparedness director, to address that issue.
The Baton Rouge and Greater Baton Rouge area has taken a beating over the last several weeks both in terms of community unrest and storm devas
The Greens would push to ban corporate and property developer donations to political parties if they achieved balance-of-power status again after October's poll.

Donations from property developers - chief among the Greens' concerns - continue to be made to both ACT Labor and the Canberra Liberals this year.

The ACT Greens would push to ban corporate and developer donations if they achieved a balance-of-power status in October's poll. Credit:Glenn Hunt

Such donations would be expressly forbidden in the Greens' policy, mirroring a ban in effect in NSW since 2009.

They also want to stop parties taking money from any other corporation or organisation, saying it would return the ACT to a 2012-2014 regime that allowed donations only from individuals listed as residents on the electoral role.
A disqualified learner motorcyclist was allegedly caught travelling at 120km/h over the speed limit near Canberra.

NSW police said they spotted the blue Honda 900cc motorcycle allegedly travelling 148km/h in a 110km/h zone on the Federal Highway at Brooks Creek near Bywong about 9am on Saturday.

The disqualified rider was allegedly caught travelling at 120km/h over the speed limit on the Federal Highway.

"Police activated lights and sirens in an attempt to stop the motorcycle," they said.

"It will be alleged the rider reached speeds of 230km/h; however, no pursuit was initiated due to safety concerns. The rider did not stop and continued towards Canberra."
Claims that Youi may have defrauded thousands of Australians have prompted calls for a Senate inquiry into the insurance giant.

Five whistleblowers revealed the allegations in a Fairfax Media exclusive on Sunday.

Independent senator Nick Xenophon said he would consider moving for a Senate inquiry into the claims.

The whistleblowers detailed how the company, which is one of the country's fastest-growing insurers, is allegedly fleecing potential customers by billing them for policies they never signed for.
Fifty years on the front lines.

At the half-century mark in a history that stretches back to striding out front in contesting the loyalty oath once demanded by Sen. Joe McCarthy, American Civil Liberties Union of Nebraska is moving closer now toward possible litigation to deal with Nebraska's overcrowded prisons.

"We are beginning to fear that the political will may not be there" to resolve that challenge at the legislative or executive level, ACLU of Nebraska executive director Danielle Conrad says.

That would be the preferred outcome, Conrad said during an interview marking the organization's anniversary year.

"In the next few months, we'll make a final decision," she said.

ACLU of Nebraska is not advocating construction of a new prison to address the overcrowding that has crammed prisoners into facilities that are bulging far beyond intended capacity, stoking tensions within the walls and increasing programming challenges.

Its eye is cast more on reducing prison population through additional sentencing reform and by funding adequate programming that provides alternative and ongoing community services for offenders while delivering adequate health care, including mental health care, as it prepares prisoners for safe release.

"More prisons is shortsighted," Conrad said. "We need to get smart on crime."

Non-violent offenders generally should be dealt with outside the prison system, she said, and adequate programming services should be provided to try to reduce the numbers that reoffend.

Conrad gives Scott Frakes, director of the Department of Correctional Services, high marks as a collaborative leader.

"I hope the governor supports him" with sufficient and timely resources as part of his budget recommendations to the Legislature, she said. Gov. Pete Ricketts will present his 2017-2019 budget proposal next year.

If ACLU of Nebraska decides to move ahead with a lawsuit, that would mark "one of the biggest cases in our history," Conrad said.

Two cases have gone to the U.S. Supreme Court.

That can happen, she said, "when your client is the Constitution."

The loyalty oath for public employees demanded by McCarthy, a Communist-hunting Wisconsin senator, during the Cold War confrontation with the Soviet Union, resurfaced in 2015 when several employees in the Hastings Public Schools complained that they were being required to sign the loyalty oath that remained unrepealed in Nebraska's law books.

A letter from ACLU of Nebraska settled the issue without litigation by reminding school administrators that the 1951 Nebraska law had been voided by the Supreme Court ruling.

Sometimes a letter is all that it takes.

ACLU of Nebraska had been engaged in that issue almost from the organization's beginning, challenging loyalty oaths for public employees on behalf of University of Nebraska employees in 1967.

The two Supreme Court decisions included a 1981 case challenging the use of taxpayer funds for a legislative chaplain in Nebraska and the printing of prayers, which ACLU lost, and a 1985 religious liberty case that it won.

In that case, a Nebraska woman objected to a photo of her being taken for a driver's license because she believed that represented a "graven image" condemned by the Bible.

ACLU of Nebraska has been at the forefront of advocating for immigrant rights, voting rights, LGBT and transgender rights, reproductive rights and a host of civil liberties.

Part of the battle is to knock down "discriminatory barriers," Conrad said, including recently assuring LGBT Nebraskans the right to be foster parents.

Some of those battles are waged in the Legislature; some in courtrooms. And victories have been won in both places.

The Legislature authorized driver's licenses and occupational and professional licenses for so-called Dreamers, the children of illegal immigrants who arrived here as children and who now have a legal presence in the United States due to executive action by President Barack Obama.

Prenatal care for women who are illegal immigrants and their children was authorized by the Legislature earlier.

But Nebraska is considered "one of the most hostile states to abortion rights," Conrad said, whereas it used to be viewed as "kind of middle of the road."

Free speech, religious freedom, political association, discrimination in employment and wages all are on ACLU's watch list.

In 2015, it was ACLU of Nebraska that came to the side of Larry Ball, the 77-year-old Navy veteran who had been barred from distributing Christian religious pamphlets outside Pinnacle Bank Arena.

"I see ACLU Nebraska as a watchdog for our civil liberties," Sen. Laura Ebke of Crete said.

"We may not always agree politically, but it's important to have a focus on those liberties because government generally has a tendency to forget about them.

"Somebody has to remind us and that's good for all of us."

Sen. Tommy Garrett of Bellevue said he's "a strong proponent of what they do."

ACLU of Nebraska "helped us a lot" in supporting his bill to legalize the use of medical cannabis in the state, he said. That bill ultimately was trapped by a filibuster as the 2016 legislative session approached adjournment.

"It's been an absolute pleasure working with them," Garrett said.

Prisons long have been on the ACLU watch list.

Concerns about mass incarceration began to emerge in the 1990s with increased imprisonment of drug offenders and imposition of lengthy sentences for non-violent offenders, Conrad said.

In 2015, ACLU of Nebraska helped draft reforms to curb reliance on solitary confinement and provide protections for prisoners with mental illness.

The organization worked with Frakes on the solitary confinement issue in a collaborative way, Conrad said, and is "grateful for his leadership."

Ricketts "inherited a crisis" in the prison system when he was sworn in as governor in 2015, Conrad said. Without aggressive action now, she said, prison population will hover at 140 percent or more of capacity even five years from now.

"There is lack of meaningful access to health care and other programs and services now," she said. "Reform doesn't go far enough considering the gravity of the problem.

"It's becoming increasingly clear that litigation might be the only remedy," she said.

Conrad describes ACLU of Nebraska as "small, but mighty," with four full-time staff members and a volunteer army. About 2,000 members pay dues to ACLU and Conrad estimates ACLU of Nebraska can count about 10,000 supporters, donors and activists.

Conrad is a former state senator from Lincoln, who served in the Legislature from 2007 to 2015 when she was term-limited out of office. She's a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Law.
If you can't muster any outrage at the latest allegations of bribery and corruption by Australian companies, please relax. It's an understandable symptom of a typically Australian complacency.

It sees Australians annually ranking our country near the top of Transparency International's global table that measures "perceptions of corruption".

Australia has started slipping down the Transparency International corruption perception index.

It gives short shrift to journalists and NGOs who dig out the hard evidence of corruption and publish it in the face of Australia's punishing defamation laws.

And it allows Australian governments to maintain some of the worst whistleblower laws, the weakest anti-corruption measures, and the least transparent political donations regimes in the Western world, and never to feel any pressure to improve them.
There are, however, significant challenges facing Mr Scott as he starts in the role this week.

If he can use the same approach to deal with the many challenges facing the education sector, in partnership with an enlightened minister in Adrian Piccoli, who has not been afraid to stand up for NSW schools against his federal counterparts, the pair could be a formidable force to drive real change.

His customer-first approach during a decade at the helm of the ABC brought about a successful transition into the digital age for the national broadcaster.

Mark Scott has his detractors, but the Herald believes his appointment as secretary of the NSW Department of Education is a good one with the potential to achieve positive reform in the state education system.

First among these is the unfinished business of Gonski funding. The NSW government seems resigned to intransigence from the Turnbull regime in Canberra. That's disappointing in the Herald's view.

On practical issues, the enormous classroom shortage in government schools looms as crucial. The planners have been drastically wrong-footed by demographic changes that now see student enrolments surging at triple the expected rate of growth and there is not a lot of time to catch up. There is a need for over 10,000 additional classrooms by 2031, which translates to 435 new classrooms a year, most of these in Sydney.

Leaked departmental documents revealed earlier this year that there was a $10.8 billion funding gap for securing land, building and maintaining the additional classrooms needed to meet student demand by 2031. Mr Scott will need to convince the Treasurer and the Premier that the state's spending priorities must adjust accordingly.

He has been given a welcome gift by the Treasurer in the 2016 state budget's commitment of funds for an extra 1100 classrooms over the next four years, but more will be required. And even with funding secured, delivery remains a challenge. The opposition has been quick to point out that a new school announced for Wentworth Point five years ago remains a vacant lot, with not a sod turned.

Internationally, our student performance has been declining over the past decade in maths, science and reading. The evidence points to teacher quality as having the most impact on student outcomes  not smaller class sizes, private schooling, state-of-the-art facilities or compulsory homework. But better teaching and needs-based funding require financial commitment.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has blamed local issues for the Country Liberal Party's thrashing at the hands of Northern Territory Labor on Saturday in a bid to distance the federal Liberal party from the result.

But federal opposition leader Bill Shorten said the "outstanding" Territory election result for Labor should serve as a warning to the federal Liberal Party that "disunity is death".

The incoming chief minister, Labor's Michael Gunner, is expected to claim between 15 and 18 seats in the 25 member Assembly, after securing a swing of as much as 18 per cent against outgoing chief minister Adam Giles and the CLP government.

Conceding defeat on Saturday night, Mr Giles labelled the result a "thumping" - a description Mr Turnbull backed on Sunday morning.
And the winner is ...

Wit, outrage, disgust, pedantry, ABC weather and, of course, pointing out incorrect punctuation and grammar. These are the bread and butter of The Sydney Morning Herald's revered Column 8.

George Manojlovic, winner of most Column 8 publications. Credit:Sylvia Liber

Six days a week contributors compete to appear in print and online with their pithy observations on life for what, for many, is essential reading at the start of the day. Not infrequently submissions arrive from foreign countries.

Now we can reveal the names of those who have appeared most frequently in the column, once affectionately known as Granny. The winner, by only a small margin, is retired school teacher George Manojlovic with 68 entries. He was closely followed by Paul Hunt of Engadine (66); Jim Dewar of North Gosford (65) and Allan Gibson of Cherrybrook (59).
The bold personality of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was evident in Brisbane on Friday night as he told tales of his early days of college, meeting Steve Jobs and how he wanted to revolutionise the way the world worked through his first personal computer.

While we all know IT entrepreneur Steve Jobs' link to Apple, it was Wozniak who single handedly invented and built Apple 1, the first home computer that used a keyboard and TV screen as a display and that started the multinational company.

Apple Co-founder Steve Wozniak. Credit:Nic Walker

The 66-year-old fast talker took the audience, who had come to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in South Brisbane to see him, on a journey back to his childhood when his love for engineering first began, before Apple and before the computer designs he would become known for.

"I asked my father what are electrical engineers and he told me and I thought my gosh, before my life we never had televisions and I thought what a beautiful thing to the world, I wanted to bring that to the average home, I decided that was going to be my course in life," he said.
Angela Edwards has been homeless for the past two years, and her future abode is uncertain.

On Sunday, she was happy living in the present, painting a banner and playing with her four grandchildren outside the pretty weatherboard she is squatting in, in Collingwood.

Angela Edwards, pictured with her two grandsons, says after sleeping on the streets for years, squatting in a house in Bendigo Street, Collingwood, provides a secure place for them to visit her. Credit:Chris Hopkins

The 50 or so squatters, including children, occupying 14 houses in Bendigo Street, held a street festival in bright sunshine, after learning on Friday they would not be forcibly evicted for the next three weeks.

The houses have been leased by the Salvation Army to house homeless families, but the occupiers have vowed to stay put.
Hundreds of men who were in St Kilda on the night mum Tracy Connelly was murdered can expect a visit from police.

News Corp Australia says the homicide squad has compiled a list of more than 600 persons of interest based on police databases, social media and thousands of registration plates Ms Connelly's former long-time partner, Tony Melissovas, had kept a log of in the 18 months leading up to her murder.

The candlelight vigil in Greeves Street St Kilda for street worker Tracy Connelly.

The 40-year-old mother was a sex worker who was working from her Ford van in Greeves Street on the night she was killed on July 21, 2013.

Police will attempt to contact hundreds of men believed to be in St Kilda on the night of her death and have them give samples they can use to try and match with the evidence found in Ms Connelly's white van.
It started with a simple plan to de-clutter her house, but from the day Ros Anderson first set up a stall at Camberwell Sunday Market she felt right at home.

That was 33 years ago, and now Ms Anderson, who stands out with her flamboyant clothing, white bob and glasses, is astonished to find herself, with husband Kelvin McMurtry, a veteran stallholder.

Camberwell Sunday Market stalwarts Ros Anderson and Kelvin McMurtry, among the longest serving stallholders as the Sunday market turned 40 on Sunday. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Customers compare her with eccentric New York fashion identity Iris Apfel. "She does remind me of me a bit," she says. "But I've been like this all my life. It's really funny."

The market, a Melbourne institution, turned 40 on the weekend with a plaque unveiling attended by Boroondara mayor Jim Parke and local MPs.
If you're a male smoker named Michael, David or John, and drive a Holden, there's a good chance you've been dobbed in to a Victorian littering hotline.

The Environment Protection Authority Victoria issued more than $6.5 million in fines to about 15,000 people in the year to June 30 for throwing rubbish out of car windows.

In the past year 12,106 people reported 21,871 litterers. Credit:Boomerang Alliance

Three in every five fines were handed out to men, with the most common names among the offenders being Michael, David and John.

Coincidentally, men named Michael or David were also the most frequent reporters of litterbugs to the EPA's hotline.
Cindy Lange-Kubick Columnist Cindy Lange-Kubick has loved writing columns about life in her hometown since 1994. She had hoped to become a people person by now, nonetheless she would love to hear your tales of fascinating neighbors and interesting places. Follow Cindy Lange-Kubick Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

Becca Manner was waiting for a liver transplant the last time I saw her, fingers folding colorful pieces of paper into tiny origami stars.

Becca was 21 that day in 2009. She was making the paper stars -- and cranes and frogs and sailboats -- for a little boy named Sam, who shed read about in the paper but never met.

I have really tiny fingers, she said from her bedroom on Cedar Avenue. So I like to make tiny things.

Becca liked to help people who were sick, too, like Sam.

Shed been sick for a long time and she knew how something small could make a difference. Once upon a time, a nurse at the Mayo Clinic made an origami star for her in the middle of a bad night. She told Becca it was her lucky star and that she could make a wish on it. And 9-year-old Becca thought that star was the coolest thing ever.

Becca had her first liver transplant when she was 8, and she had her second liver transplant when she was 11, and her third came when she was 23, a few years after that origami-making day with Sam.

She might need another liver now. Her family hopes she doesnt. The 29-year-old doesnt live on Cedar Avenue anymore. She moved to South Korea in 2014, where she attended language school and met her husband, Chanshig Nam, a veterinarian who had donated part of his own liver to his mother.

Becca was healthy until last month, when she ended up in a transplant hospital in Seoul, dealing with infection and signs of liver rejection.

Last Sunday, her parents brought her back to the United States.

Shes back at the Mayo Clinic now. It took a few days to get admitted because although Becca had insurance in South Korea, she had to find a new insurance plan here.

Finding coverage wasnt a problem, her mom Mollie took care of that, but no amount of pleading could change the rules: the plan wouldnt kick in until the first of the following month. In this case, Sept. 1.

To have an escalation of that effective day, you needed to have a life event equivalent to a child being born, Mollie said Friday from her daughters hospital room. We thought this was equivalent to that.

The insurance gods didnt.

So Becca landed in Minneapolis on Aug. 21 and her mom drove her to Rochester and they holed up in a hotel room, Mollie trying to manage her daughters life-threatening fevers and nausea with nothing but the medicine aisle at Walgreens.

And trying to fix their insurance dilemma with phone calls and emails and pleas for help.

And thats when something pretty cool happened.

Mollie shared her daughters health update on Facebook on Aug. 24, asking for ideas about who to contact to expedite their coverage. Becca shared on her own feed.

And the gods of love responded. (The bureaucracy, however, did not budge.)

A friend named Gina Frank set up a GoFundMe account and another friend, Becky Boesen, is sharing profits from the sale of a CD, songs from a musical that starred Beccas sister Natalie McClure. Bill Maltas -- The Waffleman -- is on board with a fundraiser. Friends in South Korea offered to raise money, too.

They all sent prayers and well wishes and in 48 hours, the GoFundMe page raised nearly $6,000.

And on Thursday, Mollie took Becca to the hospital, promising Mayo shed find the money to pay for her care until insurance kicked in.

Im heading over to Wells Fargo after I get off the phone and tell them I need a check from that GoFundMe, she said Friday afternoon. Im going to take it to the hospital office and say This is my good faith. (The hospital had wanted a $20,000 deposit, but is working with Mollie, like they do with other families, on a payment plan.)

If Becca remains in the hospital until Sept. 1, which she most certainly will, heres betting the familys bill is a bit more than 20 grand.

But heres another pretty cool thing.

Over the years, Becca has made hundreds of origami stars and cranes and frogs and sailboats, like the ones she made for Sam.

She gives them to strangers and to people she loves.

When she was hospitalized, waiting for her third transplant, she walked the halls handing out her paper creations to staff members and cleaning ladies and fellow patients.

She got to know all the people on the transplant floor, Mollie says. With HIPAA, we cant connect with people, but she could walk around and say. Ive got this origami. It was something to share with no agenda.

And now people were reaching out to them in the same fashion, the mother said. It was, We have this to give you, we dont have an agenda, just take it.

Mollie got on Facebook Thursday night. She called Aug. 24 and its outpouring of care Thanksgiving Day, something theyd celebrate every year.

She thanked everyone for their prayers and their love and ideas and actions and gifts of money. She wrote about Beccas years of making paper cranes and boats and turtles and Korean wishing stars and giving them away.

She wrote about the wonder of being held in so many peoples hearts.

I hope you all know we feel as if we have been showered with the thousand paper cranes of hope, because of you.
When Frank Grima faces Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday morning he knows a guilty verdict will force him into bankruptcy.

The Yarraville businessman has sold his family home to fund an extraordinary legal battle that has dragged on for three years and racked up combined legal costs of more than $300,000.

Frank Grima (left) and Cliffy Elliott in Werribee South. Credit:Luis Enrique Ascui

The two-week trial will involve one of the nation's most prominent human rights lawyers and will call up to 25 witnesses.

Mr Grima is not the head of a drug smuggling syndicate, nor is he part of a global tax evasion scheme.
More than 300 wild reindeer were found dead after lightning struck a central mountain plateau in southern Norway, authorities say.

A thunderstorm hit the Hardangervidda mountain plateau in the Telemark region on Friday.

Game wardens had so far counted 322 dead reindeer, Knut Nylend, spokesman for the Norwegian Nature Inspectorate, told Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Sunday.

Nylend attributed the "unusually high" death toll to the lightning strike and the fact that reindeer often stand close to each other.
Moscow: Turkish tanks and attack aircraft have clashed with Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria, just hours after hopes were raised for a new general ceasefire in the war-torn country.

Fighters aligned with the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led alliance that is supported by the United States, engaged Turkish forces, including tanks and Ankara-backed Syrian rebels, south of the border town of Jarablus at the weekend.

The Nour al-Din al-Zanki Movement, an Ankara-backed rebel group, claimed it captured a village and took two Kurdish prisoners during the clashes.

Earlier Turkish jets bombed an ammunition dump and command centre for "terror groups", Ankara said, on the fourth day of an intervention designed to clear the so-called Islamic State from border areas and contain Kurdish expansion.
Libertarian Gary Johnson's plan for capturing the White House hinges on voters following through on polls suggesting they dislike the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees more than in any election year in history.

"You know how crazy this election cycle is?" Johnson told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday. "I might be the next president."

Gary Johnson leaves the Utah State Capitol after meeting with with legislators. Credit:AP

First, Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico, has to be allowed into the nationally televised debates that for now are set to feature only Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump. Johnson conceded it's "game over" if he doesn't secure a place on the podium.

To get there, the Commission on Presidential Debates requires candidates to secure 15 per cent support in five national polls. According to Real Clear Politics' average of recent polls, Johnson is at 8.1 per cent, though he noted he has climbed to 10 per cent in five polls identified by the commission and is hitting 16 per cent in five states.
if the people of Biafra want Republic of Biafra, it will be a reality during my administration. ----Donald Trump Donald Trump I wi...
PURCELLVILLE, Va.  Mike Pence definitely chose the wrong place to give a stump speech.

Trumps VP nominee railed against Hillary Clinton in Northern Virginia on Saturday afternoonbut he chose to do it at an evangelical Christian college with a history of anti-Trump sentiment. Students protested outside, while inside students stood in silent protest until they were ejected mid-speech.

The protests and poor attendance at the speech at Patrick Henry College illustrate the challenges that Trump has appealing to evangelical Christians, especially younger ones, who are turned off by his tone, his campaign ideas and his personal historyand are not at all assauged by his choice of Pence for his running mate.

The PHC student body as a whole is very anti-Trump. A lot of them say, I dont like him but Im going to turn up my nose and vote for him because I like Hillary even less. But overall there is a severe disgust with Trump, said Sebastian Lopez, a junior studying political theory at the school who was protesting the speech, holding a sign for hours outside in the blazing mid-day sun.

I dont think that Mike Pence is a bad person, but I think he has made an alliance with someone who is completely unacceptable from a libertarian, conservative or progressive standpoint, added Christian McGuire, a junior at Patrick Henry College studying American politics who was also demonstrating against Pence.

McGuire estimated 75 percent of the student body opposed Trump.

Pences visit is not the first misstep by the Trump campaign in Virginia. Donald Trump flubbed his speech in Northern Virginia earlier this month when he lectured the affluent locals in the audience as if they were the Rust BeltYoure doing lousy over here, he remarkedand then listed factory closures in far-flung areas of the state that were hours away, as well as a plant that closed in North Carolina.

Patrick Henry College is located in Loudoun County, the affluent swing district an hour from Washington, D.C., that voted for Bush twice, and then Obama twice. Its as close to a must-win county as it gets.

So it fell to Indiana Gov. Mike Penceagainto sweep up after his bosss mistakes.

Im a Christian, a conservative and a Republicanin that order, said Pence, playing to the audience.

But locals werent interested in hearing what he had to say. When Marco Rubio visited in February during the Republican primaries, students and local residents crammed into the room, filling the bleachers, the gymnasium floor and the balconies above to get a glimpse of the presidential candidate. The road outside the college was jam-packed. Parking was a nightmare.

An enthusiastic Students for Rubio group existed during the primaries. To this day there is no pro-Trump group on campus.

There are certainly students who support Trump, though most are not enthusiastic. He was rarely the first choice in such a crowded primary field, said Tim Kocher, a spokesman for the Patrick Henry College Republicans. I believe Trump has a solid base of support around 15-20%, but many students simply have not made up their minds as far as the presidential race goes.

When Pence visited Saturday, the room was half-emptya whole set of retractable bleachers sat empty and discarded near the stage; no admiring crowds leaned over the balcony to get a better look at the politician; parking was a breeze. This lackluster turnout took place at a school which in fall 2015 registered just 294 students, yet had about as many White House interns during the Bush administration as Georgetown University, with its nearly 18,000 students.

Im a B-list Republican celebrity, Pence said self-deprecatingly, as he thanked attendees for showing up on a beautiful, cloudless Saturday afternoon. It was funny because it was kind of sad, and it was sad because it was kind of true.

Pence also spoke as if he did not quite understand whose ticket he was on. We believe in free trade, he said, as if Trump had not run a campaign slamming international trade. The governor also slammed Hillary Clintons plan to tax the rich, as if the Republican nominee had not taken aim at Wall Street during his populist run for the White House. Americans are tired of politicians who divide our country to unite their support, he said, as if Trump had not run a campaign that regularly disparaged Muslims, foreigners and women.

As if to bolster this point, a group of protesters critical of Trumps rhetoric on Islam revealed their T-shirts during Pences speech, engaging in a silent protest of the Republican ticket as they were slowly escorted out.

Even the students who supported the Trump-Pence ticket seemed to be doing so with an air of resignation, buoyed only by the threat they believe Hillary Clinton poses to the country.

Sarah Roberts, a student at the college who attended the speech, told The Daily Beast, I havent done the research to be, like, Woo-hoo, but hes better than the alternative.

Our options are a little limited, so were going to have to choose between worse and worse, said another student carrying a Trump-Pence sign. [Its a] very conservative school, one of the most conservative schools in the nation a lot of people dont really believe hes very conservative.

Meanwhile, outside Patrick Henry College, nearly 20 students and alumni from the predominantly conservative school demonstrated against Pence and Trump, to make the point that the Christian college did not support the Republican ticket.

I dont want my school, and therefore my name, associated with [Trump], said Erin Lester, an alumni of the school. Its known for being a conservative school and I dont want people to assume that because its a conservative school, that were Trump's dupes, basically.

The protests for the swing area of Loudoun County continued out in the street outside Patrick Henry Colleges main entrance, where students held signs reading PHC is Not Trump Country, Immigrants Make America Great and For Christ and Liberty, Not Bigotry And Idiocy.

Some locals passed, honking in support. Eventually, a car drove by, and its angry occupant flipped the bird, yelling TRUMP!

God bless you! the student protesters shouted back.
WASHINGTON -- Bernie Sanders never understood the epic quality of the Clinton scandals. In his first debate, he famously dismissed the email issue, it being beneath the dignity of a great revolutionary to deal in things so tawdry and straightforward.

Sanders failed to understand that Clinton scandals are sprawling, multilayered, complex things. They defy time and space. They grow and burrow.

The central problem with Hillary Clinton's emails was not the classified material. It wasn't the headline-making charge by the FBI director of her extreme carelessness in handling it.

That's a serious offense, to be sure, and could very well have been grounds for indictment. And it did damage her politically, exposing her sense of above-the-law entitlement and -- in her dodges and prevarications, her parsing and evasions -- demonstrating her arm's-length relationship with the truth.

But it was always something of a sideshow. The real question wasn't classification but: Why did she have a private server in the first place? She obviously lied about the purpose. It wasn't convenience. It was concealment. What exactly was she hiding?

Was this merely the prudent paranoia of someone who habitually walks the line of legality? After all, if she controls the server, she controls the evidence, and can destroy it -- as she did 30,000 emails -- at will.

But destroy what? Remember: She set up the system before even taking office. It's clear what she wanted to protect from scrutiny: Clinton Foundation business.

The foundation is a massive family enterprise disguised as a charity, an opaque and elaborate mechanism for sucking money from the rich and the tyrannous to be channeled to Clinton Inc. Its purpose is to maintain the Clintons' lifestyle (offices, travel, accommodations, etc.), secure profitable connections, produce favorable publicity and reliably employ a vast entourage of retainers, ready to serve today and at the coming Clinton Restoration.

Now we learn how the whole machine operated. Two weeks ago, emails began dribbling out showing foundation officials contacting State Department counterparts to ask favors for foundation "friends." Say, a meeting with the State Department's "substance person" on Lebanon for one particularly generous Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire.

Big deal, said the Clinton defenders. Low-level stuff. No involvement of the secretary herself. Until -- drip, drip -- the next batch revealed foundation requests for face time with the secretary herself. Such as one from the crown prince of Bahrain.

To be sure, Bahrain, home of the Fifth Fleet, is an important Persian Gulf ally. Its crown prince shouldn't have to go through a foundation -- to which his government donated at least $50,000 -- to get to the secretary. The fact that he did is telling.

Now, a further drip: The Associated Press found that over half the private interests who were granted phone or personal contact with Secretary Clinton -- 85 of 154 -- were donors to the foundation. Total contributions? As much as $156 million.

Current Clinton response? There was no quid pro quo.

What a long way we've come. This is the very last line of defense. Yes, it's obvious that access and influence were sold. But no one has demonstrated definitively that the donors received something tangible of value -- a pipeline, a permit, a waiver, a favorable regulatory ruling -- in exchange.

It's hard to believe the Clinton folks would be stupid enough to commit something so blatant to writing. Nonetheless, there might be an email allusion to some such conversation. With thousands more emails to come, who knows what lies beneath.

On the face of it, it's rather odd that a visible quid pro quo is the bright line for malfeasance. Anything short of that -- the country is awash with political money that buys access -- is deemed acceptable. As Donald Trump says of his own donation-giving days, "when I need something from them ... I call them, they are there for me." This is considered routine and unremarkable.

It's not until a Rolex shows up on your wrist that you get indicted. Or you are found to have dangled a Senate appointment for cash. Then, like Rod Blagojevich, you go to jail. (He got 14 years.)

Yet we are hardly bothered by the routine practice of presidents rewarding big donors with cushy ambassadorships, appointments to portentous boards or invitations to state dinners.

The bright line seems to be outright bribery. Anything short of that is considered -- not just for the Clintons, for everyone -- acceptable corruption.

It's a sorry standard. And right now it is Hillary Clinton's saving grace.
On Monday, Matt Wilbourn, the founder of the Muskogee Atheist Community in Oklahoma, made a $100 donation in his organizations name to the Murrow Indian Childrens Home. Later that day, his phone rang.

I received a phone call an hour later from the lady who accepted my donation earlier telling me that her director asked her to call me and tell me that my donation was not accepted, Wilbourn wrote on a Go Fund Me page. She went on to say that they are funded by the American Baptist Churches Association and accepting a donation from atheists would go against everything they believe in.

I emailed the director and even told her that Im raising the amount to $250. Im awaiting her response, he added.

Wilbourn and his wife, Keli, launched a fundraiser for the childrens home after their experience. As of Saturday night, they had raised more than $28,000 for the kids, from religious people and atheists outraged at Wilbourns rejection.

I am a Christian who stands with the Muskogee Atheist Community today! Thank you for fighting back with love instead of spreading hateful words, wrote Sherry Phillips-Kidd, and online supporter.

My advice to Murrow Indian Childrens Home: Dont perish while clinging to the steeple of your burning church because you rejected the rescue helicopter in favor of holding out for the firetruck you prayed God to send, Joe Miller, another backer, wrote.

Wilbourn told the Friendly Atheist Blog that he wrote his initial check for the home when a representative came to print programs for a charity event at his place of work. While his employer had donated a free printing to the home in the past, they didnt this time. Thats when Wilbournwhose Facebook page warns that If anti-religious material offends you, you may not want to friend request medecided to offset the costs by making out a check for $100, he told the blog.

God bless you, the staffer told him.

According to the homes website, it is the only residential facility in Oklahoma exclusively for American Indian children.

God has provided for Murrow Home for over a hundred years through the donors who have helped sustain Murrow financial and the mission groups and volunteers that have given countless hours to repair and refurbish the cottages, the website reads. Murrow would not exist without the hard work, donations and financial support of selfless men and women of God.

It hosts 36 children who are in state custody or in the custody of native tribes. It runs on about $500,000 a year, according to tax filings.

Hours after receiving his donation, the staffer allegedly called back to tell Wilbourn they couldnt accept his godless money. He offered to up the donation to $250, but it didnt work.

Contacted by phone, a woman who answered the phone at the home declined to comment on rejecting Wilbourns donation. Asked whether she knew that by Wednesday, Wilbourns fundraiser had brought in $10,000, she remained firm.

Like I said, we have no comment, the woman said.

She directed further inquiries to board president Sharon Woolwine. Woolwine did not return a request for comment.

As Wilbourns campaign went national,supporters trolled the home on Facebook. Some questioned whether the bison meat auction they planned for an upcoming benefit would align with their values.

Are you sure you want to do this? That meat may have been packaged by a dirty heathen atheist, Natalie DeKeyzer wrote.

Those bison probably dont believe in god, added Peter-John Matzig. How can you be raffling off filthy atheist meat?

Others gave the home a 1-star rating on Facebook, bringing its overall rating down to 2.1 stars Wednesday afternoon. By Saturday night, the page appeared to have been deleted.

On the Go Fund Me page, Wilbourn said he'd try to funnel just over $5,000 of the money raised to the home, through himself or a friendly church. The rest will go to an atheist summer camp.
It was January 16, 1993, and the Associated Press was ruminating on the supposedly contradictory nature of the woman who would become, in four days, the first lady of the United States.

Hillary Clinton was so many things at oncea corporate lawyer on the board of capitalist corporations but also a devoted mother associated with do-good liberal groupsthat, the news service said, it was difficult for some to reconcile her tendency to be incisive and businesslike with her ability to also be warm and witty.

They quoted her mentor Marian Wright Edelman as saying, We are complicated peopleIm sure she will find her voice. Shell do it in her own way.

What Edelman may not have anticipated is that Clinton would find her voice and lose it and find it again over and over and over for 23 years.

A review of media coverage of Clinton reveals that the Associated Press, USA Today, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Observer, Bloomberg, Politico, The Fiscal Times, US News and The Hill, among other local and international publications, have reported on Clinton finding her voice some 19 times since 1993and that doesnt include the countless instances its been said on television or radio.

Over the course of a career thats included stints as the first lady, the senator from New York, a presidential candidate, the secretary of State and now the 2016 Democratic nominee, Clinton has demanded that our nations newsmen and wordsmiths and headline architects stretch the finite number of applicable words and phrases in the English language to the brink. And at some point, it seems, claiming Clinton had found her voice became a default literary device for a media that had a centurys worth of experience writing about male power, but had never before been tasked with reporting on a woman of her stature and ambition.

She famously found her voice in Beijing with her daughter, Chelsea, in tow in April 1995, when she told the United Nations Fourth World Congress on Women that, womens rights are human rights.

At the time, CNNs Claire Shipman said, Perhaps because the women here have a greater distance to travel, her presence resonates more deeply. Perhaps shes come halfway around the world to find her voice.

But then she must have lost it, because she was trying to find it once more in 1999, when she was running for the United States Senate from New York.

According to The Boston Globe, her campaign was being positioned as an existential mission, during which she will connect with voters and in so doing find her voice.

She kept losing it and finding it in 2008, to the extent that she even used the phrase herself in New Hampshire.

I want especially to thank New Hampshire, Clinton said then, following a memorably emotional campaign stop in Portsmouth when she teared up while explaining why she got up every morning and hit the campaign trail, over the last week I listened to you and in the process, I found my own voice.

The New York Observer used the headline Hillary, Triumphant, Finds Her Voice for a story about how she had improved as a candidate since announcing her bid for the White House. The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette said, Clinton Finds Voice In New Hampshire. The French Agency France Presse declared, Clinton Finds Voice, Savors Unlikely Triumph.

And then her voice was gone, because in August of 2015, Bloomberg broke the news that she had found it.

Hillary Clinton Finds Her Voice Making Gun Violence Plea Following Roanoke Murders, Bloomberg reported. It really wasnt what she said, but how she said it, with what came across as honest heartbreak.

And she found it again in February of 2016, when The Washington Post said that Ahead of New Hampshire, Clinton Finds her Voice and Trump Fades (lol) because Hillary Clinton has hit on a succinct statement of her political philosophy.

But not succinct enough, because sometime between February and May, her voice vanished and she just kept finding it all over the place throughout the summer.

In May, CNN said, Hillary Clinton Finds Her Voice in Donald Trump Attacks. In June, The Fiscal Times reported, Clinton Finds Her Voice On Trump: Withering Criticism, With a Side of Mockery. While both The Hill and US News reported, Clinton Finds Her Voice and Hillary Clinton Finds Her Voice in stories that claimed she had worked out the kinks in her message.

In July, Politico asked, Has Hillary Finally Found Her Voice? reporting that Interviews with more than half a dozen Clinton allies inside and outside her campaign reveal a candidate who remains deeply insecure when trying to commit to a message about her campaign, and reluctant to indulge in the rhetorical flourishes that make for the rousing poetry of campaigns. In her campaign headquarters, Politico said, the joke [is that] she would take the public safety slogan If you see something, say something and, in her literal-minded way, change it to say, if you see something, alert the proper authorities.

Other people have found their voices, too, of courseBarbara Bush, when she published her autobiography in 1994, according to The New York Times. And so have menBill Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, to name a few. But no one has found it with as much regularity and at such mundane intervals as Clinton.

So why is this the way weve decided to talk about Americas most prominent female politician?

The Cambridge Dictionary says finding your voice means becoming willing to talk. But in a political context, the idiom seems to mean arriving at a style in which you talk, either through calculation or its absence.

Clinton, of course, is widely considered the most calculating politician of allsomeone who is exceedingly careful, someone who wouldnt tell you her favorite color without first running a poll. Writing about Clinton, then, is a game of waiting for glimpses of either the human beneath the politician artifice, or the politician fully realized. Her every speech is a Rorschach test, because what we see in Clintoneither a competent, accomplished public servant, as her fans do; or a conniving, manufactured, finger-in-the-wind striver, like her critics sayis in some way an indication of how we feel about a culture in which a woman can give such a speech.

One minor side effect of the United States never having a female president is that the media lack self-assurance when documenting female power. Theres an uneasiness due to a lack of practice and, thanks to social media, you can sometimes see the debates play out in real time. Is it sexist to describe Clintons fashion choices? My readers often tell me so, but since I tend to describe the fashion choices of male politicians with venomous glee, I think it would be sexist to give Clinton special treatment. Is it sexist to say she sounds shrill? What about cold? And how far removed from manipulative is the phrase calculating, anyway?

Paul Begala, a former adviser in the Clinton White House who supports Hillary Clintons candidacy, said that because Clinton is usually reserved, any time her personality breaks through, its hyper-analyzed in a way that exceeds the protocol for reporting on most other politicians.

So much of politics has become performance art and self-revelation, all the things she hates, he told me. Once in a while, she drops her guard enough that you see a little bit of personality rather than a policy.

Asked if she would be willing to submit for an interview on this subject, the Clinton campaign didnt respond. Perhaps she couldnt find her voice.
Its always tricky, the first royal engagement of the new term.

Usually the royals dont get back to work until the first week of September, but, wisely, Will and Kate opted to jump back onto the front pages a week or so early this year, with a bevy of public appearances: on Wednesday they attended three different venues including a kids club and a hospital in Luton, and on Thursday they made a visitshrouded in secrecy for reasons which became clear later that dayto a teen crisis helpline where they sat in on calls.

Getting back in the public eye early may well mean that the inevitable criticisms of the work-shy Cambridges and their excessive royal summer holidays, facilitated by the late Duke of Westminsters private jet, will be slightly more dulled than is usual.

However, Kates a belt and braces type of girl, and acutely media-savvy. There is no way that she would not have been acutely aware of the demographic distance between her and William and her future subjects as represented by the occupants of a Luton drop-in centre for troubled adolescents.

The Daily Mail was firing up for the predictable hatchet job with an initial headline focusing on the Cambridges tans (they spent several weeks of the summer on holiday with friends in France), when Kate did something very, very smart.

She mentioned Prince George.

Some of the kids who are supported by the charity were cooking chocolate biscuits and Kate told them, When I try to do this with George at home, the chocolate and the golden syrup goes everywhere, she said, He makes so much mess. Its chaos.

Instantly online news outlets started rewriting their accounts of the day to lead with the news that Prince George makes a mess while baking.

William and Kates glowing tans were forgotten.

There might be some who would argue that this was just Kate being her spontaneous self, and certainly it would have come across that way to the average consumer of royal news.

But the truth is pretty far from that.

This is the woman who wouldnt allow courtiers to tell the press the name of her dog, lets remember, on the grounds it was private.

Kate fiercely rations not just access to George, but even her mentions of him. The information firewall is part of what she regards as her and Williams (remarkably successful) mission to preserve the privacy of their childrens lives.

So when some piece of intel does leak outGeorge wears a monogrammed dressing gown, George makes a mess while bakingit inevitably receives huge, if disproportionate, coverage.

Kate knows this better than anyone. Although she does get nervous at public events, it is inconceivable that Kate would have randomly blurted out details of Georges life without carefully thinking through the publicity consequences of her words.

And if part of the goal of the early return to work was to blunt the attacks on their lifestyle, then mentioning George is very astute.

How could the Daily Mail attack a mother who does baking her with her kids? This is Kate living out the ultimate domestic British middle-class motherhood fantasy in the same week as the return of one of the most popular shows on British TV, The Great British Bake Off, an uplifting, weekly competitive celebration of baking.

The following day, Thursday, the Cambridges had another engagementbut this one was shrouded in secrecy. A few senior reporters were tipped off that they would be attending a parental helpline run by the charity Young Minds as part of their overarching support of mental health, but their reports were strictly embargoed.

Officially, this was so the helpline would not be overrun by fans hoping to get a one-on-one with Kate or Will (in fact, they didnt actually speak to any callers, instead they just listened in) but there may have also been a more, lets call it practical rather than cynical, motivation as well.

It turned out that Kensington Palace had the bright idea of making and releasing their own film about the days events, and didnt want to be scooped.

This is all part of their public relations mastermind Jason Knaufs plan to bypass traditional media as much as possible, which he sees (with much justification) as interested largely in denigrating the royals or invading their kids privacy, and reach out directly to Kate and Wills public through social media.

The resulting video was intriguing for royal watchers in that, once again Kate referred at some length to her children.

Were parents ourselves, I am sure we will face worries, we do face worries, because we have small young children, but you know, if those worries escalate, having that feeling that there is somebody there 

Of course, the idea that Kate Middleton would ever call the Young Minds helpline is patently absurd, but thats to deliberately miss the point.

The Cambridges are breaking with centuries of royal tradition that said royalty thrived on otherness and mystery and desperately want us to believe an even greater fictionthat they are actually just like us.

On September 24, Will and Kate are off on a tour to Canada, on which they are expected to be accompanied by their two children.

It will be interesting to see how they will cast their kids on this week-long tour and whether they can reconcile the international medias thirst for glamor with their domestic agenda, which appears to be focused with laser-like precision on emphasizing their normality.
Donald Trump made a seemingly momentous announcement on Monday, jettisoning a presidential campaign's worth of assertions that he would deport millions of undocumented immigrants and close what he has repeatedly called an "open" border.

Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly, who interviewed Trump, was obviously stunned. After telling Trump that the news media is "running wild with this," he asked Trump point blank: "Are you really rethinking your mass deportation strategy?"

Trump's response ought to be devastating to a candidate who made deportation and a border wall the centerpiece of his candidacy. "I just want to follow the law," he said. "What I'm doing is following the law."

The law, of course, has no funding for mass deportation. And the Obama administration's interpretation of that law enables millions of undocumented immigrants to stay in the U.S. while authorities focus enforcement resources on apprehending and deporting criminal aliens.

Last November, Trump told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" (before he stopped appearing on the show and began attacking it on Twitter), "You are going to have a deportation force and you're going to do it humanely."

As recently as April, as NBC's First Read reported, Trump was still discussing illegal immigration as an existential threat. "Look, we're either going to have a country or we're not going to have a country," he said. What kind of country sits back and lets "rapists" and who knows who pour over the border?

If this were anything like a normal campaign, with a candidate, message and strategy coordinated and directed toward the goal of winning more votes than Trump's opponent, you might call this a "pivot" or a "retreat" or whatever language suits you. But this is not that kind of campaign.

While Trump was telling O'Reilly that Obama has deported a lot of people, and that he personally doesn't like the notion of "detention centers," which he apparently doesn't realize already exist and already house undocumented immigrants, his campaign was running its first general-election television ad with a very different message.

After opening with a blunt suggestion that Hillary Clinton will steal the election, the ad states that, under Clinton: "Illegal immigrants convicted of committing crimes get to stay. Collecting Social Security benefits, skipping the line. Our border open. It's more of the same, but worse."

It's hard to square the ad -- "more of the same" -- with Trump's interview with O'Reilly -- "What people don't know is that Obama got tremendous numbers of people out of the country."

Naturally, some have concluded that Trump is now desperately backtracking in an effort to make his campaign less toxic to Hispanic voters. That may well be the impetus behind the shift in rhetoric, which followed a Trump meeting last weekend with Hispanic leaders.

But what makes it possible is not a change of heart or even a change of strategy. What enables Trump to shift policies on a dime is that he has no genuine policies to begin with. His previous statements on immigration were junk. Politically, financially, legally, socially there is no way to deport 11 million people, many of whom have strong ties to American family members, American jobs, American culture, American communities.

Trump offered a powerful attitude, and aggressive language, but never a viable position. Even some of his supporters recognized that. The essence of the Trump enterprise is that is has no fixed values, let alone positions, beyond the dodgy situational ethics of the principal.

Trump's history of trade skepticism goes back years. There's probably some intellectual basis for it lodged somewhere in his brain. But his "policies" -- raging against the Chinese or the Japanese, promising massive retaliation, global dominance and huge tariffs on imports, are mostly nonsense.

Likewise, Trump's instincts are nativist, racist and misogynistic, with decades of boorish behavior to underscore the points. But his attitudes are not policies. He has never given as much thought to racism, for example, as his fans on the alt-right have, or developed a theory of sexual relations more sophisticated than crude banter with Howard Stern.

Trump hasn't changed his policy on immigration because he never had a real policy on immigration. He doesn't have a real policy on anything. He has postures, attitudes, opportunities, affinities -- along with a bunch of notions that carom round his head like a pinball. Tilt him hard and you get a new game.
For the most part, we take our first responders for granted -- that is until we need them. Then, when our lives and our property depend on them, they are our heroes.

Two natural disasters thousands of miles apart in the past two weeks have brought home the importance of those first responders and how they are important they are to our lives.

While we enjoyed a week of much-needed rain, Louisiana, our neighbor to the east, was inundated with an estimated 6.9 trillion gallons of rain. Livingston Parish in the Baton Rouge suburbs received 31 inches of rain in 15 hours.

The rain caused extensive flooding, leaving some 100,000 homes damaged, some beyond repair. At least 13 people died in the flooding. It was the worst national disaster since Hurricane Sandy four years ago.

The floods in southern Louisiana came only months after extensive flooding in northern Louisiana earlier this year. An estimated 29,000 homes were flooded then. And, of course, the recent floods came within a few weeks of the 11th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that devastated Louisiana and Mississippi.

And then last week, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in the area around Amatrice in central Italy. At least 281 people were killed, with rescue and recovery work continuing 24 hours a day, but those efforts are hampered by strong aftershocks. The mayor of Amatrice says his town is virtually destroyed.

Louisiana and Italy suffered completely different types of natural disasters, but they had a couple of things in common. First, of course, was the immediate aid offered by first responders, brave people willing to risk their life to help others in a time of great need. Firefighters, emergency medical crew, police and military personnel rescued thousands of people in Louisiana and dug through the rubble heavy rubble in Italy, desperately searching for survivors. Hopes were buoyed when an 8-year-old girl was pulled alive from the debris. As time grew long, hopes for other rescues began to fade. Yet, the first responders did not let up on their efforts.

During major events such as these, it is easy to see how important our first responders are. But they are just as important in smaller, less wide-spread events such as house fires, boating accidents, traffic accidents and so on.

These first responders undergo massive amounts of training to prepare for the job and to keep proficient. The demands of the job are rigorous, both physically, mentally and, no doubt, emotionally. It takes a special type of person to do the job and we are blessed here and across the nation and the world to have such people willing to do the job.

They are our neighbors, our friends and our heroes. God bless them all.

Another thing the disasters in Louisiana and Italy have in common is the response of the Red Cross and other relief agencies that rushed to the scenes to provide food, clothing and other supplies. To give to help the Louisiana flood victims, go to the Red Cross at www.redcross.org. To assist the victims of the Italian earthquake, go to the Italian Red Cross site at www.ammado.com.

There are numerous other agencies helping in both areas if you would prefer. They are easy to find online by searching for Louisiana flooding or Italy earthquake. Just make sure the agency you pick is legitimate and is using your donation to help the people in need.
Calls for coupling property and income tax cuts are irresponsible and, with Nebraska facing a $350 million budget shortfall, are akin to cutting two legs off a three-legged stool. The Platte Institute seems to favor such a pogo-stick approach with its recently unveiled tax plan.

Their report overlooks Nebraskas rank in the top 10 states for economic growth between 2004-14 as measured by GDP growth per capita (6th) and personal income growth per capita (10th), according to Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) data cited in another recent report from the Platte Institute. Nebraska has also enjoyed nearly the lowest unemployment rate nationally over the last decade, never rising above 5 percent even during the 2009 recession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Platte Institutes recent reports argue that Nebraska should emulate Colorado, Kansas, Florida, Texas, and seven other states that outrank us on business-friendly climate ratings. However, Nebraskas grew faster economically than all the states Platte listed over the last decade in per capita GDP growth and per capita personal income growth - except Texas, with 1.5 percent per capita GDP growth compared to Nebraska 1.3 percent growth - again, according to BEA data in the their own report. Why would we want to copy a bunch of states that are doing worse than us?

In another recent report they falsely claim a correlation between population growth and economic growth, arguing Nebraska is losing residents due to supposedly less favorable business climate by comparing its migration data to some of the aforementioned states.

This analysis is flawed for several reasons. First, they only discuss out-migration from Nebraska and fail to examine in-migration. They cite that an estimated 2,896 people moved from Nebraska to Colorado in 2013, but fail to mention that, according to the same 2014 Census Bureau table, an estimated 3,727 Coloradans moved to Nebraska the same year. Second, they fail to mention the margin of error for either estimate is over 950. The difference between the two estimates is 831 - well within the margin of error - meaning, statistically, theres no difference between the two. They probably know better.

Moreover, the reports author omitted Kansas from this migration comparison. He recently argued in the Lincoln Journal Star that by creating a business friendly environment, an income tax free state is essentially a beacon for growth. Following that rationale, the Kansas Legislature cut income taxes on most businesses and wealthier individuals in 2012, promising it would put the states economy into overdrive. The results more closely resemble an old truck stuck in neutral slowly rolling backwards into the pond.

Since those cuts, the Sunflower State has suffered budget shortfalls, credit downgrades, depletion of the states rainy day fund, school funding crises, and increases in both property and sales taxes. And Kansas suffered a net loss of an estimated 52,600 residents compared to Nebraskas 7,700 from 2010 to 2015.

Besides the Platte Institute, some Nebraska leaders have already advocated cutting income tax rates during the next legislative session while making the same flawed arguments about tax cuts leading to economic growth. Further cuts in income taxes in Nebraska would likely lead to higher property taxes for landowners and more budget problems for Nebraskas public schools.

After its income tax cuts, Kansas had to cut state aid to schools and local governments. In turn, those entities became more reliant on property taxes and fees to continue to provide necessary services. A majority of Kansas counties have seen property tax levy increases since the 2012 income tax cuts, with 17 of the 20 highest increases occurring in rural counties. Schools in Nebraska are already the 3rd most dependent on local property taxes for funding in the country, because the state ranks 49th in state aid funding per pupil.

Kansas fiscal house is on fire. When your neighbors house is on fire, you call the fire department. You dont say, hey, thats a great idea, I think Ill set my house on fire too. Rather than creating more budget problems, Nebraska leaders should focus on fully funding our states schools, roads, and other essential services.
What we know so far about alleged Iowa serial killer Donald Studey
Nebraskans can heave a sigh of relief that Aetna will continue to sell individual health insurance policies in Nebraska through the government marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act.

Aetna is pulling out of 11 other states, leaving their health insurance marketplaces in tatters. In fact for the first time ever the people in one Arizona county wont be able to purchase any insurance at all through the ACA government marketplace; no insurers are offering coverage there.

Aetnas announcement adds to the urgency for Congress to fix the major flaws in the law and the countrys health care system.

UnitedHealthcare announced in April that it was pulling out of 30 states. Humana announced that it would drop coverage in all but 156 counties.

Sixteen of the 23 health insurance cooperatives started with billions in loans from the federal government have collapsed, including CoOpportunity Health, which operated in Nebraska.

The problem is obvious. The companies are losing too much money. Aetna said it will lose $300 million this year on ACA-compliant plans. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska said it lost $53 million last year.

On the positive side, approximately 20 million more Americans have coverage today than before the ACA was passed. And people cannot be turned down for insurance if they have pre-existing conditions.

But its clear that something has to give.

The exchanges are a mess as they exist today, Aetna Chief Executive Officer Mark Bertolini told Bloomberg. Theyre losing a lot of money for a lot of people.

Too few healthy Americans seek coverage through the exchanges. The people signing up are low-income individuals who receive large subsidies and people with expensive health problems. Americans who are not in either of those categories are choosing to go uninsured and pay a penalty rather pay thousands a year for coverage.

Companies are requesting high rate increases next year for ACA-compliant policies. Aetna has proposed rate hikes of 16 percent for 2017 in Nebraska. Blue Cross Blue Shield and Medica want increases averaging about 35 percent.

Federal officials pointed out his week that more Nebraskans will be eligible for bigger federal subsidies if those rates are approved, but its uncertain how the changes will affect insurance company revenues.

Meanwhile most employees who get their insurance through work will see the hikes in their insurance premiums go up faster than their raises, according to surveys by the National Business Group on Health and WorldatWork.

Its a foregone conclusion that nothing will be done to improve the system until after the election. Then Congress needs to go to work. The problems with the ACA demand attention.
Listening to Coby Mach's radio show the other day, he responded to the LJS editorial calling him out for serving as a delegate for Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention ("Coby Mach crossed line with Trump," Aug. 12). He went to great lengths to justify his actions, naming all the non-partisan state senators, school board members and others who have also served as delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

Mach doesn't get it.

Donald Trump kicked off his campaign over a year ago calling immigrants "rapists" and "drug dealers" in his announcement speech. He made fun of a disabled reporter. Trump said that a judge couldn't be impartial because of his Latino heritage. He made fun of Sen. John McCain's military service, has called women pigs and suggested that "Second Amendment people" could stop Hillary Clinton.

While other GOP leaders like Sen. Ben Sasse are standing up for decency and refusing to support Trump, Coby Mach has made a decision to support him and cheer him on at the Republican National Convention. Mach has endorsed all of this bizarre behavior by serving as a Trump delegate. When history looks back on the 2016 election and people wonder how such a man as Trump could win a major party nomination and descend the presidential election into chaos, it will count Mach as one within the conservative community who lacked the backbone to stand up and prevent this sort of debacle.

Phil Montag, Lincoln
Connecticut Horror Fest, hosted by Horror news Network, was held at the Matrix Conference Center in Danbury on August 27, 2016. Fans met horror celebrities, shopped vendors and participated in costume contests. Were you SEEN?
The Grand Island Public Library serves its patrons in two main ways: online and in the building itself.

If you didnt have the opportunity to stop by the library this past week, we hosted two great programs, including one aimed at women who are thinking of starting their own busineses. On Tuesday, REAP (Rural Enterprise Assistance Project) Womens Business Center, the U.S. Small Business Administration and the FDIC co-sponsored Starting Up  What Women Need to Know to Start a Business. This was a great chance for local folks and entrepreneurs who are thinking about starting small businesses to get some financial training and establish networking opportunities.

Economic development and job opportunities are concerns in most communities, and thriving small businesses are important to ensuring a communitys economic health. The library staff was excited to support and offer a venue for such a great program.

Also this past week, local historian Edith Robbins presented an informative and interesting program regarding the impact of World War II in Berlin and Grand Island. She provided the audience with a unique perspective underlined with photos, posters and maps of how families, both in Germany and Grand Island, dealt with shortages, rations and huge production efforts to provide materials for the war.

If you were as energized and curious as I was after attending this program, and would like to continue your quest for more local historical information (on just about any subject of interest) come down to the Roberta Lawrey Heritage Room and feel free to search The Grand Island Independent using our microfilm readers; our friendly staff is glad to help.

In addition, the library has scheduled a couple of new programs were excited about: Story Time with Dori Bush, and the Nebraska Warrior Writers workshops.

In partnership with Nebraska Writing Project and the Veterans Administration, Humanities Nebraska launched a new writing program aimed at veterans and active duty military personnel in the autumn of 2014. This fantastic program is coming to Grand Island this fall; participants need only be interested in writing in any form  they do not need to have any previous writing experience to benefit from the workshops.

Facilitated by professional writing instructors, the workshops six biweekly sessions will focus on developing strategies and skills, offering support and guidance. Sessions scheduled at the library will be from 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturdays, Sept. 10 and 17, Oct. 8 and 22 and Nov. 5 and 19.

For those participating in the workshops the library will also, upon request, provide childcare with stories, crafts and other activities for children ages 3 to 12.

Talking about stories, we have a great new program for adults called Story Time for Adults With Dori Bush. Youre never too old for story time, so let Dori give you the shivers with thrilling tales and hilarious favorite stories.

In the first sessions, Dori read hilarious stories from Garrison Keillor, shared some poignant poems from Ted Kooser and read selections from Willa Cather. Heck, who doesnt want to be read to? And what would story time be without a little discussion? With all the wonderful options out there for stories from classic to contemporary, its hard to imagine not attending this fun program. Give it a try; the story times are offered from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. the first Monday of each month.

I also want to give a shout out to a few of our ever faithful adult programs as well; the Adult Book Club, a fantastic group of people who not only find enjoyment in reading but find their appreciation and pleasure of a book broadened and deepened through discussion (they have been meeting for 11 years) and the Prairie Pioneers Genealogical Society, whose members unselfishly give their time from 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesdays offering genealogical assistance to those doing family searches.

Were here to enrich and enhance the lives and minds of all users.

Kathleen Nonneman is a librarian for the Grand Island Public Library. Email her at kathleenn@gilibrary.org
VCHS Home Health earns 5-star rating

ORD  Patients have rated Valley County Health System Home Health Services above state and national averages, earning the organization a five-star rating with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

The home health and hospice patient satisfaction scores are another great example of how VCHS is meeting its mission to provide progressive healthcare services in a healing, patient-centered environment, VCHS CEO Nancy Glaubke said.

Ninety percent of patients said they would recommend VCHS Home Health Services to friends and family. The data was from more than 150 patients who received VCHS Home Health services between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2015, and completed the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. The data is reported annually on CMSs Home Health Compare website.

Home health offers a less expensive alternative to hospitalization or long-term care for patients needing occasional intermittent health care, including nursing; physical, occupational and speech therapies; and social work. VCHS provides home health services to people across 11 Central Nebraska counties.

For more information about VCHS Home Health services, call (308) 728-4355.

Community Health Charities honors Pirnies

Community Health Charities of Nebraska honored Grand Island Express/GIX Logistics and Tom and Sue Pirnie with its annual Partner in Health Award Aug. 25 at the organizations annual meeting.

The award recognizes those that actively promote the ongoing awareness of health and wellness and serves as a model of how individuals, commerce, government or industry and the health sector interact to improve the quality of life for those in the community.

Grand Island Express/GIX Logistics is a Central Nebraska family-owned truck line and logistics company with 245 employees and growing. The Pirnies emphasize the importance of employee health by providing wellness programs, health screenings, flu shots, health fairs and many other healthy lifestyle choices in the workplace for their employees. They also participate in other health-related community events and initiatives, such as the Truckload Carriers Association Weight Loss Challenge, Fitbit challenges, Grand Island Games, Project Hunger Canned Food Build, treadmill desks and standup desks, Wreaths Across America, ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, MS Walk and Bowl for Kids Sake.

The company also emphasizes the importance of charitable giving by supporting many nonprofit organizations, schools, colleges, youth groups, youth sports, foundations and many social services-related agencies in the area, including Community Health Charities and its member charities. Tom Pirnie was a West Central CHC-NE Board member from 1988 to 2007, and Sue Pirnie served on the West Central Board from 1991 to 2014. They also served as campaign chairmen in the region for the 2001, 2005 and 2006 campaigns.

Community Health Charities of Nebraska promotes designations to member charities, and encourages contributors in workplace campaigns to choose the charity or charities they value the most to receive their donations.

Bosselman Boss Shops opens Tulsa, Okla., shop

Bosselman Boss Truck Shops Inc. has reopened its Tulsa, Okla., Boss Shop location with a brand new building at Interstate 44, Exit 238.

The Tulsa Boss Shop is the companys fifth shop to be built from the ground up. Now with 44 Boss Shops in 23 states, Bosselman Boss Shops are one of Americas largest service center chains, reaching from east to west and north to south.

Our new ground-up shops feature a classy new look to greet drivers, while offering the same hometown service experience in a location convenient for over the road truckers, said Charlie Bosselman of Grand Island, President of the Bosselman Companies and Boss Truck Shops Inc.

Boss Shops are working hard to broaden our footprint across the country in the truck repair business, said Bosselman. The trucking industry is constantly looking for repair facilities that they can trust to do their over-the-road work for them, and after nearly 70 years in this industry, Boss Shops are fulfilling that need through quality service, competitive pricing, and locations throughout the nation.

The company has been in operation since 1948, starting with just one shop on the old Lincoln Highway in Grand Island.

A grand opening for the Tulsa shop will be celebrated Sept. 12-16. It is managed by Dustan Walker.

Premier Estates of Kenesaw earns national honors

KENESAW  Premier Estates of Kenesaw has been recognized as a 2016 recipient of the Bronze Commitment to Quality Award from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.

The award is the first of three distinctions possible through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program. It honors providers across the nation that have demonstrated their commitment to improving quality of care for senior citizens and persons with disabilities.

The award program is centered on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. It assists providers of long term and post-acute care services in achieving their performance goals.

Its an honor to be recognized for the hard work and quality of care our team provides every day, said Dixie Jackson, administrator of Premier Estates of Kenesaw. We are committed to providing high-quality, person-centered care to our residents and their families.

The Kenesaw facility may now move forward in developing approaches and achieving performance levels that meet the criteria for the Silver Award.

It will be presented its Bronze Award during AHCA/NCALs 67th Annual Convention and Exposition Oct. 16-19 in Nashville, Tenn.

First National Banks second branch opening

First National Bank will have a ribbon cutting ceremony at its new retail branch in Grand Island on Tuesday.

First National Bank and the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce, plus two busloads of bank employees from Omaha, Lincoln and Fremont, will host the ceremony at 10 a.m. at the new branch at 2023 S. Locust St.

The banks second Grand Island full-service branch is opening this week. It features a tribute to iconic locations in the Grand Island area and its history, as well as artwork by local artist Jorn Olsen.
I appreciate the contributions the Journal Star editorial board adds to the marketplace of ideas in the Lincoln metro, and mostly agree with their assertions. That aside, the Boards concerns regarding Coby Mach appear misplaced (" Coby Mach crossed line with Trump ," Aug. 12). Coby does not operate on a party line basis.

Yes, Mach is a known Republican, a conservative and will probably vote for Donald Trump in November as a lesser of evils but if he was just a Republican partisan, would he have been such a vocal proponent of Democrat State Senator Ken Haar and Nebraska Democrat Party Chair Jane Kleeb's efforts to end the disposal of out-of-state fracking waste water in Sioux County wells? If Coby Mach was a Trump supporter, before being a Nebraskan, do you think he would continue working with Gary Johnsons Nebraska Campaign Chair, Senator Laura Ebke, to introduce legislation, instead of working with another Republican? If Coby Mach was only motivated by partisan issues, do you think Mach would have made the non ideological issues of infrastructure investment and construction of beltways around Lincoln his main point of advocacy?
Krafka named independent national sales director for Mary Kay

Annaka Krafka of Grand Island was recently named a Mary Kay independent national sales director.

Among the 3.5 million Mary Kay independent sales force members worldwide, currently only 715 women hold this position.

As a full-time college student, Krafka decided to start her own Mary Kay business in June 2002. Less than a year later, she became a Mary Kay independent sales director. Now she has reached the ultimate milestone within Mary Kays independent sales force.

Independent national sales directors often mentor other Mary Kay business owners by sharing best practices, knowledge and guidance on running a successful business. For Krafka, her Mary Kay journey allows her to pass on what she has learned and to help develop other successful female leaders within the industry.

Krafka was recognized for reaching this accomplishment in July at Mary Kays annual seminar in Dallas.

Race for GRACE director named

The GRACE Foundation has named Stacia Rice the 2017 Race for GRACE director.

Rice is a runner and has extensive knowledge of organizing events. She is also employed by GRACE as an administrative assistant and will continue in that role as well to ensure that all GRACE events run smoothly and provide assistance to all GRACE committees and to the executive director and the Board of Directors.

Rice and her husband, Chris, have three daughters and live near Chapman.

The seventh running of Race for GRACE is scheduled for April 1, 2017. There will again be a 10k and a 2-mile family fun run, with all ages encouraged to walk or run to support GRACE. The route will start and end at the Liederkranz and since approval for the route has already been granted by the city, volunteers and sponsors are being recruited.

Registration will open Jan. 1, but the foundation is taking names and contact information for any volunteers who may be interested. Contact the GRACE office at (308) 675-0889 or via email at gracefoundation.gi@gmail.com.

For more information please call Laurie Kulus at (308) 675-0889 or via email at gracefoundation.gi@gmail.com.

Karre attends refined fuel summit

April Karre, with Bosselman Energy in Grand Island, attended the Schneider Electric Refined Fuels Summit Aug. 22 and 23 in Omaha.

Karre attended multiple sessions throughout the two-day event, gaining knowledge on changes and challenges in the energy industry while having multiple opportunities to network. The yearly event is held by Schneider Electric and offered exclusively to its customers.

Karre is an account manager for Bosselman Energy and has been with the company for 11 years.

Avery finishes term on state real estate commission

Al Avery of Grand Island has completed his six-year term as the real estate broker representing the 3rd Congressional District on the Nebraska Real Estate Commission.

Appointed in 2010 by Gov. Dave Heineman, Avery, who is an associate broker for Woods Brothers Realty, had more than 23 years of experience as a real estate licensee at that time.

The Real Estate Commission is responsible for protecting the public interest by licensing and regulating the 7,000 real estate licensees in the state.

Avery was recognized by his colleagues on the commission, past commissioners and staff at a dinner Aug. 18 in Lincoln. A replacement for him has not been named yet.
It did not take long for a small crowd to form as people from Fontenelle Forests Raptor Recovery began taking owls, hawks and a falcon from their traveling cases and placing them on perches set up on the sidewalk on east side of the Nebraska Building at the Nebraska State Fair.

The birds first went onto the handlers hands protected by very thick, long-sleeved gloves. They often flapped their wings a few times before settling down on their perches, facing the people who were peering back at the birds in rapt attention. Once all the birds were in place and settled in, Vickie Orr, a volunteer education with Fontenelle Forest, began telling the story of each: Oberon, the Great-horned owl; Vega, the barred owl; Phantom, the barn owl; Captain Jack Sparrow, an American kestrel falcon; Willow, the broad-winged hawk, Savanna, a Swainson hawk; and Cimarron, a red-tailed hawk.

Orr noted that Oberon was found as a youngster on somebodys back porch. They think their dog might have brought it up. Fontenelle Forest Raptor Recovery fostered him with an adult female Great-horned owl, but Orr said he never developed the instincts of an owl. She noted that anytime that something was going on, Oberon would jump down out of his cage. He was just too curious for his own good, she said. One day, a dog came up the edge of the yard and Oberon did not demonstrate any alarm at all.

Orr said that if the dog had been a coyote, Oberon would have been killed. That was when everyone realized Oberon could never be released back to the wild.

Vega was found along the side of a highway, which likely means it was injured as a result of a collision with a vehicle, Orr said. Vegas wing was too badly broken to heal properly, which means the owl must be kept at Fontenelle Forest.

This is Jack, Captain Jack Sparrow we call him, said Orr, who noted the American kestrel falcon arrived at Fontenelle Forest about the time the Pirates of the Caribbean movie came out, starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. Captain Jack was in a nest which blew over onto a garage during a storm in Valentine. Orr said the homeowner was advised to leave all the young falcons alone, because it only takes that species about a year to get its adult plumage. However, the homeowner eventually called back to report that all the young falcons had flown except one. She said the veterinarian discovered that Captain Jacks wing was broken too badly to repair, which means the bird always has to fly to the right. Willow, the broad-wing hawk, was also found along a highway in the Omaha area, another victim of a collision with a vehicle. Willows wing did not heal properly, which is why Fontenelle Forest became that birds permanent home.

Savanna, the Swainson hawk, got its name because its normal habit is a plain with short grass and relatively few trees, Orr said. That habit means that Savanna, like all Swainson hawks, likes to feed on grasshoppers. Orr noted that Swainson hawks have a long migratory journey each year, leaving Nebraska in October and flying all the way to Argentina before returning to Nebraska in April. Orr said Savanna was found on the ground underneath the nest, indicating it had somehow fallen from its nest, which was near Keene, Nebraska. Orr said that Savanna was treated by having its wing wrapped. However, the wing healed so that it cannot fully extend from the birds shoulder, which means it cannot fly. That is an injury that people can actually see if they look carefully at Savannas right wing and shoulder.

Cimarron was brought to Fontenelle Forest after being discovered as a gunshot victim in Kansas. The wounds were so serious that the wing would not heal. Cimarron came to Fontenelle Forest in 1997 as an adult, which means she might be 21 years old. Cimarron, as one of the larger raptors on displays, will eat mice, bull snakes and also rabbits.

Orr noted that birds must be very light so they can fly, As a result, their feathers weigh less than hair does. Captain Jack, the small raptor on display, weighs only 6 to 8 ounces.

Throats on a couple of the owls were visibly moving in and out, with Orr noting that meant that the birds were perhaps nervous and also hot. She said birds do not sweat, which means they have to pant like a dog in order to cool off.

Talking to one young boy, Orr noted that Oberon, the great-horned owl, has claws that can exert a pressure of 300 pounds per square inch, which is enough to kill a skunk. She said owls have no real sense of smell, which means they cannot smell the awful skunk scent. As a result, Orr said, she has had to give great horned owls tomato baths to get the skunk odor off the bird.
CHICAGO  Seated in his office here, wearing neither a necktie nor a frown, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner is remarkably relaxed for someone at the epicenter of a crisis now in its second year and with no end in sight. But, then, stress is pointless when the situation is hopeless. Besides, if you can ignore the fact that self-government is failing in the nations fifth-most populous state, you can see real artistry in the self-dealing by the Democrats who, with veto-proof majorities in the state Legislature, have reduced this state they control to insolvency.

Illinois government, says Rauner, is run for the benefit of its employees. Increasingly, it is run for their benefit when they retire. Pension promises, though unfunded by at least $113 billion, are one reason some government departments are not digitized at all.

What is misleadingly called the states Constitution requires balanced budgets, of which there have been none for 25 years. This year, revenues are projected to be $32.5 billion, with spending of $38 billion. Illinois Democrats are, however, selective constitutionalists: They will die in the last ditch defending the constitutions provision that says no government pension can be diminished or impaired.

The government is so thoroughly unionized (22 unions represent almost all government employees), that I cant, Rauner says, turn on a light switch without permission. He exaggerates, somewhat, but the process of trying to fire someone is a career, not an option.

At last count, $7.6 billion was owed to many of the states vendors. But the law in its majesty requires that the states legislators  those who write the laws  get paid under any circumstances. This removes perhaps the most important potential pressure for compromise. If schools were unable to open this month, parents with pitchforks would march on Springfield, so a quasi-budget was cobbled together to keep government semi-funded for six months.

Under Rauners Democratic predecessor, the Legislature passed a temporary tax increase, serenely expecting that when it expired they would enjoy the truth of Ronald Reagans axiom that there is nothing as immortal as a temporary government program. They did not count on the first Republican governor in 12 years.

Rauner let the tax lapse. To their demand for more tax increases, he sweetly says: Lets talk. About pension reforms and tort reform. And about exempting local governments from paying on construction projects the prevailing wage  which Rauner says is, effectively, whatever unions tell them they want it to be, and which raises costs 30 to 40 percent.

Rauner favors term limits for state legislators. Democrats have job security, thanks in large part to the financial support of grateful public- and private-sector unions. Illinois voters overwhelmingly want term limits, which Democratic politicians oppose because, they say, such limits restrict voters ability to get what they want.

Illinois is a leading indicator of increasing national childishness  an unwillingness to will the means for the ends that it wills. Nationally, state and local governments pensions have somewhere between $1 trillion and $4 trillion in unfunded pension liabilities, depending on, among other things, assumptions about returns on pension funds investments. The Wall Street Journal reports that in 2001, the 20-year median return was 12.3 percent and every percentage-point decline in returns increases liabilities by 12 percent. Last year, the largest fund, California Public Employees Retirement System, which assumes 7.5 percent returns, instead gained 0.6 percent. This, in the sixth year of the recovery from the 2008-09 crisis, was the worst performance since then  and another recession will surely happen.

Nationally, neither party is eager to talk about the rickety structure of the entitlement state, although the Democratic platform promises to make matters worse. Although scheduled Social Security benefits vastly exceed the value of worker and employer contributions plus interest, the platform, a case study in reactionary liberalism, opposes even raising the retirement age. This, even though benefits are available at 62, three years younger than when the system was created in 1935, when life expectancy at 65 was 12.5 years. Today, it is 19.3 years for men and 21.6 for women. If in 1935 Congress had indexed the age of Social Security eligibility to life expectancy, the age today would be 72.

The federal government can continue to print money. There are bankruptcy procedures for cities but not for states. So, high-tax Illinois will continue bleeding the population and businesses, but with one contented cohort  the Democratic political class, for whom the system is working quite well.
Rocky Suhayda, chairman of the American Nazi Party, wrote recently to his followers: Donald Trumps campaign statements, if nothing else, have SHOWN that our views are NOT so unpopular as the Political Correctness crowd have told everyone they are!

Suhayda is not the only white nationalist thrilled with Trumps campaign. The video blogger Paul Ray Ramsey tweeted, The GOP is becoming the de facto white party. Nothing wrong with that.

David Duke, a former Ku Klux Klan leader now running for the Senate in Louisiana, was asked on NPR if Trump voters are your voters? His reply: Well, of course they are. Because I represent the ideas of preserving this country and the heritage of this country, and I think Trump represents that as well.

We are not calling Trump a racist; most of his supporters arent racists, either. And the candidate, albeit reluctantly, disavows the support of white nationalists.

But words matter. Candidates have to take responsibility for the impact of what they say. And theres no doubt that Trumps anti-foreigner tirades deliberately appeal to the darkest instincts in the American soul.

Republican leaders were already appalled at Trumps rhetoric. Paul Ryan, the speaker of the house, called his attacks on a federal judge of Mexican ancestry the textbook definition of racism. But their despair only deepened when Trump appointed Stephen Bannon, head of Breitbart News, to head his faltering campaign.

Ben Shapiro, who worked at Breitbart for four years, wrote in The Washington Post that Bannon had turned the website into a cesspool of the alt-right, a political movement he describes as shot through with racism and anti-Semitism.

Republican consultant Rick Wilson, an ardent Trump foe, told the Post, Bannon will pivot you in a dark, racist and divisive direction. Itll be a nationalist, hateful campaign. Republicans should run away. Just to confirm Wilsons point, self-described racialist Jared Taylor expressed elation: Bannon is making me hope again, making Trump Trump again.

Peter Wehner, a veteran Republican strategist, said of the alt-right championed by Bannon: Movements like this, with toxic and nasty stuff, have existed in one form or another, but theyve been kept on the outer fringes of American political life. Now its command and control at headquarters.

Trump is a very American figure. The toxic and nasty stuff he spouts is painfully familiar. As Steve wrote in his book, From Every End of This Earth, throughout American history, immigrants have been demonized for despoiling or diluting the countrys ethnic heritage. And that nativism tends to flourish in times of economic dislocation and anxiety  like now.

In 1753, Ben Franklin called the Germans flocking to Pennsylvania generally the most stupid sort of their own nation, and warned: They will soon outnumber us, (and we) will not, in my opinion, be able to preserve our language, and even our government will become precarious.

Franklins xenophobia was echoed in the anti-Catholic platform of the Know-Nothing Party that won 25 percent of the presidential vote in 1856. In 1882, Congress passed a law barring immigrants from China  a law that was not repealed until 1943.

In 1891, 11 Italians were lynched in New Orleans. During World War II, more than 100,000 Japanese-Americans were shamefully interned on the West Coast as threats to national security.

In the early 1950s, Sen. Joe McCarthy conducted an anti-Communist witch hunt laced with anti-Semitic overtones. In 1968, George Wallace ran for president on an openly segregationist platform and won five states and almost 10 million votes.

So when Trump calls Mexican immigrants rapists, when he advocates a wall across the Southern border and vows to bar Muslims from the country, he is joining a long and sordid line of American politicians who have stirred the same embers of fear and hatred than Franklin inflamed 263 years ago.

Wehner is right to warn that Trump is taking these despicable appeals and moving them from the fringe of American political life to the center. McCarthy and Wallace, after all, never came close to a major party nomination, let alone the White House.

History, however, offers some reassurance. The haters might win for a time, but in the end, they always lose. The groups they once reviled  the Germans and the Irish, the Italians and the Jews, the Chinese and the Japanese, the descendants of African-born slaves  are now full and vital members of the American community.

Thats true for Hispanics and Muslims, as well. No matter how loudly the white nationalists now cheer for Trump.
Presidential candidates facing defeat often try to change their image.

Vice President Hubert Humphrey broke with President Lyndon Johnson and called for halting U.S. bombing in Vietnam. Moderate centrist Al Gore sought to turn himself into a raging populist. President George H.W. Bush took to hurling verbal epithets at his rivals. And Bob Dole started condemning press failure to spotlight Bill Clintons shortcomings, thundering daily, Where is the outrage?

All still lost.

Now, trailing Hillary Clinton in almost every key state, Donald Trump is changing the tone  but not the essence  of his outsider presidential campaign. After spending 14 months spewing verbal venom and denigrating ethnic groups and rivals, Trump has abruptly, but imprecisely, expressed regret if his words hurt anyone, lowered the boisterous tone of his speeches and tempered some of his most controversial positions.

Hes presumably trying to convince voters that, contrary to current attitudes, he has the proper temperament to be president. A lot will depend on whether Trump is able to maintain his new tone and, if he can, convert enough skeptical voters.

Even before this, Trump stopped referring explicitly to his oft-stated vow to ban all Muslim immigration to the United States. Instead, he talks of requiring extreme vetting of immigrants from areas where terrorism is rampant, presumably stiffening the lengthy checks now being made.

Though he made a strict immigration policy a cornerstone of his campaign from the very first day, including promising to forcibly deport millions who are here illegally, he now seems to be leaving open the possibility of modification. Asked Sunday on CNNs State of the Union if Trump was changing the forced deportation plan amid rumors he signaled a change to his Hispanic advisory group, new campaign manager Kellyanne Conway replied, To be determined.

Meanwhile, though Trump has yet to address any African-American audiences (among whom polls show he has virtually no support), he started stressing the deep personal importance to me of helping African-Americans. He said he wants to make the GOP again the party of Abraham Lincoln, declared Clinton would rather provide a job for a refugee from overseas than for an African-American youth, and asked African-Americans  while addressing a mainly white suburban Michigan audience  What the hell do you have to lose?

So far, this new Trump has been mostly rhetorical. He has made no explicit apologies to those he assailed: the Mexican-American judge whose heritage he lambasted, the Gold Star family whose motives he questioned and the journalist whose disability he mocked. He still blames President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for creating the Islamic state and still makes unsupported promises of lowered energy bills, factories sprouting coast-to-coast and a sharp drop in crime.

By contrast, he said Saturday in Fredericksburg, Va., a Clinton presidency would cost your jobs ... your wages ... your medical. Youre going to lose everything.

Trump supporters and some who know him contend the lowered volume and less bombastic language represents the real Trump, not the persona he adopted for political purposes. His goal, many analysts agree, is aimed less at attracting support from minorities than at regaining lost support among moderate GOP suburbanites.

I have always been the same person, Trump tweeted recently, adding it would be very dishonest to supporters for him to change now.

But voters could be forgiven if the last week left them baffled about what was real and what was not  and which Trump they would get as president. Their conclusion may determine if he can give Clinton a run for her money in the campaigns home stretch.

The reason is that Trumps tone has been a significant factor in the publics judgment that, so far, he has not shown the temperament to be president. In last weeks NBC News Survey Monkey weekly tracking poll, only 17 percent agreed Trump had the personality and temperament to serve, including barely more than one-third of Republicans, compared with Clintons 42 percent.

But tone is not Trumps only problem. Another is the sense, underscored by his consistent avoidance of details and his frequent misstatement of facts, that he lacks knowledge about government in general and the specific issues he would have to handle as president.

The forthcoming presidential debates will test both factors. They remain Trumps best chance to show who he really is and what he would do as president, and to overcome the underlying doubts of many voters.
Current and former Department of Correctional Services employees gathered at the state Capitol Saturday in what some likened to a family reunion.

And they want fellow Nebraskans to understand the problems their family is facing.

In response to the assault of nine staff members at the Lincoln Correctional Center Wednesday evening, about 70 employees and their family members rallied to support workers, talk about the problems in the department and pressure the state to make changes.

Participants held signs reading worse (sic) job I ever loved, corrections and no more, we want solutions. An American flag stood waving on the steps of the Capitol stairs. Some were moved to tears.

Speakers said they fear the public doesnt understand the dangers and stress they face every day as correctional officers.

The public sees the staff assaults, said Kevin Klingman, a correctional officer at NSP. But what the public doesnt see is the emotional scars that come with everything we go through, everything we see.

Family members talked about the emotional stress, even after a worker clocks out. Whether theyll get to go home to their kids or end up at the hospital is a concern, according to some officers.

Some days you walk in and its just your normal day," said Lacey Westman, a former Nebraska State Penitentiary corporal. "Other days you walk in and can literally feel the tension. Everyone in this job understands this. Youre on high alert because you know something is gonna go off. And it usually does.

Westman helped organize the rally. And although she hasnt worked in the department for eight years, she said she still feels attached to the correctional officers who work hard -- sometimes 80 to 90 hours a week -- to keep everyone safe.

Many of the speakers pleaded for higher pay, fewer hours and stricter punishment for inmates who assault employees. Suggestions included more intensive lockdowns and higher assault charges.

I really do hope they consider retention of inmates, said Heidi Twohig, who is married to a state penitentiary corporal. And that they consider the number of hours of overtime -- its not overtime if its a second job. The children need their father.

Corrections Director Scott Frakes stood in the crowd before stepping up to the mic to say he wasnt there to speak, but instead to listen to employees concerns.

I care about you in ways you cant even imagine, said Frakes, who was hired in February 2015 after a disastrous year for the department that included overcrowding and accidental early releases of inmates.

Hiring, retention and overtime are some of the latest issues along with an increasing number of staff assaults. Many, including state senators, have criticized the department's pace of reform.

Correctional officers said the prison environment used to be stricter, leaving less room for violent incidents.

There are more assaults now than ever,said Max Frederickson, a former correctional officer at the state penitentiary. Old administration knew how to deal with it -- and it wasnt cruel or brutal. Programs didnt come first, security did. We need to get back to that.

Sharon Waters, a former teacher at the penitentiary who also helped organize the rally, said workers need the public's support. And she thanked officers for the safety they provide.

We have a strong commitment to move forward and it starts today. Keep showing up. Keep talking -- to management, to senators, to each other. Thats where change starts.
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Linkedin Inforial (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta, Indonesia  Mon, August 29, 2016

Choosing between a house or an apartment as a first home can be rather intimidating, especially for those living in big cities. When people talk about picking the ideal home, desirable qualities typically include a strategic and accessible location, an affordable price and a safe and comfortable environment. Sadly, the fact of the matter is, having a house that meets all of these requirements is impossible in a big city like Jakarta.

So what about an apartment? Obviously, this type of dwelling is far more affordable even when located in a city center. In addition, apartment owners typically get to enjoy extra facilities, such as a swimming pool and a fitness center, which don't come with a house. But beyond such things, there are also three other important reasons why an apartment is the best choice of home for city dwellers.

1. Low maintenance fees

When you own an apartment, one of the most important things to consider is the cost of taking care of the interior, furniture and balcony. Compared to the upkeep on a house, maintenance fees for these things are far lower for an apartment.

Aside from being cheaper, apartment owners also don't have to worry about things such as cutting the grass or cleaning the gutters. This leaves you with plenty of spare time to spend with your family or to catch up on unfinished business on the weekend.

2. High-quality renovations with minimum fees

When buying your first home, you will most likely want to add things like carpet or wallpaper to make the place more homely and comfortable. Some may even want to go further and do major renovations, such as a complete interior overhaul.

In this regard, apartments win yet again. You just spent a lot of money on buying your first residence. At this point, you probably have barely any funds left for renovations. With an apartment, even the biggest renovation is far cheaper than for a house.

Imagine the cost of a major renovation for a house. It involves external changes such as door frames, additions to the capacity of the septic tank, replacing bathroom accessories, building fences, installing canopies and many other things. How much money would all this cost? And this is just the external renovation. What about the interior renovation?

3. Property investment potential

The first dwelling you buy surely won't be your last, right? You may become bored in the future and find yourself in need of another place to stay. So when you buy your first dwelling, be sure to take into account its future economic value.

There are two ways of making a profitable investment with an apartment: through renting and reselling. The first option means you can rent out the apartment for a certain time period. If your apartment is close to a business center, there will surely be a lot of foreign and local tenants in need of a temporary place to stay.

The second option would mean selling the place and giving up your ownership rights. In order to do well with selling your apartment, you need to add up all the fees you paid from when you first bought the apartment. Be careful not to incur any losses.

These are three major reasons why an apartment makes for the best place to live for first-time home buyers. Have you considered buying an apartment? Then pay a visit to property portal Lifull.ID. It comes equipped with advanced search features and allows you to get information on apartments for sale in Jakarta and other major cities in Indonesia. You can find out everything you need to know about rentable apartments and new apartments built by renowned developers.

The site also contains information on homes being sold on the secondary market, as well as on housing complexes and office space.
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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram, Lombok  Sun, August 28, 2016

Gatot Brajamusti, a spiritual leader of celebrities turn B-movie actor, retained his position as chair of the Indonesian Film Actors Association (Parfi) after a congress this weekend in Mataram, Lombok.

He got 464 votes, far ahead of his rival Andrey da Silva with 78.

The voting for the chair has been open and democratic and [Gatot] has been elected chair for the next five years, said Lalu Winengan, the head of the congress committee on Sunday.

Gatot was the chair from 2011 to 2016, a position he acquired with controversy as a group of actors led by former Parfi chair Yenny Rachman filed a report against him to South Jakarta Police, accusing him of forging documents during the voting in 2011.

Yenny said one of the requirements to become the chair was to have had a starring role in a film production. At that time Gatot had yet to star in any movies but Gatot claimed he was the lead role in the 1990s film Jendela Rumah Kita. But we know the lead role was [played by] Dede Yusuf, the plaintiffs lawyer, Henry Yosodiningrat, said back then in 2011.

After his election, Gatot said he wanted to move away from the internal conflict that had plagued the association for a decade and wanted the Parfi return its focus on creating national films worthy of entering international festivals.

Gatot started his career in film in 2012 with B-movie Ummi Aminah. Later, his company PT Gatot Brajamusti Film produced another B-movie in 2013, Azrax: Melawan Sindikat Perdagangan Wanita (Azrax: Fighting against the Women Trafficking Syndicate), in which he played Azrax. (evi)
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Linkedin Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sun, August 28, 2016

CD

A Kamen Rider Black and Kamen Rider Black RX actor is in Jakarta to meet fans of the Japanese action series popular in the 1990s.

Tetsuo Kurata, who played the titular character Kotaro Minami, was a guest star at the Battle of Toys being held in JIExpo Kemayoran on Saturday and Sunday.

A talk show with Kurata and another two meet and greet sessions are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. will be the highlight of the event on Sunday.

We invited the actor to bring joy to Kamen Rider fans who wanted to meet their childhood idol, said Riza Satyagraha, the founder of the annual event, which is in its eighth installment this year.

Cosplay shows Kamen Rider Black & Black RX by Toyzone and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Opera Pan Japan & Just Ice, the celebration of the Indonesian Fans of Superman (SFOI) are among the rundown of events on the main stage on Sunday.

Battle of Toys is part of ToysFair organized by Sacca Production, a heaven for hobbyists and toy collectors who have their eyes on the auction of rare items will be held later in the day by Zero Toys.

Entrance tickets are tagged at Rp 85,000 (U$6.50) per person for a full day of performances and competitions until 9 p.m.

More information is available at jakartatoysfair.com and @JakToysFair on Twitter. (evi)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Sat, August 27 2016

State-owned publicly listed steel company Krakatau Steel aims to reduce its net losses to US$51 million by the end of 2016 from the $87.54 million in losses recorded in the first half. The company reduced its net losses from $134.93 million during the first half of 2015 after it increased production and sales.

Our total sales in the first half reached 1.17 million tons, increasing 39.59 percent compared to last years first half, president director Sukandar said at a shareholders meeting on Thursday. The company hopes to persuade the government to use Indonesian-made steel in national projects, especially steel bars for concrete construction, he said.

It has denied a rumor that Korean steel company Posco will withdraw its investment in the joint venture Krakatau Posco, which has recently booked losses. The joint venture, established in 2010, is 70 percent owned by Posco and 30 percent owned by Krakatau Steel.

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Linkedin Arya Dipa (The Jakarta Post) Bandung  Sun, August 28, 2016

In defiance of last weeks violent raid by troops of the Siliwangi Military Command, the Street Library continued its service in Cikapayang Park in Bandung, West Java, over the weekend.

On Saturday night more people than usual visited the library, with about 50 young book lovers and democracy activists coming to show support for the community, accused by the Siliwangi Military Commander Brig. Gen. Wuryanto of being a biker gang posing as bibliophiles.

The community also received a flower arrangement in sympathy for the violent raid the previous weekend.

This is to show support and solidarity after what happened last week, Edi Sulaeman, 24, a member of the Anti-Fascist Forum, told The Jakarta Post.

Besides the flowers, the activists also displayed banners protesting against military repression and military involvement in civic life.

Wildan Ardi, 25, a community member, said they opened their street library at about 6 p.m. For us, this is our public space and it has been like this for a long time. Of course, we are afraid of the military, and we are confused about Bandung administrations curfew regulations, he said.

The library stayed open until 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.

The Street Library, which started in 2010, now has about 200 books on various topics donated by local people. (evi)
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Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru  Sun, August 28, 2016

Flights at Pinang Kampai Airport in Dumai, Riau were disrupted by haze from forest fires in several areas in the province over the weekend.

The head of the airport, Catur Hargowo, said the haze limited visibility to only about 1-kilometer. Until noon on Sunday, the thickness of the haze fluctuated and visibility improved to only 2-km.

Visibility reached the lowest level today, Catur told The Jakarta Post over the phone Sunday.

Safe visibility is at least 4.2-km for small airports such as Pinang Kampai. Our landing instruments are not complete yet, for example, we have no runway lights. Thats why the visibility standard is farther than 1.8-km for a modern airport, he said.

A Pelita Air flight from Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in Jakarta to Pinang Kampai had to land in Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru, the provinces capital.

The pilot decided not to land here because of the visibility. The passengers were to continue the journey to Dumai by land, Catur went on.

Catur said they let the pilots decide themselves. A Trans Nusa flight landed in the morning and departed to Jakarta an hour from arrival.

The pilot is familiar with Dumais air space. He remembers the check points in the airport because he flies here every day. But the Pelita Air pilot was new and rarely flies to Dumai. Each airline and pilot has their own procedure, Catur said. (evi)
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Sun, August 28, 2016

Vero, a member of the congregation of St. Yosep Catholic Church in Medan, North Sumatra, was in shock after realizing the man sitting right next to her was attempting to bomb her church during Mass on Sunday.

She said she had been suspicious of him from the start because he was uneasy during the Mass. He also seemed not know what to do during the service.

He was fidgety the whole time. He also could not follow our ritual, Vero told The Jakarta Post after the bombing and attempted murder of the priest at the church.

When Father Albertus Pandiangan began his sermon, Vero said, the suspect took out some cables and connected them to something she suspected was the detonator. It caused a small explosion, she said.

Stabbed: Catholic priest Albertus Pandiangan is assisted by police in Medan, North Sumatra, on Sunday. A suspected Islamic State militant attempted to kill the priest during Mass at St. Yosep Church, but churchgoers managed to restrain the suspect.(JP/Apriadi Gunawan)

Because of the weakness of the explosion, he was caught, so he got up and went to the altar, going after the priest while wielding sharp weapons, Vero said.

Randa, another churchgoer, said when the explosion happened, many of the congregation ran outside the church in panic, but some stayed inside to protect the priest from the attacker. They managed to catch him, he said.

The suspect slashed priest Albertus left arm with a knife.

Randa said that when some people tried to apprehend the suspect, two unidentified people ran from the church. We never saw them, Randa said. (evi)
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Sun, August 28, 2016

North Sumatra Police confirmed on Sunday that the suspect in the attack St. Yosep Catholic Church in Medan did not act alone and may have had connections to the Islamic State (IS) movement.

Sr. Comr. Nur Fallah, the North Sumatra Police director of general crime, said the suspect told the police during questioning that he was ordered to carry the bomb and blow it up in the church on Jl. Dr Mansyur.

The police are hunting his associates, Nur said Sunday.

Some of the churchgoers said they saw two people run from the church when the bomb failed to explode properly. Members of the congregation said they did not really pay attention to the two people because they were busy trying to save themselves while others were trying to prevent the suspect, identified as Ivan Armadi Hasugian, 18, from attempting to kill the priest, Albert Pandiangan.

Medan Police take a picture of parts of a suspected homemade bomb from a suspected Islamic State militant in St Yosep Church in Medan on Sunday Aug. 28.(Courtesy of Medan Police/-)

Nur said they were also investigating the involvement of IS in the terror attack against the church following the discovery of a document with an IS symbol in the suspects wallet.

On July 26, two attackers slit the throat of an 85-year-old priest, Jacques Hamel, during Mass in a church in Rouen in western France. The IS group claimed responsibility for the attack, in which the priest, two nuns and an elderly couple were held hostage before the two men slashed the priest's throat and seriously wounded the other man. (evi)
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan  Sun, August 28, 2016

A suspected Islamic State (IS) militant allegedly attempted to kill Rev. Albertus Pandiangan at St. Yosep Catholic Church in Medan with an axe and a knife, but his attempt was foiled by churchgoers who restrained him before inflicting further injuries on the priest.

The priest, 60, was wounded on his left arm after he was slashed with a knife when he was reading the Bible during Sunday Mass.

The police said the attempt to kill the priest was carried out after the suspect set off a homemade bomb. The alleged perpetrator, identified as Ivan Armadi Hasugian, 18, came to the church at 8 a.m. for Sunday Mass. He reportedly sat among the congregation and detonated his homemade bomb, but the explosion was small and only he was injured.

An ID and piece of paper featuring the Islamic State symbol confiscated by Medan Police on Sunday. (JP/Courtesy of Medan Police)

North Sumatra Police spokesperson Rina Sari Ginting said Sunday that witnesses saw the suspect assemble the bomb in the church and saw him get up from his seat. Smoke was said to have billowed from his backpack and a small explosion ensued.

Afterward, the perpetrator ran toward the priest, wielding an axe and knife. He attacked the priest, who was wounded on left arm, Rina told The Jakarta Post.

An axe used by the suspected Islamic State militant in his attempt to murder a Catholic priest at St. Yosep Catholic Church in Medan on Sunday.(Medan Police/-)

Rina said the churchgoers quickly restrained him. The police then took the suspect to the North Sumatra Police.

Were questioning him, she said. The police have confiscated from the suspect an ID belonging to Ivan, a piece of paper with the IS symbol drawn on it, a motorcycle and the axe and knife used in the attack. (evi)
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DDC officials found taking commission

Officials of District Development Committee (DDC), Parsa, have been found to have taken commission while awarding contracts.
Do you want to look like a pro?

SURFING: Ah, the sweet sound of a child who thinks they know what they want, Mummy mummy, I want to go surfing but I only want to use THAT board.



By Tim Campbell

Sunday 28 August 2016, 01:42PM

Phuket surfer Harry hits a wave during a recent session.

A question I often get asked on the beach is what surfboard is good for me? Simple, whats your current surfing ability? How much do you weigh? How regularly will you go surfing and where will that be?

These four questions will determine what board is good for you. I know the small, slimline surfboards make you look cool, but will you be able to surf on it?

Trust me, a surfer who can actually ride the waves and uses a bigger board is way cooler than someone with a performance looking board who can't surf.

Ive been watching a lot of you surf this season, and yes, fitness and technique still play a huge part in your surfing, BUT a lot of you are surfing on the wrong board.

Heres an example which will to help: you weigh75 kilos and surf at best three times a week. You can catch, stand up and go straight along the wave, maybe even do a basic bottom turn. If this is you, I would recommend a 62 fish up to a 72 mini Malibu style surfboard.

Also you should take into consideration that Phukets waves are generally not powerful which means a board with more volume and length will help you get that much needed speed which is harder to get on a shorter board.

See you in the water!

Tims Tip: For fun, try a surfboard one foot bigger than what you ride now and work on the fundamentals of catching a wave, popping up and turning before you try a smaller board again
Indonesian man, Thai woman hospitalised after crashing truck into electric pole during rainshower

PHUKET: The collision force in the latest wet-road accident on the north of the island caused a pickup truck to split in half after its driver lost control during a rainshower and crashed into road side electric pole on Sunday afternoon.

accidentstransport

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Sunday 28 August 2016, 05:39PM

Two occupants of the vehicle reportedly suffered unspecified but non-critical injuries,rescue workers reported.

At 2.30pm on Sunday (August 28) Thachadchai Police were informed by a good samaritan that there had been an accident involving a truck crashing into an electron pole along Thepkrasattri Rd, at the curve between the Ban Bang Duk and Ban Mak Prok locales in Thalangs Mai Khao sub district.

Police, along with Kusoldharm rescue reported to the scene, where on the side of the southbound lanes of the road there was a wrecked bronze-coloured Mazda pick-up truck with Phuket license plates.

The bed of the pickup truck had nearly completely separated from the cab, and a wheel had also come loose and seperated from the vehicle. A concrete electric pole a few metres away was damaged at its base, and was leaning towards the road but had not fallen down.

Police named the two persons injured in the accident as Mr Tranggielia Lokon Parengkuan, 44, an Indonesian national, and Ms Palawi Khamsieng, 27, who was identified as the driver.

Both were transported Thalang Hospital, where they were treated for unspecified injuries.

Police reported that the pair had just returned from a business trip in Krabi and during the time of the accident, it had reportedly been raining causing the road to become slippery, causing the driver of the vehicle to lose control of the the vehicle at the curve.

Police did not mention excessive speed as a factor in the accident but said the investigation had yet to be concluded.

Local residents at the scene of the accident reported that an hour before the latest accident, an 18-wheel lorry had caused long traffic delays when it blocked southbound flowing traffic after its driver lost control at the Suan Maprao curve nearby.

The residents took the opportunity to urge commuters to exercise caution at several dangerous curves on the north of the island, including those at Ban Bangduk, Suan Maprao and Koh En, where accidents are all-too-frequent.






Phuket police nab man who stole truck, abducted mum and two kids from Saraburi petrol pump

PHUKET: Police on Saturday night (August 27) arrested a man wanted in Saraburi for stealing a truck after he had abducted and assaulted a mother and her two daughters while their father was using the loo at a petrol pump on August 24.

crimeviolence

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Sunday 28 August 2016, 11:20AM

Patong police at 6:20pm last night arrested Watcharapong Ek Chomherm of Sakaeo at a guesthouse on Nanai Rd.

Eks warrant was issued by Saraburi police on August 26 after Mr Boonleua Jaewkratok, 32, of Chachoengsao and his wife Phatcharin Saetia, 33, filed a report with Nong Kae Police on August 24 alleging that Ms Phatcharin and the couples two daughters, 4 and 9, had been abducted and assaulted, before their truck was stolen.

According to the report, the incident occured at and near a PTT Petrol station in the Phaitam sub district of Saraburis Nong Kae district The family were reportedly on their way back to their home in Phetchabun from Chachoengsao, when they made pit stop in Saraburi some time in the middle of the night.

Mr Boonleua reported that after filling up his black Isuzu pickup truck with petrol, he parked near the restrooms and excused himself, leaving his wife and two daughters in the vehicle with the keys in the ignition and the engine still running.

Thats when the suspect reportedly opened the driver's side door, boarded and sat in the drivers seat, pointing what looked like a home-made gun at Ms Phatcharin and her daughters, warning he would shoot if they made any moves.

The suspect then proceeded to leave the petrol station in the truck, with Ms Phatcharin and her two daughters still on board. As the suspect navigated the vehicle along a frontage road, passing a gas station nearby, Ms Phatcharin garnered the confidence to seize the steering wheel, which only angered the suspect, who then reportedly punched Ms Phatcharin in the face several times.

In the ensuing struggle, Ms Phatcharin opened the passenger side door, and was ejected from the vehicle as a another vehicle, identified as a white Toyota Vios, parked alongside the pickup truck.

A second suspect emerged from the car and helped the first suspect attack Ms Phatcharin, who refused to let go of the door handle of the pickup truck, concerned with the safety of her two children inside.

One of the suspects then reportedly grabbed the two young girls and threw them out onto the street, before both suspects in the two vehicles fled the scene.

The family was soon safely reunited and reported to the police station.

Police checked CCTV footage from a neighboring shop and were able to determine that the white Toyota Vios belonged to a woman from Khon Kaen. Police showed a picture of the Khon Kaen woman to the victims, who confirmed that she looked like one of the suspects.

Mr Watcharapong has been charged with conspiring to theft at night and using a motor vehicle to flee the scene, and is in the process of being extradited back to Saraburi.

Police did not comment on the second suspect.
Region pairings set for South Dakota's Class A, B volleyball teams

A look at the region volleyball pairings for Aberdeen and Watertown Class A and B teams
Democracy 2.0

There is no reason why Nepali citizens should not get to vote over the internet
Festivals have strengthened our ties: Prez

President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has said that festivals are part of the countrys wonderful heritage.
FNJ urges govt, media houses to enforce journalist act and minimum salary scale

The Federation of Nepalese Journalist (FNJ) has urged the government and management of the media houses to pay the journalist as per revised minimum wage scale.
Foreign relations to be shored up on basis of trust

Minister for Foreign Affairs Prakash Sharan Mahat has said he would advance countrys international relations on basis of trust and by securing national interest.
Highlighting the unrest in Kashmir and lauding Indias medal winners at the Rio Olympics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday addressed the nation in the 23rd edition of Mann ki Baat.

Here are the highlights from the Prime Ministers address:

 Major Dhyanchand played a key role in bringing gold medal for India in 1928, 1932 and 1936 Olympic Games. He has been a symbol of sportsman spirit, patriotism and a source of inspiration.

 India's daughters have brought us medals this time and they have proved yet again that they are not less than anyone else.

 Our daughters from north, south, east and other parts of the country have virtually taken it up on to themselves to bring laurels for the country.

 New sportscommittee will make a road map for upcoming Olympics to ensure better performance.

 A teachers life is dedicated to students and he places his students needs above his own. In a persons life, a teachers position is as significant as mother.

 After Rio Olympics, all you can hear these days in about Pullela Gopichand. I salute him, he has shown what it is like to be a good teacher. I consider him a better teacher today than a sportsman.

 I still remember one of my school teachers who is 90 years old and he keeps sending me handwritten letters every month. His words, his handwriting and his quotes make me feel as if I am doing a correspondence course under him.

 Many people have written to me this time about Ganesh Utsav, Durga Puja and they are concerned about the environmental impact:

 Why should we not go back to our tradition of using clay for making idols?

 On Ganhesh Utsav, I request you to use idols made of clay. After all, caring for the environment and marine life is a form of worship too.

 It is a matter of pride for us that Mother Teresa will be granted sainthood on September 4.

 Few days ago, the government took up an initiative to connect people for a clean Ganga in collaboration with five states.

 On July 15, 1.5 lakh students from Kabirdham in Chattisgarh wrote to their parents asking to construct a toilet in their homes.

 In Karnataka, a 16-year-old girl launched a Satyagraha, demanding a toilet in her home.

 It is the strength of the country that unity of vision has led all political parties to join hands on GSTand Kashmir

 When development becomes a public movement, it can bring about huge change.

 All national parties have spoken in one voice regarding the current situation in Kashmir

 Unity and affection was the crux of all interactions I had with parties on Kashmir situation.

 Any life lost in Kashmir, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is our own loss.

 We should give priority to discussions which strengthen the nations unity and then only can we brighten our future.

 Those who are using small children to further fuel violence in Kashmir, they will have to answer to those children some day.
A college in Mangaluru in Karnataka triggered a controversy after it allegedly imposed a ban on Muslim women students from wearing hijab and male students from sporting beard on the campus.

The decision of Srinivas College of Pharmacy has drawn wide-spread outrage with a section of students and parents staging protests against the administration. They accused the college authority of curbing religious freedom.

The college administration said that the hijab was banned to maintain a uniform dress code. They maintained that the parents had agreed to the condition at the time of admission but now they were protesting.

Meanwhile, some students also alleged that the authorities did not allow enough time for Muslim students to attend prayers during lunch break on Fridays.

Following the protests, the college administration has held talks with students and parents and sought two weeks time to sort out the issue.
I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice it always coincides with their own desires. - Susan B. Anthony

A liberation theology in Islam is an impressive possibility. The emblematic judgment in Haji Ali Dargah case rendered by the Bombay High Court is not one that places the gender rights over the religious rights, as commonly perceived. It has, on the other hand, unveiled the coexistence of both the rights in a given context by demolishing any idea of dissonance between the two. The court has rejected the contentions of the Dargah Trust that tried to justify the ban on womens entry. The pleas referring to womens security and her impurity were not convincing. The contention that Islam discourages free mixing between man and women also was turned down by the Bench. More significantly, the defence based on Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution also could not persuade the court to fence out women from the sanctum sanctorum.

Kaleeswaram Raj

Article 25 speaks about freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion, and Article 26 (b) focuses on the freedom of a religious denomination to manage its own affairs in the matters of religion. The court harmoniously interpreted these provisions in tune with the equality clauses in the Constitution i.e. Article 14 (equality before law and equal protection of the laws) and Article 15 (that prohibits discrimination on the ground of sex). The Indian courts, by and large, have not accepted the jurisprudence against religious privileges advanced by western scholars like Brian Leiter. Positive secularism that assimilates religious freedom, operates as a bridge to cross over from tradition to modernity as held by the supreme court in Bommai (1994). Bommai further said that morality under positive secularism is a pervasive force in favour of human freedom or secular living.

The Bombay high court judgment is brief and at the same time, lucid in terms of legal propositions. It also reflects a radical leap in Indias gender jurisprudence. Its vocabulary is not in any way obfuscating. The judgment takes a rabid pasture without violating the religious doctrine or the constitutional text.

However, to say that Haji Ali Dargah judgment will act as a heuristic for resolving the legal puzzles on women entry elsewhere would be unsafe. Haji Ali Dargah judgment starts on the premise that till 2011-2012 the women were permitted to enter the Dargah. A list of Dargahs, where there are no restrictions was furnished by the petitioner. Thus the present ban, ostensibly, is not supported by any customary law, which the constitution recognizes by way of Article 13 (3) (a). Also the court has found that banning of women is not essential and integral part of Islam even when examined in the light of the religious text. In paragraph 31 of the verdict, the court has categorically found that the verses cited (from the Holy text) do not in any way show, that Islam does not permit entry of women at all, in Dargahs/Mosques. But in the Sabarimala case, which is now before the apex court, the situation is essentially different. In laffaire Sabarimala, one will have to labour assiduously to enable the women to come closer to the deity, who is believed to be a Naistic Brahmachari, the Bachelor God. The temple authority in Sabarimala has solid arguments based on religious beliefs and customs which would better satisfy the essential and integral part test, enumerated by the Supreme Court in the famous judgment in Shirur Matt Case (1954).However, the legal battle won at Shani Shivgnapur leading to full access for women, may have a catalytic role in the reformative praxis in future.

The Haji Ali Dargah Judgment also, if upheld in the apex court, (and there are no reasons to think otherwise) will go a long way in fighting the dismemberment of women at least at places akin to the Dargah. Gender equality is to be perceived as a munificence of pluralism, or else, as a nation we would be only harbouring the delusions of being egalitarian.

(Kaleeswaram Raj is a lawyer practising in the Supreme Court of India and High Court of Kerala. He is the author of The Spirit of Law (2012). Email: kaleeswaramraj@gmail.com)
Govts lukewarm effort concerns Morcha leaders

One of the reasons the agitating Madhes-based parties agreed to extend support to a new alliance of the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Nepali Congress (NC) was that they had promised to address their concerns by amending the constitution.
The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned four North Korean ballistic missile launches in July and August on Friday night, calling them grave violations of a ban on all ballistic missile activity.

A press statement approved by all 15 members deplored the fact that the Norths ballistic missile activities are contributing to its development of nuclear weapon delivery systems and increasing tensions.

The council expressed serious concern that North Korea carried out the launches after six ballistic missile firings between April and June in flagrant disregard of its repeated statements to halt such launches as well as nuclear tests which violate council resolutions.

It urged all U.N. member states to redouble their efforts to implement sanctions against Pyongyang, including the toughest measures in two decades imposed by the council in March. Those sanctions reflected growing anger at Pyongyangs nuclear test in January and a subsequent rocket launch.

North Korea has repeatedly flouted Security Council resolutions demanding an end to its nuclear and ballistic missile activities and has continued to launch missiles, escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula and in the region.

The latest submarine launch of a ballistic missile on Wednesday came days after the U.S. and South Korea began military exercises, prompting North Korean threats of retaliation for the military drills, which it views as a rehearsal for invasion by the U.S. and other adversaries.

South Korean officials said the submarine-launched missile flew about 500 kilometers (310 miles), the longest distance achieved by the North for such a weapon. That means all of South Korea, and possibly parts of Japan, are within its striking distance.

The Security Council statement condemned the Aug. 23 launch as well as the Norths ballistic missile launches on Aug. 2 and July 18 and the firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile on July 9.

China, a neighbor and ally of North Korea, had either blocked attempts by the United States and other council members to condemn the three previous attacks when they happened, or insisted on unacceptable language.

The councils agreement on Fridays statement, just two days after the latest North Korean test, reflects growing anger and concern at the Norths continuing defiance of the council, including by China.

In Pyongyang, North Korean Foreign Ministry official Jon Min Dok told Associated Press Television News in an interview that the U.S.-led discussions at the U.N. were a terrible provocation and that the country is developing nuclear weapons because of outrageous nuclear intimidation by the United States.

Jon spoke just before the Security Council concluded the discussions with a statement.

He said that the latest submarine-launched missile didnt cause any harm to the security of neighboring countries. He said it showed North Koreas great power and inexhaustible strength in the face of the trials of history and the challenges of our enemies.

The best way for the U.S. to escape a deadly strike from us is by refraining from insulting our dignity and threatening our security, by exercising prudence and self-control, Jon said.

North Korea already has a variety of land-based missiles that can hit South Korea and Japan, including U.S. military bases in those countries. Its development of reliable submarine-launched missiles would add a weapon that is harder to detect before launch.

Wednesdays launch was the latest in a series of missile, rocket and other weapon tests this year by North Korea, which is openly pushing to acquire a wider range of nuclear weapons, including those capable of striking targets as far away as mainland United States.

In Fridays statement, the Security Council reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in northeast Asia at large.

Members also expressed their commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation and stressed the importance of working to reduce tensions in the Korean peninsula and beyond.

(AP)
24 million: The 2013 estimate of how many people would buy coverage through federally and state-operated online exchanges by this year.

  

11.1 million: The actual number of people who signed up by the end of the last enrollment period in January.

  

Enrollment in the insurance exchanges for President Barack Obamas signature health-care law is at less than half the initial forecast, pushing several major insurance companies to stop offering health plans in certain markets because of significant financial losses.

As a result, the administrations promise of a menu of health-plan choices has been replaced by a grim, though preliminary, forecast: Next year, more than 1 in 4 counties is at risk of having a single insurer on its exchange, said Cynthia Cox, who studies health reform for the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Debate over how perilous the predicament is for the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare, is nearly as partisan as the divide over the law itself. But at the root of the problem is this: The success of the law depends fundamentally on the exchanges being profitable for insurers  and that requires more people to sign up.

In February 2013, the Congressional Budget Office predicted that 24 million people would buy health coverage through the federally and state-operated online exchanges by this year. Just 11.1 million people were signed up as of late March.

Exchanges are marketplaces where people who do not receive health benefits through a job can buy private insurance, often with government subsidies.

Enrollment is key, first and foremost, said Sara Collins, a vice president at the Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan foundation that funds health-care research. They have to have this critical mass of people so that, by the law of averages, youre going to get a mix of healthy and less healthy people.

A big reason the CBO projections were so far off is that the agency overestimated how many people would lose insurance through their employers, which would force them into the exchanges. But there have been challenges getting the uninsured to sign up, too.

The law requires every American to get health coverage or pay a penalty, but the penalty hasnt been high enough to persuade many Americans to buy into the health plans. Even those who qualify for subsidized premiums sometimes balk at the high deductibles on some plans.

And people who do outreach to the uninsured say the enrollment process itself has been more complex and confusing than Obamas initial comparison to buying a plane ticket.

This exchange will allow you to one-stop shop for a health-care plan, compare benefits and prices, and choose a plan thats best for you and your family, Obama said in a speech in 2009. You will have your choice of a number of plans that offer a few different packages, but every plan would offer an affordable, basic package.

In some markets, a shortfall in enrollment is testing insurers ability to balance the medical claims they pay out with income from premiums. In an announcement curtailing its involvement in the exchanges this month, Aetna cited financial losses traced to too many sick people signing up for care and not enough healthy ones.

The health-care law has been a political lightning rod from the beginning, and Republican legislators have used insurance companies withdrawals from the exchanges to reignite calls for the laws repeal.

Kaiser tracks public data on insurer participation in the exchanges to project how many options counties will have, but the numbers are not final. This year, exchanges in about 7 percent of counties had just one insurer. Earlier this month, Aetna announced that it will pull out of 11 of the 15 states where it offers coverage on the health-care exchanges. Humana made a similar decision weeks earlier, planning to exit several states. And last spring, UnitedHealth Group said it would remain in three or fewer exchanges next year.

Obama has used the health-care laws challenges to issue a new call for a public insurance option.

Congress should revisit a public plan to compete alongside private insurers in areas of the country where competition is limited, he wrote in an essay published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Adding a public plan in such areas would strengthen the Marketplace approach, giving consumers more affordable options while also creating savings for the federal government.

Chicago resident Eva Saur, 32, is exactly the kind of healthy person insurers would like to have on their rolls. Saur hasnt had coverage in nearly a decade, but she takes good care of her health. For the handful of times she has been sick, a walk-in clinic at a pharmacy has been sufficient.

I was raised  not against the system  but we had a doctor who would prescribe us herbs before a prescription medication, Saur said. For me, monetarily, it makes way more sense to do this.

Saurs tax penalty for being uninsured was a bit more than $600 last year, while the cheapest health plan she examined cost about as much for three months in premiums  and came with a $7,000 deductible.

The penalty for not signing up is increasing. Still, some policy experts insist it is not enough motivation to buy insurance.

It was basically no stick at all. This is the classic case of where Johnny marked crayon on the wall, his mother said, Dont do that and then slapped his hand a day later, said Joseph Antos, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. The connection between the offense and the penalty is a little remote.

The health-care law has had unequivocal successes. In some areas, lots of insurers compete on the exchanges, which helps keep premiums low. In Cleveland and Los Angeles, the average premium for a benchmark health plan declined in 2016. The number of uninsured Americans continues to shrink, hitting 9.1 percent last year  the lowest level ever.

The average premium for the people who receive tax credits  85 percent of the people signed up through the exchanges  is $106 per month. People who qualify for the income-based tax credits are largely sheltered from premium increases.

The first people to sign up for insurance through the exchanges were expected to be those with chronic diseases and high medical costs. Because insurers could no longer discriminate against those people, the law built in three mechanisms for the government to redistribute money from plans with healthier patients to those with sicker ones. Two of those programs expire at the end of the year. The third, called the risk adjustment program, transferred $4.6 billion between insurers in 2014.

Critics say theres a fundamental problem with the system, and the risk-adjustment program needs to be fixed. But supporters of the law argue that the problem is temporary, the natural evolution of a nascent free-market system. Some of the first companies to enter the market made bad bets on how healthy customers would be, resulting in unprofitable health plans. Proponents say its natural for new entrants to replace them, with better information and more competitive plans.

Cigna, for example, has said it has filed to enter exchanges in three new states next year.

Theres no bottleneck; this is just the natural growth pains of a new market, said Jonathan Gruber, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. What happened is they set up this new market where insurers didnt have experience; insurers made an estimate as to what people would cost, and their estimate turned out to be too low.

Supporters point to a recent government analysis that suggests the risk pool  the number of high-cost sick customers relative to healthy ones  is not worsening and could even be improving. Medical costs per enrollee in the marketplaces fell by 0.1 percent in 2015, while medical costs for people in the broader health-insurance market grew by at least 3 percent. In states with strong enrollment growth, there were greater reductions in members costs.

Everyone agrees that more healthy people need to sign up.

In June, the Obama administration unveiled its plan to target younger and healthier adults, including direct outreach to individuals and families who paid the penalty. It also released new guidance, encouraging insurance companies to communicate more with young adults being kicked off their familys plan when they turn 26 years old.

Even older adults are taking their chances without health-care coverage.

Donte Fitzhugh, 55, of Charlotte was laid off last year from a job as a call-center operations manager. COBRA, which allows former workers to extend their employer-provided health insurance if they pay the full premium, was expensive, and Fitzhugh didnt sign up for the exchanges for very human reasons: He figured he would find a job faster than he did. He thought every penny counted when he was unemployed. He didnt have major health problems, and he got a coupon to help cover the costs of his hypertension medicine.

As the window to sign up for health insurance passed without a new job, he kept procrastinating. Although health insurance from a new job will begin in October, he faces a penalty that will cost him hundreds of dollars.

I believe in Obamacare. As an American, its my responsibility to have health insurance, Fitzhugh said. Since I didnt have it, its going to impact me financially.

Such are the barriers to insurance: Remaining uninsured can be more attractive or just easier than signing up to pay hundreds of dollars a month for something that many people dont think they need.

Judy Robinson, a health insurance support specialist at the Charlottesville Free Clinic in Virginia, has counseled hundreds of patients who are eligible for subsidized insurance on the exchanges but ultimately decide not to sign up. She said the subsidized insurance on the marketplace tends to be a good deal for those who make between 100 and 150 percent of the poverty level. But those who make more often are faced with large deductibles that dont seem like a good deal to many people.

Beyond the sticker price, she said it can require a lot of paperwork to demonstrate the annual income required to qualify for tax credits if people are juggling multiple part-time jobs. And sometimes, people are simply mistrustful.

Theres a lot of people that live sort of off the grid, sort of semi-off the grid, and they just dont go to the doctor, Robinson said. The hospital is the place where you go to die, and doctors are just going to try and make you do procedures and get money out of you. Thats how they think.

There are also those who want insurance but are struggling  and find themselves trapped by the high cost of health care.

Donna Privigyi, 49, of Charlottesville has looked into insurance through the exchanges a few times. But over the past few years, much of her modest child-care salary and effort went toward trying to help support her adult son, Mark, who hadnt been the same since the death of his younger brother. Donna was focused on trying to support her son. Health insurance  even rent  was an afterthought.

With supporting my son, it didnt matter, Privigyi said. I was just like, I can barely get by, just juggling the bills and taking care of him.

Late last year, Mark died of a drug overdose, and Privigyi  consumed by grief  wasnt thinking about insurance when the window to sign up opened and closed.

Then, in June, she got appendicitis. Her bills from two hospitals were $33,000.

The argument for having health insurance is the pile of bills she has been collecting  now with late fees added. The obstacle to getting health insurance is that same stack of bills.

Its such a gamble, you know, until I figure out what to do with these medical bills, Privigyi said. Theyre just adding on late fees. How can I even afford to sign up?

(c) 2016, The Washington Post  Carolyn Y. Johnson
Hillary Clinton on Saturday received her first national intelligence briefing since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, during a session that an aide said lasted about two hours at an FBI field office not far from her home in Chappaqua, New York.

Republican nominee Donald Trump received a similar classified briefing on foreign affairs and homeland security about a week and a half ago at an FBI field office in Manhattan. The briefings have become a tradition for major-party candidates following their official nominations, with the aim of providing a smoother transition to the Oval Office for whichever candidate prevails.

Clinton, the former secretary of state, arrived at the FBI field office in White Plains, New York, at 9 a.m. Saturday and met, unaccompanied by aides, with several officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, according to a Clinton aide.

By contrast, Trump was joined by close associates, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, R, and retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, when he got his first briefing.

Clintons meeting came ahead of a trip to the Hamptons, a summer destination for affluent New York City residents, where she has multiple fundraisers planned.

(c) 2016, The Washington Post  John Wagner
Deputy Education Minister Meir Porush feels the coalition must agree to declare an end to Chilul Shabbos by government agencies. Porush made his comments during a Sunday 24 Menachem Av interview with Kol Berama Radio host Noam Zeigman. He reminded listeners that in addition to be Shabbos, state defines Shabbos as the official day of rest.

Porush feels the recent past events must be probed, but he feels it is more important to declare and end to Chilul Shabbos by state agencies. He adds that when it comes to pikuach nefesh it is a different story and we see hospitals like Shaare Zedek and Sanz Laniado address this and do it in the framework of halacha while Israel Railways decides on its own to announce its work is in the category of pikuach nefesh to avoid injury in the future. Porush explains this is absurd and unacceptable and the coalition must understand this if it expects the chareidim to continue supporting the coalition.

Porush adds that in recent weeks he too has turned to Transportation Minister Katz and despite his promises the Israel Railways chilul Shabbos continues. I am less concerned with the explanations and more concerned in preventing the chilul Shabbos Porush added.

The deputy minister adds that the matter of Shabbos is included as one of the four major components of maintaining the religious status quo included in coalition agreements.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Former defense minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer has died at the age of 80 after complications from dialysis treatment. he was Niftar at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv

Ben-Eliezer was a general, politician and once served as the leader of the Labor Party

He is survived by his wife and five children.

Ben Eliezer, known affectionately by his original Arabic first name, Fuad, was born in Basra, Iraq, in 1936 and moved to Israel in 1950.

He joined the Israeli military in 1954 and served as a commander in the Mideast wars that followed. He retired in 1984 with the rank of brigadier general and entered politics.

Ben Eliezer was a prominent member of the dovish Labor party and served in senior ministerial positions including defense, trade and communications. He held the defense post at a particularly difficult time, at the height of the second Palestinian intifadah, or uprising, in 2001 and 2002.

A native Arabic speaker, Ben Eliezer was on friendly terms with deposed Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak and other Arab leaders and helped bridge gaps between Israel and the Arab world.

In Israel, he was known for his friendly demeanor, good relations with politicians across the spectrum and a reputation as a backroom negotiator. Last year, he was indicted for allegedly misusing funds.

Former President Shimon Peres, a longtime partner in the Labor Party, was among many Israeli leaders who expressed their sorrow over Ben Eliezers passing. Peres eulogized him in a statement. I will remember Fuad as a brave soldier and officer in the Israeli Defense forces and as a warm person who loved people, whose heart was planted deeply in the land of the country and in the fate of its people.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Ben-Eliezer for decades of service to the country and his special character.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem / AP)
French investigators have handed preliminary terrorism charges to the brother-in-law of one of the Islamic extremists who attacked the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo last year.

Mourad Hamyd, 20, was arrested on a French warrant in Bulgaria last month on suspicion he was trying to travel to Syria to join the Islamic State group. He has denied the allegations.

The Paris prosecutors office said Saturday that he was given preliminary charges of association with terrorist criminals.

Hamyd is the brother-in-law of Cherif Kouachi, one of two brothers who attacked Charlie Hebdos Paris office in January 2015, killing 12 and shocking France.

A high school student at the time, Hamyd was briefly detained on suspicion of having a role in the attack, but classmates said he was in school.

(AP)
Home Ministry for strict implementation of law

In the wake of rising road accidents, the government is preparing to adopt a zero tolerance policy towards public transportation by strictly applying the law. Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) is preparing to circulate four-point directives to the District Administration Offices (DAO) to penalise violators.
Local development

Implementation of Constituency Development Programme has been discouraging in terms of community participation
This country possesses a vibrant fund management industry, providing investors with all the tools to build long-term wealth, whether through pensions or tax-friendly Isas.

Yet it doesnt mean everything is hunky dory. Far from it. There are issues the industry needs to tackle so as to maintain its stellar reputation.

Widespread fat cattery is one, a plague that fuels suspicion among many investors  me and you  that we are paying too high a price (in terms of fund charges) to line the pockets of executives (fund managers and their bosses).

Changes: Woodford Investment Management, set up by star fund manager Neil Woodford two years ago, has just confirmed it will no longer pay its 35 employees bonuses

Thankfully, there are some forward-thinking groups prepared to grasp this nettle.

Woodford Investment Management, set up by star fund manager Neil Woodford two years ago, has just confirmed it will no longer pay its 35 employees bonuses, arguing there is little correlation between bonus and performance.

Instead, employees will receive higher fixed salaries. Its a step in the right direction and one that other investment houses should follow.

There is also the issue of what constitutes a fair charge for providing an investment fund where there is a manager at the helm employed to outperform an appropriate stock market benchmark.

Too many of these so-called active managers fail to live up to their name, at best tracking their index, at worst underperforming by a country mile.

They do this while levying outrageous ongoing charges  anything between 1.5 per cent and 2 per cent a year.

Charles Plowden, a senior partner at Edinburgh-based investment house Baillie Gifford, is a passionate believer in active fund management.

Issues: Too many of these so-called active managers fail to live up to their name, at best tracking their index, at worst underperforming by a country mile

He argues it can thrive but only if it is underpinned by a combination of fair charges (1 per cent and below), low portfolio turnover and a willingness by managers to go outside the constituents of their benchmarks to find investors value.

Baillie Gifford now publishes for all its funds an active share figure.

This indicates the percentage of a funds portfolio that differs from its benchmark index. The higher the percentage, the more actively the fund is being managed.

Another step in the right direction towards a fund management industry where investors interests  and not managers  come first.

Protecting yourself against the financial consequences of long-term illness is not sexy. In fact, like all insurance, it burns a hole in your pocket which puts a lot of people off.

Yet more people are waking up to the fact that it is better to be safe than sorry. The latest statistics from the Association of British Insurers confirm that the number of people with income protection insurance is on the up.

This cover pays a monthly income in the event of serious illness and is the deluxe form of financial protection.

At the end of last year, 3,248,000 people were covered by income protection insurance, purchased either individually or through their employer. This compares with 3,170,000 in 2014, an overall increase of 2.5 per cent.

Problems: Widespread fat cattery is one, a plague that fuels suspicion among many investors  me and you  that we are paying too high a price

Although the uptick is small and from a low base  there are more than 31 million workers in the UK  its better than nothing.

There are a number of reasons for the increase. For starters, there is a growing realisation that the state will no longer come riding to the rescue if we are unable to work because of illness or an accident.

There has also been an awakening among some insurers that take-up will only improve if they get off their backsides and bang the protection drum. The Seven Families Campaign did exactly that.

By providing seven families impacted by long-term illness with benefit from an income protection policy for a year, it was able to demonstrate the covers positive impact  not only in bolstering a familys finances but in encouraging people through rehabilitation to take up some form of employment.

Raluca Boroianu-Omura, the associations head of protection and health, says one million workers every year are unable to continue in employment because of ill health. In such circumstances, she adds, income protection can act as an essential safety net.

Of course, you would expect Boroianu-Omura to big up the virtues of the products her members sell. But shes right  income protection is an insurance you should consider.
A student who paid 1,200 to Frontier, a travel company that specialises in placing volunteers abroad, has won back almost all her money after starting a legal action over what she describes as a shambolic experience that ruined her placement at the Nosy Be Hospital in Madagascar.

Keira Heslin-Davies, a fourth year medical student in London, says that her arrival surprised staff.

She said: No one at the hospital was expecting me or really seemed to know who Frontier was. No work had been planned for her. She protested by email to Frontier and says the final straw came when she found a fresh volunteer was due to arrive.

Paradise lost: No one had heard of Frontier at the Madagascar clinic

They expected me to guide her round the hospital. I received no guidance. A person from Frontier just took me to the hospital and said: Off you go. 

When she declined to guide the new volunteer, Frontier scrapped her placement and, she says, she was given 20 minutes to pack and leave.

She moved into a hotel and began her legal action after returning to London. The case went to arbitration and she was awarded 1,135.

Keira has donated the money to the Madagascar hospital and has also started an internet JustGiving page which has already attracted hundreds of pounds in donations. Frontier was invited to comment but had not done so by this pages deadline.

I reported in March last year how a 20-year-old student had paid 695 for a six-week volunteer placement at a childrens summer camp in Beijing. But on arrival, she was sent to a town more than 1,000 miles from the Chinese capital, which involved a 33-hour train journey.
Every year, millions of women find that, for no apparent reason, they are unable to become pregnant. The discovery can be extremely upsetting.

Trips to the doctor ensue, where women and their partners are often told there is no obvious problem and they should simply keep trying  even after six months or more.

A cycle of frustration, stress and anxiety can follow, with wide-ranging consequences for all concerned.

Tests: Every year, millions of women find that, for no apparent reason, they are unable to become pregnant. The discovery can be extremely upsetting

Concepta has developed a simple product to help women with infertility issues to become pregnant. The shares listed on the stock market last month at 11p. They are now 12.63p and should rise substantially as the company progresses.

Though numerous women become pregnant without difficulty, many others plan their pregnancies, often using urine-based tests that are designed to tell them when they are at their most fertile. These work for the average woman but, for a sizeable minority, they do not.

Research has shown that 30 per cent of women with unexplained infertility issues have low levels of the luteinising hormone associated with ovulation.

This does not mean they cannot have children. But it does mean off-the-shelf fertility testing kits do not work for them.

Concepta has developed the first kit  MyLotus  to tell women exactly what their luteinising hormone levels are, even if they are lower (or higher) than the norm. Women simply perform a urine test at home and place the swab in a hand-held meter, which provides instant and highly accurate readings.

Not only does the meter provide detailed, personalised information, but Concepta has also developed easier-to-use urine sampling equipment to make the whole process as simple as possible.

Innovation: Concepta has developed a simple product to help women with infertility issues to become pregnant

The procedure can be repeated over days or months, telling women when they are most likely to become pregnant. There is also an app, that allows users to create a diary of their hormonal cycle, useful both for women and their doctors, if they ultimately resort to medical intervention.

The meter even tells women if they have already become pregnant, again with ease and reliability.

Conceptas testing kit and app have been approved in China and the firm is expected to begin selling its products there this year.

The approval process is well under way in Europe too, so sales should begin in the UK and on the Continent in 2017.

Chief executive Erik Henau was in Shanghai last week, ironing out the final details before the product launch and expectations are high. Most middle-class women in China go to hospital if they have difficulty conceiving. They can expect to wait for hours before being seen, and even then doctors will rarely spend more than a few minutes with them, often providing little by way of advice, apart from to keep on trying.

Within the next couple of months, women will be offered a leaflet showing them the benefits of the Concepta meter. Those logging on to hospital wi-fi systems should also see adverts for the meter and information about where to buy it.

Launch: Conceptas testing kit and app have been approved in China and the firm is expected to begin selling its products there this year

Manufacturing has already been arranged in China and a local distributor has been appointed, focusing on Beijing and Shanghai, the two biggest cities in the country. Concepta has started in China because it has regulatory approval there and China is one of the largest markets in the world, with a rapidly growing middle-class.

The company is starting slowly, targeting ten to 20 hospitals but over time, its products will be available at hospitals across the country and direct to consumers online.

Meanwhile, plans for Europe are well advanced. The company, which is based in Sharnbrook, Bedfordshire, is developing a manufacturing site in Yorkshire to produce the meters and testing kits in volume.

Henau also intends to sell the products online, using pregnancy and infertility websites, support groups and exhibitions to market its wares.

The meters are expected to go on sale for between 250 and 300 and Concepta believes that demand should run into several million, growing steadily as the brand becomes more established.

The group is also working on related concepts, such as stress kits, which both men and women could use to measure their stress levels. People trying for a baby often experience high levels of stress, which can affect ovulation in women and sperm quality in men.

Easy-to-use kits could show couples when and if stress is affecting fertility, allowing them to seek treatment at an early stage. Such kits could also find a market outside of fertility treatment, given the increasing prevalence of stress-related disease.

Henau and his senior colleagues have decades of experience in the fertility industry, having worked on the market-leading ovulation and pregnancy testing kit, Clearblue, now owned by Procter & Gamble.

Midas verdict: Concepta is small, but Henau believes it can generate annual sales of at least 600 million in the next few years, rising strongly thereafter. At 12.63p, the shares should go far. Buy.
Property firm Henry Boot was founded in Yorkshire in 1886. Listed on the Stock Exchange in 1920, half the shares are still owned by Henry Boots descendants and the company was run by a member of the Boot family until January this year.

Then Jamie Boot, who had been managing director for 30 years, stepped up to the chairmans role, appointing John Sutcliffe as chief executive  the first non-family member to take charge of the daily running of the business.

Being a family business has encouraged Henry Boot to take a long-term approach, and Sutcliffe intends to continue in that vein, as the strategy has served investors well.

Sliced up: Henry Boot has turned the old Terry's Chocolate Factory into flats. Pictured are the new flats

Midas recommended the shares in April 2011, when they were 121p.

Today they are 202p  a rise of 68 per cent, accompanied by a steady stream of dividend payments. But there is considerably more to come.

Henry Boots business is divided into three parts  strategic land, property development and construction.

The first involves buying land, generally on the edge of towns and cities, gaining planning permission to build homes, and selling the sites on to housebuilders.

Gaining planning permission can take years, but Boot has developed a real expertise in the field, completing six sales in the first half of this year with another three lined up for between now and December.

Sites range from small plots acquired from farmers to a third share in the new town of Cranbrook, Devon, where 3,000 homes will eventually be built.

In the past: The former Terry's Chocolate Factory

Boots development arm is doing well too. High-profile projects include the former Terrys Chocolate Factory in York; the conversion of Leeds Girls High School into flats and houses; and a 333million new exhibition and conference centre for Aberdeen City Council, announced last week.

The construction arm is making good progress as well and has already secured more than half the contracts it expected to win for next year, ahead of its own forecasts.

Last week, Sutcliffe unveiled better than expected half-year results, with pre-tax profit up 49 per cent to 20.8million and a 9 per cent increase in the dividend to 2.5p for the six months to June 30.

The figures benefited from those six land sales, but full-year figures are likely to show continued progress, with brokers pencilling in profits of 37.5million, up 16 per cent on 2015.

The total dividend is expected to rise 7 per cent to 6.5p and further gains are expected in 2017.

Midas verdict: Henry Boot is a conservatively run, long-term business. The shares were hit immediately after the Brexit vote, as investors worried about the outlook for the property sector.
Turnover and profits have galloped ahead at Amalgamated Racing, the company behind Turf TV which provides horse racing pictures and data to betting shops in the UK and Ireland.

Amalgamated Racing, jointly owned by Mayfair Capital Investments and Racecourse Media Services, owns the live broadcast rights from 34 racecourses.

Accounts just filed show that turnover increased to 75.6million for the year ending November 30, 2015, while pre-tax profits grew from 10.2million to 11.3million.

Racing ahead: Turnover and profits have galloped ahead at Amalgamated Racing, the company behind Turf TV which provides horse racing pictures and data to betting shops in the UK and Ireland

Racecourse Media Group is currently putting together plans for a rival to the Tote pools betting business.
The old paper 5 is being replaced with a plastic note from next month  a move that should renew collector interest in rare early fivers.

The new note is made of a polymer, not paper, and should be harder to forge or accidentally destroy.

This latest fiver will feature a picture of wartime leader Winston Churchill  who replaces prison reformer Elizabeth Fry.

Paper chase: Andrew Pattison with a 'White Fiver' from 1944

It will be issued on September 13 as the latest makeover of a note first issued in 1793. The new note will be phased in so that by May 2017 it will have replaced the old fiver altogether  shops will then stop accepting paper 5 notes as legal tender.

The Royal Mint is replacing the 1 coin from next March in a bid to beat fraudsters  as one in 30 1 coins is believed to be a counterfeit.

The main difference with the new coin is it will have a 12-sided design and resemble the old three-penny bit rather than be rounded.

The new 1 will also be two-tone  a nickel-brass shading around the outside and silvery nickel-plated alloy in the middle.

The money is to be phased in over six months with 1.4 billion coins produced to replace the old ones being withdrawn.

High five: The new plastic fiver, which will first be given to the Queen, features Winston Churchill

After September 2017 shops will stop accepting old 1 coins but banks will still happily swap them for the shiny new pieces. Your bank and building society is still also likely to accept your old 5 notes while the Bank of England has promised to swap them for new money.

Late 18th and early 19th Century fivers are rare  most people of this time never saw paper money in an era when average earnings were less than 20 a year.

Today, if you stumble across one of these early so-called White Fiver notes it may be worth 10,000 or more.

They were printed on white paper and individually signed. The notes were about twice the size of the new plastic one that will be just five inches wide  15 per cent smaller than the current fiver.

Andrew Pattison, banknote specialist for international auction house Spink, says: There has been a real surge of interest in collecting old banknotes in the past few years. This new 5 may help to boost their appeal.

He points out that the British fiver was produced in black ink on white paper until 1956. A year later, the first blue note was released along with pictures  Britannia on one side and a lion on the back.

These notes are known as the Lion & Key or Helmeted Britannia and were legal tender until 1967.

From 7th century merchants to a Turner classic

A portrait of the Queen was not included until 1963 when her arrival relegated Britannia to the back of the note, holding an olive branch.

Pattison says: Although the early notes may not always be interesting to look at, this does not affect their price  it is the history behind them that creates the value.

Among his favourites is a 1914 fiver that belonged to Lord Montagu of Beaulieu who was a passenger on the SS Persia that was torpedoed by a German submarine in December 1915 during the First World War.

Fortunately, the owner survived  though sadly his mistress Eleanor Thornton did not. Thorntons figure is immortalised as the model behind the Spirit of Ecstasy that adorns all Rolls-Royce car bonnets.

Pattison says: Lord Montagu was in the water for 32 hours before being rescued. He later wrote a letter to the banknote manufacturer Portals congratulating it on the quality of its paper.

Unlike other papers he had been carrying at the time, the banknote survived. We sold it two years ago for 800.

Pattison points out that the first couple of new notes issued are historically given to the Queen  so she will be the first to have plastic fivers in her purse.

But low serial numbers can still be found  and are highly collectable  if a new set is issued due to a change in the chief cashier.

Changes: The Royal Mint is also replacing the 1 coin from next March in a bid to beat fraudsters  as one in 30 1 coins is believed to be a counterfeit

Under such circumstances, the first notes do not go to Royalty. Last year Spink sold a fiver with a serial number one from 1955 for 30,000. At the same sale, 1955 serial number one notes for both ten shillings and 1 sold for 9,000 each.

Denominations above a fiver can do even better in sales. A rare 1925 note for 500 sold for 26,000 last year. If a 1,000 note of the same period were discovered it might sell for even more.

Five years ago, one of nine one million pound notes issued in 1948 when the British economy was struggling to foot the bill for the Second World War sold for 69,000.

These one million pound notes were receipts rather than legal tender but if you own a British banknote from any time  no matter how out of date  the Bank of England should pay you the value that is printed on the paper.

Pam West, dealer at Pam West British Notes in Sutton, Surrey, believes collectors should invest in the best quality notes that they can afford.

She says: The last white fiver was issued in December 1956 and remained legal tender until 1961. Top quality examples from the 1950s can sell for 300 but if well used they will fetch less than 100.

In the mid-1800s, the five pound note was rare as most people never earned that kind of money and any cash they did manage to get their hands on was immediately spent. For this reason a 5 note from this era can sell for 10,000. Yet a 5 note from even earlier  1800 or before  could sell for as much as 15,000 in top condition.
Britain's oldest bank, C Hoare and Co, has pulled back on lending to the London housing market.

The bank, which is 22 years older than the Bank of England and caters to the well-heeled, has revealed that earlier this year in response to a possible downturn in prime London property prices we tightened our lending criteria.

Central London sales have been hit hard by a rise in stamp duty on the most costly properties.

Tightened criteria: Britain's oldest bank, C Hoare and Co, has pulled back on lending to the London housing market

More recently there have been fears that the vote to leave the European Union could provoke fresh falls.

Legacy: Sir Richard Hoare founded the bank in 1672

The bank said: Growth in London appears to have slowed in recent months and is turning negative in some parts of the capital.

The Brexit vote may dampen demand further as overseas investors in particular wait to see how separation terms play out.

Profits at the bank rose to 28million for the year to the end of March, from 27.5million the year before. Deposits surged to 3.8billion from 3billion a year earlier.
Nepse ends week 8.19 pts higher

Weekly transaction at Nepal Stock Exchange (Nepse) fell 21.4 percent as the market headed towards stability after massive fluctuations in previous weeks.
Millions of pension pots are lying unclaimed and could provide a vital income boost to people in retirement.

Here, The Mail on Sunday investigates how pensions go missing  and what you need to do to track them down.

Nearly 1.6 million pension pots are waiting to be claimed by people who have lost touch with their retirement savings over decades of employment  known as gone-aways.

Track down your treasure: Here, The Mail on Sunday investigates how pensions go missing  and what you need to do to track them down

This figure comes from PensionsLink, which aims to reunite people with their missing pensions.

It does this by collecting the National Insurance numbers of gone-aways from pension providers.

People who think one of their pensions may have gone astray can then ask PensionsLink to search its database to see if their plan is on it.

In the first three weeks of this month alone, 68,000 National Insurance numbers were added to the register, following on from 114,000 the month before.

HOW TO TRACE A LONG LOST PENSION The first step to reunite yourself with long-term savings is to compile a list of employers you worked for and marry them up with your pensions in payment. If there are companies you worked for which are not paying you a pension, even though you contributed into one, contact their pension department and provide as much information as possible  National Insurance number, period of employment, the role you held and your current contact details. They should then confirm whether there is a pension due to you  now or in the future. You can also input your National Insurance number into the free-to-use PensionsLink website to see if any details come up. Alternatively, turn to the Governments Pension Tracing Service. Its database holds details of more than 320,000 pension schemes and is also free. Entering a former employers details into the search engine will produce contact details for schemes you may have paid into. Visit gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details, call 0345 6002537 or write to: The Pension Service 9, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton WV98 1LU. If you need further help contact The Pensions Advisory Service by visiting its website at pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk or calling 0300 1231047.

This brings the total number of people recorded to have lost a pension on PensionsLinks database to 1.58 million.

The service is free to use and paid for by pension companies  although not all providers are currently signed up. It is similar to the Governments Pension Tracing Service which assists people in hunting down both workplace and personal pensions.

Untapped: Millions of pension pots are lying unclaimed and could provide a vital income boost to people in retirement

VALUE OF LOST INCOME

There is around 400million in unclaimed pension savings, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.

PensionsLink says its research indicates that the average unclaimed pension in the private sector would provide an annual income of 3,000  up to 7,000 a year in the public sector.

The majority of orphan pensions on the PensionsLink register are defined benefit based  also known as final salary  while a fifth are defined contribution, sometimes referred to as money purchase schemes.

I'M NOW ON MY SEVENTH PENSION Organised: Researcher Suzannah Kinsella keeps a spreadsheet of all her different retirement plans Freelance researcher Suzannah Kinsella is paying monthly sums into what is now her seventh pension collected over her working life  but one of her old pensions is likely lost. She says: I started saving for a pension when I was living in Canada in my 20s. I have no idea how I would claim for that pension in the future. The 46-year-old, who lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, has five pension plans she has kept track of, having worked at an advertising agency, a food company, as a civil servant and a researcher and for herself. She has recently started a pension with Nutmeg. Consolidating the pots into her latest pension would make admin easier in the run-up to retirement  but in a demonstration of how complicated pensions can be, she cant do this with at least two. Suzannah says: Ive taken advice to leave the civil service pension alone as it is final salary and one of the others applies penalties if I transfer it in the next three to four years. In a bid to stay on top of where her retirement savings are, she keeps a spreadsheet of all her pensions. But she adds: There should be a straightforward way to understand what each pension pot might be worth annually. This would impress upon people the difference between their income in work versus retirement and the importance of topping up  or tracking down  a pension.

WHY PENSIONS GO AWOL

A recent survey concluded that there are a multitude of reasons why people lose track of pensions.

They include moving house and not informing a provider of a forwarding address; lost paperwork; companies closing down after they left or merging with another; and forgetting about a pension contributed to early in working life.

Out of touch: Nearly 1.6 million pension pots are waiting to be claimed by people who have lost touch with their retirement savings

One respondent said he should have looked after his own financial affairs because his wife had his pension paperwork and was withholding it since she became estranged.

Another simply said drink was the reason why they had lost track of their pension.

Michelle Cracknell is chief executive of The Pensions Advisory Service, which receives calls from people searching for lost retirement savings.

She says: It is a requirement of most pension schemes to send you a benefit statement each year.

If you have moved and the statement does not reach you, the pension provider may try to find you.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO TRACK DOWN ALL PENSIONS

Many people struggle to adjust to living on a lower income after giving up work. So ensuring all your pensions are paying you an income is vital.

Joanne Segars, chief executive of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association which represents workplace pensions, says: Income in retirement is certainly one area where the adage less is more does not apply.

People who had multiple jobs may have forgotten they were saving into a particular pension plan.

This money could be the difference between a difficult retirement and a comfortable one.

Segars adds: Few people work with the same employer all their working lives so its possible they may have more pension pots stashed away than they realise.

PREVENTING THE PROBLEM IN FUTURE

Nine in ten people surveyed by PensionsLink believe pension providers are not doing enough to trace people with lost pensions.

Some support the idea of a pensions dashboard for helping people keep a tab on their savings. This is a Government plan to allow individuals to view all their pension arrangements in one place.

Lisa Caplan, a financial adviser with online pension and investment company Nutmeg, is keen for such a plan to be implemented  2019 is the target date.

She says: It wont just help people to keep track of their pensions. It will also provide performance details and fees levied  something the pensions industry is not good at.

In the meantime, savers must remember to contact pension providers with any change of address.
No change in statute at the cost of national interest, UML insists

Reiterating its position, the CPN-UML has said that the party will not let the constitution be amended against the national interest.
PM Dahal assures of easy availability of essentials during Dashain, Tihar festivals

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal on Saturday expressed his commitment to making essentials easily available during the Hindu festivals, Dashain and Tihar.
Seven injured as truck plunges into Trishuli

A truck swerved off the road and plunged into the Trishuli river at Jalbire along the Muglin-Narayangadh road stretch on Saturday, injuring seven persons. Three among the injured are said to be in critical condition.
Speaking from the margin

The-Lit: Exclusion Within features artwork by five artists and has been organised in conjunction with the Darnal Award for Social Justice
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

By Patrick Donachie

JAMAICA  Police were asking for the publics help in identifying a man in connection with a spate of burglaries.

There were three separate incidents. On July 20 at about 11:20 a.m., the man entered a home on 172nd Street and took a security monitor. On July 27, at about 10 a.m., the suspect entered a home on 197th Street and removed several pieces of jewelry, five watches, $2,000 in U.S. cash and $300 in Canadian cash. Almost one week later, on Aug. 2, at about 10:50 a.m. the individual broke into a home on 202nd Street and took an Apple Macbook and $1,300, police said.

The individual was described as a male in his early 20s with a medium build, and the NYPD released a photo. In each burglary, the individual used a tool to break into the rear of each residence.
Turkish shelling and air strikes killed at least 35 civilians in Syria on Sunday, the fifth day of an incursion against Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish militia, a monitor said.

"At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 others wounded by Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on Sunday morning at Jeb el-Kussa," a village south of Jarabulus, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based group said four local fighters were also killed in the bombardment.

It also reported another 15 civilians killed and 25 wounded, many seriously, in Turkish air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, also south of Jarabulus.

The deaths come after Turkey on Saturday suffered its first fatality since launching operation "Euphrates Shield" in Syria, blaming Kurdish militia in a fight for control of the border region.

The Observatory said the bombardment targeted an area south of the former Islamic State group stronghold of Jarabulus, which Turkish-led forces captured on the first day of the incursion.

Jeb el-Kussa is located 14 kilometres (almost nine miles) south of Jarabulus and is controlled by fighters from the area backed by Kurdish forces.

On Saturday, clashes erupted for the first time between Turkish forces backed by tanks, and pro-Kurdish fighters in the town of Al-Amarneh, also south of Jarabulus.

Turkey considers the main armed force of Syria\s Kurds, the YPG, to be a branch of the Kurdistan Workers\ Party, which is deems a "terrorist" organisation.

Its military intervention has further complicated a conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people and displaced more than half the country\s population since March 2011.

SOURCE: AFP
The commander of Colombia\s biggest rebel movement said Sunday its fighters will permanently cease hostilities with the government beginning with the first minute of Monday, as a result of their peace accord ending one of the world\s longest-running conflicts.

Rodrigo Londono, leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, made the announcement in Havana, where the two sides negotiated for four years before announcing the peace deal Wednesday.

"Never again will parents be burying their sons and daughters killed in the war," said Londono, who also known as Timoshenko. "All rivalries and grudges will remain in the past."

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos announced on Friday that his military would cease attacks on the FARC beginning Monday.

Hundreds of thousands of Colombians have died since 1964 as rebel armies and gangs battled in the jungles in what is considered Latin America\s last major civil armed conflict. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on Sunday issued the order for its fighters to observe the cease fire from midnight (0500 GMT Monday). "I order all our commanders and units and each one of our combatants to definitively cease fire and hostilities against the Colombian state from midnight tonight" top FARC leader Timoleon Jimenez said in a declaration before the media. "The end of the conflict has arrived!" Santos wrote on his Twitter account Friday, after signing a decree to halt military operations against the FARC. The measure goes into effect following the conclusion on Wednesday of peace negotiations under way in Havana since November 2012. Peace "is beginning to be a reality," Jimenez, whose real name is Rodrigo Londono, wrote on Twitter. The FARC declared a unilateral ceasefire in July 2015. But Sunday night\s ceasefire is the first in which both sides have committed to a definitive end to the fighting. "The ceasefire is really one more seal on the end of the conflict. It is the test of fire," said Carlos Alfonso Velazquez, a security expert at the University of La Sabana. Santos and Jimenez are due to sign a final, full peace agreement some time between September 20 and 26. Santos has said the signing could take place at UN headquarters in New York, or in Havana or Bogota. The ceasefire and definitive end of hostilities will be followed by a six-month demobilization process. Guerrilla fighters will gather at collection points and give up their weapons under UN supervision. Beginning Monday, Villegas said, "corridors" will be identified for the FARC\s estimated 7,500 guerrillas to move toward demobilization zones. Guerrillas who refuse to demobilize and disarm "will be pursued with all the strength of the state forces," Santos told El Espectador newspaper. Before the demobilization, the FARC will convene its leaders and troops one last time before transforming into "a legal political movement," according to a statement made public on Saturday. The rebel gathering will be held from September 13-19 near the former guerrilla stronghold of San Vicente del Caguan in southern Colombia. Attending will be 200 rebel delegates, including the FARC\s 29-member central committee. International guests and journalists were also invited. On October 2, Colombians will go to the polls to cast ballots in a referendum that Santos hopes will endorse the peace agreement. Under a July ruling by the Constitutional Court, approval requires a majority "yes" vote by at least 4.4 million people, or 13 percent of the electorate. "A victory for the \Yes\ vote will be a mandate from citizens for future governments," Santos was quoting as saying by El Espectador. "The plebiscite will grant the political legitimacy that is needed." He said the exact question that will be posed to voters in the referendum would be announced "in the coming days." "We are on the verge of perhaps the most important political decision of our lives," Santos said in a speech on Saturday. The territorial and ideological conflict has drawn in various left- and right-wing armed groups and gangs. Efforts to launch peace talks with a smaller rebel group, the National Liberation Army, have yet to bear fruit. But with the country\s biggest rebel group, the FARC, ordering a definitive ceasefire, the conflict appears to be reaching an end. The conflict has left some 260,000 dead, 45,000 missing and 6.9 million people uprooted from their homes. The Senate has estimated the cost of implementing the peace accord at $31 billion over the coming decade. Santos said the cost would be funded by the state, private sector and international aid.

SOURCE: AFP AND AP
The head of Germany\s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) told a German newspaper that he expected a maximum of 300,000 refugees to arrive in Germany this year.

"We\re preparing for 250,000 to 300,000 refugees this year," BAMF head Frank-Juergen Weise told Bild am Sonntag newspaper in comments due to be published on Sunday.

He added that if more people were to come, his office would come under pressure but suggested he was not worried about such a scenario, saying it was instead likely that fewer than 300,000 would come this year.

Germans tend to use the word "refugee" to refer to both refugees and migrants who are seeking protection but do not have refugee status.

SOURCE: REUTERS
For 101 years, Camp Fire has been guiding young people to discover their full potential. Today, the organization continues to provide programs for children 3 years old through high school.

Camp Fire's after-school program kicks off Aug. 29 at Harrell Park. Kids will be transported in Camp Fire vans from 18 schools in the Wichita Falls, City View and Burkburnett school districts to Harrell Park. At the park, they'll participate in programs designed to positively influence their lives and prepare them to be adult members of our community. The quality and diversity of the staff translates into excellent role models.

The first meeting will be a swimming party at Harrell Park swimming pool.

After-school activities including homework help, swimming, fishing, cookouts, archery, sports, games, crafts, singing, hiking. Families are a part of the program, beginning with a Fall Family Fun Night Sept. 29. Thanks to the Wichita Falls Area Food Bank and Senior Citizens Center, each child received hot meal while attending the after-school program.

Membership is $15 for the year. A family of three or more can join for $35 for the year. A Camp Fire T-shirt will be sold for $5 to each member who registers in the after-school, traditional club or teen program. For more information, call 322-5209, or stop by the Camp Fire office at 2414 Ninth St.

Dialogue with donors

Don't miss the Nonprofit Management Center's Dialogue with Donors Aug. 30 at the Kemp at the Forum, 2120 Speedway. From 9 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., representatives from various foundations will talk about their funding objectives. The Texoma Planned Giving Council speaker, Roger Ellison, will present 'Fixin to Ask for the Big Bucks.'

The cost is $60 per person. Attendees will receive a packet that outlines each foundation's fields of interest and types of support.

To register, visit nonprofitcenterwf.org or call 322-4961.

Local art

An exhibition of works by Gary Kingcade will be featured at the Kemp Center for the Arts through Oct. 15. Kingcade earned both art and counseling degrees from Midwestern State University and taught elementary school. He has served as the gallery director at the Kemp for the past three years.

Kingcade has dealt with galleries in Austin, San Antonio, Detroit, Michigan and Breckenridge, Colorado. He has had several one-man exhibits, the last one at the Kemp in 2012. Most recently, he had four paintings accepted into the Breckenridge, Texas, annual exhibit and won first place acrylic painting in an exhibit in Bowie, Texas.

For more information, call the Kemp at 767-2787.

Live at the lake

The Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU's Live at the Lake summer concert series presents Slab Rat from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 8 at the Priddy Pavilion at Sikes Lake. Slab Rat features Ben Prater on vocals.

Admission is free. Bring blankets or lawn chairs. A food truck will be on site that evening. For more information, call the museum at 397-8900.
Syria war: Turkey kills 25 people in latest round of air strikes

At least 25 people have been killed in the latest round of Turkish air strikes in Syria, near the city of Jarablus.
A veteran volunteer of the Hotter'N Hell Hundred lost his hard-fought battle with cancer just hours before the annual event's cannon start.

Mike Payne, 71, a volunteer for numerous nonprofits, including Interfaith Ministries Inc. and the Wichita Adult Literacy Council, died in his sleep Saturday morning. He had been under hospice care in recent days. Just a year ago, Payne postponed cancer treatment so that he could participate in one of his favorite parts of the HHH weekend, the massive spaghetti feed for the riders.

'Mike died in his sleep around 1 a.m.,' his wife, Jean, posted on Facebook Saturday. 'I think he wanted to be around for one last spaghetti dinner. Dance with Jesus, my sweetheart!'

In addition to volunteering at the HHH, Payne could also be found at the annual Adult Spelling Bee, a fundraiser for the Wichita Adult Literacy Council. His enthusiastic approach to soliciting donations for bottles of honey during the Bee could make any salesman envious. Payne could generate hundreds of dollars in donations in the hours surrounding the Bee.

His devotion to such nonprofits and his impact on our community did not go unnoticed in the hours after his passing.

'Our dear friend, Mike Payne, passed away early this morning,' posted Sara Shelton, executive director of the Wichita Adult Literacy Council, on Facebook. 'He was one of the toughest humans I have ever known. He will be missed by all. He served our community well! The Wichita Adult Literacy Council appreciates everything that Mike and Jean Payne did for us in helping us raise much needed funds. Mike will be remembered at the 20th Anniversary Spelling Bee in November.'

In 2014, the Times Record News recognized Payne for his outstanding volunteer work with the inaugural Lifetime of Giving Award, created to showcase volunteer efforts around several organizations.

'Mike is the type of volunteer everyone needs on their team,' Times Record News President Dwayne Bivona said during the 2014 ceremony. 'He doesn't just show up, he shows up and takes charge. I would equate him to the platoon sergeant who takes his inexperienced grunts into battle, sometimes yelling out orders, sometimes showing the way  but all the time, leading the charge forward.'

In 2007, the Wichita Adult Literacy Council declared Payne its Outstanding Volunteer of the Year, 'honored for his tireless commitment to WALC fundraisers as Logistics Chair, WALC Annual Book Fair and for his work with the annual Adult Spelling Bee,' the Times Record News reported at the time.

Tributes came in from across the country.

'A good friend of mine, Mike Payne, just entered into his ultimate healing in heaven after a hard-fought battle with cancer,' posted Brian Reilly of Leavenworth, Kansas, attaching a video of Frank Sinatra singing 'Come Rain or Come Shine.' 'This was his favorite song that he suggested I add to my repertoire, and I had the pleasure of playing for him and his lovely bride Jean Payne many times. No matter where they heard me play and sing this song, they always, always danced. Seeing their love for each other in public and in private always inspired me to be a better man, and those memories will fill my mind for the rest of my life every time I play this song.'

Jean Payne, the founding executive director of Interfaith Ministries Inc., retired in December 2013, after 35 years with the nonprofit created after the devastating 1979 tornado.

The Times Record News will announce funeral plans as soon as they are available.
A few months ago, here, in Wichita Falls, I witnessed my first sighting of what appeared to be two Muslim ladies, dressed in blue burqas, walking across a small shopping center parking lot. My first reaction was one of interest in their obvious appearance, very similar to when I notice any cultural deviation from our own American culture. My next spontaneous reaction was less positive. I have to admit, I was offended. Then, I wondered if anyone would care? And then I asked myself, 'Shouldn't we be able to defend ourselves from harm by religious fanatics who may, or may not, be wearing that garb?'

I flash back to the days (1950s) when the Lone Ranger was a standout in our society because he wore a white hat, covering his head, and a black mask, covering only his eyes and nose. Remember the famous ending of each program, 'Who was that masked man?' The point here is that no matter the rather insignificant masking, the anomaly of a mask still received attention of epic proportions in this country.

Now, let's suppose, in the 1930s and 1940s, someone would have entered a store wearing the mask like the Lone Ranger's, or another version, a face mask over the nose and mouth. Can you imagine the offense, the uproar, and the screams? No doubt the reaction would have been tremendous because of the likes of Al Capone, Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger, Machine Gun Kelly, Bonny and Clyde bank robberies and killings taking place in America, many, notoriously associated with Chicago. The uproar would have been seen as a 'common sense' reaction to what was actually happening in our society; it would have been seen as a direct threat. No one would have even questioned such a reaction. Needless to say, no one, other than robbers and gangsters, walked into stores or banks dressed in that fashion. With the exception of child's play, it wasn't socially acceptable to wear them around town, either.

Now come back to the 'here and now.' The Burqas conjure all these thoughts and bring about a real dilemma. It is the dress identified with the Islamic Muslim tradition; it is therefore a symbol of religious freedom, protected by the 1st Amendment, no matter how oppressive it is for those forced to wear it. What about the Constitutional right of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

I am all for individual freedoms, i.e., civil liberties. They are at the foundation of American society. But we all know there is a limit when those civil liberties go too far and harm other people. We write laws, interpret and enforce them, because they protect the greater good of our society ... our society.

Laws protect us when individual freedoms go too far. I have the freedom to drive 100 mph down the highway. I have the right to own a firearm. However, because those examples have proven to endanger lives, we pass laws that limit our freedoms, i.e., our speed on highways, issuing licenses to carry firearms, etc. We have freedom so long as we do not pose a threat to society. This protects the lives of others and keeps order in our country.

It is a fact that burqas are sometimes worn in Muslim countries by suicide bombers. The traditional Muslim garb is, in fact, sometimes worn by men, and women, so that they can carry out their bombing or random mass killing using bombs and assault weapons. These anarchists constitute a real and present danger  and our current administration is inviting them in.

President Theodore Roosevelt's had his views on immigration and those on being an AMERICAN. He stated the following in 1907:

'In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American and nothing but an American ... There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag ... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language ... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.'

Perhaps we cannot prevent Islamic Muslims from wearing their burqas. Surely our Constitution couldn't be so restrictive that it would allow legal protection to people who attack us in the name of religion. We cannot be all things to all people especially when we open our borders to the world's melting pot! It becomes smooth sailing for anarchists, who rebel, and seek, to destroy the law and order of our country. When it's called for, we must protect ourselves from the one bad apple that spoils the bushel, whether, or not, it, in theory, imposes on their religious freedom.
When last you and I checked in on the most accept-any-substitute presidential election in many a year, one of us  me, I'm sure  was grousing that it was a tough time to be a Republican, even in a red state like Texas.

That was just before the GOP's national convention in Cleveland, and on the agenda was a lot of food-fighting and Donald Trump's coronation. Related but not exactly the same.

Thanks to Ted Cruz, our senator, and Trump himself, that's about what we got. And the days since the convention, through the Democrats' stab at unity in Philadelphia and beyond, it has been, shall we say, less than uplifting for America's once-conservative party.

Trump and his people  and those regular Republicans falling in line  have a point when they argue that it sounds worse than it has been when filtered through a left-leaning American media. And, in truth, it's hard to remember a day when the bias was so overt.

Example: Check your local newspaper for that 'Trump visits flood-plagued Louisiana' headline and evocative photograph. Keep looking. No, really, it must be there. No? Like it never happened?

Now check the same newspaper for 'President never too busy to comfort the afflicted,' or somesuch, when Barack Obama, refreshed from a full vacation in Martha's Vineyard, made a swing through Baton Rouge a full four days after Trump (but infinity days before Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton).

Who cares, right? Just a photo-op among people who have better things to do than entertain a presidential candidate or even a president. Except we do remember candidate Obama walking arm in arm with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Or candidate Obama's full-throated criticism of President George W. Bush for flying over, but not setting foot, in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

'One of the benefits of being five months short of leaving here is I don't worry too much about politics,' Obama said in Baton Rouge. True enough, although it does leave open to interpretation any past disaster photo-ops.

So give that one to Trump, as much as you might hate it. Here's one to take back: The typical nonsense from a losing candidate that the polls, well, are just wrong. Stop me if you've heard this one before.

I won't go too far on a limb defending polls and pollsters, but over time, they provide some kind of measuring stick for elections local or national. Still, the two great losing-candidate cliches are:

'The only poll that matters is the one on Election Day.'

And, 'I'd feel better about your poll if you were speaking to the right voters, as in the ones who prefer me.'

Not every poll is right on the mark, and methodologies vary, but it's worth barely a chuckle to hear a Trump surrogate like lawyer Michael Cohen demand to know which polls a CNN interviewer was citing to show his man behind.

'All of them,' Brianna Keilar said.

She wasn't exaggerating. Trump, whose entire primary campaign seemed built on touting his poll standing and saying whatever popped into his head, hasn't led Clinton in a single national poll for more than a month. His last was a 5-point lead in a CNN/ORC poll taken July 22-24, when his GOP convention bounce was at full Super Ball height.

Since then, it's approaching 30 in a row with Clinton ahead, and that's with Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party nominee Jill Stein tossed in; the head-to-heads with Clinton are generally worse for Trump. So argue it anyway you want, but Trump is losing.

Which is not to say he has lost. If you're old like me, you can remember when Labor Day was the 'traditional start of the presidential campaign season,' which was probably never 100 percent accurate but still a good way to keep our timeline straight.

Typically, the candidate ahead in polling on Labor Day wins, in part because coming from behind means grabbing an increasingly large share of fewer and fewer undecided voters. It may work in theory, but reality is different. In Trump's case, a refurbished campaign team and a more focused effort is a stylistic improvement, but the substance still isn't there.

Now, a Trump supporter could argue that national polls ask the wrong question, that the national popular vote counts for nothing, as President Al Gore constantly reminded us.

No, what matters are state-by-state polls, the ones we can extrapolate into who might win actual Electoral College votes. Except here, too, the polling math favors Clinton  and more decisively. No wonder her strategy is to avoid questions, remind that she's not Trump and run out the clock to November.

In battleground or swing states that Trump really, really needs, he trails Clinton in Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Virginia, among others. Trump's claims to rewrite the red-blue map may be valid only in the way he didn't expect. He and his people can argue that those polls are wrong, too, but all of them?

The one I'll dismiss for now is the latest from Texas, which shows Trump with a mere 6-point lead. Sure, a scattering of Republicans will refuse to fill in the box next to Trump's name, but I seriously doubt it could be enough to cost him our 38 electoral votes, given Clinton's lack of, um, popularity in our state.

And if Texas really is that close, Trump has far bigger problems than polls he might not like.

Mike Hashimoto is a columnist for the Dallas Morning News. Readers may email him at mhashimoto@dallasnews.
Troy

A 26-year-old man was stabbed and seriously wounded on Saturday night when "play fighting" in a King Street apartment turned real, police said.

The victim, whose name was not immediately released, was taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital where his injuries were considered serious, said Troy police Capt. Dan DeWolf.

The alleged assailant, Khriek U. Thomas, 26, of King Street, was charged with first-degree assault, a felony which carries up to 25 years in prison, and misdemeanor weapon possession.

Police said Thomas and the victim were "play fighting" in the apartment around 10:30 p.m.

"It became serious and one of the men grabbed a knife and stabbed the other," DeWolf said in a statement. "The man who sustained the injuries was able to get out onto the street and summon help."

He said Troy patrol officers quickly learned where the stabbing took place, set up a perimeter around the crime scene, went into the apartment and arrested Thomas.

Thomas is being held in Rensselaer County jail.

rgavin@timesunion.com  518-434-2403  @RobertGavinTU
Teachers tend to favour middle-class students: study

Teachers favour middle-class students in various ways, perhaps unconsciously, a study says.
A major jobs announcement is imminent at the site of Lisheen Mines in east Tipperary, and more may be in the pipeline in the next six months.

Two companies are seriously considering investing in the area, considered prime land for new industries.

There at least a couple of businesses serious about locating in Lisheen Mines, Cllr John Hogan told the Tipperary Star. And theres talk of a potential 30 to 40 jobs each starting off.

The exact nature of these businesses cannot be made public as this information is commercially sensitive. If the second business receives funding, possibly hundreds of jobs could be created long term at the site.

Others are also at the early stages of investigating the possibility of investing in the site. Our local forum has written to (the mines owners) Vedanta, asking them to consider the continuation of a full time employee dedicated to locating alternative industries on the site, said Cllr Hogan.

Its understood a local man who chairs the Forum, and whose contract is due to expire shortly, has written to the company asking that the contract be extended.

We have written to Vedanta in the last week, and were waiting for a response. We have regular meetings of the Parish Forum, said Cllr Hogan, who expects that the first jobs announcement is imminent. The second business could take longer, perhaps in the next six to 12 months.

The Vedanta owned Lisheen Mines are expected to remain in place for another two years while the closure of the mine takes place.

A task force chaired by former PD Minister of State Liz ODonnell, is spearheading efforts to find new industries for the area.

The site has been designated a European Green Energy hub, meaning it is first in line for consideration when a new investor comes to Ireland aiming to create new energy sources.

The Lisheen Mines tailings pond is a waste management facility of about 140 acres, and is now more than 80% completely rehabilitated.

The area is now covered in grass, and the local Parish Forum, Tipperary Co. Council, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are happy that the site has been finished and closed to world class standards, concluded Cllr Hogan.
[August 28, 2016] Enping Advanced Microphone Manufacturing Hub Gives Competitive Edge to Audio Equipment Industry in Pearl River Delta

ENPING, China, Aug. 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Enping Administration for Industry and Commerce is set to launch the Enping Advanced Microphone Manufacturing Hub, uniting over 400 audio equipment manufacturers in the region to promote its vast range of high-quality products through the Enping Microphone brand. Situated in southern China, at the heart of the Pearl River Delta region, the city of Enping is renowned for its microphone and audio equipment manufacturing industry, building its reputation from strength to strength over the last three decades. With the municipal government supportive of the long-standing entrepreneurial spirit of the local population, the city now hosts over 400 manufacturers who have recently decided to ally themselves under the banner of the Enping Advanced Microphone Manufacturing Hub. To commemorate this milestone, Enping's Electro-Acoustic Industry Association will be releasing a series of short films to introduce the manufacturig environment, the entrepreneurial culture, the creative talent and generally what makes Enping so unique.



An acknowledged epicenter for audio technology production in China, the first short film will focus on the historical development and future potential of the Enping Advanced Microphone Manufacturing Hub. The video introduces the city of Enping, the products it makes, the international partnerships forged, the vision of Enping Microphone and some of the Enping Microphone companies involved. Whilst companies in Enping previously worked on their own, the formal corporate alliance under the Enping Microphone banner brings the local audio equipment industry a further competitive edge and many other advantages. Together with a strengthened, more dynamic trading environment and a larger production capacity, the new alliance will make it far easier for overseas companies to engage and forge partnerships with the Enping audio equipment manufacturing industry.

This video series will embody the identity of Enping Microphone's industry, and provides multinational companies with a full view of both the capability and potential of its manufacturing hub. The president of Enping Electro Acoustic Industry Association, Mr. Zhonghuo Wu said, "We will support and lead more Enping companies to produce a higher quality of products. This video is made under our supervision and will help our potential clients to learn more about us. "Anyone involved in the professional audio industry and currently looking for effective new business partnerships, from preferential distribution agreements to reliable product suppliers, Enping Microphone really is your best choice. Keep an eye out for the video to see why," added Wu. Contact:

Vicky Fu

+86-21-6295-3191

[email protected] Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401641 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/enping-advanced-microphone-manufacturing-hub-gives-competitive-edge-to-audio-equipment-industry-in-pearl-river-delta-300318805.html SOURCE Enping Administration for Industry and Commerce

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[August 28, 2016] Veritas Launches Resiliency Platform 2.0 Boosting VMware Integration to Power Single-Click Resiliency Across Complex, Hybrid Environments

SINGAPORE, Aug. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Veritas Technologies, the leader in information management, today announced the release of Veritas Resiliency Platform 2.0, featuring a built-in VMware certified data mover that achieves a significantly lower Recovery Point Objective (RPO) compared to VMware's native data mover VMware vSphere Replication. Resiliency Platform empowers organizations to maintain critical business uptime across complex, multi-platform and multi-vendor private, public and hybrid cloud environments by delivering predictability for all resiliency operations, including workload migration, failover, failback, data protection, and non-disruptive recovery testing. The built-in data mover in Resiliency Platform 2.0 simplifies the management of critical services' uptime by integrating seamlessly into VMware environments, so organizations can gain greater benefits from their existing VMware investments. In addition, organizations can achieve increased benefits from other IT investments with Resiliency Platform's support for industry-leading high availability solutions, 3rd party hardware-based data movers and other virtualization platforms such as Microsoft Hyper-V. The new built-in data mover in 2.0 further strengthens Veritas' commitment to empower organizations to architect their IT postures with freedom of choice. "Hybrid cloud architectures are the new norm as organizations move beyond their traditional on-premise data centers into the cloud," said Mike Palmer, GM/SVP at Veritas. "Resiliency Platform 2.0 helps businesses ensure resiliency for their critical business applications and associated data across their constantly evolving IT environments with a single solution no matter what the underlyng technologies are."



Predictably managing business uptime in a 24x7 world is a major issue as applications are often running across multiple platforms, operating systems as well as rely on various storage vendors for hosting application data. The Enterprise Strategy Group states that 51% of organizations have a downtime tolerance of less than 1 hour, but only 22% of them have the assurance that they can recover predictably with over a 90% success rate for their recovery tests1. In some cases business applications may even have individual tiers running in different locations. In such complex environments relying on manual processes, spreadsheets or point tools to manage resiliency leads to a lack of centralized visibility, inefficiencies, unpredictability and most importantly  an increased risk of downtime. With this new release, Resiliency Platform 2.0 allows organizations to implement a business resiliency strategy that provides predictability in meeting Service Level Objectives like Recovery Time Objectives and Recovery Point Objectives across complex, multi-platform and multi-vendor private, public and hybrid cloud environments. Key capabilities of Resiliency Platform 2.0 include:

Ease of management for business resiliency across multi-platform, multi-vendor environments with a single solution

Comprehensive visibility via a single dashboard into real-time health of all applications, virtual machines, multi-tier business services and data movers across sites

Lower RPOs and flexibility of data mover choice with new VMware certified built-in data mover

Predictability of meeting RTOs and RPOs via automation and orchestration for all resiliency operations The latest release of Resiliency Platform helps ensure that businesses can meet their Service Level Objectives for all their business applications, whether they need to protect their most mission-critical applications from any downtime or less-critical systems from extended downtime. Learn more about the Veritas Resiliency Platform here. We'll be showcasing this technology and more at VMworld 2016 in Las Vegas. Please visit Booth # 849 or contact us to setup a demo. About Veritas Technologies Veritas Technologies enables organizations to harness the power of their information, with information management solutions serving the world's largest and most complex environments. Veritas works with organizations of all sizes, including 86 percent of global Fortune 500 companies, improving data availability and revealing insights to drive competitive advantage. www.veritas.com 2016 Veritas Technologies LLC. All right reserved. Veritas and the Veritas Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Veritas Technologies LLC or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners. Media Contacts

Neritta Low / Marc Lee

Text100 Singapore

+65-6603-9000

[email protected] 1. Evolving Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Landscape Enterprise Strategy Group, Feb 2016. Logo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20150408/8521502200

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Trishuli bus accident: Police receive applications for 12 missing people

Relatives of people missing in Friday's Trishuli bus accident have been running from post to pillar to confirm whether their kin have died or are still breathing.
Trouble in Turkey

Nepal has also experienced several coups that can be taken as a blow to the country
"A woman inside the business was fatally shot by the suspect. He said that suspect, a man, committed suicide inside the business a short time later.





"KCPD Chief said police officers from all over the community responded to the scene. He said officers went into the store after the initial shooting and found the man dead. He said no officers fired any shots in the incident . . ."

The local murder count continues climb as we remain at a 7-year-murder high.Here's the best round-up reports:More deets:Developing . . .
The Greek government has failed to implement measures agreed by all parties six months ago to tackle the refugee crisis, New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis told European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos

The Greek government has failed to implement measures agreed by all parties six months ago to tackle the refugee crisis, New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis told European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos, during a meeting at the partys new offices on Friday.

Im referring to the separation between refugees and economic migrants. The need to create pre-departure centers for the return of economic migrants to their countries of origin. Im referring to the need to finally have a central planning for an organized and systematic distribution of refugees and economic migrants throughout the national territory, Mitsotakis said.

Im sorry to find that on many of the issues on which there seemed to be an agreement with the government, we have not seen the necessary progress.

On his side, Avramopoulos noted that Greece is under great pressure to tackle the issue. The refugee issue and issues of security that dominate our wider geopolitical area render Greece a main pillar of stability in the wider region. This comparative advantage must be utilized by Greece in these difficult and pressing times, he said.

The Commissioner also said he was pleased that in Greece despite public statements made from time to time, there is a common understanding on how the refugee issue and security have to be tackled.

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
The refugee flows are an international issue that requires a permanent solution in Syria, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Wednesday during a meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi in Athens.

It is an international issue and I believe that despite the difficulties, we managed to show Europes humane face. However, the most important thing in my view is to try and find a permanent solution  not of course concerning refugees  but in Syria, Tsipras said, adding that the latest developments are not so promising, AMNA reported.

According to a press release by the prime ministers office, the Greek premier also said that authorities have become more effective despite the difficulties facing the country and hailed the role of the UNHCR without whose help it would have been very difficult to overcome the problems.

The UNHCR chief, who was on a three-day tour of refugee centers in the country, thanked Greece and its government for the humanism and effectiveness with which it handled the crisis, saying the international mood is souring towards refugees. I believe we can show to the rest of Europe that this is possible and it doesnt lead to disaster, he said, referring to welcoming refugees.

Grandi also said hes pleased with the pre-registration procedure but noted that winter is coming which raises new challenges. Winter is coming, we have to organize. As I said the last time, we are really here to help you. Its complicated, but I have the belief that things are in the right path, he said.

The two men agreed to continue close cooperation on the management of refugees and noted the need to speed up relocation from Greece and Turkey and discussed the countrys role in highlighting the refugee issue during the UN meeting on refugees.

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
Nowadays, the Greek diaspora is most centrally located in Astoria, where some 20 Greek restaurants are open for business

New York City has been home to a healthy population of Greek immigrants as far back as the 1870s.

Nowadays, the Greek diaspora is most centrally located in Astoria, where some 20 Greek restaurants are open for business.

However, Greeks have lived in various parts of the city over the years, leaving their marks in the form of authentic Greek restaurants dotting the greater New York City area. Lets take a look at the 5 places that you must try next time you are in New York City, according to greekreporter.com.

1.Periyali

Periyali InteriorLocated on 35 W 20th Street, New York, NY 10011, the menu at Periyali is classic Mediterranean with prices ranging from $31 to $60, depending on what you order.

The decor isnt over-the-top Greek, but instead offers more of a subdued Mediterranean atmosphere.

One food critic on yelp.com said:

We had octopus (small portion) and meatballs (about 5 small ones) as separate appetizers. The octopus (Oktapodi Sharas) was really soft and tasted great. The sauce that it came with was really good as well. I didnt even need a knife to cut through it!

2. Plaka

Located at 406 86th St, Brooklyn, NY 11209, this diner-style joint has been in business for decades and is authentic nowadays as it was when it first opened.

Check out the raving review that a long-time patriot to Plaka wrote on Google reviews:

Ive been eating here for nearly 30 years. The food has always been fresh. The gyros and shish-ka-bob are tasty but the best is a dish called moussaka. Ive tried a dozen places, but nobody makes it like Plaka does.

3. Gregorys 26 Corner Taverna

Located at 26-02 23rd Ave (26 Street), Astoria, NY 11105, this restaurant is known for its authentic plates such as zucchini fritters, fried salt-cod with garlicky skordalia, and fresh fish brought straight from the Ocean to the restaurant by Long Island fishermen who are friends of the owner.

The quaint atmosphere makes you feel like you are visiting a Greek relative for holidays and is very inviting.

NYCA foodie on foursquare.com said:

A true gem, definitive of Astoria. Always get the fresh fish. Its right off the boat, whole, and grilled. Alsolemon potatoes, yum!

4. Zenon Taverna

Owner Stelios Papageorgiou fled Cyprus as the Turkish military invaded his village as a part of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.

A mere three years after arriving in the USA he started Zenon Taverna. Located at 34-10 31st Ave, Astoria, NY 11106, this is a place you must stop by and see for yourself!

The taverna serves up a variety of Cypriot dishes and offers a mural-filled atmosphere, making you feel as though you are in a small village on Cyprus.

A review on Google says: This is the best place in Astoria for Authentic Cypriot food. Great service [with] a cozy and village style atmosphere. The food is fresh and delicious. A must if you love Greek and Cypriot food.

5. Pylos

Located at 128 E 7th St, New York, NY 10009, Pylos offers a more posh alternative to a night out, as the menu is a little pricey.

One food critic on tripadvisor.com explains why it is worth the price tag and why this popular reactant is somewhere that you want to check out, just be sure to make reservations in advance!

I have been coming to this restaurant since 2005. It is really one of the best restaurants in the East Village which is why it is still around after so many years, and still constantly full! This serves the most original Greek food Ive had in NYC (including Astoria!). Everything is delicious. It is on the expensive sidebut worth it.

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

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Antonio Fajardo i Lopez License: CC-BY-SA
Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit landlocked Laos, where the United States waged a "secret war" while fighting in Vietnam

The secretive communist government of Laos, a country with a population of less than 7 million, rarely causes a ripple on the diplomatic circuit. And yet its sleepy capital will spring to life next week when global leaders arrive for an Asian summit.

Barack Obama will be among them, making the last push of his presidency to 'rebalance' Washington's foreign policy toward Asia, a strategy widely seen as a response to China's economic and military muscle-flexing across the region.

The might of Laos' giant neighbor to the north is hard to miss in Vientiane: wealthy Chinese driving SUVs overtake tuk-tuks sputtering along the roads and Chinese-backed hotels sprout from noisy construction sites in one of Asia's most low-rise cities.

But diplomats say Obama could be pushing on an open door in Laos, thanks to a change of government there in April.

They say the country's new leaders appear ready to tilt away from Beijing and lean more closely toward another neighbor, Vietnam, whose dispute with China over the South China Sea has pushed it into a deepening alliance with the United States.

"The new government is more influenced by the Vietnamese than the Chinese," said a Western diplomat in Southeast Asia." "It's never too late for a U.S. president to visit."

Obama will become the first sitting U.S. president to visit landlocked Laos, where the United States waged a "secret war" while fighting in Vietnam, dropping an estimated two million tonnes of bombs on the country. About 30 percent of the ordnance failed to explode, leaving a dangerous and costly legacy.

Laos has strategic importance to both Vietnam and China. Vietnam has a long land border with Laos that gives it access to markets in Thailand and beyond. For China, Laos is a key gateway to Southeast Asia in its "new Silk Road" trade strategy.

Laos, which is developing a series of hydro power plants along one of the world's longest rivers, the Mekong, aims to become "the battery of Asia" by selling power to its neighbors.

Source: Reuters

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






Qatars Doha Bank recently opened a branch in Kochi in the Indian state of Kerala.



Keralas Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the branch at Lulu International Shopping Mall in Edapally.



Dr R Seetharaman, CEO, Doha Bank, said: The IMF July 2016 outlook had revised global growth down to 3.1 per cent in 2016, mainly on account of Brexit concerns. The outlook has worsened for advanced economies to 1.8 per cent in 2016 while it remains at 4.1 per cent for emerging market and developing economies. In an environment of anaemic growth, the global economy faces pronounced risks, including a slowdown in major emerging markets, sharp changes in financial market sentiment, stagnation in advanced economies and struggle in revival of commodity prices.



According to UNCTAD, Global Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flows rose in 2015 by 36 per cent to reach an estimated US$ 1.7 trillion. FDI flows to developed countries in 2015 reached at US$ 936 billion. Developing economies saw their FDI reaching US$ 741 billion. Flows to transition economies continued to fall to US$ 22bn as tumbling international commodities prices and regional conflicts undercut FDI. FDI inflows into India exceeded $55 billion in the financial year that ended in March 2016, Dr Seetharaman said.



Indian economy is expected to grow by 7.4 per cent in 2016-17. The drop in oil price could ease the pressure on Indias current account deficit and fiscal deficit. Indias Consumer prices rose 6.07 per cent from a year earlier in July 2016.India had cleared the Goods and Services Tax (GST) bill recently and expects it to be fully implemented by April 1st 2017.



Kerala has aimed at an average growth rate 9.5 per cent in 2016-17. Its strategic location on the trans-national trade corridor, rich natural resources, and simple and transparent procedures make the state favourably suited for investments in major sectors such as tourism, IT/ITeS, manufacturing and mining. Rs. 5,000 crore has been allotted for infrastructure projects in the recent state budget.



The SmartCity project in Kochi is expected to be completed by 2020.The State Tourism Department is developing eco-friendly, rural tourism packages in Kumarakom, Wayanad, Kovalam and Muziris heritage circuit. The electronic hub proposed at Kochi is a prestigious project of the Government of Kerala to promote electronic hardware manufacturing and assembling units and research and development (R&D) centres, and to support infrastructure for the same, he added.



Dr Seetharaman highlighted on Qatar economy and major bilateral relationships with India. He said: Qatar economy expected to rise by 3.9 per cent in 2016. Construction is expected to lead growth in 2016 and is projected to expand by 9.9 per cent. GCC  India bilateral trade is close to $100bn in 2015-16 out of which Qatar- India bilateral trade is close to $10bn. There is a large market for Qatars LNG, oil and petrochemical sectors in India.



In Dec 2015 RasGas Company and Petronet LNG Limited have entered into a binding sale and purchase agreement (SPA) for the supply of an additional one million tons per annum of LNG to India starting in 2016. RasGas delivered a liquefied natural gas cargo to Indias Petronet at its new LNG Terminal located in Kochi. In May 2013 Qatar bought a 5 per cent stake in Indian telecom company Bharti Airtel for $1.26 billion. Many Indian Companies such as L&T, Tata Projects, Voltas and Punj Lloyd have been actively participating in the various projects in Qatar.



Dr Seetharaman also highlighted the significant contribution of the SME sector in GCC. He said: In UAE SMEs contribute to over 60 per cent of the GDP and provide around 86 per cent of the employment in the private sector.



SMEs can participate in Qatars non- hydrocarbon diversification. Kerala has identified various SME clusters for its development. SMEs are from sectors such as food processing industry, handlooms, textiles and garments, rubber, wood-based industries, Ayurveda and herbal & cosmetics. Keralas SME and IT sectors can contribute to its economic growth better, he added.



As part of the inauguration an investors conference on Kerala-Qatar Investment Opportunities was also held, which witnessed participation of major investors and SMEs from Kerala and GCC and Doha Bank officials.  TradeArabia News Service
Net foreign assets at Saudi Arabia's central bank fell to $555 billion in July, down $6 billion from the previous month, as the government drew on reserves to cover a budget deficit caused by low oil prices, official data showed on Sunday.



Assets shrank by 16 percent from a year earlier to their lowest level since February 2012. They reached a record high of $737 billion in August 2014 before starting to fall.



The assets are believed to be mainly denominated in US dollars, in the form of securities such as U.S. Treasury bonds and deposits with banks abroad.



Those deposits fell by $8 billion from the previous month to $125 billion in July, but holdings of foreign securities rose by $2 billion to $371 billion after shrinking for 10 straight months. The central bank did not disclose details of its securities purchases.



The government has also been borrowing domestically and abroad to cover part of its deficit, which totalled nearly $100 billion last year.



Bankers expect it to conduct its first international bond issue to raise about $10 billion or more by the end of October. - Reuters
Was wonderful to perform in US: Sidharth Malhotra

Bollywood actor Sidharth Malhotra, who recently toured the US for Dream Team dance tour, is more than overwhelmed by the positive feedback he received. He says it was a memorable experience.
Seventy-three per cent of professionals in the UAE would prefer to be self-employed, due to reasons such as personal fulfilment (50 per cent), freedom to choose work-life balance (46 per cent), and the ability to be their own boss (35 per cent), a report said.



On the other hand, over a quarter of respondents (23 per cent) said that they would prefer to seek employment in a company, as opposed to setting up their own business, according to the survey titled Entrepreneurship in the Mena conducted by Bayt.com, a leading job site in the Middle East, in association with with YouGov, a pioneer in online market research.



Based on the study, over two thirds (68 per cent) of employed UAE professionals are contemplating starting their own business, while 11 per cent have already attempted to do so in the past but either could not do so or failed to do so. Another 11 per cent also admitted that they had never thought of starting their own business.



The route to entrepreneurial success in the UAE



When it comes to the best time to start a business, it seems that mid-career (45 per cent) and at any time (40 per cent) are the most popular times among UAE professionals. Other respondents believe that the right time to set up a business is either after a lengthy career (9 per cent) or right after college (5 per cent).



Regardless of the best time to start a business, not being afraid of failure is by far the best advice to give to aspiring UAE entrepreneurs (44 per cent). Other important tips include: performing an extensive amount of market research (15 per cent), having a great business plan (10 per cent), having a great marketing plan (10 per cent), and having a great business idea (7 per cent).



As for the best industries for entrepreneurship, UAE respondents feel that Hospitality and Leisure (19 per cent), Advertising/Marketing/Public relations (13 per cent), and Architecture and Engineering (13 per cent) are the most favourable options for aspiring entrepreneurs. This is followed by Communications/Information Technology (12 per cent), and Finance/Insurance/Real Estate (11 per cent).



To ensure business continuity and success, respondents cite three key factors, including being close to clients or customers (37 per cent), employing the right people (23 per cent), and innovation (18 per cent).



Challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the UAE



Professionals in the UAE who have tried to start a business in the past but couldnt or failed to do so faced certain challenges which prevented them from success. Finances are a common theme amongst respondents when it comes to listing their business concerns.



Over half of UAE respondents (54 per cent) claim that the uncertainty of profit/income is a top concern, followed by procuring the finances to start (48 per cent), the need to establish the right contacts (33 per cent), hiring the wrong people (32 per cent), and the need to put in a lot of time, energy and effort (30 per cent).



Almost half of the employed respondents (47 per cent) claim that it is difficult to start a business in the UAE. In addition, almost two thirds (63 per cent) agree that easing the law and regulations for setting up a business would immensely improve the UAEs entrepreneurial landscape. This is followed by facilitating access to skilled labour (12 per cent), reducing taxation (11 per cent), and regulating competition among businesses (11 per cent).



Entrepreneurship has been a proven driver of both economic activity and innovation in the UAE, which is why the government should take note of the fact that laws and regulations with regards to starting a business are amongst the top concerns for locally-based entrepreneurs, said Suhail Masri, VP of Employer Solutions, Bayt.com.



We believe collaboration is a top priority for the public and private sector, as well as professionals looking for a job. In an effort to provide a channel for cooperation and exchange, Bayt.com offers Bayt.com Specialities, a platform where established business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs in the UAE can share knowledge and interact before making the decision to work together. The website also provides special hiring packages to new business owners looking to hire top talents.



Our database of more than 25.7 million job seekers enables us to offer new start-ups access to the best and most varied pool of candidates in the Middle East to help them meet their hiring needs and grow their business, he added.



Arleen Gonsalves, associate research manager said: Despite many challenges, entrepreneurship is fast emerging as a transformational megatrend in the UAE providing both a personal sense of fulfilment and the ability to be your own boss. It also plays a vital role in the economic development as a key contributor to innovation and new job opportunities. There is a long way to go to reach a mature entrepreneurial landscape in the UAE, but the opportunities are sufficiently large and with better support from the government it will further accelerate the trend.  TradeArabia News Service
Iraq is willing to play an active role within Opec to support oil prices but will not sacrifice its goal of expanding market share and will continue to ramp up output, its oil minister said on Saturday.



Jabar Ali al-Luaibi, on a visit to the southern oil city of Basra, renewed calls for local and international oil companies in Iraq to increase production and announced plans to double crude storage capacity at the country's southern export terminals to 24 million barrels in the "coming years" from 12 million barrels currently.



"The ministry has new ambitious plans to develop the oil sector," he told reporters. "Among them, the most important is to increase crude output to reach a level that suits Iraq's needs; we don't want to specify a ceiling for future production like in the past."



Luaibi, who became oil minister this month, said Iraq wants to "strengthen Opec's role in achieving a balance in the oil market," but his comments on continuing to increase output suggested it was not looking to take part in a possible agreement to freeze output.



"Iraq is seeking to play an active role in order to support oil prices while preserving a share that is proportionate to its reserves," Luaibi said.



Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries are due to meet informally in Algeria next month on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF). Russia is also expected to attend the IEF.



Iraq's production currently stands at around 4.6 to 4.7 million barrels per day for the whole country, including the self-rule Kurdish region in northern Iraq, Luaibi said.



Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Tuesday said the country has not yet reached its full oil market share, suggesting his government is not willing to restrain crude output.



Opec's second-largest producer, trailing Saudi Arabia, Iraq depends on oil sales for 95 percent of its public spending. Its economy is reeling under the double impact of low oil prices and the rising cost of the war on Islamic State militants.



The government has invited international oil companies to express interest in the country's plan to expand four of its refineries, oil ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said separately on Saturday.



The government would consider investment offers on a build-own-operate or build-operate-transfer basis for the refineries, which are located in Kirkuk, in northern Iraq, and the southern regions of Samawa, Kut and Basra, the spokesman said.



Sources in Opec and the oil industry this week told Reuters that Iran, Opec's third-largest producer, was sending positive signals that it may support joint action to prop up the oil market.



Tehran refused to join an attempt in April to freeze output at January levels, scuppering those talks because Saudi Arabia said it wanted all producers to join the initiative.  Reuters
National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) will sign two or three contracts based on the new model by March next year, the company deputy managing director said.



Gholamreza Manouchehri added that he expected amendments to the new model of oil contracts to be approved by the cabinet this week, reported Iran Daily, citing Mehr News Agency.



Following the approval of the framework, NIOC will consider tender documents, he added.






Opec's share of the oil market is at a good level, United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail bin Mohammed Al-Mazroui said as the producer group continues to contend with low crude prices.



"Regardless of the different views on the oil market, we see that the Opec current market share is at a good level," Mazroui said on his official Twitter account on Saturday.



Al-Mazroui also said he believed that any future decision on oil production would require full participation from all members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus other major producers.



"We acknowledge and understand the market challenges, but in my view our sector is resilient to overcome it and achieve stability soon," Al-Mazroui added without elaborating.



Opec members will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria from September 26 to 28.



Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih told Reuters last week that he does not believe significant intervention in oil markets is necessary at this time. - Reuters
US carrier JetBlue Airways will makes the first regular commercial flight between the US and Cuba next week, after more than half a century, said a report.



Authorities in Cuba made the announcement on Thursday, saying, the inaugural flight on August 31 is the first of its kind since the early 1960s and is due to take off from Fort Lauderdale in the US state of Florida and land in the central Cuban city of Santa Clar, ETurboNews reported.



"The revival of regular direct flights is a positive step and a contribution to the process of improving relations between the two countries," Cuban Deputy Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodriguez said to local media.



The move is to initiate a new flight schedule which includes 110 daily trips, with 90 already authorised by both governments to nine Cuban airports.



Twenty daily routes to Havana are pending, with airlines requesting the US authorities to triple that number, Rodriguez added.



The US and Cuba restored diplomatic relations on July 20, 2015, but the US continues to maintain its commercial, economic, and financial embargo, which makes it illegal for US corporations to do business with Cuba.
The UAE's Ministry of Economy will hold its Tourism Leadership Programme from October 30 to November 3, 2016, in collaboration with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and Themis Foundation.



The programme falls under the framework of the Emirates Host initiative launched recently by the Ministry which aims to enhance the capabilities of the tourism sector and support the preparation of a strategic integrated five-year development plan. The plan will raise the efficiency of the UAEs tourism workforce, improve service levels, and build local capacities.



Eng Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, minister of Economy, said: The development of the tourism sector and the enhancement of its contributions to the national economy are among the main pillars supporting economic diversification and promoting policies for a post-oil economy.



The minister also emphasised that the ministry will continue to work on developing a national tourism strategy that covers plans, initiatives and programs at the federal and local levels over the next five years. The strategy will promote and market UAE as a tourism destination by creating a unified destination identity and supporting and strengthening each emirates unique tourism potentials.



For his part, Mohammed Khamis Al Muhairi, undersecretary at the Ministry of Economy, added that the ministry is coordinating with the UN World Tourism Organization and Themis Foundation, which is responsible for implementing training and education programmes, to prepare an extensive tourism training plan during the coming period which will include many of the training programs and interactive workshops tailored for citizens working in the tourism sector.



The Tourism Leadership Programme is an intensive training course focused on strengthening the foundations of leadership and communication in tourism through theoretical and practical approaches. - TradeArabia News Service
Qatar Airways has announced that it will operate 20 flights per week to and from Riyadh starting September 1, increasing its services by more than 40 per cent.



Passengers travelling into and out of Saudi Arabia will benefit from greater connectivity to the award-winning airlines extensive network of more than 150 destinations via its state-of-the-art hub at Hamad International Airport in Doha.



This news follows the announcement that the Doha-based airline is increasing its flights to Madinah to three daily services, from the beginning of September. Qatar Airways now serves eight cities in Saudi Arabia and with the recent increase to four daily services to Jeddah will operate a total of 143 flights a week.



Qatar Airways senior vice president commercial GCC, Levant, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Africa Ehab Amin said: Increasing our capacity to Riyadh, on top of our recently announced frequency increases to Jeddah and Medina, reflects the importance of Saudi Arabia to Qatar Airways. We are proud to serve eight destinations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and to sponsor Saudi Premier League winners, Al-Ahli Saudi Arabia FC.



Increasing the number of Qatar Airways flights to Riyadh means Saudi travellers have more convenient access to our rapidly expanding global network. The increased capacity will boost the amount of First Class seats available between Riyadh and Doha, so more passengers from Saudi Arabia can enjoy our award-winning premium service as well as the ultimate in luxury and elegance in the skies.



From September 1, 2016, Qatar Airways will add a third daily flight every day except Tuesday, offering an increase from 14 to 20 flights weekly.



Now in its 19th year of operations, Qatar Airways operates a modern fleet of 190 aircraft flying to more than 150 key business and leisure destinations across six continents.

This year travellers will continue to see the airline expand its global reach, with over a dozen new destinations to explore. So far in 2016, the airline has launched routes to Los Angeles (US), Ras Al Khaimah (UAE), Sydney (Australia), Boston (US), Birmingham (UK), Adelaide (Australia), Yerevan (Armenia), Atlanta (US), Marrakech (Morocco) and Pisa (Italy).

New routes including Windhoek (Namibia), Helsinki (Finland), Krabi (Thailand), and Seychelles will follow later in the year. - TradeArabia News Service
Woman raped at knifepoint

A 36-year-old man from Bajhogara has been arrested on charge of raping a neighbour woman in Dharan.
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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 27

Lt Gen Surinder Singh, tipped to take over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Chandimandir-based Western Command, has been attached to the Deputy Chief of Army Staffs branch at Army Headquarters on a supernumerary post till the time he takes over as the Western Army Commander.

Lt Gen Surinder Singh, an officer from the Brigade of The Guards, was the GOC, 33 Corps, at Sukna near Siliguri. Lt Gen SK Jha is taking over from him. Another officer, Lt Gen DR Soni, is tipped to be elevated as Army Commander, and is expected to move to Shimla to head the Army Training Command, whose present chief, Lt Gen PM Hariz is said to move as the Southern Army Commander.

Lt Gen Bipin Rawat, present Southern Army Commander, will move as Vice Chief of Army Staff when the incumbent retires at the end of this month.

Lt Gen JS Cheema, GOC, 11 Corps, at Jalandhar has been officiating as the Western Army Commander since August 1, when Lt Gen KJ Singh retired. Lt Gen Cheema would be moving to Army Headquarters as Director General Infantry after handing over charge to Lt Gen BS Sehrawat.

Both Lt Gen Cheema and Lt Gen Surinder Singh are of 1979 seniority and became corps commanders at roughly the same time about a year ago. These movements are part of a series of postings of lieutenant generals in command as well as staff appointments, many of which had been pending for some time.

A delay of about a month in issuing posting orders of several top rung officers, including army commanders and corps commanders, is highly unusual on the part of the Ministry of Defence and Army Headquarters.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 27

A six-month-old girl was allegedly kidnapped while her mother was caught up in the queue to give the blood sample of her elder daughter in Hindu Rao Hospital in North Delhi this morning.

Police said that the CCTV cameras in the hospital were not functioning and they could not get any footage for clues to track the baby identified as Atifa, a charge denied by North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) which runs the hospital.

The infant went missing from the hospital today around 8.15 am when her mother Rehana handed her to another lady.

Atifas mother had gone to the hospital for the blood test of her elder daughter. Since Atifa was crying, the lab assistant suggested her mother to hand over the kid to the lady who was in front of her. Within a few minutes of giving her child to the lady, she found that her daughter and the lady were missing, said a senior police officer.

In her complaint, Atifas mother has said the hospital didnt take quick action when she raised a hue and cry about her missing daughter and only made a PCR call at 8.59 am, the officer said. According to Atifas mother, the woman who kidnapped her daughter was wearing a red bindi and a huge nose pin.

We have flashed the information with the details of the lady and the kid at all metro stations, railway stations, ISBT and all PCR vans across the city, said the officer.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 27

The BJP today challenged the Delhi AAP government to put up the CAG report in the public domain and said if the government failed to announce the special session of the Delhi Assembly to table the report in the House, the saffron party would call a lok vidhan sabha at Jantar Mantar.

Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay said he would approach various RWAs of Delhi to apprise them of the CAG report, which had exposed the misuse of public funds by the Arvind Kejriwal government.

Addressing a joint conference with leader of opposition in the Assembly Vijender Gupta, the state Delhi BJP president said since 2010 till yesterday, people of Delhi had repeatedly heard Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia saying that for them, the CAG report was like a religious scripture. They had always promised transparent governance, he said.

Strangely, today, the CM and the Deputy CM are not only running away from placing the report before people, but the Deputy CM has also shown his frustration by saying it is a matter of inquiry as to how the CAG report has come to the knowledge of Vijender Gupta, said Upadhyay.

He said the reason behind governments frustration was that the report could convince the people about the Kejriwal governments misuse of public money.

Gupta also said CAG had forwarded its Audit Report to the Delhi Government on the financial irregularities during 2015-16, but Manish Sisodia did not submit the report before the House and twice lied that the report had not been received by the government. The report was not tabled in the House, though according to the rules it must have been, he said.

He further said the government was avoiding submitting the report in the House in order to cover up its scams, but the BJP would not allow it to happen.
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 28

Facing pressure to bring the situation back to normal in the Valley, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said she never wanted to sit on the chair but did it to fulfil the commitment made by his father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

We (PDP and BJP) joined to put an end to the violence erupting every now and then, Mehbooba said after inaugurating the Ujala scheme for the state here today.

Mehbooba said she never thought beyond her father when it came to sitting on the CMs chair. I wanted him to change the fortunes of the state but after his death, I had to fulfil his commitment, she said, adding that people got angry over her decision of allying with the BJP.

Mehbooba is under tremendous pressure over continuous curfew and shutdown for the past 51 days in the Valley after militant commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter.

In the ongoing unrest, 70 people have been killed and thousands have been injured. Her government hasnt been able to pacify the protesters, including youth aged 10 to 15 years, who according to her, used to accompany her during her public rallies.

The Chief Minister landed in Jammu today after meeting the Prime Minister in New Delhi on Saturday where she called for initiating a dialogue with people who want a peaceful solution of the issue.

Mehbooba wanted Prime Minister Narendra Modi to adopt former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees policy towards Kashmir by acting like a bigger player to address the issue and at the same time felt that if the issue was not solved during Modis tenure, it would never be solved.

Modi Saheb has got the big mandate of people of the country and if we want to solve this issue, we will have to adopt Vajpayees policy, she said. Pakistan will have to reply with friendship and toe Vajpayees line to resolve the issue, Mehbooba added.
Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 28

Protesting Kashmiri Pandit employees, who have been employed under the Prime Ministers package, have urged the BJP to clear its stand on their issue after the party set up a four-member committee to present its report to the Central government.

A statement issued by the All Migrant Employees Association (AMEA), a representative body of more than 2,000 Pandit youth who returned to the Valley in 2010 to start their life afresh, said they had urged the government to take a decision about their future.

The committee constituted by the BJP is yet to give any assurance to us. It should issue an official statement regarding what are the plans of the government till the condition returns to normalcy in the Valley, said the statement.

Employees have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to redress their concerns and meet their demands, keeping in view the problems faced by them in the Valley.

Meanwhile, the peaceful protest of the employees entered its 40th day today. Hundreds of employees, who shifted from the Valley after their transit camps were subjected to intense stone-throwing by mobs, have been protesting in Jammu.

Their key demands are adjustment of employees outside Kashmir, appointment of a nodal officer to resolve their problems and release of pending salaries.

The cold-hearted attitude of the state and Central governments towards our demands is a major disappointment for us. We gave several representations to the government regarding our issues but unfortunately it has turned a blind eye towards our problems, said the statement.

The employees are also feeling dejected as they were not allowed to meet Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, who recently came to the Kashmir valley to interact with various political and social organisations. They said most of the youth who returned in 2010 are part of society in Kashmir and their views needs to be taken into consideration before finding solution to the problems facing the Valley.
Seema Kaul

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 27

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today told Prime Minister Narendra Modi it was imperative that the Kashmiris trusted those initiating the peace dialogue. A press statement by the J&K Government later in the day said the CM suggested the involvement of separatists and Pakistan in a substantive dialogue to resolve the Kashmir tangle.

During the hour-long meeting, her first with Modi since the unrest broke out in the Valley on July 8, Mehbooba laid out a three-pronged action plan for resolving the Kashmir issue, said official sources, without giving any details. A PTI report said the plan included facilitating the visit of an all-party delegation to the Valley next week, a possible change of Governor and appointing an interlocutor to hold talks with all stakeholders.

Mehbooba said, all parties, including Hurriyat leaders, should come forward for parleys. Pointing out that she had been in power for barely two months, the 57-year-old CM appealed to those protesting on the streets to give her a chance to address their concerns.

Addressing the media later, Mehbooba said: I have hope that when the PM says there will be dialogue, it will involve everyone. The people of Kashmir should trust those who begin the dialogue. Only then their message will be received well.

Seeking that the political process initiated by the then Vajpayee-NDA government be revived, she said: We shall have to pick up the threads from where we left (in 2005). Reiterating that 95% people in Kashmir wanted lasting peace, Mehbooba said Indian democracy allowed space and freedom to the Kashmiri people to live in peace and with dignity.

Appealing to Pakistan, she said if it had any sympathy for the Kashmiri youths, it should stop those provoking them to attack Army camps.

The Prime Minister took a positive step in inviting Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to his oath-taking ceremony and he himself paid him a visit. But all this changed after the Pathankot attacks and now when the situation in Kashmir is bad, Pakistan is provoking the youths, she said, adding peace and stability in the region was in Pakistan's interest too.

Mehbooba said the Prime Minister had assured her that the agenda of the PDP-BJP alliance, which comprised political, economic and development initiatives, would be executed in letter and spirit. With the PM promising to take the agenda forward, we will be able to come out of the cycle of bloodshed, just as Mufti Sahib had hoped for, she said.

On the all-party delegation's visit to Kashmir, the J&K Chief Minister was hopeful it would lend its ear to different shades of opinion and elicit the views of all stake-holders to find a way forward.
New Delhi, August 27

While she was in Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday attacked Pakistan and separatist leaders for inciting trouble in the state. In Srinagar later, her tone and tenor changed  from being angry to conciliatory.

During her meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in the morning, Mehbooba lashed out at Pakistan  in a first for the fiery Kashmiri politician known to have a soft spot for Islamabad. But after she reached Srinagar, her office issued a statement painting a more placatory picture.

The statement said during her talks with Modi, she had advocated a "reconciliatory" approach towards separatists as well as Pakistan for peace in Kashmir.

"Mehbooba outlined a three-pronged action plan before the Prime Minister for the resolution of the Kashmir issue, including involvement of separatists and Pakistan in a substantive dialogue, to work out a solution to the problem in the light of the contemporary geopolitical realities," the statement quoted the CM as saying.

However, when she addressed the media in Delhi after her 45-minute meeting with Modi, she came out strongly against Pakistan, accusing it of creating the trouble in Kashmir.  IANS
Arun Joshi

Delhi is looking for a permanent and lasting solution to problems in Jammu and Kashmir within the framework of the Constitution. It seems to be a straightforward statement, but in reality it is full of complexities. This time, the problem is an unending cycle of violence on Kashmirs streets, where the protesters come out with stones, defying the shutdown calls of the separatist camp and curfew imposed by the authorities.

The separatists have ignored this defiance. It may be a part of their overground or secretive strategy or sheer helplessness against the new angry generation charting its own course in the absence of a firm leadership. The situation on the ground suggests that either part of it could be true. The fact remains that stone-throwing protests, clashes and the killings and injuries are the visibly grim realities of Kashmir even after more than 50 days of unrest, which some have started calling an uprising.

Violence on the streets has left 70 dead and thousands more injured. This unfortunate status indicates that the separatist camp is complicit one way or the other in the whole bloodletting unrest, and the tragedy is that the other side  security forces and the government  have not been able to deal with the protesters in an expected manner. That the protesters could march in thousands, overwhelm and attack the security forces and police camps suggests that there were some fault lines which were not rectified in time.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

So, the Centre will have to think from where to take the first step, especially when the mainstream has deliberately rendered itself irrelevant.

They all, ruling and opposition leaders, have knocked the doors of Delhi to rescue them  the call for a dialogue and political solution is a cover to their real objective of staying relevant.

Here, lies the difference  nobody on the streets is suggesting that the talks be held with Mehbooba Mufti or Omar Abdullah or for that matter any other mainstream leaders, who at times sound more secessionists than the secessionists themselves. In contrast, the occasional voices from the streets pitch for talks with the Hurriyat Conference. The clamour for adopting UN resolutions, plebiscite and involving Pakistan in talks has been reduced to cliches as the ground reality is known that India would never leave Kashmir, and Pakistan will not part with the territory occupied by it. Then, where is the real problem and the solution thereof.

Delhi, too, is clueless about Kashmir, for the simple reason that it has considered it as a remote area from the core of the national thought. Mere expression that Kashmir is at the core of the Indian nation doesnt help. If it is the core then why are there prolonged spells of slumber before the flames leap out of the Valley? Pakistans mischief apart, what has the Centre done to undo the distrust between Delhi and Srinagar?

Legally, the state has its own constitution, separate flag, and special position in the Indian Constitution. Whatever might have been said or written at the time of the framing of the Indian Constitution, the fact is that the identity crisis of Kashmir has deepened over the decades. There were chances-cum-opportunities to build on the peace constituency, howsoever small it was, but it existed even in the dark days of the 1990s.

Today, there is darkness alone. Miracles dont take place on their own, even for that some ground should be there. Pakistan should be dealt with in the manner  honourable or otherwise  depending on the behaviour of the neighbouring country. But our people need compassion. May be that is the starting point.
New Delhi, August 28

Home Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to lead the all-party delegation which will visit Jammu and Kashmir on September 3 even as the state continues to be on edge.

As unrest in the Kashmir Valley continued for the 51st consecutive day today, the Home Minister reviewed the situation with top BJP and government functionaries.

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Singh went into a huddle with BJP president Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh and discussed with them the modalities of the all-party delegation's visit.

Sources said the meeting discussed possible individuals and groups with whom the delegation may interact.

The government has sounded out different political parties to convey the names of their representatives who will be part of the delegation.

When asked about what transpired at the meeting, Jitendra Singh refused to elaborate, only telling reporters that "Rajnath Singh is a senior leader and we have come for 'Margdarshan' (guidance)".

The meeting came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the Kashmir situation in his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on All India Radio and a day after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met him.

The Kashmir Valley has been gripped by unrest ever since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.  PTI
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Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 28

Vice-President Hamid Ansari is likely to represent India at the upcoming Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit in Venezuela to be held from September 13-18. While Venezuela was very keen on having Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the Summit, sources informed The Tribune that the chances of the PM attending the NAM Summit are low.

Initially it was being debated that perhaps External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj would represent India at the Summit but sources point out that the minister is going to have a busy month in September as she travels to New York to represent India at the United Nations General Assembly session. Hence, the choice falls to the Vice-President.

Modi has distanced himself from NAM and its policy of non-alignment and does not want to be seen at a Summit which has strong anti-US tones. Under Modi, foreign policy has moved closer to aligning itself with the US and also sources privy to the developments point out that Modi has no desire to associate himself with a policy that is a Nehruvian concept.

Jawaharlal Nehru was among the founding fathers of the NAM. Indonesias first president Sukarno, Egypts president Nasser, Ghanas first president Kwame Nkrumah and Yugoslavias president Josip Broz Tito were the other world leaders who got together, during the period of Cold War, and gave life to an organisation where non-alignment become a major foreign policy instrument. In 2012, Dr Manmohan Singh attended the Summit in Tehran despite US objections to it.
Beijing, August 28

An influential Chinese think tank has warned that China will have "to get involved" if any Indian "plot" disrupts the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in restive Balochistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to Balochistan in his Independence Day speech is the "latest concern" for China and among its scholars, Hu Shisheng, the Director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), said in a freewheeling interview.

The researcher, at one of China's most powerful think tanks, which is affiliated with the Ministry of State Security, also said India's growing military ties with the US and its changed attitude on the disputed South China Sea were ringing alarm bells for China.

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"The latest concern for China is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech from the Red Fort in which he referred to the issues like Kashmir (occupied by Pakistan) and Balochistan," Hu said.

"It could be regarded as a watershed moment in India's policy towards Pakistan. Why Chinese scholars are concerned is because this is for the first time India has mentioned it," he added.

Hu said China fears India may use "anti-government" elements in Pakistan's restive Balochistan, where Beijing is building the $46 billion CPEC  a key to the success of its ambitious One Road One Belt project.

"There is concern that India may take the same approach, which Indian side believe Pakistan is taking  asymmetrically using anti-government factors in Pakistan," Hu said on the expansive and leafy campus of CICIR.

"If this kind of plot causes damage to the CPEC, China will have to get involved," he said, referring to claims that India was supporting separatists in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The ongoing CPEC will connect China's largest province, Xinjiang, with Pakistan's Gwadar port in Balochistan, hit by rebels and separatists. India has strongly opposed the corridor as it will pass through Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, which it claims as its own.

Islamabad has long accused India of fomenting trouble in this region  a charge denied by New Delhi.

However, experts say Modi's reference to the region is a signal to Pakistan that New Delhi could raise tensions in the region for Pakistan's backing for terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

"This will not help Pakistan to become a normal country. And it will also further disturb India-China relations," Hu pointed out.

Hu noted the growing defence cooperation between India and the US was also a worrying factor of China.

"In the past, China was not so much concerned about India's security cooperation with other countries, especially with the US. But now Chinese scholars can feel the concern," Hu said.

He said the defence cooperation between New Delhi and Washington had increased significantly after Modi took over as Prime Minster.

He also referred to US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's visit to India in April during which both the countries agreed in principle to sign the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).

"There is renewal of defence and technological cooperation (between India and the US) for another 10 years, enhancing the cooperation under the framework of DTTI (Defence Technology and Trade Initiative)," Hu added.

"This is an alarming signal to China. It is a concern for China," the expert said.

He also said India would have to resist US and Japanese pressure to join them in countering China. "We also know that the US and Japan, as well as Australia, are very keen on getting India in their camp. They are also exerting pressure".

"They are also luring India by giving high-technology deals and advanced military weapons. It is up to India whether India can resist this kind of temptation," Hu said.

India's involvement in the South China Sea dispute was another irritant in the already strained relationship between India and China, Hu added.

"In the past, India's stand on the South China Sea was impartial. Indian is getting more and more involved. This attitude is another concern for China," Hu said. "We know that India has national interest in maintaining freedom of navigation and aviation, but China in the past has done nothing to block the so-called freedom of navigation. Our problem is with the US. We can see India is becoming more vocal in issuing joint statements with the US and Japan on the South China Sea."

The International Court of Arbitration in The Hague has rejected China's sweeping claims over the so-called Nine-Dash line  which covers almost 90 per cent of the contested South China Sea  in the strategic seaway through which more than $5 trillion in global trade passes each year.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have overlapping claims.

China, which does not recognise the courts jurisdiction, terms the verdict illegal.

India, 55 per cent of whose trade passes through the Strait of Malacca that opens into the South China Sea, has asked the parties to peacefully resolve the dispute and show utmost respect to the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea.  IANS
New Delhi, August 28

Stung by criticism from several quarters, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, over his sarcastic tweet on Jain monk Tarun Sagar's address to the Haryana Assembly, music composer and AAP supporter Vishal Dadlani on Sunday announced quitting "all active political work" but maintained it was his own decision to quit the party.

Known to be a staunch AAP supporter, Dadlani deleted the tweet and tendered an apology, saying he "made a mistake by offending the peaceful Jain community".

He also apologised to the Jain monk on Twitter.

It feel bad that I hurt my Jain friends & my friends @ArvindKejriwal & @SatyendarJain .I hereby quit all active political work/affiliation.  VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) August 27, 2016

Following Dadlani's tweet on Saturday, Kejriwal had disapproved his remark saying that "Tarun Sagarji Maharaj is a very revered saint, not just for Jains but everyone and those showing disrespect is unfortunate and should stop", while Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain sought "kshama" from him on behalf of his music composer "friend".

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Dadlani, however, maintained that he was against over-lapping of religion and governance.

The Haryana government had invited the Jain monk, who appeared in nude, to deliver a lecture 'Kadve Vachan' in the Assembly on Friday.

It feels bad that I hurt my Jain friends & my friends @ArvindKejriwal & @SatyendarJain. I hereby quit all active political work/affiliation. I apologise again, to the Jain Community, & all others offended. But I beg you all not to support religion in governance, for India's sake," Dadlani tweeted.

"I made a mistake by offending the peaceful Jain community, and I felt the only way to truly apologise, was to renounce my ego. I made a mistake, & I'm genuinely sorry. That's all," he said.

The music composer said no one, not even Kejriwal, has asked him to quit the party.

"A lot is being said against AAP because I chose to quit.

Neither Arvind, nor anyone else, asked me to quit. I make my own decisions. I just want to say, AAP is a family. Please keep faith in AK (Kejriwal) & the party! Never forget how hard AK & AAP have fought for all of us.

"AAP volunteers, stay strong & fight twice as hard. With you all, in spirit," Dadlani said in a series of tweets.

"I met Shri Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj last year. Our family regularly listens to his discourses on TV. We deeply respect him and his thoughts Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj is a very revered saint, not just for Jains but everyone. Those showing disrespect is unfortunate and should stop (sic)," Kejriwal tweeted.

"I apologise for hurting feelings of Jain community by my friend @VishalDadlani. I seek kshama from Muni Shri Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj (sic)," Jain tweeted.

Dadlani is a staunch supporter of Kejriwal in the film industry and had campaigned for the party in Delhi Assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha election.

He had composed the 'Paanch Saal Kejriwal' song, which became popular during the 2015 Delhi Assembly polls.  PTI
Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, August 28

The Gurdaspur administration is keeping a watchful eye over the situation in former Punjab convener of AAP Sucha Singh Chhotepurs home district even as the police averted a clash at two places on Sunday between pro- and anti-Kejriwal supporters.

In Dinanagar, Amandeep Singh Gill, a loyalist of Chhotepur and AAPs Gurdaspur zonal in-charge, led a march of 200 supporters to the venue where Kejriwals followers, including former cabinet minister Balbir Singh Baath, AAPs Gurdaspur observer Ankush Narang and party candidate from Fatehgarh Churian Gurvinder Singh Shampura, were holding a meeting.

A potentially-volatile situation was defused after SSP Jasdeep Singh quickly dispatched a police party which ensured that both the groups were separated by nearly 100 metre.

In Dera Baba Nanak, where a similar meeting was held today, the Batala Police, after receiving inputs about an impending clash, provided a heavy security cover at the venue.

Gurvinder Shampura is organising a rally to be addressed by AAP MP from Sangrur Bhagwant Mann at Kala Afghana village falling in Fatehgarh Churian segment on September 4.

However, Deputy Commissioner Pardeep Sabharwal said the permission will be given only after going through police reports. Sources claim that the reports are not very positive following which a nod to rally may not be given at all.

Batala SSP Daljinder Singh Dhillon said the police were awaiting more inputs before a final decision is taken on the rally.

A groundswell of support is being witnessed in favour of Chhotepur in this district which forms a part of the Gurdaspur Parliamentary seat. During the 2014 elections, Chhotepur managed to bag 1.74 lakh votes, stunning even the most seasoned of political observers. In the 2012 assembly elections, he contested from the Qadian seat, falling in this district, and bagged 17,000 votes.

Even his arch-rivals like senior SAD leader and former cabinet minister S S Sekhwan are coming out openly in Chhotepurs support.

Today, Sekhwan held a press conference in which he said, Chhotepur is one of the most honest politicians in Punjab politics. This assumes significance as during the last assembly polls, Chhotepur and Sekhwan were engaged in a bitter battle for the Qadian seat. Their verbal outbursts against each other at that time had become the talk of the town.

The Gurdaspur SSP said police were ready to crack the whip if any law and order problem erupted. Some leaders, having a past history of indulging in violence are under watch, he added.
Chandigarh, August 28

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday requested Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to initiate a probe into the funding of AAP allegedly by extremist elements abroad which aims to destabilise the state ahead of assembly elections next year.

Sukhbir, in a letter to Rajnath Singh, requested him to launch an immediate investigation into the huge amount of money being received by AAP from radical elements residing in North America, Europe and Australia.

Sukhbir, who also holds the Home portfolio in the state claimed, A thorough investigation into the money trail would unravel and expose those trying to disturb the hard won peace of Punjab through incidents of sacrilege and violence.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal had virtually revived the radical groups who had been completely marginalised in the state by initiating a dialogue with them, he alleged in the letter.

According to our information, an understanding was reached that AAP would hand over SGPC to radical Sikhs in lieu of support from them to win the polls, Sukhbir alleged, adding under this understanding radical elements collected under one fold to organise a so called Sarbat Khalsa conference to open a front against SAD.

Asserting that AAPs Delhi MLA Naresh Yadav is an accused in a sacrilege incident in Malerkotla, the Deputy Chief Minister claimed the state government has intelligence that radical elements were behind a number of other sacrilege incidents in the state.

Sukhbir said he had conveyed this information to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval earlier and is following up this with this letter as there is a real threat to Punjab due to the support being given to the radical groups and their cause by AAP leaders.  PTI
Pushpa Girimaji

For Raksha Bandhan, I sent my brother in Chennai, an expensive rakhi. It was a thin, 14-carat gold band, beautifully designed. I had spent an entire day searching for it. And I sent it a week in advance so that it reaches him before Raksha Bandhan. However, to my great disappointment, it never reached him. The courier company says that on my complaint, they traced the package, but it was open and the gold rakhi was missing. They were investigating into the matter. I asked them to return the cost of the rakhi and the courier charges, but they did not agree. What should I do?

Please send them a formal letter, complaining about their failure to deliver the packet and demanding refund of the courier cost and the cost of the rakhi. You can also enclose a copy of the purchase receipt to prove the cost. Usually, if you are sending something expensive, they ask you to pay extra for an insurance cover to pay for any loss, I do not know if they did that in your case. If they have collected the money from you for insurance, then theres all the more reason for them to indemnify your loss. Please tell them if they do not redress your complaint immediately, you will go to the consumer court, asking for not just the refund of the cost of the rakhi and the courier charges, but also compensation for the disappointment caused as a result of the rakhi not reaching your brother, cost of travel to purchase the rakhi and to hand it over to the courier, punitive damages for the behaviour of the courier and costs of litigation. So it will be wiser for them to pay you now. If they do not respond positively, lodge a complaint before the consumer court.

Can you give a case law to support my claim? Are there any decided cases against courier companies?

I do not know whether the courier asked you to sign on any form limiting his liability. Usually, what they do is to ask you to sign on a paper containing some unilateral terms and conditions aimed at taking away your right to compensation for their negligent service and limiting their liability in such cases to a paltry Rs 100 or refund of the courier charges. However, while doing so, they neither tell you about it nor get your consent or even point to those terms. The person signing on the paper will not even know what is in small print on the paper.

However, in May 1996, in Bharathi Knitting Company Vs DHL Worldwide Express Courier  ( CA No 9057 of 1996) the Supreme Court held that that where the consumer has signed his acceptance of the terms limiting the liability of the courier, the consumer courts cannot intervene and award compensation beyond the limit specified under the terms of the contract. This came as a major blow to consumers.

But in 2001, an order of the apex consumer court in Blue Dart Express Vs Stephen Livera, (RP NO 393 of 1997) brought the consumers, the much needed relief. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission here pointed out that in Bharathi Knitting, the Supreme Court had not considered the small print in a standard contract. In this case, the terms and conditions, printed on the back of the couriers receipt, were in small and fine print and the attention of the sender was not drawn to it. Besides, the receipt also did not clearly show that the consumer had signed and accepted the conditions printed on the back, the Commission said. It therefore upheld the compensation of Rs 20,000 awarded by the lower consumer court.

In two subsequent judgements, the National Commission further strengthened the rights of the consumer vis-a-vis courier service. In Pravesh Kumar Mukherjee Vs Air Transport Corporation Ltd (RP NO 1404 of 2003) the Commission said where there is no conscious agreement between the parties, the unilateral condition incorporated in the consignment note will not be binding on the parties.

Then in 2014, the Commission reiterated this when it upheld the compensation of Rs 1,82,645 awarded to a consumer, whose cheque had been stolen during transit and encashed (DTDC Courier and Cargo Vs M/S Caterpillar India Pvt Ltd RP NO 2153 of 2008)

So please go ahead and claim your compensation!
London, August 28

An Indonesian man who claims to be an incredible 145 years old may be the oldest person in the world ever.

According to the documents recognised by Indonesian officials, Mbah Gotho from Sragen in central Java was born on December 31, 1870.

If the documents are true, that would make him much older than the verified oldest person in the world ever  a title that currently belongs to Jeanne Calment from France who lived to the age of 122.

Gotho has outlived all 10 of his siblings, his four wives, as well as all his children, and is now survived by his grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren, The Sun reported.

However, the super senior citizen now just wants to die and even bought his gravestone 20 years ago.

What I want is to die. My grandchildren are all independent, he said.

Whether or not he will be listed as the worlds oldest man however is uncertain, as the paperwork has till now not been independently verified.

For the past three months, Gotho has had to be spoon-fed and bathed as he has become weaker.

According to Gothos grandchildren, he mostly sits and listens to the radio, and his secret to longevity is patience.  PTI
Karachi, August 27

Further cracking down on Muttahida Qaumi Movement, authorities have demolished around 19 of the partys offices and sealed another 219 of its sector and unit offices besides the headquarters for being illegally constructed on government land.

The offices of MQM in different areas of Karachi were razed by the Sindh government and law enforcement agencies as they were illegally constructed on plots earmarked for schools, playgrounds and libraries, senior police officials said.

The crackdown on the MQM, the single largest party in Karachi, started earlier this week soon after party leader Altaf Hussain made anti-Pakistan comments during speeches at a hunger strike camp in Karachi and at a function in the US.

Pakistan has charged the self-exiled leader in London with treason for his inflammatory speech that incited party workers to attack media outlets here.

The paramilitary rangers and police have arrested at least 30 senior leaders of the party and started the drive to demolish MQM offices and seal sector and unit offices. Posters of Hussain have also been taken down in different areas of Karachi, which has served as a symbol of power for the MQM since the 80s.  PTI
Tehran, August 28

Iran has arrested a spy involved in the nuclear negotiations with world powers but has not yet formally charged the suspect, the judiciarys spokesman told reporters today.

(News of) the arrest of the infiltrating spy is true. Legal action has been instigated against him and he has been released on bail," the official IRNA news agency quoted Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie as saying at his weekly press conference.

But the charge against him has not been proven yet. On August 16, the Tehran prosecutor announced the arrest of a British-Iranian on suspicion of links to Britain's intelligence service.

Iranian media outlets have reported that a dual national identified as Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani, an accountant involved in banking-related aspects of the nuclear talks, has been arrested for espionage.  AFP
New York, August 28

More than 100 people on board US' Southwest Airlines flight had a lucky escape when a part of the plane's engine was ripped off thousands of feet above the Gulf of Mexico before the jet managed to make an emergency landing.

The Southwest Airlines flight from New Orleans to Orlando, Florida, was forced to make an emergency landing in Pensacola after one of its engines fell apart over the Gulf of Mexico, the New York Daily News reported.

Startled passengers on board Flight 3472 heard a frightening blast to the aircraft's left at an altitude of 30,700 feet. Outside their windows, they saw smoke fuming from the exposed turbine blades on Sunday.

"All of a sudden, outside my window, there was a loud explosion, and then the plane started shuddering," passenger Tami Richards told KOCO-TV.

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Chunks of the engine's cowling had fallen off, according to photos taken from the aircraft's window mid-flight. Another photo shows a metal object had pierced the fuselage.

"Today, the Captain of Flight #3472 from New Orleans to Orlando made the decision to divert to Pensacola due to a mechanical issue with the number one engine. The flight landed safely without incident at Pensacola International Airport at 9:40 am," the Southwest Airlines said in a statement.

"Initial reports indicate there were no injuries among the 99 passengers and five crew members on board. We have notified the NTSB, and when authorised, we will be inspecting the aircraft to assess the damage," it said.

The Federal Aviation Administration, in a statement, said, Southwest Airlines flight 3472, a Boeing 737, from Louis Armstrong New Orleans Intentional Airport to Orlando International Airport was diverted due to an apparent engine malfunction. The flight declared an emergency and landed safely at Pensacola International Airport just before 9:45 am. The FAA will investigate."

Richards said her three children  and many of the 99 passengers  were crying as the oxygen masks dropped and the Boeing 737 made its dramatic descent about 25 minutes into the flight.

"I held my kids, and one was freaking out, crying," Richards was quoted as saying.

Amid the panic, some passengers took selfies while donning the oxygen masks.

The pilots managed to stabilise the aircraft and made the quick-thinking decision to divert the flight to Pensacola with only one working engine. The plane was on the ground without any further mishap.  PTI
GARDEZ (Afghanistan), August 27

Taliban insurgents overran a district in eastern Afghanistan, killing and wounding dozens of police and soldiers and threatening strategically important road routes to Pakistan, officials said on Saturday.

Abdul Rahman Solamal, governor of Jani Khel district, in the eastern province of Paktia said that after heavy overnight fighting, security forces had pulled out of the district, which sits at an intersection linking eight districts and which connects Paktia with neighbouring Khost province and Pakistan.

Our district was surrounded by Taliban for almost five days, he told Reuters. Hundreds of them attacked our check posts overnight.

If we do not retake it soon then Taliban can easily move from one province to another and can undermine security in at least three provinces, he said.

The attack comes amid heavy fighting in other parts of Afghanistan, notably in the southern province of Helmand, where U.S. military advisers have been deployed to bolster the defences, and around the northern city of Kunduz, which fell briefly to the insurgents last year.

More than 20 soldiers and police were killed and another 20 wounded in the fighting overnight, while some 200 Taliban insurgents were killed, Solamal said. There was no immediate means of verifying the claims of Taliban casualties.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement dozens of Afghan soldiers and police had been killed in Jani Khel and large amounts of equipment had been captured, including armoured vehicles, light and heavy weapons and ammunition.

According to U.S. estimates reported in July by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), a Congressional oversight body, Afghan forces control or influence just under 66 percent of the national territory, down from just over 70 percent at the start of the year.

The reduction was partly due to security forces pulling back from exposed areas and concentrating their strength, but after a lull following the death of former leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in May the Taliban have stepped up their summer offensive.

Some 36 of the 407 districts in the country were under insurgent control or influence, while another 104 were deemed at risk, SIGAR said.  Reuters
At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured Saturday in a barrel bomb attack carried out by Syrian regime troops in northern Syrias Aleppo province, according to a local civil defense official.

A regime helicopter struck twice a mourning tent in the opposition-held Bab al-Nairab district in Aleppo, Ibrahim Abu Leith told Anadolu Agency.

Twenty people were killed and 30 others injured in the attack, he said.

According to Abu Leith, women and children were among the fatalities.

He said the second attack took place when the helicopter dropped another barrel bomb on people who rushed to the scene to help the victims of the first attack.

The injured were rushed to field hospitals amid fears that death toll may rise as a number of civilians remain trapped under the debris of their destroyed homes.

In recent weeks, regime helicopters -- along with Russian and Syrian warplanes -- have struck a number of marketplaces, hospitals and civil defense centers in opposition-held parts of war-battered Aleppo city.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the "Arab Spring" uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced across the war-battered country, according to the UN.

The Syrian Center for Policy Research, however, put the death toll from the six-year conflict at more than 470,000 people.

Anadolu Agency
The Free Syrian Army (FSA) continued to advance against Daesh terrorist group on Saturday after seizing five villages in the surroundings of Jarabulus and Cobanbey (al-Raii in Arabic) cities in Syrias northern Aleppo province.

FSA took control of three villages near Jarabulus and another two near Cobanbey.

FSA fighters are now cleaning Jarabulus of mines and explosives planted by the Daesh terrorist group before its withdrawal from the northern city.

FSA sources said about 20 explosives were detonated on Friday. Soldiers are examining evacuated houses and removing mines and explosives planted along the border with Turkey.

The FSA has gained full control of Jarabulus, part of Aleppo province, following Operation Euphrates Shield launched by the Turkish Armed Forces and an international anti-Daesh coalition.

The operation began early Wednesday when artillery and airstrikes were followed by Turkish tanks crossing the border to target Daesh in support of FSA fighters.

Jarabulus is located one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the Turkish-Syrian border.

Life returning to normal

An Anadolu Agency reporter in Jarabulus reports that life is returning to normal days after Euphrates Shield started, with many workplaces re-opening and children playing on the streets.

One business owner in the district, who asked not to be identified due to security concerns, expressed his satisfaction about reopening his shop once again.

The owner said he was happy to regain his freedom as the FSA cleaned the district of Daesh militants.

An electronic materials business owner, who also did not want to be identified, said he was happy to see his business open again after the withdrawal of Daesh militants. He wished for life in the district to return to normal as soon as possible.

Operations against Daesh terror organization in northern Syria continue.
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Australia after refugees and asylum seekers imprisoned on two islands off its coast appealed on social media for people to demonstrate for their freedom.

People poured onto the street in droves Saturday as part of a nationwide protest calling for the closure of camps on Manus Island and Nauru and for the 1500 refugees and asylum seekers detained there for over three years to be brought to Australia.

The national rallies come in the wake of 2116 files leaked to the Guardian Australia, which document sexual abuse, assaults, child abuse, self-harm attempts and daily injustices on Nauru.

It is a source of strength to us to know that there are people in Australia fighting for our freedom, one unnamed refugee on Nauru said in a video.

Behrouz Boochani, an Iranian journalist and writer being held on Manus, voiced a similar plea.

We in Manus prison are asking from you the Australian people to put pressure on the government at this important moment.

In a message read at Saturdays rallies Boochani spoke of being subjected to a system of punishment and cruelty and of witnessing physical assaults, death, sexual abuse and torture.

He pleaded with the Australian people to "speak out and use our collective voice to demand change.

Meanwhile, in Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth and Sydney "close the camps, bring them here" was the rallying cry.

Australian Immigration Minister Peter Dutton confirmed last week that the Manus Island regional processing centre on Papua New Guinea will close in accordance with a PNG Supreme Court ruling in April which deemed detaining asylum seekers and refugees on the island illegal.

Dutton told the ABC that no one from Manus would be able to seek refuge in Australia.

Rally participants want all refugees to be given permanent protection in Australia.

Anadolu Agency
Flags are flying at half-mast across Italy on Saturday as funeral ceremonies for many of those killed by Wednesdays devastating earthquake take place.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella, Senate President Pietro Grasso and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi participated in funeral ceremonies for 35 people, including two children, held in Ascoli Piceno, near Pescara del Tronto.

State-run news agency ANSA said Renzi and Mattarella will visit other locations affected by the quake.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook the mountain villages of Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto, 140 kilometers (86 miles) east of capital Rome, early Wednesday morning.

Italys Civil Protection Department raised the provisional death toll to 290 on Saturday.

It said that 230 people have died in Amatrice, 11 in Accumoli and 49 in Arquata del Tronto.

Italys cabinet decreed a state of emergency on Friday and has disbursed an initial 50 million euros [$56 million] to help quake-hit areas.

Separately, the Civil Protection Department said a total of 6.1 million euros [$6.8 million] have been collected through a text-message help campaign launched in the country.

Anadolu Agency
Nine CEO Hugh Marks has commented publicly on reports that shareholder WIN, controlled by Bermuda-based Bruce Gordon (pictured), was supposedly seeking to have him replaced.

I dont really want to speculate on their plans  Bruce Gordon is very hard to predict and again were just focused on making sure we run the business as well as we possibly can, he told The Australian. And if we do that then I expect that we will get support from all our shareholders.

WIN owns 14.99 per cent of Nines ordinary voting shares, as well as another 4.9 per cent economic interest via an equity derivative contract. Last week Nine reported a 7% drop in profit, attributed to a challenging ad market and poor programming outcomes. It cited shows such as Reno Rumble, Australias Got Talent, Farmer Wants a Wife and The Briefcase as below expectations.

Nine has pulled off a win in the Demos, post-Olympics with The Block performing well. Tonight it launches Married at First Sight.

Reports have suggested WIN had sounded out other shareholders, including Perpetual (which owns 15.15 per cent of Nine), to effect a board spill and install new management.

As industry chatter continues, former TEN boss Grant Blackley, who was a director of actors agency RGM Artists with Marks, has also ruled out any merger of Southern Cross Austereo with Nine.

I just have to focus on what we can do as business, said Marks.

Meanwhile there are suggestions Nine is considering a relocation to a North Sydney skyscraper for about $80 million, after private developer Winten Property Group bought the North Sydney Shopping World and adjoining office building in June.
CAMP PERRY, Ohio (July 31, 2016)Spc. Anthony Heinauer's father, an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran, and his grandfather, a Vietnam veteran, both set examples for him as Soldiers serving their nation.



Yet, while he aspired to follow in their footsteps, he wanted to do it on his own terms, especially after he attended a U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit junior workshop when he was a teenager.

CAMP PERRY, Ohio (July 14, 2016) -- Spc. Anthony Heinauer, U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU), aims downrange during the 2016 National Trophy Pistol Team Matches . His father, Sgt. Major Keith Heinauer, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, introduced him to the Matches about six years ago, and Anthony has competed the last three years. (Photo by Brenda Rolin, U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit) It was actually a dream I had when I was 13 and went to the Army Marksmanship Unit junior clinic, he said July 14 while competing in the 2016 National Trophy Pistol Matches. They taught me a lot, and I told my father that was the kind of dream job I wanted.



From then on, Anthony spent as much time on the range as he did at school.



His regimen paid off. By age 17, USAMU was looking at Anthony as a possible new member of the unit.



His father, Sgt. Major Keith Heinauer, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, started Anthony on his path to the USAMU by introducing him to action shooting when he was 12.



It was more action shootingpractical shooting styleand he took to that pretty good, he said.



Practical shooting evolved from national and international private individuals, military members and law enforcement officers who experimented with different types of self-defense techniques for handguns, according to the U.S. Practical Shooting Association website.



Heinauer said while he knew Anthony was interested in a career in shooting sports, he had talked about Anthony going to college for a couple of yearseven looking at West Point and then making a decision after that.



But, I had taken him to the AMU junior clinic, he had met some of the action shooting team and that's what drove him, he said.



Then, Heinauer took Anthony to the National Trophy Pistol Matches, a bull's-eye competition where precision shooting is king.



It was just a whole different animal for him, because he grew up shooting action, he said.



After that, the 24-year Army veteran knew his son was passionate about joining the elite USAMU Service Pistol Team, but knowing his son was new to bull's-eye, he wanted to guide and advise him.



He struggled a bit with bull's-eye shooting, but he did learn the fundamentals of the sport, Heinauer said.



And Anthony's dream did came true when he joined the Army in 2014.



I am very grateful to be in the Army and the AMU, he said. Sometimes I wake up, and I can't believe it happened. The Army supplies me with everythingammo, equipment, great ranges, the best training and the time I need to perfect my craft.



And Anthony has improved his marksmanship skills immensely in the past two years, his dad said.



Although his father has been the distinguished bull's-eye marksman in the family starting in 2004, recently his son has caught up to him.



Right now, my dad is my biggest rival and we are within points of each other, Anthony said about the 2016 National Trophy Pistol Matches. Every year we come out here and it's a back and forth battle between him and me.



But there are no hard feelings between them, only the best of intentions from a proud parent.



I'm hoping he is able to accomplish what he wants to do, whether it's to stay on this team for the next 10 years or whether it's to go do something else, his father said. I am sure he has the ability and the will to accomplish anything that he wants to do. Learn more about USAMU junior clinics Editor's Note: The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit's mission is winning national and international shooting competitions and advancing small-arms lethality to demonstrate Army marksmanship capability and enhance marksmanship effectiveness in combat. USAMU is part of the U.S. Army Accessions Brigade and Army Marketing and Research Group. By Brenda Rolin, U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit

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Copyright 2016 Comment on this article
WASHINGTON  The systems used to score your credit behavior can be confusing and counterintuitive. Just think about this: To get a good credit score, you have to use debt. But using debt means you lose some of your financial freedom because you owe money.

I call this Crazy Credit Town. Yet this is a place many Americans find themselves.

I asked representatives from the three major credit bureaus  Equifax, Experian, TransUnion  and FICO, the company that created the credit-scoring model used by most lenders, to address some common credit misconceptions. I'll walk you through their responses here and in future columns.

Let's start with two credit myths about closing an account.

(1) Closing a credit account will negatively impact your credit score. That's not necessarily true.

Rod Griffin, director of public education at Experian: "When you close a credit card account with a zero balance, you lose the available limit for that account. If you are carrying balances on other cards, that causes your overall balance-to-limit ratio, called your 'utilization rate,' to increase. An increase in the utilization rate is a sign of risk, which will cause credit scores to dip a bit initially. However, if everything else is good in your credit history and remains positive, scores typically bounce back up within a few billing cycles because it becomes clear you didn't suddenly take on a lot of new debt."

But, Griffin adds: "You probably shouldn't close the account if you are planning to apply for new credit within the next three to six months, just to be sure things remain stable."

Heather Battison, vice president at TransUnion: Since your credit-utilization rate is a major component of your score, consider whether any account you want to close represents a small or large portion of your available credit. "Closing the account could have little to no impact on the score," says Battison. "But if the account provides a large portion of the available credit, closing it may have a negative impact on the score."

Can Arkali, principal scientist at FICO: "If an individual has a balance on her or his remaining cards, it is likely that such a balance will now represent a higher percentage of their available credit. This would increase the person's credit utilization and may result in a lower FICO score. In general, if a person has established a lengthy history of responsible credit management by keeping their credit card balances low and consistently paying all their bills on time, the impact of a card closure can be minimal and short-lived."

Jason Flemish, vice president of global customer care at Equifax: "Lenders and creditors look at this information on your credit report to come to a lending decision  to see not only credit limits that have been extended in the past, but also how a consumer may have handled a high credit limit."

(2) You shouldn't close an older account because you'll immediately lose your positive credit history. That's false.

Arkali, FICO: "As long as the closed account is reported to the credit bureaus by the lender, it will be considered by the FICO score when determining the length of a person's credit history."

Griffin, Experian: "A closed account with no negative history remains in the credit report for 10 years from the date it was closed. Closed accounts with late payment history remain seven years from the original delinquency date. Positive information remains longer than negative information, which helps people build a strong credit history and recover more quickly if they've had financial challenges."

Still not sure what to do?

Griffin offered what I thought was a good crib sheet for closing an account:

n If you have a good credit history and credit rating: Don't be concerned about closing an account you don't want. Your score may dip a bit but it'll bounce back quick enough.

n If you'll be applying for credit in the next three to six months: Don't close accounts. But be sure to pay them on time. Your score will also benefit from paying balances off every month or at least reducing what you owe.

n If you have a bad credit history and/or are maxed out: Whether your score drops or not, you may need to get rid of the temptation.

"Don't let the credit score be the only factor in making the decision to close an account," Griffin said. "Too often people are paralyzed by a credit score and they make a bad decision for their overall financial credit."

If you want to stay and play in Crazy Credit Town, it's important that you know the rules.

Readers can write to Michelle Singletary c/o The Washington Post, 1301 K St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20071. Her email address is michelle.singletary@washpost.com. Follow her on Twitter (@SingletaryM) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/MichelleSingletary). Comments and questions are welcome, but due to the volume of mail, personal responses may not be possible. Please also note comments or questions may be used in a future column, with the writer's name, unless a specific request to do otherwise is indicated.
SHARE Hank Brokaw

By Jim Mclain

Hank Brokaw of Santa Paula, an agricultural innovator who found a cost-effective way to defeat a disease that was stunting avocado production and helped launch the industry on a growth track in the 1970s, has died. He was 82.

Brokaw, whose Brokaw Nursery in Saticoy is California's largest avocado tree producer and among the state's leaders in citrus tree production, died at his home on Feb. 17.

Daughter Elena Maria Brokaw of Ventura said he had been in declining health for two years after suffering several strokes.

A Harvard University premedical studies graduate, Brokaw also earned a master's degree in cultural anthropology at the University of Chicago and became a high school teacher. Raised in a family that included several avocado growers, Brokaw was fascinated by the crop.

Since the 1920s, a fungal disease known as avocado root rot had restricted the fruit's production, said Ben Faber, a farm adviser with the UC Cooperative Extension Service in Ventura. Though UC researchers found a few disease-resistant avocado seedlings that could be produced as rootstock and grafted onto young fruit trees in the 1950s, the method was complex and expensive.

In the early 1970s, Brokaw developed a more practical and less costly method of producing the rootstock and commercialized it, Faber said. Though the technique still costs about $25 per tree, it revolutionized avocado production and spurred the crop's growth.

"Hank got this down so that he could crank these trees out for a reasonable price," Faber said. "I've been here for 20 years and I've known him since the first day I walked into this office. What he did affected not just avocados, but cherimoyas, citrus, mangos and many other crops. He had his fingers in a lot of stuff. He was a pillar of the industry."

Brokaw launched his nursery in 1956, planting 500 seedlings in backyard pots, said his son Rob Brokaw, who was the nursery manager for 12 years. He said his father borrowed money to start the business from his wife, Ellen, whom he met at the University of Chicago. The couple were married for more than half a century. Today, Brokaw Nursery LLC in Saticoy has about 50 employees and produces upward of 250,000 avocado, citrus, kiwi and other subtropical fruit trees annually. The business also has affiliates in Spain and Morocco. The family also grows citrus, cherimoyas and other fruits on about 350 acres near Santa Paula.

In its early years, the Brokaws would frequently discuss business operations at the dinner table, Rob said, making sure the five children understood how it worked in detail. They also pulled weeds, watered trees and performed other chores.

"You can imagine that after she had been in the office and he had been in the field all day, they had their staff meetings at the dinner table," he said. "We all had a front seat for that and we all had a good feel as to how the fortunes of the business were going through its initial phases anyway."

But though their father thought it was important that they understand the family business, he also was a fun person, daughter Elena said. One of his favorite family traditions was to make pancakes or waffles for the children on weekend mornings.

William Henley "Hank" Brokaw was born in Whittier on March 23, 1927. He served in the Navy during World War II and was president of the California Avocado Society in 1973-74 and 1986-87.

Although known as a smart businessman, friends said profit was not Brokaw's main concern. Numerous avocado breeders and researchers were allowed to plant test plots at his nursery. Brokaw and his wife helped launch the Ventura County Farmworker Housing Task Force, and they were instrumental in the farming industry's successful battle against the Medfly pest in the mid-1990s, said John Krist, CEO of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County.

"They don't make that kind of man anymore. He was a self-made man, bless his heart," said Saticoy-area rancher Jim Williams, who was Brokaw's partner for many years and knew him since 1953. "Hank was always very innovative. He?d try something and if it didn't work, he'd try it again and make it work. A lot of the stuff nurserymen are using nowadays, Hank invented it."

Brokaw inspired such fierce loyalty in his employees that the majority of the nearly 50 workers at Brokaw Nursery have been there for nearly 30 years, Rob said. Many were distraught at the news of his death.

Besides his wife, daughter Elena and son Rob, Brokaw is survived by daughters Debbie Jackson of Yachats, Ore., and Elisabeth Rossi of San Carlos; son William Henley "Will" Brokaw Jr. of Watsonville; and nine grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held March 6 at 1 p.m. at Community Presbyterian Church, 1555 Poli St., Ventura.

On the Net:

http://www.brokawnursery.com
JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Marine Corps veteran Matt Valenzuela (center), who said he served from 1962-68, chats with Air National Guard Tech. Sgts. Amanda Smith (left), and Nazareth Quiroz (right) during Saturday's military and veterans expo and job fair at the Camarillo Community Center.

SHARE JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Equipment Operator 3rd Class Amanda Frateschi, as right rifle, leads out the color guard from Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu during a ceremony to start Saturday's military and veterans expo and job fair at the Camarillo Community Center. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Vietnam veterans Rex Hernandez (left) and Bill Mauzey, both of Somis, talk with Dr. Vito Imbasciani (right), secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs, who was keynote speaker at Saturday's military and veterans expo and job fair in Camarillo. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Marine Corps veteran Mel Krone (center), of Santa Rosa Valley, and others show their respect during a presentation of the national anthem in a ceremony to start Saturday's military and veterans expo and job fair in Camarillo. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR About 2,000 military and veteran attendees were expected to visit 120 booths set up around the Camarillo Community Center at Saturday's military and veterans expo and job fair.

By Alicia Doyle, Special to The Star

While serving in the Army in Vietnam, Michael Cook suffered 16 wounds when he tripped a land mine  but it wasn't until decades later that he found the resources he was entitled to.

"A number of pieces of shrapnel went through me," said Cook, of Santa Barbara. "I was bleeding out in the dust. My team thought I was dead."

Years later, while he was living and attending school in New York City, he went to a Veterans Affairs hospital to discover what services are available to veterans like him.

"It was literally like walking into a Third World hospital, and I didn't go back for many years," he said. His next visit to a VA hospital occurred when he moved back to Santa Barbara 20 years ago and discovered the Military Order of the Purple Heart at a VA hospital in west Los Angeles.

"I saw their office, and I've been loyal ever since," said Cook, who received a Purple Heart for being wounded in combat and now serves as commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart's Santa Barbara chapter.

Cook was among hundreds of veterans at Saturday's fifth annual military and veterans expo and job fair sponsored by the Ventura County Military Collaborative. The event took place at the Camarillo Community Center, where more than 100 agencies with representatives on site offered services including housing, education, employment, legal aid, food, mentorship and emergency support.

"Having this visibility is so important," Cook said. "I never saw anything like this in New York City. This exceeds my expectations."

The expo was funded by donations from local companies and individuals in Ventura County, said Kim Evans, of Camarillo, executive director and founder of the collaborative.

Mike McManus, the event's master of ceremonies, said the expo shows appreciation to veterans for their service to the country.

"This is a tangible way for us to say, 'We appreciate your service,' but more than that, we know you may need something or want something so there's a functional purpose to it, as well," said Mike McManus, of Ventura, chairman of the collaborative's board and a retired Air Force senior master sergeant.

"We've got the whole gamut  a job fair, energy healing, Pets for Vets," McManus said. "The key is to acknowledge their service, but also provide them with the services that they've earned."

Saturday's event included "a banquet of offerings" of local nonprofits and other community organizations, said Dr. Vito Imbasciani, secretary of the California Department of Veterans Affairs and keynote speaker.

"I want to make sure you're all aware that veterans and families have all the benefits that the state of California has to offer," Imbasciani said. "That's why everybody is here today  the missions of CalVet and the Ventura County Military Collaborative are the same  we are advocates for, and we deliver services to, our veterans and their families."

Imbasciani posed the hypothetical question: Why is the local delivery of services critical today for our veterans?

"When a young person enters and enlists in our military, they put on hold all kinds of things  going to college, starting a family  in order to serve our country often for several years and often in a combat zone," Imbasciani said.

When they return home from duty, new veterans are highly motivated to reintegrate into society and start a daily routine, he said.

"However sometimes a new veteran's honeymoon period fades after six months or a year, leaving them wondering where to turn for assistance with housing, health, getting a job, educating themselves," Imbasciani said. "We can quickly link up families with the right resources they need to succeed."

State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson applauded the people and organizations that made the expo possible.

"This is a wonderful and really needed kind of event," Jackson said. "Our veterans really deserve and need this kind of assistance, and a lot of it is knowing where they can turn. ... This is the kind of response that we as a community need to give to these veterans who have really served our country."
STAR FILE PHOTO Metrolink's Moorpark station.

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By Mike Harris of the Ventura County Star

Metrolink plans to install surveillance cameras at all its stations, including those in Ventura County, in response to some of its ticket vending machines being vandalized.

The Southern California commuter railroad is soliciting bids of no more than $4 million to install the cameras under a contract not to exceed one year.

"In light of the world we live in and the vandalism of certain ticket vending machines, this step was seen as important," Metrolink board member Keith Millhouse, a Moorpark City Council member, said Friday.

The cameras will provide Metrolink's dispatch and operations center "with the ability to view passenger activity on station platforms," a 2015 Metrolink board agenda item stated.

There were about 18 vandalism incidents in 2015 at Metrolink stations, according to agency crime statistics. There were about 10 non-aggravated assaults.

While Metrolink has security guards at most of its stations, the cameras will provide additional security, agency spokeswoman Sherita Coffelt said.

Metrolink's Camarillo, east Ventura and Moorpark stations already have camera systems, according to Millhouse and the agency. Metrolink's two other Ventura County stations, in Oxnard and Simi Valley, do not, the agency said.

"Where surveillance cameras already exist, as is the case at 12 stations (primarily at Union Station and in Orange and Riverside counties), Metrolink will use funds to supplement and to integrate," the railroad's CEO, Art Leahy, stated in a memo to the board in October.

The systems will be paid for by California Proposition 1B funds administered by the governor's Office of Emergency Services, the agency said. The proposition, also known as the Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality and Port Security Bond Act, was approved by statewide voters in 2006, 61 percent to 39 percent.

Metrolink is the third-largest commuter rail agency in the nation based on directional route miles and the eighth-largest based on annual ridership, according to the agency. It operates a 512 route-mile network in Ventura County and five other Southern California counties.


Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas (CASLV) officially opened its brand new Centennial Hills campus with a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony. Teachers, staff and students attended this momentous occasion.

Local dignitaries including Assemblywoman Michele Ann Fiore; Bennett Tanner with Congressman Joe Hecks office; Kent Alexander with Congressman Cresent Hardys office and Greta Beck-Seidman with Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce were also be in attendance and bestowed proclamations for this momentous occasion.

The Centennial Hills campus is CASLVs first in the North Las Vegas area. On Monday, the new school welcomed 600 K-5 grade students.

CASLV is a state sponsored, tuition-free public charter school where students are admitted through a lottery system. The schools curriculum focuses on STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. CASLVs mission is to provide a safe, rigorous college preparatory environment, promoting social responsibility and a culturally-diverse community dedicated to becoming lifelong learners bound for success. Since its founding in 2007, the school has won a multitude of prestigious awards, honors and accolades. The Washington Post listed CASLV as one of Americas Most Challenging High Schools and the most challenging school in Nevada in 2014. For more information, go to.

In addition to this new campus, CASLV currently operates its award-winning K-12 school in Henderson, Nevada, as well as another brand new campus at Nellis Air Force Base for an additional 600 K-5 students.
Prime Minister Theresa May wants to trigger Britain's withdrawal from the European Union without a vote in parliament beforehand, a report said. (Photo: AFP/Niklas Halle'N)

A source in her Downing Street office said the Daily Telegraph report was speculation but added that May was "committed to delivering on the verdict the public gave" in the June referendum, when 52 per cent voted for Britain to leave the EU.

May's government already faces a legal challenge to prevent it beginning the process of leaving the EU without an act of parliament.

Lawyers from the Mishcon de Reya law firm are poised to challenge the government in the English High Court, arguing that May cannot trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty - the legal process for leaving the bloc - without a parliamentary debate and vote authorising her to do so.

Most members of parliament's lower House of Commons, including May, campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU.

Once Article 50 is triggered, it would start a two-year countdown to Britain's exit from the European Union.

May has said it will not be triggered this year, the government needing time to shape Britain's exit objectives first.

Meanwhile Gus O'Donnell, the former head of the civil service, said Brexit was not inevitable and Britain could still remain a part of a changed EU.

"It very much depends what happens to public opinion and whether the EU changes" before Britain is ready to leave, he told The Times newspaper. "It might be that the broader, more loosely aligned group, is something that the UK is happy being a member of."

He told BBC radio that elections in France and Germany next year meant "it is not even clear which leaders our prime minister will be negotiating with, so I don't think there's any great rush to do it".

Bookmakers believe there is a one in eight chance of a second Brexit referendum before the end of 2020.

The prime minister is due to host minsters at her country residence this week, demanding "action plans" from each department about how they can make the most of Brexit, according to the Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph.

Ministers will "discuss the next steps in the negotiations," a government source told the Telegraph, before the prime minister heads to China for a meeting of G20 world leaders.
Mr Phan Huu Thang, former head of FIA

Vietnam has been trying every possible way to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) because it needs more capital for economic development. However, in many cases, foreign investors only register investment projects in Vietnam, and seek capital from domestic sources.



An analyst said that in these cases, foreign invested projects do not mean foreign financed projects, and therefore, the FDI does not have much significance.



Phan Huu Thang, a renowned expert on foreign investment, and former head of the Foreign Investment Agency (FIA), said in principle, foreign invested enterprises (FIEs) must not use domestic capital for their production.

Vietnam has been trying every possible way to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) because it needs more capital for economic development. However, in many cases, foreign investors only register investment projects in Vietnam, and seek capital from domestic sources.

However, after 30 years of attracting FDI, Vietnams policies have become more flexible.



According to Thang, in the first 15 years of receiving FDI, there was no foreign investor who borrowed Vietnamese capital to do business. However, in the last 15 years, that has changed partially because Vietnamese commercial banks have become more powerful and capable of funding large projects.



The banks have capital, but dont have potential projects to fund. And once the government and the State Bank do not prohibit banks to lend to foreign-invested projects, they begin providing capital to the projects, Thang said.



Vietnam has been laying the red carpet to lure foreign investors to Vietnam, offering a many business models, from 100 percent foreign investments, joint ventures and business cooperation contracts.



A report shows that about 80 percent of FDI projects are 100 percent foreign owned.



However, this figure is inaccurate because it counts projects registered by foreign investors but developed with Vietnamese capital.



According to the State Bank, the outstanding loans provided to foreign invested enterprises are about VND100 trillion. In 2015-2016, a series of contracts on providing loans to foreign invested enterprises were signed.



VietinBank signed a contract on providing a loan worth $7.6 million to Medochemie Company to run the injectable drug manufacturing plant in Binh Duong province.



VIB and Vietcombank signed a contract on the syndicated loan of VND540 billion with Hong Kongs TexHong Group, which plans to build a factory in Quang Ninh.



An analyst said that foreign investors tend to borrow money in Vietnam because it is not easy to seek loans in foreign countries.



Thang said that many investors prefer borrowing capital in Vietnam, especially those from Taiwan and South Korea who are small investors.



In 2015, VietinBanks loans provided to foreign invested enterprises increased by 37.5 percent compared with 2014. The bank has reserved a credit package worth VND20 trillion to fund enterprises.
The new pedestrian areas around the Hoan Kiem Lake include the following roads:

Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hang Khay, part of Le Thai To and Le Lai, Le Thach, part of Tran Nguyen Han, Dinh Le, Nguyen Xi, part of Trang Tien, Lo Su Street, Hang Dau, Ho Hoan Kiem, part of Luong Van Can, part of Hang Bai, and Bao Khanh.

According to the Hanoi Transport Department, traffic police officers will be arranged around the area to guide traffic.

Hanoi will set up 78 parking lots on a total area of 17,000m2, accommodating 87 tourist cars and passenger cars; 600 5-7 seat cars and more than 2,700 bicycles and motorcycles.

In addition, there are 15 parking lots for cars only.

This is part of Hanois measures to develop tourism, besides the decision to allow bars in the Hanoi Old Quarter to open until 2am on weekend.

Hanoi Mayor Nguyen Duc Chung has also decided to offer free wifi at some tourist sites, including the Old Quarter and the Temple of Literature, build 20,000 hotel rooms in the next five years and build about 1,000 public toilets.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has requested strict control over the import and use of salbutamol to prevent the abuse of the drug in animal breeding. Photo talkvietnam.com

The move was made following the Health Ministrys decision to allow a resumption of salbutamol imports, which is often used to treat asthma and breathing problems, for use in the health sector from August 1.

Last year, responding to reports that salbutamol was likely to be used illegally to stimulate growth in animals, the health ministrys Drug Management Administration banned the import of the substance.

Last December, the use of banned substances in animal breeding, such as salbutamol, was detected in three southern cities and provinces of HCM City, ong Nai and Binh Duong and five northern cities and provinces of Ha Noi, Bac Giang, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong and Hung Yen.

Sixteen per cent of tested meat samples contained salbutamol, and 80 per cent of inspected animal feed producers used the banned substance.

The lifting of the ban applies to only drug producers that are registered to use the substance for medicine and hold valid certificates to import salbutamol. Businesses whose contracts to import the drug were approved before November 20 last year are not allowed to import it.

The MARD proposed the health ministry share information about salbutamol importers to jointly manage the substance.

It also proposed the health ministry apply special supervision over the import and use of salbutamol.

The Drug Management Administration said it licensed two businesses to import salbutamol who are allowed to import a maximum of 50kg of salbutamol each to produce medicine for hospitals.

Relevant agencies will supervise and examine the import and use of salbutamol by these two companies.
The HCM Stock Exchange (HoSE) on Monday issued the decisions 341/Q-SGDHCM and 342/SGDHCM to change the regulations for stock trading on the southern exchange. The decisions will take effect on September 12.

There are some items in the new regulations that investors may need to focus on:

1. Investors now can place an order of up to 500,000 shares/treasury shares instead of the existing number of 19,990 shares/treasury shares.

2. Stocks, closed treasury stocks and ETF stocks that are allowed to come back into trading after being suspended more than 25 days instead of the existing 45 days. Those stocks will be traded with a limit of 20 per cent on the either side of the stock prices.

3. Stocks that are strictly controlled by the stock exchange will be traded only in the afternoon session until HoSE issues further announcements. Current regulations say strictly-controlled stocks will be suspended for at least two days until the firms clarify the problems and HoSE allows stocks to be traded again.

4. New regulations forbid investors from canceling their orders during the first and the last 15 minutes of trading sessions, which address the stock's opening and closing prices.
There is a plenty of room for the two countries to embrace trade links, he said, adding that Vietnam hopes to export more farm produce, seafood, electronics and consumer products to Brunei while importing petrochemical products from the market.



The President affirmed that Vietnam attaches great importance to Brunei investment projects and pledged to create the best conditions for foreign investors to run long-term business in the Southeast Asian country.



He noted that many State-run firms will be listed in stock market after their equitisation in the coming time, creating a brilliant opportunity for foreign businesses, particularly those from Brunei , to become strategic shareholders of Vietnamese companies.



Vietnam was one of the six new emerging economies with a high growth of nearly 6.7% in 2015. The trade value reached US$330 billion in 2015 and is expected to hit US$600 billion by 2020, he cited.



With a population of 92 million, the purchasing power in Vietnam has made a rapid and stable growth, he said, adding that the country attracted around 21,700 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects worth over US$293 billion from 116 countries and territories. As many as US$148 billion has been disbursed.



President Quang also underlined Vietnams socio-economic development plan in 2016-2020, which targets green growth and sustainable development to increase productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness, to turn Vietnam into a modern industrialised nation.



Vietnam will persistently carry out three breakthroughs, including the improvement of the socialist-oriented market economy institutions, high-quality human resources development, and infrastructure modernisation, he said.



The country aims to record an average GDP growth of 6.5-7% and per capita GDP of US$3,500 for 2016-2020.



Vietnam has signed 12 free trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement while coordinating with Brunei to accelerate the negotiations of the Regional Cooperation Economic Partnership (RCEP), he noted.



As such, Vietnam will have free trade relations with 55 partners, including members from G7 countries, he said.



He revealed that Vietnam is sparing no effort to improve institutions and create favourable, transparent business climate in line with international practices.



Vietnam is stepping up administrative reform and striving to have some business environment criteria equal to that of ASEAN-4 in 2016, particularly regarding tax, customs, social insurance, construction license, land and electricity access.



The country will focus on developing infrastructure in transport, energy and urban areas as well as encourage public-private partnership (PPP) investment models.



The President highlighted important agreements on the two countries business development orientations reached during his talks with Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Muizzaddin Waddaulah.



He said the two sides agreed to enhance trade, investment and cooperation in hi-tech agriculture, oil and gas, transport infrastructure under PPP form.



He witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance bilateral economic cooperation between Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Darussalam Yang Berhormat Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng and Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh.



The same day, the President received some leading businesses from Brunei . He said the two nations business communities play a crucial role in boosting the bilateral trade which was still modest at over US$73 million in 2015.
Afghan security forces are preparing to launch an operation to retake an eastern border district a day after it fell to the Taliban, officials said Sunday.

The Islamist insurgency overran and captured Janikheil district in the eastern Paktia province on Saturday, and local authorities confirmed that dozens of Afghan forces were killed in the fighting.

A spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, Dawlat Waziri, told VOA Sunday enough forces are in the area under the leadership of the regional crops commander and preparing to stage a counter-offensive to take back Janikhil.

It is not difficult to retake the district from the Taliban but security forces are moving carefully because the insurgents have heavily mined roads in the area, Waziri noted, adding teams of experts are currently engaged in clearing the explosives.

District governor Abdul Rahman Solamal told Afghanistan's Tolo TV Sunday a prolonged presence of the Taliban in Janikheil would improve its mobility to threaten security in neighboring provinces.

He blamed provincial authorities and security institutions for failing to take timely steps to prevent the collapse of the district, saying it had been under Taliban siege for about a month, causing severe shortages of food and weapons for the security forces.

Fierce battles



The governor insisted his repeated calls for urgent help were not responded to, leading to the fall of Janikheil and he confirmed killing of at least 30 Afghan security forces in fierce battles after around 1,200 Taliban insurgents launched a decisive assault on Friday night.

Janikheil sits at a key transit route that includes links to neighboring Khost province and Pakistan.



The Haqqani network of terrorists fighting along side the Taliban in Afghanistan has been active eastern and southeastern provinces.

Afghan officials say the network is using its sanctuaries across the Pakistani border for planning insurgent attacks. Islamabad denies the charges and says it has dismantled the militant infrastructure from its border areas, including North Waziristan, assertions Kabul disputes.





Intense fighting has been raging in several northern and northeastern Afghan provinces, including Kunduz, Baghlan and Takhar while Taliban insurgents have also made significant advances in the southern Helmand province.

According to a recent report by the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), the Western-backed Kabul government in the first five months of this year lost control of nearly five percent of its territory to the Islamist insurgency.

Independent Afghan critics and politicians blame political power struggle and internal differences between President Ashraf Ghani and his unity governments Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah for latest battlefield setbacks.
Bolivian officials have accused three miners, including the president of a mining federation, of killing the country's deputy interior minister.

Forty other miners have been detained in the case.

Rodolfo Illanes was kidnapped and beaten to death Thursday by striking miners after he went to Panduro, some 130 kilometers from the capital, La Paz, to mediate in a conflict over mining laws.

An autopsy found that Illanes died of trauma to the brain and thorax.

Protest leader Carlos Mamani was charged Saturday with murder, aggravated robbery, possession of firearms, criminal organization and attacking state officials. A hearing is expected in the coming days.

Bolivian President Evo Morales called the minister's death a "conspiracy" against his governments based on efforts to overthrow him.

During a news conference, he said protests were carried out with backing from the right-wing opposition.

"Now we are getting information and finding documents that say this is to take down the government," he said.

Opposition leaders, however, denied involvement in the minister's murder.

Former president Jorge Quiroga asked Morales "in this sad hour not to weave false conspiracy theories."

Miners were demanding changes in laws, and on Tuesday protests turned violent after they blocked a highway and clashed with police. At least two miners died in the clashes. Miners later agreed to begin negotiations with the government Friday.

Protesters want mining concessions and the right to work for private or foreign companies, and greater union representation.

After the news of Illanes' death, government officials ceased talks with miners and asked for the maximum 30-year sentence for those found guilty in the case.

Illanes' funeral is scheduled to take place Sunday in La Paz.
Banging drums, decked in costume, striding on stilts: they all burst out into the hot, sweaty Lebanese night and swapped the subterranean confines of the cinema for the streets of Nabatieh.

Behind, them a trail of young and old danced and sang, their efforts drawing the puzzled stares of those just passing by.

In Lebanons most southern district, a place festooned with the banners of the powerful Shiite militia Hezbollah and partly rebuilt in the wake of the 2006 war with neighboring Israel, after decades of waiting arts and culture had finally found a home.

Cause for celebration

In southern Lebanon, one man is driving this sudden renaissance in theater and cinema.

His name is Kassem Istanbouli, and he was among the horde dancing through the streets of Nabatieh.

There are not so many activities, and not so much freedom of arts [in Nabatieh] for many reasons so at night, when we did the carnival, people werent so used to this, he explained, smiling.

There was good cause for celebration.

After months of hard work, he and his team, members of his Istanbouli Theatre company, had revamped Stars Cinema, a cavernous underground space in the city left to crumble after being abandoned in 1989 amid the final throes of the Lebanese civil war.

Inaccessible when work first began on the space half a year ago, it is now set to host a range of movies and act as a place for free workshops and theatre performances.

For last weeks opening night, which also launched the week long Istanbouli-run Lebanon International Theatre Festival, an Iraqi troupe explored the troubles of their homeland to a packed house.

In the audience was Mustafa Badreddine, a smartly dressed middle aged man who told VOA the re-opened cinema represented a step towards the future, and helped show this city as a city of peace and culture.

Long-term decline

The closure of Star Cinema matched a wider decline in theater and arts felt across the south over recent decades.

Before the Civil war in Nabatieh there was a golden time in theatre, but things change, things disappear, reflected Istanbouli.

Raised in the southern coastal city of Tyre and the son of a Hakawati, an Arabic term for a storyteller, he dreamed of restoring creative spaces back into the region.

Every theater should have its theater and cinema culture he explained, highlighting the current dominance of Beirut as a cultural center.

But he also saw the theater as offering a rare place in which to find common ground, not an easy thing in a country as politically and religiously divided as Lebanon.

Like much, but far from all, of south Lebanon, Tyre and Nabatieh are home to large Shiite communities and are centers of power for Hezbollah, which recruits youngsters into its ranks.

We believe that through culture we can build peace, Istanbouli said and we can build a different type of thinking, we need a space where different people can meet together.

With this in mind, in 2013 took his first step in reviving creativity beyond the capital, opening a small independent theatre in Tyre.



It was then just a year before he moved into Al-Hamra Cinema, a once prestigious venue that also closed its doors in 1989, and encouraged the citys youth to join him.

Bored and with little to do, 18-year-old Ibrahim Ibrahim decided to check out one of the workshops and hasnt looked back since.

He is like my biggest brother says Ibrahim of Istanbouli. He is my teacher, he is my best friend, and hes my boss, he added, laughing.

Ibrahim is just one of many youngsters in the region who would benefit from opening up more spaces like Stars Cinema, claimed Ana Cendrero, who was on the Lebanon International Theatre Festival judging panel.

A cultural activist back in her native Spain, she also runs cultural events and has teamed up with Istanbouli over recent years.

I have found many young people here full of power and wanting to express themselves, and I feel that culture is the only tool to truly help heal pain from the [civil] war, she added.

People, not places

Ibrahim is now part of the team helping Istanbouli spread his vision.

Before the re-opening of Stars Cinema Ibrahim was running on only two hours of sleep - so busy was he with renovations that a quick doze on on the newly-installed stage the night before the re-opening had to suffice.

I cannot explain the emotions I felt when I first saw people going back into that theatre, 18-year-old Ibrahim told VOA.

Aside from last-minute restoration, bringing theater to the masses hasnt been without its difficulties.

In recent months, having helped restore Al-Hamra theater in Tyre the group was unceremoniously kicked out.

It is a serious blow, but there is little chance that the team at Istanbouli Theatre are going to quit their mission that easily.

It was hard to lose that place, said Ibrahim, but we can create a place anywhere we meet. The people are the most important thing,
Colombia's government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia  FARC  are scheduled to officially sign a deal to end half a century of war late next month, officials said Saturday.

Authorities did not say who would be in attendance at the official signing.

The solemn date of the signing will be between September 20 and 26, depending on the schedules and the dignitaries who will be in attendance, Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas said.

President Juan Manuel Santos said U.N. headquarters in Bogota or Cuba is being considered as the meetings venue.

Ahead of the final signing, at least 200 FARC delegates are expected to attend a final gathering of FARC leaders convening on Sept. 13-19 in San Vicente del Caguan - an area where rebels have long held control.

The announcement of a deal after four years of talks opened the possibility for Colombians to put behind them bloodshed that has claimed more than 220,000 lives and driven more than 5 million people from their homes.

U.S. President Barack Obama recently called Colombian President Santos to congratulate him on the peace deal. The White House said, "The president recognized this historic day as a critical juncture in what will be a long process to fully implement a just and lasting peace agreement."

Commitment to changes



The accord commits Colombia's government to carrying out aggressive land reform, overhauling its anti-narcotics strategy and greatly expanding state administration of traditionally neglected rural areas of the country.

Given the historical significance of this event, the people of Colombia and the world must learn first-hand about the conferences development and decisions, a FARC statement said.

The fate of the FARC-government peace accord will then be in the voters hands. The government's accord with FARC still must be ratified in a referendum scheduled for Oct. 2, the guerrilla group also said on Saturday.

Opponents of President Santos and some human rights groups have criticized a key part of the deal that says guerrillas who confess their crimes won't spend any time in prison and will instead be allowed to serve out reduced sentences of no more than eight years by helping rebuild communities hit by the conflict.

The rebel army was forced to the negotiating table after a decade of heavy battlefield losses that saw a succession of top rebel commanders killed by the U.S.-backed military and its ranks thinned by half to the current 7,000 fighters.

Although polls indicate Colombians dislike the rebel group, analysts expect the pact to be approved easily.
U.S. Republican presidential contender Donald Trump is making repeated appeals for support from African-American voters at the unlikeliest of venues, at rallies where almost all the voters are white.

Trump made his latest pitch for black votes Saturday at a political rally in the Midwest farm state of Iowa, telling the largely white crowd that he blamed decades of Democratic policies for the "deplorable conditions in many of our inner cities." He has called Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent in the November 8 presidential election, a bigot for not improving the plight of blacks and Hispanics.

As a father, as a builder, as an American," Trump said, "it offends my sense of right and wrong to see anyone living in such conditions. They are living in terrible, terrible conditions. Beyond belief: bad, bad, bad.

Clinton leads among blacks, Hispanic voters



National political surveys show Clinton has amassed a huge lead over Trump among black and Hispanic voters, the fastest growing segment of the American electorate, while he holds a much smaller lead among white voters.



Political analysts say his appeal for minority voters is aimed at cutting into Clinton's edge among black and Hispanic voters, but also an effort to win more support from women and politically moderate Republicans who might be inclined to support Clinton because they view Trump as a racist.

From the earliest days of his campaign, Trump branded undocumented immigrants pouring over the Mexican border into the U.S. as rapists and criminals. He continues to call for construction of a border wall to thwart the stream of migrants entering the United States, a signature of his campaign, but has wavered with shifting positions in the last few days about his vow to deport all 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States to their home countries.

The New York Times said in a story Sunday that Trump, a real estate tycoon seeking his first elected office, and his late father discriminated against blacks to keep them from renting apartments at the New York buildings they developed in the 1970s, settling a lawsuit the U.S. government brought against them alleging racial bias without admitting guilt.

Trump's campaign says he plans to visit black communities in the coming weeks to make direct appeals for their support, including a stop in the Midwest city of Detroit, Michigan, the beleaguered hub of the U.S. auto industry.

Clinton's accusations



Several days ago, Clinton aimed her sharpest attacks of the campaign against what she said was Trump's affinity for supporting racially exclusionary groups.

"From the start, he has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia," she told one interviewer Friday, "And it's deeply disturbing that he is taking hate groups that lived in the dark regions of the Internet, making them mainstream, helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party.

"And what I want to make clear is this:" she said, "A man with a long history of racial discrimination drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and these kind of white supremacist, white nationalist, anti-Semitic groups should never command our military. If he doesn't respect all Americans, how can he serve all Americans?"

'Criminal illegal immigrants'

In Iowa, Trump promised that he will begin removing "hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal immigrants" from the U.S. on his first day in office if he is elected.

Trump also said he will track people who enter the country on visas and ensure they leave when the visas expire.

"If we don't enforce visa expiration dates, then we have an open border -- it's as simple as that," Trump said.

He also said a nationwide verification program will prevent non-citizens from obtaining welfare and other social benefits. But he did not offer any details on how he would deal with the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S.



At various times in the last few days, he has said he would deport those convicted of crimes, but let others stay if they paid back taxes they owed. Still later, he suggested undocumented immigrants would have to leave the country before returning if they want to pursue U.S. citizenship.

Security briefings



Clinton received a two-hour national security briefing Saturday, her first since becoming the Democratic nominee last month.

The overview of major domestic and global threats facing the U.S. was conducted at a federal government facility near her home outside New York.

Major presidential nominees and their close advisers are legally required under U.S. law to be briefed with classified information on security matters by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence so they will be prepared when they assume office next January as President Barack Obama completes two terms in office.

Trump received a similar security briefing earlier this month that reportedly lasted more than two hours.

Such briefings have been routinely given to presidential contenders by national intelligence officials for about 60 years.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his support for the death penalty, saying its reinstatement would fulfill the wishes of the Turkish majority.

At a rally Sunday in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep, Erdogan told hundreds of people his remarks were also directed at members of the Turkish parliament.

"I am now conveying your request once again," Erdogan said of the death penalty. "They should assess this issue and make a decision. I would approve that decision."

Erdogan, who traveled to Gaziantep to express condolences to the families of the 54 people who were killed last weekend at a Kurdish wedding, has pushed to reinstate the death penalty in the wake of last month's failed coup against him.

Erdogan's calls for its reinstatement have become more frequent since the July 15 coup attempt as he carries out a massive purge of those suspected of taking part it in it.

The purge has mostly targeted members of the military, police and intelligence services, journalists, and academics belonging to the outlawed movement headed by cleric Fethullah Gulen, a U.S. resident. Tens of thousands have been arrested or suspended from their jobs.

Amnesty International has urged Erdogan to exercise restraint as he pushes to legalize executions in the country for the first time since 2004. The human rights group has said it is alarmed by his calls for capitol punishment, which the group sees as a clear suggestion that the death penalty would be used to punish those responsible for the coup attempt.

More than 200 people were killed in the failed coup, some of them by mutinying soldiers who fired at civilians taking to the streets to stop the coup.
A series of arrests of bloggers, newspaper reporters and even a dog owner has advocates worried about a chill on freedom of expression in Nigeria.

While the constitution of Africas most-populous country guarantees freedom of speech and the press, Peter Nkanga, West Africa representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said those rights are under attack.



More and more, that freedom is being eroded, Nkanga said. How is it being eroded? By the actions of government institutions and government authorities, who are ensuring that that freedom of expression, that freedom of the press that freedom to hold opinion, gradually, steadily, is being eroded.



Nkanga pointed to a number of episodes in recent months as instances where Nigerian security forces went after people simply because of something they said or wrote.



This month, the army said it wanted to question a journalist who had posted a link to a video released by the Boko Haram extremist group.



A journalist investigating arms smuggling was assaulted in June 2015 after a meeting at a Nigerian border post. Nkanga said customs officers looked on as the journalist was attacked without intervening.

Musa Azare, a blogger known for being critical about the government of Bauchi state in the countrys northeast, also found himself under arrest this month.

"They were dispatched from Bauchi to come and arrest me, Azare said of the police officers who traveled 450 kilometers to his house in the capital, Abuja."



He was driven to Bauchi and told that he was being taken in on suspicion of cyber stalking and criminal defamation, before being released. A Bauchi state official denied the government had anything to do with Azares detention.



Its not just journalists that are facing threats. Police took a man in the southwestern Ogun state this month into custody for naming his dog Buhari, after the president.



Nigerias leaders have pledged to respect the freedom of the press, with Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed saying in June that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari does not intend to do anything to stifle press freedom.



Mohammed was not available for comment.



Laws on the books have allowed local politicians to go after journalists and bloggers for their statements, says Mai Truong, manager of advocacy group Freedom Houses Freedom on the Net program.



She said a law passed last year criminalizing cyber crimes such as hacking and cyber stalking has become a tool for politicians seeking revenge against online commentators.



Weve seen [kind of] an uptick of bloggers, particularly, being targeted for arrest and charged under the cyber crime law for various types of writing related to posts about local governors or officials, Truong said.



Buhari came into office last year pledging to tackle corruption in Nigeria. The country is Africas largest economy but little of the wealth trickles down to its poor due in part to graft in the federal and state governments.



Shuaib Leman, national secretary of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, says much of the ire directed at journalists come from politicians who dont appreciate seeing allegations of corruption against them printed or broadcast.



I am not surprised that daily you find one instance or the other where a journalist is either picked up at the insistence of the state governor or a powerful politician for writing against corruption or for bringing up issues that need public attention and adequate scrutiny, Leman said.



When a journalist is attacked, Nkanga said the perpetrators of the assault rarely face charges.



Until you start to ensure that those who perpetrate attacks on journalists are brought to justice, there will hardly ever be a time when there will be [no] chill on them, Nkanga said. It has become a norm.
Supporters of Gabon President Ali Bongo and his chief rival, Jean Ping, are both claiming victory - and alleging fraud - in the central African nation's presidential election.

The official results in the oil rich nation's Saturday election won't be known until Tuesday. But the 73-year-old Ping claimed Sunday that "the general trends indicate we are the winner." But a spokesman for Bongo said the president is headed to a second term, while Bongo said he is "calmly" waiting for the results.

Gabon does not have a run-off system, so the candidate with the most votes in the 10-candidate field will win the election. A Ping victory would end a half-century of Bongo family rule. Ali Bongo succeeded his father Omar Bongo who died in 2009 after 41 years in office.

Both sides accuse the other of fraud in the voting.

President Bongo's spokesman said "massive fraud" had been observed, particularly at polling stations in opposition territory.

Ping said, "You have foiled the congenital fraud of this regime, which we are finally going to see off."
A new report finds economic and social discrimination against women is costing Africa more than $100 billion a year. The U.N. Development Programs 2016 Africa Human Development Report argues closing the gender gap would be a boon for the Continents economic and social prospects.



The report finds African women across the board are denied the same kind of economic, social and political opportunities men enjoy. It says women lose out when it comes to education, work and health.

It notes fewer girls than boys go to school, women earn less money than men for paid labor, harmful traditional practices affect their health, and certain cultural norms act as a hindrance to women moving ahead in society.

The report finds practices, such as child marriage and sexual and physical violence adversely affect womens health and result in high maternal mortality.

Ayodele Odusola is U.N. Development Program chief economist for the Regional Bureau for Africa. On a line from Nairobi, Kenya, he tells VOA evidence shows countries that invest heavily on gender equality tend to perform better on human development.

On the basis of this, investing in gender equality and womens empowerment is not only a human rights issue, but it is good economics and at the same time a development imperative," he said. "What we learn is that if we are able to address the impediment in the labor market, for instance, it is going to enhance not only social-economic opportunities of women, but it is going to enhance the growth opportunities for African countries.

Consequences



The report notes sub-Saharan Africa pays a very high price for maintaining discriminatory gender policies. It estimates total economic losses due to gender inequality in the labor market in 2014 cost the region $105 billion, or six percent of its Gross Domestic Product.

U.N. economists point to Rwanda as one of a few African countries that has increased the level of its human development index  that is, its life expectancy, education, and per capita income  by bridging the gender divide.

Ayodele Odusola says some things are beginning to change for the better elsewhere in Africa. He says reproductive rights are becoming acceptable in Niger and Burkina Faso countries where talk of family planning used to be taboo. He says Gambia is one of several countries that have banned early child marriage.

The report proposes several strategies for creating greater gender equality. It calls on African countries to adopt legal reforms, to give women a greater voice in decision-making, to actively promote gender equality and womens empowerment, and to ensure women have ownership of assets and management of resources.
Combating terrorism will be a top agenda item when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry makes his first official visit to Bangladesh, which is still reeling from the July 1 attack claimed by Islamic State at a Dhaka cafe.

The siege left 20 hostages dead, 17 of them foreigners.

Police in Bangladesh said Saturday they killed the suspected mastermind of the attack and two other militants during a raid on their hideout just outside Dhaka.

Since that attack, there has been an intensification of dialogue and deepening of the partnership with law enforcement and the military and the United States is seeking to see what more it can do with Bangladesh, said a senior State Department official in a background briefing for reporters.

Kerry's comments

What Kerry publicly says Monday in Dhaka will be closely scrutinized there and abroad to gauge whether the visit is a success in terms of enhanced bilateral cooperation in countering violent extremism.

Increasingly sophisticated terrorist attacks in Bangladesh have targeted foreigners, secular bloggers and other activists, as well as members of religious minorities -- a worrying development in a Muslim country known for combining devotion with tolerance.

The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has blamed the killings on domestic organizations.

The Sheikh Hasina government has really had a sort of head-in-the sand approach to this, said Lisa Curtis, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation. This has been going on for a few years, and the government has wanted to, sort of, blame the political opposition rather than admitting to any kind of extremist problem.

In a rare interview, Bangladeshs ambassador to the United States characterized his country as being well-prepared to face any such threats, regardless of origin.

Whether these influences come from ISIS or al-Qaida, if they ever do come in the future, Bangladesh is ready to fight all these enemies, Ambassador Mohammad Ziauddin told VOA.

Intelligence sharing

Bangladesh, India, the United States and others are constantly exchanging intelligence about terrorism related activities. And that cooperation is credited with halting potential attacks while in the planning stages.

Through these exchanges of information we have been able to weed out these sleeper cells, Ziauddin said.

Our prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, has a zero-tolerance policy for violent extremism and terrorism, he said prior to flying home for the Kerry visit.

Bangladesh watchers note the developing country grapples with a growing terrorism threat amid an ideological divide between secularists and religious extremists.

What Secretary Kerry should make clear to Sheikh Hasina is that unless there is political dialogue between the government and the opposition, its going to make it nearly impossible to develop a national consensus against extremism, which is really what is threatening the country, said Curtis, a former CIA analyst.

It was unclear whether Kerry would meet with opposition leader Khaleda Zia or anyone else from the Bangladesh National Party (BNP).

We do anticipate additional meetings and interactions as they get finalized, said the senior state department official when asked by VOA whether any such meetings would occur during Kerrys brief visit.

Political rivalry

Zia, who served as prime minister from 1991-96 and 2001-06, has been engaged in an acrimonious political rivalry with Hasina for decades.

The quarrel between the two chiefs of the respective Bangladeshi political dynasties -- who are known as the battling begums  has long cast a shadow over the countrys political system.

A third force, Jamaat-e-Islami, the countrys largest religious political party, was outlawed three years ago.

A group of U.N. human rights experts on Tuesday called on the government to annul a death sentence against a senior Jamaat-e-Islami official.

U.N. special rapporteurs Agnes Callamard, Monica Pinto, Juan Mendez and others, in a statement, also said Mir Quasem Ali should be retried in compliance with international standards.

Jamaat leader Motiur Rahman Nizami was executed in May following his conviction for war crimes committed during the 1971 war of independence, during which Bangladesh broke away from Pakistan.

In addition to focusing on the terrorism threat and ending the ongoing political turmoil, observers say the government has to address other causes hindering economic progress, specifically the bureaucracy, regulation, interventionism by government and corruption that continues to hinder the investment needed to create jobs and foster a stronger Bangladesh, according to Curtis Chin, former U.S. ambassador to the Asian Development Bank.

'Address social injustices'

"Much more can be done to address social injustices and inequality, but poverty is no justification for terrorist attacks, cautions Chin, an Asia Fellow at the nonpartisan Milken Institute, an economic think tank.

Ambassador Ziauddin said an important item on Dhaka's agenda during the talks with Kerry is Bangladeshs request for the United States to reinstate duty-free entry of the countrys textile products.

We feel that the U.S. is fair and looks kindly towards Bangladesh, and we hope it will do this as a matter of justice and fair play, he explained.

Bangladesh lost the privilege, known as the Generalized System of Privilege (GSP), in 2013 amid concerns about dangerous conditions in the countrys garment factories.

Bangladesh is the third-largest exporter of clothing products to the United States.

Chin noted that Bangladesh last year advanced to a lower-middle-income status nation, but its progress remains under growing threat.

Textiles are not the long-term solution to Bangladesh's economic needs, Chin said. Bangladesh must diversify its industry sectors away from textiles and must develop a highly skilled workforce to keep pace with that diversification.
Iran has arrested a member of a team that played a role in negotiating a milestone nuclear agreement with world powers.

According to IRNA, Iran's state media, judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said Sunday that a "spy who had infiltrated the nuclear team" was released on bail after being held in jail for a few days.

The negotiator's identity was not disclosed but Ejei said he is still under investigation.

Last year Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for relief from most global economic sanctions. The deal is opposed by many hardliners who view it as a concession to the United States.

On Wednesday, hard line news organizations reported Iranian officials apprehended dual Iranian-Canadian national Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani. He was a member of a team that negotiated the lifting sanctions against Iran under one of the primary negotiators of last year's nuclear pact.

In response to Wednesday's hard line media reports, Iran's state media quoted Ejei Sunday as saying, "The report is correct. He was released on bail. Yet, his charge is not proved."

Why Esfahani is being investigated is not clear. But people with dual nationalities have been more frequently targeted by Iranian security forces since the nuclear deal was reached last year.
It is "unacceptable" for some European Union members to close their doors to refugees just because they are Muslims, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday.

"Everybody has to do their bit," she told ARD television. "What I continue to think is wrong is that some say, 'We generally don't want Muslims in our country regardless if there is a humanitarian need or not.' We're going to have to keep discussing that."

German officials say they expect to grant entry to as many as 300,000 migrants throughout all of 2016. They are mainly from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, where their lives are in danger from war and Islamic terrorism.

Merkel wants a quota system for the 28-member European Union to accept would-be immigrants.

Several EU members, particularly those in the east with pro-nationalist leaders, oppose any plans to take in any migrants from the Mideast and South Asia, while others oppose quotas.

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said last week he does not want a large Muslim community because of the "problems we are seeing." He said it should be up to each EU country to decide how many to migrants to take in.

Merkel appeared at the German Chancellery's open house for all citizens and visitors Sunday, shaking hands, posing for pictures and signing autographs for supporters and opponents.

She told the crowd these are "challenging political times," but that security overseas is a key to Germany's security.

"Doing everything to stop the current wars in Syria and others from where we see horrible pictures, to find a solution that is sometimes very, very difficult...we here in Germany should consider ourselves happy to be able to live in peace together, despite the problems we have."

A new poll shows about half of all Germans oppose a fourth term for Merkel as chancellor. She has not yet decided if she will run again next year.
In celebration of the National Park Services 100th anniversary this year, adventurer Mikah Meyer is traveling across America with the goal of visiting every one of the more than 400 sites within its jurisdiction.

The young traveler set out from Washington, D.C., in June and has already visited dozens of sites. And VOA has been following him every step of the way.

Thanks to the stunning photographs and videos Mikah and his travel companion, Andy Waldron, have been sending us, we have a virtual front-row seat to some of the most amazing landscapes and seascapes within the park system.

Sacred ground

During his travels across the northern states, Mikah has been struck by the extent to which Native American history is part of so many of the park units.

Which makes sense, because they were all here before we were, he remarked in a recent conversation with VOA. They were all over the country and it's a really rich history, both culturally and archaeologically.

That presence was evident at Pipestone National Monument in southwestern Minnesota, which was established in recognition of the red pipestone thats prevalent there. The special stone is the main reason the place has been sacred to Native Americans for countless generations, Mikah explained, because they used the stone to make pipes for use in prayer.

When natives prayed they would use the smoke [from those pipes] to send their prayers up to the heavens.

It was disturbing for Mikah to learn that when white settlers moved into the area in the late 1800s, the natives were deprived of the materials they needed for their spiritual needs. As I walked through this place I thought, What if the Kaabah in Mecca was destroyed? What if Westminster Abbey was destroyed? What if the Dome of the Rock was destroyed?'

For these people, this was their Dome of the Rock, he said. And settlers came in and took it over, and I had this immense feeling of how horrible that must have felt for them to have their sacred place run over.

The good news is that the establishment of the Pipestone National Monument in 1937 allowed Native Americans to resume their tradition of quarrying and pipe-making.

Mikah had an opportunity to watch a park staff member making pipes at the parks gift shop, and even handle pieces of the special stone himself. He used a modern saw and shaver to whittle the stone, which gave him a chance to feel just how malleable the material was. It was fun to be able to use it with your own hands  made it a lot more sensory, he said.

Moundbuilders

Another place that holds special meaning for Native Americans is a national monument in Iowa, associated with the culture known today as the Effigy Moundbuilders. The 200 plus American Indian mounds of earth  commonly in the shapes of birds, bears, deer, bison, lynx, turtles, panthers or water spirits  are located in one of the most picturesque sections of the Upper Mississippi River Valley, the Effigy Mounds National Monument.

While the exact purpose of the mounds remains unclear, stories and legends of the Native Americans whose ancestors built them describe them as ceremonial and sacred sites. Archaeologists believe the effigy mounds delineated territories of choice gathering and hunting grounds.

A visit offers opportunities to contemplate the meaning of the mounds and the people who built them.

Rugged wilderness

The Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway in Minnesota is made up of the St. Croix and Namekagon rivers. Located about 83 kilometers (52 miles) north of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis and Saint Paul), it offers over 320 kilometers (200 miles) of clean water that glides and rushes through a forested landscape.

Mikah got to ride on a riverboat and also went kayaking on the river, which he described as isolated in many parts. So basically just one hour northeast of a city of 3.5 million people, heres this place where it's a wild river, he said.

There are laws that keep it from even having cellphone towers within sight of the water, because the whole point is to make you feel exactly like you would have before there was human interaction.

So for people who live in an urban area like the Twin Cities, within an hour they can be somewhere that feels like they are a thousand miles away from civilization.

Urban beauty

Another stop on Mikahs summer journey was the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, a 116-kilometer (72-mile) river corridor through the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area.

It was a complete contrast to his previous experience, Mikah said. While the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway was wild and isolated, this park is meant to serve an urban community.

The park follows the course of the Mississippi, past visitor centers, wildlife refuges, state and regional parks, dams, overlooks and historic sites.

And, Mikah noted, a lot of modern America. "It's condos, it's downtown Minneapolis, it's downtown Saint Paul, it's old mills, it's industry, there were barges going through. So I think a lot of this park is not so much about the river as it is the small city and state parks along the river that are interspersed within an urban area that is trying to provide a sense of nature within a city of 3.5 million people.

Mikah says hes happy to be spending the week of the National Park Services official 100th birthday experiencing places that don't always get as much attention as other places within the park system.

I'm realizing that theyre just as much of a part of the National Park Service as other units.

Common ground

During his visit to Minnesota, Mikah had a chance to share his park experience with U.S. Representative Betty McCollum, who serves Minnesota's 4th Congressional District and is a member of the House Appropriations Committee.

We talked about each of our discoveries of the national parks, what they've meant to us in the past, and what they mean to us now, Mikah said.

He noted with interest their mutual interest, but within different capacities. Here you have someone responsible for helping fund all 412 units, and next to her is someone trying to visit all 412 units.

Coming attractions

Mikah recently spent a day speaking about his park experience to fourth-grade students at a school in Oregon, Illinois. He will spend a few more days in Illinois before heading to Indiana.

Follow Mikah

To follow Mikah and learn more about the places hes traveling to, visit him on his website or Facebook page.
Pakistani security forces have raided a madrassa, or Islamic seminary, in the southwestern city of Quetta and rounded up around 100 Afghan nationals for suspected links to militant groups, officials said.

Provincial government spokesman Anwar ul-Haq Kakar told VOA the detainees did not posses any identity documents. Authorities also seized "undesired literature" from the seminary, known as Madrassa Abdullah bin Zubair. The institution, he said, has been sealed after the overnight raid in the Bhoosa Mandi area and detainees are being probed for further legal action.

It is unclear what prompted Saturdays raid but the locality is notorious for harboring extremists linked to outlawed groups, including the Afghan Taliban.

Afghan officials have long alleged the Taliban insurgency takes direction from its so-called Quetta Shura (leadership war council) based in the Pakistani city and have pressed Islamabad to evict the insurgents. Pakistani officials reject the assertions, though they admit presence of insurgent fighters among hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees in the province.

A U.S. drone strike in May killed fugitive Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in a remote district of Baluchistan, of which Quetta is the capital city.

Al-Qaida, IS operatives captured



On Saturday, Baluchistan Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti revealed security forces captured six operatives of al-Qaida and Islamic State (IS) in the remote district of Noshki, which is located on the way to Pakistan's border with Afghanistan and Iran.

An important Daesh commander is also among the detainees, Bugti said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. Without sharing his identity or nationality, the minister said the detained commander was involved in brain-washing and recruiting youth to send to fight in Syria. He did not elaborate.

Authorities in Pakistan have also lately intensified a crackdown against Afghans living illegally in Baluchistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the two provinces bordering Afghanistan, and detained and deported hundreds of them.

The police crackdown has also led to incidents of alleged harassment of registered Afghan refugees, prompting thousands of families to return to their country in recent months. The registered refugees have until December this year to stay in Pakistan legally.

Separately, a spokesman for the paramilitary force called Frontier Corps (FC) said Sunday it has arrested 328 Afghan nationals from different parts of Quetta for not possessing travel documents and working without permits. Those arrested have been handed over to the authorities at the FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) for their deportation, a statement quoted him as saying.
FARC rebel commanders in Colombia have ordered a final cease-fire at the stroke of midnight Sunday (0500 UTC Monday) as part of a permanent peace deal with the government.

"Never again will parents be burying their sons and daughters killed in the war," the rebel leader known as Timoshenko said. "All rivalries and grudges will remain in the past."

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos already had announced that the military will lay down its arms against the rebels Monday.

A peace deal was reached this past week in Havana aimed at finally ending 52 years of fighting between the Marxist rebel group and various Colombian governments.

The deal is expected to be put to a referendum next month.

What began as a small peasant uprising in 1964 grew into one of Latin America's longest and bloodiest conflicts, leaving more than 220,000 people dead and driving more than 5 million people from their homes.
People are dying in Sierra Leone of kidney disease, due to the lack of available treatment. Patients have to fly to other countries and many cannot afford it.

Frederick Garber is just 15 years old and is suffering from a kidney infection.

He is currently on medication to try and control it but often is in pain. He needs a kidney biopsy to diagnose exactly what the problem is. And may also need dialysis treatment. Neither of which can be done in Sierra Leone.

It is a tough situation for his father Joseph. It is very frustrating, for me to at least get the treatment for him, the treatment is not done here, I have to find ways and means to take the boy out of this country and I am not financially strong, he said.

Since 2012 a dialysis unit has been at the Connaught hospital in Freetown. The Israeli government donated it.

But it needs a water treatment plant installed to properly function according to Nyama Kamara. She is a dialysis consultant working with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation of Sierra Leone. No one is qualified to install it in the country and so everything is on hold until a technician can come from Israel.

One was supposed to come, but when the Ebola crisis hit Sierra Leone, the trip was cancelled, said Kamara. We have a lot of cases coming to Connaught hospital, that need dialysis, but what do we do?The machines are here and people are dying ... and we need the machines to work ... this is the only unit.

There is no specific data on how many people have died in Sierra Leone from kidney disease, but according to the National Kidney Foundation 10 percent of the world's population is affected by chronic kidney disease and millions die each year because they cannot access affordable treatment.

Noncommunicable diseases, such kidney disease, have replaced communicable diseases (such as malaria) as the most common causes of premature death worldwide.

Dr. Soccoh Kabia is Sierra Leones only nephrologist. He said the fact that there is not even a lab to do biopsies like Frederick Garbers is a huge problem.

And kidney disease can be managed with the right facilities.

I know it is something that often is preventable and also sometimes reversible and at times not, but you can slow down the progression, he said.

Meanwhile, Jospeh Garber has started a fund-raising campaign for his son which he hopes will help.

It is really painful, as a father to be seeing your child in pain, you have no option, but you just console him, it is really difficult, he said.

It is not clear when the dialysis unit will be fully operating.
Syrian rebels supported by Turkey have taken control of at least four villages and one town from Kurdish-led forces in northern Syria amid reports that Turkish airstrikes claimed the lives of at least 35 civilians in the area.

Monitors from the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights say in the attacks Sunday 20 people were killed in the village of Jub-al-Kousa, while 50 people were wounded in an area controlled by militia allied with the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The Observatory says another air strike killed 15 civilians and wounded 20 others near the town of Al-Armana.

The Turkish military said Sunday that its airstrikes in northern Syria killed 25 Kurdish militants and denied that civilians had also been killed. The Turkish military also said it is committed to protecting civilians under international law.

Turkey's state run Anadolu news agency said the dead Kurdish militants were "terrorist members" of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Syrian Democratic Union Party (PYD).

The Turkish military, along with its Syrian rebel allies, is in the fifth day of a campaign designed to drive U.S.-allied Kurdish forces and Islamic State (IS) militants out of the frontier Syrian town of Jarablus, which borders Turkey.

WATCH: Turkish airstrikes on Northern Syria

Kurdish militants killed

Turkish President President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the rally Sunday that residents of Jarablus are returning to their homes after Turkish-backed forces recaptured it from Islamic State (IS).

He praised his armed forces for forcing IS militants from Jarabulus. "They were attacking us from across the borders, now they are running away," Erdogan said, vowing to pursue the fleeing terrorists.

Turkey's military foray into Syria is a dramatic escalation of Ankara's involvement in the Syrian civil war.

The clashes bolster Western concerns that Turkey's military incursion into Syria is intended, in part, to target U.S.-supported Kurdish forces known as the Kurdish People's Protection Units, the YPG militia. The U.S. has described the YPG as one of its most effective allies in the fight against so-called Islamic State, while Turkey is demanding a YPG retreat from all border territory seized from IS jihadists.

Barrel bombs target funeral

Elsewhere, the Observatory says Syrian government helicopters dropped two explosive-packed barrel bombs on a funeral Saturday just minutes apart in the Maadi district of eastern Aleppo, killing at least 23 people.

The first bomb landed near a tent where people were mourning the victims of a barrel bomb attack earlier in the week. The second bomb landed as emergency workers arrived.

The attack Thursday in a neighboring district of the once-vibrant city killed 15 people, including 11 children.

The Syrian government routinely denies using barrel bombs. But analysts point out that Damascus and Moscow command the only forces operating helicopters over Aleppo.

Cease-fire?

Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, has called for a 48-hour truce in Aleppo. He says the world body has in place an emergency response plan to provide humanitarian relief to the besieged city, once a temporary cease-fire is in place.

In a statement, de Mistura said Russia has confirmed it will honor the proposed U.N. emergency response plan and is seeking the cooperation of the government of President Bashar al-Assad, Moscow's long-standing ally.

The U.N. plan is aimed at providing emergency aid to tens of thousands of people trapped in Aleppo and to restore electricity to the city that was once home to 2.3 million residents.

Elsewhere, Syrian rebels and their families continue evacuating the long-besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya as part of an agreement reached late Thursday with the government after four years of airstrikes and a siege that left the suburb in ruins.
Rhetoric on race in America continues at a fever pitch in the presidential contest between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, as both vie for the backing of minority voters eight years after the United States elected its first president of color.

More than 6,000 African-Americans are the victims of murder, of murder, every single year, Trump said at a recent campaign stop, adding that failed Democratic policies are to blame for high levels of crime and economic dislocation in minority communities.

Clinton pounced on the comments.

Trump has stood up in front of largely white audiences and described black communities in such insulting and ignorant terms, Clinton said in a speech late last week. He certainly doesnt have any solutions to take on the reality of systemic racism and create more equity and opportunity in communities of color and for every American.

Trump is highlighting crime in the black community as part of a larger narrative about threats to public safety and his promise to be a law-and-order president.

A Trump television ad proclaims: Donald Trumps America is secure. Terrorists and dangerous criminals kept out. The border secure. Our families safe.

Clinton, meanwhile, is painting a more sinister picture of her opponent and some of his backers. An internet ad strings together comments from white supremacists who are openly backing the Republican nominee.

Trump is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog-whistle to his most hateful supporters. Its a disturbing preview of what kind of president hed be, Clinton said at a campaign stop.

Trumps backers say the candidate is speaking cold, hard truths about issues that need to be addressed, from illegal immigration to inner-city crime.

If people want safer streets, want their police supported, then they should vote for Donald Trump because thats what hell do, said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on ABCs This Week program. Hell appoint an attorney general who will send very clear messages about how law enforcement is to be pursued in this country.

Trump drew headlines for a recent Twitter post proclaiming a high-profile gun slaying in Chicago as a reason for minorities to back him in the November election. He followed up with a tweet expressing condolences to the family of the murder victim.
Zimbabwes ruling Zanu PF party says it will deploy its youth in the countrys streets to assist the police to crush any future anti-government protests but the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change led by former prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai was quick to warn President Mugabe to respect the constitution.

In recent days, the opposition has escalated protests demanding President Robert Mugabes immediate resignation for failing to run the affairs of the southern African country.

Deputy secretary of the Zanu PF Youth League, Kudzai Chipanga, told hundreds of youths at his partys headquarters that they would not allow the MDC and other pro-democracy groups to stage any protests saying only Zanu PF should be allowed to do what it wants at any time.

Now they are beating up the police, they are looting in shops and destroying valuable property. We are the ruling party and we cant allow them to continue to do that nonsense. As the youth, be ready to deal with them when they call for protests, next time they call for any demonstration we will also be in the streets to help the police to arrest them.

You must therefore sleep with your cellphones under your pillows so that when you are called by the commissar you are in town quickly. The law provides for citizen arrests so dont be afraid to deal with these malcontents. While they will be complaining about the situation in the country, we will taking all white-owned farms and distributing them among ourselves so that we can grow our crops and get some residential stands, said Chipanga.

MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu said his party was appalled by the Zanu PF youth leaders remarks saying Zanu PF youth were turning themselves into a militia.

By taking over, abrogating or arrogating themselves the constitutional duties of the Zimbabwe Republic Police, the Zanu PF youths would have turned themselves into a militia and they should be arrested for impersonating police officers which is a criminal offence, said Gutu.

Gutu warned that the political situation in Zimbabwe may result in a civil war if action was not taken urgently.

We implore the African Union and SADC (Southern African Development Community) to deal with this matter very quickly because the police are using brutal force against defenseless citizens and the SADC leaders should reign in Mugabe at their next summit in Mbabane, Swaziland, added Gutu.

Efforts to get a comment from Zimbabwes Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo were fruitless as he was not answering his mobile phone.

The youth had earlier gathered in Harares central business district to clean up the mess that was left by the anti-government demonstrators who used stones and other missiles to attack police officers who were teargassing and assaulting them during the anti-government protests.

However, the youth who were numbering about only 500, were asked to shelve their plans by Chipanga as he feared they could turn violent.
Wacos Providence Health Center will transfer back-office duties, including billing and bill collecting, to Chicago-based Accretive Health in a move that will make dozens of Providence employees become Accretive staffers and could result in layoffs at the citys oldest hospital, Providence officials said.

Hospital employees who may find themselves affected by the move reportedly received the news during meetings with management in recent weeks.

Providence officials declined comment on the number of employees who will work under the banner of Accretive Health beginning Jan. 1, 2017.

Most Providence revenue-cycle employees will transition seamlessly to Accretive employment, Providence spokeswoman Erin Rogers said.

Some positions will be eliminated, Rogers said. Employees who will be laid off have been notified and will be able to apply for other positions with Accretive and with Providences parent company, Ascension Health, she said.

In keeping with our values, Providence also will provide a combination of support and benefits to assist affected employees in preparing for other employment, Rogers said.

Providence officials refused to say how many people may lose their jobs or whether employees transitioning to Accretive will receive similar pay and benefits.

Accretive, meanwhile, said it does not identify its clients or comment on its contracts.

All revenue-cycle billing services for Ascension operations in Texas will become those of Accretive next year. These services include helping hospitals and physicians collect payments and authorize payments of insurance coverage, as well as educating patients on the cost of health services.

Ascension and Accretive have reached an agreement that allows Accretive to oversee collections and bill-paying operations for every Ascension site in the country, said Brett Esrock, president and CEO of Providence Health System.

All patient-service revenue operations will become part of this joint entity, Esrock said.

Providence has a track record of trying to retain employees whose positions change, he said.

Ascension, based in St. Louis, Missouri, has more than 1,900 sites of care across 23 states, including 129 hospitals and more than 30 senior care centers. It has a lengthy relationship with Accretive, which it tried to buy in the summer of 2015. Accretive rejected the deal.

In December, the two sides entered an agreement in which Ascension will use Accretive as its sole revenue-cycle management provider for 10 years. Ascension also teamed up with TowerBrook Capital Partners to make a $200 million investment in Accretive, which had suffered some lean financial years.

$8 billion

The agreement between Ascension and Accretive gives Accretive an additional $8 billion in patient revenue to manage.

Accretive announced in June it was reorganizing the company in a move that would eliminate 41 positions and create $16 million in annual savings.

Kris Collins, senior vice president for economic development at the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce, did not want to comment on the maneuvering at Providence.

But from an employment perspective, we continue to see a lot of opportunities available to individuals looking for jobs, Collins said. I would not think anybody actively seeking employment in this job market would have much difficulty moving into a new position.

The Waco Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Falls and McLennan counties, added about 2,700 jobs between July of last year and July of this year, according to a report released last week by Amarillo-based economist Karr Ingham. The jobless rate in July was the 10th lowest among 26 metropolitan areas statewide.

Providence Healthcare System, whose main campus is located off State Highway 6 at 6901 Medical Parkway, employs 2,385 people.
He originally wanted to be a farmer, but that was before James Jim Kreder, 78, got a taste of military life in the National Guard. The Lacy Lakeview resident was active as a teenager in FFA and 4-H and planned to make agriculture his career.

But in 1955, the 18-year-old joined the National Guard in Waco at the urging of a friend. He spent time as a cooks helper and attended cooking and baking classes. He decided a year later to enlist, beginning a career with the U.S. Army that lasted over 21 years. After receiving his discharge from the National Guard, he entered the Army as an E-2  private second class.

After basic, advance and unit training, Kreders first overseas assignment was in Germany with Headquarters Co., 86th Regiment, in the 24th Infantry Division. It was a posting he thoroughly enjoyed. Serving as a reconnaissance scout, we did a lot of riding and driving, he said. He was stationed at U.S. Army Garrison Schweinfurt.

I enjoyed that trip. I was single during that trip, he said. We toured Germany, basically, at no cost.

His group started at the border and went clear across the country mapping bridges, roads, rivers and streams. The idea was to have as much documented information as possible in the event of an emergency. Kreders unit also played the part of the aggressor in war maneuvers, serving as the mock enemy.

He spent 18 months there before returning to the States. Stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia, he drove a medical vehicle for a year, attending various events or sitting at the ready at the rifle range.

Fort Hood and marriage

In 1959, Kreder left the Army for about two months and then re-enlisted, serving at Fort Hood. In December 1959, he married Barbara Breedlove  theyve been together 57 years  before returning to Germany, where he was stationed in Munich and served as a squad leader. He attended the 7th Army NCO School in Augsburg in preparation for a promotion to E-5.

In 1961, work began on the Berlin Wall, separating Germany into East and West. As a result, all of the U.S. troops had their assignments extended by six months.

Nobody really knew what was going to happen, Kreder said. When he returned home, he met his 2-year-old son, James, for the first time.

Stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana, Kreders daughter, Bonnie, was born while her dad worked on the rifle range as an instructor and safety NCO.

In 1964 he was in South Korea with the 1st Division of the 9th Cavalry, patrolling the demilitarized zone near Panmunjom. He worked 12-hour shifts watching for infiltrators. All in all, it was a pretty easy tour, he said.

Off to Vietnam in 68

Kreder returned to the States and was stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, where he was a drill sergeant for three years before deploying to Vietnam in 1968. Joining the Headquarters Co., 25th Division, he was assigned as an instructor with the 5th Army of the Republic of Vietnam, teaching the basics to instructors who would, in turn, train cadets of the newly formed Army of the Republic of Vietnam.

Two years later he was based in Hue, where he was assigned to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam,

networking with different branches of the military in radio research and interception.

After a cease-fire was signed, most U.S. personnel were sent home, but Kreder had to stay and help with billeting duties for a four-party joint military commission. When he finally received notification to return home, his plane sat on the runway in Saigon. U.S. servicemen watched as people looted the fallen city. We never got off the plane, he said. They ransacked the buildings, taking everything they could carry.

Kreder came home in 1976. He got orders to return to Germany and decided it was time to stop. He retired as a master sergeant after serving 21 years and 6 months.

He earned two Army Commendation Medals, an Armed Forces Honor Medal from the Vietnamese and several Bronze Stars for Meritorious Service, including one for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces in the Republic of Vietnam from July 1972 to July 1973.

Ive always looked at the good part, Kreder said of his time spent in the Army. I had a lot of fun in the military and enjoyed most of it.

He never worried about not making it home.

A lot of people say they were lucky. I say it just wasnt my time, he said. I had some pretty good jobs, really. They were as safe as any place could be.

Voices of Valor, featuring stories about Central Texas veterans, publishes every Sunday in the Waco Trib. To suggest a story about a Central Texas veteran, email voicesofvalor@wacotrib.com. Voices of Valor is proudly sponsored by Johnson Roofing.
Officials expect more than 1,000 people to take in fine woodworking and listen to expert presentations at the Southwest Association of Turners silver anniversary symposium this weekend at the Waco Convention Center.

The woodworkers association began informally in 1992 with 75 people in a live oak grove in Columbus, said James Johnson, of Kerrville, a woodworker since 1983 and one of the first organizers. The group first became known as Texas Turn or Two, named for the lathes that are central to the production of their work.

They asked me to find a place in Austin, but the best place I could find wanted my personal guarantee of thousands of dollars, Johnson said. So we moved to a place at Canyon Lake, north of Austin, a few years later. We had two or three buildings, and people stayed in tents. Then one year we had a big storm that covered the ground inside and out with water, and we were outgrowing the place, anyway.

After one year in San Angelo in 2001, the group accepted an invitation to Wichita Falls and changed the name to its present form.

Some people were put off by the acronym SWAT because it also stands for special weapons and tactics, but it works because its easy to remember, Johnson said. But Wichita Falls was so far out of the way that people from distant areas like South Texas couldnt get there, and we started holding conventions in Central Texas, eventually finding the convention center nine years ago. Its given us room to grow.

The organization has local chapters in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico as a nationwide affiliate of the American Association of Woodturners and boasts one of its largest regional conventions, Johnson said.

We have plenty of room to stretch out and relax, and we feed people lunch, he said. Ive been to national symposiums where you have to walk 10 blocks to get a tuna sandwich for $8.50. Id much rather be here.

President Buddy Compton, of Colorado City, talking with incoming President Stormy Boudreaux, of Willow Park, said hes happy the convention has endured over the years.

Most turners symposiums dont last long enough for a silver anniversary, Compton said. Things get so complicated as they grow that they burn out. But we have 30 committees with carefully defined responsibilities that communicate through the year, and everything goes well.

Amid all the works of art and equipment on display, Ken Mays, of Hewitt, who was in charge of vendor relations, said the groups pride and joy is its annual Beads of Courage project for hospitalized children. A New Mexico company makes the beads and supplies them to hospitals, and SWAT members make wooden containers, called boxes though many of them are round, to give to the children. Every time a child goes through a procedure, he or she gets a bead to add to a collection.

This is the first year SWAT will deliver containers to the new Scott & White McLane Childrens Hospital in Temple, scheduled Tuesday to receive 50 of the 250 made this year.

Mays said John Tolly, of Austin, contributed 50 boxes. Mays himself made 10 and showed off one with a lid decorated by a 9-year-old granddaughter who lives in Austin.

Theres nothing like seeing the face of a sick child light up when we present one of these, Mays said.

The box Mays showed was made of spalted wood, a term for wood crisscrossed with squiggly lines created by mold that is beginning to rot a tree.

Such wood once was regarded as trash, but a few years ago wood turners began communicating with the lumber industry and asking for it because it adds to the woods beauty and can be chemically treated and stabilized. Several vendors also had products made from the substance or related to it.

Other vendors had wood from trees grafted from several varieties to blend big northern trees with southern heat-resistant strains. Also on offer are small, brightly colored blocks to make pen barrels and bottle stoppers. In all, vendors come from 26 states and as far away as Maine.

An art gallery displays small and large sculptures of painstaking intricacy. Experts give several presentations at 90-minute intervals while doors are open.

The three-day symposium began Friday evening and will be open 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

A lot of people come to see wood turning. I come to see wood turners, Johnson said. I spend a lot of time visiting with friends I only get to see once a year, right here.
Korea's Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho, left, shakes hands with his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso after their meeting at the Government Complex in central Seoul, Saturday. / Yonhap



By Nam Hyun-woo

Korea and Japan's finance ministers agreed on Saturday to launch talks on resuming their bilateral currency swap deal, according to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, in a bid to have another safety net for stability in the financial market amid the rising possibility of a U.S. rate hike.

Korea's Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho held a meeting with his Japanese counterpart Taro Aso in Seoul and proposed signing a currency swap deal involving an equivalent amount between the two countries as a "token of their strengthened bilateral economic ties." They agreed to negotiate details, including a timeframe and the amount, soon.

In a joint statement, the ministers recognized that "the global economy is on a gradual recovery path but remains weaker than desirable" and the swap would "contribute to regional financial stability."

"Korea proposed the talks and Japan agreed," Yoo told reporters after the meeting. "It will take months before the currency swap actually resumes."

Since 2001, the countries maintained a $2 billion currency swap and expanded it to $70 billion in 2011. A year later however, the value of the deal was cut back to $13 billion and then reduced to $10 billion in 2013, amid tensions over territorial and historical issues. The 14-year-old deal ended in February last year.

The Korean finance ministry said in a statement that the government made the suggestion amid increasing financial uncertainty and volatility after Brexit. The ministry also said Federal Reserve Chairwoman Janet Yellen's remarks at Jackson Hole led to the proposal.

Yellen said in her annual speech in Wyoming on Friday that "the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened in recent months."

Given the yen's power in the global financial market, questions have been raised about the swap deal possibly giving Japan the diplomatic leverage of claiming the swap as "beneficial to Korea." Also, some wonder about the necessity of the swap because Korea's foreign exchange situation is sound, with no warning signs.

Before the meeting, the government said a currency swap deal was not on the agenda, but made a surprise proposal.

"In terms of current account balance and foreign exchange reserves, the Korean economy's external soundness seems to be solid," Yoo said. "However, the government wants to sign currency swap deals with as many countries as possible to reduce uncertainties."

The ministry also said the proposal was about a "new" currency swap because the previous one was imbalanced, with Korea receiving $10 billion and Japan receiving $5 billion.

Experts said the agreement is an "insurance" to cope with a potential U.S. rate hike and increased exchange rate volatility, but questioned whether it was necessary.

"Korea is sensitive to foreign exchange outflow," said Prof. Kwon Won-soon at the Economics Department of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. "So the government is keen on coming up with preemptive measures."

"However, Korea's economy has no problem with current account and foreign exchange reserves. The currency swap talks are aimed at bilateral cooperation and are like insurance for uncertainties. The question is why Korea proposed the deal. It may send a wrong signal outside of Korea that the country's economy is in trouble."

According to the Bank of Korea, Korea's foreign exchange reserve stood at $371.38 billion at the end of July. The country is in the Chiang Mai Initiative, a multilateral currency swap arrangement among ASEAN, China, Japan, and Korea.

Also, Korea and China agreed to extend their 64 trillion won ($57.4 billion) currency swap deal in April.
S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? The Last Great Value Stock (Ad) Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? Apple Inc. Stock Q4 Results Beat Negative Outlook, Stock Rises The Last Great Value Stock (Ad) Will Ryanair Stock Gains, Strong Estimates Help it Fly? Why is Amazon Stock Falling? Is the Sell-Off Overdone? The Safest Option in Trades! (Ad) Chevron Gushes More Profits; Is it Time for Investors to Buy? When Will This "Suckers Rally" End?

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? The Last Great Value Stock (Ad) Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? Apple Inc. Stock Q4 Results Beat Negative Outlook, Stock Rises The Last Great Value Stock (Ad) Will Ryanair Stock Gains, Strong Estimates Help it Fly? Why is Amazon Stock Falling? Is the Sell-Off Overdone? The Safest Option in Trades! (Ad) Chevron Gushes More Profits; Is it Time for Investors to Buy? When Will This "Suckers Rally" End?

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? The Last Great Value Stock (Ad) Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? Apple Inc. Stock Q4 Results Beat Negative Outlook, Stock Rises The Last Great Value Stock (Ad) Will Ryanair Stock Gains, Strong Estimates Help it Fly? Why is Amazon Stock Falling? Is the Sell-Off Overdone? The Safest Option in Trades! (Ad) Chevron Gushes More Profits; Is it Time for Investors to Buy? When Will This "Suckers Rally" End?
What do eight packets of Smith's salted potato crisps and two Big Macs have in common?



Both have less salt than an average packet of instant noodles sold in Australia.



It was a finding that stunned researchers at The George Institute for Global Health, when they surveyed 765 noodle products collected from 10 countries between 2012 and 2016; including Australia, China, Costa Rica, Fiji, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Samoa, South Africa and Britain.

Among the sample set, salt levels in Australian instant noodles were the second highest, with an average packet containing more than 80 per cent of the daily recommended maximum salt intake of five grams a day.

Aldi's Simplee 2 Minute Noodles (chicken flavour) was declared Australia's "worst offender" because, based on the serving size provided on the pack, it contained 2.67 grams of salt per serving, more than half a day's worth of salt.
Prime Minster Malcolm Turnbull appears to have left the door open to dropping the most controversial element of his government's $6 billion superannuation package, while pointing out the "vast bulk" of it had been accepted.

Liberal MPs are expected to raise their concerns about the proposed $500,000 non-concessional lifetime cap on contributions, which is the most controversial element of the package, during a party room meeting on Monday that comes after a wipe-out result for the Country Liberal Party in the Northern Territory.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull may be amenable to a deal on changes to his superannuation package. Credit:Justin McManus

Mr Turnbull said the super package had, overall, been "very well received" and criticised Mr Shorten's decision to hold back details of Labor's alternate proposal  which also includes blocking three other measures in the package and lowering the income threshold at which point a 30 per cent tax on a person's super would apply  until after the election.

"It's about a $6 billion package. The only area of controversy relates to the $500,000 non-concessional lifetime cap, which is around $500 million of that $6 billion. So the vast bulk is broadly accepted, and we have won the arguments on that in a very complex area. It's a great tribute to Kelly O'Dwyer and Scott Morrison for doing that," he told the ABC's Insiders.
Barack and Michelle Obama's new photoshoot has the internet shouting about relationship goals". Credit:AAP According to Peter Slevin, author of Michelle Obama: A Life, the criticism and its potential effect on her husband's campaign concerned her. "It rattled her, but she is supremely disciplined and focused, and she rebounded," he tells Sunday Life. For a China state dinner, 2015 Michelle diplomatically chose a dress by Chinese-American designer Vera Wang for a state dinner for President Xi Jinping. Credit:AP "Aides call her the most strategic person they've ever met. In telling stories about her working-class upbringing and the obstacles she faced, particularly as a black woman, she came across as authentic."

Once in the White House, conscious of the scrutiny she faced but determined to use her time effectively, she walked the line between fulfilling the expectations of a very antiquated role and remaining true to her values. To rock, 2015 Michelle rewrote the style guide by wearing this edgy, off-the-shoulder dress by Zac Posen to a Black Girls Rock! event. Credit:Getty Images Funny, sharp, politically astute, she's as much a product of her working-class upbringing as her dual Ivy League degrees. She became a globe-trotting advocate for education who used Snapchat and rapped with Missy Elliot on Carpool Karaoke; a proud feminist who was also a fashion icon; a fierce political surrogate for her husband while being America's devoted "mom in chief". Most would agree she walked this line effectively, and rarely put a step wrong. She has been a warmer and more energetic figure than most in political life, but rigidly disciplined in the face of intense scrutiny. Her appeal transcends the political and racial divide, but her tenure has been particularly meaningful for black women, making "many of us feel more comfortable in our skin," as Alicia Garza, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, told the BBC.

For the fashion crowd, 2014 What do you wear in the company of Vogue editor Anna Wintour, SJP and Donatella Versace? This hot Naeem Khan dress. Credit:AAP Michelle's deep devotion to her two daughters and husband has been central to her public persona, but she has always projected a strong sense of her own identity and strength, too. Her marriage to Barack is a partnership of equals, imbued with mutual adoration and respect, buoyed by the odd ribbing of each other in public and even a little public flirtation. For the second Inaugural Ball, 2013 For a movie-star moment, Michelle knew she could rely on Jason Wu, in this case devore red velvet and a jewelled neckline. Credit:AP "Watching my husband walk off of [the presidential helicopter] Marine One and go to the Oval Office, it's like, mmm, mmm, mmm," she told Oprah Winfrey recently in an interview, describing him as "swagalicious".

But despite being one half of a modern marriage to a self-declared feminist man, Michelle has nonetheless inhabited a very traditional role, putting her own distinguished career - which includes stints as an attorney after attending Harvard Law School, and in public service - on hold. On the campaign trail, 2012. Accessibly chic in this affordable cotton ASOS dress. She was also praised for a yellow floral shift from US chain store Talbots. Credit:Getty Images Liza Mundy, who wrote Michelle: A Biography, tells Sunday Life she does not think Michelle had been able to transform the role itself. "I think in her own contemporary way, she fulfilled the very old-fashioned mission of a first lady, which is to provide sort of comfort and domestic succour to the president," says Mundy. On The Tonight Show, 2012. When she first wore a J. Crew pencil skirt in 2009, she sent America shopping. Then she backed it up three years later. Credit:Getty Images

"The public sense is that she has inhabited the role comfortably and happily and made her peace with it." Michelle has nevertheless used her time strategically, becoming an effective advocate on social issues that are simpatico with her maternal image but that also, in Slevin's view, are "grounded in her lifelong understandings of inequalities in race, class and gender". To meet the Queen, 2009. "You don't go to Buckingham Palace in a sweater," griped Oscar de la Renta. Wrong. Suddenly the humble cardie was deemed chic. Credit:Getty Images Michelle has advocated for the education of girls throughout the world with the "Let Girls Learn" campaign, for military families, and championed the fight against childhood obesity by promoting healthy eating and exercise with the "Let's Move" initiative. Though attention focused on the footage of her hula-hooping at the White House, the news website Politico reports the campaign involved plenty of lobbying of fast-food corporations and successfully "transformed the American food landscape in ways considerably deeper than the public appreciates".

Despite her effectiveness and celebrity status, this hugely capable woman has had to hold much of herself back. "When your husband's the president of the United States and you have children, something's gotta give," Michelle told Winfrey. There is some mystery about what will come next for Michelle. We know the Obamas will vacate the White House in January, but will stay in Washington DC for a few years to allow their younger daughter, Sasha, to finish high school. Michelle is working on a memoir, according to Slevin, and tells anyone who asks that she is relishing some privacy. "I want to open my front door, without discussing it with anyone, and I want to walk out that front door, and just walk," she told Winfrey. Her speech to the Democratic Convention supercharged discussion that she too might run for office - even for president - but Michelle has rejected the idea. However, she says she plans to continue her advocacy in an "unbiased way". "She is in great demand among Democratic candidates, and she will campaign for them and raise money for them this year," says Slevin. "But elective politics is most definitely not her thing."
Do you hear that groan? It's the sound of someone opening an invitation that says "Dress: Black Tie."

For men, that can mean renting a tuxedo, at several hundred dollars a pop, or buying one, for even more money. And for women, a long dress is de rigueur but what if you don't have one?

More than a penguin suit ... tuxedos are taking a modern twist this season. Credit:Christopher Pearce

As a dress code, "formal" has had a topsy-turvy history but one thing is for sure: the death of black tie has been greatly exaggerated.

For the past six years, designers say cocktail has ruled the dress code roost but black tie is back, fuelled in part by a renewed interest in elegant dressing and the wider availability of high-quality gowns.
It's not that childcare isn't on policymakers' radar  it is. Illustration: Matt Golding. The government sees it as an economic issue, because better childcare would boost women's workforce participation and therefore national productivity. But it's also an issue about access to early childhood education. This is hugely beneficial, with a long-running study commissioned by the British government finding two years of quality education from age three dramatically improved academic performance in Year 10  the difference between five Cs or five Bs.

But not everyone believes the government's proposed $3 billion-plus childcare package will make it more affordable or accessible. A Senate stalemate in the last parliament  where the Coalition made childcare changes contingent upon cuts to family tax benefits  means the changes are now delayed until July 2018. While Education Minister Simon Birmingham would not pre-empt the outcome of parliamentary negotiations, he said in a statement to told Fairfax Media: "If Labor passes the family tax benefit changes needed to fund our childcare package, we will bring implementation forward as soon as possible." Central to the reforms, if they are passed, is collapsing the means-tested childcare benefit and the un-means-tested 50 per cent childcare rebate into one means-tested subsidy. That subsidy would be 85 per cent for families that earn $65,710 or below, up from about 72 per cent from the benefit and rebate today. It then phases down to a low of 20 per cent by the time a household earns $340,000, a reduction from the 50 per cent rebate . Parents will pay fees net of the subsidy.

The Coalition says families earning between $65,000 and $170,000 annually would be $30 a week better off than under the current system. So the delay is costing them that much each week. Crucially, the $7500 cap is to be abolished for some (on earnings up to $185,710) and expanded for others (beyond $185,711)  to a yearly $10,000. What it means for affordability The recent Productivity Commission report into childcare found that the 2008 increase in the rebate from 30 per cent to 50 per cent, under the Labor government, "accelerated" the rise of childcare fees. The Coalition maintains its move to cap the hourly cost of care to which the new subsidy would apply, at $11.55 for long day care, would prevent this occurring again. But the more immediate issue is that, while the national average cost is $8.35 an hour, the proposed cap is far below what many families are forced to pay. And it is only between 20 and 85 per cent of this maximum amount that will be subsidised.

For example, if a centre is open for 12 hours a day, the government's proposed $11.55 hourly cap would mean no subsidies beyond a day rate of $138.60. If a centre opens 10 hours, the cap would mean nothing above $115.50. The most recent NATSEM report into childcare says the day rate in cities can be higher than $170. The minister's office declined to say how many suburbs had a higher average cost than its cap, but the NATSEM report says: "The vast majority of Sydney has middle or high [childcare] price to income ratios. Only the outer west provides relatively more affordable childcare." You can simply multiply $11.55 by the number of hours your centre is open each day to see if you will lose out. Above this amount, you are on your own. In terms of the families likely to be affected, it would be those on middle incomes that didn't previously hit the $7500 annual cap, perhaps because they used care for three days or less  even if their "rebate" technically remains at 50 per cent.

For example, a family on $175,000 that accesses two days of care at $144 a day for one child would see their annual government assistance drop from $7488 to $6006, or $14.25 a day (assuming the centre is open 10 hours a day). The hourly cap does reveal a true intent of the childcare package: to force centres to offer part days rather than full days. Higher-priced centres might ultimately reduce prices  either on a daily or hourly basis  if and when demand evaporates as parents realise they will be footing more of the bill. In the meantime, as identified in the new HILDA survey, the average amount households spend on childcare per week could continue to grow much faster than incomes. However, John Cherry, the advocacy manager at Australia's largest and not-for-profit childcare provider Goodstart Early Learning, argues this is a "fiercely competitive" market and likely to get more so. "Statistics show childcare centres are opening faster than children are being born so parents should have increasing options," he says. He adds that price rises, the pace of which slowed to 3.6 per cent overall last year, are not so much to do with ratios as the "cost of getting decent-quality staff and decent facilities".

What it means for access The government believes a tighter activity test  both parents might need to do a minimum of four hours a week of work, study or volunteering  would see places go to families that really need them. At the moment there is no specific work/training/study hourly requirement (the hours of "activity" might change the hours of subsidy you could claim; at four hours it is planned to be 18 a week). But Goodstart's Mr Cherry has concerns the tighter activity test could see children from 100,000 lower-income families, where one or both parents don't work, miss out on early education. "Research shows the benefit to children from these backgrounds is the greatest," he says. The government disputes this, maintaining the test would prompt many parents to change their behaviour specifically to qualify, perhaps by volunteering. It's worth noting that childcare centres are already obliged to give wait list priority to working families. Nationally, there are also many childcare vacancies  but you won't find a lot in high-demand, inner-city centres as parents increasingly choose to place their kids near work, not home, probably to minimise the time in care.

It's in one of the suburban centres that Betina and Clarence Naiman eventually found a vacancy. The not-for-profit service is comparatively cheap at "only $140 a day". However, the trade-off is shorter, non-work-friendly hours of 8am to 5.30pm, which require significant teamwork. "Clarence, because he's more flexible working for himself, does drop-offs and pick-ups. But my parents end up stepping in two to three days a week. It really takes a whole village for me to work," Naiman says. What's more, with the government's proposed $11.55-an-hour cap, the centre's 9.5 available care hours mean the Naimans might soon receive their new subsidy not on the $140 daily cost but on just $109.73. To many metropolitan families, this could become all too familiar. How to work today's system  so you can work

Go to www.mychild.gov.au to find out more about your childcare options  and vacancies near you.

If you work in the city, consider placing your children close to home instead of the office.

In high-demand, metropolitan areas, list your child at facilities as early as possible, even in pregnancy.

Register for childcare benefit (even if you know you will return a 0 per cent eligibility) as early as possible. This is how you qualify for the rebate. Also, you now have only one year to claim any payments you miss.

Get your childcare rebate paid in the frequency that suits your family  fortnightly, quarterly and annually. But budget carefully if those rebates will stop because you'll hit the $7500 cap during the financial year.

Consider if today's registered carers payment would help grandparents help you! Your basic childcare options  and assistance There are a few broad categories of care  and different government help applies to each. Long day care This is provided in childcare centres by professional carers and available to children from six weeks of age to five years. Centres may operate hours as long as 6.30am to 6.30pm. Most have an early learning component to their program and some offer kindergarten or preschool programs in the two years before school. Centres typically charge by the day and attract government assistance.

Preschool / kindergarten An alternative for older children (usually aged three and four) is the state-based early childhood education system, called preschool in NSW. These can be run by community providers such as KU or ECMS, local councils, or public primary schools and the funding is from the states rather than the federal government. While it's cheaper for parents, it does not attract the childcare rebate and the hours are less work-friendly because they usually mirror school hours and term times. Family day care This is home-based care and can be more flexible than long day care, offering hourly rates and potentially ad hoc days. It might be cheaper but you will only receive the full available childcare payments if the service is designated as 'approved'. Nannies
West Australian Premier Colin Barnett's 27-year-old son Sam was served with a 72-hour restraining order by an ex-girlfriend after an alleged incident during a business trip to China, it has been revealed.

WAtoday understands Mr Barnett and 29-year-old Samantha Shvetsova were at the end of a week-long trip when they had an argument in a taxi in Shanghai.

Sam Barnett was served a 72-hour restraining order by ex-girlfriend Samantha Shvetsova. Credit:Facebook

The alleged incident on August 15 is believed to have marked the end of the couple's relationship, with Ms Shvetsova then contacting her mother in Perth to arrange a police welfare check upon their arrival back home on August 16.

Police met Mr Barnett at Perth airport and served him with a 72-hour restraining order requiring him not to go within 20 metres of Ms Shvetsova, not to communicate with her or approach within 50m of her address.
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August 28, 2016

White House Emails Reveal Largest Plot Ever Discovered To Destroy America

By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers

An absolutely chilling Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) report to the Security Council (SC) circulating in the Kremlin today is using secretly obtained Obama-Clinton regime White House emails to detail what can only be described as the largest plot ever discovered to destroy democracy in America, and that rivals the 1932-1933 Business Plot where powerful elites in the United States sought to overthrow the newly elected President Franklin Roosevelt and establish a fascist state and align it with Germanys National Socialist Party. [Note: Some words and/or phrases appearing in quotes are English language approximations of Russian words/phrases having no exact counterpart.]

With the Business Plot having failed because the elite coup leaders choose Americas most famous military figure, General Smedley Butler, to lead their 500,000 man private army against President Roosevelt, but who remained patriotic to the citizens of his nation and reported them to the US Congress, this report says, todays Obama-Clinton regime plot against the American people may very well succeed.

To how the SVR discovered this current plot against the American people by the Obama regime, this report explains, was due to electronic countermeasures employed by Federation intelligence analysts against a Romanian computer hacker named Marcel Lazar Lehel (aka Guccifer) who had attempted to gain access to Russian computer systemsbut whom had, also, gained access to Hillary Clintons illegal private email servers that, in turn, gave/allowed these intelligence analysts access to the White House documents cited in this report.

Though the exact wording of these White House emails are forbidden to be publically released under Federation law due to their highly secret classification rating, the SVR in citing them in this report to the Security Council (who are allowed to read them in full) detail how the Obama-Clinton regime has joined with Americas top technology giants to subvert the upcoming US presidential election.

Taking the lead with the Obama-Clinton regime in this plot against the American people, this report continues, is the global technology giant Alphabet Inc. (owner of the internet search giant Google) who the SVR has confirmed visited the White House 427 times since President Obama took office, or more than once a week over a period of nearly seven years, and whose trips included 363 meetings in total, attended by 169 Google/Alphabet Inc. employees  from executives to software engineers  and 182 officials from the White House.

To why Google-Alphabet Inc. joined this Obama-Clinton plot, this report explains, was due to the stunning US government contracts they were gifted, and that began in 2010 when they were given the email contract for the US government worth millionsand who now gain the majority of their revenue from the over $80 billion paid by the American government to them and other large US technology companies.

Not just in direct US government contracts have these American technology giants benefited either, this report continues, but, also, from the over $4 billion in public relations monies spent by the Obama-Clinton regime in boosting their profiles among the citizens of that nation too.

In exchange for these billions-of-dollars, this report explains, these White House emails detail how Google-Alphabet Inc. would use all of its power to shut down dissent in America, and even worse, spin the 2016 presidential election towards Hillary Clinton and away from Donald Trump.

Joining with Google-Alphabet Inc. in subverting the 2016 US presidential election, SVR analysts in this report detail citing these White House emails, are American technology giants Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and at least 15 other internet companies owned and affiliated with them.

Though many independent journalists in the US have begun reporting on how these technology giants are now colluding with the Obama-Clinton regime to destroy Donald Trump, and called by some as the lefts greatest weapon in peoples hands right now, this alarming SVR report shockingly details what how it is being done with over 500 pages of examples, some of which include:

From Google:

1.) Their disabling of advertisements on all websites critical of the Obama-Clinton regime, including the globally popular Antiwar.com, in order to destroy them.

2.) Deleting Donald Trump from the search list of candidates running for the US presidency.

3.) Developing and employing a filter so that the name Donald Trump wont even show up on anyones computer device or smart phone.

4.) Hiding in their search results information relating to Hillary Clintons health and the massive numbers of suspicions deaths associated with her.

5.) Being supported in their hiding Hillary Clinton health information by the New York Times, with one of their insiders admitting what theyre doing.

From Facebook:

1.) Banning all pro-Donald Trump news from being seen, while allowing only pro-Hillary Clinton news.

2.) Banning all users supporting Donald Trumps immigration polices, and anyone daring to tell the public what theyre doing.

3.) Deleting thousands pages critical of Hillary Clinton.

4.) Censoring videos showing Hillary Clintons support of the TPP trade deal hated by the American people.

5.) Censoring Wikileaks release of Hillary Clinton emails.

From Twitter:

1.) Censoring of Wikileaks email release relating to Hillary Clinton.

2.) Censoring information critical of Hillary Clinton.

3.) Censoring and blocking information related to Donald Trump fundraising.

4.) Deleting accounts of homosexual activists supporting Donald Trump.

Though literally thousands of other examples can be cited from this SVR report detailing how the White House has corrupted these, and many more, American technology giants in order to destroy the US democratic system, this reports frightening conclusion details how the NSA is now actively supporting this tooand that was evidenced by yesterdays US government attack against the DCLeaks.com website (while Twitter, working with the NSA was shutting down the DCLeaks account) that destroyed the over 2,500 documents proving how George Soros was actively working with the Obama-Clinton regime to overthrow President Putin and destroy Russiaand is why Putin has warned: It its Hillary, its war.

August 28, 2016  EU and US all rights reserved. Permission to use this report in its entirety is granted under the condition it is linked back to its original source at WhatDoesItMean.Com. Freebase content licensed under CC-BY and GFDL.

[Note: Many governments and their intelligence services actively campaign against the information found in these reports so as not to alarm their citizens about the many catastrophic Earth changes and events to come, a stance that the Sisters of Sorcha Faal strongly disagree with in believing that it is every human beings right to know the truth. Due to our missions conflicts with that of those governments, the responses of their agents has been a longstanding misinformation/misdirection campaign designed to discredit us, and others like us, that is exampled in numerous places, including HERE.]

[Note: The WhatDoesItMean.com website was created for and donated to the Sisters of Sorcha Faal in 2003 by a small group of American computer experts led by the late global technology guru Wayne Green (1922-2013) to counter the propaganda being used by the West to promote their illegal 2003 invasion of Iraq.]

[Note: The word Kremlin (fortress inside a city) as used in this report refers to Russian citadels, including in Moscow , having cathedrals wherein female Schema monks (Orthodox nuns) reside, many of whom are devoted to the mission of the Sisters of Sorcha Faal.]

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CHICAGO  Its back-to-college season, which means retailers are battling to equip as many of Americas freshmen with laptops, futons and minifridges as they can. In the flood of deals and discounts, some have their eyes on a bigger prize: figuring out how a new generation of customers shops and hooking a group of potential lifelong repeat customers.

The average family with college-age kids plans to spend $888.71 getting ready to go back to campus, about half of which will go for electronics, apparel and dorm furnishings, according to a National Retail Federation survey.

Especially when its freshmen going off to college for the first time, or a sophomore or junior establishing their first apartment, its a big chunk of change, Retail Systems Research analyst Nikki Baird said.

And while those sales are compelling in their own right, companies with more unique or engaging pitches to college students are likely to have an advantage.

Target, Bed Bath & Beyond and Best Buy all let students set up wish lists similar to wedding registries, and Target customers created 136,000 of them last year. Best Buy offers deals that are strictly for students year-round, including a discounted round-the-clock Geek Squad tech support subscription.

At Bed Bath & Beyond, students can make an appointment to shop with a college expert or check for a school-specific packing list.

Target promotes its subscriptions, which send customers refills of household staples, to students and parents who at least want to make sure their child regularly restocks on cleaning supplies, even if theres no guarantee theyll be used.

This year, Target hired three college stylists to create YouTube videos advising students on dorm design. It also introduced a chatbot on the messaging app Kik that can suggest college-oriented products and field questions.

Its our first experiment with the platform. Its a way for us to try and learn, and with what better guests than digitally native college students who are already using these platforms? Target spokesman Lee Henderson said.

Few if any retailers have cracked the code of how best to engage with the next generation of shoppers online, and back-to-college is an easy time to reach a lot of young customers at once to test new ideas, Baird said.

Its a chance to check to see if you engage with consumers at that level; does it work better than throwing promotions at them? she said.

Target has opened or is planning to open several of its new small-format stores near college campuses. The chain hosts after-hours shopping parties at stores near 86 campuses around the start of the school year, Henderson said. Target buses the students to stores with DJs, free samples and coupons.

Mary Oakes, Columbias director of residence life, said Target is the only company thats asked to host such an event with the college. The event is popular because the campus doesnt have a big enough spot for a schoolwide welcome-week party, Oakes said.

Even though students dont generally have as much disposable income as older groups, their potential value as lifelong customers makes a small early discount worthwhile, said Alexander Chernev, professor of marketing at Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management.

College students also can be easier new customers to draw because most havent done much household shopping, he said.

Take Paula Herbst, 18, an incoming freshman at the University of Chicago who finds shopping kind of tedious.

I try to do it as little as possible, Herbst said.

But Herbst is starting from scratch when it comes to outfitting her dorm room. She had a three-page list of items to buy and will likely need to restock at some point this year.

Its good to be the company that helps them shape (their) preferences, Chernev said.

Amazon.com also has taken a particular interest in students, offering six-month free trials of its Prime membership program, which includes free two-day shipping on many items, after which they pay half the normal rate.

More recently, Amazon has been building on-campus stores where students can pick up and drop off packages.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/08/2016 (2253 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

People gathered Saturday at the NorWest Co-op Community Food Centre to discuss the impact of racism on food systems and food security in Canada.

The event was hosted by members of 13 Fires, a conversation series that holds discussions on racial inclusion in Winnipeg. Participants were invited to participate in a variety of discussion circles, ranging in topic from northern food security, the concepts of food deserts and mirages, and food banks.

The 13 Fires group has been meeting on a monthly basis since December to discuss issues facing the community, touching on subjects such as poverty, health, children and water.

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A forum on food security and marginalized communities was held Saturday.

Workshops on preparing indigenous foods, making chocolate and edible plant gathering were held Saturday.

Guest speaker Tabitha Marthens, a PhD student at the University of Manitoba, gave a presentation on indigenous food sovereignty, the subject of her masters degree research.

Linda Lam, one of the organizers of the event, defined food security as when people have access to affordable, culturally appropriate, healthy food.

There are communities and particular populations within the city, and of course  even in northern and more rural areas  that dont have that access. (In) some places, the price of food has become inflated, especially in northern and more rural areas, she said.

Lam stressed the importance of having access to healthy foods, adding the inaccessibility of healthy foods causes a variety of health problems such as diabetes, renal failure, heart failure and obesity.

We never really think about people who cant access that same food as us  Tabitha Marthens

We know for a fact that this disproportionate rate of these types of risks (is) in racialized groups in particular and in First Nations groups, she said.

Lam gave an example of a newcomer family arriving in Winnipeg and the difficulties that can surround accessing culturally appropriate food.

You look at the type of food that they normally eat and you compare that with what you can get at your local grocery store, like Superstore or Safeway. They dont necessarily have those foods, she said. So then now, what kind of foods will they be eating? How can they access this culturally appropriate food? How far do they need to travel to get it?

Martens said food insecurity is an issue tied closely with poverty and groups that experience food insecurity tend to be oppressed, marginalized, underemployed or unemployed.

Winnipeg has a very diverse cultural setting, but we do have a large newcomer population, and we do have a large indigenous population and those are groups that face food insecurity, Martens said.

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Participants at 13 Fires NorWest Co-op Community Food Centre.

Food is something that we all need to survive, and it is something that should be able to connect us all. If we go about our world, and our world happens to be a market-based food system, we never really think about people who cant access that same food as us.

alexandra.depape@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 27/08/2016 (2254 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg man rescued by state troopers while hiking in Alaska says he felt somewhat defeated he had to signal for help.

Matthew Sharpe, 22, was rescued by state troopers Thursday after he set off his personal locator beacon.

Sharpe was camping alone at the site of Bus 142 on the Stampede Trail, a spot made famous by Jon Krakauers 1996 book Into the Wild and the subsequent 2007 film of the same title.

PHOTOS BY MATT SHARPE Matt Sharpe poses in front of the bus. He later posted photos from the site on Instagram.

Krakauers book details the life and death of Chris McCandless, a young man who ventured into the Alaskan wilderness in April 1992. He abandoned his suburban upbringing, donated his savings to charity and journeyed to the Stampede Trail with the intent to live off the land.

McCandless discovered the abandoned Bus 142 and set up camp. In September, more than 100 days later, his body was found in the bus by a passing hunter. Its believed McCandless died of starvation, but the exact cause of his death has been debated over the years.

In an email to the Free Press Saturday, Sharpe said this was a trip hed wanted to make for a long time and that he drew a lot of inspiration from McCandlesss story.

His story inspired me to get out and enjoy nature, to be adventurous, to live your life the way you want to, he said.

Sharpe left Winnipeg Aug. 21 and started the 4,400-kilometre drive to Alaska. He arrived at the trailhead the evening of Aug. 24.

He initially planned to spend three to five days completing the hike and staying at the bus. But his plans changed when he tried to cross the Teklinika River.

Halfway across the river and chest-deep in water, Sharpe said the current overwhelmed him and dragged him  and his 22.5 kilograms of gear  roughly 90 metres downstream.

I got pretty beat up while I was dragged. I was able to grab onto a fallen tree and get to shore, he wrote in the email.

His story inspired me to get out and enjoy nature, to be adventurous, to live your life the way you want to Matthew Sharpe on hiker Chris McCandless

I was so hyped up on adrenaline, the reality of what just happened did not sink in at that point, so I kept hiking with my soaked gear.

He said he arrived at the bus and set up camp for the evening after taking a few photos. It wasnt until evening rolled around Sharpe said he could feel how beat up his body was. He said his injuries were mostly bruising, with his right knee taking a pretty good hit from a rock.

By the morning, I was unable to carry my gear let alone cross the river again and hike the 30 km out, he wrote.

He said it was hard for him to do, but at 6 a.m. that morning he turned on his locator.

Sitting in the bus after I called for help, I felt defeated somewhat, he wrote. McCandless couldnt cross that river 24 years ago, and neither could I.

Sharpe said hes always been an outdoorsy person, enjoying hunting, camping and hiking. He said he likes to think he has a good deal of experience in the wilderness, but he underestimated how much of a challenge this particular trip would be.

He said hes been in touch with family, and they were contacted by staff at Spot satellite messenger when his beacon went off.

Lets just say it took a bit to calm my mother down, haha, he wrote.

@SHARPE_MATT / INSTAGRAM A closer look at the bus.

Tim De Spain, a spokesman for the Alaska State Troopers, said there have been a few search-and-rescue operations in that area over the years.

That (area) gets more attention and notoriety because of the story associated with it, he said. But like any place in Alaska  and anywhere  there are things that can change. The weather can change, the water can rise, and that can create what shouldnt be that difficult of a round trip hike, (but) something can keep you from coming back.

Sharpe said being in the bus and seeing all the photos and notes travellers had left for McCandless was a very emotional experience. He left a note, but when asked about it, he replied, Thats between me and the bus.

Troopers arrived around 11 a.m. and were able to transport Sharpe to the city of Fairbanks. Sharpe said hes driving to Vancouver Island to visit friends before heading home to Winnipeg.

alexandra.depape@freepress.mb.ca
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This article was published 28/08/2016 (2253 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Newcomers to Canada taking orientation classes downtown have been attacked in broad daylight by an armed robber.

Winnipeg police have a suspect in custody after a man and a woman were slashed by a knife-wielding robber outside the Entry Program in the 300 block of Portage Avenue on Thursday.

The married couple  he is 38, and she is 34  are both students at the Entry Program, a four-week course in survival for immigrants and refugees who have recently arrived in Canada. They were attacked when they went outside during a break at about 7:15 p.m., said a source close to the couple. The thief stole the womans purse and when her husband tried to get it back, both the man and woman were slashed with the knife.

Google Maps A newcomer couple was recently stabbed and robbed outside the Entry Program office on Portage Avenue.

The woman had minor injuries but her husband was bleeding badly and was taken to hospital by ambulance, said the source who described the attack as very sad, scary and unfortunate. The concern now is how the victims will be able to afford the ambulance bill which would add insult to injury.

Winnipeg police spokesman Const. Jason Michalyshen said the couple was initially approached Thursday evening by a man offering to sell them stolen items. They declined. Then the man demanded their property, attacked them and caused non-life-threatening injuries. People in the area at the time who heard the commotion called police and tried to help, said Michalyshen.

They assisted and were able to retrieve some of the property taken from the couple, he said. Paramedics helped the couple with their injuries, said Michalyshen.

Police patrol units and the K-9 united responded and located a suspect nearby, the police spokesman said. A 36-year-old man is in custody facing several charges including aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and uttering threats.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/08/2016 (2253 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More than 150 Winnipeggers gathered Sunday in a show of support and a call to action on mental health in Manitoba.

Organized by Bonnie Bricker, who lost son Reid Bricker to suicide last year, and Naomi Sommer, who guided her son through depression, the Rally to Change the Way We Look at and Treat Mental Illness in Our Province brought supporters to the Manitoba Legislative Building from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The event gave centre stage to local advocates, suicide survivors and families of lost loved ones demanding change in how we talk about and treat mental-health issues.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Sherry Viloria, who struggles with mental illness, holds a sign at the mental-health rally at the Manitoba Legislative Building Sunday.

Bricker said the impetus for the rally was not just the loss of her son  who disappeared last fall after being released from the Health Sciences Centre following a suicide attempt  but also her increasing awareness his experience was far from unique.

I wish I had a dime for every person whos emailed me, phoned me, sent me letters, knocked on my door, approached me when Im grocery shopping or getting my nails done, and told me their story, she said Sunday after the rally. Its a wave of humanity, and theyve all had the same rotten experience.

Bricker was one of several speakers at the event calling for a number of changes to mental-health services in Manitoba.

Those changes include a peer-support system bringing those recovering from mental-health problems into contact with people beginning to access care  a win-win, Bricker said  as well as a family navigation system to guide families through the process of getting help for their loved ones, and a change to the current system that allows patients to be released if they dont appear to be an active suicide risk, even just hours after a suicide attempt.

For Sherry Viloria, the conversation was all too familiar. Viloria, 20, was homeless in May after being asked to leave the group living situation she was in when she attempted suicide twice in one week.

On and off in my life Ive tried going to therapy or a psychologist, psychiatrist, and Ive been in and out of the Health Sciences Centre, she said. The last time I was there, in May, I had to wait 26 hours just to get in a bed.

I really feel that there are resources but theyre not accessible, and a lot of people dont know their rights and they dont know how to access them, she said. I really think that theres a lot to change.

Bricker noted the conspicuous absence of Manitoba politicians, despite the invitation she said she sent to every MLA. Former NDP health minister Sharon Blady and Liberal MLA for River Heights Jon Gerrard attended, she said, but she would have liked to see increased presence from the Progressive Conservative government.

Still, Bricker said she walked away Sunday feeling hopeful for the future.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Bonnie Bricker speaks at the Rally to Change the Way We Look at and Treat Mental Illness in Our Province at the Manitoba Legislature on Sunday.

We got a lot of people signed up to be volunteers and to get involved  that was very encouraging, she said. And hopefully everyone who was there today will take the message back to their neighbours and their family and their friends and say You know what? Maybe we can do something.

A spokeswoman for the province said Sunday she did not believe the premier or minister of health had received a formal invitation to the event.

As was the case for other events this weekend that he was unable to attend, the premiers taking some time with his family after a very busy spring and summer session, she said.

The premier and all MLAs receive dozens of invitations to events each weekend and cannot possibly make it to each and every one.

aidan.geary@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

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This article was published 28/08/2016 (2253 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Because of Donald Trumps unusual public conduct, legions of armchair analysts have wondered aloud about his mental health.

A former dean of Harvard Medical School tweeted Trump defines narcissistic personality disorder. New York Times columnist David Brooks has said the Republican presidential nominee appears haunted by multiple personality disorders. Entrepreneur Mark Cuban was cruder, calling Trump bats crazy. Trumps co-author for The Art of the Deal, Tony Schwartz, labelled him a sociopath. Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker found Trumps behaviour reminiscent of a brain injury.

As a psychiatrist, I have frequently encountered questions about Trumps mental status in my daily life. A new neighbour asked me what I thought of him. A medical student wondered, would I diagnose him with a mental illness? On a recent phone call, my mother was more specific: Is he a narcissist or what?!

JEFF SINER / CHARLOTTE OBSERVER FILES Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks to supporters at a campaign rally at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this month.

Im not supposed to answer that question. To underline that point, the American Psychiatric Association issued a statement this month reminding its physician members, myself included, to avoid psychoanalyzing the presidential candidates.

That ethical standard has been in place for decades.

In 1964, thousands of psychiatrists, in response to a magazine survey, openly questioned then-GOP nominee Barry Goldwaters fitness for White House duty.

Several psychiatrists offered specific diagnoses. The fact so many psychiatrists were willing to casually diagnose a person theyd never met embarrassed the profession and led to the codification of the so-called Goldwater Rule  no professional opinions on people we have not personally examined.

So when folks ask me to speculate about Trumps mental health, I have an easy out  I cite the Goldwater Rule. Increasingly, not engaging in these discussions seems both disingenuous and itself ethically dubious. For one thing, the void left by thoughtful professionals is filled with speculations by commentators, many of whom lack the expertise to appropriately apply diagnostic labels. Moreover, remaining quiet about the election feels like an abdication of moral responsibility.

Like many Americans, I have been personally appalled by much of Trumps indecorous behaviour as a candidate. He comes across as cantankerous, vain, impulsive, demeaning and ill-informed. I understand why people have raised questions about his mental health. It can be tempting to describe his behaviour in familiar psychopathological terms. But there are several reasons why we should resist using a psychiatric framework to describe Trump.

For starters, we dont have access to critical information. I havent interviewed, diagnosed or treated Trump. I know only his public persona.

Its certainly possible much of what I see in that persona is an act, a representation not of his true self but rather a character he has embodied in order to win votes or enhance his fame or riches.

Nor am I aware Trump has been significantly troubled by psychological distress or impaired by any condition (a criterion for the diagnosis of any mental disorder). He is, after all, functioning well enough to be one of two people nominated by a major party to be the next president of the United States.

Furthermore, casually and pejoratively tossing around psychiatric labels to describe unusual or distasteful behaviour is stigmatizing to those who are suffering with mental disorders. Calling Trump, say, a narcissist, does not adequately explain his toxic behaviour or exemplify the condition. I know and treat plenty of people with narcissism, and none of them publicly incite violence or malign entire ethnic groups.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Barry Goldwater in 1968. In 1964, thousands of psychiatrists openly questioned the then-GOP presidential nominees mental fitness. This led to the so-called Goldwater Rule forbidding psychiatrists from giving professional opinions on people they havent examined.

Perhaps the most important reason to skip a psychiatric assessment of Trump is it just isnt necessary. You dont have to be a psychiatrist to know theres something seriously wrong with the candidate. The lessons I learned in preschool, kindergarten and elementary school  not in medical school, residency and years of psychiatric practice  are what tell me Trump is unfit for the job. My core values as an American  not my professional training  are what make me concerned about a Trump presidency.

Trump should never be president, but not because he may or may not have a mental disorder. He shouldnt be president because he disparages women, denigrates Mexicans and Muslims and mocks the disabled. He shouldnt be president because he demonizes the media and impugns those who challenge him. He shouldnt be president because he insinuates his rivals might be assassinated and advocates the commission of war crimes. He shouldnt be president because he rejects science and demonstrates a remarkable lack of knowledge or interest when it comes to foreign and domestic policy.

As a psychiatrist, I dont have a public opinion on Trump. As a citizen, I certainly do.

Matthew Goldenberg is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale Universitys school of medicine.

 Los Angeles Times
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/08/2016 (2253 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OFF THE COAST OF DAKAR, SENEGAL  The archaeologist rose in the bow of the speedboat, pointing to the choppy waters where the 18th-century slave ship had gone down.

Its somewhere over there, Ibrahima Thiaw said.

Off the western tip of mainland Africa lie some of the most important vestiges of the trans-Atlantic slave trade: the wreckage of ships that sank, carrying thousands of African men, women and children to America. Despite historians immense interest in that period, no one has ever tried to recover them. Until now.

JANE HAHN FOR THE WASHINGTON POST Student Adama Athie (left) sits next to Ibrahima Thiaw (centre), 50, and fellow students Djidere Balde, Madick Gueye, Pape Leity Diop and Aicha Kamite near Goree Island, off the coast of Senegal.

For years, the wrecks were considered too hard to find. The work was too expensive. There were few African researchers willing to take on the project in countries where the slave trade is often considered a source of shame  not a subject worthy of study.

Thiaw, a tall-50-year-old archaeologist from rural Senegal, is one of the pioneers trying to find the wrecks. There has been only one known recovery of a ship that went down off the African coast while carrying slaves  the Sao Jose, found thousands of kilometres away, off South Africa. Artifacts from the vessel will be displayed at the Smithsonians National Museum of African American History and Culture, opening next month. Thiaw hopes his discoveries will eventually be featured by the museum, too.

The stories that will help us understand the slave trade, this crucial moment in human history, are down there, Thiaw said, gazing from the boat into the Atlantic Ocean as he began the search on a bright day in May. He would discover over the following months it wouldnt be easy.

Senegal was a major exporter of slaves for approximately 400 years. When Thiaw was in school, though, that history was barely discussed. As a boy, he visited Goree Island, just off the coast of Dakar, where a tour guide told him about the slaves waiting, shackled, for boats headed for the Americas.

After listening to him, he recalled, I screamed.

It was the beginning of an obsession. His parents were farmers, but Thiaw decided to be an archaeologist, studying at the University of Dakar and then earning a PhD at Rice University in Houston. Some of his friends and family joked he was searching for garbage.

Senegal had became known worldwide for its landmarks of the slave trade, particularly on Goree, a major entrepot, or trading centre. The scholarship turned out to be shaky. In the 1990s, American researchers claimed those sites had been misidentified. The famed Door of No Return was not in fact a final departure point for slaves, they said, but likely just a door in a private residence. For Thiaw, the controversy reinforced his commitment to archaeological research.

I decided I would find my own true stories, he recalled.

In 2000, Thiaw did some research on Goree Island that helped explain how and where slaves lived, and supported the idea the island was likely a major employer of domestic slaves, not just an exporter. He found a shackle he keeps in a box in his office. Many of the islands relics had been worn down by tourism or buried under new construction. He came to realize some of the most meaningful artifacts of the slave trade were elsewhere. More than 1,000 slave ships had sunk around the world, according to archival records. Archaeologists had barely scratched the surface of what they held.

Thiaw had one logistical problem, though: he didnt know how to swim.

So two years ago, an instructor taught him to paddle. A few months later, he was enrolled in a scuba-diving course. A few months after that, he helped teach his graduate students at Cheikh Anta Diop University to dive, too.

Its not something people want to delve into, or learn more about archaeologist Ibrahima Thiaw

His timing was perfect. The Smithsonian had just announced funding for research on the slave trade as part of the international Slave Wrecks Project. Suddenly, Thiaw had a benefactor, at least for the first phase of the work, which cost about US$35,000.

We needed a committed archaeologist who wanted to bring his work under water, said Paul Gardullo, curator of the new African American history museum. Thats Ibrahima.

In May, Thiaw and six of his graduate students boarded a boat off a Dakar beach and sped into the Atlantic chop for their first research voyage. The archaeologist handed out typewritten pages to his students with the names of boats.

There were two French vessels, the Nanette and the Bonne Amitie, that disappeared in 1774 and 1790. There was a British sloop called Racehorse that vanished in November 1780. All were thought to have sunk just kilometres off the coast. And there were hints of many others.

Theres so much down there, Thiaw said eagerly.

He and his team dragged a torpedo-shaped device along the ocean floor that held a magnetometer, which can detect buried metal. The data from the device would be sent for analysis to South Africa. Once enough evidence emerged that a wreck had been found, the team would start intensive diving.

No one on the team wanted to think about how long their quest might last or whether their funding would be sufficient. It took researchers more than a decade to locate and document the remains of the Sao Jose off Cape Town, South Africa. That discovery was only announced last year.

For Thiaw, the physical difficulty of finding the wrecks was only part of the challenge.

  

In Senegal, where U.S. President Barack Obama travelled in 2013 to see the remains of the slave trades prisons and ports, slavery is rarely a subject of academic interest.

IZIKO MUSEUMS / SMITHSONIAN Copper fastenings and sheathing recovered from the wreck of the Sao Jose slave ship, which sank off the coast of Cape Town in 1794.

Weve turned to contemporary issues, to discussing about the future, former Senegalese prime minister Aminata Toure said in an interview.

Why focus on such a bad part of our history?

During the last presidential election in 2012, then-president Abdoulaye Wade argued his opponent, Macky Sall, couldnt be elected because he was the descendant of slaves. Sall won the election but only after rejecting that claim and citing his non-slave lineage.

That bias is even embedded in the local language, Wolof. If someone is acting badly, Senegalese will often call him a jaam  a slave.

Its like its something in your blood, in your genes, with all the dishonour and everything that goes with it, Thiaw said in an interview in his office. Its not something people want to delve into, or learn more about.

He paused.

I feel like we havent abolished it yet.

The reluctance to research or teach about slavery exists across much of West Africa, where, in the 20th century, nations emerging from colonial rule encouraged historians to study themes that might build a sense of national identity.

Part of the sensitivity regarding slavery comes from the complicity of some Africans in the trade  merchants who profited from the sale of men and women, and sometimes owned slaves themselves.

Thiaw wanted to tell the story of the lives of slaves  what they brought with them on their journeys, what they scrawled on the walls of the boat. The more intimate the details, he thought, the harder it would be for his countrymen to brush off the past.

As he put it: Finding a good wreck could help us disentangle this  to show that the slave is the victim.

IZIKO MUSEUMS / SMITHSONIAN Iron ballast recovered from the Sao Jose.

For many years, what was known about the slaves middle passage across the Atlantic came largely from the documents of slave traders, items such as tax records, receipts and diaries. It was useful information, but difficult to verify and clinical in its description of the inhumanity shown to slaves.

Finding untouched artifacts, Gardullo said, meant a chance to fill the silences in the written record.

As Thiaw found, the quest could be frustrating. In the first few weeks of searching, he and his team made a few preliminary dives, but they discovered only sunken fishing boats. Thiaw sent one of his students to the countrys national archives to look for more leads. Three months after their first voyage, they are still waiting for analysis of the data they gathered underwater and sent to South Africa.

Now Thiaw is worrying about lining up additional funding, and keeping his graduate students involved, because some will graduate soon.

If I cant keep them focused on this program, maybe they will move on, Thiaw said.

Im getting nervous.

It was hardly the first time hed grown anxious over his research. But this time the stakes felt higher. He could almost see the Atlantic from his office window, with all the wreckage buried underneath.

 Washington Post
Standing on the new interstate bridge in Winona, hundreds of Winona-area residents, politicians, engineers, construction crew members, and others gathered to celebrate a new river span that came in, as several mentioned in remarks, on time and under budget.

On one side of the river stood a bridge of history, on the other a bridge that represented the present and future of Winona. Both will play a crucial role in supporting the economy and transportation in and through Winona for years to come.

Cameras were everywhere, barges and boats passed under both bridges while traveling the Mississippi below, and hundreds of people stood on the new bridge in awe.

Some joked about whether it could hold everyone. Some were surprised at how big it actually is. The first glass of milk spilled on the bridge. The first dog crossed the bridge. As did the first high-wheel bicycle, ridden by Pete Woodworth, along with his grandson, Walker, to commemorate the bicycles ridden at both the dedication of the Wagon Bridge and the existing span.

A city project several years in the making, and pulled together through collaboration at state, local and federal levels, was celebrated in a round of speeches from visiting dignitaries. Both of Minnesotas U.S. senators, Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, as well as U.S. Rep. Tim Walz were in attendance, along with Minnesota Department of Transportation commissioner Charlie Zelle, state Sen. Jeremy Miller, state Rep. Gene Pelowski, and Winona mayor Mark Peterson.

Jerry Volz, a vice president of the lead contractor Ames Construction, feted his employees work, praising them not only for accomplishing the project above expectation but doing so safely  he noted that at no point was there time lost for injuries.

He also honored manager Dave Duke, who he noted was particularly good at parting the skies to keep the rain away  both during construction and on Saturday, when rain consistently threatened but never arrived.

Throughout the speeches, MnDOT bridge project manager Terry Ward was also mentioned by name several times for his steadfast work and efforts.

Walz called the opening a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity  crossing the newly completed bridge over the Mississippi  and attributed the success of the project to the collaboration between the public, local businesses, local, state and federal government.

The people said we cant have the old bridge shut down, and that we want it preserved, said Walz, who championed the bridge issue and associated funding in Congress for years, and MnDOT said theyd make it work and they did.

Having two bridges next to each other like this is pretty unique.

As a testament to the promise made that the bridge would be completed by November 2016, Walz kept a magnet with a picture of the old bridge and a completion date on his fridge. It was a much more positive souvenir than his previous one  a chunk that had fallen from the aging, existing span, which he often toted around to demonstrate the projects need.

This was a great project to work on, he said.

Mayor Mark Peterson began the ceremony with the opening statements, noting that it continued a tradition of new bridge openings throughout Winonas history.

This bridge represents a strong promise to Winonas future, he said.

MnDOT commissioner Zelle said he felt a tremendous sense of pride standing on the bridge Saturday morning. Preserving the last cantilevered, through-truss bridge over the Mississippi in Minnesota is a huge accomplishment, he said.

The fact we preserved an iconic bridge in Minnesota is important, Zelle said. This is a great Minnesotan achievement.

Klobuchar and Franken both spoke, peppering their remarks with jokes about how the bridge brings together Vikings and Packers fans, while taking more serious tones to note the vital importance of maintaining and improving the countrys infrastructure.

It was a creative idea the community embraced to keep the historic bridge alongside the new one, Klobuchar said.

They both said the bridge represents the coming together of many different people with a common goal in mind: Supporting Winonas economy through compromise and collaboration, and supporting both the state and the country  the lead contractor is based in Minnesota, and relied on sourcing both domestic labor and materials.

This new 21st century bridge will benefit the community, Franken said. It was made with concrete from right here in Winona and American steel.

Franken later joked, after discovering fresh yellow striping paint on the heel of his shoe, that he had discovered the only quality issue of the project that required two years of around-the-clock work from more than 100 crew members, combined with the efforts of countless engineers, administrators and others overseeing the work.

The bridge is a part of the legacy of two mayors  former four-term mayor Jerry Miller, who was a key local advocate and, as speakers noted, a persistent one, checking in regularly with state and federal politicians and organizing efforts particularly after the 2008 closure, and current Winona mayor Mark Peterson, who saw the project through until its completion.

Rep. Gene Pelowski said the project required a countless number of meetings to work out the details  and, just as importantly, provide citizens with several options and opportunities for input.

Its a privilege to represent a community like Winona, Pelowski said.

Walz echoed those remarks.

We proved self-governance and collaboration can make a difference to change lives, he said.
Columbus Popcorn Wagon Inc. will be holding a brat fry at Columbus Sentry store Saturday, Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. They will also be selling freshly popped popcorn from their recently donated popper and matching cart at the cost of $1 per bag.

According to Columbus resident John Marks, the popcorn being used tastes like that George Hasey served when he had his 1928 Dunbar wagon on the streets in Columbus. While that wagon will not be there, each bag of popcorn will have the Hasey Wagon logo designed for Columbus Popcorn Inc. by Columbus artist William Wendt.

Profits from the sale will be used to help Columbus Popcorn Wagon Inc. meet the expenses of maintaining the Hasey Popcorn Wagon. This is the first event Columbus Popcorn Wagon Inc. is holding in honor of the 20th anniversary of its incorporation.
Theyve been partners in their La Crosse travel agency since 1984, and have seen many other agencies close or merge in recent years.

Rebecca Naugler and Kathy Davig say a recent major renovation of their Travel Leaders offices at 2404 State Road is another example of how the agency has changed with the times to meet the needs of customers and employees.

They had Travel Leaders interior gutted and totally redone from May to July, while their landlord had other major remodeling done on the building  which also houses a Dominos Pizza store and a Subway store.

Weve taken (the travel agencys offices) from an open-floor concept to one of private offices, Davig said. Travel agency customers and agents now meet in one of the many private offices at Travel Leaders. It looks much more professional, Davig said.

Weve gotten a lot of comments from people who say this is so much more professional, with privacy, Naugler added.

Being able to work with more privacy also makes travel agents happier. So does being able to work from home on some days.

A lot of our agents want to be home-based some days of the week, Naugler said. Many younger people want the flexibility of working from their home some days. The La Crosse travel agency began experimenting in 2007 with that practice, which has grown. Travel agents who work from home still are working with customers on those days by telephone, email or other electronic means.

Most of our agents prefer scheduled appointments with customers, Naugler said of another trend shes seen in the past two years. Then they can devote the time they need for each customer, to come up with tailor-made trips.

Being able to both research travel options and meet with customers in a private office also makes it easier to concentrate, compared with the old open-floor concept where multiple travel agents and customers might be talking at the same time, Davig said.

Naugler is president and Davig is vice president of Golis Avenues of Travel, which owns and operates the Travel Leaders franchise in La Crosse. Theyve been partners in the La Crosse travel agency since 1984.

Naugler has a bachelors degree in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Davig has a bachelors degree in geography from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Both have seen many travel agencies close over the years.

Weve been willing to make the changes that were necessary to adapt, Naugler said, when asked why her agency has survived. And people trust us.

We have specialists in different areas of travel, such as Alaska, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii, Italy, Germany, Disney and luxury travel, Davig added.

Were firm believers in spending on education for our staff, Naugler said. Staff members participate in educational courses, webinars and familiarization tours of travel destinations.

The La Crosse travel agency has 23 employees, including Naugler and Davig.

Weve also spent money on technology that many agencies were not willing to spend on, Naugler said, such as business travel computer tools that have helped the agency attract corporate customers from around the nation.

Thats one reason why Naugler and Davig have seen the La Crosse agencys annual sales increase to about $20 million from approximately $4 million during their years as owners. Its one of the states largest women-owned businesses in terms of annual sales.

Business travel accounts for about half of the La Crosse agencys sales today, while leisure travel accounts for the other half.

In the last few years, Naugler said, the agency also has seen growth in the sales of luxury travel and customized vacations.
Bill Soper acknowledges that Y North was not a very clever name when the YMCA in Onalaska picked it up  temporarily  a decade ago. But that changed Aug. 18 when the curtain was dropped to unveil its new moniker, the R.W. Houser Family YMCA.

The renaming, which saluted the contributions of time and money to the Y by Ron and Elisa Houser, came during a luncheon that mirrored the one Aug. 16 in which the La Crosse facility was renamed the Dahl Family YMCA. Both events also marked the completion of expansions.

The Houser Y site was just a wooded area when Warren and Nancy Quinlisk donated the land 22 years ago, with the only other building in the vicinity being the OmniCenter, recalled Soper, executive director of the La Crosse Area Family YMCA, which is the umbrella for both Ys.

The Quinlisks dreamed of the property becoming a YMCA, and the organizations officials shared that vision, Soper said.

Our dream was of becoming a gathering place for the community, he said, noting that the YMCA has outgrown its image of decades ago as somewhere to swim and work out, now including programs and amenities to improve the health of not only its members but also the community in general.

The dream and the vision moved toward reality 12 years ago, when the campaign began to raise $8 million for a 60,000 square foot building. The Housers were among three families  along with Harry and Carla Dahl and Dave and Barb Skogen  who jump-started the drive with contributions of $1 million apiece, he said.

The new $4 million Onalaska project, which added 40,000 square feet, includes a second gym, an expansion of the wellness center and track, a gymnastics center and an additional fitness center and multipurpose room to the facility at 400 Mason St., was done in tandem with the 25,000-square-foot expansion at the Dahl Y.

The soft-spoken Houser attempted to divert attention from himself during an interview after the ceremony, saying, I didnt expect my name to be on the building. I turned it down once.  Im just an old farm boy trying to make a living.

Noting that he gets many requests for donations and contributes to many, Houser said the Y is close to his heart because it accommodates people of all ages, from infants to seniors. Dues also help support the Y and its programs, so it does not press donors continuously, he said.

Its an amazing success they have had, Houser said, as those who had attended the luncheon streamed from the new Glendenning Family Gym to the Vinger Gymnastics Center across the hall, where youngsters attending a camp were trying out balance beams, high and low bars and other paraphernalia that have drawn the worlds attention during the Olympics.

Houser was raised on a small family farm near West Salem. After serving in the Navy and working for a car dealer, a finance company and an insurance firm, he started Midwest National Insurance Co. in 1974.

Midwest became a leading provider of health, property and life insurance, as well as administering self-funded health plans. He sold the insurance companies to United Healthcare in 2002 but remained CEO until 2006.

He has since concentrated on managing other business interests, including a swine farm in Burlington, Colo.

The YMCA is held in high regard both locally and nationally, YMCA of the USA resource director Dan Newhouse said during the luncheon.

YMCAs across the country are looking at what you are accomplishing in La Crosse and Onlaska, Newhouse said. You are one of the success stories.

The success is tied to the resolve of the Housers, the Dahls, the Skogens and other families, as well as more than 380 families, businesses and organizations that contributed $10.6 million to the building campaign, Soper said.

Soper said his job offers the privilege of recruiting people who change the course of the Y.

By the way, the Y North label may not have been very creative, but it served the purpose when a quick decision was required, Soper said.

Y and building officials needed some type of a name to put on construction documents, so they opted for Y North as a temporary solution.

But after the Ys 133-year history here, and after the facilities brought people together who didnt even realize they needed the Y with an explosion of programs that Im proud and amazed we offer, Soper said, it was time for a permanent name.




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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
Its been 100 years since the National Park Service was founded, and most other countries agree that it was one of Americas best ideas: The concepts been copied around the world from Costa Rica to Kenya.

Today, it costs as much as $30 to get into one of the most popular national parks. But there are freebies to help you save on your trip.

Take advantage of Junior Ranger programs: My kids just loved these free mini-adventures, and they even have them at places you wouldnt expect, like Alcatraz and the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Ask at the ranger station and get a free book that the kids fill out about flora, fauna or natural features, using their observations from visiting the park. Then, afterward, they turn in the books, get sworn in as junior rangers, and even receive a badge to wear. Its really cute.

Download some free apps: This is cool. You can now download free detailed smartphone apps from Chimani for 59 iconic U.S. national parks, from Acadia to Zion. I particularly like that you dont need Wi-Fi or cellular service to use them inside the park, where theres often no service available. These apps are chock full of maps, trail info and other stuff you want to know when you visit. I suggest downloading them using Wi-Fi so it doesnt suck up all your data. Go to your app store or chimani.com.

Browse through free maps: While were on the subject of maps, Park Service ranger Matt Holly has uploaded more than 1,000 maps of 107 national parks and monuments that you can download or print for free, including overviews, campgrounds, shuttle bus and trail maps, all in his spare time. Learn more here: npmaps.com.

Collect free passport stamps: This might be a tad geeky, but I dont care. Nearly every national park, historical site and monument now has a passport cancellation station in the ranger station or gift shop, where you can rubber-stamp a paper showing the location and date of your visit. If you want, you can buy an official $10 Passport to Your National Parks with space for all your stamps, or you can stamp anything you please, even your own notebook or diary. Its a fun and free souvenir of your trip. I bought passport books for our family, but sometimes Im too lazy to bring them, so I just stamp a piece of paper and then later paste it into the book. I enjoy looking back later and reminiscing. Learn more: eparks.com/store.

Go to a free park: While the 130 most iconic parks charge entrance fees, most dont cost anything at all. In California, for example, visit the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the gorgeous Point Reyes National Seashore, Redwood National Park without paying any fees. The Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta is fascinating and free. And nearly every federally owned place you want to visit in D.C. is free, from the Smithsonian museums to the Lincoln Memorial.

Get free entry for life: How would you like to get into national parks for free? Any U.S. legal resident 62 or older can pay $10 and get a lifetime pass for free entrance to all national parks, forests and national monuments. Get this pass for $10 at any federal recreation site, generally at the ranger station. You can also order by mail for $20. Applicants must provide documentation of age and residency or citizenship. You might also get 50 percent off some amenities like camping and boating, depending on location. Learn more here: store.usgs.gov/pass /senior.html.

Get a free entry pass for the disabled: If you can show that youre permanently disabled, you can get a free lifetime entry pass if you obtain it in person at a ranger station, or order it by mail for $10. Youll need a doctors statement or other document showing your disability. Learn more here: store.usgs.gov/pass/access.html.

Make sure that if youre military you get in free: If you have a military ID or Common Access Card, whether active-duty, reservist or National Guard, you and your passengers can get in free to most federal recreation sites in a single private car, or free for one pass-holder, three adults and all children at sites that charge a per-person fee. You need to bring your ID card to a ranger station to obtain the annual pass. Spouses are eligible to obtain a pass if they can prove their service member is deployed. Learn more here: store.usgs.gov /pass /military.html.

Get in free if you volunteer: If you volunteer at least 250 hours on federal lands, youre entitled to an annual pass. Maybe you can be a docent, volunteer ranger or help build trails. You dont have to accrue all 250 hours in one year, either! Learn more here: volunteer.gov.

The five agencies that participate in the Interagency Pass Program are National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.

To learn more about all the passes available, visit nps.gov/findapark/passes.htm.
Couple illustration

By: Feng Qian

A woman was devastated to find her husband in bed with her mother while she was in another room.

The woman of South Africa, said that when she woke up, she demanded to know what he was doing sleeping with her mother. He jumped out of bed and said: aI thought it was you.a

The 31-year-old man of Bloemfontein, was arrested on charges of sexual assault after he was caught with his pants down in bed with his mother-in-law.

However, the mother-in-law asked prosecutors to drop the charges because she was also very drunk and she does not remember what happened the night in question.

The 50-year-old mother-in-law said that her daughter was spending time at her home before her daughter and granddaughter fell asleep in the master bedroom.

The mother-in-law then went to sleep in another room.

Apparently, she and her son-in-law were both so drunk that neither of them can remember how they ended up in bed together or what occurred between them.

The charges of sexual assault was withdrawn at the Bloemfontein Regional Court after the man apologized to his mother-in-law and asked for her forgiveness.

His wife has since filed for divorce while her mother said that she has stopped drinking.
Skys The Limit For Wrexham Air Cadet Josh

This article is old - Published: Sunday, Aug 28th, 2016

A Wrexham schoolboys dreams reached new heights as he took control of Wrexham Glyndwr Universitys flight simulator.

Josh Evans, 13, from Wrexham, won the chance to experience flying an Airbus jumbo jet, a Typhoon style aircraft and a space rocket, after winning a competition at Techniquest Glyndwrs Lets Go on an Engineering Adventure community fun day.

Josh, an Air Cadet from St Josephs High School, Wrexham, was invited to Glyndwr University on Monday (August 22) to claim his prize of testing out their flight simulator.

Richard Day, Professor of Composites Engineering at Glyndwr, said: I was delighted to welcome Josh and his family to the universitys engineering department and show him how to use our flight simulator.

He definitely had a natural talent for it and a keen interest in flying. He did a brilliant job flying difficult aircrafts. The engineering team is excited to continue supporting Techniquest Glyndwrs innovative community project and inspire the local community about engineering and all the things it can deliver to improve peoples lives.

Techniquest Glyndwr is holding another community event on September 10, the same day Wrexham Glyndwr University is hosting its Open Day on Wrexham campus.

The Lets Go on an Engineering Adventure project is funded by the Royal Academy of Engineerings Ingenious scheme, which selects and funds the most creative impactful projects that engage the public with engineers and engineering.

The community project also involves taking engineering activities out to other community events across North Wales in order to promote the work of engineers and generate interest in the wide range of engineering careers available.

Project administrator, Hannah Marubbi, said: We had a lot of people take part in our engineering competition at our community fun day, but Josh completed the challenge in a record time and came away with the top prize. He was so pleased to have won as he was starting Air Cadets and was very excited at the idea of a ride in Glyndwrs flight simulator.

Im glad Josh enjoyed his prize and look forward to running similar competitions at future events to get more people as excited about engineering.

For more information on the upcoming community fun day contact Dawn Pavey, projects coordinator by emailing dawn@tqg.org.uk or call 01978 293400.
MADISON  Gov. Scott Walkers plan to provide new funding for the University of Wisconsin System based on its performance in measures such as graduation rate and job placement would subject the System to a budget model that critics say has failed to deliver on its promise to improve higher education.

But proponents of the idea, known as performance-based funding, disagree. They say a well-designed plan to tie UWs dollars to student outcomes could lead to institutions serving those students, and the state, better.

It could also improve the Systems relationships in the state Capitol  something UWs leaders have sought to do in recent years  by making clear to lawmakers and campus officials the expectations for colleges and universities, backers say.

Since the 1990s, more than 30 states have started using some form of performance-based funding in their higher education systems.

Wisconsin is one of them. The states technical college system began distributing money based on performance in certain measures during the 2013-14 school year, an arrangement officials and Walker say has been working well for those schools, although some of the colleges important functions arent measured by the criteria.

Walker has said he plans to include new performance-based funding for the UW System in the 2017-19 state budget. He has not said how much new funding he will seek or how exactly the System would be measured.

The new funding would reverse the trend in recent budgets of declining state support for UW  the 2015-17 budget cut $250 million from the System. About $1 billion of UWs $6.2 billion annual budget comes from the state.

Within higher education circles, though, the value of performance-based funding, or outcomes-based funding as some call it, is far from settled.

The idea of linking funding to performance is very politically appealing, said Nicholas Hillman, a UW-Madison education professor whose research has questioned the models effectiveness. But when you start to scratch the surface  we actually dont see as much activity.

Hillman reviewed 12 studies comparing states that have instituted performance-based funding with those that use more conventional funding models.

The studies showed little or no improvement in the graduation rates or number of degrees awarded in states with performance-based funding, Hillman said.

His review also found that performance-based funding can lead to a range of unintended consequences.

Colleges being judged on their graduation rates might become less likely to admit minorities or low-income students who officials think are less likely to graduate, which could make institutions less diverse, he said. The schools that benefit most under performance-based budget models also tend to be institutions that already have a lot of resources, while less well-off campuses that often serve low-income students and minorities dont measure up as well and miss out on funding, according to Hillman.

There are real question marks about who gets those funds and whether it reproduces inequality, he said.

Changes may take years

Dennis Jones, president emeritus of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, countered that its too early to judge the effectiveness of many performance-based funding models. Only in the past several years have states embraced more comprehensive outcomes-based funding that bases a large proportion of their higher education systems budget on performance.

I dont know how you draw conclusions on the basis of short history, Jones said.

States have also implemented performance-based funding in a wide variety of ways, Jones noted, from the measures they use to evaluate schools to the amount of money they distribute based on outcomes.

Nearly all of Tennessees higher education funding is performance-based, for instance, while less than 1 percent of Illinois is. Wisconsins technical colleges distribute 30 percent of their $88.5 million in annual funding based on performance.

To create an effective performance-based funding system, Jones says lawmakers and universities must customize the criteria to their state and its colleges.

UW officials say Walker has indicated he wants to collaborate with them to develop the performance categories, and note they already track much of the data the governor has said he wants to measure.

Lawmakers should work with campus officials to first answer important questions about what they want out of their higher education system, Jones said, then find the performance criteria they can use to measure that and reward institutions for making progress toward the goal.

Be clear up front about what it is that theyre creating incentives for, Jones said. What are the goals were trying to reach here?

Tech colleges a state model

Officials say that was one reason the Wisconsin Technical College System sought out performance-based funding.

Colleges are measured by their performance in nine categories, which include the number of degrees awarded in high-demand fields and how many students find jobs in their field of study. Schools are also rewarded for how many of their students come from special populations, a group that includes minorities, veterans, the disabled and low-income students, among others  the sort of measure Jones said helps address the equity concerns Hillman raised.

Jim Zylstra, an executive vice president of the system who oversees outcomes-based funding, said its too early to fully analyze the effects of the funding model, which was put into place during the 2013-14 school year.

But he said colleges have made changes in response, citing a growing number of programs that let high school students take courses for college credit.

So-called dual enrollment programs are one of the measures technical colleges receive funding for, and the number of credits high school students have earned from WTCS institutions has grown from 92,613 in the 2012-13 school year to 117,203 in 2014-15.

Zylstra, who helped oversee the creation of the performance categories, said connecting funding to outcomes has sharpened colleges focus on those areas, while also showing their return on investment to lawmakers and the state. The system received a $5 million annual increase in its state funding when it adopted the performance measures.

Were pleased with how the formula has been working  and how our colleges have responded, Zylstra said.

He acknowledged not everything the colleges do is measured by the performance criteria. Technical colleges arent rewarded for how many of their students successfully transfer to four-year schools such as UW-Madison, for instance, or for their police and firefighter training programs  two key roles of technical colleges.

Zylstra said thats why its important to keep conventional funding for the technical colleges. The System is expected to ask lawmakers in the next state budget to limit performance-based dollars to 30 percent of its funding.

Still, sitting down together and agreeing on concrete measures for institutions performance can address lawmakers concerns about making sure colleges and universities are held accountable for the money they spend, Jones said. Though he acknowledged he has not seen data to indicate performance-based funding improves outcomes, Jones said the process of creating those systems can reap benefits for universities.

They serve to build a lot more trust between institutions and legislators, Jones said. That just improves the environment, if nothing else gets accomplished.

Walkers proposed funding would reverse the trend in recent budgets of declining state support for UW  the 2015-17 budget cut $250 million from the System.
Emily Mortensons and Deb Hansens hearts still are healing from the loss of an infant and a miscarriage, respectively  grief that is propelling them to help others cope with that unique variation of mourning.

They will strive to ease others pain through a pregnancy and infant loss support group that will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month beginning Sept. 14 at the Franciscan Spirituality Center at 920 Market St. in La Crosse.

We want to be there to be a help to people, said Mortenson, whose son, Theodore, died when he was just 24 days old on March 17, 2011. It is important to see somebody else has gone through it. Were surviving, but we are scarred.

The whole idea is listening with compassion, said Hansen, who had a miscarriage toward the end of her first trimester 25 years ago. We want to enable people to talk without feeling judged.

Her own pain remains even after a quarter-century, said Hansen, who is spiritual director at the FSC.

Thats probably been, after all these years, the hardest thing I still do, said the 58-year-old mother of five, in addition to the lost baby.

Back then, a time barely emerging from the era when private matters rarely were discussed, few people acknowledged the miscarriage or consoled Hansen and her husband, Glenn, she said.

My parents, to this day, have never recognized this happened, said Hansen, who was living in Ohio. They said, But we prayed, and I said, But the baby died. Thats still hard for me that they dont recognize the death of their grandchild.

Sometimes, older women  about the age I am now  would come up and say they had gone through the same thing, she said.

Second-guessing, blaming

The experiences can evoke feelings of second-guessing, wondering whether they could have done something differently.

Its easy to blame yourself and ask what did I do wrong? Hansen said. I had two kids who were in school, and I was going back to work when I got pregnant. I was a little resentful at first.

Harboring that resentment, did I cause it? said Hansen, who said she became aware as she and Glenn worked through their grief that she had not.

Another thing, our two kids really shut down. They didnt want to talk about it, Hansen said.

The children, who had been excited about the pregnancy, knew they would have had a sister named Bethany or a brother, Jeremy.

Deb and Glenn had picked the names early on because that had been their family tradition, she said, adding, We knew it was a little person.

The children, who had a sense there was a loss, and it was traumatic, rebounded two months later when Hansen became pregnant with twins, she said.

The kids still havent talked about it much, she said.

Its part of our life as a family, but theyre not remembering June 1 like I do, she said of a date burned in her memory that stirs her sadness anew each year.

Mortenson, an Onalaska native, and her husband, Sean, are both graduates of Aquinas High School in La Crosse. They were living in Colorado Springs, Colo., where Sean was stationed in the Air Force, and experiencing their first pregnancy when complications arose.

Ultrasound finds hydrocephalus

The first ultrasound indicated hydrocephalus, with fluid in the right and left membranes of the babys brain. Additional problems surfaced during ensuing tests.

The Mortensons learned during consultations with doctors that outcomes ranged from certain death to potential for life, with surgeries reducing possible disabilities.

At 22 weeks gestation, a doctor suggested considering terminating the pregnancy and told the Mortensons she would leave the room while the couple discussed it.

Mortenson recalled that she and Sean were stunned at the doctors suggestion of an abortion.

Then Sean said, Wait a minute, you dont have to leave the room, and announced that they would not terminate.

That was such a strange meeting for us, she said. We still had a lot of hope. We learned there are adults with hydrocephalus who live productive lives.

Springing from that hope was the Mortensons decision to name the baby Theodore, which they chose because it means a gift from God, she said.

We tried in some capacity to cope with such a traumatic range of outcomes, she said. Growing this life in you, you feel so full of life.

After being delivered via cesarean section on March 17, 2011, Theodore did great in the beginning, Mortenson said. He had the will to suck and breathe.

Born with 10 percent of brain

Additional problems surfaced, and an MRI showed that, because of the fluid, he was born with 10 percent of his brain, which tells your body to do everything  to breathe, to move. That isnt something surgery can fix, and you cant grow a brain, she said.

Presented with the option of surgeries, which doctors said would be in vain, or allowing Theodore to die, the Mortensons heeded the professionals advice to withdraw nutrition and hydration, although providing pain relief.

Im a hospital social worker, and I see families make the decision all the time with their moms, said Mortenson, who works part-time at Mayo Clinic Health System-Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse.

But for a first-time mom, it was totally out of character of the motherly instinct  a mother is supposed to protect. It was the hardest part, and I had the feeling it was not fair, she said.

While the Mortensons lived with Theodore at the hospital until he died at 24 days, they experienced a mixture of reactions and support, Emily said.

Like any loss, people came out of the woodwork. I was shocked by some who did, and by others I expected more from who didnt. Relationship-wise, it really changed me. The challenging part is I have a harder time relating to people Im close to, she said.

Some people Im close to, they want me to go back to that old Emily, but I cant, and I explain that. On the positive side, I love people who surprised me. I have been able to return that, and friendships blossomed.

Similarly, Hansen said, You do realize there is nothing you can say or do. Nothing comes out right, so the best thing is to say Im here for you.

Emily and Sean, a paramedic, take a family day on March 17 to commemorate Theodores birthday. They have two other children  Ruby, a 3-year-old they adopted, and Indimae, a 2-year-old biological child. Emily is pregnant, expecting delivery in February.

I tell people I have four, Mortenson said, counting Theodore and the bun in the oven, who she guesses is a boy  or maybe a girl.

Tolls on marriages

Miscarriages and infant deaths take uncommon tolls on marriages, statistics indicate.

A study in the journal Pediatrics in April 2010 found that 22 percent of couples who experience a miscarriage are likely to break up.

Figures for marriages after the death of a child are elusive, with most in the field dismissing the oft-cited 40 percent to 70 percent divorce rates as mythical. Most give figures in the 16 percent to 25 percent range more credence, and often say other factors may be involved.

Asked about the strain on their spouses, Hansen and Mortenson indicated that it took on similar forms.

Glenn was much more worried, almost overprotective, Deb said, especially when she became pregnant two months later. He insisted that she not strain herself, fearing another miscarriage.

It helped when another couple they knew who had endured a miscarriage also became pregnant, and they took comfort in their shared experiences, Deb said.

I will never forget that time, Mortenson said. In the hospital, a social worker said 70 percent of marriages fail after a loss. I thought that wasnt very helpful.

My thought was that Sean is the only one who understands  Theodore is his son and my son.

I dont know whether it is this way with other couples, but Sean felt during the first year the need to take care of me. So he didnt grieve, but that came out later.

Today, our marriage is great, but it always had been. I understand, and Sean understands, the most. If we lose that, it would be such a dishonor to Theodore, she said.

Honoring the losses is one aim of the support group, the only one of its kind in La Crosse. It is open to both women and men, who can attend as couples or individuals  whichever meets the needs. The group will take a drop-in format, in which participants can talk or just listen until they become comfortable enough to talk.

You can ask questions, and cry as much as you want, Mortenson said. It is such a unique loss. We want to create a holding place.
MIAMI (AP) - The Coast Guard this week has repatriated 161 Cuban migrants to the island nation following more than a dozen interdictions at sea.

The Coast Guard said in a news release that 27 migrants were repatriated Friday, with 68 returned on Thursday and 66 on Monday. All were returned to the city of Bahia de Cabanas.

Cuban migrants attempting to reach the U.S. who are caught at sea are generally returned home, while those who reach American shores typically are allowed to stay.

Migration is up significantly this year amid fears that thawing relations with Cuba may lead the U.S. to end its preferential treatment of Cuban immigrants.

The Coast Guard says 6,318 Cubans have tried to migrate to the U.S. by sea since Oct. 1, compared with 4,473 in the entire past fiscal year.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

8/26/2016 2:32:37 PM (GMT -4:00)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A South Florida woman has been convicted of murder in the 2014 shooting death of a Miami police officer who was her boyfriend.

Media outlets report that a Broward County jury on Friday found 48-year-old Tiniko Thompson guilty of second-degree murder in the killing of 43-year-old Carl Patrick. Thompson faces a potential life prison sentence.

Prosecutors said Thompson shot Patrick because he wanted to end their relationship and expose her for faking a pregnancy to stay together. Thompson's attorney had argued she fired in self-defense.

Trial evidence showed said that Thompson wrapped the uniformed Patrick in a blanket and drove off in his BMW. She left a note calling the shooting an accident. His body was discovered two days later.

Patrick was a 25-year veteran of the Miami Police Department.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

8/27/2016 5:51:19 AM (GMT -4:00)
ATLANTA (AP) - A middle Georgia official is under investigation for using a disabled veterans' tax break to make his son's new home exempt from property taxes.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation special agent J.T. Riketson tells WMAZ-TV (http://on.wmaz.com/2bG9gnC ) Friday that Twiggs County Commissioner Tommie Lee Bryant is accused of illegally transferring a property tax break to another person. The local tax exemption is for disabled veterans.

County tax assessor's board chairman Walter Ashby says a tax office employee moved the exemption to a new house owned by Bryant and his son. The employee is Bryant's relative.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the employee gave Bryant another tax break on his primary home. The employee has been fired.

Ashby says Bryant has not paid taxes in the last 20 years on the home in Jefferson, a town southeast of Macon.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

8/26/2016 7:04:06 PM (GMT -4:00)
MIAMI (AP) - The oldest orangutan at the Miami zoo has died after an emergency surgical procedure.

Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill said in a press release that 31-year-old Bonnie had been pregnant for several months and was scheduled for a full exam on Monday. She started experiencing elevated distress Thursday and needed an emergency surgical procedure to remove a non-viable fetus.

Magill says the surgery was successful but Bonnie was unable to survive the procedure.

Bonnie was born at the Audubon Zoo in Louisiana on Jan. 26, 1985, and arrived at Zoo Miami on May 8, 2009. She's survived by her mate, Mango.

Critically-endangered orangutans can top 200 pounds with an arm span close to eight feet and are the largest tree-dwelling mammals in the world.

(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

8/26/2016 4:05:12 PM (GMT -4:00)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  This summer, St. Paul police have been trying out a new tool that makes them stealthier while patrolling streets in the Hamline-Midway neighborhood.

Its called a bicycle.

Four officers in the police departments Western District have been assigned full-time to patrol on bicycles this summer. The pilot program was set up to address complaints about groups of young people hanging out on the streets, sometimes getting into fights, shoplifting or other trouble, along the Central Corridor, according to police spokesman Steve Linders.

St. Paul has put police on bikes as far back as 1897, according to officer Jason Bain, one of the officers now patrolling on two wheels in St. Paul.

More recently, police units around the country started riding mountain bikes in the 1990s after Seattle police started a bike program.

St. Paul has largely used bikes in the past in the downtown area, especially to keep the peace at big public events like the Republican National Convention in St. Paul in 2008.

But now the police are seeing if bikes can be used in neighborhoods to catch drug dealers and garage burglars.

Bain said people still dont expect to see a pedaling police officer, which sometimes has meant that officers can quietly roll up to a crime in progress without alerting the criminals.

The criminals hate it. At first they dont realize were cops and were on bikes, Bain said.

There are some disadvantages.

We dont have that 3,000-pound vehicle to protect us, Bain said.

And a bike cant haul many of the tools, like a computer or a shotgun, that a police officer might normally take on patrol.

The bike police carry whistles, but they dont have lights or sirens. When they make an arrest, they have to call a squad car to transport the suspect. Their handcuffs double as bike locks.

But Bain said in some situations, like a protest march that shuts down a street, bikes can give police more mobility than a squad car.

And an officer on a bicycle is more approachable than an officer inside a squad car. That means more engagement opportunities.

A softer uniform  a polo shirt and shorts instead of a regulation shirt and blue wool trousers  also helps break down barriers.

Its a different tool the police department can use to be visible, said Bain, 41, who is also a police bike instructor. Its community engagement and its enforcement.

Bain and his partner, David Bo Ratley, did some of both on a ride this past week.

Starting out from the departments Western District office on Hamline Avenue near University, they biked up to Hamline Park and handed out stickers to the kids playing there.

They greeted pedestrians and other cyclists they encountered with Hows it going? or Hey, sir, how are you doing?

One man working in his yard shouted back, Nice to see you out here.

That wouldnt happen to you if you were in a squad car, or even on foot, Bain said.

Ratley said people often offer the officers water or coffee.

But one person they greeted on the street started swearing at them.

Hes known to police. Some days hell chat with you, and other days hes like he was there, said Ratley, 39. The ones that cause problems do not like us at all.

Bain said the pair cover 5 to 25 miles a shift. They have roamed to the St. Paul Cathedral up to Como Park and down to Highland Park, trying to hit the places where police see a spike in reports of burglary complaints or other problems.

One day this past week, they cruised down the alleys near Frogtown in the hopes of seeing a potential suspect in a series of dog-poisoning incidents there this summer.

They checked in at the CVS Pharmacy on Snelling and University avenues, talking with customers and store clerks. They also stopped to talk with two men who were washing car windshields for money in the drug store parking lot.

Have you guys got permission to be out here? Bain asked.

Were not bothering anybody, said one of the men.

I get that, I get that, Bain said.

But he told the men if the store complains, theyll have to come back and ask them to move.

They stopped when they saw a woman sitting on the curb, talking on her cellphone, her eyes red from crying.

Though the woman told them she didnt need help from police, Ratley said they might not have noticed her and stopped if they were speeding by in a squad car.

Much of the time, they roll slowly, peering into parked cars as they pass. Theyre looking for potential drug deals, drinking from open containers, kids fighting. Not necessarily major crimes, but theyre the issues that bother people and businesses in the neighborhood.

You can really monitor the quality-of-life crimes, Ratley said.

Once, Bain said, he stopped another cyclist who blew through a stop sign. Bicyclists are obligated to follow traffic laws just like other vehicles, Bain said.

While Im on a bike, if I dont enforce the bike laws, who will? he said.

After the cyclist was stopped, a bag of marijuana fell out of his pocket, Bain said. The cyclist also had more than $1,000 in cash and more drugs packaged for resale, Bain said.

Just a minor traffic violation yielded a good arrest, he said.

While rolling down an alley near Asbury Street and Edmund Avenue this past week, Bain caught a whiff of a distinctive odor.

Smell that? Bain said.

The two officers then stopped two young men nearby on the street who they said were passing a marijuana cigarette back and forth.

I can smell burnt marijuana, Bain told one man. I can smell it when you left the alleyway.

Thats my cologne, the man said.

Ratley briefly handcuffed the man he questioned after the man initially refused to identify himself. Ratley said the lack of cooperation at the beginning could escalate into a fight, and its safer for everyone to eliminate the possibility early in the process.

A little bit of hostility at the beginning, but everything leveled out, he said.

The men were let go because there wasnt enough evidence to make an arrest, according to the police.

We saw them smoke it, but they got rid of it, Ratley said. He was saying, I can smoke weed. No, you cant.

Bain said the encounter still delivered a message that police are not going to ignore low-level offenses that bother neighborhood residents.

Its a petty misdemeanor, but its a crime, Bain said.
People can dispose of unwanted prescription medications at two Yakima law enforcement agencies once drop boxes are ready next week.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)  Most of the 50 people charged last month in a protest that shut down Interstate 94 in St. Paul over the police shooting of Philando Castile have rejected plea deals.

They made their first appearances Friday in Ramsey County District Court. The city offered plea bargains in which each protesters riot and unlawful assembly charges would be dropped in return for a guilty plea to public nuisance, with a fine of $50 plus court costs and a 30-day stayed jail sentence. All but one of the protesters opted to continue their cases instead and schedule second hearings for this fall.

Around 300 protesters blocked I-94 in St. Paul on July 9 in protest of the shooting of Castile by a St, Anthony police officer in Falcon Heights three nights earlier. The charging documents say some of them began throwing rocks, cement chunks, rebar, bottles, and other items at police and ignored orders to disperse.

Sophie M. Keane, 22, accepted the plea deal. She is beginning a job in France next month and needed to close the case against her before leaving the country said her attorney, Elyssa Danahy. But she stands in solidarity with the rest of the folks in the courtroom, Danahy said.

Several other protesters  who were arrested at Grand Avenue and Dale Street after the I-94 shutdown and were cited for public nuisance and unlawful assembly  had their first hearings Friday as well. Only one of them accepted plea deals that would have resulted in dismissals after a year.

Officer Jeronimo Yanez fatally shot the 32-year-old elementary school cafeteria worker during a traffic stop on July 6 in nearby Falcon Heights. Castiles girlfriend  who video streamed the shootings gruesome aftermath live on Facebook  said Castile was shot several times while reaching for his ID after telling the officer he had a gun permit and was armed. Castile was black while Yanez is Latino. Castiles death set off weeks of protests and calls for Yanez to be charged. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is still investigating.

Deputy City Attorney Laura Pietan addressed the tensions as the hearing began.

Its important for you to know that this office . shares in the collective grief and anger that the city experienced after Castiles death, Pietan told the defendants. We understand why things got to where they did that weekend.
The union of secondary school principals has raised concern over an acute shortage of thousands of teachers for core subjects such as math, English, Bible, physics, chemistry and biology. With the new school year about to begin, some administrators are resorting to desperate measures.

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Principals started by sending wanted messages in WhatsApp groups and have even resorted to posting signs on car windows in an attempt to recruit teachers for the start of the school year, when hundreds of thousands of students will return to classrooms.

Photo: Yedioth Ahronoth

A Tel Aviv high school principal, Yeroham Levy, said, "I've recruited teachers who have retired, including a 62 year-old Bible teacher and another 57 year old, and both were excellent. I have no problem with the age, but I can't build a long-term curriculum if I can't get younger teachers."

Due to the shortage, the physics, chemistry and biology departments had to be closed and students who were interested in studying these subjects had to have special transportation to other facilities in the area. There is no chemistry and no biology. Its absurd, said Levy.

The results of the shortage could be disastrous and cause a variety of problems including the closing of entire specializations in high schools, a reduction in teaching hours of certain core subjects, the hiring of teachers with no certificates and assigning teachers subjects they are not trained in.

Parents have also begun to feel the difficulties associated with shortages, as students who want to study physics in high schools in central Israel are asked to select a different specialization. On one hand, the state says there is a shortage of students who specialize in the sciences and the Ministry of Education is trying to increase that number. However, on the other hand, when there are students who are asking to study these subjects, they are asked to switch. Its absurd.

Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and head of the Parents Caucus, MK Meir Cohen, warned of the serious damage to the younger generation, saying There is a massive shortage that has sadly gone unnoticed by the Ministry of Education and it is leading to a compromise in the quality of teachers at the expense of the students. The fact that administrators are willing to accept full-time teachers without proper certification, is the most difficult part of the reality affecting classrooms."

MK Meir Cohen

According to Cohen, the main problem causing the shortage is the difficult conditions that teachers in Israel face. He further added, This is years of neglect one of the most important professions in shaping the state.

According to Menashe Levy, the Chairman of the Principals Union, in 2004 a State Comptroller report dealing with the plight of teachers noted that the Ministry of Education does not have an organized and updated system of assessing problems in the education system, which makes long-term planning difficult. The Ministry of Education refuses to acknowledge the problem, conduct an accurate assessment of shortcomings and construct a national emergency plan for training teachers.

Circumstances which led to the shortage include retirement of veteran teachers, difficulty of young teachers to integrate due to low salaries, social disdain for the profession, overcrowded classrooms and low numbers of students enrolling in teaching programs in higher education. In certain cases, such as with English, talented teachers are poached for private sector jobs which provide more attractive benefits.

The Ministry of Education is promoting a series of reforms to address the low numbers of recruitment, especially among the young, to the profession. Additionally, permission has been granted to allow teachers to teach more subjects, as well as increasing the number of students participating in virtual classes via the internet.

The Ministry of Education insists that the shortage is localized and not in the thousands. In response to the issue, the Ministry has said, Contrary to what has been claimed, the Ministry makes it difficult to bring in teachers who do not have the necessary certifications and will not allow reforms making it easier to bring in unqualified teachers. In the isolated places where there are shortages, the Ministry will provide the appropriate solution.
After more than a month-long moratorium in the trial of Sgt. Elor Azariawho was indicted for manslaughter after he was captured on camera in shooting the already neutralized Palestinian terrorist, Abed al Fatah al-Sharif, to death in Hebronproceeding continued Sunday morning at a special military court in Jaffa.

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Azarias attorneys began calling witnesses to the dock to corroborate Azarias claims thus far justifying his actionsnamely that he fired out of fear of a bona fide threat posed by the terrorist.

Sgt. Elor Aazaria in court (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Lt. Col. (res.) Eliyahu Liebman, who has served as the Chief Security Officer in Hebron for the last 22 years and has been the recipient of a medal of honor from former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, was the first to be called to the witness box.

After stating his credentials, Libeman said, "There was an atmosphere where they tried putting words into my mouth in order to get the story straight." He then cited an example involving former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (who still occupied the position during the incident) and attempted to debunk his alleged claims shortly after the incident that even he, (Liebman) had expressed his disapproval of Azarias actions.

Lt. Col. Eliyahu Liebman (Photo: Yariv Katz)

A few days after the incident I received a phone call from Yaalons people in the Defense Ministry who spoke to me about what happened, Liebman said. At the end of the conversation (he told me) that Yaalon told him that even the Chief Security Officer of Hebron thinks the shooting was not right. I clarified for the worker that that was a lie and was false. It was precisely the opposite. Yaalon, I said, could contact me directly to clarify the matter but to this day he has not done so.

Liebman claimed that the case was heavily influenced in the military ranks by the statements made Yaalon condemning Azarias actions. The second a defense minister speaks in this way, everybody in the army automatically falls into line. No one would dare to say otherwise. In my 27 years in service I have never seen any company or platoon commander express disagreement with the defense minister the moment he states his clear position in the media. It created an abnormal feeling among soldiers and commanders.

Addressing the incident itself, Liebman said, I arrived at the scene within minutes. There was an uncomfortable atmosphere that you could not say anything which differed from the version that they tried to create for the security services and the media...There was an atmosphere that you would be criticized if you held an opinion which conflicted with the agenda.

Sgt. Elor Azaria shotos neutralized terrorist (:   .   )

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Liebman added that, contrary to the impression given in the media, Elor's actions were actually standard practice: As the Chief Security Officer in Hebron I did not instruct IDF soldiers on the procedures of opening fire but during incidents involving terrorists at which I was present, I saw with my own eyes that in every incident in which the terrorist attacked, the soldiers shot him in the chest until he was neutralized and then in the head to make sure the terrorist could not detonate a bomb. Those soldiers were never put put on trial, he pointed out.

The witness then highlighted the fact that the terrorist was wearing a puffer jacket which could easily have been a bomb: The terrorists was wearing a puffer jacket on a hot day and anyone who has experience knows that the coat is not just full of air but that there is a good chance that it is a bomb," he said.

Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

He then drew the court's attention to the word neutralized," saying that it was the cause of much confusion: A neutralized terrorist means: either he attempted to carry out an attack and was shot in the chest and killed and then shot in the head to make sure - as is taught in the IDF according to the rules of opening fire - or it means that the terrorist was checked by a sapper and was cuffed by the hands and feet. In this case, Liebman concluded, the terrorist was not professionally checked by the sapper and that endangered those who carried him.

"There were two soldiers who did not act professionally during the incident. The terrorists were checked by them from close range, continued Liebman. If there was a medical team tending to the terrorist at the time of the incident, no one would have shot him.

Liebman then turned to testimony against Azaria previously provided by Maj.Tom Naaman, the latter's company commander: We are indebted to Maj. Tom Naaman for security in the area. "He is a good and appreciated individual but his statements were outrageous and ungrateful. To say the things he said about emergency medical teams in Hebron who risk their lives is ungrateful. I spoke to the company commander a day after the incident and it seemed that it had a profound effect on him personally, he said before concluding, "The company commander failed in this instance."

Liebman also attempted to refute the testimony provided by Former Yehuda Brigade commander, Col. Yariv Ben-Ezra in june against Azaria. After furnishing praise on him for his service and contribution to preventing terror attacks, Liebman said but he has also failed many times in his conduct in the area. Many Jews have been killed in the area. I cannot remain silent when these commanders, despite all their dedication, forsake an IDF soldier in the situation that has developed.
The trial of retired IDF Brig. Gen. Ofek Buchris, who is facing charges of rape, is set to begin Sunday at the special military court in the Kirya base in Tel Aviv.

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The Sunday proceedings are expected to mainly deal with technical details such as determining the panel of judges and matters of scheduling.

Channel 10 News reported Saturday night that the IDF will likely appoint a former senior judge to head the complex case. The Israeli military is also looking to find another senior IDF judge who does not know Buchris personally.

Brig. Gen. Buchris. "I am innocent." (Photo: Gil Nechushtan)

The decision to indict Buchris came while he was still an active-duty IDF officer. He retired shortly after it was announced that he was indicted for rape, so that he would be able to stand trial as a civilian.

He stands accused of raping his subordinate officers on three different occasions, in addition to sexual abuse of one other woman.

In total, 17 allegations were leveled against him in the indictment for incidents that allegedly took place in the period between July 2010 and September 2013.

According to the indictment, some of the incidents occurred in Buchris' military barracks room, his office, and his vehicle.

He has denied the claims against him. "I am innocent and will fight for my good name and innocence," he wrote in his statement upon retiring from the IDF.

Even though he has retired from the military, he will be provided with a defense by the IDF public defender's office.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, and MK Moshe Gafni, who head the Knesset's two ultra-Orthodox parties, conducted a conference call Saturday evening, and considered demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fire Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz over the fact that the latter approved the decision to conduct renovations of the HaShalom train station in Tel Aviv on Saturday, during the Shabbat.

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In a joint statement, the three said they "Painfully protest the needless violation of the Shabbat in the Tel Aviv (train station renovations)." They emphasized that this constituted "a violation of the previous agreements with the transportation minister, and undermined the status quo."

Renovations at HaShalom station, Saturday. (Photo: Israel Railways)

Minister Katz visited the station Saturday evening, saying, "I'm glad it all ended well and am sorry for the inconvenience caused to drivers. The work done over the weekend was something that was both needed and essential. There was no other way. I operated in accordance with the law and the status quo. I would not agree to cancel the work despite the pressure to do so. I am a traditional man and was sorry about the position taken by the heads of the ultra-Orthodox parties."

He claimed that in the end, everyone supported the renovations, even the ultra-Orthodox politicians.

MK Gafni responded, saying, "The work could have been done on a weekday and not on the Shabbat. There was no agreement over working on the Shabbat. Apparently lying is part of Yisrael Katz's profession."
Tel Aviv held a festival celebrating its canine population on National Dog Day on Friday.

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Festival director Tal Hollander says that the city is among the worlds friendliest to dogs and that it is home to the highest number of dogs per capita in the world, with an average ratio of one dog per 17 residents.

The city-wide dog day was celebrated at the Bnei Dan Dog Park with many attractions for the citys four-legged residents.

the animals were able to luxuriate in a special dog spa set up for the occasion, and dog sushi was available for purchase.

An exhibition displayed dog-friendly startups, and a bakery for dog treats sold products on site.

Tel Aviv has a record of putting major efforts into the well-being of its canines. All of its shelters have a no kill policy and its vets are available 24/7 to treat injured dogs. The city also maintains a complaints line for residents to report harmful treatment of dogs.

There are also 70 dog parks in addition to the dog-friendly beaches in tel Aviv.

Michael Bachner contributed to this article.
Following the discovery of a leak from a container of dangerous chemicals in the Negev region's Ne'ot Hovav industrial zone. Workers at local factories were instructed to quarantine themselves, and the access road to the area has been blocked.

Firefighters who arrived on the scene took care of the leak.
A Christian Arab has been nominated to become the legal advisor to the Ministry of Development in the Periphery, the Negev and the Galilee, making him the first Arab ever to occupy the position of a legal advisor in a government office.

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Maron Halifah, a 34-year-old resident of Haifa, began his career in 2005 under then Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres. He then moved to the Presidents Residence where he served as deputy legal advisor and in 2009 returned to his former position which later evolved into the aforementioned office under the leadership of Silvan Shalom.

Three years ago Halifah switched positions once again and became the legal advisor in the northern district to the Israel Fire and Rescue Services before taking on his new post.

Maron Halifah

This is a pride which has broken a kind of glass ceiling for the first time, Halifah commented. I hope that this will open the way for others to reach the top and shatter the conventions. I feel at home in the office and everyone is like one big family. It is fun to be here and to work for residents of the periphery.

Halifah added that for him, working for the state was second nature and was a goal which had been instilled into him from a young age.

I grew up in a family that educated me to contribute and to integrate into the country in any way possible. I entered public service after tests and bids as is completely standard procedure. Since then I progressed with hard work and no rest, he explained.

I never ever felt different because I was part of a minority, I never ever felt any discrimination, and I think that the state does encourage minorities to work in the public sector, he continued. I think that there is high potential for academics in the sector and they need to be integrated into middle and senior levels. I suggest to everybody to stand for public office and not be scared.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who heads the ministry, praised Halifahs nomination. Just as Jews, Arabs, Druze and Christians live in the Negev and the Galilee, this is how it is in our ministry where everybody can be found, he said. I hope that more and more groups and committees will be integrated into the government offices in senior positions.

According to recently published data, a marked increase by 14% began since January 2015 of Arabs joining the public sector. The data serves to refute claims made by Arab MKs to the contrary.
Last winter, a top Department of Natural Resources executive told concerned employees it was critically important to finish a reorganization plan by summer because the plan could protect the department from budget cuts.

But on Tuesday, the department announced the reorganization wouldnt be discussed again publicly until late fall, months into the state budget process and just weeks before Gov. Scott Walker sends his proposed spending plan to the Legislature.

An employee newsletter item on the new timetable said the process was complicated and more time was needed to get things right.

But two former DNR secretaries who have been critical of the departments performance under Walker said the change in timing had the markings of a political decision designed to please the governor or the Legislature.

Its hard to understand even major changes taking this long, said George Meyer, who was secretary under a Republican governor and now directs the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. There is obviously something else at play besides the details of the reorganization itself.

The DNRs chief spokesman declined to discuss whether the new schedule for the alignment process, as the reorganization is called, would weaken any agency efforts to fend off budget cuts.

The budget and budget-related alignment issues are both works in progress, so we wont be commenting on either before they are finalized, spokesman Jim Dick said in an email.

DNR executives launched the reorganization in July 2015 in a meeting with employees where initial administrative changes and future goals were disclosed on the heels of a state budget that cut more than 90 department positions.

Eight months later in another meeting with employees, DNR deputy secretary Kurt Thiede stressed how important it was to complete the reorganization by summer.

In the end we will have more compelling data to identify future needs and to qualify the consequences of potential budget cuts, Thiede said in the videotaped session on Feb. 18. This will be critically important going into the next budget.

Thiede made similar points three more times during the 75-minute meeting. As part of the reorganization, DNR was compiling analysis of agency activities and required resources, and this information was needed to prepare for budget talks that would start in summer, he said.

At the time, a department spokesman said the plan was to be finished by June 30. Later, officials said it would be done in July or August.

In announcing the much later timetable Tuesday, the DNR was upbeat as it acknowledged that employees had been wondering when the plan would materialize: Its natural for questions to arise over the timing and ultimate direction of the project.

We are pleased to respond that the alignment continues to move forward with additional time being invested to evaluate core functions and potential outcomes prior to implementation.

Scott Hassett, who was DNR secretary under Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, said his casual contacts with agency employees indicate that many are worried, if only because details of the reorganization are being shared only among a small handful of political appointees.

Hassett said the DNR wouldnt have delayed a plan under these circumstances unless elected officials saw it as potentially unpopular and didnt want it publicized before fall Legislative elections in a year when DNR failings in protection of water quality have surfaced repeatedly.

Hassett said initial administrative changes made last year might suggest there were plans to break the DNR into two departments  something conservatives sometimes favor  but Walkers spokesman said the governor wasnt pursuing that option.

Walker told reporters on Thursday that he has known for a month that the DNR was delaying the reorganization.

The DNR felt postponing the realignment was the best move for long-term success, Evenson said when asked if Walker had requested the delay.

Meyer said it was hard to understand why even a major reorganization would take as long as this one has unless it was heading in a direction Walker opposed.

Theyre clearly not going to do something the governor doesnt want, Meyer said.

Walker and his fellow Republicans in the Legislature have made many changes in environmental regulations since taking over state government in 2011.

They said one reason for last years budget cuts was that the DNR had gone astray by researching the effects of climate change and mining on state resources, and scientists, educators and wildlife manager positions were cut because they werent needed for the DNRs core mission.

The agencys full-time workforce has been reduced by 15 percent over the last two decades by both Republicans and Democrats.

Tightly held

DNR secretary Cathy Stepp, a Walker appointee, has said that she fights for agency funding and staff in private, but she insists that department employees must be apolitical publicly, deferring to elected officials.

Under Walker and Stepp, information is held closely within the agency compared to past years when DNR officials would tell citizen groups about department needs as a way of building public support for its efforts, Meyer said.

Current DNR leadership is unlikely to publicize any alignment plan that might place pressure on Walker to raise permit fees or other revenue to help the department, Meyer said.

Walker frequently takes a hard line against taxes.

He is currently resisting calls by GOP lawmakers for increased fees or taxes to fix the states roads. With or without an alignment plan, he may face a similar conflict over the DNR.

In June a report from the nonpartisan Legislative Audit Bureau documenting DNR failures in protecting water quality that have prompted calls from the Legislature for more funding to beef up a staff that hasnt been able to keep up with polluters.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, meanwhile, has been after the state since 2011 to clear up 75 deficiencies in water regulations, and it has urged DNR for months to provide clean water to people in Kewaunee County where pollution from large animal feedlots is linked to tainted drinking water in 30 percent of wells.
British Prime Minister Theresa May is bringing her Cabinet together at her rural retreat to plan Britain's first steps on leaving the European Union in accordance with referendum held in June

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Officials at May's Downing Street office say the prime minister will oversee a day-long brainstorming session with Cabinet colleagues Wednesday at Chequers, the prime minister's 16th-century mansion 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of London.

Theresa May (Photo: Gettyimages)

May, a Eurosceptic who remained neutral during June's referendum on leaving the EU, was appointed prime minister last month following David Cameron's resignation as Conservative Party leader. Cameron had campaigned to keep Britain in the 28-nation bloc. May says her government will abide by the results of the vote and intends to open exit negotiations with EU colleagues next year.

May has returned to London after a two-week walking holiday in the Swiss Alps.
Iran announced on Sunday afternoon that the state has arrested a member of the team that negotiated a landmark nuclear deal with world powers on suspicion of spying, a judiciary spokesman said.

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President Hassan Rouhani (Photo: AFP)

Iran's nuclear facilities

The suspect was released on bail after a few days in jail but is still under investigation, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said at a regular weekly news conference, calling the unidentified individual a "spy who had infiltrated the nuclear team," state media reported.

On August 16th,the Tehran General Prosecutor announced the arrest of a dual-national on suspicion of being linked to British intelligence, but did not specify whether or not the suspect was a member of the Iranian nuclear program.

Britain announced that it was trying to get more details on the arrest of the man who holds dual citizenship, which the Iranians claim is linked to British intelligence.

Photo: EPA

The historic nuclear deal between Iran and the West was signed after two years of negotiations and amid intense opposition by Israel and some Arab countries. The agreement removed many of the international sanctions, while Iran had to significantly scale back its nuclear program, though not halt it altogether.

Earlier this month, following rumors, Iran announced that it had executed nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri after having been found guilty of spying for the United States and passing information to the West about Irans nuclear program.

Amiri on his return to Iran (Photo: AP)

Amiri, who was an award-winning physicist with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and possessed the highest possible security clearance, disappeared in Saudi Arabia in 2009 while on Hajj. Shortly thereafter, he surfaced in the United States and was alleged to have begun spying for the US government. Washington has denied the allegations and said that Amiri was free to return to Iran whenever he desired.

In 2010, amidst reports of harassment of his family in Iran over his alleged spying, Amiri returned where he was initially hailed as a hero who was kidnapped and released. During an airport press conference, Amiri claimed to reporters that he had been kidnapped and tortured. He further claimed that he was offered to stay in the US and $50 million. I suffered extreme physical and mental torture, said Amiri, who also claimed that the CIA tried to persuade him to engage in propaganda against Iran. I have documents to prove that I was not in the United States willingly and that I was under constant surveillance by armed security agents.

Amiri worked at the Iranian nuclear facility near Qom, which was uncovered only in 2009 by Western powers. During his stay in the US, media reported that he had defected to the West and provided information on Irans nuclear program and briefed inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) before their first visit to Qom.

After his return to Iran, Amiri disappeared yet again and was held for years out of contact with his family. Recently, as was reported, he was hanged and his body was returned to his mother.
Contacts have recently been established regarding a possible meeting in Moscow between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

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Ynet was informed on Sunday that the rare meeting is supposed to take place around October.

The development comes just one week after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced Russias willingness to host direct talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

It was previously revealed that negotiations for a tripartite meeting between Mahmoud Abbas, Netanyahu, and al-Sisi in Cairo in order to try and jump-start the peace process.

Netanyahu and Abbas in 2010 (Photo: Gettyimages)

Early negotiations are currently underway to set up a tripartite meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to both Israeli and Palestinian officials, the Palestinian Authority chairman has expressed his willingness to attend talks.

Officials believe that Abbas prefers to hold the summit in Moscow rather than Cairo because of al-Sisi's attempt at pushing his own peace initiative at the cost of the French peace initiative. Abbas prefers the French initiative over the Egyptian one.

Abbas's request to jump start the peace process still includes prerequisites that Israel stop building in the settlements, and to hold a discussion to create a time table to "end the occupation."

Israeli officials reported that Netanyahu was holding discussions with Putin several days ago when the issue came up, yet the possibility of a meeting between Netanyahu and Abbas in Moscow is still "speculation" as it is "still too early to tell."

However, the officials stressed that "the prime minister is ready to hold direct negotiations with Mahmoud Abbas at any time.

MKs Ksenia Svetlova (Zionsit Union) and Yossi Yona (Zionist Union) met with Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah after receiving an official invitation from him last Thursday.

MK Svetlova said that "there are a lot of peace proposals on the table to solve this conflict, and its important that we dont miss this opportunity. We were happy to hear that Abbas is continuing to renounce violence and is beholden to a solution."

Svetlova also said that they discussed Putin's peace proposal to invite both Netanyahu and Abbas to Moscow. She also calls on Netanyahu to accept the Russian and other initiatives.
Congratulations are in order for Tanda, a white rhinoceros, who gave birth to a baby rhino at the Ramat Gan Safari last Friday.

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The 23-year-old rhino moved to the safari from the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo in 2005 and mated with Atari, a 36-year-old male rhino.

In 2007, she gave birth to a male calf called Tibor, in 2012 she had her second male calf Terkel, and in 2014 she had a female calf named Teshi.

The new rhino calf (:  ,  ,  , :  , :  )

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It is tradition at the Ramat Gan Safari to give the rhino baby a name starting with the same first letter as the mother's namein this case, the letter T. The four options being considered are Tandai (which means "thanksgiving"), Tamo (which means "sweet"), Tamoka (which means "morning") or Topak (which means "warrior").

Last February, 28-year-old Tzion, the alpha in the safari's rhino herd, was documented fighting against Atari for Tanda.

Photo: Motti Kimchi

"This is the fifth calf Tanda and Atari had," he added, noting Tanda had miscarried one male calf.

Photo: Motti Kimchi

After a long pregnancy, which lasted for a year and a half, Tanda gave birth to the calf at a private enclosure, where the safari's caretakers could monitor the situation of mother and baby.

"There were preliminary signs ahead of labor: Her udders grew, and she kept away from the other rhinos. These are very sociable mammals who are used to living in pairs or groups of threethey're almost never alone," Tam noted.

Photo: Motti Kimchi

"At this stage, when we knew she was going into labor, we drew her into a private enclosure where she had food, water and a bed of hay," he added.

Tanda, he said, will be kept at the private enclosure for a little while after the birthboth so she and her newborn could be monitored closely and to "afford her some quiet from the other rhinos in the herd."

Photo: Shai Ben Naftali

This enclosure, while separate, still allows the other rhinos to smell the new calf and form bonds with him. "His introduction to the herd is very important for the forging of bonds with the rest of the rhinos," Tam explained.

The Ramat Gan Safari is considered one of the more fertile zoos in Europe and Asia, vis-a-vis the reproduction of rhinos under the threat of extinction.

"We've broken a new record of rhinos, and now we have the opposite problemwe have too many male rhinos. To stop them from mating with females they are related to, we're searching for new homes for some of them as part of an international reproduction plan," Tam said.

Photo: Shai Ben Naftali

He noted that rhinos cannot be transferred abroad after they reach the age of 30 as they become too heavy, which makes it dangerous to fly them.

White rhinoceros are the second-largest land mammals after elephants, and could reach up to three tons in weight. The white rhinoceros are in better shape in nature compared to other types of rhinos, some of which face extinction.

Photo: Motti Kimchi

The white rhinoceros population in nature is estimated at 19,682-21,077 rhinos. Most of them are located in four countriesSouth Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Kenya. But while conservation authorities have taken steps to protect them from illegal hunting, their future in the wild is under threat.

According to data from the government of South Africa and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 1,338 rhinos were hunted in Africa in 20151,175 of them in South Africa alone. Between January and May 2016, 363 rhinos were hunted.
Former Minister Benjamin Fuad Ben-Eliezer died on Sunday at the age of 80. He was one of Israel's most prominent and respected politicians for the past 30 years, and held various positions such as defense minister and deputy prime minister.

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The politician was hospitalized two weeks ago at the intensive care unit of Asaf Harofe medical center outside of Rishon LeZion, and was transferred to the heart center of the hospital following evidence of a heart condition.

Benjamin Fuad Ben Eliezer was born in Basra, Iraq in 1936, and immigrated to Israel in 1950 when he was 14 years old. He joined the IDF in 1954 at the age of 18 to the Golani brigade where he became an officer. He was the commander of the Shaked Unit, which operated in the Southern Command. A year later, he was injured when the Jordanian military attacked a helicopter he was flying in.

Benjamin Fuad Ben Eliezer (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

He retired from the IDF in 1982, but was called back into service by then Defense Minister Moshe Arens. He served as the Coordinator of Government Activities (COGAT) in the West Bank and Gaza, until his final release from the military in 1984 at the rank of brigadier general.

Benjamin Fuad Ben-Eliezer (Photo: Shlomi Cohen)

Entry into Politics

Ben-Eliezer established a new political party called "Yahad" with Ezer Weitzman in 1984. He served on the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee following the elections, and then was appointed to be the Housing and Construction Minister under Yitzhak Rabin.

In 1994, Ben Eliezer went on an official delegation with Rabin to Tunesia, where he became the first Israeli minister to ever meet with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.

He became deputy prime minister to Ehud Barak in 1999, and also served as communications minister. He then served again as Minister of Housing and Construction.

After Barak lost the 2001 elections to Ariel Sharon, Ben-Eliezer was chosen to be minister of defense. The security fence in the West Bank was built under his watch.

In 2005, Ariel Sharon chose Benjamin Fuad Ben-Eliezer to be the minister of national infrastructure in 2005. After a brief break, he returned to the position under Ehud Olmert's premiership.

He contracted pneumonia in March 2011 and was put into a medically induced coma, eventually making a full recovery. He was re-elected in the 2013 elections, but resigned from the Knesset for health reasons in December 2014, and was replaced by Raleb Majadele.

Ben-Eliezer continued in public service and was elected to the Knesset again in January 2013. Amongst other things, he was a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. In 2014 he was the Labor party candidate for President, but resigned from politics following a police investigation. He claimed that "it seems someone tried to politically assassinate me."

An indictment was filed against him in 2015 on charges of bribery, money laundering, fraud, breach of trust, and tax evasion. The prosecution claimed that he received a $400,000 bribe when he was the Trade and Industry minister, and NIS500,000 in order to buy a home.

Former Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon mourned Ben-Eliezer, saying "(Ben-Eliezer) symbolized the ingathering of the exiles in their own land. In every position he filled on the battlefield, Fuad was a leader with a cool head and full of initiative, but above all he was a man amongst men. He always knew how to be sensitive and attentive, warm and loving, and his door was always open. I served underneath Fuad when he was the defense minister I was deputy IDF chief of staff and IDF chief of staff. In his days as defense minister, the IDF fought against raging Palestinian terrorism. We hit them, and began to change the reality on the ground, bringing about a relative calm, something which we still feel today. Everyone who met Fuad fell in love with him immediately. His warmth crossed sectors, ethnic groups, and religions. May his memory be a blessing.
GENEVA- US Secretary of State John Kerry's stops in Bangladesh and India come amid increasing concerns about terrorism in both South Asian nations.

After talks on Syria with Russian and UN officials, Kerry planned to depart Geneva later Sunday for meetings with Bangladeshi officials, opposition and civic leaders who are coping with a series of extremist attacks. The most recent killed 20 people, including 17 foreigners, at a popular restaurant last month in Dhaka, the capital.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack, but authorities maintain that a local banned group, Jumatul Mujahedeen Bangladesh, or JMB, was behind it.
The Ministry of Education is continuing to implement recommendations made by the Biton Commission by placing the book A Dream at the Price of Honor, in the literature curriculum for the upcoming school year.

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The book is the story of Girma Mengistu, a communications professor, who immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia. It describes with humor and drama the journey of Ethiopian Jews to Israel, the yearning to see Jerusalem, and the difficulties in the process of absorption in Israel.

Girma Mengistu

Up until now, the story has not been taught in the education system. But the story will be incorporated into the curriculum of both junior high and high school and will even be a part of matriculation exams this coming year,.

Dr. Mengistu said, I am very happy they've decided to teach the short story I wrote about Beta Yisrael going to Jerusalem in schools. This short story is a picture of an important moment in the history of the Ethiopian community and opens a window through which the children of Israel will be able to look at us and see our longing to go to Jerusalem and live a free and meaningful life. The story of the Ethiopian community is a part of the story of the Jewish people, but every Jewish community is unique and it is very important to give expression to the cultural characteristics and experiences of each community. The decision of the Ministry of Education to include this story gives a place of honor and recognition to the Zionist side of the community.

Minister of Education, Naftali Bennett, described the book as a wonderful description of the vast Zionist journey our Ethiopian brothers endured on their way to Israel. From this day, all Israeli students will learn about the incredible journey Ethiopians undertook and the difficulties which they had to deal with during absorption. This is how to correct injustice, this is how to tell a whole story.

Naftali Bennett accepts the Biton Commission report (Photo: Tzvika Tischler)

The inclusion of the book to the literature curriculum joins an updated study itinerary in history as well, which includes material on the history of Jews in Islamic countries.

This is the first time in three decadessince the wave of immigration from Ethiopiathat the Ministry of Education is including a piece written by an Ethiopian writer into the curriculum. This move comes after a summer of protests and conclusions drawn from a commission headed by Director General of the Ministry of Justice Ami Palmor. The commission recommended, among other things, the inclusion of textbooks related to the Ethiopian immigration in an effort to foster a sense of belonging to Israel.
Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid joined hundreds of Swedish Israel supporters in a pro-Israel rally in Stockholm on Sunday. The rally was attended by Swedish parliamentarians, Jewish community leaders, and others.

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The rally was held in response to growing anti-Semitism in Europe in general and Sweden in particular on the heels of the BDS movement.

This is the first time a high ranking Israeli official has participated in a pro-Israel rally in Sweden, a country which is considered to be one of the toughest fronts for Israeli Hasbara.

Yair Lapid speaks at Israel rally in Sweden

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Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists tried to block the march, waving Palestinian flags and trying to disrupt the speakers.

Pro-Israel rally in Sweden

"If attacks on Jews are completely removed from facts and based on prejudice, there is already a name for it  it's called anti-Semitism," Lapid said at the rally.

The rally was held on a square named after a member of the Righteous Amongst the Nations, Swedish World War II diplomat Raoul Wallenberg.

"Wallenberg saved my father from being murdered by the Nazis," Lapid said. "He had the courage to love and protect the Nation of Israel. Your government, especially your foreign minister, stand on the wrong side of history and the wrong side of morality."

Pro-Israel rally in Sweden

Lapid came out against the Swedish foreign minister's statements blaming Israel for the recent wave of terror. "if the Swedish foreign minister is concerned about human rights in the Middle East, she needs to talk about the use of children as terrorists or human shields, about the discrimination against the LGBT community in the Palestinian Authority, about the incitement going on there against Jews, about the exploitation of Women in Gaza, and about the human rights situation in Iran."

Other people who spoke at the rally were the Chairperson of the Swedish Christian Democrat Party Eva Thor, former Swedish parliamentarian Birgitta Ohlsson, Israeli Ambassador to Sweden Isaac Bachman, Chairman of the Zionist Federation of Sweden Saskia Pantell, and the President of Swedish Jewish Community.
MOSCOW- Uzbekistan's government issued an unusual statement on Sunday announcing the hospitalization of President Islam Karimov, who has ruled the former Soviet republic in Central Asia for more than 25 years.

The statement gave no details about the nature of the illness suffered by the 78-year-old president or his condition, saying only that "in the opinion of the specialists, a full medical examination and subsequent treatment will require a certain amount of time."

The Regnum news agency reported from Tashkent, the Uzbek capital, that police and security forces have formed a cordon around the government hospital where Karimov was being treated, in an apparent indication of the unease caused by his hospitalization. The cordon, which was established late Saturday, has a radius of several kilometers (a mile or two), the report said.
WEIMAR- French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said he was pressing members of the UN. Security Council, including Russia, to condemn the Syrian government after a report found Syrian troops had used chemical weapons.

"I see no reason that could be given, or any arguments that could be made, for not condemning the use of chemical weapons," he said, when asked if Russia would support the resolution.

The Security Council is due to discuss the report next week.
At least 34 Libyan fighters were killed and more than 180 wounded on Sunday as they closed in on the last ISIS militant holdouts in the coastal city of Sirte, according to field hospitals.

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Forces aligned with Libya's UN-backed government, supported since Aug. 1 by US air strikes, have pushed militants back into a small residential area in central Sirte in a three-month-old campaign. Heavy fighting resumed on Sunday after a one-week lull.

Libyan UN backed forces (Photo: Reuters)

The Libyan brigades, mostly from the city of Misrata, say they are close to victory in Sirte, but they have struggled to defend themselves against suicide bombings, sniper fire and landmines.

On Sunday, several brigades stationed close to Sirte's seafront advanced several hundred meters eastwards through Sirte's neighborhood Number One, while other fighters overran ISIS positions in street-to-street fighting to the south.

Fighters used tanks, rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns to try to blast through ISIS sniper positions.

Libyan UN backed forces (Photo: Reuters)

The Misrata-led brigades said there had been five attempted car bombings on Sunday in a "desperate attempt to disrupt the advance", though at least one of the bombs had been destroyed before it could reach its target.

The front lines in Sirte were quieter earlier this week as government-led forces said they were giving time to the wives and children of ISIS fighters to leave the battle zone.

Almost all the city's estimated 80,000 residents left after ISIS took full control of the city last year, turning it into its regional stronghold and expanding its presence along about 250 km of coastline.

The United States has carried out dozens of air strikes against ISIS positions and vehicles in Sirte. This week the US Africa Command said Marine AH-1W SuperCobra helicopters were being used in the operation, alongside jets and drones.

Libyan commanders say some ISIS militants probably escaped around the start of the campaign to recapture Sirte in May, and their forces have been trying to secure the desert to the south and west of Sirte.
Arizona News

Phoenix, Arizona - Word On The Street: Arizona's Economic Momentum Is Building:

New York Times: "Bay Area Start-Ups Find Low-Cost Outposts in Arizona"

Three years ago, Kate Rogers was caught in the Bay Area struggle. She paid the astronomical rents. She did the crushing commute. She lived the frustration of always thinking about money even though she was a well-paid professional in the booming technology industry. And then, just like that, the stress went away. All she had to do was move to Arizona. (Conor Dougherty, Bay Area Start-Ups Find Low-Cost Outposts in Arizona, New York Times, 8/21/2016)

Phoenix Business Journal: Arizona benefits from disgruntled businesses departing the Golden State

A new report finds that Phoenix has benefitted greatly from disgruntled businesses departing the Golden State in recent years. In a story earlier today, we learned that Phoenix ranked No. 3 on the list of markets benefitting from California disinvestment. We've crunched the numbers and here's how that all breaks down: The value of the 67 projects gained in Phoenix totals $2.8 billion and more than 9,000 jobs. When you add in the rest of Arizona, the total tops 83 companies, $3.3 billion in capital and more than 12,000 jobs. (Eric Jay Toll, California screaming: Here's how many jobs and capital investment Arizona gained from the Golden State in the last 8 years, Phoenix Business Journal, 8/16/2016)

Medium: Arizona: Theres no place better to start and grow a business

Entrepreneurs shape their respective communities, and Arizona has created their own definition of success. Phoenix is thriving because its people are dedicated to fostering its community and gives entrepreneurs and small business owners the opportunity to go out and build sustainable success. Weve taken the Silicon Valley concept and made our community the go-to destination for those who want to choose to look at the bright side. If thats you, I invite you to come join us because in my book, theres no place better to start and grow a business. (Clate Mask, The Silicon Valley Concept, Medium, 8/9/2016)

INC. Magazine: Supportive environment and work-life balance cant be topped in Arizona.

According to think tank the Tax Foundation, the 2016 corporate tax rate in California is 8.84 percent, significantly higher than Arizona's rate of 5.50 percent. Additionally, California's maximum individual income tax rate is a whopping 13.3 percent (the highest in the nation), meaning that both entrepreneurs and their employees don't get as much to take home. (In Arizona, the maximum individual income tax rate is only 4.53 percent.) In addition to the low cost of living, some of the most frequent reasons that the Inc. 5000 entrepreneurs gave as to why Phoenix was a great place for startups included proximity to the Bay Area and the Western United States (it's a 90-minute flight from San Francisco), the supportive environment of the entrepreneurial community, and the work-life balance. (Anna Hensel, As Silicon Valley's Prices Explode, More Entrepreneurs Head to the Silicon Desert, INC. Magazine, 8/24/2016)

Phoenix Business Journal: With growing advanced technologies, Phoenix is a deep participant in the digital job boom

Just two years into a concerted effort to shift the entire greater Phoenix economy from consumption jobs to production jobs is showing double-digit results in several advanced industries. Its an enormous effort to pivot an economy, and the data show Phoenix is starting to turn, said Mark Muro, senior fellow and policy director for the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings. The signs are there Phoenix is a deep participant in the digital job boom. Valley business and government leaders have been pushing to change the economic base in Arizona to advanced industries by bolstering the sectors already in play. (Eric Jay Toll, The big pivot: Phoenix-area hiring makes big turn to high-value jobs, Phoenix Business Journal, 8/17/2016)

Arizona Republic: Arizona economy shedding low expectations as growth surges.

Arizona's economy is shedding its underperforming label and will start to push above the national average, according to a new report. Robert Kavcic, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets in Toronto, expects the state's economy to grow by 2.1 percent this year and 2.4 percent next year, following subpar strength over the past five years. (Russ Wiles, Report says Arizona economy is outperforming again, Arizona Republic, 8/23/2016)

News 4 Tucson: Whether it's semiconductors or aerospace and aviation in defense or life science companies, Arizona businesses have a competitive advantage."

Arizona is known for having lower regulatory environment, lower costs of doing business, tax credits, said Alex Rodriguez of the Arizona Technology Council. All those things combined give Arizona businesses a competitive advantage to be able to grow faster. The Old Pueblos strong startup support community and proximity to the University of Arizona also appeals to tech firms. Whether it's semiconductors or aerospace and aviation in defense or life science companies, there's a support system in Tucson that's growing faster and faster every day, he said. (Aalia Shaheed, Lower costs driving tech firms to Southwest, News 4 KVOA Tucson, 8/23/2016)

Phoenix Business Journal: Arizona's "low-cost" pulling California companies looking to expand.

Arizona's low cost of doing business, quality of life, and proximity are turning the state into the down-the-hall office for a number of California companies. And Arizona Commerce Authority and Greater Phoenix Economic Council are well aware of the market opportunity. Companies such as DoubleDutch and Gainsight, which have employee-seeker cachets, are staffing Arizona offices faster than California facilities, because of savings in the cost of doing business. Still, the companies aren't just opening offices to pay less. Many are paying near-California wages. For example, ZipRecruiter has said California employees have asked for transfers and are keeping their compensation in the move. (Eric Jay Toll, Arizona benefitting from California companies looking to expand, Phoenix Business Journal, 8/24/2016)
Border News

Nogales, Arizona - Customs and Border Protection officers arrested a male Mexican national connected with a failed attempt to smuggle heroin and methamphetamine yesterday Wednesday, through the Dennis DeConcini crossing in Nogales, Arizona.

Officers referred the 37-year-old resident of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, for a secondary inspection of his Toyota SUV. A positive alert by a CBP narcotics-detection canine led to the discovery of more than seven pounds of heroin, worth more than $128,000 as well as nearly 10 pounds of meth, worth nearly $30,000, within a non-factory compartment inside the vehicles rear quarter panels and passenger door.

Officers seized the vehicle and drugs, while the subject was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations.
Border News

Douglas, Arizona - Customs and Border Protection officers at the Raul Hector Castro Port of Entry in Douglas, Arizona, arrested a Mexican national female as well as a Douglas, female resident, for separate attempts to smuggle a total of 456 pounds of marijuana into the United States on Thursday.

Officers referred a 21-year-old Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico woman for a secondary inspection of her Pontiac sedan, a CBP narcotics-detection canine helped officers locate multiple packages of marijuana, with a weight of more than 248 pounds and value of $124,000, from various interior and exterior areas of the vehicle.

A few hours later, officers referred a 22-year-old Douglas, Ariz. woman for further inspection of her Chevrolet sedan. Officers located and removed numerous packages of marijuana, with a weight of nearly 208 pounds and value of nearly $104,000, from multiple locations within the inside and exterior of the vehicle.

Officers seized the drugs and vehicles, and turned both subjects over to Immigration and Customs Enforcements Homeland Security Investigations.
Latest News

Washington, DC - NASA has selected United Launch Services LLC of Centennial, Colorado, to provide launch services for a mission that will address high-priority science goals for the agencys Journey to Mars.

Mars 2020 is targeted for launch in July 2020 aboard an Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The rover will conduct geological assessments of its landing site on Mars, determine the habitability of the environment, search for signs of ancient Martian life, and assess natural resources and hazards for future human explorers.

Additionally, scientists will use the instruments aboard the rover to identify and collect samples of rock and soil, encase them in sealed tubes, and leave them on the surface of Mars for potential return to Earth by a future mission to the Red Planet.

The mission will build on the achievements of Curiosity and other Mars Exploration Program missions, and offer opportunities to deploy new capabilities developed through investments by NASA's Space Technology Program and Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, as well as contributions from international partners.

The Mars 2020 rover mission presents new opportunities to learn how future human explorers could use natural resources available on the surface of the Red Planet. An ability to live off the land could reduce costs and engineering challenges posed by Mars exploration.

The total cost for NASA to launch Mars 2020 is approximately $243 million, which includes: the launch service; spacecraft and spacecraft power source processing; planetary protection processing; launch vehicle integration; and tracking, data and telemetry support.

NASA is on an ambitious journey to Mars that includes sending humans to the Red Planet. The robotic missions of NASAs Planetary Science Division are leading the way with the upcoming Mars 2020 rover, the InSight lander mission targeted for 2018, Opportunity and Curiosity rovers currently exploring the Martian surface, Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft currently orbiting the planet, and the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission (MAVEN) orbiter, which is helping scientists understand what happened to the planets atmosphere.

NASAs Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida will manage and oversee the Atlas V launch service for Mars 2020. The Mars 2020 Project at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars 2020 spacecraft development for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

For more information about NASAs Mars 2020 rover, visit:

http://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/
Latest News

Monroe, Louisiana - A Mexican man was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison for conspiring to transport and distribute methamphetamine. The sentencing follows an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and Louisiana State Police.

Eduardo Guerrero, 24, of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tennessee, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert G. James on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Guerrero also received five years of supervised release.

According to Guerreros April 14, 2016 guilty plea, Louisiana State Police troopers conducted a traffic stop on a pickup truck traveling eastbound on Interstate 20 in Ouachita Parish in March 2015. After a search of the vehicle, two gas tanks were found on the vehicle with one containing 16 gallons of liquid methamphetamine. Neither the driver nor the passenger owned the vehicle. Guerrero was the registered owner of the vehicle.

The methamphetamine was being transported from El Paso, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia when it was intercepted. Guerrero was arrested by state police in the New Orleans area when he traveled to retrieve the truck and methamphetamine.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison D. Bushnell and Michael OMara prosecuted the case on behalf of U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana Stephanie A. Finley.
Latest News

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) have arrested three at-large criminal aliens after they were released from local custody when detainers lodged with Philadelphia authorities were not honored. The men have previous convictions for crimes including DUI, aggravated assault, weapons offenses and narcotics manufacturing.

The three men arrested were:

Marco Arturo Juarez-Ramos, 27, a Mexican national, has a prior DUI conviction and was released from local custody Aug. 18 after posting bail following an Aug. 15 arrest on local charges. He was arrested by ICE in Philadelphia Aug. 24 and will remain in ICE custody pending his removal from the United States.

Elvis Velasquez-Roblero, 36, a Mexican national, has prior convictions for aggravated assault and weapons offenses. He was released from local custody following an Aug. 3 arrest on local charges. He was arrested by ICE in Philadelphia Aug. 18 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Fabio Dalloco, 46, an Italian national, has a prior conviction for felony cocaine delivery and manufacturing. He was released from local custody following a June 6 arrest on local charges. He was arrested by ICE in Philadelphia Aug. 16 and will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

At-large criminal alien arrests are among the most dangerous type of enforcement actions ICE officers are engaged in on a daily basis. These arrests also represent the greatest risk to the community, said Thomas Decker, ERO Philadelphia field office director. This level of risk can be mitigated in many instances. ICE welcomes changes to the current policy that would allow the city to cooperate with ICE toward achieving the shared goal of protecting public safety and national security while balancing important community policing needs."

ICE is committed to focusing on smart, effective immigration enforcement. With the implementation of the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP) more than a year ago, many law enforcement agencies that had previous declined to cooperate with ICE, including some large jurisdictions, are now once again working with the agency. Through PEP, DHS continues to make significant strides in building partnerships with local law enforcement and community leaders to ensure a common-sense approach that focuses enforcement resources on convicted criminals and individuals who threaten public safety or national security.

In fiscal 2015, ICE removed or returned 235,413 individuals. Of this total, 165,935 were apprehended while, or shortly after, attempting to illegally enter the United States. The remaining 69,478 were apprehended in the interior of the United States, and the vast majority were convicted criminals who fell within ICE's civil immigration enforcement priorities.

98 percent of ICE's fiscal 2015 removals and returns fell into one or more of ICE's civil immigration enforcement priorities, with 86 percent falling in Priority 1 and 8 percent in Priority 2. In addition, ICE's interior enforcement activities led to an increase in the percentage of interior removals that were convicted criminals, growing from 82 percent in fiscal 2013 to 91 percent in 2015.
Yuma News

Yuma, Arizona - Today at 3:20pm. Officers with the Yuma Police Department responded to a 911 call of a Domestic Disturbance in the 1400 block of West 12th Ln. Upon arrival officers discovered a 36 year old female, who was injured, in front of a residence. She was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center with life-threatening injuries.

She was later pronounced deceased. A 37 year old male was contacted at the residence and was taken into custody.

This case is currently under investigation. The names of the victim and suspect are being withheld pending contact with next of kin.

The Yuma Police Department encourages anyone with any information about this case to please call the Yuma Police Department at (928) 373-4700 or 78-Crime at (928) 782-7463 to remain anonymous. Remember if your information leads to an arrest you may receive up to a $1,000 cash reward.
Washington: A Southwest Airlines flight from New Orleans to Orlando was forced to make an emergency landing when one of the engines failed, the US airline said.

The plane, Southwest Flight 3472, on Saturday diverted to Pensacola when the crew declared an emergency, CNN quoted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as saying.

The airlines which is also the world's largest low-cost carrier, described the engine trouble as a mechanical issue.

A woman who was on the plane on Saturday with her husband and three children told CNN that the engine was right outside her window.

"It was just a big explosion. There was some smoke and then nothing," she said, addinf "I saw parts flapping in the wind."

The plane started shaking and breathing masks were deployed as the airliner descended.

None of the 99 passengers or five crew members was hurt, CNN reported citing Southwest Airlines as saying.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board have launched a probe.
Kabul: At least 60 Taliban militants have been killed by Afghan security forces after six days of fierce fighting in Afghanistan's Sar-e Pol province, authorities said on Sunday.

"The security forces, as a result of operations which lasted for six days, have liberated five villages with a population of more than 10,000 residents from Taliban clutches in Sancharak district," Xinhua news agency quoted provincial Governor Mohammad Zahir Wahdat as saying.

He also said that 11 security personnel were killed and 19 others sustained injuries.

During the operation, an essential road linking Sancharak to Darzab district was reopened and the Taliban, after six months of having control over the road, were dislodged from the area, Wahdat said.


Kabul: Kabul has deported 250 Pakistani workers as tension persists at the Pakistan-Afghan border in Chaman which remained closed for the 10th consecutive day on Sunday.

The Bab-e-Dosti gate was closed on August 19 after Afghan protesters attacked the Friendship Gate and burned a Pakistani flag, the Pakistan Times reported.

A Pakistani official said Kabul had expelled more than 250 Pakistani labourers during the past 10 days, Khaama Press reported.

Numerous attempts have been made to resolve the issue and reopen the crossing.

The NATO supplies and cross border trade also remain suspended. About 15,000 Afghans cross the border every day while thousands of vehicles pass through the crossing every week, making it a vital trade link.

Earlier, tension intensified between the two countries as, according to Afghanistan, Pakistan took a unilateral decision of establishing a gate at the Torkham border.

The Afghan and Pakistani forces exchanged fire in Torkham earlier in June which resulted into the closure of the gate for about a week.
Beijing: China will have "to get involved" if any Indian "plot" disrupts the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in restive Balochistan, an influential Chinese think tank has warned India.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reference to Balochistan in his Independence Day speech is the "latest concern" for China and among its scholars, Hu Shisheng, the Director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceanian Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), told IANS in a freewheeling interview.

The researcher, at one of China's most powerful think tanks, which is affiliated with the Ministry of State Security, also said India's growing military ties with the US and its changed attitude on the disputed South China Sea are ringing alarm bells for China.

"The latest concern for China is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech from the Red Fort in which he referred to the issues like Kashmir (occupied by Pakistan) and Balochistan," Hu said.

"It could be regarded as a watershed moment in India's policy towards Pakistan. Why Chinese scholars are concerned is because this is for the first time India has mentioned it," he added.

Hu said China fears India may use "anti-government" elements in Pakistan's restive Balochistan where Beijing is building the $46 billion CPEC -- a key to the success of its ambitious One Road One Belt project.

"There is concern that India may take the same approach, which is believed by the Indian side Pakistan is taking, asymmetrically using anti-government factors in Pakistan," Hu said on the expansive and leafy campus of CICIR.

"If this kind of plot causes damage to the CPEC, China will have to get involved," he said, referring to the alleged involvement of India in backing separatists in Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The ongoing CPEC will connect China's largest province, Xinjiang, with Pakistan's Gwadar port in Balochistan, hit by rebels and separatists. India has strongly opposed the corridor as it will pass through Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir which it claims as its own.

Islamabad has long accused India of fomenting trouble in this region -- a charge denied by New Delhi.

However, Modi's reference to the region, experts say, is a signal to Pakistan that New Delhi could raise tensions in the region as a tit for tat for Pakistan's backing for terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir.

"This will not help Pakistan to become a normal country. And it will also further disturb India-China relations," Hu pointed out.

Hu noted the growing defence cooperation between India and the US was also a worrying factor of China.

"In the past, China was not so much concerned about India's security cooperation with other countries, especially with the US. But now Chinese scholars can feel the concern," Hu said.

He said the defence cooperation between New Delhi and Washington had increased significantly after Modi took over as Prime Minster.

He also referred to US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter's visit to India in April during which both the countries agreed in principle to sign the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA).

"There is renewal of defence and technological cooperation (between India and the US) for another 10 years, enhancing the cooperation under the framework of DTTI (Defence Technology and Trade Initiative)," Hu added.

"This is an alarming signal to China. It is a concern for China," the expert said.

He also said India will have to resist pressure exerted by the US and Japan to join them in countering China. "We also know that the US and Japan, as well as Australia, are very keen on getting India in their camp. They are also exerting pressure".

"They are also luring India by giving high-technology deals and advanced military weapons. It is up to India whether India can resist this kind of temptation," Hu said.

India's involvement in the South China Sea dispute was another irritant in the already strained relationship between India and China, Hu added.

"In the past, India's stand on the South China Sea was impartial. Indian is getting more and more involved. This attitude is another concern for China," noted Hu.

"We know that India has national interest in maintaining freedom of navigation and aviation, but China in the past has done nothing to block the so-called freedom of navigation."

"Our problem is with the US. We can see India is becoming more vocal in issuing joint statements with the US and Japan on the South China Sea," he added.

A UN court in July rejected China's claims over the so-called Nine-Dash line -- which covers almost 90 per cent of the contested South China Sea -- and backed the Philippines which has overlapping claims in the oil and natural gas-rich waters, which are also partly claimed by Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan and Malaysia.

Beijing rejected the verdict as "illegal".

India, 55 per cent of whose trade passes through the Strait of Malacca that opens into the South China Sea, has asked the parties to peacefully resolve the dispute and show utmost respect to the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Bengaluru: The father of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, Muzaffar Wani, stayed at the Art of Living's Bengaluru ashram of spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar for two days.

Noteworthy, Burhan Wani's death sparked off the current violent unrest in the Kashmir Valley.

A spokesman said the two men discussed several issues.

"Ravi Shankar and (Muzaffar) Wani discussed several issues including the current situation and how normalcy can be restored in the valley," the spokesman said in a statement.

The discussions were "purely on a personal and humanitarian angle", the statement added.

The spiritual guru also tweeted a photo of himself with Wani.

Muzaffar Wani, the father of Burhan Wani was in the ashram for the last 2 days. We discussed several issues. pic.twitter.com/IDyyxJSG83  Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (@SriSri) August 27, 2016

Burhan Wani, 22, was killed by security forces on July 8 in south Kashmir.

Over 70 people have died in clashes with security forces in the Kashmir Valley since Wani's death.
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that the Lt Governor has cancelled the AAP government's order to make discoms pay compensation to consumers for unscheduled power cuts, alleging that the Centre was hand-in-glove with power companies.

Addressing a gathering at North West Delhi's Najafgarh area, he expressed apprehension that the LG may also turn down the government's power-subsidy decision and minimum wages proposal.

Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) had in April passed an order, asking power distribution companies to compensate consumers for unscheduled power cuts extending up to two hours in the national capital.

"We had passed an order under which discoms would have to compensate consumers for unscheduled power cuts. They were bound to pay a penalty of Rs 100 for power cut for every hour.

"15 days ago, LG sahab called the file pertaining to this matter and cancelled this order. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi is hand-in-glove with power companies. Why Modi ji needed to turn down this order?" Kejriwal said.

He said that by this order, the power situation would have been better in Delhi but Modi has not let that happen.

He had also claimed yesterday that LG Najeeb Jung has sought the file related to power subsidy on the instructions of the Prime Minister, even as he cautioned against a hike in power tariff in the city.

The Delhi chief minister has also expressed apprehension that his government's proposal to increase minimum wages by up to 50 per cent could be shot down by Jung.

He asked the people to "gherao the Prime Minister and Lt Governor" if any a such step is taken.

During the function, some people showed black flags Kejriwal. Protesters alleged that AAP has failed to deliver its poll promises which includes installation of CCTV cameras, construction of 500 new school buildings, Wi-fi and regular jobs for contractual employees of DTC.

Kejriwal also accused the Centre of not clearing the Delhi government's proposal to regularise hundreds of unauthorised colonies in the capital.

He said if the proposal is approved, such colonies will be regularised within 24 hours.

"We cannot wait for Modi ji's nod. I have directed my ministers to carry out development works in all unauthorised colonies which include construction of roads and laying of water pipelines," he said.

The chief minister said officials involved in flagship projects of the AAP government, such as mohalla clinics and construction of school buildings, were being transferred by the LG next month.

"The way the Centre is creating hurdles, it has never happened in the India's history. I and (Deputy Chief Minister) Manish Sisodia had requested the LG not to transfer officers involved in projects to set up mohalla clinics and construction of school buildings till March 31, but these officers are being transferred next month.

"I appeal to people of Delhi to ensure that BJP, which got three seats, doesn't win even a single seat in the next Assembly election," he said.
New Delhi: JNU has suspended a PhD scholar, who has been accused of rape by a fellow student, and declared the campus out of bounds for him pending an enquiry, a decision which comes following protests from students and teachers.

A 28-year-old research student has alleged that a fellow student, Anmol Ratan, raped her after offering her a spiked drink in his hostel room in the university on August 20.

Ratan, an activist of the left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA), has also been expelled from the student outfit and police have booked him.

While he evaded arrest at first, Ratan subsequently surrendered on August 24 and was sent to 14 days in judicial custody.

"Considering the seriousness of the case and in confirmity with zero tolerance against sexual assault on women, Anmol Ratan is suspended from the university with immediate effect during pendency of the case," the suspension order read.

"The entire JNU campus shall remain out of bounds for Ratan during his suspension. Anyone found giving shelter to Ratan in any hostel residence in the campus shall invite disciplinary action against him or her," it added.

The action came after the students and teachers staged protests demanding action against Ratan to ensure safety of women on the campus and send out a strong message of intolerance towards such incidents.

University administration, has also asked the Gender Sensitization Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH), to investigate the matter.

GSCASH is the university's panel to deal with complaints of such nature.

The rape case has become a centre of political agenda setting at JNU campus where student union polls are scheduled to be held in the next fortnight.

Student wings of various political parties are trying to encash the issue ahead of the keenly contested polls.
New Delhi: Two minor boys were apprehended on Sunday for allegedly gang-raping a minor girl for the last one month, police said.

The two minors were apprehended from the Batla House area after the girl's mother filed a complaint against them at the Jamia Nagar police station on Saturday evening, a senior police officer told IANS.

Both the apprehended boys are said to be friends of the victim, who studied in the same government school.

In her complaint, the mother has alleged that her daughter was raped by over 15-20 boys in the last one month.

"We have apprehended two boys for raping the girl," a senior officer related to probe told IANS.

The girl was admitted in a hospital for treatment, police said.

A case has been registered under section 376 and POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act and investigation is on, police said.


Bengaluru: Urging law students to study the Constitution well, President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday asked them to be the change that they seek through participation in all matters relating to governance and the state.

Addressing the 24th Annual Convocation of National Law School of India University (NLSIU) here, the President urged the students to study the Constitution well, understand democratic institution and process under it and analyse the choices that were made to build the country what it is today.

The Constituent Assembly which drafted the Constitution represented the Indian population.

India has one of the finest constitutions in the world the driving principle of which is a compact between state and citizen, a powerful public-private partnership nurtured by justice, liberty and equality.

Mukherjee said the Constitution represented a second liberation, this time from the stranglehold of traditional inequality in gender, caste, community along with other fetters that had chained the country of too long.

"Therefore, when on the November 29, 1949 in the Constituent Assembly of India, the members adopted solemnly and it is not a few hundred members of the Constituent Assembly but it is the people of India after 190 years of colonial rule for the first time adopted a legislation. Adopted and gave it to themselves.

"Therefore, the author of the Constitution is not any individual nor a group of individuals not merely the Constituent Assembly members but the people of India who have solemnly affirmed India into a sovereign democratic republic and to give it to themselves equality, liberty and justice," he said.

During the convocation, the President also gave 45 medals to 20 meritorious students and expressed happiness that most of the medals have been won by girl students passing out from the university.

Terming the students as the brightest young minds of our country, he asked them to help policy makers to make the right policies. The President said a democracy cannot be healthy without informed participation.

"It is just not merely an exercise to give vote, to choose rulers through periodical elections. It is much more. It requires...Your participation in all matters affecting the state. You cannot remain a bystander and expect others to do it for you," he said.

Mukherjee said the students must analyse how the electorate behaved on crucial junctures.

"Before General Elections, 2014, in my address to the nation on the eve of the Republic Day on 25th January, I asked Indian electorate you are given an opportunity. It is for you 400 million voters... You have to chose the government which will not be the victim of opportunist, capricious, unprincipled coalition. Country has suffered enough, it requires political stability," he said.

Mukherjee said it is amazing that the response from all over the country was such that after 30 years, a single party majority emerged in 2014.

"I am not going into the merit or demerit of the government. But it's a fact that the people chose from their own experiences. They said we have to exercise our right to set wrongs into right and they did," he said.

The President said it was not the first time as many a times Indian voters have shown their political maturity by exercising their sovereign right of choosing their political rulers and proved many a doubting Thomas wrong.
Chandigarh: To curb unfair means in examinations, the Haryana Staff Selection Commission (HSSC) decided that any candidate found possessing mobile phone or any other aiding material in the examination room will be debarred from future examinations, a commission spokesman said on Sunday.

"Candidates for written examinations have been warned not to carry any mobile phone or any type of watch or wear belt and ornaments such as rings, chains and earrings. They may not carry any electronic or communication device, pen, pencil, eraser, sharpener and correcting fluid in the examination centre," the spokesman said.

He said that any candidate found possessing any such item would not be allowed to enter the examination centre.

"It will be treated as a serious violation and amount to cancellation of candidature. The candidate will be debarred from future examinations of the HSSC," he added.

He said that candidates would be frisked before allowing to enter the examination centre.

Use of CCTV cameras and biometric attendance process by capturing the thumb impression and photograph of the candidates will be done during the examination.

Video-graphy will be conducted and jammers be used in the examination hall to stop copying and impersonation, he added.
Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Following improvement in situation, curfew was relaxed by the authorities in parts of Srinagar, as per a report by Times of India.

The newspaper quoted a senior police official saying that owing to improvement of situation in valley, curfew was lifted in most parts.

Although agitation on behalf of Hurriyat leaders was reported, overall situation in the valley was peaceful.
Lucknow: The Samajwadi Party (SP) on Sunday slammed Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit's remarks on Dawood Ibrahim's presence in Islamabad and advised the Centre to talk seriously with Islamabad in the regard.

Party leader Abu Azmi said that Pakistan is taking India lightly and is treating serious issues like Dawood's presence in that country as a joke.

"Pakistan is taking India very lightly, it is avoiding important issues. Pakistan is resorting to new lows. They are treating important issues like Dawood as a joke. I believe that the government should take this very seriously and talk with Pakistan strictly. Pakistan should give an authentic answer in this regard," said Azmi.

Reacting to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup's questions on fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim hiding out in Pakistan , Basit said, "Ye baat purani ho gayee hai (This is an old issue)".

On Friday, Swarup said that Pakistan must extradite Dawood whom they have provided sanctuary for long.

"We hope that Pakistan will heed international opinion on this issue," Vikas Swarup said.

Swarup's remarks came after the designated global terrorist's presence in Pakistan was confirmed by United Nations. Six of nine addresses provided by India were found to be correct by a UN committee.
New Delhi: Leaked documents on the Scopene submarine include details of the capabilities of the SM.39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the submarine, The Australian has said in its latest report.

Cameron Stewart, the journalist who broke the story of leak of French company DCNS`s documents, also said in the latest report that the firm is threatening legal action against the newspaper to prevent further publication of information.

The report comes a day after Stewart tweeted he will publish the documents with weapon information.

"India`s Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar, who has ordered an investigation of the leak, has tried to allay fears of the damage, saying the leak was most likely `not a big worry` because the data did not contain weapons system details. However, the leaked secret data seen by The Australian includes details of the capabilities of the SM39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the Scorpene," said his story in The Australian.

"The data includes the number of targets the missile is capable of processing, its launch details and how many targets could be downloaded before firing," the report said.

The Scorpenes, with six torpedo launching tubes, are to be armed with SM-39 Exocet missiles, a sea-skimming, solid fueled, anti-ship missile with an operational range up to 180 km and terminal active radar homing.

The report also said the DCNS is threatening the newspaper of legal action.

"The French shipbuilder at the centre of a global submarine data leak scandal is threatening legal action today to prevent further publication of the information contained in 22,400 secret documents obtained by The Australian."

The report said lawyers for DCNS have told The Australian the company will seek an injunction in the Supreme Court of New South Wales on Monday to prevent further publication of documents.

It added that DCNS is also seeking a court order to force the newspaper to hand over the documents and remove them from its website.

"The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation," The Australian quotes an affidavit by DCNS`s lawyer Justine Munsie as saying.

Around 22,400 pages of data was leaked from DCNS, which contains critical information of India`s Scorpene submarines. The Indian Navy has however maintained that the information is not alarming, as the real signature of the under trial first boat, as well as others, is yet to be finalised.

Parrikar, on Friday had said the leaked documents do not contain information on the weapons systems.
Melbourne/New Delhi: Embattled French defence firm DCNS has approached the Supreme Court in Australia seeking an injunction against 'The Australian' from further publishing the leaked documents of India's Scorpene submarine project.

The DCNS has also sought a court order to the newspaper to hand over the documents in its possession and removal of the contents from its website.

"The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation," The Australian quoted an affidavit by DCNS lawyer Justine Munsie.

The newspaper had said that it will publish the documents regarding the weapons system of the submarine on Monday.

Over 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company have been leaked.

The move by DCNS comes after a former commander of US Pacific fleet Submarine Force warned that the leaks would undermine the confidence in the ability of French companies to protect classified information.

Rear Admiral (Retd) John Padgett, who is also the president of the US Naval Submarine League, has said that aggressive action needed to be taken to probe the leak and that France should share the outcome with Australia.

The secret data?included details of the capabilities of SM39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the Scorpene and classified information about the number of targets the missile was capable of processing.

Explaining the implications of the leak, Admiral Padgett said?"It is never good for an opponent to have your playbook."

"As a member of NATO, the French government and French military demonstrate that they enforce effective security controls and have a solid reputation with their allies," he said.

He said the investigation had to determine exactly how the breach occurred and what "aggressive action" would be taken to correct deficient security controls.

His comments came as a French public prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation into the data leak, with DCNS filing a complaint for breach of trust.

"We filed a complaint against unknown persons for breach of trust with the Paris prosecutor," said a DCNS spokesman.

The DCNS has won a contract to design Australia?s new $50 billion submarine fleet.
New Delhi: Gurmehar Kaur, now 19, was two-years-old when she lost her father Captain Mandeep Singh in the line of duty during the 1999 Kargil war.

Kaur, who has very little memory of her father, remembers hating Pakistan and Pakistanis. In fact, Kaur even hated all Muslims throughout her childhood assuming all of them to be Pakistanis and hence responsible for her father's death.

In a video made and shared by Ram Subramanian, Kaur tells us her story, where she talks extensively about her childhood, that was full of hatred for Pakistan, its citizens and Muslims. However, this Jalandhar-based girl realised it soon that 'it was not Pakistan but the war that killed his dad'.

Kaur, who has given a message for peace through placards, writes that she 'fights for peace between India and Pakistan and wishes to live in a world where there are no Gurmehar Kaurs who miss their dad'.

Undoubtedly, one of the most impactful videos, it leaves a message of PEACE for both Indians and Pakistanis.

Watch the video here:
New Delhi: There is a need to educate youth in Kashmir against those working with vested interest to harm the country's unity, Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said, observing that those instigating the youth for so called 'Jihaad' have kept their own children in safe havens.

He also said that those who have lost their lives in the current turmoil in Kashmir valley belong to the poorest of the poor sections.

"And those who provoked these poor people to come forward and lay down their lives in the name of so called 'Jihaad' have ensured that their own children and family are lodged in safe havens," Singh, who represents Jammu and Kashmir's Udhampur constituency in Lok Sabha, told PTI here.

The Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office questioned those provoking youth to take up violent paths in Jammu and Kashmir in the name of 'jannat' and asked why they don't offer their own children the opportunity to go to 'jannat' or paradise.

He said there should be no compromise in countering terrorism and the Centre is committed to take action against those inciting violence.

"But at the same time every step should be taken to ensure safety of innocent people especially youth and children. There is a need for educating youth that they should not get instigated or misled by some people working with vested interest to harm the country's unity," said the Minister.

He had hoped that the situation in Kashmir Valley will soon be normal.

Singh said there is absolute coordination between the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government to resolve the situation in parts of the state.

He also attacked Pakistan for provoking turmoil in the Valley.

"The common man in the streets of Srinagar does not approve of violence but there are a handful of people sponsored by Pakistan who are provoking youth and creating trouble in Kashmir Valley," Singh said.

As many as 68 people, including two police personnel, have been killed and several thousands injured in the continuing unrent in the Kashmir valley since July 9, a day after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter.
Dehradun: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra on Sunday had a verbal spat with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ganesh Joshi at the Dehradun Aiport.

The spat took place between the two over the death of police horse Shaktiman's death.

Shaktiman died after suffering injuries at a rally where he was allegedly thrashed by Joshi himself.

What Vadra said to Joshi?

"Just took on Shaktiman killer BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi. I saw him with his entourage at the airport at Dehradun receiving some BJP MP and I told him what I thought of him. He then came towards me screaming, shouting and threatening. But I told him that if the horse can't speak then I will," he said.

Joshi abused Vadra?

Speaking to news agency ANI in Dehradun, Vadra said that when he gave a piece of his mind to Joshi over the death of the animal, he was verbally abused by the BJP MLA.

Vadra further said that Joshi and his "goons" were later asked to leave the airport for creating a commotion.

Shaktiman's death

On April 20th, after undergoing surgeries for over a month, Shaktiman whose hind-limb was injured during a BJP protest rally, succumbed to his injuries.

On March 14, during the protest march in Dehradun, Joshi had allegedly attacked Shaktiman, who was deployed with the mounted police. As Shaktiman moved backwards to protect himself from the blows, one of his hind limbs got tangled in a railing, resulting in a serious injury.

The limb had to be amputated and the horse had to undergo a double surgery.

Joshi was arrested on March 18 for allegedly attacking the horse and sent to 14 days' judicial custody.
New Delhi: The predator drone technology will be high on the agenda when Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar meets his US counterpart on Monday.

Parrikar, who left for Washington on Sunday, will meet with his US counterpart Ashton Carter on Monday.

This will be the sixth meeting between the two defence ministers.

In the past, the US has shied away from offering its armed predator drones to India, which have been used in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ANI reported.

After India formally joined the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) in June 27, 2016, the possibility of New Delhi being able to convince Washington to part or share this drone technology, appears to be bright, the report said.

It is being speculated that the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) is likely to be signed between the two countries during Parrikar's visit.

The agreement was announced during Carter's visit in April this year. The United States is also likely to push its case for the manufacture of American fighter jet planed in India under the 'Make in India' initiative.

Parrikar may also bring up India's concerns over Pakistan's inaction against militant groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) as also the instability being created on the Indian side of Kashmir by Islamabad.

The situation in Afghanistan and the threats posed by both the Taliban and ISIS may also be flagged.

This week's meetings in Washington appear to be a precursor to the seventh India-U.S. Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, which will be attended by Secretary of State John Kerry and Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker.

This is Kerry's fourth visit to India as secretary.

Representatives of 12 American agencies will also be in attendance.

Apart from meeting Carter, Parrikar will be paying a visit to 9/11 Memorial at the Pentagon, the Cyber Command, Andrews Air Force Base and the Langley Air Force Base over the next two days.

He would also hold interactions with the US business industry associations in a bid to convince them to consider investing in India's defence sector.

On August 31, he will be visiting the Boeing facility in Philadelphia.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: Whosoever is ready to reject violence and help in restoring peace should be engaged in a dialogue to address the Kashmir problem, Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Sunday while not being averse to involving the separatists if they are looking for a peaceful resolution.

At the same time, she said a "conducive atmosphere" needs to be created for a dialogue to take place and the "bunch of people" provoking youth to "gherao and attack" security camps should stop abetting violence.

Mehbooba, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here yesterday to discuss the future course of action, also emphasised that the format of dialogue should be better than in the past when the central governments had nominated interlocutors and set up working groups.

She told PTI in an interview that "threads" need to be picked up from where these were left by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had made a "very serious effort" by having dialogue both on external front with Pakistan and on internal front with Hurriyat and Hizbul Mujahideen militant outfit.

"What I am concerned about and told the Prime Minister is that people have lost faith in dialogue. So first dialogue as an institution has to be restored," Mehbooba said amid the unrest which has been going on in Kashmir for the last 51 days resulting in the killing of 68 people.

"We need to put people who have very credible backgrounds and can communicate with the other side," she added while noting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh have expressed readiness for talks for "some kind of solution to this problem".

Emphasising that "whosoever wants a solution to the Kashmir problem should understand that solution is not going to come in days or months", she said "do we make life so miserable for all that time the solution comes? Do we want our boys to get killed? Do we want them to do something which is going to have retaliation and injuries? That is something for everyone to think."

Asked who all should be engaged in the dialogue, the Chief Minister said the central government should talk to "whosoever is ready to reject violence and not support violence and helps in restoring peace."

On being asked whether talking to Hurriyat will help, she said that dialogue should be held with "everybody who wants peaceful resolution and is ready to contribute in containing the situation."

Suggesting that there should be peace before talks are initiated, she said, "Today there is no alternative to dialogue but for dialogue (to happen), you need to have conducive atmosphere."

Maintaining that nothing will be achieved through violence, Mehbooba said killings and deaths only "further complicate" the issue rather than help solve it.

In this context, the Chief Minister noted that Kashmir has been witnessing violence for the last 27 years but nothing has been achieved, except for killings which have left children orphaned and women widowed.

In a message to Hurriyat and other separatist groups, she said, "If they want to save young and precious lives, they need to tell them the truth that these killings, deaths are not going to solve the problem but these further complicate the issue. It also hijacks the basic issue and gives it a tinge of violence.

"The whole world is fed up with violence. Nobody is ready to listen to the voice of violence. So whatever can be resolved peacefully, should be resolved peacefully."

Mehbooba told the Hurriyat leaders that "whatever influence" they have on the young boys who indulge in violence, they should use it to see that some sense prevails.

"They (Hurriyat leaders) should feel about these young boys like we feel about our own children. Because if we let them go and attack camps (of security forces) and make them emotional that this is going to resolve the Kashmir problem, we are not being honest. We are misleading them and putting them in a very dangerous spot," she underlined.

Referring to Hurriyat's call to people last week to 'gherao' army cantonment in Badami Bagh in Srinagar yesterday, she said, "It is not done. If you are asking those young boys to go near these camps or ambush people, what is going to be the result?"

Asked whether these provocative actions are being deliberately undertaken, the Chief Minister said, "That is something that should not happen because every attack on security forces' establishment means somebody is injured even if there is maximum restraint" by security personnel.

"They (Hurriyat leaders) should use their influence, whatever they have, to see there are no casualties," she said.

"Who are these people who want violence? Those interested in resolving the issue fully understand and should understand that violence for the last 27 years has given nothing except so many people having died. It has not resolved anything," she said.

Mehbooba said the "bunch" of people, who are "motivated" or "influenced" and take to streets in a "very violent manner" "are not causing only injuries to themselves but they are also hijacking and making things very difficult for the rest of the population who are for peaceful resolution (of Kashmir tangle)."

On whether an interlocutor should be appointed for talks, she said, "It is for the Prime Minister and the NDA government to see how to go about in a better manner than has happened in the past. You tried interlocutors, working groups etc but the people with whom dialogue has to happen, they also need to use their influence, whatever they have, to calm the situation."

She described Kashmir problem as "the biggest challenge for any Prime Minister" since Independence when the state took the decision of acceding to India by rejecting the two-nation theory.

"Then why did things go in the reverse direction? Kashmiri people were the ones who drove out (Pakistani) invaders and stood up against Pakistan whenever there was a chance. But somewhere something happened... There was a lot of distrust," she said.

"I think every government has tried to restore that confidence, may be sometimes half-heartedly, sometimes not in the right way," Mehbooba said.

Noting that Vajpayee made a serious effort, she hoped that PM Modi will carry forward that process.

"The Prime Minister understands his strengths, his authority. After a long, long time, we have a Prime Minister who has come with such a huge mandate and he understands that. With such kind of mandate, he can use it to find some kind of way out to this human problem, this human tragedy.

"I think he is trying his best. He went to Lahore... Here is a Prime Minister who walks into there (Lahore)... But unfortunately, you had Pathankot (terror attack)," she said.

She said former PM Manmohan Singh had also wanted to find some solution to Kashmir and wished to go to Pakistan but could not go there "for whatever reasons".

The previous UPA government as well as the NC-Congress government in the state "could not pick up the threads where Vajpayee had left and then there was vacuum and disillusionment", she said.
Jammu: The oil tanker association in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday announced it was again suspending fuel supplies to the Valley.

Anan Sharma, president of the All Jammu and Kashmir Oil Tankers Association, told reporters here that oil tankers and their drivers had been attacked in the Valley despite assurances from the state government.

"Our drivers, attendants and vehicles have been attacked in the Valley even after we resumed supplies following assurances from the government.

"We have decided today not to operate our tankers to the Valley unless the government ensures that our drivers, cleaners and vehicles are safe.

"Supplies to the Jammu region will, however, continue uninterrupted."

Oil tanker owners and drivers associations had suspended supplies to the Valley last week also, but after assurances about security by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, these supplies had been restored after remaining suspended for two days.


Mangaluru: Hundreds of people on Sunday gathered in front of a Mangaluru college and protested against the college administration after a ban was imposed on hijab and beard in the campus.

Protesting students and parents of the Popular Front of India (PFI) raised slogans against the college administration and alleged that such rules are an attempt by the college authority to curb religious rights.

Some students also expressed their dissatisfaction against the college for not increasing the duration of the lunch break to allow Muslim students to attend prayers on Fridays.

Following a discussion with parents, students and activists, college administration has sought two weeks to sort out the issue.

On Friday, Srinivas College of Pharmacy, Valachil campus imposed a ban on first-year Muslim women students from wearing the hijab (headscarf) in class and their male counterparts from sporting long beards.

As per the report, while the senior students were allowed to wear hijab or sport a beard, the college administration bars first year students from wearing it
Ujjain: A Jain temple in Ujjain city on Sunday restrained girls aged eight years and above from entering the temple in jeans, skirts and other western outfits.

The decision was taken by Shwetambar Jain Samaj's Rishabhdev Temple, Chhagniram Pedi Trust members that girls aged eight years and above should be asked not to wear western outfits like jeans, T-shirts, skirts and tops among others and should wear Indian dresses only, Trust President Mahendra Sirolia told PTI.

They were also provided with a 'Chunri' to cover their heads once they enter inside the temple, he said.

"The decision was taken as western outfits lower the prestige of the Jain temple. But there is no ban on anyone visiting the temple in proper dress," he said, adding a notice was also displayed in the religious place on the issue requesting devotees to follow it.
Mumbai: After the Bombay High Court's decision to lift the ban on women's entry, Bhumata Brigade activist Trupti Desai visited the Haji Ali Dargah on Sunday.

Desai, who visited the dargah with the women rights activists today, said, "We are really happy that no one objected us from entering Haji Ali Dargah. In fact, there were so many Muslim women, who supported us on the decision."

"I request trustees to respect Bombay High Court order. Even if they go to the Supreme Court, we will win. Women should be treated equally," Desai said.

"Our protest is not against any religion. Our next stop will be Sabrimala temple in Kerala," she added further.

In a major victory for women, the Bombay High Court had on Friday lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah.

'Women are allowed in inner sanctum', the Bombay High Court said in its ruling, while directing the state government to give necessary protection to the respondents.

The high court passed its order on the plea filed by a women's group challenging the ban on entry of women inside the inner sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah.

The plea was filed on June 28. The order was passed by the division bench of justices VM Kanade and Revati Mohite Dhere who had reserved its order a few months ago.

The Haji Ali Dargah Trust imposed the ban in 2012 citing religious traditions. Authorities then defended the ban, saying that the entry of women in close proximity to the tomb of a male saint would be seen as a grievous sin in Islam.
New Delhi: Chairman of Haji Ali Dargah Abdul Sattar Merchant on Sunday repeated his stand on the women's entry into the 14th century shrine and said that Islam forbids women to visit graves.

In Islam, women can't visit graveyards, this (inner sanctum) is also a grave, how can they go? He asked.

His reactions comes after women activist Trupti Desai and her associates entered the Dargah on Sunday after the Bombay High Court in a historic verdict allowed entry of women in the inner sanctum of the shrine.

I am really happy that no one objected us from entering the Dargah; so many Muslim women supported us, she said.

"I request the trustees to respect the Bombay High Court order. Even if they go to the Supreme Court, we will win. Women should be treated equally," the Bhumata Brigade activist said.

"Our protest is not against any religion. Our next stop will be Sabrimala temple in Kerala," she added.

The shrine contains the tomb of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari.

For the upkeep of the tomb, a public trust in the name of the Haji Ali Dargah Trust was registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act, 1950.

The trust also has many other functions.

According to wikipedia, the Dargah was constructed in 1431 in memory of Bukhari, a wealthy Muslim merchant who gave up all his worldly possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Chandigarh: The stand-off between Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and new challenger AAP intensified on Sunday with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal asking Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to investigate all international funding being received by AAP, especially from radical elements abroad.

In a letter to the union home minister, Badal, who is also the Punjab Home Minister, sought an immediate investigation into the "huge amount of money being received by AAP from abroad".

"This included funds being sent into the country by radical elements through surrogate organisations. We need to investigate these organisations, their source of funding, the people behind them as well as their agenda for sending funds to AAP," he said in his letter.

Badal said this was a "very serious matter as attempts were being made by some extremist elements to disturb the hard-won peace of Punjab". He said such elements should not be allowed to succeed at any cost, adding that the suspected funding was coming from radical elements who were hell bent on destabilising Punjab before the 2017 assembly elections.

In the letter, he also detailed how the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) was aligning with radicals in Punjab and was holding regularly meetings with them.

"It was due to this that radical groups, which had earlier been completely marginalised, were becoming active again. According to our information an understanding was reached that AAP would hand over the SGPC to the radical Sikhs in lieu of support from them to win the next assembly elections," he claimed.

Badal accused the AAP of being linked to recent incidents of sacrilege of holy books of various religions, and said that he had conveyed the information to National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval earlier.

"This should be stemmed immediately as this motive was in league with anti-national elements who wanted to strike out at India by destabilising Punjab," he claimed.
Washington: We all love ice creams, but hate it when they get messy and drip all through the cone and over your hands and clothes, making them all sticky and dirty.

Because of this very reason, most of us play safe and go for those ice creams that come packaged in a cup.

But, thanks to two 14-year olds in the US, we will probably be able to eat ice creams from cones without a mess!

Yes, the two teenagers have developed Drip Drop  an edible wafer saucer that fits around a cone!

Sam Nassif and Oliver Greenwald created the Drip Drop which is an edible "ring" made out of waffle cone ingredients that protects ice cream drips from getting on people's hands and clothes.

"About one million trees could be saved each year if the current number of napkins used in ice cream shops is replaced by Drip Drops," according to the Drip Drop website.

Drip Drop comes in two flavours - chocolate and original. Ice cream shops can put any kind of topping on drip drops, such as sprinkles, chocolate chips, or coconut shavings, Nassif and Greenwald wrote on the website.

"One day we were walking past an ice cream shop in our Denver neighborhood and we saw these two little kids with drippy hands and messy clothes from their ice cream cones. We then noticed how their mom used a handful of napkins to try to clean them up," they said.

It was then, when the boys who were 10 years old at that time came up with the idea of Drip Drop.

Currently the Drip Drop is not available for sale but Nassif and Greenwald are looking to license the design to ice cream cone manufacturers or ice cream shops.

(With PTI inputs)
Agra: Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw on Sunday visited the Taj Mahal on the second leg of his four-day trip to India.

"A place we have wanted to visit. At last our wishes have come true. Indeed a testimony to India's quality of art and greatness," the President wrote in the visitor's book.

The President stayed at the Taj for around an hour, according to Munazzar Ali, caretaker of the 17th century memorial.

"We thank you so much for the time and effort which has gone into making this visit a success. It really deserves to be one of the wonders of the world," he added in his message.

U Htin Kyaw arrived in Agra earlier in the day after visiting Bodh Gaya in Bihar on Saturday where he offered prayers at the Mahabodhi temple.

The Myanmarese President is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday.

He is accompanied by his wife and a 31-member Myanmarese delegation, comprising five ministers, government officials and family members.

This is the first presidential visit from Myanmar after Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy assumed power in March.


Barabanki: A four-year-old was raped by a 14-year-old teenager in Lonikatra area of Barabanki district here, police said on Sunday.

The incident occurred on Friday when the four-year-old girl went to distribute sweets with her aunt.

The victim's family members and local residents nabbed the accused as soon as they got to know about the incident and held him captive till he was arrested.

A case had been lodged against the accused, police said.
Etah: Police have arrested two criminals and recovered a stolen motorcycle, two countrymade pistols and a mobile phone from their possession, police said on Sunday.

Three men on a motorcycle opened fire on the police when they were stopped at a check point at the crossing of village Kartala, yesterday police said.

The police managed to arrest the two accused identified as Suneel and Pintoo, while Sonoo was able to escape.
Lucknow: Ahead of Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh due early next year, state BJP will launch a 10-day long 'new voters registration programme' starting September 1 with an aim to add new electorates in the voters' list.

"As per the data of the Election Commission, 70 lakh youths did not have voter cards till January 1. The party will launch a 10-day programme for their registration," BJP state president Keshav Prasad Maurya said after a meeting of party office-bearers.

He said that to highlight the achievements of Narendra Modi's government and "failures" of SP regime, four 'parivartan yatras' will be taken out covering all 403 Assembly constituencies in the state.

Maurya said the party would also organise youth and women 'sammelans' to "expose" the state government's "failure in providing jobs to youths and security to women."

He said the state government has "failed" to provide relief to flood victims and that BJP would send relief material to them.
Kolkata: West Bengal CID sleuths on Sunday detained one person as they took over the probe into the fire that left two dead and seven injured at a state-run medical college in Murshidabad district.

A CID team, led by its Deputy Inspector General BL Meena visited the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in Baharampur and spoke to the doctors, nursing and other staff, patients and eye-witnesses.

Hours after Saturday's tragedy, the government ordered the CID to look into the possibility of sabotage.

"We have to see how it happened, whether there was any sabotage. We have come to see things first hand. We will review all the findings," said Meena.

A forensic team also visited the hospital and collected samples.

Meanwhile, an employee of the Baharampur municipality has been detained for questioning by the sleuths. Said to be a Congress worker, the detained person was associated with the patient welfare wing of the hospital.

On the other hand, the chairperson of the West Bengal Medical Services Corporation, Chandrima Bhattacharya, who reached the hospital on Saturday night, termed the incident as a "conspiracy to malign" the state government.

"(Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee is doing very good work. A lot of things are being done in the health sector. So to malign her, there was a conspiracy. The fire is the result of this," she claimed.

Bhattacharya said it was untrue to say that the hospital did not have a fire fighting mechanism.

"But somebody seems to have conspired to make it inoperative. This is our preliminary assessment. Now the CID will look into this aspect."

On Saturday, State Director of Health Services B.R. Satpathy had said the fire began from an air conditioning machine in the VIP cabin of the male medical ward on the first floor. The room is kept ready for dealing with any medical emergency during visits by high-profile figures like the President.

While two women - an attendant and a patient's relative - died in the stampede triggered by the fire, horrific video footage of an ailing newborn sustaining serious injuries on being thrown away by a relative in a desperate bid to save the baby's life went viral.

Unofficial reports have claimed that a child was also killed during the stampede. But the government has maintained the death was not connected to the fire.

The Congress has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.

"When there was a fire at a private hospital five years back, the directors were arrested. So why haven't the hospital officials been taken behind bars?

"Why has the CID been entrusted with the probe? Respected chief minister, if you have the guts, accept our challenge, and ask for a CBI inquiry," said former state Congress president Pradip Bhattacharya.


Kolkata: A CID team of West Bengal Police on Sunday visited a state-run medical college and hospital in Murshidabad where two women were killed and seven patients injured after a fire.

Led by Deputy Inspector General B.L. Meena, the CID team went to the Murshidabad Medical College and Hospital in Baharampur, particularly the VIP cabin of the male ward where the fire reportedly broke out on Saturday morning.

Hours after the tragedy, the government ordered the CID to look into the possibility of sabotage.

"We have to see how it happened, whether there was any sabotage. We have come to see things first hand," said Meena.

He said a forensic team would also visit the hospital. "We will then review all the findings."

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the West Bengal Medical Services Corp, Chandrima Bhattacharya, who reached the hospital on Saturday night, termed the incident as a "conspiracy to malign" the state government.

"(Chief Minister) Mamata Banerjee is doing very good work. A lot of things are being done in the health sector. So to malign her, there was a conspiracy. The fire is the result of this," said Bhattacharya.

She said it was untrue to say that the hospital did not have a fire fighting mechanism.

"But somebody seems to have conspired to make it inoperative. This is our preliminary assessment. Now the CID will look into this aspect."

The government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the victims' families.

Horrific video footage of an ailing newborn sustaining serious injuries on being thrown away by a relative in a desperate bid to save the baby's life went viral.

Unofficial reports have claimed that a child was also killed during the stampede. But the government has maintained the death was not connected to the fire.

Saturday's tragedy comes exactly a week after a fire broke out in the operation theatre of a Katwa sub-divisional hospital in Burdwan district.
Beirut: Turkish shelling and air strikes killed at least 40 Syrians on Sunday, a monitor said, in the first significant civilian casualties in Turkey's intensifying campaign in northern Syria.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said the army had killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" in air strikes as part of its unprecedented operation inside Syria.

The bombardments came after Ankara suffered its first military fatality since it launched the two-pronged offensive against the Islamic State group and Syrian Kurdish militia inside Syria on Wednesday.

At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded in Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on the village of Jeb el-Kussa early on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.

Another 20 were killed and 25 wounded, many seriously, in Turkish air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, it said.

The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in Turkish bombardment of the two areas.

A spokesman for the local Kurdish administration said 75 people had been killed in both villages.

The Britain-based Observatory said the bombardment targeted an area south of the former IS border stronghold of Jarabulus, which Turkish-led forces captured on the first day of the incursion.

Fighting has since intensified south of the town, where clashes erupted between Turkish troops and forces belonging to the Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) party, which Ankara considers a terrorist group linked with Kurdish militants in Turkey.

US-backed Kurdish forces have also been fighting IS in Syria but Turkey fiercely opposes any move by Kurds to expand into territory lost by the jihadists.The latest fighting is likely to raise deep concerns for Turkey`s NATO ally the United States, which supports the Kurdish militia -- known as the People`s Protection Units (YPG) -- as an effective fighting force against IS.

The Turkish soldier was killed and three more wounded on Saturday in a rocket attack by Kurdish militia on two tanks taking part in an offensive against the pro-Kurdish forces south of Jarabulus.

Turkish media named the dead soldier as Ercan Celik, 28, and said a funeral for him would be held on Sunday in Gaziantep.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was due to visit the city on Sunday to express condolences for last weekend`s suicide bombing there at a Kurdish wedding that left 54 dead.

Turkey`s NTV television reported that Turkish artillery had struck YPG targets throughout the night and that Turkish warplanes had carried out new bombing sorties on Sunday morning.

Turkish forces carried out their first air strikes on pro-Kurdish positions on Saturday as part of what Ankara is calling "Operation Euphrates Shield".

Turkey says that the YPG -- which it regards as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK) -- has failed to stick to a promise to return across the Euphrates River after advancing west this month despite guarantees given by Washington.

Ankara fears the emergence of a contiguous autonomous Kurdish region in Syria would bolster the PKK rebels across the border in southeast Turkey.

Ankara`s military intervention in Syria has added another dimension to the country`s complex multi-front war, a devastating conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people and forced millions from their homes since it began in March 2011.

Much of the heaviest fighting this summer has focused on second city Aleppo, which is roughly divided between rebel forces and President Bashar al-Assad`s troops.Global powers have been pushing for 48-hour humanitarian ceasefires in the embattled city and UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has urged warring parties to announce by Sunday whether they will commit to a pause in the fighting.

The UN says it has "pre-positioned" aid to go to the city for some 80,000 people.

Russia, which backs Assad`s forces, has endorsed the proposal.

But some rebel groups have rejected the plan unless aid passes through opposition-held areas and the ceasefire applies to other areas of Syria under siege.

Opposition groups have repeatedly called for an end to regime sieges of rebel-held areas, accusing Assad`s government of using "starve or surrender" tactics.

On Saturday, the last rebel fighters were evacuated from the town of Daraya just outside Damascus, under a deal that followed a brutal four-year government siege.

Hundreds of fighters and their families were bused north into rebel-held territory in Idlib province, with other civilians transferred to government territory near Damascus for resettlement.

The Syrian army said it was in complete control of the town, from which roughly 8,000 civilians were due to be evacuated.
Cairo: Egyptian authorities on Sunday released a renowned human rights lawyer arrested after protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's decision to hand over two islands to Saudi Arabia.

Malek Adly had been held in pre-trial detention since being arrested by plainclothes police on May 5.

His defence team confirmed his release.

"The case has not been referred to trial yet," Tarek Khater, one of Adly's lawyers, told AFP.

Adly had supported protests in April against the decision to hand over two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, which provoked outrage in Egypt and accusations that Sisi "sold" them in return for Saudi investments.

Police arrested dozens of activists ahead of an April 25 protest, after more than 1,000 people had chanted for "the fall of the regime" in an earlier demonstration in Cairo.

The police dispersed the April 25 protest before raiding the Journalists' Syndicate to arrest two reporters who are part of the same case as Adly.

The three were accused of "attempting to topple the ruling system" and "spreading false news", a prosecution official had said.

An Egyptian administrative court ruled in June that the islands of Tiran and Sanafir, strategically situated at the mouth of the Gulf of Aqaba, must remain under Egyptian sovereignty.

But the government has appealed the decision.

Sisi has defended the move, saying the islands were Saudi to begin with and were leased to Egypt in the 1950s.

The former army chief come to power after toppling his Islamist predecessor Mohamed Morsi in 2013, unleashing a crackdown on his supporters that killed hundreds of protesters and imprisoned thousands.
Berlin: Germany expects up to 300,000 asylum seekers to arrive this year, less than one-third of the total during 2015's record influx, the Federal Office for Migrants and Refugees (BAMF) said on Sunday.

BAMF chief Frank-Juergen Weise told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that Germany's healthy economy and improvements to refugee services over the last year meant that the country was well-placed to absorb new arrivals, particularly as their numbers have dropped off.

"We are preparing for between 250,000 and 300,000 refugees this year," he said.

"We can ensure optimal services for up to 300,000. Should more people arrive, it would put us under pressure, then we would go into so-called crisis mode. But even then we would not have conditions like last year."

Nearly 1.1 million asylum seekers arrived in Germany, Europe's top economic power, last year, putting enormous strain on the country's bureaucracy to process claims and testing confidence in Chancellor Angela Merkel's right-left coalition government.

The closure of the so-called Balkan migrant trail and a controversial European Union deal with Turkey to keep migrants from reaching Greece - a main entry point into the bloc -- has driven down arrivals from the Middle East and Afghanistan.

Weise said his agency had made major strides in working through a large backlog in asylum claims but that it would not manage to clear the remaining 530,000 cases by the end of the year.

He said integrating those allowed to stay in Germany into the labour market would be a "lengthy and costly" process.

Weise was nevertheless upbeat about the long-term prospects.

"We can do it," he said, echoing Merkel's rallying cry during the crisis.

"A lot of what was going badly in the beginning (one year ago) we've eventually managed to do pretty well. And the economy in Germany is so good, thank god, that we can afford it."

Public sentiment is nevertheless sharply divided when it comes to Merkel, who has not yet said whether she will stand for a fourth term in a general election expected next September or October.

Bild am Sonntag cited a poll by independent opinion research group Emnid showing 50 per cent of respondents opposed another four-year term for Merkel, while 42 per cent said they wanted her to stay in office.
Berlin: Germany expects up to 300,000 migrants to arrive in the country by the end of this year, according to a top immigration official.

Frank-Juergen Weise, head of Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, told state-run Bild daily that the authorities would struggle if more people came, BBC reported on Sunday.

Weise said Germany would try to get as many of them on the job market as possible.

But "the migrants' integration in German society would take a long time and cost a lot", he added.

According to the German Interior Ministry, more than 390,000 people applied for asylum in the first six months of 2016, BBC reported.

However, a recent poll showed just over half of Germans thought Chancellor Angela Merkel's migrant policy was bad. Support for anti-immigrant groups has risen.

On Saturday, members of a far-right movement scaled Berlin's Brandenburg Gate and unfurled a banner to protest against what they called the "Islamisation" of Germany, BBC added.
Berlin: Germany`s federal immigration office anticipated at least 3,00,000 refugees in 2016, an official told the local media on Sunday.

"We anticipate 0.25 million to 0.3 million refugees this year," the official said, adding that more refugees than the upper limit could make them "under stress", Xinhua news agency reported.

However, the official emphasised that the formal forecast should be made by the Federal Interior Ministry.

The official also said the number of refugees coming to Germany last year was definitely less than one million, as many of the them have double registered.
Dubai: Iran has arrested a member of the negotiating team that reached a landmark nuclear deal with world powers on suspicion of spying, a judiciary spokesman said on Sunday.

The suspect was released on bail after a few days in jail but is still under investigation, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said at a weekly news conference, calling the unidentified individual a "spy who had infiltrated the nuclear team," state media reported.

The deal that President Hassan Rouhani struck last year has given Iran relief from most international sanctions in return for curbing its nuclear programme, but it is opposed by hardliners who see it as a capitulation to the United States.

Ejei was responding to a question about an Iranian lawmaker`s assertion last week that a member of the negotiation team who had dual nationality had been arrested on espionage charges.

Tehran`s prosecutor general on Aug. 16 announced the arrest of a dual national he said was linked to British intelligence, but made no mention of the person being in the nuclear negotiations team. On Sunday, Ejei did not explicitly confirm that the arrested person had a second nationality.

Britain said on Aug. 16 that it was trying to find out more about the arrest of a joint-national.
Rome: Italy on Saturday observed a day of national mourning for the people who died when a powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the mountainous central regions claiming the lives of 291 persons.

Flags flew at half mast across Italy as the country remembered the victims of the quake.

The death toll in the worst-hit town Amatrice was 230, while the number of victims in Accumoli and Arquato del Tronto were 11 and 50 respectively, Xinhua reported.

Authorities have released the names of 181 victims. The youngest was five months old, the oldest 93.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi attended state funerals for victims from Arquata, one of the worst-hit towns along with Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto that were also hard-hit.

The 6.2-magnitude quake hit in the early hours of Wednesday, 100km (65 miles) north-east of Rome.

Most victims of the earthquake were Italians, but several foreigners were among those killed, including three Britons.

A state of emergency was declared on Friday in affected areas and 50 million euros (about $55 million) in funds pledged for rebuilding, the BBC reported.

Many bodies were brought to a makeshift morgue in an aircraft hangar in the city of Rieti, where authorities and relatives are identifying them.

The first funeral for one of the earthquake victims was held on Friday, for the son of a state official who died in Amatrice.

At least 388 people have been treated in hospital for their injuries while more than 2,000 people were rendered homeless, the BBC noted.

The Italian government had been criticised for failing to prevent deaths after the 2009 earthquake in nearby L`Aquila killed 300 people.

In addition to emergency funds, Renzi cancelled taxes for residents and announced a new initiative, "Italian Homes", to tackle criticism over shoddy construction.

But he also said it was "absurd" to think that Italy could build completely quake-proof buildings.
Colombian rebels announce final conference of peace talks: BOGOTA, Colombia  Top commanders from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia are preparing to gather one final time in mid-September to ratify a peace accord reached this week with government negotiators and map out the groups political strategy without weapons. The summit will take place Sept. 13-19. Some 200 delegates are expected to attend, including 29 members of the FARCs central command, a top decision-making body.

8 troops killed in suspected rebel attack: ASUNCION, Paraguay  Suspected members of a little-known rebel group killed eight soldiers in an attack in northern Paraguay on Saturday, just days after guerrillas and officials in Colombia reached a peace deal to end the longest-running insurgency in Latin America. Federico Delfino, the countrys prosecutor for anti-kidnapping efforts, said the attackers got away with eight M4 carbines, bulletproof vests and the victims personal belongings.

Zimbabwe police arrest 67 over anti-government protest: HARARE, Zimbabwe  President Robert Mugabe warned against an Arab Spring type of revolution, as Zimbabwe police said they arrested 67 people following a violent protest that rocked the capital, Harare. Police recovered some property looted during the protests, police spokesman Paul Nyathi said Saturday. Police used batons, tear gas and water cannons in running battles with anti-government demonstrators on Friday, despite a court order that the protest could take place.

Fire sweeps through warehouse, killing 17 workers: MOSCOW  A fire swept through a Moscow printing plant warehouse on Saturday, killing 17 migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan, Russias emergency services said. A representative of the Kyrgyz community said the victims were all young women trapped in a dressing room while changing into their work clothes. The fire was caused by a faulty lamp on the first floor of the warehouse, where many flammable liquids and paper products were stored.
Mexico City: Mexican authorities have uncovered a hidden tunnel from the northwestern state of Sonora to Arizona in the United States, the National Commission for Security said Sunday.

The discovery was made while Mexican police, inspecting a drainage pipe that crosses the border, noticed a difference in the surface of the concrete at one point, the CNS said.

After moving some material, the officers discovered a "secret excavation" of a tunnel that was nearly 1.5 meters (five feet) long on Mexican territory and more than 30 meters long in the US.

Half of the tunnel was supported by wood beams and the rest was dirt and rocks -- "apparently in the process of construction, without an exit on the surface," the CNS said.

Authorities on both sides of the border periodically discover this type of hidden tunnel, typically used by drug traffickers or undocumented migrants.

In April, US authorities discovered the longest tunnel yet that was used for bringing in illegal drugs from Mexico.

The 800-meter tunnel from Tijuana in the state of Baja California connected with Otay Mesa, part of the California city of San Diego.
Beirut: Turkish shelling and air strikes killed at least 35 civilians in Syria on Sunday, the fifth day of an incursion against Islamic State group jihadists and Kurdish militia, a monitor said.

"At least 20 civilians were killed and 50 others wounded by Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on Sunday morning at Jeb el-Kussa," a village south of Jarabulus, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based group said four local fighters were also killed in the bombardment.

It also reported another 15 civilians killed and 25 wounded, many seriously, in Turkish air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, also south of Jarabulus.

The deaths come after Turkey on Saturday suffered its first fatality since launching operation "Euphrates Shield" in Syria, blaming Kurdish militia in a fight for control of the border region.

The Observatory said the bombardment targeted an area south of the former Islamic State group stronghold of Jarabulus, which Turkish-led forces captured on the first day of the incursion.

Jeb el-Kussa is located 14 kilometres (almost nine miles) south of Jarabulus and is controlled by fighters from the area backed by Kurdish forces.

On Saturday, clashes erupted for the first time between Turkish forces backed by tanks, and pro-Kurdish fighters in the town of Al-Amarneh, also south of Jarabulus.

Turkey considers the main armed force of Syria`s Kurds, the YPG, to be a branch of the Kurdistan Workers` Party, which is deems a "terrorist" organisation.

Its military intervention has further complicated a conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people and displaced more than half the country`s population since March 2011.
Karkamis: Turkish warplanes and artillery struck targets held by the Kurdish YPG militia in north Syria on Sunday, security sources said, as Turkey pressed on with a cross-border campaign launched last week with its Syrian rebel allies.

There was no immediate comment from the YPG militia, but forces aligned with the Kurdish group had said on Saturday that no Kurdish militia had been in areas being targeted by Turkish troops or its allies. Turkey has said its campaign is against Islamic State and also aims at stopping Kurdish forces extending territory they control.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday Turkish warplanes had struck areas north of Manbij, a city south of Jarablus captured by Kurdish-aligned Syrian Democratic Forces this month in a U.S.-backed operation.
S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? Wall Street Legend Warns Financial Reset is Coming (Ad) Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? Wall Street Legend Warns Financial Reset is Coming (Ad) Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? Wall Street Legend Warns Financial Reset is Coming (Ad) Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? When Will This "Suckers Rally" End? New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) Poland chooses US to build its first nuclear power plant Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off New Battery "Could Eat Lithium's Lunch" (Ad) Will Demand from EV Makers Drive Up Freeport-McMoRan stock? Closing prices for crude oil, gold and other commodities
An abandoned vehicle in the town of Adrian has two people facing possible drug charges with the Monroe County District Attorney.

The Monroe County Sheriffs Office Aug. 18 responded to a call from a property owner who had the abandoned vehicle towed. The property owner said a person, later identified as Gary Willert, 32, Onalaska, exited a black Nissan, approached the residence and asked about the location of the abandoned vehicle. Willert was told the vehicle was towed, and he walked into a cornfield, while the Nissan pulled away from the residence.

Police later caught up with the Nissan, which contained two women and three boys. One of the passengers, Lacy M. Newbury, 31, Sparta, said they had dropped off a man named John Haha to retrieve his abandoned vehicle. Police identified several bags in the car believed to belong to Willert. The bags were searched and reportedly contained several needles, a tin container that smelled of marijuana, a digital scale and the prescription drug naloxone.

The contents of Willerts bag triggered a search of the entire vehicle, which reportedly uncovered drug paraphernalia and less than one gram of marijuana.

Police later made contact with Willert, who had exited a cornfield and was walking along a road. When confronted by police, Willert reportedly identified himself as John Greg Mroch of Minnesota.

Wilert, who was on bond from La Crosse County, was referred for possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of an illegally obtained prescription drug, obstructing an officer and bail jumping. Newbury was referred for possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and three counts of bail jumping.

In other Monroe County Sheriffs Office news:

Joseph D. Totman, 48, Tomah, was referred to the Monroe County District Attorney pursuant to an Aug. 16 domestic incident in the town of Oakdale. Totman is accused of dragging a woman into his residence as she attempted to leave. The report said the woman told a deputy that the two got into an argument over a vehicle and that Totman threw a dish rag at her and broke a dining room table. A witness said she saw a bruise on the womans arm and that Totman has a history of being physical with the woman.

Totman was referred for disorderly conduct/domestic-related and false imprisonment.

Russell J. Clausen, 32, Warrens, was referred to the district attorney on multiple counts after an Aug. 15 incident in the town of Byron.

Police were called when a woman told reported that Clausen was at her residence under the influence of an unknown substance and refusing to leave. Police arrived to a scene with a broken bay window and glass scattered outside the home.

The report says police encountered Clausen holding a kitchen knife. The report says Clausen held the knife by the blade above his shoulder in a throwing position and refused to drop it. A struggle ensued between an officer and Clausen, and another officer applied a Taser to Clausen, which allowed the two officers to roll Clausen on his stomach. Clausen ignored instructions to put his hands behind his back and directed profane and abusive language toward the officers after being handcuffed. He also allegedly spit on an officer and verbally threatened their safety.

During transport to Sparta Mayo Hospital, Clausen continued to yell loudly and banged his head and knees against the side of the squad car. He continued his loud and abusive behavior at the hospital, according to the report. He was then transported to the Monroe County Jail, where he was placed in a padded cell.

Clausen was referred for disorderly conduct, two counts of resisting arrest, failure to comply with an officers attempt to arrest, criminal damage to property, spitting on a police officer and making terror threats.

Dennis Ludke, 38, Camp Douglas, was referred to the district attorney for multiple charges after an Aug. 16 incident in the town of Byron.

Police were told that Ludke was acting paranoid and breaking items, and police observed a broken table upon arrival. Ludke was asked by police to step outside to discuss the situation, but Ludke reportedly refused. The report says Ludke was pacing back and forth and not acting rationally. Witnesses told police that Ludke struck the door several times because he was upset that nobody would give him a cigarette.

According to the report, Ludke retreated further into the living room, became more agitated and threatened to destroy a television set. He struck the screen several times and shattered it before throwing it to the ground. Police then wrestled Ludke to the ground, and he continued to resist until police placed him in the squad car.

Ludke was referred for two counts of resisting arrest, disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property.

Jamie L. Zillmer, 42, Sparta, was referred to the district attorney on multiple counts after an Aug. 15 incident in the town of Little Falls.

According to the report, dispatch reported a 911 call in which a person asked for police. A voice believed to be Zillmers was heard in the background instructing her to hang up the phone. When police arrived, Zillmer had left the residence.

A juvenile told police that Zillmer had been drinking in a Sparta tavern before returning to the residence. She told police that Zillmer completely freaked out, he came at me, pushed me and was hitting me. The juvenile said another man at the residence attempted to pull Zillmer away and that Zillmer punched the man in the head.

During the interview, police observed a vehicle bumper with an attached license plate lying in the ground on the driveway. Police determined that Zillmers vehicle had struck a wooden pallet while exiting the residence, which caused the bumper to be torn off.

As the interview with the juvenile continued, the juvenile received a call on her cell phone from Zillmer, who asked the juvenile if police had been called. The juvenile said yes. Zillmer called again, and she gave the phone to the officer, who encouraged Zillmer to return and give his side of the story or face arrest. Zillmer reportedly replied, Issue a warrant for my arrest, followed by profanity.

The report says Zillmer called the juvenile several more times and called the juvenile a vulgar name during one of the calls.

Zillmer was referred to the district attorney for disorderly conduct, three counts of battery, intimidation of a child victim and physical abuse of a child.

Maria Due, 36, Wyeville, was referred to the district attorney for disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property after an Aug. 21 incident in the village of Wyeville.

Police were called to a disturbance in which Due was reportedly drunk and throwing things inside the house. A witness said Due broke a piggy bank and pulled the knob off a washer. She was reportedly upset that her boyfriend has been talking to other women earlier in the evening.

Laura M. Cherwenka, 20, Black River Falls, was referred to the district attorney for second offense drunk driving after being pulled over Aug. 21 in the town of Little Falls.

Cherwenkas vehicle was pulled over after reportedly traveling 84 mph in a 55-mph zone on Highway 27. She told police she had drank three Razberitas. A preliminary breath test registered a blood-alcohol content of .124, which is over the legal limit of .08.

Joshua Wesoloski, 28, Norwalk, was referred to the state Department of Justice for a probation/parole violation. According to the report, Wesoloski left his town of Ridgeville residence without prior approval and violated a bond condition that prohibited him from consuming alcohol.

Three adults and one juvenile have been mailed ordinance citations for stealing road signs and lawn ornaments in the southern part of the county. Kallie J. Kilmer, 19, Viroqua; Mackenzey T. Chamberlain, 18, Westby; Brooke L. Cina, 20, Viroqua; and a 17-year-old juvenile are accused to stealing the items from Leon Campground and elsewhere outside peoples homes.

A total of 23 signs, two traffic cones, one orange traffic barrel and one mailbox were recovered from a town of Jefferson residence July 29. There were also numerous lawn ornaments that law enforcement couldnt immediately identify as stolen. The report says police conducted a July 31 interview with Cina, who reportedly acknowledged the thefts and said, this was one of the dumbest decisions of my entire life.
English | Publisher: The Univ. of Wisconsin Press, 1992 | PDF | 267 pages | 16 MB

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Beginning with the earliest experiments in musical accompaniment carried out in the Edison Laboratories, Kathryn Kalinak uses archival material to outline the history of American music and film.Focusing on the scores of several key composers of the sound era, including Erich Wolfgang Korngolds Captain Blood, Max Steiners The Informer, Bernard Herrmanns The Magnificent Ambersons, and David Raksins Laura, Kalinak concludes that classical scoring conventions were designed to ensure the dominance of narrative exposition.Her analyses of contemporary work such as John Williams The Empire Strikes Back and Basil Poledouris RoboCop demonstrate how the traditions of the classical era continue to influence scoring practices today.
A family has been left in shock after their 2-year-old son died after being removed from life support against their wishes, according to several reports.



On Thursday afternoon, 2-year-old Israel Stinson was removed from a breathing ventilator at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles after a judge upheld the hospital's decision to remove life support, according to the Los Angeles Times. Now, the toddler's parents, Jonee Fonseca and Nathaniel Stinson, are left "devastated," as expressed by Alexandra Snyder, an attorney with the Life Legal Defense Foundation, a pro-life group representing Israel's family pro bono.



"I was on the phone with his mother when the doctors disconnected him," Snyder said, according to the Los Angeles Times. "They were in such a hurry to do it, they didn't even sit down and explain what was going on."



The Children's Hospital of Los Angeles did not immediately respond to a request for comment.







This tragic battle started in April, when Israel was taken to a hospital after having a difficult time breathing, the Washington Post reported. After he was taken to a hospital in Sacramento, California, he suffered from a heart attack. While doctors were able to restart his heart, he reportedly went about an hour without oxygen and doctors determined he was brain dead.



Doctors at the Sacramento hospital advised that Israel be removed from life support and to perform operations to insert feeding and breathing tubes, Israel's parents refused to comply. They went to court and asked to keep their son on life support and  hopefully  recover.



Some health professionals argue that providing intensive care for children like Israel costs thousands of dollars per day, and inhibits hospitals from helping other critically ill children who could benefit from the resources, according to the Los Angeles Times.





Family Is 'Devastated' After a Hospital Reportedly Removes Their 2-Year-Old Son from Life Support Against Their Wishes| Death, Medical Conditions

The family started a GoFundMe page to raise money and awareness for Israel's recovery, and Fonseca wrote on the page, "God is telling me not to let go."



The parents also posted a YouTube video in late April, asking for anyone to help treat their son. In the video, Fonseca said, "We are reaching out, hoping that anyone hospital right now is willing to take us in ... so that we can get him to in-home care and take care of him at home."









In May, a federal judge rejected the family's lawsuit and Fonseca and Stinson took their son to Guatemala, where doctors conducted tests that showed Israel had brain activity, according to CBS. After the tests came back, Snyder told CBS that Children's Hospital Los Angeles agreed to take Israel as a patient. He was checked into the hospital on Aug. 8, according to the Los Angeles Times. But soon after he was admitted, the hospital said Israel needed to be taken off life support.



"I'm just baffled as to why the hospital would have agreed to take him for the sole reason of putting him to death," Snyder said. "They knew his condition when he came to the hospital."



This is one of many cases in which the definition of death is contested by family members and hospital officials, according to the Los Angeles Times.



Just last week, a judge gave a temporary order to stop the hospital from removing Israel's ventilator to give the family time to get an opinion from another neurologist. But on Thursday, the judge ordered to have the ventilator removed.



The most recent update from the family's GoFundMe page, posted less than a week before the decision, showed joy and hope in Israel's condition.



"We are so happy to inform you all that we are now back home in America with Israel," the family said. "After almost 3 months of staying in Guatemala, Israel's condition has progressed and we are so happy that he has 2 EEG's that prove his brain is not 'dead' and that there is still activity."



The post went on to detail that the family was making arrangements for at-home care of Israel, and said they had already found a doctor willing to treat him and make home visits.



Snyder told CBS more about the heart-breaking end of this months-long battle to keep Israel alive.



"They are devastated," she said. "I think still in shock. It's not even my child; I am still in shock this could happen so quickly. ... That is something every family has to decide for themselves, not a choice that should be imposed upon somebody."
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Photo of an Aedes aegypti mosquito/Reuters



UPDATED 5:40PM 28 August 2016: More cases of Zika confirmed.



There have been 41 confirmed cases of locally-transmitted Zika among residents or workers in the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area.



Among this number are 36 foreign construction workers, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) at a joint press conference with the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Sunday (28 August), according to media reports.



More details here: Health Ministry confirms 41 locally transmitted Zika cases



A 47-year-old woman is likely to have been infected in Singapore with the Zika virus  the first such case here.

A statement issued jointly by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) on Saturday (27 August) said the Malaysian woman resides at Block 102 Aljunied Crescent and works in Singapore.

As she had not travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, she was likely to have been infected in Singapore, the statement said.

At this point, three other suspect cases  two in a family who live in the area and an individual who works in the area  had preliminarily tested positive for Zika virus infection based on their urine samples. They are pending further confirmation tests.

While MOH and NEA have stepped up precautionary measures, they expect that there may be further cases, as most infected persons display mild or no symptoms.

All suspect cases of Zika virus infection will be isolated while awaiting confirmation of their blood test results.

The woman had developed fever, rash and conjunctivitis from 25 August. After visiting a general practitioner on 26 August, she was referred to the Communicable Diseases Centre (CDC) at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where she was tested positive for Zika on 27 August.

She has since been hospitalised for observation at the CDC and is currently recovering.

MOH has alerted all GPs around the womans home and workplace to be extra vigilant and to immediately report patients with symptoms associated with Zika virus infection to MOH.

Story continues

Zika is generally a mild disease. It may cause a viral fever similar to dengue or chikungunya, with symptoms including fever, skin rashes, body aches, and headache. But there are cases of Zika virus infection who do not develop symptoms.

Zika infection can, however, cause microcephaly in the unborn foetuses of pregnant women. MOH and NEA advise residents, especially pregnant women, in the Aljunied Crescent area to monitor their health.

Meanwhile, NEA has stepped up its efforts to control the Aedes mosquito population in the vicinity of Aljunied Crescent by deploying about 100 officers to inspect the area.

To minimise the risk of any spread of Zika in Singapore, MOH and NEA are urging the community to take steps to prevent mosquito breeding in their homes by doing the 5-step Mozzie Wipeout every other day, and protect themselves from mosquito bites by applying insect repellent regularly.
Singapore on Sunday confirmed 41 locally transmitted cases of the Zika virus, which can cause deformities in unborn babies, and said more infections are likely. A day after announcing its first locally transmitted case, that of a 47-year-old Malaysian woman resident, the government reported 40 more -- mostly foreign workers at a construction site. All 41 are residents or workers in a particular suburban residential and industrial district, the Ministry of Health and the National Environment Agency said in a joint statement. "They are not known to have travelled to Zika-affected areas recently, and are thus likely to have been infected in Singapore," the statement said. "This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place." It said that at this point the community transmission of the virus appears to be localised within the Aljunied Crescent and Sims Drive area, which hosts high-rise residential blocs and some industries. However, since Zika is spread by the Aedes mosquito -- which also carries the dengue virus -- the health ministry "cannot rule out further community transmission... since some of those tested positive also live or work in other parts of Singapore", the statement said. The health ministry said it has alerted clinics and hospitals to be "extra vigilant" and report patients with symptoms associated with the virus, mainly fever and rash. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told local media more imported cases are likely because Singapore is an international travel hub. And because many Zika carriers display only mild symptoms or no symptoms at all -- meaning infected people may not seek treatment -- local transmission of these imported cases "is also very high", he said. Health officials said the current infections came to light after a local clinic on August 22 reported an unusual rise in viral fever. This prompted a check by health ministry experts, who told doctors to refer new cases to the government-run Communicable Diseases Centre. The National Environment Agency has deployed more than 200 officers to inspect and destroy possible mosquito breeding sites in the area. According to the statement, 36 of the 41 cases involve foreign labourers working at a construction site in the area. Work was halted at the site on Saturday after an inspection by environment agency officers discovered that housekeeping was "unsatisfactory with potential breeding habitats favourable to mosquito breeding", the statement added. Twelve on-site workers' quarters and two other dormitories elsewhere were also inspected and one breeding site was detected and destroyed. Singapore hosts thousands of foreign construction workers, most of them from South Asia. The statement said 34 of the total number infected have fully recovered while the other seven, who are still symptomatic and potentially infectious, remain in hospital. The latest outbreak of the disease began in Brazil in early 2015. Singapore in May reported its first imported Zika case, a 48-year-old male Singapore resident who had travelled to Sao Paulo in Brazil earlier in the year. In the United States more than 2,500 people have been diagnosed with Zika, most of them infected while travelling abroad. Zika causes only mild symptoms for most people, such as fever and a rash. But in pregnant women, it can cause microcephaly, a deformation in which babies are born with abnormally small brains and heads. The Singapore joint statement urged pregnant women to monitor their health and seek medical attention if they are unwell.
"A little fill here and there may seem to be nothing to become excited about. But one fill, though comparatively inconsequential, may lead to another, and another, and before long a great body may be eaten away until it may no longer exist.

Our navigable waters are a precious natural heritage, once gone, they disappear forever," wrote the Wisconsin Supreme Court in its 1960 opinion resolving Hixon v. PSC and buttressing The Public Trust Doctrine, Article IX of the Wisconsin State Constitution.
LONDON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - The head of EDF Energy has urged the British government to approve the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project, an explict appeal by the French energy giant ahead of a decision due within weeks.

Prime Minister Theresa May intervened last month to delay the 18 billion pound ($24 billion) project, just hours after it was approved by EDF (Paris: FR0010242511 - news) 's board, former cabinet colleague Vince Cable said.

The government says it will make a final decision in the early autumn. Cable said May was concerned about China's involvement, particularly in terms of national security.

The state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corp (IPO-CGNP.HK) (CGN) is EDF's partner in building the two new reactors at Hinkley Point, southwest England, which would provide about 7 percent of Britain's electricity.

EDF Energy Chief Executive Vincent de Rivaz said the Chinese, who will provide 6 billion pounds of funding, were a trusted partner with whom the French had worked building two nuclear reactors in China.

"(The Hinckley Point project) brings the benefits of a 30-year partnership between EDF and CGN in nuclear construction in China, a country with the largest civil nuclear programme in the world," he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph.

"We know and trust our Chinese partners."

Addressing security concerns, he said all staff on nuclear projects were rigorously vetted and the control systems at Hinkley Point would be isolated from IT systems and the internet.

EDF and its partners have agreed to fund the new stations, and in return Britain has committed to paying a minimum price for the power generated for 35 years. Critics say the price, around double current market levels, is too high.

But de Rivaz said it was fair.

"Hinkley Point C is competitive with all other future energy options, even including fossil fuels like gas when the cost of carbon is taken into account," he said. ($1 = 0.7612 pounds) (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Fighters in the Damascus suburb of Daraya began to leave with their families and other residents under an evacuation deal on Friday, effectively surrendering the town to the government after a gruelling four-year siege. A Reuters witness saw six buses leaving the town. Footage on state television showed buses driving past a large group of soldiers through streets lined with rubble. Peeping from the window of one of the vehicles was a small child no older than four or five, too young to remember life before the siege. Only one shipment of aid has reached the area since the Syrian army surrounded the town in 2012, the U.N. says. Syrian state television reported that all the buses that left on Friday had arrived at a housing centre in Herjalleh, a suburb west of Damascus. A Syrian Army general told reporters in Daraya that about 300 families of fighters would leave the town on Friday, and in total about 700 fighters and 4,000 civilians would be evacuated by Saturday. Fighters who did not want to make peace with the Syrian government would be transferred to Idlib, he said. Two Free Syria Army rebel groups from Daraya, the Shuhada al-Islam and Ajnad al-Sham, would travel to Idlib, a rebel stronghold in northwest Syria, on Saturday, rebel factions in the south said in an emailed statement. The plight of civilians in Daraya and other besieged areas has long been of concern to the United Nations, which has condemned the use of starvation as a weapon by both sides. But the United Nations was not consulted on Daraya's evacuation plan and U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and U.N. humanitarian coordinator Stephen O'Brien, voiced deep concern about it on Friday. They said civilians should be evacuated only if their safety could be guaranteed and it was on a voluntary basis. There have been previous deals outside U.N. control to allow similar evacuations of besieged fighters and civilians, or to let people return to their homes after ceasefires were agreed. In February, about 4,000 people returned to their south Damascus neighbourhood under a local ceasefire deal. SITE OF EARLY PROTESTS Conditions were so bad in Daraya that, amid reports of the army burning local wheat fields, some people were reduced to eating grass and sending their children out to beg, the U.N.'s World Food Programme said. Daraya, just 7 km (4 miles) from central Damascus, and flanking an important military airbase, was one of the first places to see peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad before the five-year-old civil war began. Fighters in the suburb fought off repeated attempts to retake it by government forces as the conflict escalated. It was also the scene of one of the worst atrocities of the war. In 2012, several hundred people were killed, including civilians, many execution style, when security forces stormed the suburb after locals took up arms. Both the army and rebels blamed each other. In recent weeks, the army has escalated its use of barrel and incendiary bombs there. Last week its only hospital was hit, rebels and aid workers said. Syria's government denies deploying barrel bombs, but their use has been widely confirmed by outside monitors, including the United Nations, whose Security Council condemned the dropping of incendiary devices last year. Daraya's local council said in an online statement that civilians will be initially taken to the town of Herjalleh in the Western Ghouta suburbs of Damascus and "will move later to places they choose". Herjalleh is the site of a government housing project for displaced people. About 11 million people have been forced to leave their homes and about 250,000 people have been killed since the war started in 2011. (Reporting by Firas Makdesi and Kinda Makieh in Damascus; Additional reporting by Lisa Barrington and Angus McDowall in Beirut; Editing by Louise Ireland)
By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Supporters of Gabon's President Ali Bongo and his chief rival both said on Sunday they were set to win a presidential election that poses the most serious challenge yet to the Bongo family's half-century rule in the tiny, oil-rich nation. Backers of the president and his main challenger, Jean Ping, also traded accusations of fraud allegedly committed during Saturday's vote, raising the prospect of increased tension in the wake of an uncharacteristically bitter campaign. At a large gathering of supporters at his campaign headquarters in the capital, Ping, 73, distributed figures showing him handily beating Bongo. "The general trends indicate we're the winner of this important presidential election," Ping told backers and reporters. "Despite numerous irregularities ... you have managed to thwart this regime's congenital traps of fraud." Interior Minister Pacome Moubelet-Boubeya, who had already warned candidates that giving results before the official declaration was against the law, condemned Ping's announcement. "The candidate Jean Ping has just carried out an attempt to manipulate the democratic process," he said in a statement distributed late on Sunday. Official results are expected on Tuesday. Bongo, 57, who first won election after his father Omar died in 2009 after 42 years in office, has benefited from being the incumbent in a country with a patronage system lubricated by oil largesse. Gabon's one-round election means the winner simply requires more votes than any other candidate. In 2009, Bongo won with 41.73 percent of the vote. Addressing Ping's declaration, Bongo warned his rival against pre-empting the result by claiming victory before an official announcement. "You must not sell the skin of the bear before you've killed him," he said, speaking at one of his campaign offices in Libreville. "In any case, I am confident." FRAUD? Minutes earlier, his spokesman Alain Claude Bilie By Nze told journalists that Bongo was leading in five of Gabon's nine provinces. In comments broadcast overnight on state-owned television, the spokesman went even further, stating that Bongo was poised to win another term in office. "Even if no figure can or should be given at this stage, we are, in light of information we are receiving, able to say that our candidate ... will claim victory," he said. Bilie By Nze also said "massive fraud" had been observed during the vote, particularly in polling stations located in opposition strongholds. The interior ministry on Sunday acknowledged fraud had been noted in some polling stations. But it offered little detail and said that the process remained "satisfactory and positive". An oil producer with a population of less than two million, Gabon is one of Africa's richest countries. However, declining oil output and falling prices have resulted in budget cuts and provided fodder for opposition claims that the average person has struggled under Bongo's leadership. His re-election bid was also hobbled by a series of high-profile defections from the ruling party. Ping, one of 10 candidates contesting the poll, is a former foreign minister and African Union Commission chairman, who was a close ally of Omar Bongo. Some opposition supporters have called into question Bongo's Gabonese nationality, claiming he was adopted from eastern Nigeria as a baby, a charge that risks fuelling xenophobic sentiment and which the president denies. (Additional reporting and writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Andrew Bolton and Adrian Croft)
By George Obulutsa NAIROBI (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told African leaders on Saturday that his country will commit $30 billion in public and private support for infrastructure development, education and healthcare expansion in the continent. Resource-poor Japan has long been interested in tapping Africa's vast natural resources, even more so since dependence on oil and natural gas imports jumped after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster shut almost all of Japan's nuclear reactors. Abe, in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to attend the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD), said the package would be spread over three years from this year and include $10 billion for infrastructure projects, to be executed through cooperation with the African Development Bank. "When combined with investment from the private sector, I expect that the total will amount to $30 billion. This is an investment that has faith in Africa's future, an investment for Japan and Africa to grow together," he told a gathering of more than 30 heads of state and government from across Africa. The $30 billion announced on Saturday is in addition to $32 billion that Japan pledged to Africa over a five-year period at the last TICAD meeting in 2013. Abe said 67 percent of that had already been put to use in various projects. "Today's new pledges will enhance and further expand upon those launched three years ago. The motive is quality and enhancement," he said. Japan's overall direct investment in Africa totaled $1.24 billion in 2015, down from about $1.5 billion a year earlier, according to the Japan External Trade Organization, which does not provide a breakdown of sectors. Its presence in infrastructure projects ranges from roads, ports and airports to power plants. In comparison, rival China made a single investment of $2 billion in oil-rich Equatorial Guinea in the month of April 2015 alone. A tranche of Japan's new package will go towards various power projects to increase production capacity by 2,200 megawatts across the continent, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry. Money will also be spent on training 20,000 mathematics and science teachers throughout Africa, as well as 20,000 experts on how to handle infectious diseases. Chadian President and current African Union Chairman Idriss Deby, attending the summit, urged Tokyo also to support efforts to tackle a lack of security, including that arising from terrorism. "At the recent African Union Summit, we did say how it was important to mobilise the international community to counter all these scourges," he said. "I urge all our partners, and in particular Japan, to contribute to the African Fund Against Terrorism that was set up and established by the Kigali summit," Deby said, in reference to an AU meeting held in Rwanda in July. (Additional reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka in Tokyo; Editing by Aaron Maasho and Dale Hudson)
By Colin Packham SYDNEY (Reuters) - Mustering cattle across rugged terrain and wide open spaces, Australia's newest drover is a far cry from a man with a big hat, a horse and fancy boots. Meet SwagBot - the world's first robot designed to round up livestock - currently being developed by Australian scientists to roll across the landscape in aid of the country's farmers. Australia is the world's third largest cattle exporter but with the age of producers creeping higher, and cattle stations averaging about 400,000 hectares (988,420 acres) of land - nearly four time the size of Hong Kong - rearing livestock can be difficult, even with a sufficient number of cowhands. A labour shortage makes the task harder though, and threatens Australia's hope of boosting its livestock output to profit from rising Asian demand for red meat. SwagBot is the answer, according to Professor Salah Sukkarieh, who heads the research team developing the robot. The contraption - a box of electronics supported by four independently moving legs attached to wheels - is omnidirectional, navigates over obstacles, even across water, and can be remotely controlled by farmers as it herds cattle. "[Farmers] can see that they need to have this kind of technology. We aren't seeing a lot of people coming into the sector as it is a lot of work," said Sukkarieh, a professor of robotics at the University of Sydney's School of Aerospace Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering. Additions to SwagBot's capabilities are also planned. It will soon have sensors that can detect pasture health and determine if an animal is sick or in distress. The robot - one of a growing number of automated vehicles designed for the country's rural sector - remains in development, but Sukkarieh believes it can be in production within three years. "Maybe about five to eight years ago, the cost of technology dropped quite significantly," he said. "Because of that drop in cost, agriculture has opened up as another area where robotics could be used because there are very low margins in agriculture, so you need low-cost robotics." Technology offers the best hope to arrest Australia's slowdown in agricultural productivity, analysts said. "Getting good, reliable labour is a problem, and the further you get away from a capital city, the harder it gets," said Phin Ziebell, agribusiness economist, National Australia Bank. "If the robot can be cheaper than humans, too, farmers will be very keen." (Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Tom Hogue)
Suspected Kurdish militants have fired four rockets at Diyarbakir Airport in southeast Turkey, according to reports.

Passengers and airport staff were taken inside the airport's terminal building for their safety, Dogan news agency said.

The target was a police checkpoint outside the VIP lounge, the agency added, and broadcaster NTV said the rockets landed on wasteland nearby.

There were no casualties and Diyarbakir governor Huseyin Aksoy said there was no disruption to flights.

Diyarbakir is home to a large Kurdish population, in a region where Kurdish militants have waged an insurgency for more than 30 years.

Elsewhere, the Turkish military says it has suffered its first loss of life since it began its incursion into northern Syria.

A soldier was killed by Kurdish fighters, who claimed they destroyed three tanks.

On Sunday, Turkey renewed attacks by warplanes and artillery on targets held by Kurdish-backed forces.

Unconfirmed reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which is monitoring the war, said Turkish attacks killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more in the village of Jub al-Kousa.

It also claimed that Turkish-backed Syrian rebels had captured two villages from the Kurds.

Turkey has said its ongoing campaign is against Islamic State, and is also aimed at stopping Kurdish forces extending the territory they control.

On Saturday, Turkey said Kurdish-backed forces had been beaten back just to the south of Diyarbakir in northern Syria,

Meanwhile, on the ground, Turkish-backed Syrian rebels battled rebels aligned to the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near Jarablus.

A Kurdish-led self-proclaimed government of northern Syria said Turkish tanks were deployed, but Turkey's rebel allies denied the charge.

Turkish special forces, tanks and warplanes crossed the border into Syria last week to join Syrian rebels as part of a drive to remove Islamic State militants from Jarablus.

But, as the Turks and their allies have consolidated their positions, some have raised concerns that the push into Jarablus would be used as a bridgehead to take on Kurdish-allied forces that have occupied positions in northern Syria.

Story continues

The primarily Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) said Turkey's military had fired on a village near Kobani on Friday night (about 20 miles east of Jarablus), and had also used heavy weapons to fire on YPG positions in the northwestern province of Afrin (about 65 miles west of Jarablus).

Turkey wants to stop Kurdish forces taking control of a line of territory along its southern border, fearing it could be used to support Kurdish militant group PKK.

Turkish-backed Syrian rebels have already seized five villages near Jarablus from Islamic State.

The SDF and YPG are backed by the United States, putting Ankara at odds with its NATO ally.

The Jarablus Military Council, which is part of the SDF, called the airstrikes "a dangerous escalation", and said the Turkish warplanes had caused civilian casualties.

A spokesman for the council said: "Turkish jets have this morning bombarded our positions in southern Jarablus and the Til-Emarne village. With this aggression, a new conflict period will begin in the region."

Turkey said it had destroyed an arsenal and command post belonging to "terror groups".

Ankara has previously warned that the YPG has failed to stick to a US promise that the militia would withdraw to positions east of the Euphrates river.

That followed the seizure of the town of Manbij from IS earlier this month.
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan intelligence agents on Saturday took Daniel Ceballos, a former opposition mayor accused of fomenting opposition protests, to prison from house arrest in the capital of Caracas, according to his wife and the country's interior ministry. Ceballos was arrested in 2014 on accusations he helped lead violent unrest in the tumultuous western city of San Cristobal, where he was mayor. He denies the accusations. Opposition leaders called his arrest an effort to quash dissent and describe Ceballos as a political prisoner. President Nicolas Maduro calls him a criminal who sought to destabilize the country, and denies Venezuela holds political prisoners. Patricia de Ceballos said agents from the Sebin intelligence service arrived at their residence at around 3 a.m. saying they were going to conduct a medical exam for her husband, who was granted house arrest in 2015 for health reasons. "They put him in an ambulance, and in the ambulance they showed us a notice of transfer to prison," she said in a video posted on her Twitter feed. The interior ministry said in a statement that Ceballos' house arrest had been suspended because he had attempted to escape from his home and planned to stir up violence at an opposition demonstration planned for Sept. 1. Venezuela has faced intense international pressure to free jailed opposition leaders including Ceballos and Leopoldo Lopez, another former mayor who was also imprisoned in 2014 in connection with anti-government demonstrations. The issue complicated a rapprochement effort last year between Caracas and Washington, which have been at ideological loggerheads since the 14-year rule of late socialist leader Hugo Chavez. Maduro says Lopez and Ceballos are dangerous coup plotters intent on toppling his government, and blames them for more than 40 deaths during the 2014 protests. (Reporting by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Matthew Lewis)
RIGA, Latvia  Vice President Joe Biden suggested Tuesday that Donald Trump doesnt know what hes talking about on foreign policy and told U.S. NATO allies to ignore him.

Dont listen to that other fellow. He knows not of what he speaks, Biden said in a speech to Baltic leaders here. He paused for emphasis, then said, And he doesntknow of what he speaks.

Biden never mentioned Trump by name. But his audience, smiling with approval, clearly understood the reference to the Republican presidential nominees frequent description of the U.S. commitment to NATOs mutual defense pact as depending on whether the allies pay their bills for American protection.

Bidens remarks echoed President Barack Obamas description this month of Trump as woefully unprepared for the presidency.

Earlier in the day, Biden said the United States had pledged its sacred honor to Article 5 of NATOs founding charter and would never renege. The fact that you occasionally hear something from a presidential candidate . . . its nothing that should be taken seriously, because I dont think he understands what Article 5 is.

Bidens trip here, designed to reinforce U.S. and NATO determination to stand against Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, fell on two anniversaries of major importance to the region. On Aug. 23, 1939, the foreign ministers of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a nonaggression treaty that divided parts of Eastern Europe into spheres of influence and was quickly followed by Hitlers invasion of Poland and the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states.

On the same date in 1989, more than 2 million people joined hands in a line across Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia  all then part of the Soviet Union  to demonstrate their desire for independence. All three formally joined NATO in 2004.

Dainis Ivans, a Latvian journalist and founder of the anti-Soviet Popular Front, introduced Biden by referring to Trumps stated admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the darkest nightmare of many Baltic people . . . of a potential Putin-RibbenTrump pact.

Biden held bilateral talks here with Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis and Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis, followed by a working lunch with the leaders of all three Baltic nations. The warm welcome he received was something of a respite before he heads Wednesday to what is likely to be a far more difficult visit to Turkey, another NATO ally.

The vice president will be the first high-level U.S. official to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan since a coup attempt there last month. Some Turkish officials have alleged that the United States was involved in the unsuccessful uprising and has been insufficiently sympathetic to the subsequent arrest of tens of thousands of alleged coup backers in the military and across a wide spectrum of society.

The upheaval has shaken already difficult U.S.-Turkey relations and led to indications that Turkey is looking elsewhere for support. In the past two weeks, Erdogan has visited Putin, and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has exchanged visits with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, amid reports that the three countries are working toward joint action in Syria.

I dont think were concerned that were at some tipping point bilaterally or with Turkey in NATO, a senior administration official said of the relationship. Theres a whole host of reasons why our partnership with Turkey remains as important as ever. It is a view the administration believes Turkey shares, said the official, who briefed reporters on the trip under White House-imposed conditions of anonymity.

But officials traveling with Biden indicated they are unsure what kind of reception they will receive and how serious Ankara is about strengthening ties with Moscow and Tehran at the perceived expense of the United States. Biden is not bringing with him what the Turks say they most want  assurance that the United States will extradite Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, a U.S. resident they charge instigated the coup attempt.

A Justice Department team arrived in Turkey this week seeking clarification of Turkish charges against Gulen, the administration official said.

Russia and Iran, which support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have been on opposite sides of the Syrian civil war from Turkey, which has shared the U.S. view that Assad should step down. But Erdogan now says his government will work with Moscow and Tehran, at a level of coordination he has yet to specify.

Turkey, which shares a 500-mile border with Syria, is a key component of the U.S. strategy against the Islamic State. But the partnership has been fraught with difficulties and mutual mistrust, beginning with U.S. and coalition concerns that Turkeys porous border has allowed free passage for the groups fighters and supplies.

More recently, as it has been unable to build a strong enough Syrian Arab force to fight the militants, the United States has increasingly relied on Syrian Kurdish fighters, who are allied with Turkish Kurds engaged in a separatist war against the government in Ankara.

A year ago, the United States began using Turkeys Incirlik air base for strikes against the Islamic State in Syria. Turkey agreed to the deal in exchange for pledges to limit the expansion of territory held by the Syrian Kurds along the border.

But the Kurds, aided by U.S. airstrikes, have now expanded westward in northern Syria beyond the limits the United States and Turkey agreed upon. Turkish media reported this week that the Turkish military has begun cross-border shelling of Kurdish forces that this month helped retake the Syrian city of Manbij, considered a crucial step in U.S. efforts to eventually oust the Islamic State from its headquarters in Raqqa.

biden-1stld-writethru
Theres an easy way to limit your exposure to identity theft, and thats to winnow your wallet. Doing so means that if your wallet gets stolen, a possible identity thief will have fewer ways to get into your private affairs.

Heres what not to carry around with you:

Receipts: Tucking sales receipts into your wallet during the day and then failing to remove them when you get home can be a dangerous practice. Businesses are prohibited from printing receipts with a credit or debit cards expiration date or more than the last five digits of a credit card number, but some thieves get around this.

A crafty ID thief can make use of the limited credit card information as well as merchant information on receipts to phish for the remaining numbers, according to Kiplinger.

Social Security card: If you lose your wallet with your card (or any paperwork that contains your Social Security number), a thief can take over your identity, open new accounts, get a drivers license in your name and basically take over your life. The problem with losing the card is that you cant just cancel it and get a new number.

This number is whats known as a `unique identifier, meaning that number is unique to you and only you and cannot be changed in all but the rarest of cases, according to the National Identity Theft Resource Center. This document, more than any other, changes the loss of a wallet from a temporary hurdle to a life of constant increased vigilance 

Theres a simple precaution for those on Medicare, who are advised to carry their card even though it displays their Social Security number. Instead, photocopy the card and use a marker or scissors to remove the last four digits of the number. (You will, however, need your original card the first time you visit a new health care provider, who will likely want to make a photocopy for their files.)

Congress last year required the federal government to start issuing cards with new identifiers within four years. The government has four more years to reissue the new type of card to current beneficiaries.

Multiple credit cards: The more cards you carry, the more youll have to cancel if your wallet is lost or stolen. Kiiplinger recommends carrying only one card at a time, plus perhaps an additional rewards card on days when you expect to buy gas or groceries.

The more cards you carry, the more youll have to cancel if your wallet is lost or stolen. Kiiplinger recommends carrying only one card at a time, plus perhaps an additional rewards card on days when you expect to buy gas or groceries. Spare keys: This is an obvious one. With both an extra key and identifying information in your wallet, even the dumbest of crooks can figure out where you live and steal more than your identity. Instead, keep your spare key in a hidden place or with a friend or relative in case you ever need it. Similar advice: If you ever use a parking valet and hand over your set of keys, consider that you might have papers in your glove box that have your address. This can also make you vulnerable.

This is an obvious one. With both an extra key and identifying information in your wallet, even the dumbest of crooks can figure out where you live and steal more than your identity. Instead, keep your spare key in a hidden place or with a friend or relative in case you ever need it. Similar advice: If you ever use a parking valet and hand over your set of keys, consider that you might have papers in your glove box that have your address. This can also make you vulnerable. Passport cheat sheet: Although remembering passwords to various accounts can be daunting, never keep a list of them with you.

Parents and students are the latest targets in a telephone scam in which an IRS impersonator demands payment for the federal student tax. The caller says the owed taxes must be wired or paid with a cash card immediately.

If the person does not comply, the scammer becomes aggressive and threatens to report the student to the police to be arrested, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Scammers are constantly identifying new tactics to carry out their crimes in new and unsuspecting ways, the agency said in a news release. This year, the IRS has seen scammers use a variety of schemes to fool taxpayers into paying money or giving up personal information.

They sometimes advance their scheme by spoofing numbers on caller ID so that it really does look like a phone call from the IRS  or a police department or any other government agency.

Ellen Marks is assistant business editor at the Albuquerque Journal. Contact her at emarks@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3842 if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-866-627-3249.
AT BOOKWORKS: Zelda Gatuskin will discuss Digital Face at 3 today.

Charles M will talk about The Jungle Within at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30.

Megan Feldman Bettencourt will discuss Triumph of the Heart at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31.

Bookworks is at 4022 Rio Grande NW. Call 344-8139.

AT PAGE ONE : New Mexico psychologist Phyllis M. Skoy will discuss her first book, What Survives at 3 today.

Page One is at 5850 Eubank NE, Suite B-41, in the Mountain Run Center. Call 294-2026.

AT COLLECTED WORKS: Ronald Chapman will talk about My Name is Wonder at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31.

The book chronicles the transcendent adventures of a little goat with big dreams. Join Wonder and his wisecracking guide, the mysterious crow Mac Craack, on a journey through the scenic landscapes of the American Southwest and into the heart of mindful presence.

Collected Works is at 202 Galisteo St. in Santa Fe. Call 505-988-4226.
John Fleck said he came out of the tradition steeped in the doomsday narrative of Marc Reisners 1986 book Cadillac Desert.

That persuasive narrative states that society in the western United States will collapse for lack of water.

I believed that, and my job as a journalist was to warn people of that, Fleck said. In one form or another, Ive been writing about water for 30 years.

Fleck was the science and environmental writer for the Albuquerque Journal for almost 25 years.

His new book, Water Is for Fighting Over  And Other Myths about Water in the West, deepens and illuminates the readers knowledge on this broad, complex subject.

Flecks book focuses on the Colorado River Basin and the cities inside  and outside  the rivers hydrologic basin. Albuquerque is one of several major cities that draw water from the basin. Other outsiders include Los Angeles, Denver and Salt Lake City.

As the drought of the 21st century set in, Fleck began asking many people in the water business in the West this provocative question: Who runs out of water first?

Fleck got answers that surprised him. It increasingly became clear that people arent running out and that change is under way, that people were adapting, using less water, he said.

In other words, in this new collective, cooperative atmosphere, water authorities have successfully encouraged urban and agricultural users to become water conservationists. Las Vegas, Nev., believe it or not, is a conservation success story.

These stories have turned the water crisis narrative on its head.

Flecks book explains in plain language the policies and laws that apply to water storage, water rights and water use.

Today the concerns are what to do with the water saved by conservation and what will happen in water-scarce times. This is an important book for all Westerners.

Fleck has taught in the University of New Mexicos Water Resources Program since 2013 and was recently named director of the program.

Fleck will discuss and sign Water Is for Fighting Over from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 31, at UNMs Hibben Center and at 6 p.m. Sept. 7 at Bookworks, 4022 Rio Grande NW.
The Internal Revenue Service has reinstated the Albuquerque Little Theatres tax-exempt status after temporarily revoking it this spring.

The nonprofit lost that exemption because of a failure to file the required 990 forms for three years. ALT had been soliciting donations for a $3 million renovation.

ALT Executive Director Henry Avery blamed the failure on an auditors oversight and said the organization was taking steps to ensure the mistake never happened again. He said he learned about the failure in April or May.

The auditor said he sent everything in, Avery said. The IRS said they didnt get it. Everything was reinstated retroactively.

Avery said he had switched the filing responsibility to another auditor and appointed a board member to keep track of IRS deadlines in the future.

Its such a weight off my shoulders, he said. It was nerve-wracking for me.
As a filmmaker, Tomas Sanchez aims to get as many eyes on his production as he can and tell a strong story.

This is why the New Mexico-based filmmaker took on the project of The Lost Pueblo.

The Lost Pueblo, written and produced with his son Gabriel Sanchez, was inspired by the book, Saints of the Pueblos by Charlie Carillo.

Sanchez produced and directed the film because he wanted to produce a movie that would have a positive story line and inspire people.

I have been a stunt man and actor in over 65 films. I got tired of New Mexicans being portrayed in stories filled with drug addiction, drug cartels, gangs and violence, he says. I wanted to bring the message that hope and love conquers evil.

The Lost Pueblo recounts the story of one of the pueblos that revolted when the Spanish settlers came to New Mexico.

Set in modern day New Mexico, two best friends and co-workers  Tomas, played by Andres Segura, and Calvin, played by Jeremiah Bitsui  are going to survey land for a new casino.

They talk about a local legend in which forgotten saints haunt the land in search of their churches and people. The characters encounter good and evil, including a fierce battle between saints and the devil.

The film reveals the rich, composite tapestry of New Mexico culture and history in a story that features Catholic saints interacting with northern New Mexican Hispanic, Pueblo Indian, and Anglo characters. The characters each speak in their own languages.

The film recently screened at the Great Lakes Christian Film Festival in Buffalo, N.Y. On Aug. 20, the film received two awards  one for best special effects (short) and one for best sound.

I am very honored that The Lost Pueblo was selected for two awards. Jeremy Shabo did an amazing job with the soundtrack. Brendan Hawkins was our sound designer, and Bayard Carey mixed the sound on-set, Sanchez says. We were also blessed that our special effects team, Nick and Zack Young of Machineyes, treated this short film with the same level of technical expertise that they employ on major feature films. I was proud that our team competed and won on a national playing field.

Sanchez says telling the stories of New Mexicans is his focus.

There are so many stories to be told, he says. Its a cultural piece that I think audiences would be interested in.

Ruby Rael wrote the screenplay, and Sanchez was the head writer.

Along with Bitsui and Segura, the film stars Monique Candelaria, Jenny Gabrielle, Carlie Grace, David Midthunder, Luce Rains, Alma Sisneros, Boots Southerland, Fabian Valle and Ava Wagenman.

Sanchez is proud that the cast and crew was 95 percent New Mexican.

There are a lot of talented actors and crew, he says. This was a story about New Mexico, and I looked to hire New Mexicans to play the roles.

Ann Lerner, the city of Albuquerques film liaison, is proud that the The Lost Pueblo filmed in Albuquerque.

The Lost Pueblo showcases the beautiful scenery of New Mexico and the talented work of our local film crews, she says.
Eveli Sabatie doing yoga in Tucson last year. (Courtesy of Rod Mullen) Bracelet, silver, turquoise, fossilized ivory, lapis and wood inlay by Eveli Sabatie. (Courtesy of Neebinnaukzhik Southall/Heard Museum) Outburst of Pomegranate, c. 1981. Fabricated silver purse and chain, coral by Eveli Sabatie. Eveli Sabatie grinding in her Santa Fe studio, around 1975. (Courtesy of Richard Smith) Necklace/pendant, two-strand turquoise disc necklace, silver and inlaid turquoise clasp. Silver pendant, turquoise, coral and lapis mosaic by Eveli Sabatie. Bracelet, silver, inlaid coral, by Eveli Sabatie. (Courtesy of Neebinnaukzhik Southall/Heard Museum) Prev 1 of 6 Next

The jewelry of Eveli Sabatie bridges the sculpted symmetry of Charles Loloma with flowing rivers and Egyptian eyes.

Eveli Sabatie: Between Worlds and Time is showing at the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian in Santa Fe.

It all started at a Grateful Dead concert.

In 1968, the 28-year-old Sabatie moved from Paris to San Francisco, hoping to learn about Native American cultures. A chance rock n roll encounter with Hopi traditionalist Thomas Banyacya led to an invitation to the Powamuya (Bean Dance) ceremony at Third Mesa on the Hopi Reservation.

It made me feel at home completely because of the connection to the land, the Algerian-born Sabatie said in a phone interview from her Tucson home. I grew up in the desert. The connection to the earth really spoke to me.

She met the legendary Loloma, the king of raised inlay, in a Hopi laundromat.

I didnt know anything about Loloma, who he was, she said. He seemed to be a fun person and very interested in people. He would ask me what I had done. He asked me would I like to learn to make jewelry. Of course, I said yes.

Considered the father of contemporary Native American jewelry, Loloma used unconventional materials such as gold, pearls and diamonds, as well as architectural shapes, in his work. A recent edition of Antiques Roadshow valued two Loloma rings at $60,000.

Soon the great jeweler began expressing more than a professional attraction to Sabatie.

I kept my distance at first, she said, laughing. He was pretty insistent. Then I fell in love with the whole man. He had been separated from (first wife) Otellie for a long time.

She remained with Loloma from 1968 to 1972.

Raised in Morocco and schooled in Paris, Sabatie joined Lolomas studio as his focus shifted from cast metal to mosaic inlay. She introduced him to Moroccan mosaics, their turquoise and lapis blues laid into the walls of mosques and fountains.

Sabatie fashioned her first piece of jewelry from beef bones she wrested from a dog. Then some friends gave her a deer skeleton they discovered on a Mill Valley, Calif., hike.

She was one of just two Loloma proteges; the other was his niece, Verma Nequatewa.

Its all very original, Wheelwright curator Cheri Falkeinstien-Doyle said. She doesnt repeat herself at all.

She has terrific visual intelligence, Falkeinstien-Doyle continued. She can see something and turn it around in her mind and make it jewelry.

Sabatie learned by watching and listening as Loloma spun stories about the Hopi spiritual world. Realizing she needed more formal study, she returned to San Francisco for a soldering class.

Then I was on fire, she said. Having a torch and seeing the metal melt, I got very excited. When I went back to Hopi, I made a ring for Charles and I could see that he really liked it.

Her stonework spanned minerals from turquoise and coral to amethyst and abalone.

One bracelet features turquoise inlay carved into layers of tabs like petals. Turquoise and sugilite reeds nod across the back side of an 18-karat gold bracelet. A snake pendant curls and coils in fossilized ivory, citrine, lapis, silver and gold. Turquoise squares blanket a bracelet like a crazy quilt topped with a Cleopatra eye. Turn over a pendant of embracing figures to see their hands stamped on its silver back.

After her private Hopi tutelage, Sabatie moved to Santa Fe. Loloma gave her a bench, some silver and a handful of turquoise. She used bone until she could afford more expensive materials. She introduced herself to the neighborhood by distributing homemade bread, carrying the jewelry she hoped to sell in a paper bag.

I had one tiny, little room that had everything  the kitchen, my bed and my bench.

Stuff was coming out of me, she continued.  Some pieces were very north African, some were very Moorish, some were very Loloma-like.

Soon she was booked into shows in Santa Fe and Taos, with an annual summer show at Santa Fes old Fenn Gallery.

She moved to Tucson in 1978.

I wanted to be in a bigger town to see what it was like, she said. I wish I had stayed in Santa Fe. I love the climate in Santa Fe; I feel very good at higher elevations.

She stopped making jewelry in the late 1990s as her eyes and wrists deteriorated. Now 76, she teaches yoga and Sanskrit from her former studio and makes a mean green chile stew.
Zozobra post art by Russell Thornton, of Santa Fe, will be for sale during Zozobra Fest. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) An acrylic on canvas by Isaac Elebario of Albuquerque. A piece by Sean Wells shows Zozobra with a fire dancer. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) A Zozobra Christmas tree topper by Lauren Stutzman. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) Zozasso, a Picasso-inspired Zozobra in pen and ink, by Scott Wiseman. Zozometti by Scott Wiseman is on display in Santa Fe. Prev 1 of 6 Next

Artists have twisted him into Picasso-worthy facial contortions, poured him into earrings and splashed him across T-shirts.

Zozobra fans can see local versions of Old Man Gloom in Zozofest at El Museo Cultural de Santa Fe. The annual burning of the giant monster will take place about 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2, though festivities begin at 6 p.m.

Curators have gathered more than 100 personal visions of the Santa Fe Fiesta icon for display and sale. The formats range from markers, photographs on metal, quilts, acrylic paintings, photography, pen and ink, sculptures and even a crocheted, scowling Christmas tree topper.

The 12-year-old exhibition brings Zozobra and his inspirations into the same building, said Scott Wiseman of the Santa Fe Kiwanis Club, which sponsors the event.

Cerrillos resident Lauren Stutzman turned the gloomy guy into a 14-inch crocheted Christmas tree topper. She was inspired by an Austrian tradition she learned about when she was living in Vermont.

I make a Christmas monster called Krampus from Austrian folklore, she said. He was the first Grinch.

Krampus is one bad dude. He carries chains in one hand and a whip in the other to accompany St. Nicholas. While St. Nick delivers presents to the good kids, Krampus takes care of the bad.

Krampus metes out punishment, Stutzman said. He whips the kids, he spanks the kids. His story ensures the kids are well-behaved all year. The possibilities are endless in terms of what Krampus can do to ruin Christmas.

For Fiestas, Stutzman merged Krampus with Zozobra.

I had been carrying around this weird pink hair for ages, and I thought, Its there for a reason,  she said.

People in Santa Fe are used to odd characters.

Wiseman grew up in Santa Fe consumed with all things Zozo.

I was just one of those kids that got bit with Zozobra fever, he said. It involves making as many Zozobras as you could at any time of the year.

Wiseman crafted Zozos from paper towel rolls and performed in the annual arson as a gloomie character for three years.

This year, hes busy sculpting Zozobras 8- to 10-foott hands from welded fence material. Hes chosen a black and red manicure.

His pen and ink of the puppet with the overbite rings some familiar notes for anyone who has seen a Picasso painting. One eye twists toward the other, his nose extrudes over the corner of his lips. His arm zigzags around his head.

It was inspired by a series of artwork that Picasso did of a lady in an armchair in the 40s, he said.

Each year, organizers have chosen a decade for an annual theme; this years decade is the 1940s.

It all started in 1924 when Santa Fe artist Will Shuster created the 50-foot-tall marionette monster to torch away woes at the end of summer. With his chomping jaws, bat-like ears and skull-like head, he moans and groans his way through incineration annually. This year, visitors to El Museo can stuff their glooms (old mortgages, police records, divorce papers) into a corner of his dress to watch them burn with the golden glow of the citys aspens.

Kiwanis members moved the art show into El Museo four years ago. The show also features 400 local childrens submissions, Wiseman said.
The recent crash in oil prices, paired with persistently low natural gas prices, has caused quite the budget headache for state government.

Revenues from the extraction of oil and natural gas are down, and at least 6,500 energy-related jobs have been lost in the past year. As a result, income tax and gross receipts tax revenues have also collapsed, driven by a downturn of economic activity in energy-rich counties.

For example, in three of the heaviest energy-producing counties  Lea, Eddy and San Juan  gross receipts tax revenues fell by $164 million in one year, while the rest of the states revenues increased.

This is what can happen when a state relies so heavily on a sometimes-volatile sector for its revenues. And, it is why we at the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce have worked so hard alongside state leaders to improve the diversity of our economy.

This has been bipartisan work, and both the governor and reform-minded legislators deserve credit for their efforts to reduce taxes, provide more incentives and tools to attract new jobs, and make New Mexico an export leader.

Think about the fiscal challenges the state has weathered.

It faced a massive budget deficit coming out of the Great Recession, steep cuts in federal government spending, a federal government shutdown, and now the steepest oil and gas crash in a generation. And despite it all, employment in New Mexico has grown 45 of the past 48 months, with the state adding nearly 10,000 jobs in the last year alone.

In fact, setting the energy sector aside, year-over-year job growth in New Mexicos private sector over the last two months was the strongest its been since 2006.

We cannot afford to lose momentum. If federal government and energy sector employment is trending downward, while overall employment is rising, that means we are attracting more private sector jobs and employers from a wider array of industries.

Our recruitment pipeline for new companies and business expansions is strong, and New Mexico is now viewed favorably as a place to do business. Retreat should not be an option.

Over the next few weeks, there will be hard conversations about how to close the states $348 million revenue shortfall in the last fiscal year and address the projected revenue shortfall of $458 million in the current fiscal year.

We strongly urge the governor and Legislature to balance the state budget by reducing and reforming spending in a variety of ways, and across state government, to allow the state to live within its means while we weather the remainder of the oil and gas downturn.

Additionally, it would be imprudent to take any actions that undermine our key long-term goal of growing the private sector and making New Mexicos economy more diverse.

To that end, we need to maintain funding for key job-creation programs that are helping the state attract new companies, thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment across New Mexico. This includes the Job Training Incentive Program and our states robust closing fund, both of which help the state compete for business recruitment projects.

We need to preserve certain recently enacted tax improvements that have reduced the costly layering of taxes on construction and manufacturing activities, made New Mexico a more thriving high-tech corridor and led to a boom in exports and economic activity along the southern border.

And, we need to continue implementing  on schedule  the landmark bipartisan tax reform package of 2013, which is reducing New Mexicos business tax rate and making us more competitive.

Finally, while it makes sense to perhaps modify or eliminate certain tax expenditures that are no longer needed or working properly, it would be absolutely counterproductive to increase taxes. Placing additional burden on families and businesses would only dampen economic expansion, and serve as a short-term solution with long-term adverse consequences.

In solving todays budget problem, we cannot slam the brakes on future progress, irreparably damaging the states reputation as a reliable economic development partner.

Working together, we must rise to the challenge and ensure that New Mexico is capable of competing for the jobs of tomorrow and creating the more diverse economy we need.

Tom Antram is chairman of the Board and Terri L. Cole is president and CEO of the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce.
Do you know the old wheelbarrow joke? Its truly funny only to grandpas and the grandkids they tell it to, so I wont bother with the elaborate setup. For years a factory worker pushes a wheelbarrow full of straw past a security guard on his way out. Suspicious that the guy is stealing something, the guard looks in the straw but cant find anything. Finally, when the worker is retiring, the guard asks, I know youve been stealing something  can you tell me what it is?

The guy smiles and says, Wheelbarrows.

That joke keeps popping into my head whenever I hear Hillary Clintons defenders say theres no evidence of a quid pro quo in the fresh batch of emails released this week. According to many Republican critics, the trove provides fresh evidence that the Clinton Foundation was, in Donald Trumps words, a pay-to-play scheme, selling access to and favors from the secretary of state.

The Clinton team says theres no proof of that. Both Clinton and many of her critics can get ahead of the facts, though in opposite directions. But one thing is clear: Clinton lied. Thats not shocking; shes famous for doing that.

Just last month, Clinton said, There is absolutely no connection between anything that I did as secretary of state and the Clinton Foundation. During her confirmation hearings, members of the Obama administration and Congress extracted assurances from Clinton that there would be a high wall between her State Department and her familys foundation.

It turned out it was more like a turnstile.

Former Clinton Foundation official Doug Band would contact Huma Abedin, Hillarys closest aide, when he needed a favor for a friend (his words)  and the friend would in many cases be a major donor to the Clinton Foundation. Radio host Hugh Hewitt tartly describes the Clinton Foundation as providing concierge service to the State Department.

While everyone but ardent Clinton surrogates can agree that the whole thing looks bad, theres ample disagreement about whether theres any fire under all the smoke.

The Clinton campaign insists that theres no evidence of a quid pro quo in any of the newly released emails. In other words, there isnt an email saying something like, If you donate $10 million to the Clinton Foundation, you can be ambassador to Kenya. For $20 million, well exempt you from the ban on importing baby elephant ivory.

To which the obvious response is, Duh. Some things just arent put in writing.

She may or may not be guilty of selling favors. But if she is, I very much doubt well find evidence of it in an email.

This whole argument misses the point. What we know from these emails, particularly thanks to an analysis by the Associated Press, is that Clinton or other State Department officials agreed to meet or talk on the phone with a large number of Clinton Foundation donors. Some of these meetings would probably have happened if the foundation never existed. But clearly some wouldnt have.

Team Clinton wants to say that even though these meetings and conversations took place, theres no evidence that anyone was granted a special favor.

Fine. Maybe. Well see. But even if thats true, is there any evidence that the Clinton Foundation wasnt eager to leave the impression that a donation couldnt hurt your chances with the State Department?

This brings me back to the wheelbarrow joke. The meetings (and phone calls) are the wheelbarrows. It really doesnt matter if theres nothing inside the wheelbarrows; the meetings and conversations alone were valuable.

Being able to say to business partners, creditors, local politicians, etc., When I met with Secretary of State Clinton last week  is a gift. In America and even more so abroad, possessing a reputation for having friends in the highest places is a priceless asset.

All campaigns understand this. Donors could always just send the check by mail. But politicians understand that one of the things a donor is buying is the ability to strut like an insider and dine out on your political connections.

When Bill Clinton rented out the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House to big donors, the donors didnt get to keep the furniture, but they did get to begin sentences, The last time I stayed at the White House 

The Clinton Foundation may not have sold any policy changes, but it definitely sold the wheelbarrows.
ASCOLI PICENO, Italy  Mourners in Italy prayed, hugged, wept and even applauded as coffins carrying victims of the countrys devastating earthquake passed by at a state funeral Saturday, grieving as one nation after three desperate days of trying to save as many people as possible.

In the central town of Ascoli Piceno, they gathered to bid farewell to 35 of the 291 people confirmed dead so far after the quake that struck a swath of countryside early Wednesday at the foothills of the central Apennine mountains.

The caskets of 35 people had been brought to a community gym  one of the few structures in the area still intact and large enough to hold hundreds of mourners. The local bishop, Giovanni DErcole, celebrated Mass beneath a crucifix he had retrieved from one of the damaged churches in the picturesque area of medieval stone towns and hamlets.

Emotions that had been dammed up for days broke in a crescendo of grief. One young man wept over a little girls white coffin. Another woman gently stroked another small casket. Many mourners were recovering from injuries themselves, some wrapped in bandages. Everywhere people knelt at coffins, tears running down their cheeks, their arms around loved ones.

It is a great tragedy. There are no words to describe it, said Gina Razzetti, a resident at the funeral. Each one of us has our pain inside. We are thinking about the families who lost relatives, who lost their homes, who lost everything.

As all of Italy observed a day of national mourning, with flags at half-staff, Bishop DErcole urged residents to rebuild their communities.

Dont be afraid to cry out your suffering  I have seen a lot of this  but please do not lose courage, DErcole said in his homily. Only together can we rebuild our houses and our churches. Together, above all, we will be able to restore life to our communities.

President Sergio Mattarella and Premier Matteo Renzi joined grieving family members, stopping to speak to some of them.

When the caskets were brought out of the gym, the mourners applauded, a traditional Italian way of honoring people who die in tragedy.

The bishop recalled the heartbreaking story of 9-year-old Giulia Rinaldo, whose embrace apparently allowed her younger sister Giorgia to survive.

He said 15 hours after the quake struck Wednesday, he returned to the church in Pescara Del Tronto to recover its crucifix. Close by, firefighters were using their hands to dig out the two sisters.

The older one, Giulia, was sprawled over the smaller one, Giorgia. Giulia, dead, Giorgia, alive. They were in an embrace, DErcole said.

Giulia was among those buried Saturday, while her younger sister had her fourth birthday at a hospital, trying to recover from the traumatizing ordeal.

The melancholy grabs on to your heart. You feel a sense of weakness, of depression, said Fiore Ciotto, a resident of Ascoli Piceno who attended the funeral. An event like this weakens you physically and mentally.

Across the area, a cool retreat for those seeking to escape Italys hot summers, many of the dead were children and elderly people, some of them visiting grandparents before school resumed.

The magnitude 6.2 quake struck at 3:36 a.m. Wednesday and was felt across a broad swath of central Italy, killing at least 291 people and injuring nearly 400. Nobody has been found alive in the ruins since Wednesday, and hopes have nearly vanished of finding any more survivors.

Before Saturdays mass funeral, the president visited Amatrice, which bore the brunt of destruction with 230 fatalities and a town turned to rubble and dust. Eleven others died in nearby Accumoli and 50 more in Arquata del Tronto, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Amatrice.

Mattarella arrived by helicopter and was shown the extent of the damage in Amatrice by its mayor, Sergio Pirozzi. The president thanked rescue workers who have been working around the clock, some barely taking breaks for sleeping.

Saturdays funeral involved most of the dead from Arquata del Tronto.

As deep as their anguish was, Saturdays mourners at least had coffins with bodies to honor and bury. Many of the dead from Amatrice are now in a refrigerated morgue in an airport hangar in Rieti, the provincial capital that is 65 kilometers (40 miles) away, awaiting identification.

On Tuesday, a memorial service  without the bodies  will be held for the dead of Amatrice on that battered towns outskirts.

Hundreds of people have been left homeless by the quake, with many spending their nights in tent cities and a gym in Amatrice, where volunteers are working to provide basic amenities.

With families unable to remain in the houses in Amatrice that were damaged but still standing, two persons were detained Saturday for suspected looting, the mayor said.

Overnight, residents were rattled yet again by a series of aftershocks. The strongest, at 4:50 a.m., had a magnitude of 4.2, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, while the Italian geophysics institute measured it at 4.

The Italian institute says the earthquake caused the ground below Accumoli to sink 20 centimeters (8 inches), according to satellite images.

___

Gera reported from Rome. Frances DEmilio contributed reporting from Rieti.

___

This story has corrected that the presidents first name is Sergio.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

Seventeen miles from Downtown Albuquerque, atop a scrubby patch of mesa, hundreds of correctional officers operate one of the largest jails in the country.

Their work is carried out behind closed doors, in a place easy for the public to ignore.

Thats starting to change.

One stomach-churning video in particular  of an inmate shrieking in pain as Bernalillo County jail officers shock her with a stun gun, twist her wrist and spray Mace in her face  has grabbed attention from across the country, and triggered a local protest and calls for reform.

Bernalillo County executives, meanwhile, say its time for a new culture inside the Metropolitan Detention Center.

And that means bringing the jail under the direct control of County Manager Julie Morgas Baca and subjecting it to scrutiny from other county departments  finance, human resources and risk management  rather than letting the jail handle those functions on its own.

Were digging in, Morgas Baca told the Journal . Were digging deep.

To that end, she and other county executives say they hope to have a variety of changes in place by the end of the year:

 Creation of an Office of Professional Standards, with newly hired employees, to help investigate allegations of misconduct.

 Training on a new use-of-force policy that stresses patience and planning for officers confronting unruly inmates, instead of the reactive model thats been in place, and when officers do use force, a new committee is charged with ensuring the incident gets an independent review.

 Installation of new cameras to record more of what happens inside the jail.

 A more robust effort to help inmates transition back into the community when they leave jail.

But theres plenty of skepticism about the changes  whether theyre needed, whether theyre enough.

Lt. Stephen Perkins, president of the union that represents correctional officers, said a cultural change is warranted, but among jail administrators, not the rank and file. County officials inappropriately characterize any use of force as excessive, he said.

Were disgusted by how were being portrayed, Perkins said in an interview Friday.

Attorney Peter Cubra takes a different position. He represents inmates with mental or developmental disabilities, and said he and his team will cooperate with county efforts to improve the jail. But theres much work to be done, he said.

We desperately need more and better training of jail employees, and a much larger number of qualified and independent investigators, if we are going to root out the employees who needlessly hurt people in the jail, Cubra said.

County Commissioner Wayne Johnson said the county will no longer allow the jail to operate as a kingdom unto itself.

Weve got some fresh eyes on this, he said, and I believe that were probably going to find some more problems.

A closed system

The treatment of inmate Susie Chavez, captured on a video camera worn by a jail officer, illustrates some of what county executives say they want to change.

At one point in the video, Chavez lies sobbing on the floor after she has been shocked with a stun gun.

Put her in a wrist lock, one officer tells another, and twist her wrist until she shuts up and stops crying.

The incident is the subject of a law enforcement investigation, and one officer involved has been on paid leave since January, county and union officials say.

But jail leaders didnt flag the incident as excessive force, county officials say. In fact, a lieutenant who was involved in the incident was part of the review of whether it was appropriate, county officials said.

A captain determined there was no problem, said Tom Ruiz, the acting jail administrator, who took over just last month.

Most of the time  it appears there was no follow-through on the incidents that occurred, Ruiz said. I think that started developing that culture out there.

In any case, the jail now prohibits an officer involved in a use-of-force incident from being part of the review.

The new use-of-force committee, which includes top jail administrators, a medical staffer and an appointee of the county manager, among others, is aimed at ensuring an independent review is completed.

Its difficult, Ruiz said, for colleagues to police each others behavior.

In a sense, he said, a fraternity is formed in that group, and they protect each other and it becomes a closed system.

Ruiz is a longtime administrator in the courts. He took over the jail in late July on an interim basis and reports directly to Morgas Baca, the county manager and top administrator under the County Commission.

Morgas Baca was appointed to her position in October. The county attorney, Ken Martinez, a former speaker of the state House, took over the county legal department in December.

Ruiz is the fifth interim administrator or permanent jail chief in the past three years.

No cover-up

Perkins, the jail lieutenant and union leader, sees the Chavez incident from a different perspective: It shows how county officials take use-of-force incidents out of context and evaluate them without the practical experience of what its like to work in a jail.

The incident was only captured on video in the first place, Perkins said, because one of the officers involved, Sgt. Eric Allen, volunteered to wear a camera.

He took the video voluntarily and uploaded it so supervisors could evaluate what happened, Perkins said.

There was no cover-up, he said.

In fact, Perkins said, jail officers have pushed for years for body-worn cameras, because they believe they have nothing to hide.

Weve always said the more the better,  Perkins said of cameras.

And the lieutenant involved simply summarized the events in a report  it was a higher-level supervisor, a captain, who did the review, Perkins said. Allen and others did nothing wrong, either during the incident or in its aftermath, Perkins said.

As for the new use-of-force policy, Perkins said its impractical to expect officers to absorb a 100-page document written by lawyers. It will just lead to indecision, he said.

When you cant react to a threat, you become a victim, Perkins said.

Increased scrutiny

How effective the countys changes will be is a matter of debate.

Miles Conway, a spokesman for AFSCME Council 18, the umbrella organization that includes unions representing state and county correctional officers throughout New Mexico, said Bernalillo County management should be working more closely with the frontline employees, not racing ahead with cosmetic and unjustified changes.

Right now, he said, I think theyre just reacting to public outcry. The way you really change a culture is by working more effectively with the officers union.

Cubra, the attorney for inmates, said the changes cant stop at the jail. Albuquerque needs a much better network of mental health services, which would in turn improve conditions inside MDC, he said.

And jail staffers who abuse people in jail should be prosecuted, Cubra said.

Most jail guards are good people working hard to make a living, he said, and they deserve the communitys respect and appreciation; but some of them behave far worse than the inmates. They belong behind bars.

Perkins said more independence for the Metropolitan Detention Center  letting the corrections professionals do their jobs  is whats needed, not less, he said.

Whats clear, in any case, is that the jail is under increased scrutiny.

At 2,236 beds, its one of the 50 largest jails in the United States. It houses about 1,400 inmates nowadays  generally a mix of people awaiting trial, serving sentences of less than a year or transferred in from state prison to attend a court hearing in Albuquerque.

The pay for correctional officers starts at roughly $36,000 a year. They attend a 12-week academy and undergo training on social control, chemical sprays, Taser stun guns and other topics.
Copyright  2016 Albuquerque Journal

A former inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center said he was raped by his cellmate, then mocked by jail guards about the attack, which was never fully investigated by the sheriffs office.

Those are the allegations the former prisoner is making in a lawsuit that was filed in 2nd Judicial District Court earlier this month against the Metropolitan Detention Center, the county, the sheriffs office and other officials.

The lawsuit contends that the attack on the inmate was one of many unwanted sex acts and proposals that are reported to authorities at the Metropolitan

Detention Center, then not thoroughly investigated. The lawsuit cited a 2015 study by the University of New Mexicos Institute for Social Research that found that dozens of sexual assaults and misconduct incidents were reported at the facility over a period of 27 months, that the jail had no record of any of those complaints being forwarded to the sheriffs office, and that jail officials have a misunderstanding about laws that dictate how jails and prisons respond to sexual assaults.

More than six sexual assaults or misconduct incidents per month were reported to jail officials, according to the study. Those range from assaults to consensual sex.

The lawsuit also cited a 2007 Bureau of Justice Statistics study that said MDC had the third-highest rate of sexual abuse in the country.

Nataura Powdrell-Moore, a spokeswoman for the jail, said staffers report all cases of alleged sex crimes to the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office. She said the problems highlighted in the UNM study were caused by jailers who were not documenting that they had notified the authorities. She said that, since the study was released in November 2015, procedures have been changed and that the events are now documented.

The sheriffs office acknowledged that it had been notified of complaints during that time period.

Corrections is a fluid operation; we are continuously revising policies and practices in striving for a safer environment for our inmates and staff, she said in a statement.

Powdrell-Moore said all sexual assault allegations are investigated by both the jail to determine whether policies and procedures were followed and by the sheriffs office.

A special team of sheriffs deputies assigned to the jail early last year to investigate crimes, including sexual assaults, at the jail has yet to recommend charges against an inmate for sexually assaulting another inmate.

There have been allegations and investigations, but all have been unfounded, Felicia Romero, a spokeswoman for the sheriffs office, said in an email.

However, she said the investigators are still looking into the case included in the lawsuit.

The Sheriffs Office detectives have charged at least four guards in sexual assault cases in recent years.

Shannon Kennedy, an attorney who filed the lawsuit on the inmates behalf, said the high number of sexual assault reports found at MDC in the studies and the lack of criminal charges against inmates for sexually assaulting other inmates indicate that the cases are not being thoroughly investigated. They are turning their backs on the victims of sexual violence, she said. Victims of sexual violence have rights, and the criminal justice system has to start protecting them.

Lawsuit claims

The suit says the plaintiff was raped in his cell after he was drugged by his cellmate in December. The man believes that his cellmate hid the drug Suboxone in his food, then assaulted him after he fell asleep. He said that Sgt. Manuel Baca had him strip-searched after reporting the rape.

A rape kit was done and an investigation was launched by the sheriffs office, according to the lawsuit. The kit was sent to the crime lab in Santa Fe several months ago, and investigators are awaiting results before deciding whether to file charges against the inmate, who is no longer in custody, said Romero from BCSO.

The lawsuit claims that jail officials were negligent and could have prevented the assault. The victim is of Mexican-American descent, and his cellmate was a member of the Peckerwoods, a prison gang with ties to the Aryan Brotherhood. The alleged rapist had a high risk of abuse classification at the jail, so the two men shouldnt have been paired together, according to the lawsuit.

After reporting the rape, a jail sergeant allegedly told the victim this is gonna happen, get over it, people get raped all the time. Guards and other inmates became aware of the rape allegations and openly mocked the victim, according to the lawsuit.

The man was released from jail about a month after the attack and has been receiving treatment from the Rape Crisis Center of Central New Mexico, which diagnosed the former inmate with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Systemic failures by MDC and Bernalillo County are crippling our communitys capacity to prevent and punish crimes of sexual violence both within and outside of the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center, the lawsuit states.

The jail declined to comment on the specifics of the lawsuit.

Frequency of sexual assaults

The study by UNMs Institute for Social Research, published in late 2015, examined inmate reports of abuse during a 27-month period from 2013 through March 2015. It found that 35 sexual assaults and 50 sexual misconduct claims were reported. The alleged abusers included both guards and inmates, but the study didnt break down the numbers.

The researchers also looked at paper files kept at the jail on discipline investigations of inmates there. Those files had different data and indicated that, during the same 27-month period, the jail investigated inmates and took reports on seven cases of forcible sexual assault, 169 cases of sexual activities, which could include sexual intercourse and sexual threats or proposals, and 42 cases of indecent exposure.

The purpose of the study, which was funded with a grant from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, was to evaluate how the jail is complying with the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act, a federal law that sets standards for how jails and prisons respond to, and keep track of, rapes and sexual assaults. The study concluded that jail administrators had a general misunderstanding of what PREA incidents are.

The researchers found no evidence that any of the cases were reported to law enforcement. Jail officials said that they contacted the authorities, but that they didnt keep records of it.

We looked at the incidents themselves, and some should have been reported to police, said Paul Guerin, the director of the Center of Applied Research and Analysis and one of the studys authors. There was no evidence that that occurred.

Jail officials say they have learned from the report.

The report helped me understand where the issues are, said Amy Ortiz, a special projects coordinator at the jail who collects PREA data for the jail. And we have made changes in our data collection methods, our staff training, and the way in which we respond to sexual assault and sexual harassment allegations.

Meanwhile, the jails latest PREA reports show a total of six inmate-on-inmate sexual assaults reported in the first half of 2016. Of those, two were substantiated, one was unfounded, two were unsubstantiated (meaning there was not enough evidence to determine whether an assault occurred) and one case was ongoing.
The Daily Times

Former Navajo Nation Council Speaker Johnny Naize was among 10 tribal officials sentenced last week  and only one of a couple who have showed any remorse  for misusing a financial assistance program designed to help tribal members seeking help.

Naize, who served as speaker from January 2011 to September 2014, pleaded guilty in tribal court in Window Rock, Ariz., to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery in official and political matters for issuing $36,550 in financial assistance to other delegates in exchange for the same amount being given to his family.

In September 2014, Naize entered into a plea agreement with the Navajo Nation special prosecutor and admitted to abusing the councils discretionary fund, the financial assistance program designed to provide tribal members facing financial hardship or emergency situations.

Window Rock District Court Judge Carol Perry sentenced Naize to pay $36,550 in restitution.

In lieu of jail time, Naize was ordered to make four one-hour presentations to the Blue Gap-Tachee, Cottonwood-Tselani, Low Mountain, Many Farms and Nazlini chapters, which he represented on the 22nd council. The former speaker was ordered to write an apology to the chapters, as well as pay a $500 fine and attend life value engagement classes on Sept. 2.

Attorney Marc Lowry, who represents the special prosecutor, said Naize was one of the few defendants who showed any level of remorse for his actions and offered a plan to repay the tribe.

Former Delegate David L. Tom, who represented the Beclabito, Cove, Gadiiahi-Tokoi, Red Valley, Toadlena-Two Grey Hills, Tooh Haltsooi and Tse Alnaoztii chapters, also was sentenced.

Tom pleaded no contest to conspiracy to commit bribery in official and political matters in September 2014. Lowry said Tom agreed to provide information about the discretionary fund cases, but his help was never needed. In an initial briefing with the special prosecutor, Tom did express remorse for his wrongdoing, Lowry said.

Perry sentenced Tom to pay $96,600 in restitution and provide half of his deferred compensation  which totals $72,735  toward the restitution. Tom was not sentenced to jail because of a medical condition.

Nine other defendants also received sentences.

Former Delegate Orlanda Smith-Hodge represented the Cornfields, Greasewood Springs, Klagetoh and Wide Ruins chapters. Her immediate family and household members benefited from approximately $100,374 in financial assistance, according to court documents.

In a plea agreement, Smith-Hodge pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery in official and political matters for $24,800.

During the hearing, Lowry said an example of the former delegates misuse was authorizing financial assistance 41 times to a 6-year-old household member. When Smith-Hodge authorized funding to the child, she was authorizing money to herself because she had access to the bank account, Lowry said.

Because Smith-Hodge is employed in Phoenix, Perry sentenced her to pay $350 each month until the $24,800 in restitution is paid in full. If Smith-Hodge fails to pay, she will face jail time, Perry said.

Former Delegate Harry J. Willeto, who represented the Counselor, Nageezi and Ojo Encino chapters, was sentenced to pay $3,000 in restitution.

Perry sentenced former Delegate Ernest D. Yazzie Jr., who represented the Baahaali and Church Rock chapters, to 365 days of supervised probation. Yazzie was also sentenced to pay restitution, but Perry did not specify an amount in court.

Former Delegate Leonard Teller was sentenced to 180 days in jail and ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution. Teller will serve one day in jail each week until the 180 days is served and the remaining six days will be served in home detention due to medical issues. He was ordered to pay $200 each month until the restitution is paid in full.

Former Delegate Raymond Joe, who represented the Tachee, Blue Gap and Whippoorwill chapters, was sentenced to 138 hours of community service and was ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution.

Former Delegate Jack Colorado, who represented the Bodaway-Gap, Cameron and Coppermine chapters, was sentenced to 180 days in jail with 150 days suspended. Colorado will serve the remaining 30 days by reporting to jail one day each week because of his poor health.

Former Delegate Harry Williams Sr., who represented the Coalmine Canyon and To Nanees Dizi chapters, was sentenced to unsupervised probation of 365 days and was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution.

Harry H. Clark, who represented the Chinle Chapter, was sentenced to pay $5,550 in restitution and given 180 days of probation.

Former legislative branch employee Victoria Cecil was sentenced to a year of supervised probation and ordered to pay $750 in restitution.

Of the defendants sentenced so far, each one was ordered to attend a life value engagement class, in addition to submitting a written apology to the chapters they represented.

The court adjourned before former employee Laura Calvin, former delegates Lena Manheimer and George Arthur, and former Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan were sentenced. Manheimer will be sentenced on Tuesday, Calvin will be sentenced on Friday, Morgan will be sentenced on Sept. 6 and a date for Arthur is pending.

Former Navajo officials sentenced in court
VANCOUVER, British Columbia  The long-awaited return to the octagon for Albuquerques Carlos Condit didnt last as long, or go as well, as the Natural Born Killer would have liked.

The former interim UFC welterweight champion was submitted by Demian Maia in the first round (1:52), tapping out after the 38-year-old jiujitsu expert caught Condit in a rear-naked choke in the main event of the UFC Fight Night event at Rogers Arena.

Ranked third in the division, Maia said this week that with a victory over Condit, he should be in line for a fight for the title now held by Tyron Woodley. And, at 38 years of age, Maia may get his wish later in the year after forcing Condit to tap out.

Maia made quick work of the fight, which was scheduled for five rounds. He broke down in tears in the middle of the octagon when it was over. Now he will await word on when a potential title fight could take place.

Im very grateful for everything Ive accomplished in my life and very grateful for my family, said Maia, who has won six straight fights. My life is complete already. The title shot, that will be something else, something amazing if it happens.

Saturdays fight may have been the last for Condit (30-10), who has lost his last two fights. There has been speculation about Condits future in the UFC, and he strongly suggested after his loss to Maia that his days as a fighter could be over. He stopped just short of confirming his retirement, saying he hopes the loss wont be his swan song.

He said hell talk to his management team and his wife and make a decision after that. But he said possible retirement has been in the back of my mind for a while.

I dont know if I have business fighting at this level anymore. Ive been at this for a really long time, Condit said. Its been awesome. Ive got to do what I love for a living for a very long time, but I dont know if I belong here anymore. Well see.

The loss also extends for Jackson-Wink fighters a dismal streak in headline events broadcast on FOX.

JW-trained fighters are now 0-5 when headlining a UFC on FOX event, with losses from Condit, Holly Holm on July 23 in Chicago, Donald Cowboy Cerrone on Dec. 19, John Dodson on Jan. 25, 2013, and now former JW fighter Travis Browne on April 19, 2014. (Browne was a JW team member at the time of that fight).

In the co-main, Anthony Pettis beat Charles Oliveira via a third round submission (guillotine choke, 1:49) in their featherweight bout.

Pettis, who flirted with a knockout win in the first round, has come to Albuquerque more than once in recent months to do some of his training at Jackson-Wink.

Paige VanZant returned to the UFC with a second-round KO over Australias Bec Rawlings.

VanZant, who last fought on Dec. 10, was able to land a kick to the head of Rawlings, driving her foe to the ground. VanZant continued with a series of punches before the fight was stopped.
When one bite of the wrong food turned life-threatening for her son, Amber Roberts lived a parents worst nightmare.

Roberts, a Clovis resident and mother of three, said her 10-year-old son was prescribed an EpiPen about four years ago, but the device wasnt used until several weeks ago when munching on a granola bar resulted in a trip to the emergency room. An allergic reaction to nuts was the cause.

Ricky had swelling, and he couldnt really talk, Roberts said about her son. I gave him allergy medicine, but it didnt work. He pointed toward the EpiPen, and I gave it to him. He still had to ride to the emergency room. I dont know that the little dose of adrenaline helped him from going into shock, but I would like to believe so.

EpiPen is an auto-injector that prevents anaphylaxis, a life-threatening allergic reaction, by delivering a synthetic form of adrenaline known as epinephrine into the body.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the list price for an EpiPen pack has risen from $93.88 in 2007 to $608.61  up almost 550 percent since the drug company, Mylan, first acquired the product.

The kicker: EpiPens are sold only in pairs and must be replaced yearly.

Following national and political backlash due to its most recent hike in EpiPen prices, Mylan responded Thursday by boosting patient programs, while still maintaining the full list price. The company now offers financial assistance to users with commercial insurance, plus expanded access to free EpiPens for eligible uninsured patients.

With her medical coverage, Roberts said she doesnt have to pay an extremely high price out-of-pocket for the drug. But that wasnt always the case.

I can relate to those single mothers who have been put in a financial bind, Roberts said. I was in that position once, and there was no way I wouldve been able to afford the EpiPen.

Roberts said when she first learned about the rise in EpiPen prices, her past struggles came to mind.

My first thoughts when I read about the rise in cost are, after having to use it and it possibly saving my sons life, I cant put a price on it. But I feel for single mothers who maybe cant afford it because Ive been in that position myself. It drove me to find a job with benefits.

The New York Times reports an estimated 70 percent of EpiPen users are typically responsible for their co-payments with commercial insurance. If their policys deductible hasnt been met, patients could end up paying the full amount.

Mylans solution is a savings coupon of up to $300, which was previously worth up to $100. However, according to Mylans website, patients with Medicaid, Medicare, Tricare or other government-funded insurance are not eligible for these savings.

According to that same report, uninsured patients account for 5 percent of EpiPen users and usually have to pay the full price.

Part of Mylans response to the recent criticism was to give free EpiPens to such patients with incomes below 400 percent of the federal poverty level. This amount is double what it was previously, but patients must apply for these benefits every year and provide required documentation, The New York Times reports.

Some local EpiPen users say this isnt enough.

Their response is a joke, said Clovis resident and EpiPen user Magen Friend. Offering help to qualified patients is picking and choosing who has the right to live and who does not.

Friend, who has a shellfish allergy, said price hikes of EpiPen affect not just her, but also her family. She said her 10-year-old son requires an EpiPen for an unknown allergy still being tested, and her mother suffers from a severe peanut allergy  so severe, she uses an EpiPen several times a month, and even a shift in the wind with a nearby peanut facility could be life-threatening.

Im terrified that one of us may die as a result of (the price increase), Friend said. Im angry that they are, for lack of better words, withholding life-saving medical care from those who need it because they want more money.

Mylan CEO Heather Bresch announced Thursday that of the $608 for an EpiPen pack, Mylan only receives $274 because of middleman costs.

Friend said her insurance covers her EpiPen pack with a $75 co-pay, but her sons insurance no longer covers the cost. Her mother, whose insurance also doesnt cover the full cost, paid around $300 per set a few months ago, Friend said.

The price increase has made my mother choose between basic needs and her life on several occasions, Friend said. For her, she would die before help could arrive.

For this reason and more, living day-to-day without an EpiPen isnt an option for Friend or her family.

I wont chance not having a set on me because of my son, Friend said. His life comes before even my own basic needs, so he will have his. Im managing not having a second set so far, but if he and I had a reaction close together, I wouldnt make it.

Other locals are choosing to take that risk, according to Roden-Smith Pharmacist Trapper Eldridge of Clovis.

Eldridge said records dating back a year show there hasnt been one uninsured patient paying the full out-of-pocket price, and most insurances cover the cost.

The issue that comes up is that most people who are not covered by insurance just dont pick it up, Eldridge said. Its too expensive. Either they have insurance that covers it, or they dont. If not, its out of the question for them. Nobodys going to pay 500 or 600 bucks for that prescription  at least, looking at the history back to last September, we havent had anybody that has paid full cash price for it.

Eldridge said the pharmacy is affected only when a patient doesnt pick up their prescription; that medication then has to be restocked. But more importantly, these instances bring up safety issues, he said.

If the patient has a severe risk of allergic reaction to something, Eldridge said, and theyre not able to pick up the medication due to the cost, then thats a patient-safety concern more than anything.

The main takeaway is if theres a patient not covered by insurance and having to pay full price, Eldridge said, then theres almost a guarantee that they wont pick up the prescription.



2016 the Clovis News Journal (Clovis, N.M.)

Visit the Clovis News Journal (Clovis, N.M.) at www.cnjonline.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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- Irene Adams and Luca Tomasi met and fell in love

- Irene brought Luca home for her Edo traditional wedding

- Luca took Irene to Italy for their white wedding at the beach

Irene Adams got married to her Italian sweetheart last weekend. He is called Luca Tomasi and the pair had a lovely Edo traditional wedding in Nigeria then finished it off with a white wedding by a beach in Italy.

READ ALSO: After 4 kids, this couple renewed their vows for 10 year wedding anniversary (photos)

For the traditional ceremony, Luca made sure to bring his crew all the way from Europe to celebrate with him and also carry his wife away after to their new life abroad.

For the white wedding ceremony, Irene rocked a short bob and a lovely white dress while Luca was in a white ensemble as well. The couple looked at peace in their pictures with huge smiles on both their faces. It is clear they are in love and excited to start their new life as man and wife.

See more photo below taken by Oluseyi Adegeye:

READ ALSO: Nollywood actor reveals how Boko Haram was involved in his new film

Source: Legit.ng
Dr. Joel Ndaleh to Lead Team that Focuses on Research, Grants and Effectiveness

By: Saint Monica University

End

-- Saint Monica University (SMU): The American International University today announced that it has established the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, which oversees the offices of Research, Institutional Research and Effectiveness, Grant Management, and the Institutional Review Board. This office will be lead by Dr. Joel Wozerou Nghonjuyi Ndaleh and an exceptional staff of highly qualified researchers and assistants.. He holds a PhD in Veterinary/Medical Parasitology and has years of research experience. He joined SMU last year where he worked first as the Coordinator of the School of Health and Human Services before being promoted to this coveted position.As mandated by the US government, all research institutions must have an Institutional Review Board (IRB) and SMU has had one since its inception., who holds a PhD Agriculture from Texas A&M University in the United States and has held many senior positions in the Ministry of Scientific Research. He was a founding faculty at SMU and was formerly the AVP for Students Affairs and Enrollment Management., who is also the President's Technical Advisor. He was previously the Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs. He holds a PhD Engineering and has been the Director of the College of Engineering at the University of Buea. He has over 30 years of teaching and administrative experience., who holds a PhD in Public Health and is a State Registered Nurse. He has many years of research experience and is expected to develop and implement a plan for grants at SMU. He came to SMU from the public service where he put in over 30 years of experience."Saint Monica University is a teaching and applied research university and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs is central to our success," said Professor Januarius Jingwa (JJ) Asongu, President and Chief Executive Officer of SMU. "The staff of this Office is made up of the most experienced faculty at SMU and can stand their grounds in any university, which speaks to the importance of the work they perform. Our strategic plan is to become a leading university in Cameroon by 2020 and these are the people who will ensure that we get there."Saint Monica University (SMU) is an American-style non-ecclesiastical Catholic institution, offering career-focused programs that are at the intersection of the liberal arts, science and technology. With headquarters in the United States, it is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for the intellectual, social, entrepreneurial and professional development of a diverse student population. Saint Monica University Institute of Cameroon is a leading private university in Cameroon. SMU is focused on the student experience and helping our students achieve their educational and career goals, and contributing to a more sustainable society. We offer various certificates and diplomas as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees through the School of Arts, Education, & Humanities (SAEH); School of Business & Public Policy (SBPP); School of Health & Human Services (SHHS); and School of Science, Engineering & Technology (SSET). SMU is accredited in the United Kingdom by the Accreditation Service for International Schools, Colleges, and Universities (ASIC) with Accreditation No: AS22357/0614 and is listed on the UK Register of Learning Providers (UKRLP) with the UK Provider Reference Number (UKPRN): 10048183. SMU is also fully accredited in Cameroon by the National Commission on Private Higher Education at the Ministry of Higher Education (MINESUP) as "Saint Monica University Institute of Cameroon" with the Ordinance of Creation No: E14/0028/MINESUP/SG/DDES and the Ministerial Letter No: 15-09643/L/MINESUP/SG/DDES/ESUP/SDA/MM authorizing SMU to offer over 50 undergraduate and graduate diploma and degree programs. SMU is a member of many international academic organizations including the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC), Global Universities In Distance Education (GUIDE), and the Talloires Network. For more information about SMU, visit our website: http://www.smuedu.org or write to us at admissions@smuedu.org.
Contact

Lakshmi Ramarajan

***@expotrade- me.com Lakshmi Ramarajan

End

-- The Middle East Smart Lighting and Energy Summit, the leading lighting and energy summit in the region, held under the patronage of Abu Dhabi City Municipality, today announced that Philips Lighting has joined the summit as a Gold Sponsor. The fifth edition of the summit is scheduled to be held on 26-27 September at Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi.Featuring keynote sessions, panel discussions and case study presentations, the summit will explore the latest trends, best practices and developments in lighting within the region and across the globe. The summit will also lay emphasis on smart lighting systems and its interconnection with smart cities. In line with this, Mr. Rami Hajjar, General Manager, Philips Lighting Middle East will deliver a presentation on Connected Lighting systems and how these empower cities to become smart cities. Delivering energy efficient, sustainable connected LED lighting systems and services, Philips Lighting provides a wide range of feature-rich technology and expertise that enables the transformation to smart cities. This can be achieved via connected street lighting and architectural lighting; indoor positioning in retail stores and Power over Ethernet connected lighting for smart offices.said, "."The summit will provide a unique platform to over 400 lighting professionals from across the region. Attendees present will gain valuable insight on Philips connected lighting systems and services - indoor positioning for retail, smart ofices and Philips ActiveSite for city beautification will be showcased at the summit.Announcing the partnership,, organizers of the summit said, "Philips Lighting has been at the forefront of introducing innovative lighting systems and services and its participation at the summit reaffirms the common vision shared. We are thrilled to have it join us as a repeat sponsor for this year's edition of the summit and look forward to a long and fruitful association."To know more about the 5Annual Middle East Smart Lighting and Energy Summit, please log on to http://www.lightingsummit.com/ . Follow the Summit on social media with the hashtag #MESLES2016.Philips Lighting (Euronext Amsterdam ticker: LIGHT), a global leader in lighting products, systems and services, delivers innovations that unlock business value, providing rich user experiences that help improve lives. Serving professional and consumer markets, we lead the industry in leveraging the Internet of Things to transform homes, buildings and urban spaces. With 2015 sales of EUR 7.5 billion, we have approximately 36,000 employees in over 70 countries. News from Philips Lighting is located at http://www.newsroom.lighting.philips.com Expotrade is a global conference and event organizer with its head office based in Melbourne, Australia and a regional office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Expotrade has delivered some of the largest, most successful B2B industry conferences and events. For almost 15 years, our unique blend of knowledge, experience and flexibility has accomplished an array of consistently top quality events. Today, Expotrade events enjoy such a distinctive edge, they are amongst the best patronized in the calendar.For more information, visit www.expotradeglobal.comLakshmi RamarajanExpotrade Middle East FZ-LLCTel: +9714-4542135Email: marketing@expotrade-me.com
Sheikha Lubna launches 'Sheikha Fatima's Sewing Machine' to empower refugee women and help them earning a sustainable living

Contact

Sara Hassan

Media Relations Specialist

***@zu.ac.ae Sara HassanMedia Relations Specialist

End

-- In the presence of Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, President of Zayed University, Zayed University marked the occasion of the Emirati Women's Day at Zayed University in Dubai campus, celebrating the achievements of influential Emirati women and their contributions to the growth of the nation.The one-day event was attended by Professor Reyadh AlMehaideb, Vice President of Zayed University, Dr Marilyn Roberts, Provost of Zayed Univerity, Dr Abdel Mohsen Onsy, Associate Provost and Chief Academic Officer, Dr Fatima AlDarmaki, Assistant Provost for Student Affairs, Shamsa Al Taie and Fathiya AlKamiri, Directors of Student Affairs, Aisha Harib, Zayed University graduate and member of the UAE Youth Council and graduate from the UAE National Service, a group of female members of the UAE Armed Forces, who climbed Mount Everest as well as Zayed University students, faculty, and staff.Professor AlMehaideb inaugurated the event by thanking Her Highness Sheikha Fatima, Mother of the Nation and Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, for her timely and far-sighted efforts and congratulating women on their day, which marks their achievements and contributions in building the society alongside with men.Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna gave a keynote speech, saying: " I am pleased to celebrate the Emirati Women's Day today with prominent Emirati women, whom their contributions and achievements highlighted many roles in the UAE.Today, we celebrate endless efforts and achievements of an exemplary mother, who is a benevolent role model for all women, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation and Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood. Today we gather to mark Her Highness Sheikha Fatima's unstinting support for women's empowerment and pay tribute to a prime example and symbol of infinite generosity,"Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna said."Coinciding with this significant occasion, I am delighted to launch "Makeenet Umna Fatima" initiative, which means "Sheikha Fatima's Sewing Machine" in English, to support Syrian refugees' families, who are hosted by the Emirati Jordanian Camp, Murijep Al Fhoud. The initiative aims to empower women and give them support through learning handcrafting, knitting and crocheting beautiful things," Sheikha Lubna added.Her Excellency Shaikha Lubna also pointed out that 'Makeenet Umna Fatima' initiative is the fruit of a promising learning journey experienced by a group of 16 female students from Zayed University in the Murijep Al Fhoud Camp, which coincided with Zayed Humanitarian Work Day on the 19th day of previous Ramadan and held under the patronage of the Ministry of Presidential Affairs to respond to corporate social responsibility ethics and needs on both national and international levels."At first, the idea initiated when a workshop was conducted for around 300 students in the Murijeb Al Fhoud Camp; however, the project expanded with the support of the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) and attracted around 800 children and many of the camp's refugees," she added.Sheikha Lubna also said: "There is no doubt that 'Makeenet Umna Fatima' initiative will reach its goals and rapid results by extending the hands of participation to finance the vocational training project, sewing machine operator, that will contain more than 120 sewing machines to help women and girls earn a sustainable living and cope with the difficult circumstances they are facing."At the end of the event, Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna awarded Mohammad Al Zarouni, Director of Emirates Red Crescent Dubai, Aisha Harib, and female members of the UAE Armed Forces, who climbed Mount Everest.ENDS//About Zayed UniversityZayed University is today the premier national university in the United Arab Emirates and a regional leader in educational innovation and change. It has created and implemented a skills-rich, outcome-based general education program that systemically develops student skills, knowledge, and values associated with liberal learning and provided a solid foundation for pursuit of disciplinary majors and future careers. Zayed University welcomes national and international students, and provides them with a high quality education, offered by seasoned teaching scholars to prepare them to shape the future of the United Arab Emirates.Zayed University offers Undergraduate and Graduate degrees in the following Colleges: College of Arts & Creative Enterprises (recognized as substantially equivalent by NASAD), College of Business (Accredited by AACSB), College of Communication & Media Sciences (Accredited by ACEJMC), College of Education (Accredited by NCATE), College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Natural and Health Sciences, and College of Technological Innovation (Accredited by ABET). For more information, visit www.zu.ac.aeMedia contacts: Sara Sabry, Media Relations Specialist at the Office of the Vice President at Zayed UniversityDir-Tel: 025993630Mobile: 0566561059E-mail: Sara.Hassan@zu.ac.aeWeb: www.zu.ac.ae
Its been more than a decade since Andrew Westoll has spent time in the rain forest amongst the capuchin monkeys, but the sounds, sights and emotions they conjure in the former primatologist have never completely vanished. Now, theyre at the heart of his first novel, The Jungle South of the Mountain, a psychological mystery mixed with magical realism set deep in an unnamed South American country.

I had my own experiences in the upper Amazon basin, years and years ago, Westoll says. They just felt like they totally hadnt been put through the sieve.

Westoll, who left science to focus on writing, made a name for himself with his travel memoir The Riverbones, which captures his time in the Suriname jungle, and the award-winning The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, a biography of a group of rescued chimpanzees living in Quebec. But he started his career writing fiction while working on his creative-writing MFA at the University of British Columbia. Like many authors, Westoll has an early drawer novel tucked away  and despite his success with non-fiction had always wanted to return to the genre.

The Jungle South of the Mountain follows Stanley, a scientist who has been living for years immersed in a rain forest on the northern coast of South America. While in mourning after the loss of his son and the departure of his fellow scientist and wife, Maria, Stanley finds himself embroiled in local politics and the mysterious disappearance of the troop of monkeys theyve been tracking.

Stanley came to Westoll one night while wondering what would happen to a scientist who stayed in the jungle too long. Once I had that idea, I realized this could be a really amazing way to put my relationship to that part of my life to bed, he says.

He knew Stanley needed some kind of adversary and so, to refresh his memory, the next morning he began looking up videos of capuchin monkeys. He came across one shaky video taken immediately after a troop of monkeys was attacked by a powerful harpy eagle. Westoll heard a mans voice exclaim in horror and realized it was his own. He had totally forgotten shooting the video and hadnt realized it had been posted online.

When I heard my voice, it all came rushing back, the power of that moment, he says. Its profoundly upsetting when you spend all this time with the monkeys and youve named half of them. You see them come under attack like that and its troubling. I just knew that was what was going to happen.

Although The Jungle South of the Mountain is far from being autobiographical, Westoll did draw on the internal conflict between rationalism and spiritual faith hes experienced in his own career. When I left science, I left because I believed more strongly in the larger truths that literature provides, he says. Its not that I dont believe the truths of science, I just didnt want to spend my life obsessing over data. I wanted to go in a different direction and use storytelling as a way of understanding the world around me.

Sue Carter is the editor of Quill & Quire

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Bertha Funk received a nasty surprise on her 28th birthday  she lost her citizenship.

It felt like somebody just kicked me in the stomach. It was a complete shock, said Funk, who has lived in Canada almost her entire life after moving here from Mexico with her family in 1980 when she was 2 months old.

The Squamish, B.C., woman is now virtually stateless after being caught in a citizenship snafu that has affected an unknown number of other lost Canadians.

Unbeknown to Funk, Canada changed its Citizenship Act in 1977, requiring those born outside the country to a foreign-born Canadian parent  between Feb. 15, 1977 and April 16, 1981  to reapply for citizenship before their 28th birthday.

Funk, now 36, didnt find out about this requirement until years after shed unknowingly been stripped of her citizenship. In fact, she didnt even learn she was stateless until earlier this year when she called the immigration department to inquire about a replacement citizenship card shed applied for when she misplaced the original months before.

How was it even remotely possible what had happened to me? asked Funk, who is still reeling over her lost citizenship  and desperately fighting to get it back.

Canada is the only home I know, but its saying to me that I dont belong here any more. Its a devastating feeling, she said.

The obscure provision in the Citizenship Act that caused Funk so much grief was repealed in 2009. Its intent was to limit citizenship by descent to one generation born outside Canada.

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada told the Star an attempt was made to contact those affected, where possible.

As we do not have data on the number of individuals who might have been impacted, we were unable to advise people systematically (about the changes), said spokesperson Lindsay Wemp.

When possible, IRCC did inform people . . . that they would have to take steps to retain their Canadian citizenship prior to their 28th birthday by way of a written notice to the client included with their citizenship certificate, Wemp added.

Funks father, who was born in Mexico to Canadian parents, returned to Canada with his family of seven and settled in Manitoba in 1980. However, only Bertha was affected by the citizenship regulation because of her date of birth.

She lived in Winnipeg and later moved to Surrey for school, living a normal life, working as a counsellor, paying taxes and travelling with her Canadian passport  until now.

Funk said she received a letter from immigration officials in April offering two options: to apply to become a permanent resident as an immigrant, or to apply for a discretionary grant of citizenship, designed to alleviate cases of special and unusual hardship or to reward services of an exceptional value to Canada.

However, she noted the letter said the latter is a long and formal process that requires many levels of approval. Grants under this subsection are only used in very exceptional cases.

To be considered, Funk would need to provide documentation including lease agreements, expired and valid passports, school transcripts, pay slips, dentists and doctors contact information and any relevant documents to establish her continuous residence in Canada.

There is no guarantee I would have my status back by applying for permanent residency or citizenship grant. Its all at the discretion of the officials, said Funk.

According to the government, only a very small number of people were affected by the clause, and officials have received only 330 applications to date for a grant of citizenship  probably because many people dont even know they have lost their citizenship.

I have lived in Canada all my life, said Funk, who has made a personal appeal to Immigration Minister John McCallum to restore her citizenship. This is completely ridiculous and unjust.

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There are deer tracks underfoot. An egret, sensing intruders, spreads its impressive wings and lifts off a nearby perch to glide elegantly downstream. Mallards paddle above the gurgling rapids as the early morning sun peeks through the trees.

It is unexpectedly idyllic.

We are on the west bank of the Don River, just north of Pottery Rd. Not as far south as where the waters flow, tamed and straightened by retaining walls, passes under a tangle of concrete roadways, but in the heart of the city nonetheless.

However, if not for the hum of commuters along the Don Valley Parkway, you could imagine this a pastoral hideaway.

David Clark has brought us here, through chest-high underbrush to the rivers edge where he now busily prepares his gear, tying a hook to the eight-pound test line of his spinning reel. Clark, co-founder of Toronto Urban Fishing Ambassadors, wants to demonstrate that the Don, still regarded by many as a toxic cesspool, is actually an undervalued recreational resource.

The Don is an overlooked river, he says, neatly summing up Torontos relationship with the oft-ignored waterway. But I can be here catching fish while people are stuck in traffic not too far away.

Many of the car-bound would be surprised at what lurks in these tepid waters.

In the spring, white suckers run in the Don. There are some rainbow trout then as well. In the fall, chinook salmon battle their way upstream looking for a place to spawn. Most common are fish that can tolerate the rivers almost bath-like temperatures and high pollution counts, such as creek chub and blacknose dace. Those minnow-sized species serve as perfect meals for larger predators such as pike and walleye that are returning in greater numbers. Twenty-five species call the Don home.

But we are in one of those stifling hot stretches that have defined the summer and made the shallow Don even warmer. So we are here at 6 a.m. Not much point in trying when the sun is higher, says Clark. As it is, most fish have headed for the deeper, cooler waters beyond Keating Channel  where the 38-kilometre Don ends in the shadow of the Gardiner Expressway with a dramatic turn west  to Torontos inner harbour or the lake. Still, Clark believes well find carp, suckers and bullheads  fish that can handle the low oxygen levels the warmth brings.

Clark, 49, starts out with a small piece of worm as bait. On his fifth cast he gets a bite, as he does on his next couple of tries. While thats encouraging, he figures the fish showing interest, likely suckers, are too small to hook and decides to move farther up the river.

The water, undoubtedly less murky than when it served as Torontos all-purpose repository, is reasonably clear with no obvious odour, but its appearance is a tad deceiving. The city, on its 311 website, cautions it is not advisable to swim in the Don especially after a rainstorm, when elevated E. coli levels can make you very sick  if you should inadvertently fall into the Don, it would be wise to wash thoroughly with antibacterial soap as soon as possible.

But Rick Portiss, a senior manager and fish specialist with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), says the water has improved greatly over the last four decades. If this was a completely degraded, polluted system, these fish wouldnt be drawn to this system at all, he says.

The city of Toronto is working with several stakeholders such as Parks, Forestry and Recreation and the TRCA to develop a Toronto Ravine Strategy that will provide a framework for future ravine policy and use, including recreation.

Portiss says he absolutely encourages people to fish in the Don as a way to connect to the river and, in turn, feel engaged in the watersheds future.

Where else in the country, he wonders, can you take a streetcar down to your favourite fishing holes?

Back on the rivers edge, Clark eyes a half-dozen good-sized carp in deeper water. He opens a can of corn, a favourite of these foragers, and tosses a handful of kernels into the water to pique their interest.

He then baits his hook and casts, hoping for a nibble on his niblets. These seen-it-all urban fish likely arent much different than their nearby human counterparts battling traffic. They appear a little jaded and disengaged.

Urban fishing isnt easy. It takes some time, he says. Fish here have seen presentations of bait and lures, especially the larger pike and carp that are 15 to 20 years old. Those larger fish were likely caught on a lure when they were younger, so they know to be cautious.

Still, it is not long before Clark has hooked the lip of a large carp. It takes less than a minute to land it. The faster he brings it in, the better for the fish when released  as it is for this one, after puckering up for a close-up.

Clark has never eaten anything he has caught in the Don but, he says, thats only because hes never fought a fish to the point where it was mortally wounded or likely too exhausted to live. He says he has seen others keep suckers they have caught.

Surprisingly, fish from the river are edible.

The current Guide to Eating Ontario Fish, published by the provincial government, does allow for limited consumption of white sucker and brown bullheads taken from the Pottery Rd. area of the Don. Other species have not been tested. Toxins restricting consumption are mercury and PCBs, a poisonous organic compound once widely used in industry.

People are probably doubtful that there are fish in here, but thats one of the almost nice things about it, says Clark, whose biggest haul from the Don was a 23-pound carp.

Theres not a lot of fishing pressure on the river; you have a longer stretch of river to fish in solitude.

A river returns to life

Some 200 years ago, inmates of the Don Jail complained that they were eating too much fresh salmon. It was an easy meal. Guards could just wander over to the Don River to quickly catch enough Atlantic salmon for all their incarcerated guests.

But industrialization and urbanization grew in the Don watershed. That meant effluent from paper mills, chemical factories, refineries, abattoirs and tanneries mixed with agricultural animal waste, and sometimes animal carcasses, to make the river a slow-moving toxic soup that destroyed spawning grounds. Native salmon disappeared, the last recorded one plucked from the river in 1874 near Pottery Rd.

The river was so horribly polluted  it reportedly caught fire twice and was known to change colour based on the chemicals used by a paper mill  that Pollution Probe ceremonially pronounced it dead in 1969.

They finally had a funeral for the Don River yesterday, read a report in the Toronto Telegram. Judging from the smell of the deceased, it was long overdue.

Even now, when passersby see David Clark fishing in its waters, they make the usual cracks about snagging a three-eyed monster or offer dire warnings against eating what he catches.

Ralph Toninger, a senior manager with the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority, says public perception and the stigma surrounding the river are obstacles in getting people to use the Don for recreation.

Its an underutilized fishery, he says. The biggest thing we have to fight is (the belief) that if you dip your toe in it, its going to fall off. The water quality has already improved significantly and we have wildlife using these areas.

Still, a 2013 TRCA report card on the Don River watershed gave the water a very poor rating of F. The main reason, states the report, is that 96 per cent of the watershed is urbanized, largely built up and paved over.

All that pavement means rainwater and melting snow carry contaminants directly into the river. About 1.2 million people call Canadas most urbanized watershed home.

The F grade is the result of, among other things, phosphorus and E. coli concentrations. High levels of phosphorus can cause the growth of algae that choke waterways and deplete oxygen levels. E. coli indicates the presence of untreated human or animal waste.

The report states the water has not changed substantially since 2001, though phosphorus levels at the mouth of the Don have declined significantly over the last 30 years.

Still, tighter restrictions on contaminants and the use of herbicides and pesticides, as well as the banning of leaded gas  a significant development for a river so close to the Don Valley Parkway  have resulted in substantial improvements since the 1950s and 60s, says Toninger.

And the TRCA and local city and regional governments have been working to improve the river and its watershed  examples include the construction of a stormwater management pond in Earl Bales Park on the West Don, the development of three wetlands in the East Don Parklands area and the planting of trees and shrubs.

When Clark arrived in Toronto from Peterborough in 1985, his first impressions of the Don were formed by where it is most visible: the walled-in waterway near Richmond St.

A river youd never fish in, he says.

But when he learned the Humber and Credit rivers had runs of rainbow trout and salmon, he became curious about the Don. It took him about a decade before he dropped a line in it.

Once we started catching suckers, we knew it was worth exploring more, he says. The next year I was seeing pike that were 30-plus inches long.

Portiss, the TRCA fish expert, notes several examples of how the Don is bouncing back from its dirtiest days.

Rainbow trout, what he calls a highly sensitive fish, are returning to the rivers headwaters in the Oak Ridges Moraine. There was an Atlantic salmon, a species reintroduced in the more pristine waters of Duffins Creek and the Credit River, caught exploring the Keating Channel area. And walleye, which virtually disappeared 25 years ago, are now prolific through the Don system.

That predators like walleye and pike are in the river means there is also a thriving ecosystem in place to keep them fed.

Portiss says the TRCA often tests both the water and sediment that is frequently dredged from Keating Channel, and the contamination that we used to see 25 years ago has completely dwindled down to just traces that we see now. Its a huge change.

The TRCA has removed or altered barriers so fish can pass freely in the Don, but sport fishing in the river, inner harbour and along the lakefront should improve even more with a planned but still unfunded realignment and naturalization of the Don estuary, with its associated wetlands, estimated to cost almost $1 billion. In July 2015, the three levels of government, with Waterfront Toronto, announced $5 million in funding for due diligence work to provide certainty on the costs.

If you were to stop 10 people on the Gardiner Expressway and ask them if they thought there was fish in the Don River, nine out of 10 are going to say no, says Portiss.

But theres a good diversity of fish species there that are right under their noses at the Gardiner Expressway.

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With all the Trump-fuelled talk of trade protectionism in the U.S. presidential election, Premier Kathleen Wynne is headed to Mexico to remind officials there that Ontario is wide open for business.

Wynne flies to Mexico City on Monday for meetings with Mexican political leaders, manufacturers, exporters, and potential investors.

Mexico is our fourth-largest trading partner  $27 billion goes back and forth (annually) so its really important that we have that relationship, the premier told the Star.

Were an open business community and we want to build those trading relationships, she said.

Im really aware that Mexico is aware of the conversation thats going on obviously in the United States right now and they want to be reassured that there are open markets and open partners and so we want to be that.

Her trip comes as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is vowing to build a massive wall along the U.S. border with Mexico  and somehow force the Mexicans to pay for it through threats of higher trade tariffs  if he wins the Nov. 8 American election.

While the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, is not talking about building walls, she has campaigned against trade deals that are important to Canada, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

So Wynne stressed this is a moment for Ontario, which is expanding trade with Michigan, India, China, and Israel, among other jurisdictions, and bidding to attract more investment.

In November, the premier will lead a Team Ontario trade mission to Japan and South Korea.

Later this week, she will be in Guadalajara for the Climate Summit of the Americas, which the provincial government hosted in Toronto last year.

Were very encouraged that Mexico is doing a pilot on cap-and-trade, said Wynne, whose administration signed an agreement with Quebec and California to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions to curb climate change.

Under such a system, businesses have greenhouse gas limits  or caps  and those coming in under theirs can sell or trade credits.

Its designed to create an economic incentive to pollute less and an industrys overall cap will gradually be lowered in order to reduce emissions.

The hope is that this will spark the use of greener energy sources such as wind and solar power in homes and electric vehicles on roads.

While this years quarterly cap-and-trade auctions have not been generating as much revenue as Queens Park anticipated, Wynne stressed it is still full-steam ahead with the provinces five-year $8.3-billion climate plan.

We are putting a cap-and-trade system in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so the measure of success of cap and trade has to be the reduction in GHGs, the premier said.

So thats the starting point for me. Its a free market so it will function like a market and whatever revenue comes in we reinvest in innovation and in helping people to reduce their (carbon) footprint, she said.

The point is that the system will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and thats the measure that we will be using.

The Ottawa Citizen revealed last Tuesday that the cap-and-trade auction held by California and Quebec this month only sold 35 per cent of the emissions allowances that were on the block.

While thats an improvement of the 11 per cent auctioned off in May, its far lower than what is needed to generate the $1.9 billion in annual revenue Ontario is banking on from cap and trade.

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BERLINGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday slammed those countries in Europe who say they wont take in Muslim refugees, a position that several eastern European governments have taken in response to the influx of migrants from the Islamic world.

Merkel said she was hopeful that European Union members would reach an agreement on outstanding questions arising from the migrant crisis, one of which is how to fairly distribute asylum-seekers among all the blocs 28 member states.

She told German public broadcaster ARD that everybody has to do their bit and didnt rule out the possibility of letting some countries take in fewer migrants if they contribute more financially instead.

How the individual components are weighted will have to be seen, Merkel said.

But she reiterated her stance that blocking refugees based on their religion was misguided.

What I continue to think is wrong is that some say we generally dont want Muslims in our country, regardless of whether theres a humanitarian need or not, she said. Were going to have to keep discussing that.

Her comments come almost a year after Merkels decision to allow hundreds of thousands of migrants stuck in other European countries to come to Germany.

That move prompted a further wave of migration through the Balkans that culminated in the daily arrival of more than 10,000 asylum-seekers at German borders at one point.

Officials have spoken of more than a million arrivals in 2015, but Germanys top migration official said the actual figure was likely lower once duplicate registrations and people who travelled on to other countries are excluded.

Frank-Juergen Weise, the head of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, said in an interview in the German weekly Bild am Sonntag that he expects a sharp drop in numbers in 2016 compared with last year.

Weise told German weekly Bild am Sonntag that his agency is planning for between 250,000 and 300,000 new arrivals this year.

The influx prompted countries such as Hungary to sharply criticize Merkel, and even accuse her of threatening Europes stability.

In Germany, anti-migrant feeling has increased too. A nationalist party to the right of Merkels Christian Democrats has received a surge in support and chancellor, who has stuck by her motto we will manage, has seen her popularity ratings fall.

A poll published Sunday by Bild am Sonntag found that 50 per cent of respondents opposed a fourth term for Merkel, should she decide to run again in 2017. The survey of 501 voters, conducted Aug. 25 by the research firm TNS Emnid, had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.

In her interview Sunday, Merkel declined to be drawn on whether she would run again, or even when she might announce her intention to stand again.

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ASUNCION, PARAGUAYSuspected members of a little-known rebel group killed eight soldiers in an attack in northern Paraguay on Saturday, just days after guerrillas and officials in Colombia reached a peace deal to end the longest-running insurgency in Latin America.

Paraguayan Interior Minister Francisco De Vargas reported the first five deaths from the attack in Arroyito, a town about 490 kilometres from Asuncion. Dr. Bernardo Jacquet, a physician at Hospital Concepcion, located some 90 kilometres from where the attack occurred, later said the death toll had risen to eight.

Authorities suspect the attack was carried out by a little-known Paraguayan guerrilla group called the Paraguayan Peoples Army.

Federico Delfino, the countrys prosecutor for anti-kidnapping efforts, said the attackers got away with eight M4 carbines, bulletproof vests and the victims personal belongings.

President Horacio Cartes vowed to personally lead the fight against these terrorists.

The spike in rebel violence in Paraguay came as Colombias government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia on Wednesday announced the finalization of a peace agreement after more than four years of gruelling negotiations. A ceasefire in the Colombian conflict that lasted more than a half-century will take effect at midnight next Monday.

The Paraguayan government considers members of the Paraguayan Peoples Army to be terrorists under an anti-terrorism law.

The group was blamed last year in the killing of a German couple. Their bodies were found after the rebels abducted the pair from their cattle farm and demanded that the owner of a farm pay $300,000 (U.S.) and give food to the poor.

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DURANT, MISS.More than 300 people came to a small church Sunday evening to say farewell to two nuns killed in their Mississippi home, even though more than half had to watch the service called vigil for the deceased on a monitor outside.

A funeral Mass for Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, both 68, will be celebrated Monday at the cathedral in Jackson, even as authorities continue to investigate the harrowing crime.

About 145 people filled St. Thomas Church in Lexington, where the nuns led Bible study. A monitor was placed outside where another 160 people sat on folding chairs and others stood to watch the service led by Bishop Joseph Kopacz of the Jackson Diocese.

The churchs priest, the Rev. Gregory Plata, spoke about how far-reaching the nuns work was, and how much theyll be missed.

They worked in a clinic for the poor in Lexington, about 10 miles (16 kilometres) from their home in Durant.

The final hymn, described as Sister Margaret Helds favourite, was How Can I Keep from Singing?

Afterward, nuns from the dead womens orders, people from other faiths, and members of the community, black and white, embraced the womens families.

The killing shocked people in the small communities where the women committed their lives to helping the poor.

Rodney Earl Sanders, 46, of Kosciusko, Mississippi, has been arrested and charged in the stabbings. The county sheriff said Sanders confessed to the killings although many people are struggling to comprehend why anyone would want to take the two womens lives.

Their bodies were found in their Durant, Mississippi, home after they failed to show up for work Thursday at the health clinic.

Willie March, the sheriff of Holmes County where the killings occurred, said Saturday that police work and tips from the community led police to Sanders. Authorities have said Sanders was developed as a person of interest early in the investigation.

March said he had been briefed by Durant police and Mississippi Bureau of Investigation officials who took part in Sanders interrogation and was told that Sanders confessed to the killings and gave no reason for the crimes. The sheriff said the investigation is ongoing.

Durant police could not be reached for comment Saturday or Sunday. Warren Strain, a spokesman for the Department of Public Safety which includes the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, said the organization would neither confirm nor deny that Sanders confessed.

Sanders had a criminal record.

He was convicted last year of a felony DUI, said Grace Simmons Fisher, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Corrections.

He was later released from prison and is currently on probation.

Sanders was also convicted of armed robbery in Holmes County, sentenced in 1986 and served six years, Fisher said.

People who knew the nuns, known for their generosity and commitment to improving health care for the poor, have been grappling with why anyone would want to kill them.

Dr. Elias Abboud, the physician who oversees the clinic in Lexington where the nuns worked, said Saturday that Sanders was not a patient there.

Plata said he does not think people at the church knew Sanders.

Authorities said Sanders was being held in an undisclosed detention centre pending a court appearance. They have not given any details on why they think Sanders killed the women or whether he knew them but they do say they believe he acted alone.

Strain said he does not know if Sanders has an attorney.

Merrills nephew, David Merrill, speaking by telephone from Stoneham, Massachusetts, said Saturday the family was thankful Sanders is off the streets.

But the family still has to deal with the loss.

Merrill said he agrees with the idea of forgiveness and that is something his aunt would want for whoever killed her but hes not sure if hes capable of completely forgiving.

Merrill said he would not support the death penalty if Sanders were to be convicted but that decision will ultimately be made by the people in Mississippi. The capital murder charge leaves open the possibility Sanders would face the death penalty but that determination would be made by prosecutors later.

The order Held belonged to  School Sisters of St. Francis  thanked law enforcement officers working on the case and thanked people who offered prayers and support in the wake of the sisters deaths.

In the poverty-stricken Mississippi county where the two nuns were slain, many people were still mourning their loss.

Jonell Payton, a Durant alderwoman, lives across the street and a few doors down from Held and Merrills house. She said the nuns were the most precious two people and were known for helping provide medicine for those who couldnt afford it.

Both women worked at the clinic, where they gave flu shots, dispensed insulin and provided other medical care for children and adults who couldnt afford it.

The clinic and the nuns home in Durant are in Holmes County, population 18,000. With 44 per cent of its residents living in poverty, Holmes is the seventh-poorest county in America, according to the Census Bureau.

The nuns death leaves a gaping hole in what was already a strapped health care system.

The clinic provided about 25 per cent of all medical care in the county, Abboud said.

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BEIRUTRebels backed by Turkey made major gains Sunday in northern Syria, expelling Kurdish-led forces from towns and villages as part of a determined campaign by Ankara to push the militants east of the Euphrates River.

At least 35 civilians were killed, according to activists. The dramatic escalation of Turkeys involvement in the Syrian civil war last week aimed to help the Syrian rebels drive Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, out of the border town of Jarablus. But it is also aimed at U.S.-allied Kurdish forces that have gained control in recent months of most of the territory along the Turkey-Syria border.

The fighting pits Turkey, a NATO ally, against a U.S.-backed proxy that is the most effective ground force battling Daesh militants in Syria in the five-year-old civil war. It leaves Washington in the tough spot of having to choose between its two of its allied forces, and is likely to divert resources from the fight against Daesh.

A Turkish soldier was killed by a Kurdish rocket attack late Saturday, the first such fatality in Turkeys ground offensive dubbed Euphrates Shield that began Aug. 24.

Speaking at a rally in the border town of Gaziantep, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his military is committed to fighting terrorism in Syria and Iraq.

Turkey, he said, is also determined to uproot the Syrian Kurdish group, calling it a terrorist organization. But he didnt specify a goal for the fight against the Kurdish forces.

Turkey is part of the U.S.-led coalition fighting the militants of the Islamic State group, but the airstrikes that began Saturday marked the first time it has targeted Kurdish-led forces in Syria.

We will support all work to clean Syria and Iraq of Daesh, Erdogan told the rally. Thats why we are in Jarablus, thats why we are in Bashiqa (in Iraq). If necessary, we will not shy away from taking responsibility in the same way in other areas.

Turkey has troops stationed in Bashiqa in northern Iraq, and it was not clear if his reference to Jarablus means he intends to base his troops there.

Erdogan then turned his focus to the main Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, known as the PYD.

We are as determined about the PYD, the separatist terror organizations Syrian wing, he said. Ankara views the PYD and the militia affiliated with it, which forms the backbone of the U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces, or SDF, as an extension of the Kurdish insurgency that is raging in southeastern Turkey.

We will continue until we uproot this terror organization, Erdogan told the rally.

A spokesman for a Syrian rebel group said the Turkish-backed offensive will continue south of Jarablus to clear Daesh and Kurdish forces from northeastern Aleppo. Turkish leaders have vowed to drive both Daesh and the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or YPG, away from the border.

Turkeys military said Sunday its warplanes killed 25 Kurdish terrorists and destroyed five buildings used by the fighters in response to attacks on advancing Turkish-backed rebels in the Jarablus area.

Various factions of the Turkey-backed Syrian rebels said they had seized several villages and towns from Kurdish-led forces south of Jarablus, including Amarneh, where fighting was fiercest in recent days.

The Kurdish-led forces must pull back to the east of the Euphrates. We will fight all terrorist groups, including (the Kurdish-led fighters) ... in all of northeast Aleppo, said Capt. Abdel-Salam Abdel-Razzak, a spokesman for the Nour el-Din el-Zinki group.

Turkish-backed fighters will move south of Jarablus, toward Manbij and beyond, he said.

Earlier this month, the Kurdish-led SDF crossed the Euphrates and drove Daesh militants out of Manbij, a key supply hub south of Jarablus, after a 10-week campaign. Both Turkey and the United States have ordered the YPG militia to withdraw to the east bank of the river. YPG leaders say they have, but their units advise the Syrian Democratic Forces, and it is not clear if any remain west of the Euphrates.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the bombing killed at least 20 civilians and four Kurdish-led fighters in Beir Koussa, a village about 15 kilometres south of Jarablus, and left another 15 dead in a village to the west.

SDF spokesman Shervan Darwish said the airstrikes and shelling began overnight and continued Sunday along the front line, killing many civilians in Beir Koussa and nearby areas. He said the bombing also targeted the village of Amarneh. He said 50 Turkish tanks were taking part.

The Kurdish Democratic Union Party condemned the attack on the village. It also condemned what it said was international silence regarding Turkish occupation of Syria.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that 20 civilians were killed and 50 wounded by Turkish artillery and airstrikes, calling it encroachment on Syrian sovereignty under the pretext of fighting Daesh. Turkey is a leading backer of the rebels fighting to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad, but both Ankara and Damascus share concerns over Kurdish ambitions for autonomy.

Syrian warplanes renewed their bombing of the besieged al-Waer neighbourhood in the central city of Homs. An activist in the neighbourhood of Bebars al-Talawy said there were at least a dozen airstrikes, killing one person.

The neighbourhood came under attack Saturday, including incendiary bombs that killed two children, a brother and sister. Images of doctors treating other children for their burns were posted on social media sites. The districts hospital was bombed and taken out of operation earlier this month.

Human Rights Watch said it had documented the use of incendiary weapons in at least 18 different instances between June and August in rebel-held areas. The group blamed Russian and Syrian joint military operations room for the use of such weapons in violation of international law.

The al-Waer neighbourhood of nearly 75,000 people has been under siege since March and has been one area that UN agencies have reported difficult to access. An aid convoy reached the area Aug. 25.

According to residents, the escalation followed recent threats by soldiers at checkpoints that the Syrian governments patience was running out with the district, the last rebel holdout in the city.

It also follows the evacuation of Daraya, a Damascus suburb, as part of a deal struck between the government and rebels after a bombing campaign and siege.

The Homs Local Council appealed to the UN envoy to Syria to negotiate a truce for al-Waer, condemning the governments siege policy that aims to force residents and fighters to surrender.

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Do your children routinely run to the bathroom as soon as they get home from school because, unless it is an absolute emergency, they would rather hold it all day than venture into the school washroom? Mine has and I dont blame him. There are a lot of school bathrooms that could use a little work.

Recently, the Ontario Ministry of Education revealed that more than $15 billion would be needed to repair schools. Of the 72 school boards, Toronto District schools had the worst average scores. Earlier, TDSB had released detailed information about the physical condition of its 588 schools. The repair backlog was estimated at a staggering $3.4 billion dollars.

Using an industry standard called The Facility Condition Index, over one-third of schools were found to be in critical condition. TDSB chair, Robyn Pilkey stressed the numbers dont have anything to do with safety. But I think they do have an impact on learning.

ScienceDaily recently highlighted two 2016 studies that show how big an impact this backlog might have and I hope Education Minister Mitzie Hunter had a careful look at them.

A Cornell University study looked at more than 230 New York City middle schools and found a connection between rundown schools and low-test scores. After controlling for socioeconomic status and ethnic background, professor Lorraine Maxwell found that,  poor building conditions, and the resulting negative perception of the schools social climate, accounted for 70 per cent of the poor academic performance.

Students noticed things like leaky toilets and rundown classrooms. This lead to negativity about the school atmosphere and higher absenteeism, which in turn lead to missing classes and lower test scores. Its pretty hard to learn if you arent present. I bet spending time everyday wondering if you have to go to the bathroom badly enough to use the school facility didnt help either.

The other study, by Carolyn Cote-Lussier and Caroline Fitzpatrick appeared in the Journal of Adolescent Health and looked at how feelings of safety affected school achievement. No surprise  they found students did better when they felt safer at school. This included issues such as bullying but also included physical features.

In fact, Fitzpatrick noted, Finally, parents, schools and communities can become advocates for wider environmental interventions that aim to improve the physical features of school and student neighbourhoods.

Ive been in my share of schools that feel more like abandoned dungeons than places of learning. Peeling paint, crumbling ceilings and poor lighting dont lead to feelings of safety.

There is, however, a wide discrepancy in the state of the schools and it doesnt correlate to the wealth of a neighbourhood. A lot of it is just a function of age. The TDSB owns a lot of old buildings. Some schools, such as Thomas L. Wells P.S. in Scarborough, dont need repairs because they are fairly new. Meanwhile, Park Lane P.S. in the Bridle Path needs numerous high-priority and urgent repairs.

So, if you are lucky enough to live in a neighbourhood with a new school, you have an advantage. If you are wondering whether you should make sure there is a clear path to the bathroom when your child returns from school each day, you can search for your school in the Ontario School Facility Condition Index data base. More detailed information is available about TDSB schools on the Renewal Needs Backlog and Facility Condition Index section of their website.

Making information about the backlog and specific schools public is one thing but doing something about it is another. The $15 billion price tag is a staggering amount for a country, never mind a province facing severe budget constraints  another reason it is unconscionable that so much money has been wasted in the past. All students, regardless of where they live, should be able to spend their school day in a facility that is safe, clean and in good repair. Its their responsibility to learn. Its ours to make sure they have a reasonable place to learn in.

Catherine Little is a Toronto-based educator and consultant who writes about parenting, education and diversity.

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Ontarios Health Minister Erik Hoskins is a brave man. He has attempted to wrestle a new agreement with Ontario doctors and to drive down outrageous billing  with some 500 doctors billing more than $1 million a year. Hoskins wanted to redistribute these health dollars for improved physician care.

The plan was to engage with doctors themselves on how to more fairly allocate billing codes, to reward better doctors who provide high-value care, and eventually to give less to those who dont.

Earlier this month, Ontarios doctors voted down their tentative physician services agreement. While most media coverage has focused on those doctors who rallied against the deal, the more important story is that 45 per cent of physicians didnt even bother to participate. That is a lower turnout than the last federal election and the matter directly affected something important to them  their salaries.

Such levels of disengagement from important decisions about a contract encompassing 25 per cent of the total provincial health system expenditure raises concerns as to whether todays doctors are ready to co-manage health systems as this agreement had unprecedentedly offered.

We need a new way to approach doctor negotiations  and we desperately need a new paradigm in the delivery of physician care in Ontario and across Canada. Heres why.

In the 2014 Commonwealth ranking of health systems, Canada came 10th out of 11 countries, beating only the U.S. With respect to physician services, Canada came in last place for emergency room (ER) visits for conditions that could have been treated by a family doctor, 10th out of 11 for medical records/tests not reaching a doctors office in time for an appointment, 7th for requesting duplicate tests, and 10th for hospitalized patients who returned for complications after discharge. This is hardly an endorsement of the status quo.

Doctors will no doubt blame all of these problems on inadequate resources, ignoring the fact Canadas health care system is comparatively a high-spender with doctors who are well-paid.

At least some of our poor performance internationally must be attributable to how physicians run their practices and treat their patients.

How many of us have been stuck in badly managed waiting rooms, being made to feel that the attending doctor is doing us a huge favour? Or have eyeballed patient records stuffed on a shelf behind a receptionist? Or dealt with a surly scheduler, trying to get a same-day appointment with a sick child in tow or to find out if a specialist referral has been submitted?

So is it possible for physicians to step up and better manage our limited health care budget, as is so desperately needed?

For the moment, it seems the likely answer is no and it seems Ontario doctors feel the same way with their rejection of the recent offer. This is because clinicians are generally unwilling to make the tough rationing decisions needed in our resource-constrained world. Even if doctors were willing to take on this role, most are not trained to weigh the population-level opportunity costs that are so important to such decisions.

The problem is that the sum of what may be best for each individual patient may not be what is best for Ontarians or Canadians as a whole.

Clinicians singular focus on their patients may result in harm for other patients beyond their view. This is because each unnecessary MRI leaves less money to cover the cost of prescription drugs for the poor. Each antibiotic unnecessarily administered contributes to bacterial resistance that makes these medicines less effective for everyone else.

So should we give more power to our doctors for the management of our health system?

We hope the failure of negotiations in Ontario spurs a complete rethink of this approach. Maybe what we want to do is limit a la carte billing for doctor services in the first place, and have far clearer contractual directives against cost-ineffective treatments and towards quality, safe and high-value care.

Indeed, this is the approach taken in the U.K.  the top performer in the Commonwealth Fund rankings  where physicians are paid by way of a salary and work to terms of a contract. Physicians should compete for these contracts on their ability to effectively and safely provide high-value care and to devote a minimum number of hours per week to their patients.

Ontarians have been extremely patient with the status quo, but we deserve much better. Minister Hoskins deserves our support in crafting a new deal to get us there.

Steven J. Hoffman (@shoffmania) is an associate professor of law and director of the Global Strategy Lab at the University of Ottawas Centre for Health Law, Policy & Ethics and an adjunct associate professor of Global Health & Population at Harvard University.

Colleen M. Flood (@ColleenFlood2) is a University Research Chair in Health Law & Policy and inaugural director of the Centre for Health Law, Policy & Ethics at the University of Ottawa.

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Canada is back  ready to do the hard work of peacekeeping  and its about time. With a formal announcement on Friday that its ready to commit up to 600 soldiers, and $450 million, to support United Nations peace operations the Liberal government ended years of retreat on this vital front.

We need to do our part, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan told reporters at a news conference outlining the governments new stance. But this wont be as easy as in past decades, when Canadian troops wearing United Nations blue berets helped maintain ceasefires between hostile forces in the Suez, Cyprus and the Golan Heights.

Peacekeeping is more complicated now, requiring a combination of military, political, humanitarian and development skills. Forces in conflict are rarely composed of well-disciplined armies; instead peacekeepers often find themselves dealing with a chaotic mix of tribal militias, terrorist groups, broken states and unprincipled governments.

Where Canadas troops and resources are ultimately deployed remains to be seen, but an African location seems likely. Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic are all possible candidates.

Were taking the time to look at the entire region, talk to the leadership, and then deciding (in) which areas we can have the best impact, Sajjan said.

Its wise to re-engage carefully, especially given Canadas record of relative inaction in peace operations under former prime minister Stephen Harper. Favouring isolation over UN activism, he allowed a celebrated tradition of Canadian peacekeeping to wither.

Former prime minister Lester B. Pearson won a Nobel peace prize for his work on the Suez Crisis in 1956, and he is considered the father of UN peacekeeping. Canada didnt shirk in subsequent years, devoting as many as 3,300 soldiers and police to peacekeeping in Cyprus, the former Yugoslavia, Cyprus, the Golan Heights, and Cambodia in 1993 alone.

By earlier this year, however, Canadas contingent of UN peacekeepers had dwindled to barely over 100.

This poses some very real challenges. Formerly considered experts, theres worry that Canadian troops peacekeeping skills have grown rusty. Its vital that all sent overseas on UN missions be fully trained for the flood of potential difficulties theyll face  everything from negotiating with zealots to working effectively with an array of rival communities and agencies.

Theres also concern that this countrys relatively small military may be overextended, given existing operations in Iraq and a NATO commitment to send 450 soldiers, armoured vehicles, and up to six fighter jets to Latvia.

Obviously, its essential that Canadian troops be in a position to fully perform all their assigned missions. But it should be possible to do more in the cause of peace.

The Liberal government is going a considerable way in correcting Harpers neglect. With millions of innocent civilians at imminent risk of brutalization and death in war zones around the world, Canada has a humanitarian duty to take meaningful action in easing the threat. We cant afford to watch while others shoulder this difficult work.

The Liberal announcement is timely, coming in advance of a major UN peacekeeping conference in London. Canada would very likely have been excluded from that gathering given its limited performance in peace operations in recent years.

That isolation is about to end. This countrys fresh commitment of soldiers and money entitles it to a seat at the conference table  alongside other nations ready to volunteer troops as missions arise. Its where Canada truly belongs.

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Rock Springs (497.8 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Salt Wells Ranch county Rd 48Rock Springs / Light shaking (MMI IV) : I was laying down. I was looking at my phone, the bed shook and there was creaking sound in the hallway outside of my bedroom.throom shook.

Meeteetse, Wyoming / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Sitting in chair feet on floor, arms on chair arms, felt house moved 3 small rolling shakes. No damage. Bird stopped looked around then starting again.

Rexburg, Idaho (146.8 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : While sitting felt swing forward and backward. Odd feeling never before experienced.

Shell / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Jackson, sitting on the deck of a local bar. Entir / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Jackson, Wyoming (64.5 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Sitting in square in Jackson at a second story bar and floor of balcony shook. My hisband's beer sloshed.

Moose, WY / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Wilson / Weak shaking (MMI III) : My cats reacted before I felt it.

Vineyard, Utah, Utah (354.4 km SSW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) (reported through our app / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

12 miles west of Afton Wyoming (107.8 km SW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : I was sitting in my bulldozer at work and it felt like another bulldozer was driving by me, looked around and I was the only one

Dubois, WY (50 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : shaking from the earth, the whole house rattled, low sound

Wilson / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Was outside sitting in a chair..cars, boat trailer and chair shaking...so did my daughter's bed upstairs in our loft

Jackson WY Snow king ski area / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : Scary - ran outside of the restaurant we were in

Wilson, Wy (279.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Jackson hole (55 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : We were in a hotel and the building shook and so did the beds.

Driggs, Idaho (90.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Alpine, WY / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Sitting on deck of log home. Logs popped and drinks were shaken....not stirred.

Thermopolis / Light shaking (MMI IV)

42.33.19 108.43.19 (113.4 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Resting in metal building set in cement. Made brace brakes clang.

Wilson, WY (65 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV)

Jackson (58.6 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Jackson, WY (54.4 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Seemed like the strongest one I've felt here in Jackson.

South Entrance of Yellowstone 44.14N/110.68W (128.1 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : I am a Ranger at the South Entrance of Yellowstone. My couch started shaking for about 10 seconds.

Jackson WY Downtown / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Jackson, wyoming (54.9 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

Mormon Row Historic District, Moose, WY (65.5 km NW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II)

Dubois / Moderate shaking (MMI V)

83001 (56.7 km WNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Strong shaking (MMI VI)

Jackson, WY - town / Light shaking (MMI IV) : One of the bigger ones I've felt in the 20 years here.

82513 / Light shaking (MMI IV)
Dear Amy: I have been dating my boyfriend William for 2 years. We are both divorced with children. Williams ex-wife had a horrible two-year affair that hurt him deeply. Knowing this, I have always tried to assure him that he is the only man in my life, and I make sure to go above and beyond to reassure him that I am thinking about him whenever we are apart.

However, in the past six months, William has become extremely jealous of my very dear gay friend of many years Kevin (who also happens to be an important client of mine).

It started out with snide comments and then recently escalated to him accusing me of having an inappropriate intimate relationship with Kevin. He says that Kevin is a bad influence, that he is inappropriate and, most recently, that he feels like I am having an emotional affair.

I have made it very clear that we are just friends  exactly like all of my female friends  but William refuses to accept this.

William has gone so far as to create secret social media accounts to monitor my daily activity. He also monitors Kevins. It became somewhat of an obsession. He has been checking several times a day and screen captures anything he deems inappropriate with any of my friends but is focused on Kevin.

This volatile situation had been building over the past six months. We have been arguing a lot without my full understanding as to what was going on behind the scenes. I have been unjustly accused of many completely fabricated scenarios.

Apparently I spent too long in the ladies room at a restaurant several months ago, and now Im being accused of conspiring with Kevin to get together without William knowing.

One Friday night I fell asleep and didnt text William to say goodnight. This caused a week-long argument. William would not take my calls, canceled our plans for the weekend and refused to believe that I didnt sneak away to New York to see my friend.

I also have a female friend who William has decided is undermining our relationship and frowns on me seeing her as well.

This man is wonderful in so many ways, but I cant seem to fix my relationship and keep my friends in the process!

Heartsick in PA

Heartsick in PA: Im not a therapist. But I can see a pattern building. Even if you are not telling me an objective version of this story, it seems like a bad situation for you.

Anyone who sets up secret accounts to monitor you  and also friends of yours  is not someone who respects your right to have relationships and friendships with other people. I dont believe you should try to fix this relationship.

And I hope you dont expose your children to this craziness.

Dear Amy: One of my bachelor friends has run into a problem that has me stumped. He is into online dating and seems to run into the same situation with many of his dates.

They meet up for drinks or dinner, and he is happy and prepared to foot the bill. Though by date six or seven, after dinners, plays, movies, etc., none of these women have ever offered to split the check or pay for one thing.

I personally find that appalling, but we cant think of a tactful way to handle this.

Suggestions?

Stumped

Stumped: One way around this is to plan low-cost outings, such as walks, hikes or museum visits. Your friend might be initiating all of these dates, which would make the woman more likely to assume he is treating.

But this is also the ideal situation to test a couples ability to communicate. By the sixth or seventh date, your friend should be brave enough to say, I notice you seem to expect me to always pick up the check. Are you willing to share the costs when we do something together?

Dear Amy: Protective was wondering how to exclude her aunts racist boyfriend from this years Thanksgiving dinner.

I liked your recommendation, but perhaps something more blunt is called for: Your boyfriend is a jerk. Were all tired of him and dont want to share our holiday with him. He needs to stay home.

Blunt

Blunt: Excluding this family members romantic partner will probably lead to the aunts exclusion, too. If family members are willing to deal with this drama, then, yes, they could definitely choose the more blunt statement.
Parents, teachers and incoming students pack the halls during a open house event at Hallie Wells Middle School in Clarksburg, Md., on Wednesday. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

With the start of school in Montgomery County, many students will face opening-day jitters Monday as they meet new teachers and classmates. But in Clarksburg, Md., therell be a first day of a rarer sort: A brand-new middle school makes its debut.

It has been more than a decade since the last one was built in the county.

Hallie Wells Middle School comes as another sign of surging enrollment in a fast-growing suburban district that ranks as Marylands largest. Planners expect 159,000 students in all, with an uptick of more than 2,000 students for an eighth consecutive year.

Im excited to be the first sixth-grade class, said Natalya Clark, 11, who got a look at Wells during a welcome event last week. Everything is brand new. We get to be the first.

Hallie Wells Middle School is the first new middle school in 11 years in Montgomery County. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

Principal Barbara Woodward said her staff of 71 is thrilled to be opening what she sees as a true community school. It will start with nearly 500 sixth- and seventh-graders, picking up eighth grade next year and expanding as Clarksburg continues to grow. A majority of students are considered walkers, and the PTSA already has more than 225 members.

The community seems very excited for this to be their neighborhood school, and we really want to honor that, Woodward said.

[Student enrollment continues to surge in Maryland school district]

Two years ago, the 22-acre Wells site was an undeveloped field. Now it is a $42 million school with more than three dozen classrooms, a technology-friendly media center, a gleaming main gym and three auxiliary gyms.

It is kind of astonishing, said Orli Marshall, 11, a sixth-grader, comparing it with other schools she has known. Its just very open, and the ceilings are higher, and there are so many different ways you can go.

Madeline Hanington, head of the new schools English department, said teachers have great energy and high hopes about the year ahead.

Everybody is open to fresh new ideas, she said. We really are thinking about how to engage students and keep them engaged in learning. We want this to be a place to grow and learn.

Residents and educators laud the example of generosity set by Hallie Wells, for whom the school is named and who several decades ago donated 290 acres of land for open space and recreation that is now called Ovid Hazen Wells Recreation Park, in recognition of her late husband. Wells and her husband were federal workers who retired to Clarksburg to farm. Hallie Wells died in 1992.

She did not want it to be developed, said Brenda Graves, her great-grandniece who lived with Wells for about a decade. She wanted it to be for the community. She was very active in her church and very community-minded.

A school-naming committee unanimously supported Hallie Wells for the honor, and more than 1,200 community members signed an online petition supporting the idea. The county Board of Education gave its approval in March.

Shes like Clarksburgs grandmother, said Rich Liu, a father of two who was a member of the naming committee. The fact that she didnt have any children and left her property so future Clarksburg families could benefit from it is remarkable.

Woodward, the principal, called Wells an extraordinary ordinary woman and said many have been inspired as they have learned about her philanthropy and her valuing of green space.

Graves, who now lives in Tennessee, burst into tears when she heard about the naming.

They could not have found a better way to honor her, she said. She was an educator herself before she got on a train and went to Washington.

[A new elementary school opens in Clarksburg]

Parents who visited the school last week were upbeat. The last middle school to open in Montgomery was Lakelands Park, in 2005, in Gaithersburg. In Clarksburg, Wells will help relieve crowding at Rocky Hill Middle School, which was 300 students over capacity last year and had 11 portable classroom trailers.

As parent Randi Bluestein toured the school last week, she said she was excited to find such a bright, inviting place and noted that one of the auxiliary gyms  which she called an American Ninja Warrior room  includes a climbing wall and other apparatus. The kids are going to have a blast with that, she said.

Looking around for the first time, some students converged on the media center, with 13,000 print books and 2,000 e-books, in a spacious setting with comfortable chairs and prominent windows.

I cant wait to read all of them, said Nina Raghavan, 12, as she and Eashana Subramanian, 12, looked around, sitting in new chairs and spotting things to read, such as The Great Monkey Rescue.

Both students, entering seventh grade, liked how much nonfiction was included beside all the good fiction.

This is amazing, said Ninas father, Ramesh. Im awed.

Another parent, Cindy Samandi, snapped a photo of her son, Ilario, at the school to post on Instagram. She said she appreciated the history about Wells.

This is like a symbol of her love for kids, Samandi said, and how much we invest in this county for education for kids.

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James W. Cronin, who shared the Nobel Prize in physics for discovering a startling breakdown in what was assumed to be the immutable symmetry of physical law, thereby helping to explain the behavior and evolution of the universe as a whole, died Aug. 25 in St. Paul, Minn. He was 84.

Dr. Cronins death was announced by the University of Chicago, where he was a professor emeritus of physics as well as of astronomy and astrophysics. No cause was reported.

Through the study of the decay of a single subatomic particle, Dr. Cronin and a colleague, Val Logsdon Fitch of Princeton University, made it possible for inferences to be drawn about the laws of nature on a scale as vast as the entire universe, in all its unfathomable immensity and multibillion-year duration. The two shared the 1980 Nobel Prize.

Scientists had assumed a symmetry between the particles making up matter and what theory described as their oppositely charged counterparts. These counterparts formed what is known as antimatter.

In addition, it had been assumed that the laws of nature were, in the terms of science, invariant under time reversal. This meant essentially that physics would be the same whether time flowed forward or backward, a concept as intriguing as it is foreign to experience.

1 of 66 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Notable deaths of 2016 View Photos Remembering those who have died this year. Caption Prince, David Bowie, Debbie Reynolds, Harper Lee and others: Remembering those who have died this year. Debbie Reynolds Actress Debbie Reynolds starred in the 1952 classic movie Singin in the Rain with Gene Kelly, shown above. Reynolds died one day after the death of her daughter, actress-writer Carrie Fisher. Reynolds was 84. Shes now with Carrie and were all heartbroken, her son Todd Fisher said. Read the Debbie Reynolds obituary AFP/Getty Images Wait 1 second to continue.

In demonstrating a breakdown of these symmetries, Dr. Cronin and Fitch prompted theories that explained the predominance in the universe of matter over antimatter. Such theories, he told an interviewer, explained our own existence and our very presence in nature. They explained, he said, us.

His experimental results were not what he thought they would be. Plotted by computer analysis of photographs from a new and much improved particle detector that he had built, the results showed a bump. It was a significant and unanticipated bump.

We were surprised he said, by the presence of events we didnt expect.

He and Fitch, he said, had no expectation wed see anything other than . . . nothing.

It is popular and entertaining to imagine scientists racing from their laboratory, filled with excitement over a finding that yanked a cornerstone from the edifice of physics.

It wasnt like that, Dr. Cronin explained. The unexpected events  anomalous decays of neutral K mesons  made themselves known gradually. It was the sort of situation, he said in an interview, in which appreciation of the true meaning of an experiment oozes into existence.

The larger significance of the results was not lost on him. Nor was the seeming disparity between what he characterized as the somewhat unrefined nature of the experimental apparatus and techniques and the grandeur of the conclusions that it supported.

It is amazing, he said, that from imperfectly designed equipment, operated in a sometimes awkward manner, in a hot and dusty environment, could come what he described as such profound consequences.

In addition to being profound, the reasons for them were not well understood. In concluding his Nobel lecture in 1980, Dr. Cronin urged more work and voiced the hope that at some epoch, perhaps distant, this cryptic message from nature will be deciphered.

James Watson Cronin was born in Chicago on Sept. 29, 1931, while his father, James Farley Cronin, was pursuing graduate studies in classical languages at the University of Chicago.

He and his Nobel collaborator, Fitch, came from disparate backgrounds. Fitch was the son of a Nebraska rancher. Dr. Cronins father became a professor of Latin and Greek at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

Dr. Cronin graduated in physics and mathematics from Southern Methodist in 1951. He then began graduate school at the University of Chicago, whose faculty included many of the United States physics luminaries, including Enrico Fermi and Edward Teller. Dr. Cronins thesis, in experimental nuclear physics, was completed under the direction of Samuel K. Allison, who had played a key role in the Manhattan Project, the Allied effort in World War II to build a nuclear bomb.

Dr. Cronin also developed a fascination with particle physics because of another Chicago professor, future Nobel laureate Murray Gell-Mann. After receiving a doctorate in 1955, Dr. Cronin joined the Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island. There, he met Fitch, whom he credited with his move to Princeton in 1958 as an assistant professor of physics.

During what he described as a glorious time for research, he was deeply involved with development of the spark chamber. This particle detector was of vital importance in the Nobel work.

After his groundbreaking discovery, which was made in 1963, and published the next year, he worked for a year at the Saclay Nuclear Research Center in France. Having risen to a full professorship, he joined the faculty at the University of Chicago in 1971 because the school had nearly completed construction of one of the most powerful particle accelerators in the world.

After his prizewinning work, he eventually turned to research on cosmic rays. One reason, he told an interviewer, was he preferred to have greater responsibility for his own work and control over it. Early in his career, individuals, or teams of three or four, could push the frontiers of particle physics.

In time, he noted, a research paper, based on findings from experiments on a giant particle accelerator, might credit 1,000 authors.

His first wife, Annette Martin, died in 2005. The next year, he married Carol McDonald, who survives along with two children from his first marriage, Emily Grothe and Daniel Cronin, and six grandchildren, according to the University of Chicago. Another daughter, Cathryn Cranston, publisher of the Columbia Journalism Review, died in 2011 of leukemia.

In his Nobel biographical statement, he emphasized the importance of his family to his career. On even the worst days, when nothing was working at the lab, I knew that at home I would find warmth, peace, companionship, and encouragement. As a consequence, the next day would surely be better.
BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO DEMOCRATS

Their chances of taking control of the Senate look better and better, thanks in part to Donald Trump. The Republican nominee is struggling in swing states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire  by as much as nine points. Many of these states also have Senate races that could decide which party controls the chamber in November. A major Trump loss in these critical states could bring down Republican Senate candidates, even if they run a perfect race. The math is such that Democrats need to win four seats (or five if Donald Trump wins the presidency and Mike Pence becomes president of the Senate) to regain power after they lost it in 2014. In our latest Fix rankings of Senate races, Democrats have a chance to unseat at least nine Republicans, thanks in part to Trump's poor performances in swing states.

BEST THING THAT HAPPENED TO REPUBLICANS

New questions were raised last week about Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was secretary of state and the nonprofit foundation she and her family run. On Monday, the FBI announced it had uncovered almost 15,000 new work-related emails and documents from Clinton's server that had not been disclosed by her attorneys. It's not clear what exactly those emails contained or where the FBI found them. Clinton's campaign repeated that she turned over all work-related emails to the State Department last year. But even the prospect that there are more emails than Clinton originally said makes it difficult for her to gain skeptical voters' trust. And on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that half of all nongovernmental people who met with Clinton while secretary of state had donated to the Clinton Foundation, fairly or not giving the perception of pay to play. Taken together, these two pieces of news play into Republicans' hands.

 Amber Phillips
AFGHANISTAN

Taliban seizes district, gains weapons

Taliban fighters reportedly overran a district headquarters Saturday in eastern Afghanistan.

Naqib Ahmad Atal, spokesman for the governor of Paktia province, says Afghan security forces withdrew from the Janikhail district headquarters Saturday to prevent civilian casualties. He says at least five police officers were killed and five others were wounded in heavy fighting.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid says the fighters have taken over the district and seized weapons, ammunition and military vehicles.

The Taliban have been waging offensives across Afghanistan in recent months, capturing two districts in the north and threatening the provincial capital of the southern Helmand province.

 Associated Press

NORTH KOREA

Provocative lights may be targeted

North Korea on Saturday threatened to aim fire at the lighting equipment used by provocative American and South Korean troops at a truce village inside the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas.

The Norths Korean Peoples Army accused U.S. and South Korean soldiers of deliberate provocations by aiming their lights at North Korean guard posts at Panmunjom since Friday evening.

The KPA said in a statement that the soldiers actions have seriously threatened the safety of North Korean troops and disrupted their normal monitoring activities.

It said the actions have further raised the anger of North Korean soldiers at a time when the Korean Peninsula has reached the brink of war due to last weeks start of annual joint military drills between the United States and South Korea that Pyongyang called an invasion rehearsal.

 Associated Press

Parliament approves Tunisias new government: Tunisias parliament has approved Youssef Chahed as prime minister along with a new government focused on boosting the economy and fighting terrorism. The 41-year-old Chahed, a member of the presidents Nida Tounes party, was appointed after last months collapse of the previous government. Since its 2011 revolution, Tunisia has struggled with soaring unemployment and a slump in tourism following last years Islamist extremist attacks on a beach resort and museum that killed some 60 people.

Turkey extradites Macedonians thought to be allied with ISIS: Macedonian police say Turkey has extradited five Macedonians arrested in Istanbul in an operation to crack down on recruitment for the Islamic State. Police said Saturday that the Macedonians, aged 18 to 24, were arrested two weeks ago in Istanbuls Aksaray district along with four other foreigners aiming to fight for ISIS in Syria. A total of 11 people have been sentenced in Macedonia this year for joining and recruiting for ISIS.

Japans prime minister pledges $30 billion in aid to Africa: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told African leaders Saturday that his country will commit $30 billion in public and private support for infrastructure development, education and health-care expansion on the continent. Resource-poor Japan has long been interested in tapping Africas vast natural resources, even more so since dependence on oil and natural gas imports jumped after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster shut almost all of Japans nuclear reactors.

Influential family to sell holdings in S. Africa: South Africas wealthy Gupta family, which has been accused of holding undue political sway over President Jacob Zuma, said Saturday that it plans to dispose of all stakes it holds in South African businesses before the end of the year. The Guptas have denied accusations that they have used their friendship with Zuma to influence his decisions or advance their business interests. But South Africas anti-corruption watchdog said in July it would get more funds to investigate whether Zuma allowed the family to make government appointments.

 From news services
Robby Mook, Hillary Clintons campaign manager, appeared on MSNBCs Morning Joe in the middle of the week. Former Bush White House communications director Nicolle Wallace asked him about the fact that Clinton hasnt held a news conference since early December. Heres the full exchange:

MOOK: Well, first of all, Hillarys done over 300 interviews this year alone.

WALLACE: Im not  I didnt talk about  and I know the difference between a three-minute ground-ruled interview and a press conference because I  Ive put on a couple of each. But why wouldnt you have her do a press conference today just to  you  you have a perception problem on the question of honesty and trustworthiness, why wouldnt you put her out there to your traveling press corps, who knows all the intricacies of sort of the defense you laid out, which is  which is legitimate? But this is about the perception. Why wouldnt you put her out there to answer questions that she could certainly handle if  if your defense is true?

MOOK: Well, we are  she is out there answering questions.

WALLACE: Shes going to do a press conference today?

MOOK: As I said, she  shes done over 300 interviews this year  and she  she takes questions in a variety of formats and were going to  were going to keep looking at that.

A few things:

1) I dont doubt Mooks numbers on how many interviews Clinton has granted over the past year. But as Wallace notes, sit-down, one-on-one interviews arent the same thing as a freewheeling news conference. There are lots and lots of ground rules that govern sit-downs  most notably a typically strict time limit that makes pursuing any particular line of questioning in any real depth almost impossible. And then there is the fact that an interview with, say, Jimmy Kimmel, isnt the same thing as a news conference with reporters from The Washington Post, the New York Times and the TV networks. Kimmel is a comedian, not a reporter.

2) The idea that she is out there answering questions is so nebulous as to be meaningless. From whom? About what? And its worth noting here that Clinton  unlike President Obama  does not allow reporters into her fundraising events, meaning that if major donors are asking her questions, we have no idea (a) what they are and (b) how she answers them.

3) Were going to keep looking at that = We arent going to do anything. (I have a political-spin translator. Its almost ready for public launch.) Clinton, later in the week, offered this to reporters when asked about doing a news conference: Stay tuned. Ill wait with bated breath!

Look, Mook is in a tough spot. The reason Clinton hasnt done a news conference since Dec. 5 is because she doesnt want to. Shes not great in that format and knows it. Need proof? Her presser at the United Nations aiming to explain her private email server didnt go so well.

I am under no illusion that even if Clinton doesnt give a news conference all the way through the election  a span of 339 days  lots and lots of voters will make their minds up based on this issue alone. They wont.

But its beyond debate that Clinton has honesty and trustworthiness issues with the general public. In an August WaPo-ABC poll, 62 percent of voters said Clinton was neither honest nor trustworthy. (That number includes 69 percent of independents who say that Clinton isnt honest or trustworthy.)

Refusing to hold a news conference plays into that distrust  and might even magnify it.

But put even the political calculation aside. Clinton is, without question, the favorite as of today to be elected the 45th president of the United States. Given that, she owes it to the public to demonstrate how she thinks on her feet and how she responds to unwanted or tough questions. The best  and maybe only  way to do that is via news conferences. Simply avoiding them because (a) Clinton doesnt like them and (b) Donald Trump continues to generate day-dominating negative headlines isnt a good excuse when we are talking about someone who is running to be the most powerful person in the world.

Theres a responsibility that comes with the job Clinton is running for  a responsibility that goes beyond simply winning. Her resistance to any real engagement with the media in the campaign sets a dangerous precedent for how accountable and transparent she might be as president.
Malak Assaf, 25, is shown in her apartment in Indianapolis earlier this month. Assaf is a refugee of the war in Syria. (James Brosher for The Washington Post)

After a terrorist attack in Paris last year carried out in part by Islamist terrorists who masqueraded as migrants, Gov. Mike Pence directed all state agencies to halt the resettlement of Syrian refugees here in Indiana.

Pence is now running on the Republican presidential ticket with Donald Trump, who has called for a temporary ban on Muslims coming into the United States, halting immigration from unspecified countries and sending Syrian refugees back to their war-torn homeland. During the campaign, Pence has also boasted about his move to block refugees in his state.

In Indiana, we suspended the Syrian refugee program . . . in the wake of the terrorist attack, Pence said on CBSs 60 Minutes last month.

But things did not quite work out the way Pence says they did.

A single family scheduled to come to Indiana was diverted to Connecticut shortly after Pences announcement in November. But thanks to a lawsuit and subsequent court ruling overturning Pences directive, 140 Syrian refugees have since resettled in Indiana, with more expected in coming weeks. The states attorney general also argued in court that the directive does not purport to preclude any refugees from settling in Indiana.

Balloons and welcoming messages hang on a door in Malak Assafs apartment. (James Brosher for The Washington Post)

You cant pick and choose who comes to your state, said Cole Varga, executive director of Exodus Refugee Immigration, which resettles refugees here.

Exodus and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana sued Pence days after his directive, claiming that the governor did not have constitutional authority to bar people from Indiana. While more than 30 governors have opposed housing Syrian refugees, Pence was the only one to be sued over his edict.

[Which governors want to keep Syrian refugees out of their states]

Malak Assaf, 25, a Syrian refugee who arrived in Indiana in May 2015, said she cried on the day Pence announced his move to block refugees from coming, fearing her brothers would be trapped overseas and unable to join her.

She had been in Indiana for six months and finally felt settled after her husband found a job and her children enrolled in school.

Its unfair, and its not the right thing to do, she said through an interpreter, referring to both Pences edict and Trumps proposal to send back Syrian refugees. She said those fleeing the vicious civil war in Syria just want a better life and future for their children.

Assaf said she would now miss Indianapolis if she goes out of town, and her brothers have made it to America.

This is home, and I feel happy here, she said.

After the lawsuit was filed, refugee resettlement groups in Indianapolis ignored Pences order. In a December meeting, Pence told Archbishop Joseph Tobin he was concerned that Syrian refugees could pose a security risk and that the United States has not put proper screening procedures in place. But Tobin had already decided that the church would continue resettling Syrian families in Indianapolis, even if it had to do so out of pocket.

This is an essential part of who we are as Catholics, and were not going to back away from this, said Greg Otolski, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

Richard Primus, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, said immigration decisions can be made only by the federal government. Governors dont have the power to stop anyone from coming into their state, he said.

However, Primus said, states could turn down federal money and not participate in specific social-service programs  which is what Pence tried to do.

Indiana wanted to suspend the allocation of specific grants to refugee resettlement agencies, which use the money to fund services such as job counseling. According to court filings, Indiana would not deny Syrians benefits such as Medicaid based on their country of origin and the state would still use federal refugee resettlement grants to pay for services such as English-language instruction for refugee children in schools.

Governor Pence has merely suspended, in part, a discretionary federal grant program, Indiana Attorney General Gregory F. Zoeller wrote. This is meant as a deterrent, but if those agencies wish to resettle those refugees regardless, the Governor will not take further actions (besides denying their claims) to stop them.

Zoeller wrote that Pences action was far more measured than the hyperbolic assertions that the Governor is attempting to close [Indianas] borders to Syrians.

In February, U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt struck down Pences directive.

The States conduct clearly constitutes national origin discrimination, Walton Pratt wrote, and in no way furthers the States asserted interest in the safety of Indiana residents.

Pences administration appealed. A hearing is set for Sept. 14 at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago.

Trumps presidential campaign did not respond to requests for comment. A spokesman for Pence in Indiana pointed to the governors past statements on the issue.

After Pratts ruling, Pence said the safety of Indiana residents is his first priority and he prefers to err on the side of caution.

For that reason, following the terrorist attack in Paris and the acknowledgment by the Director of the FBI that there are gaps in the screening for Syrian refugees, I suspended participation by the State of Indiana in the Syrian refugee resettlement program and I stand by that decision, he said in a statement.

[Donald Trump is expanding his Muslim ban, not rolling it back]

Meanwhile, Syrians keep coming to Indiana. They include members of the Kylani family, who had never heard of Indianapolis until they landed here in May. After school one day recently in the household, children showed off pictures and books while NBCs The Voice ran on television. The Arabic version of the show lends a small touch of the familiar in a place where there are few.

Ahmad Kylani, 37, is an engineer who now spends 12-hour shifts unloading clothing in a warehouse. His wife, 27-year-old Nour Alhassan, one day wants to put her accounting studies to work in the United States. Marya, 6, wore a shirt reading, happier than a unicorn eating cupcakes on a rainbow. Safwan, 5, excitedly showed his mother a picture of a hamburger. Faisal, 2, pretended to talk on the phone with an empty Tic Tac box.

Im real grateful and happy to be here, Ahmad Kylani said through an interpreter.

Kylani said he was kind of offended by Trump and Pences proposals because they are targeting one specific community.

But he has freedom of speech, Kylani said of Trump.

Kylani said he has always abided by the law and that if he and his family did not have a clear record they would not be in the United States. He talked about the suffering and war in Syria and said President Obama allows refugees to come to America.

So if Obama said that, whats Mike Pence going to do about it? Kylani said through the interpreter. Leave us alone, so my family and children can live a good life.

[Support and suspicion: The lonely life of a Syrian refugee in Maryland]

The process for vetting refugees starts overseas, where people register with or are identified by organizations including the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. The agency screens and interviews refugees, fact-checks their stories and collects biometric information.

Refugees referred to the United States are interviewed at a resettlement center, where information and documents are collected to launch a security check by multiple federal agencies, including the FBI. Syrians are subject to an enhanced security review. A detailed interview with a U.S. immigration officer is then conducted. Biometric information is collected and checked against numerous databases. If a person clears the security checks, he or she goes through a medical screening and, ultimately, cultural orientation. The process can take more than two years, the security check active the entire time.

There is no population that is more closely scrutinized and vetted that comes to the United States than Syrian refugees, said agency spokesman Christopher Boian.

[Tracing the path of four terrorists sent to Europe by the Islamic State]

Razan, 31, who did not want to give her last name out of fear of reprisal against relatives still in Syria, said it took more than a year of vetting before her family could move to Indiana.

Razan and other refugees repeatedly noted that many Syrians have suffered and scores of people have died in the country. She said she does not think Trump and Pence should be scared of Muslims but understands why they are concerned about the Islamic State terrorist group that controls some territory in the country.

The same way hes scared of them, she said of Trump and the Islamic State through an interpreter, the people in Syria are scared of them, too.
Royal Thai Police Chief Chakthip Chaijinda, front second right, visits the site of a deadly bomb blast outside a hotel in the southern province of Pattani on Wednesday. (Tuwaedaniya Meringing/AFP/Getty Images)

For more than a decade, Thailands Muslim separatists limited their insurgency to the countrys south, keeping their guerrilla raids, bombings and beheadings in the provinces bordering Malaysia.

Now, following a spate of attacks in tourist spots this month, a number of analysts are wondering whether the insurgents are expanding their scope  and trying to send a blunt message to the military coup leaders who now run Thailand.

The bombings may have been intended to compel the military government to reconsider its approach to the conflict in the deep south, said Matthew Wheeler, a Bangkok-based analyst for the International Crisis Group and authority on the southern insurgency.

Thai Muslims have been fighting the government off and on for decades, but a bloodier insurgency erupted in 2004 through a series of splinter groups that has been confined almost entirely to the four southernmost provinces. More than 6,000 people have been killed in the fight for independence of the Muslim south from the rest of the majority Buddhist country.

The insurgents had tried on a couple of occasions  unsuccessfully in Phuket in 2013, and successfully on Koh Samui in 2015  to carry out attacks outside their home turf. But those were nothing like the series of bombings that occurred in tourist hot spots this month on Mothers Day, an auspicious occasion here because it is also the day that the venerated Thai queens birthday is celebrated.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha speaks to the press after voting at his local polling station during the constitutional referendum in Bangkok on Aug. 7, 2016. (Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images)

There were relatively small explosions in resort areas including Phuket and Krabi, and four bombs detonated in Hua Hin, the beach resort town where the Thai royal family has a residence.

Four people were killed and scores wounded, including 11 foreigners, but the bombs seemed designed to scare more than maim  the Hua Hin explosions occurred after a ceremony to commemorate the queens birthday, attended by hundreds of people.

[ Thai junta enjoys absolute power as opposition quietly bides its time ]

The attacks bore the hallmarks of southern insurgents. The materials of the devices and manner of the bombings used in this months attacks were the same as those used for more than a decade in the southernmost provinces, Wheeler said.

But the junta that seized power two years ago blamed the bombings on the red shirts, supporters of the Shinawatra family that fielded two democratically elected prime ministers, Thaksin and then his sister Yingluck.

Yingluck was overthrown when army Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha  now derided in Internet memes, complete with Photoshopped orange toupee, as the Thai Donald Trump  led the military coup two years ago.

Just a day after the national police chief said that southern separatists were the obvious suspects, a spokesman for the junta said it was clear that disgruntled political parties were behind the bombings. The hasty conclusion led to widespread criticism that the junta was more interested in politics than justice.

Smoke rises above buildings after a bomb attack in Thai-Malaysian border district of Sungai Kolok on July 11, 2015. It was one of eight overnight bomb attacks in Thailand's southern provinces of Songkhla and Narathiwat, police said. (Padung Wannalak/EPA)

Two more bombs went off near a hotel in Pattani, the insurgents heartland, Wednesday, killing a 25-year-old woman who worked at the hotel and wounding 29.

The Yingluck government had tried to hold talks with the separatists, but the discussions collapsed before the 2014 coup.

The main militant group, the National Revolutionary Front, or BRN, has rejected the military governments peace dialogue process. It demands international mediation and observers, Wheeler said. The Thai government, meanwhile, finds this unacceptable. They fear internationalization of the conflict, which they see as a path to foreign intervention and eventual partition, he said.

The separatists appear to have realized this stalemate could be the new normal, now that a new constitution, Thailands 20th since the absolute monarchy was replaced by a constitutional monarchy in 1932, is being finalized.

The constitution, which would allow a junta-appointed Senate to bypass the elected House and choose the prime minister, was backed by 61 percent of voters in a referendum month  after the military government banned all criticism of the draft constitution. After it passed, the junta, which has consistently delayed holding democratic elections, said it would hold a poll by the end of next year.

But in an editorial this month, the Bangkok Post said the constitution-drafting committees focus on the prime ministers role was fueling suspicions that next years planned general election will not be nearly as democratic as intended.

Indeed, Prayuth said this month that he would be willing to stay on as prime minister if there were no other good people for the job.

The realization that the junta was not going anywhere anytime soon appears to have propelled the insurgents, analysts said. The southern provinces overwhelmingly voted against the new military-backed constitution (as did the northeast area that is the heartland of the pro-Thaksin red shirts).

The constitution will put the formal infrastructure in place so that even if the junta steps down, they will still be in control, said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, a Thai political scientist in exile in Japan, where he teaches at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Kyoto University.

This might be starting to worry the Muslim majority in the south, Pavin said. They werent really that fond of Thaksin and Yingluck, but they now realize its worse to be stuck with a military regime, he said, adding that the military doesnt know how to deal with the south.

Sunai Phasuk, Thailand researcher at Human Rights Watch, said the intent behind the bombings was clear. The bombs were a slap in the face for Prayuth, Sunai said. They were a very direct challenge, telling him that hes not in charge and that there are things he cant control.

The violence appeared specifically aimed at undermining the countrys tourism industry, which provides vital income to the government.

My own reading is that its intended to do economic damage, to scare tourists away, said Michael Montesano, an expert on Thailand affiliated with the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. If they can make Bangkok suffer, they think they will be taken more seriously.

Thailands economy as a whole has been hurting since the coup, with investors wary of the upheaval and concerned about the rule of law. But tourism, which accounts for about one-tenth of the economy, has remained a relative bright spot, with visitors continuing to flock to Thailands beaches and mountains.

After a blip in 2014, tourist numbers rose to a record 30 million last year, according to official statistics, and the figure is projected to hit 32 million this year. The biggest influx by far comes from China, with 8 million tourists visiting Thailand last year despite the bombing of a shrine popular among Chinese. That attack was blamed on an array of the juntas political opponents, but last week, two Chinese Uighurs went on trial for the bombing.

Read more:

No such thing as half a coup, especially in Thailand

Letters to the Editor: Thailand is heading toward democracy

U.S. military to participate in major exercise in Thailand despite coup

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Turkish soldiers head to Syria from the border city of Karkamis in Turkeys southern region of Gaziantep on Saturday. (Bulent Kilic/AFP via Getty Images)

Clashes between Syrian rebels and Kurdish-aligned forces, both backed by the United States, intensified Sunday in northern Syria, as the rebels seized villages from the Kurds and Turkish warplanes pounded Kurdish positions, killing dozens.

The fresh fighting suggested that Turkey and its Syrian proxies are increasingly focused on stopping Kurdish forces from gaining more territory in northern Syria, particularly along Turkeys border, potentially signaling a widening of the conflict.

And it threatens to divert resources and attention away from the campaign against the Islamic State. At the same time, Turkey, a NATO ally, risks fueling friction with Washington, which views the Kurds and their allies as the most effective U.S. partners against the Islamic State.

The outbreak of fighting highlights the virtually impossible choices the United States faces in supporting forces that are mutually hostile  from among the Turks, the divided non-Islamist Syrian opposition, and the Kurds.

We want to make clear that we find these clashes unacceptable and they are a source of deep concern, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Sunday. This is an already crowded battle space. Accordingly, we are calling on all armed actors to stand down immediately and take appropriate measures to de-conflict.

Uncoordinated operations, Cook added, will give Islamic State forces, which remain a lethal and common threat, the opportunity to find sanctuary.

Sundays clashes came a day after a rocket attack on two Turkish tanks killed a Turkish soldier and injured three others in northern Syria. Turkey, which is wrestling with Kurdish insurgents within its borders, blamed the attack on Kurdish forces. The casualties were Turkeys first since it dispatched tanks and special forces units, backed by U.S. and Turkish fighter jets, into Syria on Wednesday to oust Islamic State militants from the border town of Jarabulus.

The militants fled the town without putting up a fight. Since then, Syrian rebels have been pushing westward, chasing the Islamic State, as well as southward into areas controlled by forces aligned with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The alliance is largely dominated by the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units, or the YPG, but also includes some Arabs.

[Turkeys Syria offensive is as much about the Kurds as ISIS]

On Sunday, pro-Turkey Syrian rebels of the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army said they had wrested 10 villages from Kurdish control, while seizing four villages from the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. A video posted on social media showed Syrian rebels beating captured fighters allied with the Kurds.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency said Sunday that Turkish airstrikes killed 25 Kurdish terrorists and destroyed five buildings from where the fighters were firing at advancing rebels.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group, said Turkish airstrikes and artillery shelling killed at least 20 civilians and wounded dozens during a fierce overnight battle for a village. It was unclear whether the Turks and the monitoring group were referring to the same incident.

[Biden warns Kurds not to seek separate enclave on Turkish-Syrian border]

The YPGs senior command said in a statement that it was not engaging Turkish forces despite the losses we suffer. It added that to stabilize the north of the country, the goal remains fighting Daesh and not Turkish forces, using an Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.

Both Turkey and Syrian rebels say the YPG has been targeting their forces. They say the Kurds broke a pledge to move their forces east of the Euphrates River, which senior U.S. officials also demanded, and are pressing for more terrain. The YPG insists that it has pulled back its forces. What is clear, though, is that its allies have not.

Shervan Derwish, a spokesman for a Kurdish-aligned military council in Manbij, 25 miles south of Jarabulus, said Sunday that the battles are still ongoing. At least 20 to 25 Turkish airstrikes have hit areas between Manbij and Jarabulus since Saturday, he said.

Turkey didnt come to fight Daesh, they came to fight us, said Derwish, who is an ethnic Kurd and served last year as the spokesman for Kurdish forces in the Syrian town of Kobane.

[Turkeys Syria offensive may have been delayed a year by officers who plotted coup]

Turkeys concerns about Kurdish expansion grew after the Kurdish forces drove the Islamic State from Manbij this month and then began pushing north toward Jarabulus. Turkeys incursion last week, code-named Euphrates Shield, preempted the Kurds from seizing the town.

The Turkish government is worried that Kurdish aspirations for a corridor linking two Kurdish enclaves in northwestern Syria could lead to an independent Kurdish state along its borders. That, Turkey fears, could embolden Kurdish militants on its own soil who have been a waging a three-decade-long armed struggle for cultural and political rights and self-determination.

At a rally Sunday in the southeastern city of Gaziantep, about 30 miles from the Syrian border, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that he was committed to fighting the Islamic State, but he also vowed to wipe out the main Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party, whose military wing is the YPG.

We will continue until we uproot this terror organization, Erdogan told the thousands gathered at the rally.

Hamil Harris in Washington and Zakaria Zakaria contributed to this report.

Read more

Suicide bombing shows how Turkeys Kurds are getting hit from all sides

Why the Pentagon sees recapture of Syrian city as template for battling ISIS

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
This is Whats Trending Today.

Two weeks ago, resort cities in France banned Muslim women from wearing so-called "burkinis" to beaches.

A burkini is a swimsuit designed to cover the whole body.

The mayor of Cannes in southern France said these swimsuits that obeyed Muslim rules of how women should dress outside the home could create problems.

He said the swimsuits showed a persons religious affiliation in an ostentatious way. France is worried after deadly terror attacks in Paris, Nice and other places claimed by the Islamic State group.

When the ban was put in place, women wearing burkas and burkinis at the beach were at risk of being fined or asked to remove them. A burka is a full body covering that only has holes for the eyes.

Critics said this new rule was evidence of Islamophobia, or excessive fear of Islamic things, in France.

On Friday, Frances highest court suspended the ban in the resort town of Villeneuve-Loubet.

The ruling is expected to set an example for at least 30 other cities that have announced bans.

The decision comes a day after protestors gathered in London outside of the French Embassy to rally against the ban.

Protestors at a beach party wore burkinis and held signs saying "Islamophobia is not freedom.

When the news came out, users of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter spoke out.

One person in the U.S. state of Vermont wrote: This whole issue seems crazy to me.  Maybe someone should be questioning the Speedo instead?

Speedo is the name of a company that makes swimsuits.

Another said banning the burkini didnt make any sense.

With the ban on burkinis overturned, another Facebook commenter wondered if that meant human rights activists would now move on to other issues. He mentioned the fact that women in Saudi Arabia cannot drive cars.

And finally, a Twitter user wrote: Now let them swim in peace  good grief!

And thats Whats Trending Today.

Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.

What do you think of the burkini debate in France? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

affiliation  n. the state of being closely associated with or connected to an organization, company, etc.

ostentatious  adj. behaving in a way that is meant to attract attention

good grief  n. an expression of surprise or annoyance
Dairy farmer Robert Martin, 47, on his farm in Carlisle, England, was initially against Brexit. But now he sees Britains decision to leave the E.U. as a chance for the British government to take more steps to help domestic farming and industry. (Biser Belinov for The Washington Post)

When Britain voted to leave the European Union, dairy farmer Robert Martin was distraught. Generous E.U. subsidies were helping sustain his farm on an emerald-grassed patch of the English countryside. Goodbye Europe meant goodbye cash.

We didnt have a Plan B, he said.

But where he once saw catastrophe, Martin now sees opportunity. The break with Europe means Britain must completely rewrite its trade, industrial and agricultural policies. And many, including farmers, industrial leaders and politicians, see a chance to press the national government to do something it has largely resisted in the era of globalization: step in to support domestic business.

The push is suddenly setting up Britain, the nation that sparked the Industrial Revolution, as a battleground of ideas over how and whether to right the wrongs of globalization.

We can preserve this, Martin said, gesturing toward his cows grazing languidly by a babbling brook. Import substitution. Buying British. We turned away from it, but we have an opportunity now.

The hills not far from Robert Martin's farm in Carlisle, England. (Biser Belinov for The Washington Post)

Three decades ago, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher moved to extricate government from industry, ending years in which inefficient businesses limped along with the aid of public cash. Much like in the United States, services here are now king. Banking thrived, and factories closed. Imports and cutthroat retailing hit local farms. Since 2000, nearly 5,000 British dairy farmers have gone belly up.

But like support for Donald Trump  who in a tweet this month described himself as Mr. Brexit  the British vote to leave the E.U. was propelled in part by those feeling the pain of globalization. Even some like Martin, who voted to stay in Europe, say Brexit might provide British agriculture and industry with a second wind.

Heres why: E.U. rules make it harder for member states to shield their domestic industries from competition. But now that Britain is preparing to exit, proponents argue that London will no longer be facing as many constraints. It should therefore start to take action, they say, to rejuvenate economic activities as varied as farms and steel plants.

There are huge incentives for Britain to use restraint; it is already a highly globalized economy playing by world trade rules that it helped to shape. Nevertheless, pressure is growing on the government to roll out programs and rules that could once again help ailing sectors.

Some proponents are heartened by early signs that the new Conservative prime minister, Theresa May, may not be like Thatcher the Milk Snatcher, as Britains Iron Lady became known after nixing free milk at public schools. May is already talking about something largely unmentioned in the halls of power here for decades: an industrial policy that brings back the Made in Britain brand.

We need a proper industrial strategy that focuses on improving productivity, rewarding hard-working people with higher wages and creating more opportunities for young people, May said last month before the launch of her new commission on industrial policy. She added, We also need a plan to drive growth up and down the country, from rural areas to our great cities.

Yet she and her ministers have been far less clear on what exactly that means, and they are engaged in intensive talks with business leaders to form a plan. Industrial leaders and politicians are pushing her to consider a host of new measures.

Britains Tenant Farmers Association is calling on May to embrace a range of demands, including requiring public food procurement policies to favor British produced food.

Iain Wright, the influential chairman of the business select committee in the British Parliament, is floating a plan that would seemingly riff off Buy American provisions in the United States  seeking to aid hard-hit British steel and metal works companies through a government build-out of bridges, roads and rail lines using British-made parts.

Im thinking about procurement as a way to drive prosperity, and steel is a good example, Wright said. Steel is not an obsolete industry. Its needed now more than ever.

Some suggestions go further. Terry Scuoler, chief executive of EEF, the lobbying body of Britains manufacturers, said public hospitals could, for example, be incentivized to buy and distribute British-made pharmaceuticals.

Our free-market openness . . . is worthy, and it has served Britain in the past, Scuoler said. But a cultural reorientation in government is now needed, an understanding that there is a need to buy British-made content. There is a cultural change required here.

Im not going to use the word protectionism; thats not what it is, he continued. I would use the word nurture. We need to nurture British industry.

And yet, protectionism is exactly what some fear Britain is being pushed to embrace.

By breaking with the E.U., Britain is already moving away from the freedom of mobility that once made the bloc perhaps the most globalized region in the world.

Moving to prop up domestic industry, critics say, could simply be repeating the errors of the 1960s and 70s, when government attempts to bolster failing factories not only burned through public funds but also created deep economic inefficiencies and simply did not work.

Tony Travers, a political expert at the London School of Economics, said Mays call for a new industrial policy felt like a flashback. Once you start talking like that, you are indeed talking about picking winners, subsidies to companies in parts of the country, and that does have a very 60s and 70s ring to it, he said.

Yet even before Britain voted to leave the E.U., then-Prime Minister David Cameron  a strong free-marketeer  was taking fresh steps into the private sector. His government was moving toward a short-term injection of public cash to sweeten a deal for investors to take over a large but failing steel plant in Wales.

Others argue that Britain has so much to lose from outright protectionism that it is likely to reject the most contentious proposals. Some point to the resurgent British auto industry as a model  with public-private cooperation, including millions of pounds of public cash pumped into research and training, helping to fuel a major recovery in the sector. Even some proponents of measures to help ailing industry say government support should go only so far, to avoid a throwback to the uncompetitive businesses that public aid wrought in the pre-Thatcher era.

But farmers such as Martin are still waiting for long-term answers. Competition among British retailers, weak global commodity prices and cheaper, imported dairy products from Ireland have conspired to put more and more British dairy farmers out of business. Now, they say, they are facing another hit.

Britains departure from the E.U. will rob British farmers of roughly $3.5 billion a year in annual subsidies  subsidies that made up about 10 percent of Martins annual revenue.

Although he employs three British workers, many other farmers hire migrant workers from Eastern Europe who could face new visa hurdles to work in Britain once it leaves the bloc.

Some activists are also calling for any national farm subsidies that might replace lost E.U. funds to be linked to environmental improvements or the protection of rare species  measures with the potential to increase production costs.

The May administration has pledged that Britain will make up for lost E.U. farm subsidies until at least 2020. But because Britain may not even leave the E.U. until 2018 or 2019, farmers such as Martin say that is little consolation.

Theyre talking about carrying us for two years? he said. Thats less than one calving cycle. Thats not going to do it, and I think they know it.

Karla Adam contributed to this report.

Read more:

Londons lavishly high home prices take a Brexit hit

Brexit leads to fears of a return to Irelands troubled past

Britains scientists are freaking out over Brexit

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
A general view shows the city of Zahle during Lebanon's Bekaa municipal elections, May 8, 2016. (Aziz Taher/Reuters)

Something remarkable is happening in this Lebanese farming town. Roads are no longer dark at night, and water is pumped to homes without interruption.

Theres electricity here in Zahle, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

And if you dont think thats a big deal, ask residents of just about any other town in this tiny country. They endure daily outages that can last 18 hours, so they pay exorbitant fees to opportunistic owners of private electricity generators to get enough power.

In fact, millions of people across the Middle East are dealing with worsening power cuts. The issue fed the frustrations behind the Arab Spring revolts of 2011 and presents a daunting challenge for the regions growing populations, including in war-torn countries such as Yemen and Iraq.

But in Zahle, a town of about 150,000 in Lebanons scenic Bekaa Valley, residents overcame energy woes with political will and creativity, offering the rest of the region possible lessons on how to obtain reliable and affordable electricity.

Assaad Nakad is the chairman of a local power company in Lebanon that provides round-the-clock electricity. Hes touring a power plant that he recently had built for his home town of Zahle, Lebanon on Aug. 15, 2016. (Hugh Naylor/The Washington Post)

Whats happened in Zahle and its environs is a huge achievement, and it gives hope that our experience with 24-hour electricity could be replicated far beyond, said Elie Marouni, a member of parliament from the town.

[Epic heat wave could be global warmings hellish curtain-raiser ]

Last year, officials at Zahles power company braved death threats from the towns generator owners (referred to by residents as the Mafia) as they built a power plant that services the town and surrounding municipalities.

Most residents backed construction of the areas sole power plant, which cut the generator operators out of the market and nearly halved monthly energy bills.

Its a miracle! said Elias Akiki, a 75-year-old owner of a souvenir shop in Zahle. We were suffocating before all this.

Lebanons power cuts started during the civil-war years, from 1975 to 1990. And they still bedevil most of the 4 million citizens of this Mediterranean country.

Lights and televisions still abruptly shut off multiple times a day. In some areas, the outages prevent municipalities from pumping water to homes and businesses.

Sami Saqer tours his fields of potatoes, wheat and crops that he farms in Zahle, Lebanon. (Hugh Naylor/The Washington Post)

Backup generators offer only limited amounts of energy. When they kick in, people can use an appliance or two at their homes and businesses, but any more risks overloading the circuits.

Its a long-standing crisis here, and it is only getting worse, said Jihan Seoud, a Lebanon-based energy and environment expert at the U.N. Development Program.

The reasons for Lebanons outages are complex.

More than a million Syrians fled their civil war for refuge here, badly straining electricity supplies.

The Lebanese tend to blame their dysfunctional government. Squabbling politicians have failed to agree on a new president for more than two years, leaving the key post vacant during that time. They have struggled with even seemingly minor things such as trash collection in Beirut, the capital. And the quarreling partly explains why no new power plants have been built since the 1990s, apart from Zahles, and why existing facilities produce just over half of the electricity the country needs.

Corruption plays a major role, said Marwan Iskander, a Lebanese economist. Patronage from powerful figures has allowed many subscribers to the national electricity network to get away with not paying their bills.

I even know one former parliamentarian who literally owes millions of dollars in unpaid electricity bills, Iskander said.



[In Syrias war, a young girl is left deaf and hopeless]

The outages in Zahle worsened in recent years, sometimes lasting an entire day.

The towns old power plant was destroyed during the civil war. So the local power company, Electricite de Zahle (EDZ), contracted a British firm to build and help operate a 60-megawatt plant, which went online in March 2015.

Until then, EDZ had only acted as a distributor of electricity, which it received from the state power firm.

I got tired  we all got tired  of promises by the government that there would be 24/7 electricity. It just never happened, so we decided to act, said EDZs chief executive, Assaad Nakad.

Government officials pressured Nakad to stop the project, but he said he fought them off by invoking a law from the 1920s that gives EDZ the right to generate and distribute its own electricity.

Officials from the electricity ministry and state power firm did not respond to questions by phone and text message about the issue.

Nakads family received anonymous death threats during the plants construction, and unidentified assailants shot several of EDZs transformers. A group of men who supplied the towns private generators with fuel stormed into his office with an ultimatum, Nakad said.

They said theyd kill me if I built the plant, he said. These men had a lot to lose.

The towns mayor, Assaad Zougheib, said the three dozen or so generator owners would regularly dismiss requests to lower their fees. And some of them became extravagantly wealthy, residents said.

My uncle owned several generators, said Charbel Boieny, who runs a candy shop in Zahle. He owns six villas.

Around the time of the plants construction, residents said they faced intimidation from the generator owners. One sent cronies to the home of Wassim Teenny and told him that he couldnt unhook from the neighborhood generator.

They also demanded that we give them extra money, but everyone in the neighborhood refused to do what they told us, said Teenny, 27, who works at a paint company.

Fast forward to the present day, and Zahles new power plant is supplying constant electricity to an estimated 250,000 people in the area. And Sami Saqer, 52, a farmer, is pocketing thousands of dollars that he used to spend on generator costs to pump groundwater for his fields of potatoes, wheat and squash.

I can even farm at night if I want, he said, pointing to street lamps near his crops.

Even generator operators like George al-Youssef, who is now out of work, acknowledge that Zahle is better off. Youssef, 66, complained that electricity prices in the town are still high relative to other countries.

But, he said, The prices are lower than before.

Read more:

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Suzan Haidamous contributed to this report.
The Palestinian village of Susiya is threatened with demolition by the Israeli military, which says the structures were built without permits. The Palestinian residents have been supported by the European Community, angering the Israeli authorities. (Willam Booth/The Washington Post)

For a quick reality check on the current stalemate in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, theres no better place to visit than this little village of miserable huts and sheep pens in the middle of nowhere.

The hamlet in the hills south of Hebron has become an improbable proxy in a cold war waged among Jewish settlers, the Israeli government, Western diplomats, peace activists and the 340 or so Arab herders who once inhabited caves on the site and now live in squalid tents.

Israels military authority in the West Bank wants to demolish the Palestinian community, contending that the ramshackle structures, made of old tires and weathered tarpaulins, were built without permits and must come down.

The Palestinian residents insist they are not squatters but heirs to the land they have farmed and grazed since the Ottoman era.

They say Israel wants to depopulate the area of Arabs and replace them with Jews.





Its ethnic cleansing, said Nasser Nawaja, a resident of the village, who also is employed by the Israeli human rights group BTselem, which opposes the demolition.

That is nonsense, said Josh Hasten, international director for the pro-settler group Regavim, which has been pushing the Israeli government to stop kicking the proverbial can down the road and shove these illegal squatters off the land.

[Ten years after last Lebanon war, Israel warns next one will be far worse]

Hasten described Susiya as a phony village and part of a plot funded by the European Union and supported by the Palestinian Authority to assert rights that do not exist and create a de facto Palestinian state on land that should belong to Israel.

The Nawaja clan are stubborn, tough, poor shepherds who have spent the past three decades subsisting with brackish cistern water and a trickle of power from a generator. Theyre not likely to leave unless forced at gunpoint.

If we can stop the Israelis here, we can stop them from demolishing other villages, said Jihad Nawaja, one of the village elders.

A final order to bulldoze the hamlet was delayed in mid-

August when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus office asked the courts to stay a ruling on the dispute for two months  until after the U.S. presidential election  according to lawyers involved in the case on both sides.

A Palestinian resident of the Khirbet Susiya community, south of the city of Hebron, hangs up laundry next to their tent village in the West Bank, in May of 2015. (Abed Al Haslhamoun/EPA)

The Obama administration this month warned Israel that it finds the proposed eviction very troubling.

In July, State Department spokesman John Kirby said that demolishing Susiya would set a damaging standard for displacement and land confiscation, particularly given settlement-related activity in the area.

[Yemeni Jews say young relatives were stolen in Israel]

Far beyond the United States, Susiya stands at the center of fraying relations between Israel and Europe, which is providing life support to the village.

The solar panels in Susiya were donated by Germany, the school by Spain, the water pumps by Ireland. Belgium, Italy, Norway and others have contributed a playground, a shipping container to use as an office, and a new bullhorn.

Even so, it is a pitiful place, without running water or electricity from the grid, though it lies just a few hundred yards from Israeli power and water lines that serve a nearby Jewish settlement with the same name.

Right-wing ministers in Netanyahus coalition government have become much more vocal in their calls to Europe to stay out of Israels domestic affairs.

Apparently, that is not going to happen.

This month, two top British diplomats visited Susiya to hear from the locals.

Tony Kay, the deputy chief of mission at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv, made Susiya a first stop just weeks after arriving in the country.

The Israelis criticize the Palestinians for building without permits, but the number of permits the Palestinians are issued for Area C is practically nil, he said.

[Tourism is the new front in Israeli settlers battle for legitimacy]

Area C is the 60 percent of the West Bank completely controlled by the Israeli military, which oversees both security and civilian affairs here.

BTselem, citing government figures, reports that in 2014, out of 242 permit applications submitted by Palestinians for building in Area C, only one was granted. Between 2009 and 2012, a total of 1,640 applications were submitted. Only 37  about 2.3 percent  were approved, according to the human rights group, which said that most Palestinians do not submit the paperwork unless they face stop-work orders.

The Palestinians want to create a state in the Gaza Strip and here on the West Bank, which Israel occupied after winning the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The Israeli right now wants to formally annex Area C in the West Bank, where 200 Jewish settlements are located, saying that a two-state solution is unworkable. Most of the world considers the Jewish settlements on the West Bank to be illegal, a conclusion that the Israeli government rejects.

[Israels defense minister compares Palestinians poetry to Hitlers Mein Kampf]

James Downer, the British deputy consul general in Jerusalem, sipped coffee with the Nawaja clan.

I am very fond of Susiya, he said.

Downer joked that he had visited enough times to be made an honorary citizen.

He promised the locals, We will do what we can to oppose demolitions here and elsewhere.

Whatever it was in the past, these days Susiya has more the feeling of a protest camp than a functioning Palestinian village.

There are no streets, shops or mosques, and no permanent homes. There do not seem to be many people, either  giving some support to Regavims claim that most of the residents live in the nearby Palestinian town of Yatta.

Residents say that since the construction of a Jewish settlement nearby in 1983, their village has been leveled twice and partly demolished seven other times by Israeli bulldozers. Each time, the Palestinians returned to the hilltop and rebuilt their huts.

Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked visited the area this month and said it was hypocritical for Europe to fight against new building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank while underwriting illegal construction in Palestinian villages.

What everyone seems to agree on is that Susiya has become a symbol.

The Europeans also see Israeli hypocrisy.

As the Jewish settlements in the West Bank continue to grow, the Israeli military has ramped up demolitions of Palestinian homes, barns and sheds.

According to the United Nations, Israel has demolished 614 unauthorized Palestinian structures in the West Bank this year.

Israeli settlers in the West Bank see an insidious Palestinian encroachment onto lands the Jewish homesteaders believe were given to them by God.

Yochai Damari, who heads a regional council representing Jewish settlements in the Hebron hills, called the residents of Susiya invaders and a criminal tribe.

The matter has been debated and it was decided to evict them, after endless petitions and foot-dragging, he told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

Regavim, the group pushing to have the Palestinians evicted, says the herders of Susiya are also squatting on land adjacent to an important archaeological site with ruins of a Jewish community and a synagogue dating to the 8th century.

The same site also has remains of an ancient mosque, built on top of the synagogue.

Read more

In a first, Israel lets Jordanian workers cross the border for jobs

Israeli archaeologists rush to dig at Cave of Skulls before looters take everything

Gazas last tiger leaves the worlds worst zoo

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Climate change boosts hay fever

Spring is just around the corner and that means birds will be on the wing and snails will be on the thorn and by some estimates, that will mean all will be right with the world unlessyou are one of the estimated 26 per cent of Australians who suffer from hay fever. Thats a lot of people sneezing and snuffling but the worrying thing is that a new study has shown that climate change could drive a dramatic increase in hay fever.

Hay fever is essentially an allergic reaction to pollen and the type of pollen you are allergic to can be determined by the time your hay fever is at its worst. Tree pollen is released during spring, grass pollen is released at the end of spring and early summer, and pollen from weeds (such as ragweed) tends to be released in late summer into autumn. In Australia there are number of weeds that contribute to hay fever.

Pellitory weed was introduced in a shipload of marble from Italy in the early 1900s and is mainly found in Sydney. Patersons Curse (Echium plantagineum) was deliberately brought from England in the late 1800s by Dr Paterson and has overtaken large tracts of pasture in rural Australia and produces highly allergenic pollen. Ragweed and Parthenium weed were introduced in pasture seed imported from the United States and have spread throughout Queensland and northern New South Wales. Ragweed pollen is higly allergenic and a single ragweed plant can produce billions of pollen grains per season. It is ragweed that was the focus of the new study.

The new study was European and the researchers created maps of ragweed pollen counts over the ragweed season in Europe and combined them with data on where people live and levels of allergy in the population. Basing calculations on the fact that climate change will lengthen the ragweed pollen season and increase ragweed pollen concentrations the researchers say that allergy ragweed pollen is likely to double by as soon as 2050.

Although this was a European study the basic message hold true around the worldclimate change is nothing to be sneezed at.

Source: Environmental Health Perspectives
Two Olympians reportedly did not make it back home to Guinea.



The head of Guinea's Olympic delegation, Atef Chaloub, said two athletes  swimmer Amadou Camara and judo competitor Mamadama Bangoura  did not go back with the West African nation's delegation, according to the Associated Press.



Chaloub said Camara disappeared two days before the team's scheduled departure from Rio, and Bangoura left a message saying she wanted to "try her luck" abroad.





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The AP reported that one of Bangoura's friends said her friend was ashamed that she didn't earn a medal and looked to try "working in a developed country."



Bangoura held a high-profile role for her country at the Olympics as she served as the flag bearer during the Opening Ceremonies.



Over 12 African athletes (including 3 athletes from Guinea) reportedly did not return home after the London Olympics in 2012, according to the report.



In 2010, the U.S. State Department accused Guinea, which is located in western Africa, of multiple human rights violations, including the use of torture and violence against women.
A fire tore through a newly built backlot set for the History's forthcoming Middle Ages series Knightfall Friday afternoon at Prague's Barrandov Film Studios in the Czech Republic.

Dozens of firefighters, including a Czech Fire Service helicopter that dropped water on the blaze from above, were struggling to contain the inferno, Tomas Krejci, founder of Prague's Milk & Honey Pictures told The Hollywood Reporter. "[It] started a couple of hours ago and is still raging," he noted in a telephone interview, adding: "The blaze is in an outside set at Barrandov Studios, a very big set built for Knightfall, and seems to have taken a firm hold of the construction."

Though the fire is believed to have had "significant" impact on exterior sets, says a source close to the show, no injuries were reported. Parent company A&E does not yet know the extent of the damage, but is said to be looking into the cause. In the interim, police have cordoned off the area, the Czech newspaper Hospodarske Noviny reported, adding that traffic on adjusting roads was blocked at firefighters' request.

The 10-episode drama, which counts Jeremy Renner as an executive producer and guest star, was ordered to series in January. It's part of the network's continued scripted push, following the success of Vikings. Production is expected to resume on Monday.

Barrandov Studios, built in the 1930s, is the Czech Republic's leading filmmaking complex, which has hosted a raft of top Hollywood productions in recent years including The Zookeepers Wife, starring Jessica Chastain, and Underworld: Nest Generation starring Kate Beckinsale.

Read more: History Orders Jeremy Renner-Produced Drama 'Knightfall' to Series
ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady reportedly has gotten an ultimatum. According to US Weekly, Bradys wife, Gisele Bundchen, has informed him that either he leaves football to spend time with the family or she is gone for good. Its not specified whether he must leave now or next month or after the current year ends. Brady [more]


Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Crackle/AP Images

Step aside Ashton Kutcher, there's a new cutest Hollywood dad in town and his name is Seth Cohen--er Adam Brody, who bonds with his 1-year-old daughter, Arlo Day, in the most adorable way. "I do a nice morning hike with ... That's always a treat," Brody told People. "It's something to do in the wee hours of the morning when she's up. It's a good activity for both of us." Arlo, whose mom is Brody's wife of 2 years, Leighton Meester, rides around the house in a Baby Bjorn pushed by dad. "We hike around our house," added Brody. "Watching the sunrise with a kid is pretty fun."

After a year of dating, Meester and Brody tied the knot in 2014 in a super-secret and very private ceremony, making '00's teens dreams come true with a Seth Cohen/Blair Waldorf fan fiction story come to life. Their daughter's birth was kept tight-lipped, too, with confirmation of her arrival coming nearly two months after her she was born.

Plus, Brody revealed to the magazine that he's got a knack for manual labor and likes to spend time building "the kids stuff" around his house, like "Arlo's slide and rocking chair."

RELATED: Leighton Meester and Adam Brody Are Too Cute in a Rare Red Carpet Appearance

But after spraining his MCL while surfing (Sandy Cohen would be proud), keeping up with his daughter has been a challenge. "Three weeks later, I'm still limping. I can bend it, but it hurts," he shared. "Chasing the kid is pretty hard! It's put a big monkey wrench in that."
All the signs may have said it was the Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe, but Ann Coulter was the lightning rod for everyone's ire on Saturday night.

The conservative political commentator was torched by one comedian after another, even being called a "racist c - " by Saturday Night Live's Pete Davidson.

"Ann Coulter is here. If you are here, Ann, who is scaring the crows away from our crops?" said Davidson, who did not hide his disdain for Coulter throughout the evening.

The roast, which will air Labor Day on Comedy Central, featured Davidson, Coulter, Peyton Manning, Rob Riggle, Jewel, Jeff Ross, Jimmy Carr, Nikki Glaser, Ralph Macchio and roast master David Spade.

Everyone took shots at Coulter, even Manning, who was the only roaster to not cuss, naturally.

Read more: Charles Osgood to Retire as Anchor of 'CBS Sunday Morning' After 22 Years

"I'm not the only athlete up here. As you know earlier this year, Ann Coulter won the Kentucky Derby," the retired future NFL Hall of Famer said.

Jewel, like Davidson before her, also did not try to mask her contempt for Coulter.

"I do want to say as a feminist that I can't support everything that's been said tonight. But as someone who hates Ann Coulter, I'm delighted," said Jewel, who performed her set with a guitar and closed with a rendition of "You Were Meant for Me" about being the underaged girl in Lowe's infamous sex tape.

Coulter was given her chance to get some jabs in - and was booed heavily by the audience when she made it clear she was there to plug her new book, In Trump We Trust. She even set a copy of the book on the lectern while she spoke.

Coulter noted it seemed like the evening was her roast, just featuring Lowe.

She apologized to some of her fellow roasters, saying "they," as in Comedy Central, were "making me be mean."

At one point, she made a so-so joke about Davidson, which got a huge laugh when the camera cut to him saying "good one" in extremely sarcastic fashion.

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Her biggest laugh line came when she said if there was only one person on the dais she hoped to convince to become a supporter of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, it was Macchio, so people would know he was still alive.

Coulter also took numerous shots at Hillary Clinton, Trump's opponent.

Her set got somewhat awkward when the teleprompter stopped working and Coulter had to ask repeatedly what the issue was with the person working the device.

She was given light applause after her set.

Following the roast, Lowe was asked by reporters why Coulter was a part of the dais.

"I think the best daises are daises where you're like, 'What the f - ,'" Lowe said, adding her reason for being there was in the joke he told when he closed the event, which was about right-to-lifers wanting everyone to see an abortion up close.

Coulter declined to comment after the taping.

Read more: Watch the 'Thor' Mockumentary Showing What the Avenger Was Doing During 'Civil War'
Paris (AFP) - It would be "unconstitutional" for France to pass a law banning the burkini and such a move could cause irreparable harm, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve warned in an interview published online late Sunday.

Speaking to French daily La Croix, Cazeneuve reiterated the government's opposition to legislating on the controversial matter which has sparked fierce debate both at home and abroad about women's rights and France's strictly-guarded secularism.

Around 30 coastal resorts have recently banned women from wearing the full-body swimwear on their beaches, although France's highest administrative court on Friday overturned the measure in one town, in a ruling likely to set a legal precedent which will affect the others.

Rightwing figures are pushing for a nationwide ban to be written into law, led by former president Nicolas Sarkozy who this week launched his bid to regain the presidency in next year's election.

But Cazeneuve ruled out any such move.

"As the prime minister has said, the government refuses to legislate on the matter because any such law would be unconstitutional, ineffective and likely to create antagonism and irreparable tension", he said.

"However, Muslims must continue to engage with us over gender equality, the inviolable nature of the principles of the French Republic, and tolerance in order to live together," he said, noting that in overruling the ban, the court had "stated the law".

Cazeneuve will on Monday have "a day of consultations" with religious figures, civil groups, parliamentarians and others on Islam in France, seeking to get the religion which is the subject of fevered debate throughout the country better "anchored in the values of the Republic".

- 'Racists don't plant bombs' -

France has been hit by a string of Islamist attacks over the past 18 months, raising questions over security failures and resulting in a spike in Islamophobia.

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In the latest instance of intercultural tensions, a restaurant owner in the Paris suburb of Tremblay-en-France is facing an investigation after chasing two veiled Muslim women out of his premises on Saturday.

His actions, caught on video, provoked a furious response and prompted prosecutors to open an inquiry.

The incident, filmed by one of the two women and posted online, shows the other saying; "We don't want to be served by racists".

The restaurateur responds: "Racists like me don't plant bombs and don't kill people."

He added that "terrorists are Muslim and all Muslims are terrorists. I don't want people like you in my place. Now you know it you can get out".

The boss of "Le Cenacle" restaurant later apologised for his actions as calls to boycott his establishment flooded social media sites alongside negative reviews.

A source close to the investigation said that the proprietor had left his home along with his family for security reasons.

Cazeneuve lashed out the opposition for trying to earn political points from the burkini controversy at a time when the country has been rattled by a string of deadly attacks claimed by Islamic State militants.

"Certain opposition leaders are making a lot of noise. They think that in the current context of terror threats, we can abandon the fundamental principles of law as embodied in the Constitution," he said, warning that such a move would be "a serious mistake".
Moscow (AFP) - Four months after taking the helm of struggling Russian automobile giant Avtovaz, Renault executive Nicolas Maure has set his sights on returning the Lada maker to profit by 2018.

Maure, who headed Romanian carmaker Dacia for just over two years before taking on his new position, took over Avtovaz, which is majority-owned by the Renault-Nissan Alliance, in April amid major losses in the Russian auto industry struggling with recession.

Hit hard by Russia's economic crisis, Avtovaz earlier this year was battling bankruptcy fears after its net losses almost tripled in 2015.

That year the Russian car market slumped 36 percent amid international sanctions over Ukraine and the crash in oil prices took its toll on the economy.

"I arrived at a trying time," Maure, 56, told AFP this week on the sidelines of the Moscow International Automobile Salon.

"The market was slumping and I was arriving in a troubled company."

Maure's predecessor, Swedish executive Bo Andersson, had been on a drive to improve efficiency at Avtovaz's Soviet-era facilities and slashed thousands of jobs from the bloated workforce in 2014.

But the measures did not yield any significant financial success, and the company made a loss of 620 million euros ($680 million) on the French carmaker's accounts last year.

But an uptick in sales, which grew 4 percent last month in comparison to the same period last year, and its growing market share has made Maure upbeat about Avtovaz's prospects.

"The situation is more favourable than when I arrived, with steady demand," he said.

"We are doing everything necessary to be in profit from 2018."

- Weak market in 2017 -

Despite Maure's optimism about the future, Renault is still set to recapitalise Avtovaz by the end of the year. The Lada maker suffered losses of 27 billion rubles ($416 million) in the first half of 2016.

When the Renault announced plans for recapitalisation earlier this year, Avtovaz said it would further "optimise the workforce" as part of its "anti-crisis plan" to improve finances in 2016, having already switched all of its employees and management to a four-day week from February to August.

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Maure said that in light of high demand for the Lada Vesta -- 30,000 of which have been sold in Russia since the beginning of the year -- the company would further study the market and could cancel its four-day work week at its factory in the city of Togliatti on the Volga River some 800 kilometres east of Moscow.

Despite signs of the Russian economy stabilising, the Association of European Businesses predicts that auto sales will drop more than 10 percent this year, a figure up from the five percent drop that had been previously predicted.

"We are working with a scenario of a weak market in 2017," Maure said.

"We have to keep fighting for our share of the market (and) increase our profitability as we develop our exports, which fell to a historical low in the first quarter."

Maure said Avtovaz is now seeking foreign markets in the Middle East and Africa.

The company has lost the Ukrainian market as tensions linger between Moscow and Kiev over Russia's annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and its support of a pro-Russian insurgency in eastern Ukraine.

Maure said that the corporate culture at the company has changed since he took charge.

"The atmosphere was tense from a managerial, social and political standpoint," he said.

"The first months consisted of calming things down, to make people gain confidence again, to tell them that Avtovaz has a future."
Dhaka (AFP) - Bangladesh police said Sunday they were hunting more extremist leaders after shooting dead the suspected mastermind of a deadly cafe attack, on the eve of US Secretary of State John Kerry's first visit.

Security forces stormed a militant hideout outside Dhaka on Saturday, killing three suspected Islamists including the Bangladesh-born Canadian accused of organising last month's attack that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners.

Authorities say that after returning from Canada in 2013, Tamim Chowdhury led a faction of the banned militant group Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), blamed for a series of recent attacks on religious minorities.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the July 1 seige of the upmarket Dhaka cafe in which gunmen held hostage mainly Western diners including one American, before killing them.

But police say the homegrown JMB, which has pledged allegiance to the IS group, was behind the raid. They deny the presence of international jihadist groups.

"We're hopeful we can now capture and eliminate other extremists including Zia," assistant inspector general of police, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, told AFP.

Police suspect Zia, a former army major whose full name is Syed Ziaul Haque, heads another local extremist group called Ansar al Islam, blamed for the machete murders of a dozen secular writers and two gay activists.

Kerry is set to arrive in Bangladesh on Monday on his first official visit to try to deepen cooperation on counter-terrorism and other issues.

He will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and hold talks with his counterpart Mahmood Ali "on a broad range of issues including democracy, development, security and human rights", a senior State Department official said.

Kerry will then head to India to co-chair the regular US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Bangladesh police hailed Saturday's raid as a major blow to extremists in the Muslim-majority country, which has been reeling from the recent killings.

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The cafe attack has prompted foreigners, including potential investors, to leave Bangladesh -- sparking worries for its garment industry, the world's second largest after China.

A series of police raids on suspected militant hideouts have killed at least 24 extremists since the cafe attack.

Police have announced a reward of $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of Zia, who was sacked from the army in 2011 for an aborted coup bid against Hasina.

Experts welcomed Saturday's police raid but said the country, with its history of political instability, faces a long fight against Islamist extremism.

Critics say Hasina's administration has been in denial about the nature of the threat posed by extremists and accuse her of trying to exploit the attacks to demonise her domestic opponents.

"Definitely Tamim's death is a major setback for the terrorists, especially in the short term," said Abdur Rob, professor of politics and security issues at the private North South University.

"(But) The incentives for regrouping will remain unless we can fix our politics."
By Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actor-director Nate Parker says he never gave another thought to his trial and acquittal on rape charges in 2001 until forced to confront the issue again as the promotion for his film "Birth of a Nation" was gaining steam this month. In an interview with Ebony magazine published on Saturday, his first since learning in recent weeks that the women who accused him of rape in 1999 had committed suicide, Parker also acknowledged his previous comments to the media about the case were "insensitive." "When I was first met with the news that this part of my past had come up, my knee-jerk reaction was selfish," he told the magazine. "My only thought was I'm innocent and everyone needs to know." Parker, 36, whose film about an 1831 Virginia slave revolt is set for commercial release in October, said he was only now coming to terms with issues of "toxic masculinity" and "male privilege" that influenced his "disrespectful" behavior toward women as a younger man. Parker, who was little known before "Birth of a Nation" made a splash at the Sundance Film Festival in January, has been at the center of a controversy since the 17-year-old rape case involving him came to wide public attention earlier this month. A debate over whether the artist can be separated from the art has gripped Hollywood, the black community and women's groups, while some civil rights leaders have suggested the media was dredging up the rape case to discredit a powerful story about slave resistance. An 18-year-old fellow Penn State University student accused Parker, then 19, and his friend, Jean Celestin, of raping her while she was unconscious from heavy drinking. A jury acquitted Parker in 2001. Celestin, now credited as a co-writer on "Birth of a Nation," was found guilty of sexual assault, but the verdict was overturned on appeal. Initially addressing the case two weeks ago in interviews with Hollywood publications Variety and Deadline, Parker told Variety, that the case was litigated and, "I was cleared of it. That's that. Seventeen years later, I'm a filmmaker." His remarks struck many as callous, especially when it surfaced days later that the woman had taken her own life in 2012 at age 30. Parker wrote in a subsequent Facebook post that he was devastated by news of her death, while reasserting that their encounter had been "unambiguously consensual." (Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
By Daniel Ramos LA PAZ (Reuters) - Bolivia on Saturday formally accused three miners of the murder of Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes this week, including the president of the federation that had organized protests and a roadblock. The killing of Illanes, who was found beaten to death after being kidnapped on Thursday by miners demanding changes in the law, has shocked Bolivia and presented leftist President Evo Morales with one of his greatest challenges since taking power in 2006. The public prosecutor accused three miners of the murder, including Carlos Mamani, the president of the National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia. Last week, the group blocked a highway linking capital La Paz with the city of Oruro. At least two miners were killed and 17 police injured in clashes, and the government said Illanes had approached the protesters to attempt dialogue. The miners, who work in co-operatives rather than for private companies, have been hit by the global commodities downturn and were demanding that the government relax environmental restrictions and increase subsidies. Mamani, who was arrested on Friday, was formally accused of murder, aggravated robbery, criminal organization, possession of firearms and attacking members of state security. A hearing will be held this weekend. The roadblock has been abandoned and the protests have ended, authorities said. 'POLITICAL CONSPIRACY' Morales described the protests as a "political conspiracy" against his government, carried out with backing from the right-wing opposition. "Now we are getting information and finding documents that say this is to take down the government," he told a news conference. Opposition leaders denied any involvement. "We ask the president in this sad hour not to weave false conspiracy theories," said ex-president Jorge Quiroga. The government has ruled out talks with the miners and asked for the maximum 30-year jail sentence for those found guilty. Ex-coca grower Morales is one of the last leaders left standing from South America's once-dominant populist leftist bloc. His policies to redistribute the wealth of a natural gas windfall and empower once marginalized groups won him many admirers in the early years. More recently his government has been dogged by accusations of cronyism, while it has struggled to keep up with supporters' demands at a time when incomes are tight. Illanes, 56, was a long-time Morales ally appointed as deputy minister in March. His funeral will take place on Sunday in La Paz. (Writing by Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
By Gerauds Wilfried Obangome LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - Gabon voted on Saturday amid discontent over its failure to raise living standards despite oil wealth, in a poll posing the biggest challenge yet to President Ali Bongo, whose family has run the central African nation for half a century. With state machinery and entrenched patronage networks behind him, Bongo, 57, is likely to be returned, seven years after winning his first election following the death of his father Omar, who ruled for 42 years. Polls closed at 7 p.m. (2.00 p.m ET), an hour late to allow people were still waiting to vote to do so. Voting was mostly calm, although witnesses said a few scuffles broke out in one area as tempers flared in long queues to cast ballots. Results are not expected until Monday or Tuesday, although partial results may start trickling out on Sunday. Land and sea borders were shut on Saturday until 8 p.m. (1900 GMT). Bongo faced nine other candidates - compared with 22 in the last poll - but his main rival was veteran diplomat Jean Ping. "The day of glory has arrived and we are preparing as you can see to celebrate victory," Ping, 73, said shortly after voting in Martine Oulabou school, in the capital Libreville. Ping faces an uphill struggle, not least because Gabon's one-round system means the winner doesn't need a majority, just more votes than any other candidate. In 2009, Bongo won with 41.73 percent. "I have laid out the change achieved and the change to come in the future. For that reason, I'm confident," Bongo, wearing a blue suit, said after voting. Bongo has made saving Gabon's unique wildlife, including pristine equatorial rainforest and elephants, a priority, but voters complain they have more pressing worries. Ping meanwhile has harnessed discontent over the lack of a significant rise in living standards in the population of just under two million, despite its oil riches. "The Gabonese are suffering. We are not well paid, our children don't live in good conditions. That's why I voted for change," Marie Ange N'no, 40, a civil servant, said outside a polling station in Libreville. She declined to say for whom she had voted. POVERTY DESPITE OIL WEALTH Gabon has just rejoined OPEC after two decades and has a GDP per capita of $10,000 a year, making it one of Africa's richest countries, yet much of that wealth is concentrated in the hands of the elite. About a fifth of Gabonese live on less than $2 a day and nearly a third live below its own national poverty line, according to the latest available data, from 2005. Bongo on Thursday promised "a merciless fight against poverty". But Gabon faces a financial squeeze owing to a long-term decline in oil output -- which shrunk GDP per capita by nearly a fifth between 1980 and 2014, according to the United Nations Development Program -- and a sharp fall in the price of crude over the past two years. Efforts to diversify into agriculture and tourism have yet to bear much fruit. Oil wealth has flowed mostly to the elite - for a period Gabon was the world's top per capita importer of champagne - and has trickled down slightly only via its bloated civil service. During his father's rule, Gabon was a pillar of "La Francafrique", an intricate, shadowy web of diplomacy, commerce and French military might that kept African autocrats in power and gave French companies privileged access to them. Bongo has tried to shake off this legacy by presenting a modern face with a development program run by technocrats. "As (Omar Bongo's) son, it is difficult to present yourself as something new and technocratic when the whiff of corruption hangs over from the last administration," said Anthony Goldman, head of West Africa-focused PM Consulting. The mixed-race son of a wealthy Chinese trader, Ping is a former foreign minister and African Union Commission chairman who was once close to Omar Bongo and even had a relationship with his daughter, Pascaline, fathering two children by her. That limits how much leverage he can get out of dissatisfaction with the Bongo family. Ping fell out with "Bongo Junior", as Gabonese call the president, leaving the ruling party in 2014 to become an outspoken critic. Opposition campaigners have questioned whether Bongo is really Gabonese or an adopted child from eastern Nigeria, something he denies. Tensions between the two camps could yet boil over into unrest. (Writing and additional reporting by Tim Cocks in Dakar, editing by Ros Russell)
SAN FRANCISCO -- Atlanta Braves interim manager Brian Snitker thought young right-hander Mike Foltynewicz won more than just a ballgame Saturday night.

He noted that the 24-year-old should benefit from the conditions under which he excelled at AT&T Park.

Now he's hoping for the same for his young Sunday starter, Aaron Blair.

"This environment is great. What a great place to play," Snitker said after Saturday's 3-1 win. "Any time you experience this atmosphere here, it can do nothing but prepare you to be a major leaguer."

Blair might not have been adequately prepared when he made his major-league debut earlier this season for the Braves.

The 24-year-old failed to win any of his first 11 starts, running up a 0-5 record and a 7.99 ERA.

One of those drubbings occurred at the hands of the Giants on June 2. It was in a matchup with the same guy that Blair will duel Sunday, Giants ace Madison Bumgarner.

Bumgarner not only shut out the Braves that day in a 6-0 win but contributed one of the Giants' three home runs off Blair, who allowed six runs, five hits and four walks in four innings.

The rookie was sent to Triple-A later that month, and things haven't gone appreciably better there. He was just 2-4 with a 5.98 ERA in nine starts before getting the call to show up in San Francisco on Sunday.

If there's good news for Blair, it's that he'll face a Giants team that's a bit banged up.

Right fielder Hunter Pence has missed the last two games with a hamstring strain. He had an MRI on Saturday and likely won't do anything but possibly pinch hit Sunday.

And Giants first baseman Brandon Belt complained of a sore neck shortly before game time Saturday, which got him scratched from the starting lineup.

The Giants also rested star catcher Buster Posey, which helped Foltynewicz's cause. He responded with 7 2/3 strong innings in the win.

"We were a little short-handed," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said afterward. "Sure, you are going to miss those guys. It unfortunately happens once in a while. And it happened tonight to us."

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The loss dropped the Giants two games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West at a time when the schedule indicates San Francisco should be making up ground.

But while the Dodgers were beating the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs on Saturday, the Giants were losing for a third time this season to the last-place Braves.

A former Dodger contributed big-time to the Giants' demise Saturday night.

Former longtime Dodgers and San Diego Padres outfielder Matt Kemp belted the eighth career home run at AT&T Park, a three-run shot that provided all the Braves' scoring in their win.

"It's fun to play here," Kemp said. "It's always good to beat this team, quiet the crowd down. They get riled up when they get up."

Kemp will be matched up Sunday with Bumgarner, against whom he has gone just 11-for-57 (.193) in his career but with two homers.
Everyone has been told not to judge a book by its cover, which is to say Dont allow first impressions to form the sum of your judgement.

However, first impressions do, undeniably, shape ones outlook. A first impression is the difference between being a charming lad or a suspicious scoundrel. Its the difference between a feast for the senses and a forgettable lunch.

Wine, too, gives us a first impression, and unless youre privy to winemakers pouring you samples of their vintages from yet unmarked bottles, it is the label and not the wine itself that forms your real first impression of the liquid. A truly good label sets out to convey the spirit of the vineyard, to give a glimpse into the culture that surrounds the estate. For example, I reviewed a bottle from CastelGiacondo, a Brunello di Montalcino, and the label featured a representation of a medieval tapestry, denoting not just the history of the area, but also its cultural significance. Similarly, I reviewed a bottle of Faithful Hound from Mulderbosch, a South African winery, and the label features an elegant painting of a dog, meant to commemorate Boes, the faithful hound that kept watch over the vineyard for seven years.

Why am I mentioning this? After all, I make it a point to rarely if ever talk about labels, since I find it a bit like talking about cover art when discussing a book  a point of mere interest rather than consequence.

As it happens, a few weeks ago I received a surprise set of bottles from a winery I had written a review for last year  Little Black Dress. As it turns out, Little Black Dress has recently changed their labeling, and decided to lobby for my thoughts on the matter.

To give some context, the wines I reviewed last year were the sort of bottles I typically describe as social or easy drinking, the sort of bottles you would bring to a party to enjoy with friends. Back then, the bottles featured a plain white or black label with an etching of a clothes hanger, and a seemingly discarded pair of empty heels. As a reviewer of wine, I did not comment on the label itself, choosing not to judge the artistic intent behind the empty clothes hanger and discarded heels  or their vaguely amorous implication.

It was a unique and memorable design, and for me that was enough.

With the bottles I just recently received, I was given a bit of literature, and a lipstick pen. To my surprise, the literature told me precious little about the wine itself, and instead read like an internal memo on the label, its change, and how it was largely intended to appeal to millennials and the younger portion of Generation X. Being a millennial myself, I will admit I had a bit of chuckle reading what amounted to a minor dissertation on millennials and how this new packaging is meant to appeal to, wellme.

The corporate speak of the included literature aside, the label seems to have gone through a sort of maturation process not dissimilar to what a young wine of a quite robust, overstated varietal might go through via cellaring.

The new label is simple to the point of being understated, with the red wine label placed squarely on the bleeding edge of being forgettable. A plain black background featuring LBD in broad brush strokes, with Little Black Dress printed in small plain font. Is the new label an improvement? Thats entirely a subjective matter, one on which I have already spent far too much of my word count.

Now, I dont know about any of you, but Im not in the habit of drinking labels, or judging wines based on whats printed on the bottle. Thus, without further delay, how do the wines of Little Black Dress hold up?

All things red being first, lets begin with the 2014 California Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine introduces itself with a classic ruby red cabernet coloration, being quite rich and quite dark. Off the top of the glass, hints of dark cherry and black cherry are immediate, with earthen woody notes perforating through the middle of the glass, which mellows into very pleasant vanilla essences towards the bottom. On the palette, blackberry largely predominates, laced with earthen or herbal spice notes throughout, creating a very pleasant mouthful.

Pairing here really couldnt be simpler. Think standard cabernet pairings, such as red sauces, heavy pasta dishes, herbed roasts, or even grilled burgers.

The second bottle we received was a 2015 California Chardonnay. Off the top of the glass, the wine introduces itself with a surprisingly complex bouquet, featuring decidedly citrusy essences set over a summer floral backdrop, with notes of lime or green apple into the middle of the glass. Vague hints of spice are apparent towards the bottom of the glass, with the citrus notes mellowing decidedly. On the palette, pear and green apple were immediate and very pleasant, with the spice essences from the bouquet finishing off the wine to create an unexpectedly complex and lasting finish.

Here, I would suggest pairing this wine with light luncheon salads, think grilled chicken topped with feta or crumbled asiago. This would also serve well alongside light appetizers, or simply as the start to a pleasant informal party.

As I said last time I reviewed offerings from Little Black Dress, the winery largely achieves the goal they set for their bottles  which is to be a fun, lighthearted and reliable wine. That said, I can easily recommend these bottles to someone looking for a wine to pair with an informal evening with family and friends.

Cheers,

Mike
Brasilia (AFP) - Michel Temer expects to become Brazil's full president if his rival Dilma Rousseff gets impeached this week. If he trips up, the country will fall deeper into crisis, analysts warn.

Here are some of the economic, political, social and legal challenges facing him if he secures the job of dragging Latin America's biggest economy out of recession.

- Political minefield -

Center-right PMDB party leader Temer, 75, was leftist Rousseff's vice-president and stepped up to replace her during the impeachment process.

The Senate is widely expected to vote to remove her from office next week. Temer would then have to avoid Rousseff's fate of falling prey to internal political divisions.

"Temer is supported by conservative sectors and saw an opportunity to become president. But he has a conciliatory style," said Roberto Requiao, a PMDB senator who opposes the impeachment.

Temer is planning business-friendly economic reforms but Requiao said he is not as economically liberal on certain issues as some of his right-wing allies.

"If he does not carry out that radical program, he will not resist the demands of those conservative groups. And if he does, another crisis will break out."

- Economic storm -

Brazil is suffering its worst recession in decades. Temer has vowed to cut spending and push through controversial labor and pension reforms.

But to do so, he will need to push constitutional reforms through Congress.

"Now he has to prove what he can do. The level of public spending is unsustainable and there is no way to solve it without reforms," said Carlos Kawall, an economist and former head of the Brazilian treasury.

"The key is structural changes. If he doesn't achieve them, we will enter an even deeper crisis."

- Social protests -

With his all-male, all-white cabinet, Temer is seen as an establishment figure.

Rousseff's Workers' Party (PT) is fighting to mobilize unions and protest groups in its favor, defending its record of generous welfare spending.

Story continues

"Economic cuts will mean less funding for the social movements that were very close to power under the PT governments. Now they may regroup," said Luiz Alberto de Souza, a sociologist at Candido Mendes University in Rio de Janeiro.

Kawall added: "When there are reforms, the labor unions will mobilize."

- Corruption stain -

Senior figures in Temer's political camp, as well as Rousseff's, are implicated in a scandal over corruption in state oil firm Petrobras.

Three of the ministers in Temer's interim government resigned after being implicated. Some suspects mentioned Temer's own name in plea bargains.

He is not being formally investigated in the case, though separately the courts are probing allegations of campaign finance irregularities against him.

"The government has no margin for error. They have to be very, very careful," said Ramon Aracena, chief economist for Latin America at the Institute of International Finance.

"The Petrobras corruption scandal is still lingering. That's a risk."
Charles Osgood has announced his retirement as anchor of CBS Sunday Morning, calling an end to a remarkable 22-year reign of the popular, quietly eye-opening program. Osgood, who has been at CBS for 45 years, has set September 25 as his final broadcast as anchor of Sunday Morning, and CBS plans a celebration of his career during the episode.

The network says Osgood, 84, will continue as the anchor of The Osgood File on CBS Radio Network and various stations, and hell also make occasional appearances on the Sunday TV program.

The 90-minute special edition on September 25, 9 AM ET, will include surprise guests, interviews, comments from well-wishers and special performances.

On todays broadcast, the anchor said, Some of you may have heard rumors lately that I wont be hosting these Sunday Morning broadcasts very much longer. Well, Im here to tell you that the rumors are true. For years now people  even friends and family  have been asking me why I keep doing this considering my age. I am pushing 84. Its just that its been such a joy doing it! Who wouldnt want to be the one who gets to introduce these terrific storytellers and the producers and writers and others who put this wonderful show together. I want to thank all of them and all of you in our still-growing audience for your support and encouragement. Its been a great run, but after nearly 50 years at CBS, including the last 22 years here on Sunday Morning, the time has come. The date is set for me to do my farewell Sunday Morning. Its September the 25th, after which you can still see me on the radio. The Osgood File continues.

Charlie is not just beloved by our viewers. Hes beloved by all of us who work each week crafting the stories we put on the program, said Rand Morrison, executive producer of CBS Sunday Morning. Working with him truly has been an honor, a privilege and a joy. We look forward to paying tribute to him and his legendary career in September  and, of course, seeing him on the radio.

Story continues

Charles Osgood has one of the most distinctive voices in broadcasting, guiding each broadcast, making sure the words were just right, and being a calming, reassuring presence to our viewers, said David Rhodes, President of CBS News. His impeccable commitment to quality inspires all of us at CBS News.

Last January, Deadline reported that Osgood was prepping to step down from his longterm perch, and was slated for knee surgery in February.

Osgoods departure will mark yet another recent major change to the Sunday viewing habits of millions of Americans, following the August 16 death of John McLaughlin and the subsequent cancellation of his long-running Sunday talker The McLaughlin Group.

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Lil Wayne is back in his hometown of New Orleans and he's brought some friends with him for the second annual Lil' Weezyana Festival. Headlined by Collegrove (Weezy and 2 Chainz), the festival will be streamed live on TIDAL for subscribers and non-subscribers alike and will also feature Migos, Mystikal, Yo Gotti, and plenty of other special guests.

Last year there were big surprises and even Drake was able to make it out to perform for the NOLA crowd. While that is unlikely this year due to the fact that Drake has a Summer Sixteen performance in Tampa tonight, attendants can be sure that Wayne won't let them go home disappointed and will put on a great show.

For those watching the livestream, there will also be an option to donate directly to the American Red Cross Louisiana Fund to aid victims of the recent flooding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Check out the festival below.

Continue Reading On Complex




New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says that the core of Donald Trumps immigration policy has been consistent  kicking criminals out of the country and denying amnesty to undocumented immigrants.

The onetime Trump rival who is now the chairman of the Republican presidential nominees transition team defended Trumps softening of his immigration policy during an appearance on ABCs This Week Sunday morning.

In a conversation with journalist Martha Raddatz, Christie highlighted that Trump has said no undocumented immigrants will be eligible for citizenship unless they leave the United States and reenter through legal channels.

The way to look at it is that this is a guy whos been very consistent on no amnesty, no legalization, for folks who have been coming to the country illegally, Christie said. And thats always been the underpinning of his policy, along with the building of the wall on the United States-Mexican border. And those things have remained completely consistent.

Raddatz asked if the softening of Trumps immigration policy will turn off some of his early supporters who liked the idea of using a deportation force to round up all of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants and make them leave the nation altogether.

Chris Christie speaks in Randolph, N.J. (Photo: Mel Evans/AP)

Christie said that Trumps primary supporters will stick with the nominee during the general election because Trumps immigration policy stands in stark contrast with Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons.

Hillary Clinton has a 100-day amnesty plan, where everybody here, no matter whether youve been a criminal or not, no matter how you got here or not, is going to wind up becoming American citizens under Hillary Clintons plan, Christie said. And I think when voters look at that, theyre going to say thats not what we want to have happen in this country.

Raddatz brought up former New York Mayor Rudy Giulianis comments to a New Jersey publication that Trump softened his immigration policy in part because of Christie.

The New Jersey governor said that throughout his political career  running for president once, running for governor twice and serving as governor for nearly seven years  his best advisers have been the people who could give him smart advice and then keep their mouths shut.

And so if I want advisers that way, thats the kind of adviser Im going to be for Donald Trump, Christie told Raddatz. Ive said consistently, the advice I give to Donald is to Donald. And thats based upon our friendship over the last 14 years and the way I would expect to. So Rudy could talk about whatever he wants to talk about. Hes my friend, I like him a lot and respect him, but I dont talk about the advice I give to Donald Trump.
Aden (AFP) - Warplanes from the Saudi-led coalition struck a rebel convoy near a taxi stand in central Yemen, killing seven civilians and nine insurgents, officials said on Sunday.

The air strikes hit three vehicles belonging to the Huthi rebels late Saturday near the Mafraq Sharab junction outside the southwestern city of Taez, a military official said.

Medical sources said hospitals in Taez received the bodies of seven civilians, while military sources said nine rebels were killed and 14 people were wounded.

The raid came during sporadic clashes in the city between the Iran-backed rebels and forces loyal to President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who are supported by a Saudi-led coalition.

The Arab coalition launched a military campaign against the Huthis and their allies in March 2015, after the Shiite rebels closed in on Hadi in his southern refuge in Aden forcing him into exile.

The coalition has stepped up its air raids since three months of peace talks in Kuwait collapsed earlier this month.

More than 6,600 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since March 2015 and more than 80 percent of the population has been left in need of humanitarian aid, according to the UN.
BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's main rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces, said in a statement on Saturday they will hold their final conference on Sept. 13-19 to ratify a peace accord with the government. The deal between the leaders of the leftist guerilla group, referred to as FARC, and the government was announced Wednesday in Havana, after almost four years of talks. The rebels have agreed to lay down arms after half a century of war. Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos has sent the text of the accord to Congress, where legislators have 30 days to go over it before a national referendum on Oct. 2. (Reporting by Helen Murphy; Writing by Alden Bentley; Editing by Bernard Orr)




Particularly during my sojourns in South Africa, it may not be possible for me to perform the moderation function speedily. I regret the necessity of moderation but it has been rendered inevitable by the behaviour of a particular commentator whose contributions will always and without exception be rejected.





No correspondence will be entered into regarding moderation decisions.

Readers are invited to comment on blog posts. All comments require to be pre-moderated by me, and I shall reject all (a) that are not related to the Lockerbie disaster or (b) that fail to meet my -- perhaps idiosyncratic -- standards of courtesy towards other contributors. Comments will not be rejected simply because I disagree with them or because I, or other contributors, find them irritating. But comments will be rejected if they distort or misrepresent the evidence; are defamatory; or if they risk embroiling me, as publisher, in defamation proceedings. I am perfectly relaxed about being sued in respect of material which I personally have posted -- but not in respect of material that others wish to post as comments and which, in any case, I often strongly disagree with.
Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f192424%2f95003b8b78e14fb080c21fb0f0dfef05

In case you ever need to be rescued from a tropical island, just remember, a well-placed S.O.S. is not only a Hollywood cliche.

A couple doing their best Blue Lagoon impression was rescued Friday from a remote island in Micronesia after writing the rescue message on the beach, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

SEE ALSO: Obama creates world's largest protected area

A U.S. Navy aircraft took a look after lights were spotted on the uninhabited East Fayu Island during a search for two missing people. The pair, a boat and their S.O.S. attempt were quickly spotted, and a patrol boat was sent to pick them up.

Image: FACEBOOK/US EMBASSY KOLONIA

"The Search and Rescue Operation for Linus and Sabina Jack has been successfully completed. They are found and are waiting for a ship to take them home," the U.S. Embassy in Kolonia wrote on Facebook.

The couple were headed to Tamatam Island from Weno Island in the Federated States of Micronesia, the Cost Guard said in a statement, but left with limited supplies and no emergency equipment.

Located in the Pacific, the Federated States of Micronesia is a country made up of more than 600 islands.

Image: FACEBOOK/US EMBASSY KOLONIA

The condition of the pair is unknown, but a small shelter can be spotted in one of the images and both can be seen standing on the beach.

This is not the first time a giant distress signal has resulted in a happy ending. In 2015, a British tourist was rescued after writing "HELP" in the sand with a stick after getting lost in the Australian outback. In April, three castaways were rescued from Fanadik Island in the Pacific ocean after using palm fronds to write "HELP."

For all those explorers eager to spend time alone on a tropical island, perhaps consider winning one in a raffle next time. It would so much more relaxing, one imagines, and so much cheaper for the rescue team.

Image: FACEBOOK/US EMBASSY KOLONIA
Wellington (AFP) - Two people stranded for a week on a remote Pacific island have been rescued after a search aircraft spotted their SOS message in the sand, the US Coast Guard said Sunday.

The couple, who had "limited supplies and no emergency equipment", were found on uninhabited East Fayu island in Micronesia by a US Navy air crew, who discovered them on the beach near the makeshift sign, according to the coast guard statement.

The search team was responding to reports that someone on the island was using a flashlight to attract attention when they saw the survivors, the statement said.

"The search and rescue operation for Linus and Sabina Jack has been successfully completed," the US Embassy in Kolonia, Micronesia, posted on its Facebook page.

"Since the island was potentially uninhabited and knowing (they) had a flashlight in their boat, we directed our search aircraft to overfly the island."

The couple had set out from Weno Island in Micronesia in a five-metre (16.4-foot) boat on August 17, but the alarm was raised when they did not arrive at Tamatam Island the following day as expected.

During the week-long search, the Coast Guard said it used 15 vessels and two aircraft to cover an area of nearly 16,600 square miles (43,000 square kilometres) of ocean.

The couple were picked up by a patrol boat and taken to Nomwin atoll.
Travis Kalanick

Uber had been untouchable. The $69 billion ride-hailing company was like an invasive species, planting itself in cities throughout the world and forever changing how people get around.

During the past six weeks though, Uber's dominance has started to show cracks. The company ceded the fight in China after blowing through billions of dollars. It lost $1.2 billion in six months  almost as much Amazon lost in its worst year ever. And its investors continue to apply pressure for it to go public and deliver a return on their investment.

The hasty exit from China and the staggering losses look like worrisome signs for a company for which the fundamental appeal to investors is to become the world's next generation of taxis. But Uber's real promise may be quite different, and the company appears to be betting that scaling back its ambitions in one domain is the tough but necessary sacrifice to go after a bigger prize.

Uber's black eye

Uber's tough August began when it gave up the fight in China. Make no mistake: This had always been an uphill battle against its rival Didi Chuxing, but it was one Kalanick seemed determine to fight.

"We are number two in China, which means that we still have a ways to go," Kalanick said as recently as June. "But we are putting everything on the field."

While China made up some of Uber's largest markets, the company ultimately couldn't support the mounting losses. Its rival had finished a $7.3 billion fund-raising round that included a $1 billion investment from Apple. And while Uber was operating in 60 cities in China, Didi Chuxing (formerly Didi Kuaidi) was in more than 400.

Kalanick realized it was a market he had to let go.

"As an entrepreneur, I've learned that being successful is about listening to your head as well as following your heart," Kalanick wrote in the announcement. "Uber and Didi Chuxing are investing billions of dollars in China and both companies have yet to turn a profit there. Getting to profitability is the only way to build a sustainable business that can best serve Chinese riders, drivers and cities over the long term."

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Investors could be relieved that Uber is out of the money-losing situation, but the move produced a hit to the company's future valuation potential. Companies pitch themselves based on their total addressable market, or how big they could possibly grow. By ceding China, Uber is lowering the ceiling on its growth and shrinking its ride-hailing market size.

But that's where the story of Uber's future is changing. It may have lowered its potential in one market, but it's opened up another one entirely.

The Uber for trucking is just Uber

In early August, just two weeks after it was announced that it was leaving China, Uber lifted the curtain on its other project: self-driving cars.

Uber's big research project is showing progress at an opportune time and launching in Pittsburgh. China may have failed, but look  Uber is solving what it calls an existential threat to its business.

The announcement served another important purpose: It fixes Uber's market problem by opening up another one entirely.

Otto Trucks

Uber revealed it had spent $100 million to get into the trucking business with its purchase of Otto, a startup that makes kits to turn traditional trucks into autonomous vehicles.

When I asked Uber CEO Travis Kalanick whether he was getting into the trucking business, his answer was a solid yes.

"Part one is, yes, we are getting in the trucking business," Kalanick told Business Insider. "Part two is that it is a multitrillion-dollar business globally as well. I have always talked about the consumer ground-transport business being a multitrillion-dollar business. Now there's this other one called trucking. It is a challenging, interesting, nuanced business, and it is going to be intense getting into it, but that's exciting to me. We'll just have to see how it grows over time, and it is a bit early. We are still in sort of the R&D phase, if that makes sense.

The emphasis is mine to show how deftly Kalanick doubled his company's business potential. Uber isn't just a ride-hailing company anymore. Kalanick is now talking about the opportunity to build a business that spans two multitrillion-dollar markets. The loss of China would be negligible if Uber can conquer trucking too.

Starting at the bottom

While it's a rosy vision of the future, one investor Business Insider spoke with said it felt like a diversion tactic  a distraction for a bigger problem for the company was facing.

Bloomberg's Eric Newcomer broke the news last week that Uber's recent losses have been both staggering and growing. In the first six months of 2016, the company lost more than $1.27 billion. Its once profitable US business also lost money in the second quarter, and Uber blamed it on subsidies for Uber drivers. (That's one reason it's probably the company is probably forward to an era of self-driving cars).

And as Newcomer points out in Bloomberg, there's no comparison for how much money Uber has lost. Amazon's worst annual loss ever, in 2000, totaled only $1.4 billion  and Uber reached that number in nearly six months. Uber's 2015 losses crossed the $2 billion mark.

But as Kalanick himself said in his concession post to Didi, he has to follow his head and heart and leave a market so both companies can achieve profitability. Investors can expect those losses to drop next quarter now that Uber is out of China. It's no longer a spend-at-all-cost mantra for Kalanick.

Uber's move into self-driving cars (and trucks) will be costly and risky too. It's not only an unproven R&D project, but it's also an existential bet that Kalanick has already said he can't get wrong. China may have been a black eye to the company, but Kalanick is looking to a future bigger than conquering ride-hailing in every market.

He failed at conquering China, but that's a loss he can afford. The Uber for the future is a logistics platform, from human passengers to packages, delivered by self-driving cars and trucks. Kalanick knows he has to route Uber's money into these problems  and not continue the fight in China.

"It starts with understanding that the world is going to go self-driving and autonomous," he told Business Insider. "So if that's happening, what would happen if we weren't a part of that future? If we weren't part of the autonomy thing? Then the future passes us by basically, in a very expeditious and efficient way."

Uber is starting its next act without finishing the first one. But for a company with its ambitions, and a $69 billion valuation, there might not be any other way.

NOW WATCH: These self-driving trucks may be the key to Ubers future





More From Business Insider


ridley-star-wars-8

Lucasfilm

Star Wars fans are just a few short months away from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, but theyre well over a year away from Star Wars: Episode 8. Rogue One certainly looks like itll scratch the galaxy far, far away itch, but the impending release of Episode 8 is looming over the franchise with some big questions left unanswered. Questions like: how is Chewbacca doing after the untimely passing of his best friend? How long did Rey and Luke stare at each other before Luke snatched his old lightsaber from her hands and ask, sup? We need to know, Lucasfilm.

The dark night of the soul is coming in Episode 8, its just the way trilogies work. Its going to get worse before it gets better. Maybe Kylo Ren isnt done offing heroes. Surely some hint as to whats happening in the Star Wars universe would be in the next movies title, but Daisy Ridley hinted that we wouldnt know whats going to be under the massive, yellow Star Wars crawl for quite some time.

The Hollywood Reporters astute ears picked up this disappointing news:

I heard a title [for the movie], but I dont know if its going to be that, Ridley said during an appearance on the My Dad Wrote A Porno podcast. I heard the title a long time ago before we started filming, and so I feel some things have slightly tweaked during production. Its going to be a while before its released, I imagine.

The Force Awakens received its title in November 2014, so could the next films title be revealed around the same time? Or perhaps Lucasfilm will release the name of the movie with a slick trailer before fans watch Rogue One. Thats the type of fan-friendly marketing that would put a smile on every theater-goers face.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)
(Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton on Saturday received her first national security briefing since accepting her party's nomination for the presidency last month. Clinton, a former secretary of state, attended the meeting alone, according to a pool report. The meeting was held at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's field office in White Plains, New York, not far from the Chappaqua, New York, residence she shares with her husband, former President Bill Clinton. It lasted a little over two hours. Clinton's Republican rival, New York businessman Donald Trump, recently received his first briefing, as well. The two are vying for the White House in the Nov. 8 general election, which has grown increasingly contentious as they have traded barbs about racism and minority voters. (Reporting by Amanda Becker in Washington; Writing by Luciana Lopez; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
Donald Trump retweeted a charge from two campaign surrogates that Hillary Clinton had a Ku Klux Klan member as her mentor.

The Saturday tweet came at the end of a week in which Clinton criticized Trumps ties to the so-called alt-right movement and released an ad featuring Klan members discussing their support of Trump.

"@DiamondandSilk: Crooked Hillary getting desperate. On TV bashing Trump. @CNN, she forgot how she said a KKK member was her mentor.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2016

The tweet came from Diamond and Silksisters Lynette Hardaway and Rochelle Richardson, who are blackwho vocally support Trump and speak frequently at his rallies.

It references remarks Clinton made about former West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd, after his death in 2010, Clinton called Byrd a true American original, my friend and mentor.

Byrd, the longest-serving U.S. senator in history, served as a grand dragon in the Klan in his youth, which he described as an extraordinarily foolish mistake in a 2005 memoir. When he died, the NAACP issued a statement saying his career reflects the transformative power of this nation as he went from being an active member of the KKK to a being a stalwart supporter of the Civil Rights Act.

In an appearance on CNNs State of the Union, Trumps running mate, Mike Pence, said that the campaign does not welcome the support of former Klan wizard David Duke.

It does really bother me, he said. And Donald Trump made it clear repeatedly in this week that not only does he denounce David Duke, but we dont want the support of people who think like David Duke.
Amatrice (Italy) (AFP) - Inside a shady tent in the middle of quake-hit Amatrice, a little girl hunches over a table drawing a picture of the soaring mountains overlooking this small Italian town.

For her, the drawing showed the only thing that remained constant after Wednesday's earthquake which brought death and destruction to a string of remote hilltop towns and villages in central Italy.

Not far from the morgue where families have been identifying their dead, a group of children are playing in a tent set up by Save the Children, using drawing as a way to express the trauma they have experienced.

"This little girl drew the mountains and she told us that they were the mountains of Amatrice, the most beautiful in the world," Save the Children spokeswoman Danilo Giannese told AFP.

"Then she said; 'Everything collapsed, except the mountains'."

That drawing had particularly affected those working for the NGO, which has set up a play area where children can recover some sense of the normalcy which has been lost through the traumatic events of recent days.

The idea is to create a space where children can be with their peers and express themselves through play and drawing, under the supervision of educators trained to handle emergency situations.

It also gives the parents some time to process their grief, to deal with pressing problems and start planning for the future, knowing their children are enjoying a bit of peace in a safe place, the charity says.

"These are children who have suffered shock: suddenly, they had to abandon their homes and since then, they have only seen destruction," explains Giannese.

- A place of safety -

Many of the local children were sent away to relatives or friends in the wake of Wednesday's deadly quake, in which nearly 300 people died, while others remain in hospital.

But around 15 children are currently visiting the tent which is in a camp set up by the Civil Protection agency.

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Inside the large light-grey tent, the children feel at home.

Sitting on chunky plastic chairs around a small round table, several children between the ages of 4 to 8 take crayons out of a box and start drawing.

Nearby are red plastic boxes of toy cars and Lego. Outside is a small blackboard easel with a chalk picture scrawled on it.

"It's a safe place, a protected place, where they can also find a bit of peace rather than being outside in all this dust," explains a volunteer wearing a red top with a white Save the Children logo on it.

Though they play and even laugh, the children have been as badly affected by the disaster as the adults.

The three worst-hit areas, Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto, were home to hundreds of children with many more in the area on holiday.

All of them were affected in some way by the traumatic events.

"Around 500 children were in the area affected by the quake and unfortunately there are many children among the victims," says Giannese.

- Important to talk -

Although these ones have survived, the trauma is far from over.

"Today we have to tell a child that his father has died. It is very difficult moment," explains Ernesto Caffo, a child psychologist and president of Telefono Azzurro, which runs an emergency hotline for children where they can talk to someone in confidence.

Its volunteers have set up their own play tent in a small square in Amatrice where survivors and rescuers have set up around 20 igloo tents between swings and slides.

The association is also offering psychological support.

"People are in mourning, we need to reassure them, both the adults and the children," says Caffo.

"For a parent, it is important to be able to talk to children about the death of a loved one. But their tears can give (the parents) a sense of insecurity," he explains.

Sitting on a blanket laid out on the grass, a little girl plays with a princess castle and a plastic spade.

"This morning, a little girl woke up crying because she wanted to go back to her own bedroom," says a TA volunteer.

"Inside the tents, children are sometimes afraid that if there is an aftershock, everything will come down on their heads."

- Back to school? -

Once the children's immediate needs are met, it will soon be time to think about the upcoming school year, which begins in mid-September in Italy.

But with the local school in ruins, the question is where.

"The authorities are studying different solutions, but it is likely that school will take place in the tents," says Caffo.

"For children, going back to school will be very important because they can talk with each other and tell their story about what happened."
Manila (AFP) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is waging a bloody war on crime, has justified the large-scale killing of drug users by suggesting the victims were not human.

Duterte, who has seen about two thousand people killed since he was elected in May, made the remarks late Friday as he shrugged off the United Nations' concerns over human rights in his country.

"Crime against humanity? In the first place, Id like to be frank with you: are they humans? What is your definition of a human being?" he told soldiers while visiting an army camp, according to transcripts of his speech released afterwards.

"Human rights? Use it properly in the right context if you have the brains," he added.

"You cannot wage a war without killing," Duterte said, adding that many drug users were beyond rehabilitation.

His remarks came after various UN officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in June condemned his apparent support for extra-judicial killings.

The UN special rapporteur on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, said earlier this month that his directives "amount to incitement to violence and killing, a crime under international law".

Duterte's comments come after his national police chief Ronald Dela Rosa on Friday urged drug users to kill their traffickers and burn their homes.

"Why don't you give them a visit, pour gasoline on their homes and set these on fire to register your anger," Dela Rosa said.

He later apologised for his remarks.

But Duterte defended Dela Rosa, saying "that's my style. He is following it".

Duterte also taunted the United Nations, saying "they want me to go prison? Do those idiots think I will be captured alive. My God, we will be together in hell."

Earlier this week, Dela Rosa told senators that over 750 people had been killed by police in anti-drug operations while more than a thousand had been slain by shadowy figures. Since then, even more people have been killed.

Duterte, 71, won May elections in a landslide on a promise to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals to prevent the Philippines from becoming a narco-state.

He has vowed to protect policemen who may be charged as part of the campaign.
At this point, Donald Trump has only the thinnest of reeds to cling to in his effort to prevent his campaign from sinking out of sight. Its not the fantastical claim that hes going to capture the African-American vote. Hes not; especially not if he keeps doing things like this. Its not the myth of missing voters who will magically appear to carry him to victory in November. And its certainly not the ongoing effort to convince voters that, against all evidence, Hillary Clinton is secretly battling a deadly illness.

Its the economy, stupid.

Related: Is the Decline in Productivity Linked to Our Aging Population?

Trump is the candidate of the frustrated and the angry who feel that they have been left behind by a country and an economy that simply doesnt look the way it used to. And the news Friday that the Commerce Department had downgraded the already dismal second quarter GDP numbers from an annualized 1.2 percent to 1.1 percent is the sort of thing that, if he had the self-control to avoid unnecessary distractions, he would be hammering on night and day.

The downward revision to second-quarter growth was primarily a reflection of weaker state and local government spending, and inventories, wrote Steve Murphy, U.S. economist for Capital Economics. On the bright side, real consumption growth was revised up to show a 4.4% annualized gain, from 4.2% in the first estimate. Otherwise, the details of the report suggest the weakness in the second quarter may have been even more pronounced than the expenditure-based GDP measure implies. Gross domestic income, an alternative measure of economic activity, increased by a muted 0.2% annualized.

The state of the economy is, at best, confusing to many well-known economists. A strong job market suggests there ought to be increased economic growth as well, but the GDP numbers remain stubbornly sluggish.

Big picture: The growth statistics right now are deeply puzzling.



GDP/GDI data suggests a sputtering recovery; employment says it's roaring  Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) August 26, 2016

Related: A More Hawkish Yellen Clears the Way for A Rate Hike

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To be fair, there is substantial debate over whether the disconnect between things like worker productivity and job numbers are actually real. In a recent paper, Kemal Dervis and Zia Qureshi of the Brookings Institution lay out the case that we might simply be measuring productivity incorrectly.

But that sort of economic arcana isnt compelling to the vast majority of voters in the same way as a report showing economic growth hovering at around 1 percent.

Of course, nobody really expects Trump to put forward substantive economic proposals to address slow growth. His policies, such as they are, are a mishmash of trickle-down theory and old-fashioned tax breaks that help the rich far more than the poor.

Related: Clinton Holds Her Big Lead in the Polls, Even After a Rough Week

In fact, when it comes to fixing the economy, economists across the political spectrum are remarkably agreed on the question of whether or not Trump is the man to do it. In a brutal article published Friday, The Wall Street Journal surveyed 45 economists who have served on the White House Council of Economic Advisers under one of the past eight presidents. Not a single one of them said that they would support Trump.

But for Trump, the blessing of the elites doesnt matter. Economic uncertainty is like fertilizer for the worries that he is trying to plant in the minds of voters, and if his new campaign team has any sense at all, they will be advising him to play up the state of the economy in his public appearances and to play down the ridiculous promises about his ultimate victory with minority voters.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
LONDON (Reuters) - The head of EDF Energy has urged the British government to approve the Hinkley Point C nuclear power project, an explicit appeal by the French energy giant ahead of a decision due within weeks. Prime Minister Theresa May intervened last month to delay the 18 billion pound ($24 billion) project, just hours after it was approved by EDF's board, former cabinet colleague Vince Cable said. The government says it will make a final decision in the early autumn. Cable said May was concerned about China's involvement, particularly in terms of national security. The state-owned China General Nuclear Power Corp (CGN) is EDF's partner in building the two new reactors at Hinkley Point, southwest England, which would provide about 7 percent of Britain's electricity. EDF Energy Chief Executive Vincent de Rivaz said the Chinese, who will provide 6 billion pounds of funding, were a trusted partner with whom the French had worked building two nuclear reactors in China. "(The Hinckley Point project) brings the benefits of a 30-year partnership between EDF and CGN in nuclear construction in China, a country with the largest civil nuclear program in the world," he wrote in the Sunday Telegraph. "We know and trust our Chinese partners." Addressing security concerns, he said all staff on nuclear projects were rigorously vetted and the control systems at Hinkley Point would be isolated from IT systems and the internet. EDF and its partners have agreed to fund the new stations, and in return Britain has committed to paying a minimum price for the power generated for 35 years. Critics say the price, around double current market levels, is too high. But de Rivaz said it was fair. "Hinkley Point C is competitive with all other future energy options, even including fossil fuels like gas when the cost of carbon is taken into account," he said. (Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)
Cairo (AFP) - Egypt's government said on Sunday it will ask parliament to approve a draft law that would increase jail terms for those who perform female circumcision.

Female circumcision, or female genital mutilation (FGM), was banned in Egypt in 2008.

But the practice involving the partial or full removal of the external sex organs, ostensibly to control women's sexuality, remains widespread, especially in rural areas.

In Egypt, the procedure is practised by both Muslims and Christians.

Under the current law, those who practise FGM can be sentenced to jail terms of between three months and two years.

But the bill which the government hopes parliament will endorse would see those convicted of female circumcision jailed for between five and seven years, a statement from the prime minister's office said.

The government also proposes that those convicted be given jail terms with hard labour if the procedure leads to the death or permanent physical disability of the women being circumcised.

FGM can cause lifelong pain, including extreme discomfort during sexual intercourse, serious complications during childbirth and psychological trauma.

Activists say the campaign to end the practice may have suffered a setback with the 2011 overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak, whose regime imposed the ban.

Some Islamists argued that the ban was a legacy of his autocratic rule which should not be enforced.

The government bill also calls for anyone who forces a female to undertake the procedure to be jailed for between one and three years.

In May, an Egyptian teenager who had undergone FGM died of complications.

Her mother, the doctor who carried out the procedure and two other people have been accused of "involuntary manslaughter" and are to face trial.

In January 2015, a doctor was sentenced to two years in jail for involuntary manslaughter and three months for practising female genital mutilation, after a 14-year-old girl died during an operation he performed. He served only the three-month sentence.

FGM is also practised in a number of other African countries as well as in parts of the Middle East, and is usually carried out by women.
By Eric Knecht and Maha El Dahan

CAIRO/ABU DHABI (Reuters) - A parliamentary fact-finding commission's report into corruption in Egypt's wheat industry finds that the government played a key role in "wasting public funds" in its costly food subsidy programme.

Reuters reviewed a copy of the report that will be presented in parliament on Monday. It states that government entities neglected their own storage facilities in favour of less regulated private sites, made contracts with "fake entities," and oversaw flawed reforms that caused subsidy spending to increase rather than decrease as publicly stated.

From silo contracts to budgetary analysis to testimony from industry officials, the more than 500-page fact-finding report into wheat corruption points to government involvement in mismanaging, and at times facilitating graft in, subsidies intended to encourage agriculture and feed tens of millions.

"There are obvious flaws that rise to the level of complicity in the supply ministry and all of its bodies supervising the wheat procurement system," the report said.

The supply ministry spokesman said he had resigned from his post and could no longer comment on the issue when contacted by Reuters.

Egypt, the world's largest importer of wheat, has been mired in controversy in recent months over whether much of the roughly 5 million tonnes of grain the government said it procured in this harvest exists only on paper, the result of local suppliers falsifying receipts to boost government payments.

Industry officials have estimated that upward of 2 million tonnes could be missing from silos, a deficit that could force Egypt to import large quantities of additional grains to meet local demand even as it faces an acute hard currency shortage.

A Reuters special report earlier this year detailed how the government's wheat supply chain was riddled with corruption - from fraudulent wheat purchases by local suppliers to hacked smart cards that allowed bakers to steal flour - that has cost the country hundreds of millions of dollars per year.

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LAX OVERSIGHT

The parliamentary report provides new insight into how government bodies may have played a direct role in many of the corrupt practices, particularly by awarding contracts to private suppliers who had lax oversight of their storage facilities, while leaving government sites unused.

The supply ministry's Holding Company for Silos housed over 1 million tonnes of wheat in less-regulated private sector storage this season while leaving 700,000 tonnes of its own storage capacity unutilised - a violation of regulations that require government spaces to take priority, the report found.

The holding company used just 29.7 percent of the silo capacity it had available, it said.

"Despite that (unused storage), the company contracted with private sector companies to rent 16 silos and 35 shounas (open air sites) to store a total of 1,147,319 tonnes of wheat."

"Not using the full storage capacity owned by the (government) company caused it to bear huge losses...and made it take on the cost of paying to rent from the private sector."

The report also called into question the legality of many of the contracts made with the private sector sites.

Government firms contracted with "storage sites that had legal actions taken against them previously but which had since changed their commercial names", and with those that "did not have a commercial registration or a tax identification."

"This means that contracting was done with fake entities," the report stated.

Last week Supplies Minister Khaled Hanafi resigned amid growing criticism of his management of the subsidies. His exit was the biggest fallout from the wheat scandal to date.

Hanafi repeatedly said that bread system reforms introduced under his watch in 2014 have saved Egypt in terms of both money and strategic commodities, an assertion the report undermines.

He was not immediately available for comment about the parliamentary report when contacted by Reuters.

Government spending on bread subsidies rose by 3.91 billion Egyptian pounds (335.18 million pounds), or 15.9 percent, in the 2014-15 financial year, and by an additional 1.89 billion (162.02 million pounds), or 6.6 percent, in 2015-16, the report states, citing Finance Ministry documents.

"Subsidies increased, and did not decrease as a result of the bread system as the supply ministry continuously claims."

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)
Ciro Guerra's 2016 Oscar contender Embrace of the Serpent keeps sweeping Latin American film festivals. This time it won at the Santiago Film Festival (SANFIC), one of the two main film competitions in Chile, where Guerra's 19th century Amazonian tale nabbed best film honors in the international competition, as well as a special mention for its cinematography.

The first Colombian nominee for best foreign-language film at the Oscars, Embrace of the Serpent swept the Platino Awards (a new local equivalent to the Academy Awards) and topped the Colombian version of the Oscars, the Mar del Plata film fest in Argentina and the Ariel in Mexico, among others.

SANFIC's best director prize went to Alejandro Fernandez Almendras for his Sundance entry Much Ado About Nothing, a story about a young man from a well-off family who finds himself accused of a fatal hit-and-run, based on a true local scandal involving the son of a former senator in Chile who was absolved after killing a man while driving.

In what was probably the least surprising award, Alfredo Castro (The Club, Tony Manero) grabbed the best acting performance award for Venezuela's Venice-winner From Afar. Lorenzo Vigas' film is also the first Latin American submission to the 2017 Oscars.

The 12th Santiago Film Festival ran Aug. 23-28, screening over 100 films and a guest list that included actor Danny Glover and writer-director Paul Schrader.

Read more: Embrace of the Serpent (El abrazo de la serpiente): Cannes Review

The main awards are listed below.

International Competition:

Best film: Embrace of the Serpent (Ciro Guerra)

Best director: Alejandro Fernandez Almendras for Much Ado About Nothing

Best acting performance: Alfredo Castro for From Afar

Chilean Competition:

Best film: El Fumigador

Best director: Carlos Leiva for El primero de la familia

Best acting performance: Sergio Hernandez for You'll Never Be Alone

Special mentions: Blanca Oscuridad and Andres Lee i Escribe

Audience award: You'll Never Be Alone
Berlin (AFP) - The refusal of some EU countries to accept Muslim refugees is "unacceptable", Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday as Germany called for quotas to divide the influx throughout the bloc.

"That's not right at all that some countries say: 'generally speaking, we don't want to have Muslims in our countries'," Merkel told German public television channel ARD.

Backing the idea of a quota system for taking in migrants, the German leader stressed that "everyone must do their part," and that "a common solution must be found."

A common European migration policy is a highly controversial issue, which will be on the agenda of an EU summit next month, with eastern members the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia refusing to take in refugees under an EU-wide quota system championed by Berlin.

Slovak President Robert Fico has vowed he would "never bring even a single Muslim" into his country.

In 2015, Germany took in around a million asylum seekers, most from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan, and this year it expects up to 300,000 more to arrive, the Federal Office for Migrants and Refugees (BAMF) said Sunday.

"We can ensure optimal services for up to 300,000. Should more people arrive, it would put us under pressure, then we would go into so-called crisis mode. But even then we would not have conditions like last year," BAMF chief Frank-Juergen Weise told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper

Merkel's decision last September to open the doors to asylum seekers was seen in many European nations, notably those in the east, as an invitation for further mass migration.

Some, like the Slovak leader, voiced fears of the emergence of a significant Muslim community in their countries.

On Tuesday, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said he does not want a "large Muslim community... given the problems we are seeing" and that each EU member should be able to choose how many migrants to accept.

German public sentiment is sharply divided when it comes to Merkel, who has not yet said whether she will stand for a fourth term in a general election expected in September or October next year.
A weak area of low pressure located near the north coast of central Cuba continues to produce a large area of disorganized cloudiness and thunderstorms. Upper-level winds are not conducive for significant development today while this system moves westward through the Straits of Florida. The low is expected to move into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on Monday, where environmental conditions could become somewhat more conducive for development. Regardless of development, heavy rainfall and gusty winds are likely over portions of the central and northwestern Bahamas, and Cuba through tonight. Gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall will spread into parts of southern Florida and the Florida Keys later today. Interests elsewhere in Florida and the eastern Gulf of Mexico should continue to monitor the progress of this disturbance. A NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate this system this afternoon, if necessary.
The father of a Briton fighting for his life after a deadly stabbing at an Australian backpacker hostel said Sunday he was proud of his son, who has been hailed as a hero by police.

Tom Jackson, 30, suffered critical head injuries in the attack by Frenchman Smail Ayad, 29, at the hostel in Home Hill, a rural town in the north of Queensland state.

Fellow Briton Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, died in the incident late Tuesday, while a 46-year-old Australian man had non-life threatening wounds.

"There are many and varied reasons why we are, and always will be, immensely proud of Tom," Les Jackson said in a statement released by Townsville Hospital where his son is being treated.

"His actions in response to this horrific attack only add to that sense of pride."

Queensland police had said that Jackson's actions to help Ayliffe-Chung were "completely selfless... (and) led to the injuries that he now has".

Ayad has been charged with the murder of Ayliffe-Chung and is also facing two counts of attempted murder for the attacks on Jackson and the Australian man.

He remains in police custody, with his case adjourned until October 28.

Police had said Ayad said "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) during the attack and again when arrested, but have also said there were no signs of radicalisation.

The Australian government has been increasingly concerned about extremism and in particular about home-grown radicalisation, keeping the terror threat alert level at high since September 2014.
- Dutch teenager Max Verstappen's aggressive racing style is dangerous and may have caused a big accident during the Belgian Grand Prix, rival Kimi Raikkonen claimed after Sunday's race. Finn Raikkonen, who finished ninth for Ferrari, clashed frequently throughout the 44-lap contest with the local hero, who seemed to be inspired by the atmosphere created by a sell-out crowd packed with an 'orange' army of his supporters. Raikkonen criticised Verstappen -- who finished 11th -- for his abrasive defensive driving at the Hungarian race and their strained relations were stretched again when the pair collided at the first corner.

AFP
Tehran (AFP) - France's environment minister signed Sunday a plan for French firms to help tackle Iran's environmental problems, but criticised the refusal of her country's banks to work with the Islamic republic.

Segolene Royal met in Tehran with the head of Iran's Environmental Protection Organisation, Massoumeh Ebtekar, and a group of ministers, agreeing to work together on the water shortage, energy efficiency and pollution problems facing Iran.

She was travelling for three days with senior business figures from French environmental and renewable energy firms, including the boss of multinational Engie.

But both sides are aware that the refusal of major French banks to work in Iran is a huge obstacle to working together.

"It's a real problem. It's been raised by the Iranian ministers but also by French businesses," she told reporters in Tehran.

"It's completely unacceptable. We can't ask Iran to make efforts on energy transition... while the financial system doesn't respond, including on industrial cooperation that could help deal with energy, climate and pollution issues," she said.

Despite international sanctions being lifted under a nuclear deal with world powers in July 2015, major banks remain fearful of working in Iran in case they fall foul of remaining US sanctions related to its human rights record and ballistic missile programme.

The US government has tried to reassure European banks they will not face prosecution for working with Iran, but the rules are complex and financial institutions fear the eye-watering fines imposed in the past by the US Treasury including an $8.9 billion fine on France's BNP Paribas in 2014.

Royal said she would urgently look for a work-around, even if it meant looking outside France, for instance to smaller Italian banks that are less exposed to the US system.

"We will find a solution. Either we will work with non-French banks... or we will mobilise the public investment bank, or why not the European Investment Bank?" she said.

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Royal added that the current obstacles were "completely contradictory" given the Paris climate agreement signed last year that called for major investments in the green economy.

She said she would return to Iran in February when the country is hosting a major environmental expo to discuss progress on the partnerships.

Ebtekar, who is also a vice-president of Iran, said earlier that the visit "shows the important international cooperation on the environment, and sends a strong message to the global community that countries can cooperate strongly on their shared interests and issues in the field of environment".

On Monday, Royal is due to visit Iran's largest saltwater lake, Orumiyeh in northwestern Iran, a UNESCO heritage site that has lost 90 percent of its surface water in the past two decades as a result of over-farming, dams and climate change.
Billed as "The Best Weekend of Summer," FYF Fest kicked off its latest edition with an attractive lineup that gathered a significant crowd at Los Angeles' Exposition Park.

Kendrick Lamar, LCD Soundsystem & More Headlining FYF Fest 2016: See the Full Lineup

Although the layout of the fest was a bit confusing and figuring out the exact locations of the five different stages wasn't the easiest of tasks, watching artists like Grimes, Tame Impala and Kendrick Lamar perform made the journey worth it.

The early hours of FYF day 1 included sets by Alex G, Jgwar Ma, Classixx, Peter, Bjorn and John, Shellac, Head Wound City and Vince Staples.

Grimes Has Wardrobe Malfunction

As the sun was setting, Grimes lured the crowd to the main stage with her eclectic and high energy set that started with a solo performance by one of her dancers. She then jumped on stage to give one of the best music sets of the day, even though she had some audio problems during the last two songs and a small wardrobe malfunction when her microphone pack got tangled in her mesh top.

"This is the most ridiculous wardrobe malfunction of all time," she told the crowd. One of the many highlights of during her set was when she invited up-and-coming Taiwanese rapper to give a powerful performance of "SCREAM."

Lady Gaga Pops On Stage During Tame Impala

Following Grimes, some of the crowd made the effort to walk over to Lawn stage to catch Air, while some decided to wait it out at main stage to catch Tame Impala. Without a doubt, the Australian psychedelic band's set was a fan favorite. And to everyone's surprise, just as they were singing their last song, "New Person, Same Old Mistakes," Lady Gaga appeared onstage greeting the crowd and hugging frontman Kevin Parker, who co-produced Gaga's upcoming new single "Perfect Illusion," due in September.

Kendrick Lamar Welcomed Home to L.A.

The man of the hour, Kendrick Lamar, was welcomed home by a cheerful and anxious crowd ready to hear and sing along with the rapper. While black-and-white footage of icons like Oprah, Michael Jordan and Barack Obama played on the screens, Lamar pleased his fans with a medley of his hits including "King Kunta," "These Walls," "m.A.A.d City" and, of course, "Alright."

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"I love you L.A.," Lamar yelled when he finished his performance, which lasted more than an hour.

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Kendrick Lamar performs onstage at the FYF Festival on Aug. 27, 2016 in Los Angeles. Everett Fitzpatrick for FYF Fest
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday he did not see Turkey joining the EU during his political career, adding that the bloc would not be in a position to take Turkey in even if Ankara met all the entry requirements tomorrow. Turkey started talks about joining the European Union in 2005 but has made little progress despite an initial burst of reforms. Many EU countries are wary about the possibility of the large, mainly Muslim country becoming a member of the bloc and Europe has long worried that Turkey's anti-terrorism laws are used to quash dissent. A crackdown since a failed July 15 coup in Turkey has fueled tension between Ankara and Brussels. "Even if you're very optimistic about my political career, I certainly won't see Turkey becoming a member of this EU," Gabriel, 56, told a news conference on Sunday. "With the state we're in, we're not even in a position to take in a city state," said Gabriel, leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) - the junior coalition partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's government. He said one logistical problem was Turkey's large population, which stands at about 79 million according to the World Bank. "How would that work in a European Union that is currently losing one of its most important member states, that has been rattled, that doesn't know how it should reorganise itself?," he added, referring to Britain's recent vote to leave the bloc. He said Turkey might instead, in the distant future, become a partner "in an outer ring" of a changed EU. Earlier this month, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his government could stop helping to stem the flow of refugees and migrants to Europe if Brussels failed to relax travel rules for Turks from October. Visa-free access to the EU -- the main reward for Ankara's collaboration in choking off the influx of migrants -- has been subject to delays due to a dispute over the anti-terrorism legislation, as well as the post-coup crackdown. Gabriel said in an interview on Saturday that Merkel's conservatives had "underestimated" the challenge of integrating record migrant arrivals. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Helen Popper)
Weimar (Germany) (AFP) - The German, French and Polish foreign ministers vowed Sunday to increase ties between their countries when Britain leaves the EU to secure a safer and more effective union.

"Confronted by unparallelled challenges in Europe... (we must) intensify cooperation and create a new drive," Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Jean-Marc Ayrault and Witold Waszczykowski said in a joint statement.

They were gathered in the eastern German town of Weimar to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the "Weimar Triangle" political forum.

They vowed to "reinforce the foundations of European integration... aspiring to a more flexible EU that reflects the different ambitions of member states regarding increased integration" once Britain had left the bloc.

Talks between the 27 EU nations remaining in the bloc are likely to be challenging, as Berlin's preferred vision of a centralised, federal Europe clashes with proposals for a confederation of nation states popular among leaders of eastern EU members.

The three foreign ministers gathered in Weimar also called for the bloc's combined foreign and security policies to be strengthened with the creation of an annual European Security Council meeting of EU heads of government.

Their comments came as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Sunday that the refusal of some EU countries to accept Muslim refugees is "unacceptable" and called for quotas to divide the influx throughout the bloc.

"We know that there is no simple answer to these challenges, but we are determined to confront them together in a spirit of renewed mutual confidence," said the ministers' statement.

The Weimar Triangle, created in 1991, is a consultative body that promotes cooperation and common interests between the three EU states.
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that if Britain's exit from the European Union was badly handled and other member countries followed its lead, Europe would go "down the drain". "Brexit is bad but it won't hurt us as much economically as some fear - it's more of a psychological problem and it's a huge problem politically," Gabriel, the deputy to Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany's governing coalition, told a news conference. He added that the world now regarded Europe as an unstable continent. "If we organise Brexit in the wrong way, then we'll be in deep trouble, so now we need to make sure that we don't allow Britain to keep the nice things, so to speak, related to Europe while taking no responsibility," Gabriel said. Since Britain's stunning June 23 referendum vote to leave the European Union, all eyes have been on Germany to indicate a way out of danger for the 27 members who will remain. In an interview with German broadcaster ARD on Sunday, Merkel said: "We all agree in the European Union that Britain's exit, the result of the referendum, has a big impact. "Rather than rushing into activities, we should perhaps first take time to think about what we, as the 27 countries, must do better," she said, adding that this was the direction that talks with partner countries were going in. On Wednesday, Merkel said remaining member states must listen to each other carefully and avoid rushing into policy decisions. "If you do it wrong from the beginning and you don't listen - and act just for the sake of acting - then you can make many mistakes," the conservative German leader said. Merkel has met a number of other European leaders during the past week to prepare the ground for a Sept. 16 EU summit in Bratislava aimed at shoring up the battered bloc. A British government spokesman said in mid-August that Prime Minister Theresa May will not begin formal divorce talks with the EU before the end of the year. EU leaders are refusing to countenance a "Europe a la carte" by letting Britain select the parts of its future relationship that it may like, such as access to the bloc's single market of 500 million consumers, while dispensing with EU principles such as the free movement of people. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Joseph Nasr; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said in an interview on Saturday that Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives had "underestimated" the challenge of integrating record numbers of migrants. Gabriel leads the Social Democrats (SPD) -- the junior coalition partner in Merkel's government -- and his comments come as campaigning kicks off for a federal election next year and regional elections in Berlin and the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Hundreds of thousands of migrants arrived in Germany from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere last year. There is widespread concern about how to integrate them into German society and the labour market, and support for the anti-immigrant party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has grown. "I, we always said that it's inconceivable for Germany to take in a million people every year," Gabriel said in an interview with broadcaster ZDF. "There is an upper limit to a country's integration ability," he added at a news conference on Sunday. He said Germany had 300,000 new school children due to the migrant influx and added that the country could not manage to integrate so many into the school system every year because there would not be enough teachers. Gabriel also criticised Merkel's catchphrase "Wir schaffen das" ("We can do this"), which she adopted during last year's migrant crisis. The chancellor used the phrase at a news conference in late July after a spate of attacks on civilians in Germany, including two claimed by Islamic State, that put her open-door migrant policy in the spotlight and dented her popularity. Merkel rejected Gabriel's criticism in an interview with broadcaster ARD and said the federal government had worked hard with state and municipal authorities to solve problems, changed laws and provided funding. She suggested she was open to changes in the EU's planned quota system, which aims to transfer of about 160,000 asylum seekers from Greece and Italy to other EU states, but said it was important to find a solution that shared responsibility. It would not be acceptable, Merkel said, for governments to say: "We don't generally want to have Muslims in our country." Instead of taking in refugees en masse, some eastern European countries want to provide other forms of help -- such as border guards for other EU countries -- and have suggested that the European Commission could offset those contributions against its proposed distribution quota. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Andreas Rinke; Editing by Helen Popper)
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel's domestic popularity has declined, a poll showed on Sunday, with 50 percent of Germans against her serving a fourth term in office after a federal election next year. Support for Merkel has weakened after a string of violent attacks on civilians in July, three of which were carried out by asylum seekers. Of those, two were claimed by Islamic State. This has raised opposition to Merkel's open-door migrant policy, which allowed hundreds of thousands from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere into Germany last year. Half of the 501 people questioned in the Emnid poll for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper were against Merkel staying in office beyond the 2017 election, with 42 percent wanting her to remain. In November, the last time Bild am Sonntag commissioned a survey on the issue, 45 percent had been in favor of Merkel serving a fourth term, with 48 percent against. The head of Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), Frank-Juergen Weise, told the newspaper that he expects a maximum of 300,000 refugees to arrive in Germany this year. When asked about her plans for the 2017 election in an interview with public broadcaster ARD on Sunday, Merkel said she would comment on this "in due course", but did not elaborate. Germany's political parties are gearing up for next year's election. Asked in the ARD interview when Germans would get tax relief given that Germany has a budget surplus, Merkel said that would come "in the next legislative period". Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble has previously said that people should not expect much tax relief. Merkel's Social Democrat coalition partners have promised voters increased spending on infrastructure, education and research. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Joseph Nasr; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

BOSTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) - After U.S. multi-level marketing company Herbalife settled a probe of its sales practices with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission last month, top executives assured investors that the company would be able to thrive under the new rules.

The consumer protection agency had questioned the company's sales methods.

Billionaire investor William Ackman in 2012 claimed the company was running a pyramid scheme, recruiting members with a promise of payment for enrolling others in distribution, rather than depending on the actual sale of its nutritional supplements and weight management products.

In its July 15 settlement Herbalife agreed to restructure its U.S. business so distributors are rewarded for sales rather than for recruitment of sales agents and it agreed to pay a $200 million fine.

But Herbalife's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission painted a much less optimistic picture than its presentation to analysts and investors, according to a private investor who flagged the differences to the SEC this month.

Matthew Handley, an investor based in Lakewood Ranch, Florida alleged Herbalife made "purposefully deceptive statements" in its Aug. 3 quarterly earnings conference call and regulatory filings.

Handley, who is betting Herbalife's stock price will fall, told Reuters about his outreach to the SEC and provided a copy of his letter to its whistleblower office.

"The transcript of the conference call, when compared directly against the actual language the company issued in their 10Q, depict a clear pattern of purposeful intent to deceive investors and the market," Handley wrote in the Aug. 16 letter.

"The things you say on the call and write in the filing have to match up, and I thought they just didn't," he later said in an interview with Reuters.

Because Herbalife's conference call transcript and its SEC filings are publicly available, securities law experts said the company probably did not violate the SEC's disclosure rules such as Regulation FD.

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Corporate filings are often more legalistic and technical than what executives say during presentations to analysts and investors, when they may sound optimistic about the company's outlook, law professors and private lawyers noted.

But such presentations are usually highly scripted, with companies trying to ensure oral statements are not inconsistent with their filings, and the difference in tone and substance in Herbalife's case is noteworthy, securities lawyers said.

"Securities laws say that you cannot lie," said Yale law professor Jonathan Macey. "Reading these two documents (the filing and transcript of the conference call), would suggest they've changed their point of view," he added.

Herbalife spokesman Alan Hoffman declined repeated requests from Reuters for comment. Brian Lane, a partner at law firm Gibson Dunn, which vets Herbalife's disclosures, did not respond to a call or email seeking comment. Herbalife has disclosed inquiries from the SEC and other government authorities in the past.

SEC spokesman John Nester also declined to comment.

COMPLYING WITH THE FTC

Herbalife hailed the FTC settlement as a victory for its business model as the FTC said the company may have deceived hundreds of thousands of people but stopped short of calling it a pyramid scheme.

In August executives assured analysts and investors on a conference call that Herbalife would suffer little financial damage from the settlement.

Chief Executive Michael Johnson said, "We have the greatest confidence in our ability to comply with the agreement and continue to grow our business in the U.S. and around the world."

Chief Financial Officer John DeSimone saw "minimal disruption to the business" and President Desmond Walsh also struck an optimistic tone, saying, "The most important thing is that we don't see any long-term impact in our business."

Herbalife's SEC filing was more circumspect though, saying the company does not currently expect the settlement to have a "long-term and materially adverse impact."

However, the filing also noted "there is no guarantee that we will be able to fully comply with the consent order" and that "the company's business and its member base, particularly in the United States, may be negatively impacted."

If Herbalife cannot comply with the consent order, "this could result in a material and adverse impact to the company's results of operations and financial condition," the filing said.

Herbalife also noted the settlement's effect "could be significant."

BILLIONAIRES' TARGET

Herbalife has until next year to comply with the July 15 order from the Federal Trade Commission to restructure its U.S. business.

It is not clear whether other short sellers and investors will respond to Handley's accusations on inconsistency between the company's verbal optimism and its more cautious SEC filings, some experts said.

"If you invest in this company, you will want to know what the odds are of this FTC ruling screwing up their business," Yale Law School professor Macey added.

Herbalife's stock price has gone on a wild ride over the last four years when two billionaires began squaring off over its future. After seeing a high around $81.00 in January 2014, the stock fell to a low around $30.26 in January 2015 before recovering to close at $60.50 on Friday.

Hedge fund manager William Ackman, who called Herbalife a pyramid scheme, placed a $1 billion short bet but so far has suffered some losses as the stock climbed.

On Friday in a letter to investors, Ackman also noted differences between presentations to investors by Herbalife executives and the company's official quarterly filing. In his letter, Ackman wrote "management's latest commentary is a continuation of prior misrepresentations."

Ackman and Handley, who registered his complaints about Herbalife's communications with the SEC, both said they have never spoken to each other and reached their conclusions independently.

By contrast, in 2013 billionaire Carl Icahn expressed confidence in Herbalife, becoming its biggest shareholder and named directors to the board.

This week, Ackman and Icahn tangled anew when Ackman said an investment bank approached him to try and sell some of Icahn's shares, but on Friday, Icahn said he was buying shares, not selling.

A key institutional owner, Fidelity, sold some of Herbalife's shares in August, it said in a filing. Fidelity declined to make the fund manager available for an interview.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra, Nick Zieminski and Clive McKeef.)
By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON (Reuters) - After U.S. multi-level marketing company Herbalife settled a probe of its sales practices with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission last month, top executives assured investors that the company would be able to thrive under the new rules. The consumer protection agency had questioned the company's sales methods. Billionaire investor William Ackman in 2012 claimed the company was running a pyramid scheme, recruiting members with a promise of payment for enrolling others in distribution, rather than depending on the actual sale of its nutritional supplements and weight management products. In its July 15 settlement Herbalife agreed to restructure its U.S. business so distributors are rewarded for sales rather than for recruitment of sales agents and it agreed to pay a $200 million fine. But Herbalife's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission painted a much less optimistic picture than its presentation to analysts and investors, according to a private investor who flagged the differences to the SEC this month. Matthew Handley, an investor based in Lakewood Ranch, Florida alleged Herbalife made "purposefully deceptive statements" in its Aug. 3 quarterly earnings conference call and regulatory filings. Handley, who is betting Herbalife's stock price will fall, told Reuters about his outreach to the SEC and provided a copy of his letter to its whistleblower office. "The transcript of the conference call, when compared directly against the actual language the company issued in their 10Q, depict a clear pattern of purposeful intent to deceive investors and the market," Handley wrote in the Aug. 16 letter. "The things you say on the call and write in the filing have to match up, and I thought they just didn't," he later said in an interview with Reuters. Because Herbalife's conference call transcript and its SEC filings are publicly available, securities law experts said the company probably did not violate the SEC's disclosure rules such as Regulation FD. Corporate filings are often more legalistic and technical than what executives say during presentations to analysts and investors, when they may sound optimistic about the company's outlook, law professors and private lawyers noted. But such presentations are usually highly scripted, with companies trying to ensure oral statements are not inconsistent with their filings, and the difference in tone and substance in Herbalife's case is noteworthy, securities lawyers said. "Securities laws say that you cannot lie," said Yale law professor Jonathan Macey. "Reading these two documents (the filing and transcript of the conference call), would suggest they've changed their point of view," he added. Herbalife spokesman Alan Hoffman declined repeated requests from Reuters for comment. Brian Lane, a partner at law firm Gibson Dunn, which vets Herbalife's disclosures, did not respond to a call or email seeking comment. Herbalife has disclosed inquiries from the SEC and other government authorities in the past. SEC spokesman John Nester also declined to comment. COMPLYING WITH THE FTC Herbalife hailed the FTC settlement as a victory for its business model as the FTC said the company may have deceived hundreds of thousands of people but stopped short of calling it a pyramid scheme. In August executives assured analysts and investors on a conference call that Herbalife would suffer little financial damage from the settlement. Chief Executive Michael Johnson said, "We have the greatest confidence in our ability to comply with the agreement and continue to grow our business in the U.S. and around the world." Chief Financial Officer John DeSimone saw "minimal disruption to the business" and President Desmond Walsh also struck an optimistic tone, saying, "The most important thing is that we don't see any long-term impact in our business." Herbalife's SEC filing was more circumspect though, saying the company does not currently expect the settlement to have a "long-term and materially adverse impact." However, the filing also noted "there is no guarantee that we will be able to fully comply with the consent order" and that "the company's business and its member base, particularly in the United States, may be negatively impacted." If Herbalife cannot comply with the consent order, "this could result in a material and adverse impact to the company's results of operations and financial condition," the filing said. Herbalife also noted the settlement's effect "could be significant." BILLIONAIRES' TARGET Herbalife has until next year to comply with the July 15 order from the Federal Trade Commission to restructure its U.S. business. It is not clear whether other short sellers and investors will respond to Handley's accusations on inconsistency between the company's verbal optimism and its more cautious SEC filings, some experts said. "If you invest in this company, you will want to know what the odds are of this FTC ruling screwing up their business," Yale Law School professor Macey added. Herbalife's stock price has gone on a wild ride over the last four years when two billionaires began squaring off over its future. After seeing a high around $81.00 in January 2014, the stock fell to a low around $30.26 in January 2015 before recovering to close at $60.50 on Friday. Hedge fund manager William Ackman, who called Herbalife a pyramid scheme, placed a $1 billion short bet but so far has suffered some losses as the stock climbed. On Friday in a letter to investors, Ackman also noted differences between presentations to investors by Herbalife executives and the company's official quarterly filing. In his letter, Ackman wrote "management's latest commentary is a continuation of prior misrepresentations." Ackman and Handley, who registered his complaints about Herbalife's communications with the SEC, both said they have never spoken to each other and reached their conclusions independently. By contrast, in 2013 billionaire Carl Icahn expressed confidence in Herbalife, becoming its biggest shareholder and named directors to the board. This week, Ackman and Icahn tangled anew when Ackman said an investment bank approached him to try and sell some of Icahn's shares, but on Friday, Icahn said he was buying shares, not selling. A key institutional owner, Fidelity, sold some of Herbalife's shares in August, it said in a filing. Fidelity declined to make the fund manager available for an interview. (Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra, Nick Zieminski and Clive McKeef.)
cuernavaca mexico

Violence in Mexico has been on the rise in recent months as fragmented criminal organizations clash around the country, competing with Mexican authorities and one another for control of illegal enterprises.

Data released by the Mexican government reveals that homicides, perhaps the most visible aspect of the country's violence, reached an ugly milestone in July.

The 2,073 killings recorded that month were the most of any month since the President Enrique Pena Nieto entered office in December 2012, and it was the first time the country exceeded 2,000 homicides in a month since August 2011.

2011 was the bloodiest year in the six-year term of Felipe Calderon, Pena Nieto's predecessor who launched a heavily militarized crackdown on drug cartels and criminal organizations throughout the country.

The previous high in monthly homicides registered under Pena Nieto was 1,895, recorded in May.

Homicides in Mexico, January to July 2016

As noted by Mexican security analyst Alejandro Hope, these numbers appear to be part of an upswing.

July's homicide total was a 26% increase over what was recorded in the same month last year, while the 12,376 homicides in the January-to-July period this year were 16% more than the same period in 2015.

While some parts of Mexico have experienced more violence than others, the trend in homicides has been felt around the country.

"In July, 22 federal entities registered an increase in the number of victims and in many cases, the rate of increase was double digits," Hope wrote at El Universal on August 22.

The spike in bloodshed has been most pronounced in the southeastern state of Veracruz.

The 168 homicides recorded there in July were 68 more than in June and more than three times the 55 recorded in February, the lowest number so far this year.

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Veracruz's 643 homicides in the first seven months of this year are more than the 615 registered for all of last year. The state's governor, Javier Duarte, has been accused of corruption and criticized for violence against journalists that has taken place during his tenure.

Both the 132 homicide investigations and the 168 victims are the highest levels recorded since the state started keeping official records for them in 1997, according to Animal Politico.

Veracruz journalist killing murder Mexico homicides protest

West of Veracruz, the state of Michoacan had 187 homicides in July, more than double the 87 recorded in the same month last year and the most the state has seen in almost a decade, according to El Pais.

Michoacan has been a intensely contested battleground for several years, as civilian-led (but often criminal-infiltrated) community groups fought criminal groups that ran roughshod over the state, while federal police officers and troops attempted to contain the violence.

Guerrero state, which borders Michoacan to the south, has seen some of the most elevated violence in the country, as criminal groups, fragmented by infighting and pressure from security forces, have struggled for control of the state's lucrative drug production and trafficking areas.

Mexico cartel map

The 215 homicides in Guerrero were the most the state has seen since the end of 2012. Violence in Acapulco, a tourist mecca on Guerrero's Pacific coast, has filled the morgues and dimmed the luster of a once idyllic oceanside getaway.

And in Colima, nestled next to Michoacan on the Pacific coast, the 345 homicides recorded through July this year were a huge jump from the 79 that occurred over the same period last year.

Colima, Mexico's smallest state by population and size, is home to the country's largest west coast port, Manzanillo, a vital outpost for any organization intending to smuggle drugs internationally.

Indeed, drug-related violence has helped drive up homicides around the country.

Homicides in Mexico by state in 2016

In Baja California, home to strategically valuable smuggling routes through Tijuana, homicides are up 34% this year. Earlier this year it was reported that Mexico's two most powerful cartels, Sinaloa and Jalisco New Generation, were fighting over Tijuana.

Turmoil within the Sinaloa cartel may have contributed to the rising violence in Chihuahua state, which borders Texas in north-central Mexico.

Reports earlier this year indicated that Rafael Caro Quintero, a top leader in what would become the Sinaloa cartel who was imprisoned from 1985 to 2013, had emerged from the shadows and was making a play for control of the cartel.

Caro Quintero has denied the ambitions attributed to him, but violence in the state has increased, rising by more than 40% from January through July this year.

In Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua's main US border crossing and a crown jewel of narco trafficking, July had the most homicides of any month since December 2013.

Juarez is far from the levels of violence it saw in 2010 and 2011, at the height of the cartel war for control of the city, but, as Hope notes, that violence is likely to continue until it reaches a level high enough to prompt a political response.

Across the country, in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas, infighting in the Zetas and Gulf cartels, as well as those two cartels' clashes with each other, has driven violence to frightening levels. The 106 homicides there in July were 31 more than recorded in June.

Zetas

The Zetas, who broke from the Gulf cartel to form their own criminal organization, have been behind some of the worst atrocities in Mexico in recent years, including the killing of 72 helpless Central American migrants in 2010 and the torching of a casino in Monterrey in Nuevo Leon state (where homicides are up 52% this year) that left 52 people dead in 2011.

While organized-crime activity is an important factor driving the rise of violence in Mexico, the heavily fractured and opaque nature of the country's criminal landscape make analyzing and combatting that activity hard.

The fact that violence has gone up in so many parts of Mexico  coupled with missteps and bad practices by authorities  makes it harder for the government to respond effectively.

"State and local governments haven't been doing their part, and the federal government, [the violence] is so widespread, their resources are spread very thin," Hope told Insight Crime in June.

NOW WATCH: There's a terrifying reason people are warned to stay inside at 5:45 p.m. in parts of Mexico





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Design: Ariyoshi Assa

A first date with me usually goes a little something like this: I show up late and frazzled, offer a bunch of apologies, and order a drink. The standard small talk ensues  How was your day? Whats the worst Bumble experience youve had? Will anyone ever love me?  and then, we get into the job-description thing. I explain that Im a beauty editor and that I write about hair, makeup, and skin care for a living. The guy proceeds to incorrectly refer to me as a fashion editor for the remainder of the evening. Then, the second drink arrives.

Related: Which Kylie Lip Kit Is Right For YOUR Skin Tone?



Halfway through that drink is when dates usually start getting fun. You move a little closer, maybe theres some hand-on-leg action, and the conversation gets deeper. This is when, inevitably, the Do you love what you do? question gets thrown out. (And this isnt some fictional formula Im making up for the sake of this story  like clockwork, everyone asks the same exact questions, making them all weirdly blur together.) My answer, the last four times: I do, yeah. I know being a beauty editor sounds superficial and like Im just testing lipsticks all day, but its so much more than that. I find the psychology behind why we do what we do to look the way we want so fascinating, and Im really into injectables, plastic surgery, and the science of skin care.

Related: Banish Blackheads With These Tricks



Well, if insanity is repeating the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, then I must be crazy, because none of those first dates have led to second dates. And yes, there could be a million other reasons, but speaking as a straight woman, Im leading with this one for now: Injectables and plastic surgery freak dudes out. And a 26-year-old woman who says shes interested in them is even freakier. The men pull away imperceptibly, raise their brows (which creates so many lines! Relax your expression!, I want to say), and ask: "But youd never do any of that, right?

Story continues

Related: Celeb Transformations That Will Make Your Jaw DROP



Maybe I should lie. For the sake of maintaining pleasantries, itd be in my best interest to. But I have this self-defeating disease that only lets me lie about how much I paid for shoes; never the personal, this-stranger-doesnt-need-to-know-this stuff. So, instead, I basically turn into a pharmaceutical sales rep and launch into my spiel about how much I love getting Botox, why it's preventative, how filler injections can actually boost collagen production long after the hyaluronic acid has been absorbed  and, oh yeah, I got a nose job when I was 16. We move on to other topics, a third round usually gets ordered, sometimes we make out by the subway entrance. Goodbye, the end, thats all, folks.

Related: The Best Way To Get Rid Of Acne Scars



Recently, one guy asked where Id draw the line: Would you get a boob job? Calf implants? (The real question, I assume, was: Just how fake are you?) The hypothetical answer, for me, will always be yes  Im not closing myself off to the choice to make any alteration to my appearance (for any reason), from now until the end of time. But it just so happens that I like my breasts, lips, and, I guess, my calves as they are right now. In my mind, theres no distinction between a woman who gets lip injections and a woman who bleaches her hair from brown to blond. Only one of those comes with a heavy stigma, though.

Related: This Is What Female-Directed Porn Looks Like

My theory is that men dont like when we break the illusion, when we admit that societys expectation for us to be beautiful and young and effortless and natural actually takes really fucking hard work  from no-makeup makeup to no-injections injections. No one wants to know that Oz is just a regular, old guy, agreed my date.

Related: What Going Paleo Did To My Body



Its also true that injectables and plastic surgery have gained a bad reputation  mostly for being done poorly. The average person only knows Botox and Restylane as they relate to the Real Housewives, so they assume expression-less faces and blown-up lips are always the end result of these treatments. Men think of the L.A. woman who has the Range Rover, the bag,and the face. Its a status symbol to have that injected look, but it doesnt have to look that way, says Lisa Goodman, PA, founder of GoodSkin LA, which takes a European approach to injectables (read: very subtle, very gradual). No one notices all the great work because, well, thats the point. Its why I could say Ive never had anyone touch my face and people would believe me. But, clearly, thats not my M.O.



Photo by Elizabeth Griffin.

Instead, its apparently just the idea itself  that a young woman would do something that she doesnt necessarily need to do for the sake of vanity  that the men Ive met have found so unappealing. Its true, I dont need Botox. I just like it a whole lot. I like the way it lifts my eyes and makes me look less tired; I like the way it erases the two fine lines permanently etched across my forehead and makes my makeup look smoother. And, yeah, Ill say it, I like that when I lift my eyebrows, my forehead doesnt transform into an accordion. No one needs teeth-whitening or eyelash extensions, either. No one needs any of it, but that line of thinking misses the point.



I dont hate the way I look, I dont think Im ugly, and I dont suffer from low self-esteem. And although I think hardly anyone is really, truly immune to the subconscious influence of advertising, Hollywood, and airbrushed magazine covers, Id be hesitant to blame any of that. I go to the derms office every four months for the same reason I apply mascara and blowdry my hair: It makes me feel more beautiful. Simple as that. Why anyone cares what means I take to get to that place is beyond me.



So when the subject comes up, Im going to keep admitting to Botox, the fillers Im getting in my chin, and my nose job, because Im not ashamed of any of it. And soon, one of these first dates is going to lead to a second date, and Ill find somebody who loves me for me  frozen forehead and all.





By: Alix Tunnell
A knife-wielding man stabbed a Catholic priest and tried to set off an explosive device at a church in Indonesia on Sunday, police said, the latest attack on religious minorities in the mainly Muslim country.

Priest Albert Pandiangan was holding a mass in the city of Medan on the western island of Sumatra when a young man approached him and stabbed him in his left arm, said local chief detective Nur Fallah.

The attacker was carrying a homemade explosive device, said Fallah.

"Somebody tried to kill the priest by pretending to attend the church service and at that time tried to explode something, like a firecracker, but the firecracker didn't explode, it only fumed," Fallah told reporters.

The priest suffered slight injuries and has been taken to hospital for treatment.

A picture of the attacker's ID card circulating online said he was Muslim.

In recent years there have been a number of attacks on religious minorities and others in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.

A suicide attack in the Indonesian capital in January killed four attackers and four civilians, including a Westerner, and injured 19.

In July a suicide bomber linked to the Islamic State group blew himself up outside a police station in Central Java.

Churchgoers on Sunday quickly caught the attacker and called the police.

An eyewitness, Markus Harianto Manullan, said the assailant wore a jacket and carried a bag.

"He sat in the same row as I did... I saw him fiddling with something in his jacket, and then I heard a small explosion and he immediately ran to the podium," Manullan said.

Police are still investigating the man's motive.
Two years ago the TSA, suffering little lost love from the citizens it serves, quietly set up an Instagram account. Nowadays, while we cant quite say we adore the agency or its sometimes-too-intimate pat-downs, we must admit that all the contraband pix  the artfully positioned throwing stars, the gleaming revolvers, the pair of rusty hatchets some moron put in his carry-on  have given us a grudging appreciation for its work. TSA on Instagram? Call us a follower.

Now lets think of another federal institution thats supposed to serve the American people but can seem hopelessly opaque, irrelevant and wasteful. Yes, were talking about Congress, which earlier this year only narrowly dodged another pricey shutdown (the last one cost taxpayers a whopping $24 billion). Approval ratings are in the tank, with some 79 percent of Americans believing most of its members are out of touch, and many, we suppose, preferring not to think of them at all.

You know what could help? Instagram. Were talking selfies of Ted Cruz and Kirsten Gillibrand. A 20-second video of congressional debate. A well Toastered 1080px by 1080px, with a senator drafting a bill. Hell, wed love to see what Claire McCaskill is eating for lunch  so long as the caption then tells us something of substance about whats happening that day in the big dome. The idea here is to give the average citizen some sense of what Congress actually does when its members arent bickering over matters picayune. Cry for the past, anti-futurists, but Instagram holds sway over many peoples collective attention  400 million active users monthly, including, of course, realdonaldtrump.

We tried to ask Congress social media department if it thought Congressgram was a good idea  but it turns out theres no office for social-media outreach. Instead, each legislator has a different social media account  umbrella organization, be damned. Could Congress collective-action problem be any sharper?

Story continues

Instagram posts from Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

Instagram posts from Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.

Source Instagram

As it is, politicians use of Instagram seems limited to self-promotion and winning our votes, not educating us on how they would vote. But Instagram has enormous potential to inform, increase transparency and engage constituents. Right now, constituents are as informed as college debt is fun. People resort mainly to information short-cuts to make voting decisions, Costas Panagopoulos, a political science professor at Fordham University says. Plus, its cheap.

Of course, a big danger lurks: A congressional Instagram feed could mutate into just another platform for partisan bickering. Were imagining internecine jockeying for likes, and bickering over unflattering photos, or oversimplified captions. All of this, obviously, would suck for voters who are sick of polarization, says Jack Myers, the author of Hooked Up, a book about the Internet, millennials and politics. And naturally, posts wouldnt substitute for actual representation.

For Congress, though, there does seem to be one big perk: If the news is ever bad, slap on high saturation and the right filter and itll look good.

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DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has arrested a member of the negotiating team that reached a landmark nuclear deal with world powers on suspicion of spying, a judiciary spokesman said on Sunday. The suspect was released on bail after a few days in jail but is still under investigation, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said at a weekly news conference, calling the unidentified individual a "spy who had infiltrated the nuclear team," state media reported. The deal that President Hassan Rouhani struck last year has given Iran relief from most international sanctions in return for curbing its nuclear program, but it is opposed by hardliners who see it as a capitulation to the United States. Ejei was responding to a question about an Iranian lawmaker's assertion last week that a member of the negotiation team who had dual nationality had been arrested on espionage charges. Tehran's prosecutor general on Aug. 16 announced the arrest of a dual national he said was linked to British intelligence, but made no mention of the person being in the nuclear negotiations team. On Sunday, Ejei did not explicitly confirm that the arrested person had a second nationality. Britain said on Aug. 16 that it was trying to find out more about the arrest of a joint-national. (Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by William Maclean and Robin Pomeroy)
Tehran (AFP) - Iran has arrested a "spy" involved in the nuclear negotiations with world powers but has not yet formally charged the suspect, the judiciary's spokesman told reporters on Sunday.

"(News of) the arrest of the infiltrating spy is true. Legal action has been instigated against him and he has been released on bail," the official IRNA news agency quoted Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejeie as saying at his weekly press conference.

"But the charge against him has not been proven yet."

On August 16, the Tehran prosecutor announced the arrest of a British-Iranian on suspicion of links to Britain's intelligence service.

Iranian media outlets have reported that a dual national identified as Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani, a senior accountant involved in banking-related aspects of the nuclear talks, has been arrested for espionage.

But it remained unclear whether the dual national and the British-Iranian were the same person.

Iran does not recognise dual nationality and treats those arrested as Iranian citizens only.

Without naming or giving the gender of the accused, Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said on August 16 the suspect was "active in the field of the Iranian economy, and was linked to the British espionage service".

Iran and the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia negotiated for more than two years before signing a historic July 2015 agreement that removed some international sanctions in return for curbs on Tehran's controversial atomic programme.

Ramze Obour (Passcode), a conservative-linked weekly, on Wednesday quoted hardline lawmaker Javad Karimi Ghodousi as saying Dorri Esfahani "bypassed the negotiating team and gave invaluable information to the US".

It claimed he had been paid by both Britain and the United States.

However, the ISNA news agency said the accused was not a member of the negotiating team or the foreign ministry.

It said the accused "only appeared on the team at certain points, out of necessity on behalf of one of the country's economic sectors".


Credit: Steve Granitz/WireImage

Channing Tatum may be known for his dapper looks on the red carpet, but when it comes to his and wife Jenna Dewan Tatum's shared closet at home, she is the one who decides what goes in and what stays out (mainly the majority of his clothes).

While the new Danskin campaign ambassador admitted she and Channing share a love for fashion, he only has a small portion of their closet to store his ensembles. "In our new house we share a bigger closet than we had, but poor Chan, he has one little row and I have the whole rest of it," Dewan Tatum told People. And it doesn't look like that will change any time soon.

Although she cleans out her sides of the closet every now and then, the dancer said it's only to make room for new things she picks up--not for more of Channing's clothes. "I give away, but I give away after it gets to the point that it gets so stacked and full, embarrassingly over-stuffed," she said. " I'm a good giver-away-er--I almost give away too much. I like to refresh and then it leaves me more room to get new things."

RELATED: Jenna Dewan Tatum Shows Off Her Sculpted Gams in Thigh-High Boots and a White Minidress

In spite of their closet-sharing issues, Dewan Channing is her husband's cheerleader when it comes to his on and off the red carpet stylings, even when he dresses outside of the norm. "Chan likes that 1940s, what he's doing with the hats and the vests--it's actually great, it's a cool little style," she added. "But, he also likes to go against the grain. One time, he wore these ninja shoes he got in Japan, and he wore them on a red carpet just because he said, 'F--k it, I want to wear these on a red carpet, I'm wearing them.' His publicist looked at me like she was going to kill me. I'm like, 'I can't control him.'"

As for where he put those ninja shoes after the red carpet, that's a whole other issue.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie blamed Hillary Clinton for starting a campaign fight over bigotry during an appearance on ABCs This Week.

Asked by host Martha Raddatz whether he agrees with Trump that Clinton is a bigot, the Trump adviser instead turned on the Democratic nominee.

Ms. Clinton has started the idea of calling Donald Trump those types of names, he said. And the fact is that, once you are the personand Ms. Clinton is the person who injected this type of commentary into this raceonce you inject that type of commentary into this race, you cant then sit back and start complaining about it or have some of your handmaidens in the media complain about it.

Trump called Clinton a bigot last week during a Jackson, Miss., rally, ahead of an expected speech by Clinton highlighting his campaigns ties to the alt-right movement.

The Clinton campaign then released a provocative ad featuring Ku Klux Klan members and other white nationalists supporting Trump, while Clinton condemned Trump in a speech in Reno, Nevada, for his statements on a Mexican judge, his retweets of white supremacist accounts and other campaign moves.

Hes taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of Americas two major political parties. His disregard for the values that make our country great is profoundly dangerous, Clinton said.
A 28-year-old man has been charged with fatally beating his parents, police say.



According to a press release from the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, Edward M. Coles Jr., 58, and his wife, Rosemarie, 55, were found dead in their West Deptford, New Jersey, home Friday morning.



Police were notified after a relative of the deceased man stopped by their home after he was unable to reach them by phone Thursday night.



The couple's son, Ryan Coles, who lived with his parents, was found in the house when police arrived, according to the press release. The 28-year-old was taken to a local hospital for medical evaluation.



According to Bernie Weisenfeld, public information officer for the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, autopsy results showed the cause of death for the couple was blunt trauma to the head.



According to Weisenfeld, Edward was known in his community for his musical talents.



"The story here is more about what his life was like," Weisenfeld tells PEOPLE. "He was pretty well known across this area for his skills in repairing musical instruments."



Edward launched Coles Music Service in 2008, according to the business website. The repair shop and music store became a fixture for musicians in the area.



"If there was something nobody could fix, he would take it on and make it happen," Carl Cox, a music director at Deptford Township High School, told Philly.com. "He was good at everything. His love was saxophone because that's what he played as well. Anybody who was a professional, they all knew and loved Ed," he said.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? A "Click to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.



A neighbor who called the news of the couple's deaths "shocking" remembered Rosemarie as being "so nice."



Claudia Rojvilawan told NJ.com. "They're quiet, they don't bother anybody."



Ryan is being held at the Salem County Jail on $1 million bail. Weisenfeld says he will likely appear in court this week for a bail hearing. It is not known if he has retained an attorney or if he has entered a plea.
jim rogers

Jim Rogers is nothing if not a contrarian, and one of his boldest moves is trying to bet on North Korea.

The famous investor, who cofounded legendary hedge fund Quantum with George Soros, spoke to Real Vision TV and said North Korea is where China was in 1981.

"If we all bought North Korean currency, we'd all be rich someday," Rogers said.

In short, Rogers is seeing the controversial country open up, which he says makes it a good bet.

Here's the relevant excerpt from the Q&A explaining why:

"Well, North Korea today is where China was in 1981. Deng Xiaoping started opening up in '78. Most of us, including me, either weren't aware of it or if we were aware of it. We ignored it, didn't pay any attention. North Korea is doing that now.

He added:

"There are 15 free trade zones there now. You can take bicycle tours of North Korea, if you want. You can take movie tours. I'm sure if [Kim Jong Un's] father were alive, he'd hang him. If his grandfather were alive, he'd torture him and then hang him, you know, for some of the things he's doing. I mean, you go to North Korea now, you see these astonishing restaurants with white tablecloths, cutlery, candles. I mean, this is North Korea we're talking about. Chefs. It's happening."

Rogers noted that Chinese and Russian investors are pouring in to the country and said that he almost became an investor in a Chinese group that had a bank in North Korea. He added that his lawyer told him he couldn't invest.

He said:

"They're going to be the richest people in China, because they're starting banks, and everything else in North Korea, and you and I just sit and look and say, 'Buy me a Champagne someday.'

Rogers is a pretty colorful guy and is known for his bold bets. He also has investments in Zimbabwe and has been looking at investing in Kazakhstan and Rwanda. That said, he isn't the only one looking at North Korea.

North Korea has been pushing to attract foreign investment, even posting videos on its "unique economic zones" on YouTube. And earlier this year, The New York Times published a profile on James Passin, a hedge fund manager at Firebird Management, who is trying to bet on the country.

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Still, there is growing tension between the Hermit Kingdom and the rest of the world. The country has been launching ballistic missiles, with Kim Jong Un reportedly hosting a party to celebrate the most recent test.

That is making life harder for those who are invested in the country. Earlier this month, Reuters reported that the only law firm in North Korea set up by a foreigner, Hay, Kalb & Associates, will suspend operations.

NOW WATCH: Heres how North Koreas weird internet works





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Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty

It's official! Not just one, but two of our favorite Hough siblings will be returning to Dancing with the Stars. Both 28-year-old Julianne Hough and 31-year-old Derek Hough will appear on the upcoming 23rd season of the reality TV competition, according to US Weekly.

The talented siblings were sadly absent from Season 22, as they were busy working on other projects--Julianne was filming Greece! Live, and Derek was starring in Singin' in the Rain on Broadway. However, it seems like they just couldn't stay away. Sources report that Julianne will return to her seat at the judges' table, while her brother will compete on the dance floor.

The Houghs will join a star-studded cast including veteran dancer Maksim Chmerkovskiy, who has also been on hiatus, as well as celebrities Ryan Lochte, JoJo Fletcher, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Amber Rose, according to E! Online. Derek won Season 21 while dancing alongside partner Bindi Irwin, but the new season is shaping up to be a tough one, so we'll have to wait and see if he can bring home the trophy again.

RELATED: Dancing with the Stars Pros Peta Murgatroyd and Maksim Chmerkovskiy Are Expecting a Baby

The latest season of DWTS is scheduled to air on September 12, so mark your calendar and get ready to see the Hough siblings back in action.


Credit: Denise Truscello/WireImage

It's no secret that Khloe Kardashian is a beast in the gym--the 32-year-old regularly documents her daily workouts on Instagram and Snapchat and provides us with plenty of #fitspo.

But according to the entrepreneur, sometimes one workout a day just doesn't cut it. She took to her website today to open up about her super intense two-a-day routine, and it involves exercising for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. "I definitely don't always do two-a-day workouts, but the reason that I tried them a couple months back was because I really just wanted to shock and challenge my body," the Keeping Up with Kardashians star says. "I timed the workouts to be right before my birthday because I was going on a vacation and I wanted to feel good--which I did!"

But what exactly did she do? "First thing in the morning, I would do an intense cardio workout, like running hills. It would really wake me up for the day," she details before discussing her nighttime routine. "At around 5 or 6 p.m. at night, I would head to the gym to work on building muscles. It wasn't only weightlifting, but really any workout to build muscle mass."

But the fitness queen did admit that there's one major downside to working out twice a day--having to schedule out your showers and makeup.

Today Im talking two-a-day workouts. It took my awhile to get to this point but.... My tips for making these work on my app! Link in bio.  A photo posted by Khloe (@khloekardashian) on Aug 26, 2016 at 10:21am PDT

RELATED: Khloe Kardashian Gives Us #Fitspo Stepping Out in a Plunging Sports Bra

Check out the full story on khloewithak.com.
An esteemed Digambar Jain guru Tarun Sagar was invited by the Education Minister Haryana Ram Bilas Sharma to speak at the Haryana Assembly. The monk sat on a dias and spoke of the marriage between dharma and politics, terrorism and female foeticide. In his forty minute session in the first monsoon session in Haryana, ministers across the parties heard with full attention as the monk delivered his 'Kadve Vachan'.

What could go wrong, you ask? Vishal Dadlanis Twitter timeline will give you an idea.

The music composer decided to take air his opinion o the Jain guru via the social media site, mocking the fact that the spiritual leader gave the speech in the nude. He used the hashtag #NoKachcheDin along with the tweet, which has now been deleted following the outrage.



The monks nudity and the analogy that a husband is like politics and wife is like dharma and that the wife must accept the orders of the husband did not sit well with social media site.

The fact that #TarunSagar gets invited to speak at the #Haryana Assembly should not come as a surprise. This is why. pic.twitter.com/PnLORJ5EoA  Prerna Bakshi (@bprerna) August 27, 2016

All this hoo haa done to divert attention from what #TarunSagar actually said . Please read & RT #betibachao pic.twitter.com/xoLcwNRWt2  Ria (@banerji1) August 28, 2016

Naked man parading about in echelons of power = sanskari Women at worship in temple/dargah = besharam #HajiAli #TarunSagar  Disgruntled Feminist (@AWearyFeminist) August 27, 2016

When a man talks abt "duty of husband to discipline wife", sorry, I will challenge him on this. Don't care how "revered" he is. #TarunSagar  Raja (@Raja_Sw) August 28, 2016

Dadlani thought that it was absurd that Sagar delivered the speech unclothed and he joined the Twitterati in poking fun at the leader. Dadlani, however, was unaware that the Digambars believe that ascetics should practice nudity as a refusal to give in to the demands of the body for comfort and private property. Naturally, Twitter made it a point that Dadlani did not forget that for the rest of this life.

@VishalDadlani 1. Jainism is not hinduism

2. its a way of life for saints of that specific sect

3. Nothing vulgar about it.  Wild lily (@DaaruDesi) August 27, 2016

Don't see anything wrong in Jain saint addressing Haryana assembly. His ideas & message rather than lack of clothes should be discussed.  Arvind Jha (@jalajboy) August 27, 2016

Filed an online complaint with @delhipolice against Tehseen poonawala and Vishal Dadlani, will file an FIR also pic.twitter.com/gYTPtlr5ro   (@indiantweeter) August 27, 2016

"@VishalDadlani just proved that his mind is more naked than the physical body of the revered Jain monk Tarun Sagar, a true ascetic.  Rakesh Mital (@rakmit1) August 28, 2016

I am not a Jain & I don't really agree with what the #Jain monk said but @VishalDadlani this was quite offensive. pic.twitter.com/Y7FPiQMWse  Rahul Sharma (@Biorahul) August 27, 2016

Delhi Minister of Health Satyendar Jain apologised in place of Dadlani for the altercation.

I apologise for hurting feelings of Jain community by my friend @VishalDadlani. I seek kshama from Muni Shri Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj.  Satyendar Jain (@SatyendarJain) August 27, 2016

Dadlani, who is a known supporter of the Aam Aadmi Party, was reprimanded by Arvind Kejriwal as well.

Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj is a very reverred saint, not just for jains but everyone. Those showing disrespect is unfortunate and shud stop  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 27, 2016

I met Shri Tarun Sagar ji Maharaj last year. Our family regularly listens to his discourses on TV. We deeply respect him and his thoughts  Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 27, 2016

Dadlani realised the magnitude of his error. His timeline now features apologies to all the denizens of Twitter who took offense to his tweet. But that wasnt all, he took his apology to the next level and "quit all active political affiliation."

It feel bad that I hurt my Jain friends & my friends @ArvindKejriwal & @SatyendarJain .I hereby quit all active political work/affiliation.  VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) August 27, 2016

The follow up to the drama could pretty much be summed up in this tweet.

Dadlanis last comment on the issue was his appreciation of how Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's recent meeting with Burhan Wani's father helped calms the waters in Kashmir.

Much needed! Hope it calms the waters. What's been happening in Kashmir, to protesters AND our soldiers, is tragic! https://t.co/fxeECJEeyz  VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) August 27, 2016

Vishal Dadlani was trending on Twitter hours after his apologies. Twitterati is still enraged, but the waters seemed to have calmed for now.
Kyle Larson got his first points win on Sunday (Getty).

Kyle Larson sprinted away from Chase Elliott on the races final restart to grab the first Sprint Cup Series win of his career at Michigan on Sunday.

Elliott was the leader on that restart, which came with nine to go. Larson restarted second and both drivers spun their tires severely as they tried to accelerate towards turn 1. Larson found traction first and got ahead of Elliott, who couldnt close the gap over the races final few laps.

[Brad Keselowski], he pushed me pretty good, Larson said of the driver who ended up third behind Elliott. He probably could have pulled underneath me and he stayed with me and got me the lead.

With the win, Larson jumps into the Chase for the first time. Through his first two full seasons in the Cup Series, the touted 24-year-old had finished 17th and 19th in the Cup standings.

He dedicated the win to Bryan Clauson, a friend and former Chip Ganassi Racing Xfinity Series driver, who died from injuries suffered in a sprint car crash earlier this month in Kansas.

This ones for the Clauson family, Larson said. Were really missing Brian. I love you guys, were going to miss him.

Larson wore a tribute helmet to Clauson during last weeks race at Bristol.

Elliott, meanwhile, blamed the second-place finish on himself. Elliott was second-best at Michigan in June to Joey Logano, another race decided by a late restart. As he was struggling to gain traction, he got bumped by Ryan Blaney behind him (who was being bumped by Kevin Harvick behind him). The contact slowed Elliott, who also entered Michigan looking for his first Cup win, enough to allow Larson to get away.

Just made another mistake, Elliott said. Had two opportunities to get out front there and kind of control the race. And let Kyle get a better start than me, I spun the tires and didnt do my job. Its about as simple as that. When the tires are spinning, you arent going forward and thats what I was doing.

The Michigan win was Larsons seventh win in NASCARs top three series and came in his 99th Sprint Cup Series start. Given the talent he showed and wins he had accrued in the lower series as well as throughout his dirt track career, many figured Larson would win (a points race) in the Cup Series sooner rather than later.

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Your definition of sooner and later probably depends on if you think 99 races is a lot. Larson had a chance to win at Dover in the spring but elected to race eventual winner Matt Kenseth cleanly over the races final stages.

Given the Cup Series win-and-in format for the Chase, the decision not to rough up Kenseth could have cost Larson a spot in the Chase had he not won Sunday. He entered the Michigan race 39 points behind the final Chase position on points. Now, points are of no concern over the next two races until the Chase begins at Chicago.

      

Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Sirte (Libya) (AFP) - Pro-government forces in Libya on Monday cornered the Islamic State group in one neighbourhood of Sirte, after two days of deadly fighting for the jihadists' last stronghold in the country.

The forces loyal to the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord launched an offensive more than three months ago to drive IS from the coastal city, and they have been backed by US air raids for almost a month.

IS overran the Mediterranean hometown of Libya's slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi in mid-2015, sparking fears the jihadists would use it as a springboard for attacks on Europe.

The pro-GNA forces announced late Monday they had "totally liberated" one of the two districts where IS fighters were holed up after an evening assault on their positions.

"Our forces have totally liberated district Number One" in northern Sirte, the campaign's media centre said.

Reda Issa, a spokesman for the loyalist forces, told AFP: "The price was costly but they liberated it."

Jihadists were still holed up in half of district Number Three in the east of the city, which they had seized in July last year.

The anti-IS fighters "seized a little more than half of district Number Three and 70 percent of district Number One" in the downtown seafront area, they said earlier.

The latest breakthrough came after loyalist forces launched a new assault in the evening against the jihadists' holdouts backed by tanks and artillery, and fought with IS snipers, Issa said.

On Sunday, at least 38 pro-GNA fighters were killed 185 others wounded in clashes, medical officials at a field hospital and the nearby Misrata hospital said.

Ten others died in fighting on Monday while 12 were wounded, they said.

IS casualty figures have been unavailable.

- 'Final battle'-

Loyalist forces announced on Sunday the "final battle" to retake the last two districts where IS was entrenched, with about 1,000 pro-GNA fighters taking part in the offensive.

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The Misrata hospital, which was already struggling to handle casualties at the weekend, was filled on Monday with wounded pro-GNA fighters, an AFP photographer said.

"It was a bloody day," doctor Akram Jumaa said.

"I carried out dozens of surgeries that lasted until this morning, and some others are still ongoing."

Mohammad Quweid, a nurse, bemoaned the lack of means to treat casualties.

"There aren't enough rooms so sometimes we have to put five or six fighters together in the same room."

The jihadists have sent in at least 12 suicide car bombers since Sunday, pro-GNA forces said.

On Sunday loyalists had seized several IS positions in district Number Three, including the Qortoba mosque which the jihadists had renamed after slain Al-Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

IS fighters seized Sirte in June 2015, hoisting their black flag above the city.

They had set fire to the mosque's library, killed an imam and used its courtyard for "torture and executions", the media office of the Sirte operation said.

Pro-GNA forces fought their way into Sirte a year later, on June 9, but their advance has been hampered by snipers, suicide bombings and booby traps.

More than 400 loyalist fighters have been killed and nearly 2,500 wounded in the battle for Sirte since May, medical sources say.

- 1,000 IS fighters -

The pro-GNA forces are mostly militias from western cities backing the unity government of premier-designate Fayez al-Sarraj and the guards of oil installations that IS has repeatedly tried to seize.

Backed by US air strikes since August 1, they seized the jihadists' headquarters at the Ouagadougou conference centre on August 10, pinning down IS fighters near the sea.

As of August 24, American warplanes had carried out 82 strikes, the US military said.

The US also leads a coalition fighting IS in Syria and Iraq, where the jihadists seized large swathes of territory in 2014.

Analysts say ousting IS from Libya would be a symbolic boost for the fragile unity government, but unrest might continue as IS could carry out more scattered attacks across the country.

Before it was seized by IS, Sirte had about 120,000 residents, but a pro-GNA military leader said this month that all had fled except for the jihadists' families.

The Pentagon this month estimated there are fewer than 1,000 jihadist fighters in Sirte.

IS took advantage of the chaos in oil-rich Libya after the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed Kadhafi.

A UN-brokered deal struck in December led to Sarraj's unity government starting to work in Tripoli, but it has since struggled to fully assert its authority over the country.
lyft car

Imagine hailing a Lyft car through the app and a driverless car comes to pick you up. Now imagine it picks up another passenger, and then a third, all of them strangers.

That could be the future of ride-hailing and carpooling, but that's a future Lyft is still a bit unsure about.

"When [self-driving car technology] becomes available and more widely adopted, I think thatll work for Lyft Line and I think thatll work for Lyft," Rob Farmer, a Lyft product manager, told Business Insider. "We have a really strong team here who is investing in that as part of our partnership with GM."

But what Farmer wonders about is what that experience would actually be like for passengers. With no driver, what are the expectations? What's the etiquette? And how would self-driving cars change Lyft's emphasis on community-building and the driver-rider relationship?

"If you get into a robot-driven car and there are other people there, its a little bit strange because you feel like one of you has to play host," Farmer said. "I think thats a different experience than getting into your own ride by yourself where you can just zone out. So Im very interested in what thatll do to the community aspect of sharing a ride."

Farmer doesn't work on Lyft's autonomous team  he's involved in building Lyft Line  but he said he thinks autonomous cars are just a piece of what Lyft will be in the future.

Uber Car

One of the big questions surrounding ride-hailing companies building self-driving cars is what it would mean for drivers' jobs.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick recently said that the company's self-driving cars  which will soon hit the roads in Pittsburgh  will create more jobs, not eliminate them. Kalanick argues that some Uber cars will still require a human at the wheel for tricky geographical situations.

This is a sentiment Lyft echoes, but for a slightly different reason.

"Theres never going to be a situation where there wont be drivers, I think," Farmer said. "I defer to the future and what that will turn out to be, but drivers are a really big part of our experience and its something that we want to focus on as well. For now, we are very excited to have drivers and passengers interacting together."

Story continues

NOW WATCH: The world's first self-driving taxis are now available in Singapore





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New Delhi: Saving significant fuel costs and time, Air India will soon start flying over the Pacific Ocean region for its lucrative direct services to San Francisco from New Delhi with aviation regulator DGCA approving the new route.

The regulatory nod comes as a boost for the national carrier, which would be doubling the frequency of its Delhi-San Francisco direct flights to six per week from November.

Air India would also be the first Indian carrier to operate on the Pacific region route where weather conditions and speed of winds would help the airline in reducing fuel burn and the overall journey time.

Officials said the route would be a "win-win situation" for the carrier as well as passengers as it would save crores of rupees worth of fuel costs and also reduce the flying time by up to three hours.

Approving the request from Air India for services through the new route, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a detailed operational circular.

Some years ago, Jet Airways used to have Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco connection service which was stopped.

A senior DGCA official said using the new route would help in saving a lot of fuel as well as time.

In the new route, Air India would fly eastwards to reach San Francisco by crossing the vast Pacific Ocean.

Even though the route would be almost 1,400 km more compared to the current trajectory where the flight flies over the Atlantic, there would be significant saving on fuel and journey time due to powerful tailwinds.

"The Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, used on the Delhi-San Francisco route by Air India will get only strong tailwinds on its eastward journey and cut flying time by up to three hours," a senior pilot said.

According to the pilot, the plane, on an average, burns 9,600 litres fuel for each hour of flying.

"Reducing the flying time to SFO from an hour in summer to three hours in winter (due to high tailwinds then) will mean huge fuel saving. So it will be a win-win for fliers and the airline as passengers will reach San Francisco faster while the airline will burn less fuel," he said.

Explaining how the aircraft would fly faster, the pilot said earth rotates from west to east and winds also flow in that direction.

So, flying west means facing strong headwinds (that decreases an aircraft's actual ground speed and more fuel is spent), while flying east means getting strong tailwinds which raises the speed and lessens fuel consumption, he added.

"While taking the western route to San Francisco, we usually face headwinds of 24 kmph. If our aircraft is doing 800 kmph, its actual ground speed is 776 kmph. Taking the (eastern) Pacific route to San Francisco will mean getting tailwinds of 138 kmph which will make the aircraft have an actual ground speed of 938 kmph," the pilot said.

In summer, flying time to SFO over Pacific will be 16 hours  an hour less than the Atlantic route. And in winter, the difference will be as high as up to three hours between the two routes, said the official.

DGCA's latest operational circular, issued this month, would be for operations in the North Pacific area where there are fixed tracks NOPAC (North Pacific) and flexible tracking PACOTS (Pacific Organised Track System) along with UPR (User Preferred Routes) in defined areas.

"North Pacific region has airspace managed by Canada, Japan, Russia and the United States. The Pacific region is also characterised by vast oceanic areas with sparse land areas and consequently few enroute alternate aerodromes for flight planned across this," it said.

Among others, DGCA said all Pacific operations training courses should get approved by its FSD, DGCA before use as well as prior to the syllabus getting incorporated in the Operators Manual.

Besides, recurrent training would be required annually.
Mark Cuban

On Friday night, Colin Kaepernick sat in protest during the national anthem prior to the San Francisco 49ers' preseason game, saying he is "not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color."

The move caused a firestorm from those who rebuked the move of protesting the very thing that gives him the rights to protest and from those who praised him for using his platform as a star athlete to become a social activist.

One of those who defended Kaepernick was Mark Cuban, who took to Twitter to offer a levelheaded perspective. Cuban noted that he may disagree with Kaepernick's message but praised him for showing that protest can be both peaceful and effective.

1)He didnt:throw a bomb,fire a shot,start a riot,throw a punch,shut a business, yell at someone, troll anyone. He just sat there quietly.  Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 28, 2016

2) I may not understand his perspective or agree with him.But colin kaepernick taught us we can still disagree in this country, peacefully  Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 28, 2016

3) and I know I'll get shit for anything that remotely suggests support of colin kaepernick, which makes my point even more.  Mark Cuban (@mcuban) August 28, 2016

Cuban is right. It is incredible to think that one person can cause so much discussion by doing nothing but sitting down. There are certainly many worse and possibly less effective ways Kaepernick could have chosen to deliver his message.

Cuban later added one more comment as a reply to somebody else. That person's tweet has since been deleted, so it is not clear what Cuban was replying to, but his tweet expressed how he would raise his kids to act both during the national anthem and in general.

Story continues

"I'll teach my kids to stand, with their hand on their heart, love this country and consider the opinion of every one in it," Cuban wrote.

If you click on the photo in this tweet from Jennifer Lee Chan, you can see Kaepernick sitting next to the Gatorade coolers during the national anthem.

Colin Kaepernick did not stand during the National Anthem - my picture provides proof. https://t.co/NZ2OIceBxA  Jennifer Lee Chan (@jenniferleechan) August 27, 2016

NOW WATCH: The NFL says theyll return $727,000 they received from the government to honor the military at games





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BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday urged people of Turkish origin living in Germany to take part in German society and not to bring conflicts taking place back in Turkey to Germany. Relations between Berlin and Ankara, a key partner for the European Union in stemming the flow of migrants to Europe, are already tense after Germany's parliament branded the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide and a leaked government report alleged Turkey was a hub for Islamist groups. Germany is home to about 3 million people of Turkish origin. "I keep saying that I'm their chancellor too and I think it's important to profess that and it's good if that is reciprocated by commitment to our country and not by bringing conflicts from Turkey to Germany," Merkel said in an interview with public broadcaster ARD. Since a failed military coup in Turkey on July 15, tensions have mounted in Germany's Turkish community between supporters of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and those of a U.S.-based cleric that he blames for the coup. Erdogan backers have demonstrated in several German cities since the thwarted coup, shops have been boycotted by rival sides and hate mail has been sent to anti-Erdogan politicians. Merkel drew criticism for an interview published in Passauer Neue Presse newspaper on Tuesday, in which she said: "We expect those with a Turkish background who have lived in Germany for a long time to develop a high degree of loyalty to our country." Some politicians said it was unnecessarily divisive at a time of tense relations between Germany and Turkey. Asked in the ARD interview about the loyalty comment, Merkel said her main aim was not to allow conflicts in Turkey to play out in Germany. "But rather, those who have been living here for years and perhaps also have German citizenship, take part in the development of our country and if they want to they are very welcome to do so," she said, adding that she could not force them to do so however. (Reporting by Michelle Martin and Joseph Nasr; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Adrian Croft)
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said in an interview on Saturday that Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives had "underestimated" the challenge of integrating a record migrant influx. Gabriel is also leader of the Social Democrats (SPD) - the junior coalition partner in Merkel's government - and his comments to broadcaster ZDF come as campaigning gets under way for a federal election next year. More than a million migrants flocked to Germany from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere last year. Concerns about how to integrate them all into German society and the labour market are now rife and support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) has grown. "I, we always said that it's inconceivable for Germany to take in a million people every year," Gabriel said in extracts of an interview released on Saturday. The IAB German labour office research institute says around 16,000 are still arriving each month, compared with more than 200,000 in November. Gabriel also criticised Merkel's catchphrase "Wir schaffen das", meaning "We can do this", which she adopted during the migrant crisis last summer and has repeatedly used since. Merkel used the phrase at a news conference she held in late July after a spate of attacks on civilians in Germany, including two claimed by Islamic State, that have put her open-door migrant policy in the spotlight. Her popularity has slipped since those attacks. Gabriel said repeating that phrase was not enough and the conservatives needed to create the conditions for Germany to be able to cope, adding that the conservatives had always blocked opportunities to do that. (Reporting by Michelle Martin, editing by Larry King)
By Abhishek Takle SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A weekend that began at the top of the timesheets for Max Verstappen ended with the Dutchman out of the points and in a war of words with Ferrari rivals after a nightmare Belgian Formula One Grand Prix. The 18-year-old began Sunday's race alongside pole-sitter Nico Rosberg in the first front-row start of his fledgling career. But any hopes he had of converting his qualifying display into a strong showing in front of legions of his orange-clad supporters, in a race that is the closest he has to a home event, quickly vanished. Verstappen was leapfrogged by Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel off the line but attempted to make the places up on a tight first corner only for the three cars to collide. "I think it was a very bold move trying to recover those two places in one corner diving down the inside," said German Vettel who was on the outside and collided with Raikkonen before the Finn and Verstappen's Red Bull made contact. All three were forced to pit with damage to their cars, Raikkonen nearly losing a lap as mechanics rushed to extinguish flames emerging from beneath his Ferrari. Raikkonen and Verstappen clashed twice more later in the race, including another collision, and the Finn was more upset about the Red Bull driver changing direction at high-speed as he chased him down the flat-out Kemmel straight. "If I would not have braked we would have had a massive accident," said Raikkonen who criticised Verstappen over the radio during the race. "I'm sure it will happen sooner or later if this doesn't change." Verstappen has impressed with his racecraft and overtaking skills but his driving has at times been called a bit too aggressive, especially in last month's Hungarian Grand Prix where he also clashed with Raikkonen. The son of former racer Jos, though, said his racecraft had been fair. "I'm just defending my position and if somebody doesn't like it, it's his own problem," added Verstappen who was fastest on the opening day of practice. (Editing by Tony Jimenez)
When you get the world's biggest pop stars together in the same room, egos are bound to mix in unexpected ways. Broadcasting that live, a la the VMAs? You're just asking for fireworks.

As you prepare for what will undoubtedly be another eye-popping MTV Video Music Awards, look back at the 15 craziest, oh-no-they-didn't moments in the award show's history. Kanye West may not steal Taylor Swift's thunder again this year, and Madonna (probably) won't kiss anyone, but we can only hope for unscripted moments as juicy as these.

Miley Twerks All Over Robin Thicke (2013)

At the 2013 VMAs, Miley Cyrus unpacked her comeback hit "We Can't Stop" from her oversized teddy-bear backpack and was then joined by Song of the Summer auteur Robin Thicke. That's when things got a little R-rated: as Thicke delivered "Blurred Lines" in a Beetlejuice get-up, Cyrus strode over to him, shook her foam finger, and shook a little bit more when she bent over at one point. Harmless pop fun, or unseemly sexuality? Lines were indeed blurred at last year's VMAs.

Kanye West Bumrushes Taylor Swift (2009)

The 2009 VMAs show was full of stand-out performances by P!nk, Lady Gaga and Janet Jackson, but the thing that people most about that year's show is Kanye West, who burst onstage during Taylor Swift's acceptance speech for Best Female Video to proclaim that the trophy should have gone to Beyonce's "Single Ladies," which he deemed "one of the best videos of all time." The moment made international headlines and inspired an "I'ma let you finish" Internet meme that lives on to this day. Later in the show, Beyonce, who won Video of the Year, invited Taylor back onstage to finish her speech.

Madonna Makes Out With Britney (2003)

Poor Christina Aguilera. Everyone seems to forget she was even on stage during Madonna's infamous makeout session with her and Britney Spears during the trio's performance of "Hollywood" at the 2003 VMAs. The MTV cameras cut away to Justin Timberlake's reaction right after Madge locked lips with his ex during the set, completely missing Xtina's equally eye-raising smooch. But one kiss was all it took for Madonna to make front-page news, reminding us why she's the queen of outre VMAs moments.

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Bass Guitar Attacks Nirvana's Krist Novoselic (1992)

The first four minutes of Nirvana's 1992 VMA performance of "Lithium" were fairly standard, but then all hell broke loose. Krist Novoselic throws his bass in the air and appears to catch it, but instead it just lands right on his head. He struggles for a second, then staggers off stage -- with what we can assume was a gnarly near-concussion -- right before Dave Grohl takes the mic and gives Axl Rose an awkward shout-out. Ah, the '90s -- how we miss you.

Lady Gaga Meats the VMAs (2010)

Lady Gaga has always been a fashion provocateur, but the Meat Dress, worn at the 2010 VMAs, has morphed into her most iconic look to date. Accepting the award for Video of the Year for "Bad Romance," Gaga strutted onstage with a dress, boots, hat and purse composed of raw meat. The outfit was enshrined in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame one year later.

Fiona Apple Declares 'This World Is Bullshit' (1997)

While accepting a Moonman for her breakout video "Criminal" in 1997, Fiona Apple shrugged off the normal thank-you's, name-checked Maya Angelou and proclaimed, "This world is bullshit, and you shouldn't model your life about what you think that we think is cool, and what we're wearing and what we're saying and everything. Go with yourself." Seventeen years later, Apple is still a righteously original artist -- as if she would become anything else after that speech.

Lil Mama Crashes 'Empire State of Mind' (2009)

Lil Mama might have created "Lip Gloss," but she did not create "Empire State of Mind" -- that hit single belongs to Jay Z and Alicia Keys. Still, when Jay and Keys brought their collaboration to the 2009 VMA's, Lil Mama decided to bum-rush the performance, triumphantly posing with the duo as the song concluded, for seemingly no reason.

Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Smooch (1994)

About a minute into the clip, you can see Lisa Marie Presley squirm and clutch her stomach -- probably because she knew what was coming. Even at the time, the on-stage kiss between the King of Pop and his then-bride seemed more like a dare than a real-life romance.

Diana Ross Feels Up Lil' Kim (1999)

Lil Kim's outrageous boob-baring outfit was already a hot topic by the time she joined Mary J. Blige on-stage to introduce Diana Ross. But when the Supreme lady gave Lil' Kim a lil' jiggle on the podium, the moment became the stuff of VMA legend.

Beyonce Reveals Her Baby Bump (2011)

Beyonce didn't utter a single word about her pregnancy during the show, but by the time the actual awards show began, Jay-Z and Bey's baby was already the story of the night. She all but confirmed the rumors later in the evening, holding her stomach and beaming as she performed her love song "Love On Top." In a nod to her fresh pregnancy news, she declared, "I want you to feel the love growing inside of me."

Britney Falls Flat During "Gimme More' (2007)

2007 was not a good year for Britney Spears, and the VMA performance of "Gimme More" is the tragic proof. After wowing the VMA stage with show-stopping appearances in 1999, 2000 and 2001, an un-toned and noticeably unprepared Brit awkwardly stumbles through the song, looking more like a zombie than the princess of pop. Diddy and 50 Cent have unreadable reactions, but we're pretty sure Rihanna is straight-up laughing at 3:10 into the clip.

Courtney Love Crashes Madonna's Interview (1995)

Madonna is clearly not amused when Courtney Love interrupts her MTV interview, commenting "Courtney Love is in dire need of attention right now." But can you blame Madge for being annoyed? Love is a mess, carrying on with inside comments about A&R guys and rolling around on the ground -- all on live TV. The whole thing is an amusing trainwreck from which you can't avert your eyes.

Rupal Battles Milton Berle (1993)

Most memorable VMAs moments come during performances or acceptance speeches, but drag diva RuPaul and comedian Milton Berle's take the cake for having the most awkward award presentation in the show's history. Onstage to present that year's Viewer's Choice Award, Ru decides to ignore the pair's pre-scripted banter and begins hitting an unprepared Berle below the belt for no apparent reason. "You used to wear dresses, and now you wear diapers," says Ru during the intro's most cringe-worthy moment. Not amused by the queen's ad libs, Berle threatens to "check his brains" so the two can start even. The shade of it all.

Michael Jackson Accepts a Fake Award (2002)

During the 2002 VMA's, Michael Jackson was honored for the occasion, which lined up with his 44th birthday. But the King of Pop thought he was accepting an Artist of the Millennium trophy, an accolade that Britney Spears used during her introduction. Jackson launched into a heartfelt thank-you speech for the imaginary award, which eventually garnered a positive reaction from the crowd and was spoofed by Jack Black during the 2003 VMA's.

Tim Commerford Rages Against The Scaffolding (2000)

Kanye West wasn't the first musician to bumrush the VMA stage. At the 2000 event, Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford was so distressed that his band lost the Best Rock Video award, he climbed on top of the scaffolding just behind the podium and began taunting Limp Bizkit during Fred Durst's acceptance speech. Commerford did not "stage dive," as Durst suggested, but both he and his bodyguard were removed from the stage and arrested after the incident. It's widely believed that Commerford's attention-seeking antic was one of the final straws that led to RATM's breakup later that year.
The tale as old as time is getting a buff and shine. In new images posted to his Facebook page, Beauty and the Beast co-producer Jack Morrissey has revealed some early images from the live-action update to Disneys cartoon classic.

While we didnt get a glimpse of Emma Watson as Belle or Dan Stevens in Beast mode, the new images, which include concept art, B-roll footage, and a screen grab from the upcoming 25th anniversary home release of the 1991 animated feature, reveal our first look at several key characters and show how closely the production is hewing to its source material.

Related: Beauty and the Beast teaser gives glimpse of Emma Watsons Belle

Theres the Be Our Guest-crooning candelabra Lumiere and his clock-faced BFF Cogsworth.



Heres a fine piece of concept art of Ewan McGregor as Lumiere and Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, writes Morrissey. These designs are close but may not be final.

Above: These two, just standing there staring Morrissey says in his caption (Photo: Jack Morrissey/Disney/Facebook); below: Cogsworth and Lumiere in the 1991 original (Photo: Disney)

Next up comes a still from the Gaston song featuring Luke Evans as muscle-bound antagonist Gaston and Josh Gad as his blundering sidekick LeFou.

Above: I use antlers in all of my dec-o-rating writes Morrissey, quoting a lyric from Gaston song (Photo: Jack Morrissey/Disney/Facebook); below: LeFou and Gaston in the 1991 original (Photo: Disney)

The last image from Morrissey is a behind-the-scenes screen capture of Dan Stevens as the Beasts less hirsute alter ego, the Prince, taken at Britains Shepperton Studios.



This is a frame from the Sneak Peek at Bills live-action Beauty and the Beast on the upcoming DVD/Blu-ray/Digital release, notes Morrissey (Photo: Jack Morrissey/Disney/Facebook); below: the Prince in the 1991 original (Photo: Disney)

The live-action Beauty and the Beast, coming March 17, 2017, is directed by Bill Condon and also stars Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Kevin Kline, Audra McDonald, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

The 25th anniversary Blu-ray/DVD arrives in stores on Sept. 20.
Precisely 1000 hamlets in drought-prone Vidarbha and Marathwada regions of Maharashtra, reeling under abject poverty, can now hope to see an upturn in fortunes. On Thursday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a unique scheme to pull them out of their misery. And he has roped in top corporate honchos  the likes of Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra, Arundhati Bhattacharya, etc.  and an iconic celebrity like Amitabh Bachchan to partake in the scheme.

The idea is to align Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of big companies with the governments objectives of uplifting rural hinterlands. In Fadnavis words: Companies in India run rural development projects as part of their corporate social responsibility work, but Maharashtra has become the first state to institutionalise a formal working arrangement between the corporates and the government.

Under the scheme, India Inc. would contribute 50 percent of the required funds and also lend its expertise to bring about development in half of the chosen hamlets. The remaining 50 percent will be taken up by the government based on human development index. Some of the broader objectives of the project are poverty alleviation, better agricultural practices, water conservation, telecom connectivity, quality healthcare and education.

So far, government efforts to reach out to penury-stricken villages have mostly fallen flat on account of corruption, lackadaisical attitude of grassroots-level officials and lack of actionable roadmaps. It has also put a huge burden on the public exchequer. This project  the first of its kind in the country  by bringing in corporate money and efforts, plans to address the shortcomings of previous schemes. Solutions will be devised keeping in mind each villages unique problems. There would be no one-size-fits-all philosophy, explained the CM.

To that end, around 50 business leaders met the CM at Mantralaya  the governments administrative headquarters  to strategize. A governing body is to be formed soon, helmed by Fadnavis himself. Work on at least 100 hamlets is slated to begin from Gandhi Jayanti on 2nd October. At least 25 percent of those chosen will be tribal hamlets.

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The Aditya Birla group has already pledged to adopt 300 villages and Anil Ambani group has promised to provide telecom services for villages. Actor Amitabh Bachchan  poster boy for many other social transformation schemes  has agreed to lend his baritone voice and familiar face to boosting awareness about this mission.

Experts in rural transformation projects are a part of the flagship scheme too. They include Popatrao Pawar (an acclaimed former sarpanch who transformed his village Hiwre-Bajar in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra into a model of rural development) and the Bang brothers  Dr Anand Bang and Dr Abhay Bang  part of the Gadchiroli-based Society for Education, Action, and Research in Community Health project, also known as SEARCH.

Villages in Maharashtra, one of Indias largest states, have been in news for all the wrong reasons mostly  poverty, crop failure and farmers suicides. They are a far cry from the sprawling cities full of amenities. Little has been done for them, especially the far-flung ones. Add to that two consecutive droughts, and their plight is nothing short of hopeless. Burdened with mounting debts, farmers have been driven to suicides.

By coming up with a public-private partnership, the CM has set the ball rolling in the right direction. If this experiment succeeds, it will set a precedent for the rest of the country to follow. Jalayukta Shivar, another flagship scheme of the BJP government meant to combat drought in Maharashtra, had also received support from the corporate sector earlier.
By Tife Owolabi YENAGOA, Nigeria (Reuters) - Nigeria's military said on Saturday it had launched a new offensive against militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta, killing five and arresting 23. Armed groups have claimed responsibility for a series of attacks on oil and gas pipelines in the southern region, reducing the country's oil output by 700,000 barrels day. A special forces battalion moved against militant camps on Friday in an operation "aimed at getting rid of all forms of criminal activities", army spokesman Sani Usman said in a statement. "In the course of the operation, five militants that attacked the troops were killed in action, while numerous others were injured and 23 suspects were arrested." There was no immediate reaction from militant groups, which operate from hard-to-access creeks in the swampland. The groups say they want a greater share of Nigeria's oil wealth to go to the impoverished region. Crude sales account for about 70 percent of Nigeria's government revenue and most of the oil comes from the Delta. A similar military campaign in May drew sharp criticism from rights groups and residents who said soldiers had laid siege to villages, arrested civilians and raped women in an bid to force them hand over militants. The army denies this. The government has been trying to broker a ceasefire but the militant scene is divided into small groups whose fighters, drawn from unemployed youths, are difficult to control even for their leaders. On Thursday, Oil Minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu met traditional leaders from the Delta to ask them to mediate in talks with militants but they said they wanted the army first to release prisoners taken during a previous sweep, an official has told Reuters. The army in May arrested a group of school teenagers who community leaders say are not linked to militants. A group calling itself Niger Delta Avengers, which has claimed several major attacks, said in a statement on Sunday they had agreed to a ceasefire to start a dialogue. Officials have refused to confirm this. (Additional reporting by Felix Onuah, Camillus Eboh and Ulf Laessing; Editing by Andrew Roche)
Abuja (AFP) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari said Sunday that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau is "wounded", in his first comments on military claims that the jihadi leader was injured in an attack.

Nigeria's armed forces said on Tuesday that Shekau had been wounded in an air strike on Boko Haram's forest stronghold, but released no further statement or evidence confirming his condition.

"We learnt that in an air strike by the Nigeria Air Force he was wounded," Buhari said in a statement from Nairobi, where he is attending a development conference.

"Indeed their top hierarchy and lower cadre have a problem," Buhari said. "They are not holding any territory and they have split to small groups attacking soft targets."

Buhari said that Shekau had been "edged out" of the group, adding credence to claims that Islamic State (IS)-appointed Abu Musab al-Barnawi was now in charge of the insurgency.

Signs of a power struggle in the top echelons of the jihadi group appeared earlier this month when Shekau released a video denying he had been ousted.

Barnawi is believed to be the 22-year-old son of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf and was announced as the group's leader in August by IS.

Buhari made his remarks from Nairobi this weekend where he is attending the Tokyo International Conference on African Development, a summit designed to boost ties between Africa and Japan.

The president also said he "is prepared to talk to bona fide leaders of Boko Haram" to negotiate the release of 218 Chibok girls captured by the militants in 2014.

Boko Haram has ravaged northeast Nigeria in its quest to create a fundamentalist Islamic state, killing over 20,000 people and displacing 2.6 million from their homes.

Turning to another major security concern in Nigeria, Buhari threatened militants sabotaging oil infrastructure in the southern swamplands of the Niger delta.

"We will deal with them as we dealt with Boko Haram if they refuse to talk to us," Buhari said.

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The country's petroleum minister has said that as a result of the ongoing attacks Nigeria's oil output has dropped 23 per cent from last year to 1.5 million barrels per day, according to Bloomberg News.

Groups including the Niger Delta Avengers are demanding a greater share of oil revenues, political autonomy, and infrastructure development in the southern riverlands where despite massive oil wealth people still struggle to access basic health care and education.

Buhari said his government was in talks with the some of the militants but said there was no "ceasefire", despite an announcement by the Avengers last week.
By Simon Cambers NEW YORK (Reuters) - For most women at the U.S. Open, overcoming Serena Williams is the biggest challenge. But for Garbine Muguruza, coping with the unique demands of New York City outstrips any worries over the 22-times grand slam champion. The Spaniard beat Williams to win the French Open for her first grand slam title this season and could take over the world number one spot from the American this fortnight. The 22-year-old Muguruza, born in Venezuela, raised in Spain and now a resident of Geneva, is a fan of the country life and knows New York presents a very real challenge. I feel this tournament is the most tricky tournament because there is obviously a lot of things, Muguruza told reporters at Flushing Meadows. There is always traffic. There is always noise, people. I don't know. Everything takes a lot of energy. For whatever reason, it is more complicated, just because it's more a big city, huge city, huge everything. I'm not that city girl. Muguruza has never gone beyond the second round in three visits to New York but as a grand slam champion, she knows she has the ability to go far. Reaching the final could see her overtake Williams but Muguruza said the prospect of becoming number one did not add pressure. For sure it will be an incredible achievement, she said. I don't even know what I have to do, I'm not really thinking about that. I'm just thinking what I have to do to winning my rounds and my matches and hopefully get to the last match and win it. But I think it will be incredible. Muguruza, who plays Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens in the first round of the year's last grand slam starting on Monday, said the buzz about the top ranking has picked up as Williams' hold on the number one spot has weakened. I feel the discussion is much louder because there is more movement (in the rankings)," the Spaniard said. There are a couple of players that can reach number one. So that creates a little bit of juicy comments. I feel it a little bit, but I guess it's normal. Muguruza experienced a quick let-down when she lost in the second round at Wimbledon after her Paris triumph but said she has been working hard on all areas of her game. I think I'm playing well, she said. I think I'm improving a lot of my fitness, getting stronger, getting more experience." (Reporting by Simon Cambers; Editing by Larry Fine)
obama sad frown

The Obama administration has touted its negotiations to remove chemical weapons from Syria as a major diplomatic achievement.

But a new report from the UN Security Council found that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against civilians in violation of the deal the Obama administration brokered with the help of Russia in 2013.

The report confirmed two instances of chlorine-gas attacks carried out by the Assad regime  one in 2014 and one in 2015.

"The Assad regime has learned over the past five years that the Obama administration will do absolutely nothing to protect Syrian civilians from mass homicide," Fred Hof, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and a former special adviser for transition in Syria under then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, told Business Insider via email.

"That it should return to the use of weaponized chemicals is not at all surprising."

And the Obama administration was likely aware that Assad's forces were using chemical weapons before the UN report came out.

"This is not a surprise to the administration," Robert Ford, a senior fellow with the Middle East Institute and US ambassador to Syria between 2010 and 2014, told Business Insider. "We have been getting reports about this chlorine gas for more than a year. Some Syrian doctors testified [to Congress] last year.  So they've known for a long time. Now with the UN report, they're more on the hook."

An Obama administration official acknowledged that the US government had suspected the Assad regime was using chlorine gas.

The UN report "back[s] up what we have repeatedly said: time and again the Syrian regime has used industrial chlorine as a weapon against its own people in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118," the official said in a statement to Business Insider.

While the UN resolution on Syria's chemical weapons didn't stipulate that the regime had to get rid of chlorine as a chemical substance, it did prohibit the government from using it as a weapon.

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Assad's blatant disregard for the deal doesn't look good for the US, considering that the deal was supposed to be President Barack Obama's defense against critics who blasted him for backing down on his "red line" in Syria.

Syria chemical weapons

Obama infamously stated in 2012 that his red line with the Assad regime would be the use of chemical weapons. The following year, Assad's forces killed nearly 1,500 people in a chemical-weapons attack.

But the US didn't strike. It instead used the chemical weapons deal as a sort of substitute for military action.

Jeffrey Goldberg, who interviewed Obama about his foreign policy for The Atlantic earlier this year, wrote that after the deal was made, Secretary of State John Kerry had "no patience for those who argue, as he himself once did, that Obama should have bombed Assad-regime sites" to protect American credibility on the red line.

And Obama himself said that he was "very proud" of the deal.

"The perception was that my credibility was at stake, that America's credibility was at stake," Obama told The Atlantic. "And so for me to press the pause button at that moment, I knew, would cost me politically. And the fact that I was able to pull back from the immediate pressures and think through in my own mind what was in America's interest, not only with respect to Syria but also with respect to our democracy, was as tough a decision as I've made  and I believe ultimately it was the right decision to make."

Now it's evident that Assad hasn't held up his end of the bargain.

"Assad and his allies  Russia and Iran  hold this administration in absolute contempt," Hof said. "Assad rubs the 'red line' in the president's face by returning to chemical warfare; [Russian President Vladimir] Putin authorizes Russian aircraft to strike US-equipped, anti-ISIS Syrian rebel units; and [Iranian Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei turns loose armed Revolutionary Guard speedboats to harass American naval assets in the Strait of Hormuz."

Hof concluded: "They all sense weakness and they all act accordingly."

Assad's flouting of the UN resolution puts Obama in a tough spot, Ford said.

"In any case, it seems that what the Obama administration highlighted as its biggest achievement on Syria ... is much less than the administration itself touted. The administration is now left with a response that 'at least the Syrian government is not using sarin,'" he said, referring to one of the most toxic chemical-warfare agents in the world.

Syria chlorine gas

Still, it's perhaps too soon to tell how this will affect Obama's legacy.

"It's too early to judge because there are a lot of events moving on the ground in Syria," Ford said. "I don't rule out the possibility that in the end, Russia, Iran, and Turkey are going to agree on the elements of the ceasefire."

For its part, the White House issued a statement condemning Assad's use of chemical weapons.

"It is now impossible to deny that the Syrian regime has repeatedly used industrial chlorine as a weapon against its own people in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118," Ned Price, spokesman for the National Security Council, said in the statement.

"We condemn in the strongest possible terms the Assad regime's use of chlorine against its own people."

The US will seek to enforce accountability for the chemical weapons attack at a UN Security Council meeting next week, the Obama administration official said.

The UN report underscores "the importance of the effort this administration led to ensure that Syria also joined the Chemical Weapons Convention so we can hold them to account," the official said. "That is exactly what we will be pursuing at next week's UN Security Council meeting."

It's so far unclear what the international community can do to enforce the UN resolution.

"The US and Europe already have so many sanctions on Syria," Ford said. "All of them predate the uprising.  So Im not sure there are many additional sanctions."

Assad allies that are parties to the UN Chemical Weapons Convention, like Russia, might be able to inflict some sanctions, but it's perhaps unlikely that they will.

"It's a little hard for me to imagine," Ford said. "As a theoretical possibility, it's out there."

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PARIS (Reuters) - Olympic champion Ruth Jebet smashed the world record for the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase by more than six seconds at the Paris Diamond League meeting on Saturday. The 19-year-old, who was born in Kenya and runs for Bahrain, clocked eight minutes 52.78 seconds, more than nine seconds ahead of Olympic silver medallist Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi of Kenya who finished second. The previous record of 8:58.81 was set by Russian Gulnara Galkina at the Beijing Olympics eight years ago. Jebet narrowly missed out on the world record when she won Bahrain's first-ever Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro this month. It was clear that the world record was in danger after Jebet completed the first kilometre in 2:56.36. She went through the second kilometre in 5:54.16 compared to Galkina's split time of 6:01.20 in her record-breaking run in Beijing. I tried many times to beat the world record and today we decided to push each other to go for a good time," said Jebet. I was not expecting such a big difference with the record. I think I finished my season today. (Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by Tony Jimenez)
Puducherry: Opposition AIADMK on Sunday demanded that Chief Minister V Narayanasamy bring in a resolution in the ongoing budget session to condemn Karnataka's 'negative stand' in releasing Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, as it would affect ryots in Karaikal, who are dependent on it.

AIADMK legislature wing leader A Anbalagan told reporters that Karnataka's stand was letting down farmers in Tamil Nadu. Consequently farmers in Karaikal area in Puducherry region in the delta zone at the tail end of the Cauvery basin would also

face severe hardship for want of water from Karnataka.

He urged the Chief Minister to act fast and protect farmers of Karaikal by procuring water. He said the government should also move the Supreme Court along the lines of the stand taken by Tamil Nadu and ensure that Puducherry's share in the Cauvery water as mandated by Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal is made available.

Karaikal is entitled to 7 tmc feet of water as per the verdict of the tribunal.

Anbalagan said the CM should ensure that the current Assembly session adopt the resolution to condemn Karnataka`s negative stand and ensure water availability to Karaikal.

The budget being presented by the Chief Minister on Monday should also highlight steps to disburse retirement benefits to workers and staff of government owned AFT mills, who had taken voluntary retirement, but were now living in penury, he said.

Anbalagan criticised government's 'silence' on availability of seats to students who had cleared NEET for admission to private medical colleges.

There was no clear information on the number of candidates who had successfully cleared NEET and government should get clear information from CBSE which conducted the test, he said.
By Simon Cambers NEW YORK (Reuters) - Put the rubbish out, get the shopping done, win an Olympic gold medal. That was the to-do list of Monica Puig, the 22-year-old whose victory in the womens singles in Rio earlier this month made her the first ever Puerto Rican to win Olympic gold. It was an unlikely but fully-deserved win for the world number 34, catapulting her to hero status and making her a role model for young people in the island Commonwealth that is enduring tough economic times. Now Puig wants to capitalize on her victory, both on and off the court. I know that theres no doubt in my mind that I can probably win a grand slam because the Olympics was one, she told Reuters at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, on the eve of the U.S. Open. It just doesnt have the title grand slam but the best players in the world were there, including Serena (Williams). I won the biggest thing on my to-do list and I just want to keep knocking off other ones, and that would be to win a grand slam. Confident but at-ease despite all the new-found attention, Puig is still coming to terms with her stunning victory in Rio. I dont think its really sunk in, she said. "Its a little bit difficult to process. I was by no means the favorite. It was such a surreal ride. In floods of tears during the medal ceremony, Puig and her gold medal have been virtually inseparable ever since. I remember waking up several times in the middle of the night and just looking at my night stand to actually see if my medal was there because I didnt believe it, she said. I wasnt able to sleep very much for three, four or five days. It was the most surreal feeling in the world to be an Olympic champion that morning. Along with congratulations from her fellow players, Puig has been subjected to abuse on social media, with many people expecting a let-down at the U.S. Open, where she faces Saisai Zheng of China in the first round. Unfortunately Im guilty of reading my Twitter and sometimes the comments under articles but you know what, a lot of that fuels my fire, she said. Puig, who was greeted by thousands of people when she landed in Puerto Rico after her victory, embraces being a role model. I see it as a responsibility, she said. I know what comes with that responsibility as far as conducting myself in the same way that I have, in a very respectful manner, always setting a good example, especially for the youth of Puerto Rico, which is very important. I gave me a lot of hope back to the people of Puerto Rico, which was really important for me because theyre going through such difficult times. The message is that nothing is ever impossible. People probably thought me winning a medal was impossible and I proved them wrong." Not surprisingly, Puig says she will have a special role in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. They have approached me to be flag-bearer, she said. Theyve already asked me about the possibility of doing it in 2020 and theres no way I could say no. (Editing by Andrew Both)
When last we tuned into ABCs Once Upon a Time, Mr. Hyde  through a deal with Rumplestiltskin  had laid claim to Storybrooke, so that those from the Land of Untold Stories could relocate to the Maine burg.

But what exactly is an Untold Story, other than one that didnt merit inclusion in the first volume of Henrys storybook?

ONCE UPON A TIME

PHOTOSFirst Look: Once Upon a Times Snow Is Haunted By a Past Evil

It is a story that has yet to play out, Once co-creator Eddy Kitsis told TVLine as part of our Fall Preview Q&A. Youre going to see that a lot of people went to the Land of Untold Stories because they wanted to literally push pause, like they were watching their own life on TiVo.

So whereas Season 1 explored what happened after the fairytales people know and love came to a close, This is a tweak on that idea, says co-creator Adam Horowitz. What happens to some of these stories if they dont quite finish the way we thought they did, and were suspended midstream? And what would make characters want to suspend their stories?

RELATEDOnce Upon a Time @ Comic-Con: Cast Talks Regina vs. Evil Queen, Emmas Potential Wedding Dress and More

For some, Kitsis says, the reasons include fear, not wanting to face something. Yet now that Hyde has deposited them in Storybrooke, that pause button is poised to come undone  whether they like it or not.

In the latter scenario, What youll be seeing is our characters wanting to help, says Kitsis. And we see Emma back in the position where shes a Savior trying to to help people find their happiness 

while she also processes the realization that there have been other Saviors, Agrabah street rat Aladdin included, before her.

RELATEDOnce Upon a Time: Princess Jasmine Cast With Galavant Star

All told, Kitsis promises a back-to-basics return to the Storybrooke-based tone of Season 1. Its really Emma and the Yellow Bug, riding around helping people, he previews, which is what we wanted to come back to this year.

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Once Upon a Time Season 6 premiers Sunday, Sept. 25 at 8/7, where it will lead into Season 2 of Secrets and Lies.

VIDEO: Once Upon a Time Cast on Season 6s Pure Evil Queen,

Charmings Big Surprise and Belles New Perspective

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One incredible viral review saved an elderly mans business and were not crying, you are

One incredible viral review saved an elderly mans business and were not crying, you are

Social media often gets a bad rep. But today we can all join together in celebrating the good that social media is able to accomplish once someone puts their mind to it. One hungover mans post has gone viral and helped kickstart a renaissance for a failing business. Is that not the perfect plot to a Hollywood indie darling?

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Colin Ross, 31, was walking around his hometown of Lethbridge, Canada in search of some greasy food to cure his hangover. He stumbled across a great looking place called Whitbies Fish & Chips. Once he was inside he noticed that it was basically empty and the man running it  69 year-old John McMillan couldnt even afford to pay himself at the end of the night. Basically, his business was not doing well.

Colin ordered a pretty solid meal and decided to do a little good.

He posted a review of the place and encouraged his Facebook followers to check out the restaurant and help John out.

Colins friends listened. The review went viral and suddenly Whitbies Fish & Chips was back in business. Now the lines are out the door!

Go get some Whitbies Fish & Chips, West #yql Outpouring of support for owner of struggling Lethbridge restaurant https://t.co/tH9hZIMvxC  Andy (@UncleRee1) August 25, 2016

See what a little good can do when you put your mind to it!

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John says that his business is booming thanks to that post and the demand is so high that people are waiting close to an hour for dinner.

I think its time to expand, John!

The post One incredible viral review saved an elderly mans business and were not crying, you are appeared first on HelloGiggles.
NEW YORK (AP) -- The Baltimore Orioles have signed right-hander Tommy Hunter, bringing him back for a sixth straight season.

The Orioles announced the move before Sunday's game against the New York Yankees. They also recalled righty Oliver Drake from Triple-A Norfolk and designated lefty T.J. McFarland and outfielder Julio Borbon for assignment.

Hunter was 2-2 with a 3.74 ERA in 21 games for Cleveland this season. He was in the minors rehabbing a recent back injury when the Indians cut him on Thursday.

The 30-year-old Hunter played for Baltimore from 2011-15, going 21-20 with a 4.22 ERA. He said he was thrilled to rejoin the Orioles, adding there were ''a lot of smiles, a lot of hugs'' when he walked into the clubhouse.

Manager Buck Showalter said Hunter brought a lot of experience, having spent so much time in the AL East.

''Felt fortunate to add him at this time of year,'' Showalter said.

Drake has pitched four games for Baltimore this year, giving up six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings.

McFarland was 2-2 with a 6.93 ERA in 16 games. Borbon went 4 for 13 in six games.
By Krista Iovino For Charlottes Book

Havent you heard about the newest face-sculpting carb? Earlier this year Olivia Munn lit up the Internet when she posted a close-up photo of her face on Instagrama face that, some suggest, looks more like Cherand pretty much gave us all hope that, in addition to exercise and topical astringent, eating a potato can save us all from knives and syringes. Some media gave in to her claim, others suggested Olivia was not being so truthful. Regardless, doesnt this make us all look a little foolish?

Related: The Case Against Botox Shaming

Heres the story: Munn credits her drastic change to weight loss (training for her upcoming role in X-men), a different approach to eyebrows, using Proactiv Pads (for which she is a spokesperson), and most importantly, Satsuma Imo Japanese sweet potatoes, which are high in hyaluronic acid, a natural compound known to plump skin. She says she eats them daily, which is why her face looks so different. Olivia, how many potatoes are we talking, here?

Im convinced that theres got to be natural, healthy ways to keep your skin from aging, explains Munn. I do lots of research. Well, at Charlottes Book, so do we. And so do most physicians, aestheticians, skincare lines, and pharmaceutical companies. There are literally billions of dollars spent on it each year. From independent billionairesfunding stem cell research to Allergans $9 Billion R&D budget, anti-aging is big business. Some pharmaceutical companies have even said spending on anti-aging research is as important as Alzheimers research. And yet, no word of this potato yet.

Related: How Simone Anderson Changed Her Life With Surgery

This is not to say that these potatoes dont have anti-aging benefits; they do. Satsuma Imo sweet potatoes are high in antioxidants and vitamin Athey trump the Idaho white with fewer carbs (24 grams vs. 37 grams) and calories (113 vs. 170). You can learn more about it in the video Munn references in her recent post: Connie Chung Yuzihara. And this isnt the first time shes given these spuds her respectshes been dishing about themfor at least a year, so there is some truth to her testimony. But even if someone ate 27 of these potatoes every day for 5 consecutive years, theres no chance it would result in facial reconstruction.

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Now, Charlottes Book is explicitly against shaming of any kindno Botox shaming, no plastic surgery shaming, and so on. But we are also huge proponents of transparency within the industry and realistic expectation management. So when a respected public figure claims she achieved complete facial metamorphosis by way of eating a purple Japanese potatono matter how much exercise and good brow maintenance contributedwe have to speak up.

It wasnt too long ago when we were defending Renee Zellweger for having to refute her plastic surgery allegations. Like most celebs, she didnt completely fess up. I was depleted and made bad choices about how to conceal the exhaustion, she said. And we took her side. Why? Because frankly, she shouldnt have to explain herself if she doesnt want to, and neither should Olivia. Stay quiet if you very well choose, but to give the public false hope in a potato is just absurd.

Still, we dont blame Olivia. We live in a society that honors total beauty and yet condemns those who try to achieve it. Sure, its a tough pill to swallow when a public figure makes a big, in-your-face adjustment and claims it was there all along (stop insulting my intelligence, Khloe!). But how can we blame her when the public is easier on people who lie about not getting plastic surgery than those who admit to having the work done? The stigma associated with having work done compels people to lie about it: its better to be a little dishonest than to be a vain, egotistical, shallow, self-absorbed, superficial narcissist who wasnt born ageless and perfect. Therefore, many celebs will stop at nothing to ensure their reputations stay as flawless as their skin and not dare confess that a knife or syringe is responsible.

Related: Whats Wrong With Renee Zellweger Now?

But if its okay for us to paint our faces and nails, dye and extend our hair, spray our bodies darker, pad our bras, wear six-inch heels, and nearly suffocate ourselves with a pair of spanks, why isnt it okay to give our faces some surgical lifting or artificial enhancements? This makes no sense.

Olivia probably just wanted to turn back time and go on with her life, but because she was photographed looking a little like Cher she was hassled until she had no choice but to tell us to go eat a potato. Perhaps we got what we deserved. Why couldnt we have just appreciated that she underwent some pain to look better for herself, if not for us fans, and just accept her new look? I know its hard to domy heart was broken when Jennifer Greys nose job made her look nothing like Baby Housemanbut weve got to learn how to love, accept, and support each other no matter what.

So from now on, do what you want to look and feel your best, and let others do the same. Be proud. Be kind. Be honest. Now if youll excuse me, Im off to buy some purple potatoes just in case.
MARAWI (Philippines) (AFP) - Muslim extremists who support the Islamic State group staged a daring jailbreak in the southern Philippines, freeing 23 detainees in the latest in a series of mass escapes, officials said Sunday.

About 50 heavily armed members of the Maute group raided the local jail in the southern city of Marawi on Mindanao island on Saturday and freed eight comrades who were arrested barely a week ago, police said.

Fifteen other detainees, held for other serious offences, also escaped in the raid, said provincial jail warden Acmad Tabao.

Police earlier said that 28 inmates escaped but Tabao clarified the figure.

In a report Tabao said two women came to the prison gate, asking the guard to take delivery of some food for the detainees. When the guard opened the gate, hooded men forced their way into the compound.

They overwhelmed the guards, forcing them to their knees and taking two rifles before freeing the inmates.

The hooded men shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) before fleeing in a prison vehicle to a nearby lake. The Maute gang members then fled by boat while the other inmates scattered, Tabao said.

At the jail, two bullet holes and a shattered television set were the only evidence of the attack.

The eight Maute group members were arrested on August 22 after soldiers manning a checkpoint found improvised bombs and pistols in the van they were driving.

The Maute group is one of several Muslim gangs in Mindanao, the ancestral homeland of the Muslim minority in the largely Catholic Philippines.

The group has carried out kidnappings and bombings and is believed to have led an attack on an army outpost in the Mindanao town of Butig in February.

The fighting there lasted a week, leaving numerous fatalities and forcing thousands to flee their homes as helicopter gunships fought off the attackers.

During the Butig fighting the group's members were seen carrying black flags of the Islamic State group, and bandanas bearing the jihadists' insignia were found in their base, the military said.

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Authorities said they were investigating the jailbreak and the reason why security had not been increased after high-risk suspects were brought in.

It was the latest of several mass escapes from poorly secured Philippine jails, with the incidents often involving Muslim extremists.

In 2009 more than 100 armed men raided a jail in the strife-torn southern island of Basilan, freeing 31 prisoners including several Muslim guerrillas.

The southern Philippines has been plagued by Muslim separatist insurgencies for over four decades, with the conflict leaving more than 120,000 dead.

President Rodrigo Duterte is pursuing peace talks with the largest Muslim insurgent groups, the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which have ceasefires with the government.

Smaller bands like the Maute group and the Abu Sayyaf group are not covered by the ceasefires and are not part of the peace process.
London (AFP) - Two pilots were arrested in Scotland on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol as they prepared to fly a passenger plane to the United States, police said Sunday.

The two men were detained at Glasgow Airport on Saturday before they were due to fly to Newark in New Jersey.

Concerns were reportedly raised over the pair ahead of the 9:00am (0800 GMT) UA162 flight. The service, carrying 141 passengers, eventually flew with a new crew later Saturday.

"Two men aged 35 and 45 have been arrested and are presently detained in police custody in connection with alleged offences under the Railways and Transport Safety Act 2003, Section 93," a Police Scotland spokesman said.

The section relates to "carrying out pilot function or activity while exceeding the prescribed limit of alcohol."

A United Airlines spokesman said: "The two pilots have been removed from service and their flying duties.

"We are co-operating with the authorities and will conduct our own investigation as well. The safety of our customers and crew is our highest priority."

The men are expected to appear at Paisley Sheriff Court on the edge of Glasgow on Monday.

The arrests come after two Canadian pilots were charged with being drunk as they prepared to fly from Glasgow to Toronto last month.

Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, and Imran Zafar Syed, 37, were arrested on July 18 as they were due to pilot an Airbus A310 plane, which carries up to 250 passengers, for Canada's Air Transat.

Perreault, from Ontario, and Syed, from Toronto, are charged under laws covering alcohol and drug limits in aviation.

They also face charges of threatening or abusive behaviour.

They have been released from custody on bail last month.
Amatrice (Italy) (AFP) - Pope Francis said Sunday he wanted to visit the quake-hit villages of central Italy, as survivors and rescue workers dug in for the long haul with colder weather approaching.

Speaking to worshippers in St Peter's Square in Rome, Francis said he wanted to visit those hit by Wednesday's deadly earthquake which brought devastation to a string of mountain villages in a remote area straddling the Umbria, Marche and Lazio regions.

"As soon as possible, I hope to come and see you, to bring you the comfort of faith, the tenderness of a father and a brother," he said.

Nearly 300 people died in the quake and hundreds more were injured, and although rescue efforts were winding down, officials warned it was feasible there are still a dozen or so bodies under the rubble.

With hopes of finding anyone else still alive fading fast, rescue workers and survivors were turning their attention to the future as temperatures start to fall.

"We're getting ready for winter. Given what's happened in other quakes, we're going to spend winter here," said Emidio Chiappini from the devastated village of Sant'Angelo.

The government has pledged to support immediate reconstruction and Chiappini said he hoped authorities would send pre-fabricated housing to stave off the frost that will soon descend on the mountainous region.

The Italian government has freed up around 60 million euros ($67 million) in immediate aid, which will be bolstered by approximately 10 million euros in donations.

"Basically, we know we're going to be here for three or four months. That's not official, but we have got the equipment for that," said a volunteer for the civil protection agency who gave his name as Nicola.

The government is reportedly poised to name a special commissioner to oversee the huge reconstruction operation, which is being hampered by aftershocks, with two more, measuring 3.7 and 4.4, hitting the region on Sunday afternoon.

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Since the pre-dawn quake on Wednesday, residents' nerves have been rattled by more than 1,800 aftershocks.

- Workmanship under scrutiny -

With the immediate grief fading, the focus was switching to how such damage could have been wrought in an area so close (50 kilometres/32 miles) to L'Aquila, which was hit by a 2009 earthquake in which more than 300 people perished.

Back then, the civil protection agency had to care for some 65,000 people. Nine months later, 10,000 of them were still living in temporary accommodation.

By comparison, there are only 5,000 permanent residents living in the areas affected by Wednesday's earthquake.

Prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva has indicated that property owners who commissioned building work suspected of being sub-standard could be held responsible for contributing to the quake's deadly impact.

"If the buildings had been constructed as they are in Japan they wouldn't have collapsed," he told La Repubblica daily.

"If it emerges that individuals cut corners, they will be pursued and those that have made mistakes will pay a price," the prosecutor said.

- Corruption concerns -

On Monday, experts were expected to visit all the local schools to decide if any were still safe and to draw up plans for alternatives in time for the start of the new term in mid-September.

"The lessons from Aquila in 2009 have not been learned," fumed Adriana Cavaglia, a member of the national council of geologists as she surveyed the ruins in Sant'Angelo.

Not far away, property developer Sergio Evangelista is happy to be able to finally go back and sleep in his own home, which was built in line with the building regulations and was almost untouched.

The village church, however, which was inaugurated on August 13 following a clumsy renovation, collapsed.

Atemio Scienzo, a craftsman who survived the quake, said he was concerned that endemic corruption could hamper reconstruction efforts.

"After the emergency comes the period of reconstruction and that's the important bit. It has to happen quickly and the funds have to arrive," he said.

"If half of it gets lost en route, as often happens, there will be a problem."

Meanwhile, demonstrations of solidarity continued across the country with thousands turning out in Turin to eat pasta all'amatriciana, the famous dish which originated in Amatrice, with the proceeds of the meal to be sent to the survivors.
New Delhi: A plea has been filed in the Delhi High Court accusing the AAP government and MCDs of not acting vigilantly and responsibly to control dengue, a mosquito-borne tropical disease.

The PIL was filed by an advocate in the wake of dengue deaths and cases in the national capital.

The plea, which is likely to be taken up for hearing next week, alleged that despite 320 cases of dengue reported in 2016, the authorities concerned have not been "rising up and taking measures to prevent the disease or mosquito breeding".

"Delhi this year has been facing the worst dengue crisis in five years, as all the three civic bodies, particularly the South Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi government have failed to discharge their statutory duties, though it is their responsibility to take preventive measures to control the disease," the plea filed by advocate Shahid Ali said.

The plea has not only sought direction to the Delhi government and statutory bodies to control the menace but also to initiate proper inquiry as to whether the government and statutory bodies could have controlled the menace and could

have prevented the breeding of dengue mosquitoes.

The plea has also asked whether the Delhi government has released sufficient money to statutory bodies to take effective measures to tackle the menace and why sprinkling of medicines and fogging has not been done in unauthorized areas.

The petitioner said the disease claimed its first victim on 21 July when a girl from Jafrabad in northeast Delhi died at Lok Nayak Jay Prakash (LNJP) Hospital.

"Okhla MLA Amannatullah Khan's sister-in-law died of dengue on 12 August at Apollo Hospital. A total of 91 cases were reported in July, six cases were recorded in May, while June witnessed 15. Thirty-four fresh cases were reported till

20 August since the last count and the total number of cases so far in the city is more than 320.

"Despite so many deaths, civic bodies have not been rising up and taking measures to prevent disease or breeding of mosquitoes and even safai karamcharis are rarely spotted in the areas because nearly 80 percent of these areas are

unauthorised," the plea alleged.

The petition alleged that the intentions of civic bodies and of responsible officials/employees are malafide and contrary to statute and principles of natural justice and in violation of the fundamental rights of citizens of India and the directive principles given in the Constitution.

Earlier, a similar plea was filed, in which a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal has reserved its verdict.

The MCDs should be directed to urgently undertake special fumigation and sanitation drives and anti-mosquito breeding operations in their respective areas, the new PIL has said.
London (AFP) - Nigel Rodgers is in hell. A campaigner against piped music for decades, he stands in a shoe shop on London's Oxford Street which is blaring out loud pop music, wincing visibly.

"It's just as bad as passive smoking," said the 63-year-old, sporting a blue blazer with a red handkerchief in the top pocket and eagerly eyeing the exit.

"It really is enough to drive most people bonkers if they have got any sensitivity at all."

Rodgers has campaigned against the canned music which is common in British shops and other public spaces for 24 years but his group Pipedown recently scored its biggest success yet.

One of the country's top department stores, Marks and Spencer, said it would stop playing music after a letter writing campaign by hundreds of Pipedown's 2,000 members.

Now the group hopes to persuade other major retailers to follow suit as sister organisations take off around the world, including in Germany and the United States.

Rodgers is far more comfortable sipping a cup of tea in the relative calm of the Marks and Spencer cafe a few doors down on London's busiest shopping street.

- Masking other noise? -

Here, he gently explained how he believes the mechanisation of society has turned up the volume on the modern world, causing health problems like hearing damage and raised blood pressure.

"We live in a continuously noisy environment," he said. "We're being artificially stimulated all the time in a way we're not designed to."

Rodgers, who also writes books on art history and philosophy, founded Pipedown aged 38 after becoming frustrated by piped music in a restaurant where he was dining with a girlfriend.

The group kept growing and, as well as letter writing campaigns, many supporters now go shopping armed with cards complaining -- politely of course -- about piped music which they hand to shop workers.

"It's not just a matter of one or two neurotics -- it's a much bigger problem," Rodgers said.

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"Attitudes can change very fast -- I'm hoping the M and S decision may mark a tipping point," he added, blinking slightly as plates clattered in the background.

By contrast, industry figures argue piped music can make shops a more, not less, pleasant environment to be in.

Adrian England of PEL Services, which provides music for a string of big name British retailers, said silence makes some people uncomfortable.

"If there's no music, you'll hear arguments, noisy children -- all sorts of noise which is present but you don't hear because music masks it," he told AFP.

England said shops like to play a mix of two or three musical genres to appeal to their customers, varying the tempo throughout the day -- mellow in the mornings, energetic in the evenings.

The biggest sign of success can be if shoppers do not even realise the music is there, he said.

"There certainly is a paradox. If you're doing it well then the customers won't notice -- they won't compliment you, they just won't complain," England added.

- 'Helps me buy quicker' -

Professor Adrian North of Australia's Curtin University researches the impact of music on consumer behaviour and believes few businesses are using it properly to communicate with customers.

Studies he has worked on suggest that playing the "right" kind of music in commercial environments could boost sales by as much as 20 percent.

The wrong music "would usually have effects that were worse than playing no music at all."

Back on Oxford Street, thronged with tourists visiting London over the summer holiday period, shoppers were split on whether they loved or loathed loud music in shops.

"It takes a lot more energy walking into this kind of store -- I tend to avoid them," said Martin Persson, a 34-year-old visiting from Sweden, outside the shoe shop which Rodgers found so noisy.

But Zyad al-Shoeeb, a 22-year-old from Saudi Arabia, loved what for him was the novelty of thumping beats as he picked out his latest designer footwear.

"The music fits with the shoes -- it helps me buy quicker," he added.
Havana (AFP) - Colombia and Marxist FARC rebels will ink their landmark peace deal officially late next month, authorities said.

"The solemn date of the signing will be between September 20 and 26, depending on the schedules and the dignitaries who will be in attendance," said Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas.

Villegas did not say who would attend the official signing, nor did he give its venue. President Juan Manuel Santos has said it could be at UN headquarters, in Bogota or in Cuba.

The announcement cames three days after Colombian and FARC negotiators presented a final peace accord following nearly four years of arduous negotiations in Cuba, putting an end to their half-century civil war that cost hundreds of thousands of lives.

Santos ordered a definitive ceasefire from Monday with the FARC rebels, and the guerrillas are expected to make a similar announcement shortly.

Ahead of the final signatures, FARC rebel leaders will convene in mid-September to ratify the historic peace agreement signed with the Colombian government this week, the guerrilla group also announced Saturday.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) said its leaders would convene for "the last conference of our organization while it still has its arms, endorse the peace accords and make way for the transformation of the FARC into a legal political movement."

The September 13-19 conference of 200 FARC delegates -- including 29 members of its central committee -- will be open to 50 international guests as well as the press, an unusual move for the guerrillas.

"Given the historical significance of this event, the people of Colombia and the world must learn first-hand about the conference's developments and decisions," the FARC said.

The Marxist guerrillas will hold the conference in San Vicente del Caguan in southern Colombia, once a FARC stronghold.

The fate of the FARC-government peace accord now comes down to a decisive yes-or-no vote on October 2.

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Santos, who has staked his legacy on the peace process, faces a tough political battle to win the referendum.

The conflict began with the founding of the FARC in 1964, when leftist guerrilla armies were fighting to sow revolution throughout Latin America.

Over the years, it has killed an estimated 260,000 people, uprooted 6.8 million and left 45,000 missing.
Chicago rapper and songwriter Rhymefest, born Che Smith, was robbed at gunpoint on the South Side yesterday morning, The Chicago Tribune reports. According to the police report, a young man jumped into his parked car at approximately 7:35AM, pointed a gun at his head, and demanded his wallet. After he complied, the perp fled on foot and Rhymefest drove to a police station near his home to file a report.

Rhymefest took to Twitter to detail the incident and call for the robber to get in touch, apologize, and talk to me like a brother. He also tweeted out a video taken at the police station captioned You wonder why we dont report crimes? The police treated me disgustingly, which shows a tense exchange between the rapper and several police officers. We are disappointed with what weve seen and how Mr. Smith was treated, and the chief of patrol called him personally to apologize on behalf of the department, says Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. And Superintendent Johnson has directed the chief of patrol to ensure this matter is addressed today with the district. Find Rhymefests tweets below.

To the young brother that put the gun to my head this morning & took my wallet. You don't know how you just damaged your community.  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

It's 730am. you just put a gun in my face for $3 in my wallet. I defend you against police brutality, I work on your behalf you robbed me  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

Until our communities have restorative Justice set up, you better make friends with a police officer.  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

You don't know what you did! And who you did it to. I lived here on the southside because I thought it mattered. I'm reconsidering  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

You were gonna shoot me in the face for a wallet, I had the power to give you a job!  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

I'm not even mad, I'm fuckin' hurt.  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

When you look in my Wallet & see the name Che Smith on the ID. DM me, yes contact me apologize and talk to me like a brother.  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

Give me faith that it's our desperation & not our hearts thatre dark. The man who robbed me I want to reach out to me If I know him tell him  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

You wonder we don't report crimes? The police treated me disgustingly pic.twitter.com/fY9VQrqDpz  Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

@RHYMEFEST disappointing to say the least. On behalf of CPD, I apologize for how you were treated. We will be addressing this today.  Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) August 27, 2016
Rapper and songwriter Rhymefest was reportedly mugged on the South Side of Chicago Saturday morning (Aug. 27). After reporting the incident at a local police station, he claimed that police treated him "disgustingly."

Kanye West Co-Writer Rhymefest Quits, Says Rapper Needs Counseling

A police report details that an unknown man jumped into Rhymefest's parked vehicle, pointed a gun at him and demanded his wallet around 7:30 a.m. near the 4300 block of South Cottage Grove Ave., according to the Chicago Tribune.

Rhymefest, whose real name is Che Smith, took to Twitter to write about what happened.

"To the young brother that put the gun to my head this morning & took my wallet. You don't know how you just damaged your community," he tweeted. "It's 730am. you just put a gun in my face for $3 in my wallet. I defend you against police brutality, I work on your behalf you robbed me."

"Until our communities have restorative Justice set up, you better make friends with a police officer," he said.

"You don't know what you did! And who you did it to. I lived here on the southside because I thought it mattered. I'm reconsidering," he continued. "You were gonna shoot me in the face for a wallet, I had the power to give you a job! I'm not even mad, I'm f---in' hurt."

He then reached out to the suspect: "When you look in my Wallet & see the name Che Smith on the ID. DM me, yes contact me apologize and talk to me like a brother. Give me faith that it's our desperation & not our hearts thatre dark."

Following the harrowing experience, Rhymefest headed to a police station close to his home to file the report. He later posted a video from the station on Twitter, along with an accompanying caption claiming that police mistreated him.

"You wonder we don't report crimes? The police treated me disgustingly," Rhymefest tweeted.

The video shows a tense exchange between him and the officers, who ask him to stop filming. "I don't feel comfortable because I feel like I'm being treated ... when the camera goes off, you all start telling me to get out, I can't make a report," Rhymefest is heard saying in the clip.

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Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi issued the following statement after viewing Rhymefest's video, the Chicago Tribune reports: "We are disappointed with what we've seen and how Mr. Smith was treated, and the chief of patrol called him personally to apologize on behalf of the department. And Superintendent Johnson has directed the chief of patrol to ensure this matter is addressed today with the district."

See Rhymefest's series of tweets below.

To the young brother that put the gun to my head this morning & took my wallet. You don't know how you just damaged your community.

- Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

It's 730am. you just put a gun in my face for $3 in my wallet. I defend you against police brutality, I work on your behalf you robbed me

- Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

Until our communities have restorative Justice set up, you better make friends with a police officer.

- Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

You don't know what you did! And who you did it to. I lived here on the southside because I thought it mattered. I'm reconsidering

- Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

You were gonna shoot me in the face for a wallet, I had the power to give you a job!

- Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

I'm not even mad, I'm fuckin' hurt.

- Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

When you look in my Wallet & see the name Che Smith on the ID. DM me, yes contact me apologize and talk to me like a brother.

- Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

Give me faith that it's our desperation & not our hearts thatre dark. The man who robbed me I want to reach out to me If I know him tell him

- Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016

You wonder we don't report crimes? The police treated me disgustingly pic.twitter.com/fY9VQrqDpz

- Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) August 27, 2016
Donald Trump greets Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus at a campaign rally in Erie, Pa. (Photo: Eric Thayer/Reuters)

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said that if you want to know the specifics of Donald Trumps immigration policy, youll have to ask the real estate magnate himself.

The GOP leader declined to spell out what his partys presidential nominee planned to do about the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States during an appearance on NBCs Meet the Press Sunday.

This distancing comes after a week of Trump softening his anti-illegal-immigration stance, which had included calls for a deportation force to kick out every undocumented immigrant. The reality TV star now says that he will immediately deport violent criminals and put the rest through a fair but humane process.

On the morning news show, Chuck Todd asked Priebus what Trumps position is specifically on undocumented immigrants.

Well, youre going to find out from Donald Trump very shortly, Priebus said. Hes going to be giving prepared remarks on this issue, I think, very soon. I dont want to give a date.

Todd replied, We dont know? I mean, it is sort of remarkable that we dont know.

I dont speak for Donald Trump. Thats what I do know, Priebus said. Then he broke down what his partys standard-bearer has promised to do about the U.S.-Mexico border and deporting violent criminals but declined to elaborate on the presidential candidates plans for nonviolent undocumented immigrants.

Here is what I know: His position will be tough. His position will be fair, but his position is going to be humane, he said. Hes going to build and complete the border wall that was set in place in 2006 by Congress. Its going to be paid for. I believe that he is going to  when he talks about deportation  hes going to go after people here who are criminals and shouldnt be here.

Priebus conceded that Trump had simplified his immigration policy during the primaries but is now reflecting on it. Regardless, he said, Trump would be tougher on illegal immigration than any presidential candidate the U.S. has ever had and will be a law and order president.

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Todd asked what Priebus thinks of political analysts who argue that Trump has backed down from his radical policy to something thats more or less former presidential candidate Jeb Bushs policy.

No, I really dont [think this is Bushs policy], because I think that youre not going to see an easy path to legalization. Youre not going to see that in a Donald Trump plan, Priebus said. Thats off the table. There is no method by which someone is here illegally that is going to become a citizen and jump the line as [Democratic presidential nominee] Hillary Clinton wants to do.

Just as New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said on ABCs This Week Sunday, Priebus said people should focus on the real issue: the difference between the immigration policies of Clinton and Trump.

She wants to put [President] Barack Obamas immigration plan on steroids. She wants millions of people who are here illegally to cut the line, Priebus said.

Todd pointed out that Donald Trumps official campaign website still says he will end birthright citizenship and asked Priebus if that should be the Republican Partys stance on this issue.

I believe in the interpretation of the Supreme Court on the issue, he replied. Im comfortable with [birthright citizenship]. Im comfortable with it. Im comfortable with it, with the Supreme Court rulings on the issue.

Priebus added that a Republican presidential nominee is not obligated to toe the party line on every issue. He speaks with Trump every day and knows what he thinks about a lot of these issues, he said.

This is a good and decent man that wants to do the right thing, Priebus said.
Rome (AFP) - Shoddy, price-cutting renovations, in breach of local building regulations, could be partly to blame for the high death toll from this week's devastating earthquake in central Italy, according to a prosecutor investigating the disaster.

As questions mount over the deaths of nearly 300 people, prosecutor Giuseppe Saieva indicated that property owners who commissioned suspected sub-standard work could be held responsible for contributing to the quake's deadly impact.

Saieva, who works in the Rieti region between Rome and the quake's epicentre, said the tragedy could not simply be filed away as an unavoidable natural disaster.

"If the buildings had been constructed as they are in Japan they wouldn't have collapsed," he told La Repubblica.

Within hours of the quake hitting on Wednesday Saieva was in Amatrice, the small mountain town hit hardest by the quake.

He is inspecting the damage there before opening a preliminary investigation for possible culpable homicide and causing a disaster.

The crushed partition walls of a collapsed three-storey villa were among the sights that caught his eye. "I can only think it was built on the cheap with more sand than cement," he said.

A number of engineering and architectural experts have highlighted the widespread use of relatively cheap cement beams for house extensions and renovations as a possible factor explaining why so many buildings collapsed.

Heavy and inflexible, the cement beams become deadly if released by shaking because they will crush older walls beneath them.

"If it emerges that individuals cut corners, they will be pursued and those that have made mistakes will pay a price," the prosecutor said.

- Centuries old problem -

The issue of whether some of the deaths could have been avoided is particularly acute in the Amatrice area because it is so close (50 kilometres, 32 miles) to L'Aquila, which was hit by a 2009 earthquake in which over 300 people perished.

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An outcry over the shoddy, corrupt building practices which led to so many buildings in the university city being inadequately prepared for a quake led to the national Civil Protection agency making almost one billion euros ($1.2 billion) available for upgrading buildings in quake-vulnerable areas.

But the take-up of grants has been low. Critics blame bureaucracy but others maintain that independent-minded villagers will always find the cheapest way of getting their renovations done, whatever the risks.

Some 40 percent of the Italian population, 24 million people, live in zones vulnerable to earthquakes and the risk that entails has been a subject for the country's finest minds for centuries.

As early as the first century, an advisor to the emperor Vespasian, Pliny the elder, was making recommendations on how buildings could be designed to withstand tremors.

And the thicker walls and stone piers that are features of many modern-day quake-proof buildings, were also included in plans drawn up by Renaissance architect Pirro Ligorio in the late 16th century, after southern Italy was devastated by an earthquake that caused 2,000 deaths.

- Huge bill -

Experts however say protecting Italy's unrivalled artistic and architectural heritage is far from straightforward.

"If we start from the idea of upgrading every old building to comparable safety levels of a modern building built to anti-seismic norms, we have to accept that we will never get there," said Paolo Bazzurro, a professor in construction techniques at the University of Pavia.

The trend away from traditional wooden roofs and beams is not the only problem: widening window openings and the removal of reinforcing chains embedded in walls have also contributed.

"These things make buildings more vulnerable," said Bazzurro.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has promised to rebuild the hilltop villages devastated by the quake. There will be no repeat of a failed attempt to replace the old communities with new towns elsewhere, which happened after L'Aquila.

"There are lots of technically feasible things that can be done and do not require huge interventions," said Culture Ministry expert Paolo Iannelli.

"Given that towns in the seismic areas have acquired a knowledge of what works over the centuries and generally used the most appropriate materials, it is a question of correcting renovations that have been done over time and have impacted on the resistance of the buildings," he told AFP.

Better and more regular checks on the impact of rain on foundations would be one area where the state could improve its controls, he added.

For houses built before anti-seismic measures became the norm in 1970, it is relatively easy to install shock absorbers, experts say.

But a comprehensive solution will not come cheap. Infrastructure Minister Graziano Delrio was asked last week how much it would cost to bring every building in Italy up to modern anti-quake standards. His answer: 360 billion euros.
Someone followed up with the snake from Britney Spears Slave 4 U video, because we need to know what its up to now

Someone followed up with the snake from Britney Spears Slave 4 U video, because we need to know what its up to now

Fifteen years ago, Britney Spears performed her song Im A Slave 4 U at the MTV Video Music Awards. While Spears put on one helluva show (duh, she always does), it was someone else who completely STOLE the entire night.

The yellow snake.

Remember when halfway through her performance, Spears all of a sudden grabbed a seven-foot albino Burmese python from a dancer and draped it across her shoulders? And she was like, super casual about dancing and twirling around with the oversized reptile just chillin so close to her neck?

Thats precisely the moment when the life of that snake changed forever and it became an overnight snake success story.

At least in our minds, thats what happened.

But we HAVE always wondered what happened to the snake. And now we have the answer!

MTV News did some serious digging and found some interesting info regarding the snake. For starters, shes female and she has a name, you guys.

Its Banana  which is obviously ridiculously fitting for a yellow snake.

In a 2012 interview, Spears said Banana was doing great. But according to the snakes handler, she didnt actually have a name. So when Spears asked her name, he likely just made up the name Banana.

Which is totally fine  but were going to still go with Banana.

Banana has grown from a mere 20 pounds when she danced with Spears to over 100 pounds and around 15 feet long. Shes currently living with a friend of her handlers and likely has absolutely no idea shes a pop culture icon. Because shes obviously super humble.

Spears will be returning to the VMA stage on Sunday to promote her new album Glory, which was released on Friday.

The post Someone followed up with the snake from Britney Spears Slave 4 U video, because we need to know what its up to now appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Sounds like little Prince George might have a career as a chef ahead!

Sounds like little Prince George might have a career as a chef ahead!

Prince George is only 3-years-old but he might have a career as a chef if he keeps stirring things up in the royal kitchen. Princess Kate opened up about her sons messy cooking adventures while visiting teens at the Youthscape project in London.

We smell a Prince George cookbook coming.

We're really excited about TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visiting today. Special Biscuits to celebrate. pic.twitter.com/BHddTNp2qt  Youthscape (@Youthscape) August 24, 2016

The royal mom accidentally spilled the beans about Prince Georges baking skills as she and Prince William toured the organizations kitchen on Wednesday.

So, what are you making? This smells seriously good,  Kate asked several teens baking chocolate chips cookies during her visit, People Magazine reports. What are you putting in? Is this just chocolate? Golden syrup? Good, good.

Can you imagine the amount of pressure these teens had trying to bake something delicious for the royal mom? Were pretty sure wed be sweating up a nervous storm trying to complete any simple task in front of Princess Kate because she is #Lifegoals.

When I try to do this with George at home, chocolate and the golden syrup goes everywhere. He makes so much mess. Its chaos, she explained.

Like the saying goes, practice makes perfect! The toddler isnt just learning how to bake, either. Prince George apparently lends him mom a tiny hand in the kitchen and he has a great love for pasta.

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During the royal couples outing, Princess Kate reportedly chatted with several parents while visiting a hospice center for children and adults. According to People, Princess Kate spoke to a local mom, Suzanne Dow, about Prince Georges favorite dish.

Dow later told reporters, She said, George likes his spaghetti as well, hed love to get messy.

It looks like Prince George might have to jump on the celebrity trend and write his own cookbook. Wed buy it!

The post Sounds like little Prince George might have a career as a chef ahead! appeared first on HelloGiggles.
(Adds NPA spokesperson)

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 28 (Reuters) - South African Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan could be charged with graft as soon as this week, the City Press newspaper reported on Sunday, citing senior sources in the police, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and the tax service.

The AFP news agency quoted an NPA spokesperson as saying "there is no decision whatsoever to prosecute anyone", but that police had given prosecutors a docket on Friday. Neither Gordhan nor the prosecuting service could be reached by Reuters.

Last week, police summoned Gordhan in connection with an investigation into a "rogue spy unit" set up in the revenue service when he headed the organisation, rattling South African markets and sending the rand down 5 percent.

The investigation first came to light in February and political pundits have said Gordhan is being undermined by a faction in the government and ruling African National Congress (ANC) allied to President Jacob Zuma.

According to Sunday's report in City Press, 30 witnesses have been called to testify against Gordhan and three former officials from the South African Revenue Service (SARS).

The newspaper said Gordhan would be charged with corruption for allegedly granting early retirement to Ivan Pillay, a former commissioner of the South African Revenue Service who is also under investigation. It said charges could be brought as soon as this week.

Zuma said on Thursday he backed Gordhan but was powerless to stop a police investigation into him, signalling a prolonged tussle that could add to market volatility.

South Africa's credit rating is set to be cut to junk status this year, according to a Reuters poll this week, with economists surveyed citing the heightened political risk around the Gordhan saga.

Gordhan commands huge respect in the markets and his departure would be a serious blow to Africa's most industrialised country as it teeters on the brink of recession.

The Sunday Times said Gordhan had told a meeting of Treasury staff on Friday that he and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas could be removed in a cabinet shuffle. Treasury officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

(Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Louise Ireland and Helen Popper)
By Alastair Macdonald BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union grinds back into action this week after its August break, still dazed by Britain's midsummer vote to quit the EU and facing much the same "polycrisis" as a year ago: a mass of refugees, a fragile economy, hostile Russians and, yes, those Brits, now more awkward than ever. When President Jean-Claude Juncker makes his annual State of the Union address to Parliament in Strasbourg on Sept. 14, he might easily repeat last year's warning: the EU had a "last chance" to save itself from a tide of centrifugal nationalisms. Last week, the EU's remaining Big Three -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and their host, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi -- felt they needed to renew their vows at the wellspring of the union, the island of Ventotene, where in 1941 prisoners of Mussolini wrote a manifesto for a united Europe. That they met on the deck of the aircraft carrier Garibaldi reinforced the sense of beleaguered leaders rallying to the EU's defense as they contemplated an obstacle-strewn political calendar for the year ahead. The EU leaders are first preparing for a summit on Sept. 16 in Bratislava -- without Britain -- that aims to sketch out a post-Brexit future for the Union. On Oct. 2, Hungary's right-wing prime minister, Viktor Orban, is set to deliver another slap to Brussels: a largely symbolic referendum to reject an EU quota system for relocating refugees among member states -- a scheme Juncker invested much capital in a year ago, but which has barely got off the ground. TRUMP On Nov. 8, Orban is hoping for victory for a man he calls the "valiant" Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election. Few of Orban's EU peers are so enthusiastic. They see Trump as a disruptive maverick whose endorsement of and by Brexiteer-in-chief Nigel Farage marks him as no friend of the Union. A Trump win could snap a transatlantic coalition on Russia that is already fraying in Europe, where governments from Paris to Bratislava are seeking a review of Ukraine-related sanctions when measures expire at year's end. Trump might also inject a new dose of post-Brexit uncertainty for world trade. At home, all the Big Three leaders face their own electoral challenges from euroskeptics. It starts with Renzi, today trying to persuade Italians he has the youthful energy for rebuilding after the latest earthquake in the Apennines, unlike the scandal-tainted Silvio Berlusconi at L'Aquila in 2009, when more than 300 people died. Probably in November, Renzi will put to a referendum the constitutional reforms he says are needed to break a political deadlock that is choking the Italian economy. Polls are tight and the euroskeptic upstarts 5-Star are gunning for the socialist premier, who is expected to resign if he loses. Hollande is threatened with a drubbing on April 23 at the hands of far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen in the first round of France's presidential election. Her appeal has been enhanced by Islamic State carnage in Paris and Nice and the summer row about burkinis on the beaches, although pollsters doubt she can win a May 7 runoff vote against Hollande or any other survivor from a mainstream party. As for Merkel, she has yet to confirm she wants a fourth term at parliamentary elections due in just over a year. The biggest threat to her re-election remains her decision last year to welcome a million migrants to Germany as EU borders buckled. That has already weakened support for her conservative party. HARDBALL Such threats to domestic survival have often spurred leaders to take potshots at Brussels -- even if only the British have taken it to the length of turning most voters against the EU entirely. But even if little has changed in Brussels since last summer, optimists might see reason to hope for more unity now. While rows go on about how, indeed whether, EU states should share out the burden of asylum-seekers stranded in Greece and Italy, what is new is how few are arriving, at least in Greece. Rights groups were outraged this year by hard-nosed deals with non-EU Balkan states to bar the routes north from Greece and with Turkey to stop Syrian refugees reaching Greece in the first place. But those deals did slash the numbers arriving. It's something EU officials find hard to boast of. Many admit privately to unease at policies that, along with efforts to pay African governments to stop people setting off for Italy, sit uncomfortably with the Union's lofty humanitarian ideals. But look again at Merkel, Hollande and Renzi on the Garibaldi, flagship of an EU mission off Libya that is part rescue operation and military deterrent against people smugglers, and a slightly different image of today's EU emerges. EU ARMY All three spoke of Europe getting tougher and more cohesive on security. It is the kind of language that may resonate with skeptical voters dissatisfied with Europe's struggle to thrive in a globalizing world and with the likes of Orban and other eastern leaders alarmed by Merkel's earlier open-door policy. Relieved of the need to keep Britons from bolting, Juncker wrung howls of outrage last week from London's europhobic press when he called national borders "the worst invention ever". He also renewed his call for a "European army", which was long just a pipe dream for the Luxemburger as long as Britain had a veto. The past few days have seen Merkel and a succession of other leaders she has met, including Orban, echo such hopes of joint military structures, indicating one area where EU integration may now forge ahead in response to the British departure. That still leaves a host of issues dividing European leaders in the coming year: whether to be nice or nasty to Britain once it decides to open negotiations; how to shore up weaknesses in the economic cooperation that underpins the euro; how far to ease sanctions in the hope of better ties with Moscow. Consensus will be a tall order. Merkel, standing on the deck of the Garibaldi, cited security, investment and youth opportunities as three priorities for a post-Brexit new start for a Europe united and strong. But, she warned: "Danger exists, of fragmentation, of selfishness, of retreating into ourselves." (Editing by Larry King)
tesla p100d

Tesla made history Tuesday when it announced a new battery upgrade that allows the Tesla Model S with Ludicrous to drive 315 miles on a single charge, but as many have already noticed, very few will be able to experience it.

Tesla's latest battery upgrade means the Model S with Ludicrous mode is the first electric car to surpass the 300-mile range mark. That's a big deal, as a limited range is often seen as a weakness for EVs.

After all, it can be hard to justify shelling out thousands for a car that needs to be charged every 200 miles or so, especially when it can take hours to recharge without a SuperCharger. Sure, you may feel better about yourself buying the environmentally friendly car, but knowing you can pump up a good old combustion vehicle in three minutes at the gas station and drive for longer typically trumps that appeal.

Tesla finally passing the 300-mile mark shows that electric cars are heading in the right direction, but the problem is the battery upgrade only appeals to a very niche (read:wealthy) customer base.

Tesla Model S

Tesla drivers who currently own a Model S P90D Ludicrous can upgrade to the 100 kWh packs for $20,000. Those who ordered a P90D Ludicrous but haven't received it yet can upgrade for $10,000. For those looking to buy now, the Model S P100D with Ludicrous mode starts at $134,500.

Those are some hefty prices, but Musk said on a call with journalists that starting with Tesla's high-end cars was deliberate.

"You know, we get lambasted a lot for making expensive cars. But I just want to again reiterate that was never our goal in and of itself. Our goal was always to make great affordable cars," Musk said during a conference call with journalists on Tuesday. "We just need a few technology iterations and economies of scale to get there, and nothing would make me happier than to be able to build a great electric car that everyone can afford."

Musk said Tesla will produce 200 of the new battery packs a week, which is about 10% to 12% of its total production volume. He said it's limited because "the manufacturing complexity is significantly greater than the 90 kWh pack."

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Musk wasn't specific as to when we could see a longer range in Tesla's non-Ludicrous mode options, but said it will "probably be several months before we can offer the 100 kWh pack to nonperformance customers."

elon musk

Increasing the range in Tesla's luxury cars, even if it appeals to a small audience, was a smart move as competition mounts in the EV space to release cars with longer ranges.

Porsche is working on a Tesla-killer with 300 miles of range that could pop up in showrooms in 2019. Audi is also beginning production of its new electric car in 2018  the SUV will have a range of 310 miles on a single charge.

Those dates are worth keeping in mind as it coincides with Tesla's planned release of the Model 3  Tesla's first affordable car priced at $35,000, which is slated for shipping by the end of 2017. That car will have a 215-mile range, but Musk has said you can shell out more money for a longer range.

This fits in with Musk's latest battery-upgrade announcement, as he said sales for the upgraded Model S and Model X will help pay to advance the range capabilities of Tesla's more consumer-friendly EVs.

"Its actually the people buying the expensive version of the car are really paying for that development to then scale up and then be available to other versions of the car," Musk said.

Tesla is positioning itself to be the first to come out with a consumer-friendly electric car with a range that could finally incentivize people to let go of combustion engines. The announcement shows Tesla is not only trying to edge out the competition by being the first to exceed the 300-mile mark, but that it's also positioning itself to have a consumer-friendly car ready with solid range capabilities the year competition will mount in the EV space.

But we're still a few years away from seeing Tesla really disrupt the electric-car space, granted everything goes according to Musk's plan.

NOW WATCH: Tesla cars just got a whole lot better  heres whats changing





More From Business Insider


Washington (AFP) - Even as Donald Trump vacillates between toning down his harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric and reaching out to minorities, he remains unshakable on one central campaign promise: building a wall on America's southern border with Mexico.

"We are going to build a great border wall to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs and the violence, and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities," the Republican presidential candidate said as he accepted his party's nomination last month.

It's an idea experts say is as useless as it is unrealistic. Though that has hardly given Trump pause.

"I will build the greatest wall that you have ever seen," he elaborated at a recent rally. "That's a Trump wall, a beautiful wall!"

"And who's going to pay for it?" he asks at his events.

"Mexico!" his energized supporters roared back.

Trump says his success as a construction magnate guarantees he can build such a wall but has provided few details.

The 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) US-Mexico border runs from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, crossing arid, sparsely populated territory as well as urban centers thick with inhabitants.

After initially promising to build a new barrier running the entire length of the border, Trump now says only half actually needs to be covered because the physical terrain acts as a natural barrier along the rest.

But if he's clear about the length, what about the height? Trump has variously mentioned 35 feet (10.5 meters), 40 feet, 55 feet and even 90 feet.

"The wall just got 10 feet higher!" he's said when Mexican officials repeated that their country has no intention of paying a dime.

He is just as vague about the cost -- $4 billion, then "six or seven" billion, "probably eight," and "10, maybe 12," before finally settling at "around $10 billion."

However, architects and engineers dismiss that figure as entirely unrealistic given even the minimum predictable costs.

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- Concrete, steel... solid! -

Trump's plan calls for prefabricated concrete panels reinforced with steel rods, heavy materials that present immense logistical challenges: paving roads for access, building multiple sites for pouring concrete and hiring armies of workers over several years.

The wall would require foundations deep enough to ensure stability and discourage tunneling.

A 40-foot concrete wall using a "post and panel" system sunk 10 feet below ground would cost at least $26 billion, according to the Texan wall expert Todd Sternfeld.

Trump dismisses such figures, however, pointing to China's ancient, 13,000-mile-long Great Wall.

"They didn't have cranes. They didn't have excavation equipment," he says. "We need 1,000 miles and we have all of the materials."

Key differences that make the comparison irrelevant go unmentioned -- that China's wall consists of separate parts built over centuries at a human cost that's unthinkable today.

Obstacles in the way of the Great Wall of Trump, as he's called it, don't stop there.

In the vast American South, border areas are often private property. Securing the land for a wall would require multiple expropriation procedures and legal headaches.

It has been tried before. The border already is bristling with barriers and fences, much of it built through the $2.4 billion Secure Fence Act signed by former president George W. Bush in 2006.

- 30 foot wall, 31 foot ladders -

The Rio Grande River, which forms the border between Mexico and Texas, presents another major obstacle.

Laws prohibit construction that would impede flood management or interfere with the sharing of resources.

A treaty meanwhile prohibits either country from diverting any flow of water.

But beyond the multitude of intractable obstacles facing a Trump wall, its basic sense remains highly questionable.

"If you build a 30-foot wall," the comedian John Oliver has said, "all it's going to do is create a market for 31-foot ladders."

Critics point out that drug traffickers have found ways of transporting their products over or under border barriers whatever their size.

Moreover, as a 2006 study by the Pew Hispanic Center found, nearly half of illegal immigrants in the United States enter through classic entry points such as airports before simply staying on their expired visas.
In four years, India will have the world's largest population of working people, about 87 crore in all. When nations reach a high ratio of such people, they are expected to earn something called a demographic dividend. This simply means that because most citizens are working, economic growth goes up. The expectation and anticipation is that India is approaching such a position soon.

However, there is a second view on this. A few months ago, a report by IndiaSpend, which does data-based journalism, looked at the issue of employment and made six observations. These were as follows:

1) In 2015, India added the fewest organised-sector jobs  in large companies and factories - in seven years across eight important industries.

2) The proportion of jobs in the unorganised sector  without formal monthly payment or social security benefits - is set to rise to 93 percent in 2017.

3) Rural wages are at a decadal low, as agriculture  which accounts for 47 percent of jobs  contracted 0.2 percent in 2014-15, growing 1 percent in 2015-16.

4) As many as 60 per cent of those with jobs do not find employment for the entire year, indicating widespread under-employment and temporary jobs.

5) The formation of companies has slowed to 2009 levels, and existing companies are growing at 2 per cent, the lowest in five years.

6) With large corporations and public-sector banks financially stressed, the average size of companies in India is reducing, at a time when well-organised large companies are central to creating jobs."

This indicates that a very large labour force is moving into an environment which does not have the ability to absorb them.

The report pointed out that though India had seen high growth after 1991, less than half the population was fully employed. In comparison, a United Nations Development Programme report said that in China the number of jobs grew from 628 million to 772 million between 1991 and 2013, an increase of 144 million, but the working-age population increased by 241 million. It added: A wider gap in India than China suggests a more limited capacity to generate employment - a serious challenge, given the continued expansion of the workforce in India over the next 35 years.

Unless there is a change in the economy, and I mean a major change, (not just a continuation of what has been happening over the last 25 years) these jobs will not materialise. The traditional way in which countries have developed is through low-end manufacturing, like garments exports, and then migrating to higher-end work like automobiles and electronics.

India has all these sectors but without any great scale. On garments, for instance, we compete and often lose to countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam and Sri Lanka which are more efficient and cheaper. The slowing down of the global economy in the last seven years has meant there is no external demand of large size that we can capitalise on.

If the traditional route is not clearly open to India, how will we manage to profit from our demographic dividend? This is a question that must be answered quickly because there is not much time.

I think it is totally wrong to expect that the government alone, for the most part, can provide a solution here. One reason we have not received large investments in manufacturing is a lack of infrastructure and connectivity. Here, we can clearly see the role of the central government in terms of its investments and prioritisation.



But another equally big reason is a lack of qualified manpower. This will surprise upper class urban Indians who can get jobs relatively easily because of their access to reasonably good education. But vast majority of Indians don't have access to this education resource and, therefore, are not equipped to work in the modern economy. This is true even at the basic level of skilled blue collar functions like assembly-line work. Meanwhile, countries like the Philippines are eating into our backend service jobs in an environment where automation is reducing the total number of new jobs every year.

The prime minister recognises the problem and has launched an initiative called Skill India to equip millions of people with basic blue collar skills. Even here the results will take time because the quality of primary schooling in India is very poor. The more one thinks about it, the more difficult it is to see how India will be able to reap the benefits of a demographic dividend. A period of mass unemployment and social unrest is looming unless there is a shift, both internal and external, that at the moment is nowhere to be seen.
Dwight Eisenhower

Donald Trump has dropped numerous hints about his favorite US president, and it says a lot about what he means by his campaign slogan "Make America Great Again."

Though Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for presidents such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan  all must-names for preferred presidents as a Republican candidate  it's his inclusion of a fourth name that helps clear up any debate over his favorite: Dwight Eisenhower.

Trump professed his admiration for Eisenhower in a Reddit AMA last month when he was asked about his favorite president  making sure to name Washington, Lincoln, and Reagan as well.

Eisenhower, who served as the supreme allied commander in Europe during World War II, is the most recent person to have been voted to the presidency without holding prior elected office, a streak Trump is attempting to break. Only four presidents have ever held the position without holding prior elected office, and the other three  Herbert Hoover, Ulysses S. Grant, and Zachary Taylor  all did so long before Trump was born.

With the Manhattan billionaire having been born in 1946, Eisenhower was the president who represented Trump's most formative years, having served in office from 1953 to 1961. Trump once lined up with fellow students in the late 1950s to wave at Eisenhower as he passed by in a limousine on his way to deliver the first pitch of the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers, as reported in the recently released "Trump Revealed," which also noted that Trump, whose father was a Republican, wore "I like Ike" pins during Eisenhower's reelection year.

Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon

Multiple sources have told Business Insider that it is this time period, the 1950s, that Trump is really referring to when he says he will make America great again.

"There was almost unparalleled American power and self-confidence after World War II," said Alex Keyssar, a professor of history and social policy in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, when asked about why Trump might be most drawn to the 34th president. "The 1950s is what he, in his mind, had as his normal and what we should get back to."

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Eisenhower was at one time recruited by both the Democrats and the Republicans to run for the presidency, and Keyssar called him a "quasiconsensus candidate."

"Eisenhower himself was the opposite in terms of the controversy provoking," he continued, comparing the two. "You know, he was almost bland in a lot of ways. To me, it may be less about Eisenhower per say than it is about what the '50s symbolized to him."

The real-estate magnate has intermittently tweeted about Eisenhower in recent years, cited him as the standard-bearer for earning the most votes in Republican primary history (though once saying "Dwight D. Eisenhower  great guy ... I beat him"), and used a past Eisenhower plan to defend his immigration positions.

"Let me just tell you that Dwight Eisenhower, good president, great president, people liked him," he said in a November primary debate. 'I like Ike,' right?"

"Moved 1.5 million illegal immigrants out of this country, moved them just beyond the border," he continued, speaking of the highly controversial "Operation Wetback" program (Trump's numbers weren't completely accurate). "They came back. Moved them again beyond the border, they came back. Didn't like it. Moved them way south. They never came back."

Donald Trump

Trump is also promising a massive infrastructure package  double what Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton would spend, he recently said, which would end up totaling from about $800 billion to $1 trillion. The Republican president best known for his infrastructure program is Eisenhower, under whom the interstate highway system was completed.

"He wants to go back to the '50s," Matt Mackowiak, the Republican strategist who founded Potomac Strategy Group, told Business Insider. "He had something of a privileged upbringing, and he did like the world as it existed when he was a kid. A lot of us are developed based on our childhood."

Mackowiak said the thought of Trump comparing himself to Eisenhower was "interesting."

"I think if you sat him down and said, 'Tell me one thing Eisenhower did as president,' he couldn't tell you," Mackowiak said. "I truly don't think that. He might say, 'Well, he was the supreme allied commander and he was elected president.' That's probably the extent of what he can tell you. But there's no question  he might know that Eisenhower led a real eight years of peace and prosperity. And so, he may have some knowledge of that."

Mackowiak added that Trump's references to Eisenhower were most likely byproducts of Trump's desire to compare himself to historical figures.

"He wants to compare himself to Eisenhower by saying he won more votes than Eisenhower did as if beating someone 60 years ago when the country's population was half or a third of what it is today is an impressive accomplishment," he said. "So he does like sort of dropping names from the past as a way to elevate his status as a peer of significant historical figures."

NOW WATCH: Trump rips a protester in Pennsylvania: 'Your mother is voting for Trump'





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BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Syrian rebel commander said that Turkish-backed rebels aim to capture Manbij city from Kurdish-allied forces as conflict between the sides escalated in northern Syria on Sunday. Manbij on the west bank of the Euphrates River was captured this month from Islamic State by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, in a United States-backed offensive. Colonel Ahmed Osman, head of the Sultan Murad rebel group, told Reuters that the Turkey-backed rebel force was "certainly heading in the direction Manbij" since YPG forces had fortified their positions rather than evacuate. The United States and Turkey have both demanded that the Kurdish forces withdraw to the east bank of the Euphrates. The YPG says its forces have withdrawn from the area and their presence could not be used as a pretext for an attack. Asked how long he expected the Turkey-backed rebel forces to advance to Manbij and take it, Osman said "a few days, God willing". Manbij is one of the biggest urban centers in the area and it took the Kurdish-backed SDF some 2-1/2 months to wrestle control of it from Islamic State. (Reporting by Tom Perry; Editing by David Goodman)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey-backed Syrian rebels captured two villages from forces allied to the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northern Syria on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The Observatory said the SDF-allied Jarablus Military Council fighters had withdrawn from the villages of al-Amarna and Ayn al-Bayda as the rebels backed by Turkish tanks advanced into them. The SDF includes the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, one of the stated targets of Turkey's intervention in the Syrian war. The YPG, however, has said its fighters have withdrawn from the targeted area. A Syrian rebel commander said the rebels had also captured the village of Dabis. (Reporting by Tom Perry; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Sunday to devote equal energy to combatting Islamic State jihadists and Syrian Kurdish fighters, on the fifth day of a major offensive that has left dozens dead.

"We will make any kind of contribution to the work to clear Daesh (IS) from Syria," Erdogan told a rally in the southern city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border.

"For the issue of the PYD (Democratic Union Party) terror group in Syria, we have just the same determination," he added, referring to the main pro-Kurdish party in northern Syria and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia.

On Sunday, Turkish forces ramped up their offensive, with Turkish warplanes and artillery pounding areas held by pro-Kurdish forces close to a town liberated from IS this week.

Ankara said its raids had killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" and that the army was doing everything it could to avoid civilian casualties.

But the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 40 civilians were killed in strikes on two areas -- the first report of significant civilian casualties since the start of operation "Euphrates Shield."

The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters had been killed and 15 injured in the bombardments south of Jarabulus, the town taken from IS by Turkish-backed Arab rebels on the first day of Turkey's incursion Wednesday.

Addressing thousands of flag-waving supporters in Gaziantep, Erdogan said he was "ready and determined to clear our region of terror groups".

"We will absolutely not allow any terror activity on or near our borders."

Gaziantep is the city where a suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a wedding party last weekend, killing 55 people.

Turkey blamed the attack on the Islamic State group. Erdogan reaffirmed a previous statement that the bomber was a child aged just 14.

Days later Ankara launched the two-pronged Syria operation with the stated aim of clearing the border area of both IS and the Kurdish fighters.

Turkey sees the US-backed PYD and YPG -- which have links to Kurdish rebels in southeast Turkey -- as terror groups and wants to keep them from taking control of the border on the Syrian side.

The US supports the Syrian Kurdish fighters as an effective adversary of IS in the area.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish air strikes in north Syria killed 25 Kurdish militants, the Turkish military said on Sunday, the fifth day of a cross-border campaign launched alongside its Syrian rebel allies that aims to strike at Kurdish forces and Islamic State. The military said the militants were killed in the area of Jarablus, a Syrian town on the border with Turkey. The army said it was taking all measures to avoid any civilian deaths. The monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday that at least 35 civilians were killed south of Jarablus during fighting between Turkish-backed forces and rival Kurdish-aligned Syrian militias. The militias have said no Kurdish forces are in the area. (Reporting by Ece Toksabay and Orhan Coskun; writing by Edmund Blair; editing by Mark Heinrich)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - A group monitoring the Syrian war said Turkish air strikes and artillery attacks killed at least 20 people and wounded dozens more on Sunday in a village in northern Syria, where Turkey and allied Syrian rebels are fighting Kurdish-allied militias. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a total of 50 people had been wounded in the attack on the village of Jub al-Kousa, in an area controlled by militias allied to the Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Istanbul (Turkey) (AFP) - Dozens of people were killed in Turkish bombardments in Syria on Sunday as Ankara ramped up its unprecedented offensive against the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants.

Ankara said it had killed 25 Kurdish "terrorists" and insisted the army was doing everything possible to avoid civilian casualties.

But the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 40 civilians were killed in Turkish shelling and air strikes on two areas held by pro-Kurdish forces in northern Syria, the first report of significant civilian casualties in Turkey's operation.

The bombardments came after Ankara suffered its first military fatality in the two-pronged offensive against IS and the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia.

Addressing a rally in the southern city of Gaziantep, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to combat the jihadists and the US-backed Kurdish fighters "with the same determination."

"We will make any kind of contribution to the work to clear Daesh (IS) from Syria," Erdogan told thousands of flag-waving supporters in the city where a suicide bomber suspected of IS links blew himself up at a wedding party last weekend.

Regarding "the PYD (Democratic Union Party) terror group in Syria, we have just the same determination," Erdogan said, referring to the main pro-Kurdish party in northern Syria and its YPG militia.

On Sunday, Turkish forces ramped up their offensive against pro-Kurdish forces near a town wrested back from IS this week by Turkish-backed Arab rebels.

- Turkish advance -

According to the Observatory, Turkish artillery fire and air strikes on Jeb el-Kussa village killed at least 20 civilians and wounded 50 others. Another 20 were killed and 25 wounded in air strikes near the town of Al-Amarneh, it said.

The monitor also said at least four Kurdish fighters were killed and 15 wounded in the two areas.

Turkey said the dead were 25 "terrorists" from the YPG and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), state-run Anadolu news agency said.

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"All possible measures are being taken to prevent harm to the civilian population living in the area," the army said, quoted by Anadolu.

Sunday's operations took Turkey deeper inside Syria, into an area where the Kurdish forces that control much of the border had begun to expand.

Jeb el-Kussa is located 14 kilometres (almost nine miles) south of Jarabulus, the IS border stronghold which Turkish-backed Arab rebels captured on the first day of the incursion.

The rebels say they have captured at least nine towns and villages, including Jarabulus, from IS and Kurdish forces since Wednesday.

In a statement Saturday, Kurdish forces accused Ankara of seeking to "expand its occupation" inside Syria.

- Dead soldier flown home -

The latest fighting is likely to raise deep concerns with Washington, Turkey's NATO ally which supports the YPG as an effective adversary of IS.

But Turkey considers the YPG a "terrorist" group and vehemently opposes its attempts to create a contiguous autonomous zone along its border, fearing it could strengthen the Kurdish rebels fighting the state in southeast Turkey.

Ankara says the YPG has broken a promise made to the US to go back across the Euphrates River after advancing westwards earlier this month.

On Sunday, the first Turkish casualty in the operation was flown home from Gaziantep for burial in his home province of Duzce on the Black Sea.

Erdogan also met relatives of the victims of the August 20 suicide bombing in Gaziantep, which hit a Kurdish wedding, reaffirming his earlier claim that the bomber was a 14-year-old boy.

- Condemning chemical attacks -

Ankara's military intervention has added another dimension to Syria's complex multi-front war, a devastating conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people and forced millions from their homes since March 2011.

The Observatory said government forces on Sunday resumed shelling and air strikes on the rebel-held Waer district of Homs city, killing three people and wounding another 20.

Much of the heaviest fighting this summer has focused on the second city of Aleppo, which is roughly divided between rebel forces and President Bashar al-Assad's troops.

Global powers have been pushing for 48-hour humanitarian ceasefires in the embattled city.

Russia, which backs Assad, has endorsed the proposal. But some rebel groups have rejected the plan.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Sunday said it was crucial to condemn Damascus' use of chemical weapons in Syria ahead of a crunch UN Security Council meeting on the issue.

"I cannot see the reasons or arguments for not condemning the use of chemical weapons," he said in remarks apparently directed at Russia.
Chicago police charged two brothers Sunday (August 28) with murder for the shooting death of 32-year-old Nykea Aldridge, cousin to Chicago Bulls star Dwyane Wade.

The mother of four was pushing a stroller with a baby inside Friday (August 28) when she was struck by a random bullet over the weekend. According to officials, Aldridge wasnt the intended target of the gun fire on Chicagos South Side. Thankfully, the child wasnt injured.

Chicago Police Department spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi, said two brothers, 26-year-old Darwin Sorells, and 22 year old Derren have been charged with the shooting.

brothers-charged-with-shooting-death-of dwayne-wade-cousin

Credit: Chicago Police Department

Guglielmi posted to Twitter that Derren is a known member of Gangster Disciples and is on parole. Darwin, a co-conspirator in the crime, was also on parole for a felony gun charge. He was sentenced to six years in prison back in January 2013, but was released early.

News of Aldridges death came during the same weekend Chicago native, rapper, Academy-Award winner, politician and activist Rhymefestreal name Che Smithwas robbed at gunpoint.
(Reuters) - A bus with an unlicensed driver spun out of control near New Orleans on Sunday, killing two people and injuring 41, while taking volunteers to help with Louisiana flood relief, officials said.

St. John the Baptist Fire District Chief Spencer Chauvin was among those killed in the early morning crash after the chartered bus slammed into him as he tried to help victims of another accident, Louisiana State Police spokeswoman Melissa Matey told reporters at a news conference.

Two other firefighters were injured in the crash, one critically, and a passenger in another vehicle struck by the bus died at the scene, the spokeswoman said.

The driver, who was unauthorized to drive a commercial vehicle, was in custody and would be booked on suspicion of negligent homicide, reckless driving and driving without a license, Matey said.

"All three firemen were thrown over the guard rail and into the water below," Matey said.

The incident started when a speeding pickup truck spun out of control, bouncing from one side of the road to the other before coming to rest along the right lane and shoulder of Interstate 10 near the community of Laplace, about 25 miles (40 km) northwest of New Orleans, Matey said.

The firefighters and state police troopers were on scene to investigate when the bus, also out of control, slammed into the fire truck and a Toyota Camry, Matey said. Jermaine Starr, a passenger in the Camry, was pronounced dead at the scene.

It was not immediately clear why the bus driver, Denis Yasmir Amaya Rodriguez, 37, lost control.

Rodriguez, who is from Honduras, was in the United States illegally and Homeland Security officials are assisting the state in its investigation, Matey said.

The Acadian Ambulance Service said on Twitter it had taken 38 people to hospitals and that a second ambulance company had transported three to hospitals.

Matey said at the news conference that most of the injuries to the 24 people on the bus were minor to moderate.

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The bus, filled with volunteers to help residents recover from massive flooding in Louisiana earlier this month, was traveling westbound on Interstate 10 when it crashed into the fire truck and another vehicle, the television station and other media reported.

As many as 60,600 homes were reported damaged or destroyed in flooding that ravaged 20 parishes, or counties, in the southern part of Louisiana. About 3,000 residents were still living in shelters as of Aug. 22, officials said last week.

(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein in Sacramento, California; Editing by Alan Crosby and Bill Trott)
New Delhi: JNU has suspended a PhD scholar, who has been accused of rape by a fellow student, and declared the campus out of bounds for him while enquiry is pending, a decision which comes following protests from students and teachers.

A 28-year-old research student has alleged that a fellow student, Anmol Ratan, raped her after offering her a spiked drink in his hostel room in the university on 20 August.

Ratan, an activist of the left-affiliated All India Students' Association (AISA), has also been expelled from the student outfit and police have booked him.

While he evaded arrest at first, Ratan subsequently surrendered on 24 August and was sent to 14 days in judicial custody.

"Considering the seriousness of the case and in confirmity with zero tolerance against sexual assault on women, Anmol Ratan is suspended from the university with immediate effect during pendency of the case," the suspension order read.

"The entire JNU campus shall remain out of bounds for Ratan during his suspension. Anyone found giving shelter to Ratan in any hostel residence in the campus shall invite disciplinary action against him or her," it added.

The action came after the students and teachers staged protests demanding action against Ratan to ensure safety of women on the campus and send out a strong message of intolerance towards such incidents.

University administration, has also asked the Gender Sensitization Committee Against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH), to investigate the matter.

GSCASH is the university's panel to deal with complaints of such nature.

The rape case has become a centre of political agenda setting at JNU campus where student union polls are scheduled to be held in the next fortnight.

Student wings of various political parties are trying to encash the issue ahead of the keenly contested polls.
(Adds reports of drivers arrested)

ABU DHABI, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Ride-hailing companies Uber and Careem have suspended services in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, since Saturday and do not know when they can resume operations, they said on Sunday.

The National, a UAE newspaper, quoted unnamed sources as saying that as many as 50 drivers for Uber and Careem had been arrested.

An Abu Dhabi source familiar with the situation told Reuters some drivers had been detained over violations of regulations, but did not specify how many drivers or describe the violations.

"This is a temporary suspension and we will let you know of any further updates," an Uber spokesman in Dubai said via email. He did not respond to questions about the arrests or the reason for the suspension of services.

Christian Eid, vice-president of marketing and communications for Careem, a Dubai-based company, said many of its drivers were being stopped by authorities in Abu Dhabi, apparently over licensing issues, and as a result had become nervous and were staying off the roads. This had forced Careem to halt services there, he said.

The Abu Dhabi government's Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars, which manages the taxi and transport sector, did not respond to queries. The centre oversees about seven taxi operators and 18 limousine operators, some of which are partly government-owned. Abu Dhabi police did not respond to requests for comment.

Uber and Careem said they had not suspended operations in neighbouring Dubai, the commercial and tourist hub of the UAE. The emirate of Abu Dhabi has a population of about 2.8 million and Dubai has roughly 2.5 million.

Uber, which launched services in Abu Dhabi in 2013, said last year that the Middle East and North Africa contained some of its fastest-growing markets and that it planned to invest $250 million to expand in the region.

(Reporting by Stanley Carvalho and Celine Aswad; Editing by Andrew Torchia and Susan Thomas)
The UFC on FOX 21: Maia vs. Condit main card fighters snatched up all of the post-fight bonuses on Saturday night in Vancouver.

Although fell just shy of the epic battle they had in 2012, Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon put on another classic battle in Canada. It was a back-and-forth battle that went all three rounds, but Miller edged ahead of Lauzon, scoring a split-decision victory.

It was an exciting performance from both fighters, and earned Miller and Lauzon another Fight of the Night honor, each man taking home an additional $50,000 for his efforts.

RELATED > UFC on FOX 21: Maia vs. Condit Full Live Results and Fight Stats

UFC on FOX 21 main eventer Demian Maia was one of two Performance of the Night bonus winners. He looked as impressive as ever in the Octagon, submitting former interim UFC welterweight champion Carlos Condit in the first two minutes of their fight.

The other Performance of the Night honor went to Paige VanZant, who made her first appearance in the Octagon since a runner-up stint on Dancing With the Stars. VanZant withstood some heavy blows from Bec Rawlings in the first round, but turned the tables in the opening seconds of round two, knocking Rawlings out with a kick to the head.

Fight of the Night: Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon

Performance of the Night: Demian Maia

Performance of the Night: Paige VanZant

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Montevideo (AFP) - A former prisoner at the US Guantanamo Bay military center being held by Venezuela after going missing from Uruguay will be returned there Sunday, a key mediator said.

Jihad Diyab -- a 45-year-old Syrian who was resettled in Uruguay as a refugee in 2014 -- was jailed at the headquarters of the Venezuelan secret police after going off Montevideo's radar and apparently evading border controls.

Held in Guantanamo for 12 years without charge, Diyab was released in 2014 from the US-run military prison in Cuba to Uruguay, along with five other former inmates.

His disappearance from Uruguay sharpened the US debate over the push by US President Barack Obama's administration to resettle other detainees.

"He will arrive in the coming hours" in Uruguay, said Christian Mirza, an intermediary between the Uruguayan government and the Guantanamo refugees.

"But his arrival will be kept secret to protect his security. We think he is very vulnerable," Mirza added.

On Saturday, a US-based human rights activist, Andres Conteris, told AFP that three independent sources, who asked to remain anonymous said Diyab had begun a hunger strike after "learning that the foreign ministries of Venezuela and Uruguay negotiated his deportation to Uruguay."

Mirza indicated he had no information that Diyab was on a hunger strike and said that from what he knew Diyab was in good health.

He said Diyab would undergo a medical checkup when he returns to Uruguay.

Diyab was one of six former Guantanamo inmates who arrived in Uruguay in 2014 under an agreement between Montevideo and Washington.

He wants to be sent to Turkey or to another third country so that he could reunite with his family, a plan that is underway with the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"When he returns there will be talks with him to see what can be done and look at, with the foreign ministry and the Red Cross, the steps that need to be taken," said Mirza.

Story continues

The mediator pointed out that as a refugee Diyab is allowed to leave Uruguay on condition that he is accepted for entry by another country.

The Venezuelan secret police holding Diyab have refused to allow visits by the activist Conteris or Diyab's US-based lawyer, Jon Eisenberg.

Eisenberg represents Diyab in a lawsuit filed against the US authorities for force-feeding prisoners on hunger strike in Guantanamo.

The Venezuelan authorities so far have not commented on the case.
Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) (AFP) - Dutch teenager Max Verstappen's aggressive racing style is dangerous and may have caused a big accident during the Belgian Grand Prix, rival Kimi Raikkonen claimed after Sunday's race.

Finn Raikkonen, who finished ninth for Ferrari, clashed frequently throughout the 44-lap contest with the local hero, who seemed to be inspired by the atmosphere created by a sell-out crowd packed with an 'orange' army of his supporters.

Raikkonen criticised Verstappen -- who finished 11th -- for his abrasive defensive driving at the Hungarian race and their strained relations were stretched again when the pair collided at the first corner.

"My start wasn't great," said the Dutchman. "But then I dived up the inside and didn't lock a wheel and was easily making the corner, but they just kept squeezing me.

"I was on the inside, Kimi was squeezing me and then Sebastian just turned in on both of us. He turned into the corner, where there were already two cars.

"That gave my front wing a lot of damage and, obviously, the floor was destroyed and, from there on, my race was gone."

In turn, Raikkonen took issue with Verstappen's defensive move on the Kemmel Straight during their midfield scrap.

"I'm all up for fair battles and close racing," said Raikkonen. "But when I have to back off after Eau Rouge, on the straight, where I made my move...I had to brake not to hit him because he turns after I make my move the first time.

"That, I think, is not correct. We were fortunate there wasn't a big accident because of that."

Verstappen escaped any penalty from the stewards, but Raikkonen added: "If I have to brake from full speed, I haven't had that with any other driver.

"If I hadn't braked, I would have hit him at the rear at full throttle. Something is not correct, but it doesn't seem to matter (to him)."

During their wheel-banging battle, Raikkonen told his Ferrari team: "Clearly his only interest is in pushing me off the circuit completely."

Verstappen responded later by telling reporters that the Finn's claims were "a big lie."

"To be honest, I think that's a big lie," he said. "I'm just defending my position. If somebody doesn't like it, that's his own problem."
White Lives Matter and the KKK are officially hate movements

White Lives Matter and the KKK are officially hate movements

Its now easier than ever to shut down those who argue that White Lives Matter is anything close to Black Lives Matter, because the movement has officially been classified as one of hate by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the experts who regularly chart hate groups and movements.

White Lives Matter is finally called what it is: a hate movement.

We are listing them because they are clearly white supremacists, Heidi Beirich of the SPLCs Intelligence Project told Vice. Their motto should be only white lives matter.'

Exactly. It finally feels like the concerned voices are rising above those who refuse to understand why comparing BLM to White Lives Matter is absolute nonsense, and its a good feeling.

Following especially tense racial divides this summer, the SPLC was asked to classify Black Lives Matter as a hate group.

Richard Cohen, SPLC president, responded, saying, In recent weeks, weve received a number of requests to name Black Lives Matter a hate group, particularly in the wake of the murders of eight police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Numerous conservative commentators have joined the chorus. There is even a Change.org petition calling for the hate group label.

Black Lives Matter is not a hate group, he said. But the perception that it is racist illustrates the problem. Our society as a whole still does not accept that racial injustice remains pervasive. And, unfortunately, the fact that white people tend to see race as a zero-sum game may actually impede progress.

Theyll be joined by the Ku Klux Klan, the National Socialist Movement, and racist skinheads on the annual hate map that keeps track of hate groups and movements.

The post White Lives Matter and the KKK are officially hate movements appeared first on HelloGiggles.
Injecting Insulin

An essential drug that has been on the market for decades still has a sticker price out of range for some patients who need it.

Insulin, a lifesaving treatment for diabetes, was first patented in 1923. Unlike many common, even newer medicines, a generic option does not exist. At the same time, the cost of insulin has more than tripled.

According to a 2016 analysis in the Journal of the American Medical Association, in 2002, the cost per patient per year was $231. In 2013, it was closer to $736.

Today, almost 22 million Americans are diagnosed diabetics. Of those, about 26% take insulin to manage the chronic disease. (The rest take pills only or no medication at all.)

The reasons these Americans dont have a cheaper option for insulin by now isn't simple. It has a lot to do with biology and regulations. Those issues are compounded by historical and economic factors, a 2015 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine reported.

Insulin's biology makes it tricky to copy

Typically, new prescription drugs are available only from the company that developed and patented them for the first few years after gaining FDA approval. The brand-name drug is allowed to monopolize the field so drug companies have incentive to invest heavily in research and come up with new medicines.

After a few years, however, other companies are allowed to start making generic versions of the drug  cheaper, off-brand options that are otherwise exactly the same as the original. Because theres no longer a monopoly and generic manufacturers are only trying to turn a profit  not recoup high research and development costs  generics can be much less expensive and thus more accessible treatment options for the general public.

But insulin didn't follow that trajectory.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that makes it possible for the body to absorb and process sugar from food. Researchers first figured out how to manufacture it in animal pancreases back in the 1920s so that it could be injected into people who weren't making enough. Next, human insulin was produced using recombinant DNA technology that made bacteria into mini insulin factories, so people could take human insulin instead of animal forms. The most recent innovations are insulin analogues, slight variations on human insulin to make the injected treatment act more like the insulin naturally produced and regulated by the body.

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But because it's made of living cells, its what doctors call a biologic product, and it's more complicated and difficult to manufacture than the medicines most often produced generically.

So a "generic" version of insulin would be something called a biosimilar. Unlike generics for chemical-based drugs (think antibiotics or birth-control pills) that can be interchangeable with branded versions, the copycats of biologic medications, which are produced using living cells, have a few more caveats because the drugs might have different reactions in your body.

Getting a biosimilar insulin approved is more difficult than getting a generic of a simpler drug approved, study coauthor Kevin Riggs explained to Business Insider in 2015.

Scientifically it's harder to point to generic copy of insulin and say this is the same, Riggs said.

But companies have done it. There are currently two biosimilars that have gotten approved by the FDA, and CVS Health said in August that it would only cover Basaglar, a drug that's considered a biosimilar to the insulin Lantus in Europe and approved in the US, starting in 2017.

Insulin Hexamer

The biology of the drug isn't the only reason we don't have cheaper versions of insulin

The NEJM paper detailed years of incremental innovation of insulin  substantial tweaks to the product by various companies that truly improved it, but kept the latest and greatest version under patent protection until 2014. This happens with a lot of drugs, and it's a subject of much debate.

"The real question is, do those improvements do what they actually offer? Are they really innovative?" Ameet Sarpatwari, an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital told Business Insider on Tuesday.

With each subsequent innovation, older but still effective versions of insulin that could have been produced and sold more cheaply fell out of use.

Economic implications

Thats not to say newer forms of insulin dont have benefits to offset their heftier price tag.

A review published in 2008 in the American Journal of Managed Care showed insulin analogues were more cost-effective than other treatment options in the long run. They worked a bit better than unmodified human insulin, and were less unpleasant for patients to use. Though prescriptions for insulin analogues were more expensive than unmodified human insulin, the review concluded they reduced later costs of patients being hospitalized with complications from diabetes that wasnt well managed.

But individual patients and their particular situations can get lost in large studies that look at population-wide cost-effectiveness. For patients without health insurance, insulin is prohibitively expensive. Earlier iterations of insulin would be good choices for a lot of individuals if they were available more cheaply, the NEJM paper's authors argued.

What would have been better is if as newer versions came on market the older version became generic and gave people more choice, Riggs said in an interview with Business Insider.

What's ahead?

Now that patents on the latest insulin products are expiring and a regulatory approval pathway exists, other options for insulin are at the US's doorstep. The one CVS Health opted to cover in 2017, Basaglar (though technically considered a "follow on," not a biosimilar), is set to launch in the US in December 2016.

The discount the drug brings won't be as drastic as a generic coming to market. When it comes to biosimilars overall, it might look more like a 30% discount than an 80% or 90% cut. But it still could make a difference.

"Insulin is a life-saving medication, Dr. William Herman, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health told Stat in April. "There are people with type 1 diabetes who will die without insulin. And while there have been incremental benefits in insulin products, prices have been rising. So there are people who cant afford them. Its a real problem."

Ellie Kincaid contributed to an earlier version of this post.

NOW WATCH: Doctors are recommending a radical new approach to treat diabetes  and it could be a game-changer





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Nearly eight stories under the earth, the remains of wolf, bison, lion, cheetah, and wolverine have lay preserved in the cool humidity of a cave in Wyoming for some 38,000 years.

Ive been a lot of places on public lands but its a very different feeling, Delissa Minnick, field manager for the Bureau of Land Management in Cody, Wyoming, told Travel + Leisure. The quiet and the darkness when you turn out your head lamps; its very otherworldly.

Scientists conducting a dig in the Natural Trap Cave of the Big Horn mountains in northern Wyoming have found a veritable treasure trove of animal bones that date back to the Ice Age.

The cave is called the Natural Trap because for millennia it was just that: a death sentence for hapless animals that fell in its 15-foot-wide opening and were unable to escape. What was the animals misfortune has become scientists luck, as the cold temperature and humidity of the cave preserved entire specimens of a wide range of animals that roamed the region, some of which have been extinct for 12,000 years.

Researchers working on the dig, led by principal investigator Julie Meachen of Des Moines University, accessed the site by rappelling down on a single rope and then using pulleys to carry the fossils from the site.

A whole fox skull, the remains of an American lion, and the jaw of a cheetah were among Meachens most rare finds in Natural Trap. The photo below shows the skull of a bison from approximately 8,000 years ago.

Bison Skull from the Natural Trap Cave

Its unusual because of the abundance of specimens that are in there and the variety, Meachen told T+L. The cave never gets warmer than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Meachen, and the cool temperatures have helped preserve such fossils for thousands of years.

Meachen and her team plan to use DNA samples from the fossils to study the genetics and morphology of these animals, as well as their climate.

Given the unique microclimate of the cave, it has been closed to the public by a barred grate and used exclusively for scientific research. Meachen and her colleagues first came to Natural Trap in 2014, and the site had not been used by researchers since the 1970s.

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Jess McHugh is a digital reporter for Travel + Leisure. Follow her on Twitter at @MchughJess.

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Analyst Corey Weiss, disgnosed with autism as a young boy, works at Mindspark in Santa Monica, California (AFP Photo/Frederic J. Brown)

San Francisco (AFP) - Corey Weiss may not be adept at body language or social cues, but he knows software.

Laser-focus on detail that comes with his place on the autism spectrum are part of what makes Weiss a top analyst at MindSpark, a young California firm mixing business smarts with social good.

"I see things others wouldn't," said 27-year-old Weiss, who was diagnosed with autism when he was a young boy.

"The greatest strength is it makes me more detail-oriented; I am more focused."

MindSpark, located in the coastal city of Santa Monica near Los Angeles, employs analysts with autism to test software for companies.

The firm has been refining its model for the past three years, its roster of clients growing to include Fox Networks Group and Liberty Mutual.

This week, MindSpark opened to companies around the world.

MindSpark seeks out people on the high-functioning end of the autism spectrum with behaviors that, while at odds with social norms, are advantages in working with computer technology, according to co-founder Chad Hahn.

"You have this huge pool of talented labor that not many people are looking at," Hahn told AFP.

"This is a perfect model to drive social change. Companies can really do well by doing good."

MindSpark has 27 analysts, five of them full-time employees and the rest paid based on the number of hours they work.

Creating a workplace community that helps manage anxiety is a part of keeping autistic employees on task, and some analysts prefer to only work part-time

Analysts make about $35,000 annually, with senior analysts earning closer to $50,000, MindSpark said.

Hahn described software testing as a learnable skill, especially if people have traits prevalent in the higher functioning end of the autism population: attention to detail, pattern recognition, and a penchant for staying focused on a task.

About one percent of the world's population is touched by autism, a developmental disability that affects people to different degrees, according to the US-based Autism Society.

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The autism spectrum ranges from people who avoid eye contact and communicate with seemingly odd behaviors instead of words to those with language skills and quick minds but inability to understand social norms.

"Most people (with autism) do not have access to work despite the fact that they are willing and desire work," said Desiree Kameka, director of community engagement at Madison House Autism Foundation.

"Tech companies being able to create an environment that takes into consideration the accommodations adults on the spectrum need is so important."

For those with autism, dealing with the social side of a workplace that is routine to "neuro-typical" people can be overwhelming.

- Hard-wired differently -

EvoLibri Consulting founder Jan Johnston-Tyler, who has an adult son with high-functioning autism, called for workplaces to embrace "neurodiversity" such as autism, attention-deficits, and learning disabilities.

"These are hard-wired, not acquired differences," Johnston-Tyler said.

"They are simply different ways of being."

Johnston-Tyler contended that autism has been a part of Silicon Valley since its inception.

The 57-year-old mother recalled being a school girl in Palo Alto with classmates who, in hindsight, she believes were autistic but were thought of as geeks.

"Silicon Valley was built on neurodiversity; that is how we got here," said Johnston-Tyler.

EvoLibri specializes in finding jobs or services for "neurodiverse" people.

When workplaces create supportive communities for people with autism, they tend to get intensely loyal workers who come with the benefit of looking at challenges or problems differently.

While some on the spectrum are natural for computer science, others excel in other areas such as art or media, according to Johnston-Tyler.

A challenge, she said, has been getting Silicon Valley companies to open doors to long-term careers instead of simply farming out piecemeal work on tasks such as debugging code.

"We have qualified people at a time when Silicon Valley continues to bellyache there are no qualified candidates," Johnston-Tyler said.

"They don't want to hire people because they are different."

A problem is that while some with autism may have the right job skills, they also may have trouble with life basics such as sleeping, eating, and getting to the office on time.

Microsoft last year launched a pilot program aimed at recruiting people with autism for full-time jobs at the Redmond, Washington-based software colossus.

- 80 percent unemployed -

When announcing the program, Microsoft said that an estimated 80 percent of people with autism are unemployed, though many are fully capable of holding down jobs, and some possess exceptional skills in areas such as science, mathematics or technology.

Microsoft and German business software giant SAP AG are among the companies working with Denmark-based Specialisterne, which puts people with autism in jobs such as software testers or programmers.

Often, families of people with autism have taken on the challenges of starting businesses, creating farming communities or undertaking other major projects to provide loved ones with meaningful lives.

"I am seriously concerned about what is going to happen to older adults on the spectrum today who have the potential for meaningful employment but don't have those connections; whose parents are not part of that startup social enterprise world," Kameka said.

"It is scary to think about."
Srinagar: The father of slain Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, who met the Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the latter's ashram in Bengaluru, today said he discussed the situation in the Valley with the spiritual guru.

"I met Sri Sri Ravi Shankar during a personal visit to Bengaluru last week. Since Sri Sri is a man of peace, I apprised him about the ground situation," Muzaffar Wani told PTI over phone from his residence in south Kashmir's Tral town.

The killing of Wani's son Burhan sparked off violence in Kashmir that has left 68 persons dead and thousands others injured as the unrest entered its 51st day on Sunday.

Wani said he also asked Sri Sri to use his influence in finding a solution to Kashmir problem.

"Sri Sri asked me what the people of Kashmir wanted. I asked him to visit the Valley to find out for himself," he said.

Wani, a teacher by profession, said there should be an unconditional dialogue with the separatists to find a lasting solution to Kashmir problem.

"Hurriyat is the leadership of Kashmir and there should be an unconditional dialogue ... the precondition of 'within the ambit of Indian Constitution' will not lead to a solution," he added.

Burhan's father had gone to Bengaluru on Thursday for "treatment" of a health-related issue and returned home Saturday.

A photograph of Wani with the Sri Sri, posted by the latter on Twitter, has gone viral on social networking sites.

Wani said he had gone to Bengaluru to get treatment for his diabetes problem at the Sri Sri Ayurvedic hospital.

"I did not stay in a hotel as i did not find it safe. I stayed at the Ashram (of Sri Sri)," he said.

"Muzaffar Wani, the father of Burhan Wani was in the ashram for the last 2 days. We discussed several issues," Ravi Shankar had tweeted, without elaborating. The tweet was accompanied by a picture of the two together.

His elder son, Khalid, was also killed by security forces during an anti-militancy operation in the forests of Tral in April last year.
Thiruvanthapuram: Thirty two fishermen were rescued in Kerala on Sunday in two separate incidents after their boats capsized off two coastal villages in the state.

In the first instance, 15 fishermen who had put out to sea from Puthenthoppu village near Thiruvanthapuram were rescued after their country craft capsized about 20 km off the hamlet.

Fishermen in other boats and coastal police helped rescue them, police said.

Four fishermen suffered minor injuries and were given first aid at a hospital in the capital city.

In the second incident, 17 fishermen from Thrissur district had a miraculous escape when their fibreglass boat capsized off Kochi coast at around 9.30 am.

The boat capsized when fishermen lost balance as they were pulling the nets with a heavy catch, police said.

The fishermen then jumped into the sea and held on to a 'trailor boat' attached to their vessel.

Marine Enforcement and Kochi coastal police rushed to the area, about four nautical miles away from Njarackal and rescued them after receiving an alert from fishermen in another boat, police said.

They were later taken to a government hospital and discharged after a mandatory check up.

The vessel and the net could not be recovered, police said.
New Delhi: Home Minister Rajnath Singh is likely to lead the all-party delegation which will visit Jammu and Kashmir on 3 September even as the state continues to be on edge.

As unrest in the Kashmir Valley continued for the 51st consecutive day on Sunday, the Home Minister reviewed the situation with top BJP and government functionaries.

Singh went into a huddle with BJP President Amit Shah, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh and discussed with them the modalities of the all-party delegation's visit.

Sources said the meeting discussed possible individuals and groups with whom the delegation may interact.

The government has sounded out different political parties to convey the names of their representatives who will be part of the delegation.

When asked about what transpired at the meeting, Jitendra Singh refused to elaborate, only telling reporters that "Rajnath Singh is a senior leader and we have come for 'Margdarshan' (guidance)".

The meeting came on a day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the Kashmir situation in his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on All India Radio and a day after Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti met him.

The Kashmir Valley has been gripped by unrest ever since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on 8 July.

The Prime Minister said in his 'Mann Ki Baat' address that any life lost in Kashmir, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is the country's loss.

"'Ekta' (unity) and 'Mamata' (affection) was the crux of all interactions I had recently on Kashmir situation," he said.

Modi said those pushing the youth towards stone pelting in Kashmir will some day have to answer them.

He also said that all political parties spoke in one voice on Kashmir, sending out a strong message to the world as well as the separatists.
New York: Over 100 people on board US' Southwest Airlines flight had a lucky escape when a part of the plane's engine was ripped off thousands of feet above the Gulf of Mexico with the passengers experiencing anxious moments before the jet managed to make an emergency landing.

The Southwest Airlines flight from New Orleans to Orlando, Florida, was forced to make an emergency landing in Pensacola after one of its engines fell apart over the Gulf of Mexico, the New York Daily News reported.

Startled passengers on board Flight 3472 heard a frightening blast to the aircraft's left at an altitude of 30,700 feet. Outside their windows, they saw smoke fuming from the exposed turbine blades at around 9.20 am on Saturday.

"All of a sudden, outside my window, there was a loud explosion, and then the plane started shuddering," passenger Tami Richards told KOCO-TV.

Chunks of the engine's cowling had fallen off, according to photos taken from the aircraft's window mid-flight. Another photo shows a metal object had pierced the fuselage.

"Today, the Captain of Flight #3472 from New Orleans to Orlando made the decision to divert to Pensacola due to a mechanical issue with the number one engine. The flight landed safely without incident at Pensacola International Airport at 9.40 am," the Southwest Airlines said in a statement.

"Initial reports indicate there were no injuries among the 99 passengers and five crew members on board. We have notified the NTSB, and when authorised, we will be inspecting the aircraft to assess the damage," it said.

The Federal Aviation Administration, in a statement, said, Southwest Airlines flight 3472, a Boeing 737, from Louis Armstrong New Orleans Intentional Airport to Orlando International Airport was diverted due to an apparent engine malfunction. The flight declared an emergency and landed safely at Pensacola International Airport just before 9.45 am. The FAA will investigate."

Richards said her three children -- and many of the 99 passengers -- were crying as the oxygen masks dropped and the Boeing 737 made its dramatic descent about 25 minutes into the flight.

"I held my kids, and one was freaking out, crying," Richards was quoted as saying.

Amid the panic, some passengers took selfies while donning the oxygen masks.

The pilots managed to stabilise the aircraft and made the quick-thinking decision to divert the flight to Pensacola with only one working engine. The plane was on the ground without any further mishap.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's domestic popularity has declined, a poll showed on Sunday, with 50 percent of Germans against her serving a fourth term in office after a federal election next year.

A series of violent attacks on civilians in July, two of which were claimed by Islamic State, have focused attention on Merkel's open-door migrant policy, which allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants from the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere into Germany last year.

Half of the 501 people questioned in the Emnid poll for the Bild am Sonntag newspaper were against Merkel staying in office beyond after the 2017 election, with 42 percent wanting her to remain.

In November, the last time Bild am Sonntag commissioned a survey on the issue, 45 percent had been in favour of Merkel serving a fourth term, with 48 percent against.

The head of Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), Frank-Juergen Weise, told the newspaper that he expects a maximum of 300,000 refugees to arrive in Germany this year.

Merkel, asked about her plans for the 2017 election in an interview with regional newspapers published on Tuesday, said, "I will comment on that at the appropriate time. I'm sticking to that."
Melbourne: Embattled French defence firm DCNS has approached the Supreme Court in Australia seeking an injunction against The Australian from further publishing the leaked documents of India's Scorpene submarine project.

The DCNS has also sought a court order to the newspaper to hand over the documents in its possession and removal of the contents from its website.

"The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation," The Australian quoted an affidavit by DCNS lawyer Justine Munsie.

The newspaper had said that it will publish the documents regarding the weapons system of the submarine on Monday.

Over 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company have been leaked.

The move by DCNS comes after a former commander of US Pacific fleet Submarine Force warned that the leaks would undermine the confidence in the ability of French companies to protect classified information.

Rear Admiral (Retd) John Padgett, who is also the president of the US Naval Submarine League, has said that aggressive action needed to be taken to probe the leak and that France should share the outcome with Australia.

The secret data included details of the capabilities of SM39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the Scorpene and classified information about the number of targets the missile was capable of processing.

Explaining the implications of the leak, Admiral Padgett said, "It is never good for an opponent to have your playbook."

"As a member of NATO, the French government and French military demonstrate that they enforce effective security controls and have a solid reputation with their allies," he said.

He said the investigation had to determine exactly how the breach occurred and what "aggressive action" would be taken to correct deficient security controls.

His comments came as a French public prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation into the data leak, with DCNS filing a complaint for breach of trust.

"We filed a complaint against unknown persons for breach of trust with the Paris prosecutor," said a DCNS spokesman.

The DCNS has won a contract to design Australias new $50 billion submarine fleet.
Investigators in eastern China said they have not found high levels of pollution around a school where an explosive state television report in April said hundreds of kids had fallen sick with illnesses including leukemia.

Soil, air and water contamination levels at the Changzhou Foreign Language School, which was built near recently closed chemical plants about 160 kilometers northwest of Shanghai, were found to be within acceptable levels, according to state media. The results of the three-month investigation appear to contradict reports that had sparked mass outrage earlier this year at a time when China was grappling with a series of public health scandals.

In April, Chinas central government moved swiftly to launch a probe just hours after state broadcaster China Central Television, or CCTV, aired a segment saying that 500 kids had fallen ill and that soil tests showed toxic chemical levels at 95,000 times the national limit.

The CCTV segment, which garnered tens of millions of online views a day after it came out, appeared to corroborate investigations by other news outlets that showed environmental regulators had nixed plans for a school at the site, but construction moved ahead anyway.

Former employees of a pesticide company said they regularly buried waste and suffered skin ailments, according to the reports, which were dismissed as overblown by school officials.

Changzhou city officials said that there were some problems with the earlier soil rehabilitation process, but that investigators otherwise found few significant problems at the school, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Friday. Ten cadres have been disciplined in relation to the case, Xinhua said, without giving details.

Some netizens expressed skepticism Saturday that there were no problems found at the school despite the damning reports months earlier. But the social media response was relatively muted compared to the outpouring following the initial CCTV report, which touched on the particularly sensitive subject of childrens safety.

Chinese parents have often blamed weak government oversight for frequent environmental and public health scares, most notably a 2008 tainted baby powder scandal that deeply shook Chinese society.

Just days before CCTV aired its report about the school in Changzhou, central government officials were scrambling to respond to revelations that hospitals had been administering millions of faulty childrens vaccines. Gerry Shih, AP


The Transport Bureau (DSAT) has announced that two new bus routes, 51A and 30X, will be implemented from today. The two buses will pick up and alight passengers along the Macau Peninsula, Taipa and Coloane. Bus 51A will run on a daily basis from 6 a.m. until midnight, departing from the new bus terminal  Praia/Terminal, at Fai Chi Kai  from every six up to 15 minutes. Bus 30X will run from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., from Monday to Saturday, departing every six to 10 minutes, transporting passengers between the boarder gate and Taipa old city.

Health Bureau recalls eye drops

The Health Bureau (SSM) is instructing import companies and wholesalers to recall a type of ophthalmic solution called Ribavirin Eye Drops  8 ml, which is produced by the Chinese pharmaceutical company Wujing Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. The eye drops were supplied to the citys hospitals, pharmacies, and private medical care centers. Earlier, China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) reported that the aforementioned company had been accused of experimental data infringement, producing record infringement, as well as incurring in other infractions. SSM urges residents who have used this product to contact their doctor or pharmacist for further treatment.

Installation of 66 light displays for Moon Cake Festival

The Civic and Municipal Affairs Bureau (IACM) will arrange 66 light displays in the city for the upcoming Moon Cake Festival. A set consisting of 43 light displays will be installed in the Macau Peninsula, and another of 23 at Taipa, including some at the Largo do Senado and at the Praca do Tap Seac. In comparison to last year, an additional 10 displays are being arranged. Decorations resembling lighted rabbits, or showing traditional places, will be available to the public. The decorations will be on display from the beginning of September to the beginning of October.
A Canadian patients receipt of a kidney transplant after waiting just three days during a recent visit to China raised an immediate red flag among surgeons at the Montreal-based Transplantation Society: A turnaround that quick indicates the organ likely came from the body of an executed prisoner.

The case adds to doubts among many doctors internationally about whether China has met its pledge to stop harvesting the organs of executed inmates. The practice is widely condemned by the World Health Organization and others because of concerns over coercive practices and fears it could encourage executions.

China officially claims it ended the harvesting of executed inmates organs in January 2015. Some foreign doctors who have worked in China say authorities are behaving more responsibly, but other observers say China hasnt done enough to prove that its fulfilled that pledge.

China sought to use the Transplantation Societys decision to hold its annual meeting in Hong Kong this month as validation of its transplant program. But Dr. Philip OConnell, the societys president, rejected that interpretation, even if it appeared some reforms had been successful.

We realize that this isnt going to change in a day, OConnell said. Its not going to go from a system that was using organs from executed prisoners, that was driven by corruption and where organs were being paid for [] to a system thats completely open, transparent and ethical.

In a country that routinely suppresses discussions of human-

rights issues and cracks down on lawyers and independent groups, government officials and state media have been relatively open about Chinas problems with organ donation.

Dr. Huang Jiefu, head of the system that supervises transplants in Chinese hospitals, has been the public face of the countrys attempts to change its transplant practices. Huang publicly admitted in 2005 that doctors used executed prisoners organs. In 2011, Huang and other officials estimated that 65 percent of transplanted organs from the deceased came from executed prisoners.

In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Huang said he was confident hospitals under his purview were moving to donated organs, but that black-market surgeries still persist.

We still have a long way to go, Huang said.

A former deputy health minister, Huang said he speaks to top government officials about reforms they need to make to win the worlds confidence. Among the needed reforms, Huang said, is a crackdown on organ trafficking and more regulations on how organs are procured. China also needs to train far more doctors and hospitals to perform surgeries, he said.

Our organ transplantation must be 100 percent reliant on civilian, voluntary organ donation, Huang said. Otherwise, we cannot stand on the world stage.

China is believed to execute more people than any other country in the world, though the total number is kept secret. Amnesty International estimates the annual number is in thousands.

A donor registry was piloted in 2010 and has been expanded into a national system. Newspapers in China often publish positive stories of families that have given the organs of a loved one, an apparent attempt to shift longstanding cultural attitudes about donation.

One such story published by the Shanghai Daily newspaper earlier this month detailed the selfless donation of a 34-year-

old doctors organs to help six people. In what appeared to be a reference to traditional beliefs about keeping a body whole, the article quoted the doctors wife as warning their daughter against tying her hopes to an uncertain heavenly place.

According to the government, Chinese doctors performed 10,057 organ transplants in 2015. Health officials have also said they expect to increase the number of hospitals that can perform transplants. By its own estimates, China has about 300,000 patients a year in need of organs, a challenge that will only get bigger as the worlds largest population ages. Its national rate of donors leads Japan and most other Asian countries, but is far behind the United States and most nations in Western Europe.

Chinese government statistics often engender deep skepticism, and critics of Chinas organ donation practices say theyre not convinced. Some critics, citing Chinas history and the prevalence of black-

market surgeries, contend the true number of transplants is much higher than the official numbers, and that executed prisoners remain the source for many of those organs.

Dr. Torsten Trey, executive director of the advocacy group Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting, said international visitors were not seeing enough of the system to truly judge the accuracy of Chinas statistics or claims of progress.

The change was not successful, because there is no change, Trey said in an email.

For more than a decade, doctors from outside China have worked with Huang and other officials. Huang said he has invited transplant surgeons to tour hospitals and meet doctors.

Dr. Michael Millis, a transplant surgeon at the University of Chicago, said hes visited several dozen transplant centers in China as part of his volunteer work in the country. One sign of a shift, Millis said, was that doctors at those centers used to have routinely scheduled surgeries. Now, they talk of having multiple surgeries in one day or days without any surgeries at all. That indicates they are operating on the up-and-down schedule of a system fueled by voluntary donations rather than executions, Millis said.

These are the stories that I can say that my personal experience is changing and its changing to the system that the rest of the world sees, Millis said.

Millis says reports like the recent case in Canada suggest black-market surgeries still occur in China, though not at the scale alleged by others.

There is no evidence it is an extensive black-market parallel system that would generate a large number of organs from executed prisoners, Millis said, adding that unsanctioned transplants occur in other parts of the world as well.

Millis and other doctors hope to improve Chinas system by engaging with health officials they see as receptive and willing to consider reforms.

In the Canadian case, the Transplantation Society was alerted soon after the patient returned to Canada and told his doctors he had purchased a kidney and required follow-up care. The society sent a letter to Huang calling for an investigation just ahead of its annual global meeting in Hong Kong.

What happened next could be considered a positive sign by those working with China. Huang said Chinese officials revoked the licenses of the surgeon and the hospital, and a criminal investigation was launched into the surgery. Nomaan Merchant, Beijing, AP
A British force of about 4,000 infantry has arrived in Korea from Hong Kong.

The decision to send the troops, as back up for the American-led United Nations force, was taken suddenly a week ago. Until now, the only British support has been from warships in the area and some local air squadrons.

The British force includes the 1st Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and 1st Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment.

American troops have been in the region since the beginning of July and there has been deep concern in Britain that it has taken so long to send support.

At the end of July, the Minister of Defence, Emmanuel Shinwell, announced a self-contained expeditionary force, including armour, artillery and engineers, as well as infantry, would be sent to Korea.

But he said ground forces would not be withdrawn from Malaya or Hong Kong to make up the force.

However, it appears following an urgent request from General Douglas MacArthur last week for infantry reinforcements, there was a change of plan in Whitehall.

The self-contained force  including a centurion tank  is still being sent to Korea but is not expected to arrive for another couple of weeks.

Opposition leader Winston Churchill intends to raise the matter when Parliament next meets on 12 September.

The British contingent has arrived at a moment when the United Nations line is under heavy pressure on its northern front and the port of Pohang on the east coast is threatened by Communist encirclement.

Reports from Korea say Communist forces have also moved inland to capture Kigye.

If they are successful, the Communists are expected to turn their attentions next to Taegu, the main ce ntre of allied communications.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

Parliament was recalled on 12 September when the Government announced it was increasing its expenditure on defence and extending the period of national service from 18 months to two years due in part to the demands of the war in Korea.

Two million people died during the Korean war, which ended with an armistice signed on 27 July 1953.

Of the 63,000 UK troops sent to Korea  many National Service conscripts  1,078 died and more than 1,000 were taken prisoner.

Many were mistreated and subjected to political re-education. Some 82 prisoners never returned home and are presumed dead.

North and South Korea were eventually separated by a demarcation line which was extended by a 2km (1.5 miles) demilitarised zone on either side.

A peace deal has never been reached. American troops remain stationed in the de-militarized zone on and around the 38th parallel separating North and South Korea.
The national identity crisis exposed by Frances burkini controversy is threatening to set the tone for the countrys presidential campaign.

Along with the economy, the relationship between Frances Muslims and non-Muslims has been a recurring theme as presidential hopefuls kick off campaigning for the April-May election. Some leftists say the far right is using the issue to encourage racism in France.

A top French court ruling Friday against banning the burkini didnt put an end to the debate. Some mayors are refusing to rescind their bans, arguing that the head-to-ankle swimwear could disrupt public order after a summer marred by Islamic extremist attacks. The burkini bans by some French coastal towns drew international condemnation after images circulated online of police appearing to require a Muslim woman to disrobe.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy and other some other conservative candidates want a national law banning burkinis. Sarkozys chief rival for the conservative nomination, former Prime Minister Alain Juppe, struck a more conciliatory tone, saying on Europe-1 radio yesterday that such rhetoric throws oil on the fire.

But at a campaign event Saturday in Chatou west of Paris, Juppe suggested putting limits on how far religious practices can reach into public life, calling for a special accord between the state and Muslim leaders to lay out clear rules for respecting French secularism.

It is legitimate to ask them to have a knowledge of the principles of the organization of the republican state, especially French-style secularism, he said.

The economy and security issues are likely to dominate the French campaign for the April and May presidential elections, after years of 10 percent unemployment and a string of deadly Islamic extremist attacks.

While many on the French left criticize the burkini as oppressing women, they also fear the issue feeds into the agenda of far-right candidate Marine Le Pen of the National Front.

Benoit Hamon, a former Socialist government minister seeking the leftist presidential nomination, tweeted yesterday that the burkini debate is targeting Muslims once again. Hamon criticized Prime Minister Manuel Valls, a fellow Socialist, for supporting burkini bans.

Socialist President Francois Hollande, who hasnt announced whether he will seek a second term, has remained cautious in comments on the burkini. Angela Charlton, Paris, AP
To stop wild elephants from rampaging through their produce, farmers in Thailand put up electric fences, set off firecrackers and even switched their crops from pineapples to pumpkins, which the pachyderms dont relish much. Nothing worked, so the villagers decided on Plan Bee.

In a pilot scheme run by the Thai Department of National Parks, farmers are deploying bees as a new line of defense, exploiting elephants documented fear of bee stings. The idea to play on the phobia came out of Oxford University research and has been used successfully for several years in Africa. Its now gaining a toehold in Asia.

The problem is quite severe in the eastern province of Chanthaburi, which has thick forests near farming communities that grow rice, cassava, pineapple and rubber.

There are an estimated 3,000 wild elephants in Thailand, according to the Thai Elephant Conservation Center. And as farmers push into forests for agriculture, elephants have been forced to venture out of their shrinking habitats in search of food.

Starting two years ago, elephants have come and destroyed farmers crops almost every day, said Prasit Sae-Lee, the head of the local administration. Elephants travel in a herd, a big herd, razing everything to the ground everywhere they go. The ground is flattened so much so that a 10-wheeled truck can drive through after they had gone.

Government officials suggested farmers stop growing pineapples, which elephants love.

The latest suggestion is for us to grow pumpkins, Prasit said. But it didnt solve anything. They destroyed pumpkins. They pulled roots out and stepped on them and even ate them.

Help for the residents of the remote Pana village came from a government wildlife research station, which is helping them raise bees. Its a simple technique. Traditionally beehives are placed on the ground, but here researchers raise them on stilts, putting them at eye level for the elephants.

Beehive boxes are connected with a rope to create a fence. When the elephants try to enter, they push at the ropes and shake the beehives, causing the bees to swarm out in a fearsome cloud of buzz and venomous sting that the animals are unlikely to forget.

At first I thought it would not work. Even the forestry officials did not think it would work, said Boonchu Sirimaha, 66, whose family became the first in the village to participate in the research project. But after we put the beehives up [two months ago], it worked. The elephants were stung by the bees and they have not been back since.

The downside of the project is that it is not feasible on large farms because that would require thousands of beehive boxes, which would prove to be expensive. Each box has about 10,000 bees and costs 4,000 baht (USD115). But it is a good solution for small farms, and for people like Boonchu who want to protect their homes, which can be ring-fenced by beehives.

They will have to figure out ways that are cheap for everyone to use, said Tony Lynam of the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society. Methods they can set up by themselves such as fences with bells, and guard posts [] firecrackers, beehives, all of these things can be used together but any one of those methods by itself wont be a solution, he said.

Boonchus daughter, Dararath, is happy with the bee strategy.

The elephants come out at night. They come all the way up to the house, said Dararath, 36, recalling the horrors of the past. Theyve banged against our door and windows. Theyve tipped over parked motorcycles, pulled down tarpaulins and knocked over our washing machine.

Dararath is now a beekeeper. A spin-off benefit is that for every 50 boxes she cultivates, she harvests 300 kilograms of honey, which sells for 150 to 500 baht ($4.30 to $14.30) per kilogram, or $9.50 to $31.50 per pound. The beeswax can sell for about that much. Vicky Ge Huang, Pana, AP
Lotte Groups vice chairman has been found dead as authorities widen a probe into corruption at South Koreas fifth-largest business group, officials at the company and police said on Friday.

Lee In-won, 69, the companys highest-ranking executive outside the founding family and the top aide to its chairman, was found dead hours before a scheduled appearance at a prosecutors office Friday morning.

It is difficult to believe, Lotte Group said in a text message to reporters. Lee has been a Lotte man for more than 40 years since he joined the companys hotel business in 1973.

The death sends Lotte into a fresh crisis. South Korean prosecutors are investigating allegations of embezzlement, slush funds and tax evasions at Lotte Group. The investigation forced the group in June to withdraw its initial public offering plan for Hotel Lotte Co. that could have raised as much as 5.7 trillion won (USD5.1 billion).

Local media reported that Lee took his own life. Yonhap quoted a note he left as saying that there was no slush fund, in an apparent response to prosecutors allegations. The report said a resident found his body on a mountain in the east of Seoul early Friday morning.

A police official who declined to give his name said the police were investigating the case as a possible suicide. The official confirmed Lee left a note but refused to comment on its contents. Lotte could not confirm the report.

The ongoing investigation and the death of its long-time executive is the latest challenge for Lotte Group, with two sons of Lottes 93-year-old founder, Shin Kyuk-ho, already embroiled in a bitter battle over control of the group.

In a rare public display of a family feud among South Korean business elites, the younger son, Shin Dong-bin, 61, last year demoted his father to honorary chairman from general chairman overseeing Lottes businesses in Japan and South Korea. His older brother, Shin Dong-joo, 62, was removed from executive positions at various Lotte companies and then launched several failed attempts to take back the group from his younger brother.

The younger Shin, now chairman at Lotte Group, apologized publicly in June, days after prosecutors raided Lottes headquarters. The investigation was a setback for Shin Dong-

bin who had vowed to make his group and its governance transparent as public criticism mounted because of the fight with his brother.

Lee In-won was a top aide to Shin Dong-bin.

Lotte started as a chewing gum company in Japan in 1948. It now operates businesses in chemicals, food, shopping and hotels, including South Koreas largest discount and department store chains. Its brands are well recognized not only in Japan and South Korea but around Southeast Asia.

Deaths of high-profile political or business figures facing legal investigations or corruption charges are not uncommon. In 2009, former President Roh Moo-hyun killed himself amid a corruption scandal involving his family members. Youkyung Lee, Seoul, AP
Pavlina Pizova says she couldnt free her partner after he slipped down an icy bank and became wedged between rocks and branches. After he died, she stayed with him through the freezing night.

It would take almost another month before Pizova would be rescued from the New Zealand wilderness in an ordeal she described Friday as harrowing.

The tourist from the Czech Republic, who was rescued on Wednesday from a park wardens hut on the snowed-in Routeburn Track near Queenstown, broke down in tears as she read aloud her account in halting English. Czech Consul Vladka Kennett provided more details.

Pizovas comments came soon after rescuers retrieved the body of her partner, 27-year-

old Ondrej Petr.

The couple set out on July 26 to hike the scenic track, a 32-kilometer route that typically takes three days in the summer, but which can become treacherous in the winter months from June to August.

Pizova said they made several mistakes: they didnt tell anybody of their specific plans, they didnt take a locator beacon, and they underestimated the winter conditions.

All these aspects contributed to our tragedy, she said.

Midway through the hike, as they tried to reach the Lake Mackenzie Hut, things started to go wrong.

The conditions were extreme. We encountered heavy snowfall and low cloud which contributed to our enforced overnighting in the open, Pizova said. In our attempt to reach the hut, the tragic accident happened. Kennett said Petr fell down the slope.

Pavlina slipped behind him, and was unable to help him out, and that was it, Kennett said. She stayed with him for the first night, beside him, because first of all she wanted to be with him, and she couldnt move any farther due to the weather conditions.

Kennett said Pizova spent another night outdoors as she remained lost in the deep snow. She rubbed her feet and tried to keep her blood circulating, and wore all the clothes and blankets she had with her.

Pizova says she finally found her way to the Lake Mackenzie Hut and broke into the wardens quarters through a window. She says she tried to hike out several times but her frost-bitten feet and the avalanches she was witnessing discouraged her.

Pizova would end up spending nearly a month at the hut. She used ash to fashion a letter H in the snow to signal for help. But other hikers were avoiding the route, and the planes and helicopters she waved at never saw her.

Kennett said Pizova also tried making snow shoes, crampons and walking sticks from items she found around the hut, attempts which would later impress rescuers. But Kennett said she never made it more than a few hundred meters before turning back.

She wasnt confident to carry on but she didnt give up trying, Kennett said. She tried everything she could, given the conditions.

Kennett said Pizova survived on food left behind by the wardens, who dont live there during the winter.

Police Inspector Olaf Jensen said it took weeks before friends and family realized the couple was missing and raised the alarm. He said the Czech Consulate informed police on Wednesday and they launched a search the same day.

Its very unusual for someone to be missing in the New Zealand bush for such a long period without it being reported, Jensen said. MDT/AP
Hundreds of TurboJET passengers were left stranded after a high-speed ferry collided with a fishing boat off Lantau Island on Saturday night, leaving a woman injured.

The vessel departed from Macau at 11:15 p.m., carrying 289 passengers and 10 crewmembers on board.

The jetfoil was stranded for two hours while it underwent inspections by crewmembers and marine officials from both Guangdong and the Hong Kong Marine Department, who were sent to decide whether the ferry was still seaworthy, South China Morning Post reported.

Since the [accident] is situated in mainland waters, the relevant mainland authorities have demanded the ferry to remain stationary pending an inspection, operating company Shun Tak-China Travel Ship Management wrote.

The front of the 15-meter fishing boat is damaged, while dents and a large gash measuring about eight meters wide are visible on the ferrys starboard exterior.

It was frightening, really. We saw something scrape by the window [ the impact] was pretty intense; the doors of all the overhead compartments flew open, one passenger recalled.

Passengers on both vessels were said to be safe, however a 20-year-old woman was taken to hospital due to leg injuries.

The ferry finally arrived back at the Macau ferry pier at Sheung Wan at around 2:20 a.m., the media outlet stated.

According to a spokesman for the company, bad weather was probably one of the contributing factors in the collision, as heavy rain lashed Hong Kong Saturday evening. He added that the sea route was a commonly used one and fishermen were known to operate in those waters. Staff reporter
One Turkish soldier was killed and eight others wounded in two separate blasts yesterday in the countrys Kurdish-dominated southeast, and Kurdish militants launched a rocket-propelled grenade at a civilian airport, officials and the state-run news agency said.

The Anadolu Agency said one soldier was killed and three were wounded after a roadside bomb was triggered remotely by rebels linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, in the Hakkari province. In another attack, five civilian village guards were wounded in Siirt province after their van hit an improvised explosive device on a road, the news agency said, blaming PKK for the blast.

Yesterday, Kurdish rebels, apparently targeting a police checkpoint at Diyarbakir Airport, fired a grenade that exploded near the airports VIP passenger entrance, shattering windows, the local governors office said. No injuries were reported. Passengers were taken to safety after the attack and flights resumed after a brief pause during the police investigation.

Violence between the PKK and the security forces resumed last year, after the collapse of a two-year peace process in July. Since then, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to Anadolu. Rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed in the clashes.

On Friday, a Kurdish suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden truck into a checkpoint near a police station in the southeast, killing at least 11 Turkish police officers and wounding 78 other people.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was visiting southeastern city of Gaziantep yesterday to express condolences for last weekends suicide bombing there at a Kurdish wedding that left 54 dead.

Turkey has sent tanks across the Syrian border following weeks of deadly attacks by the PKK and the Islamic State group. The move aims to both fight IS and halt the advance of Syrian Kurdish groups. Dusan Stojanovic, Istanbul, AP
While popular ride-hailing service Uber looks set to withdraw from Macau, the company is on the path to see its operations legalized in other parts of the world.

After Chinas ride-hailing apps attained the green light at the start of the month, leaving free reign for an Uber-Didi Chuxing agreement to dominate the enormous market, authorities in the Australian state of Victoria have since announced plans to legalize such services.

The new approach from authorities will be accompanied by the introduction of an AUD2 levy on every taxi, Uber or hire car trip made in the state, in an attempt to reform the industry, while compensating existing taxi drivers from traditional firms and funding a taxi license buy-back scheme. Taxi fares will also be deregulated by 2018.

Daniel Andrews, the premier of Victoria, said that the changes would reform the taxi sector while ensuring a level playing field for all industry participants.

There will be more choice. There will be greater value, he said, as cited in The Sydney Morning Herald (SMH). This is comprehensive reform, but it is grounded in fairness.

Authorities in Victoria have said that the government will buy-back a single taxi license for AUD100,000 and pay AUD50,000 for the second license of owners.

However, taxi drivers turned out in droves yesterday to oppose the plan, claiming that the buy-back scheme will only account for a fraction of the significant cost of purchasing taxi licenses.

It was announced that hundreds of furious taxi and hire car drivers are threatening legal action against the government on the basis that their expensive licenses stand to become worthless. They are also considering a strike to oppose the deregulations of the industry.

Taxi payment company, Cabcharge, has described the package as insufficient.

Meanwhile, the new AUD2 levy is penned to be introduced at some point in 2018. It aims to raise an estimated AUD44 million per year, which will offset an estimated AUD75 million  to be paid (almost immediately) in compensation to existing taxi drivers  within two years.

Operators in the industry will be able to determine how to apply the levy  whether directly to the customer or through absorbing it as a company cost.

It may well be less than AUD2 for a short trip and perhaps more than AUD2 for a longer trip, premier Andrews said. It will be a matter for them [providers] and that will be another point of competitive difference.

Uber at present have not clarified whether the levy fee will be passed directly on to customers who use their service. According to SMH, a spokesperson for the company also declined to say if driver earnings would be protected.

Ride-hailing app legalization  even if it is occurring in one city or state at a time  is good news for Uber and the value of the company. Many anticipate an Uber IPO sometime in the near future, which would be massive, as reported by investment website Zacks.

Thanks to Ubers structure  a unique combination of transportation company, mobile internet company, and real world engineering  the company has been touted as one of the best future IPO candidates, it added.

uber suspends service in abu dhabi

Ride-hailing service Uber and its competitor Careem have unexpectedly suspended services in the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi.

San Francisco-based Uber told The Associated Press yesterday that the move was temporary and that its goal is to resume operations as soon as possible.

The company declined to say what prompted the suspension.

The state-backed daily The National reported that rival car service Careem also halted services in the capital starting Saturday afternoon.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Careem said the suspension came after some of its cars were stopped by authorities.

Officials at the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport could not be reached for comment.
CHINA Investigators in eastern China said they have not found high levels of pollution around a school where an explosive state television report in April said hundreds of kids had fallen sick with illnesses including leukemia.



SINGAPORE More than 40 people have been infected locally by the Zika virus in Singapore, but most have fully recovered, officials said yesterday. The ministry said in a statement that the patients were not known to have traveled to Zika-affected areas recently, and are thus likely to have been infected in Singapore. This confirms that local transmission of Zika virus infection has taken place.

INDONESIA A would-be suicide bombers explosives failed to detonate in a packed church in western Indonesia during Sunday Mass yesterday, and he injured a priest with an axe before being restrained, police said.

RUSSIA A fire swept through a Moscow printing plant warehouse on Saturday, killing 17 migrant workers from Kyrgyzstan, Russias emergency services said. A representative of the Kyrgyz community said the victims were all young women trapped in a dressing room while changing into their work clothes.

UZBEKISTANs government issued an unusual statement yesterday announcing the hospitalization of President Islam Karimov, who has ruled the former Soviet republic in Central Asia for more than 25 years. The statement gave no details about the nature of the illness suffered by the 78-year-old president.



ZIMBABWE President Robert Mugabe warned against an Arab Spring type of revolution, as Zimbabwe police said they arrested 67 people following a violent protest that rocked the capital, Harare. Police used batons, tear gas and water cannons in running battles with anti-government demonstrators, despite a court order that the protest could take place.



POLANDs foreign minister yesterday lent his support to a Franco-German proposal for a European Security Council. The idea was floated by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault in June to address internal and external security and defense issues facing the European Union.

US The Marine Corps new commander for the Pacific, Lt. Gen. David Berger, said he aims to advance his predecessors work helping allies and partners develop their skills storming beaches and moving forces ashore.



BRAZIL Senators on Saturday questioned the last two witnesses summoned by the defense for President Dilma Rousseff in her impeachment trial for allegedly breaking fiscal rules in the management of the federal budget.
Ask Policemandan:

Q: I work for a delivery company and was wondering what would happen if I was attacked by a dog while trying to deliver a package to a residence, would I have the right to defend myself? If so, by what means can I defend myself? -Kevin

A: No you must let the dog lick you into oblivion. Ok, bad joke aside, the truthful answer is that you have the same right to defend yourself against dogs that you would against humans. You can use the necessary force to stop the attack. Once that force stops the attack then anything past that point could be considered as animal abuse.

If there was a vicious dog on that route I would do what many postal carriers do and just not make the delivery until the owner controlled the dog. If they refused to control the dog then my guess would be that they should not be surprised when the things that they ordered never get delivered.

I can tell you from experience that the big dogs would not be your biggest problem; the little dogs are the ones you have to look out for. They are masters of sneaking up behind you. They might be cute little ankle biters but they are the most resourceful dogs and can pack a punch. My little Dachshund, when he was still alive for example, never acted like he was a little dog at all and was always ready to take on the world.

As far as by what means you can use to defend yourself, I would imagine that not too many delivery companies allow firearms to be carried by their drivers. I would expect that O.C. Spray was not disallowed though. O.C. spray can have a double effect in that if a dog had been sprayed in the past they usually tend to recognize it again and usually try to avoid finding out again. I do suggest that if you use O.C. spray on a dog you notify the owners as soon as possible so that the dog can be de-contaminated. O.C. spray while not usually hazardous can cause a tearful, snot-draining meeting (sorry if you read this during breakfast) when the owner was unaware of the O.C. spray.

Finally if the dog did bite you and broke the skin, you would need to call the police from that jurisdiction so that proper procedures could immediately be put into place. Although many dogs bite without having rabies, there is nothing worse than finding out that the dog had rabies later. That would be a delivery of the worst kind.

Officer down:

Im happy to report that as of date of submission of this column there were no officers to report killed in the line of duty.

Have a question for Policemandan? Email your question(s) to policemandan@yahoo.com or look for Ask Policemandan on Facebook and click the like button. Mail to: Box 147, Heyburn, Idaho 83336
TWIN FALLS  Subway is joined forces with the Twin Falls Police Department to reward children for practicing safe habits.

Starting Tuesday, when participating law enforcement officers see local children practicing good safety habits  such as wearing proper gear or using crosswalks at intersections  they may hand out a Playin Safe cash card worth $5 thats redeemable at any Twin Falls area Subway.

A kick-off event is slated for 7:45 a.m. Thursday.

A Subway representative and the Twin Falls Police Department will hand out cards at the intersection of Falls Avenue East and Madrona Street North to Sawtooth Elementary School children going to school.
TWIN FALLS  Whether immigration helps or hurts the economy has been a subject of political debate in the United States since the 1800s, and it comes up during arguments about the refugee resettlement program in Twin Falls as well.

The number of jobs in the Magic Valley has been growing in recent years as companies like Chobani and Clif Bar move here. Opponents of the refugee program run at the College of Southern Idaho have sought to connect the program to the labor needs of local companies  namely, that employers are seeking to recruit refugees who fill jobs that would otherwise be taken by native workers, and that refugees drive down wages. Theyve also accused the companies of cashing in on government programs that reward them for hiring refugees.

Chobani, a Greek yogurt manufacturer whose owner is a Kurdish Muslim and that hires hundreds of refugees, has become a particular target. Calls to boycott Chobani are common on anti-refugee resettlement and anti-Islamic websites and social media.

But economists say immigrant labor typically affects the workforce only in the short-term. And incentives for employers are limited and not nearly on the scale as refugee opponents would have you believe.

The labor market is a factor in determining how many refugees are sent to any given town  one of the goals of the program is to get people off government support and working as soon as possible. Essentially, managers of the federal refugee program seek to place refugees in communities where jobs are already available, not where refugees have to compete with native workers for a limited number of jobs.

There are a lot of factors that are considered in determining what the capacity of a local area might be  the availability of educational opportunities for children, the availability of housing for the specific number of newly arrived refugee families, said Idaho Office for Refugees Director Jan Reeves. The availability of employment opportunities is certainly a huge consideration  in determining capacity. I dont know theres any particular weight given to specific employers. The general employment climate in a community is what the Department of State is looking at.

Almost all of the incentives that employers can use to hire refugees are not refugee-specific, but income-based ones that can be used to hire poor Americans as well.

And while the refugee center has built relationships with some employers and helps people find jobs, the labor needs of particular employers is not a factor in determining how many people are resettled here. As Twin Falls Mayor Shawn Barigar put it, its not like a company in Twin Falls can call Washington, D.C., and ask them to send more refugees.

The refugee resettlement program sort of happens, and a component of that is that these folks have to have jobs, said Barigar, who is also head of the Twin Falls Area Chamber of Commerce.

In the past 12 months, Reeves said, 598 refugees have entered the Idaho workforce  364 in Boise, 234 in Twin Falls, at an average wage of $9.21 an hour for those working full-time, with a range from $7.25 to $20 an hour.

ZeZe Rwasama, director of the College of Southern Idaho Refugee Center, said that 224 refugees have arrived in Twin Falls from October 2015 to earlier this month, and during that period CSI has had 208 job placements in all fields and businesses such as production lines, retail, dairy, and with employers including Jerome Cheese Co., ConAgra, Sizzler, C3, Hampton Inn, Everton Mattress, and even in a barber shop.

Two people were hired within two weeks of arrival because they needed someone right away, he said.

Reeves is aware incentives for employers to hire low-income people that some companies use when hiring refugees. But his office doesnt have any involvement. One of the goals of the program, he said, is to get refugees working as quickly as possible so they have their own income, and most of them enter employment without any kind of training or incentive offered to the employer. Its pretty much, people are applying for jobs just like anyone else would in the community, and the employer makes the hiring decision.

Rwasama said the college does not offer any incentives for employers to hire refugees, but it does work with them. Usually, he said, a business will call the center and CSI will try to match a refugee with an employer.

From an employer standpoint, Rwasama said, its a good move because in hiring They look at, are they going to stay? And refugees often will, without many options available to them.

The employers are actually begging us to provide the workforce, he said.

Refugees have to accept the first job offered to them, Rwasama said, and some take two jobs. He doesnt believe incentives are needed, because with the low unemployment rate businesses are looking for whoever they can, and quickly.

Tax incentives and training programs do exist that encourage employers to hire refugees, as the Idaho Office for Refugees and the Agency for New Americans advertise on their websites, although none of them, except for a small amount of training money the IOR has, are refugee-specific. One is the Work Opportunity Tax Credit, a federal income tax credit that gives employers a break for hiring members of a targeted group, such as veterans, poor people receiving federal benefits, and ex-felons.

Refugees are not a targeted group. According to data from the Idaho Department of Labor, the credit is most commonly used by employers who are hiring food stamp recipients. Out of 3,278 people in the Magic Valleys eight counties for whom businesses were certified to receive the credit since Jan. 1, 2009, 76 percent were approved because they were on food stamps. The number of employees hired using it could be lower, the DOL said in response to a records request, since the department doesnt keep track of whether an employee is retained long enough for the employer to receive the credit. The DOL said 485 employers in the Magic Valley have applied for the credit in that seven-year period, but said the names of the companies were exempt from release as employment security information.

Some refugees fall into this group  almost 3 percent of food stamp recipients in Twin Falls County, or 439 people, were refugees in 2015, according to Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, and another 5 percent, or 820, were lawful permanent residents  but the same tax credit would also incentivize hiring an American-born person who is on food stamps, of whom there were almost 14,200 in Twin Falls County in 2015.

There are also the Work Experience and On-the-Job Training programs, employment programs authorized by federal law and administered by the Idaho Department of Labor, and a small percentage of the refugees resettled in Idaho have benefited from these programs. According to numbers provided by the DOL, three on-the-job training participants and 42 work experience participants over the past seven years have been refugees, although this could be an under count since reporting whether youre a refugee is voluntary and not required for participation.

The Idaho Office of Refugees has a small amount of funding it can use for job training. Over the past two years, it has spent $15,000 on job training for five refugees, Reeves said.

We do have some refugee-specific funding that we can utilize for that purpose, Reeves said. Again, its a very few people over the course of a year that can access for that, because we do not have (a lot of) money for that purpose.

Eric Stuen, an associate professor of economics at the University of Idaho, said immigration can drive down wages for lower skilled native-born workers who are competing for the same jobs, if there are enough immigrants to affect the labor market substantially, since more people looking for jobs can drive down the pay for which people are willing to work. But, he said, the effect is usually temporary.

When immigrants move into a country, theres more labor market competition, more supply of labor, (and) this does have a downward effect on wages, Stuen said. But its usually found to be a fairly temporary effect. The reason is, the economy allocates capital into those sectors people are working in to create more jobs, and that increases demand for labor as well. Immigration, it can, it usually does reduce wages in the short term, were talking two, three years, but in the long run, it doesnt impact wages.

Barigar said he doesnt think wages are lower than they would be otherwise due to immigration, pointing to the low unemployment rate  it was 3.3 percent in the Twin Falls area in July, compared with 3.8 percent statewide and 4.9 percent nationally  and anecdotal evidence that local employers have been raising pay to get qualified applicants.

Ive seen no evidence of that, Barigar said. In all honesty, I cant even follow that logic. The premise of that is that, if we were rehiring people who already lived here, we would have to pay them more. That just defies logic to me. Employers, whether theyre food processors, manufacturers, or fast food restaurants, are hiring people based upon skills to get the job done. And our labor pool, honestly, is pretty shallow here right now.

Chobani owner Hamdi Ulukaya, who was born in Turkey, has been heavily involved in efforts to help refugees in the Middle East and worldwide. In January, Ulukaya wrote a column calling on his fellow business leaders to work with him and support his Tent foundation, which is dedicated to helping refugees. A number of right-wing blogs reported this as a call to bring more Muslims into the United States, and have sought to draw a direct line between the government bringing refugees into the U.S. and Ulukayas employing them at his factories.

Chobani declined to answer questions for this story. According to a Financial Times article that came out in January, about 30 percent of Chobanis employees worldwide, or 600 people, are refugees.

City Councilman Don Hall, who was mayor when the city helped to put together the deal drawing Chobani to town, said the subject of refugees never came up during the talks.

We were just blessed to have Chobani come here, Hall said. It was during the time the recession had hit, and we were looking for good-quality employment opportunities for our citizens, period.
TWIN FALLS  Jim Woods was wounded four times while he served in the U.S. Army in Vietnam.

Once, a bomb exploded right behind the Jeep he was riding in. Another time, he recalls his nose almost being taken clear off. On Jan. 2, 1968, he was shot in the leg  the one time he had to be transported.

Woods, who received a Purple Heart, said he keeps pretty quiet about it most of the time  but on Saturday, he was invited to speak at the dedication ceremony for the Purple Heart City signs soon to be posted at Twin Falls five major entrances.

I dont consider myself a hero, Woods said. Ive worked with heroes.

Hed first approached Councilman Don Hall about making Twin Falls a Purple Heart City.

Its honoring veterans, not just Purple Heart recipients, but all veterans, Woods said. It basically says We appreciate your service.

The Saturday celebration included an unveiling of the sign, and speeches by local officials and members of the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Hall thanked all of those who served the country, but he ended his remarks with a plea for them to continue doing good here at home.

Your time of service is not over, he said.

Mayor Shawn Barigar spoke about military members exemplifying a devotion to the U.S., and how people can focus on what unites them rather than what divides them.

My heart goes out to each of you today and every day for all that youve done, and all that you do, Barigar said.

The Purple Heart is given to military members who were wounded in combat, or, if they are killed, posthumously to their families. It is the oldest U.S. military award still given out, and is descended from the Badge of Military Merit first given out by George Washington in 1782.

Its the only medal you dont win; its earned, Woods said.

Pat Branch, chaplain and veterans advocate, has earned the Purple Heart three times while serving as a helicopter crew chief for the U.S. Army in Vietnam. Before reciting a benediction, he talked briefly about what it was like.

The first time, youre a hero, he said. The second time, its Wow and the third time nobody wants to be around you or flying with you because youve got magnets in your tail.

Tami Billman organized the ceremony with only six weeks of planning. She was ecstatic about the turnout.

I am just dumbfounded, she said. I couldnt have asked for any better thing.

Eventually, the city will also have parking signs for wounded veterans, Billman said.

The ceremony included a gun salute and taps from the Magic Valley Honor Guard. While Twin Falls no longer has a chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, several members of the Pocatello chapter were present.

About two dozen cities in Idaho have passed resolutions declaring themselves Purple Heart cities since 2015. The City Council passed a resolution declaring Twin Falls a Purple Heart City in May.

Edited Aug. 29 with the correct name of the organization that performed the gun salute.
This appeared in Saturday's Washington Post:

In a major speech Thursday, Hillary Clinton linked Donald Trump to bigoted elements on the fringe of American politics. But she got it wrong when she said, "Trump is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog whistle to his most hateful supporters."

It's not a "dog whistle" if everyone can hear the bigotry.

Republicans supporting Trump, explicitly or tacitly, cannot reasonably claim that they do not know who he is and what he has been doing.

Before running for president, Trump was the king of the "birthers" who questioned President Barack Obama's place of birth. He started his campaign by calling Mexican migrants rapists, then spoke approvingly of the inhumane 1950s deportation program known as "Operation Wetback" and delivered a convention speech that described a country overrun by violent foreigners. As Clinton recounted, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, called Trump's attack on a federal judge because of his Mexican heritage "the textbook definition of a racist comment." Add in the Republican nominee's proposed Muslim travel ban, his false aspersions on the U.S. Muslim community, his long history of belittling women, his dissemination of an anti-Semitic graphic, and a clear picture was visible long before Clinton approached the lectern.

In more recent days, Trump has attempted to salvage his image with appeals nominally aimed at African Americans. Instead, he only dug himself deeper, depicting African-Americans as desperate people living in abject squalor with nothing to lose. He hired a new campaign chief executive, Stephen Bannon, a man who has called the Civil War the "war of Southern Independence" and who ran a website that warned the Obama administration is "importing more hating Muslims."

Unsurprisingly, polling shows that a majority of Americans believe Trump is biased against women and minorities. Whether Trump is a genuine bigot or just cynically appealing to bigoted sentiment is not a question we can answer. Certainly not everyone who supports Trump is a bigot. But Trump has attracted the support of assorted American bigots, once thought ejected from mainstream U.S. politics. The candidate has courted this support with plainly visible winks and nods, retweeting their messages and hesitating to disavow them when asked. At any point - such as last August, when the New Yorker's Evan Osnos pointed out that white nationalists were rallying to Trump's cause - Trump could have offered the loud, full and unequivocal condemnation of the bigoted fringe that the situation required.

Clinton ended her Thursday speech by praising Bob Dole, George W. Bush and John McCain, all of whom, in critical moments, stood up to bigoted elements on the right. Unfortunately, Republican leaders are not showing as much mettle this year. Even two of the men Clinton praised, Dole and McCain, have endorsed Trump. They should reconsider the cost to their reputations and the nation's well-being. Any rational accounting would show that it is far too high.
It is time to reframe our discussion about Idahos education investment and elevate its importance to our economic future.

Idaho has a problem. Simply spending money in education, if it works, will not show an economic return for at least 10 years, maybe longer and we cant wait that long. Month after month, over 5,000 high paying Idaho jobs remain unfilled, numerous Idaho companies have suspended growth and major construction projects are literally on hold, all for one reason. They cant find enough talent.

At the same time the Wall Street Journal recently declared Companies Flock to Cities With Top Talent reminding us other states are ahead and luring the economic growth we envy. Idahos problem is the demand for talent is not on the horizon, not 10 years away, but is here right now.

The solution  we need to change our paradigm and focus on building specific talent pipelines. Talent pipelines are education channels, designed to train specific skills to meet a known need in the economy. Accelerating talent pipelines is a deliberate effort to prepare our kids, and adults, faster than traditional education pathways, for high paying jobs we know exist today.

The beauty of focusing on talent pipelines is it creates both immediate growth for Idaho companies and enhances our talent pools, enticing other companies to join our economy. Most importantly, it creates a known, tangible return on education investment right now, not in 10 years.

How do we build talent pipelines? We embrace three fundamental realities changing our world. First, we acknowledge the purpose of education is to get a good job and improve our income. Second, we recognize companies are rapidly shifting their focus to skills and not diplomas for hiring. Third, we recognize industry is the primary customer of our education system.

The solution acknowledges less-expensive industry certificates, for example, are as valid as a college degree to get a good job. The solution demands we modify schedules and curriculums so kids can obtain specific skills faster. Code schools, for example, allow individuals to break into computer programming with less than six months of training. Apprenticeships offer pathways to manufacturing positions that pay $60,000 with less than two years of training. Other examples exist but the point is simple, talent pipelines accelerate pathways to higher incomes.

Finally, the solution demands we empower industry to influence education outcomes. As necessary partners, they know where the jobs are and can guide our efforts. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO said it well, This crisis facing our society cannot go unaddressed and employers must lead the way in driving solutions.

We cannot abandon traditional college pathways but for Idaho to compete, we must embrace talent pipelines. They expedite the talent our economy needs and accelerate pathways to higher incomes. Change will require courage, but Idaho can and must be a bold leader in this rapidly evolving opportunity. Our economy deserves it, our industry partners deserve it and our children deserve it.
This appeared in the Idaho Statesman:

Kristin Armstrong doesnt need another glowing essay to add to the adulation her beloved Boise heaps upon her at every turn.

We celebrate her triumphant return from Rio and join the community in congratulating her for victories in the Olympics and her example as a role model.

Like the city leaders who commend her and the children who look up to her, we are proud of this Boise cyclist, mom and wife who doubles as a three-time gold medalist.

Yet we are not writing this just for Armstrong, a University of Idaho graduate, who deserves every word of praise lofted her way.

We are writing this for us.

There have been some awful moments in this world since the 2012 Olympics in London, where Armstrong won her second straight gold medal in the time trial. Terrorist attacks across the globe. Racial strife in our American cities. Citizens and police officers tragically gunned down in the streets. Political vitriol flung in all directions from all sideshighlighted by a presidential campaign now involving two of the most unpopular candidates in history.

We needed some respite. We needed the story of Armstrong, who, at age 42 (she just turned 43), went to Rio on a mission to represent her city, her state and her country in a competition few predicted she could win.

As tough as she is on herself in training and by the goals she sets, she has this other side, where her humanity is unleashed to our benefit. She is not at all afraid to tear up and embrace her fans, especially the childrenan experience they will share with their children. She has been one of the most gracious ambassadors for sport this region may ever see.

And how we needed that, to restore some of our faith in people and to, perhaps, hit the reset button of our spirits to take on the future.

In a Statesman video she short-stepped her way through the airport, pausing every two inches to greet her fans, pose for photos and inhale the gratitude of Boiseand thereby so many of us felt renewed.

Theres no place like Boise on Earth, she said. You have to believe in yourself and your friends.

Her beaming smile and humble acceptance of her celebrity are reassuring in these troubled times. When she is honored by a parade on Sunday, we can all share in her accomplishments, because she has convinced us she could never have done it without us.

One man said it best: Thank you, Kristin, from the bottom of my heart, for representing Boise and all you do.
Moroccan diplomacy has succeeded in smashing attempts by unfriendly countries which have tried to impose the pseudo-Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as participant in the sixth edition of the Japan-Africa summit.

The sixth Japan-Africa summit known as Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) is taking place for the first time on the African continent, in Nairobi.

The two-day conference that kicked off this Saturday revolves around three key axes namely industrialisation, enhancement of health care and stability on the black continent.

The Moroccan diplomacy on Friday thwarted attempts by some unfriendly countries to impose the participation of SADR in the preparatory ministerial meeting by forcing Kenyan organizers to remove a seat allocated to the SADR as well as its flag, Moroccan media le360.ma reports.

Moroccan diplomats, supported by friendly countries, threatened to suspend their participation, forcing Kenyan organizers to reconsider their plans.

TICAD does not allow separatist entities within its ranks and sticks to the respect of the sovereignty of member-states.

Dozens of cooperation accords are also expected to be signed on Sunday at the end of the summit.

TICAD, meant to upgrade partnership between the Asian power and the African continent, was launched in 1993 and was held in Tokyo every five years until 2013. The summit is now held every three years.
THE STAGGERING COST OF ALL THAT 'CHEAP' LABOR: Encouraging both legal and illegal mass immigration continues to be a primary aim for both politicians and organizations on the left. Breitbart News previously revealed that the wealthy Ford Foundation poured an astonishing $114 million into organizations that push for mass immigration and amnesty. Spencer Lindquist
As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.
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There's a big demand for the irresistible flavor of bacon in the food industry, and that has some local entrepreneurs licking their chops.

A Missoula company, Blue Marble Biomaterials, has created a highly sought-after plant-based bacon flavor ingredient that has the potential for all kinds of uses. Blue Marble specializes in creating products employing used biomass as the starting material, rather than petroleum-derived ingredients.

Most don't believe me when I say this but we have succeeded in manufacturing this product from over a dozen different types of biomass, including spent coffee grounds, tomato pomace (skin, pulp, seeds and stems) and grape pomace, said Colby Underwood, Blue Marble co-CEO and chief business officer. Yes, you heard me right. The flavor and aroma of bacon from plants.

The product, officially called bacon dithiazine, meets all the natural-labeling requirements set forth by the United States and the European Union.

Others in our industry call us Willy Wonkas Chocolate Factory because were always working on crazy things like bacon flavoring, Underwood said.

It is manufactured here using a proprietary, non-GMO fermentation technology and is certified vegan and kosher. The flavor was approved by an expert panel of what are essentially flavor testers.

"We are delivering what the industry is searching for: 100 percent verified natural, cost-competitive alternatives to petroleum-derived ingredients and other so-called 'natural' products, Underwood explained.

An unimaginable quantity of consumer products, including those in the food and beverage industry, are synthetically derived from petroleum, Underwood said.

Over 90 percent of consumer products have one or more petroleum-derived chemical ingredient added to their recipes, he said. It might be a flavor chemical to produce a specific type of flavor. It could be a performance chemical that reduces wrinkles by being applied to the face through a lotion."

Blue Marbles mission is to replace those chemicals made from crude oil with fully sustainable alternatives made from plant leftovers. The company employs 30 people, many with scientific backgrounds, at its carbon-neutral facility on Expressway Drive near the airport.

The firm publicly announced that the bacon flavor ingredient was available for purchase on Aug. 5. Underwood said theyve gotten a tremendous amount of interest from all around the world since the product launched because nobody else has an EU natural version on the marketplace.

You can get petrochemical versions, he said. There are also U.S. natural versions, but the EU natural regulations are much more stringent.

Blue Marble's main focus is on producing drop-in replacement specialty chemicals for the flavor, fragrance and personal care industries. The company originally started as a biofuels producer, using algae, but transitioned to making high-value, low-quantity biochemicals.

The way that we do that is we take other companies biomass side streams from traditionally the food, beverage, agricultural and forestry industries, Underwood explained. Our technology is very unique. To date, weve tested over 4,000 different types of feedstocks through our technology. Were not using the corn kernels, were using the corncobs, or corn silage, or silk.

Using materials that are traditionally considered waste allows Blue Marble to price its products at a cost that is competitive with synthetic products. Consumers are increasingly demanding so-called green or natural products, and theyre willing to pay a premium for those products  but only to a point.

Were going to be competitive as possible with synthetic chemicals and one of the ways we do that is by using low-value starting materials, Underwood said.

Their core technology, which uses bacteria to break down biomass, could allow them to produce bioplastics and biofuels in the future.

We treat our core technology like a black box trade secret, Underwood said.

Every step of the process, from initial fermentation to quality control to packaging and shipping, is done right here in little ol Missoula according to Underwood.

The quest for an all-natural bacon flavoring began when Blue Marble was approached by a business partner.

They said they were desperately searching for an EU natural version of this product called bacon dithiazine, more commonly called bacenol, Underwood said. They said, We cant find this anywhere in the world  a natural version. We started working on this five months ago and within two months we already had a prototype built.

Blue Marble already has a line of third-party verified products called natural esters, which are chemical compounds. The bacon flavoring is just their most recent product.

The best way to describe this is its for consumers who are looking for vegan or vegetarian food options with bacon flavoring, he said. No animals were used to make this product. It has a lot of packaged food applications. It could also be used in pet food to give Fido a bacon flavoring to his food. It could really be used in any sort of packaged food application.

Underwood said it could be as soon as six to nine months before people see the natural bacon flavoring in food products.

He said the company is always growing, and they are undergoing a period of creativity and productivity right now, something they call the summer of innovation.

Were going to have some big announcements coming soon, he said.
As thousands of students begin a new school year at the University of Montana, we not only say welcome, but plan on sticking around for a good, long while.

Whether freshman or senior, born and bred here or a newcomer, each UM student helps to shape our communitys future. At the Missoula Economic Partnership, we want that involvement to be active and lasting. In other words, We want you to thrive. We want you here to stay.

The conventional wisdom, of course, is that students graduate from Montanas colleges and universities only to leave our state. The reality is that 80 percent of our graduates are employed in Montana a year later, and we are working diligently to push that number even higher.

Our mission is to create good-paying jobs that challenge our graduates, utilize their talents and training, sustain and reward their entrepreneurship, and provide solid paths for advancement.

As an economic development organization, MEP identifies target industries that serve the needs of Missoulas growing economy. Employers in each of these industries seek out the graduates of both UM and Missoula College. Jobs in these industries are increasingly abundant.

Over the summer, we released a new five-year plan and a list of industry clusters that will be our priority targets:

 Information technology and data

 Biotech and life sciences

 Advanced manufacturing

 Creative industries

 Finance and insurance

 Warehousing and distribution

 Business support services

Students who want a fast-tracked career path often choose Missoula College, which offers programs that directly correspond with a future in our target industries.

RevUp, a partnership between Montanas two-year colleges and the Department of Labor, uses federal grant money to fund programs that accelerate work readiness and prepare students for well-paid, high-demand jobs.

Missoula Colleges programs in computer technology, practical nursing and heavy machine operation, among others, prepare graduates for immediate employment in the workforce.

The success stories are spread across our community:

Providence St. Patrick Hospital is the largest private employer in Missoula, and its demand for health-care professionals and technicians grows by the day. CM Manufacturing produces parts for aircraft and needs trained CNC machinists to supply its workforce. Missoula is replete with high-tech businesses seeking employees trained in IT, computer systems and communications.

There are also abundant opportunities for students who enter UM with less certainty about their career path. Our advice is this: Take advantage of the incredible liberal arts programs at the University of Montana, give yourself the time and space to find your calling. Your education will hone the skills that employers across all industries seek: the ability to communicate, the ability to think critically, and above all else, the ability to learn.

Employment opportunities in Missoula are as varied and eclectic as are the interests and talents of UMs student body. One notable example is Submittable, a Missoula-based tech company that advertises not only for the expected developer and designer positions, but also for a You Tell Us position.

We need employees, the company says, who don't fit the majority of existing job descriptions but are obsessive about what they do. The key is creative engagement. The only limit is your own imagination and desire.

As you embark upon or continue your journey through higher education in the months ahead, our call to action is simple: Find your opportunity in Missoula. Seek out ways to engage your interests, talents and skills through meaningful experiences, whether through internships, social activism or volunteerism. Challenge our community; were eager for your ideas and involvement. And when you reach the end of your time as a student, Missoula has a job  and a home  for you.

James Grunke is president and CEO of the Missoula Economic Partnership. He writes a monthly column for the Missoulians Sunday Western Montana InBusiness section.
Missoula audiences can choose their flavor of Shakespeare next week.

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks will bring a light play, "A Comedy of Errors," and one of the bard's most political works, "Richard III," to the Oval at the University of Montana.

The annual summer tour reaches more than 60 mostly rural communities around Montana, Idaho and Washington. One year features a play by Shakespeare and another classical performance; the next features two by the bard.

They keep contemporary resonance in mind when selecting the plays, said Kevin Asselin, executive artistic director for the Bozeman-based group.

"He is a timeless playwright. His stories are so relevant to many issues in our own society, among others across the world," he said.

During the decision-making last year, they anticipated that the 2016 presidential election would be "pretty volatile," he said, which ended up being an understatement.

Set after the decades-long War of the Roses, "Richard III" traces the title character's bloody, manipulative path to power in England.

They sought to "find relevancy in how Shakespeare draws the character of Richard III and his political tactics, manipulation, rhetoric and the moving of chess pieces to gain control or leadership."

"It's on our minds every day, and it's on the news every day," he said.

Shakespeare tours with a minimal, stained-wood stage with a balcony. Since "Richard" is set after three decades of war, Asselin and set designer Tom Watson embraced the stage as it is to express the "level of decay and rot" accrued over wartime.

It's also the first time in 44 years that the front of the set has a staircase  usually the actors have to go back and around and climb two ladders out of view of the audience.

***

If the political machinations of medieval England don't strike your fancy, "A Comedy of Errors" transports the playful tale of mistaken identity into 1950s New York.

That play, directed by University of Utah professor Chris Duval, features a different setting and the accompanying New York accents.

"It's funny on its own. Our goal was to bring it to more of a contemporary period," he said.

The costumes, too, will help telegraph the characters' attributes.

"The moment someone's on stage, you'll know their personality based on what you're seeing with their clothing," he said.

The cast of 10 professional actors were selected during national auditions.

The limited number of slots attracts an encouraging number of actors interested in the unique cultural exchange, Asselin said.

Many actors want to return summer after summer, an important aspect.

It's not a normal gig: The actors must tour without a director or tech crew. They build the set on site for each show, and tear it down afterward. They only get a handful of days off the entire season.

"There's a level of discipline that can be hard to get an actor to sign on for," he said.

It requires not just talent, but the willingness to do the hard labor over the summer tour.

"These actors are traveling to 62 different communities, and they're all spectacular and all amazing in their own right. I can say there's a level of excitement that they look forward to when they come to Missoula," he said.

The Oval draws a large crowd and an atmosphere, plus the welcoming community.

Asselin himself comes from Bozeman every year for the Oval performances.

"It's always fun to hear the level of enthusiasm with the crowds in Missoula," he said.
Missoula author James Lee Burke is known for his eloquently gritty writing. Dig anywhere within the depths of his expansive catalogue and you will find a treasure trove of engaging musings on good, evil, morality and everything in between. I have often referred to Burkes writing as Faulkner-esque in its beauty, its feel on the ear like a southern breeze blowing through magnolia blossoms and oil fields.

Over the past few books Burke has released, there has been a slight shift in the subject matter. Veering away from his immensely popular Dave Robicheaux mysteries, Burkes more recent releases have focused on the lesser known Holland family. The Jealous Kind is the third installment in what has now become known as "The Holland Family Saga."

Seventeen and in love, Aaron Holland Broussard has a knack for finding himself involved in dangerous and harried situations stemming from the best of intentions. His sweetheart, Valerie Epstein, has just ended her relationship with one of Galveston, Texas wealthiest sons. Aarons best friend, Saber, is a boy who has a less than desirable family life and has yet to realize the severe consequences of his teenage actions and decisions. Valerie, Saber and Aaron find themselves quickly in the muck with powerful and connected gangsters of varying levels within the mob. The Jealous Kind is told through Aarons voice as he muses over his own coming of age amongst drama and danger.

Burke cant be placed directly into the category of mystery writer, particularly when considering The Jealous Kind and its two predecessors, Wayfaring Stranger and House of the Rising Sun. The Holland Family books are mysteries, of a sort. They are surefire page-turners with intrigue and doubt that make the reader wonder with excitement about the characters paths and how the webs they weave will unwind. These novels, and The Jealous Kind in particular, are time pieces that defy the idealization of previous generations. Burke pulls no punches and hides no secrets. Texas in 1952 is not a paragon of sock-hops and innocence. With his trademark grit and graceful language, he places the reader in the real world, perhaps one in which Mr. Burke personally experienced many of the events that occur in the novel.

I read this book as a response to the late Harper Lees Go Set a Watchman, the much-contended sequel to the classic To Kill a Mockingbird. Characters fight with moral dilemmas, struggling with race and class relations. Fans of Mockingbird will fall easily for Aarons father, a morally just, but ardently real, man in the vein of Atticus Fitch. Much like Harper Lees novel, Burke presents the reader with the reality of the time. The people Aaron interacts with are not extraordinary. Sure, gangsters and bad guys are present within the text, but the real eye-openers are the neighbors, family friends, and teachers that may or may not be involved in nefarious business, normalized racism and classist behaviors.

While reading, I often wondered if this particular book leaned more toward memoir than novel. Burke writes in an oral story-tellers voice, often interjecting a casual "let me tell you how that time really was" that implies first-person experience. The stories seem so distant, so extreme, that it makes it hard to swallow that a gentle, kind man such as Burke had experienced even a portion of the episodes in The Jealous Kind. Yet, there is a continual reminder throughout that this is real, these incidences are how it was. Then again, given current events, perhaps Burke is spending the time reminding us of how it was in order to also remind us of how it is.
The Missoula Public Library will kick off the 2016 Big Read on thursday by giving away free copies of the Big Read book Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich, as well as The Middle Read book "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich, and the Little Read book "The Mud Pony: A Traditional Skidi Pawnee Tale" by Caron Lee Cohen.

For more information regarding the librarys participation in the Big Read, as well as upcoming Big Read events in September and October, visit readmissoula.org.

MakerSpace features digital conversion station

Do you have old family films on VHS cassette tape that youd like to convert to a digital format to play on your home computer? Or do you have old photographs that you would like to preserve digitally? If so, youre in luck.

Thats because the librarys MakerSpace recently set up a digital conversion station for patrons to use that features a VHS to digital video file converter, as well as a photo scanner that can be used to scan in your treasured family photos from years past. The conversion station has printed up instructions, and can be accessed at any time during the MakerSpaces Open Hours and Computer Electronics programs.

For more information, contact Senior MakerSpace Associate Ira Sather-Olson by emailing him at iraso@missoula.lib.mt.us or by calling him at 317-2667.

We Have It: Staff Reviews

Firegirl by Tony Abbott (Scholastic, 2006) Call number: J ABBOTT

This is a startlingly powerful juvenile novel  all the more because of being written by Tony Abbott, the author of the Secrets of Droon juvenile series. Droon is an easy series for early elementary readers; its fun, fast, and formulaic. Firegirl is a slim, challenging, stand-alone novel for older elementary and middle school kids  easy to read but hard-hitting in its psychological honesty and view of the unfairness of life.

Tom is a pretty normal seventh-grader living a life in which riding in a red Cobra would be a highlight. Then Jessica Feeney joins his class and everything changes.

Jessica has been horribly burned in an undescribed accident and the class responds to her as a lot of seventh graders would: with disgust, fear, gossip, ignorance, tasteless humor, and cruel avoidance. Tom is both pulled and repelled by these responses, and ends up involuntarily getting to know Jessica better than anyone else in his class. This leads him to face truths about himself and about life that most seventh graders do not have to face, and that even adult readers will find disturbingly true and provoking.

Readers will be reassured by Toms evolution, but the echoes of this book may linger with you for a good while.

Reviewed by Dana McMurray

Hot Happenings

Heres a sampling of some free programs coming up at the Missoula Public Library. Check our full events calendar online at missoulapubliclibrary.org.

W.O.W. Bus Schedule

Tuesday: Mountain Home Montana, 9 a.m.-noon; River Edge Apartments, 1-4 p.m.

Thursday: Poverello Center, 9 a.m.-noon; Clinton School, 1-4 p.m.

MakerSpace offerings

Computer Electronics: 3-6 p.m. Monday and Thursday.

Open hours: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

Open Hours allows visitors to explore the resources of the MakerSpace, learn how to use its equipment, or to work on a project of their choice.

Community Creative Writing Workshop: 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Open, drop-in environment focusing on creative writing workshop process.

Watercolor painting class: noon-2 p.m. Friday.

Class for any level, featuring an individual approach for skill, and a group focus for subject and compositional techniques. Open to those ages 18 and up. Class size limited to 10 participants, and registration required. Register online by visiting http://tinyurl.com/watercolormpl.

Computer Classes

Excel: 6-7 p.m. Monday.

This class offers an introduction to the basic features of Microsoft Excel. Topics include entering data and formulas. The class assumes the student has some experience with Windows and using a mouse.

Facebook for Beginners: 12:30-1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Become familiar with the social networking site Facebook. Learn how to set up an account and how to use basic features. This class is for those who dont have an account or are brand new to Facebook.

Registration is required to attend MPLs computer classes. Call 721-2665 to secure your spot.

The Missoula Public Library will be closed Sunday, Sept. 4, and Monday, Sept. 5, for the Labor Day holiday. It will reopen at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6.
At first, George Gaines thought he'd sell the backcountry skis made with local wood for some $700.

Then, the Ph.D. student at the University of Montana took his business idea for Chilton Skis to a competition at UM.

He and his partner not only tied for first place in the elevator pitch category in a statewide competition  earning $1,750  they won third place and $5,000 for their business idea.

The judges also gave him some advice. Gaines has a background in building "museum quality furniture" and he was using that expertise to create skis. The experts believed people would appreciate the fine work and be willing to pay for it.

"You need to be charging three times more for the pair than you're charging," he said the judges told him.

As a doctoral student and researcher in the College of Forestry and Conservation with at least one other business idea, Gaines isn't in a hurry to launch this particular business. He has milestones he's working on, but he doesn't have a set timeline.

However, his connection with the Blackstone LaunchPad at UM has ensured he has a refined plan and a cadre of professionals in the community offering free expertise to help him get off the ground when he's ready.

There, LaunchPad director Paul Gladen helped him articulate his "value proposition."

"The idea is to combine locally sourced and salvaged natural materials with industry standard composite materials to make an environmentally sustainable ski that doesn't sacrifice performance characteristics and that we're able to keep light weight," he said.

His original idea was to make skis built with local wood that were available to as many people as possible  "the deadbeat undergraduate college students who tend to be backcountry skiers. I say that endearingly."

And he relates since he himself is a backcountry skier and student. Now that the judges have weighed in on his business plan, though, he'll have to find different buyers.

Gaines said he hasn't wrapped his head around that notion yet, but it was the most resounding advice he received.

"I'll come to understand it once I see people buying them," Gaines said.
Missoula International School's new teachers are wide-eyed and eager for the school year  and shocked by how friendly everyone is.

Miriam Usero said she knows all of her neighbors, something that never happened back in Spain, and she's been in awe as people wave to one another on the street.

But she didn't want to come to Missoula initially.

Usero was living in London, and wanted a place with good weather and a beach. Instead, she fell in love with Missoula International School, and then Missoula.

"For me, it's a wow place," she said. "It's peaceful."

Usero is one of five new teachers at MIS this year. Four are from Spain  Usero, Andrea Ferrer, Barb Vicetto and Ana Martinez  and one is from Venezuela: Ibrahin Mena. There are also two interns from Spain  "Spain is taking over," Vicetto joked.

The teachers are here on J-1 cultural exchange visas. To get this type of visa, you have to have a degree in education and three years' teaching experience. The visas last for three years, but can be extended another two.

Of MIS's 26 teachers, half are from the United States. Of the preschool through fifth-grade teachers (the years of Spanish immersion at MIS), only one is a U.S. native. Everyone else comes from Mexico, Guatemala, Spain, Colombia, Venezuela and Peru.

"My hunger for learning brought me here," Martinez said. "I wasn't sure about Montana or not, but I wanted the USA.

"When they showed me the school, I was convinced I wanted to come here."

***

Montana's Office of Public Instruction has limited information on teacher diversity, since it's self-reported.

Based on U.S. Census data, though, Missoula County was 92.5 percent white in 2014. Montana was 89.4 percent white and 3.2 percent Hispanic or Latino.

"You don't see a lot of diversity in the population broadly," said MIS Head of School Julie Lennox. "Largely, our (Montana's) teachers are Caucasian, with some Native American, though we would like to see that grow statewide."

Having a native speaker in the classroom changes student outcomes in the language, the teachers said.

That's obvious in Vicetto, whose English is nearly perfect (though all of the teachers have a good grasp of the language). American or British teachers taught her English starting when she was 7. She spent her high school senior year in Wisconsin.

"And my mom, she was a visionary, she thought traveling was very important," Vicetto said. "The most important thing a kid or anyone should have is to be open-minded. There's much more to see than what's across the street."

Usero learned English from a native Spanish speaker. When it came time to talk with English-speaking people, she said not having a "fluent tongue" became apparent.

"We don't have a local crop of teachers that meet that criteria," Lennox said of native Spanish-speaking teachers in Missoula.

***

All five found their jobs through Visalista, an online job posting service. Usero submitted her resume through Visalista, and MIS Assistant Head of School Jeff Kessler reached out, asking her to consider Missoula.

She was struck by MIS's non-traditional ways. It's a Spanish immersion school and an International Baccalaureate world school.

"Their ideas are really fresh," Usero said. "They're teaching them how to be in the future, how to be a person.

"This is not a normal education system. For this reason, we are here."

It's a good fit for Vicetto, who wanted to help her students back home break out of the drag of "monkeys typing" and regurgitating what they learned on a test. So she taught them about Pink Floyd's "The Wall."

"What I want to teach you guys is to break through that wall," she told her students.

Soon, she'd created a class of rockers, the kids singing Pink Floyd in the hallways. "The other teachers stared at me," she said, laughing.

Mena is the first Venezuelan to teach at MIS.

"MIS is a hidden treasure," he said. "It may be a little small, but there are fantastic things you can find here."

Vicetto came here a month ago. Mena and Martinez just got here last week. MIS has welcomed them into the family, they said, ahead of the first day of school on Tuesday.

"I've traveled several countries and cities," Mena said. "I think Missoula is one of the most friendly places, one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen."

Vicetto knew of the outdoor adventures that awaited in Missoula. At Celtic Festival Missoula, she entered a raffle and won.

"I just clicked my heels twice and I got a kayak," she said.
Just as the farmers markets were winding down downtown on Saturday afternoon, the 11th annual River City Roots Festival started back up with a performance from Missoulas most popular childrens band, the Whizpops.

As the band prepared to play for their third time at Roots Fest, dozens of excited children gathered around the Main Street stage, already dancing to the warm-up notes. The food courts had just opened, along with the bars, and many parents hustled to grab a beer before the show started at 12:30 p.m.

Mandela van Eeden, from the Trail 103.3, finally hopped on stage to introduce the band made up of teachers and musicians from Missoula. The Whizpops, Eeden said, won Creative Child Magazines 2013 Educational CD of the Year Award for their fun and educational album, Science and Wonder.

So get on your feet and hold up your beer cups or your juice cups, Eeden said to a cheering crowd of parents and kids, and please welcome the Whizpops!

Molly McCauley, who works backstage hospitality at Roots Fest, said the Whizpops have kicked off Saturdays at the festival for the past three years. The Whizpops and the Lil Smokies are the only two bands that have been invited to perform at the event two years in a row, she said.

Theyre a great draw for the families, McCauley said. Theres a whole lot going on right now with the (farmers markets), so kids are already downtown with their parents and the Whizpops get people to stay for the festival.

As the Whizpops performed their classic informational songs about animals and the environment, one about a polar bear and the next a tribute to the great white shark, families moved back and forth from the concert to Caras Park, where the Family Fun Festival was in full swing.

In the park there was coloring, children from the Childbloom Guitar Program performing on classical guitars and other kids kicking and punching for a karate class called Ninja Training.

***

Back on Main Street was the annual juried art show, where local artists who are accepted by the Missoula Downtown Association can display and sell their artwork until 7 p.m.

Emily Darling, a Missoula artist who hand crafts found object jewelry and hair accessories, said she was enjoying the Whizpops' performance while selling her work.

Theyre great for the kids and they get the parents out here looking at art, Darling said. Ive been making art for 20 years, this is what I love. I try to do five big shows in the summer and four shows in the winter. This is my joy.

Darling, who said shes a founding member of the Missoula Peoples Market, makes jewelry and hair accessories from antiques and high-quality gemstones that she finds in small towns while traveling. Darling said she spends hours crafting her work.

I strive to be different, Darling said. And it really gives me joy to know Ive never duplicated anything in my work.

Darlings antique hats, bracelets, necklaces and hair accessories ranged anywhere from $10 to $150, depending on the materials used to make them. Although Darling said she has another job at a boutique in the Southgate Mall, she said she wouldnt sell her work if she didnt make good money doing it.

Unlike Darling, who has spent years making work for shows, Roots Fest was local artist Peter Zalewskis first show.

After graduating from Towson University in Maryland with degrees in graphic design and photography, Zalewski said he moved to Missoula and started printing his wildlife photos onto unusual materials, including wood, metal and glass.

For his next big project, Zalewski said he wants to print photos onto lampshades, so the images will be backlit.

Doing this show is great because Im new and Ive had the chance to talk with a lot of the other artists, Zalewski said. They come by and give me pointers  its nice.

Zalewski tries to keep his prices affordable, his most expensive work being only $60. He also was doing a drawing where the winner would get a free print.

That was the biggest thing I wanted to do when I started this, Zalewski said. I wanted to make my art accessible because I was always going to shows and would be so annoyed when I liked everything but it was all really out of my price range.

***

Back on stage, the crowd at the Whizpops concert grew as the band sang about dinosaurs and owls.

Whoooo wants to learn about owls? the band played, Whooo?

Patrick Bush, a backstage host known to most as "Sugar," said when he worked at the Missoula Childrens Museum he loved playing the Whizpops CDs.

Their music is actually complex and interesting, not just goofy, Bush said. It has all this educational stuff that I love and the kids love the rest of it.

Bush said every kid in Missoula knows the Whizpops because of their performances at the Top Hat's Family Friendly Fridays. Bush pointed to all the kids singing along and dancing like crazy.

I think this is one of the best traditions started at the Roots Fest, Bush said. People love it.
Americans are once again experiencing hurricane season. Throughout most of American history our presidents did not visit the sites of hurricanes and other natural disasters. That practice did not really began until our 36th president, Lyndon B. Johnson.

On Sept. 9, 1965, a massive storm front sped across the Gulf and, rolling across Grand Island, barreled into New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at 160 miles per hour. Hurricane Betsy, a Category 4, raised the ocean surge 10 feet, devastating low-lying neighborhoods.

Within two hours of having discussed the disaster with Louisianas U.S. Sen. Russell Long and the majority leader, Montanas Mike Mansfield, the president was boarding Air Force One on his way to the severely damaged area. Most of the authorities in the state and virtually none of the storm victims knew the president was on the way, and more important, was determined to help as only LBJ knew how. A former long-serving congressman, senator and vice president, Lyndon Johnson was perhaps the most experienced president in history; no one understood government better. As a protege of President Franklin Roosevelt, LBJ knew the levers of government power like the back of his hand, and his knowledge of the Congress has never been surpassed.

Air Force One landed at New Orleans in the rain that evening; all the electric grids and lines were down and darkness was reaching into the city. Johnson ordered to be taken to the refugee center and the shacks and tents that had been thrown together to move people out of the rain. Told that would be too dangerous, he insisted his aides round up flashlights because he was determined, darkness or no, to see and talk with those thousands who urgently needed help from the only institution big enough to provide it: their federal government

The president went tent to tent, refuge to refuge with flashlight and car lights to show the way. He would stand in the rain outside a tent and ask if those inside would mind if he talked with them for a minute and then he would open the tent flap, shine the flashlight on his own face and say, Hello, Im the president and I am here to help you. He would assure them that their government was on the job and he would personally manage the effort to be certain they got help quickly.

The president was back in Washington very late that evening and he worked the phones for days and nights, held personal meetings, gave orders, pulling at old friends and allies to drop what they were doing and come to the rescue of these needy victims. He brought to his office the heads of both public and private relief agencies, cajoled, threatened, demanded and, as only a president can, cut through red tape like a bayonet through butter. He ordered federal funding to Louisiana, federal equipment to New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and clean water flown in. Worried the water wouldnt reach the thirsty victims in time, he had calls made to Louisianas Coke, 7Up and Orange Crush bottlers asking them to immediately send thousands of cases of bottled soft drinks to those suffering of thirst, saying, In those soda bottles there is no fear of contamination. He oversaw the weeks and months of federal and state cleanup and, with federal loans and grants, came the governments successful effort to rebuild.

Although always a hard worker, those close to him feared for his health. He had little sleep, worked nonstop, cut corners on the federal rules, saying, Well patch that up later, right now people need help so get to it. His enormous stamina and determination saw him through, just as it did those he was trying to help.

President Johnson had two essential capacities: first, he was entirely determined to help those who needed it. Second, he was one of those establishment people who know how government is supposed to work.
Another year, another looming government shutdown fight.

Thats the predicament Montanas three-member congressional delegation has put us in. Theyre currently enjoying a month-long vacation after leaving Washington, D.C., without fulfilling their basic constitutional duty: funding the government for 2017. When they return after Labor Day, theyll have to scramble to avoid a government shutdown on Oct. 1.

This government-by-crisis is now a tradition. In fact, its been over 20 years since Congress passed a budget on time. The result is almost always the same  and it doesnt benefit Montanans.

With only days, or maybe just hours, before a shutdown, some lawmakers will advocate for a short-term funding bill that lasts through December. This will kick the debate over next years budget into a lame-duck session  the two-month period between the election and the next administration, when neither Congress nor President Obama are accountable to voters.

Worse yet, theyll use this opportunity to enact a massive omnibus bill thats crafted behind closed doors and filled with handouts to special interests and higher spending. Then lame-duck lawmakers will pass it without even reading it, abandoning their duty to protect their constituents  to protect you.

Montanans  to say nothing of everyone else  are understandably sick of this charade. Lawmakers say they are, too. Both Republicans and Democrats say they want budget certainty and fiscal responsibility. If they mean it, theyll stop a lame-duck spending bill at any cost.

But theyll need to think outside the box. Thats why they should pass a long-term funding bill. Were calling this plan Stop, Cut & Fix.

Heres why its the best path forward for Montanas lawmakers in D.C.

Start with Stop. A long-term funding bill  say, two years  would end the cycle of manufactured crises. For the first time in years, there would be no last-minute scramble to avoid a shutdown. Nor would a lame-duck Congress and President Obama be able to craft a deal in secret.

Next up is Cut. The biggest problem with the current system is that some lawmakers  on both sides of the aisle  leverage the threat of a shutdown to hike government spending in a lame-duck session. Its little different than a hostage situation, and its happened three times in the past four years.

But a two-year funding bill would protect the bipartisan spending cuts that were established in the 2011 Budget Control Act. Then, Republicans and Democrats in Congress joined with President Obama to establish modest annual spending caps on the one-quarter of the budget that isnt entitlements and interest payments.

These caps are still on the books. A two-year bill would lock them in through 2018, saving taxpayers $150 billion.

Finally, theres Fix. Its obvious that the budgeting process is broken. A two-year funding bill would give Congress time to fix it. Lawmakers could go through a normal appropriations process, publicly debating spending priorities for each part of the federal government. They would even have time to discuss reforms to entitlements  the main drivers of Americas $19.4 trillion-and-growing national debt.

Crucially, theres nothing in this plan preventing lawmakers from adjusting spending within the caps. They would simply have to weigh each proposals pros and cons and make tradeoffs  what theyre supposed to be doing right now.

Now its up to Congress to act. When Montanas lawmakers head back to D.C. next month, they have two choices. They can either stick with the failed status quo  broken promises, higher spending and shutdown threats  or they can get behind a plan that prevents a shutdown fight, restores the normal budgeting process and puts Montana taxpayers first.

It shouldnt be a hard decision.
Thanks to Mayor John Engen for his powerful guest column (Aug. 19) regarding refugees coming to Missoula.

I was teaching at Willard Elementary when the earliest Hmong students arrived. At first it was a challenge to all, teachers, students and the Hmong families, since language and culture barriers were significant. A lot of hard work and patience resulted in the realization that these new students were smart, motivated, and had so much to offer to all of us. The Missoula community has been enriched in numerous ways by the Hmong people.

They were followed by waves of other refugees. Each group presented different situations, and Missoula County Public Schools, churches and others rose to meet them. Once established, these people also became contributors to Missoula, adding to the varied fabric that is our city.

Missoulians are big-hearted people. We show our generosity by supporting the food bank, Habitat for Humanity, Family Promise, the Y, Poverello and many more organizations. We take care of "our own," but we also understand we have the duty and privilege to welcome carefully screened refugees escaping conditions we can't truly imagine. We must remember that many of our ancestors arrived in the United States not speaking English or knowing the culture, but they were determined to be successful, positive additions to America.

I anticipate our latest arrivals will exhibit the same attitudes as our forebearers. After a period of adjustment, it will become obvious that they desire freedom, safety, opportunity and education for themselves and their children. Aren't these the same values we cherish as Montanans and Americans?

Caroline M. Pickolick,

Missoula
The pharmaceutical industry has become a major health hazard to the American people.

Our nation pays - by far - the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs. As a result, nearly one in five Americans cannot afford to fill their prescriptions. That is unacceptable. A lifesaving product does no good if patients cannot afford it.

A new report from Americans for Tax Fairness explains how a pharmaceutical company, Gilead Sciences, games the system to charge high prices and then shifts the profits offshore to avoid billions in U.S. taxes.

Gilead sells Sovaldi, a drug used to treat the hepatitis C virus. It was developed in part with taxpayer funds by a researcher who worked at the Department of Veterans Affairs and founded a small drug company. Gilead bought the company for $11 billion and used government-provided monopoly rights to set the sticker price at $1,000 per pill, or $84,000 for the 12-week course of treatment in 2014.

U.S. public and private insurers, taxpayers and patients spent more money on Sovaldi in 2014 than on any other prescription drug, according to a report from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. And yet state Medicaid programs could afford to treat fewer than one in 40 patients with hepatitis C in 2014.

If gone untreated, hepatitis C can end in what one nurse-practitioner called some of the worst deaths Ive ever seen. She said, At the end, you die not knowing who you are, your belly looks 12 months pregnant, youre malnourished, and youre bleeding to death. Patients with hepatitis C are often low-income and a disproportionate number of them are veterans.

Gileads profits have quintupled since it started selling the drug, from $4 billion in 2013 to $22 billion in 2015. Gilead claims that it earns two-thirds of these profits offshore, but this is impossible because it reports earning two-thirds of its revenue here in the U.S., where it charges higher prices than anywhere else in the world.

The company pays an effective tax rate of just 1 percent in the foreign countries where it claims to do business. In 2013, Gileads chief financial officer revealed the strategy by announcing the formula for Sovaldi was being transferred to Ireland in order to allow the companys effective tax rate to decline over time. Gileads worldwide effective tax rate dropped from 27 percent in 2013 to 16 percent in 2015.

So taxpayers helped bankroll(ed) the research behind the hepatitis C drug, Gilead charged Americans the highest price in the world for the treatment and now we are getting cheated a third time as Gilead stashes its profits abroad to avoid taxes.

Gilead is not the only company taking advantage of our public research funding and tax loopholes. Pfizer, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Bristol-Meyers Squibb and many others engage in similar offshore tax dodging to avoid billions in U.S. taxes each year.

At what point will Congress have the courage to stand up to the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and say enough is enough?

Congress should address this in several ways. First, in extraordinary circumstances, such as a cure for hepatitis C, federal law allows the government to use patented inventions with or without the permission of the owner as long as they are fairly compensated. Second, Congress must repeal the rule allowing our corporations to defer paying taxes on profits they claim to earn offshore. We must also take several other steps to lower drug prices, including instructing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and reducing the barriers to the importation of prescription medication from Canada and other countries.

Americans  including veterans, retirees and children  who suffer from serious, sometimes fatal, illnesses like hepatitis C and cancer need a government that works for them, not just the CEOs of large pharmaceutical companies and the billionaire class.
Four decades fusing friendship with the ebbs and flows of a musical partnership is a rare delicacy.

Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, founding members of the recurrent classic-rock favorite, America, met in high school in London in the late 1960s and harmonized their way to the top of the charts on the vivid colorfulness of songs such as A Horse With No Name.

Approximately 46 years and seven albums (six of which sold at gold or platinum levels) later, there is a magically fluid bond between Beckley and Bunnell that keeps things dynamic.

Well, sometimes people forget that we are actually Americans who started out in England, said Dewey Bunnell, whos 64. Gerry and I have been friends since we were 14 or 15, in high school. My father was (U.S.) Air Force personnel and he was stationed in London. Both Gerry and I lived a life that was always in transition, and our families moved around a lot, and our families moved to lots of different bases all around the world. Biloxi. Omaha. Pensacola. Our early lives were spent traveling the country and the world and the music was locked in and headquartered in London.

The Americans living in London were tight. We were all ex-pats and members of the high school team club band. Variety was something that we made it our own. We were fortunate finding each other and we came together. London seemed small and we considered London a microcosm and a small thing, and we were able to get maximum exposure in a small environment. London wasnt Nashville or New York City.

Americas eponymously titled first album (released in 1971) incorporated three distinct vocal harmonies with contemporary folk-rock jingles (Dan Peek was the third co-founder of America). Released in 1972, the groups first No. 1 single, A Horse With No Name, pleased the ear phonetically and conceptually, and became its signature ballad.

Bunnell said that the groups live outings recapture the rapture of the past without sounding weathered.

We are still enjoying it. Its on going and a work still in the progress. The free wind is still blowing in our eyes. The live show is what it is all about now. We do about 85 to 100 shows a year, and we take pride of it. The show is 90 minutes  a cross-section of albums and hits.

After all their years journeying and quixotic road tripping, the interchange of harmony between Bunnell and his longtime accomplice still feels good, and, most importantly, sounds vital.

Gerry and I are still breathing the same air, the same events, the same things. But we lead separate lives. Weve always been independent that way. Years ago, he lived in L.A. and I lived in San Francisco. He lives on the West Coast and my wife and I are in Northern Wisconsin most of the time.

Weve always shared our sense of humor and weve had so many shared experiences, but our longevity and our friendship is still a mystery to me. I think its because we have exactly the same musical appreciation, though it diverges in some areas. Our friendship, I think, is something you dont want to put under the microscope too much. But we are both mutually supporting. Im there for him and vice versa.

In 2011, Dan Peek, who left the band in 1977, died at his home in Missouri, age 60. At one point the trio was the quintessential three musketeers: Gerry excelled at writing pop-rock ballads and love songs; Dans country-rock bent contributed several departments, including guitar and keyboard; Dewey composed songs and added his Latin-influenced guitar licks.

When Dan left that was the first big ripple, said Bunnell. In 1977, we added a bass player and a drummer. The acoustic shows were not filling arenas and we had to expand. Like The Eagles, we had issues with the politics of it and management and there was a disturbance in the force. The original trio ballooned in the 1970s and Gerry and I forged on as duo. We have three players behind us  so, I think, duo, thats a misnomer.

Weve played 'Lonely People' and several others that Dan wrote, and hes being represented that way. But the stark reality was that we were no longer close, and we only had cursory contact.

The America touring in 2016 feels like the perfect union of a radiant old soul and a perpetually excitable kid.

You dont prepare for or predict longevity, said Bunnell. I appreciate the reality of (the longevity of) our work. We have the grandchildren of some of our friends coming to the shows. For older listeners, the songs are still affecting people as they do. People still listen to those things that touched them at an impressionable age and it triggers something  a sensory thing. Melody brings you to a place of contentment or contemplation.

Its back to the time when were running on adrenaline and writing songs. They do have a life of their own. They stay young and we age around them. The Beach Boys are mentors of ours. They are way deep into their years. But The Beach Boys songs, even then, the young kids were coming to the shows in 1975, 1976. The songs carry you back to the transistor radio or some aspect of where you were when you first heard the music. Maybe it triggers what you were wearing that day.

Nevertheless, Bunnell said that he has no problem tweaking the formula and embracing the times, because he has no sentimental aching for bygone days.

You live in the moment and that is what brings it right back to the now and today and to real time.

Americas material encompasses a wide artistic swath and a considerable blend of genres; from pure rock to experimental medleys to crisper, starker ballads. Some of the bands tightest, prettiest songs such as Ventura Highway savor the unfussy sweetness of the radio-friendly, sun-dappled roads of California.

I think we were always attracted to this mythical place (California), of sun and sand, and dancing in the streets. I lived there briefly. Neither Gerry, Dan or I were born there. Its funny because The Eagles werent really Californian. Joni Mitchell and Neil Young are Canadian. But Warner Bros. records was there and, like the pied piper, we all went there. Our music certainly reflected those sensibilities.

America is a labor of love that never wears its worship too laboriously. Indeed, one of the ingredients of the America sound is that the fundamentals and overall mood are rife with beats sweetly blending old and new, the kind of familiarity that can carry a summertime party all on its own.

As musicians, we really did find the golden bean, so to speak, said Bunnell. We are still living and breathing the same air and walking the same road. I approach it all as if my life is half-full and our music adheres to that philosophy.
APGAR  A couple hundred people  including an Instagram star, a United States senator and three fake mountain goats  gathered on the shores of Lake McDonald on Thursday evening while a perfect day in Glacier National Park transformed into a different sort of beauty.

As a ceiling of storm-threatening clouds moved over the valley and the lake kicked into big-wave action, Jacob W. Frank readied his camera on the balcony of the Village Inn at Apgar.

Frank did not request that the crowd below on the rocky shoreline say cheese, but he did ask them to say Happy birthday National Park Service for the video side of the proceedings.

When the first birthday wish from the group was delivered with all the excitement of the most boring line in an extremely dull lecture, Frank gave them another chance.

This time, it was shouted with gusto.

Then, without prompting, the crowd broke into song, singing Happy Birthday to the Park Service, which turned 100 years old Thursday.

Frank, Glacier Park's visual information specialist  it wasn't long ago you'd have called him the park photographer  got the shot he was after.

Most everyone in the frame was some degree of social media savvy.

The so-called InstaMeet, for anyone interested in sharing photographs of Glacier on social media, was part of a fairly low-key celebration of the Aug. 25 centennial on the part of Glacier. Low-key, at least, until Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell decided to swing by the park earlier Thursday for a trip to the top of Going-to-the-Sun Road and a hike to the Hidden Lake overlook.

Up to then, Thursdays acknowledgement of the actual NPS birthday in Glacier was going to be mostly limited to the InstaMeet on the west side of the park, and a ranger-led program on the history of the National Park Service at the St. Mary Visitor Center on the east side.

***

No sooner had Frank finished taking his photo than U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., moved down the shoreline to snap some of his own of the lake and the surrounding mountain peaks with his cellphone.

My daughter Annie taught me how to Snapchat, Daines said. My children are my tech support team.

Unlike some politicians who have staff members handle their social media accounts, Daines said he posts 90 percent of his items himself.

It keeps my team nervous, Daines said with a smile.

Among his recent posts: a photograph of him and wife Cindy in Yellowstone National Park a day before the Glacier Instameet; a picture from the Crow Indian Reservation, and a picture of the first golden trout Cindy had ever caught.

Ill come home to Montana and post pictures feeding the dogs, feeding the chickens, he said. I love letting other people see the way we live in Montana.

Several more photographs made their way onto Daines Facebook page Thursday, including the senator standing with the three people dressed in mountain goat costumes for the InstaMeet/NPS centennial celebration.

The senator said he has more than 1,000 followers on Instagram, 8,000-plus on Twitter, nearly 9,000 on Facebook and no idea about Snapchat, because Snapchat doesnt make those numbers known.

But he said a couple random pictures hes posted on Snapchat received millions of views within 24 hours  one from a State of the Union address by President Barack Obama, the other with Annie on Fathers Day.

Daines was about to snap pictures of Lake McDonald when Chris Burkard stopped him.

Burkard, a California photographer, has a few more Instagram followers than does Daines  approximately 1.9 million more  and had a suggestion for the senator.

Soon, Daines was crouching on the beach next to Burkard, his cellphone in hand, to put waves and rocks at the forefront of his Lake McDonald images.

I think every photographer wants to shoot work that will be around a lot longer than they will, Burkard said.

***

It was Burkards third trip to Glacier, and first when it wasnt winter.

His first post from this quick trip to the park, of two canoeists on Swiftcurrent Lake at Many Glacier at sunrise, was approaching 60,000 likes after one day. A seven-second Burkard video of a roiling Lake McDonald, when the sun broke through the clouds briefly and built a rainbow over the nearby mountains, had more than 85,000 likes in 16 hours.

Hear that? Burkard writes on the video posting, which also caught the voices of unseen people on the shoreline. Its the sound of people meeting for the first time, laughing, hanging out, taking photos & celebrating our National Parks 100th Birthday.

Thursday was actually Glaciers eighth InstaMeet since April. The first seven were scheduled for sunsets  three times previously at Lake McDonald, plus once each at Two Medicine, Logan Pass, Many Glacier and St. Mary Lake.

Social media is a relatively new, and powerful, way to promote places such national parks, and has created a new version of the travel writer. The writing is often limited to a sentence or two, and the primary medium is photography.

Were in a massive shift toward visual communication, said John Tass-Parker, a former digital communications director for two prime ministers in his native Australia, who now heads up Instagrams Global Politics and Government team in Washington, D.C. Ninety-five million images are uploaded to Instagram every day.

It was Tass-Parker who helped arrange for Burkard to spend the National Park Service birthday in Glacier, and who accompanied the photographer to Apgar. Facebook also had a representative at the Glacier InstaMeet, Myriah Jordan, a former White House staffer under President George W. Bush.

Among the hundreds of comments on Burkards Lake McDonald video were from people alerting friends that We have to go here and Lets go here instead. Among the hundreds of comments on his Swiftcurrent Lake photograph was one that said, Maybe we should go here instead of Yellowstone.

***

Burkard, a 30-year-old California surfer, is known in Instagram circles for gravitating toward colder places on the planet for his travel adventures.

Hes been to Iceland more than 20 times.

Burkard said he spent half a dozen years at jobs where my work was at the mercy of editors, and loves the freedom that comes with a career centered on social media.

Ive found my own act, he said. Photographers are always storytelling and I like sharing my work, promoting travel and adventure and stewardship of the land.

Burkard said he looks for dramatic, engaging landscapes and Glacier Park, where huge peaks rise out of nowhere, does the trick.

And if his photographs and video draw even more people to Glacier Park, which is barreling toward a third straight year of record visitation, Burkard believes that comes with a silver lining.

Its impossible to really care about a place, he said, without visiting it.
Significant fire activity west of Munson Creek drew intensive efforts from the almost 800 personnel fighting the Copper King fire Saturday, with helicopters dropping a total of 230,000 gallons of water on the 24,017-acre blaze.

The southeastern edge of the fire continued to grow, with spot fires appearing above the Munson Creek drainage, near Todd Creek, while wind gusts up to 45 mph buffeted ridgetops in the area.

The Montana Department of Environmental Quality continued its air quality alert for Sanders County, recommending in a wildfire smoke update that people with respiratory or heart disease, the elderly and children should avoid prolonged outdoor exercise, while all residents should limit physical exertion.

Air quality should improve in Thompson Falls and West Yellowstone throughout the day, likely improving from unhealthy to somewhere around moderate to good, the departments update said.

Smoke should move west in the next day or two, the update said, though the Flathead Valley will likely see smoke from the Copper King fire Sunday.

Helicopter support continued Sunday in the Munson Creek area, as the terrain is too steep for ground crew operations.

Fire crews continued Saturdays mop-up of the western edge of the fire along Highway 200 while hotshot crews work to snuff out spot fires in the Todd Creek area that jumped fire lines the same day.

Windy conditions, while not as strong as Saturday, were expected Sunday afternoon.

Were expecting the fire activity to pick up this afternoon like it did yesterday, Forest Service Public Information Officer Mike Cole said. It was pushing pretty good.

Firefighters and bulldozers will build hand line and contingency line outside the eastern edge of the fire and inside wherever conditions allow, using burnout operations when necessary to limit the fires spread toward Munson Creek and Todd Creek drainage. Cole said the fires acreage didnt grow much over the weekend.

Burnout operations, while not as ideal as direct line construction, are more efficient and safe in steep, hard-to-reach areas, bringing the fire to a road or flat area where fire crews can work on their terms, Cole said.

Its just really nasty terrain to try and fight fire in, he said.

Evacuation notices remained in effect for 45 residences, while 130 residences were in pre-evacuation status Sunday morning.

A community meeting updating residents on projected fire activity is scheduled at 7 p.m. Monday at the Sanders County Fairgrounds pavilion in Plains.

The Thompson Creek fire was at 15 percent containment as of Sunday morning.

The Bierney Creek Fire near Lakeside shrunk to 60 acres over the weekend, with fire managers looking to bring in a smaller Type IV crew by Tuesday, freeing up the 20-person Type III crew currently at work.

The "set" evacuation notice of the "ready, set, go" procedure was lifted at 2 p.m. Sunday, Fire Information Officer Ali Ulwell said.

Residents returning to homes near the fire were warned to be aware of snags, ash pits, embers and hot spots near their homes.

The evacuation area south of North Gold Creek Loop remained at Stage 1 alert Sunday morning, with roads limited to residents only, as Roaring Lion fire mop-up operations continued.

Resident permits can be acquired at the Ravalli Sheriffs office roadblock on Roaring Lion road.

The Camas Creek, Coyote Coulee, Roaring Lion, Sawtooth and Ward Mountain trailheads remained closed, along with the entirety of the Coyote Coulee trail system, Trail 59 in the North Fork of Lost Horse Creek and Observation Point Road.

Saturday and Sunday, fire crews worked north to south, repairing unneeded fire lines, as well as patrolling the waning east and southeast sections of the wildfire.

Helicopters and fixed-wing planes assisted spotters with water and retardant drops Sunday morning, while ground crews felled trees still burning in the interior of the fire.

Gusty winds up to 25 mph are expected Monday afternoon as humidity drops, increasing the potential for fire growth.

Theres always a chance with the wind when it comes up that it could cause a spark, Lisa Kiebler, fire information officer for the Roaring Lion, said.

However, most of the activity is in the interior of the fire, Kiebler said, making it unlikely that those hot spots will grow from wind.

The Roaring Lion fire remained at 8,533 acres and 70 percent containment.
ROLLINS (AP)  They gathered in a circle near the shores of Flathead Lake, all energy, buzzing with clear-eyed, gangly-limbed potential that kids all seem to share, regardless of where they come from.

It was time for activities at A Camp to Remember, and that meant a couple hours of fun in the sun and creativity in crafts or even at the self-styled salon, where glitter was added to cheeks and purple streaks temporarily flared in the hairstyles of camp staff and campers alike.

Essentially, that bluebird day was a perfect microcosm of summer camp, where kids are given space away from their families to be themselves outside the context of their everyday lives. Camp can be considered a much-anticipated escape for most kids, but at A Camp to Remember, the days they spend here are considered not only a fun imperative, but an emotional one as well.

A Camp to Remember is a bereavement camp run by Tamarack Grief Resource Center for kids ages 8 to 14 who are grieving the death of a loved one, reported the Flathead Beacon. And for the past 20 years, it has been a safe harbor for generations of children dealing with one of life's biggest burdens.

Grief is an inescapable part of life, one that most adults hope to keep from children as long as possible. But since life is the only arbiter of fairness, these heavy emotions and situations do fall upon some of humanity's smallest shoulders  children who are asked to continue maneuvering through the world after a death.

It's hard enough for adults, said Tina Barrett, the executive director at Tamarack and at the camp, but for kids it can be especially difficult given their constant growth and change, not to mention the lack of true understanding from most of their peers.

"Camp is non-stigmatizing," Barrett said. "It normalizes, because the campers know that other kids have gone through it. It raises hope."

Here, the kids can play their way through the natural world while connecting to others who really get it, who know what it's like when mom or dad is never coming back, who don't need the primer conversations on what happened and why.

Molly Pickett, now the assistant director for Tamarack Grief Resources, first came to A Camp To Remember 17 years ago as a camper after a loss. The community she built there stayed with her, even outside of the camp's boundary line.

"It's all about connections," Pickett said. "People coming together, looking me in the eye and saying, 'I get it, I see you.' Words can't really explain this. There's just something about connections with other people who get it."

A Camp to Remember serves people of all ages; a recent camp was specifically for youth, but there are also camps for men, women, families, and teens. The youth camp works with kids up to age 14, but some older teenagers like Jakob Beich come back to volunteer for Peers As Leaders, or PALs, to help out the kids who are new to camp.

At 15, Beich is headed into his sophomore year after having just moved to Columbia Falls from Missoula. He's been coming to camp for 11 years, starting especially young at age 4 (age exceptions can be made based on circumstance, Barrett said).

"They really helped me out," Beich said. "You don't even have to think about talking to someone about what's going on  you just do it."

Camp helped him with his social skills and how to relate to others who might not know about life's harder truths like he did. He plans on becoming part of the camp staff  called the Care Team  in the future.

On the grounds, 28 members of the Care Team work with the 60 campers, providing a neat, nearly two-to-one ratio. There's no pressure for kids to open up about their experience with death and grieving, and special ceremonies help them use metaphor and symbolism to heal.

But overall, the feeling that keeps the children coming back year after year  which Barrett supports, since childhood development can change the paradigm through which a child views or understands loss  is community and connection, the support and organic bonds that grow among people who share common stories.

"We can't fix it  it's not something that needs to be fixed," Pickett said. "Our lives are how they are. We wouldn't choose it ever, but we're going to come together. We will do this journey together."
ALEXANDER, N.D.  Abandoned campers from across the Bakken line up end to end in a McKenzie County salvage yard.

The RVs, some burned or damaged and others with kitchen supplies still in the cupboards, were once in demand for oil boom workers who needed housing.

But as oil activity slowed and many workers left the area, the discarded campers wind up at TJs Salvage along U.S. Highway 85.

Were still getting lots of campers and its gradually getting worse, said owner Tom Novak.

The yard north of Alexander continues to get about five to six campers each week as private landowners seek to get rid of discarded campers. In some cases, the RVs are no longer needed because affordable housing has become available.

Theyre kind of a nuisance. But they were an epidemic that we knew was going to happen, Novak said. Why would you drag some piece of junk with you back home 2,000 miles when you can just leave them behind and walk away? So were left cleaning up the mess.

The salvage yard has had as many as 250 campers at one time, forming a perimeter around the yard thats highly visible from the highway.

Some say the salvage yard is an eyesore, but Novak said he also hears positive comments because without his business the campers would be scattered throughout the Bakken.

The business wont pick up campers, but will accept the RVs for $150, a lower fee than other facilities charge, Novak said. The campers are then crushed along with other vehicles.

The Williston, N.D., landfill used to get one or two RVs or trailers each month, but now gets very few because the landfill will only accept them if theyve been stripped and broken down, said Williston Public Works Director David Tuan.

Salvage yard workers are often surprised at what the residents leave behind, ranging from baby toys to cosmetics to irreplaceable items like photo albums.

If they lose their job and theyre broke, theyll just take their personal belongings, pack one bag of clothes and theyll leave, Novak said.

Occasionally campers are in good condition, but others are beat up. The salvage yard avoids accepting RVs with signs of drug use.

We get some that are really nice and clean and never been touched almost and we get ones that you could turn a pig loose in them and hed turn his nose up because its so bad, Novak said.

The campers have little in terms of salvageable material and the parts are a hassle to try to sell because theyre often no longer working. Novak would rather concentrate on his main business, selling vehicle parts.

The campers are just a pain, Novak said. Dont bring no more.
With temperatures breaking records for the third consecutive year, the Upper Clark Fork River  once a water course troubled by heavy metals contamination  now faces the more normal challenges of Montana rivers and streams: low flows and high water temperatures.

The river in early August flowed as low as 3 cubic feet per second around Dempsey Creek at Sager Lane Road, about 6 miles south of Deer Lodge, according to Mike McLane, water conservation specialist for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.

Now that the states heavy metals cleanup efforts in the river are making progress, ranchers and irrigators are contending with a different set of issues  the challenge of finding a balance of usage and also protecting its fishery.

But help for the Upper Clark Fork is on the way.

Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture acting deputy secretary Mike Scuse along with Democrats U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and Gov. Steve Bullock spoke before approximately 50 people at the nonprofit Clark Fork Coalitions Dry Cottonwood Creek Ranch along the river to celebrate $1.7 million in federal money about to come to the area.

The $1.7 million from the Natural Resources Conservation Service will enable the state to build four miles of canals in the Westside and Whalen ditches between Racetrack Road and Deer Lodge.

This is the area where flows drop the most precipitously, said Ted Dodge, executive director of the Upper Clark Fork Rivers Watershed Restoration Coalition. Once complete, the project should save an estimated 19 cubic feet per second, according to the nonprofit Clark Fork Coalition, which works to protect the river.

Scuse, who made his first visit to Montana with this trip, called the project a high priority and a long-term solution.

The Natural Resource Damage Program will do the work and provide the remaining estimated $4.8 million necessary. That money comes from a settlement the state reached in a lawsuit against Atlantic Richfield Company, the responsible party for the Upper Clark Fork Superfund site.

The two ditches provide water to over 3,000 acres and are the largest diversion on the upper river, according to the coalition.

Dodge said the project will likely take two to three years to complete.

But is it enough?

Dodge said Friday that while its a healthy start, it wont alleviate low flows and high water temperatures completely.

WHAT CAN BE DONE?

The Clark Fork lacks a drought management plan. But initial talks have begun.

Noorjahan Parwana, facilitator for the Granite County Watershed Group, said irrigators have met about water use conservation, drought planning, and resiliency, but the talks are in the early stages.

The Watershed Restoration Coalition also had initial talks about the creation of a drought management plan, Dodge said.

Drought management plans are relatively rare for Montana waterways. The Big Hole, Jefferson and Blackfoot are the only rivers that have such plans, said Ada Montague, Clark Fork River basin water planner with the state Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.

Such plans are voluntary, but they establish that once a river drops to a certain flow rate, irrigators who are willing to participate will cut back or stop irrigating.

The Ruby River near Sheridan and the Bitterroot River south of Missoula have an unofficial process to reduce irrigation to improve flows. The Musselshell River in Eastern Montana has a distribution plan, Montague said.

But unlike other rivers in Montana, users of the Clark Fork  which runs westerly from its confluence east of Anaconda to where it flows into Lake Pend Oreille in the Idaho panhandle  must within the next nine years come up with such a plan.

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Water Compact, if ratified by the U.S. Congress, establishes the need for a drought management plan. The compact gives the Salish and Kootenai tribes the ability to have a water right on the river to protect its fishery. The state Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, which acquired a water right through Superfund work at the former Milltown Dam east of Missoula, will manage the tribes water rights on the Clark Fork, McLane said.

Though this isnt expected to go into effect until 2025, once it does, it will mean that FWP can regulate water on the Clark Fork when it gets too low for fish to survive.

But irrigator and self-proclaimed Clark Fork River water hog Dan McQueary, 68, who ranches 5 miles east of Deer Lodge, believes theres a better way to conserve water than implementing a drought management plan. One key is keeping water in the aquifers, he said.

They (ranchers in other drainages) are not doing drought management, theyre putting the water back in for fish, McQueary said Wednesday.

Our livelihood is based on irrigation. Thats your livelihood. People dont eat if we dont produce food in the U.S. If we have to import more food, youre at the mercy of someone else, McQueary said.

McQueary believes that a variety of efforts need to happen in order to recharge aquifers. That includes flood irrigation and creating swampy areas.

Weve got to think about how to keep this water in this ground, McQueary said.

Montague, who also serves on Gov. Bullocks Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee, said the focus has begun to shift away from drought response to drought management.

Montague agreed that flood irrigation can have a positive impact.

Its often seen as wasteful, but wetlands are another example of how to put more moisture in the soil to recharge aquifers, Montague said. We have to slow water down as it moves across the landscape.

John Hollenback, who ranches along the Clark Fork River 20 miles north of Deer Lodge, said that irrigators need to find better ways to become stewards of the water before it reaches a critical low point.

Shame on us for the way we manage, Hollenback said.

NO EASY ANSWER

While a heavy rainstorm earlier this month and subsequent smaller showers bumped flows back up  the river measured 75 cubic feet per second at a gauge near Galen on Saturday morning  the long-term issue of low flows and warming water wont be resolved soon, said many of the people who spoke with The Montana Standard.

FWP fisheries manager Pat Saffel said from his Missoula office last week that the Clark Fork has yet another challenge, which is a lack of shade on its banks. This can lead water temperatures to soar in the summer.

The lack of water doesnt help either. The less water, the warmer it becomes.

I would think that at 3 cfs they (fish) cant survive, Saffel said.

He added that when flows get low and the water temperatures get high, the fish retreat into tributaries and holes, but this leads to a lot of fish in a small space. That, in turn, creates predation and too much competition.

If theres one thing Silver Bow Creek and the Clark Fork need, its a supply of cold water, Saffel said.

Hollenback pointed out that there are 30 cold water lakes and reservoirs in the high mountains of the Flint Creek Range west of Deer Lodge.

But Dodge said Friday that while many people are working on the issue, the Clark Fork needs more help from the national level to address climate change.

This is our future. People may not believe that, but were in trouble. Were going to keep beating that drum. We need action at the federal level to address this issue in a real way, Dodge said.
HUNTLEY  Theres truth in advertising when it comes to Monsanto's Roundup herbicide. Roundup: kills weeds to the root, goes the slogan for the kill-all herbicide.

It pretty much kills any plant, including trees, in the right dosage, and when it didnt destroy a rogue wheat crop in the test fields of MSUs Southern Agricultural Research Center in Huntley, scientists were worried.

Roundup-Ready wheat was a genetically-modified food idea that didnt take root with consumers. The wheat, genetically modified to survive Roundup herbicide, was equated by opponents with herbicide-tainted food.

Its critics labeled it frankenwheat and easily won the message war with consumers weary of other Roundup-Ready crops like corn, sugar beets, soybeans and rice, all of which have been deemed safe by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Research on genetically-modified wheat in Montana and 16 other states abruptly halted a decade ago. The USDA never certified the wheat as safe for planting. MSU researchers destroyed their GMO wheat by turning it into the ground in 2003.

Then, 10 years later, Roundup-Ready wheat started unexpectedly turning up, or volunteering, as plant scientists say. First at an Oregon farm in 2013, where a farmer spraying his field into chemical fallow discovered Roundup-Ready wheat plants thriving as other plant matter slowly died.

Countries like Japan and South Korea began immediately blocking ships of U.S. wheat from unloading, as soon as the USDAs Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, the plant police of the federal government, announced the Oregon discovery. It was an economic disaster.

The banned wheat then turned up in Huntley at the Southern Agricultural Research Center in 2014.

In Oregeon, APHIS "ran rather roughshod, in my opinion, in releasing that information over to the industry, which resulted in a catastrophic crash of commodity prices for soft white wheat that lasted for weeks, maybe months, said Ken Kephart, the superintendent of MSUs research centers.

When his weed scientist told him there was wheat thriving among the dying weeds of the Southern Agricultural Research Center, Kephart told him to up the Roundup dose and try again. The second attempt failed, too, according to an APHIS report of investigation made public this month.

Monsanto, APHIS and MSU failed to immediately notify the USDA about the rogue Huntley plants, which numbered 1,000 or more. Monsanto told investigators it wasnt even sure the wheat was Roundup-Ready wheat.

Investigators reported that MSU officials  who alerted Monsanto, not the federal government  weren't sure sure the wheat was actually Roundup resistant and were concerned USDA would shut down the research center.

It should be noted that MSU disagrees that it should have notified the government first, the university said in a written response to The Gazette. Based on our contracts with Monsanto, it was our obligation to inform them. Monsanto was the link to USDA, APHIS, which regulated the trials.

MSU mowed down the rogue wheat crop as soon at it suspected the plants were from genetically-modified wheat. Researchers did so to prevent the plants from producing seeds. They ran their own tests and then called Monsanto, which did its own tests and contacted the USDA a week later.

Its questionable whether the USDA regulated any trials of genetically-modified crops. Kephart said the 30 to 40 APHIS investigators who showed up in Huntley in 2014 were the first to visit the center.

No one from the federal government inspected the Roundup-Ready wheat research while it was taking place from 2000 to 2003. And, no one from the federal government visited after the experiments were over to make sure the banned crop wasnt resurfacing.

In its report, APHIS said investigators couldnt tell how many years the Roundup-Ready wheat grew unnoticed. However, it is possible the genetically-engineered wheat laid dormant for 11 years or more and then sprouted, said Richard Bell, an APHIS spokesman.

Under the environmental conditions in this part of the country, low moisture, and temperature, and the agronomic practices being used, specific irrigation, tillage, and herbicide use, it is well documented in the scientific literature that wheat seed can remain viable for many years in the soil, Bell said. USDA concluded that these volunteers represented a small, persistent population of the GE wheat following the authorized field trials.

APHIS would have known for sure, had it been actively engaged in the research it regulates. But the government is fairly hands-off when it comes to GMO research, said Bill Freese of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Food Safety.

The Center is a national nonprofit public interest group that's had success suing the USDA for not thoroughly vetting GMO crops.

In these field trials, its pretty much the company can do what it wants. APHIS has performance standards. They dont prescribe rules, Freese said.

In 2007, the Center for Food Safety convinced a federal judge to block the sale of Roundup-Ready alfalfa because the USDA had approved the crop without doing a full study on the plants environmental effects. The ruling also blocked a Billings-area farmer from raising genetically modified alfalfa seed until the study was done.

The Supreme Court eventually lifted the ban, but the USDA still had to go back and complete the environmental study.

In 2010, the Center convinced a federal court that USDA broke the law by allowing Roundup-Ready sugar beets to be planted without a full environmental impact study. The lawsuit centered on the danger of cross breeding with non-GMO beets. Initially, the court considered blocking the beets from being planted until the study was done. The oversight nearly cost Montanas $100 million sugar beet industry an entire growing season.

The Center petitioned the court in 2004 to block approval of Roundup-Ready wheat until the USDA studied the effects of the crop on the environment and the economy. One of the Center's clients was an Eastern Montana farmer worried about GMO crossbreeding with his own wheat.

Imagine, if USDA was more interested in preventing things like this. It could have strong prescription methods that could be effective, Freese said. People at SARC would take them more seriously.

SARC in Huntley does takes APHISs authority seriously. But, after seeing the agency in action, Kephart questions its methods.

In the weeks APHIS spent on the ground at SARC, investigators focused on the research facilitys machinery as the likely cause of spreading the rogue wheat. According to its report, APHIS considered whether SARC farm equipment accidentally dredged up the buried GMO wheat and then tracked it across the research facility. Investigators even faulted SARC employees for not cleaning their equipment well enough after watching them clean a combine three times while leaving traces of plant matter behind.

But tests on 30 pieces of the research centers equipment tested negative for Roundup-Ready wheat.

Kephart offered a different source for the grain spread: animals. Standing with an APHIS investigator in a field where most of the Roundup-Ready wheat was found, Kephart noticed the highest concentration was beneath an overhead powerline. And on that powerline, a cadre of pigeons perched doing what pigeons are known for  pooping.

I repeatedly mentioned that I thought this had been moved by the intervention of some animal, whether it be rodents or birds or deer or raccoons. We have stuff moving across the landscape here all the time, Kephart said. You watch a pheasant, theyll go down a row, and theyll fill their craw with seed, and then they fly off to who knows.

"So, I brought this up to the (APHIS) guy. And I mentioned, Why are you not considering this?' and he said, We simply don't have a protocol to evaluate that risk. Therefore, it doesnt exist.
BELLOWS FALLS, Vt.  Thousands of people paid their respects to a Vermont firefighter Saturday who died earlier this month while battling a wildfire in Great Basin National Park in Nevada.

The service for Justin Beebe, 26, was held at the Bellows Falls Union High School. Beebe's family and friends describe him as a young man who had a passion for people and the outdoors.

Family friend David Clark said he knew Beebe from the time he was born, WCAX-TV reported. He called him a "tremendous athlete."

"This was a kid who was really well-liked and certainly deserved it," said Clark.

Beebe was in his first year as a member of the Lolo Hotshots, elite U.S. Forest Service firefighters based in Missoula, when he died Aug. 13.

A tree fell on him as he battled a fire sparked by lightning not far from the Nevada-Utah line, about 200 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The fire was a 7-square-mile blaze that had been raging for five days. It has since been extinguished.

A memorial service was held Aug. 20 in Missoula.

The Lolo Hotshots are called upon to fight the most dangerous wildfires in the West. Crews work to stop the fires by using chain saws and pickaxes to fell trees and clear fire lines to eliminate fuel for those fires.

Hotshots from all the country attended Beebe's service. One Massachusetts mother, who lost her Hotshot son, said she didn't know Beebe but wanted to be there for Beebe's family.

"I feel like I kind of know what the family's going through," Dee Burke said. "Let them know that there's another hotshot family in New England."
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Brightly colored hot rods gathered at the Muscatine riverfront on Saturday for the River Rat Rumble.

Muscatine native Travis McConnaha, owner of Keep the B**** Floored (KTBF), a hot rod gear and apparel company, organized the River Rat Rumble, a hot rod car show and cruise.

McConnaha, Kirk Hogan, and Jason Hetzler lead the charge, followed by more than 80 cars. Volunteers were also at the event to organize the door prizes, and collect the $10 fee from entrants.

The cruise began at the Muscatine riverfront, moved toward Davenport on Highway 22, crossed over into Illinois, and returned to Muscatine on Highway 92.

Fifty percent of the proceeds from the 50/50 drawing, more than $700, will be donated to Parent Group Muscatine for the Hearing Impaired, and local businesses also donated prizes and coupons for giveaways.

McConnaha said he was pleased by the number of cars at the cruise.

"It's cool because I think everyone gets excited about things like this, and it's a great feeling to have everybody support what you're doing...When you go on the edge and do your own thing and people support that, there's no better feeling than that," he said.

Car owners brought their hot rods from many different Iowa counties, some hailing from Illinois, and one license plate said the car came from Texas. The wide variety of cars was what McConnaha had hoped for.

"What I love about this right now, there's a mix of everything, you get everything from old to new to ratty to shiny. It's all across the spectrum," he said.

McConnaha's brand, KTBF, is not prejudiced, he said, so no rules were written to stipulate what cars would be allowed in the car show.

"Everybody's car means something to them, so there's no rule on that," he said.

Mark Krieger, of Muscatine, brought his 1967 Camaro to the cruise, which he purchased as his first car when he was 15. He said he was happy to have a car show in Muscatine.

"It's awesome, we need to get back to having some fun things like this. We used to have them out at the community college, but it's probably been 10 years since we had a nice show," Krieger said.

Krieger was also looking forward to the cruise, and driving his car along the Mississippi River.

"The cruise part's why I'm excited," he said.

Jamie and Jessica Habel, of Coal Valley, Illinois, brought a 1973 Dodge Dart Swinger. Their sons, Mason, 10, and Conrad, 6, were both excited for the cruise.

Saturday was Conrad's sixth birthday, and his mom, Jessica Habel, said the car cruise was his birthday wish.

Jamie Habel said he loves the KTBF apparel, and is always happy to do a car show, and said the cruise was an unusual addition to a car show.

"I think it's pretty cool, you don't run into that very often at car shows," he said.

Jessica Habel agreed.

"You get both experiences at the same time which is really neat," she said.

McConnaha said he was thrilled to see so many people and cars at the riverfront, and he plans to hold another car cruise in the future.

"This is great."
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 []
I don't know how many young women come to this blog or how many are parents of teenage or young adult women, but here are some safety tips from Kelsey's Army:

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P

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1. Trust your instincts - If something feels wrong then something probably is wrong.2. Know your surroundings - know who and what is around you.3. Always have a plan for where you would go and what you would do if a situation arises.4. Be willing to make a scene in order to be noticed.5. Let someone know where you are going and when you will be back.Remember the acronym TIPS:ake Chargenform others of your whereaboutsrepare for any situationurvival Mentality (role play situations so you will respond should they happen)For more information, go to Kelsey's Army
Johannes Cronje, the Free State businessman who bought a cellphone spying device known as a grabber, has been charged by the state.

Cronje previously admitted to his role in the purchase of the grabber after he said he was offered immunity by prosecutors in return for testifying against his co-accused Willie Lotter and Joseph Pooe.

He paid R15 million for the device which was seized by the Hawks in July 2015.

The three accused allegedly illegally imported the device from Israel, following Pooes claim that he was sanctioned by the government to spy on organised crime units.

The machine was bought to protect the state president against terrorism, said Pooe.

Cronje said he was approached and told he would be paid R2 million a month if he bought the grabber  money he never received.

Cronje was charged after a new prosecuting team took over the case last week.

He must appear in court on 9 September alongside the other two men, stated the report.

A grabber can intercept 10,000 phone lines simultaneously within a 3km radius. It works by accessing the nearest cellphone tower, switching it off, and taking its cellular connections.

Importing a grabber requires the permission of the president and the US and Russian intelligence agencies.

The full report is in the Sunday Times of 28 August 2016.

More on security

Serious iPhone security vulnerability  update now

How to make your house super-secure in South Africa
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden has one job during years like this: Get Republicans elected  or re-elected  to the House of Representatives.

Walden, an Oregon Republican, is the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. The NRCC is the campaign arm of the House Republican Conference.

In 2014, he made two trips to central New York to campaign for then-Republican challenger John Katko. Many political observers thought that the 24th Congressional District race that year would be tight. But Katko, R-Camillus, defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Dan Maffei by nearly 20 points.

Now, Katko is running for a second term in Congress. Much like two years ago, the race is a top priority for both parties. But Walden thinks Katko is "very strongly positioned" to win in November.

"He has been very effective," Walden said in an interview with The Citizen. "I think he's had (13 bills) pass the House and two signed into law. That's remarkable and shows that he's an effective legislator."

Walden highlighted Katko's work on a federal transportation bill that will fund bridge and road projects. The freshman congressman served on the conference committee that settled differences between the House and Senate versions of the measure.

The NRCC chairman also touted Katko's focus on national security issues. Katko is chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security and he led a task force that developed recommendations for addressing the flow of foreign fighters.

Walden thinks Katko, a former federal prosecutor, was a "perfect fit" to work on these issues in Congress. And he believes Katko's entire record will receive positive reviews from voters in the 24th District.

"People understand he's actually getting things done in a sometimes dysfunctional Washington," Walden said. "And I think that's what people want is somebody that's gonna go to Washington and actually work with people and get things done that matter in people's lives."

While Walden shared an assessment of Katko's first term in office, he also praised his efforts on the political front.

Katko has raised more than $1.9 million in the 2016 election cycle. He has over $1.4 million cash on hand as of July 1.

"He's run a good political operation and I think he's very strongly positioned to win," Walden said. "And he proved that in 2014 with the margin that he racked up. Nobody saw that big of a margin coming. What that told me was he had the team on the ground to do what needed to be done."

Walden said he's gotten to know Katko better since the 2014 election and is impressed with his work ethic. He thinks that will be a big factor in November's general election.

"This is how he operates officially," he said. "You can see that by the work product and you can see it in the campaign as well. He's not one I have to go chase down and say, 'Hey, you gotta raise some more money here. You gotta do some more things here.' He's got it in place. I'm very bullish on this race."

Katko is running for re-election against Democratic challenger Colleen Deacon. The NRCC has already played a role in the race, as has the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee  the House Democrats' campaign arm.

Walden knows the history of this seat. Since Republican Rep. Jim Walsh retired before the 2008 election, Democrats have won the contest in presidential election years and Republicans win it in the midterms.

Incumbency hasn't mattered much. Maffei was an incumbent in 2010 and 2014 when he lost to Ann Marie Buerkle and Katko, respectively. And Buerkle lost he re-election bid to Maffei in 2012.

But Walden sees Katko faring better than the previous incumbents who ran for re-election.

"He's an independent voice, but he's a very strong player in the House," he said. "He's a terrific legislator and that's what we want are people who will come down to Washington and make things happen in a good way.

"From just a strong voice in the conference, he's very valuable. He's not afraid to speak up and when he does people listen because he has something important to say. He brings the full package to the party and to the country and the Congress. That's the kind of qualities voters are just crying for and so, I think he's represented the district effectively. He's had a big impact on security issues and transportation issues nationally and locally and is just a star."

The 24th Congressional District includes all of Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, plus the western portion of Oswego County.

Election Day is Nov. 8.
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School is where kids do a lot of learning. But according to one local nonprofit, families cooking together is a recipe for more educational experiences.

This past Tuesday, Community Resources for Children (CRC) hosted nine children and their families for a Family Meal Night.

During the event, families picked up helpful advice about age appropriate cooking activities. For example, setting the table can teach young children to control small muscles in their fingers.

Cooking and eating together also promotes development and learning in areas as diverse as mathematics, arts, science, social studies and literacy, said a news release from CRC.

The children received aprons and a set of kid-safe knives and proceeded to chop cucumbers, peppers, fruit and other foods while talking to their parents about favorite foods, colors and numbers.

Following a recipe from Kids Get Cooking, a publication of Network for a Healthy California, the children prepared Kickn Chicken Pitas made with whole wheat pitas, chopped chicken breasts and veggies topped with a light Oriental salad dressing.

The sweet treat was a variation on the traditional banana split: lots of fruit including strawberries, blueberries and bananas topped with low-fat vanilla yogurt and granola. According to the feedback received, everyone enjoyed a tasty and engaging evening.

A wonderful program, wrote one diner. I love the idea of teaching us about the food, the importance of conversation and engagement with our children.

According to Cornell Universitys Publication, Parenting in Context, several research studies suggest that children who take part in family meals are less likely to be overweight, eat more healthy foods, have less delinquency, greater academic achievement, improved psychological well-being and positive family interactions.

The Cornell article also highlights that families can start making immediate improvements just by focusing on having frequent, consistent and healthy family meals. For young children, the positive effects of dinnertime conversation can be staggering. According to research published in New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, dinnertime conversation boosts vocabulary even more than being read aloud to, mainly due to the higher number of rare words used during a dinnertime conversation.

Community Resources for Children will be hosting another Family Meal soon, said the release. The nonprofits annual fundraiser, Going Tiki for Tots, will be held Sept. 20 at Silverado Resort & Spa.
Information has always been an important part of Kristi Jourdan Blaskys career and now it may even save her life. Blasky, a former journalist and the current public information officer with Napa County, recently discovered that cancer really does run in her family.

Shortly before her 30th birthday, Blasky decided to look into her ancestry. It was then that she found out a possible mutation in her familys genes that could explain why so many of them had been diagnosed with cancer.

Ive always had a weird feeling about a certain side of family, she said.

Growing up, cancer was always part of my life, Blasky said. Her grandfather died of pancreatic cancer, her aunt died at 41 having been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer at age 35, her mother died at age 54, several months after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of endometrial cancer and her brother survived childhood leukemia twice.

Blasky was 20 when her mother died. Since then, she said she feels as if she has a ticking clock above her head. Ive operated under fear for a lot of it, she said.

While looking into her familys ancestry, she discovered that her maternal grandfathers side was Ashkenazi Jewish  Jews who originated in Eastern Europe.

When she told her family back in Michigan about it, the fact that theyre Jewish blew them away, Blasky said. Her family has been in Michigan since the 1850s and Blasky was baptized Lutheran. No one had any idea, she said. No one ever talked about this when I was growing up.

Blasky dug deeper and discovered that the risk of getting certain cancers can be higher for descendants of Ashkenazi Jews due to BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. Could this be the reason cancer was so prevalent in her family?

These genes produce proteins that help repair damaged DNA. If there is a mutation with either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, DNA damage may not be repaired properly, possibly leading to cancer.

Wanting to avoid her mothers fate, Blasky decided to get tested. For weeks, she tried to keep her anxiety about what the results might mean. She managed to celebrate her birthday alongside friends.

On March 15, five days after her birthday, Blasky received test results confirming that she had a BRCA1 mutation, also called Heredity Breast and Ovarian Cancer syndrome.

It was only 9 a.m. Blasky was at work.

I kept it together until I got home, she said. Then the tears started.

The test results mean that Blasky is at high risk for developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer, and primary peritoneal cancer. She also has an elevated risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

One in 500 women have the mutation, statistics show. Ashkenazi Jewish women are 10 times more likely to carry the mutation compared to the general population.

The mutation gives Blasky up to a 51 percent chance of developing breast cancer by age 50 and up to an 87 percent chance of developing by age 70. Most women have a 1.9 percent and 7.3 percent risk, respectively, statistics show.

The risk for developing ovarian cancer in the general population is .2 percent by age 50 and .7 percent by age 70. Blaskys risk of developing ovarian cancer by age 50 is up to 23 percent, age 70 is up to 44 percent, statistics show.

This mutation is the same one that prompted Angelina Jolie to have a preventative double mastectomy in 2013.

Blasky plans to do the same.

Her first surgery is planned for December, giving her time to enjoy spending time with family and friends before the holidays.

Its a grieving process, she said. Now, Blasky isnt sure what her breasts, or nipples, will look like when the surgeries are said and done, but shes glad to have the opportunity to reduce her odds. She has been calling these months before the surgery a boob-voyage.

The term is a testament to the positive outlook Blasky has maintained throughout this process  a process that will certainly have other repercussions in her life as well.

Its so bizarre, she said. I wasnt expecting to deal with something like this when I turned 30.

Blasky, who recently celebrated her five-year anniversary with her husband, Mike, explained that they werent necessarily planning on having children anytime soon, but now thats a conversation they have had to have.

We always planned on having kids, she said and its still in the cards.

Blasky is taking it one step at a time and focusing on completing her double mastectomy and reconstructive surgeries, but said she thinks that she will have children through in vitro fertilization, then a hysterectomy by the time she is 40. Shes hopeful that with genetic selection, this mutation can end with her and not be passed onto her children.

The goal is not to repeat history, she said.

Blasky said that having this information and being able to choose to reduce her risk of getting these cancers has empowered her. Im behind the wheel, she said. Im in control.

Although she is grateful to have this opportunity, she said that she feels guilty that she has it when her mother didnt.

I wish this was something she would have known, she said. I can honor her memory by making this decision.

Wednesday marked the 10-year anniversary of her mothers death.

Something was guiding me in this process for sure, she concluded. I always say its my mom.

If its one lesson she taught me, a negative mind will never give you a positive life.

Its not a cancer diagnosis, but it is scary, Blasky said. The preventative surgeries wont eliminate her chance at getting these cancers, but will bring her down to the odds that face the general population. By going through with surgeries, she is choosing to remove healthy tissue and organs.

I have had some pretty emotional times with this, but its not as many as I thought I would have, she said, which is a good thing.

Timing for this was perfect, Kristi Jourdan Blasky said. Shes married with a great support system, has a great job with good medical benefits and lives in a supportive community, she said.

This experience has made her realize that her body has limitations, but it always has. She might not be able to breast feed after having children, but there are other things she isnt able to do as well  like lift 300 pounds or pee standing up.

This thing doesnt define who I am, she said. It defines a snapshot  its a moment. Its an experience that I will come out on the other side of OK.

Of course, anybody has good and bad moments, husband Mike Blasky said, but she tends to fight off the bad moments with what shes doing now. Shes been doing research, getting involved with different support groups and is doing what she does best  sharing her story.

Thats totally Kristi, he said. She wants to help as many people as she can.

Hopefully, it inspires people to look into this if cancer in their history, he said. The more that we learn  the more that people know about it  the better we can treat it.

Information is key, Kristi Jourdan Blasky said, adding that anyone who thinks that the prevalence of cancer in their family seems odd should ask questions and possibly get tested. Blasky said that having access to this information may very well save her life, but it took courage to ask the question.

Im in the drivers seat, she said. The wheels come off sometimes, but then I remember Im in the drivers seat.
Bees have it rough. It's not enough that they have to deal with bloodsucking varroa mites, a host of diseases and pathogens, disappearing habitat and a variety of agricultural chemicals designed to kill insects. They have also become pawns in the ag wars, the subject of dueling bee-death narratives.

In one of those story lines, pesticides are the culprit. That's the story from Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Center for Food Safety, all of which urge supporters to call for bans on a particular class of pesticides - neonicotinoids, also called neonics - that have been identified as culprits in the health problems honeybees face. Whenever new research shows a link between bees and pesticides, the headlines are predictable.

The other story is that the bees are fine, thank you very much. No need to panic. A fixture of that story is the fact that the number of U.S. honeybee colonies hasn't decreased since 2006, when the mysterious deaths from what came to be known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) began.

The pesticide side cites research showing that neonicotinoids kill bees. And that's true. They do. But it ignores the fact that the risk to bees depends on the crop, the timing, the method of planting and the dose (which is why the Environmental Protection Agency evaluates that risk for every crop and application method). The bees-are-fine side shows that CCD is on the wane and that the number of colonies has held steady. And that's true. It has. But it ignores the fact that colony deaths, at 44 percent in the past year (including increasing deaths during the summer), are at very high levels, and that the total colony number is stable only because beekeepers are replacing colonies at that increased rate.

All of this matters. Together, honeybees (which are not native to North America but were brought here by early beekeeper settlers) and wild bees pollinate nearly a third of the world's crops and nearly all of our wild plants. Some crops, such as almonds, probably couldn't exist without insect pollinators.

The problem poses a genuine threat to both biodiversity and dinner menus, and the two dueling bee-death narratives - each a simple distillation of a complex problem - get mainstream media traction. Unfortunately, a story headlined "Bee Deaths Complicated, Enigmatic, Imperfectly Understood" doesn't exactly scream, "Read me!"

So I'll write that one! Besides, my husband and I have been keeping bees for six years, and bee deaths are something I have much more personal experience with than I'd like.

Talk to bee people, and they say that the factors affecting bees are indeed complicated, enigmatic and imperfectly understood. We are, however, making progress, according to Jay Evans, who leads the U.S. Department of Agriculture's bee research. "We don't see definitive CCD anymore," he says. "By the metric of colony losses, things aren't getting any better," but we have a better idea of what's causing those deaths. "Pesticide stress, nutritional stress, mites and diseases; there's evidence that there have been losses from all three of those causes," says Evans. Of that last one - mites and diseases - he says, "those, collectively, explain the larger share of the challenges of beekeeping."

Randy Oliver, a commercial beekeeper, biologist and author of the website Scientific Beekeeping, is less circumspect. I asked him what the top three priorities for bee health were, and he said, "varroa, varroa and varroa."

But pesticides matter, too. May Berenbaum, head of the entomology department at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, points out that insecticides are designed to kill insects, so it's not surprising that they have an impact on bees. The problem, though, isn't limited to one class of insecticides. "The media has focused on neonicotinoids," which have been the subject of more than 100 papers in scientific literature in 2015 and 2016, she says. "The light is shining most brightly, and people are looking where the light is bright." By contrast, "varroa is a horrible nightmare. It has not been captured by the media just how disastrous it has been."

Varroa mites are nobody's fault; they came here from Asia in the 1980s and have spread to just about every honeybee hive in the country. Pesticides are created and sold by large companies. "People like a bad guy-good guy scenario," Berenbaum says.

Berenbaum says she is concerned about pesticides (which, she points out, may indeed be the top threat to wild bees, which show resistance to the varroa mite). She says that although many pesticides, including those used in organic farming, are toxic to bees, the way neonics are applied is a big part of the problem. They're used to coat seeds, so the plant has a systemic pesticide incorporated in all its parts, including pollen and nectar. There's disagreement about the extent of the risk of the systemic pesticide levels, but the cloud of pesticides sometimes released into the air as those seeds are planted is unequivocally a problem - although one that farmers are solving with planting equipment that minimizes drift.

Planting pesticide-coated seeds is "a cheap insurance policy," according to Terry Daynard, a farmer in Ontario, Canada, who grows corn and soy. At the seed coating's cost of $6 per acre, it makes economic sense for him to guard against pests that he may or may not have. Ontario recently enacted restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids, requiring that pests be found in the field before neonic seed coatings are permitted, a practice that Daynard says is great "in principle." The question, he says, is whether you can test reliably. The pest you miss could cost you a lot of money. (Daynard is concerned about drift from planting, and he uses equipment that prevents it.)

"Farmers are very angry" about the pesticide restrictions, he says. And he points out that a ban on one particular pesticide won't make pesticides go away; it'll only make farmers use a different one.

Prophylactic use of pesticides is high on the list of practices Berenbaum would like to see changed, and it's one of the many ag-related issues that pit the interests of farmers against the interests of environmental health.

What do we do about situations in which farmers are expected - or required - to take a risk, or forgo profit, in order to protect the environment?

For Mark Floegal, research director for Greenpeace (and a beekeeper), the priority is clear. "I have a lot of sympathy for farmers," he says, "but Greenpeace starts in a place where we ask what the environment needs to be healthy." His group urges a neonics ban not because he believes that's the only threat to bees but because that's where he can instigate regulatory change. "In terms of public policy, we can protect habitat and we can control what chemicals are used in our agriculture. If there were some way that our supporters could take some action that could lead to the demise of the varroa mite, we would."

Floegal wants more testing of chemicals before approval. About risk to pollinators, he says, "I would need data that shows no effect" before a pesticide got the green light. He also wants "regulators not captured by the industries they regulate": Corporate influence, he says, plays too large a role in the pesticide approval process.

I asked him whether the kind of adversarial approach his group takes might further polarize the conversation and make compromise more difficult. "If we could find someone to collaborate with, we would," he says. "We haven't found anyone willing to partner with us on the approach to chemicals we feel is warranted."

Another environmental organization, the World Wildlife Fund, takes a different approach. "Instead of going to the press and trying to make headlines," says Jason Clay, a vice president of the group, "we go to the companies and try to resolve the issues" by asking such questions as "what has to be done to reduce impact? Who's going to pay for it? What kind of business model would allow this to happen?"

The WWF did that with salmon farming, another issue that pits environmentalists against farmers. It took 10 years and, undoubtedly, a whole lot of aggravation, but that effort resulted in a set of standards, released in 2013, that all the major salmon producers signed off on. As of today, according to Clay, about 25 percent of global salmon farming meets them, with more on the way.

Although the WWF doesn't work on bees, its methodology could apply to almost any issue with multiple groups that have conflicting interests.

I've been accused of having an unrealistically kumbaya vision of how to fix problems in the food supply, but I've gotta think that beekeepers, farmers, environmentalists and regulators can find enough common ground to hammer out pesticide guidelines that minimize risk to pollinators. Is there a way to restrict pesticides more carefully on crops (such as fruits and vegetables) that bees pollinate but allow more latitude on crops (such as corn and soy) that they don't? The EPA report shows a wide range of risks; could we tailor guidelines to match?

Clay says that when issues like this play out in the media, nothing much good happens. "It will be a shouting match from here to eternity. Meanwhile, the bee populations aren't doing any better."
RICHMOND, Va. -- On a cold day in 1960, a fed-up Wyatt Tee Walker led a group of protesters through the "whites-only" entrance of the Petersburg, Va., public library.

Walker, the pastor of the historic Gillfield Baptist Church, calmly walked to the library's counter and asked for a biography of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

"I was rubbing it in their noses a little because I always felt Robert E. Lee was guilty of treason and should have been arrested and put in prison," said Walker, now 88, "but the South made such a hero of him."

His attempt to borrow "R.E. Lee: A Biography, Vol. 1" by Douglas Southall Freeman on Feb. 27, 1960, was interrupted by shouts.

"I heard somebody say, 'The n------s are here!' " recalled Walker, who would later serve as chief of staff for the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "They called the police and arrested those of us who would not leave. They took us to the Petersburg jail and that stirred up the community."

It was the first of Walker's 17 arrests for challenging segregation in Virginia and other parts of the South - an era vividly chronicled in the Smithsonian's new National Museum of African American History and Culture, which opens Sept. 24. The Petersburg library sit-in would become a catalyst for desegregating the small city's lunch counters, bus terminal, restaurants and public swimming pools.

Were they courageous? "Maybe so," Walker said. "But we didn't think about fear. We wanted to get rid of segregation. It was so humiliating to be an African American in those days."

Tapped by King to be the first full-time executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Walker challenged Jim Crow in Mississippi and Alabama.

He and King were arrested during a 1967 protest in Birmingham and spent five days together in the jail. Walker smuggled in a tiny camera, taping it to his leg. In their cell, he took a photo of King gazing through the steel bars that became an iconic image. King snapped a photo of Walker looking out the same bars. Six months later, King was assassinated in Memphis.

Walker spoke about the events that defined his life and redefined the country in the community room of his assisted living complex, which he navigates with the help of a wheelchair. His wife, Theresa Ann Walker, 89, who was jailed alongside him in Jackson, Miss., sat nearby with one of their four children, Robert Walker, 60. She still lives in their home just south of Richmond and visits her husband every day.

Wyatt Tee Walker is one of the few civil rights movement strategists still alive.

He was born Aug. 16, 1929, in Brockton, Mass. His father, who was a minister, and his mother, who was a nurse, moved the family to Merchantville, N.J., where Walker grew up one of 11 children. When Wyatt was 9 years old, he and his two older sisters desegregated the town's movie theater.

"The picture playing was 'The Great Lie,' " he recalled.

Walker's father had a huge influence on him. "He was what they called a race man," Walker said. "He resisted anything that discriminated against you because you were African American. He was very outspoken against it."

In 1946, Wyatt Walker moved to Richmond to attend Virginia Union University, graduating magna cum laude with a bachelor's of science in chemistry and physics. He went on to Virginia Union Graduate School of Theology, where he met King during a student conference.

Years later, as Walker led integration efforts in Virginia, King called to recruit Walker.

"He asked me to become executive director" of SCLC, the civil rights group King and other ministers had founded in 1957, Walker recalled. "And I told him whatever he wanted me to do, I would do it."

On May 24, 1961, the Walkers and dozens of other Freedom Riders boarded buses heading for Jackson.

For the first time, Walker said, he felt fear.

"Mississippi was more dangerous then than anywhere else," he said. "The lynchings, the students killed, so many bad things had happened in Mississippi."

When the bus arrived in Jackson, the riders got off and walked into the terminal waiting room reserved for whites. "We weren't there five minutes before we were arrested," he said.

His wife, Theresa, was arrested, too.

"It was a terrible experience," she said. "I didn't talk about it for 30 years. Then I found my notes."

On a thin piece of paper, Theresa had kept copious notes in blue ink detailing their incarceration: "Breakfast grits black coffee. No toilet articles yet. No phone call yet."

The jailers divided the freedom riders by race and gender.

"There were about 14 of us in a cell for two people," Theresa recalled. "Some slept on the floor, the mattresses were dirty. The toilet was open. People walking by the jail could look in. If you wanted to shower, the water was cold. If you wanted a drink, the water was hot."

The jailers slid food on a tray underneath the door.

"At night, while the girls were sleeping, bugs were crawling on the girls," she said. During the day, "The Salvation Army people would come by and tell us we were all going to hell, told us we were all sinners for riding on that bus."

The male Freedom Riders, including her husband, were being held in another cell.

At night, "We could hear them singing, so we would sing back to them," she said. "The jailers would always tell us be quiet and shut up."

After a week, the Walkers were finally allowed to make a phone call. Theresa Walker was desperate to make bail and get out.

"Someone told us they were going to move us" to the state penitentiary in Parchman, Miss., where at least 300 Freedom Riders were eventually held. "And when you got to Parchman," she said, "they did vaginal searches with no gloves. I had children." They managed to get word to King that they needed help to get released.

The following year, Wyatt Walker traveled to Birmingham to prepare for Project C, which stood for "confrontation."

"Dr. King said if we could crack Birmingham," Walker said, "we could crack the South."

He and others called the city "Bombingham" because it was so segregated and so hostile to blacks, he said. "Churches and houses were bombed by the racists - all presided over by Bull Connor," the city's feared public safety commissioner.

Walker spent a year choreographing how the protests would unfold in minute detail. Word got around that "King's man was in town," he said. But no one knew who that man was.

The demonstrations in Birmingham became the turning point for the civil rights movement. On Good Friday, April 12, 1963, King was arrested and spent eight days in jail, where he penned his famous essay, "Letter from Birmingham Jail." It is often illustrated with the photo taken by Wyatt Walker four years later.

Two weeks after King's release, hundreds of black children streamed out of the 16th Street Baptist Church to demand integration and were met with fire hoses and snarling police dogs - images that shocked much of the country. President John F. Kennedy warned that the events in Birmingham "have so increased the cries for equality that no city or state or legislative body can prudently choose to ignore them."

The momentum from Birmingham fueled the March on Washington, which took place on Aug. 28, 1963.

Walker walked the National Mall as day broke and watched black and white marchers gather by tens of thousands along the Reflecting Pool. They wore crisp dresses, strings of pearls, pressed suits and many carried signs demanding justice.

Walker made one decision that day that he still regrets.

"I tried to persuade Dr. King not to use the 'I Have a Dream Speech,' " he said. "I had heard it so many times, I thought it was trite."

But all ministers have what they call a "going home point," a strong closing to a sermon, and that was his. Mahalia Jackson, who'd performed "How I Got Over," whispered to King, "Tell them about the dream, Martin."

Walker recalled King swinging into his closing, his voice rising in his trademark oratorical style. Walker watched the crowd's reaction as King described a world without segregation, without racism, without injustice.

"It was a world-stage moment," he said. And it forever changed the people who heard it, then and in the decades to come.
Theyre cheap, theyre light, and they can carry a small bomb: The commercial drone is essentially a new terror gadget for organizations such as Hezbollah, Islamic State, or anyone else looking to wreak havoc on a budget.

Thats the same quad copter you can get on Groupon or go down to Sams Club and buy for $400, U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller said last week at a Washington forum on future warfare. The elusive nature of small drones is one reason the federal government has designated the District of Columbia a national defense airspace and prohibited drone flights there. A recent spate of drone-related incidents, including one last year in which a drone crashed on the White House lawn, probably didnt help, either.

But the problem is no longer about enthusiasts with a bad sense of direction. Weaponized to various degrees of sophistication, such unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are now being used in the Syrian civil war and along parts of Lebanese and Syrian borders with Israel, where Hezbollah holds sway.

There has been an increasing concern in the military and a wider acceptance of how pernicious this problem is going to be, moving forward, says Andrew Metrick, an intelligence security analyst at the Center for Strategic & International Studies. From a U.S. and allies perspective, we havent had to think about how to fight where we dont have total aerial supremacy.

The U.S. military has begun studying small drones and how best to respond. Earlier this month, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) issued a request for ideas on how to protect troops from the new threat; it is planning a workshop next month. Were looking for scalable, modular, and affordable approaches that could be fielded within the next three to four years and could rapidly evolve with threat and tactical advancements, a DARPA program manager, Jean-Charles Lede, said in a statement.

Closer to the battlefield, the Marine Corps has begun integrating small drones into training exercises at the Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., Neller said. A Marine or soldier who spots a drone overhead would typically shoot it down, but smaller drones can operate surreptitiously and elude radar since they are barely larger than a bird. Their small motors make acoustic detection enormously hard, and while wide-area camera sensors deployed on the ground might detect a drone, they usually require large computational resources in the field. One solution discussed is an electronic signal jammer to prevent a drones operator from flying within a certain vicinity, an approach that U.S. forces have studied.

Unlike an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), an enemy using a small drone cant blow up a tank, but you can more easily attack individual war fighters, you can collect intelligence, and you can tie down a lot of resources by forcing U.S. personnel to respond to the danger, said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst with the Lexington Institute. If you think theres a drone nearby that might be watching you or might be a threat, then you have to be more careful-and that means youre distracted from your primary mission.

The U.S. also deploys small drones, typically for reconnaissance and surveillance. One of these, called Switchblade (PDF), is a model from California-based Aerovironment Inc. thats been used by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps. The 5.5 pound drone can carry a lethal charge and has been flown in Syria, Metrick said.

When it comes to large drones, the U.S. has shown itself-somewhat controversially-to have no current peer. Remotely piloted Reaper and Predator drones have been used in thousands of attacks, including targeted killings for more than a decade. And the U.S. has major ocean-going drones: The autonomous Echo Voyager from Boeing Co., for example, can patrol underwater for months.

Those drones are all highly advanced platforms, with technology and price tags that put them far out of reach of almost all but the most advanced militaries. For the guerrilla masses, the numerous cheaper, lightweight models are far more accessible. Their easiest use would be simply to monitor U.S. activities. But its their potential for modified, deadlier use that worries U.S. military tacticians.

When was the last time an American military force worried about being bombed by enemy air? World War II? Neller said. So what capabilities do we have to defend ourselves from enemy air or enemy unmanned air?

Such drones also represent only one facet of a future battlefield on which the U.S. military will no longer enjoy complete dominance, the general said. Technology has given potential adversaries new advantages, especially as the U.S. has developed a system of war fighting that is very dependent upon the internet, the network, and space. All three are vulnerable because they establish an electronic signature as they operate. Mobile phones, for example, put soldiers in harms way in the new digital conflict zone, because a drone might home in on them and explode.

We just got to change, Neller said, describing a future battlefield in which fighters must become virtually invisible, a return to a time when electronic detection was impossible because there were no satellite radios, Google Earth maps, or GPS-enabled mobile phones. In many ways, the new era Neller envisions would replicate the operating environment a soldier in 1916 might have known:

Youre living out of your pack, youre going to stop at night, youre going to dig a hole, youre going to camouflage, and youre going to turn off all your stuff. And youre going to sit there and try to sleep. And youre going to be careful to not make any noise and youre going to try to have absolutely no signature. Because if you can be seen, you will be attacked. Thats the difference. And thats what we got to get.
The Marine Corps said in a statement Wednesday that it misidentified two men long thought to have helped raise the first of two American flags atop Mount Suribachi during the bloody battle for the Japanese island of Iwo Jima in 1945.

The revelations come a little more than two months since the Marines said they had mistaken one of the individuals who helped raised the second flag, a moment captured in the iconic and Pulitzer-winning photograph taken by AP photographer Joe Rosenthal.

The tale of the two flags and the men who raised them on Feb. 23, 1945, has been a part of Marine Corps lore. But the details of what happened that day have been under closer scrutiny since the publication in 2014 of an Omaha World-Herald article featuring research by two amateur historians showing that one person had been misidentified in Rosenthal's famous photograph.

In May, the Marine Corps announced it had begun looking into Rosenthal's photograph, following inquiries from documentary filmmakers. The following month, the service said a panel - led by a retired Marine general - had concluded that a Marine in the second flag-raising had been misidentified. Navy Pharmacist's Mate James Bradley was actually a Marine private from Detroit named Harold Schultz.

Bradley, a Navy Cross recipient and subject of his son's book-later-turned-movie "Flags of our Fathers," was instead in the lesser-known, first flag-raising.

At the conclusion of the investigation into the second flag-raising, the same panel, using some of the same photographic evidence and material from the initial inquiry, looked into the first flag-raising.

The panel's conclusion? Two Marines, Pfc. Louis C. Charlo and Pfc. James R. Michels, did not participate in the initial flag-raising, as had been previously documented. Charlo, however, participated in a four-man reconnaissance patrol that went up Suribachi, while Michels held perimeter security nearby as the first flag went up.

Charles P. Neimeyer, the director of the Marines' History Division, said in a phone interview that an independent researcher had first approached the Marine Corps in 2011 with evidence that Charlo and Michels were not in the initial flag raising and decided after the investigation into Rosenthal's photograph that it would be prudent to try to update the record regarding the first raising.

The men who raised the first flag, according to the Marines' statement Wednesday, were 1st Lt. Harold G. Schrier, PhM2c John H. Bradley, Sgt. Ernest I. Thomas Jr., Sgt. Henry O. Hansen, Cpl. Charles W. Lindberg and Pvt. Philip L. Ward.

Unlike the second flag raising, there were no pictures taken of the first flag going up, yet to the Marines fighting below, the sight of that initial flag flying was far more significant. It was the first indication they had seized the island's most significant piece of terrain and that the bloody battle might one day come to an end. On the summit, the only camera nearby as the first flag went up belonged to Staff Sgt. Louis Lowery, a Marine combat photographer with Leatherneck Magazine. As the flag was hoisted skyward he was reloading his film after snapping a series of pictures moments before.

"Our history is important, and we owe it to our Marines and their families to ensure it is as accurate as possible. After we reviewed the second flag raising and found inconsistencies, we wanted to take another look at the first flag raising to make sure we had it correct," said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller in a statement.

In the waning months of World War II, with massive quad-engine B-29 Superfortresses regularly bombing mainland Japan, the United States decided that Iwo Jima - with its lone airstrip - was an ideal spot for damaged bombers to land on their long return flights back to the Northern Mariana Islands.

The operation to seize the island, known as Operation Detachment, would last just over a month and cost the lives of more than 5,000 Marines and almost the entirety of the roughly 21,000 Japanese soldiers defending the volcanic, porkchop-shaped scab of earth.

When the flags went up on Feb. 23, the Marines had been fighting for nearly four days. Japanese machine gun nests and snipers dug in across the base of Suribachi had raked the Americans as they drew closer to the 550-foot mound, but on the morning of Feb. 23, the initial reconnaissance patrol that ascended the hill encountered no resistance, according to Marine Corps documents.

As the recon patrol descended the mountain, a roughly 30 man patrol from Echo Company 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, led by 1st Lt. Harold G. Schrier, began its trek up Suribachi. Schrier had been given a small American flag from another lieutenant who had been told by 2nd Battalion's commander to make sure the patrol took the flag up the mountain, according to documents provided by the Marine Corps.

After a nearly two hour hike, Schrier's men reached the summit and established defensive positions while a small element looked for a place to put up the flag. Two Marines found a piece of Japanese drainage pipe, while five others affixed the flag.

At around 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 23, 1945, the first American flag went up over Iwo Jima. Ships offshore sounded their horns. Marines looked at their watches and up from their foxholes.

Over the years, many of the eyewitnesses, Neimeyer said, remembered the first flag going up, while almost no one had an exact time for when the second flag was actually raised.

Shortly after Lowrey snapped his pictures and Schrier radioed that the summit was secure, the first flag was taken down and was sent back to the bottom of the mountain to 2nd battalion's commanding officer. The flag was to be turned into a war trophy and replaced on Suribachi with a more prominent one, so roughly two hours later, a resupply patrol snaked its way back to the top of the mountain, this time with a bigger flag and the photographer Rosenthal in tow.
STERLING  On April 25, 1996, 40-year-old Dean Dawson spent the night at a friend's house on Route 38 in the town of Martville.

The friend was Mert Mahaney, a recovering alcoholic who kept a clean and sober home, and he was helping Dawson deal with a drinking problem. The two stayed up talking until around 11:30 p.m. when Mahaney went to bed.

When he woke at 7:30 the next morning, Dawson was gone.

"Dawson's bed appeared to have been slept in and he left all of his belongings behind," Cayuga County Sheriff's Office Detective Steve Smith said. "And it wasn't out of the ordinary for people to not see him for a few days. They figured he'd turn up."

But he never did.

Family officially reported Dawson missing on May 3, 1996. Now, 20 years later, detectives are still searching for any signs of Dawson, and his family is left wondering what happened.

Jennifer Scaringi was in high school when her dad went missing. Her brother, Matthew, was 8.

"It was very difficult, especially for my younger brother," Scaringi said. "He didn't really understand."

Dawson had been separated from his wife, Debbie, at the time, which was another reason he'd been staying at Mahaney's that night in April. But officials learned he always kept in touch with his family, especially his children.

"Dawson's failure to contact family or friends for eight days is enough to put up red flags," former Cayuga County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Ralph Gray told The Citizen in an article dated May 5, 1996.

Gray added that Dawson had not called his mother that week  something he did every Sunday  and he never contacted his brother on his birthday.

"To have no contact with his family seemed out of character for him," said Smith, who inherited the case when he joined the sheriff's office years later. "And to have no contact with anyone for 20 years just seems very unusual and unlikely."

That's why both detectives and Dawson's family fear the father of two is dead.

"I do not believe he's still alive," Scaringi said. "He definitely kept in contact with us  his kids  so that's what makes me think he's not alive anymore."

According to Smith, there have been rumors for years that foul play was involved. There was also some talk of suicide as witnesses said Dawson would hint that he might harm himself.

Still, detectives could find no solid reason for Dawson to be a target of any kind and there was no concrete evidence that he had killed himself.

"We've followed the leads over the years  traveled as far as Kentucky  but it's just been rumors," Smith said. "At this point, it's kind of like folklore that he met with a foul end somehow. As we follow those leads, they just never pan out."

When Dawson was first reported missing, foot searchers and specially trained canine units began a ground search of the area where he was last seen.

The sheriff's office worked with forest rangers and search teams from Oswego County, Syracuse and Rochester to cover a 300-acre-plus triangular area that ran between routes 38 and 104 and Fintches Corner Road. State police helicopters then joined the search on May 6 and divers looked underwater at an old quarry where search dogs indicated Dawson may be.

But nothing was ever found.

"We've received calls that Dawson is just across the country, but I think if Dean were alive he'd be talking to his family," Smith said. "We just don't know what happened."
If these are the kinds of friends you find in low places, then sign me up for a low places membership.

Actor Ashton Kutcher joined Thomas Rhett onstage in Iowa City, Iowa on Saturday, 8/27, for the very first show at Kinnick Stadium during the Back Porch Revival. The pair drank some beers and performed a rousing rendition of Garth Brooks Friends in Low Places (video here if the below doesnt work).

Thanks for helping me out @aplusk your hometown crowd in Iowa City brought the heat! #Kinnickstadium #Nativefund A video posted by ThomasRhettAkins (@thomasrhettakins) on Aug 28, 2016 at 8:20am PDT

Other artists who performed at the Revival, which raised money for the Native Fund, a charity that helps Iowans after natural disasters, included Blake Shelton, Big&Rich, Tucker Beathard, Morgan Frazier, David Ray, and the Hunter Smith Band.


GoldSeek.com Radio: Professor Laurence Kotlikoff and Louis Navellier, and your host Chris Waltzek





By: Chris Waltzek, GoldSeek.com Radio

-- Published: Sunday, 28 August 2016 | Print | Disqus Summary Arguably the most accurate financial prognosticator in the field, Louis Navellier of Navellier & Associates, returns with bullish comments for equities investors.

The US stock market has entered "Meltup" mode, which echoes the sentiments of recent guest and fellow market expert, Ralph Acampora.

Due to record corporate bond issuance, companies are buying back their shares at a record clip, reducing supply / increasing demand sending prices soaring.

The Presidential election cycle could improve the outlook for US equities.

Our guest advocates a solid gold component in every portfolio, to maximize the the diversification 'free lunch," benefits via improved expected return.

The discussion includes a favorite gold stock, Harmony Gold (HMY), an ideal candidate after the current correction passes, in coming weeks / months. The USA is "Flat broke," which is why central bankers are printing record amounts of currency, according to economist Dr. Laurence Kotlikoff.

His work indicates that the actual national debt is 12 times the annual GDP, $199 trillion.

The professor likens entitlement programs to a Ponzi scheme - policymakers are taking from one generation and sending it to another.

He's published a free 157 page book, available online that outlines how the national economic catastrophe could still be averted.

Dr. Kotlikoff outlines creative methods to overhaul the Social Security system and a responsible tax system.

His plan includes raising the Federal Funds benchmark rates to improve savings for retirees and curb inflation.

During a similar period, gold / silver soared several fold in price from 1977-1980.

The professor worked with a think-tank in tandem with Russia, gaining strategic insights into one of the top military powerhouses and a BRICS nation.

Disputes between the US and China regarding inconsequential islands could escalate without adequate leadership. Show Host Chris Waltzek About Chris Contact Host: gsradio@frontier.com NEW - Hotline - Q and A: 1-206-666-5370 Guest Biographies Louis Navellier The Little Book That Makes You Rich Chairman/CEO/CIO

Louis Navellier is Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Investment Officer of Navellier & Associates, Inc., located in Reno, Nevada. Mr. Navellier is also editor of four leading stock advisory newsletters: Emerging Growth, Quantum Growth, Blue Chip Growth, and Global Growth. A recognized expert in translating what had been purely academic techniques into real market applications, he believes that disciplined, quantitative analysis can select stocks that will significantly outperform the overall market.

Mr. Navellier employs a three-step, highly disciplined, bottom-up stock selection process, focusing on quantitative analysis, fundamental analysis, and optimization of the securities selected for the portfolio. In 1980, Mr. Navellier began publishing his research in his stock advisory newsletter, the MPT Review. Since 1987, he has been active in the management of individual portfolios, mutual funds, and institutional portfolios.

A charismatic figure with a reputation for solid leadership, Louis Navellier has been covered by a wide range of international media. In addition to appearing on CNBC, Bloomberg, The Nightly Business Report, and Wall Street Week, he has been featured in Barron's, Forbes, Fortune, Investor's Business Daily, Money, Smart Money, and The Wall Street Journal. Most recently he was profiled in Kenneth A. Stern's book Secrets of the Investment All-Stars in the interview "Louis Navellier, A Man Who Has Beat Them All." He is also featured in Alan R. Ackerman's Investing Under Fire: Winner Strategies from the Masters for Bulls, Bears, and the Bewildered. To visit my website: click here. Professor Laurence J. Kotlikoff Boston University Laurence J. Kotlikoff is a William Fairfield Warren Professor at Boston University, a Professor of Economics at Boston University, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Fellow of the Econometric Society, a Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and President of Economic Security Planning, Inc., a company specializing in financial planning software. An active columnist, Professor Kotlikoff's columns and blogs appear in the Financial Times, Bloomberg, Forbes, Vox, the Economist, Yahoo.com, and the Huffington Post. Professor Kotlikoff received his B.A. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania in 1973 and his Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University in 1977. From 1977 through 1983 he served on the faculties of economics of the University of California, Los Angeles and Yale University. In 1981-82 Professor Kotlikoff was a Senior Economist with the President's Council of Economic Advisers. Professor Kotlikoff is author or co-author of 16 books and hundreds of professional journal articles. His most recent books are The Clash of Generations (co-authored with Scott Burns, MIT Press), The Economic Consequences of the Vickers Commission (Civitas), Jimmy Stewart Is Dead (John Wiley & Sons), Spend Til the End, (co-authored with Scott Burns, Simon & Schuster), The Healthcare Fix (MIT Press), and The Coming Generational Storm (co-authored with Scott Burns, MIT Press) and Generational Policy (MIT Press). Professor Kotlikoff's writings and research address financial reform, personal finance, taxes, Social Security, healthcare, deficits, generational accounting, pensions, saving, and insurance. Professor Kotlikoff has served as a consultant to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Harvard Institute for International Development, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Swedish Ministry of Finance, the Norwegian Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Italy, the Bank of Japan, the Bank of England, the Government of Russia, the Government of Ukraine, the Government of Bolivia, the Government of Bulgaria, the Treasury of New Zealand, the Office of Management and Budget, the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Labor, the Joint Committee on Taxation, The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, The American Council of Life Insurance, Merrill Lynch, Fidelity Investments, AT&T, AON Corp., and other major U.S. corporations. He has provided expert testimony on numerous occasions to committees of Congress including the Senate Finance Committee, the House Ways and Means Committee, and the Joint Economic Committee.

To visit the web page, please: click here.

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GEDDES  The crowd was told to stay quiet for the birth, though some could not help themselves upon seeing the newborn calf emerge.

The little bull born Sunday afternoon made an even dozen cattle birthed to date at the New York State Fair's Dairy Cow Birthing Center this year.

Six belong to Locke's Pine Hollow Dairy  one of six central New York farms, with three total from Cayuga County, featured in the exhibit by the New York Animal Agriculture Coalition.

Over the course of the fair, 36 cows will have induced labor, at a scheduled pace of three calves born per day, to educate visitors about the process and the dairy farming industry.

On Sunday, on-hand farming professionals helped to bring the day's last scheduled calf  and Pine Hollow's newest addition  into the world.

His mother, an unnamed 3-year-old, had already given birth once about a year ago, yet farming technicians said she struggled to relax during the second attempt. So professionals stepped in.

A large, anxious crowd watch as technicians guided the birth to the point when the calf emerged at around 12:30 p.m.. But the crowd's murmurs quickly lightened when the crowd saw movements from the newborn, who was later named Herbert as a suggestion from an audience member.

Patrick Redmond, Pine Hollow's dairy operations manager who picked the name from two others, said Herbert is a large newborn at about 100 pounds, which also compounded the delivery a bit.

All in all, the 23-year-old said participating in the exhibit is a chance for Pine Hollow, and the other farms, to show how they care for their animals and approach their business.

"A lot of people that come to the fair have never seen a birth  or have never seen a cow, some of them," he said. "So it lets us kind of showcase what we do."

The fair has hosted live cattle births for the last four years. Pine Hollow, Redmond said, has participated in two of those: the first and the latest.

Pine Hollow Dairy is owned by Dale Mattoom and his wife, Colleen. Their six cows were featured on Saturday and Sunday, preceded by cattle from Fessenden Dairy in King Ferry over the state fair's first two days.

Cows from Walnut Ridge Dairy out of Lansing are scheduled to give birth on Monday and Tuesday, with the state fair celebrating Monday as Dairy Day.

Herbert's mother was in labor for around two hours, which technicians were able to track from the use of a device called Moocall. Moocall, which was developed in Ireland and is new to the U.S., attaches to a cow's tail and indicates  through a text alert  when the cow is going through birth activity, said Eileen Jensen.

Cayuga County cows to be featured at NYS Fair's birthing exhibit GEDDES  If you visit the Dairy Cow Birthing Center at this year's New York State Fair, you 

Jensen, the director of promotion and outreach for NYAC, said she has seen a great turnout at this year's birthing exhibit with the center in a new location on the fairgrounds.

"We've had wonderful visitors. Fairgoers have been respectful and have been very interested in what we do and why we do it. And that's exactly why we're here," Jensen said. "To explain our passion and to explain the 'why' behind what we do on dairy farms and how we do things."

Elsewhere on the fairgrounds earlier that day, an Elbridge family shared an animal education of their own at the state fair.

Elbridge man John Beach said he has been to the fair about a dozen times, but this year was naturally the first for his 1-year-old daughter, Mallory.

Joined by other family members including his 3-year-old son, Beach held his daughter over his shoulders as they perused the goat barn after checking out the cows and the dairy barn.

"We get to kind of discover new things together," Beach said. "It's really about teaching these guys about animals and farm life and getting them to see something they don't see every day."
11:12

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump linked illegal immigration and employment Saturday, pledging to start deporting offenders as soon as he is sworn in should he become the White House's next occupant.

Trump all the while courted the black vote, claiming that the shooting of basketball star Dwyane Wade's cousin will make African Americans support him, but the move instead triggered a firestorm of criticism.

"On Day One, I am going to begin swiftly removing criminal illegal immigrants from this country - including removing the hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal immigrants that have been released into US communities under the Obama-Clinton administration," Trump told supporters in Des Moines, Iowa.

Trump's Democratic rival Hillary Clinton served as secretary of state during President Barack Obama's first term in office. The next president will be sworn in on January 20.
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Oh, the things you can find if you don't stay behind.

 Dr. Seuss

Friends, it's the end of August, and that means it's time to travel east for the great New York State Fair.

There's been a massive renovation, as you'll see from the moment you enter. The gateway has been updated and now looks like a grand palatial entrance. It's very inviting and the spectacles being hosted this year are sure to draw some serious crowds.

We all have our reasons and personal favorites for going each year, and I'm no different. I love the free concerts, animal attractions and of course, the food. Now when I say food that can mean several things. There's the typical fare (like how I did that?) to be had: hot dogs, hamburgers, salt water taffy, ice cream and lemonade stands around every corner and then there's fair food: deep-fried Twinkies, Okra-On-A-Stick (in case you have an aversion to forks for some reason) and of course the mother of all digestive challenges known simply as the Defibrillator. The name alone gives reason to pause, and once you see it made you'll wonder why it doesn't come with paddles to jump start your heart after eating it. I have enough problems with my ticker to know enough to stay clear but I will say it smells really good.

I also find it funny/ironic that people lose their minds in grocery stores when there's a line of more than two people, yet don't seem to bat an eye when they wait a half hour to get a cup of milk at the dairy building.

I wanted to check out the horse building early this year while it was still fresh, because after two weeks it can start to smell like, well, a horse building. All the attention the riders put into making their steeds presentable by braiding the tail and mane and brushing each animal with care  even painting the horse's nails is always impressive  but I wondered if they've ever considered adding a little makeup to the regimen.

Let's be honest, it's a beauty contest, so a little lipstick might go a long way to securing a blue ribbon. True they'd have to probably need to use a paint roller to apply it, but no one ever said winning was easy. With all the sights to see and with Syracuse only being a half hour away I recommend you go to the fair a few times, because there's no way to take it all in in just one day.

Just remember to pace yourself, especially with the food, because if you think the milk line was long wait till you see the ones for the bathrooms.
Talks between the EU and the US on the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) have essentially failed, German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel has said. In my opinion the negotiations with the US have de facto failed, even though nobody is really admitting it, the Minister told ZDF broadcaster, according to a written transcript of the interview. [They] have failed because we Europeans did not want to subject ourselves to American demands. He noted that throughout 14 rounds of talks, the two sides have not been able to find common ground on a single chapter of the deal being discussed. Among the stumbling blocks is a US objection to opening public tenders to European companies. For me, that goes against free trade," Gabriel previously commented regarding the issue. Washington has been insisting that the free trade deal be signed before the end of 2016, but it has encountered strong opposition from a number of European nations, not only Germany. Critics claim that TTIP is dangerous as it could place the interest of international corporations above those of the nations they operate in, and undermine European standards for labour and environmental protections. Gabriel compared TTIP with the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, a free-trade treaty that the EU and Canada have been negotiating, which he said was fairer on the parties involved. The European public has also been unhappy with TTIP as the contents of the deal are secret. However, recent leaks suggest that it will affect food safety laws, environmental legislation, banking regulations and open the EU for GM crops. Opponents of the deal have been staging protests in a number of European cities. The most recent one took place in Berlin last weekend, with activists calling for a nationwide demonstration on September 17. --IANS ahm/dg ( 312 Words) 2016-08-28-18:09:56 (IANS)
His performance and dance moves made waves in the six cities -- Houston, Oakland, Orlando, Hoffman Estates, Inglewood and Newark -- he performed in along with others like Alia Bhatt, Parineeti Chopra and Varun Dhawan. The tour was held earlier this month.

His performances with Katrina Kaif and Alia made his fans slay and groove to the hit dance numbers "Kaala chashma" and "Kar gayi chull".

Sidharth said in a statement: "It was a wonderful experience performing for the audience. The energy level rose with each city. The love I have received has been a memorable experience. My interactions with them have been tremendous. I feel extremely fortunate to receive so much affection from the fans."

The actor will next be seen showcasing his chemistry with Katrina in "Baar Baar Dekho", to be released on September 9.

--IANS rb/mr

( 181 Words)

2016-08-28-13:07:08 (IANS)
After some media persons contacted station director, Humayun Kaisar, he informed that the Narbal transmitter of Radio Kashmir had developed a technical snag, leading to transmission snapping.

The station director said a team of engineers had been rushed to locate the snag and rectify it so that transmission was resumed.

Speculations arose after the transmission failure of Prasar Bharati-run Radio Kashmir as separatists have asked people to march to Radio Kashmir and the local Doordarshan Kendra on September 1 to prevent employees entering.

Separatists have called "Radio Kashmir and the local Doordarshan Kendra part of India's war machinery used for anti-Kashmiri propaganda".

--IANS sq/vd

( 147 Words)

2016-08-27-22:43:57 (IANS)
Sources said here today at the time when thousands of people are seeking help from government and administration, 49 municipal councillors secretly took flight to Kochi (Kerala) via Mumbai to celebrate their days.

The sources said that councillors are posting their photographs on social media while they are enjoying their tour.

Altogether, 22 councillors of BJP are planning to take off to Kochi on August 28.

As the water level of the Ganga is coming down in Varanasi region, the people are starving for food and water to drink. More than four lakh people are said to be affected from the flood-like situation in the region.

Meanwhile, the PWD minister had yesterday instructed for a compensation of Rs four lakh for the dependents of those killed in the floods.

After visiting the flood-affected areas across the state, Mr Yadav today instructed officers concerned to distribute relief packets which includes rice, pulses, eatable oil, kerosene, water, soap and other necessary things to the flood affected.UNI JDM MB PY SB2246

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-906987.Xml
Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar has said Pakistan should not internationalise the Kashmir issue, and added that it is a bilateral issue. Taking a dig at Pakistan, Akbar told ANI, "If a false statement is being repeated 22 times or 22,000 times by 22 people (special envoys), it doesn't become true. If Pakistan wants to give free tourism to some MPs, then it is its independent right. Pakistan shouldn't internationalise the Kashmir issue. It is a bilateral issue and it would remain so." Akbar said Pakistan does not want to talk on the Kashmir issue because it knows that its stand is wrong. "The day it will talk on Kashmir, it will be caught. They have commitments on Kashmir in Tashkhent and Shimla. That's why Pakistan always hesitates from facing the truth," he added. Akbar's comment came shortly after Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif nominated 22 parliamentarians as special envoys who will be highlighting the unrest in Kashmir globally. "I have decided to send these parliamentarians for fighting the Kashmir cause in different parts of the world. These special envoys have the strength of the people of Pakistan, prayers from the Kashmiri people across the Line of Control, mandate of the Parliament and support from the government", the Dunya News quoted Prime Minister Sharif, as saying. Earlier, Pakistan had raised the Kashmir issue in the United Nations after violence broke out in the valley over the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani by the security forces. Then, Pakistan's Permanent Resident to the UN Maleeha Lodi had called Wani's elimination as "extra-judicial" and described him as a "Kashmiri leader". Since then, Pakistan has been using its diplomatic platforms to apprise other nations about the unrest. (ANI)
Vigilance Director DGP Jacob Thomas has said its DySP Najmal Hassan will be the incharge of further probe into the controversial bar bribe case in which former Finance Minister K M Mani had allegedly collected bribe for reopening of closed bars in the State. Yesterday, the Vigilance Court here ordered a further probe into the case following SP Sukesan's petition that his investigation report in this regard was sabotaged by ADGP Sankar Reddy. With the decision of DGP Jacob Thomas, SP Sukesan would not have any role in the further probe of the case. DySP Najmal Hassan of the special investigating team will probe the case. In his plea, SP Sukesan stated that Shankar Reddy had dismissed his report demanding FIR against Mani. Sukesan also alleged that the ADGP had removed many statements against Mani from the report. "Under this situation, one cant say the probe is completed. I sought a case against former finance minister. But, the ADGP submitted my report to the court after making changes stating that no evidence against Mani to register case against him." It was alleged that Mani had accepted bribe to reopen the closed bars in the State. UNI DS CS 1026 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0324-907141.Xml
"Candidates for written examinations have been warned not to carry any mobile phone or any type of watch or wear belt and ornaments such as rings, chains and earrings. They may not carry any electronic or communication device, pen, pencil, eraser, sharpener and correcting fluid in the examination centre," the spokesman said.

He said that any candidate found possessing any such item would not be allowed to enter the examination centre.

"It will be treated as a serious violation and amount to cancellation of candidature. The candidate will be debarred from future examinations of the HSSC," he added.

He said that candidates would be frisked before allowing to enter the examination centre.

Use of CCTV cameras and biometric attendance process by capturing the thumb impression and photograph of the candidates will be done during the examination.

Video-graphy will be conducted and jammers be used in the examination hall to stop copying and impersonation, he added.

--IANS js/py/

( 210 Words)

2016-08-28-11:17:56 (IANS)
President Pranab Mukherjee today congratulated the ISRO scientists for successful testof the futuristic scramjet rocket engine technology. ''Hearty congratulations ISRO on successful test of futuristic scramjet rocket engine, India is proud of you'',the President tweeted.UNI GV CS 1148 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-907279.Xml
Party leader Abu Azmi said that Pakistan is taking India lightly and is treating serious issues like Dawood's presence in that country as a joke.

"Pakistan is taking India very lightly, it is avoiding important issues. Pakistan is resorting to new lows. They are treating important issues like Dawood as a joke. I believe that the government should take this very seriously and talk with Pakistan strictly. Pakistan should give an authentic answer in this regard," said Azmi.

Reacting to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup's questions on fugitive underworld don Dawood Ibrahim hiding out in Pakistan , Basit said, "Ye baat purani ho gayee hai (This is an old issue)".

On Friday, Swarup said that Pakistan must extradite Dawood whom they have provided sanctuary for long.

"We hope that Pakistan will heed international opinion on this issue," Vikas Swarup said.

Swarup's remarks came after the designated global terrorist's presence in Pakistan was confirmed by United Nations. Six of nine addresses provided by India were found to be correct by a UN committee. (ANI)
Major environmental groups endorse Colleen Deacon for Congress over Rep. John Katko (Auburn Citizen, 8/19/16) highlights two endorsements of Democrat Colleen Deacon in the 24th Congressional District race versus Rep. John Katko, a Republican. It was also noted that Rep. Katko has recently signed a congressional resolution saying U.S. Congress needs to act on climate change to protect the economy and jobs.

Whichever candidate has the most bold plan to move forward to protect the economy and environment should get constituents' support. Beyond standard calls for increased investment in renewable energy, neither candidate has put forth a plan that really addresses how to protect our district and country.

The economy can be expanded while protecting our businesses, farmers and workers. A recent report from CitiGroup highlights the risks of inaction on climate to our economy: more severe weather events and resulting in billions in property damage, rising shorelines, decreased crop yields and large energy demands.

Politicians, business and thought leaders are speaking out about carbon fee and dividend as a market-based solution that both our major parties can get behind. Former Secretary of State George Shultz, former S.C. Rep. Bob Englis (both Republicans), Exxon and Unilever have endorsed a steadily rising fee on carbon based fuels. The dividend returns all net money collected to American families in monthly checks to cover increases in costs of energy. The fee is a clear message to investors that investing in clean energy is good business. The program is projected to expand the economy by millions of jobs, and increase GDP by $1.375 trillion, according to industry modeling.

Our government representatives will back these plans if we let them know now is the time for carbon fee and dividend. So contact Rep. Katko and Ms. Deacon and demand action. Now. A farmer, business owner and those who enjoy the beach will thank you.

Kathryn Stuenzi

Syracuse
AIADMK Legislature party leader A Anbazhagan today urged the government to take steps to adopt a unanimous resolution in the Assembly condemning the Karnataka government on the Cauvery water issue. Addressing a press conference here, Mr Anbazhagan pointed out that the Tamil Nadu government had filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Karnataka government on the issue and the failure of the Puducherry government to function jointly with the Tamil Nadu government amounts to "cheating " the people particularly those from Karaikal region. On the Congress functionary taking selfie with Chief Minister V Narayanasamy while the National Anthem was sung at a function and police registering a case against him, Mr Anbazhagan said it had happened as the Chief Minister failed to prevent him. He should advise his party functionaries to desist in future, the AIADMK leader said and alleged that in this case Mr Narayanasamy and DMK legislator Siva were responsible. He urged the Lt.Governor Kiran Bedi to order a thorough probe into the issue.UNI PAB CS 1400 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-907422.Xml
Police today seized huge consignments of liquor being smuggled from Uttar Pradesh, Nepal and Jharkhand and arrested 13 bootleggers in Bhojpur, West Champaran, Aurangabad and Darghanga districts.

The biggest haul was reported from Bhojpur district where nearly 3000 bottles of foreign liquor being smuggled from Uttar Pradesh were seized.

According to a report from Ara, police acting on a tip off seized nearly 3000 bottles of foreign liquor from a vehicle at Shahpur Bazar under the same police station area in the district and arrested five smugglers in this connection. MORE UNI DH IS AKC ADG 1335

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Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman A. S. Kiran Kumar on Sunday lauded the successfully test of the scramjet, an engine that takes atmospheric oxygen to burn engine fuel, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta in Andhra Pradesh. "Today's experiment of doing a scramjet engine test is a very significant development and we are the fourth country to do such a thing. The test was very successful. We had the ignition and the test developed for about five seconds. It is a very significant development for the country. The efforts of long duration at our end has paid," Kiran Kumar told ANI here. "Right now, we have been able to demonstrate for ten seconds. Now, we have to do it for a longer duration and we also have to work on using it effectively for a longer period," he added. The Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV), a sounding rocket (research rocket) with a solid booster carrying advanced scramjet engines, was successfully flight-tested from the launch pad of the Sathish Dhawan Space Centre, also known as Sriharikota Range (SHAR), at Sriharikota on Sunday at 6 a.m. This first experimental mission of Indian Space Research Organisation is aimed at the realisation of an Air Breathing Propulsion System which uses hydrogen as fuel and oxygen from the atmosphere air as the oxidiser. The mission had a smooth countdown of 12 hours as the ATV with scramjet engines weighing 3277 kg lifted off at 6 a.m. ISRO chairman A.S. Kiran Kumar and SHAR director P. Kunhikrishnan along with a host of space scientists were present at Sriharikota on the occasion. The ATV vehicle, which touched down in the Bay of Bengal approximately 320 km from Sriharikota after a flight of 300 seconds, was successfully tracked during its flight from the ground stations at Sriharikota. With this, the ISRO had successfully demonstrated its capabilities in critical technologies like ignition of air breathing engines at supersonic speed, air intake mechanism and fuel injection systems. Technological challenges handled by ISRO scientists during the development of the scramjet engine include the design and development of hypersonic engine air intake, the supersonic combustor, proper thermal management and ground testing of the engines. With this, India became the fourth country to demonstrate the flight testing of a scramjet engines. This mission is a milestone for ISRO's future space transportation system. The scientists said that all the important flight events such as the burn out of booster rocket stage and functioning of scramjet engines for 5 seconds followed by burn out of the second stage took place exactly as planned. (ANI)
Police sources said as part of the operation, police intensified patrolling and conducted vehicle checks and searches in hotels and lodges in a bid to arrest history sheeters, who were on the run, and execute the non-bailable warrants issued against them by the courts.

During the night-long operation, 381 people were detained on suspicious grounds.

The sources said four criminals against whom Non-bailable warrants were pending, were also arrested, along with 111 peopleunder Sec 109 and 110 of CrPc.

A total of 76 people were held on charges of drunken driving, the sources said.UNI GV cs 1449

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The city police have busted a fake educational certificate racket by arresting six persons. Police seized 400 fake educational certificates of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Andhra University and other Universities, Intermediate, SSC marks memos, 92 fake rubber Stamps of different Universities, colleges, Computer system, laptop, colour printers and other incriminating material from their possession. On credible information, North Zone Task Force team arrested Vennu Dinakar Reddy (39) of Champapet, A.Rama Rao (60) of Hayath Nagar, Ziaul Hasan (22 ) of Uttar Pradesh, C.Sunil Reddy (29) of Kothapat, Dasari Manoj (30) of Nagole, Raghava (64 ) of Secunderabad (stamp maker) yesterday for their involvement in the offence, police said. One more person Mohan Lal was absconding. The modus operandi was that the accused Vennu, Rama Rao and Ziaul Hasan were the kingpins in the fake education certificate racket. They Collect the information of customers through their agents Sunil Reddy and Dasari Manoj. After collecting the details of needy customers through their agents, they were preparing fake education certificates of Degree, B.Tech, Diploma and stamp a sign of Registrar, monograms of concerned Universities which was procured from rubber stamp makers. The accused persons were collecting some of Original certificates from required customers and the same was scanned into the computer system, through Photoshop software designing, preparing fake educational certificates, with the fake signature of the concerned registrar, University monogram affix on the fake certificates to believe as genuine. Thereafter they deliver to the customers through their agents and collect amount of Rs.40,000 to 70,000 per certificate depending on the course of certificates, police added.UNI VV CS 1532 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0275-907537.Xml
The Congress on Sunday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti of failing to revive Kashmir from its current paralytic state . Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala maintained that the valley is on the boil for the past 51 days and no solution has been chalked out to combat the unrest in the region. "Kashmir valley is now under curfew from past 51 days. Over 70 people have died, nearly 6000 people have been injured. And it was the first time on the 50th day that Modi ji found to meet his own alliance Chief Minister Mehbooba mufti ji. Modi ji also spoke on Kashmir from Madhya Pradesh on the 38th day that reflects the seriousness with which Modi government is dealing with the volatile situation in Kashmir," said Surjewala. "There were three things that Mehbooba ji said yesterday which were very startling. Firstly she said that the agenda between BJP and PDP has not been implemented. She also said that if Modi ji wants there will be no bloodshed in Kashmir, then why would Modi ji not want the bloodshed in Kashmir to stop. And thirdly she appealed to Pakistan to take care of and listen to the pain of youth in Kashmir but Modi ji says that he will not speak to Pakistan on Kashmir. So which one of the two voices is correct?," he added. Surjewala further asserted that as long as the BJP-PDP alliance continue to dither and speak in contradictory voices, the lasting peace and solution to Kashmir will not happen. Emphasizing that if Prime Minister Modi will notice the problems of the valley and reach out to the Kashmiris the Congress leader said that the grand old party would welcome any solution to lasting peace and the will also become a part of all party delegation which will go to Kashmir and lend support to the government despite of the political differences. Expressing regret and remorse over the loss of lives in the Kashmir Valley, Prime Minister Modi earlier today said that any life lost in the state, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is India's loss, adding that those instigating young, innocent children will have to answer to them someday. Addressing the nation during his address in the 23rd edition of his 'Mann ki Baat' programme, Prime Minister Modi said, "Any life lost in Kashmir, whether of any youth or any security personnel, is our own loss. Those who are trying to disrupt peace in Kashmir by instigating innocent young children, they will have to reply to these young children." The Prime Minister also said that all political parties need to put forward their views on the prevailing situation in the Kashmir Valley in one voice. "'Ekta' (unity) and 'Mamata' (affection) was the crux of all interactions I had recently on Kashmir situation," he said. Prime Minister Modi had convened an-all party meet on August 12 to discuss the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir. He told attendees that Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir is also part of Jammu and Kashmir. The prime minister added that "there cannot be any compromise on national security, but we have to win the confidence of the people in Jammu and Kashmir. Normal life in the Kashmir Valley remains paralysed as a curfew and a shutdown continued for the 51th consecutive day on Sunday. All educational institutions, shops, public transport and other businesses are closed since July 9. The death toll in the valley has reached 67, as another youth succumbed to his injuries in clashes that broke out between security forces and the locals in Pulwama district on Friday. (ANI)
With the Haji Ali Dargah trustees set to move the Supreme Court to challenge the Bombay High Court's decision that allowed entry of women in the dargah, Bhoomata Brigade leader Trupti Desai on Sunday said she doesn't think that the apex court will have a contrary view taking into consideration the Constitution and injustice done to the women by banning their entry in 2012 - "we are confident of it". "The women should have equal rights as guaranteed by the Constitution and they should be allowed to visit all temples, mosques, dargahs or any other religious place where men can go. But, I feel that trustees are not ready to accept this and they are trying to bring Islam in it, but our campaign is not against any religion, it is a fight for the women's right, which the women have won successfully. And thus, we are confident that the SC will upheld the high court's decision," Desai told reporters after visiting the dargah. "Last time, when we were campaigning here, the trustees told us that they would abide by the high court's verdict; but now they are saying that they will move to the Supreme Court. After the high court's order, I think, trustees of all such religious places where the entry of women is banned should now allow their entry," said Desai, who offered a 'chadar' at the dargah to express her gratitude to Haji Ali. Stating that it is up to the trustees whether they move the SC, Desai said, "I would like to pray to them that the high court has given a very good decision in favour of the women, and they should also welcome that and think over it peacefully. If they take a decision, we can visit the mazaar in two days." When asked about her next destination, Desai said, "All the four campaigns have been successful, our next aim is Sabarimala temple (an ancient temple of Ayyappan also known as sasta and Dharmasasta) in Kerala's Pathanamthitta District." Urging the trustees of the Sabarimala temple to allow women's entry, she said: "We feel taking in view the Bombay High Court's decision, the trustees of Sabrimala temple should also open the doors for women, and if they fail to do so, and we will start our campaign for the entry in the Sabarimala temple shortly." Talking about their visit to the dargah today, she said, "When we had started our campaign, we have to return from the gate, but today Muslim sisters and police supported us. We are happy that today nobody stopped us from going there (inner sanctum), for which we are thankful to everyone. We went inside the dargah up to the permissible area, as has been permitted to the common man and woman. We have not to violet the directions of the high court." Hailing the decision of the Bombay High Court as "very important and historic", Desia said, "When we visited Haji Ali dargah last time, we had prayed for our uninterrupted entry to the inner sanctum. As Baba Haji Ali has fulfilled our wish and the court's verdict also came in our favour, today we came here to express our gratitude to the Baba by offering a holy 'chadar' and sought his blessings for uninterrupted entry for women to the inner sanctum." The Bombay High Court on Friday lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah. The Haji Ali Dargah Trust imposed the ban in 2012 citing religious traditions. The dargah authorities defended the ban, saying the entry of women in close proximity to the tomb of a male saint would be seen as a grievous sin in Islam. The trust had claimed that separate arrangements have been made for women to walk up to a certain point from where they can offer prayers. The ban is contrary to Articles 14, 15, 19 and 25 of the Constitution of India. (ANI)
Pakistan is causing disturbances in Afghanistan and India, Union Minister for Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya said today. Speaking on the occasion of 'Jai Jawan Tiranga Utsav' commemorating 70th years of India's independence, Mr Dattatreya asserted that the Asian Continent, especially South Asia, was in a volatile situation due to the burning Afghan Pakistan issues, disturbances in Indian Ocean, drug trafficking through Golden Crescent and Golden Triangle and religion covered terrorism of Inter-Services Intelligence(ISI) and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). He said Pakistan, having realised that it cannot defeat India through arms was resorting to proxy war, cooperating and supporting with ISI and ISIS and aiming to disturb anyhow the unity and integrity of this country. India, he affirmed, was ready to convey an appropriate lesson to Pakistan. Mr Dattatreya said the Telangana government should concentrate on the welfare of the ex-servicemen and extend the benefits of land, house plots, loans, self employment schemes to them. He also urged the state govt to issue bus passes to the widows of the martyrs and free pass through toll gates and allot housing sites to about 900 ex-servicemen. Mr Dattatareya assured on the occasion that he would take up these issues with the Chief Minister K Chandrasekara Rao, while seeking the cooperation of Mr Nayini Narsimha Reddy, Minister for Home who was sharing the dais. Earlier, Mr Dattatreya paid tributes to martyrs at Kargil Memorial, Parade Ground, Secunderabad. In another programme at Telangana state BJP headquarters, Union Minister of State for Agriculture Puroshottam Rupala honoured freedom fighters on the occasion of of Jai Jawan Tiranga Utsav. Mr Dattatreya, BJP State President Dr K Laxman, and MLAs among others took part in the meeting.UNI VV RP1737 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-907702.Xml
Puducherry Lt Governor Kiran Bedi is contemplating to connect the 'Shram daan' movement in Varanasi with the union territory. According to a Rajnivas release here today, Dr Bedi yesterday inaugurated the first national 'Shram daan' conference in Varanasi organised by the 'Sakaar Seva Samithi',a movement led by Ms Temsutula Imsong. Imsong's works were personally applauded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a meeting and recognised in his speeches. Dr Bedi also released a 'Shram daan' anthem in the conference which is proposed to translate into different Indian languages beginning with Tamil. The Lt Governor had extended an invitation to Ms Imsong to visit Puducherry with her team of 'shram daanees' to connect this movement of north with the Union territory. This form of movement would involve over 50,000 students of the Pondicherry university with all its affiliated colleges in four regions.The arrangement had been recently discussed by the Lt Governor with the Vice-Chancellor and head of the departments of the university, the release said.''Education Minister Kamalakannan has been personally requested by the Lt Governor to spearhead this movement as he is already leading by example in Karaikal,supported by District Collector Parthiban,'' the release added.UNI PAB PR AE 1800 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-907790.Xml
Visitors accustomed to burnt orange carpeting and glittering chandeliers at Little America might be shocked at the hotels largest revamp ever, aimed at making the hotel more reflective of Arizona themes and incorporating a sleeker design.

The change is immediately obvious upon entering the lobby. Turquoise, wood and brown stone accent the space, complete with slabs of blue chrysocolla, a gem mined in Morenci, hanging on the wall above the fireplace, which is even bigger than the iconic one before the renovation.

The renovation, which started in January, required the hotel to close the lobby, the restaurant and the gift shop. Those areas reopened Mothers Day weekend, but other areas, like the redesigned conference rooms, took until June to finish.

The restaurant renovation included changing the name of the restaurant from Western Gold to Silver Pine, a change that Fred Reese, the general manager of the hotel, said signifies a change in appearance and menu selections.

During the renovation, a gable was added to create a lofted look and bring in more natural light, doubling the size of the windows in the back of the restaurant, Reese said.

An outdoor seating area was also added, along with a waterfall feature, small pond and fire features. The outdoor dining space can accommodate about 50 diners.

The hotel also added a separate buffet room to accommodate diners at breakfast.

Little America favorites will still be available in the restaurant, like the French onion soup and the turkey dinner, but Reese said the revamp also brought new dishes to the menu, like peppercorn crusted filet mignon and chipotle salmon.

Reese said he wants Flagstaff residents to see Little America as a dining destination, where people can get high-quality food and drinks at an affordable price.

We want to see the locals eating in here, Reese said.

Reese said the restaurant offers local beers on tap, including beers from Lumberyard, Beaver Street Brewery, Historic Brewing and Mother Road Brewing. The restaurant has also been making use of local produce purchased at the farmers market, including fruits that can be preserved and used for desserts.

While the renovation interrupted some of the hotels traditional holiday banquets, now that it is complete, the banquets are back, in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

They will be bigger and better than ever, Reese said.

The renovations to the lobby and restaurant are the first since the hotel opened in Flagstaff in 1973. Reese said the renovations will extend to the guest rooms over the next two years, which he hopes will give the hotel a big enough boost to improve its rankings. The hotel is currently rated a three-diamond hotel by AAA. Reese said the room renovations should give the property the edge to reach four diamonds.

The hotel will continue to partner with the North Pole Experience and have its famous holiday light display. This year, North Pole Experience participants will assemble in a newly-created meeting room, rather than the front lobby.

Little America will still be your holiday headquarters, Reese said.

The hotel added new meeting rooms and a board room in an area that used to be staff offices, and it redesigned existing meeting rooms and ballrooms to fit the new theme. The restrooms have also been upgraded with new mirror fixtures and color scheme.

The gift shop has also been condensed after the renovation, and offers a variety of items, including Swarovski crystals, gourmet candy and a wide range of toys and stuffed animals.

We want people to still feel like its their home away from home, Reese said. "Since the beginning we have always put an emphasis on providing outstanding customer service to all our guests and treating them as if they are family. This is why our motto is 'A tradition of hospitality.'"
Altogether 4,900 pilgrims left for the pilgrimage from Hyderabad Embarkation Point, of them 2,620 are from Telangana, 1,648 from Andhra Pradesh and 632 from Karnataka.

The Haj camp started with arrival of the pilgrims on August 19, whose flight left on August 21, and was flagged off by Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali.

Syed Omer Jaleel, Secretary to Government, Minorities Welfare Department took keen interest on the success of the camp and visited it regularly.

Prof S A Shukoor, Special Officer Telangana State Haj Committee supervised all arrangements by camping in the Haj House. He ensured smooth and peaceful departure of Haj pilgrims from the airport by personally visiting the Haj Terminal for every flight.

He said all the pilgrims had reached Makkah, the sacred most city for Muslims and were safe there, offering prayers. He thanked all the departments, their officers and staff besides a score of volunteers for their cooperation for the success of the Haj Camp. UNI VV PR 1842

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Union Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Dr Jitendra Singh has said Pakistan is exploiting youth in Kashmir in the name of 'jihad' and 'jannat'. "Entire world knows that Pakistan is using its soil to perpetuate terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India. It is also exploiting poor children in the name of 'jannat' and 'jihad' in the Kashmir Valley," Dr Singh told a news channel here yesterday on the sidelines of a function. He said, ''If Kashmiri separatists feel and provoke youth in the name of 'jannat' and 'jihad' by indulging in stone pelting with security forces, why don't they send their wards and loved ones in the protests.'' "Their own children are studying in various institutions abroad and they, at the behest of Pakistan, exploiting youth of Kashmir and misleading them," he added. Dr Singh further said talks will be held with all the stakeholders of the state and sections of the people including from Kashmir, Ladakh, Jammu, Gilgit and Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir(PoK). UNI VBH PR SB 1928 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-907925.Xml
Calling Hindutva as a unifying force, RSS chief Mohan Rao Bhagwat today said Hindutva never talked about opposing any religion and creating rift among people of different society, instead it talks about spreading the message of love and compassion. "Hindus ideology never talks about opposing any ideology. Instead it respects every idea because we believe these ideas can help bringing a revolution in the society which can bring a positive change in people's lives,' Bhagwat said while addressing RSS workers here. He said Hindutva does not believe in rituals. ''It talks about spiritual power that is based on truth and when you are in search of truth you need to have compassion, but Hindutva does not mean you should remain weak. You should be strong enough to help people of all section of society," the RSS chief said. "You should work for the uplift of Hindu Samaj. You should do it with dedication. This Samaj is like our Bhagwan and we should perform this work with dedication," he said. He said the time has come to take India to a new height where everyone is forced to say 'Bharat Mata ki jai, but this slogan should not bring arrogance. ''You should be sublime in your thought and action. You should think about unity and integrity of the nation because a united nation can move forward while a divided nation disintegrates quickly,'' he said. "The RSS workers should change their line of thinking. This change would be reflected in the society. Until they bring about this change country will not succeed," the Sar-sanghchalak of RSS said. Mr Bhagwat is in Lucknow since August 24 and would leave for Nagpur on August 30.UNI MB PR 2035 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0105-908021.Xml
Union Minister for Human Resources Development Prakash Javadekar today said the Centre would explore considering allocating 25 per cent seats to talented locals in Dharwad IIT. Talking to mediapersons after officially launching IIT-Dharwad here, he said there has been such practice in some states to reserve seats in such institutions for the local candidates. Mr Javadekar said he was happy to visit Dharwad, for the first time after he took over as HRD Minister, known for educational hub. He said the Centre has much concern to improve the quality education in the country. Emphasis has been given to turn education as result oriented so that more human resource can be produced in the interest of the nation. He said IIT in Karnataka has been one such example where Prime Minister Narendra Modi has indicated a positive gesture by sanctioning IIT at Dharwad. He described IIT at Dharwad was a feather to the cap of North Karnataka and hoped that this will serve to produce the best of students in technical education. Referring to Tiranga march he said it is one of the most ambitious programmes of Mr Modi in instilling patriotism in the people of the nation and added that this programme will bring laurels to the country apart from building India positively. He honoured centenarian Ratnamma Katti, a freedom fighter, as part of Tiranga Yatra on this occasion and said that he was proud to honour such a great soul who fought for freedom of India. Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah, who was present on this occasion of inaugural function, said the State Government was ready to grant any quantum of land for the Centre sanctioned any projects to Karnataka. He expressed his gratitude to the Union Government for sanctioning IIT to Karnataka and said the Government has already allocated adequate land for IIT campus. Union Minister Ananth Kumar, State Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddy and several representatives of public were present on this occasion. UNI XR RS PY 2043 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-908081.Xml
Farmers in Kabini command area of Mysuru district have threatened to launch an indefinite agitation in Mysuru, if water to the irrigation canals of Kabini dam was stopped from August 30. In a release issued here today, the State Sugarcane Growers' Association, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar, has claimed that the dam authorities have reportedly been announcing in villages in the command area that water flowing to the dam's canals will be stopped from August 30 to ensure availability of water for drinking purposes in view of deficient rainfall. The dam had not reached its full reservoir level owing to the lack of adequate rain. Association president Kurubur Shanthkumar said the paddy had been planted in about 70,000 hectares of land and paddy saplings had been kept ready for planting in about 30,000 hectares in the command area. "How can they stop the water when the farmers have invested a lot of money on raising the crop," he questioned. He said the authorities had reportedly promised farmers they would provide water for irrigation for at least 45 days, but were now demanding a stop in the flow, after releasing water to the canals for about 25 days. Mr Shanthkumar alleged that the irrigation authorities had been misleading people by claiming that water was being stopped to the canals to ensure there was enough for drinking purposes. "However, the reason they have been citing is untrue as they want to release water to Tamil Nadu," he charged. Claiming that the farmers had cultivated the paddy after borrowing money from banks and financial institutions, he said they would suffer greatly if the did not receive water for the crop. The farmers would hold a massive demonstration in front of CADA office here on August 30, demanding continuation of water to irrigation canals from the dam. "On that day, we will decide on the future course of action, including holding an indefinite stir, if water is stopped," he added.UNI BSP RS PY 2121 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0298-908100.Xml
He said 87. Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir and several other Congress leaders have expressed grief and sorrow over the demise.

After early schooling, Qureshi graduated from A S College Srinagar and completed his MA, LLB from Aligarh Muslim University, where he became a Member, Students Cabinet of University Students Union in 1952-54, Secretary, Law Society in 1953 and vice-president, Geographical Society in 1954.

Qureshi formed the Congress in Kashmir and became founder President of the Jammu & Kashmir National Congress and was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Jammu & Kashmir in 1965.

He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Anantnag Constituency in 1971 and again in 1977 General Elections. He became Union Deputy Minister of Commerce from January 28, 1966 to February 14, 1969, Union Deputy Minister for Steel & Heavy Engineering from February 15, 1969 to May 2, 1971, Union Deputy Minister for Railways from October 10, 1974 to March 1977 and Minister of Tourism & Civil Aviation 1979.

He was the Governor of Bihar from March 1991 to August 1993, Governor of Madhya Pradesh in June 1993 and additional charge as Governor of Uttar Pradesh in May 1996.

JKPCC Chief M A Mir termed his demise as a great loss, not only to J&K, but to the entire country.

Recalling the services rendered by Qureshi, Mir said during his tenure as Deputy Railway Minister, Pathankote Jammu rail service was started and after that, Qureshi got the survey done for Jammu- Baramulla railway service. UNI BAS QAB RJ SB RK2135/2315

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In a bid to prevent further publication of the information regarding the leaked documents pertaining to Indian Navy's six Scorpene submarines, French shipbuilder DCNS has threatened to move court. The company DCNS, which is at the centre of a global submarine data leak scandal, wants to prevent the Aussie publication, The Australian, from releasing any more confidential data contained in 22,400 secret documents because it may cause harm to its customer -- the Indian Navy. Lawyers for DCNS have told The Australian that the company will seek an injunction in the Supreme Court of New South Wales to prevent further publication of documents. The move by DCNS which has won a contract to design Australias new $50 billion submarine fleet comes as a former commander of the US Pacific Fleet Submarine Force warned that the Scorpene leaks scandal would undermine confidence in the ability of French companies to protect classified information, The Australian reported on Sunday. Rear Admiral (retired) John Padgett, who is also the president of the influential US Naval Submarine League, has warned that aggressive action needed to be taken to investigate the leak and that France should share the outcome with Australia. The company is also seeking a court order to force The Australian to hand over the documents and remove them from its website. The publication of this highly valuable document causes a direct harm to DCNS and its customer in terms of spread of sensitive and restricted information, image and reputation," says an affidavit by DCNSs lawyer Justine Munsie. The Australian redacted the most sensitive details from the documents before their publication. Admiral Padgett said the most significant implication of the DCNS leak was that any potential adversary, if armed with classified data, could create and exploit the vulnerabilities it revealed. It is never good for an opponent to have your playbook, he said. As a member of NATO, the French government and French military demonstrate that they enforce effective security controls and have a solid reputation with their allies. It is not clear to me that the French military-industrial base meets those same standards and breaches such as the (Scorpene data leak) undermine confidence that sensitive or classified information will remain secure, he added. Admiral Padgett said the leak investigation had to determine exactly how the breach occurred and what aggressive action would be taken to correct deficient security controls. His comments came as a French public prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation into the data leak, with DCNS filing a complaint for breach of trust. We filed a complaint against unknown persons for breach of trust with the Paris prosecutor, said a DCNS spokesman. Apart from the disclosures related to cylindrical and flank array, sonar interception, acoustic signature and levels of noise radiation, the leaked documents on the Scopene submarine include details of the capabilities of the SM.39 anti-ship missile expected to be used on the submarine. Meanwhile, the Indian Navy top officers have said that they do not expect the project to be delayed and that the first vessel, INS Kalvari, which is currently undergoing sea trials, will be inducted by the year-end. The Indian Navy has maintained the leaked data will not compromise the boat's stealth capabilities, an officer told IANS that, if needed, India is capable of making suitable changes in the submarines keeping in mind the "worst-case scenario". --IANS sku/ ( 573 Words) 2016-08-29-01:19:57 (IANS)
Yemen's Saudi-backed exiled government said today it welcomed a plan agreed by the United States, Gulf Arab states and the United Nations to restart peace talks with a goal of forming a unity government.UN-sponsored negotiations to end 18 months of fighting in the impoverished country on Saudi Arabia's southern border collapsed this month and the dominant Iran-allied Houthi movement there resumed shelling attacks into the kingdom.In talks in Jeddah this week, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the conflict in which Saudi Arabia has launched thousands of air strikes in favour of the exiled government had gone on too long and needed to end.Today, a statement from the exiled government carried by the Saba news agency said: "The government is prepared to deal positively with any peaceful solutions...including an initial welcoming of the ideas resulting from the meeting in Jeddah that included the foreign secretaries of the US,the United Kingdom and Gulf states."The Houthis are yet to respond to the proposal.Kerry said on Thursday the Houthis must cease shelling across the border with Saudi Arabia, pull back from the capital Sanaa, cede their weapons and enter into a unity government with their domestic foes.Yemen's internationally recognised government, based in Saudi Arabia, has made similar demands but insisted that the Houthis fulfil all those measures before any new government was formed. However Kerry suggested they could move ahead in parallel.The Yemen war has killed more than 6,500 people and displaced some 3 million.Saudi Arabia, a key US ally, has come under stiff criticism from rights groups for air strikes that have repeatedly killed civilians in Yemen.The United Nations human rights office said in report on Thursday that the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for 60 percent of the 3,799 civilians killed in the war.REUTERS SDR 0025 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-907086.Xml
Bangladesh security forces killed three Islamist militants today, including a Bangladesh-born Canadian citizen accused of masterminding an attack on a cafe in Dhaka last month that killed 22 people, mostly foreigners, police said.The militants were cornered in a hideout on the outskirts of the capital and, having refused to surrender, were killed in the ensuing gun battle, Monirul Islam, the head of the Dhaka police counterterrorism unit, told Reuters.He initially said four militants had been killed but later revised the number to three.US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to visit on Monday to discuss security after a series of killings targeting liberals and religious minorities in the mostly Muslim country.Islamic State claimed responsibility for the assault on the cafe in a posh neighbourhood where militants singled out non-Muslims and foreigners, killing Italians, Japanese, an American and an Indian.The government has consistently denied the presence in the country of any transnational militant organisation such as al Qaeda or Islamic State.But police believe that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, which has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, was involved in organising the cafe attack.The scale of that attack and the targeting of foreigners has cast a shadow over foreign investment in the poor South Asian economy, whose $28 billion garments export industry is the world's second largest."This operation definitely will uphold confidence and the image of Bangladesh," said Bangladesh's prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.She told a news conference: "With this killing one curse has been removed from our shoulders."MASTERMIND'S DEATHThe suspected mastermind killed in today's raid was identified as Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, a 30-year-old Canadian citizen born in Bangladesh. Analysts say Islamic State in April identified Chowdhury as its national commander."According to our evidence we are now sure that Tamim was among the three killed," Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters. "So the chapter of Tamim has ended here."Khan said Chowdhury was one of the main suppliers of funds and arms for several recent attacks. He had returned to Bangladesh in October 2013 via Abu Dhabi, AKM Shahidul Hoque, the inspector general of police, said.Global Affairs Canada, the country's foreign department, said in a statement it is aware of reports of Chowdhury's death."Canadian officials are in contact with Bangladeshi authorities to gather additional information," a spokeswoman said. "No further details can be provided at this time."The raid followed a tipoff from the landlord of the house where the militants were staying, Hoque told reporters. The landlord said the militants had described themselves as businessmen in the medical trade.Police spokesman Masudur Rahman said the fingerprints of two associates of Tamim who were also killed today have been sent to the election commission to confirm their identity."Police collected evidence from the house though they (the associates) destroyed a laptop and some other documents," he said.They rented the house earlier this month and police recovered several grenades, arms and bullets.Last month police offered a 2 million taka (26,000 dollar) reward for information enabling them to detain Tamim.Police have also detained two men who had been among the survivors of the July 1 restaurant attack.Hasnat Karim, who holds dual British and Bangladeshi citizenship, and Tahmid Hasib Khan, a student of Toronto University and a Canadian permanent resident, had been dining separately in the restaurant.A lawyer for Karim, a 47-year-old engineer, has said his client is innocent. Relatives of Khan, 22, say he is innocent too.Global Affairs Canada said officials are in contact with their Bangladeshi counterparts about the matter, but the assistance they can offer is limited as Khan is not a citizen.Earlier this month, security forces arrested four women suspected of being members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh. REUTERS SDR 0359 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-907104.Xml
Suspected Kurdish militants fired rockets at the airport in Turkey's main southeastern city of Diyarbakir, sending passengers and staff scrambling for shelter, Dogan news agency said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties.Four rockets were fired at a police checkpoint outside the VIP lounge, and passengers and staff were taken inside the terminal building for safety, the private news agency said. The attack happened not long before midnight 0230 IST yesterday.Broadcaster NTV said the rockets landed on wasteland nearby. There were no casualties and no disruption to flights, Diyarbakir governor Huseyin Aksoy told the news channel.There was no immediate claim of responsibility.Diyarbakir is the main city in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast, where Kurdish militants have waged a three-decade insurgency. The attack comes days after Turkey launched a military incursion into Syria aimed at driving back Islamic State and preventing territorial gains by Kurdish fighters.Rebels supported by Turkey fought Kurdish-backed forces in northern Syria yesterday, and Ankara said it had launched air strikes against both Kurdish militia fighters and Islamic State.Turkey fears Kurdish militia fighters will fill the void as Islamic State is pushed back. It wants to stop Kurdish forces gaining control of a continuous stretch of Syrian territory on its frontier, which it fears could deepen the insurgency by Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants on its own soil.Diyarbakir airport largely handles domestic flights and is served by carriers including Turkish Airlines.The PKK, which first took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984, is considered a terrorist organisation by Ankara, the United States and the European Union. A ceasefire collapsed just over a year ago, and violence has since surged.REUTERS SDR 0423 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-907107.Xml
Its the last weekend of August and suddenly Flagstaff has grown by 22,000 students, give or take the several thousand who were already here for the summer.

Thats the new fall enrollment figure for NAUs Mountain Campus, and, in truth, its not as if they ever left. College students have been in Flagstaff roughly nine months of every year since 1899. It just seems a lot more crowded in town this time of year before the tourists start trickling away after Labor Day.

But when it comes to college towns, size does matter, both for the college and the town. Its not as though Flagstaff, population 70,000, is hosting a private liberal arts college with 2,000 students. NAUs presence has 10 times the impact, whether on jobs, culture, housing or traffic. So when it is time for classes to start again in the fall, all of Flagstaff notices.

GROWTH AT A COST

At some point, NAU will stop growing faster than its host. But like it or not, the last decade on the Mountain Campus will be remembered mainly for its unprecedented expansion in students, facilities and tuition. If state subsidies had kept pace with the rising cost of such growth, that legacy would be a lot more positive. But the golden era when the appropriation per student was 2  times the tuition has been replaced by tuition that is three times the state subsidy per student, a complete reversal of the higher education business model.

For many NAU students and their families, the financial struggles to afford a college education are severe and will last long after they leave Flagstaff, with or without a degree. The four-year tuition guarantee for incoming freshman is a help, but only 40 percent graduate in that window. The reasons range from financial difficulties to poor preparation for college-level courses. If regents are serious about dramatically increasing the number of college graduates in Arizona, then it's time they help NAU double down on those freshmen most at risk of not continuing and get them to graduation day on a path that they can afford.

NOBLE MISSION

Local residents who went to college in a different era and dont have children in college might not appreciate the sacrifices that NAU students  most of whom come from families of very modest means  are undertaking as they set about their coursework for another year. Many are also the first in their families to enroll in a four-year college  it is one of the more noble missions that NAU has been assigned by the regents, and it one that we hope all of Flagstaff embraces.

To NAU students, we urge you to get acquainted and involved with your new host community. Even if working a job to pay the rent, take some time to explore the mountains, take in a First Friday Art Walk, or serve up dinner at the Family Food Center. You might see your main purpose as getting an education, but becoming an educated person wont happen if you hole up on campus for four years.

But when you are in town, remember the golden rule that comes with being essentially a guest: Leave your host better than before you arrived. We understand that living away from home for the first time involves stretching the rules and flexing your new freedoms. But we suggest introducing yourself to the neighbors first thing  that way you wont meet for the first time over their barking dog or your late-night party. And if you cant work things, consult new Neighborhood Liaison Karissa Morgan, hired jointly by NAU and the city of Flagstaff.

NO CAMPUS AN ISLAND

To the faculty, staff and administrators, you are our friends and neighbors. The Mountain Campus, however, exists almost as an island within Flagstaff, so help us understand its unique culture and rhythms. Town-gown relations in a city where the university plays such an outsized role depend on open lines of communication and constructive feedback. Why not a formal university relations commission at City Hall, staffed by the new neighborhood liaison?

And finally to the Legislature and governor: Youre not going to get a first-class higher education system on the cheap, yet thats what youve been trying to do. The recession is over and the state economy is recovering. Yet the state investment per student has never been lower and student indebtedness never higher. If the two lines continue to diverge, students, like most consumers, will begin to balk at paying more while getting less.

HONOR THE CONTRACT

But students shouldnt be treated as customers. Higher education is a mutual contract between the educator and students, but Arizona elected officials have broken the contract. As the Mountain Campus starts another year with fresh faces and ambitious goals, we urge lawmakers to embrace that idealism. Higher education in an interconnected world has never been more important to mutual understanding and prosperity. Dont
The secretive communist government of Laos, a country with a population of less than 7 million, rarely causes a ripple on the diplomatic circuit. And yet its sleepy capital will spring to life next week when global leaders arrive for an Asian summit.Barack Obama will be among them, making the last push of his presidency to 'rebalance' Washington's foreign policy towards Asia, a strategy widely seen as a response to China's economic and military muscle-flexing across the region.The might of Laos' giant neighbour to the north is hard to miss in Vientiane: wealthy Chinese driving SUVs overtake tuk-tuks sputtering along the roads and Chinese-backed hotels sprout from noisy construction sites in one of Asia's most low-rise cities.But diplomats say Obama could be pushing on an open door in Laos, thanks to a change of government there in April.They say the country's new leaders appear ready to tilt away from Beijing and lean more closely towards another neighbour, Vietnam, whose dispute with China over the South China Sea has pushed it into a deepening alliance with the United States."The new government is more influenced by the Vietnamese than the Chinese," said a Western diplomat in Southeast Asia." "It's never too late for a US president to visit."Obama will become the first sitting US president to visit landlocked Laos, where the United States waged a "secret war" while fighting in Vietnam, dropping an estimated two million tonnes of bombs on the country. About 30 per cent of the ordnance failed to explode, leaving a dangerous and costly legacy.Laos has strategic importance to both Vietnam and China. Vietnam has a long land border with Laos that gives it access to markets in Thailand and beyond. For China, Laos is a key gateway to Southeast Asia in its "new Silk Road" trade strategy.Laos, which is developing a series of hydropower plants along one of the world's longest rivers, the Mekong, aims to become "the battery of Asia" by selling power to its neighbours.SHIFTING POLICYIt is difficult to read policy in Laos because its leaders are so uncommunicative, but Western diplomats have detected some shifts.First, deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad - who ran the steering panel for a 7 billion dollar Chinese rail project - retired. The project is now believed to be on hold because Laos is unhappy with the terms of the deal.Officials of Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith's new government, many of them educated in Vietnam, have visited Hanoi en masse in recent weeks, their first foreign trip.At two of the past meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is currently chaired by Laos, Vientiane has taken a more nuanced stance on Beijing than neighbouring Cambodia, which is increasingly seen as a Chinese satellite."The US strategic interest in Laos is to see the country be able to exert a certain degree of strategic autonomy because you don't want ... (to) have something akin to the relationship between China and Cambodia," said Phuong Nguyen of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank.A defence official in Washington did not comment on wider strategic issues but described Laos as "an important partner."A China foreign ministry spokesman said "we welcome any country, including those inside and outside this region, developing constructive relations, as long as these ties are really beneficial to regional peace, stability and prosperity."LONG-TERM BATTLEBeijing has invested around 1 billion dollar annually in Laos in 2014 and 2015, a step up from the 4.5 billion dollar invested historically before 2014, according to figures from China's Ministry of Commerce and state-run media.For the United States, impoverished Laos is not a strong investment draw."In Laos, we bring 7-8 companies to the table compared with 30-40 companies that Vietnam brings. But China- that's a totally different ball game," said Anthony Nelson, director of the US-ASEAN business council."So there's no coincidence that the countries with the lowest levels of development, Laos and Cambodia, are the most willing to advocate for China's position in international discussions."But the Lao are closer culturally to Vietnam than they are to China. Their businesses use Lao language signs and mixed Lao-Vietnamese families incorporate local customs, while Lao-Chinese families tend to be isolated."We are a bit frustrated with (China). They create their own eco-system," a Lao businessman said.REUTERS SDR 0714 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-907112.Xml
The loan has been offered under the Nepal government's Road Sector Development Programme (RSDP) and will also be used for addressing post-earthquake reconstruction needs, reports the Kathmandu Post.

The additional financing is a World Bank top up and has been ongoing since 2008.

What started out as a project for ten beneficiary districts and two million people, has now been expanded to cover 25 more.

Takuya Kamata, World Bank Country Manager for Nepal said that the primary focus is to develop connectivity in the poorest of the poor and with remotest regions of the country. He said that the RSDP has been the cornerstone of the bank's support for Nepal's strategic roads network for nearly a decade. (ANI in inputs)
The opposition Communist Party of Nepal (UML) on Sunday questioned the logic behind the government decision to send two deputy prime ministers as special envoys of the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to India and China. UML vice-vhairman and former Deputy Prime Minister Bhim Rawal said at the Parliament meeting that there was no ground for the act as per the principles of United Nations and other diplomatic values including the panchasheel principles, reports the Himalayan Times. He was of the opinion that governments send special envoys to other nations whenever there is some emergency like war or famine. Meanwhile, Rawal also sought clarifications from the government over a reported letter sent by Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. Earlier, it was reported that DPM Bimalendra Nidhi during his recent meeting to India had handed over Dahal's letter to Modi, in which the Nepal PM had expressed its commitment for constitutional amendment to address concerns of agitating Madhesi parties. While Deputy Prime Minister Nidhi had visited India as Prime Minister Dahal's emissary, the government had sent another Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara to China, to what it said improve bilateral ties with the neighbours and let them know the new government's priorities. Responding to Rawal's concern, Nidhi said the letter sent by Dahal to Modi did not have anything secret, but it was just to inform that he had been sent as a special envoy to share thoughts about plans and programmes of the new government and ensure top-level bilateral visits under the changed political context. (ANI)
One of the three militants killed by Bangladeshi security forces on Saturday in connection with July's Dhaka cafe attack came from a posh area of the city like some of the attackers and went to a prestigious foreign university, police said on Sunday.Towsif Hossain was from Dhaka's leafy Dhanmondi neighbourhood and was missing since February. Like Nibras Islam, one of the five young and affluent cafe attackers who was killed after a 12-hour siege on July 2, Hossain had also attended the Kuala Lumpur campus of Australia's prestigious Monash University, the head of the Dhaka police counterterrorism unit told reporters.The other militant killed on Saturday morning was Fazle Rabbi from the Jessore district northwest of Dhaka, who was missing from last April, counter-terrorism head Monirul Islam said. Rabbi's family has fled, police said.The cafe attack was claimed by Islamic State and killed 22 people, mostly foreigners. It alarmed security and political experts because of the profile of the perpetrators: educated youths from privileged backgrounds who had turned to radical Islamism only recently. Both Hossain and Rabbi were around 25, police said.Malaysian police said last month that at least two of the militants behind the cafe attack had attended Monash, although they did not name them. The militants singled out non-Muslims and foreigners in the attack, killing Italians, Japanese, an American and an Indian.The identity of Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, a 30-year-old Bangladeshi-born Canadian citizen suspected to be the mastermind of the cafe attack, was confirmed on Saturday itself.The militants were cornered on Saturday in a hideout on the outskirts of Dhaka, and having refused to surrender, were killed in the ensuing gun battle.Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the police operation would uphold confidence and the image of her country, and came ahead of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Dhaka on Monday.The government has denied the involvement of Islamic State in the attack and instead blamed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, which has pledged allegiance to the group active in Syria and Iraq, for organising the assault that has weighed on the poor South Asian economy's $28 billion garments export industry.Analysts say Islamic State in April identified Chowdhury as its national commander in Bangladesh.REUTERS CJ VN1621 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-907616.Xml
Turkish air strikes in north Syria killed 25 Kurdish militants, the Turkish military said on Sunday, the fifth day of a cross-border campaign launched alongside its Syrian rebel allies that aims to strike at Kurdish forces and Islamic State.The military said the militants were killed in the area of Jarablus, a Syrian town on the border with Turkey. The army said it was taking all measures to avoid any civilian deaths.The monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday that at least 35 civilians were killed south of Jarablus during fighting between Turkish-backed forces and rival Kurdish-aligned Syrian militias. The militias have said no Kurdish forces are in the area. REUTERS CJ BD1706 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0400-907694.Xml
MOGADISHU, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Somali army, backed by the African Union peacekeeping troops, killed at least seven Al-Shabaab militants on Saturday in a fighting at Surayo location, about 15km from Burdhubo town in the southern Somali region of Gedo, a local official said.

Aden Muhumed Ahmed, a security official in the area, told reporters that the joint forces were "in full control of the area at the moment," but two soldiers of the Somali army were killed and another one was injured in the fighting.

"Al-Shabaab militants ordered locals to pay large amounts of money which they can't afford; the residents informed us that they were facing threats and pressure from the militants and we responded to their demand and took action on the terrorists today," he said.

The Islamist Al-Shabaab group controls some areas of southern Somalia, and frequently carries out attacks in the country in its insurgency against the government. Enditem
RIYADH, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Saudi Arabia announced on Saturday that a Saudi child was killed and four injured in a missile attack launched from Yemen to the border city Najran, Saudi Press Agency reported.

The injured were sent to hospital for treatment.

The attack was one of the recent strikes launched by the Houthis from Yemen, with most attacks intercepted by Saudi military forces.

Saudi Arabia has been leading a war against the Houthis since March 2015 in support of the Yemeni elected government.
NAIROBI, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged African states to increase the use of domestic resources for funding their health sectors.

Director for Health Systems and Services Cluster of WHO Regional Office for Africa, Delanyo Dovlo, told Xinhua Saturday that on average a majority of African countries fund 60 to 70 percent of their health needs from domestic resources.

"In order to gain sustainability and resilience in their health systems, African states must be able to rely more and more on domestic resources for health in the same way developed countries have managed," Dovlo said during a civil society forum on Africa's health in Nairobi.

Dovlo said that the use of foreign funds for health needs is "not bad but makes the country vulnerable to external shocks that could affect delivery of health services".

He urged the continent to be more innovative in ways that they can generate resources for the health sector.

"Some developed countries have introduced taxes on travel or on alcohol and tobacco in order to fund health programs," he said.

In 2001, African states came up with the Abuja Declaration that calls for governments to devote at least 15 percent of their budgets to the health sector.

However, Dovlo said: "So far only six countries have at one time or another achieved the goal while only four have managed the goal on a consistent basis."
DHAKA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday defended her government's decision to construct a controversial India-funded power plant near Sundarbands, the world's largest mangrove forests which straddle both Bangladesh and India.

Despite warnings from activists of environmental costs, at a press briefing on the coal-fired plant's environmental impacts on the forest, the Bangladeshi premier Saturday justified her government's decision to go ahead with nearly 1.50 billion U.S. dollars power project at any cost.

About the environmental risks cited by environmental groups and ex-Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at the latest, Hasina said that the 1,320-megawatt "Ultra Super-critical Power Plant," the construction site of which is about 14 kilometers away from the Sundarbans, will be developed with cutting-edge eco-friendly technologies.

"It won't hamper the world's largest mangrove forest," she claimed and added "the plant would rather come as a bless for Sundarbans as people's dependency on the forests for their livelihoods will reduce because it will create employment opportunities for them."

In the press conference, Hasina showed photographs of many major coal-powered plants established in forests and cities in different countries to assert the anti-power plant campaign was a mere propaganda of vested interest groups.

Some 70 percent of the project cost would reportedly be covered by the Indian Exim Bank as a loan, and the rest by the governments of Bangladesh and India. Enditem
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(function() { (function(){function b(g){this.t={};this.tick=function(h,m,f){var n=void 0!=f?f:(new Date).getTime();this.t[h]=[n,m];if(void 0==f)try{window.console.timeStamp("CSI/"+h)}catch(q){}};this.getStartTickTime=function(){return this.t.start[0]};this.tick("start",null,g)}var a;if(window.performance)var e=(a=window.performance.timing)&&a.responseStart;var p=0 =c&&(window.jstiming.srt=e-c)}if(a){var d=window.jstiming.load; 0 =c&&(d.tick("_wtsrt",void 0,c),d.tick("wtsrt_","_wtsrt",e),d.tick("tbsd_","wtsrt_"))}try{a=null,window.chrome&&window.chrome.csi&&(a=Math.floor(window.chrome.csi().pageT),d&&0 =b&&window.jstiming.load.tick("aft")};var k=!1;function l(){k||(k=!0,window.jstiming.load.tick("firstScrollTime"))}window.addEventListener?window.addEventListener("scroll",l,!1):window.attachEvent("onscroll",l); })(); M. Bakri Musa Seeing Malaysia My Way About Me Name: M. Bakri Musa Location: Morgan Hill, California, United States Malaysian-born Bakri Musa writes frequently on issues affecting his native land. His essays have appeared in the Far Eastern Economic Review, Asiaweek, International Herald Tribune, Education Quarterly, SIngapore's Straits Times, and The New Straits Times. His commentary has aired on National Public Radio's Marketplace. His regular column Seeing It My Way appears in Malaysiakini. Bakri is also a regular contributor to th eSun (Malaysia). He has previously written "The Malay Dilemma Revisited: Race Dynamics in Modern Malaysia" as well as "Malaysia in the Era of Globalization," "An Education System Worthy of Malaysia," "Seeing Malaysia My Way," and "With Love, From Malaysia." Bakri's day job (and frequently night time too!) is as a surgeon in private practice in Silicon Valley, California. He and his wife Karen live on a ranch in Morgan Hill. This website is updated twice a week on Sundays and Wednesdays at 5 PM California time. View my complete profile



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Devolution and the Rise of Sarawak's Adenan Setam





Devolution and the Rise of Sarawaks Adenan Satem

M. Bakri Musa

www.bakrimusa.com





Do not anticipate any positive change in Malaysia coming from the center, not from the current corrupt and incompetent UMNO leadership. Instead expect it from the periphery, in particular Sarawaks Chief Minister Adenan Setam.



This rise of the periphery is a worldwide phenomenon. Witness the successes of the Scottish Nationalist Party and the Brexit referendum. Devolution there is a backlash against globalization; with Malaysia, a weak and distracted center.



Adenans rise is facilitated both by his political prowess as well as Najibs precarious position. Najib is inept in dealing with state leaders other than those from UMNO. With those from UMNO, Najib could bribe or bully his way.



A measure of Najibs lack of sensitivity to matters Sarawak is that not a single university has a Department of Iban Studies. Petronas, which gets the bulk of its oil from Sarawak, does not even have one Board Director or senior manager who is from the state. Now Adenan has imposed a moratorium on work permits for West Malaysians in Petronas. It is significant that he spared non-Malaysians.



Unlike his predecessor the crude and greedy Taib Mahmud who exploited his leverage to enrich himself, Adenan uses his to extract greater autonomy for Sarawak. He acts as if he already has that, declaring English to be on par with Malay in schools and the states administration, in defiance of federal policies. The surprise is the silence of UMNO chauvinists and Malay language nationalists. That can only happen with specific directives from Najib.



Adenan has banned UMNO from Sarawak; there is no legal basis for that. Again, no challenge from Najib. If UMNO were to defy that, Adenan would quit the ruling coalition and Najib would fall. Note Adenans ease in castrating UMNO jantans. Not a peep of protest from them. They bear and grin, as instructed.



Sarawak (and also Sabah) already enjoys considerable autonomy on immigration. West Malaysians need a passport to enter. Adenan exploited that to maximal effect in the last state election, denying entry to opposition MPs from West Malaysia, a slap to Parliaments prestige. Again, the surprise was the silence of the Speaker, an UMNO man, to this unprecedented affront to his institution.



Adenan could act with impunity as his party is critical to Barisan. Through that he controls Najib. To Najib, Sarawak is his fixed deposit. That euphemism cannot hide the political reality. Without Adenans party, Najib and UMNO would topple. Right now it is to Adenans (and Sarawaks) advantage to stay with the ruling coalition. Najib will do everything to ensure that; his survival depends on it.



Autonomy is meaningless without changes in federal tax laws, a formidable obstacle. The federal government has near-exclusive taxing authority. Only minor items like land taxes are under state control. The oil royalty-sharing formula heavily favors the central government. Even if Sarawak could re-negotiate that, it is no windfall, what with the declining oil price. Despite its massive rain forest with its valuable hardwood, Sarawak still cannot forgo massive federal transfer payments.



One way to circumvent the tax hurdle would be to execute a secular zakat maneuver. Zakat is a religious tax based on assets, not income, and is under state jurisdiction, albeit applicable only to Muslims and is voluntary. It could be made mandatory and extended to all, non-Muslims included. Both moves would enthrall the Islamists.



Zakat contributions are federal tax credits, not deductions. That provides a neat way to circumvent federal income tax.



Sarawakians have minimal fondness for the federal government. They could be persuaded to pay zakat (and its secular equivalent for non-Muslims) instead of income tax as the benefits would accrue to them, as the money stays in Sarawak. Sarawakians would not be paying both, rather diverting income tax to zakat.



Adenan has adopted an excellent negotiating strategy with Najib by creating momentum with the easily-agreed upon and costless items like increasing the number of Sarawakians in Petronas and having one on its Board of Directors.



With Najibs current weakness, Sarawak could drive a hard bargain for greater autonomy, including independent taxing power, to the point of being a virtual sovereign state. Once that happens, Sabah would be next in line to demand similar status. Sabah UMNO leaders would not dare defy the demands of their members no matter how much Najib bribes those leaders. From there, others. Johor sultan already stirs noises for Bangsa Johor and threatens secession. Kelantan wants its hudud. Najib supporting that ill-advised initiative could come back to haunt him.



Once the unravelling begins, it is unstoppable. The prospect of a chief minister being on par with the prime minister is a giddy one to ambitious state politicians. Remember, the federation is of recent vintage. The old Malaya was set up only in 1948; Malaysia, even more recent.



Consider the impact of autonomy on national policies like education and special privileges. Even with the current restrictions, note the ease with which the opposition DAP terminated special privileges for Malay contractors in Penang. Selangor under Pakatans Khalid Ibrahim annihilated a whole class of UMNO rent seekers, and saw his predecessor, that dentist character, jailed for corruption.



Even if Najib were to balk at Adenans demands, whats to stop Adenan from asking his party members in Parliament to submit a private members bill, a la PAS Hadis hudud, seeking greater autonomy and taxing authority for Sarawak? If Adenan were to do that, then watch both Najib and the opposition compete to accommodate Adenan in an epic lu tolong gua, gua tolong lu battle. He would be holding Parliamentand Malaysiato ransom.



I support the principle that a government closest to the people governs best. There are pitfalls, however.



Sarawak shares a long unguarded border with Indonesia. Most of Borneo is Indonesia; Sarawak being part of Malaysia is an anomaly. It would not take much for the Indonesians to overwhelm Sarawak. If not for the British, they would have during konfrontasi. Besides, Jokowi is everything that Najib is not: honest, effective and charismatic.



As for Sabah, Filipino pirates can enter it with impunity, and Philippines is resurrecting her claim. Another complicating mix, traditional kinship ties between Sabah and Southern Philippines.



Adenan envies tiny independent Brunei. The lesson there is not the Brunei of today but earlier. In 1962 one A. M. Azahari toppled the sultan. If not for the British Gurkhas, the sultan would have remained a refugee in Singapore. The son of Azahari may yet arise. This time there will be no Gurkhas.



As for Johor, it wasnt too long ago that its sultan treated the state as his private property and gave away a strategic and valuable part of it (Singapore). It would be the supreme irony if his descendant were to repeat the folly.



Those aside, I see great potential for Sarawak under Adenan Satem. He may be the transforming leader Malaysia needs while remaining within the ruling coalition. Today that coalition is Barisan. Tomorrow who knows. If Adenan plays his card well, that would be good for him, Sarawak, and most of all, Malaysia.



Devolution and the Rise of Sarawaks Adenan SatemM. Bakri Musawww.bakrimusa.comDo not anticipate any positive change in Malaysia coming from the center, not from the current corrupt and incompetent UMNO leadership. Instead expect it from the periphery, in particular Sarawaks Chief Minister Adenan Setam.This rise of the periphery is a worldwide phenomenon. Witness the successes of the Scottish Nationalist Party and the Brexit referendum. Devolution there is a backlash against globalization; with Malaysia, a weak and distracted center.Adenans rise is facilitated both by his political prowess as well as Najibs precarious position. Najib is inept in dealing with state leaders other than those from UMNO. With those from UMNO, Najib could bribe or bully his way.A measure of Najibs lack of sensitivity to matters Sarawak is that not a single university has a Department of Iban Studies. Petronas, which gets the bulk of its oil from Sarawak, does not even have one Board Director or senior manager who is from the state. Now Adenan has imposed a moratorium on work permits for West Malaysians in Petronas. It is significant that he spared non-Malaysians.Unlike his predecessor the crude and greedy Taib Mahmud who exploited his leverage to enrich himself, Adenan uses his to extract greater autonomy for Sarawak. He acts as if he already has that, declaring English to be on par with Malay in schools and the states administration, in defiance of federal policies. The surprise is the silence of UMNO chauvinists and Malay language nationalists. That can only happen with specific directives from Najib.Adenan has banned UMNO from Sarawak; there is no legal basis for that. Again, no challenge from Najib. If UMNO were to defy that, Adenan would quit the ruling coalition and Najib would fall. Note Adenans ease in castrating UMNO jantans. Not a peep of protest from them. They bear and grin, as instructed.Sarawak (and also Sabah) already enjoys considerable autonomy on immigration. West Malaysians need a passport to enter. Adenan exploited that to maximal effect in the last state election, denying entry to opposition MPs from West Malaysia, a slap to Parliaments prestige. Again, the surprise was the silence of the Speaker, an UMNO man, to this unprecedented affront to his institution.Adenan could act with impunity as his party is critical to Barisan. Through that he controls Najib. To Najib, Sarawak is his fixed deposit. That euphemism cannot hide the political reality. Without Adenans party, Najib and UMNO would topple. Right now it is to Adenans (and Sarawaks) advantage to stay with the ruling coalition. Najib will do everything to ensure that; his survival depends on it.Autonomy is meaningless without changes in federal tax laws, a formidable obstacle. The federal government has near-exclusive taxing authority. Only minor items like land taxes are under state control. The oil royalty-sharing formula heavily favors the central government. Even if Sarawak could re-negotiate that, it is no windfall, what with the declining oil price. Despite its massive rain forest with its valuable hardwood, Sarawak still cannot forgo massive federal transfer payments.One way to circumvent the tax hurdle would be to execute a secular zakat maneuver. Zakat is a religious tax based on assets, not income, and is under state jurisdiction, albeit applicable only to Muslims and is voluntary. It could be made mandatory and extended to all, non-Muslims included. Both moves would enthrall the Islamists.Zakat contributions are federal tax credits, not deductions. That provides a neat way to circumvent federal income tax.Sarawakians have minimal fondness for the federal government. They could be persuaded to pay zakat (and its secular equivalent for non-Muslims) instead of income tax as the benefits would accrue to them, as the money stays in Sarawak. Sarawakians would not be paying both, rather diverting income tax to zakat.Adenan has adopted an excellent negotiating strategy with Najib by creating momentum with the easily-agreed upon and costless items like increasing the number of Sarawakians in Petronas and having one on its Board of Directors.With Najibs current weakness, Sarawak could drive a hard bargain for greater autonomy, including independent taxing power, to the point of being a virtual sovereign state. Once that happens, Sabah would be next in line to demand similar status. Sabah UMNO leaders would not dare defy the demands of their members no matter how much Najib bribes those leaders. From there, others. Johor sultan already stirs noises for Bangsa Johor and threatens secession. Kelantan wants its hudud. Najib supporting that ill-advised initiative could come back to haunt him.Once the unravelling begins, it is unstoppable. The prospect of a chief minister being on par with the prime minister is a giddy one to ambitious state politicians. Remember, the federation is of recent vintage. The old Malaya was set up only in 1948; Malaysia, even more recent.Consider the impact of autonomy on national policies like education and special privileges. Even with the current restrictions, note the ease with which the opposition DAP terminated special privileges for Malay contractors in Penang. Selangor under Pakatans Khalid Ibrahim annihilated a whole class of UMNO rent seekers, and saw his predecessor, that dentist character, jailed for corruption.Even if Najib were to balk at Adenans demands, whats to stop Adenan from asking his party members in Parliament to submit a private members bill, a la PAS Hadis hudud, seeking greater autonomy and taxing authority for Sarawak? If Adenan were to do that, then watch both Najib and the opposition compete to accommodate Adenan in an epic lu tolong gua, gua tolong lu battle. He would be holding Parliamentand Malaysiato ransom.I support the principle that a government closest to the people governs best. There are pitfalls, however.Sarawak shares a long unguarded border with Indonesia. Most of Borneo is Indonesia; Sarawak being part of Malaysia is an anomaly. It would not take much for the Indonesians to overwhelm Sarawak. If not for the British, they would have during konfrontasi. Besides, Jokowi is everything that Najib is not: honest, effective and charismatic.As for Sabah, Filipino pirates can enter it with impunity, and Philippines is resurrecting her claim. Another complicating mix, traditional kinship ties between Sabah and Southern Philippines.Adenan envies tiny independent Brunei. The lesson there is not the Brunei of today but earlier. In 1962 one A. M. Azahari toppled the sultan. If not for the British Gurkhas, the sultan would have remained a refugee in Singapore. The son of Azahari may yet arise. This time there will be no Gurkhas.As for Johor, it wasnt too long ago that its sultan treated the state as his private property and gave away a strategic and valuable part of it (Singapore). It would be the supreme irony if his descendant were to repeat the folly.Those aside, I see great potential for Sarawak under Adenan Satem. He may be the transforming leader Malaysia needs while remaining within the ruling coalition. Today that coalition is Barisan. Tomorrow who knows. If Adenan plays his card well, that would be good for him, Sarawak, and most of all, Malaysia.
ATHENS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A new round of talks between the Greek government and international creditors will resume on Aug. 29 in Brussels during the first Euro Working Group meeting after the summer lull.

Greece's ministers of finance and economy Euclid Tsakalotos and Yorgos Stathakis will meet with European Economic and Financial Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici in Brussels to prepare for the Euro Group meeting on Sept. 9, according to an e-mailed press release from the Greek Finance Ministry.

The aim is to make some progress by Sept. 9 on the issues which will be on the key issues on the agenda, such as the prior actions for the disbursement of the next 2.8 billion euros (3.1 billion U.S. dollars) tranche and the completion of the second review of Greece's third bailout since 2010.

The lenders' envoys are expected to return to Athens in September to discuss the remaining steps that need to be taken to unlock further rescue loans to the debt laden economy.

"The difficult measures are now behind us," Greek government spokeswoman Olga Gerovassilis assured in an interview printed on "Agora" (Market) newspaper on Saturday.

However, financial analysts in articles written in "Vima" (Tribune) and "Naftemporiki" (Shipping Trade news) commented that the government was "racing against time" and "it is no easy task to meet imminent targets."

Greece needs to implement some 20 prior actions in September and a further 15 by the end of October, Naftemporiki noted.

Among them in September the government will have to pass its fiscal policy program for 2017-2020 through the parliament and in October to make further progress on the privatization program by transferring more utilities to the new privatization fund.
LISBON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Airport safety staff in Portuguese airports went on strike Saturday to protest poor working conditions.

Trade unions representing aviation workers at airports said around 80 percent of workers in Lisbon and 50 percent in Faro and Porto airports had gone on strike, according to local media.

TAP airline told passengers to get to Portuguese airports at least four hours before their boarding time due to the strike.

Staff from Prosegur and Securitas, in charge of x-raying hand baggage and controlling passengers began the strike on Friday at midnight following over nine months of negotiations for a new collective work contract.

The airport workers union Sitava told local media that staff at airports were on strike mainly due to unpaid overtime.

Lisbon airport has been especially affected, with passengers suffering a significantly long waiting time for safety checks and flights being delayed up to an hour.
JUBA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan has staged a diplomatic protest to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Cong) for its alleged involvement in the evacuation of South Sudan's former Vice President Riek Machar earlier this month.

Spokesperson for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mawen Makol, alleged that Congolese authorities violated South Sudan's airspace by sending helicopters into South Sudan territory to evacuate Machar without informing the Juba government.

"The flights came into our border and they were seen in South Sudan territory without our permission. Some were Congolese and some belong to the UN," Makol told Xinhua by phone on Saturday.

Machar has not been seen in public since renewed clashes between forces loyal to him and government troops led by President Salva Kiir broke up in early July. He moved to Sudan's capital Khartoum on early this week to seek medical treatment.

The UN confirmed earlier this month that it evacuated Machar from a Congolese border town and then placed him under the care of the DR Congo authorities on humanitarian grounds.

Makol said South Sudan on Thursday summoned the DR Congo ambassador to South Sudan to explain the circumstances under which Machar crossed into DR Congo.

"He (the ambassador) said he is going to Kinshasa to consult with the government and the UN to prepare a report about the evacuation of Machar. We are still waiting for that report," Makol said.

Machar was replaced by his former chief peace negotiator Taban Deng Gai as first vice president last month. Enditem
DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities said on Saturday that the country will sign a 400 megawatts power purchase agreement with Ethiopia in the coming weeks.

Felchesmi Mramba, Managing Director of state-owned Tanzania Electric Supply Company, said the official signing of the power pact will be preceded by a meeting in Arusha of 10 member states of the Eastern Africa Power Pool.

Countries forming the Eastern Africa Power Pool are Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eritrea and Tanzania.

"The Eastern Africa Power Pool has attained a new development as Tanzania works on the final details before signing the power transmission agreement with Ethiopia," said Mramba.

He said the agreement will be followed by installation of power generation and transmission facilities that will not only foster economic integration but also cater for the region's power needs for the next 25 years.

"The Eastern Africa Power Pool project aims at enabling the East African Community (EAC) member states to identify sources of cheap electricity for increased power interchanges," said Mramba.

Ethiopia has made progress in hydro-power generation and also endowed with abundant renewable energy resources. Currently, Ethiopia generates 6,000 megawatts of power that can be accessible to neighbouring states.

Ethiopia has been exporting electricity to neighboring countries like Djibouti and Sudan, and the transmission line to Kenya is under construction. Burundi and Rwanda have also shown interest to import energy from Ethiopia. Enditem
KHARTOUM, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Sudan and South Sudan on Saturday decided to resume talks on demarcation of their joint border in this September, Sudanese Media Center reported.

"Activities of the joint security committees between Khartoum and Juba concerning the border demarcation process will resume in September in Khartoum," South Sudan's Ambassador in Khartoum Mayan Dot was quoted as saying.

The border demarcation meetings between the two countries were scheduled to resume last June, but they had been delayed several times due to the security conditions in South Sudan.

The South Sudanese ambassador said the two sides have agreed on the timetable set to begin the implementation of the nine joint cooperation agreements between the two countries.

"The joint committees will hold similar meetings in Juba during the coming period to determine the tasks of the committee and implement their assigned commitments," Dot said.

He said South Sudan government has embarked on adopting practical and serious steps to withdraw the army forces for a distance of 10 km inside its territories in coordination with the UN.

In September 2012, Sudan and South Sudan signed a cooperation deal, including nine agreements on outstanding issues between the two countries, in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa under the patronage of the African Union.

The deal included a package of understandings related to security, citizens status, border and economic issues and others related to oil and trade.

However, the signed agreements did not tackle the issues of Abyei and border demarcation.

The border issue constitutes one of the biggest barriers hampering the settlement of differences between Sudan and South Sudan, which involves disputes over five border areas, including Abyei, Dabatal-Fakhar, Jabel Al-Migainis, Samaha and Kafia Kanji. Enditem
MEXICO CITY, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Mexico needs to boost its industrial output to improve its low economic growth and increasing public debt, economic experts told Xinhua.

Jorge Sanchez Tello, a researcher from the Foundation for Financial Studies (FUNDEF) at the Autonomous Technological Institute of Mexico (ITAM), explained that while certain sectors, such as telecoms and services, are growing at three percent, others are anemic.

"One sector is dragging down the economy, the extractive sector, such as oil and mining. Mining, in particular, has fallen by almost 10 percent in the last quarter," he said.

This week, the government reduced its growth estimates for 2016 from 2.2-3.2 percent to just 2-2.6 percent, citing global financial volatility and low industrial demand from the U.S. This would mark the fourth year of low growth for Mexico after 1.35 percent in 2013, 2.2 percent in 2014 and 2.5 percent in 2015.

However, Abraham Vergara, a professor of business studies from Ibero-American University, stated the government should not seek to blame external problems alone.

According to Vergara, the government has not created enough jobs to meet internal needs, having only created 2.1 million jobs in the last three years, instead of the 4.5 million the country needed.

"True, there is a difficult international context but it' s not the only reason. We cannot put all the blame on outside," said the expert.

Vergara also warned of Mexico potentially being trapped in a dangerous cycle of low growth and high debt, which could lead to a recession.

Bernardo Olmedo, an economic researcher at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), warned that the government' s focus on exports had left other parts of national industry in dire need of support.

"Industries like automotive, aerospace, and pharmaceuticals have grabbed the attention but they are dominated by international companies. This has left the rest of the national industry behind since it is not part of this effort for exports," said Olmedo.

"There is also no clear strategy from the government in terms of low salaries. We must stimulate the internal market but this cannot be done without stimulating our own industrial economy," he added.

Worse, this combination of low growth and high debt led the Standard and Poor' s (S&P) ratings agency to lower its outlook for Mexico' s sovereign credit outlook from stable to negative this week.

S&P explained in a note that it was particularly concerned, beyond low growth, with Mexico' s rising level of public debt, which has surged from 28 percent of GDP in 2005 to a predicted 45 percent in 2016 and a potential 48 percent in 2019.

"With less growth, the government will suffer more pressure on its finances and perhaps on its level of debt," Joydeep Mukherji, S&P's director of ratings, told Mexico's Radio Formula earlier this week.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Southwest Airlines flight from New Orleans to Orlando, Florida, made an emergency landing Saturday morning after an engine failure.

The Captain of SW Flight 3472 from New Orleans made the decision to divert the airplane to Pensacola, Florida due to a mechanical issue with the number one engine, a Southwest statement said.

"The flight landed safely without incident at Pensacola International Airport at 9:40 a.m. central time. Initial reports indicate there are no injuries among the 99 passengers and five crew members onboard", said the statement.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has decided to launch an investigation. The aircraft is out service and the Southwest Airlines will work to accommodate the passengers to Orlando or their final destination as soon as possible, said the airlines'statement.
CARACAS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived in Venezuela Saturday to boost the two countries' bilateral cooperation.

In a brief interview with the state-owned Venezolana de Television, Zarif said that the two countries' central banks would sign an agreement to boost their joint cooperation.

"This agreement to be signed by the central banks of both countries will help to broaden bilateral relations and open the path of participation in our joint development," he explained.

Iran and Venezuela collaborated in the creation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1960. They became closer after President Hugo Chavez came to power in Venezuela in 1999 and during the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013).

This is the last leg of Zarif's Latin American tour, which also took him to Cuba, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Chile and Bolivia.
MEXICO CITY, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Mexican engineering student has developed a formula to turn the water hyacinth plant into bioethanol and will see his project presented to the 2016 Nobel prize-winners in Stockholm in December.

Jose Alberto Espejel, a student of environmental engineering at La Salle University, said that he developed the formula since waterways in Mexico City are clogged with this plant.

"The project came up a year ago with the purpose of turning the water hyacinth into something useful," Espejel told Xinhua. "The water hyacinth acts as a natural filter of pollutants. However, it can become a plague as has happened in the canals of Xochimilco."

The canals are one of Mexico City's most famous tourist attractions, with long, colorful boats sailing them daily.

"There have been many proposals to deal with the hyacinth plague and claim back the waters of Xochimilco...with the goal of doing something useful," he pointed out.

Espejel explained that many proposals sought to turn the plant into biodegradable plastic but he focused on a different route. He decided on a process to make bioethanol in a similar way that is currently used with maize or sugarcane.

According to the engineer, Brazil has used bio-ethanol as an additive for gasoline since the 1970s while 10 percent of its cars run purely on bioethanol.

"We seek to repeat what happened in Brazil, first to use it as an additive and then, with a larger investment, expand this culture of using biofuels," said Espejel.

Another advantage of Espejel's technique is that it is cost-effective. "We have the water hyacinth there for free and we will provide it at a beneficial cost in the future."
Rodrigo Malmierca (2nd-R), Cuban Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, and Zhang Xiangchen (2nd-L-Front), deputy international trade representative with China's Ministry of Commerce, sign the agreements reached by both countries to deepen bilateral cooperation with joint projects in the sectors of telecommunications, industry and water resources, in Havana, Cuba, on Aug. 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez)

HAVANA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua)-- Cuba and China on Friday signed new agreements aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in a number of fields.

Zhang Xiangchen, deputy international trade representative with China's Ministry of Commerce, and Rodrigo Malmierca, Cuba's Minister of Foreign Trade and Investment, signed the conclusive documents for joint projects in the sectors of telecommunications, industry and water resources.

"We have reviewed the advances made in our relations and planned out our economic collaboration for the next year," Zhang told reporters after the signing.

Malmierca said the agreements prelude an expansion of bilateral economic cooperation.

"Chinese investments in Cuba are starting to blossom and we have a joint strategic vision of the future," he said.

China is Cuba' s second largest trading partner. Chinese enterprises have participated in many joint projects contributing to Cuba's economic and social development.
ANKARA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Four rockets were fired at the airport in Turkey's southeastern city of Diyarbakir Saturday night, causing no casualties, Dogan news agency reported.

The rockets were fired at a police checkpoint outside the VIP lounge at the airport. Windows were damaged, and passengers and staff were taken inside the terminal building for safety.

According to Diyarbakir governor Huseyin Aksoy, there were neither casualties nor disruption to flights, broadcaster NTV said.

The attack is suspected to have been carried out by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants. Police have launched a large-scale operation to apprehend the terrorists.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.
by Xinhua Writer Chen Yao

ALMATY, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- "Lenovo, Huawei, Xiaomi...... Many young people in Kazakhstan use more and more products made in China with high technology," Gulmira Nurumgaliyeva told Xinhua on Saturday.

Gulmira, a fashionable Kazakh girl, was attracted by Chinese calligraphy in the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition held in Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan.

"China is an old country with many creations in history," Gulmira said, pointing at the items at the exhibition, which is part of a four-day "Feel China" project in Kazakhstan.

"Now we are witnessing more and more products designed by China with high technology," she continued.

"Anyway, lots of my friends start to prefer using mobile phones and other digital products from China." Gulmira said.

Good quality, easy to use, reasonable prices and cool designs are the reasons why young people in Kazakhstan like digital products made in China, Gulmira explained.

In Sulpak, one of the biggest telecommunication & electrical equipment chain stores in Kazakhstan, out of ten mobile phones sold every day, three to four were made in China, a salesman told Xinhua.

"We started to know 'made in China' through Chinese clothing and small commodities, then we are used to Chinese digital products. Now we are surprised by China's rapid development of technology and innovation in so many fields," said Galim, a visitor to the Chinese smart life exhibition held in Almaty, also part of "Feel China" project in Kazakhstan.

Green, smart and modern are the main features of the smart life exhibition. Visitors have opportunities to feel smart technologies already combined with ordinary life in China, such as online services, VR (virtual reality) and digital face recognition.

Mitet Zhumabaev, a resident in Almaty, said his life is closely connected with China through internet. One of his favorite websites is the AliExpress, an online retail service made up of mostly small Chinese businesses offering products to international online buyers.

He said that now in Kazakhstan, many people buy things through cross-border e-commerce.

People here use QIWI internet wallet, which is designed by Russia and easy to find recharge terminals in public shopping places, to buy things on AliExpress.

In May, Kazakhstan's national sovereign wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna, together with the Kazakh telecom and post companies, signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba to promote cooperation in e-commerce, payment and logistics.

AliExpress has become one of the top ranking online trading platforms in Kazakhstan, with clothes, home appliances and digital products being the favorites of local consumers, according to Alexa, a commercial web traffic data provider wholly owned by Amazon.com.

"Made in China" is no longer the same as in the past. It now brings people more creations, innovations and smart technologies.
LA PAZ, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Saturday his government had defeated a "coup d'etat" by protesting miners.

"Once more, the national government has defeated a coup d'etat," and the minors' protests showed a "clear intent" to destabilize the government, Morales said at a press conference in the city of Cochabamba.

Many miners were coerced into protests by union leaders, the president claimed, adding an investigation was underway into the protests and violence.

The miners had blocked a highway in violent protests for more union rights and more mining concessions from the government. Two miners were killed and over 10 police officers were injured in a series of clashes, local media reported.

On Thursday, the whole country was shocked when Bolivian Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes was kidnapped and killed by protesters after he was sent to hold talks with miners.

On Friday, miners decided to dismantle the blockades and end protests after Illanes's death, over which dozens of miners were arrested.
NEW DELHI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- India on Sunday successfully tested a new rocket engine of the Super Sonic Combustion Ram Jet (SCRAMJET) from the southern spaceport of Sriharikota.

With the launch of the new engine, which could bring down space launch costs substantially, India joined the league of only two nations -- the United States and Australia that have the technology.

The test was conducted by the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), using a sounding rocket.

"The test was a grand success," ISRO chief Kiran Kumar told the media.

Weighing 3 tons, SCRAMJET, also called Advanced Technology Vehicle, is an engine that takes atmospheric oxygen to burn fuel instead of using fuel and oxidizer for the combustion to happen.

This technology reduces the overall weight of the rocket and increases efficiency, and thus it would be able to bring down costs of space launches.

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has congratulated the space agency on the successful test.

"Hearty congratulations ISRO on successful test of futuristic scramjet rocket engine. India is proud of you," he tweeted.
JAKARTA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A man carrying bombs attacked a priest in a church in North Sumatra of western Indonesia on Sunday, leaving four people injured, a local TV reported.

The bomber ran toward the priest who was giving sermon with his backpack spreading fire, but two Christian followers stopped the bomber.

"The bombs in his bag failed to be detonated, but the man took his knife and attacked the priest," Bonar Ginting who attended the service told iNews TV.

The attack took place in Santa Yosep church in Medan, the provincial capital of North Sumatra.

"The attack injured the priest, the bomber and the two persons stopping the terror act," he said.

The bomber and his two militant colleagues were detained by police, but another two militants escaped.

Police were investigating the attempted suicide bombing.

The Islamic State group has been building networks in Indonesia after suicide attackers and gunmen attacked a police station in Jakarta in January, leaving seven people dead and 20 others injured.
CANBERRA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Australia's opposition party has given the strongest indication that it will block a national poll on the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Bill Shorten, leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), said he had a number of problems with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's proposal to decide on the issue by a national plebiscite.

Without the support of the ALP, Turnbull would need to secure the votes of nine Senate cross-benchers to pass the legislation enabling the vote with the Greens having already announced they would not support the plebiscite.

Shorten cited the failures of the National Broadband Network (NBN) and Australia's failed republic referendum in 1999, in which Turnbull led the 'yes' campaign, as reasons not to trust the premier.

"He stuffed up the republic referendum, he stuffed up the NBN and he stuffed up Senate reforms when he promised to fix it," Shorten said on Sunday.

"Malcolm Turnbull doesn't even support a plebiscite. He's only doing it because he is too weak to stand up to the radicals in his own party."

The plebiscite has drawn widespread criticism on account of the cost expected to top 120 million U.S. dollars and a potentially divisive public debate in the lead-up to the vote.

Despite Shorten strengthening his anti-plebiscite language, Turnbull said he remains confident the plebiscite would become reality.

"There is no question that the fastest way to guarantee that there is a vote in the Parliament on gay marriage in this Parliament is to support the plebiscite," Turnbull told the ABC.

"Personally, I have no doubt the plebiscite will be carried and the same-sex marriage legislation will then sail through Parliament."
GUANGZHOU, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A cargo train left south China's Guangzhou City Sunday for Vorsino, Kaluzhskaya Oblast in Russia.

It is the latest freight train route China has launched to boost trade ties along the ancient Silk Road.

The train will travel 11,500 km over 14 days before reaching its destination. Its cargo includes garments, shoes, hats, cloth, lamps and lanterns, electrical appliances, and electronics.

Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province, has traditionally depended more on maritime freight services. The new cargo train service saves 30 days compared with shipping services, and it costs just a fifth of the price for air transportation.

Kaluzhskaya Oblast has set up a major logistics center in the Vorsino industrial park to handle 150,000 to 350,000 containers a year, according to Russian media reports.

Currently, 26 cities in China offer China-Europe or China-Asia freight train services.
NEW YORK, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The new campaign chief of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been accused of being anti-semitic by his ex-wife, court documents revealed on Friday.

Mary Louise Piccard said her former partner Stephen Bannon made anti-semitic and offensive remarks when they quarreled during the process of finding a school for two daughters in Los Angeles.

According to the New York Daily News reports, Piccard wrote in a court filing in 2007 that Bannon did not want their twin daughters to enroll at the Archer School for Girls in Los Angeles because many Jewish students were attending the elite institution.

Bannon said he didn't like Jews and he didn't like the way they raise their children to be "whiney brats," Piccard said.

Bannon, the former executive chairman of Breitbart News site, was appointed by Trump as chief executive officer in a move to bolster his combative image.

Alexandra Preate, a spokeswoman for Bannon denied on Friday the accusation, saying that Bannon was proud to send his daughters to the school.
Cui Yuying, deputy director of China's State Council Information Office, reads a congratulatory letter by Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, during the opening of a Chinese cultural festival in the Iranian capital Tehran on Aug. 22, 2016. With the aim to promote China-Iran exchange and cooperation, a Chinese cultural festival opened at Niavaran Cultural Center in the Iranian capital Tehran on Monday. The one-week event, titled "2016 Experience China in Iran," features northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region through a photo exhibition and other cultural activities. (Xinhua/Mu Dong)

TEHRAN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A week-long Chinese cultural festival titled "2016 Experience China in Iran" wrapped up in Tehran Sunday, which charmed tens of thousands of Iranians and promoted the China-Iran cultural ties.

The event, titled "2016 Experience China in Iran," featured northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region through a photo exhibition, music performance and other cultural activities at Tehran's Niavaran Cultural Center.

The exhibition, drawn from the collection of major cultural items, offered a selection of local garments and musical instruments with a range of styles and cultural uses.

Thousands of Iranian officials, foreign diplomats, representatives of Chinese enterprises in Iran as well as local students, artists and people attended the one-week event.

On Monday, Chinese top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng sent a congratulatory letter to the opening festival, saying the event "will help Iranian people from all walks of life to understand a stable and harmonious Xinjiang with fast economic development, and further promote bilateral culture exchanges."

"China and Iran are both ancient Asian countries with splendid culture, and the two countries share a long history of friendly exchanges," Yu said.

"The two countries exchanged envoys as early as over 2,000 years ago, and have witnessed frequent exchanges in all areas, during which the two sides have developed profound friendship," he added.

Also, Cui Yuying, deputy director of China's State Council Information Office, said the festival is "the first comprehensive Xinjiang-themed cultural exchange event held in Iran by the Chinese government."

It aims to help the Iranian people know more about Xinjiang and feel the diverse culture in China, Cui said.

On Tuesday, a forum on the Silk Road Economic Belt was held at Niavaran Cultural Center, with its focus on the friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and the Islamic republic.

The Belt and Road Initiative would further advance the win-win cooperation between Iran and China, Iranian experts said on the sidelines of the forum.

The China-proposed initiative could promote interaction between the Iranians and Chinese and can be a turning point with win-win venture in bilateral ties, Mohammad H. Emadi, advisor to Iran's Agricultural Ministry, told Xinhua in an interview.

The Belt and Road Initiative is "a new paradigm and a turning point in the relationship between Iran and China and among all central Asian states," Emadi said.

The initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, refers to building a Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It is aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.

On Wednesday, a garment industry cooperation seminar of China's Xinjiang and Iran introduced the important content of building Xinjiang as the core area on the Silk Road Economic Belt through developing the textile and garment industry.

The collection provided essential points of reference to culture lovers and researchers seeking to touch and interpret this cultural heritage.

For those who wanted to get their style with local and traditional dresses, the clothing line in the show was a combination of an assortment of ethnic beauties.

The embroidery on silk fabrics was a mix and match of needle work, stones and sequins.

"I came here to watch, but I was impressed with all this magnificence and tempted to empty my pocket," Sarah, a student of visual arts at Tehran University said, lamenting that there was no garment of the kinds for sale.

Besides, the visitors were immersed in the culture of music in Xinjiang, which has been developed incredibly over centuries and is present in every aspect of life of the people.

Integral to this was the tools and instruments with their unrivalled shapes, designs, and varieties. This is reflected both in the sounds they produce and in their purpose.

"Aesthetically talking, instruments have been made of precious materials with beautiful decoration which make them exemplary items," Mohammad-Tagi, the expert in culture industry, told Xinhua.

Through Monday to Wednesday, the live music performance represented Xinjiang as the land of song and dance, which echoes the strains from the Silk Road.

"I am very much interested in the expansion of Iran's relations with China, since it would benefit both countries and both nations," Mrs. Zariintaj Pezeshki, the housewife, told Xinhua on Saturday following a family visit to the exhibition.
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A week-long Chinese cultural festival opened at Niavaran Cultural Center in the Iranian capital Tehran on Monday. A one-week event titled "2016 Experience China in Iran" wrapped up in Tehran on Sunday, which featured northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region through a photo exhibition and other cultural activities. (Xinhua/Mu Dong)

TEHRAN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A week-long Chinese cultural festival titled "2016 Experience China in Iran" wrapped up in Tehran Sunday, which charmed tens of thousands of Iranians and promoted the China-Iran cultural ties.

The event, titled "2016 Experience China in Iran," featured northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region through a photo exhibition, music performance and other cultural activities at Tehran's Niavaran Cultural Center.

The exhibition, drawn from the collection of major cultural items, offered a selection of local garments and musical instruments with a range of styles and cultural uses.

Thousands of Iranian officials, foreign diplomats, representatives of Chinese enterprises in Iran as well as local students, artists and people attended the one-week event.

On Monday, Chinese top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng sent a congratulatory letter to the opening festival, saying the event "will help Iranian people from all walks of life to understand a stable and harmonious Xinjiang with fast economic development, and further promote bilateral culture exchanges."

"China and Iran are both ancient Asian countries with splendid culture, and the two countries share a long history of friendly exchanges," Yu said.

"The two countries exchanged envoys as early as over 2,000 years ago, and have witnessed frequent exchanges in all areas, during which the two sides have developed profound friendship," he added.

Also, Cui Yuying, deputy director of China's State Council Information Office, said the festival is "the first comprehensive Xinjiang-themed cultural exchange event held in Iran by the Chinese government."

It aims to help the Iranian people know more about Xinjiang and feel the diverse culture in China, Cui said.

On Tuesday, a forum on the Silk Road Economic Belt was held at Niavaran Cultural Center, with its focus on the friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and the Islamic republic.

The Belt and Road Initiative would further advance the win-win cooperation between Iran and China, Iranian experts said on the sidelines of the forum.

The China-proposed initiative could promote interaction between the Iranians and Chinese and can be a turning point with win-win venture in bilateral ties, Mohammad H. Emadi, advisor to Iran's Agricultural Ministry, told Xinhua in an interview.

The Belt and Road Initiative is "a new paradigm and a turning point in the relationship between Iran and China and among all central Asian states," Emadi said.

The initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, refers to building a Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It is aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.

On Wednesday, a garment industry cooperation seminar of China's Xinjiang and Iran introduced the important content of building Xinjiang as the core area on the Silk Road Economic Belt through developing the textile and garment industry.

The collection provided essential points of reference to culture lovers and researchers seeking to touch and interpret this cultural heritage.

For those who wanted to get their style with local and traditional dresses, the clothing line in the show was a combination of an assortment of ethnic beauties.

The embroidery on silk fabrics was a mix and match of needle work, stones and sequins.

"I came here to watch, but I was impressed with all this magnificence and tempted to empty my pocket," Sarah, a student of visual arts at Tehran University said, lamenting that there was no garment of the kinds for sale.

Besides, the visitors were immersed in the culture of music in Xinjiang, which has been developed incredibly over centuries and is present in every aspect of life of the people.

Integral to this was the tools and instruments with their unrivalled shapes, designs, and varieties. This is reflected both in the sounds they produce and in their purpose.

"Aesthetically talking, instruments have been made of precious materials with beautiful decoration which make them exemplary items," Mohammad-Tagi, the expert in culture industry, told Xinhua.

Through Monday to Wednesday, the live music performance represented Xinjiang as the land of song and dance, which echoes the strains from the Silk Road.

"I am very much interested in the expansion of Iran's relations with China, since it would benefit both countries and both nations," Mrs. Zariintaj Pezeshki, the housewife, told Xinhua on Saturday following a family visit to the exhibition.
Turkey shelled Kurdish militia fighters in Syria on August 26 on the second day of a major military operation inside the country, saying they were failing to observe a deal with the US to stop advancing in jihadist-held territory. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 civilians were killed Sunday by Turkish shelling against a town controlled by Kurdish-led groups in northern Syria, a monitor group reported.
HANOI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China have developed a growing practical cooperation in the past 25 years of ties, an expert on regional affairs told Xinhua in Vietnam's capital of Hanoi recently.

"During the 25 years, ASEAN and China have focused on practical issues where the two sides see the necessity to cooperate with each other," Associate Professor, Nguyen Thu My, former Deputy Director of the Institute for Southeast Asia Studies (ISEAS) under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences told Xinhua.

According to My, who spent 38 years working at the ISEAS, economic cooperation has dominated the backdrop of the ASEAN-China cooperation, which helps boost trade and economic relations, and contributes to promoting economic development in ASEAN.

Since 2009, China has become the biggest trading partner of ASEAN while the group has been the third major trading partner of China since 2011. Although there have been several existing problems including ASEAN's deficit in trading with China, economic cooperation is still the focus in ASEAN-China ties, said the expert.

"The ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA), which took effect in 2010, has seen ASEAN become China's third largest trade partner after the United States and the European Union. This is one of the motivations for ASEAN economic development," My said.

"However, due to its strong competitiveness, the benefits of bilateral trade seem to be in favor of China. Chinese products have penetrated strongly into ASEAN markets thanks to tariff preferential while the position of ASEAN commodities in the Chinese market does not commensurate with the bilateral ties, with trade deficit being a major issue," the expert explained.

My said the upgraded version of ACFTA reached in 2015 is set to fix the current trend in bilateral trade. "The upgraded version of ACFTA is expected to bring more benefits to ASEAN countries, improve the trade deficit situation, create more favorable conditions for ASEAN products to enter the Chinese market, thus providing fresh momentum for economic development," My said.

In the book "25 years of ASEAN-China ties: Process, Achievements and Problems" published in 2016, of which My is the main author, the relationship between ASEAN and China is described as having developed quickly since its establishment. The ties have been elevated to a strategic partnership in the shortest period of time compared to ties of ASEAN with other partners, according to the book.

Many initiatives and proposals have been put forward by China for the development of bilateral ties, including the building of the ASEAN-China community of common destiny, establishment of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and the 21st century maritime Silk Road, among others.

Though there have been cautious approaches by several countries to some initiatives, most of them have received positive responses from ASEAN members.

Taking the AIIB for example, My said that both sides have seen their interests in infrastructure met as ASEAN is implementing the master plan of connectivity among its members, while China is in need of linking with ASEAN countries in order to facilitate trade and investment.

China has said the AIIB will give priorities for ASEAN countries investing in infrastructure. ASEAN countries welcome the establishment of the AIIB and have become founding shareholders of the bank with the hope of having more opportunities in accessing investment sources for infrastructure development, My said.

In addition to trade and economic ties, culture, tourism and education-linked relations between ASEAN and China have also seen development. Chinese movies have been welcomed in the ASEAN market, including Vietnam. Many Confucius Institutes of China have been set up in ASEAN countries, while China has become a major source of tourism for ASEAN.

China has, in addition, been helping ASEAN members in building production capacity, tackling climate change, and assisting in multiple other areas in which ASEAN has shortcomings, My told Xinhua. China has supported ASEAN in human resources training and sponsored cooperation funds with ASEAN to build up capacity for the association in regional and international integration, as well as in handling other issues, such as security and climate change, she said.

In general, since its establishment, the relationship between ASEAN and China reached its peak in the 2003-2006 period after the two sides lifted their relations to that of strategic partnership for peace and prosperity, said the expert.

China is the first partner to establish a strategic partnership with ASEAN while ASEAN is the first regional cooperation organization that China has set up a strategic partnership with. ASEAN-China relations developed rapidly based on mutual trust. In this period, many ASEAN leaders saw China as a big brother and one who can be counted on.

However, recently, the bilateral ties have been unexpectedly affected by disputes at sea between several ASEAN countries and China, My said, adding that if the two sides can balance their interests, then the relationship between ASEAN and China will continue to develop well.

Future development of the ties depends on numerous factors, yet essentially China needs good relations with Southeast Asian countries and vice versa. It is forecast that the year 2016 will be a good year for ASEAN and China relations, said the expert.
DAMASCUS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 20 civilians were killed Sunday by Turkish shelling against a town controlled by Kurdish-led groups in northern Syria, a monitor group reported.

Turkish airstrikes and artillery targeted the town of Bir Kousa in the countryside of the city of Jarablus in northern Syria, near the Turkish borders, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The shelling apparently aimed at undermining the Kurdish-led Jarablus Military Council, which fought against the Turkish forces in Jarablus countryside a day earlier, destroying three Turkish tanks.

Turkish special forces as well as Ankara-backed Syrian rebel groups crossed the Turkish borders into Syria last Wednesday.

The campaign marked the first outright military intervention of the Turkish army in the quagmire of the Syrian war.

The Turkish military support enabled the Syrian rebels of capturing Jarablus from the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group.

Some observers believed fighting the IS was not the priority of Turkey, saying that Ankara fears the advance of Kurdish forces in northern Syria toward Jarablus, as the city was the next target of the Kurdish groups, which made sweeping advances against IS in northern Syria, near the Turkish borders.

On Saturday, one Turkish soldier was said to have been killed by Kurdish group attack near Jarablus.

Saturday also marked the first confrontation between the Kurdish-led groups and the Turkish-backed ones, as the later were advancing toward the Kurdish-controlled areas in southern Jarablus.

The Turkish-backed campaign came as part of Ankara's double-purpose operation, which aims at clearing the city from the IS and let Syrian rebels fill in the void before the Kurdish fighters could capture the city.

Turkey, which has more than 20 million Kurds in its southern region, has long opposed any expansion of Kurdish influence near its border, fearing the threat to its territorial integrity.

The Syrian government condemned the Turkish intervention in Syria, saying any anti-terror effort should be coordinated with the Syrian government, otherwise it's nothing but flagrant violation to the country's sovereignty.
RAMALLAH, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah said Sunday that the international financial support to his government was reduced by 70 percent in 2016.

Al-Hamdallah said in an interview with local TV stations that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) government received 350 million U.S. dollars so far in the past eight months, saying that this reduction "is part of the political and financial blockade on the PNA."

He hinted that some countries are imposing a full blockade on the Palestinian leadership due to its political positions, without naming a particular country.

The United States paid this year 250 million dollars worth of projects that were implemented last year, but did not pay the PNA any thing and did not approve a single dollar for this year, he said.

The Prime Minister said that there are some Arab states that have not offered anything, like Qatar since 2014 and the United Arab Emirates since 2013, which did not pay its 200 million dollars promised allocations from the Cairo conference in October 2014 in the aftermath of the Israeli military offensive on Gaza.

The Palestinian government declared last January that the PNA budget for this year is 4.25 billion dollars, with financing gap of 386 million dollars, which includes the Gaza Strip controlled by the Islamic Hamas movement since 2007.

Al-Hamdallah said that his government expenditure on Gaza was over 116 million dollars, while Hamas movement running the strip collects nearly 26 - 40 million dollars of taxes.

Regarding the Gaza reconstruction, the Palestinian Prime Minister said that the government received only 36 percent of the 4.9 million dollars promised after the donor states meeting at the Cairo conference in 2014.

He added that only 6,820 homes were reconstructed out of 11,000 destroyed homes, so far, but if the allocations were fulfilled, then the file of Gaza reconstruction would have been closed.

In the Gaza Strip, there are 1.9 million Palestinians live in the 360 sq. km territory completely ruled by Hamas. Besides the Israeli blockade, Israel waged three wars on Gaza, the largest was in 2014 and lasted for 50 days, which left the coastal enclave in severe conditions and destruction in infrastructure and thousands of houses.
Palestinian schoolgirls sit in front of a mural on the first day of a new school year, at a United Nations-run school in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip August 28, 2016. The mural reads, "Freedom of movement is my right." (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

RAMALLAH, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah said Sunday that the international financial support to his government was reduced by 70 percent in 2016.

Al-Hamdallah said in an interview with local TV stations that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) government received 350 million U.S. dollars so far in the past eight months, saying that this reduction "is part of the political and financial blockade on the PNA."

He hinted that some countries are imposing a full blockade on the Palestinian leadership due to its political positions, without naming a particular country.

The United States paid this year 250 million dollars worth of projects that were implemented last year, but did not pay the PNA any thing and did not approve a single dollar for this year, he said.

The Prime Minister said that there are some Arab states that have not offered anything, like Qatar since 2014 and the United Arab Emirates since 2013, which did not pay its 200 million dollars promised allocations from the Cairo conference in October 2014 in the aftermath of the Israeli military offensive on Gaza.

The Palestinian government declared last January that the PNA budget for this year is 4.25 billion dollars, with financing gap of 386 million dollars, which includes the Gaza Strip controlled by the Islamic Hamas movement since 2007.

Al-Hamdallah said that his government expenditure on Gaza was over 116 million dollars, while Hamas movement running the strip collects nearly 26 - 40 million dollars of taxes.

Regarding the Gaza reconstruction, the Palestinian Prime Minister said that the government received only 36 percent of the 4.9 million dollars promised after the donor states meeting at the Cairo conference in 2014.

He added that only 6,820 homes were reconstructed out of 11,000 destroyed homes, so far, but if the allocations were fulfilled, then the file of Gaza reconstruction would have been closed.

In the Gaza Strip, there are 1.9 million Palestinians live in the 360 sq. km territory completely ruled by Hamas. Besides the Israeli blockade, Israel waged three wars on Gaza, the largest was in 2014 and lasted for 50 days, which left the coastal enclave in severe conditions and destruction in infrastructure and thousands of houses.
A Civil Defence member tries to put out a fire after an airstrike on al-Jalaa street in the rebel held city of Idlib, Syria August 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

ANKARA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish warplanes, artillery hit Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) targets in northern Syria on Sunday morning, Turkish media reported.

Turkish warplanes hit and destroyed a YPG ammunition depot in Jarablus of northern Syria, military sources told local media.

Turkish warplanes had struck the YPG fighters near the Syrian town of Jarablus on Saturday.

The Turkish military, which has entered Jarablus as part of the Euphrates Shield operation to back Syrian rebels to sweep Islamic State (IS) militants off the border, hit the Syrian Kurdish militants by artillery fires on late Aug. 25.

The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, has been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria.

Ankara has frequently voiced its concern over the YPG's activity along the Turkish border and has been rigid in its stance in not allowing the Democratic Union Party (PYD) militant group to found any kind of de facto Kurdish state in northern Syria.

Turkish government claims the PYD and its military wing YPG enjoy close connections with the PKK, including militant and ammunition support through underground tunnels.




People attend the launching ceremony of the first freight train from Yiwu to Afghanistan in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, Aug. 28, 2016. The eastern Chinese city of Yiwu, home to the world's leading small commodities market, saw its first freight train leave for Afghanistan on Sunday. The train, hauling 100 containers of goods worth more than 4 million U.S. dollars, will arrive at Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan via Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. (Xinhua/Gong Xianming)

HANGZHOU, Aug. 28 (Xinhua ) -- The eastern Chinese city of Yiwu, home to the world's leading small commodities market, saw its first freight train leave for Afghanistan on Sunday.

It is the fifth cargo train route linking Yiwu to Europe or Asia. Cargo train routes already in service connect Yiwu with countries including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Spain, Iran, and Russia.

The train, hauling 100 containers of goods worth more than 4 million U.S. dollars, will arrive at Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan via Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. A single trip is 7,500 km and takes 15 days, half the time needed for maritime transportation. The service is expected to run weekly by the end of this year.

The northern Afghanistan city of Mazar-i-Sharif is a key commercial center near the border with Uzbekistan. It also serves as a logistics hub for the entire Middle East. The new freight route is expected to help upgrade trade cooperation between China and the region.

Trade between Yiwu and Afghanistan amounted to 20.2 million U.S. dollars in 2015, representing year-on-year growth of 2,284.5 percent. The total import-export volume reached 18.3 million U.S. dollars during the first half of this year, up by 4,683 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the local bureau of commerce.
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe (L) shakes hands with a student after the farewell ceremony for 50 students who are going to China for undergraduate studies in Harare, Zimbabwe, Aug. 26, 2016. (Xinhua)

HARARE, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Friday held a farewell ceremony for 50 students who are going to undertake undergraduate studies at a Chinese university.

Studying under the auspices of the Presidential Scholarship Program whose patron is President Mugabe, the students are being sponsored by a Chinese company at a cost of 12 million Chinese yuan (1.8 million U.S. dollars).

The students will be studying at Ocean University of China in east China's Qingdao city for the next four years.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mugabe thanked the Chinese firm for the assistance which he said would ensure continuity of the program as it is now facing funding shortages due to economic challenges in the country.

He said the support in the education sector signified strong bilateral relations between the two countries, and marked a turning point in the expansion of the presidential scholarship program to other countries besides South Africa.

Since its launch in 1995 to assist academically gifted but underprivileged children in Zimbabwe, the Presidential Scholarship Program has sent students to study in South Africa only, with about 20,000 Zimbabwean students having benefited so far.

"I am sure this thrust to China is going to be very important and perhaps one of the largest thrusts of our scholarship program in the future," Mugabe said.

He said Zimbabwe had high respect and was confident in the Chinese education system which had catapulted the country to become the second largest economy in the world.

Chinese Ambassador to Zimbabwe Huang Ping said educational and cultural exchange had become an integral part of China-Zimbabwe bilateral cooperation, and pledged more Chinese support to Zimbabwe's education sector.

Qingdao Hengshun Zhongsheng Group Vice President Chen Jian said the company would in the future increase the number of students that it supports under the program to 100 per year.
KATHMANDU, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Nepalese government's fact finding mission that went to Afghanistan to study on the attack on Nepalese security guards in June, has recommended the government for lifting ban on sending Nepalese workers to the war torn-country by ensuring that they get adequate security cover.

This may prompt the Nepalese government, which imposed blanket ban on sending workers in Afghanistan along with Syria, Libya and Iraq after the attack, to lift the ban. However, officials said no decision has been taken regarding the issue following the recommendations.

As many as 12 Nepalese and two Indian nationals working as security guards in Canadian embassy in Kabul were killed instantly in a Taliban attack on June 20 while another injured Nepalese national died a few days later. Six Nepalese had been injured in the attack.

"I have received the report of the fact minding mission recently and I have submitted it to newly appointed Minister Surya Man Gurung," said Bishnu Prasad Lamsal, secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE). "Once the Minister studies the report and further action will be decided thereafter."

Abha Shrestha, joint secretary of the ministry, who was part of Nepali's fact finding mission, said that recommendation of lifting ban on sending workers in Afghanistan was made as per the wish of Nepalese working in the war-torn country.

"We interacted with over 2,000 Nepalese people working in different camps in Afghanistan during our visit," she said. "More than 99 percent of them suggested for lifting ban."

Besides recommending lifting the ban, the team has also suggested to ensure that Nepalese workers work only inside the green zone where United Nations bodies and other diplomatic agencies have presence and the Nepalese workers are also provided shelter at the place where they work.

The team also recommended that Nepalese workers provided minimum wage of 1000 U.S. dollar. "During our interactions, we found that Nepalese are receiving wages from 850 U.S. dollar to 3500 U.S. dollars," said Shrestha. The team also recommended for ensuring insurance coverage for Nepalese workers.

Even before the latest ban was imposed, Nepal was permitting to send workers to Afghanistan to work only inside the green zone. The Nepal government does not have exact number of its citizens working in Afghanistan.

In the last fiscal year 2015-16 that ended in mid-July, a total of 1,419 Nepalese were permitted to go to Afghanistan, according to Nepalese government's statistics. Over the last 10 years, about 8,800 Nepalese have gone to Afghanistan after taking permit from the government authorities, according to Ministry of Labour and Employment.

But, the government officials believe more Nepalese have been working in Afghanistan as many enter the war torn country illegally through Gulf countries and most of the Nepalese there work there as security guards.
LONDON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A sapphire and diamond coronet crown designed in 1840 for Queen Victoria by her husband Prince Albert will be exported abroad unless millions of pounds are raised to keep it in Britain, the government's culture department warned Sunday.

Matt Hancock, minister of state for digital and culture, has issued a temporary export ban in an urgent bid to keep the coronet in the country.

The coronet, considered one of the most important jewels during Queen Victoria's reign, was designed by Prince Albert for their wedding.

Hancock said: "Queen Victoria's coronet is stunning. It is one of the most iconic jewels from a pivotal period in our history and symbolizes one of our nation's most famous love stories. I hope that we are able to keep the coronet in the UK and on display for the public to enjoy for years to come."

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said Sunday: "The coronet was given by King George V and Queen Mary to Princess Mary on her marriage to Viscount Lascelles in 1922. It was later sold to a dealer in London, who sold it to the export licence applicant."

The coronet designed by Prince Albert is at risk of being exported from Britain unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of 5 million pounds, plus 1 million pounds to cover Value Added Tax, a total of around 7.9 million U.S.dollars.

The coronet matched the sapphire and diamond brooch that Albert gave to Victoria the day before their wedding. She noted in her journal: "My dear Albert has such good taste and arranges everything for me about my jewellery."

Most of the stones came from jewellery given to Victoria by King William IV and Queen Adelaide. The goldsmith behind the coronet was Joseph Kitching, who made it for 415 pounds (545 U.S.dollars).

Following Albert's death in 1861, Queen Victoria refused to attend the State Opening of Parliament until 1866 when she wore the famous coronet, likely as a reminder of her husband, said the DCMS.

The coronet and the brooch feature in one of the most famous official portraits of the young Queen Victoria. The artist Franz Xaver Winterhalter painted the portrait in 1842, in which she wears the coronet wrapped around her hair. The painting became one of the defining images of the Queen throughout the world.

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA) because of the coronet's close connection with British history and its outstanding significance for the study of the young Victoria.

Committee member Philippa Glanville said: "It evokes vividly the shared romantic taste of the time, and its form has become familiar through many reproductions. Its departure would be a great loss, given its beauty, its associations and its history."

The decision on the export licence will be deferred until December 27, though this can be extended if a serious purchaser comes forward.
Men inspect a damaged site after double airstrikes on the rebel held Bab al-Nairab neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, August 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 35 civilians were killed Sunday by Turkish shelling against a town controlled by Kurdish-led groups in northern Syria, a monitor group reported.

Turkish airstrikes and artillery targeted the town of Bir Kousa in the countryside of the city of Jarablus in northern Syria, near the Turkish borders, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The shelling apparently aimed at undermining the Kurdish-led Jarablus Military Council, which fought against the Turkish forces in Jarablus countryside a day earlier, destroying three Turkish tanks.

Turkish special forces as well as Ankara-backed Syrian rebel groups crossed the Turkish borders into Syria last Wednesday.

The campaign marked the first outright military intervention of the Turkish army in the quagmire of the Syrian war.

The Turkish military support enabled the Syrian rebels of capturing Jarablus from the hands of the Islamic State (IS) group.

Some observers believed fighting the IS was not the priority of Turkey, saying that Ankara fears the advance of Kurdish forces in northern Syria toward Jarablus, as the city was the next target of the Kurdish groups, which made sweeping advances against IS in northern Syria, near the Turkish borders.

On Saturday, one Turkish soldier was said to have been killed by Kurdish group attack near Jarablus.

Saturday also marked the first confrontation between the Kurdish-led groups and the Turkish-backed ones, as the later were advancing toward the Kurdish-controlled areas in southern Jarablus.

The Turkish-backed campaign came as part of Ankara's double-purpose operation, which aims at clearing the city from the IS and let Syrian rebels fill in the void before the Kurdish fighters could capture the city.

Turkey, which has more than 20 million Kurds in its southern region, has long opposed any expansion of Kurdish influence near its border, fearing the threat to its territorial integrity.

The Syrian government condemned the Turkish intervention in Syria, saying any anti-terror effort should be coordinated with the Syrian government, otherwise it's nothing but flagrant violation to the country's sovereignty.
BANGKOK, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A Sunday released poll says many support the junta chief and current prime minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, to serve as prime minister after a promised general election late 2017, while two major political parties asked him to form a party for the election.

87.2 percent of the 1590 interviewees of different occupations around Thailand want Prayut to be the next prime minister, because no one is better than him to lead the country, said Noppadol Kannika, chairman of the so-called Academic Research for Community Happiness, or known as Super Poll, adding that his poll is conducted between Aug. 25 to 27.

According to the Suan Dusit Poll released on the same day, 72.15 percent of its 1293 interviewees have confidence in the junta led by Prayut, 60.94 percent have confidence in his cabinet.

Prayut earlier didn't deny the possibility of serving as the new prime minister, as he said on Aug. 17 that if none is found to be appropriate for the position after the general election, he would agree to discuss serving prime minister again.

On Friday, he even said he is pleased to stay in power but will stay through democratic means and in a "dignified way", which many Thai media described as a signal that he wants to stay in power after the general election.

Prayut also said that he will step down in accordance with the junta's roadmap and nobody can tell him to leave.

According to the newly approved draft constitution and its additional question in the Aug. 7 referendum, the next prime minister must come from nomination lists submitted by political parties, and must win support of over 50 percent of 750 members from both houses, or 500 junta selected senators plus 250 elected members of the lower house.

However, once the 750 members cannot elect a new prime minister, then the party-list can be exempted once two-thirds of members of both houses approved, and members of the lower house can nominate someone to be the prime minister, no matter the person is on parties' lists or not.

As a result, there are two ways for Prayut to become the next prime minister, firstly forming his party to join in the election and secondly be nominated when both houses cannot decide the right one for the position in the first process.

Since 250 senators, or more than 30 percent of total members are picked up by the junta, many said it is not hard for him to be elected in this process.

Some prominent figures from Thailand's two major parties, namely Pheu Thai Party and Democrat Party, asked Prayut to form his own party to join in the coming election so as to be dignified as he mentioned.

The Democrat Party's deputy leader Nipit Intarasombat said if Prayut wants to be the next prime minister, the first way, or forming his own party to nominate him as prime minister, is the most dignified way.

Paiboon Nititawan, a former senator, said earlier that he will form a new party called People's Reform Party to run in the next election, and Prayut is best one to serve as the new prime minister.

In the meantime, Prayut and his government have to find a way to boost the Thai economy to win more support from the people.

Despite high satisfaction with the junta's performance in keeping the country stable and peaceful, nearly 56.22 percent said they don't have much confidence in the junta's governance in the economic field, while 82.6 percent said solving economic problems in the country should be the government's priority now, according to Suan Dusit Poll.

Prayut admitted earlier that the economic problems are not solved yet, because the international purchasing power is still weak, according to Bangkokbiznews.

Thai Gross domestic product(GDP) expanded 3.5 percent in the three months through June, which is more than analysts estimated, compared with 3.2 percent in the first quarter.

According to World Bank, the Thai GDP grew 0.8 percent in 2014, and 2.8 percent last year. The bank predicted the 2016 GDP growth to be 2.5 percent, while The Bank of Thailand said economic growth will be 3.1 percent this year.
ANKARA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish airstrikes killed 25 Kurdish militants in northern Syria on Sunday, Turkish General Staff stated.

The airstrikes were conducted after Turkish army and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) attacked by the Kurdish terrorists groups on Saturday night, the statement said.

According to the CNN Turk, one solider was killed and three others injured in the attack.

Turkish media reported earlier in the day that Turkish warplanes, artillery hit Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) targets in northern Syria on early Sunday morning.

Turkish warplanes hit and destroyed a YPG ammunition depot in Jarablus of northern Syria, military sources told local media.

Turkish warplanes had struck the YPG fighters near the Syrian town of Jarablus on Saturday.

The Turkish military, which has entered Jarablus as part of the Euphrates Shield operation to back Syrian rebels to sweep Islamic State (IS) militants off the border, hit the Syrian Kurdish militants by artillery fires on late Aug. 25.

The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, has been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria.

Ankara has frequently voiced its concern over the YPG's activity along the Turkish border and has been rigid in its stance in not allowing the Democratic Union Party (PYD) militant group to found any kind of de facto Kurdish state in northern Syria.

Turkish government claims the PYD and its military wing YPG enjoy close connections with the PKK, including militant and ammunition support through underground tunnels.
Civil Defence members with blood on their shirts stand after double airstrikes on the rebel held Bab al-Nairab neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, August 27, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

ANKARA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish airstrikes killed 25 Kurdish militants in northern Syria on Sunday, Turkish General Staff stated.

The airstrikes were conducted after Turkish army and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) attacked by the Kurdish terrorists groups on Saturday night, the statement said.

According to the CNN Turk, one solider was killed and three others injured in the attack.

Turkish media reported earlier in the day that Turkish warplanes, artillery hit Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) targets in northern Syria on early Sunday morning.

Turkish warplanes hit and destroyed a YPG ammunition depot in Jarablus of northern Syria, military sources told local media.

Turkish warplanes had struck the YPG fighters near the Syrian town of Jarablus on Saturday.

The Turkish military, which has entered Jarablus as part of the Euphrates Shield operation to back Syrian rebels to sweep Islamic State (IS) militants off the border, hit the Syrian Kurdish militants by artillery fires on late Aug. 25.

The YPG, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, has been a partner in the U.S.-led campaign against the IS in Syria.

Ankara has frequently voiced its concern over the YPG's activity along the Turkish border and has been rigid in its stance in not allowing the Democratic Union Party (PYD) militant group to found any kind of de facto Kurdish state in northern Syria.

Turkish government claims the PYD and its military wing YPG enjoy close connections with the PKK, including militant and ammunition support through underground tunnels.
LAGOS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria has concluded plans to discuss the release of Chibok girls with Boko Haram insurgents, who abducted them in 2014, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

The Nigerian leader said in a statement reaching Xinhua in Lagos on Sunday that his government had since expressed its readiness to dialogue with bonafide leaders of the terror group, who know the whereabouts of the girls.

"The government is prepared to talk to bonafide leaders of Boko Haram," Buhari said. "If they do not want to talk to us directly, let them pick an internationally recognized Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO)."

"They should convince the organization that they are holding the girls, and that they want Nigeria to release a number of Boko Haram leaders in detention, who they are supposed to know," he added.

The president warned that the government would not waste time and resources with doubtful sources claiming to know the whereabouts of the girls.

"We want those girls out and safe. The faster we can recover them and hand them over to their parents, the better for us," he said.

Buhari maintained that the terror group, which pledged allegiance to ISIS, had been largely decimated by Nigerian military with the support of immediate neighbors of Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin.

A faction of Boko Haram militants, which seeks to impose strict Islamic law in northern Nigeria, recently released a new video showing the abducted Chibok girls.

The video showed a masked armed man standing in front of several girls, who, he claimed, were the over 200 girls abducted from their school hostel at Government Secondary School, Chibok, in 2014.

The man said the video was released to send a message to the parents of the girls to beg the Nigerian government to release Boko Haram members in various detention centers in exchange for the girls.

The man said about 40 of the girls were already married while some were dead.

Boko Haram has been blamed for some 20,000 deaths in Nigeria since 2009.
BRUSSELS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A shootout involving members of the motorcycle gang "Hells Angels" erupted Saturday night at a wedding in southern Belgium, killing one person and injuring another, according to local media reports.

About 60 members of the Hells Angels were celebrating with the bride and groom in Jemeppe-sur-Sambre,a Walloon municipality in the Belgian province of Namur, when the shooting broke out.

A man died after being hit twice by bullet, including one in the head. Another was wounded in the thigh and has been taken to hospital, according to Belgian broadcaster RTL.

Prosecutors in Namur rushed to the site on early Sunday morning and the case is now under investigation.

The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a motorcycle club whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
GAZA/RAMALLAH, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Deputy Minister of Education Ziad Thabet said Sunday that Israel still bans the entry of school books of seven subjects that were newly approved as the new Palestinian curricula.

Thabet said at a press conference in Gaza that "the continued Israeli ban on the entry of the elementary level school books negatively affects the educational process," pointing out that the ministry is working through difficult phases to ensure the school year needs and cover for the shortage of teachers.

Nearly two million students headed to their first day of the new scholastic year in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah visited a West Bank public school on Sunday and said that "the school year begins while the Israeli occupation continues on our land, expands its settlements and allows its soldiers and settlers to carry out their crimes against our youth and children."

He added that "the educational sector has lost 40 teachers, employees and students during the past year, while hundreds others were injured."

"The Palestinians have the right to a stable, safe and advanced education, to start a new scholastic year through which Palestinian students would illustrate their determination for life, hope and steadfastness in their homeland," said the Prime Minister.
LAGOS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian Army killed five militants and arrested 23 others in an operation in the country's southern region of Niger Delta, an official said on Sunday.

In a statement sent to Xinhua in Lagos, Col. Sani Usman, Acting Director of the Army Public Relations, said troops of the 133 Special Forces of the Nigerian Army also recovered 2 AK-47 rifles, 11 pump action guns, 292 cartridges of live ammunition, 199 rounds of AK-47 rifle ammunition, and four electricity generating sets during the operation Saturday.

Over the last few months, members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) have bombed numerous oil facilities belonging to international oil companies in the Niger Delta region.

The militant group has demanded more crude oil revenues for the oil-producing states, the release of militants who are being detained or incarcerated, and continued funding of the amnesty program for former militants.

The unrest in the region has forced many international firms to flee the area. The government mobilized the Nigerian army and coast guard in an anti-banditry operation.
LAGOS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian Senate on Sunday said it will probe the severe hunger crisis in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in restive northeast states.

Senate President Bukola Saraki disclosed this in a statement made available to Xinhua in reaction to protests by hundreds of women from IDP camps in Borno State on Thursday.

He described the development as desperate and calls for better coordination among government and international aid agencies.

Saraki also called on the Nigeria Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other law enforcement agencies to quickly move to investigate the diversion of food deliveries.

He said government officials and contractors should be held to account for the mysterious disappearance of truck loads of provisions intended for the IDP camps.

The Senator added that he planned to move a motion on the situation in the northeast region when the Senate reconvened from recess in September.
Palestinian refugee children attend an arts class, part of an initiative by a group of activists from children clothes brand "The Orenda Tribe" to help refugees design and sell T-shirts, in Jerash city, Jordan, August 14, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

GAZA/RAMALLAH, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian Deputy Minister of Education Ziad Thabet said Sunday that Israel still bans the entry of school books of seven subjects that were newly approved as the new Palestinian curricula.

Thabet said at a press conference in Gaza that "the continued Israeli ban on the entry of the elementary level school books negatively affects the educational process," pointing out that the ministry is working through difficult phases to ensure the school year needs and cover for the shortage of teachers.

Nearly two million students headed to their first day of the new scholastic year in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sunday.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Al-Hamdallah visited a West Bank public school on Sunday and said that "the school year begins while the Israeli occupation continues on our land, expands its settlements and allows its soldiers and settlers to carry out their crimes against our youth and children."

He added that "the educational sector has lost 40 teachers, employees and students during the past year, while hundreds others were injured."

"The Palestinians have the right to a stable, safe and advanced education, to start a new scholastic year through which Palestinian students would illustrate their determination for life, hope and steadfastness in their homeland," said the Prime Minister.
DHAKA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh's apex court on Aug. 30 will deliver its final verdict on the review petition filed by an influential leader of the country's largest Islamist party, who was sentenced to death in 2014 for war crimes including mass killings.

A five-member bench of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha on Sunday set the date after hearing arguments from both the prosecution and the defence.

If review petition of Mir Quasem Ali, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party's central executive committee member, is rejected, the last option for him will be to seek presidential mercy.

The apex court on March 8 upheld the punishment on eight counts, acquitted him on one, and changed the penalty in another.

Mir Quasem Ali, known as a key financier of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, later filed a review petition with the apex court against his death.

Ali was arrested in June 2014 from the offices of his newspaper Naya Diganta, a leading Bengali daily.

Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT-2) in November 2014 awarded death sentence to Ali on a crime against humanity case.

Ali, who is now behind the bar, was indicted in 2012 with 14 charges of crimes against humanity, including looting, mass killings, arson, rape and forcefully converting people into Muslims during the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971.

Eight of the 14 charges leveled against him had been proven while two were partially proven, ICT-2 announced while delivering the verdict.

After returning to power in January 2009, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangladesh's independence hero Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, established the first tribunal in March 2010, almost 40 years after the war.

Four Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party leaders - Motiur Rahman Nizami, Abdul Quader Molla, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid - have already been executed for 1971 war crimes.

Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Salaudin Quader Chowdhury was also executed on Nov. 22 last year.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh was called East Pakistan until 1971. The government of Hasina said about 3 million people were killed in the war, although independent researchers put the number at between 300,000 and 500,000.
ATHENS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras urged Greece's international creditors to honor pledges and implement specific measures by the end of 2016 to make the Greek debt load sustainable and support Greece's economic recovery.

"We are not just requesting, we are demanding and expecting -- on the basis of the deal we are implementing -- the specific measures which will make the debt sustainable," Tsipras said in an interview published by local newspaper Real News on Sunday.

The debt relief will open the way to economic recovery, he said.

A new round of talks between the Greek government and international creditors will resume on Monday in Brussels during the first Euro Working Group meeting after the summer lull.

Tsipras said that his government is keeping its part of the deal and will push lenders to do the same.

Greece believes that any continuation of harsh austerity will undermine all sacrifices made by Greek people to overcome the crisis, fuel recession and unemployment rates.

Under the previous agreement with international creditors, Greece must meet budget surplus targets of 0.5 percent of the GDP this year, 1.75 percent in 2017 and 3.5 percent in 2018, among others.

Greek officials recently have insisted that the goal is not feasible and requested some alterations.

Tsipras criticized once again in particular Berlin's insistence on "suffocating" fiscal discipline, warning that the "EU is like a sleepwalker nearing the edge of the cliff."

The Greek prime minister has invited leaders of countries in southeastern Europe to meet in Athens on Sept. 9 ahead of the EU summit on Sept. 16 to discuss solutions to the common challenges.

French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi among others have responded positively, according to Greek government sources.

"The aim is not to create a new alliance of the South, but to bolster cooperation with other countries and speak about the need to promote social cohesion with imminent initiatives, to allocate more funds to support growth and deal with unemployment," Tsipras stressed.

Greece has been relying on international rescue loans since 2010, when its economy collapsed. It will be eligible to receive the remaining third bailout tranche of 2.8 billion euros (3.1 billion U.S. dollars) if it passes further reforms requested by creditors.
BERLIN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Sunday that the negotiations between the European Union (EU) and the United States over a free trade deal had de facto failed.

"The negotiations with the USA have de facto failed, because we as Europeans, of course, should not subject ourselves to American demands," Gabriel said in an interview with German ZDF television.

He noted that the two sides could not agree on a single chapter of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) being discussed.

"Things are not moving on the issue," he added.

Since July 2013, when the EU and the United States started negotiations on the free trade deal, 14 rounds of talks have been held. Both sides have sought to conclude the negotiations by the end of this year.

An earlier survey found that public support for the agreement dropped sharply in both Germany and the United States in recent years. Concerns of the opponents include declines in consumer and labour protection, environment standards as well as the secrecy of the negotiations.
BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's Finance Minister Lou Jiwei said Sunday that several rounds of financial and monetary policy consultations this year ahead of the upcoming G20 summit have generated many results.

Financial and central bank officials from G20 members decided nine prioritized areas and 48 guiding principles for structural reforms, said Lou, calling the progress a "milestone".

The policy makers for the first time proposed using monetary, financial and structural reform measures to boost growth and stabilize outlook. They also agreed to push reforms of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

These officials vowed to encourage multilateral development banks to expand infrastructure investment to enhance global connectivity, according to Lou.

They agreed to attach great significance to inclusive growth and help medium- and small-sized enterprises, the minister said.

They also pledged to avoid competitive devaluation of currencies and oppose any form of protectionism.

Tasks set for these consultations at the beginning of the year have been basically completed and the results will be submitted to the Hangzhou summit next month, said Lou.
KATHMANDU, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Nine people were killed and six others injured in a traffic accident in Arghakhanchi District of western Nepal on Sunday, police said.

The jeep skidded off the mountain road at Hansapur area of the district, some 350 km west of the capital Kathmandu, and plunged some 500 meters down into a local river, killing nine people on the spot, police officer Kulchandra Pokharel told local media.

The passenger jeep was en route to Bandikot area of Pyuthan from Sandhikharka, the district headquarters of Arghakhanchi district when it slipped off the highway, witnesses told local media.

The accident was the third deadly one in the Himalayan nation in three weeks. 22 people were killed and 17 others injured in a bus accident in Chitwan of central Nepal on Aug. 26.

Before that, 26 people were killed in a bus crash in Sindhupalchowk, some 100 km away from the capital on Aug 15.

The poor condition of hilly roads and ill-maintained vehicles are said to be reasons behind frequent road mishaps in Nepal.
MOSCOW, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Russian government signed on Sunday a decree lifting the restrictions on charter flights to Turkey after an eight-month ban introduced due to tensions between the two countries arising from the downing of a Russian warplane by Ankara in Nov. 2015.

Following the move, a number of Russian airlines have begun to submit applications to the country's air transport authorities for charter flights to Turkey.

Meanwhile, the Russian government has proposed that airlines take additional steps to ensure the safety of charter flights between Russia and Turkey.

Russia has taken a series of restrictive measures against Turkey from 2016, including bans on the import of Turkish foodstuffs, charter flights in both directions, and the visa-free travel regime between them.

On June 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a lift of the ban on package tours to Turkey and instructed the government to take steps to resume charter flights between the two countries after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologized for the downing of the Russian warplane.
Fighters from the pro-government forces loyal to Libya's Government of National Unity (GNA) look at smoke rising from burning cars on August 26, 2016 as they hold a postition in an area of central Sirte, known as District Two, while fighting against Islamic State group (IS) group. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

TRIPOLI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Fierce clashes against the Islamic State (IS) militants in the Libyan city of Sirte killed 18 soldiers and injured another 120 on Sunday, according to Sirte's field hospital.

The hospital posted on its Facebook page that "the hospital has so far received around 120 injured soldiers, whose injuries vary from medium to slight."

The hospital also posted the names of the 18 killed soldiers.

Sirte, the hometown of former leader Moammar Gaddafi, killed in the 2011 uprising, was taken over by the IS last year.

Government forces on Sunday attempted to advance further into IS's two remaining posts in Sirte, according to a spokesman.

Sirte is located 450 km east of the capital Tripoli, and has witnessed increased violent clashes between government forces and IS affiliates since May.

In addition to the hundreds of killed and injured soldiers, the fighting forced city residents to flee to safer nearby cities.

The IS terrorist group is also responsible for several suicide bombings and deaths of foreigners in Libya.

The UN-backed government of national accord initiated a military service called Al-Bonian Al-Marsus, in order to fight against the growing IS presence in Sirte.

Plus, the U.S. air force launched several airstrikes against IS posts in Sirte, as per Libya's request.

The IS militants are retaliating mostly through snipers and land mines.
RAMALLAH, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian Foreign Ministry on Sunday slammed the "silence" of the United States towards the killing of a Palestinian-U.S. dual national by Israeli forces near Ramallah on Friday.

In a statement, the ministry called on Washington to question the Israeli government on the causes behind the killing of Iyad Zakariya Hamed, 36, who is a father of two.

The ministry said that the Israeli government and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must be held accountable for the "hideous crime and the consequence of field executions."

Hamed is the sixth Palestinian to have been killed by Israeli forces at the same site which is close to an Israeli settlement built near Palestinian villages east of Ramallah.

On Friday, Israeli soldiers fatally shot Hamed from a watch tower near a military outpost at the entrance of Silwad village, near Ramallah.

The Israeli public radio reported then that the man was shot because he did not obey soldiers orders, adding that the Israeli army opened an investigation into the incident.

Since last October, tensions have been high between Palestinians and Israeli settlers and army forces, in which over 220 Palestinians and 40 Israelis were killed.
ADEN, Yemen, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Yemeni authorities in the southern port city of Aden started to recruit new fighters on Sunday to join the Saudi Border Guard Forces against Shiite Houthi rebels, officials told Xinhua.

High-ranking pro-government officials said more than 5,000 young fighters will be enlisted from the government-controlled southern provinces and trained to battle the rebels.

The newly-recruited Yemeni fighters will be deployed in the Saudi-Yemeni borders, particularly in the Saudi border region of Najran that has witnessed intensified fighting and periodic Houthi bombardments.

The sources said the first batch of 350 Yemeni fighters left Aden on Sunday morning for an island in Eritrea, an African country across the Red Sea, where they will be transferred to the Saudi borders.

"The well-trained Yemeni fighters will play a vital role in confronting Houthi militias in the Saudi borders," an intelligence officer told Xinhua.

He also said Saudi Arabia has provided financial aids to support the recruitment campaign.

Hundreds of southern Yemenis were seen lined up in front of the army recruiting stations in Aden on Sunday as the registration would continue for the next few days.

On Friday, local Houthi-affiliated media said pro-Houthi fighters fired missiles at the Saudi borders and damaged the kingdom's oil facilities, but Saudi officials denied such reports.

Officials said most of the missiles targeting the military sites along the borders were intercepted and destroyed by the Saudi air forces despite increased air attacks from Houthis.

In February 2015, Iran-backed Houthi rebels and their allies invaded Yemen's capital Sanaa, forcing President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has been leading a war in Yemen against the Houthis since March 2015 to show its support for the elected Hadi government, which is internationally recognized as the country's only legitimate regime.
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."
Photo taken on Aug. 27, 2016 shows buildings along Qiantang River are illuminated with the G20 logo in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Mexico and China have both made progress in their economic development thanks to the implementation of structural reforms, which could set a good example for the world, said Qiu Xiaoqi, the Chinese ambassador to Mexico.

Qiu made the remarks at the National Autonomous University of Mexico Thursday, during a meeting entitled "China's proposal as host of the G20 summit" ahead of the G20 summit in China's eastern city of Hangzhou on Sept. 4-5.

"China has undergone deep transformations and Mexico is also undergoing very important reforms which could become a good example for the world," said Qiu.

While acknowledging that the international economic situation "is very difficult," the ambassador said China will make a series of proposals during the summit to help with global economic growth.

"The building of infrastructure could strengthen links between countries, which can be of great help to the world. I feel that, above all we must have a sense of direction, alongside economic development and innovation. Any positive result must benefit all the countries of the world and all levels of society. On these topics, China and Mexico can cooperate," explained Qiu.

In this sense, he said China and Mexico's political relations "were at their best moment in history."

"We have maintained a high level of political dialogue. Trust is high and is strengthening between both governments and heads of state," noted Qiu.

Returning to the topic of the G20 summit, Qiu said Hangzhou "would see a great international meeting."

A mechanic checks a bullet train at the Xicheng high-speed train maintenance base in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, July 4, 2016. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

According to the ambassador, the G20 nations will seek "a cure for the world economy...to inject it with a new vitality, perfect the global economy's governance model and power a new driving force for world growth."

He recognized that while China holds the rotating presidency of the G20 "at a critical time...it will do so responsibly."

"The entire world has its gaze turned on China and Hangzhou. The summit is arriving at a time of adjustment in the world economy, the transition of the Chinese economy and the transformation of the G20," Qiu said.

The summit, he said, would act as a meeting point for emerging nations to integrate China's economic characteristics with the global consensus of developed nations.

Qiu said the G20 economies could also create an action plan for the implementation of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development, and start an initiative to help Africa's industrialization and countries that are least developed.

"It is hoped that around 40 concrete agreements will be finalized, making the Hangzhou summit one of the most fruitful," he concluded.
TIANJIN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- One person was injured in an apartment explosion Sunday afternoon in north China's Tianjin Municipality, local authorities said.

The injured has been sent to hospital and is in no life-threatening condition.

The explosion occurred at around 3 p.m. at an apartment on the 29th floor of a 30-story residential building in Nankai District, smashing windows and triggering a fire.

Witnesses saw thick smoke and flames following a loud bang. The 27th and 28th floors were also damaged.

The fire, which was put out at about 4 p.m., was triggered by gas leak, said police.
JERUSALEM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli and Palestinian officials have contacted with their Russian and Egyptian counterparts regarding the proposed summit in Russia to resume the peace talks, the Israeli Ynet news website reported Sunday.

The website said that it received confirmation from both Israeli and Palestinian officials that contact has been reinitiated regarding the prospect of a future high-level meeting in Moscow in October, hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Israeli officials were quoted by Ynet as saying that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the matter with Putin during a phone call last week, yet added it was "too early" to determine whether in fact the meeting would materialize.

Ynet had previously covered the news of a potential summit meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.

Currently, it reported that the summit will include the same individuals, in addition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who would host the summit in Moscow.

No comment was received from the Prime Minister's Office.

As for the Palestinian side, the website reported that officials expressed their "willingness" to attend, if Israel accepts to freeze its Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as Abbas demanded, in addition to setting a to the end of the occupation.

The report comes a week after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi said that Putin is willing to host Israeli and Palestinian leaders for direct peace talks, according to the Egyptian state-run Ahram newspaper.

"President Putin told me he is ready to host the Palestinian president and the Israeli prime minister for direct peace talks in Moscow," Sisi was quoted as saying.

The last round of US-mediated peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians ended abruptly with a stalemate in April 2014.

Israel occupied the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, home to millions of Palestinians, in the 1967 Mideast War and Palestinians want to establish a Palestinian state in these territories.

There has been growing international pressure on both sides to resume the peace talks, following 11 months of intense violence, throughout which 34 Israelis died as well as over 220 Palestinians.

In May, the Egyptian president urged both sides to take historic steps towards peace, with Egypt and other Arab countries playing a vital role in the process.

Israel welcomed Sisi's comments, and officials stated they were encouragement by his statement.

In addition, officials voiced preference for Sisi's regional peace efforts initiative over the French peace initiative, which includes an international conference in order to resume the peace talks in Paris later this year.
JERUSALEM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Former Israeli Defense Minister and ex-chief of the Labor party Benjamin Ben Eliezer died at the age of 80 on Sunday, an Israeli hospital said.

The Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center released a statement to the press on Sunday announcing the demise of Ben Eliezer, a longtime Israeli left-wing politician who got recently entangled in bribery allegations.

Israel's channel 2 news reported over the weekend that the former Labor lawmaker, who retired from politics due to poor health in 2014, was hospitalized with an uncertain heart condition.

He was hospitalized two weeks ago for recurring kidney issues (he underwent a kidney transplant in December 2014) and was suspected to have suffered a stroke earlier in July, according to the Times of Israel website.

Ben-Eliezer, known in Israel by his nickname "Fuad," entered the Israeli parliament in 1984 and held several ministerial posts, including the minister of industry, trade and labor, minister of defense and deputy prime minister.

The deceased lawmaker served as head of the Israeli labor party in 2001 and 2002, and was on the shortlist of candidates in the 2014 presidential race.

He was indicted by the end of 2014 with bribery charges, allegedly receiving more than two million shekels (over 600,000 U.S. dollars) from businessmen in exchange for advancing their causes.

Authorities also accused the lawmaker of receiving foreign currency worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and hiding it without reporting it to the tax authority.
BAGHDAD, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iraq asked Saudi Arabia on Sunday to replace its ambassador in Baghdad, stressing that his presence in Iraq would hamper the development of bilateral ties, the official television reported.

Ahmed Jamal, spokesman of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, told the state-run Iraqiya channel that Iraqi senior officials sent a request to Riyadh to take appropriate measure and replace its ambassador Thamer al-Sabhan.

"The presence of Sabhan is an obstacle to the development of relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia," the channel quoted Jamal as saying.

Previously, media reports said that Sabhan, 49, spoke on his Twitter account about a "terrorist plot" to assassinate him by powerful Shiite militia, led by Aws al-Khafaji, which is part of the government-backed Hashd Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization units.

According to Jamal, Sabhan's information about assassination plot was "inaccurate allegations, and such claims are only meant to damage relations between Baghdad and Riyadh."

Many Iraqi Shiite politicians and militias have frequently made calls to expel Sabhan because he repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to exclude the Shiite Hashd Shaabi units from the military operations to free the predominantly Sunni provinces in order to avoid abuses against the Sunni residents.

Later on Sunday, Sabhan told the pan-Arab Arabiyah channel that the relation between Baghdad and Riyadh will not be harmed and the Iraqi government's call of replacement was probably made under pressure by some political parties and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units.

"The policy of the Saudi Arabia Kingdom is clear and explicit to Iraq and will not change by the individuals," Sabhan said.

The Iraqi government's request reflects the deep sectarian division between the Sunni regional power, led by Saudi Arabia, and the Shiite regional power, led by Iran, amid increasing bloody conflicts such as in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Sabhan is the first Saudi ambassador appointed in his country's embassy in Baghdad, which was only reopened in last December since 1990 when Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.
This file photo taken on January 14, 2016 shows a handout picture released by the official website of the Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari shows him (R) meeting with the new Saudi ambassador to Iraqi Thamer al-Sabhan in the capital Baghdad. (AFP photo)

BAGHDAD, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iraq asked Saudi Arabia on Sunday to replace its ambassador in Baghdad, stressing that his presence in Iraq would hamper the development of bilateral ties, the official television reported.

Ahmed Jamal, spokesman of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, told the state-run Iraqiya channel that Iraqi senior officials sent a request to Riyadh to take appropriate measure and replace its ambassador Thamer al-Sabhan.

"The presence of Sabhan is an obstacle to the development of relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia," the channel quoted Jamal as saying.

Previously, media reports said that Sabhan, 49, spoke on his Twitter account about a "terrorist plot" to assassinate him by powerful Shiite militia, led by Aws al-Khafaji, which is part of the government-backed Hashd Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization units.

According to Jamal, Sabhan's information about assassination plot was "inaccurate allegations, and such claims are only meant to damage relations between Baghdad and Riyadh."

Many Iraqi Shiite politicians and militias have frequently made calls to expel Sabhan because he repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to exclude the Shiite Hashd Shaabi units from the military operations to free the predominantly Sunni provinces in order to avoid abuses against the Sunni residents.

Later on Sunday, Sabhan told the pan-Arab Arabiyah channel that the relation between Baghdad and Riyadh will not be harmed and the Iraqi government's call of replacement was probably made under pressure by some political parties and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units.

"The policy of the Saudi Arabia Kingdom is clear and explicit to Iraq and will not change by the individuals," Sabhan said.

The Iraqi government's request reflects the deep sectarian division between the Sunni regional power, led by Saudi Arabia, and the Shiite regional power, led by Iran, amid increasing bloody conflicts such as in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

Sabhan is the first Saudi ambassador appointed in his country's embassy in Baghdad, which was only reopened in last December since 1990 when Iraq under Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.
MADRID, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Spanish People's Party (PP) and Ciudadanos have reached an agreement for the investiture beginning on Aug. 30, local media reported on Sunday.

The agreement was signed by the parliamentary spokesmen for the parties at the Spanish Congress, Rafael Hernando from PP and Juan Carlos Girauta from Ciudadanos.

The document includes 150 measures on topics such as economic growth, competitiveness, employment, transparency, the fight against corruption, the reinforce of institutions or international relations, among others.

Both the political parties said that their negotiating teams worked "intensely" for the agreement.

Spain's acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera met on Saturday to talk about some issues on the agreement and Rajoy will meet the leader of the Socialist Party, Pedro Sanchez, on Monday.

With the support of Ciudadanos and also Coalicion Canaria, Rajoy still falls short of majority and needs the abstention of other parties, such as the Socialists.
by Ahmed Shafiq

CAIRO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of the Muslim sacrificial feast of Eid al-Adha, livestock merchant Haasan Mohammed feels disappointed because he has yet to sell any of his camels.

"It is a season, but the high prices of sacrificial animals as well as the deteriorating financial conditions prevent people from buying sacrifices for the holy feast," the 24-year-old man said, using a long bamboo stick to discipline his camels.

Mohammed, whose family dominates Egypt's largest Birqash camel market in Giza, some 35km north of Cairo, said the demand this year might be the worst in decades, and there are only two weeks away from the feast.

Bored and frustrated, Mohammed's eyes were roving around the hundreds of camels at the vast market, which is said to be also the largest in Africa, in search for a customer.

But it is not easy to spot a buyer inside a sea of camels, where dozens of sellers would beat the animals to keep them in place.

Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, is celebrated by Muslims worldwide in memory of Prophet Abraham's near-sacrifice of his own son as ordered by God.

It comes at the end of the pilgrimage rituals in Saudi Arabia as Muslims slaughter sheep, goats, camels or calves as a means of getting closer to Allah (God).

"Almost nobody buys. People come to ask about the prices and then leave without buying any camels," he said, sitting among his camels.

Mohammed explained that the livestock's high prices can be attributed to the U.S. dollar hike in Egypt as most of the animals are imported from other countries.

"Most of these camels are brought up from Sudan and Somalia and we must pay in dollars," he said.

Egypt's economy has been struggling in the past five years due to political instability resulting from two uprisings that toppled two heads of state.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Egypt has been suffering from dwindling foreign currency reserves, which have decreased from 36 billion dollars in early 2011 to 17.5 billion dollars at the end of May 2016, and an unprecedented devaluation of its own currency.

The young man said people in Egypt have always preferred to buy camels for sacrifice since they are way cheaper than cows and buffaloes.

"But this year camels are not cheap at all," he said. "Last year's average price for a camel was 7,000 Egyptian pounds. However it is 10,000 this year."

"Merchants used to sell thousands of imported and local camels every day. You cannot imagine how this market looked like a few months ago. You could barely move due to the huge crowds of sellers, buyers and camels," Mohammed sadly recalled.

Not far away from Mohammed, Tareq Sameh from Cairo, was negotiating the price of a young camel with a livestock merchant.

But Sameh was not happy even when he reached the deal at a bargain price.

"I'm not really satisfied with the price," he said. "Same camels were sold for much lower prices last season."

The thirtyish man had intended to buy a cow, but the skyrocketing prices of calves and cows forced him to settled for a camel, which is notably less expensive.

Sameh, who owns a mobile phones store, said he can afford a sacrificial animal despite the rising prices, but he believes that the majority of Egyptians simply cannot amid such ailing economic conditions.

According to official data, Egypt's self-sufficiency ratio of red meat decreased from 75.4 percent in 2000 to 74.3 percent in 2013. And the average red meat prices have increased by 298 percent in the last 15 years.

"I hope the government would intervene to find a proper solution for animals' price hike to help Muslims to follow the sacrificial ritual," Sameh said.
by Konstantinos Tzikas, Vassilis Vafidis

ATHENS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Lacking funds partly because of the debt crisis, Greece which is rich in underwater antiquities, is now working closely with archaeological groups from other countries to explore, preserve and display the treasure trove.

Located in the heart of the old town of Athens, stands the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities (EUA). This elegant building of neoclassical style houses almost all of the antiquities discovered in various bodies of water in Greece -- sea, lakes and rivers.

A wealth of statues, urns, busts, coins and other remarkable findings are painstakingly cleaned and preserved here, before they can be exposed to the public.

Founded in 1976, the EUA is a special subdivision of the Greek Ministry of Culture and is tasked with the preservation of underwater antiquities.

The recession in the last few years has struck the EUA hard. It is now working closely together with other countries. Archaeological operations include islands such as Delos, Ikaria, Naxos, Skiathos and Crete.

The most famous underwater excavation currently in progress is the Antikythera wreck. Dating from the second quarter of the first century BC, this Roman shipwreck was discovered by sponge divers off the Greek island of Antikythera in 1900.

Found in the wreck were numerous statues, coins and other artifacts, as well as the remains of the device commonly considered to be the world's first analog computing device, the Antikythera mechanism.

Since 2014, the EUA has been collaborating with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution from the United States. The team completed an underwater circumnavigation of Antikythera, documented several isolated finds, relocated the Antikythera wreck, and identified a second ancient shipwreck, a few hundred meters south of the wreck. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution supports the EUA both on equipment and know-how.

"The water (in the wreck) is very deep, about 50 meters, hence we can't approach the underwater findings via conventional diving. It requires technical diving, which few of those employed in the Ephorate are familiar with,"Angeliki Simosi, the archaeologist and head of the EUA, told Xinhua.

The laboratory staff of the EUA is working on a number of findings, including the bronze head of a youth, a spear from the Antikythera wreck, and numerous urns.

"I'm standing before a bronze statue. It is a cuirassed rider of the late Hellenistic Period. It was found at sea between the Kos and Kalymnos islands. You can see how remarkably it has been preserved by the EUA's staff. See how wonderfully made is both the cuirass and the tunic of the rider," Simosi told Xinhua, presenting the most impressive recent finding of the EUA.

As the laboratory gradually became overcrowded with new finds, the EUA recently acquired a second laboratory. There, findings from the shipwrecks can be desalinized, also known as scaling, which means striping salt and other excess material accumulated on the object's surface and interior over the years.

"The most important stage in the preservation of underwater antiquities is the process of desalination. It is a time-consuming process, during which all incoming findings are placed in water tanks. This process can take up to a year. The time needed depends on the volume of the object involved and how extensive the scaling on the object is," preserver Spyridoula Papanikou, who has been working with the EUA since 2007, told Xinhua.

Preservation is a long and often arduous process. Papanikou showed a process of mechanical cleaning for an urn found in a Mycenaean shipwreck. "We must slowly remove all the scaling and finally reach the original surface of the urn, using either a scrapper or a pneumatic tool," she said.

Fellow preserver Theoni Dimitropoulou shared another exciting new find, which she has been cleaning under the microscope for several months.

"We are working on a Roman shipwreck, a collection of 35,000 silver-plated coins. Because this is a complex object, we resort to a combination of both chemical and mechanical cleaning in order to reveal the surface," Dimitropoulou said.

In spite of all the difficulties involved, the EUA has big plans for the future. The foundation of a number of Underwater Museums, which will allow the dazzling variety of findings to be exhibited to the public, is underway.

"Our basic priority is to create the Museum of Underwater Antiquities. Its planned location was the Piraeus Cultural Coast," said Simosi.
Egyptian vendors handle camels to be sold at a camel market in Berkash, 50 kilometers northwest to Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 26, 2016. Every market day, hundreds of camels are sold at this Egypt's largest camel market held at Berkash. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

by Ahmed Shafiq

CAIRO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Ahead of the Muslim sacrificial feast of Eid al-Adha, livestock merchant Haasan Mohammed feels disappointed because he has yet to sell any of his camels.

"It is a season, but the high prices of sacrificial animals as well as the deteriorating financial conditions prevent people from buying sacrifices for the holy feast," the 24-year-old man said, using a long bamboo stick to discipline his camels.

Mohammed, whose family dominates Egypt's largest Birqash camel market in Giza, some 35km north of Cairo, said the demand this year might be the worst in decades, and there are only two weeks away from the feast.

Bored and frustrated, Mohammed's eyes were roving around the hundreds of camels at the vast market, which is said to be also the largest in Africa, in search for a customer.

But it is not easy to spot a buyer inside a sea of camels, where dozens of sellers would beat the animals to keep them in place.

Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice, is celebrated by Muslims worldwide in memory of Prophet Abraham's near-sacrifice of his own son as ordered by God.

It comes at the end of the pilgrimage rituals in Saudi Arabia as Muslims slaughter sheep, goats, camels or calves as a means of getting closer to Allah (God).

"Almost nobody buys. People come to ask about the prices and then leave without buying any camels," he said, sitting among his camels.

Mohammed explained that the livestock's high prices can be attributed to the U.S. dollar hike in Egypt as most of the animals are imported from other countries.

"Most of these camels are brought up from Sudan and Somalia and we must pay in dollars," he said.

Egypt's economy has been struggling in the past five years due to political instability resulting from two uprisings that toppled two heads of state.

Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Egypt has been suffering from dwindling foreign currency reserves, which have decreased from 36 billion dollars in early 2011 to 17.5 billion dollars at the end of May 2016, and an unprecedented devaluation of its own currency.

The young man said people in Egypt have always preferred to buy camels for sacrifice since they are way cheaper than cows and buffaloes.

"But this year camels are not cheap at all," he said. "Last year's average price for a camel was 7,000 Egyptian pounds. However it is 10,000 this year."

"Merchants used to sell thousands of imported and local camels every day. You cannot imagine how this market looked like a few months ago. You could barely move due to the huge crowds of sellers, buyers and camels," Mohammed sadly recalled.

Not far away from Mohammed, Tareq Sameh from Cairo, was negotiating the price of a young camel with a livestock merchant.

But Sameh was not happy even when he reached the deal at a bargain price.

"I'm not really satisfied with the price," he said. "Same camels were sold for much lower prices last season."

The thirtyish man had intended to buy a cow, but the skyrocketing prices of calves and cows forced him to settled for a camel, which is notably less expensive.

Sameh, who owns a mobile phones store, said he can afford a sacrificial animal despite the rising prices, but he believes that the majority of Egyptians simply cannot amid such ailing economic conditions.

According to official data, Egypt's self-sufficiency ratio of red meat decreased from 75.4 percent in 2000 to 74.3 percent in 2013. And the average red meat prices have increased by 298 percent in the last 15 years.

"I hope the government would intervene to find a proper solution for animals' price hike to help Muslims to follow the sacrificial ritual," Sameh said.
As school begins this fall, East Carolina University will play a major role in training health educators in K-12 schools across the state.For 28 years, the North Carolina School Health Training Center has provided teachers and counselors with the resources they need to teach sensitive topics like bullying, domestic violence, suicide prevention and reproductive health to children and adolescents.It is the only center in North Carolina that provides trained experts who can facilitate professional workshops for school health educators.The center was relocated this summer to ECU where Dr. Michele Wallen, associate professor of health education and promotion in ECU's College of Health and Human Performance, will lead outreach and research efforts. Wallen was named director of the NCSHTC and helped facilitate the its move from Appalachian State University.Wallen has worked with the NCSHTC for more than 10 years and said ECU was a good fit for the center because of itsThe NCSHTC offers between 40 and 70 training workshops across the state each year on topics ranging from nutrition to puberty. The majority of the training is provided to teachers, administrators, school nurses and counselors in school districts, but the center also offers sessions for staff in health departments and community based organizations.In August, the NCSHTC hosted a Family Life Institute on the campus of ECU where health educators spent three days learning how to meet the needs of all learners and how to become comfortable teaching sensitive and sometimes awkward topics. Participants also practiced the new facilitation skills with their peers to receive feedback.Jaye Holland, a public health coordinator with the Gaston County Health Department, practiced a classroom activity on preventing sexually transmitted diseases with her peers. In a few weeks, she will lead the same activity with teenagers in Gaston County.said Holland.NCSHTC-hosted training offers information on legislation related to health education and professional development using evidence-based practice.said Tiffany McCullough, who works with teen parents at the Council on Adolescence of Catawba County.Holland said she was particularly impressed with the session on reaching out to LGBTQ youth.said HollandIn addition to teaching strategies, the center helps educators keep track of the ever-changing requirements in health education. Wallen says part of the center's success is being able to quickly adapt to new topics that impact youth in North Carolina.said Wallen.The NCSHTC also has adapted to meet the evolving needs of students and teachers by incorporating technology.said Wallen.To reach every part of the state, the center has a group - or cadre - of 20 health educators who go to schools and youth-serving agencies, like Boys and Girls Clubs, to train educators, counselors and health workers. Members of the cadre hold a master's or doctoral degree and have experience in school and/or public health.said Wallen.As director, Wallen hopes to increase research by analyzing data that has been collected through years of NCSHTC program evaluations.she said.The NCSHTC receives more than $470,000 in grants to fund programs and projects implemented in North Carolina public schools. The center partners with the NC Department of Health and Human Services.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton attends the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's 45th Annual Legislative Conference Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington September 19, 2015. (REUTERS/Yuri Gripas)

By Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton is seeing yet another scandal piling on top of others scandals, which hurts her campaign by shifting attention away from Republican candidate Donald Trump, experts said.

At the center of this latest in a string of Clinton controversies is the Clinton Foundation, a philanthropic organization founded by Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

According to emails released Monday that were sent and received during Clinton's tenure as U.S. secretary of state, a network of foundation donors was able to get special access to Clinton while she was secretary of state, although they did not always get what they wanted, U.S. media reported.

Republicans alleged that Clinton granted favors as secretary of state in exchange for donations to the foundation, a charge that Clinton vehemently denies.

While Clinton now enjoys a comfortable lead in the polls, ahead of Trump, the latest scandal could hurt the Democratic candidate, experts said.

"The Clinton Foundation issue is hurting Clinton. It is taking the focus off Trump's character and putting it back on Clinton," Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies of the Brookings Institution, told Xinhua.

Clinton Foundation water bottles are seen for sale at the ClintonMuseum Store in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States April 27, 2015. (REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo)

Indeed, strategists and pundits have been saying for months that Trump must get people's eyes off his bombast and offensiveness and try to make the contest about Clinton' s many scandals, perceived missteps and shortcomings while she served as secretary of state.

One example is the Clinton Foundation's receiving millions of U.S. dollars from foreign governments while Clinton was secretary of state.

The more reporters talk about Clinton Foundation finances and money coming from abroad, the more it raises doubts about Clinton, West noted.

"People understand the risks of money coming from abroad because it creates the possibility of divided loyalties. She needs to make sure the focus stays on Trump' s outrageous statements and policy flip-flops. That is much better terrain for her," West said, referring to Trump's many over-the-top statements in recent months.

For the last two months, Trump has failed to get the race focused on Clinton' s misdeeds by constantly shooting himself in the foot and then playing the victim role when the press covers his gaffes, West noted.

Indeed, just when it seems that Trump is starting to act more presidential, such as giving serious foreign policy speeches, he then ruins those gains by making off-the-cuff and offensive remarks.

"This week has been better (for Trump) because the news is focused on the Clinton Foundation and the new emails that will be coming out this fall," West said.

Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua this is a very complex scandal where a lot of the American people are going to have a hard time understanding the intricacies involved.

However, the controversy about the foundation does serve as a bullet point under the broader narrative of the "Clintons playing by their own rules" -- joining the email server, paid speeches, and other controversies under this same line of attack from the Republicans, Mahaffee said.

"I'm not sure if it's by design or an inability to help himself, but Trump seems to have let every opportunity to make this a referendum on Clinton and continued Democratic leadership in the White House slip away with a comment that draws attention to himself or raises questions about his leadership," he said.
Yemeni security forces stands guard during a gathering in support of the Huthi-led parliament, in the capital Sanaa on August 20, 2016. (AFP/Xinhua)

SANAA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's dominant Shiite Houthi group and its allies said Sunday they would deal with a plan put forth by the United States to resume peace talks with a goal of forming a national unity government, only once the Saudi-led coalition "aggression" halted and "economic siege" lifted.

The Houthi stance came in an official statement carried by the group-controlled official Saba news agency on Sunday.

"The supreme political council would deal with any peace initiative once the military aggression is completely halted and economic blockade against the Yemeni people is lifted," the statement read, cited by Saba.

In a reply to a call by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for Houthis to surrender their ballistic missiles, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam wrote in a message posted on Facebook that "whoever has a greedy eye on our weapons, we will have a greedy eye on his life."

For Houthi foes, the Saudi-backed exiled Yemeni government welcomed on Saturday the U.S. initiative, saying the government is prepared to deal positively with any peaceful initiatives resulting from the meeting in Jeddah that included the foreign secretaries of the U.S., Britain and Gulf states.

On Thursday, Kerry said the Houthis must cease shelling across the border with Saudi Arabia, withdraw from the capital Sanaa, hand over their weapons including the ballistic missiles and enter into a unity government with their domestic foes.

Kerry's new peace road came after his meeting this week in Jeddah with foreign ministers of British and Arab Gulf states to end Yemen civil war.

The UN-sponsored peace talks to end 18 months of fighting in Yemen collapsed this month in host Kuwait.

In reaction, the fighting escalated between the Shiite Houthi fighters and internationally recognized exiled Yemeni government backed by a Saudi-led military coalition. The fighting also resumed across borders between Yemen and the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Saudis intervened in March 2015 to support the government of exiled President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi to return to power in the capital Sanaa.

Shiite Houthis backed by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh seized control of Sanaa in 2014 and drove out Hadi and his government into exile in Riyadh, the capital of Sunni Saudi Arabia.

The civil war and Saudi-led airstrikes have since killed over 6,500 people, mostly civilians, and displaced other three million.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the United Solidarity and Brotherhood rally in Gaziantep, Turkey, August 28, 2016. (Reuters photo)

ANKARA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Erdogan vowed on Sunday to fight all terrorist groups including the Islamic State (IS), the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) with its Syrian offshoots and the Gulen organization that carried out a recent failed coup.

The Turkish army's operation in Syria is aimed at giving people who fled the IS-controlled areas a chance to return home, Erdogan told a rally of his supporters in the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep.

He said the government "had enough" of recent mortar attacks targeting the Karkamis district of the border province of Kilis, which ultimately provoked the launch of the Euphrates Shield operation.

Last week, the Turkish army launched a cross-border operation with the help of the U.S.-led coalition forces to drive out the IS militants from its border following the Gaziantep suicide attack that killed 55 people and series of mortar attacks targeting the Karkamis district.

"People's demand for the reintroduction of death penalty should be debated in parliament, I'll sign it if it comes to me," the president added.

Meanwhile, Turkish forces killed 10 PKK militants in the southeastern Turkish province of Hakkari, Dogan news agency reported.
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)

By Matthew Rusling

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump could feel some pain from a new line of political ads from his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton's team depicting him as a racist, at a time when he is trying to catch up in the polls.

Clinton's campaign this week put out a new TV advertisement claiming that among Trump's supporters are the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) -- a white supremacist group that has killed, terrorized and intimidated blacks and other minorities in the United States, although the group has very little power now compared to when it was in its heyday several decades ago.

While Trump has no ties to white supremacists, the ad makes the case that they support him and that if he wins they will run the country.

Experts said the ads could hurt Trump and damage his campaign, which is just three months from the November elections.

"They are damaging for Trump because they draw on things he or his campaign have done to paint a picture of someone who is completely insensitive to the concerns of the minority community," Darrell West, vice president and director of governance studies of the Brookings Institution, told Xinhua.

The ads not only reinforce points already made that Trump is rude and impolite, but also take this critique several steps further by labeling him a racist, West said.

For his part, Trump blasted the ads as untrue, while using social media to refute Clinton's attacks.

But that move is risky for him, as experts say Trump must get the public eye off of his bombast and onto Clinton's perceived missteps and corruption while she was secretary of state.

Experts also argued that the New York businessman should continue his message that law and order is declining in the United States, and that a Clinton presidency would only exacerbate this, as Clinton would be an extension of the current Obama administration.

Trump has a few times tried to do this by making cogent and well-argued speeches on U.S. foreign policy and the economy, only to later ruin any gains he might have made by reverting back to insults and bombast.

In the past week Trump has resisted the temptation to make over-the-top statements that hurt him with the broader American electorate, but it remains unknown how long he can do this.

"The risk for him is that he gets off his law and order message and has to defend himself from the racism charge. It never helps a candidate to have to give an 'I' m not a racist' defense," West said.

Dan Mahaffee, an analyst with the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, told Xinhua that Trump did avoid the temptation to go off script and has been more effective in message discipline recently.

If Trump continues to focus on hitting back on Clinton and avoiding collateral damage, he may turn the corner and start to close some of the polling gap that has him behind Clinton in key states, Mahaffee said.

U.S. media has exposed that Clinton has in the past closely associated with known racists, as shown in her statements in 2010 when she referred to former Senator Robert Byrd, a KKK member, as a mentor and friend.

Related:

News Analysis: Trump trying to remake image but could be late: experts

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is making an effort to revamp his image, but this will be a tall order for the bombastic billionaire so late in the race, experts said. Full story

News Analysis: Trump, Clinton have two different views of police-black tensions
MEXICO CITY, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Climate change has seriously affected Mexican coastlines and researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) proposed a project to monitor key locations that represent some of the most characteristic national coastal ecosystems.

The experts have noticed that the increase in temperature affects the living beings in those places and some species are emigrating to survive, they said on Saturday.

The project aims to create an integrated database that includes the new generated information, historic results and useful sedimentary registers in order to preserve these environments.

The database will be known as "Tulum" as it evokes a place that represented an important role in marine passage and the Maya peoples, said Joan Albert Sanchez Cabeza, researcher in UNAM's Physics Institute.

As an example of the effort, the Coastal Observatory in Mazatlan, in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, has been in operation since 2013 with the aim of identifying and quantifying the impact of this phenomenon in the Sinaloa area through determining indicators such as surface temperature and salinity, sea level and oxygen dissolved in the ocean.

The observatory is also studying the sediment cores with the purpose of rebuilding the impacts of global change in the past.

This project seeks to generate data and information in the long run in order to determine alteration trends in Mexico's coastlines.

"In a decade we could be able to see how important this data is," said Sanchez Cabeza.

At the conference on "Coastal Observatories of Global and Climate Change," the researcher said that, up until now, it has been detected that the studied areas face different problems, such as increasing temperature which affects the creatures that live in the area.

"Faced with this situation, some species migrate north to survive, but those that can't move will disappear. For example, several types of algae are no longer there and the lionfish has come from the equator to Mexican shores in search of an adequate temperature. During the events of El Nino the coral has been majorly whitened and killed," said Sanchez Cabeza.

Another worrying aspect is the sea level which has increased by three or four millimeters per year. If this continues, in one century it will have grown by 30 or 40 centimeters.

Also, it is worth mentioning the issue of hypoxia (shortage of oxygen) in the sea which, although it is a natural phenomenon in some areas, has increased in coastlines due to human activity.

Finally, due to the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2), sea water is becoming more acidic. This brings serious consequences, for example, along the coast that goes from Canada to Baja California Sur in Mexico, some species of molluscs, such as scallops and abalones, have decreased.
HELSINKI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A basic income scheme in Finland, which was designed to increase employment and simplify the welfare benefits system, has sparked heated discussion in the country.

The Finnish government announced on Thursday that 2,000 jobless people in the country would receive a tax-free monthly basic income of 560 euros(626.84 U.S. dollars), instead of other unemployment compensation, in a two-year trial program that starts early next year.

Recipients of the basic income are also entitled to other work-related benefits if they find new jobs. Previously, unemployment welfare benefits are suspended once a jobless person is hired.

Markus Kanerva, CEO of Tank, a think tank that has studied basic income-related issues, told newspaper Helsingin Sanomat the scheme is a good start despite it may yet to be the best possible solution. According to him, similar tests have yet to be launched elsewhere in the world.

"Whatever happens to the plan, it may open the way to test economic policies in advance - in a scientific way," researcher Olli Karkkainen of Nordea Bank told Helsingin Sanomat.

"If this system would be applied to the whole nation, it would result in a 10-billion-euros public deficit," he added.

However, critics believe the program, which focuses only on jobless people, would offer limited understanding on the overall situation as workers, young people and students were excluded from the test.

The launch of the scheme needs to be approved by Finland's parliament. There is still controversy regarding the scheme so far. Some question whether it is constitutionally acceptable as those who were selected as participants of the plan will be getting social security that is different from the rest of their peers.
Image provided by the Galapagos National Park shows an orca hunting a turtle at Punta Espinosa, in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, on Aug. 27, 2016. Whale watching is common at the Galapagos National Park, where different whale species could be seen. (Xinhua/Galapagos National Park)
RED LODGE  The exterior of the new Rock Creek Center at the gateway into town looks right in place with the towns frontier history  red brick masonry, square corners and a simple look.

Inside is where the modern design shines. The two-story building has one of the few elevators in Red Lodge, which rises and opens to a the Rock Creek Dental office with flat-screen TVs and modern equipment for tooth molds and imaging.

The rest of the building is filled with office space for professionals, something that is sorely needed in this mountain resort town.

The $1.9 million building at 515 N. Broadway Ave. wasnt originally intended to look like historic downtown. The ownership group, Rubicon Investments, had designed a smaller space that looked much like any other dental office before realizing that wouldnt meet city code for the edge of the downtown district.

So they went back to the drawing board and came up with a design they feel has staying power, and then opened in June.

This is an opportunity to add value. This is an opportunity to beautify our surroundings, said Billings dentist Remington Townsend, the project lead for Rubicon.

The partners in Rubicon are mostly Yellowstone County dentists: Townsend, Josh Muir, Sam Pollock, Jacob Condon and Jeff Tulett. Another dentist, Kelly Reynolds of Red Lodge, bought into the project when her firm merged with Rock Creek.

The building was designed by Rick Stordahl.

The ground floor is home to two professionals, who own their spaces. Wayne Engebretson of Edward Jones occupies 1,100 square feet, while accountant Mike Schuck has about 1,500.

To have a blank footprint was really nice, Shuck said.

Engebretson added, I think were giving the town a gift. (People dont) have to stare at a parking lot as they drive into Red Lodge.

City officials noted that the Rock Creek Center is the first new downtown building in at least a decade, though several have undergone major renovations.

The design they came up with is exceptional. Its a very nice anchor for downtown, said Peter Italiano, Red Lodge community development director.

An open house is scheduled 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 9.

For Reynolds, the project was a chance to make a big change in the solo practice she launched in 2011.

After five years, the Laurel native said she decided to merge into Rock Creek Dental and move into a group practice model.

We get to support each other, she said.

Reynolds added that she had property near the Beartooth Billings Clinic north of town where she had considered expanding, but she was happy with the downtown space.

The redesign was a challenge, and costly, but proved to be worth it in the end, she said.

It... shoved you to do something that was timeless, Reynolds said.

Reynolds also does orthodontic work, a key component that Rock Creek was lacking, according to Townsend. Combining the two practices gives people in south-central Montana and Wyoming a better option to avoid the 45-minute drive to Billings for dental work, Townsend and Reynolds say.

As dentistry gets more and more expensive, it gets harder to bring all the services on your own, Townsend said.

Rock Creek Dental has two other dentists, Dave Evans and Greg Moos. Townsend will focus on his Billings practice and wont be in Red Lodge regularly.

The Red Lodge practice also has three hygienists and three assistants.

Were able to help more patients with combining the two offices, receptionist Megan White said.

Rubicon also owns two vacant spots on the first floor, which Townsend is looking to lease.

Clients are saying they like the new space, Townsend said.

Ive been pleasantly surprised that most people are pleased with the investment. Theyre mostly grateful, he said.
A big night in downtown Billings Saturday brought in more than $600,000 to address the mental health crisis.

The Billings Clinic Classic with featured band, America, drew a capacity crowd to the street party and concert at the Alberta Bair Theater. The street party and concert have become multigenerational events, presented by the Billings Clinic Foundation to raise money for health care.

Kara and Dusty Eaton have been to eight Billings Clinic Classic parties and they said the draw is being part of a big community event.

This is such a great cause in the community, Dusty Eaton said. We consider it to be the party of the year. What I appreciate is that its always top notch.

Eaton, an architect with A & E Architects, said he appreciates the elaborate setup with 30 tents covering North Broadway in front of the ABT.

The after-party featured one of the most popular bands in the area, the Midlife Chryslers. The band drew people dancing in front of the stage Saturday afternoon during their sound check.

A few women were dancing in the aisles the minute America opened their show with one of their biggest hits, Tin Man, followed by You Can Do Magic.

Were about halfway through our tour this year and I can tell you, youre the best dressed audience yet, Americas Gerry Beckley told the crowd.

America played one notable cover, Joni Mitchells Woodstock while a screen showed videos of America in the early days when their first album was released in 1972. On some of their newer songs, they featured three guitars, including a newer touring member, Bill Worrell, on electric guitar.

We came dangerously close to jamming on that song, Beckley joked.

In addition to the fun, though, is the cause. Mental illness is now the No. 1 cause of disability in the U.S. School District 2 Superintendent Terry Bouck said that 20 percent of Billings students have either attempted suicide or thought about it.

Money raised at the Classic will help Billings Clinic construct a psychiatric assessment facility. Classic chairman Amy Cebull said her two high-school-age children have both known classmates who have committed suicide.

I feel its important to provide a service for young people to be evaluated and moved right away to a mental health facility, Cebull said. Thats a big piece of the problem now. We need to let them know there is help.
Montana State Parks will be hosting the 22nd annual Day of Honor event at Chief Plenty Coups State Park on Sept. 3 at 11 a.m.

This years theme is Find Your Park: Find Your Place of Peace. The event will feature Lee Whittlesey, historian for the National Park Service who will present a program on the Centennial of the National Park Service.

Other speakers include Elias Goes Ahead, Grant Bulltail and Chris Dantic, who will focus on Chief Plenty Coups time at places that eventually became parks. These parks are Yellowstone, Rosebud Battlefield State Park, and Chief Plenty Coups State Park respectively.

There will also be a Crow dance and drum group, Push Dance contest, fun run, horseshoe tournament, silent auction and Veteran Honor Guard. To conclude the event, a free buffalo feast for the public will be catered in the afternoon.

For an event schedule visit http://stateparks.mt.gov/chief-plenty-coups/. For more information call the park visitor center at 252-1289.
People strolled by booths selling generators to solar refrigerators and firearms to underground shelters. Speakers down the hall taught about topics from beekeeping to natural disaster survival.

By noon Saturday, more than 100 people had visited the first Wyoming Prepper Con at the Parkway Plaza Hotel and Convention Centre.

The convention's purpose is for people to learn from experts how to prepare for emergencies such as storms, tornadoes and floods, said organizer Nicholas Seaman.

Theres lots of different levels of preparedness," Seaman said. "Mostly what were going for is to create community  to get people involved and educated so they have a better knowledge base."

David Orren attended the conference with his fiancee and parents. He bought solar flashlights and honey and he planned to buy ammunition at a booth with good prices. He also was interested in solar power equipment and someday would like to live off the grid, he said.

But his goal for now is to store a six-month supply of food and water. He recently became interested preparing for a variety of situations, such as government issues or wars.

The way I view it is I hope nothing does happen, but you never know what can happen, Orren said. Our society today sits on a narrow ridge that could be knocked off easily, and most people only have about three days worth of supplies. So it doesnt even have to be anything major. Something little, even two weeks, could just be absolute chaos. I just want to make sure my family is OK.

Not everyone at the conference was interested in prepping. Vivian Smith attended with her husband, Alan Smith, who has a minor interest in stockpiling food for emergencies, he said. Prepping measures like underground bunkers are extreme for her outlook, she said.

When youre supposed to go, youre going to go, Vivian said. I think if you have your little underground house and the apocalypse comes and you come out, its just going to be devastation. Why would you want to see it?

Spencer Pollock, executive director of American Red Cross of Wyoming is providing some of the training at the conference.

"Preparedness is a really important part of just general life, especially here," said Pollock. "We saw the Coal Creek fire last year and other fires, floods, tornadoes around Wyoming. So our goal is really to make folks better prepared in a variety of simple ways and thats what were trying to convey today."

The conference caters to all kinds of preppers, from those interested in waiting out a storm to the-end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it preppers, Seaman said. He plans to make the Wyoming Prepper Con an annual event.

The convention continues through Sunday, starting with "Basic Survival Concepts: the 72-hour-solution" from 8 a.m. to noon. Vendor booths are open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Admission is $5, and free for 10 and younger.

For more information, go to www.wyomingpreppercon.com.
A quarter of a century before Edward Heerman became the steamboat king of Devils Lake, he attempted to pioneer steamboat travel on the Red River.

In 1858, Heerman, with five of his friends, traveled to the area and selected a location 7 miles south of present-day Fargo to become the launching site for steamboat travel on the Red River, which did not have any steamboat service at that time.

His biggest challenge at that site, called East Burlington, was transporting the heavy materials necessary for building a steamboat to this remote location. Railroad service to the Red River Valley was not available and did not come about until 14 years later. Frustrated, Heerman and his friends abandoned the project.

Heerman later gained fame by establishing two national records. In 1880, he recorded the longest continuous trip ever made on inland waters by a steamboat by hauling a load of freight from St. Paul to Fort Benton, a distance of 4,200 miles. Heerman also gained national recognition when the government announced that he constructed the smallest steamboat ever to operate on inland waters in the country. At the height of his career, Heerman owned and operated a fleet of 13 steamboats.

Edward Edson Heerman was born on April 18, 1834, near the Canadian border in north-central Vermont. He was the 10th of 14 children born to Timothy Heerman, a sheep farmer, and Amelia (Barter).

In 1848, Edward Heerman first experienced steamboating when he and his family traveled down the Ohio River to St. Louis then took another steamboat up the Mississippi River to Burlington, Iowa. The Heerman farm was close to the Mississippi River, and, when he turned 15, Heerman chopped wood for steamboats. One Burlington businessman was impressed with the youngster and offered him a job on his ferry boat.

By 1850, Heerman was working on steamboats on the Mississippi River. In order to also have access to the Chippewa River, he moved to Alma, Wisc., located across the Mississippi River from Wabasha, Minn. At age 19, Heerman was operating his own steamboat on both rivers. During the 1850s, he often made trips on the Chippewa, hauling supplies to Eau Claire, Wisc., and on the Mississippi River to St. Louis.

On June 16, 1856, Heerman filed for a homestead of 120 acres, located 20 miles southeast of Minneapolis, and five months later he married Haliceia Hannon. Farming was not as great of a passion to him as running riverboats.

Since riverboat competition on the Mississippi was so intense, it was in 1858 that Heerman seriously considered opening riverboat service on the Red River. The Hudson's Bay Company needed to secure a means of transporting supplies to its factory at Fort Garry in Winnipeg, and Heerman hoped to be the one to fulfill that need.

After abandoning his efforts to begin steamboat traffic on the Red River, Heerman returned to his home in Alma, determined to succeed with his efforts on the Mississippi and Chippewa rivers. He was also focused on raising a family, with Haliceia giving birth to Elbert in 1859 and Willie in 1862. During the Civil War, Heerman registered for the draft, but since he had two small children and with his wife again pregnant with a third child, Heerman was not asked to serve. In 1864, Minnie became the third child born to the Heermans.

In September 1866, a typhoid epidemic swept through Nininger, Minn., the new home of the Heermans, and one of the immediate victims was 4-year-old Willie. Haliceia also came down with typhoid fever and battled the disease for five weeks before she also succumbed on Oct. 20, 1866. With a shipping enterprise to run and two small children to raise, Heerman enlisted the aid of one of his sisters to raise his children in nearby Hastings, Minn. Elbert was later savagely beaten by a thug, and, besides the obvious trauma of the incident, the youngster may have suffered brain damage. Elbert was placed in the state mental hospital in St. Peter, Minn., but he later escaped, and his family never heard from him again.

In 1866, Heerman built his biggest steamboat, the Chippewa, which he used mainly between Eau Claire and Read's Landing, Minn. Now, strongly attached to his only child, Minnie, Heerman changed the name of the steamboat Iowa City to Minnie in 1873. Soon, almost all of the steamboats in Heerman's fleet were named after Minnie in different variations.

Heerman's reputation grew as he agreed to haul cargo on trips that other riverboat captains would not consider. His biggest challenge came in 1880, when the military at Fort Benton, Mont., wanted a load of cargo brought from St. Paul, a total river distance of 4,200 miles. On April 27, he left St. Paul with the cargo and made his way down the Mississippi River to St. Louis. He then proceeded up the Missouri River to Fort Benton, arriving on July 4. This trip established the record for the longest voyage completed by a steamboat.

Soon, it became common practice for Heerman to make long trips from St. Paul to forts in Montana and the Dakotas. One fort that was having difficulty receiving supplies was Fort Totten, located on the southern shore of Devils Lake. On the north shore of the lake was Creel City, later named Devils Lake, a location that would be receiving rail service from the Great Northern Railroad in 1883. Heerman saw this as a great opportunity and decided to relocate his center of operation from eastern Minnesota to north-central Dakota Territory.
State agency heads see North Dakota returning to a new pre-boom normal following two rounds of budget cuts and further reductions being required for the 2017-19 biennium.

Following several years of record revenues flowing to the states coffers, agencies realize they need to pull back and realign themselves to remain efficient while providing services residents have come to expect.

Nothing was normal during those (previous) two bienniums, Office of Management and Budget Director Pam Sharp said.

Generally funded agencies were required to cut 2.5 percent from budgets following a projected $310 million revenue shortfall unveiled last month. Rainy day funds and Bank of North Dakota profits were also used during a special session to plug the remainder of the gap.

The cuts follow a $1.074 billion shortfall in February plugged with rainy day funds, turnover dollars from the previous biennium and 4.05 percent in budget cuts.

Gov. Jack Dalrymple in May ordered agencies to deliver budget proposals at 90 percent levels of ongoing spending from the current biennium.

Theyre going to need to cut deeper than this and theyre going to have to assume that one-time expenses arent going to happen unless theyre absolutely critical, Sharp said.

North Dakota Tax Commissioner Ryan Rauschenberger said July revenue collections, the first reported since the new forecast, show general fund collections were nearly $1.7 million ahead of forecast.

The next revenue forecast in November will provide a clearer revenue picture for 2017-19 and will be what the governors executive budget proposal is based off of.

Rauschenberger said a lot can still happen and revenues are being watched closely.

These next three months, August, September, October will be very critical, Rauschenberger said.

For the tax department, nearly $355,000 in salaries and wages were cut. Unfilled positions as well as staff that retire before the end of the biennium wont be replaced; a total of eight positions will be impacted.

The tax department also will be cutting more than $422,000 in operating expenses, which will result in fewer mailings and a reduction in printing costs.

A $500,000 reduction in funds for the Homestead Tax Credit and nearly $192,000 for the Disabled Veteran Credit are also among the cuts.

In the past, the Homestead Tax Credit usually has a few million dollars left over at the end of the biennium, according to Rauschenberger. If theres a shortage in the veterans tax credit a deficiency appropriation could be made by the Legislature and shift money from the Homestead Tax Credit during the 2017 session, he said.

Wed really been planning this all along, said Rauschenberger, adding earlier this year hed figured a second round may be coming. We kind of had a head start.

Sharp said OMB cuts total $1.1 million. No salaries or wages were cut in this round, but more than $349,000 for what was listed as capital assets, $200,000 in contingency fund dollars and $100,000 in funding for Prairie Public Broadcasting were cut.

In the previous round of budget cuts, four open positions were left vacant, which Sharp says might be eliminated in OMBs 2017-19 budget.

Public Service Commission members during their regular meeting earlier this week outlined $198,000 in cuts.

A total of $135,000 in funds for reclamation and grain warehouse insolvencies litigation will be cut. More than $47,000 in salaries and wages and $16,000 in operating expenses also received the axe.

For the 2017-19 budget, a restructuring of some PSC divisions and consolidation of a management position are among the items to be proposed to lawmakers to improve efficiencies.

Probably the hardest thing Ive ever been involved in. It was very challenging, Commissioner Brian Kalk said of the 2017-19 budget proposal.

Cuts to the North Dakota Department of Transportation total $16.4 million and largely will be dealt with through changes in scope to 2017 road construction projects, department spokeswoman Jamie Olson said.

That doesnt really effect any of those (underway) right now, Olson said.

Cost reductions can come from using asphalt instead of concrete. More competitive bids also have been coming in for projects during the slowdown in oil activity.

This does affect not only the state highway projects, but it does impact some dollars that are going to the counties, Olson said.

Nearly $13.1 million of the DOT cuts come from general fund transfers for statewide road projects. Another $2.8 million will come from a funding pool for non-oil producing county road projects.

State Auditor Robert Petersons budget is largely salaries and wages, which led to cuts of more than $261,000.

We actually had enough (room) left so its not impacting anyone, Peterson said.

During the first round of budget cuts, two of six positions in the agencys North Dakota University System Performance Audit Division were left vacant that hadnt yet been filled. The six positions were authorized by the Legislature last session. For the 2017-19 budget, two more positions would be left open, though his office will submit a request for funding all six positions.

Peterson said tight budgets are nothing new to him.

I remember coming in and having 97 percent budgets under Gov. Schafer, Peterson said. I think well be OK.
Chaguanas woman murdered

Quamina had a severe injury to her face which investigators said appeared to be caused by a knife. Her throat was also slit.

According to police reports at about 12 am yesterday, Quamina was at her home in company with two friends, Josanne Allen, 27 and her boyfriend Christopher Heerah, 28 when an armed man entered the house at Gentian Park West, Edinburgh South, Chaguanas.

Reports said that the masked gunman, asked the trio about the whereabouts of Allens brother.

Reports said that when Allen failed to disclose her brothers location, the man became aggressive and ordered Heerah to tie up the two females.

The intruder then proceeded to beat Heerah about his body.

Allen told police she covered her head with a pillow while the assailant was beating her boyfriend.

The gunman then escaped.

Allen told investigators that when the gunman left the home she was able to free herself and discovered her friend, Quamina in a bedroom bleeding from wounds to her face and neck. Allen said she and her boyfriend rushed Quamina to the Chaguanas Health Facility where she was pronounced dead.

When Sunday Newsday visited the family home yesterday, a woman said that the family had nothing to say as she closed the front door of the house. However, Quaminas relatives and friends posted R.I.P on her Facebook page. One close family member in one post said, R.I.P to my cousin who was murdered, just saw her the other night didnt know it would be my last time seeing her.

I pray for God to give my whole family strength to get through this tragic time,. Others described the young woman as kind and caring.

An autopsy on her body will be performed at the Forensic Science Centre on Monday. Officers of Homicide Region III are continuing investigations.
We loved Malick

However, the family said they received no reports of those injuries.

Police said the Homicide Bureau is continuing investigations and that the case can not yet be classified. They noted that only further investigations, including interviews with doctors and the pathologist, would be able to determine what caused the blunt force trauma as other things could have caused it. Speaking to Sunday Newsday yesterday, Samuels mother said, I just want to say we never use to lash him or anything. The kind of thing they putting up on news and papers is not the truth.

We used to treat Malick with love and care. The most we would do is bouff him. If he did something wrong, the most we would do was tell him to go sit or lie down. Another relative explained that Samuel was sleeping when he began to vomit. She said he had stopped when a male relative, who was with Samuel at their Sangre Chiquito home, walked the toddler outside to bathe. After his bath, the relative gave him some juice and Samuel began to vomit again, this time through his nose in addition to his mouth.

She said the man began to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the boy, but it was not working.

He ran out the house to find someone time assist and met her and the boys mother down the street as they were returning from work.

They hurried home and again administered CPR and eventually called 999, where an operator told them to continue until an ambulance arrived. She said they possibly pumped Samuel for over half an hour. We loved that child. We tried to save him. Probably we pumped him too hard, I dont know, but everybody knows we tried to resuscitate him because he was vomiting through his nose. And to see people saying all these wrong things about us. It is sad to see the media say this. The autopsy we got didnt say anything about any broken ribs, she said.

She described Samuel as a quiet, obedient and loving boy who the family loved deeply, and to be accused of killing him, in addition to his death, was almost too much to endure.
CHECK YOURSELF

Your life could very well depend on it.

This was the advice given by urologist Dr Lester Goetz who sounded an alarm over the high mortality rate of 38 percent of all men who are diagnosed with Prostate Cancer - a silent killer which was recently thrust into the public spotlight by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.

What may not be well known is the fact that Prostate Cancer accounts for 20.5 percent of all cancers reported in Trinidad and Tobago and is the leading cause of mortality among men, with 63.1 percent prostate cancer cases being high risk of dying, said Dr Goetz. Urging men to get themselves tested from as early as 40 years, he said, If you look at data of world studies on cancer, you will find that we are among the top three countries in the world in terms of mortality per population when it comes to prostate cancer. In an interview with Sunday Newsday, Geotz said that prostate cancer is the leading cause of mortality among men in TT accounting for 38 percent, followed by breast cancer among women which accounts for 15 percent of all cancers. This newspaper was unable to confirm the statistics with the Elizabeth Quamina Cancer Registry but an official confirmed that prostate cancer was the number one cause of death among men.

Welcoming Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowleys remarks urging men not to be too macho and get tested and raising public awareness on the issue, Goetz said that in TT most patients are high risk. This means that the cancer has left the prostate and spread to the bones and lymph nodes. You dont want it to spread. It is preventable if we can catch patients much earlier before they reach an advance stage. he said.

The Department of Urology, San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) latest study and publication on Advances in Urology authored by Ian Hosein, Rajendra Sukraj, Lester Goetz, Natassia Rambarran, and Satyendra Persaud, Goetz noted, found that 63.1 percent of prostate cancer patients in TT are high risk meaning that they come too late for tests and treatment. The study, which encapsulates a catchment area of 600,000 - about half the countrys population - found that 72 percent of the patients were of African origin.

It also found, he said, that Afro-Trinidadians presented at a higher risk, a higher Prostate-specific Antigen (PSA), and a greater speed at which the rate of cancer grows, more than any others.

We think it may be genetic, he said noting that each year, we are discovering a lot of genes that is responsible for prostate cancer. He said that 57.8 percent of those who had biopsies done at SFGH were found to have prostate cancer.

To contain the spread of cancer, he said, men are encouraged to do the PSA blood test and the Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) to pick up any signs of cancer before they experience any symptom.

The PSA will warn if there is a cancer in the system, and if so, a biopsy will then be conducted.

If the cancer is caught early, Goetz said, there is a potential cure, and 80 percent will live and may not even die from their prostate.

Noting there was a big difference in life expectancy due to testing, Goetz said, People who we treated 25 over years ago are living because we caught them very early. There are people who come late and they only live for two years. He continued, We have patients who come to us bedridden.

When we ask what happen, they say they just stop walking. When we check, their legs are not moving because the cancer has left the prostate, moved to the backbone and compress the nerves going down to the legs so they become paralysed. Nobody wants to see a patient at that stage. They want to catch the cancer long before that and stop it from spreading. Because TTs has a large African and mixed population, Goetz said, We recommend that men from 40 years examine their prostate and do the blood test every year and thereafter once a year. Dont wait until you have a complaint, he warned. The examination, he said, lasts a few seconds and was not painful. It is just an unnecessary fear, he said. Many men get tested on their own, some wives take their husbands for testing, some because they have reached the age of testing, and others because they have relatives with prostate cancer.

In relation to screening, Goetz said that at present it is not recommended internationally. However, he noted that previously Dr Allan Patrick, a senior urologist had done a lot of research in Tobago where he also had a screening programme going on for years. Data collected on that programme, he said, showed a significant amount of prostate cancer in Tobago. The guidelines have changed since then, he said, and we now appeal to people to get tested. It is a very serious. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the Trinidad and Tobago Cancer Society provides both the DRE and PSA testing at its 62 Rosalino Street, Woodbrook clinic.

Screening is offered at subsidised prices in a bid to make cancer screening affordable to the public.

Persons interested in making an appointment may call the society toll free at 800-TTCS (8827).

The prostate is a part of the male reproductive system, which includes the penis, prostate and testicles. It is located just below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It is about the size of a walnut and surrounds the urethra (the tube that empties urine from the bladder). It produces fluid that makes up a part of semen.

Some symptoms of prostate cancer include difficulty starting urination, weak or interrupted flow of urine, frequent urination, especially at night, difficulty emptying the bladder completely, pain or burning during urination, blood in the urine or semen, pain in the back, hips, or pelvis that does not go away, and painful ejaculation.
Ashworth Jack says he is ready to quit

Up until last week. Sunday, the TOP and. the TF - the latter being. a breakaway faction. of the former. were engaged in talks. with the aim of merging. both organisations. in an effort to contest. the upcoming Tobago. House of Assembly. (THA) elections. constitutionally due in. January.

Currently, these. talks have been halted. as Jack claims that. his organization is not. been given information. prior to some of. the coalitions decisions. and he refuses. to walk into a situation. in which he has. no control. About the. issue of the Chairman,. I immediately objected. because the Chairman. is also a member or a. supporter of the Tobago. Forwards and I said. that I cannot support. a Political Leader and. a Chairman belonging. to the same organization.

If you understand. politics, the political. leader and the Chairman. really make a lot. of the decisions in the. absence of the executive,. that is why I could. not have agreed to. that, Jack said.

He added that while. he does not object. to Moore being the. leader, however, it is. the time frame that is. worrying him. I was. told that we should. elect an interim leader. for three years, again. I object. This is two. organisations coming. together, weve agreed. to allow the leader of. one of the organisations. to assume interim. leadership of the. organization. I have. never heard anywhere. in the world nor can I. subscribe to an interim. leader holding office. for three years, you. would create your own. problem, its undemocratic.

Therefore I told. the coordinator that. this is something that I. could not support and. I still cannot, my position. on that has not. and will not change.. The political leader. stressed that he would. tender his resignation. as soon as the problems. regarding the two. parties coming together. are smoothed out.

He is adamant that the. TOP remains open to. the amalgamation of. the political forces but. acknowledged that. it must be done in as. short time as possible,. if all the issues are to. be ironed out. I am. not going to walk until. all the issues of the. arrangement is made.

The day it is done, I. would hand my resignation. to the Chairman. of the TOP and. he would take it from. there.. Despite the disagreements,. the TOP leader. is willing to work towards. the new union.

Meanwhile, TF Political. Leader Christlyn. Moore has indicated. that the decisions were. confirmed. I think. that they may have. been a little bit overwhelmed. and wanted. more time to deal with. their feelings.

It is a big decision. and perhaps having. made it, so perhaps, I. can only speculate at. this time. We have to. be patient because we. are not privy to all the. matters surrounding. their inability to make. this decision, perhaps. there are things that. we dont know about. but we have to give. them an opportunity. to resolve whatever is. playing out internally. to make this happen,. Moore said. In the interim,. Moore added,. there has not been any. talks with any of the. other opposition parties. as it is not a priority. matter. She added. though, certainly if. the opportunity arises,. we would have discussions. with them..
Health Minister in first formal Tobago visit

Minister Deyalsingh acknowledged that there has been a close collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Division of Health and Social Services. We tried to schedule this visit a couple times before but life happens, at one time something came up in Trinidad and at another time, something came up in Tobago, but I made a commitment that I was going to do this before the budget started in September. The Ministers delegation included Donna Farraz, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Dr Clive Tilluckdharry, Ag Chief Medical Officer while Assemblywoman Groome Dukes delegation included Assemblyman Sheldon Cunningham, Assistant Secretary in the Division of Health and Social Services and Karen Ottley, Administrator in the Division of Health and Social Services.

Following the visit, a partnership meeting was held with the delegation from the Ministry of Health, Division of Health and Social Services, Board of Directors of the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA) and the TRHA Executive Management team at the Scarborough General Hospital.

The courtesy visit and partnership meeting sought to update the Minister on the operations, achievements and challenges at the Division of Health and Social Services and the Tobago Regional Health Authority with an aim to find sustainable solutions to improve the delivery of services to Tobagonians. More importantly, the information obtained from this courtesy visit and partnership meeting will inform allocations to healthcare services in the upcoming national budget and assist in the development of national policies to govern healthcare in the country.
Jeffrey Gordon Ridl, 65, died Aug. 23, 2016, at Sanford Health, Bismarck. The service will be officiated by the Rev. Gaylund Olson at St. John Church, Hebron, on Monday, Aug. 29 at 3 p.m. CDT.

He was born in Dickinson on Dec. 4, 1950, to Gordon and Agnes (Enderud) Ridl. From an early age and throughout his life, Jeffrey had a passionate interest in the arts and he excelled in music, theater and literature, both as a diarist and poet. His motto, slow down! Jeff was never without a pencil and paper to grab something select for his notes.

He graduated from Dickinson High School in 1968 and attended Dickinson State University, where he was named Actor of the Year. He went on to earn a master's degree from the University of North Dakota to pursue a career in counselling. At one time he was the director of Prairie Learning Center, later to rejoin the North Dakota Department of Human Services, where he worked for many years at West Central Human Service Center, Bismarck.

Jeff was the oldest of five children all of whom helped build the family home on a farm-ranch north of Dickinson. The Ridl children became masterful story tellers and the laughter never dimmed over time, especially each spring when the family reunites for branding.

Jeff was preceded in death by his parents and survived by his wife, Robin Reynolds; his son, Jesse Ridl; his brothers, Dave (Rita) Ridl, Doug (Mary) Ridl and Jim (Kathy) Ridl; his sister, Jackie (Sean) Farrell; and his nieces and nephews, Dani, Arin, Ben and Jacob and their children.
Qatar Petroleum has taken 30% participating interest from the share of Chevron Morocco Exploration Ltd in three deep-water offshore leases located 200 km to the North West of Agadirs coast.

This acquisition came following a deal signed last February and approved by the Moroccan government, said Telquel magazine.

Under the agreement, Qatar Petroleum will acquire the 30% interest in the deep-water leases, Chevron will retain a 45% interest and remains the operator, while Moroccos national office for hydrocarbons and mines (ONHYM) will continue to have a 25% interest.

Commenting on the agreement, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, President and CEO of Qatar Petroleum described the deal as an important step towards building a mutually beneficial relationship with Chevron with particular emphasis on international upstream activities.

It is no coincidence that Qatar Petroleums international presence is now extended to Morocco, a country which Qatar enjoys special relations with, he added.

The offshore lease areas stretch over approximately 29,200 square km with an average water depth ranging from 100 to 4,500 meters.
Japan announced it will invest $30 billion in support of Africas economic growth and infrastructure over the next three years.

The pledge was made by Japans Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Japan-Africa economic summit in Nairobi, as Tokyo competes for influence in the continent with the U.S., China and former European colonial powers such as Britain and France.

Japan, which invested $47 billion on the continent over the past 23 years, wants to connect Africa and Asia through sea lanes, Abe said.

The pledged amount includes $10bn in infrastructure growth, while an extra $20bn will be invested by Japans private sector. In this respect, Tokyo will cooperate with the African Development Bank (AfDB) to boost private sector investment on the continent struggling with intermittent power outages, dilapidated infrastructure, poor sanitation and grinding poverty.

Some 30 African heads of state took part in the two-day Japan-Africa summit, which ended Sunday with the signing of about 70 agreements.

The goal of the conference, organised jointly by the United Nations, the African Union, the World Bank and Japan, is to boost trade and aid to Africa, with Japan hoping to increase its influence in the continent.

China, whose investments in sub-Saharan nations have increased 40-fold since 2003, pledged $60 billion for the continent at a similar summit by President Xi Ping in South Africa last year
A federal judges decision to delay a ruling in the Dakota Access Pipeline case disappointed all sides. U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., said Wednesday he needs more time to study the issues in the case.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe wants an injunction to stop work that will lead to a pipeline running under the Missouri River. The tribe fears a leak could contaminate their water supply.

Everyone hoped the judge would issue a decision last week that would have allowed them to plan their next move. Now, the stalemate continues. The hundreds of protesters  the estimate varies because many come and go and others dont stay at the protest camps  must decide whether they want to wait in one of the three camps until next month. It looks like many will do so.

This means a lot of patience will be needed on all sides. The situation has gone on too long for impulsive action by one side to result in unwanted consequences.

The protesters are unhappy with the law enforcement blockade on Highway 1806. They say they dont pose a threat and the blockade has been used to harass them. They also have complained about airplane surveillance and possible disruption of cellphone service.

State and local officials argue the protesters are trespassing on the land where they are camped, have tried to use laser beams on aircraft, that there is a small faction among the protesters who want to create trouble and a number of laws have been violated. Despite these charges and countercharges its been, overall, respectful on both sides. In fact, it was almost festive during a recent protest at the state Capitol when police officers took part in a dance.

Theres also been tough talk on both sides. The members of the many tribes that have gathered have vowed not to quit until they win. State and local officials have outlined a number of legal violations, but stopped short of threatening to remove the protesters.

In the almost two weeks until the judge rules everyone needs to explore ways to end the standoff. A compromise will be needed and no one has to admit defeat.

No matter how the judge rules, the many tribes that have gathered have to feel good about their show of unity. They have been heard around the world, attracting the attention of Amnesty International, the United Nations and the American Civil Liberties Union. The Standing Rock chairman has written an opinion article for the New York Times.

State and local officials, especially law enforcement, have taken a calm approach to the protests. They have permitted many activities, some which they consider illegal, to continue. They have allowed the protest to have a voice.

If theres a loser, its Dakota Access Pipeline. While work continues on the project in many other areas, its been stopped in Morton County. So there are financial losses for the company. The Tribune Editorial Board also feels a reminder is in order. The pipeline project comes with many safeguards including a monitoring and shutoff system. While theres no 100 percent guarantee with any form of transportation, this is a state-of-the-art system. Pipelines crisscross this nation, including Lake Sakakawea and other parts of the state. Pipelines are a vital part of the nations transportation system.

As Judge Boasberg weighs his decision everyone needs to patiently work on a way to end the standoff.
Harambe is dead (R.I.P.), and no longer running for president, but Jill Stein wants to remind you that she still is. Photo: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden/Facebook

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein released a statement on Sunday marking the three-month anniversary of the controversial death of Harambe, a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla who was shot and killed after a child fell into his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo:

The killing of Harambe 3 months ago today reminds us to be a voice for the voiceless. https://t.co/wMZpWlLicY pic.twitter.com/8WtlDhRlIy  Dr. Jill Stein (@DrJillStein) August 28, 2016

In her statement, Stein goes on to cite the Green Partys position that non human primates should have the legal right to live freely or, when necessary, in sanctuaries only for medical rehabilitation or ecological assistance for endangered species. (She also basically calls for the banning of zoos.)

While theres no question an environmentalist party would likely hold this position and consider the very famous Harambe a fitting poster-animal, its hard to view Steins effort as anything other than social-media opportunism. Harambe is not just a gorilla, after all, but has quickly become one of the years weirdest and most multifaceted internet memes, and Steins presidential campaign hasnt gotten much traction up until this point.

For those who had Jill Stein in our "Which candidate will pander to the Harambe meme 1st?" pool: Congrats, you won! https://t.co/cG2oZZ0yAW  David S. (@AE_DavidS) August 28, 2016

Then again, at least in Texas, Stein has a reason to pander to Harambe devotees since the dead gorilla was out-polling her there last month:

Support for President: Gary Johnson 6%, Harambe 5%, Jill Stein 2%  PublicPolicyPolling (@ppppolls) July 31, 2016
Five members of the Jouriyeh family, who are Syrian refugees in Jordan and will soon be resettled in San Diego, California. Photo: Raad Adayleh/AP

The U.S. ambassador to Jordan, Alice Wells, announced on Sunday that the 10,000th Syrian refugee will arrive in the U.S. this week, meeting the goal set by the Obama administration for its year-old resettlement program. The Associated Press reports that the number will be reached after a group of several hundred Syrian refugees leave Jordan for America sometime in the next day, after having clearing the U.S. screening process. The comprehensiveness of that process has been repeatedly called into question by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and others who oppose the immigration of Muslims, but refugees already face the highest level of security checks of anyone who is allowed to travel to the U.S, and Syrian refugees face even more scrutiny, on top of that, than any other group.

NPR reported earlier this month that half of the Syrian refugees accepted into the U.S. over this period have been under the age of 18, and the USCIS said that hundreds of Syrians have been denied refugee status after failing background checks. In addition, there is no evidence that terrorists are able to make it through the USCIS screening process.

The Zaatari refugee camp, which is located close to the northern Jordanian city of Mafraq, near the border with Syria. Photo: Khalil Mazraawi/AFP/Getty Images

While the 10,000 refugees resettled in the U.S. is 25 times more than the number accepted in the previous fiscal year, they still represent only a fraction of the more than 5 million people who are estimated to have been displaced by the five-year-old Syrian conflict. Some 660,000 refugees live in Jordan alone, and considering the violent ongoing disaster that is still most of Syria, no one will be going home anytime soon.
Photo: Chris Carlson/AP

Last Friday, Frances Council of State made it illegal to ban the burkini in the resort town of Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice on Cote dAzur, a decision that was applauded by Amnesty International as an important line in the sand. However, the ruling doesnt apply to other resort towns where the modest swimwear is still banned from the beaches, and the authorities in those towns havent been deterred from warning, fining, or forcing women wearing burkinis to leave the water.

BuzzFeeds Aisha Gani interviewed a woman wearing a burkini on the beach in Nice, and she said, I booked a holiday to Nice to change our common holiday destination of Algeria. Were on a road trip on the Cote dAzur, and yesterday we went to Nice beach for the first time in our lives so we had to put [our] feet in the water. But because of the ban we were worried about the policemen and funny looks. Her daughter, who was also wearing a burkini, told Gani, For Muslim women it will be bad for the next two months and then they will forget it and move onto the next polemic.

Gani also posted pictures from the beach of signs along the promenade warning people against beachwear which ostentatiously displays religious affiliation. The signs had been taken down briefly after the court ruling.

Just walking along the promenade and these are back up #BurkiniBan pic.twitter.com/wwD5a5YO0r  Aisha S Gani (@aishagani) August 26, 2016

Last week, police cited the ban as a defense for cruelly forcing a woman in a burkini to remove some of her clothes in public. The footage and photos that showed up online, as well as onlookers descriptions of the event, sparked anger around the world thats spilled over into rallies in favor of the freedom to wear burkinis.
Ew.



Are you attracted to well read individuals?

Not if their idea of "well read" is Ayn Rand.



Edited at 2016-08-27 11:29 pm (UTC)

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so true.

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Mte

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Mte

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Preach

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Are we counting Ayn Rand as well read now?

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lol you know "well read" is just code for "attractive woman who can read a book." the author prob doesn't even matter. ~~~~~~~most unusual



Edited at 2016-08-28 12:45 pm (UTC)

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Whenever anybody is a "fan" of Ayn Rand that's an automatic red flag.

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Amber is supposedly very libertarian and pro-gun from what I heard

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Mfte exactly. If I find that in someone's personal library i get sus

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Yup

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yes, you may as well have a Kill the Poor tshirt

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Okay but does he have an Atlas Shrugged shirt?????

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maybe he stole it from oscar issac

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oh geez



I could probably rant for hours about Ayn Rand and Elon Musk but I'm going to spare my emotional wellbeing rn

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Still, there were warning signs. As we danced at our wedding reception, Elon told me, "I am the alpha in this relationship." I shrugged it off, just as I would later shrug off signing the postnuptial agreement, but as time went on, I learned that he was serious. He had grown up in the male-dominated culture of South Africa, and the will to compete and dominate that made him so successful in business did not magically shut off when he came home. This, and the vast economic imbalance between us, meant that in the months following our wedding, a certain dynamic began to take hold. Elon's judgment overruled mine, and he was constantly remarking on the ways he found me lacking. "I am your wife," I told him repeatedly, "not your employee."



"If you were my employee," he said just as often, "I would fire you."

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i need a shower ew

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this is probably why he's talked to lana del rey. he listened to her album, heard she's into science, and found her "interesting."

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most unusual, a woman who's into science

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barf

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Eww disgusting

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trash

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I wonder what type of person talulah riley is that she wants to stay married to him tbh

edit: or maybe she's one of those people who is struggling to get out of an abusive marriage idk



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As creepy as that anecdote is, I always kinda lol when I read it 'cause based on the timeline you know that it was probably this version of him claiming that he was oh so ~alpha~

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that whole article made my skin crawl

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ew ugh

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AT OUR WEDDING RECEPTION oh my lord

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See. When everyone in the last post was going, "Yasss Amber! Get it, girl! He's a billionnaire," I was remembering this quote.

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HOLY FUCK.



I mean I still kinda want a Tesla but what an entitled douchebag.



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He's a genius, and extremely talented



But he's an insanely flawed partner. I feel bad for every woman who falls for him.

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this thoughtful and balanced evaluation has no place on ONTD.

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mte ONTD live in a black and white world.

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Most geniuses are shitty people.

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Yep, it makes sense that what makes him such an amazing businessman and entrepreneur also makes him a difficult person to deal with.

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I feel like most of the big Silicon Valley entrepreneurs are/were terrible to know in personal life.

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true true. I admire the paths he's blazing for Tesla, Space X, and Solar City, to an extent. But fuck it's hard to separate a man and his work.

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never met an ayn rand fan who wasn't a sociopath.

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Same. More red flags than Mao's birthday, jfc.

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lol

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lol

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lmao

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Lol irl

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LMFAO

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please amber

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riiiight thats what interested him.



ill be sad if its true shes actually dating this abusive pos

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how is this fucking unusual? women can't read?? his reasons are gross.

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Well, we can read, but obviously only things like chick lit, nothing that actually challenges our smaller brains.

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That bothered me too, such bullshit.

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I think it's unusual to see someone her age that is a fan of Ayn Rand.

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do you mean she's too old or too young

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lol you must mean she's too old because being into Ayn Rand is like an early 20s cliche

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lmao at this basic White American high school reading list tho

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lol mte.

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ikr

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lol yea

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And L Ron Hubbard scholarship too  they almost got me

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Lmao yes! We had to submit to that for my sophomore english class in HS. I won $50

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hahahahahah

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Subtle

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I think her love for Ayn Rand is what he found unusual, not the fact she reads.



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Love her. :')

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omg i love her

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The first episode was so so good. Like idk. I think the show did a really good job of showing the good things that Nadiya has taken from her culture, but it allowed her to also reflect on her life and be critical of some aspects of it.



I think it's pretty unique as a program in that it's neither a complete outside visiting a different country/culture, but nor is it someone from that place showing the viewers around. Nadiya is somewhere in the middle. She was raised to be proud of her heritage and where her parents came from and they visited often, but she also hadn't been back in 10 years and also sees Britain as home when she's away form it.



Idk. I feel like I'm articulating it badly.



But suffice to say, Nadiya is a ray of sunshine and the first episode was wonderful and I can't wait for more.

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No, you did a good job describing it. It was very original, they just let her talk and explain things and it makes the viewer feel like they're going along and seeing it with her, as she experiences it. I loved the part where she watches them try to catch fish with the big net, and they're all worried there won't be enough fish.



The way she explains exactly how and why she uses each ingredient was very enlightening, too. The comment about how she used water instead of oil (because oil/fats) are more expensive was something I can't remember seeing on a cooking/travel show before. Very practical and reminds people not to take such things for granted. I adore her.



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it's cool that ppl in other cultures also do the water instead of oil thing, I used to think it was only my family lmao



you made me wanna start watching this tbh, ty

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Dear BBC, two episodes of The Chronicles of Nadiya is not enough. I'm greedy.



Also, will we ever get the Nadiya and Tamal and Ian lol food and travel show?



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I would love to see Nadiya and Tamal together again. They were so cute and funny together on GBBO. Tamal is hosting a pilot series for Channel 4 called Be Your Own Doctor. I don't know when it will air but I think sometime this year.

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yes I mentioned his new pilot in the post lol. It's not the most original concept for a TV show but it's related to what he does for a living so good for him.



Mary and Paul are not doing the usual masterclass this Christmas. Instead they're bringing back past bakers to compete in two special holiday bake offs. If we're lucky, Nadiya and Tamal will get invited back.

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Chronicles of nadiya should have at least been five episode.

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Haven't watched it yet so now I'm super excited!



And yes! Nadiya and Tamal were so effing adorable together.

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Slay us cake queen!

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asdfghjkl; WILL WATCH

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Where can I watch the new season?

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BBC iPlayer or a bad quality copy on YouTube.

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watchseries.to. That's where I watched it.

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This ^^^

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aw i love her

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I'm so happy she's had even more success after the show, she was so nice! I'd have been disappointed if she just disappeared after winning

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He family's land was so gorgeous and peaceful, if I wasn't so absolutely accustomed to city living I would love to live in a place like that.

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I lived in sylhet for a year. And I have the opposite feelings. Haha

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Are you Bangladeshi? I've never met another on ONTD! lol - well, I'm Bangladeshi origin but grew up in North America.

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She is such a fun peson tbh, i'm def going to watch

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I just finished watching this. Nadiya is probably the sweetest, most down-to-earth person I've probably heard about in a long time. The first episode was surprisingly emotional for me to watch. I'm so glad the BBC gave her a series and hope she gets a cooking special too. I like her and the other GBBO contestants so much better than most of the TV chefs in the UK.

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Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ

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Lol... she has no filter. But in a cute way. Usually people with no filter just use it as an excuse to be rude.

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ilh

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I'm really curious about bengali food outside of dhaka/kolkata . What I've tried from people who live out in the country/villages is amazing.

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Really? I lived in Bangladesh and I was always disappointed with the food. They just didn't use as much spices/variety as I expected for a country with shared ancestry of India.

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I've actually never been to Dhaka but I've heard that the street food there is epic. I love the food in calcutta. Bengali food def tends to highlight the natural flavor of fresh local ingredients as opposed to what people from other regions/countries tend to expect from indian food.

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THOR: I guess I'm just taking a break. We had this really cool adventure on Earth. I was pretty happy.



Anyway, so, I needed some "me" time, and I came to Australia, and that's when I moved in with -- Daryl.



DARYL: Hello.



THOR: And here we are.



You know, it's a nice flat, as you can see, and we get along well. I guess I just wanted to be around average, everyday people and Daryl is an average, sort of everyday guy. So it works out well.



While I'm here, I'm trying to get involved with the locals.



Who's this purple weirdo?



KIDS: Vision!



THOR: I'm surprised you actually knew who that was.



You have to give back to the community.



Daryl here is helping me craft an electronic letter. I'm writing to Captain America and Iron Man, and there seems to be something very intense going on between them and I'd like to offer my help and my services.



"Dear Tony Stark. How's it going? I heard you and Captain America were having some relationship problems."



"Dear Steve Rogers. Do you remember when I goaded you into killing those prisoners? You made me swear to never tell the other Avengers. If there's any other secrets you need kept, just let me know, because I'm not up to much."



What are you doing later?



DARYL: I'm just working.



THOR: What's he doing?



D: He's working.



T: "Keep out, Daryl."



Costume, battles. Mjolnir over here taking a nap. Little bit of something I've been roasting in the sun for a number of weeks now. It's almost ready. Delicious.



Question: What are Infinity Stones? A whole lot of information and ideas and what I like to call little clues speckled around the place.



And who is the man in the purple chair? He's purple. Has a magic glove. Doesn't like standing up.



Fury: what does he really know? And is Fury his real name, or is it actually pronounced "Furry"?



Little Mjolnir here. Pair of sunglasses in case it gets bright on the Rainbow Bridge, which often it does. If you lift up this little thing, haha, what's he holding? Me.



BANNER: I never wear cutoffs, how do I keep waking up in cutoffs?



T: Normal pants going in, cutoffs coming out?



B: Yeah.



T: (laughs)



Oh, by the way, have you heard from Tony Stark and Captain America?



B: They didn't contact you?



T: I haven't received a single phone call.



B: Uh, one sec, hold on. Hey, T-Bone. How many times do we have to go over this? No amount of money is gonna get me to join your little pissing contest. What? Here, talk to Thor. He's sort of been waiting to hear from you. I have him right here. Oh, you can't right now? Okay.



T: Am I disappointed that they didn't invite me to fight with them? Um, haha, no.



B: He doesn't know how to get in touch with you.



T: I don't, I don't have a phone.



B: He doesn't have a phone.



T: Send a raven.



I'll just start my own team. Team Thor, of course. There would be me, and Daryl. Just us. Right, D?



DARYL: Yep.



Edited at 2016-08-28 07:26 pm (UTC)
Several dozen environmental groups are once again working together to stop a major oil pipeline, hoping to bring back the magic of the fight against the Keystone XL Pipeline.

A group of 31 environmental organizations sent a joint letter to the White House asking President Obama to halt construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a 1,168-mile oil pipeline that would connect Bakken oil to refineries in Illinois. The $3.7 billion project would carry 470,000 to 570,000 barrels per day of light sweet crude from North Dakota to be moved out of the region for processing, and it would also allow oil companies to avoid paying to ship crude by rail, a more expensive option.

But there are several problems with the route, which have raised the ire of environmentalists, local communities, and native tribes. Dakota Access moves through the ancestral land of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, and the tribe has mounted an energetic protest against the project, a fight that appears to be gaining steam and attracting greater national attention. The letter from environmental groups also notes that the pipeline would travel underneath the Missouri River, and an oil spill would pose a threat to the environment, to public health, and to the tribes way of life.

As a result, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to block construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline for failing to address the tribes concerns and violating federal permitting law. The suit alleges that the Army Corps issued a permit under a fast-tracking permitting process, which is intended to be only used for truly minimal environmental impacts, like boat ramps, mooring buoys, and some recreational facilities. It was not intended for massive interstate pipelines that transport hazardous fossil fuels for hundreds of miles through communities and waterways and pose grave risks of leaks, spills, and explosions, the groups of environmental organizations wrote in the letter to the President.

The Dakota Access Pipeline, fittingly, is about the same distance as the now defunct Keystone XL project. And it appears to be following the same script, quickly emerging as a sort of Keystone XL Part 2.

There are several parallels to the Keystone XL fight. First, the opposition comes from a diverse set of organizations and communities, resembling the earlier battle against the oil sands pipeline. That is what allowed the opponents of the pipeline to claim victory: it was not just tree huggers from the coasts that opposed Keystone XL, but also local towns and cities, ranchers, farmers and native tribes. For example, while native tribes protest in North Dakota, a group of landowners in Iowa have filed a lawsuit to block construction there, although their immediate case looks like it wont succeed. And the letter from the 31 environmental groups has brought greens onboard for the fight. People from around the country have been arriving in North Dakota to support the protests.

Dakota Access also resembles Keystone XL in the way that it began as a relatively small issue, but snowballed into a national controversy. The protests have been underway since April, but only recently became national news. The New York Times ran several articles last week on the protests in North Dakota where the pipeline is under construction. The newfound attention attracted Senator Bernie Sanders, who issued a statement on Aug. 25 in support of the protests. Like the Keystone XL pipeline, which I opposed since day one, the Dakota Access fracked oil pipeline, will transport some of the dirtiest fuel on the planet. Regardless of the courts decision, the Dakota Access pipeline must be stopped, he said. As the opposition picks up allies, just as the fight against Keystone XL slowly built momentum, the White House may eventually be forced into a response. Related: Fuel Subsidy Regime Falls Like Dominoes Across Middle East

The Keystone XL battle was maligned because its political symbolism mushroomed into a massive controversy that ultimately surpassed the projects ultimate significance in terms of its impact on jobs and the climate. But while the significance seemed exaggerated, the fight was not trivial for the pipelines sponsor, TransCanada. Texas-based Energy Transfer Partners plays the role of TransCanada in this sequel, and it too is desperate to see its pipeline completed.

So too are oil drillers in North Dakota, which have been forced to deal with more expensive railroads to ship their oil out of the Bakken. The Dakota Access could further unlock oil production in the Bakken, a region that has lost competitiveness in the East Coast refining market, where importing oil from abroad is cheaper in many cases to oil-by-rail from North Dakota.

So while Dakota Access could take on broader political, social and environmental significance, it will remain a crucial project for the Bakken, which could see long-term oil production suffer if the pipeline is blocked.

(Click to enlarge)

By Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
When the initiated proposal for Marsys Law, backed by California billionaire Henry T. Nicholas III, appeared in North Dakota, native commentators worried about out-of-state meddling in the states initiative process.

One of the opponents of Marsys Law pinpointed the issue at a Bismarck press conference by suggesting that voters shouldnt accept a measure pushed by a California businessman. Nicholas pledged at least $1 million to pass the measure on the November ballot.

The introduction of Marsys Law for the South Dakota ballot was greeted in the same manner by the Sioux Falls Argus-Leader with screaming headlines: The California billionaire bankrolling Marsys Law.

North Dakotans have always been jealous about their opportunity to initiate and refer legislation for the voters to decide. Citizens have had to fend off encroachment on numerous occasions.

Historically, the Legislature has been the primary enemy of the initiative and referendum, proposing numerous constitutional amendments to increase the number of required signatures and passing laws to mute the effectiveness of the process.

In recent decades, national groups, corporations, trade organizations and ideologues have been exploiting state initiative and referendum processes all across the country to achieve their ideological and financial goals.

In the 2014 elections, we saw millions of Walmart and Walgreens dollars in a campaign to change North Dakotas pharmacy ownership laws. Big dollars came into the state to support a legacy fund for wildlife, recreation and water projects.

National organizations exploiting the initiative and referendum is not a new phenomenon. As long ago as the 1950s, the S&H Green Stamp company invested thousands in a campaign to trash a legislative proposal that would have required a $600 fee for each S&H location.

In 1960 and 1964, railroads spent heavily on initiated measures that would have prescribed crew levels and operating systems. It is very likely that out-of-state money was involved in the 1990s Sunday shopping measures.

The major tobacco companies have already pledged over a million dollars to fight the cigarette tax increase appearing in the November election.

Colorado became a battleground for Rhode Island and Nevada interests over a gambling measure. Pepsi and Monsanto have put money in Hawaii, Colorado and Oregon to fight the labeling of genetically modified food.

The Koch organization is spending big in South Dakota to stop an initiated measure that would require disclosure of its political donors.

All 25 states with the initiative and/or referendum have become playgrounds for out-of-state interests on all sorts of issues. The Center for Public Integrity estimates that $196 million was spent on statewide ballot issues in 2014.

Those of us who have fought off attacks on the initiative and referendum through the years must now reconnoiter. The worms are out of the can and theres no turning back. Both state and national constitutions protect the kind of free speech involved in issue campaigns.

A better informed, more discerning electorate was the dream of the advocates who promoted these tools of direct democracy at the turn into the 20th century. Sometimes voters have seen through the election rhetoric with wisdom; on other occasions, they have been bamboozled by well-financed propaganda machines.

As of today, the best approach would be the one being offered voters in South Dakota  an initiated measure requiring full transparency and disclosure of all funding sources.

We can expect a ton of out-of-state tobacco, Henry Nicholas and marijuana money to be spent on North Dakota ballot measures in the next few weeks. We may not like nationalization of state processes but we cant lose sight of the core issues raised by the measures relating to criminal justice, tobacco taxes and medical marijuana.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"In his groundbreaking new book Bottom Up: Tapping the Power of the Connection Revolution, Rob Kall invites and eases us into in a much-needed meta-level shift -- a truly basic paradigmatic shift from top-down to bottom-up. He capably and imaginatively explores the differences between these ways of approaching life, clearly demonstrating that bottom-up allows us to flourish. His vision and his book are enriched by telling references to interviews which he has engaged in over the years with bottom-up researchers, theorists, activists, and dreamers in a variety of areas. Think about Rob's interviews. Read this revolutionary book. And take one step further into the bottom-up universe yourself. You will not regret it."



Bonnie Burstow, MD, author of Psychiatry and the Business of Madness and Radical Feminist Therapy, associate professor at the University of Toronto
Why Bilawal Bhutto: why not A senior member of PPP?

28 August, 2016

By Saeed Qureshi

The political parties in Pakistan are like family fiefdoms that keep ruling and delving in politics and power as long as they can hold on. There are scores of political parties in Pakistan and it is seldom that they are headed or presided over by someone who was not from the founders clan.



It is perhaps in Pakistan, besides some other odd countries, where the political parties remain under the tutelage of the families which create political parties. In Pakistan the tradition of electing the head of a political party has been invariably nonexistent. Even if the elections within the parties are held a person from the family of the founders wins. There could be exceptions as in case of Jamaat-e-Islami or the Awami National Party.



Presently there are six main political parties in Pakistan. Besides there are 31 regional or minor parties. These five main political parties are PML(N), PTI (Imran Khan), PPP (Bilawal Bhutto), Awami National Party (Asfandyar Wali Khan) and Pakistan Awami Tehrik (Muhammad Tahirul Qadri). All these are being run by the founder or the family of the founders. It shows that these parties dont hold party elections to elect a more senior or deserving person if not related to the founder or his clan.



Perhaps such a paradigm is kept intact because the clout of the founder or their family matters a lot in mobilizing and keeping the people loyal to the respective parties. But elsewhere in the world the presidents or chairpersons are elected after s specified period of time. In India after the partition although the family of Nehru lorded over the Congress for a longer period but there have been other politicians who became presidents.



With this background over the formation and functioning of the political parties, let us specifically focus on the PPP and the way it remained under the Bhutto family ever since it was founded in 1967. It is one party that has a president as well as a Chairman. This kind of duality is seldom seen in regards to political parties except during the time of dynastic regimes with the king being minor.



Now obviously Bilawal Bhutto is too naive, young and inexperienced to preside over a grand party like PPP. He has been nominated by his father Asif Zardari who as president is the de-facto head of PPP. Simultaneously Bilawal Bhutto has been hoisted as the Chairman of the Pakistan People Party. In my opinion it is not because of Bilawals merit, experience or outstanding political vision or that without whose chairmanship the PPP would politically suffer. We all know that this prestigious portfolio has been conferred on him by his father who is calling shots and making decisions while sitting abroad. Here is a Trojan horse that would run for the backdoor rider Jinab Asif Ali Zardari.



The PPP has seasoned and dedicated members who are decidedly in better positions and possess more merit and experience to lead the party. After all it is the party of the people and it would be befitting if a common worker or senior member is appointed and elected as its president. That situation would heighten the prestige of the party and make it look more people and merit-oriented.



From among the many factions of the Muslim League, it is the Pakistan Muslim League(N) ruling the roost since 2008 with Nawaz Sharif as its president and who is also the prime minister of Pakistan. Earlier Nawaz Sharif was prime minister for two terms (total period 5 years) and also the PML president. The PML(N) was founded by the military dictator Ziaul Haq in 1985.



The Awami national Party founded by Abdul Wali Khan in 1986 had brief stints as presidents by

Ajmal Khattack (1991-1999) and Ehsan Wyne (2002-2003). For the remaining periods it remained under the tutelage of either Wali Khan or his son Asfandyar Wali Khan. Ever since the formation of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) in 1988 Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman has remained its president.

There has been no tradition of choosing or electing the head of the PPP from among the outsiders of the Bhutto family. It is patently a dynastic paradigm that negates and cuts across the underlying objective of political parties to promote democratic traditions and culture in Pakistan.



Let us start with Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who remained chairman of the PPP from November 1967 till his untimely and unfortunate death in 1977. His daughter Benazir Bhutto and wife Nusrat Bhutto became successors to run the party. When Benazir Bhutto died in a terrorist attack on December 30, 2007, only one page of her will was revealed. In that she appointed her spouse Asif Ali Zardari as her successor in the event of any tragedy to her by way of incarceration or demise.



On the basis of that will Asif Ali Zardari assumed the position of the co-chairman or president of the party continuing since December 30, 2007 to the present. Bilawal Bhutto was appointed chairman of the PPP on the same date and his name was changed from Bilawal Bhutto to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He was merely 17 years old then. Understandably, Mr. Zardari was the de-facto chairman making all the decisions.



Now let us have a look at the merits of Bilawal Bhutto in spearheading a party that at one point was a formidable political force to the extent that it was able to oust a powerful military head of state Filed Marshal Ayub Khan. It had remained in the power corridors as robust political force for many years until general Zias military coup staged on July 5, 1977.



We all have seen that Bilawal is not well versed with the political and social culture of Pakistan. Patently he is inexperienced and indeed a novice in countering the other parties and addressing public meetings as seasoned politicians or for that matter his grandfather and illustrious mother have been doing.



Since period of his schooling and education was spent in England, his tone and speech are tainted with British accent and pronunciation. He has to speak from a written text with great difficulty which in fact is a drawback for a politician who has to move and infuse the audience.



He is still living under the wings of his father like the old dynastic periods when a juvenile king was ensconced by his advisors. Even if he comes of political ripe age, his tone and worldview may not change as he has been aloof with the local life and grassroots culture and living paradigms of Pakistan. But he has been patently kept in the saddle of PPP as the chairman for being the scion of the Bhutto family and to remain under the wings of his father Mr. Zardari: a political maverick in his own right.



The way Bilawal roars unnecessarily in Public meetings and sometime missing the words and phrases make the whole political campaigning funny and rather bizarre. He has to read vernacular Urdu text written in English letters. By virtue of his inexperience and youthful exuberance he makes statements and utterances that would not be objective and realistic and are detached from the common jargon. One such recent statement that he made was to liberate Kashmir perceivably with Jihad.



The life style of Bilawal during his stay in England whose glimpses we can see on the YouTube are quite glamorous and rightly so but which may not stand in good for a political head of a magnificent political party. I would dare allude to a book which paints the life of Bilawal spent abroad in most lurid colors. It is written by a female from Lahore. I seriously doubt and reject the contents of this sleazy book. However, it is there in the printed form.



I would have wished and dreamt if a committed long time member and veteran leader from PPP cadres should have been offered or elected to lead the party. That would have given an indelible credibility and resurgence to PPP which has the guts to assail the political landscape of Pakistan once again. It could be a ceremonial office.

I would include in my list such stalwarts and dedicated members whose loyalty and commitment to PPP all along has been unflinching. Some of the names of such loyal and seasoned persons that I have in my mind include, Farooq Naek, Faryal Talpur, Fauzia Habib, Syed Khurshid Ahmed Shah, Fahmida Mirza, Makhdoom Shahabuddin, Aitzaz Ahsan, Yousaf Raza Gillani and Saifullah Paracha.

The writer is a senior journalist, former editor of Diplomatic Times and a former diplomat. This and other articles by the writer can also be read at his blog www.uprightopinion.com
India,Bangladesh presidents to attend SAARC Summit in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: India and Bangladesh are likely to send their respective presidents to Pakistan to attend the 19th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Summit scheduled for November 9 and 10.



India is likely to send President Pranab Mukherjee, while Bangladesh is thinking about sending President Abdul Hamid in case Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina does not come.



Diplomatic sources informed Daily Times that Bangladesh, through its diplomatic channels, conveyed to Pakistan that they would participate in the upcoming summit in Islamabad.



Sources close to the Indo-Pakistan developments also said that if Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not attend, President Mukherjee would represent his country in the moot.



According to the SAARC charter, the heads of the state or government shall meet once a year or more often as and when considered necessary by the member states.



Former Pakistani high commissioner to India Aziz Ahmad Khan told Daily Times that there were bright chances that venue for the SAARC summit would not be changed.



He said that SAARC was an important regional organisation, carrying huge potential for economic and social development.



He said that all member sates of the organisation could improve its capacity for further development of the region.



The SAARC charter is desirous of promoting peace, stability, amity and progress in the region through strict adherence to the principles of the United Nations charter and non-alignment, particularly respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, national independence, non-use of force and non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and peaceful settlement of all disputes.



One of its main objectives is to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potentials.



The last SAARC summit was held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from November 26 to 27 in 2014.



Pakistan hosted the summit for the first time in 1988, from December 29 to 31, when late Benazir Bhutto was the prime minister. The country last hosted it in 2004 from January 2 to 6 when Zafarullah Khan Jamali was the prime minister and military dictator Pervez Musharraf was president.



Indian participation in the summit got cloudy when Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh traded barbs at the SAARC Interior Ministers Conference earlier this month.



Bangladeshi Interior Minister did not participate in the meeting, and the delegation was led by Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Pakistan Tarik Ahsan.



Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also did not attend the SAARC Finance Ministers meeting, which was held in Islamabad on August 26.



In the meeting, the Indian delegation was led by Shakti Kanta Das, the Indian economic affairs secretary. The Afghan finance minister also remained absent, so Ambassador to Pakistan Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal represented his country.



Later, Pakistan invited India for secretary-level talks on Kashmir issue. Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry invited his counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, but India refused to hold talks on the issue.



India, while rejecting the offer to discuss the dispute, had said that it could only discuss cross-border terrorism, as it considered it to be central to the situation in Kashmir.



Jaishankar had further written to Aizaz Chaudhry that the agenda before India and Pakistan today is clearly to put an end to cross-border terrorism and incitement to violence from Pakistan.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher,
DEAR ABBY: Clearly, America is in a state of turmoil. I am horrified and ashamed of the senseless death occurring daily.

I deal with anxiety, particularly regarding fear of death. As a result, the only thing Ive found that I can do to cope with current events is to scan headlines, and ask my understanding husband for a synopsis of events that doesnt include major triggers.

However, I feel serious guilt that I may not be fully educating myself on recent events. Am I wrong to prioritize my mental well-being over the gravity of our countrys current situation?

SERIOUS GUILT

DEAR SERIOUS GUILT: Wrong? Absolutely not! According to The Journal of the American Medical Association, 13 percent of Americans now use antidepressants to combat depression and anxiety. Our news media feed so many salacious details into our homes in the interest of high ratings that its a miracle the majority of Americans arent in need of them.

If you are getting the news you need to know, do not feel guilty for using your husband as a filter. You are only protecting yourself, and thats not wrong. Its healthy.

DEAR ABBY: I need advice. Im 23 and have been living with my boyfriend of almost two years. I have never been in a relationship before this one, so I have little experience. I love him dearly, but every time theres an issue between us, it always becomes my fault and Im always the one to apologize. What should I do?

INEXPERIENCED IN TAMPA

DEAR INEXPERIENCED: Even a stopped clock is right twice a day. You should not be forced into the role of perpetual peacekeeper by accepting the blame for everything, and it wont improve your relationship.

Because your boyfriends preferred method of solving disagreements is laying the blame on you, suggest the two of you get couples counseling. However, if he refuses  and he may  you will then have to decide whether this is the way you want to spend the foreseeable future because things arent likely to change.

DEAR ABBY: My sister-in-law Dani and my brother have been married almost three years. I recently discovered that Dani has created a fake social media page. She posted some nude photos on it and acts like shes single. I suspect she is getting paid to do live nude video chatting, too.

Abby, Im shocked over this. Im sure my brother would explode with rage and disappointment if he knew. They have two small daughters, which leaves me to wonder if she has considered their embarrassment if they ever find out.

Shes a good person, so I dont know why she would do this. I really need your advice.

SHOCKED SISTER-IN-LAW IN THE SOUTH

DEAR S-I-L: Its time to talk to Dani. Tell her what you have learned and ask her why shes doing it. When you do, ask how she thinks your brother will react when he finds out  if he doesnt already know  and how this could affect their daughters. This may be a fling, a way to prove to herself that shes still attractive, or a way to earn needed money. But you will never know until you initiate a conversation with her.
The small piece of tape on a showroom wall at Zappone Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram in Granville doesnt appear to mean much to those who dont understand why its there.

It signifies the high water mark in that portion of the Route 22 dealership on the night of Aug. 28, 2011, when the Indian River flooded the property with more than 5 feet of water thanks to rain from Tropical Storm Irene. The dealership was closed for nearly two months for repairs, and an estimated 170 vehicles had to be scrapped as water-damaged.

Five years after his business was nearly destroyed, owner Jim Zappone said he still gets emotional when he sees videos or pictures of flooding.

He recalled last week how quickly the flooding occurred.

Zappone said his sons went to the dealership that afternoon to check on it, as high winds had caused damage around his home in Queensbury.

They came back around 3 saying everything was good. About 5 oclock, I got a call from a neighbor asking if I had been to Granville, he recalled. I said, My sons were just there and everything was fine. He said, You had better get over there.

The small trout stream 150 yards or so across the highway, originating in the hills of southern Vermont, had turned into a roaring river. Numerous homes and other businesses in the area, including the nearby McDonalds restaurant, were under several feet of water. A half-mile or so north, the Mettawee River had flooded parts of downtown Granville as well.

Zappone knew his dealership would have to close for a long time, and he was concerned about his staff being able to get through the closure. But he was able to keep all of his workers on the payroll by having them work on the cleanup and renovation.

The employees worked seven days a week. They did a great job. I told them, no work on Sundays, but they knew I would be there and sure enough they would show up, he said. I thought I was a tough guy, but you find out you are a wimp when something like this happens.

Zappones dealership came back to life after 54 days, but five years after the tropical storm dumped nearly 8 inches of rain on parts of the region in 24 hours, signs still remain of a storm that walloped parts of the area but left others unscathed.

Many rivers and streams flooded, damaging homes and businesses. Towns, villages and hamlets like Granville, Lake George and Eagle Bridge, at the base of mountains or hills where floodwaters picked up speed as they headed downhill, had the worst flooding problems. The Mettawee, Indian and Hoosic rivers and many small tributaries all rose to historic water levels, washing out roads and damaging property.

High winds ripped through parts of Queensbury, Fort Ann and Lake George, bringing down trees and power lines and causing nearly 60,000 residents of the region to lose power. Bent and twisted trees are still evident in the hardest-hit areas.

A hillside along West Mountain Road in Queensbury near the Lehland Estates development still shows the damage from a late-morning microburst and estimated 80-mph winds that uprooted and snapped decades-old hardwoods. Dozens of boats were ripped from moorings on Lake George, some sunk by the waves and wind.

Flooding

Elizabeth Mackey grew up in the house at 1 Rathbun Ave. in Granville, just a few feet from the Mettawee River.

So the sight of 8 feet of water filling the house the night that Tropical Storm Irene flooded the river is something she will never forget. The sight of the river going over the deck of a nearby footbridge, and propane tanks, trees and massive amounts of debris washing down the river, will stay with her forever as well.

It was devastating, she recalled while standing on the homes porch one morning last week. Everything was soaked  our furniture, the walls. You never think something like that could happen.

The Mackeys low-lying neighborhood near the river was evacuated at about 1:30 p.m. that day, and it was more than six months before the family could move back into their home.

Five years later, the Mackeys home is taller than it was. The family rebuilt, as did neighbors across the street, but the homes were jacked up on concrete pillars. The Mackeys home sustained $90,000 worth of damage, with flood insurance picking up $50,000 of the tab.

Hilda Viger lives on Factory Street, around the corner from Rathbun Avenue. The basement flooding damage that her home sustained has long been repaired, and she said she is thankful it wasnt worse.

We got hit, but some people lost their homes, she said.

The river channel was permanently changed by the flooding. The village has received a grant that will help fund work to shore up the Mettawee River bank behind Vigers home to lessen the chances of future flooding issues, she said.

Hebron resident Craig Watrous, then a police officer in Manchester, Vermont, waited out the storm at his home near the Indian River. The river rose and rose, flooding Dorance Road but stopping just short of his back door.

At about 10 p.m., he received a call to head into work to help deal with storm issues, but flooding had cut him off and left him unable to get to Manchester. Route 22 was closed, and the Indian River had washed out other roads near his home.

A nice waterfall is situated just east of his home. That day, the water was so high it was almost as if the waterfall didnt exist, he recalled.

Preparedness

Fire departments and police around Warren County scrambled to deal with roads closed because of downed power lines and trees in the southern portion of the county.

Trees fell on five neighboring homes on Whippoorwill Road in Queensbury, and several on neighboring Mountainview Lane were hit by fallen trees as well. Numerous people were forced out of their homes for weeks for repairs.

Warren County Emergency Services Coordinator Brian LaFlure said days of warnings about the storms anticipated track to our area allowed many to plan for potential problems, but the wind damage in the southern part of the county surprised many.

There were several areas where we never anticipated there would be damages, he said.

Tropical Storm Irene, and Hurricane Sandy 14 months later, helped emergency services officials figure out where problems could arise during future storms. Highway departments figured out where they had undersized culverts or other drainage issues. The importance of federally mandated hazard mitigation plans became clear, and those for towns around Warren County are being updated to identify problem areas.

Many municipal leaders and highway superintendents got to experience the reimbursement process for state and federal funds to pay for damage repair. They learned how damage has to be documented.

Five years later, LaFlure said he thinks important lessons were learned that have better prepared his staff, emergency responders and leaders around the county for bad storms.

Its hard to believe its been five years, he said.
Theater a positive step for Whitehall

Bravos to John Beck and Sandee Rollins for bringing their creation  Whitehall Public Theater  to Whitehall this summer. The couple moved to Whitehall three years ago and were concerned with the downturn in the community. The two proposed a theater project and quickly raised funds to stage Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream. Whitehall has had its share of problems in recent years, but this is one special reason to be proud of the community.

Ethics policy should not be this difficult

Boos to the Washington County Board of Supervisors for failing to nail down a simple gift policy as part of its ethics guidelines. The supervisors have gone to extreme lengths in discussing this policy. We believe they are getting too wrapped up in the details. How about a simple policy that states: All county employees and representative should avoid accepting any gifts or favors that might be construed as unethical. Time to move on.

Sound test was a great opportunity

Bravos to Jeremy Treadway for volunteering to conduct a sound test for the citizens of Fort Ann with the intent of showing them their fears of noise pollution surrounding his proposed motocross track are unfounded. It was a great opportunity for residents and neighbors to get not only facts, but a chance to hear for themselves if there is a problem. It was a shame that one of the most vocal critics of the project, and one of the closest neighbors, refused to participate in the test. It was a great opportunity for them to discover if their concerns were warranted or not.

ATF has record attendance

Bravos to the Adirondack Theatre Festival for its record attendance of 9,143 this year. What was even greater to hear was that Producing Artistic Director Chad Rabinovitzs commitment to the sponsors of the show in helping to drive their business as a partner. Dinner and a night at the theater has never been better than it was this year in Glens Falls.

Civic Center pursuing gun show

Bravos to Adirondack Civic Center Executive Director Jeff Mead for pursuing a possible gun show in Glens Falls. The show was chased out of Saratoga Springs, and the Civic Center would be a perfect place for it to land. The gun show did robust business in Saratoga for years and we suspect it would draw lots of people to downtown Glens Falls several times a year.

Lake George parking dispute is silly

Boos to the village of Lake George for not working with a local resident to resolve a long-standing dispute over using his lawn for extra parking. If the village was overflowing with parking, we could understand the need for strict enforcement, but that is not the case. Any opportunity to ease the parking problem should be welcomed by the village. It seems like some sort of compromise should have been worked out. Saratoga residents who live near the race track often use their yards for parking, so why not Lake George?

Taking tank cars too much of risk

Bravos to the town of Corinth for turning down a request by Saratoga & North Creek Railway to use part of a rail line in town to store tankers that hauled formaldehyde. Its hard to know whether the plan for storage was safe or not giving how few details were available, but considering some of the accidents that have occurred in other communities around the country, it was best for the town to be prudent before jumping into an agreement it might later regret.

Moreau tries to get supervisor to behave

Bravos to the Moreau Town Board for addressing the behavior of Town Supervisor Gardner Congdon. From what was said at the Town Board meeting, it sounds like Congdon has created a hostile work environment for Moreau employees. Not only is that bad for town workers and their morale, it could eventually lead to a lawsuit. The town was right to address this now before it gets any worse. The supervisor should listen carefully.

Washington County develops new app

Bravos to the Washington County Department of Public Safety for developing a new app for cellphones and tablets that will provide real-time warnings about bad storms, flooding and other emergencies. Its a great step forward for the county and a great bonus for residents and visitors.

Ending Log Bay Day moves forward

Bravos to the Lake George Park Commission and the Warren County Board of Supervisors for beginning discussions on how to end Log Bay Day after two recent accidents on the lake. They joined the village of Lake George, which has also called for the event to end. The Park Commission has a significant amount of jurisdiction regarding the lake and its regulations. Its participation could mean that Log Bay Day will soon be history.

Post-Star editorials represent the opinion of the Post-Star editorial board, which consists of Publisher Terry Coomes, Controller/Operations Director Brian Corcoran, Editor Ken Tingley, Projects Editor Will Doolittle and citizen representative Stuart Ginsburg.
The justification for offering academic classes to inmates in state prisons, like Great Meadow in Comstock, is that, over time, it saves the state money.

Whatever it costs to provide inmates with creative and productive pursuits, the state saves much more, as inmates who take part in educational programs are less likely to end up back in prison after they are released.

Incarceration costs the state about $60,000 a year per inmate, so taxpayers have a powerful financial incentive to support programs that lower recidivism.

Yet many people who are struggling to send themselves and their children to college object on principle to the state giving inmates a free college education. Its unlikely anyone would encourage their children to commit crimes to save money on college costs. But its also ridiculous that such a strategy could even be considered  as it could years ago, before Gov. George Pataki eliminated state funding of college programs in state prisons.

The program now in place at Great Meadow, which our summer intern Justin Trombly wrote about last Sunday, is ideal. The Prison Education Initiative, in which inmates selected for their good behavior get to take classes through Bennington College, is paid for by private donations and the college itself.

Now the initiative has been chosen by the U.S. Department of Education for a pilot program that would funnel a small number of federal Pell grants to eligible inmates. These grants would fall outside the governments standard Pell program, which gives billions of dollars to college students annually, and would not affect that program.

At Great Meadow, only inmates with good records and academic potential can take the classes. If the Pell grant program proceeds, it will target inmates likely to be released within five years.

We understand the impulse to remove all comforts from convicted criminals. Prison is meant as punishment.

But the U.S. has the highest incarceration rate in the world, by far. With less than 5 percent of the worlds population, we account for more than 20 percent of the worlds inmates. We cannot afford to write off that many people.

The question of our cultural humanity is also relevant. When does a refusal to pamper inmates cross the line into cruelty?

The key consideration is not whether any one particular inmate deserves food that tastes good or the chance to develop his mind in a college class. But as citizens of the most powerful nation on earth, which considers itself a model for justice and human rights, we should be able to treat even our prison inmates with a modicum of mercy.

Finally, educational programs give inmates something productive to do with the long stretches of time they can have on their hands. Reading, writing and talking about reading and writing are good things for anyone to be doing, but are especially good activities for inmates, who have few other positive options.

We dont advocate going back to the days of widespread government-funded college education for inmates. But to the extent that programs like these can be accomplished at little cost to the public, they are well worth doing.

Local editorials represent the opinion of The Post-Star editorial board, which consists of Publisher Terry Coomes, Editor Ken Tingley, Projects Editor Will Doolittle, Controller/Operations Director Brian Corcoran and citizen representative Stuart Ginsburg.
HILLSBORO  High-level regional officials recently gathered to hear about the status of a first-in-the-world test of agricultural data collection using a large-scale Unmanned Aerial Systems.

In an event Aug. 22 at the Hillsboro Municipal Airport, top officials of Elbit Systems of America said theyd invested almost $2 million in a running project that involves many partners in the state. The project used a Research N.D. grant of $350,000, which Elbit more than matched.

Elbit manufactures the Hermes 450 UAS, which is being used in the project. The plane is flown at various heights, ranging as high as 8,000 feet. Because the Federal Aviation Administration hasnt yet approved drones flying beyond the line of sight, the project has relied on manned chase planes to control the tests, which run through the harvest at the end of the year.

The Hermes 450 drone was available in a static display at the event, which included dozens of people from business, government and research institutions. The craft has flown about 50 hours out of Hillsboro, about two weeks out of every month, scanning at about 92 miles per hour, or more than 40,000 acres in an hour.

Elbits worldwide parent company in Israel grosses about $3 billion per year with 12,000 employees and industrial operations in 13 countries  primarily in defense and commercial aviation. It spends about 9 percent of its annual revenues in research and development, which is about twice the typical corporate rate.

Raanan Horowitz, Elbits president and CEO, said he thinks the tests will show the technology is a commercially viable enterprise in which farmers can actually leverage that kind of data to manage their crops more effectively and thats what well do in the next four or five years.

The ag project in the state is just part of the next evolution of technologies, which includes unmanned, automation and analytics, decision making and quantum computing of massive amounts of data, he said. Were not trying to predict the future: were trying to build the technology base that allows us to come up with these applications.

There are some challenges to getting commercial licenses developed, and other challenges in developing the algorithms and the way to leverage the data. On this were relying on experts; partners, farmers, universities will help us find ways to leverage the data, Horowitz said.

FAAs slow-go

Leanne Collazzo, Elbits vice president of commercial aviation, said the FAA has been criticized for being slow in establishing rules for legal drone use, but the agency did come up with a rule for small drones of 55 pounds and less under 400 feet. The agency still must come up with rules for large-scale drones to operate outside of an approved test area, using a Certificate of Authorization, or COA.

The FAA currently requires a chase pilot, and the industry is working with the agency to develop requirements for things such as an anonymous sense-and-avoid technology. The Hermes 450 has more 500,000 flight hours in which it has operated safely and efficiently, but often in countries and areas that are less regulated, and with a smaller general aviation community. The FAA must be proven air-worthy, which includes safety and maintenance, Collazzo says.

Theres really no standards that have been developed for UAS use because its such a new technology, he said. How often does it need to be maintained? What should its training records be?

Sarah Lovas, a farmer with Lovas Farms of Hillsboro, also is a crop consultant with Lovas Consulting and has some land in the project area. She showed an 8 centimeter resolution, which can be produced every seven to 10 days.

We could do things like manage our in-season nitrogen applications, maybe more precisely than what weve been able to do before, Lovas said. Among other things, it could make on-ground crop consulting much more focused, rather than random.

Further, Lovas talked about how the system can provide surface elevation data that is precise and updated to current times. And in the Red River Valley, where the land is very flat, having data in places where there is less than a foot of drop could be very beneficial data for surface drainage.

Both sides now

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., said the project underlines the leadership the state and its neighbor, Minnesota, have taken in UAS work nationwide. He noted that North Dakota encompasses a Northern Plains Test Site for this purpose.

Hoeven said hes working to help persuade the FAA to approve safe, effective beyond-line-of-sight operations for drones in research work, which would make the state the first test site to have such ability. The approval would mean greater opportunities for our test site companies throughout the (Red River) Valley, to advance the integration of UAS into the national airspace, test many new, valuable uses for UAS and allow the training of hundreds of UAS pilots from around the world.

Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., said its going to be a significant challenge to make rules for operating large, faster drones without chase planes. Peterson said the science is not easy, noting that the Farm Service Agency flies farmland and sometimes misidentifies rock piles as wetlands. He noted that Google Earth maps come from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Whatever we do here has got to be cost-effective, got to be affordable, Peterson said. Thats the challenge.

John Nowatzki, an NDSU Extension Service agricultural machine systems specialist, thanked legislators for their wisdom in supporting the project, which he said could only succeed by keeping our feet on the ground with practical linkages to plant scientists and farmers.

One of the challenges is to make sure data is properly controlled and protected. Some farmers are concerned about compensation or agreements on what will happen to the data accumulated as drones move into the commercial phase. Some farmers are concerned others will use the information to calculate yields for market price discovery or environmental compliance.

Who has that right to access that data? said Brad Thykeson a Portland, N.D., farmer who attended the event. As a producer and landowner, I want people to respect my private property. Large commodity marketers could fly the Corn Belt on Sept. 1 and know what the crop would be.

Beyond the agriculture application, Elbit is working with the University of North Dakota on a project with Xcel Energy, to safely, affordably study damage to power lines after a storm.








Kurdish YPG forces aligned with the United States in the fight against Daesh (ISIS) are now being mowed down by Turkey as American forces are left to look on and watch. Turkish rebels intensified their assault on US-backed Kurdish forces in Northern Syria on Saturday as Ankara ratcheted up its cross-border offensive by launching airstrikes against both Kurdish YPG forces and Daesh (ISIS) jihadists.

Ankaras involvement in the Syrian battlefield comes at a time when they are battling a Kurdish insurgency domestically, known as the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which the Erdogan regime considers to be directly aligned with the YPG despite statements from the US State Department to the contrary.





Turkey is increasingly concerned about the gains made by the YPG with the aid of US forces in the fight against Daesh given the potential for Kurdish forces to control a continuous stretch of Syrian territory along the Turkish-Syrian border which Ankara believes would only embolden Kurdish militants in Turkey.













Complicating the strategy for US-led forces in the fight against Daesh, Turkey has also suggested that they may soon provide Russian aerospace forces access to NATOs Incirlik Air Base, an American built facility where the United States currently stores 50 to 90 tactical B-61 nuclear weapons.

The Syrian civil war which has blended in recent years with the fight against Daesh militants now has a number of conflicting key players making it hard to keep track of who is actually fighting who.





The US presently backs Kurdish forces, who their NATO ally Turkey has placed in its cross hairs, and the so-called "moderate" rebels who have aligned themselves with former al-Qaeda affiliate al Nusra Front who the United States and Russia continue to engage in bombing campaigns against.





Meanwhile, Russia has sought to support the Assad regime seeing stability of the government as a necessary predicate in order to prevent Syria from descending into a failed state status controlled by jihadi terrorists while also engaging in conflict against al-Nusra militants who are embedded with US backed rebels under the umbrella of the Army of Conquest.









The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, of which the YPG are a participating group, called Turkeys airstrikes on the village of al-Amarna "a dangerous escalation." The strike was reported to have caused a number of civilian casualties with two F-16 jets also reportedly striking a compound controlled by YPG forces in addition to six Daesh targets.













































The bombastic Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte moved to escalate tensions in the South China Sea knowing that the United States is under a treaty obligation to defend the Philippines. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, unleashed a fiery batch of rhetoric this week that threatens to light a match under the South China Sea powder keg threatening a "bloody confrontation" against any country that infringes on Manilas sovereignty and suggesting that he would "happily beat up" any party that attempts to take control of the disputed Scarborough Shoals.









The relatively unhinged musings of the Filipino leader follow controversial statements made earlier this week about the country exiting the United Nations if they continue to complain about his aggressive "war on drugs" that has left over 1,900 dead over the past 8 weeks along with statements referring to US Secretary of State John Kerry as "crazy" while laughing that he should have insulted the American diplomat more so that they would give even more money.









"I guarantee to (China), if you enter here, it will be bloody, and we will not give it to them easily. It will be the bones of our soldiers, you can include mine," said Duterte to the Associated Press. "Well not allow any country to bamboozle (us). Well not allow it."





Tensions in the South China Sea were sparked when the Philippines unilaterally submitted their claim to the disputed waters and territory before The Hague arbitration court at the behest of the United States. In their decision, the arbitration court invalidated Chinas longstanding claim to the waters, through which some 40% of the worlds shipborne trade transits through each day, and surrounding territories which serve a critical military imperative for Beijing. China immediately denounced the ruling.

"We will not raise hell now because of the judgment but there will come a time that we have to do some reckoning about this. But we will chart our own course in the national interest of this country," said Duterte according to the Phil Star newspaper.





"I hope China is dealing with us in good faith. They seem to be conciliatory. Were not insisting on arbitral judgment, I know theyre listening to us now, they can monitor us through satellite."









China holds clear military superiority over the Philippines boasting the worlds largest standing army of 2.3 million active personnel, a highly upgraded naval fleet, and some of the worlds most sophisticated fighter jets. However, the Philippines has a longstanding military alliance with the United States with American troops bound to come to the aid of their Filipino counterparts in the event that the country is attacked by China pursuant to the Mutual Defense Treaty signed on August 30, 1951.













The bellicose rhetoric of the Filipino leader seems likely to keep US defense officials from sleeping much over the next few months particularly with China already signaling the possibility that they may seek to reclaim the Scarborough Shoals in the next few weeks in order to counter the adverse ruling by The Hague. It has been reported that the reasoning among Beijings top military officials is that the United States will be too distracted by domestic politics and will be reticent to protest too aggressively.